Whether you’re looking forward to party rocking with LMFAO, raving with Avicii, or chilling out at San Francisco’s annual Outside Lands Music Festival, the excitement is universal. With all of this excitement, be sure to start planning early. Tickets are already on sale for many of this summer’s most desirable concerts. If they haven’t already sold out, they probably will soon.

Here’s a list of a few music events that are happening this summer:

On Feb. 28, he disappointed many with his release of “Live My Life.” The song only featured Bieber singing for a total of roughly 20 seconds and was predominantly Far East Movements’ notorious electronic style.

Bieber quickly recaptured his fans’ attention by tweeting two sample covers for his new single “Boyfriend.” He asked his fans to vote for their favorite cover, which recreated the sense of family that so many bielibers thrive on. He went on to delight thousand with his single “Boyfriend,” released on March 26, about how he would treat a girl if he was ever her boyfriend. With lyrics like, “I’d like to be everything you want/ If I was your boyfriend I’d never let you go/ I could be your Buzz Light Year, fly across the globe” it’s easy to see why this song made a home in many hearts of girls, and even boys. Or, if you’re not a fan, check out Sophia Bollag’s critique of “Boyfriend” in her latest column.

Bieber then announced that he would be releasing his newest album, Believe, on May 26. The thought of waiting a whole month before another dose of Bieber to worship seemed unbearable to some fans. Predicting this dilemma, Bieber decided to make a music video for “Boyfriend” in order to satisfy his fans’ needs. He also kept everyone engaged by releasing teasers for his video on Twitter.

Finally, on May 3 Bieber released his much-anticipated music video which featured him singing, dancing, and driving fancy cars. The music video delighted many, but if you are one of the few who were disappointed by it and found it heartbreaking to watch JB with other girls, check out the Mirador’s version!

Bieber is releasing another song from his upcoming album this Mothers’ Day. The song is dedicated to his single mom and the proceeds will go to single moms around the country.

Bieber has swiftly won back the hearts of many and the anticipation of his new album will keep him on the minds of Bielibers worldwide.

It often happens that – once in high school, people forget how much fun they had as a child. There is no need for partying or sulking in your room, all you need to do is revert back to your five-year-old self. Back to simpler times when a song or playing in the sprinklers erased all your thoughts and left you with contentment.

When life gives you lemons… realize you’re never too old to have lemonade, but it’s way more fun to watch them ricochet off your elementary school wall ball court. Now, although, stress relief is necessary. It needs to be safe, so make sure you aim at the wall and not at your peers.

If that’s not fun for you, refer back to the song; take it literally,  and “scream and shout.” Corny, I realize, but still extremely effective. Sometimes a childish yell is all it takes to feel better.

Or you can always run or swim. Not for time or fitness – just because. It’s best late at night when you practically can’t even see where you are going and it’s a fact that everything is more fun at night. The sky is illuminated with stars and your life is absent of stress so take this to your advantage. The night tends to bring you back to your young and innocent dreams. Embrace the night and discover your own way to Let It Out.

And if nothing works, go to an amusement park or turn on some J. Beibs for a good laugh.

I imagine that senior year comes with many perks: colleges lining up at your door, sympathetic and easy teachers, no more homework, free pancake breakfasts, and lots of sleeping in. Anyone who thinks he or she knows more than me and disagrees—just be quiet.

Of course, I know the best part of being a senior will be having the respect of the rest of the student body. Sure, I was at the top of the school age hierarchy in fifth and eighth grade, but that was always temporary, and I would return to my lowly status the next year. This, however, is the real deal.

In fact, it’s such a big deal that I’m already done being a junior. Now that my last AP test is over, summer is just a few weeks of watching movies and enjoying sunshine away. My teachers may still pretend to care and still give some homework, but they don’t honestly expect I’ll do it, right?

I know this may sound a lot like senioritis, but as Kelsi explained in her last column, it’s quite different. I’m just longing to be a senior. College applications still have to be sent, and my SAT subject tests are unsettlingly close. I’ll still work and study for those things, but regular, everyday school is just not as important anymore.

But I’m getting off track. Juniors and lowerclassmen alike must realize that I, when I am a senior, will be much wiser than them in all facets of life. As such, any questions regarding life should be brought to any of my fellow seniors or me*.

