Vox’s posts tagged entertainment

Are we intrigued by death?

nobody@vox.com(8gurl) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:26:18 +0000

Are we intrigued by the death of someone that we don't personally know. I think that we are. I know that I am both intrigued and deeply affected, sometimes for reasons that I cannot explain.

For example:

When Dale Earnhardt was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500 I was not a Nascar fan. This particularly redneck dude I was dating at the time called me up. "Are you watching this race?" "No!" I replied with disgusted dignity. He lived in a kind of bachelor pad/college dorm type house where several guys lived together. The other line beeped in continuously. All calls about Dale Earnhardt's untimely wreck and later to be discovered, death. That was Sunday. Early Monday morning I started reading about what had happened on the internet. I read article after article about this man who had died. Of course, living in Alabama I was aware of Nascar. I had even been to Talladega 3 times, but it was strictly to party in the infield and I was vaguely aware that a race was going on (definitely my loss because at that time, Big E was still on the track and I missed it all). The more I read, the more I was affected, it got into my blood and my heart and I'm still grieving the loss of a man that I knew nothing about when he was alive. I've missed very few races since then.

When my daughter was 1 year old, on the day after Thanksgiving my boyfriend and I took her to the mall to go shopping. Afterwards we drove home. No big deal right? After arriving home I received a phone call from my sister who wanted to make sure Hailey was OK. "Of course she is why?" I said. There had been a little girl shot and killed riding in a truck with her parents. She was in her car seat between her parents when her body suddenly went limp. It was determined that it was a stray bullet from a deer hunter in the area, the bullet had come through the back window and into her head. I soon learned that this family lived very close to us, that the little girl was within one month of Hailey's exact age, AND they had gone the same route that we had gone to the same mall and the parents had bought the little girl some cowboy boots (she was wearing them when she died). This totally freaked me out for a very long time.

I somehow happened upon a story online about a woman who was pregnant with twins. It was a rather late in life pregnancy with the woman's second husband. She already had two grown daughters from a previous marriage but she was healthy and her pregnancy was uneventful; however she died delivering the second baby. Out of curiosity I found this woman's myspace page and I found progressive photos of her growing belly, photos of the developing nursery and photos of the children she left behnd. It deeply affected me for some reason. I guess because this woman was so excited about the birth of these babies and, from what I read, she only got to see one of them before she lost consciousness. These kind of things really make you scratch your head and wonder "Why"?

I have also been affected by the death of certain other celebrities. When I heard that Heath Ledger had died, at first I didn't know exactly who it was but I soon found out. I had watched 10 Things I Hate About You many times and loved the movie. I loved him most of all. I immediately went out and bought the movie for Hailey to watch and I also bought Brokeback Mountain (although I have not watched it yet). I read and read about Heath, his life, his history, his daughter, his family. Such a beautiful, talented young man who had so much more life ahead. The debut of The Dark Knight has broken box-office records and from what I hear and read, a lot of that has to do with not only Heath's performance, but also the fact that he is no longer with us. It is a very sad and intriguing story and for some unknown reason, I am deeply effected. Heath Ledger was such an attractive young man and one of those who is so good-looking that I can hardly bear to look at photos where his eyes bore into me. Here are a few that I snagged from TMZ.

Note: These photos did not have a copyright or watermark on them and right-click was not disabled so, to me that means they are free for the taking. I'm just posting this because I know how sleazy TMZ can be and I want to make sure I'm covered. RIP Heath.

Heath_ledger10_getty_full

Heath_ledger7_getty_full

9_heath_ledger_full

Heath6_getty_full

PS: My son went to see The Dark Knight last night and he said it was absolutely amazing and Heath's portrayal of The Joker was chilling and demented and downright astounding. Hailey and I may go see it tomorrow.

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Top 10 Films In 10 Genres

nobody@vox.com(sus) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:11:38 +0000

Top 10 greatest films according to the The American Film Institute.

