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Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning online arts. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Science Fiction DVDs
November 23, 2007
Amazon announced the launch of their new video download service ? Amazon Unbox. This new service will allow users to download video from thousands of TV show, movies and more using Amazon?s online store.
Everyone expected Apple to launch a video download service first. After the launch of Amazon?s Unbox, Apple has schedule a news conference to announce the expansion of their popular iTunes digital audio store to soon offer a similar service. ‘Our goal is to offer consumers great choice,’ says Bill Carr, Amazon’s vice president of digital media. Amazon’s 59 million active customers can now order DVD movies shipped to their door or ‘choose unboxed movies and download directly to their PC,’ he says.
Amazon says it will make available thousands of movies and TV shows from 30 various Hollywood studios. TV episodes will run $2 an episode, whereas movie downloads can be purchased at a rate between $8 and $15 and rentals can be made between $3 and $4. ‘It’s a natural way to keep loyal customers coming back,’ says retail industry analyst Dan Geiman of McAdams Wright Ragen.
‘It’s a PC-only experience,’ says JupiterResearch analyst Michael Gartenberg. ‘There’s no way to burn content to a DVD for playback. Without a really interesting device to use this with besides the PC, it’s going to be a challenge for them.’
Apple states they will make a major announcement about their iTunes store on Tuesday, which already allows for TV show downloads and is the leading music download service on the Internet. They said the addition of movie downloads will greatly increase the service for their current loyal iTunes customers. Apple?s new video service could take over Amazon?s because they will allow their content to be burned onto DVDs. ‘This could be the biggest event in consumer media since Napster,’ Munster says. ‘Burning is critical. Burning opens up the market.’
To celebrate the opening of their new Amazon Unbox Video Downloads store, they are offering a $1.99 instant rebate on your first purchase or rental (restrictions apply). Most of their TV programs are available for purchase for just $1.99, making your first TV show FREE. Learn More
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November 8, 2007
The Movie Path to 9-11 has been condemned by Bill Clintons Administration; including Madam Albright and Bill Clinton himself because they claim it falsely accuses the Clinton Administration or portrays them as being very weak on International Terrorism. ABC said that the final cut was not yet completed and therefore there is no way that Bill Clinton and his former staff have anyway of knowing how it portrays anyone.
The Movie; Path to 9-11 is a documentary by Jim Benson and John Eggerton. ABC says it will make minor; Cosmetic Changes only to the five our mini-series. Bill Clinton wrote a letter to Disney President Bob Iger and said unless it corrected; Various Alleged Inaccuracies, that the series should be pulled. Inferring that litigation was on perhaps possible.
The question is now was the Clinton Administration weak on International Terrorism and if so will Hilary Clinton follow the same tact if she rises to power in the future? Of course conservatives wish us to believe this and liberals are worried about the repercussions of the movie so close to mid-term elections.
Did ABC really politely just tell the Former President Bill Clinton to Stick It in a nice but subtle way? Are they really going to air the series with minor modifications or is it going to be left as is because their counsel tells them that there is no much Bill Clinton or anyone can do about it anyway? Consider all this in 2006.
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‘Lance Winslow’ - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington
October 31, 2007
The original series of Star Trek (or Star Trek: TOS has fandom has renamed it) launched on NBC on September 8th 1966, that’s 40 years ago this Friday. The show, which ran for a mere three seasons finished its run on June 3rd 1969 and has been in re-runs almost ever since.
It’s popularity is such that 40 years after it started CBS are currently working on re-mastered versions of some of the original episodes complete with new CGI for release into syndication again.
But Star Trek is a lot more than just a science fiction show that has stood the test of time. It’s more even than the start of a popular franchise. Star Trek represents the entrance of science fiction into popular culture.
Star Trek was far from the first sci-fi show on tv and if you trace these things back, there were many pulp serials in the cinema along the lines of Flash Gordon which had some or many sci-fi elements. But Star Trek was different. For one thing it treated the source material with more reverence. I can’t claim that all the science fiction in Star Trek was good (some of it was plain bad), but some of it was very good and much of it was based on established science fiction concepts.
The eventual success of Star Trek paved the way for a television landscape where science fiction shows routinely turn up on network tv.
Memories of Star Trek
Star Trek has never ranked in my personal top 5 of sci-fi shows. Perhaps that’s because I’m from the UK and our own sci-fi shows usually got better tv slots. However I do have some vivid memories from my childhood of watching episodes. Scenes from The Doomsday Machine episode are still burned into my mind 20+ years later.
