When I was about 10 years old, many things made me happy. School was a favorite of mine. Dance classes were the highlight of my week. The album that was always played was “Spice” by the Spice Girls.

Back then I made myself a promise: if the Spice Girls ever came to Michigan, I would attend the concert. After the group called it quits in 2000 (Ginger Spice left in ‘98 but the others carried on), the chances of me going to a concert were slim to none.

However, due to the reunion tour, I finally got my chance. In the middle of December, four tickets were purchased for the concert I promised to see 10 years ago.

Three friends and I traveled to see the Spice Girls play a packed house at the Palace of Auburn Hills last Saturday, Feb. 16. Although the crowd was mainly filled with young women aged 18-23, some women in their mid- 30s were also around the show. There were also more men at the show than I had imagined.

(What really surprised me the most was the amount of girls aged 9-13; I’m sure they never listened to the Spice Girls when they were popular.)

The show started 20 minutes after the announced start time of 8 p.m. I admit that I had been getting a bit anxious.

Rising up on platforms from underneath the stage, the Spice Girls started with “Spice Up Your Life.” I was genuinely excited to see the girls that I had liked so long ago.

With flashing lights and graphics, sparkling costumes and the fast-paced beat of the songs, the audience was brought back to the age when boybands were revered and girl groups were noted for their free spirit. Looking around, I noticed that everyone was on their feet dancing and singing.

All the group’s largest hits were performed, including “Wannabe” and “Stop.” “2 Become 1” had the loudest singing from the crowd while “Mama” had members of the audience in tears (it featured videos of the girls and their moms). Everyone performed a solo (minus Posh Spice, who did a catwalk) that was well-received.

According to Telegraph.co.uk, the Girls’ show contains eight costume changes. The sparkly outfits fit to each girl’s individual style. The best costume set in my opinion was the modern remake of the outfits worn in the “Spiceworld” tour in 1998. This included a sparkly version of Ginger’s Union Jack dress.

The only disappointment? I did miss the dancing that was done in the early years. Most dancing was done by the backup dancers. However, this was one of the best concerts I had ever been to in terms of energy, nostalgia and general entertainment.

A comment made by Ginger a couple songs into the show reminded me of my promise.

“The Spice Girls have never played in Detroit before,” she said.

There it was. I had never missed them in the past and I got to see them on their only time to the Mitten. Not only had I fulfilled my promise, but I had also never missed out on it before.

It seemed a bit odd to some people that I would be going to such a concert (and actually enjoying it). I must say that my musical tastes have changed over the years from *NSYNC to Rage Against the Machine.

Even though I seldom listen to pop anymore, I can never deny the music I listened to in the past because they were a piece of who I was. The Spice Girls were a big part of my childhood and to deny this opportunity seemed ludicrous. Plus, it was an opportunity I had promised myself to take.

And it was a great opportunity indeed. Flashes of my childhood passed before my eyes and it made me realize how different the songs seem after you’ve grown up a bit. It was amazing to see how well I still remembered the words. I had fun acting like a kid again and watching the girls interact in a way I never got to experience before.

Plus, who can deny the opportunity to see Victoria Beckham in the flesh?

On Nov. 5, 2007, the picket signs went up and Hollywood seemed to have hit a brick wall when the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strike began.

Now, three months later, the strike has settled on an agreement and people can expect their favorite shows to be returning to their televisions, according to cnn.com.

With a massive 12-to-1 margin in favor of ending the strike, the combined votes of the Los Angeles and New York guild sectors have resulted in the assumed finality of the 100-day strike. The last step is the ratification process to be wrapped up by Feb.25, and is probably due to the massively favorable vote.

The poll, which was taken on Feb. 12, resulted in a 92.5 percent landslide, with only 283 members of 3,775 voting to continue picketing and pushing for a better contract.

According to tvweek.com, the settlement agreed upon between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) was not the greatest deal for the WGA.

They will receive a maximum flat rate of approximately $1,200 for internet-streamed programs within the first two years, and will also receive two percent of the distributors’ gross in year three.