ANIMATION
    1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
    2. Pinocchio (1940)
    3. Bambi (1942)
    4. The Lion King (1994)
    5. Fantasia (1940)
    6. Toy Story (1995)
    7. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
    8. Shrek (2001)
    9. Cinderella (1950)
    10. Finding Nemo (2003)

FANTASY
    1. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
    2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    3. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    4. King Kong (1933)
    5. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
    6. Field of Dreams (1989)
    7. Harvey (1950)
    8. Groundhog Day (1993)
    9. The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
    10. Big (1988)

GANGSTER
    1. The Godfather (1972)
    2. Goodfellas (1990)
    3. The Godfather Part II (1974)
    4. White Heat (1949)
    5. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
    6. Scarface: The Shame of a Nation (1932)
    7. Pulp Fiction (1994)
    8. The Public Enemy (1931)
    9. Little Caesar (1930)
    10. Scarface (1983)

SCIENCE FICTION
    1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
    2. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
    3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    4. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
    5. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
    6. Blade Runner (1982)
    7. Alien (1979)
    8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
    9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
    10. Back to the Future (1985)

WESTERN
    1. The Searchers (1956)
    2. High Noon (1952)
    3. Shane (1953)
    4. Unforgiven (1992)
    5. Red River (1948)
    6. The Wild Bunch (1969)
    7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
    8. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
    9. Stagecoach (1939)
    10. Cat Ballou (1965)

SPORTS
    1. Raging Bull (1980)
    2. Rocky (1976)
    3. The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
    4. Hoosiers (1986)
    5. Bull Durham (1988)
    6. The Hustler (1961)
    7. Caddyshack (1980)
    8. Breaking Away (1979)
    9. National Velvet (1944)
    10. Jerry Maguire (1996)

MYSTERY
    1. Vertigo (1958)
    2. Chinatown (1974)
    3. Rear Window (1954)
    4. Laura (1944)
    5. The Third Man (1949)
    6. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
    7. North By Northwest (1959)
    8. Blue Velvet (1986)
    9. Dial M for Murder (1954)
    10. The Usual Suspects (1995)

ROMANTIC COMEDY
    1. City Lights (1931)
    2. Annie Hall (1977)
    3. It Happened One Night (1934)
    4. Roman Holiday (1953)
    5. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
    6. When Harry Met Sally ... (1989)
    7. Adam's Rib (1949)
    8. Moonstruck (1987)
    9. Harold and Maude (1971)
    10. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

COURTROOM DRAMA
    1. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
    2. 12 Angry Men (1957)
    3. Kramer Vs. Kramer (1979)
    4. The Verdict (1982)
    5. A Few Good Men (1992)
    6. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
    7. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
    8. In Cold Blood (1967)
    9. A Cry in the Dark (1988)
    10. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

EPIC
    1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    2. Ben-Hur (1959)
    3. Schindler's List (1993)
    4. Gone With the Wind (1939)
    5. Spartacus (1960)
    6. Titanic (1997)
    7. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
    8. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
    9. Reds (1981)
    10. The Ten Commandments (1956)

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Freedom Sale!

nobody@vox.com(Hustler jack) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:13:25 +0000

Hey Yo!

Hustler Jack here, the official ambassador for Hustler Hollywood. I wanted to let you guys in on the inside scoop!

Hustler Hollywood stores in Ft. Lauderdale, Lexington, Monroe, Nashville, New Orleans, San Diego, St. Louis, Hollywood, and Tacoma are having a MASSIVE Freedom Sale BLOWout through the remainder of July - Clothing - SEXY Lingerie - Shoes - LUBE - Naughty Toys - and MUCH MUCH more!!!

My favorite part of the sale is the $5 DVDs. Now you can buy all the porn you want, and still have money left over for drive thru dinner! MMM classy!

There's no catch, no "just sign here's", no bullcrap! Just click, download, print and go! Take your hubby, maybe your girly, potential interest, or treat yourself! https://ambassador.sharefile.com/d-s55cc607caa444fea

Everyone loves Hustler, even if they don't admit it. What are you waiting for!??! Get going!!! Oh and one more thing ...

Relax! It's just sex.