I can claim to have watched episodes of every series of Star Trek, including the entire runs of The Original Series and The Next Generation. It wasn’t until the later shows that my interest in the series really diminished. Perhaps it was the lack of originality, maybe it was just too much too close together, but by the time that Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise arrived on the scene, I rarely tuned in.
The Future of Star Trek
Now, as the 40th anniversary of Star Trek arrives, there is no Star Trek on tv for the first time in over a decade and no sign of one in the near future. But this certainly isn’t the end for Star Trek. Rumors continue to swirl over the proposed Star Trek XI movie which currently has J. J. Abrams (Lost) attached as a producer.
Will this movie trigger a Star Trek revival? Probably not, the movie is heavily rumored to be a prequel of some sort to the original Star Trek series. While this has a lot of potential for drawing in the more casual Trek audience, it doesn’t leave many opportunities to move the franchise in a new direction.
For the moment it seems that Trek has written itself into a corner and until someone can come up with a new vision for the franchise it is probably best that it stays off tv. It won’t be gone for ever of that I’m sure. Star Trek has lasted 40 years, it’s not likely to die now.
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Visit Solar Flare: Science Fiction News for more news, reviews and commentary
Eoghann Irving is the webmaster for Solar Flare, the long-running science fiction news blog. A lifelong fan of the sci-fi and fantasy genres, Eoghann writes news, reviews and commentary for all forms of science fiction including tv, books, movies and comic books. Eoghann is always looking for news and information on all things sci-fi. He can be contacted at webmaster@sflare.com.
October 28, 2007
Tonight I watched a documentary on Jerry Sienfeld by Jerry Sienfeld. It was an inside look at the inner turmoil of a comedian. It documented the struggles of the comedians to write new material, keep it fresh, try it on audiences and then to perform in a one hour + show. It was cool to see Jerry forget his line or his joke and freeze on stage. It was insightful to see the other comedians give him advice or commiserate with him over his feeling that he didn?t quite have it any more. He wasn?t in the flow of the material much of the time and it was such a relief to hear them admit that to one another. He was admitting how long it took to get the gig right, and to make it look easy.
In the TV news field, people rarely have a bad day. They?re always perfect and say everything correctly. They have perfect make up and have memorized their lines and after they?re through, go on to their perfect lives. Okay, I?m just joking! I know it?s not true, but it?s rare to hear a talent admit to anyone that they were off or not exactly ?on? that particular day so my own doubts about my performance don?t find a voice.
This week I appeared on one of the local TV stations commenting on the recent story of whether working women make lousy wives. I was excited about the topic because of course I have lots to say about it. I could extemporaneously speak about this topic for an hour and still be excited to express my wealth of wisdom on this topic I know so well. (YES.. sometimes we DO make lousy wives? but not all the time, and most of the time, we?re working hard to please everyone!)
During the newscast, I was squashed in between a plane crash, some local crime buzz, and some other hard news stories. I?m used to getting about 3-4 minutes on a news segment and forgot to ask before I went on the air. So without me knowing what hit me, my segment was over in about a minute thirty, and I was DONE. OFF the air. Finished. Caput. Gone. Adios. You get the picture. The anchor ran back to the news desk, with my jaw hanging down to the ground.
Okay, I?m being a bit over dramatic. I was fine?. for a minute. But after I regained my bearings, I realized that I had just bombed the segment! I was ticked at myself and angry that I didn?t say more brilliant tips on how to survive a current marriage. I was horrified that I didn?t give the advice about making the time people have with their kids? quality instead of quantity. I was upset I didn?t dazzle the anchor, and have her tell me that she?d love to get together with me to chat sometime, like they often do. Not today. As soon as we closed the segment she was gone in a flash, and I left thinking that I bombed.
A bit paranoid you say? Perhaps I am, but at this point, I?ve done enough TV segments to know when I hit a home run and know when I?m average and know when I stink. I didn?t stink today, but I just floated above average today. My hair and makeup checked out fine (according to my mother who loves me no matter what I do and who called 19 of her friends and told them to watch), and the segment did manage to look like we were having a friendly chat, but I didn?t pull off the goal of the segment, which was to offer solid tips for the viewers. The anchor who was the consummate professional, was lively on the air and acted like I offered some great wisdom.
Needless to say, this inner turmoil that I now feel will feed me to better prepare and practice for my next time on the air. I?ll get the call inviting me to be on the air. Then I?ll write an article on the topic that they request, probably a few hours before show time. Rush to get dressed, but this time, show up with my 3 main points drilled into my head, ready to spew out of my mouth regardless of what she asks me. I probably won?t have much time to prepare, just like today, so I?ll know if I get the 3 points out, I was successful.
