Thursday, 11 November 2010

The Radar: Monopoly Travel Map; Eurostar Expands Routes; Airline's Low Price Pledge

AC Boardwalk.jpg Forget the smart phone, in the latest episode of his "76-Second Travel Show," Lonely Planet editor Robert Reid uses a Monopoly board to navigate his way around Atlantic City. The Parker Brothers' game was based on this historic New Jersey town, and as Reid discovers, many of the places still exist today. The video, a bit longer than the titular 76 seconds, is worth a look, particularly the moment when he attempts to buy a hotel on St. James Place for "100 dollars plus four houses." [Huffington Post]
Eurostar's high-speed rail network is expanding to include stops in Amsterdam and Geneva. The expansion will include ten new trains and updates to existing cars. Slated for completion in 2014, the project is estimated to cost over a billion dollars. The new fleet will be Wi-Fi equipped; offer various movie, music, and entertainment options; and carry 900 passengers, up from 750. [Telegraph]
Allegiant Air promises the best travel deals and now they're putting their money where their mouth is. If you discover a hotel and air package that's better than what they offer, Allegiant will fly you to your destination for free. They're so confident, they'll allow travelers to submit a claim within a week of booking a flight. [Jaunted]Got Radar? Tag your favorite travel stories from the web #ngtradar and follow us on Twitter @NatGeoTraveler and @IntelligentTrav.

Photo: Lulit Mekonnen/My Shot


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disneys house little prairie

Two little girls named Mary and Harry (Actually, it's Laura) go to Kansas and ride on a horse that has a wagon. A rattle snake comes and bit the horse and the horse got hurt and broke its leg. And the nice guys gave them a lot more horses and they got a cow. They builded a house and the Indians came and when the dad was riding on the horse, he fell off the horse and coyotes started to get the daddy. And when they were on their way, the dog was swimming in the water and they lost their dog. They thought their dog was dead and they didn't know where the dog was and then the dog came back. I loved it so much when the dog came back. There were some sad parts. Then the dad gave the little girls new shoes and Laura wanted to get the other girl's shoes messy. And more Indians went in the house and the mother shouted, "Indians!" and that was it.

Review:

I felt sad and happy because there were some sad parts in it that made me really sad and scared. And happy. My favorite characters were the two little girls, Mary and Laura because I liked them so much. I want to watch it again. Can you get it for me from Netflix, Mom?

Star Rating out of 5

Gracie: SIX!

THE FOX THEATRE IN ATLANTA FROM JUNE 15-20 ONLY!

“We are delighted to present LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, THE MUSICAL,” states Christopher B. Manos, Producer of Theater of the Stars. “This exciting new show will bring back fond memories for so many of us who loved the books and the hit television series. Having the marvelous actress Melissa Gilbert performing in the role of Ma will add even more fun to the experience. This entertaining show is appropriate for all ages, so we encourage you to bring your families and friends and neighbors to join us at the Fabulous Fox Theatre from June 15-20.”

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, THE MUSICAL, a new musical based on the beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder series of classic American books, will arrive on June 15 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta for a one week engagement. Melissa Gilbert, who rose to fame as a child playing ‘Laura’ in the hugely successful NBC television series “Little House on the Prairie” during the 1970’s, now continues her legacy ‘on the prairie’ by taking on the role of Ma. LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, THE MUSICAL will also star Steve Blanchard as Pa and Kara Lindsay as Laura. Tickets for the Atlanta engagement of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, THE MUSICAL are on sale now and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 800-982-2787, at www.ticketmaster.com, or by visiting the Fox Theatre box office. Group of 10 or more can get special rates by calling the Fox Group Sales Office at 404-881-2000.

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, THE MUSICAL with Gilbert, Blanchard and Lindsay, had its world premiere production in August, 2008 at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, where it shattered all box-office records and sold-out 12 consecutive weeks. Initiated for the stage by Adrianne Lobel (Frog and Toad) and Francesca Zambello, the show is directed by Zambello (Disney’s The Little Mermaid), with music by Academy Award® winner Rachel Portman (Emma), lyrics by Donna di Novelli and a book by Tony Award® winner Rachel Sheinkin (The 25TH Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). Michele Lynch is choreographer and Kevin Stites is musical supervisor.

