The James Logan Courier

By Verne Gay
Newsday (MCT)

Reason to watch: Teeny-bopper sensations the Jonas Brothers make their screen debut, and newcomer singer-actress Demi Lovato gets her first substantial TV role.

What it's about: Nice, middle-class kid Mitchie Torres (Lovato) really, really, wants to go to the hot music camp, Camp Rock, where kids learn to be stars. But Mom and Dad can't swing the cost — until Mom gets a gig as camp cook. Meanwhile, teen superstar Shane Gray (Joe Jonas) is about to break up his boy band. He doesn't wanna sing anymore because he's sick of the pop pap the band's been reduced to playing, and yearns for ... he's not entirely sure what. His uncle invites him to teach at CR, where he arrives with his brothers Jason (Kevin Jonas) and Nate (Nick Jonas).

By Glenn Gamboa
Newsday (MCT)

Sometimes, it's easy to forget Jordin Sparks is only 18 years old.

She has the big, powerful voice and poise under pressure of singers twice — maybe, three times — her age. She has a natural ease at being onstage, at being in the spotlight.

But catch her behind the scenes — like backstage at Nassau Coliseum last summer, when she was bouncing around with Sanjaya Malakar, giggling like, well, the schoolgirl she was — or talk to her about real life, like wanting to go to her prom or struggling to keep her room clean, and the teenager comes out.

By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer

The Board of Education on Tuesday night adopted the 2008-09 budget and approved multi-year projections through 2011.

The $104.4 million budget reflects $7.7 million in cuts from 2007-08, a product of Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to slash state spending for education following his January declaration of a fiscal emergency. Although the governor’s May revise is much more favorable to education than was his January proposal, Chief Business Officer Carol Gregorich told the Board, an intense budget debate under way in the Legislature makes it unlikely there will be a resolution until late summer or fall. In the absence of concrete numbers, and because school budgets must be submitted before July 1, Ms. Gregorich said, she took a conservative approach in crafting the budget.