Peace,

Hustler Jack

Official Hustler Hollywood Ambassador

jackyoung@ymail.com

My deepest apologies are extended to those who are appauled by this message... bad jack...*slaps hand*

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An Old Song...

nobody@vox.com(synelg) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:44:42 +0000

The Dottir is due to come over to London at the end of the month, and I was looking for something for a theatre night out when I came across a production of 'They're Playing Our Song' at Menier Chocolate Factory. I hope she gives this musical the green light as I have great memories of working on a production of 'Song' in 1983. My second career was in theatre, and I spent three happy years working in design at Perth Rep. On this production the quick-changes were brutal for the leading lady and I ended up doing them myself. The technology for body mikes was not as evolved and dinky as it is today, and racing against the clock with every kind of fastening, boho-chic layers, sweaty skin, feral battery packs and in 90% darkness in the wings, I was just soooo glad that, the female lead, Cindy Wells, was more brilliant trouper than diva, and that the unseen adrenalin-fuelled frenzy (and silent swearing) accompanying each exit and entrance went well. Happy days...

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Candie’s unveils Hayden Panettiere campaign with Giuliano Bekor shots

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:28:33 +0000

I thought this was awesome news in that the photographer, Giuliano Bekor, shot regularly for Lucire. From the Lucire ‘Insider’ section.

Giuliano Bekor, whose credits include numerous Lucire shoots, photographed Hayden Panettiere for her 2008 Candie’s print campaign.

Hayden Panettiere will star in Candie’s back to school 2008 television, print and online advertising campaign, according to the company. Hayden, who is known as an award-winning actress, activist and star of NBC’s hit television series Heroes can now add recording artist to her résumé.
   Following last year’s marketing campaign with Grammy-award winning artist Fergie, the new fall TV commercial will be a direct lift from Panettiere’s ﬁrst music video, ‘Wake Up Call’, which was styled using Candie’s apparel, footwear and accessories.
   This is Panettiere’s second season with the brand.
   To coincide with TV, a print campaign will feature Panettiere in a variety of sexy and sweet vignettes as she playfully poses with a piano, behind a beaded curtain and in a club-like setting among others. The ‘Wake Up Call’ video and the Candie’s commercial were shot in Los Angeles by famed music video director Chris Applebaum and the print campaign was shot by fashion photographer Giuliano Bekor, whose credits include Lucire, and created by the Iconix in-house marketing team.
   Fans can listen to ‘Wake Up Call’ exclusively at www.candies.com and www.kohls.com/inspire (streaming only) beginning today. The single will be available for download on iTunes beginning August 5. The single is being released by Hollywood Records.

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Marvel Productions and The Incredible Hulk

nobody@vox.com(Tuesday Creative) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:50:22 +0000

Norton-hulk

After seeing marvelous Marvel characters such as Daredevil, Elektra, and Ghost Rider get not so great reviews on the silver screen, Marvel comics has decided to take matters into their own hands and create Marvel Productions. This new force to be reckoned with in Hollywood has already achieved groundbreaking success with the recent release of Iron Man, as well as the release of The Incredible Hulk. Even fans were unclear how much this new installment had to do with Ang Lee’s ‘Brokeback’ Hulk from 2003. Will it be a sequel or a completely different re-imagining? Marvel did have more creative control over this film than the other; bringing this installment closer to the original continuity. After gaining a solid reputation as a director from his high-octane Transporter movies, Louis Leterrier promised to direct the kind of action-packed Hulk movie that comic book nerds across the planet have been aching for.

When I watched the Incredible Hulk, I was blown away by the intense action, and a very pleasing aesthetic. The new Hulk character design in the movie bares a much closer resemblance to the way he had been illustrated in recent issues — specifically to the way he was portrayed by popular comic book artist Michael Turner, (who just recently passed away at the age of 37). The Incredible Hulk was a non-stop action thrill ride, without a lot of time misspent dwelling on Bruce Banner’s irrelevant psychological issues, despite the obvious. The movie was only about 110 minutes long, unlike its predecessor; it got right to the point, even bringing the viewer up to speed on the story during the opening credit montage. The plot does not really have much to do with Ang Lee’s version. It is based mostly on a mix of the comic book continuity and the 1970’s television show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno (who incidentally both make cameos along with creator Stan Lee).

There were also rumors of several Easter eggs in the Hulk. For example, in Iron Man, there was a quick view of Captain America’s iconic shield on Tony Stark’s. I kept my eyes peeled throughout the Hulk staying after the credits, only to learn later that the Easter egg featuring an actual appearance by Captain America frozen in a glacier was cut from the movie altogether. While Cap failed to make an appearance in the theatrical release, a nice bit of fun for the fans was the appearance of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Tony informs General Ross about his plans on assembling a team. With the slightest bit of comic book knowledge, we can assume this is alluding to an eventual Avengers movie. In order for that to happen, the Avengers roster might need to be established first in several solo movies like Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, Ant-Man and the Wasp, as well as other Avengers like the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and the Black Widow.

