Thursday, August 23, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Patton (DVD) Review
Patton (DVD) Review
by: Britt Gillette
Nominated for ten Academy Awards, and winner of seven including Best Picture, Patton is one of the most inspirational and interesting biographies ever produced on the big screen. Cast in the title role, George C. Scott won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, but refused to accept the award because he didn't consider himself in competition with other actors. With brilliant direction, cinematography, visual effects, and an original musical score (by Jerry Goldsmith) - themselves all nominated for Academy Awards - Patton stacks up as one of the best films of all time from any genre…
Patton follows the life of George S. Patton (George C. Scott), famous Allied tank commander from World War II. Beginning with his exploits in North Africa, Patton follows the career of this bombastic general through the D-Day invasion (in which he would act as a decoy), the Battle of the Bulge, and the liberation of Germany. Throughout the process, viewers are privy to the ongoing behind-the-scenes actions of a man famous for his temper and infamous among his peers for his insubordination.
Along the way, Patton must learn to deal with his contemporaries, men such as General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Omar Bradley (Karl Malden), and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (Michael Bates). Despite his display of military genius in the field of battle (garnering the fear of his German enemies), Patton is relieved from his post as Occupation Commander of Germany because of the many faults he exhibits. A military historian who believed he was destined for greatness throughout the ages, Patton loved war. In fact, once the war ended, he died within a few months when he was killed in a car accident…
George C. Scott turns in a memorable performance as the large-than-life Patton. With an overpowering personality and a domineering will, George Patton led his men to victory in one of the most pivotal wars for freedom the world has ever witnessed. Politically-incorrect by every standard of today's measure, the real Patton wouldn't last a minute in today's military. Ironic, because that same military would acknowledge him as one of the greatest generals of its hallowed past! Nevertheless, Patton's legacy endures through our memories and through this film, and the lessons of his life continue to inspire people to this day (people who hopefully use a bit more tact and subtlety in asserting their desires)…
Overall, Patton is a blockbuster film even by today's standards. Despite vast improvements in the realm of filmmaking, Patton (released in 1970) remains unrivaled in its portrayal of one of America's greatest heroes. The battle scenes are especially realistic, and decades before Saving Private Ryan, they vividly illustrated the serious horrors of war. One of the greatest films of the 20th Century, written about one of the greatest figures of the 20th Century, Patton is a definite must-see film for any serious aficionado of movies.
by: Britt Gillette
Nominated for ten Academy Awards, and winner of seven including Best Picture, Patton is one of the most inspirational and interesting biographies ever produced on the big screen. Cast in the title role, George C. Scott won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, but refused to accept the award because he didn't consider himself in competition with other actors. With brilliant direction, cinematography, visual effects, and an original musical score (by Jerry Goldsmith) - themselves all nominated for Academy Awards - Patton stacks up as one of the best films of all time from any genre…
Patton follows the life of George S. Patton (George C. Scott), famous Allied tank commander from World War II. Beginning with his exploits in North Africa, Patton follows the career of this bombastic general through the D-Day invasion (in which he would act as a decoy), the Battle of the Bulge, and the liberation of Germany. Throughout the process, viewers are privy to the ongoing behind-the-scenes actions of a man famous for his temper and infamous among his peers for his insubordination.
Along the way, Patton must learn to deal with his contemporaries, men such as General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Omar Bradley (Karl Malden), and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (Michael Bates). Despite his display of military genius in the field of battle (garnering the fear of his German enemies), Patton is relieved from his post as Occupation Commander of Germany because of the many faults he exhibits. A military historian who believed he was destined for greatness throughout the ages, Patton loved war. In fact, once the war ended, he died within a few months when he was killed in a car accident…
George C. Scott turns in a memorable performance as the large-than-life Patton. With an overpowering personality and a domineering will, George Patton led his men to victory in one of the most pivotal wars for freedom the world has ever witnessed. Politically-incorrect by every standard of today's measure, the real Patton wouldn't last a minute in today's military. Ironic, because that same military would acknowledge him as one of the greatest generals of its hallowed past! Nevertheless, Patton's legacy endures through our memories and through this film, and the lessons of his life continue to inspire people to this day (people who hopefully use a bit more tact and subtlety in asserting their desires)…
Overall, Patton is a blockbuster film even by today's standards. Despite vast improvements in the realm of filmmaking, Patton (released in 1970) remains unrivaled in its portrayal of one of America's greatest heroes. The battle scenes are especially realistic, and decades before Saving Private Ryan, they vividly illustrated the serious horrors of war. One of the greatest films of the 20th Century, written about one of the greatest figures of the 20th Century, Patton is a definite must-see film for any serious aficionado of movies.
National Lampoon's Animal House (DVD) Review
National Lampoon's Animal House (DVD) Review
by: Britt Gillette
Arriving on the scene in 1978, Animal House is the blockbuster frat house comedy that rewrote all the rules and created a generation of filmmakers hoping to replicate its comic genius. Original Saturday Night Live cast member John Belushi turned in a breakout film performance that made him a comedy rock star, propelling him to further fame with the release of Blues Brothers (1980). Tim Matheson also has his breakout role in the cult classic which features appearances by actors Mark Metcalf ("the Maestro" from Seinfeld), Donald Sutherland, and Kevin Bacon.
The film is set at fictional Faber College in the 1960s. Two incoming freshmen roommates, Larry Kroger (Tom Hulce) and Kent Dorfman (Stephen Furst), visit the various fraternities on campus in an effort to find a good group with which to socialize. But the two get more than they bargain for when the meet the guys of Delta House - a ragtag bunch of beer-swilling, womanizing, party animals. The group is the complete opposite of another campus fraternity, Omega House, headed by the snide, condescending preppies Greg Marmalard (James Daughton), Doug Neidermeyer (Mark Metcalf), and Chip Diller (Kevin Bacon). Favorites of Dean Wormer, the Omega House continually taunts Delta House and conspires with Dean Wormer to have the members of Delta expelled and their fraternity banned.
Leading the charge for Delta House is John "Bluto" Blutarsky (John Belushi), ladies man Eric "Otter" Stratton (Tim Matheson), and Donald "Boon" Schoenstein (Peter Riegert). Pledging Delta House, Larry and Kent are given the nicknames, Pinto and Flounder. Brought into the fold, they witness the true diversity of characters they are now brothers with. Otter seduces Dean Wormer's wife, and Bluto spits egg on Greg Marmalard while Boon and his girlfriend work through their problems.
Things go well for the men of Delta House until Dean Wormer calls them into his office and places them on "Double Secret Probation". With Omega and Wormer aligned against them, Delta House is kicked off campus and its members expelled. But the great men of Delta refuse to go down without a fight. With the Homecoming parade set to begin, they unleash a fury of revenge on Wormer and company.
At the conclusion of the film, we learn of the whereabouts of all the various characters. The timeless humor of this film makes it no wonder that it has ascended to cult classic status. An original and witty comedy wielding a trailblazing influence on teen/college comedies, Animal House has earned its place in the hallowed halls of American cinematic classics.
by: Britt Gillette
Arriving on the scene in 1978, Animal House is the blockbuster frat house comedy that rewrote all the rules and created a generation of filmmakers hoping to replicate its comic genius. Original Saturday Night Live cast member John Belushi turned in a breakout film performance that made him a comedy rock star, propelling him to further fame with the release of Blues Brothers (1980). Tim Matheson also has his breakout role in the cult classic which features appearances by actors Mark Metcalf ("the Maestro" from Seinfeld), Donald Sutherland, and Kevin Bacon.
The film is set at fictional Faber College in the 1960s. Two incoming freshmen roommates, Larry Kroger (Tom Hulce) and Kent Dorfman (Stephen Furst), visit the various fraternities on campus in an effort to find a good group with which to socialize. But the two get more than they bargain for when the meet the guys of Delta House - a ragtag bunch of beer-swilling, womanizing, party animals. The group is the complete opposite of another campus fraternity, Omega House, headed by the snide, condescending preppies Greg Marmalard (James Daughton), Doug Neidermeyer (Mark Metcalf), and Chip Diller (Kevin Bacon). Favorites of Dean Wormer, the Omega House continually taunts Delta House and conspires with Dean Wormer to have the members of Delta expelled and their fraternity banned.
Leading the charge for Delta House is John "Bluto" Blutarsky (John Belushi), ladies man Eric "Otter" Stratton (Tim Matheson), and Donald "Boon" Schoenstein (Peter Riegert). Pledging Delta House, Larry and Kent are given the nicknames, Pinto and Flounder. Brought into the fold, they witness the true diversity of characters they are now brothers with. Otter seduces Dean Wormer's wife, and Bluto spits egg on Greg Marmalard while Boon and his girlfriend work through their problems.
Things go well for the men of Delta House until Dean Wormer calls them into his office and places them on "Double Secret Probation". With Omega and Wormer aligned against them, Delta House is kicked off campus and its members expelled. But the great men of Delta refuse to go down without a fight. With the Homecoming parade set to begin, they unleash a fury of revenge on Wormer and company.
At the conclusion of the film, we learn of the whereabouts of all the various characters. The timeless humor of this film makes it no wonder that it has ascended to cult classic status. An original and witty comedy wielding a trailblazing influence on teen/college comedies, Animal House has earned its place in the hallowed halls of American cinematic classics.
History of the Synthesizer - A Brief Look Back
History of the Synthesizer - A Brief Look Back
by: Don Lair
The synthesizer was a long time in the making. The history of the synthesizer is one that goes back long before electricity – many of early composers conceived of the concept, but could never put it into practice. In fact, it would take the invention of the silicon chip to make synthesizers possible.
The first synthesizers were very crude in their abilities. They date back well over 50 years. They were wired manually to create a given sound. They consisted of an oscillator, or tone generators, in one of three basic waveforms. These were sawtooth, square, or sine waves. This signal was then passed through several other modules to alter the initial tone. These first synthesizers were not triggered by a keyboard like they are today and they were abstract in their uses.
It didn’t take long for many rock musicians in the 60’s and 70’s to realize the benefits of these instruments. Many companies were formed in these days. For example, Moog, Arp, and Oberheim were some of the manufacturers that would produce the first synthesizers. Most of these first models were only able to produce one note at a time. In 1978, the first polyphonic units were created. They were still typically analog in their design and had a very distinct sound.
Dates To Know:
1940’s and 1950’s: A variety of different automated electronic musical controllers were built.
1950: RCA produces an experimental device that synthesizes voice and music.
1958: Daphne Oram from BBC Radiophoic Workshop produces the Oramics technique.
1960’s: Real time synthesizers were designed but were mainly used in studios. They were simply too large.
1964: The Moog Synthesizer was the first to be displayed at Audio Engineering Society Convention. Four years later, it was a hot product.
1967: The album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones, Ltd became the first album to hit number one with a synthesizer used on it. It was from The Monkees’.
1970: The first synthesizer with a built in keyboard was designed by Moog.
Synthesizers enjoyed many innovations over the course of the following few years. They would become self contained and then movable, allowing them to be used throughout the home and recording studios. The synthesizer has continued to evolve and is widely used today.
by: Don Lair
The synthesizer was a long time in the making. The history of the synthesizer is one that goes back long before electricity – many of early composers conceived of the concept, but could never put it into practice. In fact, it would take the invention of the silicon chip to make synthesizers possible.
The first synthesizers were very crude in their abilities. They date back well over 50 years. They were wired manually to create a given sound. They consisted of an oscillator, or tone generators, in one of three basic waveforms. These were sawtooth, square, or sine waves. This signal was then passed through several other modules to alter the initial tone. These first synthesizers were not triggered by a keyboard like they are today and they were abstract in their uses.
It didn’t take long for many rock musicians in the 60’s and 70’s to realize the benefits of these instruments. Many companies were formed in these days. For example, Moog, Arp, and Oberheim were some of the manufacturers that would produce the first synthesizers. Most of these first models were only able to produce one note at a time. In 1978, the first polyphonic units were created. They were still typically analog in their design and had a very distinct sound.
Dates To Know:
1940’s and 1950’s: A variety of different automated electronic musical controllers were built.
1950: RCA produces an experimental device that synthesizes voice and music.
1958: Daphne Oram from BBC Radiophoic Workshop produces the Oramics technique.
1960’s: Real time synthesizers were designed but were mainly used in studios. They were simply too large.
1964: The Moog Synthesizer was the first to be displayed at Audio Engineering Society Convention. Four years later, it was a hot product.
1967: The album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones, Ltd became the first album to hit number one with a synthesizer used on it. It was from The Monkees’.
1970: The first synthesizer with a built in keyboard was designed by Moog.
Synthesizers enjoyed many innovations over the course of the following few years. They would become self contained and then movable, allowing them to be used throughout the home and recording studios. The synthesizer has continued to evolve and is widely used today.
Agent or Manager?
Agent or Manager?
by: Sacreeta Veneficus
How To Get An Agent Or Manager
What is the difference between a manager, and an agent?
Glad you asked. It’s quite simple really.
A manager offers a service to you that entails zoning in on your strengths and weaknesses. They can direct you to the type of acting classes you need, according to your current skill level. They can help you rehearse, support you in your goal setting and point you in the right direction, especially when you are so overwhelmed you aren’t sure where to start.
An agent finds and books you auditions. They hunt down casting calls, make bookings, negotiate the contracts, and basically do the leg work for your career. They normally charge 10% of what you are paid, and at the end of the day, that’s fair. If you have both a manager and an agent, it’s OK for them to know about each other. Having them develop a relationship centered on your career actually strengthens your chances at success.
One neat trick in obtaining a good manager or agent is to send out invitations to one of your productions. In standup comedy or theater, you’d be surprised how well that works. It’s also good to have agents hear about you through referrals. If you are in a production, or have done some good work for a casting director, networking with those contacts might be another great way to go.
An agent-client relationship is mutual. They require something from you, in the form of marketable talent, and you require something from them: marketing your talent. Having an agent speak your language, meaning that you both have the same goals for your career, is prudent. Just try to keep it in perspective: you are the hirer, who enlisted them to fulfill the duties necessary to handle your career, and they work hard, and get paid when you do.
Getting an interview with an agent or talent manager doesn’t necessarily mean they will take your career in their capable hands. You have a window of opportunity to convince them that if they find you work, you won’t let them down. Be punctual and polite, keep any "artist attitude" in check, have an 8x10 head shot, and don’t forget to have your resume, with the list of credits, if any, in hand ready to be discussed.
Before walking in there, have a mental note of what it is you are looking for in an agent, and in your career. Have realistic expectations. If you have no experience, don’t walk in their office feeling disappointed they haven’t told you they will make you a star. That is something a dishonest agent would tell you, and you need honesty. Always remember that if you are starting out, expect to be treated as a rookie. It's not disrespect, it’s honesty. And hiring someone honest is far better than someone who will leave your portfolio filed under D, for dust collector.
Don’t forget to consider if you are ready for union or non-union work. It’s important to be clear on that aspect. Newcomers who try to work into the union too soon often have a difficult time, as they can no longer have the luxury of taking on non-union jobs to build up credits. Union workers get jobs based on credits mostly, and taking the plunge is a great idea after you have become established.
Gaining agent or manager representation is something not to be rushed into. Taking on the first agent who comes along could be as risky as buying the first second-hand car you were offered. While an agent isn't a used car, the hunt is very similar. You want to kick the tires, see how many miles are on it, what its performance is like. Agents are pretty much the same. It PAYS to check them out before you make any deals with them. Here are a few links where you can find an agent and check their credentials.
LINKS
AGENTS:
http://www.Agentassociation.com/
http://www.sag.org/sagWebApp/index.jsp
MANAGERS
http://www.talentManagers.org/
http://www.ncopm.com/
Don’t be afraid to compromise with an agent. They are in the business to help you, as helping you at the end of the day helps them. If they suggest you get a better headshot or take some acting classes that's fine, as long as they aren’t dictating which photographer/school you must attend. If they try to specify, be careful. They could be scamming you. A good agent could suggest a few reputable schools, or YOU could suggest to them that the Kamitic Acting System is one they should be suggesting.
