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n LIVING OFF THE GRID: “Madden” curse? What “Madden” curse?
That’s the attitude of Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, one of the two gridiron stars featured on the cover of EA Sports’ “Madden NFL 10.”
Fitzgerald is sharing the cover with Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, and that’s one reason he thinks the curse will be broken this year: It’s the first time in the franchise’s storied 21-year history that two athletes have been featured.
“Being on the cover of ’Madden’ is a real honor,” Fitzgerald said. “And sharing it with a talent like Troy is really special.”
He also noted Madden’s recent announcement that he’ll be retiring from the NBC broadcast booth — which should give the venerable NFL commentator more time to focus on his namesake video game. EA Sports President Peter Moore said, “It’s been a privilege ... to have had the strong relationship we’ve had with John for more than two decades, and one that will continue into the future.”
The theme of “Madden NFL 10” is “fight for every yard,” and its hard-nosed enhancements include steerable tackles, gang tackles and brutal fights for fumbled balls. EA says quarterbacks will also have more flexibility in escaping the pass rush.
Still, “Madden NFL” may be best known for its mysterious “curse”: Previous cover models like Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick and Vince Young have suffered injuries during their “Madden” season.
But Fitzgerald was philosophical. “We don’t control our own destiny,” he said.
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n BLOCKBUSTERS: The Electronic Entertainment Expo, the video-game industry’s biggest party, is a little more than a month away, but companies are already jumping the gun with early announcements of some huge titles for this holiday season and beyond.
Two of the most popular franchises in the business are joining forces for Warner Bros. and MTV Games’ “Lego Rock Band.” As you might guess, the collaboration between developers TT Games and Harmonix will let you build your own combo out of Lego blocks, then rock out to “chart-topping songs and classic favorites suitable for younger audiences.” Apparently (judging from an early set list), that means yes to “Kung Fu Fighting,” no to “There Goes My Gun.”
Expect some more big sequels. Ubisoft will have “Assassin’s Creed 2” ready this year, with a new protagonist and a new setting, Renaissance Italy. And Sony’s Insomniac Games studio will deliver its biennial “Ratchet & Clank” chapter, after the boys fall through “A Crack in Time.”
No surprises there. However, one announcement that has raised some eyebrows is Bethesda’s “Fallout: New Vegas,” which will come out next year. It’s being developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind “Neverwinter Nights 2” and “Knights of the Old Republic II.” Bethesda says it isn’t a sequel to last year’s award-winning “Fallout 3,” but “simply another ’Fallout’ game in that universe.”
Now if only we could get “Lego Fallout.”
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n NEW IN STORES: Snikt! Activision brings “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” to just about every game system.
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‘Madden’ gets 2 cover models
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Pymatuning Valley student may be petite, but she has big goals as she prepares mission trip to South Africa
Courage, selflessness, sacrifice: words to define a hero. They define a person who has a certain quality of mind that allows him or her to overcome adversity, a person who is willing to forfeit something valued for something of greater claim. A hero is someone noted for feats of courage and nobility of purpose. At Pymatuning Valley, Ami Turner fits that definition well.
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Ss. John & Paul celebrates prom with 'Masquerade' theme
Ss. John and Paul High School was filled with excitement for this year’s prom. The dance took place May 15 at Martini’s Restaurant.
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Graduation on the horizon for seniors, retirement for four Geneva educators
The 2009-2010 school year has been a time of innovation and continuing successes at Geneva High School.
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GRA lacrosse team a big hit
This past year has been a year of firsts for Grand River Academy. GRA’s first football team in 75 years was launched last fall, students participated in several new academic competitions, lights were added to the tennis courts; and to finish off the year, another GRA sport was created, the hard hitting game of lacrosse.
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Crash dramatization gives students a shocking view of what could happen if they make a wrong decision
Broken glass, the smell of blood, pain- induced moans and cries for help. As you approach, you see the results of an automobile accident and see the victims, teen-agers who have just recently left their senior prom. As sirens become louder, you realize the magnitude of the situation and witness such bright futures end early because of one bad decision. This scenario is one that every parent is afraid of on prom night. This is where Officer Tim Blon and the rest of the Jefferson Emergency Services come in to help ease the fears that haunt many parents on the night of prom – a drunk driving car crash simulation for Jefferson Area High School students.
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Powder Puff games fun year-end event for Grand Valley
Grand Valley High School seniors are happily counting down to graduation day. Commencement will be held 7 p.m. June 4 in the Grand Valley High School Gymnasium.
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As the school year nears an end, Edgewood's calendar is packed with awards ceremonies, class of 2010 graduation
As the school year comes to a conclusion, the final parent teacher conferences are held, prom occurs, the band and choir perform, awards are given and seniors are realizing their achievements.
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LEAP growing in popularity as force for promoting a positive atmosphere
Lakeside High School has been busy with balancing education and activities to keep students involved. Lakeside Encouraging Acceptance Promoting Peace, an organization that was formed in December 2009, represents a positive atmosphere at LHS and in the community.
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Grand Splendor, trip to Washington is the finale for seniors at SRCA
As the 2009-2010 school year comes to an end, South Ridge Christian Academy is as busy as ever. The next event on the calendar is Grand Splendor.
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Vocational school welcomes hundreds of future students, parents at orientation
“Back to school” might seem like a weird statement seeing how we are just about done with the school year, but on April 20 students from across the county turned out at the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School to look at the facilities and meet with teachers and school officials. People began arriving before the event’s official starting time of 6:30 p.m.; more than 500 people attended during the evening.
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