methodwriter85

Tyler Posey (J. Lo's son in Maid In Manhattan and star of Teen Wolfe) as Cam, the freshman crushing on Will? Tyler is so damned cute in that puppy dog kind of way. Tyler Posey has such a wonderful, infectious smile. It'd be interesting for Cam to be hispanic. Anybody remember Tyler from the episode of Smallville where he played an illegal immigrant from Mexico?

When Mark described Jersey Guy as a round-faced blond beefy type, I immediately thought of Beaver from Greek: He just LOOKS the part of the dumb friendly gentle giant.

I would think they would because this is post-Columbine, but I could also see that a wealthy, private school would rely on their security guards and plus, it's not an immense, bad public school. You're not getting rowdy kids who are bored and don't want to be there. The set up of the school is pretty serious(seriously, 9th graders have to take physics), and I can't see it as being the type of place where the kids run amock while bored teachers hand out packets. The entrances probably would have the cameras to keep non-students out, but I can buy them not having an all-out security camera system in 2001. From what I've read of Menlo, at this time period they were undergoing renovations and expansions (the first one was done in 1999, the second was completed in Will's graduation year of 2004), so you can just pretend that in Will's locker wing they didn't have cameras yet. In any event, I don't think the cameras would have made that much of a difference, because you've only got so many junior/senior office aids who could've gotten access to the locker assignments who would have been working during the homeroom/first period, so Ferris would have been caught either way. I think how they handled it made a lot of sense- it wasn't physical fighting. There's a zero bullying policy there, but without Will getting physically manhandled I can't see the school making a big deal out of it, especially as long as Ferris took his punishment and apologized. Otherwise, they'd have to bring Ferris's parents into it who might not take Ferris getting expelled from the school well, and then things could get really ugly. It's a disapointment that Noah turned into such a chump, but it's really realistic. Noah is dyed-in-the-wool follower who's following a woman who's declared Will the "enemy", so it all makes sense. Especially since they estimated that at least 50 people died at the Marriott when the building collapsed.

Chapter 34 -When Ferris is forced to write an apology note on Will's locker, which Will leaves up to further humiliate him. "Rip Her To Shreds" by Blondie -At lunch, when Will realizes that someone's got a little crush on him. "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus -When Will founds out that Noah and John got into a fight, effectively ending any positive feelings he might have had about Noah. "Seventy Times 7" by Brand New I learned about this song because my friend Meghan had this group of friends. She was dating a sophomore(we were freshmen), and then she dumped him. The entire group of friends sided with him over her, and then she found a burned cd duct-taped to her locker."Meghan's Song" was written on the front, and this was the song her friends dedicated to her. As you can imagine, it was NOT a flattering thing. (I actually wound up keeping the CD because I really loved the song.) You gotta love high school drama. -When Will and JP arrive in New York City, and JP takes Will on a tour of the City. "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra -When Will hangs out at the barbeque at Jeanine and Hank's place. "Start the Commotion" by The Wiseguys

What's interesting is that Brad's least-favored son and niece both have that "win at all costs" trait to them, but Will doesn't. That's not to say he won't go nuclear, but Will's general philosophy, like Wade's, is winning at life rather than winning for winning's sake. I really think that Robbie finding out that JJ was getting molested by his coach while Robbie was going on to the family about how much they were ignoring JJ's problems really was a major wake-up call. I think it made Robbie re-evaluate a lot, and made him see that perhaps he doesn't have the answer to everything. That in turn made his judgement better than it was when he thought he was infallible.

Chapter 33 -When Will and Robbie bond, and Robbie tries to give him advice about Brad. "Trouble" by Coldplay (instrumental) I remember when this was the go-to "sad, contemplative" song for MTV shows.

It's a weakness only in the sense that it's going to keep Will from being capable of the kind of ruthless behavior that Stefan and Brad can do. I'm not sure Will could ever do the CEO deal because he's generally too compassionate.

Agreed. I have Tim pictured as a sexy mid-30-something Republican lawyer hot Suburban Dad type.

This is a teenaged son, not Brad's middle-aged lover.

