Around Music ; Movies; Tv Online; Entertaiment; Films;

What You Need To Know Before Downloading Ringtones

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:23:00 +0000

by Grigoriy Anoshenko

The ringtone craze extends from fanatics in their pre-teens to those in post-retirement. The ease at which ringtones can be added to a mobile is staggering, and assigning a specific tone to a friend or family member is as simple as clicking a few buttons. However, there is some discretion that should be used before downloading ringtones to keep any "surprises" from entering your mobile, or even worst, your wallet.

Trojans and Viruses Free ringtones, and even those that you pay for are files, identical to those that are downloaded to your PC, only much smaller in size. Your mobile is synonymous to a computer which means that there is always the chance that a virus or a trojan can enter your mobile through ringtone downloads. Check with your service provider to see if they offer protection from virus downloads before your add ringtones that are found on the Internet.

Ringtone-Mobile Compatibility Not all ringtones are compatible with all phones, and the customer (not the ringtone provider) is required to ensure that the ringtone will work once it is purchased and downloaded. Also, be sure that your mobile carrier supports external ringtones, as many compatibility tests found online will verify that the ringtone will work with a phone, but after download, customers will find that their mobile provider disallows the ringtone's use. Check on the limitations of your mobile provider regarding external ringtones before making your ringtone purchase.

Connection Charges The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) allows mobile users to seamlessly connect to the Internet and surf the web via their phone. Connection charges to use the WAP varies by carrier, so be sure to verify how much you are paying to browse before logging on to get your downloads. And, as connection speeds may vary, the time spent downloading ringtones can become costly. One of the best ways to avoid these charges is to use the free services (such as in-store kiosks) that may be available through your mobile phone's service provider.

Ringtone Subscriptions Unbeknownst to most, are the ringtones scams that have emerged with the free download (or even paid download) providers. In these instances, downloads of ringtones automatically "subscribed" the customer into a program whose charges were seen on the customer's phone bill at a later time. Subscriptions for scams can be flat-fees or dependent on the number of ringtones that are downloaded, and range in cost from a few dollars, to a few hundred dollars in unauthorized charges. In most cases, neither the cell phone carriers nor the subscription companies are required to refund the charges.

By using trusted networks of ringtone providers, most of the problems stated can be avoided or eliminated. Safe bets to ensure that you receive the most from your downloads require that you install virus protecting software, check on the limitations of your service providers, and read all fine print prior to downloading ringtones from an unknown source.

Http://milesringtones.com

Dries Flowering for Crafts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:56:00 +0000

Even there are some matters we wish can live forever or just we wish will never end, in the end they do. Memory from special event, however, maintainable for us to remember and likes within old come. Dries flowering is a way of cheap and simple to look after this when caressed. There is road ? way duplicates to apply your interests and preserve they are for art and friezes. Are they a present, or from one day special they can be changed thing to think much of stripper after that time had through.

One way to look after flowering and using in arts is by hanging them to dry. If you sets mind on looks after overall of your interests, and intact, you would require to decide this thing before they have fully dikar. If an interest had opened too much, at the time dries the petal would be killed cancelation. Which bright and more life fresh interest is, increasingly good colour which would have been because drying. If you wished colours more strong ly, surely to start with the characteristic in fresh interest. If dried flower will be applied with his(its is stern, that will become best to wire stern whilst the interest fresh still. Then encloses interest, in confusion; overturn; inverse, for a strand of metal hanger and leave somewhere dark for two to three weeks. If the dried flower will be kept shortly before usage, their cover with a light materials, like tissue paper keeps to look after dusts off.

Bloomy looked after in this way applicable to having kinds of purpose. For an special events, like a nuptials party, some people wish to look after their bouquets. After the following draining comand bouquets can be placed as a wall to hang in side photograph which nuptials, in a shadow box, or only places is above a desk or in a cage. After interests dries them to earn also returns in a vase and groans a desk. If an interest is looked after, perhaps to save in space above frame which nuptials in in front of photograph which nuptials. In dried flower individual earns also is applied when making an interest network is in the form of circle. Interests doesn't have to have special meaning, every interest that drying well applicable to make one arrangement. In addition to adding having kinds of leaves, wedge, other ribbon or additions, dried flower sees nice in an interest network is in the form of circle. Sometime slimmer more, if interest network is in the form of your circle didn't see correctness, tries lessens number of from matters in it.

Interests earns also is looked after by becoming depressed. This method is simple and matters applicable to which you keeps wish to look after forever, or special cards or invitations. Even you can buy boxs to depress, they earn also is made by has some layers from pasteboard stacked with interests draws up in each sheets and then having compound with adjustable strap that you can tighten to ascertain a successful draining process. Interests is depressed is very multipurpose in their usages. When making nuptials announcements of an interest depressed from colours which nuptials is an addition which beautiful to invitations. They earn also applied to make announcements of cards or baby. Other option for interests depressed to place them as a view garden in one old windows or frame. Pastes up them in a cutting which separated from gelas/kaca, not part of original frame, cut to the same measure and then is placed and secured to frame. Every measure can be interesting and applies every where in a house, from a bathroom to bed room.

The interests not must be central from picture, but earning also is placed around a photograph or poem in doormat. This is a remarkable way to figure in the interests to event, but doing that is in a small way, natty.

If you can find a way to look after memorys specially they will bring gladness?joy through years. Fresh interests even haves the character of beautiful, dries them to earn same as pleasing. By finding various road?way to apply your interests, you will be besieged by your memorys and remembers that is happy time when life might be more difficult.

Free Internet televisions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 May 2007 08:15:00 +0000

Internet TV is basically the ability to view video streams over the Internet. The primary models for Internet television are streaming Internet TV or selectable video on an Internet location, typically a website.With the increase in internet connection speeds, advances in technology, it is now able to freely access.

Free Internet Television model is based on the same publishing model that exists on the Web: it allows access to an open platform, anyone can access, use and build for, together with the development of open source software, open standards and formats. Internet television uses internet to deliver video from a source to another device.

The major ways are Regular TV using Computer or a Set-top Box Video on Demand or show a channel 'live' Free Internet Television Portals Here i'll mention the top 5 free internet television portals and their merits www.wfitv.com - This site is a large index of links to live and recorded, streaming television broadcasts on the internet from around the world. Very useful navigation and simplicity is the trademark of this website www.channelchooser.com - Watch online news, music videos, documentaries, and all kinds of other video content.

This is a very good site to go to to find free video entertainment online. www.wwitv.com - This website offers lot of tv listings from around the globe. www.beelinetv.com - Beeline TV provides a selection of the best broadband internet television channels. www.channelking.com - Another worthy tv portal to look at. Your leisure time can be make more enjoyable by watching free internet tv channels - Be it Sports, News, Music, Movies and Entertainment

Creating Your Own Music Library

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 03:56:00 +0000

MP3’s are one of the best innovations ever produced in the music scene. MP3 history started when huge amount of music lovers preferred getting music from online sites than from CD’s and cassette bars. MP3 software as of now is the biggest audio sharing service with an estimated 200,00 songs, 17,000 albums and 10,000 artists. Nowadays, music is just one click away for anyone who wants full access to downloading songs. Creating your own music library can’t get any easier and simple than it is today.

What is MP3

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 means Motion Pictures Expert Group 1 Layer 3 commonly known as MP3 is a popular digital audio invented and standardized in 1991 by a group of audio engineers in Germany. MP3 is an encoded files with a sound quality nearly the same as audio CDs.

The average size of MP3 to a wave file is about 1:10, but the sound quality is much better than wave file, which is around 95%. The format of this invention is to compress sound sequence into a small file and keeping its fantastic sound quality. It was designed to reduce the data required to create audio but still sound like the original one.

Because MP3 is a flexible format it can provide a number for its “bit rate”-which is the total number of bits of recorded data that is used to represent each second of audio files. MP3 audio files are cd quality depending on its bit rate.

When an MP3 file is encoded with a low bit rate it will play a low quality than from a high bit rate. The quality of MP3 audio files always depends on the degree of recorded signal and the encoder. Since there are many types of audio files but only MP3 music files that can be put in an audio devise.

Why Mp3’s are the preferred format

1. You can download music in minutes
2. You can load an MP3 file from any music sites in the web and stream play it
3. You can also make of a record of your own and easily make it an MP3 file.
4. You can put a huge amount of MP3 audio files on a CD-RW or CD-R’s
5. You can store MP3 files into your iPod and MP3 players.

How to Download Mp3

Downloading MP3’s is as simple as it can be. Listening in a MP3 files needs a computer, speakers, a sound card, an internet connection then you must get a MP3 player, WinAMP is a popular and nice player but there are such many MP3 players available. You can try other players and find the best one for yourself.

There are many sites that offer MP3 music to be downloaded. All you have to do is search for the song you want and you can just go to their site and start your download. Some of these sites offer their MP3’s for free while some offers them for a minimal amount or just for a membership to their site.