The producers of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, THE MUSICAL are Ben Sprecher, Amy Sprecher, Louise Forlenza, Bob Boyett, Jay Harris, William Franzblau, Tony Fusco, Larry Feinman, Peter W. Bezemes, Friendly Theatrical LLC, Jon B. Platt, Wendy Federman, Michael Filerman, Marc Schwartz, Karl Sydow and Nelle Nugent, in association with Bob Reich and Sharon Carr.

The production includes scenic design by Adrianne Lobel, lighting design by Mark McCullough, costumes by Tony Award winner Jess Goldstein, sound design by Carl Casella and wig/hair design by Charles LaPointe. Richard Carsey serves as music director, orchestrations are by Larry Hochman and dance and incidental music arrangements are by Michael Dansicker, with additional vocal and incidental music by Kevin Stites.

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, THE MUSICAL is the uplifting story of an American family forging a new life amidst the mighty challenges, heartbreaks, joys and triumphs that face them in the newly-settled heartland. It is also the story of young Laura Ingalls, as she begins her life as a young woman, finding purpose, and finding love. Above all, it is the celebration of the pioneering spirit and the core values on which this country was founded – a spirit that still resonates today.

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, THE MUSICAL will play the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta from June 15-20, 2010. Performances are Tuesday-Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 2 pm & 8 pm, and Sunday at 1:30 pm & 7 pm. Tickets are on sale NOW at all Ticketmaster outlets, at 800-982-2787 and online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices range from $25-$65. Special group rates are available through the Fox Group Sales Dept. at 404-881-2000.

Theater of the Stars celebrates its 58th Anniversary as one of the nation’s premier regional theater companies. A civic not-for-profit cultural treasure, Theater of the Stars is dedicated to presenting and producing the best in musical theater. To learn more about our history of excellence, visit www.theaterofthestars.com.

Here are bios for the principal cast and creative team:

MELISSA GILBERT (Caroline “Ma” Ingalls) Theatre: Off-Broadway: A Shayna Maidel (Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards); Regional: Love Letters (Canon Theater, LA); The Glass Menagerie (Chautauqua Theater Company); The Miracle Worker (Royal Poinciana Playhouse, Palm Beach); Bus Stop and Love Letters (Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville); Little House on the Prairie, the Musical (Guthrie). Television: Series lead in “Little House on the Prairie,” starred in more than 40 movies for television, including Emmy Award-winning The Miracle Worker, and more than a dozen television series, including “Nip/Tuck,” and “Sweet Justice.” Ms. Gilbert served as President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001–05, and is currently the Standing Board Chair and Spokesperson for the Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition. Ms. Gilbert is also a New York Times best-selling author with the recent publication of her autobiography, Prairie Tale - A Memoir, from Simon & Schuster.

STEVE BLANCHARD (Charles “Pa” Ingalls). Broadway: Beauty and the Beast, Camelot, A Christmas Carol, The Three Musketeers; Off-Broadway: Frankenstein, Johnny Guitar, An Oak Tree; National tours: Camelot, Phantom of the Opera, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; Repertory Theatre of St. Louis: Esmeralda; Baltimore’s CenterStage: Sleep of Reason; Charles Playhouse, Boston: The Threepenny Opera; Ford’s Theatre, Washington, D.C.: Hot Mikado, Godspell; Guthrie: Little House on the Prairie, the Musical; Paper Mill Playhouse: Chess; Theatre Under The Stars, Houston: Chess. Film/Television Law at Randado, Rapmaser Ronnie, Warlords 3000, “Third Watch,” “Law and Order,” “Ed,” “Police Story,” “Sunset Beat,” “One Life to Live,” “Guiding Light,” “Another World.”Original cast recordings Johnny Guitar, Sundown, Frankenstein; debut solo CD Northbound Train

KARA LINDSAY (Laura Ingalls). Theatre: Denver Center for the Performing Arts: Quilters; Guthrie: Little House on the Prairie, the Musical; 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle: Lone Star Love; West Virginia Public Theatre:Thoroughly Modern Millie, Beauty and the Beast, Cats, Hello, Dolly!; Carnegie Mellon University: Side Show, After Miss Julie, Hello Again, Oresteia. Training B.F.A., Acting/Musical Theater, Carnegie Mellon University