Jerry Sienfeld gave me confidence today. He gave me the confidence to admit when it?s not in the flow and when it doesn?t quite work. He gave me the strength to keep working hard until the segments are all hit out of the park. He also gave me the motivation that even if a performer regrets the segment they just did, there is always another show tomorrow and the day after. The key is to never give up, always keep trying, and go easy on yourself when you feel you bombed. Even the best performers have off days.
So I learned? No more regrets! Thanks Jerry!
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Mary Gardner, is an executive communications consultant and occasional TV personality. She has coached numerous celebrities on stage in public speaking or in their music performance careers. She knows this feeling from being a performer and from coaching performing. And, its easier to coach than to perform!
Tagline: Evil Has a New Enemy.
When I think of off-the-wall horror/comedy films, rarely do the French spring to mind. But that?s exactly where this guilty pleasure of a movie originates from. Featuring an international cast, Bloody Mallory aims for cult status with an eclectic blend of martial arts, manga attitude, and lots of girls in brightly-colored wigs.
At the dawn of the third millennium, a group of Anti-Paranormal Commandos is led by Mallory (Olivia Bonamy), a beautiful monster hunter with hot red hair and an equally hot pink hearse. Rounding out her group is Vena Cava (Jeffrey Ribier), a towering transvestite who also happens to be an explosives specialist, and Talking Tina (Thylda Bares), a blue-haired pre-teen who?s mute, telepathic, and has a 360 IQ. When Pope Hieronymus I (Laurent Spielvogel) is kidnapped, Mallory and her gang must team up with a Vatican bodyguard, Father Carras (Adria Collado), to battle ghouls, fallen angels, succubi, and a vampire of the French aristocracy named Lady Valentine (Valentina Vargas). If they succeed, the world is saved. But if they fail, an ancient prophecy will be fulfilled and mankind will disappear from the earth forever. Sound funky? Well, that?s because it is.
While I?ll certainly give screenwriters Stephane Kazandjian and Julien Magnat (who also directed) credit for originality of plot, much of the script is flat, uneven, and fails to elevate the film beyond simple low-budget fare. There are times that Mallory looks and sounds like a really well-made porno (without the sex, of course), but it?s still hard to hate a movie which includes lines like The Popemobile is waiting downstairs or Vena Cava and Talking Tina, stay with the Pope. It?s so absurd that it has a certain charm all its own. What a shame that so many of the interesting ideas are never full realized.
The look of the film, although obviously low-budget, is still one of its strongest points, and the manga influence is obvious throughout. Right from the beginning, we?re treated to two very nice shots. The first is Mallory chasing down her demonic husband (Julien Boisselier) with an axe (seems she unknowingly married a demon and he wanted to sacrifice her on their wedding night), and the second is a beautifully rendered shot of the Paris skyline with gargoyles prominently displayed in the foreground. These two moments really set the tone early and give viewers a taste of things to come.
The costuming is top-notch, with each outfit adding to the wearer?s personality and attitude. There?s also the fact that none of the main characters go with their natural hair color. From bright red to neon blue, we can once again see the heavy influence of Japanese animation on the look and feel of the film. One can?t help but wonder if the director would have cast actors with unusually large eyes if they had been available.
But while the trippy mish-mash of styles and colors may work in the visual department, it proves to be an impediment in other areas. Just when you think the movie is going to get all dark and heavy-handed, something completely absurd happens. Then, when you start digging the comedic aspect of Mallory, it throws you another curve ball and changes tone again. Director Julien Magnat described his film as a gothic comedy. I prefer to call it a mess. The lack of a consistent tone hurts the picture in the long run, never allowing the audience to settle into a comfortable rhythm. While it still has its moments, I only wish that they would have picked a genre and stuck with it. I guess they were trying to do what Buffy the Vampire Slayer or From Dusk Till Dawn did. Unfortunately, viewers of Mallory will quickly realize that those films did it far better.
One notable exception is the relationship between Mallory and her dead husband, which is played out over the course of the film. Even though she chopped him up with an axe and consigned his soul to limbo, Mallory continues to contact him via ritual for critical information. These scenes are nicely done, and the audience can tell that this couple still grudgingly cares for one another, despite their history of violence and betrayal. This culminates when Mallory is near death and her ex-husband holds the key to her salvation.
The action sequences are about what you?d expect from a low-budget film, although there are some respectable special effects and computer animation. But the action is usually brief, and there?s not as much of it as one might hope. And if you?re looking for a lot of gore, look elsewhere. With the exception of a few interesting moments (exploding nuns), the blood and guts are kept to a minimum.