To make a MP3 encoders from a Software page just install it and read the file with the software. It is easier to download audio files if you have an Internet connection. To listen to your MP3 songs just simply click on a song you have already downloaded. By downloading songs of your choice you can get any music you want to hear.

Today, with over 200 million users with full access of downloading their preferred music on the legal file sharing networks it seems that there is no stopping its loading. Music loading is much getting better. All you want is easily available.

Free MP3 Music Download: Does It Exist?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 02:11:00 +0000

Listening to music is one of the best ways to relax and unwind. You hear it everywhere, in cars, shopping malls, your home, in public transportation vehicles, your office and etc. It is a fact that people loves to listen to music, and chances are, you are too.

Imagine yourself at school, your professor suddenly announced that the submission for your school project was due today, and you completely forgot about it. Your professor was giving you a hard time with that school project, and you realized that you still have to finish your article for the school paper. You then went to the editor and told him or her that you haven’t finished writing the article. Your editor was so angry and kept on telling you how important that article was for the school paper.

You then skipped class to finish your article only to realize that it was your final exam for that subject. You’re stressed out for that day and a lot of things are going on in your mind, you then went to your dorm and played your favorite music on your CD player and started to relax. After an hour of listening to music, your mind’s refreshed and ready to handle the stress of school on the next day. You submitted the article, asked your professor to give you a special exam for the finals and caught up on the project.

There are a lot more benefit that music can give you. Not only that it is a great stress reliever, but it also helps you to keep awake when driving, and for some people, it helps them work more efficiently. With music, you will never be bored.

So where can you get your favorite music?

Because of the internet, there are many mp3 download websites that will enable you to download all your favorite music. An mp3 download website usually offer their services for a fee, either on a subscription basis or a fee for every mp3 download. These types of websites are usually legal and will not get you in trouble with the law.

However, there are also websites that offer completely free mp3 download, no subscription fees, no fee per song downloaded, all you have to do is visit a website that offers these services and download songs you want to listen to.

These types of websites are usually illegal and can get you in trouble. Many websites that offer free mp3 music downloads are usually breaking the copyright law. They offer mp3 downloads for free and in some countries, authorities have the technology to trace downloads from this site and can get you into trouble with the law.

It is a very serious offense when you download illegal mp3s. Countries such as the United States enforce anti-piracy laws very strictly. You will be fined a lot of money and sometimes it can even get you to prison.

Another type if free mp3 music downloads is through peer to peer sharing programs. These programs allow you to download mp3 music from other people’s computer for free. Usually, most of these programs are illegal and can also get you in trouble with the law. So, it is wise that you should avoid downloading free mp3 music download from websites that looks illegal.

Legal free mp3 downloads websites are hard to find and will require you to “dig deep” in the Internet to find one. Free mp3 music download websites exists but most are illegal and the legal ones are hard to find.

Always remember that listening to mp3 music is fun and convenient but, do not get yourself into trouble with the law just to get one.

Want to Play a Killer Video Game?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 08:04:00 +0000

by: DeWayne H. Strickland

One of the greatest video arcade games was "The House of The Dead" and the excitement of shooting your way out to stay alive was intense! It is good to see hot video games turning into movies, such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill. One movie in particular has a powerful gory twist, when it comes to game playing. The new movie "Stay Alive" will take you to a whole new level of gaming, if you can stay alive! Do you like creepy video games where your life is on the line?

It was just a matter of time before a movie came out that took you into the game world for real! Think of the last game that you played and be glad you did not die in reality. Imagine the pressure of a video game pushing you to win, or you will end in a bloody death! Sounds like fun until you see some red eyes coming out of the darkness to steal your soul!

"Stay Alive" starts out as an interesting game, but there should have been a clear warning, when you have to chant something! The chant in the movie opens up a portal for the main killer of the game to take your life. Once in the game you can use roses to stop the attacker, but you have to be quick.

The killer in the game is a mysterious lady who does not think twice about running you over with a horse and carriage. She does not wince at stabbing large scissors in your neck. You have to feel badly for the people who first play this game, because they never had a chance to see what was coming. Only the people playing later on can put the pieces of the puzzle together. It is after seeing one person die after another, that the cast of "Stay Alive" gets serious.

This movie has a strong Gothic touch and the mysterious lady killer in the game loves blood. You will get a sense of a vampire blood lust in this movie. Hutch O'Neill(Jon Foster) decides to go to a plantation that is exactly like the one in the video game. While at the plantation he finds a rude awakening. The plantation is not only just like the game, but the master of the house has been killed.

The small group that remains has gathered knowledge about the twisted and sick lady killer in the game. They find out she is kept alive by draining and soaking her body in young girls blood. The trick is getting to the tower that holds her body and killing her. The one way they can kill her is by using nails, but even that ultimately fails. I will let you find out what really kills the Lady of Blood by watching the movie.

Swink Sylvania(Frankie Muiz) plays a geek who cannot shut his mouth, but has a greater understanding of what is going on then anyone else. Swink Sylvania(Frankie Muiz) turns out to be a very important person in this movie, and without him things would have been gory for the two still alive. The movie will give you a sense of 'Hell Raiser' meets the demon eyed blood lady.

The movie really was not that bad and the story line was interesting, for a creepy video game come to life! Video games have gained so much popularity and it is easy to get caught up in the game. Once you start playing, time goes by so fast and you forget what is going on around you. Video games are a nice escape from reality, just as long as no one gets killed!

The next time you are in the video store, take a good look at what is on the shelf. Will you be playing some Madden football or will you be fighting for your life in the streets? Maybe that one creepy video game you see has been calling your name! Either way, it is fun for a bunch of friends to bring over their video game consoles and see who comes out the winner.

Remember with "Stay Alive", you die in the game, then you die for real!

How To Get An Agent Or Manager

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 01:07:00 +0000

by: Sacreeta Veneficus

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.

Paramount And Hollywood Power’s Shift, And Now Hedge Funds

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:58:00 +0000

by: Richard Stoyeck

Until the 1950’s, Hollywood was controlled by seven major motion picture studios. More importantly it was controlled by moguls, all of whom were men they of eastern European descent, who ruled the studio in the same way that the kings of their previous countries ruled the peasants. Creative control belonged to the mogul, while the money was always controlled by the New York bankers, the so-called “Suits”.

This power alignment began with the beginning of Hollywood prior to 1920, and continued for 40 plus years. What held it intact was the caste system, whereby the stars were controlled by individual studios. They were paid on a yearly basis, and had no say whatsoever in the movies they would appear in. In essence they were slaves to the system, not very different from how baseball players were handled until the Supreme Court outlawed career-long captive players.

The Hollywood caste system began to crack in the 1950’s, when Kirk Douglas, the father of Michael Douglas went independent, and formed one of the first independent film companies called Bryna, for his mother. They produced the “Vikings”, “Spartacus”, and “Seven Days in May”. The so called Studio system was now dead. Power shifted to the individual actors, who became BRAND NAMES in their own right.

Two developments began in the 1960’s. The Hollywood studios would be taken over by corporations, and then reacquired by giant multinational corporations seeking world-wide influence. The second development was that the stars began to exercise their power. Giant multinationals like Sony, Newscorp, and Viacom hated the fact that stars had so much power. In the last ten years, A-List actors like Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, and Robert Redford started to receive profit participations, which the studios only gave begrudgingly.

At first it didn’t matter because Hollywood accounting is such that somehow the studios could always show a loss on the movie. The stars got wise to that very quickly, and started taking front end participations, a percentage of the ticket when movie goers bought their tickets. In my 35 years on Wall Street, I participated in financing many movies, and I have to tell you that nobody ever made money on the backend. No matter how big the movie, somehow the movie always lost money when it came to the backend participations.

We have now reached a point where the giant multinationals that control media on a world wide basis are fed up with what they are putting up with on behalf of brand name stars. Mel Gibson as you know has run into trouble on the West Coast with his drinking, and purported anti-Semitic remarks resulting in Disney canceling a Holocaust series with Gibson’s production company.

Now Tom Cruise has had a falling out with Sumner Redstone, and Viacom. Publicly Redstone has stated he doesn’t like some of Cruise’s actions in the last year. This doesn’t make sense. Normally when a studio breaks with a star, there is no public statement. None is required to be given, and they just part ways. This is more personal.

It is rumored that Viacom had offered Cruise a $2 million production deal, down from $4 million in the previous deal, plus a $6 million fund for the development of movie projects. Here’s the real deal. Tom Cruise did “Mission Impossible III” for Viacom, the movie grosses near $400 million world-wide. Cruise had negotiated as a fee, 25% of Viacom’s gross revenue on the movie.