Take their advice seriously. If they want you to take a job you feel is beneath you, and your wonderful talent, try to see it from their point of view. If you are new, they have actors more qualified than you, and there’s a reason they are more qualified. Keep doing the work offered, and soon you will be one the more qualified actors with plenty of credits to your name.
Before, during and after obtaining an agent, do one thing: work. Take all the work you can get! It doesn’t matter if it’s a student film, theater, commercials, videos, non-union (if you are not union yourself), or anything else. Attend acting classes, hone your special skills, like dancing, singing and projecting, and grow your image by nurturing your resume.
Don’t constantly bother your agent! Don’t call them several times a day to check in to see if anything new has popped up. They aren’t going to have time to find you work if you keep them busy telling you that they are trying to get you off the phone to find you work.
Next, be sure to have a set time when you can meet with your agent by phone or in person. Keep them updated with the NEW things you have been adding to your resume, as you work and take classes. They will be impressed by how hard you work, and how dedicated you are, and will be excited enough to keep up the good work on your behalf.
Lastly, a reminder that in this business, not everything or everyone is as they seem. There are scammers not only online, but in offices and on movie sets. Always remember to be alert. If you are in an office that has its walls filled with photos of famous people, and it is in a run-down building that ought to be condemned, chances are it’s too good to be true, and it’s time to keep looking. If they ask you for upfront fees, thank them so much for their kindness, leave, and throw their business card in the nearest trash can. If they guarantee they can make you a star, toss that card, too.
And lastly, and I cannot say this enough, always check them out. Look on the links provided above, do runs on their names, go on actors' blogs and ask if anyone has worked with them. Check out their credentials. You do not want to sign a contract with them, to make you sit on your hands for 2 years or more, when they don’t intend to move your career.
Peace and Love,
Sacreeta
by: Sacreeta Veneficus
How To Get An Agent Or Manager
What is the difference between a manager, and an agent?
Glad you asked. It’s quite simple really.
A manager offers a service to you that entails zoning in on your strengths and weaknesses. They can direct you to the type of acting classes you need, according to your current skill level. They can help you rehearse, support you in your goal setting and point you in the right direction, especially when you are so overwhelmed you aren’t sure where to start.
An agent finds and books you auditions. They hunt down casting calls, make bookings, negotiate the contracts, and basically do the leg work for your career. They normally charge 10% of what you are paid, and at the end of the day, that’s fair. If you have both a manager and an agent, it’s OK for them to know about each other. Having them develop a relationship centered on your career actually strengthens your chances at success.
One neat trick in obtaining a good manager or agent is to send out invitations to one of your productions. In standup comedy or theater, you’d be surprised how well that works. It’s also good to have agents hear about you through referrals. If you are in a production, or have done some good work for a casting director, networking with those contacts might be another great way to go.
An agent-client relationship is mutual. They require something from you, in the form of marketable talent, and you require something from them: marketing your talent. Having an agent speak your language, meaning that you both have the same goals for your career, is prudent. Just try to keep it in perspective: you are the hirer, who enlisted them to fulfill the duties necessary to handle your career, and they work hard, and get paid when you do.
Getting an interview with an agent or talent manager doesn’t necessarily mean they will take your career in their capable hands. You have a window of opportunity to convince them that if they find you work, you won’t let them down. Be punctual and polite, keep any "artist attitude" in check, have an 8x10 head shot, and don’t forget to have your resume, with the list of credits, if any, in hand ready to be discussed.
Before walking in there, have a mental note of what it is you are looking for in an agent, and in your career. Have realistic expectations. If you have no experience, don’t walk in their office feeling disappointed they haven’t told you they will make you a star. That is something a dishonest agent would tell you, and you need honesty. Always remember that if you are starting out, expect to be treated as a rookie. It's not disrespect, it’s honesty. And hiring someone honest is far better than someone who will leave your portfolio filed under D, for dust collector.
Don’t forget to consider if you are ready for union or non-union work. It’s important to be clear on that aspect. Newcomers who try to work into the union too soon often have a difficult time, as they can no longer have the luxury of taking on non-union jobs to build up credits. Union workers get jobs based on credits mostly, and taking the plunge is a great idea after you have become established.
Gaining agent or manager representation is something not to be rushed into. Taking on the first agent who comes along could be as risky as buying the first second-hand car you were offered. While an agent isn't a used car, the hunt is very similar. You want to kick the tires, see how many miles are on it, what its performance is like. Agents are pretty much the same. It PAYS to check them out before you make any deals with them. Here are a few links where you can find an agent and check their credentials.
LINKS
AGENTS:
http://www.Agentassociation.com/
http://www.sag.org/sagWebApp/index.jsp
MANAGERS
http://www.talentManagers.org/
http://www.ncopm.com/
Don’t be afraid to compromise with an agent. They are in the business to help you, as helping you at the end of the day helps them. If they suggest you get a better headshot or take some acting classes that's fine, as long as they aren’t dictating which photographer/school you must attend. If they try to specify, be careful. They could be scamming you. A good agent could suggest a few reputable schools, or YOU could suggest to them that the Kamitic Acting System is one they should be suggesting.
Take their advice seriously. If they want you to take a job you feel is beneath you, and your wonderful talent, try to see it from their point of view. If you are new, they have actors more qualified than you, and there’s a reason they are more qualified. Keep doing the work offered, and soon you will be one the more qualified actors with plenty of credits to your name.
Before, during and after obtaining an agent, do one thing: work. Take all the work you can get! It doesn’t matter if it’s a student film, theater, commercials, videos, non-union (if you are not union yourself), or anything else. Attend acting classes, hone your special skills, like dancing, singing and projecting, and grow your image by nurturing your resume.
Don’t constantly bother your agent! Don’t call them several times a day to check in to see if anything new has popped up. They aren’t going to have time to find you work if you keep them busy telling you that they are trying to get you off the phone to find you work.
Next, be sure to have a set time when you can meet with your agent by phone or in person. Keep them updated with the NEW things you have been adding to your resume, as you work and take classes. They will be impressed by how hard you work, and how dedicated you are, and will be excited enough to keep up the good work on your behalf.
Lastly, a reminder that in this business, not everything or everyone is as they seem. There are scammers not only online, but in offices and on movie sets. Always remember to be alert. If you are in an office that has its walls filled with photos of famous people, and it is in a run-down building that ought to be condemned, chances are it’s too good to be true, and it’s time to keep looking. If they ask you for upfront fees, thank them so much for their kindness, leave, and throw their business card in the nearest trash can. If they guarantee they can make you a star, toss that card, too.
And lastly, and I cannot say this enough, always check them out. Look on the links provided above, do runs on their names, go on actors' blogs and ask if anyone has worked with them. Check out their credentials. You do not want to sign a contract with them, to make you sit on your hands for 2 years or more, when they don’t intend to move your career.
Peace and Love,
Sacreeta
Movie Downloads Online - What's The Best Way?
Movie Downloads Online - What's The Best Way?
by: Jonathan Teabing
Today, more and more people understand that having a subscription at a video store is simply does not meet their needs. Instead, they turn to online movie downloads to provide them with films they wish to watch.
This happens for several reasons, where the top reasons are dramatically reduced costs, larger title selection and time saving.
Now, there are basically two online downloading models for movies:
One website supplies content to members. Typically, these websites charge a per-movie fee of several dollars (2$--4$ usually). However, some also charge a monthly fee of about 10$.
A website provides membership to a network of users, where each member has several movies on his or hers computer. You can download movies from every person on the network. These sites typically charge a one-time fee of about 35-50$ for registration, and you are never billed again.
The model that gives the best value to the end-user is irrevocably the member-network model. I will therefore elaborate on this model:
After registering, the website provides you with a software to access the network.
The network consists of millions of users just like yourself. Each member of the network has at least several movie files on his computer. Every member can download movies from any other member. This way you have up to millions of users sharing their movies with you. Because of the vast number of members in a network, the quantity of movies can be in the range of dozens of millions.
A good website will provide you with manuals on software installation and operation, as well as high-availability technical support (some sites provide a 24/7 support system).
Most of the movie networks are more than just movie networks - they contain files of virtually any type - music, software, etc. Some sites will charge you extra for access to music directories.
How long does it take to download an entire film?
Most of the time, download will be completed in a matter of hours. The time may vary, as it depends on two factors:
Your download speed. If you have a broadband connection, you'll be able to download much faster than a member with a dial-up modem.
The number of users that have the movie you're downloading, and their upload speed.
In order to bring the download time to a minimum, files are usually split into several relatively small parts, and you can download each part from a different member, so you are far less limited by a specific member's upload speed. Each network has its own algorithms for managing this split-into-files, so the time of download might still be considerably different between every two networks.
So how do you choose the download network that's right for you?
You need to compare:
The cost of the program. make sure that the prices you compare are for the same time period! Often a website would offer a one-year membership as well as a lifetime membership.
The number of users and movies on the network.
Additional features supplied - music, software downloads, games, etc. Music playing software, movie playing software and CD & DVD burning software are also common features.
And finally, one note on cautious shopping: Too many times, innocent customers fall into the clutches of scams to steal credit card numbers and other personal information. For a short review that will help you avoid the most common mistakes (and learn a little about movie download sites in particular), you are welcome to visit this site.
by: Jonathan Teabing
Today, more and more people understand that having a subscription at a video store is simply does not meet their needs. Instead, they turn to online movie downloads to provide them with films they wish to watch.
This happens for several reasons, where the top reasons are dramatically reduced costs, larger title selection and time saving.
Now, there are basically two online downloading models for movies:
One website supplies content to members. Typically, these websites charge a per-movie fee of several dollars (2$--4$ usually). However, some also charge a monthly fee of about 10$.
A website provides membership to a network of users, where each member has several movies on his or hers computer. You can download movies from every person on the network. These sites typically charge a one-time fee of about 35-50$ for registration, and you are never billed again.
The model that gives the best value to the end-user is irrevocably the member-network model. I will therefore elaborate on this model:
After registering, the website provides you with a software to access the network.
The network consists of millions of users just like yourself. Each member of the network has at least several movie files on his computer. Every member can download movies from any other member. This way you have up to millions of users sharing their movies with you. Because of the vast number of members in a network, the quantity of movies can be in the range of dozens of millions.
A good website will provide you with manuals on software installation and operation, as well as high-availability technical support (some sites provide a 24/7 support system).
Most of the movie networks are more than just movie networks - they contain files of virtually any type - music, software, etc. Some sites will charge you extra for access to music directories.
How long does it take to download an entire film?
Most of the time, download will be completed in a matter of hours. The time may vary, as it depends on two factors:
Your download speed. If you have a broadband connection, you'll be able to download much faster than a member with a dial-up modem.
The number of users that have the movie you're downloading, and their upload speed.
In order to bring the download time to a minimum, files are usually split into several relatively small parts, and you can download each part from a different member, so you are far less limited by a specific member's upload speed. Each network has its own algorithms for managing this split-into-files, so the time of download might still be considerably different between every two networks.
So how do you choose the download network that's right for you?
You need to compare:
The cost of the program. make sure that the prices you compare are for the same time period! Often a website would offer a one-year membership as well as a lifetime membership.
The number of users and movies on the network.
Additional features supplied - music, software downloads, games, etc. Music playing software, movie playing software and CD & DVD burning software are also common features.
And finally, one note on cautious shopping: Too many times, innocent customers fall into the clutches of scams to steal credit card numbers and other personal information. For a short review that will help you avoid the most common mistakes (and learn a little about movie download sites in particular), you are welcome to visit this site.
How To Be Successful At Practicing The Guitar
How To Be Successful At Practicing The Guitar
by: Mike Hayes
Practice: to work on something repeatedly for the purpose of improvement.
That says a lot. It tells you what to do (work), how (repeatedly), and why (to improve).
Once you understand what "practice" is, you can proceed to learn how to use this new tool to your best advantage.
1. TUNE UP: It's important to play music at correct concert pitch.
2. WARM UP: Play through an easy piece, slowly. The idea here is to loosen up your muscles. Don't play anything that is hard or fast.
3. DIRECTION: Before you go any further, settle your mind upon what it is you wish to achieve today. At this point it's important to remember two things.
a. You are practicing to improve. this means getting results.
b. You learn the guitar, or grow into music, in the same way you grow into an adult - over a period of time. You may experience fast progress, or experience a slow gradual growth. There may even be times when you don't seem to progress at all.
However, if your practice program is directed towards results (whether they come fast or slow), you'll see them soon enough - providing you keep on working systematically at your study program. Don't be overly concerned about mistakes - if you keep looking for mistakes, you'll succeed in finding mistakes - and very little else.
4. TODAY'S PROBLEMS - YOUR CURRENT LESON: Here you confront new material that must be learnt. As you progress, this part of your practice schedule will change. That is to say, as you complete one assignment you will move on to the next. (Keep working with the thought in mind that you are practicing to improve).
5. REPEAT: In learnng the guitar there are three things you're doing.
a. Acquiring and storing information in your memory.
b. Developing muscles.
c. Developing muscular and mental co-ordination.
Usually you will be working on all three at the same time, although from time to time you will encounter information that uses only the first process.
You will make the best progress by repeating any new idea's over and over until it is properly internalized.
6. MAKE NOTES: Get out a piece of paper and write down your questions, problems, discoveries, things that seem to keep going wrong, things that seem to need extra work etc. If you make notes about the problem areas, you'll find answers to your questions, solve your problems, remember your discoveries, and save a lot of time.
8. WORK SLOW TO FAST: When learning is new, go slowly. As you improve. you will naturally play the assignment faster. Don't think about playing anything fast until you have properly worked it out.
9. RELAX: Stay as relaxed as you can. Steps five, seven and eight are especially helpful in doing this. You should also understand that when the material is new, you will naturally be more intense - you may even find your muscles tightening up. As you come to know the material you should be able to relax more, but you must think about it. Feel the muscles - try to make them relax. Remember too, that you can tense up just from an excess of concentration - so that's a good reason for taking regular breaks.
10. WORK ON THE PARTS: If you're having a problem with something, take it apart. With every few exceptions, you play the guitar with two hands. They both work together to produce one result. This means that the combination of the two moving together could be causing the problem. Work on developing right and left hand synchronization.
11. Review: At the end of your practice session, go over your lesson and give some extra attention where it's needed. This could also include past assignments that still need additional attention. Use a review as a way to wrap up you day's practice.
by: Mike Hayes
Practice: to work on something repeatedly for the purpose of improvement.
That says a lot. It tells you what to do (work), how (repeatedly), and why (to improve).
Once you understand what "practice" is, you can proceed to learn how to use this new tool to your best advantage.
1. TUNE UP: It's important to play music at correct concert pitch.
2. WARM UP: Play through an easy piece, slowly. The idea here is to loosen up your muscles. Don't play anything that is hard or fast.
3. DIRECTION: Before you go any further, settle your mind upon what it is you wish to achieve today. At this point it's important to remember two things.
a. You are practicing to improve. this means getting results.
b. You learn the guitar, or grow into music, in the same way you grow into an adult - over a period of time. You may experience fast progress, or experience a slow gradual growth. There may even be times when you don't seem to progress at all.
However, if your practice program is directed towards results (whether they come fast or slow), you'll see them soon enough - providing you keep on working systematically at your study program. Don't be overly concerned about mistakes - if you keep looking for mistakes, you'll succeed in finding mistakes - and very little else.
4. TODAY'S PROBLEMS - YOUR CURRENT LESON: Here you confront new material that must be learnt. As you progress, this part of your practice schedule will change. That is to say, as you complete one assignment you will move on to the next. (Keep working with the thought in mind that you are practicing to improve).
5. REPEAT: In learnng the guitar there are three things you're doing.
a. Acquiring and storing information in your memory.
b. Developing muscles.
c. Developing muscular and mental co-ordination.
Usually you will be working on all three at the same time, although from time to time you will encounter information that uses only the first process.
You will make the best progress by repeating any new idea's over and over until it is properly internalized.
6. MAKE NOTES: Get out a piece of paper and write down your questions, problems, discoveries, things that seem to keep going wrong, things that seem to need extra work etc. If you make notes about the problem areas, you'll find answers to your questions, solve your problems, remember your discoveries, and save a lot of time.