When I was a freshman and sophomore, I made sure to take notes on how the seniors acted so I too would know how to act when I got there. It was only this past year that I realized how much cooler the Class of 2013 is than the Class of 2012, and got bored listening to seniors stressing out over college in the fall and watching them fall asleep mid-conversation in the spring. I’m sure I’ll be much cooler next year.

One other thing I’m really looking forward to is our senior class prank. So far this year I haven’t seen a class prank from the current seniors, and time is running out. Hopefully though, next year’s prank will return Miramonte to the glories of old.

For example, we could one-up the Class of 2011 by pitching tents and having a sleepover on TOP of the gym**. Or, we could take every car from the teachers’ lot and stack them on top of each other to create a giant skyscraper. That one’s still in the development stage.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some engineers to consult about my next class prank plan.

*Restrictions may apply. I may also laugh in your face or simply fall asleep while you talk.

**I just hope no one is a sleepwalker.

“His energy was amazing and he looked so hot up there,” said San Jose native Natalia Theron. And while both statements are true, it was his high energy that really captivated fans.

Concord was the first stop on Drake’s Club Paradise Summer Tour and he certainly kicked it off the right way. Coming with the objective of turning the pavilion into “one of the hottest clubs in the bay,” for a night, Drake did just that.

He captivated fans with opening song “Lord Knows” and excitement only grew from there. The only time screams couldn’t be heard was at the start of Drake’s emotionally raw chart-topping single “Marvin’s Room”. A brief second of hushed silence occurred before the crowd erupted into ecstatic cheers.

Ensuring the excitement never died, Drake continuously brought surprise guests onstage like The Weekend and Waka Flaka Flame, both of who were eagerly received by the crowd.

When the crowd thought the concert couldn’t get any better Drake had one last great surprise in store. Lil Wayne, Drake’s good friend and part-time collaborator, skateboarded out onto the stage, causing the crowd to go absolutely wild.

“When Lil Wayne came onstage, I thought I was going to die. Drake and Lil Wayne, can it get much better than that?” said Theron.

And for many fans it truly didn’t seem like it could. Drake’s humble attitude shone through when he let fellow rappers take center stage continuously praising them on their amazing talents; and while his duet with Lil Wayne was definitely one of the highlights, there wasn’t one best moment. Drake kept fans in constant anticipation pleasing them with a variety of hits such as “Headlines” and “The Motto”.

It was evident that Drake recognized the importance of proving you really only live once. He put everything he had into his performance, and fans certainly took notice. Whether you had a lawn seat, or a spot in the pit, everyone left the pavilion feeling completely satisfied. We know we’ll be the first in line to buy tickets for his next concert; and until then, we can only say “Take Care.”

Despite my obsession with grammar, I will be the first to admit there are plenty of times when lyricists can bend the rules. The most obvious reason is for meter; leaving out words and syllables to preserve rhythm is almost always okay. However, there are some rules that should never be broken. If you’re going to break a rule, you have to have a reason, and some rules, like the conditional, are almost never broken intentionally. If a song doesn’t come from a distinct, developed point-of-view (like “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” or “Creep”) or have an inherent colloquial integrity (like country music), chances are incorrect use of the conditional is a sign the lyricist and the singer just don’t know how to speak English. I don’t care how high Bieber’s falsetto is, there’s nothing cute about illiteracy.

I didn’t think I could dislike the song any more than I already did… until I saw the music video. Before, I had assumed Bieber had maxed out the creep factor (and his number of grammatical errors) with “One Less Lonely Girl.” In case you don’t remember, that was the one that went: “I’m coming for you… / And when you’re mine, in the world / There’s gonna be one less lonely girl / (I’m coming for you) / One less lonely girl,” and had an accompanying music video that featured Bieber stalking an older-looking girl and stealing her clothes.

“Boyfriend” proved me wrong. It opens with a series of dimly-lit shots of Bieber and his baby-smooth skin whispering pseudo-seductively about fondue and caressing the faces of several scantily-clad models. It then switches to a scene with lots of cars and a crowd of people doing incongruously ghetto, risqué dance moves, while Bieber alternates between grinding with a girl wearing shorts made of more holes than fabric, and playing a guitar like he’s sitting by a campfire at a summer camp for middle schoolers. Bieber is stuck between adolescence and babyhood like never before, and his egregious misuse of the conditional isn’t helping make it any less disgusting.