FRANCESCA ZAMBELLO (Director). Theatre Broadway: Disney’s The Little Mermaid; London: Royal Albert Hall: Showboat; West End: Napoleon; Raimund Theater, Vienna: a new musical based on Rebecca; Seattle Children’s Theatre: Tibet Through the Red Box; Bregenz’s floating stage: West Side Story; Guthrie: Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. Old Globe: First Wives Club, Skylight Music Theater: artistic director, 1984-91; Opera: Metropolitan Opera: An American Tragedy (world premiere), Cyrano de Bergerac (with Placido Domingo), Les Troyens; Teatro alla Scala: Cyrano; Washington National and San Francisco Operas: The Ring, San Francisco Opera: artistic advisor; Royal Albert Hall: La Bohème; The Bolshoi: Fiery Angel; Chicago Lyric Opera: Salome; Royal Opera House: Carmen, Don Giovanni; Paris Opera: Boris Godunov, War and Peace, Billy Budd, William Tell; Film War and Peace (ORF), Amahl and the Night Visitors (BBC), The Little Prince (BBC/PBS). Awards: Three Olivier Awards; two Evening Standard Awards for best musical and best opera; two French Grand Prix des Critiques; Japanese Golden Prize; Helpmann Award; Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres; Russian Federation’s medal for Service to Culture; the Palme d’Or in Germany; the Golden Mask in Russia. Education: Colgate University; Moscow University. www.francescazambello.com

RACHEL PORTMAN (Music). Theatre: Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. Film: Grey Gardens, The Duchess, Emma, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, Infamous, The Manchurian Candidate, Oliver Twist, The Lake House, Nicholas Nickleby, Hart’s War, The Human Stain, Life is Sweet, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Beloved, Home Fries, Addicted to Love, Marvin’s Room, Only You, The Road to Wellville, Sirens, Benny & Joon, The Joy Luck Club, Used People, Smoke, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, Where Angels Fear to Tread. Opera/concert: The Little Prince, The Water Diviner’s Tale. Awards: Academy Award for Best Original Score for Emma; Academy Award nominations for The Cider House Rules and Chocolat; British Film Institute’s Young Composer of the Year Award.

DONNA DI NOVELLI (Lyrics). Musical Theater/Opera: Little House on the Prairie, the Musical (lyrics); Florida (book and lyrics) Lyric Opera Cleveland, Public Theater’s New Work Now, New York City Opera’s VOX; No God but Yearning (book and lyrics) Public Theater’s New Work Now, Joe’s Pub. Theater: The First Eff (stage play) Mark Taper Forum, Duende Arts. Dance: Twelve Dancing Princesses (text) Los Angeles Modern Dance and Ballet. Commissions: San Francisco Opera; Chanticleer; BBC. Publications New Monologues For Women by Women (Heinemann Press), NuMuse, Brown University. Awards: Manhattan Theatre Club Fellowship, Rockefeller Foundation residency in Bellagio, Italy; National Musical Theater Conference residency, the Mac Dowell Colony and the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Professional Affiliations: ASCAP, Dramatists Guild. Teaching: Bookwriting, Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts; Playwriting, National Theater Institute, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center; Visiting professor, Brown University. Training: M.F.A., Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts (Ira Gershwin Fellow); A.M., Brown University.

RACHEL SHEINKIN (Book) Recent work includes Broadway: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Tony, Drama Desk awards); Off Broadway: Striking 12 (Lucille Lortel nomination), off-off: Serenade. Regional: Guthrie, Little House on the Prairie, the Musical; Center Theater Group, Sleeping Beauty Wakes (Los Angeles Ovation Award); London: Blood Drive. Residencies, fellowships, commissions include: Eugene O’Neill National Theater Center, Baryshnikov Dance Foundation, MacDowell Colony, Manhattan Theatre Club, Deaf West, McCarter Theatre, Playwrights Horizons. Rachel is a volunteer mentor for TDF’s Open Doors program, a visiting instructor at Yale School of Drama, and adjunct faculty member of NYU’s Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program.

MICHELE LYNCH (Choreographer). Paper Mill Playhouse: Happy Days. Broadway: The Coast of Utopia (Choreographer), Hairspray and The Full Monty (Associate Choreographer), Urinetown (Asst. Choreographer). Off-Broadway: Everyday Rapture (Second Stage), NYMF: Idaho; Yale Rep: Rough Crossing; Guthrie: Little House on the Prairie; Asolo Theatre: Pride & Prejudice; Mark Taper Forum: 13; St Louis MUNY: Breakfast at Tiffany’s; Stanford Center for the Arts: Empire; North Carolina Theatre: South Pacific; Ford Center: Leading Ladies; has traveled around the world setting companies of Hairspray and The Full Monty. Film: CAMP. Awards: Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Happy Days at Goodspeed Opera House; Garland Award for 13.