8. WORK SLOW TO FAST: When learning is new, go slowly. As you improve. you will naturally play the assignment faster. Don't think about playing anything fast until you have properly worked it out.
9. RELAX: Stay as relaxed as you can. Steps five, seven and eight are especially helpful in doing this. You should also understand that when the material is new, you will naturally be more intense - you may even find your muscles tightening up. As you come to know the material you should be able to relax more, but you must think about it. Feel the muscles - try to make them relax. Remember too, that you can tense up just from an excess of concentration - so that's a good reason for taking regular breaks.
10. WORK ON THE PARTS: If you're having a problem with something, take it apart. With every few exceptions, you play the guitar with two hands. They both work together to produce one result. This means that the combination of the two moving together could be causing the problem. Work on developing right and left hand synchronization.
11. Review: At the end of your practice session, go over your lesson and give some extra attention where it's needed. This could also include past assignments that still need additional attention. Use a review as a way to wrap up you day's practice.
Smallville (Season 4) DVD Review
Smallville (Season 4) DVD Review
by: Britt Gillette
Leaping onto the television landscape in Fall 2001, Smallville follows the exploits of a young Clark Kent in the years leading up to his emergence as the beloved Superman. Following a slew of TV renditions of the character's life since the comic book first appeared, Smallville sets itself apart by focusing on the lesser discussed niche of Clark's earliest developmental days. Superb casting and consistent writing have combined to make Smallville one of the more popular shows on television (especially in international markets), making the show one of the WB network's most successful creations to date…
Tom Welling stars in the imminent role of teenager Clark Kent, a refugee from the dying planet of Krypton. His ship having landed in the rural American town of Smallville, Clark is raised by locals Martha (Annette O'Toole) and Jonathan Kent (John Schneider - of Dukes of Hazzard fame) as their own son. Unlike some of the film and TV spin-offs, Smallville attributes powers to other individuals in the area as a result of some of the debris associated with Krypton's destruction. As a result, Clark is forced to keep his own powers a secret while battling against other individuals who are more powerful than traditional human criminal elements. The show also provides a glimpse into the early friendship experienced between Clark and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) as well as Clark's romance with two high school classmates, Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk). Part sci-fi fantasy and part teenage soap, Smallville is an instant television classic…
The Smallville (Season 4) DVD features a number of exciting episodes including the season premiere "Crusade" in which Jonathan remains in a coma following last season's final episode. Meanwhile, Clark returns to Smallville as Kal-El and Lois Lane arrives in the town to investigate the death of Chloe, who was her cousin. Also, Lana returns from Europe with a new boyfriend and Lionel must deal with his new life in prison… Other notable episodes from Season 4 include "Devoted" in which Lois & Clark discover that the cheerleaders are spiking the football team's water with kryptonite in a conspiracy to turn them into mindless "yes" men, and "Lucy" in which Lois Lane's little sister Lucy arrives in Smallville, but Clark catches her stealing money in an effort to pay off some shady characters…
Below is a list of episodes included on the Smallville (Season 4) DVD:
Episode 67 (Crusade) Air Date: 09-22-2004
Episode 68 (Gone) Air Date: 09-29-2004
Episode 69 (Facade) Air Date: 10-06-2004
Episode 70 (Devoted) Air Date: 10-13-2004
Episode 71 (Run) Air Date: 10-20-2004
Episode 72 (Transference) Air Date: 10-27-2004
Episode 73 (Jinx) Air Date: 11-03-2004
Episode 74 (Spell) Air Date: 11-10-2004
Episode 75 (Bound) Air Date: 11-17-2004
Episode 76 (Scare) Air Date: 12-01-2004
Episode 77 (Unsafe) Air Date: 01-26-2005
Episode 78 (Pariah) Air Date: 02-02-2005
Episode 79 (Recruit) Air Date: 02-09-2005
Episode 80 (Krypto) Air Date: 02-16-2005
Episode 81 (Sacred) Air Date: 02-23-2005
Episode 82 (Lucy) Air Date: 03-02-2005
Episode 83 (Onyx) Air Date: 04-13-2005
Episode 84 (Spirit) Air Date: 04-20-2005
Episode 85 (Blank) Air Date: 04-27-2005
Episode 86 (Ageless) Air Date: 05-04-2005
Episode 87 (Forever) Air Date: 05-11-2005
Episode 88 (Commencement) Air Date: 05-18-2005
by: Britt Gillette
Leaping onto the television landscape in Fall 2001, Smallville follows the exploits of a young Clark Kent in the years leading up to his emergence as the beloved Superman. Following a slew of TV renditions of the character's life since the comic book first appeared, Smallville sets itself apart by focusing on the lesser discussed niche of Clark's earliest developmental days. Superb casting and consistent writing have combined to make Smallville one of the more popular shows on television (especially in international markets), making the show one of the WB network's most successful creations to date…
Tom Welling stars in the imminent role of teenager Clark Kent, a refugee from the dying planet of Krypton. His ship having landed in the rural American town of Smallville, Clark is raised by locals Martha (Annette O'Toole) and Jonathan Kent (John Schneider - of Dukes of Hazzard fame) as their own son. Unlike some of the film and TV spin-offs, Smallville attributes powers to other individuals in the area as a result of some of the debris associated with Krypton's destruction. As a result, Clark is forced to keep his own powers a secret while battling against other individuals who are more powerful than traditional human criminal elements. The show also provides a glimpse into the early friendship experienced between Clark and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) as well as Clark's romance with two high school classmates, Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk). Part sci-fi fantasy and part teenage soap, Smallville is an instant television classic…
The Smallville (Season 4) DVD features a number of exciting episodes including the season premiere "Crusade" in which Jonathan remains in a coma following last season's final episode. Meanwhile, Clark returns to Smallville as Kal-El and Lois Lane arrives in the town to investigate the death of Chloe, who was her cousin. Also, Lana returns from Europe with a new boyfriend and Lionel must deal with his new life in prison… Other notable episodes from Season 4 include "Devoted" in which Lois & Clark discover that the cheerleaders are spiking the football team's water with kryptonite in a conspiracy to turn them into mindless "yes" men, and "Lucy" in which Lois Lane's little sister Lucy arrives in Smallville, but Clark catches her stealing money in an effort to pay off some shady characters…
Below is a list of episodes included on the Smallville (Season 4) DVD:
Episode 67 (Crusade) Air Date: 09-22-2004
Episode 68 (Gone) Air Date: 09-29-2004
Episode 69 (Facade) Air Date: 10-06-2004
Episode 70 (Devoted) Air Date: 10-13-2004
Episode 71 (Run) Air Date: 10-20-2004
Episode 72 (Transference) Air Date: 10-27-2004
Episode 73 (Jinx) Air Date: 11-03-2004
Episode 74 (Spell) Air Date: 11-10-2004
Episode 75 (Bound) Air Date: 11-17-2004
Episode 76 (Scare) Air Date: 12-01-2004
Episode 77 (Unsafe) Air Date: 01-26-2005
Episode 78 (Pariah) Air Date: 02-02-2005
Episode 79 (Recruit) Air Date: 02-09-2005
Episode 80 (Krypto) Air Date: 02-16-2005
Episode 81 (Sacred) Air Date: 02-23-2005
Episode 82 (Lucy) Air Date: 03-02-2005
Episode 83 (Onyx) Air Date: 04-13-2005
Episode 84 (Spirit) Air Date: 04-20-2005
Episode 85 (Blank) Air Date: 04-27-2005
Episode 86 (Ageless) Air Date: 05-04-2005
Episode 87 (Forever) Air Date: 05-11-2005
Episode 88 (Commencement) Air Date: 05-18-2005
Microphone Technique
Microphone Technique
by: Chris Pointon
Although it sounds strange to you, to hear your own voice over the P.A, in fact it doesn’t sound any different to the audience than if you were talking to them in normal conversation.
The trick here is to be Yourself, if you haven’t got the skill to project a warm friendly personality at the functions where ice breaking is required then being an entertainer isn’t for you. The trick is to find a balance, most people would simply hire the gear - saving around 50% of a D.J’s booking fee and throw a NOW Cd on - if human input and personality wasn’t important to them. At some functions, if they pay for an entertainer and get a human jukebox who doesn’t own a mic and just sits there playing music then they occasionally feel cheated!.
I can’t stress the “BE YOURSELF”, advice enough, don’t put on a radio style zany DJ voice - that will sound false and doesn’t fool anybody. If you are lucky enough to have a D.J training you, or are a young person helping an older mentor D.J then DON’T be tempted to become a clone of him or her. Adopt your own mic style (not a false voice), use your own tag lines but don’t rely on the same cliche’s 20 or 30 times a night - this becomes boring and predictable.
Don’t rely on “that was”, “This is” introductions all night. At some functions going out with a Radio Mic and creating banter with your audience is a great way to break the ice at the beginning of difficult, non formal functions - and a good way of enouraging them onto the dancefloor early on. You can relax the mic work and the frquency of them - once the dancefloor is filling.
Of course there are always going to be functions where you need more mic work than the last, and other functions where it is going to be little mic use, but the key is to develop a style and strength and confidence in your mic working ability and not to rely on non stop music alone to do the work for you.
Just be yourself, and talk normally into the microphone. The thing to work on is to speak confidentally and clearly and try to pace yourself. Speaking too fast will make what you are saying sound garbled, speaking too slow will make you sound like you are addressing a bunch of village idiots . Pretty soon, with a little time and practice you’ll develop your own individual skill and style and that is the most important aspect, don’t try to copy anybody else or put on a different voice, it will sound false and make learning and maintaining the technique a lot more difficult.
If being a comedian is not you, then avoid the jokes unless you are good at this sort of thing , forced comedy can sound false and you may find yourself laughing alone, after all the Client has booked a Mobile Disco and not a stand up comedian!. One of the best pieces of advice I was given my the D.J who trained me, was to “Stick at doing what you are good at and have been booked for, and if in any doubt then leave it out”.
Spontaneous one liners are another matter, if something amusing happens, then share it - use the mic to get requests, make a fuss over other people celebrating birthdays / anniversaries - people like to have their 30 seconds of glory and hearing their name mentioned, over the mic
My advice to those nervous about public speaking for the first time, is not to be frightened of the mic or avoid using one - its your closest and most useful ally, at all functions. Don’t talk all over the track, learn to pace yourself over the outro of the previous track and any intro of the next track - don’t gabble - talk clearly into the microphone as if you were talking to a friend. With time you should be able to familiarise yourself with how themore popular tracks end and finish, this way you can talk upto the vocal, similar to how they do on the radio - stopping your banter at the moment the vocal on the next track starts. Don’t rush to perfect this or gabble to do so, it all comes with time and practice. Keep it simple to start off with.
Start with the easy stuff first, just introducing tracks, and buffet announcements. Once you’ve built up a bit of confidence, you’ll move on from the ‘That was….. this is….’ routine. Try and include your audience, invite requests, make them feel welcome. Even if you are having a difficult gig don’t take it out on the audience and try and look like you are enjoying yourself, even if it’s not going to plan. Don’t worry about making mistakes on the Mic, we all do from time to time, but don’t draw attention to it, or dwell on it it’ll just make it worse - besides making mistakes shows that you are human and not a pre-programmed jukebox
Keep key information on the gig, such as the Bride & Grooms’ names, Best Man Name etc on a piece of paper on the mixer, so that you can casually glance down if you have a sudden memory blank, but don’t write your links down as a speech, otherwise it will sound like you are reading from a script and less natural.
Remember that once the dancefloor is full, you can ease off the mic a little, but keep doing the requests and don’t forget that it exists. Learn to find the balance, too much talking can bore the pants of your audience, too little mic work can make people think that you aren’t earning your keep!. There are functions where you have a full Dancefloor and it would be obtrusive to chat all over the music when people want to dance, equally there are more formal functions where there isn’t the room or inclination to dance, and so a bit of light hearted banter to break the ice and the empathsis on the entertainment side of being a DJ is required rather than just continuous music
All of this will take some time, don’t expect to develop a mic technique overnight just take it one gig at a time.
by: Chris Pointon
Although it sounds strange to you, to hear your own voice over the P.A, in fact it doesn’t sound any different to the audience than if you were talking to them in normal conversation.
The trick here is to be Yourself, if you haven’t got the skill to project a warm friendly personality at the functions where ice breaking is required then being an entertainer isn’t for you. The trick is to find a balance, most people would simply hire the gear - saving around 50% of a D.J’s booking fee and throw a NOW Cd on - if human input and personality wasn’t important to them. At some functions, if they pay for an entertainer and get a human jukebox who doesn’t own a mic and just sits there playing music then they occasionally feel cheated!.
I can’t stress the “BE YOURSELF”, advice enough, don’t put on a radio style zany DJ voice - that will sound false and doesn’t fool anybody. If you are lucky enough to have a D.J training you, or are a young person helping an older mentor D.J then DON’T be tempted to become a clone of him or her. Adopt your own mic style (not a false voice), use your own tag lines but don’t rely on the same cliche’s 20 or 30 times a night - this becomes boring and predictable.
Don’t rely on “that was”, “This is” introductions all night. At some functions going out with a Radio Mic and creating banter with your audience is a great way to break the ice at the beginning of difficult, non formal functions - and a good way of enouraging them onto the dancefloor early on. You can relax the mic work and the frquency of them - once the dancefloor is filling.
Of course there are always going to be functions where you need more mic work than the last, and other functions where it is going to be little mic use, but the key is to develop a style and strength and confidence in your mic working ability and not to rely on non stop music alone to do the work for you.
Just be yourself, and talk normally into the microphone. The thing to work on is to speak confidentally and clearly and try to pace yourself. Speaking too fast will make what you are saying sound garbled, speaking too slow will make you sound like you are addressing a bunch of village idiots . Pretty soon, with a little time and practice you’ll develop your own individual skill and style and that is the most important aspect, don’t try to copy anybody else or put on a different voice, it will sound false and make learning and maintaining the technique a lot more difficult.
If being a comedian is not you, then avoid the jokes unless you are good at this sort of thing , forced comedy can sound false and you may find yourself laughing alone, after all the Client has booked a Mobile Disco and not a stand up comedian!. One of the best pieces of advice I was given my the D.J who trained me, was to “Stick at doing what you are good at and have been booked for, and if in any doubt then leave it out”.
Spontaneous one liners are another matter, if something amusing happens, then share it - use the mic to get requests, make a fuss over other people celebrating birthdays / anniversaries - people like to have their 30 seconds of glory and hearing their name mentioned, over the mic
My advice to those nervous about public speaking for the first time, is not to be frightened of the mic or avoid using one - its your closest and most useful ally, at all functions. Don’t talk all over the track, learn to pace yourself over the outro of the previous track and any intro of the next track - don’t gabble - talk clearly into the microphone as if you were talking to a friend. With time you should be able to familiarise yourself with how themore popular tracks end and finish, this way you can talk upto the vocal, similar to how they do on the radio - stopping your banter at the moment the vocal on the next track starts. Don’t rush to perfect this or gabble to do so, it all comes with time and practice. Keep it simple to start off with.
Start with the easy stuff first, just introducing tracks, and buffet announcements. Once you’ve built up a bit of confidence, you’ll move on from the ‘That was….. this is….’ routine. Try and include your audience, invite requests, make them feel welcome. Even if you are having a difficult gig don’t take it out on the audience and try and look like you are enjoying yourself, even if it’s not going to plan. Don’t worry about making mistakes on the Mic, we all do from time to time, but don’t draw attention to it, or dwell on it it’ll just make it worse - besides making mistakes shows that you are human and not a pre-programmed jukebox
Keep key information on the gig, such as the Bride & Grooms’ names, Best Man Name etc on a piece of paper on the mixer, so that you can casually glance down if you have a sudden memory blank, but don’t write your links down as a speech, otherwise it will sound like you are reading from a script and less natural.