While being a very entertaining movie experience, the ending of the Hulk might leave the viewer with some questions like, “how did all those pedestrians and army guys end up on that roof-top all of the sudden?” or “after seeing how powerful Abomination was, how was Hulk able to simply knock him unconscious by choking him with a chain? He is left alive, so how can something with that kind of strength be safely imprisoned?” Regardless of a few contradictory elements from the movie, I generally declare The Incredible Hulk to be a success, while not as large of a success as Iron Man, this new Hulk movie more than makes up for the last one.

For those of you who enjoy the movies based on comics that have been in abundance over the years, I (and many other nerdy fanboys) strongly urge you to pick up some comics and start reading the stories that spawned these multi-million dollar franchises. These movies, for the most part, are always quite excellent, but ask any reader, and he or she will tell you that the original stories are way better!

- J. Tepper

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Jewel Quest 3

nobody@vox.com(CasualGameGuy) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:37:21 +0000

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Jewel Quest 3

nobody@vox.com(CasualGameGuy) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:32:59 +0000

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Is Grissom on CSI saying goodbye?

nobody@vox.com(niko) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:26:45 +0000

I have been watching CSI non stop and do you know that Grissom is leaving CSI sometimes in midseason. I found out about it in yahoo . Come on why is the main man in the show leaving?

Its hard to say goodbye and I am sure every actor has their way of life in acting. I do hope he will come back again in CSI.

Will you miss him too? I surely will. I wonder how the show goes on without him. Well I think we have to see to know about it.

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Redzilla's Entertainment Noose: Dead Man's Shoes & Get Carter

nobody@vox.com(Redzilla) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:56:58 +0000

I don't remember who, but someone recommended the film Dead Man's Shoes to me. I like Paddy Considine, so I put it on my Netflix queue. He not only stars in it, but he wrote and directed it. I was disappointed, for a number of reasons, none of which have to do with the utterly unoriginal story line. You'll recognize it: older brother returns to town from prison/army/a life of crime, to avenge the murder/death of his brother.

I can forgive that. Hell, there are only a few dozen stories anyway and we just keep retelling them. Or I could forgive that if anything in that over-used story line were believable. There's some great acting, from Paddy as brother Richard, and from the lovely Toby Kebbel as retarded brother, Tony. It can't save this film.

Ultimately, the retarded brother's death is revealed to be a suicide, with the suggestion that the drugs and emotional torment meted out to him by some local thugs brought it about. The cause of death isn't revealed until the last fifteen minutes of the film, and it's just one more nail in the coffin. The suicide seems completely improbable, not just based on what we know of the emotional life of the character, but based on the melodramatic set up of the physics of the suicide. Really? We're to believe the retarded brother found a rope, tied a noose, and strung it up in a rather inconvenient location, where it's difficult to tell how he even would have managed to hang himself.

The last five minutes were even worse as they featured what was touted in some reviews as a "truly surprising twist." Yeah, well, so the dead brother riding back from Hell on a unicorn would have been a "truly surprising twist." What wasn't exactly surprising or all that twisty is that the last of the local thugs on Paddy's to-kill list turns out to be a nice chap and in the flashbacks is the only one who tries to put a stop to the alleged torments faced by the retarded brother. So Paddy is overcome with guilt at the "monster he's become" and to wit: instead of murdering the last of the men who were present at his brother's death, Paddy forces the guy to kill him. Yes, the last witness to the retarded brother's death is forced to stab Paddy in the gut. Which for the record is not a very easy and quick way to die, although he seems to drop off quite quickly.

As a cherry on top, the film has the very same weakness that every other film of its ilk has: no explanation of how the older brother has turned himself into some sort of merciless death-dealing ninja. Unless that's just standard training in the British military.