This is the way it works. The movie does $400 million. The theaters get half, and Viacom gets half, that’s $200 million apiece. Cruise gets 25% of Viacom’s half, that’s $50 million. In the end Viacom gets $150 million, and Cruise gets $50 million. Sounds great for Viacom doesn’t it. Not really, Viacom must pay for the movie which had to be $150 million plus advertising. Viacom gets zero, and Cruise still gets $50 million. This is why Sumner Redstone of Viacom is annoyed, and Cruise is sitting on top of the world.

In the end Redstone will last laugh, why you ask? There’s still Hollywood accounting to deal with. Remember that all the original Hollywood studios were sold off into the hands of multinational corporations (MNC’s). Do you really think the MNC’s bought the studios for the theater gross? Absolutely not. In reality movie ticket sales represent a third of a movie’s earnings power. Viacom can lose money on a picture, and still make a fortune on DVD sales (a third), and future television and cable rights (a third).

The MNC’s have never shared profits on these other two-thirds of the revenue, and they never will. They refuse to even discuss it, and the numbers are buried deep in the corporation’s financial statements. They are never broken out, and they are kept secret. Viacom has made, and will make hundreds of millions of dollars on Mission Impossible III.

Redstone got fed up and threw Cruise off the lot. There are now statements being made by Cruise’s production partner Paula Wagner. She says that Cruise is raising $200 million from hedge funds to fund Cruise’s future projects. Wait until these Wall Street hedge fund types learn about Hollywood accounting. They are going to lose their shirts funding movies. This is not an industry that Wall Street should want to get involved with. Losing your shirt is one thing, but not even knowing that you have lost it until you are standing naked in the street is quite another.

Create Audio CDs from MP3 files

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 05:54:00 +0000

By: Jill Kane

Music has found a new way of storage in the form of digital files in the computer and other digital systems. The MP3 format is the most popular and widely used storage media for music. Many people store a database of music in the form of MP3s in their computer system. There is a need to create a back up of every file stored on the computer due to the fear of its crashing. Similar to the data files backup, MP3 backup is also necessary. The most convenient and intelligent way of creating MP3 backup is by converting them into audio CDs.

Converting MP3 files into audio CDs is very simple and relatively easier than creating a backup of a data file. There is an abundance of CD burning software which can burn or make an audio CD with the help of a CD writer drive. The user just needs to compile a play list of the MP3 song files which he needs to store and then the software stores them into the CD.

The burning procedure of the audio CD is easy to understand. In the burning procedure, first the Mp3 files are converted into Compact Disc Audio (CDA) format files. This process is internal to the software program and is not displayed to the user. The most popular CD burning program is Nero. Although Nero software can handle all the burning procedure and behind the scenes conversion, it provides additional customized options for advanced users. For instance, Nero has a simple audio editor which provides the advanced option of applying filters like noise reduction, equalization or stereo widening and splitting of files.

Not all the CD burning software comes with the advanced features. In these cases the MP3 can be processed manually before burning the CD using dedicated audio editing software. There are plenty of freeware and commercial software programs available on the Internet for this service. The most useful editing functions while preparing MP3 files for burning onto CDs is to 'normalize' them. The normalization process smoothens out the volume spikes or differences between the various tracks on the CD. This process ensures that the entire CD plays at the same relative loudness. After the editing procedure of the MP3 files they should be saved in the WAV file format to be burned to CD. Sometimes the MP3s are burned to a Compact Disc Recordable (CD-R) format. The problem with this format is that although most modern CD players can play this CD format, the older CD players might not read them.

It is not essential for MP3s to be converted to another format. They can be burned directly to Audio CDs in the original MP3 format without any conversion. As MP3 files comes in a more highly compressed format than other formats, a large amount of song files can be stored on one CD - about 120 songs instead of 10 Wav type files. Moreover, the MP3 CDs can be played on a computer CD-ROM in addition to the compatible CD and DVD players.

There is one problem with MP3 CDs and that is looking for a particular piece of music among the huge file list is difficult, especially if the CD player doesn't have a display. The solution to this problem is to use a DVD player connected to a TV or home theater system and arrange the songs into logically divided folders - by artist, album etc. Also the name of the MP3 files should start with the name of the song rather than the artist to facilitate searching.

For more information on MP3 Music or MP3 Players visit http://www.mp3-express.com/mp3-players.htm

Facts to Consider In Downloading Free MP3 Songs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 05:26:00 +0000

MP3 players are the latest innovation in the audio technology. There had been many designs and features that sprouted out about MP3 players. Not to mention immense companies making various models of MP3 players.

Truly, MP3 players are the latest trend in the society nowadays. Mostly of teens own a MP3 player. They carry it anywhere they go and what ever they do.

MP3 players have many features that can be useful in everyday living. For students, Mp3 players are very useful in recording seminars or professor’s lectures for future review. One can record almost all sounds using his MP3 player.

Looking for MP3 formatted songs for your MP3 player is now made easy. Everywhere, you may find many Internet cafes or even Tech stores that offer encoding and downloading of MP3 songs. In addition to that, with the aide of the Internet, you may as well look for your favourite songs in MP3 formats.

However, acquiring those songs, be it in Internet cafes or the web, will require you money. Mostly, Internet cafes charge a person per song. Same thing in the Internet but the difference is that, in the Internet downloading is made in bulk. Every download is limited to a minimum of 10 songs only or even higher depending on the company offering the service.

On the other hand, there are also web companies in the Internet that offers free downloads of songs in exchange for a simple task ask to you. They maybe ask you to register your e-mail to them, inquire at a certain site, when you apply for a visa, etc. Sometimes these offers have no money involve.

These are limited offers and sometimes temporary. There are cases that you may be asked to pay very minimal cost for a big quantity of MP3 songs.

Although they offer free MP3 songs, the risk you may get from it could be immense. Illegal web hosts are widely out in the Internet. Nobody is exempted to accidentally land on their fraudulent offers. These web hosts may infect your PC with virus upon downloading files. You are offered free MP3 songs but what are given you are free viruses.

The legality of the free downloadable MP3 songs is very essential. All sites must transact with legal songs only. Songs and albums have copyrights from the artist, producer or the recording company.

Copying of it in any form and in any circumstance without the permission of the copyright holder is illegal and punishable by the existing law.

There are also web sites that offer free downloadable MP3 songs only upon purchase of their products. Others offer 1 or 2 free MP3 songs when one downloads at least 10 or more songs. Quite very good offer but is not completely free. You will still need to spend a penny before you may enjoy the free songs.

These are just but few of the realities happening behind a free MP3 download. Some of these offers are reasonable and very practical. However, if you are looking for absolute free MP3 downloadable songs, you are actually looking for nothing.

All of the offers in exchange of something from except money are somehow true. But it will not guarantee you of a complete free download of MP3 songs. They are just incentives for patronizing their product or their company.

Free MP3: Know all about it and get it free!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 05:19:00 +0000

What is mp3?

Mp3 is a name of a file extension specifically the type of file for MPEG, audio layer 3.

Coding schemes includes layer 1, layer 2, and layer 3. Layer 3 is responsible for the compression of audio signals. It uses perceptual audio coding and psychoacoustic compression to remove the redundant and irrelevant parts of a sound signal like the sound the human ear does not hear.

It increases frequency resolution 18 times higher than that of layer 2 because MDCT (Modified Discrete Cosine Transform) that implements a filter bank. It is also capable of compressing the original sound data from a CD with a bit rate of 1411.2 kilobits per one second of stereo music by a factor of 12 down to 112-128kbps without sacrificing sound quality.

What are the Qualities of an Mp3 audio?

Mp3 is a lousy format providing a number of different options for its bit rate. Bit rate is the number of bits of encoded data representing each second of audio.

The quality of Mp3 files is dependent upon the quality of the encoder and the difficulty in encoding signals. Mp3 files encoded with lower bit rate generally playback at lower quality. Too low bit rate affects compression artifacts thus sounds that were not present during the encoding may appear in the reproduction.

Mp3 with a compression ratio of approximately 11:1 can achieve sound quality superior to FM radio and cassette tape due to limitation of bandwidth, SNR and other analog media.

How does Mp3 go public?

ISO MPEG Audio committee members developed reference simulation software written in C language known as ISO 11172-5 to produce bit complaint MPEG Audio files (Layer 1, Layer2, and Layer 3). It was able to demonstrate the first real time hardware decoding (DSP based) of compressed audio.

13enc was the first software Mp3 encoder released on July 7, 1994 by Fraunhofer Society. The files had been named .bit until the team have chosen the file extension.mp3 on July 14, 1995.

Many people were able to encode and playback Mp3 files on their PCs due to the release of Winplay3-the first real-time software Mp3 player on September 9, 1995.

Mp3 files are small so they can be easily transferred across the internet. Small hard drives ranging 500MB during its invention can store music on the computer. It gives a breakthrough in listening music using computers.

Mp3 files during the first half of 1995 became popular in the internet due to and interchangeable with the successes of companies and software packages. Nullsoft Winamp was released in 1997 while mpg123 and Napster in 1999 gives a breakthrough for the user’s easy playback, create, share and collect Mp3s.