On the first day of tryouts the contestants were taught basic moves, techniques, and jumps. Throughout the week competitors we taught a dance routine and a cheer, which were later evaluated. Later, everyone tried out in pairs. Contestants were required to show off any tumbling they knew, as well as three jumps, the cheer, and the dance.

Coaches Rebecca George and Carol Herndon were hoping to find more tumblers, but were mostly looking for enthusiastic cheerleaders who truly wanted to be a part of the squad.

Four new girls made the squad. Natalie Condon ‘13, Joella Ochs ‘14, Hannah Gunn ‘16, and Jessie Musacchio  ’16 stood out as talented and passionate.  Because Ricky Samoranos ‘13 was forced to quit in the middle of the competition season due to a shoulder injury, he had to try out again last week.

The coaches will choose captains as the season progresses. Tryouts for the competition squad will be held over summer. This year, competition tryouts will not be open to those who are not already a part of the squad.

Even if you haven’t seen all (or any) of the team’s solo movies, The Avengers should be fairly understandable. Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor’s younger brother, makes a deal with Chituari (an enemy planet of Asgard) in order to conquer Earth: he’ll receive an army of angry Chituarians in exchange for the Tesseract (a cube of limitless energy; aka the power device from Captain America). Loki arrives on the scene of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, steals the Tesseract, and turns several agents (including Dr. Selvig and Avenger’s hero Hawkeye) into brainwashed slaves. Facing a threat to Earth as a whole, Commander Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is forced to assemble the Avengers superheroes: Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).

The film as a whole was very Whedon-esque, and any Marvel fan worth his or her salt can tell you that he did a fantastic job in terms of continuity and sticking true to the characters. The real gems were in the character interactions: it’s hard to have conflicting personalities like that of white knight Captain America and snarky anti-hero Iron Man mesh well on screen. In The Avengers, watching all of the characters interact was probably the best part. It’s hard not to feel a sense of affection tinged with nostalgia as each character was reintroduced, most of the time exactly where their solo movie had left off. Iron Man and the Hulk’s bonding over science, Thor and Captain America’s naivete over modern ideas and culture, and Black Widow and Hawkeye’s intense brothers-in-arms relationship were all a treat to watch. Whedon also got to play around with each character’s individual quirks. Although these heroes assembled to form a team, they are a group of individuals. Whedon references each hero’s previous storyline and relationships; and even manages to build a backstory for Hawkeye and Black Widow, despite how neglected they are by Marvel.

Whedon also did an amazing job focusing on each character, and did not pick favorites. Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, and the Hulk all got about equal screen time and character development. It was refreshing seeing none of the above as the main character, but instead teammates. Unfortunately, Hawkeye and Black Widow got about half of the attention that the other heroes did. Although Hawkeye and Black Widow do not have their own movies (and are deemed “less interesting” by some fans), Renner and Johansson did a wonderful job with them, and both heroes kicked their fair share of butt, respectively.

All of the cast portrayed their characters magnificently, but Hiddleston took it above and beyond in his portrayal of Loki as the somehow sympathetic, yet totally insane villain that he is. You can practically feel Loki’s God Complex in his “You were made to be ruled” speech, and in his confrontation with Black Widow, you can definitely see a bit of Hannibal Lector being channeled (Quid pro quo, Agent Romanoff?).

In summation, this was the ideal Superhero movie: amazing acting, plot, characters, and humor. The Avengers had the potential to be really, really bad, but Whedon’s influence (as well as the cast’s great character interpretations) pulled through and in the end created a fantastic production.

Overall rating: A-

This is the classic story of never giving up and finding the hidden charms of a strange or unexpected situation. The film follows a group of folk who, for various reasons, find themselves in Jaipur, India at the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a run down palace full of broken phones and cockroaches run by the charismatic and hilarious Sonny (Dev Patel). Although the hotel doesn’t exactly meet their initial expectations, the retirees learn to appreciate its charm and adapt to their new environment in the bustling city. Each character has their own adventure and the film becomes a pleasant collection of heartwarming episodes wound together by dramatic and comedic scenes. The audience leaves with an optimistic feeling that good guys do come out on top and things do work out in the end.