So, I don't recommend Dead Man's Shoes. Instead, what you should put on your queue is the Special Edition DVD of Get Carter. No, no, no, don't even think of the Sylvester Stallone remake. Don't sully your mind with that cinematic craptasm. Go back to 1971 and watch Michael Caine do his thing. At 38, he was all squinty-eyed and dangerous sexy. Despite the girly way he runs, you believe he's capable of doing some bad shit. Plus, it's just more fun to watch, especially the bizarre, oyeuristic* phone sex scene.

Get_Carter

*So, what is the auditory equivalent of voyeurism?

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The X-Files

nobody@vox.com(niko) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:27:22 +0000

Anyone wanting to see The X-Files : I want to Believe ? I am happy to know that Mulder and Scully are back as a team. I think the movie is less interesting without anyone one of them.

I may be wrong as some people don't mind that some characteric change.

I didn't completely watch the series of The X-Files that shown on TV.

While typing now just now I have to try check my emails in hotmail account. But couldn't get through at all. Anyone having the same trouble like me?

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Nashville Star - down to 5

nobody@vox.com(8gurl) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:25:23 +0000

I'm really not sure why two acts were eliminated last week but this week the show was back to the normal format of the one contestant with the lowest amount of votes getting sent home. I really don't like the fact that we have to wait an entire week to find out who got the least amount of votes. On Idol time, waiting 24 hours was excruciating. Although this show is still waaaaaay lame by Idol standards, now that the really bad acts have been eliminated there is some real talent starting to emerge.

The bottom two:

Laura & Sophie - I said last week that these girls needed to go home because the show was tearing their friendship apart and a lot of their bickering was aired on the show. Also there was some contraversy about Sophie rolling her eyes at Jewel's harsh criticism (and even more contraversy this week when Jewel said she must have had a seizure and 'faked' one on the show) but I don't really even want to go there. The girls sang one of my favorite songs this week: Picture to Burn by Taylor Swift. I love Taylor Swift because she is young and fresh and a little raunchy. She is one of the hottest new acts in country and almost immediately crossed-over into pop. Taylor was only 17 when she broke into country music with her dedicated Mom along for every minute of it. And she worked her way there WITHOUT being on a reality show! Here's Taylor's version of the song and then Laura & Sophie's:

Taylor Swift - Picture to Burn [ Official Music Video ]

LAURA & SOPHIE-PICTURE TO BURN-Full-Week6-NASHVILLE STAR

Shawn Mayer - I like this girl and I was surprised to see her in the bottom two. She took it in stride though and told Billy Ray before she sang that no matter what happens she had achieved her dream because George Jones was in the audience. Shawn sang Carrie Underwood's mega-hit Before He Cheats. I definitely noticed Shawn's attempt to mimick Carrie's characteristic 'bouncing' when she sings. It's something that I noticed Carrie doing way back when she was on Idol and she does it all the time. Here's Shawn's version and then a link to Carrie's knockout video (all of the videos of the official music video had embedding disabled so all I can post is a link, it's definitely a video worth watching but don't forget to come back and read the rest of my review to find out who got sent home):

SHAWN MAYER-BEFORE HE CHEATS-Week6-NASHVILLE STAR

CARRIE UNDERWOOD - BEFORE HE CHEATS

The middle two:

As you can tell, the theme this week was country love songs. Personally this show was a little hard for me to watch. Some of the songs the contestants sang this week took me back to a time when I was in a relationship with someone. The relationship is almost two years over and definitely irretrievably broken but just hearing some of these songs reminded me how it felt to be involved with someone like that. We listened to country all the time back then and adopted every new love song that came out as 'our song'.

Coffey - I totally don't get this guy and I don't understand why he's still on the show. His singing this week (I thought) was horrible. He first explained how the song he chose, Faith & Tim's It's Your Love, touched him personally and it was evident because he sang the entire song through his nose, choking back tears. The judges were moved, I was not. I don't see Coffey making it through another week.

Melissa Lawson - Yes this super-sized gal can sing, but I'm just underwhelmed by her. Her singing is too traditional (so many gals have already been there and done that in country music). The songs that she chooses on the show are also just too traditional and her performances just seem to me like very good karaoke. This week she sang Martina McBride's My Baby Loves Me and it was OK. The judges thought she oversang it a bit and I agree with them. I definitely think Melissa will make it to the top 3 and maybe even the top 2 but I don't think she will win.