Widespread of Mp3 files on the internet created a controversy that arises regarding peer-to-peer file sharing of Mp3 files. High compression enables sharing of files that are too large and cumbersome to share. People should also be aware of the intellectual property rights so that filing of lawsuit can be prevented.

You can choose from the following architecture free Mp3 players. I-tunes for the Macintosh and PC, Winamp for Windows 95/98 or NT or XMMS if you are using UNIX are great tools.

What are you waiting for? Get your Mp3 free and listen to your favourite type of music!

Book Review: This Terrible Business Has Been Good to Me - An autobiography by filmmaker Norman Jewison

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 06:25:00 +0000

by: Aldene Fredenburg

This exuberant autobiography takes us through movie director Norman Jewison's entire career, from the fluffy Doris Day comedies of his early years to his most powerful dramas. Over more than forty years, he has made films that are not only highly entertaining, but at times manage to make a valuable moral statement about the world.

Jewison, who was born in Canada in 1927, describes a pivotal moment in his life when, after World War II, he traveled through the American South in his Canadian military uniform and was browbeaten by a bus driver after he, not understanding the system of segregation, chose to sit in the back of a bus. The incident made a powerful impact on him, and eventually resulted in a determination to portray the ugliness of racial injustice cinematically. The outcome of this determination is a collection of groundbreaking movies which illuminate the inequities in an America divided into black and white.

Jewison's powerful 1967 drama In the Heat of the Night stars Sidney Poitier as strong, outspoken black Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs, who ends up stranded at a Mississippi train depot in the middle of the night. When a wealthy factory owner is murdered, Tibbs is hauled in for questioning and ends up collaborating with chief of police Bill Gillespie to solve the crime. The entire film crackles with racial tension as Tibbs comes up against dangerously violent citizens stirred up by the businessman's death and Tibbs' powerful and unyielding presence.

Jewison expressed doubts about being able to get the movie made to Senator Robert F. Kennedy; Kennedy urged him to persist, saying, "The time is right for a movie like this." Kennedy was right; the film was received with critical acclaim and recognized as revolutionary for its time, the first portrayal of a strong, independent black man who did not back down in the face of white aggression.

Jewison has continued to make pointed statements about race; in the 1984 A Soldier's Story, an Army investigator (Howard Rollins) looks into the murder of an unpopular black sergeant in the South; the 1999 drama The Hurricane, depicts the true story of boxer Hurricane Carter's conviction and imprisonment for a crime he didn't commit, and the man's ultimate vindication.

Jewison's cinematic range covers just about every genre. The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) is a hilarious and touching account of a Russian submarine which beaches itself on a sandbar off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. Part of the crew goes ashore and causes a panic among the island's residents; when the rest of the crew manages to free the submarine, it ends up tooling into the town harbor, threatening a violent confrontation which is averted when the islanders and the Russians must work together to save a small boy from danger. The movie was a resounding success in the Soviet Union as well as in the U.S., and may have done as much for détente between the two superpowers as any politician in either country.

Moonstruck (1987), an off-beat romantic comedy starring Cher and Nicholas Cage; In Country (1989), a brooding analysis of the effects of the Vietnam War on an emotionally damaged vet (Bruce Willis) and his niece (Emily Lloyd), herself an orphan of a soldier who didn't make it home; The Cincinnati Kid (1965), in which Edward G. Robinson and Steve McQueen face off in a gritty and psychologically intense poker game are all markedly different from each other, as are all his movies. One trait each of Jewison's movies does have in common with all the others is a deep understanding and sympathy for human nature; even his villains exhibit a depth and a complexity uncommon in moviemaking.

The book contains inside info on the making of each of Jewison's movies and plenty of fascinating tidbits about the actors and other celebrities he's dealt with over the years. The result is a book which offers insight into the author, a great overview of his movies, and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Birth of Legal Music Downloads

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 00:41:00 +0000

by: Morgan Hamilton

In recent years, less people have been buying CDs and many are now downloading music online. This is due to the emergence of music download sites like Napster, and the rising popularity of MP3 players from iPod and other similar companies. People are now choosing downloads over CDs because of the expensive price of a whole CD, and they want to take advantage of the free music that downloads can offer. However, a crackdown on free music a few years ago has made shareware illegal and turned legal music downloads a popular alternative.

The creation of legal music downloads came about because of the complaints of many artists and musicians. They pleaded with the government that they owned their music, and it therefore should not be available for free downloading through shareware like Napster. The government decided that shareware sites are indeed illegal, and allowed companies to provide music downloads for a small fee, as long as it was not free or through shareware.

As a result, music downloading websites began popping up online, with ITunes being the most popular. Napster also began providing legal music downloads to consumers for a monthly subscription fee. ITunes became increasingly popular mainly because they provided legal music downloads for a very nominal fee of only ninety-nine cents per song, and it was also more convenient than other sources. You don’t have to pay a costly monthly subscription if you just want to one or two songs. There are now more than a hundred of sites that offer music downloads ranging from small start up companies to established ones like Yahoo and ITunes.

There are even a handful of international sites that offer legal music downloads. Russia has the most popular and widespread international sites. However, they are monitored very closely because they offer songs for as little as five cents each. Music companies and artists are not very fond of music being sold for that little. It has been difficult to crack down on them because other countries do not fully recognize intellectual property laws.

You can find legal music downloads in several ways. It is advisable that you go through reputable and well known sites such as Itunes or Yahoo. You can also take a risk and download your music through one of the international sites that currently offer legal music downloads. However, you have to run the chance of a government crackdown or glitches in the site that can prevent you from fully downloading the music you paid for.

Diamond Head / Gone With the Wave - "Music"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 00:59:00 +0000

by: Kevin McGann

For their latest Colpix CD double-header, FSM have brought together two titans of film scoring, under the banner of sand, surf and sea. From 1963, we get Johnny Williams' Hawaiian-influenced “soap” score to the Chuck Heston starrer Diamond Head, coupled with Lalo Schifrin's 'groovin' tunes from the 'cult' surf documentary Gone With The Wave, which surfaced one year later in 1964. These are straight re-issues of the LP's which were released at the same time as the movies they accompanied.

Although Diamond Head follows the same path as a lot of Johnny Williams' scores from this period (namely, a collection of dance and source cues, rearranged for the LP release), this score does contain some hidden highlights. In amongst the lightweight pop/jazz arrangements, for which Williams was popular during this decade, there are four tracks which evoke the sound of the more dramatic John Williams, who would go on to become a major force in movie scoring for many years to come.

‘Main Title’, ‘Sloan Strolls’, ‘Sloan's Dream’ and ‘End Title’ will resonate with fans of the composer's dramatic style, which feature his yearning string sound, as well as some powerful horn and strident brass passages. Although the main theme is not written by Williams (the title song has lyrics by Mack David set to a Hugo Winterhalter melody), his strong orchestration technique pretty much makes it sound like a John Williams composition, when it is employed. Even the tracks ‘Mei Chen’ and ‘Manoalani’ have a less “poppy” feel to them, coming across as more dramatic and fleshed out than other Williams 'source' cues from his films from this period.

Although fans of Lalo Schifrin's more dramatic music will find little to sink their teeth into during Gone With The Wave, his jazz/groove listeners will eat this up. It's basically a collection of laid back, unrelated melodies, which Schifrin composed without seeing the film, with what he termed a 'good band' (which included some of the best West Coast jazz performers of the time). The styles covered include a samba, some jazz and blues pieces and a slice of Mexicana. It's a pretty rare album though (and was a huge seller at the time), so Schifrin completists should be in heaven.

Film Score Monthly's booklet and packaging continue to show the others how it should be done, with their now customary reversible covers, informative track by track breakdown, original LP liner notes and even a nice note of explanation concerning their source of the music tracks. Anyone concerned that these two soundtracks were sourced from original LP and tape transfers need not worry. The minute you hit play on your CD player all concerns will vanish. The sound is quite astonishing!

Whilst (dramatic) Schifrin fans should approach with care, there is less to debate for fans of Williams, who will lap up the opportunity to hear passages of music wherein Johnny would eventually become John, thereby making this an essential purchase for anyone who follows the career of this legendary composer.

The Passion of the Maya ( Movies Review )

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 03:15:00 +0000

By A. O. SCOTT

“I’m going to peel off his skin and make him watch me wear it.” This grisly threat is delivered by one of the main bad guys in Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto.” The promised flaying never takes place, but viewers who share this director’s apparently limitless appetite for gore will not be disappointed, since not much else in the way of bodily torment has been left to the imagination. There are plenty of disembowelings, impalings, clubbings and beheadings. Hearts are torn, still beating, from slashed-open chests. A man’s face is chewed off by a jaguar. Another’s neck is pierced by darts tipped with frog venom. Most disturbing, perhaps, is the sight of hundreds of corpses haphazardly layered in an open pit: a provocative and ill-advised excursion into Holocaust imagery on this director’s part.