I'd rather Will take a while before meeting Daniel Radcliffe. He was born in July 1989, which would make him a newly-turned 12, and more importantly he LOOKED 12 at this time period. I'm not really into the idea of having Will fuck Harry Potter just yet. Maybe by the time of The Order of the Phoenix. Will could have a threesome with Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory. In any event, Robbie's looking at a banner year, with The Princess Diaries, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings. Although 2000 was Robbie's "Oscar year", with Erin Brokovitch and Gladiator. 1999 is definitely going to be a distant memory. I loved how much he regretted turning down American Beauty and took on Bicentennial Man instead. LOL.

Theo James is just hot:

JJ and Marie seem like the only teenaged grandchildren not into drinking or using drugs, although we can't be totally sure about that with Marie. Marie does have the added concern of the double-standard that people have about boys vs. girls- that it's okay for a guy to have lots of sex, drink, and use drugs, but a "nice girl" isn't supposed to do that, and if she does, she's a skank. I think the consistent premise we've been going with since Will took over as a protagonist is that he has the physical and emotional development of a 17-year old. We don't know if the same was true for Brad at 14, or if Brad was more in line with other 14-year old boys. Although given that Brad mentioned that he started given Ace blowjobs when he was around 12, I think it's more likely he was advanced like Will.

I wanted to post this in the lounge, but I thought the topic of Education in America could get political really quick. There's this video making the rounds on YouTube, where a students rants against what he deems a lazy teacher because she hands out work packets instead of actally teaching. Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQlPGK9wYkg And here's the Teens React episode: I do think Jeff Bliss hits a nerve- there is a deep fracture in how children are currently taught in much of the public school system of the United States. I was fortunate enough to attend a public high school where the bulk of teachers actually tried to teach instead of just handing out packets, but it did happen. But then you also get students who have teachers that try to "touch the heart", and they're just not having it either. It's a bit of a two way street- kids become apathetic and bored because they're put in large public schools that try to have a one-size-fits-all approach to education, and teachers become jaded from year after year of having to teach students with increasingly limited resources. I'm a believer in tailoring education to student needs and interests, which is why I believe that that the traditional public school system should be replaced with charter schools and magnet schools. I think that way, you get a much more engaged student body, because they actually want to be there because they're following an education plan that suits them. In turn, that encourages teachers to actually want to teach. I aso believe that tenure needs to be abolished, so that teachers are forced to evolve and adapt to new teaching methods instead of being allowed to stay stale because they have tenure. What do all of you think about what makes a good teacher? How have the good teachers stuck with you? What do you guys think makes a bad teacher? How do you think the system should be changed to create better teachers?

Well, last time I checked, when Brad was 17 in the summer of 1980, it was illegal for a 17-year old to drink, smoke pot, snort cocaine, and drop acid, but that sure didn't stop Brad.

Really excited for this. Kate Winslet is perfect as the leader of the Erudite faction, and I love that she's playing a villain. Shailene Woodley and Theo James look great as Tris and Four.

Seriously though, check out The Runaways and Adventureland. She's really good in them.

Chapter 32 -When Will has yet another one of his blow-ups with Brad, this time calling him on his hypocrisy. "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister -When Will "runs away" to the Stanford Shopping Center. "Running With the Devil" by Van Halen -When Brad expresses his concern about Will turning into a juvenile delinquent, while everyone else points out to him what a hypocrite he's being. "Cherry Bomb" by The Runaways I'm sorry, but Dakota Fanning could not pull off Cherie Curie that well . Kristen Stewart was fantastic as Joan Jett, though. If you guys noticed, I used teenage youth rebellion songs from when Brad was either a teenager or an early 20-something. Yay for themes!

Colin Ford as Riley Danfield at 13: I figure Riley will have to have a pasty, WASP-face with striking blue eyes, which is why I'm eying Colin Ford. Kiernan Shipka as Madison Graves at 13: Kiernan would mix the blond hair that Maddy's biological father has, with the brown eyes of Jeanine. I'd love it if Maddy turned to be a child prodigy like Kiernan is. Seriously, that is one talented 13-year old girl. Kiernan wouldn't make a half-bad Marie, also.