The top two:

Ashley Hewitt - I have liked this girl from the beginning because she brings that 'fresh' factor that country music really needs more of. Country music has evolved over the past two decades. It's no longer 'your Mother's music'. My daughter listens to a lot of country. Ashley is tailor-made for this genre and a good candidate for pop-crossover (which is always a good thing). Shania Twain was the first one to do it and everyone was amazed. Tim McGraw recorded a song with Nelly and everybody went "Whaaaat?", then Rascall Flatts and Carrie Underwood blew into town and showed everybody that they can hold their own in just about any genre. It's a tough business but the real talent always shines through. Ashley sang a Dixie Chicks song (gag me) which I can't remember the name of because I abhor the Dixie Chicks. She did a good job though and the judges liked her performance. I definitely think Ashley deserves a spot in the top 3.

Gabe Garcia - Last week I really took notice of this guy and this week he TOTALLY blew me away. It's been a while since country music has had a male phenom come onto the scene. This guy is definitely a candidate to be the next George Strait. He's cute and acts a little shy, wears his hat down low like a true cowboy. He's hispanic and that just gives him a little more of an edge to me. He told a story about how he had to leave his girlfriend behind to be on the show. They are no longer together but he chose a song that they once called 'their song' and dedicated it to her. Then he sang one of my very favorite songs (and one that was also my 'our song'). Billy Couringtons Must Be Doin Somethin Right was a huge hit several years ago and tore me up to hear but Gabe did a super-fantastic job. Here's Gabe's performance and then a link to Billy's SMOKIN HOT video (same here, all videos had embedding disabled, but it's definitely worth watching, but don't forget to come back to find out who got sent home AND my pick for the winner of this year's Nashville Star):

GABE GARCIA-MUST BE DOIN ' SOMETHIN' RIGHT-Week6-NASHVILLE STAR

BILLY COURINGTON - MUST BE DOIN' SOMETHIN' RIGHT

Just two more things:

Laura & Sophie were sent packing (no big surprise there).

And Jeff said, in true Simon style, IF this is a show about picking the best country singer, then Gabe Garcia should win it all. I totally agree.

Now, I must go to work :)

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Who ya gonna call...

nobody@vox.com(Franco) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:58:36 +0000

when your planning the BIG PARTY? You have searched the web, talked to friends, considered hiring a planner so they could deal ALL OF THIS and still, here you are trying to figure out what to do and how do it.

Time is definitely moving faster than it did last week because it was Monday yesterday and today it is Thursday?? Man, now what?

So you go one of the great websites that serves up all of the vendors in your area and guess what, you're in luck!! There are so many vendors to choose from and now all you have to do is PICK one. So you pick up the phone and make a couple of calls.

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse...

Well, it looks like 50% of the peope listed on the website are no longer in business. Or maybe they just didn't hear the phone ring and forgot how to retrieve their voicemail. Either way, nobody calls you back. When you finally make contact, the person is a little vague about what they can and will do, but the good news is they do know how much they are gonna charge you.

So it's the BIG PARTY date and you still haven't spoken to the vendors(s) you booked. Their phone is taking any calls right now and the mailbox is FULL!! Man, this aint looking good for the home team. Ten minutes before the party starts they show up, disoriented and lazy, like they just woke up from a midsummer nap.

This is a story I just heard from a client who hired us for the first time and she wasn't kidding. Her first question to me was wanting to know if my company was the airbrush tattoo people who was at her friends kids party. I apologized and said no, and after she said good thing and told me the story, I apologized again for theother guys. I assured her that she is in good hands, directed her to my website, ( www.airbrush-tattoos.com) customer reviews (http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Family.Fun.Airbrush.Tattoos.707-373-1863/review/list) and lots of pics from past parties (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cnet2/sets/). She called me back 20 minutes later and hired us for her daughters birthday.

Important criteria to look for when hiring a vendor:

Years in business..
Who are their past clients..
Has a (current) website..
Has a valid phone number..
Phone takes messages..
Vendor has reliable references...not self-written jargon on their website..
Has pictures of past parties..gives you a look at them in action..
Is clear and concise about what they provide..
Can provide a quote while you're on the phone..