Violence has become the central axiom in Mr. Gibson’s practice as a filmmaker, his major theme and also his chief aesthetic interest. The brutality in “Apocalypto” is so relentless and extreme that it sometimes moves beyond horror into a kind of grotesque comedy, but to dismiss it as excessive or gratuitous would be to underestimate Mr. Gibson’s seriousness. And say what you will about him — about his problem with booze or his problem with Jews — he is a serious filmmaker.

Which is not to say that “Apocalypto” is a great film, or even that it can be taken quite as seriously as it wants to be. Mr. Gibson’s technical command has never been surer; for most of its 2-hour 18-minute running time, “Apocalypto,” written by Mr. Gibson and Farhad Safinia, is a model of narrative economy, moving nimbly forward and telling its tale with clarity and force. It is, above all, a muscular and kinetic action movie, a drama of rescue and revenge with very little organic relation to its historical setting. Yes, the dialogue is in various Mayan dialects, which will sound at least as strange to American ears as the Latin and Aramaic of “The Passion of the Christ,” but the film’s real language is Hollywood’s, and Mr. Gibson’s, native tongue.

When I first heard about this project, and later when I saw the early trailers, I halfway hoped that Mr. Gibson might turn out to be an American (or half-Australian) version of Werner Herzog, setting out into the jungle to explore the dark and tangled regions of human nature. Once you get past the costumes and the subtitles, though, the most striking thing about “Apocalypto” is how comfortably it sits within the conventions of mainstream moviemaking. It is not an obsessive opera like Mr. Herzog’s “Aguirre: The Wrath of God,” but rather a pop period epic in the manner of “Gladiator” or “Braveheart,” and as such less interested in historical or cultural authenticity than in imposing an accessible scheme on a faraway time and place.

The setting is Central America before the arrival of the Spanish, when the Maya empire, in Mr. Gibson’s version, was already in the process of collapsing from within. The basic moral conflict — as it was in “Braveheart,” directed by and starring Mr. Gibson, and in “The Patriot,” a vehicle for him directed by Roland Emmerich — is between a small group of people trying to live simple, decent, traditional lives and a larger, more powerful political entity driven by bloodlust and greed. This kind of conservative anti-imperialism runs consistently through Mr. Gibson’s work; whether the empire in question is Roman, British or Mesoamerican, and whatever its political resonance might be, it allows the viewer to root for an unambiguously virtuous underdog.

“Apocalypto” begins with a group of young men out on a hunt and lingers for a while in their happy, earthy village, a place that might double as a nostalgic vision of small-town America were it not for the loin cloths, the tattooed buttocks and the facial piercings. Blunted (Jonathan Brewer) is nagged by his mother-in-law and teased by his buddies because he hasn’t yet made his wife pregnant, but he accepts his humiliation in good humor, like the jolly fat kid on a family sitcom.

Meanwhile Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), whose father (Morris Birdyellowhead) is an admired hunter and warrior, snuggles down with his pregnant wife, Seven (Dalia Hernandez), and their young son, Turtle Run (Carlos Emilio Baez). There’s fresh tapir meat on the grill and an old-timer telling stories by the fire. Life is good.

Needless to say, this pastoral idyll cannot last. The ominous strains of James Horner’s score indicate as much. Before long the village is set upon by fearsome marauders, led by Zero Wolf (Raoul Trujillo), who rape, burn and kill with ruthless discipline and undisguised glee. The locals resist valiantly, but the survivors are led away to an uncertain fate. Seven and Turtle Run stay behind, hidden in a hole in the ground.

Jaguar Paw’s mission will be to rescue them and also to avenge his friends and kin. First, though, he will accompany us on a Cecil B. DeMille tour of the decadent imperial capital, a place of misery, luxury and corruption, where priests and nobles try to keep famine and pestilence at bay with round-the-clock human sacrifices.

Neither Mr. Gibson’s fans nor his detractors are likely to accuse him of excessive subtlety, and the effectiveness of “Apocalypto” is inseparable from its crudity. But the blunt characterizations and the emphatic emotional cues are also evidence of the director’s skill.

Perhaps because he is aiming for an audience wary of subtitles, Mr. Gibson rarely uses dialogue as a means of exposition, and he proves himself to be an able, if not always terribly original, visual storyteller. He is not afraid of clichés — the slow-motion, head-on sprint toward the camera; the leap from the waterfall into the river below — but he executes them with a showman’s maniacal relish.

And it is, all in all, a pretty good show. There is a tendency, at least among journalists, to take Mr. Gibson as either a monster or a genius, a false choice that he frequently seems intent on encouraging. Is he a madman or a visionary? Should he be shunned or embraced? Censured or forgiven?

These are the wrong questions, but their persistence reveals the truth about this shrewd and bloody-minded filmmaker. He is an entertainer. He will be publicized, and he will be paid.

“Apocalypto” is rated R (Under 17 must be accompanied by parent or adult guardian). See the first paragraph above.

APOCALYPTO

Opens today nationwide.

Directed by Mel Gibson; written (in Maya, with English subtitles) by Mr. Gibson and Farhad Safinia; director of photography, Dean Semler; edited by John Wright; music by James Horner; production designer, Tom Sanders; produced by Mr. Gibson and Bruce Davey; released by Touchstone Pictures. Running time: 138 minutes.

WITH: Rudy Youngblood (Jaguar Paw), Dalia Hernandez (Seven), Jonathan Brewer (Blunted), Raoul Trujillo (Zero Wolf), Gerardo Taracena (Middle Eye), Rodolfo Palacios (Snake Ink), Fernando Hernandez (High Priest), Maria Isidra Hoil and Aquetzali Garcia (Oracle Girls) and Abel Woolrich (Laughing Man).

info from;nytimes.com

Movie Downloads Online - What's The Best Way?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 03:18:00 +0000

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.

Watch Movies, Music, Sports All4Free On Your PC

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 03:15:00 +0000

by: Tony Pescatore

With your computer you can watch movies, music, sports all4free on your PC, which is what I do. I don't have to pay any monthly satellite subscription payments or any other recurring payments ever.

There are over 3000 stations I can choose from to watch (Movies, Sports, Music, Clips, News, Radio, etc.) from all over the world including local, regional and international broadcasts.

I can watch over 40 music channels with this software plus includes masses of radio stations as well.

Do you like baseball which has it's own baseball channel TV, basketball NBA TV, hockey NHL, football offcourse live games, soccer which has most English Premier League games live if two or more are on the same time you choose which one you want to see, tennis or even athletics, what about boxing, whatever the sport you can watch until your hearts content.

All you need to be able to connect to a world of television is a computer with Internet access. Meaning that you do not need to buy extra hardware equipment or a PC TV card because the TV channels are streamed through your Internet connection. It even works with a 56k connection. Personally though I only recommend this if you have broadband connection not just 56k connection.(A broadband connection will deliver superior audio and video quality).

The lifetime fee for all the entertainment you need costs $49.95 and as that would suggest, it is the only payment you will ever have to make then you can watch movies, music, sports all4free on your PC.

These are some of the channels for TVU CHANNEL GUIDE, CBN, Fashion, ESPN (ASIA), Star Sports, CCT-5 (Sports), Fox, NBC, NBC15, CBS, ESPN, ESPN 2, Hunan TV, CSTV, NHL2, Telecapri (Italy Sports), NHL, ONTOP TV (Music), USA Network, CW, E-Music (Harik), EA Music, Xin Chi, Class News (Italy), DW TV (German), Bloomberg, NASA TV, CNBC (India), WSCN, Fox News (M), MSNBC, Phoenix Info, StarTV, Phoenix CN, CTITV, Channel 52, AXN, Hollywood Movie, East TV, CCTV 8, HuaYu, Channel V, Comedy Central, Voice TV, TeleMundo, My Life, EasyFM, CRI Language Studio, HITZ Radio, Nickelodeon, CHANNEL D1, RTM2 etc.

The above channels are just a taste of what there is plus movies you can watch blockbuster titles from all around the world for free from the comfort of your own home.

Over 100 USA TV stations, 60 plus UK TV stations, also ALBANIA, ALGERIA, ANDORRA, ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, BELARUS, BELGIUM, BOLIVIA, BOSNIA, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHILE, CHINA, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, CUBA, CZECH REP, DENMARK, DOMINIC. REP, EGYPT, ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, GREECE, HUNGARY, ICELAND, INDIA, INDONESIA, IRAN, IRAQ, ISRAEL, ITALY, JAMAICA, JAPAN, JORDAN, KURDISTAN, KUWAIT, LATVIA, LEBANON, LUXEMBURG, MACEDONIA, MALAYSIA, MALTA, MEXICO, MONGOLIA, NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, NICARAGUA, NIGERIA, OMAN, PANAMA, PERU, PHILIPPINES, POLAND, PORTUGAL, PUERTO RICO, QATAR, ROMANIA, RUSSIAN FED, SAUDI ARABIA, SERBIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SOUTH KOREA, SPAIN, SRI LANKA, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, TAIWAN, THAILAND, TURKEY, UKRAINE, VATICAN CITY, VENEZUELA, VIETNAM +PLUS MUCH MORE!!!