The cast does an adequate job considering the level of film they?re in, although most seem doomed to toil in B-movies for the duration of their careers. The standout is the film?s star, Olivia Bonamy. Clad in red leather and sporting a variety of weapons, Bonamy is able to look action-ready while still maintaining a ton of sex appeal. She also does a respectable job in the action sequences (unlike, say, Kristy Swanson in Buffy) and seems to be having a campy good time. It?s hard to gauge how much acting talent she actually has, as the film simply doesn?t require that much from its lead. But she does have a strong screen presence and knockout looks, so she?s already ahead of the game.
Overall, Mallory will most likely be a disappointment for those looking for high art or a top-flight genre film. But if you?ve lowered your expectations and simply want a few laughs and something to watch while you eat a bag of popcorn, then this may be the movie for you.
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October 25, 2007
For its 13th season the original reality TV show Survivor is returning to the South Pacific. Survivor Cook Islands will be played in the Aitutaki Islands, an atoll in the island formation originally discovered by Captain Cook. The clear blue waters and beautiful beaches will provide a tranquil setting for a season that?s going to be anything but peaceful.
Over the years one of the most common criticisms of the show has been that there has not been a racially diverse cast. To address that claim Mark Burnett and Survivor Entertainment Group (SEG) selected 20 contestants, 5 Asian Americans, 5 African Americans, 5 Hispanic Americans, and 5 Caucasian Americans. However in an unprecedented act they accentuated the role of race by dividing the teams along racial lines. The move caused disapproval, criticism and a lot of controversy with the media and minority organizations. Many feel the move was done to give a boost to ratings which have been slowly declining in recent years. Those involved with the show say it was similar to dividing the teams by sex or age which had been done in the past. Whatever the reason if the pre-season buzz is indication the show is going to receive a lot of press.
Looking at the past seasons the most popular seasons were those with a lot of conflict and a strong or charismatic character. Filming for al of the episodes but the season finale was completed before the first episode airs, so the network has very few options. Survivor Cook Islands the 13th season of Survivor premiers on September 13th at 8pm EST.
? Copyright. SurvivorScoop.com, All Rights Reserved.
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Gary Mitchell covers the latest development from the reality TV show Survivor on his website Survivor Scoop (http://www.surviorscoop.com/). You can get the episode summaries and tribal council voting results from the newest season of Survivor Cook Islands at Survivor Scoop (http://www.surviorscoop.com/cookislands)
The version of Aladdin that you?re doubtless most familiar with is Disney?s 1992 film adaptation. The film turns the story into a musical, and also makes all sorts of subtle and not-so-subtle changes from the original tale.
The start of the film is preserved pretty much intact: a sorcerer (now named Jafar) sends Aladdin to a cave to retrieve a magic lamp, without telling him that the cave is cursed. As in the original story, Aladdin ends up with the lamp, and wishes to become a prince so that he can marry the princess.
It is here, however, that the two stories part ways. Rather than the princess handing over the lamp, it is stolen by Jafar?s parrot, Iago. Jafar then wishes to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world, and banishes Aladdin to the other side of the world.
Rather than using a ring to defeat the sorcerer, as in the book, Aladdin uses his magic carpet to fly back to the palace and confront Jafar. He tricks Jafar into wishing to be a genie, trapping him in a lamp, while Aladdin uses his final wish to set his genie free.
While it is clear to see that the film follows the original story more often than not, it does get side-tracked quite often for the sake of extra characters (Abu the monkey, Iago the parrot and the magic carpet), and goes out of its way to portray Aladdin?s relationship with the princess as a love story rather than as a matter of possession as it was in the original tale. Still, the changes are understandable: they are necessary firstly to make the story more enjoyable for children, and secondly to update it to reflect modern attitudes.
Disney also made two sequels to the movie, The Return of Jafar and The King of Thieves, and a TV series ? but the less said about those, the better. Needless to say, they have little to do with the original Arabic tale.
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John Gibb is the owner of aladdin data
, For more information on aladdin check out http://www.aladdin-resources4u.info
October 18, 2007
For the kids all over the world, watching Dora the explorer is not complete without having to hear the song that Dora sings in every episode. In all of Dora the explorer?s journey, children get to enjoy the different kinds of songs that she comes up with depending on the adventure that she is in.
It should not surprise you that your child will be wanting to have his or her own CD with all of Dora?s song recorded in them. Children cannot seem to have enough of the songs that they hear everyday when watching Dora. Chances are, they would want those same songs present whenever they want to hear them.