Don't leave it up to chance. Plan well in advance and ask the right questions.

airbrush tattoo

Franco Fonseca
Family Fun Airbrush Tattoos
www.airbrush-tattoos.com
Email me:
franco@airbrush-tattoos.com
Check out past party pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cnet2/sets/
Call me today:
707-373-1863

airbrush tattoo

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Feist-y Counting!

nobody@vox.com(micawave) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:22:04 +0000

Feist on Sesame Street

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DGW Episode 614

nobody@vox.com(InsideDGW) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:03:16 +0000

AutoTether

Boating Safety

Link: AutoTether

AutoTether

An important device for boating is the emergency stop lanyard, which is connected to the engine kill switch and worn by the boat operator, so that if the operator falls overboard, the engine will stop. However, it does restrict movements and can cause false emergency stops when the connection gets pulled off accidentally.

The AutoTether solves this problem by doing it wirelessly. The main unit, which has a wireless signal receiver, is connected to the engine kill switch. A mobile remote unit worn by the operator (or any passenger) sends radio signals to the main unit. If the operator or passenger falls overboard, the radio signal transmission is cut off, since radio signals cannot travel through water. The main unit detects the signal cut-off, stops the engine and sounds an alarm at the same time. The system operates by AAA batteries, with low-battery warning indicators.

The AutoTether kit comes with one main unit and 2 mobile remote units. It can accommodate a total of 4 remote units (extras can be bought separately). Other applications include using it at a beach or around a pool, if you don't want a young child to go into the water unsupervised. You can also set a range for the remote unit so that when the remote unit goes out of range, the main unit will sound an alarm.

Dick has written a fuller article on this gadget in PowerBoat Magazine. Here's the link.

Did you know?
... that Dick was involved in the production of a Playboy Club musical Little Annie Fanny, and Leo did a TV commercial for Clarks Shoes.

Party Line
The PhoneMate Just In Case Beeper (Episode 540) brings back memories for Paul Pigozzo from London, Ontario, not only of his grandmother's rotary phone with 30 feet of cord, but also her "party line" - one telephone shared by several households, and the telephone gives off different rings for different households.

Naturally, whenever a rotary phone is mentioned, Leo inexorably talks about Steve Wozniak's Rotary Cellphone again.

Listen to Episode 614
Go to TWiT
The Giz Wiz Home Page

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The Next Food Network Star - Top 4

nobody@vox.com(8gurl) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:52:14 +0000

The Final Four went to Vegas Baby and got to meet Paula Deen Y'all!!!

The euphoria didn't last long because Bobby Flay put the fab four straight to work on a Next Food Network Star Throwdown! Each contestant was pitted against another to create not only their signature dish but a throwdown version of the other contestants signature dish. They were also asked to vamp up their recipes and make them Vegas style! They had 75 minutes to cook both dishes, in front of the selection committee (including Paula) and also they were to be interviewed during the process. Wow!

Up first were Lisa vs Adam.

Of course, Lisa's signature dish is something I've never heard of: casoulet (sp). Which sounds like a white bean stew with sausage. Adam has heard of it, but never eaten it and never made it. Lisa goes on and on about how complicated it is. Sheesh she is so stuck up her own butt it's really annoying!

Adam's signature dish is lo and behold, Macaroni and Cheese. Wow! A man after my own heart! Of course, Lisa thought creating a Vegased up version of Mac and Cheese would be a cinch for her. Since she's such a fabulous cook!

Adam Vegased up his own Mac and Cheese with Lobster. Lisa told the behind the scenes camera that Adam was getting in over his head. The judges RAVED over Adam's Mac and flat out told Lisa hers was awful. Yeah! Of course, the casoulet Adam attempted was called amateurish and Lisa's was RAVED over!

Both Adam and Lisa did OK with the interview part. The first throwdown seemed to be a draw.

Next up were Kelsey vs Aaron.

Aaron's signature dish was a stuffed pork dish and Kelsey's was Chicken Parmesan. Aaron got so involved in cooking his dish and talking to the interviewer that he almost forgot to cook the Chicken Parmesan.

Kelsey seemed out of sorts and cooked dishes petite style as the Vegas twist (???huh???). Aaron's plates were loaded up with lots of food and the judges were beyond impressed. Even though he threw the Chicken Parm together at the last minute the judges seemed to like it much better than Kelsey's. Round two of the throwdowns definitely went to Aaron.