Plus Foreign (136) Domestic (89) Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan (64) General (62) TV broadcast channels (59) Entertainment (46) Television (44) sports (41) Issued (36) radio (31) Recommendation (28) Republic of Korea (26) CCTV (22) science (18) TVANTS Television (11) digital television channels (8) 3TV test channel (7) VIP tests (5) FINANCIAL (5), religion (4) Film (3) games (2) CNC (2) NBA (1) Shanghai (1) Opera (1)

If you have kids at home and you want to keep them quiet there is a whole variety of children shows. There is also news, weather, politics, and much, much more are also covered. Whatever you want to watch it's all there for you with an Internet satellite television connection. The best part about this it’s completely, 100% free so you can watch movies, music, sports all4free on your PC.

They only hire the best developers who have previously been employed by the world's leading technology companies such as Microsoft, IBM and Google. This has ensured a high level of compatibility and that the software is robust, powerful, and entirely unique.

This is what I call entertainment on my computer. Don't forget it includes free lifetime updates plus new stations. They are on the cutting edge of satellite TV for PC technology and constantly update other software to keep up with new developments. As TV technology changes so will satellite TV for PC. They will be adding many more quality stations in the near future such as MTV USA, HBO, Playboy TV, Pay Per View, plus many many more. Once you have this software you are entitle to receive these new stations plus all future software upgrades for FREE enjoy.

Watch Movies, Music, Sports All4Free On Your PC

Science Fiction Movie Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 05:03:00 +0000

by: Francesca Black

Nothing beats a Friday night at home, snuggled up on a coach with a bowl of popcorn watching Science Fiction Movies. Stop at your local video store and find a science fiction movie sure to get you thinking about what could have been or what might be. Here are some of the best all time science fiction movies.

The Matrix

In this complex story that aspires to mythology, a computer hacker searches for the truth behind the mysterious force known as the Matrix. He finds his answer with a group of strangers led by the charismatic Morpheus. What they encounter in confronting that truth makes for a lightning-paced, eye-popping thrill ride of a movie that cleverly combines sociopolitical commentary with cutting-edge special effects.

Star Wars Episode 1

In this Star Wars prequel, Qui-Gon Jinn and a young Obi-Wan Kenobi must protect the Queen of Naboo from the evil clutches of Darth Sidious and Senator Palpatine. Along the way, they meet Anakin Skywalker, who shows the beginnings of a great gift.

ET

Heartwarming story of the special bond 10-year-old Elliot forges with an alien he names E.T. The adventures they share as Elliot tries to hide his new friend, as E.T. tries to get back to his planet.

Cocoon

A group of shut-ins at a rest home get a new lease on life when they're offered the gift of eternal youth by visiting aliens. A charter boat captain who helps fellow seniors make the choice between perennial youth or old age.

Lord of the Rings; Fellowship of the Ring

From the idyllic shire of the Hobbits to the smoking chasms of Mordor, Lord of the Rings is full of action. Frodo Baggins embarks on his epic quest for the one true ring.

Men in Black

This sci-fi comedy features J and K, agents in a top secret, above-the-government agency monitoring alien activity on Earth. Before rookie agent J even breaks in his stylish black suit, the team is called to save a galaxy from a bad-tempered alien "bug" and save Earth from total annihilation.

Harry Potter

Harry has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard -- with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, he uncovers the truth about his parents' deaths ... and about the villain who's to blame.

Beetlejuice

Thanks to an untimely demise, a young couple ends up as poltergeists in their New England farmhouse, where they fail to meet the challenge of scaring away the insufferable new owners. In desperation, the undead newlyweds turn to an expert frightmeister named Beetlejuice -- who has a diabolical agenda behind his scheme to help them.

The Crow

Young rock guitarist Eric Draven and his fiancée are brutally killed by a ruthless gang of criminals. Exactly one year after his death, Eric returns -- watched over by a hypnotic crow -- to seek revenge.

Mists of Avalon

King Arthur's Camelot with a feminist slant. Avalon high priestess Viviane and sisters Morgaine and Morgause battle for control of the kingdom. Viviane manipulates her own sister into marrying a king in order to produce an amenable heir, but deceit, magic and human fallibility threaten to destroy both the plan and Avalon itself.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

When Roy Neary encounters a UFO, he's left with a sunburned face, a skeptical family and a shaken psyche. Soon, Roy begins seeking out others who've had similar "visions." Among those he finds are Jillian , a woman who's lost her son to the aliens, and Claude, a researcher preparing for Earth's first contact with extraterrestrials.

Poltergeist

Life is very pleasant for the close-knit Freeling family until a host of otherworldy forces invades their peaceful suburban home. Before long, their house is transformed into a swirling supernatural sideshow -- all centered around their angelic young daughter, Carol Anne.

Andromeda Strain

When a satellite crashes in New Mexico, the Air Force sends two men to retrieve it. To their horror, they discover that the probe carries an alien virus that's already killed all but two of the residents of the town where it landed. Now, scientists must isolate the virus and stop it from spreading.

12 Monkeys

In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time by scientists to 1996 to discover the origin of a virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population. When Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital, where he meets a psychiatrist and the son of a famous virus expert.

Science Fiction Movie Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 00:21:00 +0000

Sneak Preview: Review of the Film “Thr3e”

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 06:24:00 +0000

by: Joshua Thompson

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the “Christian Film Festival” at the Waterworks cinema in Pittsburgh. One of the main attractions was the Film “Thr3e,” based upon the book by Ted Dekker. The movie will be released next January, so it was a real treat and privilege to see the film ahead of time, and I want to share my experience with you.

The story revolves around Kevin Parson, a 28-year old seminary student. Kevin’s life is thrown into turmoil when he finds himself to be the target of a notorious criminal, “RK” – the riddle killer, whom we come to know as “Slater.” At the time, Kevin is working on a paper for seminary about the nature of evil, and Slater seems to be the very embodiment of what Kevin is writing about. When Kevin first encounters Slater, he is driving in his car and finds a mysterious cell phone in his passenger seat. It rings; Kevin picks up; and Slater tells Kevin that he has 3 minutes to solve the riddle “what falls but does not break; what breaks but does not fall” or else his car will blow up. Kevin is unable to solve the puzzle, and gets out of his car just seconds before it explodes. Slater continues to give Kevin a series of riddles to solve, and if he is unable to solve them, a bomb blows up destroying someone near to Kevin – his childhood pet, a fellow seminary student, etc. !

Above all, Slater wants Kevin to confess some unknown sin, and calls him a guilty hypocrite for pretending to be a good person. Kevin is helped in his struggle by a childhood sweetheart, who seems to embody good just as much as Slater embodies evil, and a female FBI agent who begins to fall for Kevin. As the film progresses, we get glimpses into Kevin’s disturbing childhood and begin to guess as to what the sin might be. The end has a great surprise twist, so I won’t give it away, but suffice it to say that it gives insight into human nature and the nature of evil.

As far as the plot went, there were a few implausibilities that bothered me a little bit. Not to give away too much, but there were a series of phone calls that were made between Kevin’s childhood sweetheart and the FBI agent, and once the surprise ending was revealed, it is hard to understand how those calls could have been made. It’s a little bit of a stretch, the way it all fits together at the end, but the ending is still satisfying and insightful.

As far as the cinematography goes, most of the backdrops are darkly colored - even the events that take place outside. It reminded me a little bit of the Matrix, the way the dark hues permeate the film. The film is fast-paced, moving from one riddle to another. All in all, it was a satisfying film; it got a nice round of applause at the preview. I would give it 3 out of 4 stars. Look for the film this coming January in a theater near you.

The History Of Horror Movies - Tribute to Horror in Cinemas

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 01:09:00 +0000

From time to time, we see so many horror movies come and go. Spooky, haunted houses, serial killers, slashers, maniacs, mentals, satanic and many others have been pictured in the movie. A lot of sub genres, a lot of remakes, a lot of variations, twist and all that can easily be found through the ages. Yeah, it’s all true. But have we ever thought where it all came from? Or how does the horror movies genre change from time to time?

For you who share the same passion about horror movies, and want to know the road that have been travelled by Horror movies, allow me to have the honor to be your guide. Buckle up, here we go.

Where It All Began

The year was 1922, place: German. I can say that it was the birth of horror movies. W Murnau started the terror and fear thru Nosferatu, nosferatuthe story about bloodsucking vampire. It wasn’t the first vampire movie, as in 1896 Georges Melies made Le Castle Du Diable, but Nosferatu was the first movie where we saw vampire destroyed by sunlight. This one boasted remarkable animalistic makeup that has not been replicated, even with modern technology. Dozens of vampire movies followed after that. In 1931 Universal Studio launched 2 legendary horror movies, Dracula with Bela Lugosi and Frankenstein with Boris Karloff. Both of the movie became a classic and very successful. Boris Karloff even became a legendary name in horror movies history. The Mummy (1932) a silent picture with horror icon Boris Karloff in the title role, remains a classic, with unforgettable make-up and atmosphere. In 1935, the sequel of Frankenstein, The Bride Of Frankenstein was made.This isn’t silent anymore.