In addition, they will receive higher residual payments for downloaded movies and television programs.

While not being the best of deals, it stills “gives the guild a foothold in the digital age, rather than being shut out of the future of content creation and delivery,” commented Patric Verrone, president of the West Coast guild sector.

Aside from these numbers, some even more extreme reside in the monetary losses due to the strike. Close to $3.2 billion dollars was the estimated amount lost in the economy of Los Angeles County, which is more than six times the amount lost in the strike of 1988, a 153- day walkout, which resulted in a $500 million loss.

Included in these losses was the cancellation of the Golden Globe Awards, turning the usually star-studded Golden Globes into a “news conference.”

There is obvious upset over this at NBC, and it has been proposed that the company may be suing the WGA for this reason, reported DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com.

The trouble is that the WGA did not force the cancellation of the ceremony; they simply announced that they would picket the event: a legal, if not expected, action.

This wasn’t the only lessthan- desirable news that spawned from the strike, for a similar strike situation could arise due to the end of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) contract that expires June 30 this year.

Already SAG has been encouraged against a similar strike by studios, other unions, and some major actors and actresses such as Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Robert DeNiro.

They are encouraging that SAG begins negotiating its new contract as soon as possible, to avoid any such work stoppages.

And even though the strike has come to an end, “restarting an industry is not as simple as rebooting a writer’s laptop,” entertainment lawyer Jonathan Handel told CTV’s Canada A.M.

This statement, in its undeniable truth, inevitably results in the delayed return of some major television programs such as “Lost,” “24,” and “Heroes.”

“Lost” and “Heroes” aren’t expected to be seen until the fall, in order to script and film their seasons in their entirety before airing, and the hit show “24” may not be returning until January 2009 so that it will have enough time to film all 24 episodes for its season.

Luckily some of CBS’ popular dramas will return soon, including “Cold Case,” “Criminal Minds” and “Without a Trace,” which will most likely be back by early April, and even earlier is ABC’s “Boston Legal,” which, due to a previously half-finished script, could be back on the air as soon as next week according to news. bbc.co.uk.

“At the end of the day, everybody won,” stated Chief Executive Leslie Moonves of CBS, “It was a fair deal and one that the companies can live with, and it recognizes the large contribution that writers have made to the industry.”

And with that statement and the combined harmonizing efforts of both the WGA and AMPTP, the shows will go on.

The world’s most expensive sandwich has been declared.

On any normal day when I think of sandwiches I think of Subway. Wait. Let me take that back. I think of the refrigerator in my house because I don’t like paying for sandwiches. Why would I want to pay for a sandwich when I can go home and make one for free?

The better question is why would I pay £85 for a sandwich? That’s $170 in American money! It’s official…some corporation has lost its mind. I hope it finds it soon.

The battle to create the most expensive sandwich in the world is in full effect. According to seriouseats.com, in 2006, the London department store Selfridges introduced the “MacDonald,” which is named after the chief, not the fast food place.

This sandwich comes with fresh wagyu beef, lobe foie gras, black-truffle mayonnaise, brie de Meaux, rocket, red pepper, mustard confit and English plum tomatoes. It’s served on a 24-hour fermented sourdough bread.

I guess making consumers pay $170 for this sandwich wasn’t enough. The Cliveden in Berkshire now has £100 sandwiches on its menus.

This sandwich is composed of Black Iberian Pig, jamon Iberico, piled poulet de Bresse, 10 grams of white truffles, quail eggs, and semi-dried tomatoes. It’s served on 24-hour fermented sourdough bread too.

Let me clarify this. For way too much money you can get a sandwich made of pig meat, fancy French chicken, and some other stuff that’s not worth the money. Oh! I forgot to mention that this particular sandwich has the meat cut nice and thin in an attempt to make it a traditional club sandwich.

Silly me. I always thought a traditional club sandwich consisted of turkey, ham, tomatoes, lettuce, bacon, and a couple of other simple items.