This is the influence that Dora the explorer songs have brought to kids. In any movie or show, there is always a song being sung that you can relate to. This is also the same thing with the songs from Dora the explorer.
Once kids hear them, there is a huge possibility that it will become their favorite song from then on. Being the song for Dora the explorer makes it all the more wanted.
Why are Dora the explorer songs well-liked?
One of the reason is that all the songs from Dora the explorer is especially made for pre-schooler and toddlers. The songs are made to suit their simple tastes and pleasures. These are the kinds of songs that they can easily relate to.
When creating Dora the explorer songs, the composers are taking into account that children should be able to understand them. Since these songs are for them, it is important that what the song is about should be what they do and what they like.
Not only that, Dora the explorer songs are also like an explanation of the journey and the adventure that she is in. You will notice that the songs she sings when she is happy is different from those that are sung whenever she is sad. This shows the emotions that Dora feels on her adventures. And this are the emotions that children are not finding it hard to understand.
It is said that when a song is played over and over again, you can easily memorize the lyrics and the melody that it has. This is the same case with Dora the explorer song. Do not be shocked when you hear your children singing a song in Spanish. Chances are, they are singing one of the songs that they hear from Dora the explorer.
Having the songs in Spanish does not make it any hard for children to understand the message and the melody that the song has. This is a part of their learning experiences. Not only will they learn important values, they also get to have basic Spanish word lesson. This is definitely one thing they will not be able to learn from school.
The popularity of Dora the explorer have made it possible for everyone toddler from any parts of the world to have memorized every word in Dora the explorer songs. By now, they might even have them memorized by heart and can probably sing them word for word when they are watching the show.
So the next time you hear your child sing a song in Spanish, do not fret. They are not really singing something they should not be. They are just singing the songs that they hear from Dora the explorer.
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This content is provided by Jeremy Low and may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more info on dora explorer, please visit http://dora.articlekeep.com.
October 2, 2007
There’s something oddly satisfying about seeing a big-budget movie flop. Whenever we hear about these ambitious, special effects-laden extravaganzas going down in flames we get an odd feeling of schadenfreude.
But why is this? Does it stem from the fact that we feel manipulated, almost exploited, by the movie industry? Perhaps. After all, movie studios make a lot of coin from tweaking our emotions, be it through adrenaline-filled action films or mawkishly tear-jerking weepies.
Perhaps the best reason for our guilty pleasure at seeing a big-budget movie flop is the fact that we feel like we won a battle. We caught Hollywood trying to pull a fast one by releasing a bad movie and trying to hype it anyway — and we weren’t fooled. Gotcha. Better luck next time.
That’s all well and good, but there have been many excellent movies throughout the years that, for whatever reason, failed to make it big at the box office. Hey, just because a movie didn’t make a lot of money on its release doesn’t make it bad — after all, Citizen Kane barely made enough to cover the cost of a wooden sled on its original release. It wasn’t until its re-release and television syndication that it became perhaps the most critically acclaimed movie of all time.
So, here’s a look at two movies that didn’t live up to expectations on their release, but later went on to disprove the critics:
Fight Club
Despite eventually becoming an enormous cult hit, Fight Club performed poorly on its release. With a budget of $63 million it took just $37 million at the US box office. On its release the movie drew mixed critical reactions, partly due to its violent nature. One high profile critic described it as ‘a film without a single redeeming quality, which may have to find its audience in Hell’, and the flop cost the Entertainment Chief of 20th Century Fox his job.
Despite a tepid reception, Fight Club went on to turn a small profit at the global box office before exploding in popularity in the DVD market, becoming one of the best-loved films of the 90s. Today you’d be hard pressed to find a young man’s DVD collection that didn’t boast a Fight Club DVD.
Shawshank Redemption
One of the most well known box office flops of recent years, The Shawshank Redemption, based on a Steven King novella, came up against the might of Forrest Gump at the box office. Audiences preferred Hanks’ feel good vehicle over this depressing prison drama and, although Shawshank garnered 7 Oscar nominations, the box office take was pathetic.
This all changed once the movie was released on video. Bolstered by the Oscar endorsements Shawshank became the most rented video of 1995, going on to become our 2nd favorite movie of all time according to an Internet Movie Database poll.
The moral of the story, it seems, is that you should probably think twice before dismissing a movie based on its box office success. Movies are always at their most enjoyable when seen on the big screen, so you shouldn’t miss out on the chance to see them as they were meant to be seen simply because the audiences can’t tell a Hollywood gem from fools gold. After all, these are the same people who made Ernest Goes to Jail the number one movie in its opening week. Would you trust them?
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