Psycho

During 40’s the world’s on war, and it has changed the genre. Horror was almost forgotten as patriotic movies and war has taken the place. It slowly raised again around 50’s, where comedy and musical movies ruled. There were good ones took place at this time, House of Wax is one of the example. 1960 was the time for Hitchcock to make a memorable movie: Psycho. Too bad, this is the only horror movie by Hitchcock, cuz then he made lots of suspence thriller goodies like Rear Window, Vertigo,North by Northwest,Dial M For Murder that kinda changed the genre again. And remember, spaghetti western Movies in the late 60’s also had its moment.

The 70’s

This is the most creative year of Horror movies.Unlike before, horror movies got big exploration, where so many variation of story and evil came in. Note there were lots of controversy and protest happened here.The Exorcist (1973) for example showed disgusting scenes that never been imagined before, like the green puke to the face transformed to evil. This movie was controversial when Catholic Church protested that the demon cast-out in the movie was against the code of conduct. The shining, that based on Stephen King’s novel was one of the best one during 70’s. Later on from this decade to 80s and 90s, lots of movies was made based on his scary novel such as Carrie, Christine, Cujo, It, , Cat’s Eye, Dream Catcher, are the example. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) was a low budget movie that reached a great result. This one introduced “the slasher movie” to the world that later followed by Halloween (say hi to Michael Myers) , Friday the 13th, Scream in the 80’s and 90’s and so on. Omen is a bonechillin’ movie that can still give you nightmare even with today’s technology of making movie.Simply unforgettable. Amityville Horror, based on the true story was the first movie that took place in the actual location. The report said a lot of bizzare and dreadful things were experienced by cast and crew in location.

The 80’s

Freddie Kruger

This is the decade of madness. All gory stuff were shown sadistically for viewing. cutted off body parts were seen everywhere. Nightmare on Elm Street that launched Freddy Krueger to horror hall of fame, and Jason Voorheyes slashing games in Friday the 13th are one of the example. These two had some of their sequels during 80s, together with 3 of Halloweens. And remember how Italian horror movies that have a very sick super bloody vision? Count Romero and Argento for this category. This is also the era where horror expanded to tv.

The 90’s

Funny thing happened in 90s. There’s a tendency of self defense and self actualization by horror character on terror they have made to people. For example Ghost, Bram Stocker’s Dracula that told the story about Count Dracula’s painful love to Mina, or Interview With Vampires that unlocked the mystery of vampire lives. Scream started a new genre, teen horror movies, slashing-serial-killer-who-did-it,which soon followed by I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend, and some more. A note in 1999, an independent movie Blair Witch Project became a big phenomena,using a documentation technique to give us fear,tense and mental disturbance. This one inspired some other movies like St.Francisville Experiment, The Lamarie Project and tv series Freaky Links.

2000’s

Ringu

Still too early maybe to talk about horror movies in 2000s, but looks like Hollywood has running out of ideas. They are trying to widen up their view to see new ideas outside that can give new vision on the term of horror. The Ring, remake from Japanese movie was their first success. Followed by The eye, and some other remakes from Asian cinemas. This decade seems being led by Japan and Korea, by making so many horror movies with lack of effects or gory blood but still successfully tortured our feeling. They don’t go with the Hollywood pattern, they just dig everything else that hasn’t been touched yet. Thailand is also emerging as a good horror maker. Indonesian movies too, with amusing number of horror movies every year. We also mark the decade 2000 for the decade of sequels and remakes too, such as Halloween H2O, Freddy vs Jason, modern version of Bram Stocker’s Dracula, Dracula 2001, Halloween Resurrection , The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , House of The Dead, The Amityville Horror and so on. While the effort to combine some genres and produce something new has still been going on. Saw for example, combine the psycho thriller ala Hitchkock with slasher, sadistic, bloody and graphic scenes. My prediction? I think this decade will continue to do so. Hopefully in the next decade we will see some new approach, style and way to present horror movies. Let’s wait and see where the horror movies continue their path.

Author by
Riandy Kurniawan
A Movie freak
Website: http://www.vrjunkyard.com

Seven Steps To A Successful Audition

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:54:00 +0000

I have been a musician since the tender age of 7 and in my career I've passed a larger number of auditions all of which have taught me something. These days, however, as the owner of a talent agency, I seem to be learning a disproportioned amount more about these same auditions. There is something to be said about looking at an issue from different perspectives.

In this article, I want to shed some light on what an audition process looks like from the point of view of the "auditioner" rather than the "auditionee". I'll give you seven tips that hopefully provide some help.

I should mention that my company, Oceanbound Entertainment Inc., hires musicians, bands, and variety acts for placement on cruise ships and thus the auditions I'll talk about will mostly relate to cruise line entertainment auditions.

Let me quickly outline the various types of auditions you can encounter when applying for a job on a cruise ship.

The most obvious type would be the live audition, where you go to the audition location in person and play what's asked of you.

You may also be asked to record your audition on videotape and mail it to the company. This is very similar to the first category since you'd play almost exactly the same music.

And finally, you may be asked to submit a recording of your band or your solo act to the company. This audition differs from the previous two in that you don't have to perform music that the company provides, but rather your own repertoire.

There are several problems that keep arising in regards to these different types of auditions that have led me to compile the following tips.

1. Get the details on the job description

This is one of the most important steps. If you know exactly what it is that the employer is looking for, you won't waste time, money, and energy presenting the wrong package. There is no point in submitting a tape of your local blues band if the employer is looking for a cover band that plays all kinds of musical styles. Similarly, there is no point in applying as a clarinet player if the job description clearly indicates that woodwind players have to play saxophone, flute and clarinet.

Also, if sight-reading is the main focus of the job you're applying for, there is no point in hoping you'll slip by simply because you can improvise like Charlie Parker.

2. Be flexible enough to present what's actually needed

Let's assume that you got all the details on the job description and you realize that you don't exactly fit that description. It is probably wiser for you to take some time to try to fit the description, rather than trying anyway, hoping it'll pass somehow. Try to make changes to your line-up, add some repertoire or start a completely new project that’s geared to the job in question.

3. Audition only when you feel that you have a good chance of passing

Often musicians apply for a job they are not qualified for. Now, you could argue that that's what auditions are for, and people couldn't possibly know in every case whether they are qualified or not. I agree, all I'm saying is that if the job description mentions that strong sight-reading skills are required for example, musicians should ask themselves how good their sight-reading skills really are and be honest about it.

Being dishonest about what your skills really are can hurt you in more ways than one. Let's assume for a minute that you slip through the cracks and you end up in an orchestra but you can't cut the gig. First and foremost, you'll be humiliated in front of other musicians, you'll feel uncomfortable, you may actually feel guilty for not being able to do the job, and you will get fired on top of it, which will most likely kill your career before it's begun. (This happens all too often...)

So if you are unsure about whether you are qualified or not, ask questions. Call the agency you are about to audition for and ask specific questions that will help you get a good picture of the job you're about to apply for. With that knowledge you can always postpone the audition and work on the skills that you may feel you're lacking.

4. Put some time and effort into preparing your best possible package

This applies to bands, small ensembles, and solo entertainers. Often artists get turned down, not because they are bad entertainers, but because they didn't supply a package that's appealing, that can be viewed quickly and that presents exactly what was asked for in the beginning. Often this happens because the artist already has some demo laying around that could kind of qualify but not really, and instead of modifying it or recording a new one that fits the specifications, they send it in anyway.

Usually, demo packages include the recording itself, which should present the exact repertoire you're planning to play on the gig, a short resume of each member, and a list of your repertoire.

You won't impress people with fancy DVD animations or 12-page resumes, but rather with short examples of the repertoire that's asked of you, played with energy and skill.

5. Try to impress with your playing, not with your resume

I would say 7 people out of 10 probably fall under this category. Simply put, a masters degree from the best school in the country won't get you a gig if you can't play, yet all too often do people try to sway the decision in their favor by mailing in overly long resumes stating all the famous people they've played with. You're doing yourself a disservice if you hype yourself up with your resume and you can't back it up later during the audition.

6. If you fail, accept the criticism and use it to prepare better for your next audition

All the practicing in the world may sometimes not be enough to pass an audition. If that's the case, accept the reasons that you're given by the jury, and go home and practice those specific things. If they aren't forthcoming with specific reasons, ask questions. I think it's only fair that a jury tells you what your weaknesses are if they turn you down.