I always kind of thought that if La Danfield and MaryEllen would run across Gathan Hayes, they'd find themselves a very pliable person to manipulate. Gathan is a sweet person who doesn't have an in-born bullshit detector who's much more naieve than you'd think someone with his background would be like. That he wants to be small-town mayor would be a good starting off-point- first being mayor of a small-town in Middle America, then graduating up to district representative, and then senator or governor. Ohio is actually an important swing state, and I could see having someone in their back pocket from that state appealing to them. Gathan's not really that ambitious but that's where Elizabeth and MaryEllen would come in.

Dude, you graduated from high school in the average year that people in my class were born! (I should have been in '04 but I was held back in first grade to improve my reading skills, so I relate more to people born in late 1986/early1987 instead of late '85/early '86.) I have this great shirt that says "Class of 2005 Est. 1987." Pretty cool coincidence. John Hobart would have been born the summer after you graduated from high school- we set his birthdate as July 21, 1987. I do think 1987 was a pretty cool year- great music(The Cure's Just Like Heaven, Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over), great T.V. (Thirtysomething), great movies (Wall Street, Dirty Dancing, Fatal Attraction), and some really hilarious fashion. (Crimped hair, pegged acid wash jeans, surfer/skater hair.) Have you ever seen Adventureland? It's a pretty cool coming-of-age flick set in 1987 with Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart about a guy who has to work at an amusement park the summer after he graduates from college. I think they could've done better with the clothes, but the music was fantastic.

Which is how the high school gossip mill works. I don't think Menlo would have a bullying problem, because you can' have a school set-up that intense (not as intense as HW according to Will but it's still gotta come close) and create the kind of environment where bored kids decide to pick on other people for the hell of it. But even in an environment that's relatively bully-free, gossip is still pretty huge, especially considering that Menlo is relatively small school. The Upper School school enrollment now is 560, and if the number is comparable to 2001 enrollment, they probably only have about 125 to 150 students per grade. (Maybe even less.) When you've got classes that small, gossip spreads like wildfire, as opposed to if Will went a large public high school that had 2,000 students and like 500 kids per class. Everybody knows everybody else, and everybody has been in at least one class with every other person in their class. BTW, I checked and Menlo requires 80 hours of community servivce to graduate. I think that's even more than Harvard-Westlake required. I wonder if Will's going to go back to tutoring disadvantaged youth again because that worked so well the last time. LOL. If I were Claire, I'd force Marie to do her community service picking up trash along the highway. LOL. Do you think you'll incorporate the kid's community service again like you did in Paternity, or is that all just stuff that's going to happen off-book? Having John, Marie, and Will working together on a Habitat for Humanity project could be cool.

Yeah, I'm seeing more parallels with Brad in Be Rad than Elizabeth Danfield. The main difference is that Brad is more overt while Marie gets other people to do her bidding, and Brad wanted to be King of the entire school, while Marie wants to be Queen of her cliche. It's a small distinction, but a distinction nonetheless.

Here's something to be envious about: Average cost of in-state tution at a University in 1993: $4,064 per year (in 2013 dollars) at a public school $21,592 per year (in 2013 dollars) at a private school Average cost of in-state tutition at a University in 2012-2013: $8,655 per year at a public school $29,055 per year at a private school I think the idea that you can go to a 4-year, public university for under 20k for the entire time is going to become a pretty foreign thought, especially in the U.S. (Canada seems to be much more reasonable.) The average college kid is spending, on average, about 12k more for public college than did his 1993 counterpart for their 4-year education, while the private school person spends about 32k more.

If Noah went to Menlo's Middle School, he could have known Marie for as long as since the 1997-1998 school year, when Marie was in 6th grade and Noah was in 8th grade. As someone who went to a school that held both middle school and high school grades, there tends to be a bit of overlap where underclassmen and middle schoolers wind up hanging out with each other. I had a friend in 10th grade who was seeing an 8th grader, and god we teased him mercilessly about it.