I can’t think of anyone willing to pay $200 for a sandwich. Of course there are people who are willing to because the sandwiches are still being offered.

Seriouseats.com reported that the "MacDonald" sandwich is worth the money. I find this hard to believe, but I don’t ever plan on buying the sandwich to find out. According to the Web site, you get more food for the price with the "MacDonald" sandwich.

I think I don’t know about you, but I’ll stick with what I know. Trust me when I tell you that what I know does not include chicken endorsed by a French king or quail eggs.

As of now, there isn’t a company willing to make the next most expensive sandwich. Even if there was a company I’m sure it wouldn’t be one from the United States.

Last week, L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine raised the idea of a new “Britney Law” that would create a 20-yard safety bubble around celebrities, according to cnn. com.

The Screen Actor’s Guild, of course, supports the idea, but the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is concerned about its rights covered by the First Amendment.

I don’t live the luxurious life of a celebrity living in L.A., but I do believe when celebrities sign up for the job, they sign up for the paparazzi too; and they know it.

And if the city council members think they can get away with successfully enforcing this law, they are kidding themselves.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the paparazzi have gone far beyond violating celebrities’ personal space, Britney Spears included. But, that’s what you get when you shave your head and forget to wear panties.

According to newsmax.com, if the law is enacted and any paparazzo breaks the bubble and crosses into the 20-yard restriction, all the profits made from the photo will be confiscated.

How does the city plan on keeping tabs of these photos and how much they’re sold for? And will this law cost the taxpayers more money?

Apparently $25,000 of taxpayers’ money was used by the LAPD during a recent trip to cover up Spears when she was going into a psychiatric hospital. Shouldn’t celebrities pay for their own protection, not the taxpayers?

Consider this as well: taxpayers are paying to protect celebrities, but aren’t they the ones paying to read the stories and see these pictures? It is a vicious circle, but who can you really blame?

Laws like the “anti-stalkerazzi,” passed in 1998, allow celebrities to sue anyone who invades their privacy. Then in 2006, a law was passed that increases a paparazzo’s liability when he or she causes a car accident and impedes a celebrity.

And according to cnn.com, Police Chief William J. Bratton believes the laws on the books are all ready enough.

Really, no law will ever be enough or useful. The paparazzi are a growing industry and more laws will only create more criminals.

The silver lining of the long writers’ strike comes shining through Sunday night on CBS. That’s when the edited versions of the Showtime series “Dexter” makes the leap to network television.

“Dexter” is the story of a serial killer, played by Michael C. Hall, who also works for the Miami police department. He’s a forensic expert in blood. Dexter is able to handle both jobs because he does not have the capacity to feel emotions.

So as not to stand out from normal people, Dexter pretends to have feelings. He’s even created a relationship with a woman (Julie Benz) who is messed up, too. But there have been a few moments when it looked like real emotions were about to come through.

“I think, what’s, in part, fun about playing him and watching him is watching that get tested,” Hall says. “I mean, I guess when we meet him, he’s constructed a lot of things for himself. His work life, his relationships-to his girlfriend and her family, to his sister, to his colleagues.

“It’s only when those things that he’s pragmatically, methodically constructed for himself start to crumble that he has no choice but to respond in a way that elicits what he may not admit is evidence of a real emotional connection.”

The 12 episodes that will be shown by CBS have Dexter on the trail of the Ice Truck Killer. The search becomes personal.

With two seasons of the series under his belt, Hall is now getting recognized more for “Dexter” than his previous series, the acclaimed “Six Feet Under.” He says most people are supportive of the show.

“They express a sense of maybe guilt over their affection for the character or that it does create in them a sense of `Oh, boy, I find myself identifying with your character, and that makes me feel kind of funny. But I really like him.’ I think that’s great,” Hall says. “That’s what the show sort of aspires to do.”

Ferris State University’s West Central Concert Band (WCCB) will be holding their Winter Band Concert Sunday Feb. 24 from 4 - 5 p.m. at the Williams Auditorium.

