The Last Day of Pope Benedict

Watch and Listen for many stories in the news today about the Pope's retirement or resignation. It is unprecedented and historic, two words you will hear a lot today. There are questions. Criticisms. Problems.

Word in the news: SEQUESTRATION

Here's a word that confuses native speakers of English, too. Usually the word sequester refers to isolating a jury that is deciding if someone is guilty or innocent (or to a group of bishops meeting to decide the next pope..more on that in the near future. However, in the context of what is going on in Congress it means something completely different. Read THIS and discover the meaning that applies in Washington DC today. And if you'd like to add even one more definition in the mix, you can discover what the original Latin meaning is for FREE!

Oscars Recaps

WINNERS HOST The Fall

Oscar BUZZ

Besides the nominees and winners and losers, people will also be talking about THE RED CARPET, THE HOST, NOTABLE ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES (LISTEN...what is the implication of this short report) and THE LENGTH OF THE SHOW.

Focus: The Oscars and Foreign Films

1. There are 5 foreign films that are up for Best Foreign Film? What countries are represented? What's the point of this article? 2, THIS was interesting about Chinese films. In paragraph 5, what do "hobbles" and "hamstringing" mean?

On the Eve of the Oscars 2013

1. Check out this link at EW, and read what the predictions are for Sunday evening's Academy Awards ceremony. 2. How do the predictions compare to Yahoo! 3. Watch this Oscar Favorites, Underdogs and Snubs Video 4. Which category has the oldest and youngest nominees? 5. Vocabulary Practice about the Academy Awards. 6. This article has some interesting Oscar history.

Cruise Ship Comedy (and headlines review)

Remember the cruise ship that was stranded in the Gulf of Mexico last week? Watch this video from Saturday Night Live. This sketch or segment takes place on the cruise ship and shows some of the crew trying to cheer up the passengers. ????What FOUR headlines do they attempt to share with the passengers (beginning @ 1.41)and WHY do they decide not to???? To learn more about Saturday Night Live and their use of comedy and satire, click HERE and HERE.