I'll spare you the details of all the things we've heard from people that have been rejected. Just watch "American Idol", and you'll get a good idea of what we go through sometimes.

7. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses

This step ties in with step #3. Keep in mind that the ideal candidate for a job is not always the best musician. Other qualities like, honesty, work ethic, respect for others and inter-communication skills, amongst others are qualities that you're being judged on. Weaknesses you've been trying to hide prior to the audition will come out during the audition and will speak volumes about your character. Would you hire a dishonest person?

Those are my "7 Steps to a successful audition". I hope that some of you will find this information helpful. Please visit my website for more information on the subject of "Music on Cruise Ships". Contact me if you have questions or if you'd like to audition.

Good luck

Author by:
Marco Kasel
President
Oceanbound Entertainment Inc.
http://www.oceanbound.ca

Songwriters! - What‘cha Doin’ In Your Rhythm Fit?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 09:36:00 +0000

I was watching TV recently and I saw a movie that I hadn't seen in a long time that changed musical history. Wow! Where has the time gone? Can you believe that it's been almost 30 years since the movie "Saturday Night Fever" came out and broke all records at the box office and music sales.

Songwriters and Musicians - Do You Want To Get Paid? You need to go out and rent this movie, or even better, buy the soundtrack and study it very closely. Saturday Night Fever is one of the best selling record albums ever made because of one thing, GREAT SONGS.

The level of song craftsmanship is off the hook. The variety of music in this movie covers every single emotion. There's straight dance music, love songs, funk, r & b, pure disco, ballads, and more.

Up and coming songwriters should make it a point to regularly refer to the greats of the past and examine every nuance of their writing. These masters take the craft to a whole new level that still gets them income decades later.

Don't make the mistake of considering artists like the Bee Gees, or Kool and the Gang, as old fashioned and not what you need to study. These people made hits time and time again, proving that it was no accident. Wouldn't you like to have a fraction of their success? You can if you study them carefully.

You can listen to these songs 30 years later and even though styles have changed, a great song lives forever, and that's how you really get paid. Publishing royalties get you paid over and over and over again.

There is a BIG difference between a SONG and a RECORD. Great songs from the 70's and ‘80's are constantly being redone and sampled by younger writers and artists all the time. As a result, the songwriters of that era are still getting paid time and time again.

The thing that determines whether music sounds modern or old fashioned are the changes to the beat and rhythm. This applies to singing as well as musical instruments. You can even sing the melody to "Mary Had A Little Lamb" over reggae, rock ,or rap and it takes on a new sound each time, but that great and simple melody is still the basis of it all.

Just think about how differently singers such as Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra, Sara Vaughn, and Elvis Presley sounded compared to singers like Aretha Franklin, Patsy Cline, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, or Beyonce.

Young people started singing and making music with more complicated syncopation compared to back in the day when rhythms were much simpler. But, the same 12 musical notes still exist. They just get shifted to different rhythm based on what's happening now.

Even rap is not immune to this effect. Think about how complicated the rhythm is for most rap compared to the days of "Rapper's Delight".

My point to this whole comparison is that if you build your song based on a great foundation of strong melody and lyrics, then it doesn't matter what happens with the rhythm too much because your song can be done in many styles and redone in the future. This will provide you with income well into the future because more than just one artist can perform it.

Destiny's Child redid "Emotions" written by the Bee Gees and it became a hit all over again and they get paid all over again decades later.

Study, study, study old songs to learn the craft and you'll have a huge advantage over your peers. Learn the reason why these songs are so catchy and why you can remember them even if you were a kid when you first heard them. They hook you and never let you go. So now YOU - GO FISH.

Learn How to Play Piano

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 02:12:00 +0000

Some people are more musically inclined than others, but that doesn’t mean you cannot learn how to play the piano. Many tricks of the trade exist that can have you playing the piano within a couple of months of practice, and some online courses even claim to help you learn much faster. No matter what is claimed or what is available, the most important aspect of learning how to play any new instrument, hobby, or art form is dedication and practice.

Listening to Beethoven, Mozart, or any other genius composers might make you want to sign up with the best instructor you can find. Your aim might be to enthrall others with the beauty of classical, modern, or even jazz piano playing. Many adults who learn how to play the piano choose to do so through rigorous methodologies of learning the fundamentals of music first. This requires dedication and lots of practice, not to mention the cost of an instructor.

For other learners who want to give the piano a try, quicker methods won’t mean you will enjoy playing the piano any less. It simply means you will not have the fundamental base that someone else has learned over a longer period. One of these quicker methods, both on and offline, involve the learning of chords. In an evening, someone who knows nothing about the piano might have the ability to play a melody just on chords alone. Playing by chords is usually encouraged more than playing by tablature. And, there are no problems with those who first learn chords then learn to read music later on.

Any piano melody is made up of its smallest parts – its notes. Those who learn chords do not actually learn these ‘smallest’ pieces, but instead learn how to break the music into chunks. By dealing with songs one chunk at a time and matching what is heard, many piano players enjoy greater freedom of creativity as they progress.

One who learns how to play the piano using chords does it more so through trial and error. This person may not actually be able to read musical notations or scores, but he or she will at least be able to judge what chord is played and for how long. As the tune or melody is practiced, usually by breaking a song up into its basic elements and listening to it as it is being played, the person matches what he or she is hearing.

A player who learns how to play the piano by ear will not necessarily be able to judge if a key is sharp or flat, and that’s where having some basic knowledge of the notes comes in handy. If you need to stay in key F-major, for example, then you will know how to keep that note flat during the entire scale. While flat keys and sharp keys follow similar patterns, learning how to play the piano is not based on this alone. For teenagers or adults who are inspired and self-motivated enough to pursue their goals, learning how to play the piano can be done within a short amount of time.

When I Grow Up I Want To Play Guitar

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 01:55:00 +0000

by: Mike Hayes

The secret to becoming a really good guitar player is, start playing and never stop. It really IS that simple!

Many people say "Gee you know, I've always wanted to play guitar, or I'd like to play guitar but I don't think I'll be very good at it".

You know if you really want to play guitar, just start. Don't listen to all the advice of all the people around you.

Now, here's a little story I'm sure many of you will be able to relate to. It's a story about Paddy - a guy who knew what he wanted to do and followed his heart.

When Paddy was in grade five at school, the teacher asked the class "What do you want to be when you grow up?". She would ask each member of the class.

"What do you want to be when you grow up, Jimmy? "

Jimmy would say. "A doctor miss".

"Oh that's very good choice Jimmy, that's great".

"What do you want to be when you grow up, Mary?"

"I'm going to be an accountant miss"

"Excellent choice, very good choice"

Now when it came to Paddy, she asked.

" What do you want to be when you grow up, Paddy?"

Paddy replied, "a guitar player".

The whole class errupted in laughter. The whole class .... it was just amazing. Paddy wasn't expecting this reaction. He had no idea why this was happening . Paddy hadn't started to play guitar or anything yet, but that's really what he wanted to do.

So the teacher asked again.

"What do you really want to do when you grow up, Paddy?"

Paddy said, "play guitar".

And the same thing only louder, everybody laughed. Paddy just couldn't work out why they had this reaction. So he sat down red faced and quite puzzled trying to work this out.

Anyway, a year later, the teacher asked the class, "what do you want to be when you grow up". When it came to Paddy's turn, the teacher said.

"Now Paddy, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

So Paddy stood up, he wasn't as confident this time as he was the previous year, but he said.

"A guitar player".

And the same thing, the whole class erupted. Paddy looked around for support from the teacher but.... she was kind of buckled up in pain trying to hold back the laughter. And so anyway he got to thinking that maybe he wasn't giving them the answer they want.

So the next year, he was prepared for it. Paddy thought, right, I've got the hang of this now. So when it came around to his turn again, she asked.

"Now Paddy"...... and of course the class is just waiting for his answer.

"Now Paddy, what are you going to do when you grow up? What do you want be?"

this time, he said............"a swimmer".

And the whole class laughed AGAIN!. By this time he was REALLY angry ... he looked down to his, (now) ex -friend , who was sitting pretty close to him and Paddy asked....

"What's SO funny about that?"

The guy just looked up and said...

"But you CAN'T swim!"

Paddy exclaimed, " does that matter?"

He just couldn't really get the hang of this. Of course the thing was Paddy really wasn't giving them the stock standard answer that they wanted. Like a doctor or a dentist or something like that. But that's really what Paddy wanted to do and the reality is that all he's ever really done.

Now the reason why I'm telling you this is because the formula to become a really good guitar player is quite simple. There's only two steps.

Decide to do it. Do it.

Now, along the way you'll need a properly set up guitar. You'll need your equipment to be easy to play. And you'll need top quality information. But the most important thing is you need to be internally motivated. That's if you want to be really good. If you are internally motivated that means you REALLY want to play guitar, that's what you want to do. There's really nothing that can stop you.

So until next time have fun with your guitar playing and if that's what you want to do, just go for it!