Remember that once the dancefloor is full, you can ease off the mic a little, but keep doing the requests and don’t forget that it exists. Learn to find the balance, too much talking can bore the pants of your audience, too little mic work can make people think that you aren’t earning your keep!. There are functions where you have a full Dancefloor and it would be obtrusive to chat all over the music when people want to dance, equally there are more formal functions where there isn’t the room or inclination to dance, and so a bit of light hearted banter to break the ice and the empathsis on the entertainment side of being a DJ is required rather than just continuous music
All of this will take some time, don’t expect to develop a mic technique overnight just take it one gig at a time.
Simple Steps to Better Guitar Tone
Simple Steps to Better Guitar Tone
by: Beth Miller
Great guitar tone is something that every guitarist wants. The quest for tone is one of the biggest reasons guitar players drop so much money on amplifiers and effects.
If you've found yourself spending a lot of money lately on various 'sound tweaking' gadgets, take note: the solution to your sound problems just might be closer (and cheaper) than you think!
Whether you want killer distortion or country-twang, the secret of great tone begins with a pure, clean signal.
In other words, no matter how many effects you intend to use, you've got to make sure the basic, unadulterated “dry signal” coming through your amp sounds just as good as anything else.
The reason for this is simple: every effect you add to that signal brings in a little bit of noise. So, you need to start with as clean a signal as possible so that the cumulative impact of noise and signal degradation from your effects is kept to a minimum.
The first step here is as easy as proper maintenance of your guitar. Not only do you need to keep your strings fresh, and your neck in alignment, you also need to eliminate any sources of buzz or hum coming from faulty cords or poor electrical wiring in your pickups or input jack.
The second step is to run the same maintenance check on your amplifier. Now, the fact is, some amps are just noisier than others. If you can find nothing physically wrong with your amp, it may just be that you need to do upgrades for better tone.
For example, your amp's factory-installed speakers are probably not top-of-the-line. In the case of tube amps, especially, this can make a HUGE difference.
Along similar lines, you might also consider upgrading your tubes and/or the transistors used in the pre-amp stage.
Why?
Because your amp's sound is greatly influenced by the way each of these components responds to the guitar signal. Cheap parts have a slower dynamic response, and can also add unwanted coloration to the signal. This is one reason why some amps will sound great at a lower volume, but start to break up and distort as soon as you turn things up.
Last, but not least, take a look at the effects pedals you currently have in your arsenal. Maybe you've purchased 2 or 3 different distortion pedals, for example, in an elusive quest for that perfect 'crunch'?
There's nothing wrong with owning multiple pedals for the same type of effect; but, if you still aren't getting the sound you desire, it could be that you need to add something very basic into the mix, like an EQ pedal.
A good EQ pedal will allow you to shape which frequencies are emphasized. You can, for example, cut the mid-range for a heavier tone, or boost the highs so that your treble notes punch through.
Try mixing and matching EQ and Volume pedals in different places along your effects chain in order to boost or limit the characteristics of other effects. You'll be amazed how many different sounds you can create with a little experimentation!
by: Beth Miller
Great guitar tone is something that every guitarist wants. The quest for tone is one of the biggest reasons guitar players drop so much money on amplifiers and effects.
If you've found yourself spending a lot of money lately on various 'sound tweaking' gadgets, take note: the solution to your sound problems just might be closer (and cheaper) than you think!
Whether you want killer distortion or country-twang, the secret of great tone begins with a pure, clean signal.
In other words, no matter how many effects you intend to use, you've got to make sure the basic, unadulterated “dry signal” coming through your amp sounds just as good as anything else.
The reason for this is simple: every effect you add to that signal brings in a little bit of noise. So, you need to start with as clean a signal as possible so that the cumulative impact of noise and signal degradation from your effects is kept to a minimum.
The first step here is as easy as proper maintenance of your guitar. Not only do you need to keep your strings fresh, and your neck in alignment, you also need to eliminate any sources of buzz or hum coming from faulty cords or poor electrical wiring in your pickups or input jack.
The second step is to run the same maintenance check on your amplifier. Now, the fact is, some amps are just noisier than others. If you can find nothing physically wrong with your amp, it may just be that you need to do upgrades for better tone.
For example, your amp's factory-installed speakers are probably not top-of-the-line. In the case of tube amps, especially, this can make a HUGE difference.
Along similar lines, you might also consider upgrading your tubes and/or the transistors used in the pre-amp stage.
Why?
Because your amp's sound is greatly influenced by the way each of these components responds to the guitar signal. Cheap parts have a slower dynamic response, and can also add unwanted coloration to the signal. This is one reason why some amps will sound great at a lower volume, but start to break up and distort as soon as you turn things up.
Last, but not least, take a look at the effects pedals you currently have in your arsenal. Maybe you've purchased 2 or 3 different distortion pedals, for example, in an elusive quest for that perfect 'crunch'?
There's nothing wrong with owning multiple pedals for the same type of effect; but, if you still aren't getting the sound you desire, it could be that you need to add something very basic into the mix, like an EQ pedal.
A good EQ pedal will allow you to shape which frequencies are emphasized. You can, for example, cut the mid-range for a heavier tone, or boost the highs so that your treble notes punch through.
Try mixing and matching EQ and Volume pedals in different places along your effects chain in order to boost or limit the characteristics of other effects. You'll be amazed how many different sounds you can create with a little experimentation!
Madonna's Adoption Including Africa Today
Madonna's Adoption Including Africa Today
by: Davinos Greeno
In Africa it seems to be all misery and nothing but problems, in the past few months we have had the attempted assassination of the Somali President, the invasion of Northern Somali towns by Ethiopian troops, continuing ethnic problems is Darfur (Sudan) and more than 20 people have been killed in political clashes in the DR Congo capital, Kinshasa, in the latest round of elections.
To top this off, Madonna has been to Africa to adopt a child called David, throwing Malawi into the worlds media. A group of Malawian charities sought a court injunction to try and block the pop star Madonnas bid to adopt a baby boy. A group of Malawian charities said that pop star Madonnas bid to adopt a boy was illegal and sought a court injunction halting the adoption.
The charity obviously didnt have the power (money, fame?) that Madonna has and the adopted baby arrived in UK recently to start his new and privileged life. They have secured a temporary 18-month custody order from the Malawi courts and hope to adopt him formally. How is adopting individual children from overseas going to help with the bigger problem of rampant child poverty in Malawi? Does it matter? Is this not a case of child trafficking?
Westminster Council, which covers the area where Madonna lives in the UK has stated that they regularly received applications from residents wishing to adopt from overseas. I dont understand - Why is this the case when there are hundreds of child in the UK that need adopting and a home just as much as baby David. Would baby David not be better off in his own extended family and community? Louise Richards, from War on Want, added: “Madonna’s step to adopt the baby is a well-meaning, but misguided act.” In the capital Lilongwe, it was claimed that the courts had improperly waived Malawian laws to allow Madonna and Ritchie custody because of their celebrity status. Two months ago the pop superstar announced she was to donate three million dollars (£1.6m) to the country through the Raising Malawi charity. May that have had something to do with it I ask?
What ever next from this great continent?
Well…. In Rwanda they are starting to use the countrys first litter bins in the capital Kigali. They have appeared in the centre of the city.
Ivory Coast did exceptionally well in the 2006 Soccer World Cup and there is an increasing number of African players in the UK Premier League and throughout Europe.
Increasing oil prices are leading to a boom in certain countries such as Nigeria which is using some of the funds for education and other social programmes (I wont mention recent reports that Nigerian leaders stole 380 billion dollars of oil money in the past 40 years).
Many more African countries are now opening up to attract tourists as the weather is nearly always good and the Safaris and White Water Rafting has to be experienced to believed!
Bono and Live Aid highlighted the problems and the beauty of Africa, while showcasing African talent at a concert in the UK which was echoed around the World.
African debt is decreasing in those countries that has good governments
Once you add African music, dance, food, crafts and culture you have one amazing continent!!!
by: Davinos Greeno
In Africa it seems to be all misery and nothing but problems, in the past few months we have had the attempted assassination of the Somali President, the invasion of Northern Somali towns by Ethiopian troops, continuing ethnic problems is Darfur (Sudan) and more than 20 people have been killed in political clashes in the DR Congo capital, Kinshasa, in the latest round of elections.
To top this off, Madonna has been to Africa to adopt a child called David, throwing Malawi into the worlds media. A group of Malawian charities sought a court injunction to try and block the pop star Madonnas bid to adopt a baby boy. A group of Malawian charities said that pop star Madonnas bid to adopt a boy was illegal and sought a court injunction halting the adoption.
The charity obviously didnt have the power (money, fame?) that Madonna has and the adopted baby arrived in UK recently to start his new and privileged life. They have secured a temporary 18-month custody order from the Malawi courts and hope to adopt him formally. How is adopting individual children from overseas going to help with the bigger problem of rampant child poverty in Malawi? Does it matter? Is this not a case of child trafficking?
Westminster Council, which covers the area where Madonna lives in the UK has stated that they regularly received applications from residents wishing to adopt from overseas. I dont understand - Why is this the case when there are hundreds of child in the UK that need adopting and a home just as much as baby David. Would baby David not be better off in his own extended family and community? Louise Richards, from War on Want, added: “Madonna’s step to adopt the baby is a well-meaning, but misguided act.” In the capital Lilongwe, it was claimed that the courts had improperly waived Malawian laws to allow Madonna and Ritchie custody because of their celebrity status. Two months ago the pop superstar announced she was to donate three million dollars (£1.6m) to the country through the Raising Malawi charity. May that have had something to do with it I ask?
What ever next from this great continent?
Well…. In Rwanda they are starting to use the countrys first litter bins in the capital Kigali. They have appeared in the centre of the city.
Ivory Coast did exceptionally well in the 2006 Soccer World Cup and there is an increasing number of African players in the UK Premier League and throughout Europe.
Increasing oil prices are leading to a boom in certain countries such as Nigeria which is using some of the funds for education and other social programmes (I wont mention recent reports that Nigerian leaders stole 380 billion dollars of oil money in the past 40 years).
Many more African countries are now opening up to attract tourists as the weather is nearly always good and the Safaris and White Water Rafting has to be experienced to believed!
Bono and Live Aid highlighted the problems and the beauty of Africa, while showcasing African talent at a concert in the UK which was echoed around the World.
African debt is decreasing in those countries that has good governments
Once you add African music, dance, food, crafts and culture you have one amazing continent!!!
Blocking a Scene
Blocking a Scene
by: Peter D. Marshall
When I was a Second AD (many, many years ago) I learned a valuable lesson from a dolly grip on how a film set works. Very simply, every film shoot is divided into four parts:
1) Block - determining where the actors will be on the set and the first camera position
2) Light - time for the DOP to light the set and position the camera for the first shot
3) Rehearse - camera rehearsal of the first set-up with the actors and crew
4) Shoot - shooting the first scene (then repeat the process)
Blocking is the first, and most crucial, aspect of this 4-part sequence. When you first start directing, blocking a scene can be one of the hardest - and most embarrassing - parts of your job. Get it wrong here, and you could waste valuable shooting time trying to get out of the mess you created!
a) Director Prep - Before you step onto any film set, you need to first do your homework on Script and Character Analysis. In the last two articles, we talked about Understanding the Script (what the story is about; the themes; the story points) and Character Development and Analysis (the development and objectives of the characters).
b) Blocking a Dramatic Scene - The first thing I do when the actors arrive for a blocking is to get them in a group and read the scene: no moving, no "acting" - just reading the scene through. This makes sure everyone is on the "same page". (Sometimes actors do not have revisions and this is a good time to find that out.) Also, by reading together, the actors start to feed off each other - and you get to watch the process.
After the actors read the scene, I ask them to show me what they want to do. I just step back and let them go for it. If it is a set no one has been in before, I take a few moments to discuss the physical lay out of the room - the door an actor will come through; a window they can walk up to; which desk they can sit at etc.
The actors then begin their first walk through - they read the scene and walk around the set to get a feel of what they want to do and where they want to be. During this initial blocking, I try not to make any suggestions to the actors - it is important that they show me what they have in mind. Remember, this is the first time the actors have been together on the set and they need their time to explore. As you watch the actors, you get a feel for what they want to do, where they want to go and how they are relating to each other.
On the next blocking, you begin to make your changes. Maybe you want an actor to sit in a chair by the window instead of on the couch; you ask an actor if it would be okay to pace beside an actor and not in front of him so you can save a set-up; you make a suggestion to an actor to move across the room instead of standing by the door etc.
Once you have discussed the scene, and everyone agrees with the suggestions, the actors do it again. This time, you begin to figure out your camera placement based on their movement and what you first had in mind. As the actors go through the scene, you walk around them looking at all your camera positions. Usually the DOP is with you to discuss camera set-ups and positions. This is also a time where you can stop-and-start the actors - move them around to get a better background. During this blocking, a camera assistant will place marks on the floor whenever the actors stop.
When everyone is satisfied, the actors leave and you discuss the first set-up in more detail with the DOP and the camera operator. When the DOP begins to light, you go over all your set-ups with the First AD and the Script Supervisor.
c) Blocking Tips - having a shot list will help you during the blocking process. The shot list is like a map: it gives you a path to your destination but you don't always have to follow it
- let the actors show you what they want to do first, then, when you make a suggestion, it is based on something you have already seen
- in Television, speed is essential, so try and block some scenes so that your action takes place in one direction (to avoid turning the camera around for reverses)
by: Peter D. Marshall
When I was a Second AD (many, many years ago) I learned a valuable lesson from a dolly grip on how a film set works. Very simply, every film shoot is divided into four parts:
1) Block - determining where the actors will be on the set and the first camera position
2) Light - time for the DOP to light the set and position the camera for the first shot
3) Rehearse - camera rehearsal of the first set-up with the actors and crew
4) Shoot - shooting the first scene (then repeat the process)
Blocking is the first, and most crucial, aspect of this 4-part sequence. When you first start directing, blocking a scene can be one of the hardest - and most embarrassing - parts of your job. Get it wrong here, and you could waste valuable shooting time trying to get out of the mess you created!
a) Director Prep - Before you step onto any film set, you need to first do your homework on Script and Character Analysis. In the last two articles, we talked about Understanding the Script (what the story is about; the themes; the story points) and Character Development and Analysis (the development and objectives of the characters).
b) Blocking a Dramatic Scene - The first thing I do when the actors arrive for a blocking is to get them in a group and read the scene: no moving, no "acting" - just reading the scene through. This makes sure everyone is on the "same page". (Sometimes actors do not have revisions and this is a good time to find that out.) Also, by reading together, the actors start to feed off each other - and you get to watch the process.
After the actors read the scene, I ask them to show me what they want to do. I just step back and let them go for it. If it is a set no one has been in before, I take a few moments to discuss the physical lay out of the room - the door an actor will come through; a window they can walk up to; which desk they can sit at etc.
The actors then begin their first walk through - they read the scene and walk around the set to get a feel of what they want to do and where they want to be. During this initial blocking, I try not to make any suggestions to the actors - it is important that they show me what they have in mind. Remember, this is the first time the actors have been together on the set and they need their time to explore. As you watch the actors, you get a feel for what they want to do, where they want to go and how they are relating to each other.
On the next blocking, you begin to make your changes. Maybe you want an actor to sit in a chair by the window instead of on the couch; you ask an actor if it would be okay to pace beside an actor and not in front of him so you can save a set-up; you make a suggestion to an actor to move across the room instead of standing by the door etc.
Once you have discussed the scene, and everyone agrees with the suggestions, the actors do it again. This time, you begin to figure out your camera placement based on their movement and what you first had in mind. As the actors go through the scene, you walk around them looking at all your camera positions. Usually the DOP is with you to discuss camera set-ups and positions. This is also a time where you can stop-and-start the actors - move them around to get a better background. During this blocking, a camera assistant will place marks on the floor whenever the actors stop.