Because every character has their own distinctive niche in the film, it creates a group that could now be called The Breakfast Club of oldsters. There’s Evelyn (Judi Dench), the rundown housewife looking for purpose, Graham (Tom Wilkinson) a recently retired lawyer returning to the country he grew up in, and Jean (Penelope Wilton) and Douglas (Bill Nighy), the couple that drifts apart and adds drama and depth to the film. Madge (Celia Imrie) is on the prowl for a new husband and Norman (Ronald Pickup) still wants to feel needed. Then, of course, there’s the hilariously racist, but heartwarming Muriel (Maggie Smith), who needs a speedy hip surgery.

The cast of Brits we all know and love creates most of the hype for the film, and rightfully so. Dench and Smith stand out as two of the most memorable stars. Dench, once again, brings charm and realistic emotion to the screen and flawlessly plays the role of an elderly widow trapped in a fast-paced world of Internet and Indian call centers. Smith perfectly creates a grumpy, racist, frustrated old woman who is impossible not to fall in love with.

While the film does include dramatic scenes of couples bickering and old childhood friends reuniting, Ol Parker’s screenplay doesn’t skimp on comedy. Smith’s character brings hilarity to the screen with her plethora of one-liners that never fail to drive the audience to laughter. When told that she may have to wait six months before surgery in England, she replies: “I can’t plan that far ahead: I can’t even buy green bananas!” Sonny, the enthusiastic hotel owner who refuses to lose confidence in his dying hotel also provides a comedic point. It’s impossible not to smile at his ceaseless optimism and energetic lines even when delivering bad news.

The filming is also a strong point of the film for it provides a colorful, cultural backdrop for the scenes, transporting the audience to the crowded bustling Indian cities where you ride around in a tuk tuk and try not to crash into any lingering cows. It feels as if you are traveling along with the characters, falling in love with the culture and vigor of the people as you go.

As a whole, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a feel good movie for all ages that will re-introduce you to the hilarity and appeal of British comedy thanks to some of the industry’s best actors and actresses. This weekend, take break from the endless AP studying, grab a friend, and follow your favorite oldsters on an Indian adventure that has a little bit of everything.

For freshmen and sophomores, this feeling is really more of a longing for summer. The sun is shining, the temperature is getting warmer, and we all want to be outside having fun. This is totally normal, since pretty much nobody ever wants to be inside doing work. Senioritis will hit you, and when it does, you’ll know.

For juniors, what you’re feeling is really more of a longing to be a senior. Sure, there’s the longing for summer as well, but for the most part you’re excited about all of the perks that come with being a senior (and trust me, there are perks). You won’t really feel Senioritis until all of the fun and excitement from being a senior has worn off, and by that point you’ll have visited your college of choice several times and will be able to practically taste the freedom.

Which brings me to the seniors. At this point, we’ve all been accepted to the school that we plan to attend next year, or at least know of next year’s plans. We’ve been to our college of choice and know that it’s going to be freaking awesome. Many of us have already integrated ourselves into our school of choice, from joining our college’s Facebook “Admitted Students” group (see: Tamar McCollom), to buying sporting event tickets online. Basically at this point, we pretty much belong to two schools: one representing our bright and shining future (a future without parent supervision, might I add), and one representing our past selves… that may or may not actually be in the past yet.

The most dangerous thing about Senioritis, though, is that it gets worse

So, so much worse.

See, believe it or not, I used to be one of those kids that actually liked school.

Senior year gave me the leverage to take classes that I actually wanted to take, which was awesome and made going to school even better.

That’s when second semester hit.

The attitude in the entire senior class changed. People were excited about getting out of school in just a few months, and I think at that point we all assumed that in this next semester the teachers would understand that we were kind of done with school, and in turn they’d make classes easier. Nothing is ever that simple. Instead of classes getting easier, people just stopped caring. It was the weakest ones to fall first; they’d stop coming to class as much, and didn’t do homework. Like a horde of mindless zombies, they were with us physically, but their minds were already long gone.

The infection soon spread. From period to period, people would just stop trying. Seniors would flip open their notebooks, look at the amount of homework they had to do, then just flip them shut again. Formerly straight-A students would ignore the teacher in favor of doing more productive things, like staring out the window. It became a nightmare.

After AP tests are over, it can only get worse. At this point I’m hanging on to my final shreds of caring, but I feel I can’t hold out for much longer. Some time within the next two weeks I will be completely infected by the Senioritis virus – until then, I can only hope my current GPA is high enough to make the fall.

I suppose this is my final goodbye. At this point I’m too apathetic to even finish my sent