Elimination time and the judges once again told Lisa she's too intense and needs to show more personality, they praised Aaron all the way around and put him through to the next round first. Lisa was put through next. Adam and Kelsey were the bottom 2. I was really afraid they were going to send Adam home, but in the end, Kelsey's inexperience, her disappointing dishes in the throwdown and her constant references to culinary school finally did her in. She was sent home and Adam was safe once again.

Next week is apparently going to have some shock factor!

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Three days in the life

nobody@vox.com(Don) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:52:26 +0000

In chronological order, though I won’t swear to that—even though I’m a complete time-keeping nerdly, I am a bit more casual about it on the weekends:

Saw that Vienna Teng added a Seattle stop to her tour schedule. Tickets went on sale at 10:00 and I had mine at 10:35, which was about 3 minutes after I saw the tour posting. Playing Sep 04 at the Mainstage at The Triple Door, which happens to be the first place I ever saw her perform live back in 2005. (Upcoming.org event page)
Worked the usual shift Friday, off at 20:00. I’d bought a dozen doughnuts from Top Pot for the weekly meeting my team has and ended up taking half a dozen home with me, evil in a box.
Dinner with my cousin at the downtown Cheesecake Factory. I was out until 01:00 Saturday, getting way too old for that.
Sleep! Glorious sleep! Saturday morning. I hadn’t slept much Thursday night/Friday morning so it was nice not to wake up with the first light of day just after 04:00.
Fairly quiet morning, and then beer, nachos, and Shanghai rummy on the big patio at Redhook. Hot and thirsty work, it was.
Met my friends Derek and Mary Saturday night (at their car, they picked me up) for dinner at Tutta Bella in Wallingford. Delicious pizza, and the salad and flatbread rocked too. We were fighting over the tiramisu at the end, very tasty all around.
I was home a little after 21:00 Saturday. Normally this would have made me feel old, but this weekend it made me feel wonderful—home after two different social engagements! and with 3 hours remaining in the day!—and I celebrated by moving my wine rack from the living room to the front-hall closet. That closet has never been above the mid-60s even on the days my apartment as a whole has hit the low 80s (no air conditioning), so I’ll have better luck with temperature control. Also I won’t run into the rack anymore when I walk between the living room and the kitchen.
Quiet Sunday morning. Caught up on the news programs, read the paper online, similar leisure activities. Ran a couple errands too, and then I grilled chicken for dinner once the propane tank was out of direct sunlight so it would stop going FNOOOOOOOOOOD when I opened the valve because the gas was so warmed up. Lemon pepper chicken and a baked potato the size of all Idaho, and I learnt tonight that baked potatoes hold on to their heat for absurdly long periods. Burnt my tongue twice, dammit.

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Big Brother 10

nobody@vox.com(Tonya) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:52:59 +0000

Big Brother 10 Commercial

Big Brother is back on for another season. In just over an hour my butt will be glued to the couch as I meet the latest houseguests and tonight I lose sleep when the live feeds come on at 11pm. Its a horrible obsession. I've considered counseling but I kind of like having a few goofy quirks... I wouldn't be me without my quirkiness!

I'm really excited for this season because CBS seems to have made an effort to feature more than just bikini-clad, immature morons. This season's houseguests are a bit more diverse in age. I think the older guests will be more set in their ways... creating greater conflict when they are suddenly tossed into a college dorm-like atomosphere. Too many of the 20-somethings that have been on Big Brother just seemed like they auditioned just to find a free place to squat for a few months. Real people with real problems and dependents waiting at home are likely to put up a bigger fight to win the money. I hope. After BB9 and its joke of a season, I want to see some action!

Oh, and I just have to mention. This season's house looks kick-ass. Finally a year when I LIKE the house design!

Big Brother 10: House Tour With Julie Chen

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Ghost in the Shell 2.0

nobody@vox.com(Kimura) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:20:56 +0000

The renewed version of the original Ghost in the Shell movie has hit select theaters in Japan this weekend. I haven't seen it yet (don't even know where the theater in question is, but I'm pretty sure there is at least one in Tokyo) but the trailer has hit YouTube.

GHOST IN THE SHELL 攻殻機動隊2.0 Trailer

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