When everyone is satisfied, the actors leave and you discuss the first set-up in more detail with the DOP and the camera operator. When the DOP begins to light, you go over all your set-ups with the First AD and the Script Supervisor.
c) Blocking Tips - having a shot list will help you during the blocking process. The shot list is like a map: it gives you a path to your destination but you don't always have to follow it
- let the actors show you what they want to do first, then, when you make a suggestion, it is based on something you have already seen
- in Television, speed is essential, so try and block some scenes so that your action takes place in one direction (to avoid turning the camera around for reverses)
Tim Mcgraw Tickets
Tim Mcgraw Tickets
by: Ron Arthur
They were destined to be together and famous. A proud Mississippi, breath-taking beauty “Audrey Faith Perry Hill” mostly known as “Faith Hill” and seductive cutie-pie countryside cowboy singer/actor hubby “Samuel Timothy McGraw” famous as “Tim Mcgraw” together make an incredible couple. They both are in love, married, parents of three beautiful girls, famous, too good to be true. But that is true. These two countryside folks came out of nowhere and sparkle on the sky of music, and almost outshine everyone. Their journey to success seems to spur with every song they sing. It’s not only about theirs professional lives they are also able to maintain marvelous equilibrium between the showbiz life and family life. Which no doubt gives them immense inner satisfaction that is otherwise lacking in most other professionals’ life, which fail them at least on one front of life. But this is not the case with Tim and Hill. They are victorious in family life and in showbiz, which provi de them a lightless in their life. And this solace is reflected in their songs and music. Their strong belief in family life also strengthens them emotionally and this power works like a catalyst for their music. Maybe their own family background compels them to cling for deep-rooted family ties. Whatever the reason maybe but it really worked well for both Hill and Tim.
When we think of country music, a traditional sort of music comes in our mind consisting on sad songs with stereotype tangy accents. But for sure Tim Mcgraw alone stand and proved it wrong. He actually gave a new dimension to country music. And nothing less can be said about Hill. Tim and Hill are very much alike in many aspects. Their backgrounds as well as their professional growth echo each other’s life. McGraw's parents never married. His mother raised him; he didn't learn who his father was till the age of 11. He took his biological father's surname at the age of 18 years. In the same way unfortunately Faith Hill was also not raised by her parents. Her mother gave her up for adoption after her birth, she was afraid to tell her family that she was pregnant out of wedlock at such an early age. Maybe these stark realities of life determine Tim and Hill to not let their stardom to hinder with their home. Hill started searching for her mother in the early '90s when she moved to Nashville to pursue music. Tim also came to Nashville having big dreams in his eyes.
Like any other struggling artist Hill also did a couple of odd jobs and finally her first break-through comes in 1993. She was working in the office of Starstruck Entertainment, Reba McEntire's talent management company. One night Hill sang at a famous Nashville club. A talent scout in the audience saw some potential in her and signed her up. Hill's break came in 1993. "Wild One," her first single mounted to the top of the country chart and stayed there a month. Since Connie Smith in 1964, she was the first debut singer who accomplished this. Her first album, "Take Me As I Am," was a major hit too; it sold a couple of million copies. Her first album earned her 1993's New Female Vocalist award from the Academy of Country Music. Hill’s second album "It Matters To Me," which came out in 1995 did even better at the cash register.
On the other hand, McGraw didn't initiate pursuing music until college, when he bought his first guitar and taught himself to play it. He dropped out of school in 1989 and headed to Nashville. His father tried to talk him out of going, but he argued that Tug himself had also quit college to follow his dreams in baseball. At that point his father agreed to help him out. McGraw launched his first debut album in 1992, which wasn’t a great hit. Though his second Album had three singles, including "Don't Take The Girl," all went to No. 1 and a unique, novel tune called "Indian Outlaw" became an immediate hit. This was the first step towards the dazzling path of success.
Later after the year of Hill’s second hit album in 1996, Hill met McGraw when they played 140 dates together. They got married on that very October 6 in 1996, and then Hill took 18 months off to start a family and relive her life anew. About this she says: "I'm married to my best friend. I have a wonderful husband, who I'm madly in love with, and I have two beautiful little girls that have made life everything, besides music, I want it all." And no doubt they both are blessed with fame and the homely comfort at the same time, of course the credit goes to both of them. Then she resumed her music career in 1998 with huge success of “Faith”. It seemed like she poured out her soul in this album even more than ever. She undergoes a matured transformation during this period; she no more gives an image of “country girl” and even admits it. Hill says: "I'm through with what I call the little-girl-going-away-from- home theme in my songs, it's time for me to express myself differently." And the listeners felt the striking difference in the next up-coming album that includes a mixture of countryside music along with other styles.
Just in tiny winy period of six years, Faith Hill has sold more than 11 million records, harvested eight No. 1 singles and ten No. 1 videos. Only this year, she received incalculable nominations and statues from the Country Music Association, the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, Blockbuster Awards and TNN Music City News Awards. She celebrated the colossal crossover success of her first platinum single, "This Kiss," which culminates with her appearance on the 1999 VH1 Divas Live, where she was sharing the same stage with Tina Turner, Cher and Whitney Houston. She was also named the newest face for CoverGirl Cosmetics and charmed the cover of several magazines like Country Weekly, People, TV Guide and Glamour.
Moreover, Tim’s song "Live Like You Were Dying" in 2004 and 2005 has collected every award it was nominated for- CMA & ACM Single and Song of the Year and also Country Song of the Year at the Grammy's. On the whole, Tim's achievements are as remarkable as they are numerous: 9 albums spawning 25 #1 singles and selling 33 million copies, tours that consistently rank near the top in financial and entertainment terms, a number of awards including a 2001 CMA Entertainer of the Year nod, 2 Grammy's and the 2004 People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Musical Performer. He is one of only three men ever to grace the cover of Redbook, his NBC Live Concert Special in 2002 soared higher than specials by U2 and Paul McCartney, he was the headline act at the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Concert, and in November 2004 made a astral major motion picture acting debut with a role in the Universal/Imagine film "Friday Night Lights" with Billy Bob Thornton. His second NBC Concert Special aired Thanksgiving Eve 2004 winning the night for the network. In 2005 he was adorned with Grammy for Country Album of the Year for “Live Like You Were Dying” and song nominations, his duet with Nelly, "Over and Over," has stayed on the top on Urban charts for 12 weeks. McGraw carries on his celebrity cabinet board membership with the American Red Cross in 2005.
Many artists have achieved great permanence or marvelous levels of success, but Tim's career has indeed been remarkable for the way in which fame and success have been intertwined for so long. Tim's decision to reinvent a major share of his career, merging road and studio into a flawless whole, really paid off. Isn’t it impressive? This is not the end; it is just a beautiful and graceful pace of a magnificent highly talented couple towards a glorious tomorrow. Well they are dignified on individual levels but together too they have several hit duets on their credit. And a fascinating event that is the tour Soul 2 Soul, which they did in 2000 and now once again this historical event is going to be held in 2006 coming April. Those who couldn’t get a chance to experience the last spectacular tour can enthrall themselves this time. Get ready for the magic that’ll leave you breathless by Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill.
For more details visit http://www.ticketnest.com/concert-tickets/Tim-Mcgraw/index.php
by: Ron Arthur
They were destined to be together and famous. A proud Mississippi, breath-taking beauty “Audrey Faith Perry Hill” mostly known as “Faith Hill” and seductive cutie-pie countryside cowboy singer/actor hubby “Samuel Timothy McGraw” famous as “Tim Mcgraw” together make an incredible couple. They both are in love, married, parents of three beautiful girls, famous, too good to be true. But that is true. These two countryside folks came out of nowhere and sparkle on the sky of music, and almost outshine everyone. Their journey to success seems to spur with every song they sing. It’s not only about theirs professional lives they are also able to maintain marvelous equilibrium between the showbiz life and family life. Which no doubt gives them immense inner satisfaction that is otherwise lacking in most other professionals’ life, which fail them at least on one front of life. But this is not the case with Tim and Hill. They are victorious in family life and in showbiz, which provi de them a lightless in their life. And this solace is reflected in their songs and music. Their strong belief in family life also strengthens them emotionally and this power works like a catalyst for their music. Maybe their own family background compels them to cling for deep-rooted family ties. Whatever the reason maybe but it really worked well for both Hill and Tim.
When we think of country music, a traditional sort of music comes in our mind consisting on sad songs with stereotype tangy accents. But for sure Tim Mcgraw alone stand and proved it wrong. He actually gave a new dimension to country music. And nothing less can be said about Hill. Tim and Hill are very much alike in many aspects. Their backgrounds as well as their professional growth echo each other’s life. McGraw's parents never married. His mother raised him; he didn't learn who his father was till the age of 11. He took his biological father's surname at the age of 18 years. In the same way unfortunately Faith Hill was also not raised by her parents. Her mother gave her up for adoption after her birth, she was afraid to tell her family that she was pregnant out of wedlock at such an early age. Maybe these stark realities of life determine Tim and Hill to not let their stardom to hinder with their home. Hill started searching for her mother in the early '90s when she moved to Nashville to pursue music. Tim also came to Nashville having big dreams in his eyes.
Like any other struggling artist Hill also did a couple of odd jobs and finally her first break-through comes in 1993. She was working in the office of Starstruck Entertainment, Reba McEntire's talent management company. One night Hill sang at a famous Nashville club. A talent scout in the audience saw some potential in her and signed her up. Hill's break came in 1993. "Wild One," her first single mounted to the top of the country chart and stayed there a month. Since Connie Smith in 1964, she was the first debut singer who accomplished this. Her first album, "Take Me As I Am," was a major hit too; it sold a couple of million copies. Her first album earned her 1993's New Female Vocalist award from the Academy of Country Music. Hill’s second album "It Matters To Me," which came out in 1995 did even better at the cash register.
On the other hand, McGraw didn't initiate pursuing music until college, when he bought his first guitar and taught himself to play it. He dropped out of school in 1989 and headed to Nashville. His father tried to talk him out of going, but he argued that Tug himself had also quit college to follow his dreams in baseball. At that point his father agreed to help him out. McGraw launched his first debut album in 1992, which wasn’t a great hit. Though his second Album had three singles, including "Don't Take The Girl," all went to No. 1 and a unique, novel tune called "Indian Outlaw" became an immediate hit. This was the first step towards the dazzling path of success.
Later after the year of Hill’s second hit album in 1996, Hill met McGraw when they played 140 dates together. They got married on that very October 6 in 1996, and then Hill took 18 months off to start a family and relive her life anew. About this she says: "I'm married to my best friend. I have a wonderful husband, who I'm madly in love with, and I have two beautiful little girls that have made life everything, besides music, I want it all." And no doubt they both are blessed with fame and the homely comfort at the same time, of course the credit goes to both of them. Then she resumed her music career in 1998 with huge success of “Faith”. It seemed like she poured out her soul in this album even more than ever. She undergoes a matured transformation during this period; she no more gives an image of “country girl” and even admits it. Hill says: "I'm through with what I call the little-girl-going-away-from- home theme in my songs, it's time for me to express myself differently." And the listeners felt the striking difference in the next up-coming album that includes a mixture of countryside music along with other styles.
Just in tiny winy period of six years, Faith Hill has sold more than 11 million records, harvested eight No. 1 singles and ten No. 1 videos. Only this year, she received incalculable nominations and statues from the Country Music Association, the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, Blockbuster Awards and TNN Music City News Awards. She celebrated the colossal crossover success of her first platinum single, "This Kiss," which culminates with her appearance on the 1999 VH1 Divas Live, where she was sharing the same stage with Tina Turner, Cher and Whitney Houston. She was also named the newest face for CoverGirl Cosmetics and charmed the cover of several magazines like Country Weekly, People, TV Guide and Glamour.
Moreover, Tim’s song "Live Like You Were Dying" in 2004 and 2005 has collected every award it was nominated for- CMA & ACM Single and Song of the Year and also Country Song of the Year at the Grammy's. On the whole, Tim's achievements are as remarkable as they are numerous: 9 albums spawning 25 #1 singles and selling 33 million copies, tours that consistently rank near the top in financial and entertainment terms, a number of awards including a 2001 CMA Entertainer of the Year nod, 2 Grammy's and the 2004 People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Musical Performer. He is one of only three men ever to grace the cover of Redbook, his NBC Live Concert Special in 2002 soared higher than specials by U2 and Paul McCartney, he was the headline act at the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Concert, and in November 2004 made a astral major motion picture acting debut with a role in the Universal/Imagine film "Friday Night Lights" with Billy Bob Thornton. His second NBC Concert Special aired Thanksgiving Eve 2004 winning the night for the network. In 2005 he was adorned with Grammy for Country Album of the Year for “Live Like You Were Dying” and song nominations, his duet with Nelly, "Over and Over," has stayed on the top on Urban charts for 12 weeks. McGraw carries on his celebrity cabinet board membership with the American Red Cross in 2005.
Many artists have achieved great permanence or marvelous levels of success, but Tim's career has indeed been remarkable for the way in which fame and success have been intertwined for so long. Tim's decision to reinvent a major share of his career, merging road and studio into a flawless whole, really paid off. Isn’t it impressive? This is not the end; it is just a beautiful and graceful pace of a magnificent highly talented couple towards a glorious tomorrow. Well they are dignified on individual levels but together too they have several hit duets on their credit. And a fascinating event that is the tour Soul 2 Soul, which they did in 2000 and now once again this historical event is going to be held in 2006 coming April. Those who couldn’t get a chance to experience the last spectacular tour can enthrall themselves this time. Get ready for the magic that’ll leave you breathless by Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill.
For more details visit http://www.ticketnest.com/concert-tickets/Tim-Mcgraw/index.php
DVD Online Club - Why I Went With the Best and Cheapest Way to Rent Movies
DVD Online Club - Why I Went With the Best and Cheapest Way to Rent Movies
by: Anthony Kristovich III
Out: Driving to the local video store to rent a video.
In: Visiting a DVD online club to rent a video to have it sent to your home effortlessly.
Out: Waiting in long lines at the local video store.
In: Choosing which movies to have sent to you from a website in moments.
Out: Not finding the video you really wanted at the video store, the whole reason you went there. That, and having to find a "good enough" movie.
In: Choose the movie you really want among tens of thousands of choice. The one you want, everytime.
These things describe why I switched to a DVD online club. From my experience, everytime I went to the local video Blockbuster, I never got the movie I really wanted. The new releases were always out for weeks, and you had to practically stalk the store to get one when it came back in. That, and recently I had the urge to watch an old movie, Karate Kid 1 (the original where he learned karate). After going there a couple of times, I found out someone had kept the video out and maybe at some point they'd get a new one in as the person decided to keep it apparantly. Ok, so I went to Walmart, but the movie wasn't there. So it comes down to I have to order one in from Amazon.com it seems if I want to watch it. I never quite took to Netflix after my credit card number got stolen years ago and that's what the person did, they ordered videos from Netflix. So, recently I came across this place called Intelliflix and I never went back to Blockbuster again. The old movie was great to see again.
That's why I chose to change to a DVD online club, but everyone has their own reasons. I have compiled together a list of all the great things about switching to a DVD online club since some you don't realize until after you switch, like a bonus:
* No late fees or return dates. While this is true about Blockbuster now (if you don't count the restocking fee) , it is 100% true about these DVD online clubs.
* Great for old movies or unusual, lesser-known movies. This was very true in my case, and I'm sure it has been with other people as well.
* The movies you really want are actually there and ready to rent now. Plenty of movies to go around, something you can't get in a little store.
* Delivered to your door. You can't get any easier than this! What you want, delivered right to you in no time.
* Fast, free delivery, usually in 1 day from my experience. Some DVD online clubs get the movies to you faster than others. The biggest DVD online club is not Blockbuster or Netflix. There is one that has many, many more distribution centers, meaning you get the video much faster to your door.
* Free shipping both to your home and also back to the DVD online club. The only fees are the low monthly subscription fees.
* 3-4 videos out a a time. Once you watch a video, pop it back in the mail, and in a couple of days you get your next video choice at your door.
I used to spend way more money in the local video store than I do for my DVD online club monthly subscription. Heck, I spend more driving to work and back on just 3 of the days than I do on my subscription. The difference is, now I actually get to watch what I want, when I want it. Seems simple, but when you're spending your hard-earned money, you should be able to at the least get the movie you really want. Now, I do have to say one DVD online club stands above the rest, both in having a cheaper price, a bigger selection, and much faster shipping, but I won't mention it in this article as I'm focusing on the DVD online club market in general and why it's a blessing. You can watch literally any movie you want one after another. I usually have a pile of 3 videos on top of the tv, so I can't even remotely watch them as fast as I can get them. But I do get to see what I want now, not what I'm stuck with. Wax on .. wax off!
by: Anthony Kristovich III
Out: Driving to the local video store to rent a video.