The WCCB is a symphonic band directed by Dr. Scott Cohen and is comprised of Ferris students as well as adult members of the community. The band is sponsored by FSU as part of the Music For Life! initiative.

According to ferris.edu, this year is the WCCB’s 14th concert season. They perform several times throughout the fall and winter semesters.

Junior Ryan HetJonk is a member of the WCCB and plays percussion. He stated, “We play a variety of different styles of music and put on a variety of concerts throughout the year that everyone would be able to enjoy.”

HetJonk also said, “The concert is a great event for everyone in the community to attend. Our group brings together diverse people and talents from all over the community.”

Students are able to earn academic credits for their participation in the WCCB by enrolling in the one credit music course. The band meets to rehearse weekly on Monday evenings. Many scholarships are also available for members based on attendance and their contribution to the WCCB.

Membership is open to FSU students, adult community members and select high school students. In order to become a member of the WCCB you must have the director’s permission and a playing interview will be conducted according ferris.edu.

Admission for this event is free. For more information about the concert or the WCCB, you can contact Cohen at x2484 or rscohen@ferris.edu.

I have always been a fan of the music genre in gaming.

I had a set of Dance Dance Revolution dance pads for the Playstation 2 with three games. I paid in full for Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero 2 both of which came with a shiny, new guitar controller. Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and Guitar Hero 3 were added to my collection later.

The Guitar Hero series was different from DDR because you could actually play it for longer than an hour and the songs were recognizable and popular. I played these games until every last item and song was unlocked. I was content, yet ignorant.

The New Year rolled around and I upgraded to an Xbox 360. After experiencing Rock Band at a Best Buy store, and realizing that my PS2 Guitar Hero equipment would be useless after May since I don’t actually own a PS2, I decided to buy the game and give it a try.

Upon returning with the massive box, I opened to find a nifty new guitar controller, a microphone and a drum kit; all with USB interfaces. A four port USB hub was kindly included.

Each instrument can be played by itself in career mode or quick play or multiple players can play in band with up to two guitars, a drummer and a singer. Career mode spans 45 songs across nine cities. Songs are unlocked as progress is made through the game.

Guitar
Since it is made by Harmonix, the original creator of the Guitar Hero series, it plays much like the original guitar based game. The controller is similar with five fret buttons and a strum bar. However, there are five additional fret buttons higher on the guitar neck that are used in solo sections. These buttons do not require you to use the strum bar, which makes nailing solos a breeze.

Drums
One would usually have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to get a good electric drum set, but the one included with Rock Band isn’t too shabby. It features four colored pads, drum sticks and a bass drum pedal. Yes, a bass drum foot pedal is included. The sensitivity of the pads is sufficient as is the bass drum pedal. Sometimes, though, when you’re rocking out really hard on the drums, the sensitivity can go awry and you might miss some notes. The game actually encourages you to play lighter if you’re having trouble in fast sections. Nonetheless, it gets the job done.

Voice
The voice aspect of Rock Band can be either the most impressive or the most embarrassing part of this game. It, by far, requires the most musical talent of this game. I’ve seen people fail on the easiest setting after only a few words have gone by. It’s much like any karaoke setup but it also gives you a pitch to sing the notes. An arrow indicates what your pitch is and how close or far you are to the actual pitch. After singing a few songs, I realized that you can just about sing whatever words you want as long as the pitch is there.

Song List
Rock Band’s soundtrack is by far the most comprehensive and recognizable set list of any music game I’ve had the chance to play. It’s got everything from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Metallica. I’ll never forget our Editor in Chief trying to belt out “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys and then “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. There is a video of the latter on Facebook.

But you are not locked to just the tracks included on the game disc. Rock Band has promised new weekly downloadable content and has delivered so far. The downloadable tracks are just as good as the included tracks. So far, I’ve downloaded things like “Move Along” by The All- American Rejects, “Wonderwall” by Oasis, “Roxanne” by the Police and “My Sharona” by The Knack.