In: Visiting a DVD online club to rent a video to have it sent to your home effortlessly.
Out: Waiting in long lines at the local video store.
In: Choosing which movies to have sent to you from a website in moments.
Out: Not finding the video you really wanted at the video store, the whole reason you went there. That, and having to find a "good enough" movie.
In: Choose the movie you really want among tens of thousands of choice. The one you want, everytime.
These things describe why I switched to a DVD online club. From my experience, everytime I went to the local video Blockbuster, I never got the movie I really wanted. The new releases were always out for weeks, and you had to practically stalk the store to get one when it came back in. That, and recently I had the urge to watch an old movie, Karate Kid 1 (the original where he learned karate). After going there a couple of times, I found out someone had kept the video out and maybe at some point they'd get a new one in as the person decided to keep it apparantly. Ok, so I went to Walmart, but the movie wasn't there. So it comes down to I have to order one in from Amazon.com it seems if I want to watch it. I never quite took to Netflix after my credit card number got stolen years ago and that's what the person did, they ordered videos from Netflix. So, recently I came across this place called Intelliflix and I never went back to Blockbuster again. The old movie was great to see again.
That's why I chose to change to a DVD online club, but everyone has their own reasons. I have compiled together a list of all the great things about switching to a DVD online club since some you don't realize until after you switch, like a bonus:
* No late fees or return dates. While this is true about Blockbuster now (if you don't count the restocking fee) , it is 100% true about these DVD online clubs.
* Great for old movies or unusual, lesser-known movies. This was very true in my case, and I'm sure it has been with other people as well.
* The movies you really want are actually there and ready to rent now. Plenty of movies to go around, something you can't get in a little store.
* Delivered to your door. You can't get any easier than this! What you want, delivered right to you in no time.
* Fast, free delivery, usually in 1 day from my experience. Some DVD online clubs get the movies to you faster than others. The biggest DVD online club is not Blockbuster or Netflix. There is one that has many, many more distribution centers, meaning you get the video much faster to your door.
* Free shipping both to your home and also back to the DVD online club. The only fees are the low monthly subscription fees.
* 3-4 videos out a a time. Once you watch a video, pop it back in the mail, and in a couple of days you get your next video choice at your door.
I used to spend way more money in the local video store than I do for my DVD online club monthly subscription. Heck, I spend more driving to work and back on just 3 of the days than I do on my subscription. The difference is, now I actually get to watch what I want, when I want it. Seems simple, but when you're spending your hard-earned money, you should be able to at the least get the movie you really want. Now, I do have to say one DVD online club stands above the rest, both in having a cheaper price, a bigger selection, and much faster shipping, but I won't mention it in this article as I'm focusing on the DVD online club market in general and why it's a blessing. You can watch literally any movie you want one after another. I usually have a pile of 3 videos on top of the tv, so I can't even remotely watch them as fast as I can get them. But I do get to see what I want now, not what I'm stuck with. Wax on .. wax off!
4 Crucial Ingredients Every Event Planner Needs To Know Before Hiring Live Music For Any Corporate Event
4 Crucial Ingredients Every Event Planner Needs To Know Before Hiring Live Music For Any Corporate Event
by: Dan Gillogly
Written by Dan Gillogly. President of Glo Glee Music, Inc.
Guaranteed! You'll Look Good B'cuz We Sound Good! Involving live music into any corporate event is not as easy as it seems. Besides deciding on the band, there are 4 aspects you must consider in order to have a hope of having a successful event. They are, in the order of importance:
1) Venue
2) Agents
3) Technical Set Up
4) Band Character
In a moment I'll tell you the details of the crucial issues that can aggravate and potentially ruin an otherwise beautifully accomplished occasion. It will just take a few minutes, but as you read this page, more and more, you will start to feel better and better about hiring live music for your next corporate or social event. Most importantly is . . . . .
Venue Selection
As an event planner, your ability to keep numerous things in mind when hiring musicians. Selection of the perfect venue is the first ingredient you will need. This ability alone may distinguish you as a professionals in an industry filled with amateurs.
When choosing the venue, be certain the room size is in proportion with the number of guests who will be attending. I got into this business as a singing piano player. When I am performing I need to connect with the audience. If the room size is proportionate to the crowd size, I can do my job successfully. If the room is too big and there are not enough warm bodies in attendance, the audience will feel too intimidated to approach the band. When you keep the band close enough to your guests will feel comfortable enough to interact with the musicians and vice versa.
Have you noticed yet that keeping the venue small so the band can be close to your guests will increase your chances of having a successful event? Depending on the act, you can leave a little dance floor in front of the band. But all in all, keep the crowd near the band and allow the band to be an integral part of your event.
I have frequently worked with party planners who are clueless when it comes to what size stage is needed for a band.
"If you fail to plan ahead, then you are planning ahead to fail."
Here are the stage specs for various sized bands:
3 Piece - 8 feet by 16 feet
5 Piece - 16 feet by 24 feet
12 Piece - 16 feet by 32 feet
With the is newly acquired information, experienced event planners will always prefer to go with a room with a stage rather than just placing the band on the same level as attendees. Proper planning for stage requirements avoids major headaches the day of the show. Also, having the band on a stage allows them to be seen by everyone even by the people in back. When selecting the venue, you will also need to keep in mind the acoustics of the room. High ceilings and flat walls with lots of windows and no curtains to muffle the sound are not optimal environments for bands. Work with an experienced sound person to mix the band and equalize the room and eliminate feedback.
Agents
There are only a handful of very few good professional bands anymore. If you don't know a good booking agent, you will be hard pressed to find them. A good agent will be the one to help you thru the minefield of mediocre, amateurs with amps that have no volume control knobs. As an event planner you need to figure out your event theme and then contact a talent booking agency to see if there are bands that fit.
The most popular bands play a wide variety of styles. A good group of musicians knows songs from the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s. Frank Sinatra has never gone out of style. So make sure the band plays what we call "Jazz Standards". Depending on your event and your geographical location, it is either "Country Music is King!" or "Classic Rock Rules!". Know your demographics before hiring a band.
As with any vendor, you get what you pay for. Let's talk about budget. I wonder, even as you continue to read this report, if you realize the amount of time a band puts in before receiving a paycheck to practicing their instruments, learning and memorizing repertoire and coordinating lights and choreography. Most bands require anywhere from $1,200 to $45,000 per gig. Experienced booking agents will be able to place the right band for the party. With any event, experience wins every time. Ask for references and testimonials.
Technical Set Up
Once your musicians are booked, you now need to cover logistics. Tech setup includes the movement and placement of equipment and sound checks. Bands usually bring their own equipment.
Amplifiers, instruments, a PA system for vocals, lighting towers all the way down to carpet for the drums need to be set up and placed and checked and moved and double checked again. Allow enough time for all of these details to be adequately addressed well before show time. Because it is not IF something goes wrong, it's WHEN something goes wrong. And it always does with a band. Give them enough time to fix it.
Sound check must take place no later than 3 hours before the performance start time. Load in should occur 1 or 2 hours before that. The sound check should take no more than an hour, and after that, let the band go back to their rooms, freshen up, take a nap, grab a meal. They should return NO LATER than 30 minutes before their performance.
Band Character
Musicians have traditionally had a reputation for being evil practitioners of any number of very colorful vices. It has been my experience, however, that we are no different than any other industry be it stock brokers, medical personnel or city workers.
Use these simple rules and you will notice you can keep any group of performers in line.
- Band members should not eat any food in buffet lines or inside the ballroom area. They should have a separate area or a "Greenroom" where they can eat, drink, warm up their vocal cords, stretch out and generally prepare for the gig.
- During a performance, bands should not consume alcohol or smoke. If they can't wait a few hours to partake of their favorite libation, fire them on the spot. You will avoid headaches and embarrassment down the road. In addition, you will get the reputation you will not tolerate any such behavior. Trust me. Word will get out you are a professional party planner.
Finally, remember: Treating musicians with dignity and respect translates into a happy band which brings you happy clients and guests who enjoy the entire event no matter what the occasion.
You are now armed with the 4 seriously critical ingredients for success that you did not have before. If you have learned this information through the school of hard knocks, you can feel assured that you are a true professional.
Now picture the night of the event. Following dinner (if it is served), lights should be dimmed, the band is introduced, they hit the first chords and the excitement ripples through the room. People move towards the dance floor and the smiles appear on everyone in the room. Why? Because you did your job and provided an exquisite ingredient that every corporate party needs: Live Music.
by: Dan Gillogly
Written by Dan Gillogly. President of Glo Glee Music, Inc.
Guaranteed! You'll Look Good B'cuz We Sound Good! Involving live music into any corporate event is not as easy as it seems. Besides deciding on the band, there are 4 aspects you must consider in order to have a hope of having a successful event. They are, in the order of importance:
1) Venue
2) Agents
3) Technical Set Up
4) Band Character
In a moment I'll tell you the details of the crucial issues that can aggravate and potentially ruin an otherwise beautifully accomplished occasion. It will just take a few minutes, but as you read this page, more and more, you will start to feel better and better about hiring live music for your next corporate or social event. Most importantly is . . . . .
Venue Selection
As an event planner, your ability to keep numerous things in mind when hiring musicians. Selection of the perfect venue is the first ingredient you will need. This ability alone may distinguish you as a professionals in an industry filled with amateurs.
When choosing the venue, be certain the room size is in proportion with the number of guests who will be attending. I got into this business as a singing piano player. When I am performing I need to connect with the audience. If the room size is proportionate to the crowd size, I can do my job successfully. If the room is too big and there are not enough warm bodies in attendance, the audience will feel too intimidated to approach the band. When you keep the band close enough to your guests will feel comfortable enough to interact with the musicians and vice versa.
Have you noticed yet that keeping the venue small so the band can be close to your guests will increase your chances of having a successful event? Depending on the act, you can leave a little dance floor in front of the band. But all in all, keep the crowd near the band and allow the band to be an integral part of your event.
I have frequently worked with party planners who are clueless when it comes to what size stage is needed for a band.
"If you fail to plan ahead, then you are planning ahead to fail."
Here are the stage specs for various sized bands:
3 Piece - 8 feet by 16 feet
5 Piece - 16 feet by 24 feet
12 Piece - 16 feet by 32 feet
With the is newly acquired information, experienced event planners will always prefer to go with a room with a stage rather than just placing the band on the same level as attendees. Proper planning for stage requirements avoids major headaches the day of the show. Also, having the band on a stage allows them to be seen by everyone even by the people in back. When selecting the venue, you will also need to keep in mind the acoustics of the room. High ceilings and flat walls with lots of windows and no curtains to muffle the sound are not optimal environments for bands. Work with an experienced sound person to mix the band and equalize the room and eliminate feedback.
Agents
There are only a handful of very few good professional bands anymore. If you don't know a good booking agent, you will be hard pressed to find them. A good agent will be the one to help you thru the minefield of mediocre, amateurs with amps that have no volume control knobs. As an event planner you need to figure out your event theme and then contact a talent booking agency to see if there are bands that fit.
The most popular bands play a wide variety of styles. A good group of musicians knows songs from the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s. Frank Sinatra has never gone out of style. So make sure the band plays what we call "Jazz Standards". Depending on your event and your geographical location, it is either "Country Music is King!" or "Classic Rock Rules!". Know your demographics before hiring a band.
As with any vendor, you get what you pay for. Let's talk about budget. I wonder, even as you continue to read this report, if you realize the amount of time a band puts in before receiving a paycheck to practicing their instruments, learning and memorizing repertoire and coordinating lights and choreography. Most bands require anywhere from $1,200 to $45,000 per gig. Experienced booking agents will be able to place the right band for the party. With any event, experience wins every time. Ask for references and testimonials.
Technical Set Up
Once your musicians are booked, you now need to cover logistics. Tech setup includes the movement and placement of equipment and sound checks. Bands usually bring their own equipment.
Amplifiers, instruments, a PA system for vocals, lighting towers all the way down to carpet for the drums need to be set up and placed and checked and moved and double checked again. Allow enough time for all of these details to be adequately addressed well before show time. Because it is not IF something goes wrong, it's WHEN something goes wrong. And it always does with a band. Give them enough time to fix it.
Sound check must take place no later than 3 hours before the performance start time. Load in should occur 1 or 2 hours before that. The sound check should take no more than an hour, and after that, let the band go back to their rooms, freshen up, take a nap, grab a meal. They should return NO LATER than 30 minutes before their performance.
Band Character
Musicians have traditionally had a reputation for being evil practitioners of any number of very colorful vices. It has been my experience, however, that we are no different than any other industry be it stock brokers, medical personnel or city workers.
Use these simple rules and you will notice you can keep any group of performers in line.
- Band members should not eat any food in buffet lines or inside the ballroom area. They should have a separate area or a "Greenroom" where they can eat, drink, warm up their vocal cords, stretch out and generally prepare for the gig.
- During a performance, bands should not consume alcohol or smoke. If they can't wait a few hours to partake of their favorite libation, fire them on the spot. You will avoid headaches and embarrassment down the road. In addition, you will get the reputation you will not tolerate any such behavior. Trust me. Word will get out you are a professional party planner.
Finally, remember: Treating musicians with dignity and respect translates into a happy band which brings you happy clients and guests who enjoy the entire event no matter what the occasion.
You are now armed with the 4 seriously critical ingredients for success that you did not have before. If you have learned this information through the school of hard knocks, you can feel assured that you are a true professional.
Now picture the night of the event. Following dinner (if it is served), lights should be dimmed, the band is introduced, they hit the first chords and the excitement ripples through the room. People move towards the dance floor and the smiles appear on everyone in the room. Why? Because you did your job and provided an exquisite ingredient that every corporate party needs: Live Music.
Homage to Luciano Pavarotti: A Deafening Silence
Homage to Luciano Pavarotti: A Deafening Silence
by: Susan Dunn, MA
Can you hear the silence? Luciano Pavarotti has been forced to cancel his performances for rest of this year because of the removal of a malignant pancreatic mass.
He has impressed his doctors with his physical and emotional resilience, and plans to resume in 2007. At the age of 70, he has been singing for us for over 40 years.
The silence of the media has also been deafening. The news has been spread mostly by word-of-mouth. Club Vivo Per Lei members email me daily – “I have just learned the news.”
Like the blogger who wrote, “He has been the soundtrack for much of my life,” Pavarotti is so much a part of my life, I knew almost nothing about him. He rarely grants interviews. Ah well, if one can sing, why talk?
By all reports, he isn’t a complicated man. Italian to the core, he appreciates food, women, song, family, home, and the place where he grew up. And his fans. These are the things of which he speaks.
“I can tell you which aria the audience like,” he says. “Nessun Dorma.”
I looked for his opinions about the grand themes of opera – the agony and the ecstasy – but like his fellow Italian, Verdi, he seems to distill life to its essence and keep it close to home. “For me, music making is the most joyful activity possible,” he says, “the most perfect expression of any emotion.” (See more quotes here: www.susandunn.cc/pavarottiquotes.htm )
This from a man whose voice can reach inside you, wring you inside out, and leave you weak and weeping, not knowing if its suffering or bliss; like life, the licking of honey off a thorn.
He speaks of his voice as something separate … his instrument.
“You don’t need any brains to listen to music,” he says. He has brought more people into the world of opera than anyone in history, except perhaps Verdi. As he so graciously puts it, “I might just have introduced some people to this music!”
To read about opera, he says, is like making love by mail. I followed this prescription in my own learning process. Tossing aside the worthless college textbook on opera a friend lent me, I bought CDs and attended operas.
Already familiar with Pavarotti, I’d been exploring lately -- Wunderlich, Caruso, Gedda, Bjorling; like most women, I prefer the tenors. And then the news about Pavarotti took me back home. My sister had emailed me, “That man has given me more hours of bliss than any person on earth.” The King of High Cs. In La Fille du Regiment at the Met, in 1972, he sang 9 effortless high Cs, sending the audience wild. He also holds the Guiness record for most curtain calls – 165.
“To understand his success,” writes his wife of 35 years, Adua, “and what it is about his voice that stops people in their tracks …” we must go back to his origins.
Luciano Pavarotti was born in Modena, Italy, October 12, 1935, an only child. His father, Fernando, sang tenor well until 2 weeks before his death, at 90, and Luciano plans to do the same. Modena is in a region of Italy that produces strong, broad-chested men such as can sing opera, and Luciano’s extraverted and optimistic temperament made him well-suited for the rigors of the operatic lifestyle.
He was taken to his first opera at the age of 12, but his singing career began much earlier. “At the age of 4,” he says, “I jump on the table. I am a little tenor. And I begin to sing, La Donna e Mobile.”
One of the 25 most-recognized people in the world, he was the first opera star to really make use of the media. Almost his entire career is recorded. His concert in Central Park in June of ’93 was attended by 500,000, with millions more watching on TV. However, he says, “Above all, I am an opera singer. This is how people will remember me.”
We know he has a voice the likes of which we will not hear again in our lifetimes, so what, really can the critics tell us? But with typical garbo, Pavarotti says, “People have a right to criticize. If they boo me because I sing bad, they will do it.”
However, it is the voices of we the people that speak what he has meant to us:
• Una maravilla de Reconditat Armonia
• Vamos Luciano! Eres fuerte y te recuperaras de tu endermedad. Ritorna vincitor!
• Oooooo…Goosebumps!
• Caro Maestro Luciano sei stato Grande.
• This man will always live in my heart. Such an amazingly beautiful instrument.
• Mio Dio!
• Pavarotto! Ecce il uomo.
• The last “vincero” was god’s own voice.
• Ay, Dios mio.
• Je veux morire. (I want to die)
• When he was in his prime, his voice was the most thrilling in the history of recorded sound.
• Thank you, Pav!
The resilience? The attitude? When interviewed about his retirement by bbc in 2005, Jeremy Paxman kept pumping for something that simply isn’t there. Like what was the worst thing that had ever happened to him “during that time.” “Which time?” Pavarotti asks.
The nightmares, Paxman wants to know about.
“It was a constant pleasure,” Pavarotti replies.
“Even when things go wrong?” asks Paxman?
“Yes, so what” replies Pavarotti. “I am a very optimistic human being in one sense, yes, but I like the truth.”
The Italians, of course, are never too direct about things, that concept they call “garbo.” It means “polite,” “kind,” “kindness,” or “graciousness,” but, a synecdoche in itself, in the Venetian dialect it means “curt,” or “abrupt.” In includes a heady fusion of fact and fiction, which may be a secret to resilience, and feeds the fantasy the rest of the world has that Italians are somehow enjoying more (and suffering more) than the rest of us. And to this blend of realistic illusion, or fantasized reality, you would say “it can’t be that complicated,” and an Italian would say, “it isn’t that simple.”
Still after the goat, Paxman pursues, “Some people say you should have retired some time ago.” Pavarotti replies, “Well, some people are probably right!”
Besides, we all know he won’t retire. It is hard for a young man in Italy, because the men work forever. Pavarotti’s father was singing at 90, and Pavarotti plans the same.
Does he read music, Paxman wants to know. His reply is incomprehensible, and truly why would we care? He sings it. Who cares if he reads it?
The indefatigable Paxman tries one last time: “But will you be glad to stop performing?”
“No,” he replies.
“Will you miss it?”
“No.”
He then mentions the “beautiful companies” he has – family, friends, students, and adds, “I am not missing it already. This was, of course, before the Farewell Tour of 2006.
It is just as typical that Pavarotti has expressed no acrimony in response to his former manager’s book, THE KING & I.: The Uncensored Tale of Luciano Pavarotti's Rise to Fame by His Manager, Friend and Sometime Adversary (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385509723/susandunnmome-20. He in fact expresses is gratitude.
“I never got to see him at the Met,” my sister writes me. Well, I will take her to see Pavarotti at the Met, when he returns in 2007. I’m part Italian, you know. I don’t know his schedule, or if he will be able to sing, or how well, but we will not go to hear him, we will go to pay him homage, and to thank him for the memories. And if that concept remains a fantasy, well you don’t need to be able to read music in order to sing.
In closing, I may have, unfaithfully, listened to other tenors, but Pavarotti was my Christmas for many years. An often exhausted working single mother, I would choose one special night. After I had put the boys to bed, I would turn on the Christmas tree lights. No dishes, no laundry that night. I would slip the Christmas video into the VCR, climb into my recliner in front of the big screen TV with slippers and hot toddy, and the tears would start streaming down my face.
Grazie, mille, Luciano Pavarotti. Please get well soon.
If you can bear to, watch him singing Nessun Dorma at Torino in 2006. It is, indeed, the aria the audience like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwlE_qNSWLw .
by: Susan Dunn, MA
Can you hear the silence? Luciano Pavarotti has been forced to cancel his performances for rest of this year because of the removal of a malignant pancreatic mass.
He has impressed his doctors with his physical and emotional resilience, and plans to resume in 2007. At the age of 70, he has been singing for us for over 40 years.
The silence of the media has also been deafening. The news has been spread mostly by word-of-mouth. Club Vivo Per Lei members email me daily – “I have just learned the news.”
Like the blogger who wrote, “He has been the soundtrack for much of my life,” Pavarotti is so much a part of my life, I knew almost nothing about him. He rarely grants interviews. Ah well, if one can sing, why talk?
By all reports, he isn’t a complicated man. Italian to the core, he appreciates food, women, song, family, home, and the place where he grew up. And his fans. These are the things of which he speaks.
“I can tell you which aria the audience like,” he says. “Nessun Dorma.”
I looked for his opinions about the grand themes of opera – the agony and the ecstasy – but like his fellow Italian, Verdi, he seems to distill life to its essence and keep it close to home. “For me, music making is the most joyful activity possible,” he says, “the most perfect expression of any emotion.” (See more quotes here: www.susandunn.cc/pavarottiquotes.htm )
This from a man whose voice can reach inside you, wring you inside out, and leave you weak and weeping, not knowing if its suffering or bliss; like life, the licking of honey off a thorn.
He speaks of his voice as something separate … his instrument.
“You don’t need any brains to listen to music,” he says. He has brought more people into the world of opera than anyone in history, except perhaps Verdi. As he so graciously puts it, “I might just have introduced some people to this music!”
To read about opera, he says, is like making love by mail. I followed this prescription in my own learning process. Tossing aside the worthless college textbook on opera a friend lent me, I bought CDs and attended operas.
Already familiar with Pavarotti, I’d been exploring lately -- Wunderlich, Caruso, Gedda, Bjorling; like most women, I prefer the tenors. And then the news about Pavarotti took me back home. My sister had emailed me, “That man has given me more hours of bliss than any person on earth.” The King of High Cs. In La Fille du Regiment at the Met, in 1972, he sang 9 effortless high Cs, sending the audience wild. He also holds the Guiness record for most curtain calls – 165.
“To understand his success,” writes his wife of 35 years, Adua, “and what it is about his voice that stops people in their tracks …” we must go back to his origins.
Luciano Pavarotti was born in Modena, Italy, October 12, 1935, an only child. His father, Fernando, sang tenor well until 2 weeks before his death, at 90, and Luciano plans to do the same. Modena is in a region of Italy that produces strong, broad-chested men such as can sing opera, and Luciano’s extraverted and optimistic temperament made him well-suited for the rigors of the operatic lifestyle.
He was taken to his first opera at the age of 12, but his singing career began much earlier. “At the age of 4,” he says, “I jump on the table. I am a little tenor. And I begin to sing, La Donna e Mobile.”
One of the 25 most-recognized people in the world, he was the first opera star to really make use of the media. Almost his entire career is recorded. His concert in Central Park in June of ’93 was attended by 500,000, with millions more watching on TV. However, he says, “Above all, I am an opera singer. This is how people will remember me.”
We know he has a voice the likes of which we will not hear again in our lifetimes, so what, really can the critics tell us? But with typical garbo, Pavarotti says, “People have a right to criticize. If they boo me because I sing bad, they will do it.”
However, it is the voices of we the people that speak what he has meant to us:
• Una maravilla de Reconditat Armonia
• Vamos Luciano! Eres fuerte y te recuperaras de tu endermedad. Ritorna vincitor!
• Oooooo…Goosebumps!
• Caro Maestro Luciano sei stato Grande.
• This man will always live in my heart. Such an amazingly beautiful instrument.
• Mio Dio!
• Pavarotto! Ecce il uomo.
• The last “vincero” was god’s own voice.
• Ay, Dios mio.
• Je veux morire. (I want to die)
• When he was in his prime, his voice was the most thrilling in the history of recorded sound.
• Thank you, Pav!
The resilience? The attitude? When interviewed about his retirement by bbc in 2005, Jeremy Paxman kept pumping for something that simply isn’t there. Like what was the worst thing that had ever happened to him “during that time.” “Which time?” Pavarotti asks.
The nightmares, Paxman wants to know about.
“It was a constant pleasure,” Pavarotti replies.
“Even when things go wrong?” asks Paxman?
“Yes, so what” replies Pavarotti. “I am a very optimistic human being in one sense, yes, but I like the truth.”
The Italians, of course, are never too direct about things, that concept they call “garbo.” It means “polite,” “kind,” “kindness,” or “graciousness,” but, a synecdoche in itself, in the Venetian dialect it means “curt,” or “abrupt.” In includes a heady fusion of fact and fiction, which may be a secret to resilience, and feeds the fantasy the rest of the world has that Italians are somehow enjoying more (and suffering more) than the rest of us. And to this blend of realistic illusion, or fantasized reality, you would say “it can’t be that complicated,” and an Italian would say, “it isn’t that simple.”
Still after the goat, Paxman pursues, “Some people say you should have retired some time ago.” Pavarotti replies, “Well, some people are probably right!”
Besides, we all know he won’t retire. It is hard for a young man in Italy, because the men work forever. Pavarotti’s father was singing at 90, and Pavarotti plans the same.
Does he read music, Paxman wants to know. His reply is incomprehensible, and truly why would we care? He sings it. Who cares if he reads it?
The indefatigable Paxman tries one last time: “But will you be glad to stop performing?”
“No,” he replies.
“Will you miss it?”
“No.”
He then mentions the “beautiful companies” he has – family, friends, students, and adds, “I am not missing it already. This was, of course, before the Farewell Tour of 2006.
It is just as typical that Pavarotti has expressed no acrimony in response to his former manager’s book, THE KING & I.: The Uncensored Tale of Luciano Pavarotti's Rise to Fame by His Manager, Friend and Sometime Adversary (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385509723/susandunnmome-20. He in fact expresses is gratitude.
“I never got to see him at the Met,” my sister writes me. Well, I will take her to see Pavarotti at the Met, when he returns in 2007. I’m part Italian, you know. I don’t know his schedule, or if he will be able to sing, or how well, but we will not go to hear him, we will go to pay him homage, and to thank him for the memories. And if that concept remains a fantasy, well you don’t need to be able to read music in order to sing.
In closing, I may have, unfaithfully, listened to other tenors, but Pavarotti was my Christmas for many years. An often exhausted working single mother, I would choose one special night. After I had put the boys to bed, I would turn on the Christmas tree lights. No dishes, no laundry that night. I would slip the Christmas video into the VCR, climb into my recliner in front of the big screen TV with slippers and hot toddy, and the tears would start streaming down my face.
Grazie, mille, Luciano Pavarotti. Please get well soon.
If you can bear to, watch him singing Nessun Dorma at Torino in 2006. It is, indeed, the aria the audience like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwlE_qNSWLw .
Sex And The City (Season 2) DVD Review
Sex And The City (Season 2) DVD Review
by: Britt Gillette
Based on the bestselling novel by Candace Bushnell, the HBO original series Sex And The City took the television world by storm following its release in the summer of 1998. Following the exploits of four young and educated female friends living and working in New York City, the show revolves around the various relationships and life problems experienced by each member of the group. Sporting an experienced and talented cast, the show has developed a strong, borderline fanatic following…
Sarah Jessica Parker (the de facto lead character of the show) stars as Carrie Bradshaw, a popular sex columnist for a local newspaper who travels in numerous Manhattan social circles. Carrie is engaged in a tempestuous on-again, off-again relationship with a mystery man always referred to as "Mr. Big". The young urban professional shares her life with three best friends who have similarly interesting jobs - Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon), a lawyer tired of being single given the societal ramifications; Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), a promiscuous publicist who enjoys non-exclusive relationships; and Charlotte McDougal (Kristin Davis), an art museum curator who is relatively less open about her sexuality… Together, the women seek each other's advice on the ever-present and varying predicaments in which they find their romantic relationships…
The Sex And The City (Season 2) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in which Carrie, having broken up with Mr. Big, starts dating a member of the New York Yankees. However, when they run into Mr. Big, she realizes she's not really over him. Meanwhile, Miranda is tired of her friends talking about nothing but men, and Samantha thinks she's found the man of her dreams - at least until she gets him in bed… Other notable episodes from Season 2 include "Four Women and a Funeral" in which Carrie's reflections on the shortness of life following friend's death lead to a reunion with Mr. Big, and "The Man, The Myth, The Viagra" in which Carrie urges Mr. Big to get to know her friends better and Samantha dates a wealthy man in his seventies…
Below is a list of episodes included on the Sex And The City (Season 2) DVD:
Episode 13 (Take Me Out to the Ballgame) Air Date: 06-06-1999
Episode 14 (The Awful Truth) Air Date: 06-13-1999
Episode 15 (The Freak Show) Air Date: 06-20-1999
Episode 16 (They Shoot Single People, Don't They?) Air Date: 06-27-1999
Episode 17 (Four Women and a Funeral) Air Date: 07-04-1999
Episode 18 (The Cheating Curve) Air Date: 07-11-1999
Episode 19 (The Chicken Dance) Air Date: 07-18-1999
Episode 20 (The Man, the Myth, the Viagra) Air Date: 07-25-1999
Episode 21 (Old Dogs, New Dicks) Air Date: 08-01-1999
Episode 22 (The Caste System) Air Date: 08-08-1999
Episode 23 (Evolution) Air Date: 08-15-1999
Episode 24 (La Douleur Exquise!) Air Date: 08-22-1999
Episode 25 (Games People Play) Air Date: 08-29-1999
Episode 26 (The F*ck Buddy) Air Date: 09-05-1999
Episode 27 (Shortcomings) Air Date: 09-12-1999
Episode 28 (Was It Good For You?) Air Date: 09-19-1999
Episode 29 (Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women) Air Date: 09-26-1999
Episode 30 (Ex and the City) Air Date: 10-03-1999
by: Britt Gillette
Based on the bestselling novel by Candace Bushnell, the HBO original series Sex And The City took the television world by storm following its release in the summer of 1998. Following the exploits of four young and educated female friends living and working in New York City, the show revolves around the various relationships and life problems experienced by each member of the group. Sporting an experienced and talented cast, the show has developed a strong, borderline fanatic following…
Sarah Jessica Parker (the de facto lead character of the show) stars as Carrie Bradshaw, a popular sex columnist for a local newspaper who travels in numerous Manhattan social circles. Carrie is engaged in a tempestuous on-again, off-again relationship with a mystery man always referred to as "Mr. Big". The young urban professional shares her life with three best friends who have similarly interesting jobs - Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon), a lawyer tired of being single given the societal ramifications; Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), a promiscuous publicist who enjoys non-exclusive relationships; and Charlotte McDougal (Kristin Davis), an art museum curator who is relatively less open about her sexuality… Together, the women seek each other's advice on the ever-present and varying predicaments in which they find their romantic relationships…
The Sex And The City (Season 2) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in which Carrie, having broken up with Mr. Big, starts dating a member of the New York Yankees. However, when they run into Mr. Big, she realizes she's not really over him. Meanwhile, Miranda is tired of her friends talking about nothing but men, and Samantha thinks she's found the man of her dreams - at least until she gets him in bed… Other notable episodes from Season 2 include "Four Women and a Funeral" in which Carrie's reflections on the shortness of life following friend's death lead to a reunion with Mr. Big, and "The Man, The Myth, The Viagra" in which Carrie urges Mr. Big to get to know her friends better and Samantha dates a wealthy man in his seventies…
Below is a list of episodes included on the Sex And The City (Season 2) DVD:
Episode 13 (Take Me Out to the Ballgame) Air Date: 06-06-1999
Episode 14 (The Awful Truth) Air Date: 06-13-1999
Episode 15 (The Freak Show) Air Date: 06-20-1999
Episode 16 (They Shoot Single People, Don't They?) Air Date: 06-27-1999
Episode 17 (Four Women and a Funeral) Air Date: 07-04-1999
Episode 18 (The Cheating Curve) Air Date: 07-11-1999
Episode 19 (The Chicken Dance) Air Date: 07-18-1999
Episode 20 (The Man, the Myth, the Viagra) Air Date: 07-25-1999
Episode 21 (Old Dogs, New Dicks) Air Date: 08-01-1999
Episode 22 (The Caste System) Air Date: 08-08-1999
Episode 23 (Evolution) Air Date: 08-15-1999
Episode 24 (La Douleur Exquise!) Air Date: 08-22-1999
Episode 25 (Games People Play) Air Date: 08-29-1999
Episode 26 (The F*ck Buddy) Air Date: 09-05-1999
Episode 27 (Shortcomings) Air Date: 09-12-1999
Episode 28 (Was It Good For You?) Air Date: 09-19-1999
Episode 29 (Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women) Air Date: 09-26-1999
Episode 30 (Ex and the City) Air Date: 10-03-1999
Friends (Season 5) DVD Review
Friends (Season 5) DVD Review
by: Britt Gillette
Along with Seinfeld and Frasier, Friends dominated the must-see TV of the 1990's. Winner of innumerable television awards, the show features the lives of six friends in their late-twenties/early-thirties living in New York City - Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry). The six friends spend the majority of their time in a coffee house named "Central Perk" or in either Monica's apartment or Joey and Chandler's apartment.
The Friends (Season 5) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere in which we learn that Ross and Emily's wedding continued despite Ross's accidentally saying Rachel's name instead of Emily's. However, Emily is not happy, and Ross cannot seem to make it up to her. Meanwhile, Monica and Chandler go to great lengths to conceal their newly blossoming romance from the rest of the friends. As the season progresses, the various friends learn one-by-one that Monica and Chandler are an item. The season finale follows the entire cast through Las Vegas (where they followed Joey who went there to shoot a movie). While in Vegas, Chandler and Monica agree to get married, but when they get to the chapel, they find that Ross and Rachel have beat them there…
Below is a list of episodes included on the Friends (Season 5) DVD:
Episode 98 (The One After Ross Says Rachel) Air Date: 09-24-1998
Episode 99 (The One with All the Kissing) Air Date: 10-01-1998
Episode 100 (The One Hundredth) Air Date: 10-08-1998
Episode 101 (The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS) Air Date: 10-15-1998
Episode 102 (The One with the Kips) Air Date: 10-29-1998
Episode 103 (The One with the Yeti) Air Date: 11-05-1998
Episode 104 (The One Where Ross Moves In) Air Date: 11-12-1998
Episode 105 (The One with the Thanksgiving Flashbacks) Air Date: 11-19-1998
Episode 106 (The One with Ross's Sandwich) Air Date: 12-10-1998
Episode 107 (The One with the Inappropriate Sister) Air Date: 12-17-1998
Episode 108 (The One with All the Resolutions) Air Date: 01-07-1999
Episode 109 (The One with Chandler's Work Laugh) Air Date: 01-21-1999
Episode 110 (The One with Joey's Bag) Air Date: 02-04-1999
Episode 111 (The One Where Everybody Finds Out) Air Date: 02-11-1999
Episode 112 (The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey) Air Date: 02-18-1999
Episode 113 (The One with the Cop) Air Date: 02-23-1999
Episode 114 (The One with Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss) Air Date: 03-18-1999
Episode 115 (The One Where Rachel Smokes) Air Date: 04-08-1999
Episode 116 (The One Where Ross Can't Flirt) Air Date: 04-22-1999
Episode 117 (The One with the Ride Along) Air Date: 04-29-1999
Episode 118 (The One with the Ball) Air Date: 05-06-1999
Episode 119 (The One with Joey's Big Break) Air Date: 05-13-1999
Episode 120 (The One in Vegas: Part 1) Air Date: 05-20-1999
Episode 121 (The One in Vegas: Part 2) Air Date: 05-20-1999
by: Britt Gillette
Along with Seinfeld and Frasier, Friends dominated the must-see TV of the 1990's. Winner of innumerable television awards, the show features the lives of six friends in their late-twenties/early-thirties living in New York City - Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry). The six friends spend the majority of their time in a coffee house named "Central Perk" or in either Monica's apartment or Joey and Chandler's apartment.
The Friends (Season 5) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere in which we learn that Ross and Emily's wedding continued despite Ross's accidentally saying Rachel's name instead of Emily's. However, Emily is not happy, and Ross cannot seem to make it up to her. Meanwhile, Monica and Chandler go to great lengths to conceal their newly blossoming romance from the rest of the friends. As the season progresses, the various friends learn one-by-one that Monica and Chandler are an item. The season finale follows the entire cast through Las Vegas (where they followed Joey who went there to shoot a movie). While in Vegas, Chandler and Monica agree to get married, but when they get to the chapel, they find that Ross and Rachel have beat them there…
Below is a list of episodes included on the Friends (Season 5) DVD:
Episode 98 (The One After Ross Says Rachel) Air Date: 09-24-1998
Episode 99 (The One with All the Kissing) Air Date: 10-01-1998
Episode 100 (The One Hundredth) Air Date: 10-08-1998
Episode 101 (The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS) Air Date: 10-15-1998
Episode 102 (The One with the Kips) Air Date: 10-29-1998
Episode 103 (The One with the Yeti) Air Date: 11-05-1998
Episode 104 (The One Where Ross Moves In) Air Date: 11-12-1998
Episode 105 (The One with the Thanksgiving Flashbacks) Air Date: 11-19-1998
Episode 106 (The One with Ross's Sandwich) Air Date: 12-10-1998
Episode 107 (The One with the Inappropriate Sister) Air Date: 12-17-1998
Episode 108 (The One with All the Resolutions) Air Date: 01-07-1999
Episode 109 (The One with Chandler's Work Laugh) Air Date: 01-21-1999
Episode 110 (The One with Joey's Bag) Air Date: 02-04-1999
Episode 111 (The One Where Everybody Finds Out) Air Date: 02-11-1999
Episode 112 (The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey) Air Date: 02-18-1999
Episode 113 (The One with the Cop) Air Date: 02-23-1999
Episode 114 (The One with Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss) Air Date: 03-18-1999
Episode 115 (The One Where Rachel Smokes) Air Date: 04-08-1999
Episode 116 (The One Where Ross Can't Flirt) Air Date: 04-22-1999
Episode 117 (The One with the Ride Along) Air Date: 04-29-1999
Episode 118 (The One with the Ball) Air Date: 05-06-1999
Episode 119 (The One with Joey's Big Break) Air Date: 05-13-1999
Episode 120 (The One in Vegas: Part 1) Air Date: 05-20-1999
Episode 121 (The One in Vegas: Part 2) Air Date: 05-20-1999
Pros and Cons of E Tickets
Pros and Cons of E Tickets
by: Gary Ketchum
E tickets are a form of ticketing that ticketmaster and other such primary source ticket sellers have been using for the past three years.E tickets are an option that is given to original ticket buyers when purchasing tickets.For example, when a person goes to buy concerts, sports, or theatre tickets, he can usually opt to receive these tickets in a number of ways:
1. Hard tickets via standard mail.
2. Hard tickets via shipper( Fed Ex or UPS).
3. Tickets left at Will Call
4. E tickets
If the ticket buyer selects the e ticket option he will simply receive an email from the ticket seller with an attachment.The attachment can be opened and the tickets will become available for print on any standard printer.
There are several advantages to e tickets, which include the ability for the tickets to be reprinted.This comes in handy when tickets are lost.Instead of the old method of calling the ticket seller and spending 30 minutes on the phone and providing purchase information, e tickets provides a hassle free solution.E tickets are great for the ticket seller as well, in that e tickets are totally automated which cuts employee costs.E tickets are also excellent for the environment.With e tickets simply being wired through the internet, there is no need for traportation costs which cuts down on natural resource consumption.
In deed there are many advantages to e tickets, there are some disadvatages as well.Because these e tickets can be printed an infinite # of times, the aspect of fraud comes into play.For instance, a person could simply by an e ticket,make several copies and then sell it over the internet or at the venue several times over.Unsuspecting buyers can no doubt, be scammed.A remedy to any of these unwanted outcomes would be to simply purchase tickets from a ticket broker, where buyers have recourse!
If you have any questions regarding e tickets or need a second opinion before buying tickets, feel free to contact our office.
Gary Ketchum
CEO TicketAmerica.com
http://www.ticketamerica.com
by: Gary Ketchum
E tickets are a form of ticketing that ticketmaster and other such primary source ticket sellers have been using for the past three years.E tickets are an option that is given to original ticket buyers when purchasing tickets.For example, when a person goes to buy concerts, sports, or theatre tickets, he can usually opt to receive these tickets in a number of ways:
1. Hard tickets via standard mail.
2. Hard tickets via shipper( Fed Ex or UPS).
3. Tickets left at Will Call
4. E tickets
If the ticket buyer selects the e ticket option he will simply receive an email from the ticket seller with an attachment.The attachment can be opened and the tickets will become available for print on any standard printer.
There are several advantages to e tickets, which include the ability for the tickets to be reprinted.This comes in handy when tickets are lost.Instead of the old method of calling the ticket seller and spending 30 minutes on the phone and providing purchase information, e tickets provides a hassle free solution.E tickets are great for the ticket seller as well, in that e tickets are totally automated which cuts employee costs.E tickets are also excellent for the environment.With e tickets simply being wired through the internet, there is no need for traportation costs which cuts down on natural resource consumption.
In deed there are many advantages to e tickets, there are some disadvatages as well.Because these e tickets can be printed an infinite # of times, the aspect of fraud comes into play.For instance, a person could simply by an e ticket,make several copies and then sell it over the internet or at the venue several times over.Unsuspecting buyers can no doubt, be scammed.A remedy to any of these unwanted outcomes would be to simply purchase tickets from a ticket broker, where buyers have recourse!
If you have any questions regarding e tickets or need a second opinion before buying tickets, feel free to contact our office.
Gary Ketchum
CEO TicketAmerica.com
http://www.ticketamerica.com
"The Departed" Is Best Mob Film Since Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" in 1972
"The Departed" Is Best Mob Film Since Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" in 1972
by: Ed Bagley
The Departed – 4 Stars (Excellent)
Let me get to the most important thing first: Director Martin Scorsese won an Oscar for "The Departed".
Scorsese, one of the most accomplished directors of our era, has been nominated for 7 Oscars-5 for Best Director and 2 for Best Screenplay-before winning with The Departed.
He had also received 7 Golden Globe nominations-6 for Best Director and 1 for Best Screenplay-and won for Gangs of New York before winning again for The Departed this year (2007).
The Departed is simply the best mob film since Mario Puzo's original Godfather in 1972.
Besides Scorsese, The Departed won for Best Picture, Best Screenplay (William Monahan) and Best Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker), giving The Departed 4 Oscar wins to The Godfather's 3 (Marlon Brando for Best Actor, Best Picture and Best Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola).
Mark Wahlberg was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor as Sgt. Sean Dignam.
The Departed also picked up 45 more wins and another 45 nominations, including another win for Scorsese (Best Director) and nominations for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg) at the Golden Globes.
In short, The Departed brought home more hardware than a Home Depot shopping spree.
The icing on the cake for Scorsese was his best box-office opening ever ($26 million), his highest grossing film ever with $132 million nationally and $288 million worldwide through March 2007, and $48 million more in VHS rentals. The film's budget was $90 million.
The all-star cast of DiCaprio (Billy Costigan), Matt Damon (Sgt. Colin Sullivan), Jack Nicholson (Frank Costello), Wahlberg (Sgt. Sean Dignam), Martin Sheen (Capt. Oliver Queenan) and Alec Baldwin (Capt. George Ellerby) did not hurt a lick.
The story takes place in Boston where Irish Mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson) embeds Colin Sullivan (Damon) as an informant with the Massachusetts State Police. Simultaneously, the State Police assign Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) to infiltrate Costello's crew.
When both sides figure out the situation, it is left to Sullivan and Costigan to discover each other's identity.
Along the way, 22 people get whacked (this is a Mob flick), the "f" word is used 237 times (about 235 times too many), and we get a study in relationship psychology as the only real love interest-Madolyn Madden-is a criminal psychiatrist who is wooed by both rivals.
The Departed kept my attention riveted for 151 minutes. The three main characters (Costello, Sullivan and Costigan) all show their anguish in balancing survival, winning and conquering the moment.
There are apparently two versions of this film. I saw the longer version that is rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, and some strong sexual content and drug material.
This film is not for children or young adults, not that young adults do not hear the same "f" word dozens a time a day at high schools all over the country, but who needs the "f" word 237 times in 2.5 hours? Nobody.
I managed to tune out the cussing and concentrate on the story, acting and presentation that were excellent for an action flick with Mob presence.
Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley
by: Ed Bagley
The Departed – 4 Stars (Excellent)
Let me get to the most important thing first: Director Martin Scorsese won an Oscar for "The Departed".
Scorsese, one of the most accomplished directors of our era, has been nominated for 7 Oscars-5 for Best Director and 2 for Best Screenplay-before winning with The Departed.
He had also received 7 Golden Globe nominations-6 for Best Director and 1 for Best Screenplay-and won for Gangs of New York before winning again for The Departed this year (2007).
The Departed is simply the best mob film since Mario Puzo's original Godfather in 1972.
Besides Scorsese, The Departed won for Best Picture, Best Screenplay (William Monahan) and Best Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker), giving The Departed 4 Oscar wins to The Godfather's 3 (Marlon Brando for Best Actor, Best Picture and Best Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola).
Mark Wahlberg was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor as Sgt. Sean Dignam.
The Departed also picked up 45 more wins and another 45 nominations, including another win for Scorsese (Best Director) and nominations for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg) at the Golden Globes.
In short, The Departed brought home more hardware than a Home Depot shopping spree.
The icing on the cake for Scorsese was his best box-office opening ever ($26 million), his highest grossing film ever with $132 million nationally and $288 million worldwide through March 2007, and $48 million more in VHS rentals. The film's budget was $90 million.
The all-star cast of DiCaprio (Billy Costigan), Matt Damon (Sgt. Colin Sullivan), Jack Nicholson (Frank Costello), Wahlberg (Sgt. Sean Dignam), Martin Sheen (Capt. Oliver Queenan) and Alec Baldwin (Capt. George Ellerby) did not hurt a lick.
The story takes place in Boston where Irish Mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson) embeds Colin Sullivan (Damon) as an informant with the Massachusetts State Police. Simultaneously, the State Police assign Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) to infiltrate Costello's crew.
When both sides figure out the situation, it is left to Sullivan and Costigan to discover each other's identity.
Along the way, 22 people get whacked (this is a Mob flick), the "f" word is used 237 times (about 235 times too many), and we get a study in relationship psychology as the only real love interest-Madolyn Madden-is a criminal psychiatrist who is wooed by both rivals.
The Departed kept my attention riveted for 151 minutes. The three main characters (Costello, Sullivan and Costigan) all show their anguish in balancing survival, winning and conquering the moment.
There are apparently two versions of this film. I saw the longer version that is rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, and some strong sexual content and drug material.
This film is not for children or young adults, not that young adults do not hear the same "f" word dozens a time a day at high schools all over the country, but who needs the "f" word 237 times in 2.5 hours? Nobody.
I managed to tune out the cussing and concentrate on the story, acting and presentation that were excellent for an action flick with Mob presence.
Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