KEVIN STITES (Music Supervision, Additional Vocals, Incidental Music). Broadway: Tale of Two Cities, Color Purple, Titanic, Sunset Boulevard, Pamela’s First Musical, Children and Art, Les Misérables, Threepenny Opera, Fiddler, Nine, Oklahoma!, On the Town. National tours: Color Purple, Martin Guerre, Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Titanic. Guest conductor: Grant Park Symphony, Guys and Dolls and Les Miserables at Hollywood Bowl. TV/Film: “Rosie Live,” Reefer Madness and others.
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http://musicmattersga.blogspot.com/
http://hummingbirdhollowstudio.blogspot.com/
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http://gaclicks.blogspot.com/
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Believer or Bieber!

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9/28 Man Crush and D-Bag of the Week!

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My Top Six Great Blues Guitarist

My Top Six Great Blues Guitarist

Some of the greatest blues guitarist in the world never achieved greatness, but because their style is so unique and innovative, it has made that artist world renowned. Artist like Bonnie Raitt for example certainly does not have the speed and raw sound of a Stevie Ray Vaughn, but instead she creates beautiful tones and lyrics that made her what she is today and advanced her into the mainstream of blues music.

The following is a list of my favorite top 6 Blues Artist:

Muddy Waters, an amazing artist specializing in the acoustic guitar. Muddy Waters roots came from rural Mississippi and helped create the style know as the Chicago blues. This style exploded and helped pave the way for artist like Stevie Ray and Eric Clapton.

Robert Johnson, his innovative and unique sound helped create the style we know today as the Delta blues, this style and can be heard today in current blues.

Eric Clapton, his unique style today helped combine the blues from the 60's and the more heavy rock sounds we hear today. Eric Clapton is truly one of the best of his generation.

Stevie Ray Vaughn, was known for his raw power and sound. His incredible talent reached new heights in the industry. You would be hard pressed to find any anyone today that could hold a candle to his style and power. Stevie was one of the most influential artists of his time and often compared to Jimmy Hendrix.

T-Bone Walker, helped establish the blues guitar as a lead instrument, and also had a very unique sound especially while playing the blues. This unique style is still widely used today. T-Bone Walker is truly a pioneer and an important influence in almost every great blues player from that generation on.

Jimmy Hendrix, known as the godfather of the blues, Jimmy had the most influence and impact on virtually every guitarist today. Although Jimmy was surprisingly humble, musically, his style and sound is one that is most imitated today. When anyone talks about the blues guitar it would be nearly impossible not to mention Jimmy Hendrix.

We only mentioned a few of the great blues guitar players in this article, but every one of these artist helps continue to shape the history of the blues and lives in every great blues player today.

The Pitch – Part 2

Some of the greatest blues guitarist in the world never achieved greatness, but because their style is so unique and innovative, it has made that artist world renowned. Artist like Bonnie Raitt for example certainly does not have the speed and raw sound of a Stevie Ray Vaughn, but instead she creates beautiful tones and lyrics that made her what she is today and advanced her into the mainstream of blues music.

The following is a list of my favorite top 6 Blues Artist:

Muddy Waters, an amazing artist specializing in the acoustic guitar. Muddy Waters roots came from rural Mississippi and helped create the style know as the Chicago blues. This style exploded and helped pave the way for artist like Stevie Ray and Eric Clapton.

Robert Johnson, his innovative and unique sound helped create the style we know today as the Delta blues, this style and can be heard today in current blues.

Eric Clapton, his unique style today helped combine the blues from the 60's and the more heavy rock sounds we hear today. Eric Clapton is truly one of the best of his generation.

Stevie Ray Vaughn, was known for his raw power and sound. His incredible talent reached new heights in the industry. You would be hard pressed to find any anyone today that could hold a candle to his style and power. Stevie was one of the most influential artists of his time and often compared to Jimmy Hendrix.

T-Bone Walker, helped establish the blues guitar as a lead instrument, and also had a very unique sound especially while playing the blues. This unique style is still widely used today. T-Bone Walker is truly a pioneer and an important influence in almost every great blues player from that generation on.

Jimmy Hendrix, known as the godfather of the blues, Jimmy had the most influence and impact on virtually every guitarist today. Although Jimmy was surprisingly humble, musically, his style and sound is one that is most imitated today. When anyone talks about the blues guitar it would be nearly impossible not to mention Jimmy Hendrix.

We only mentioned a few of the great blues guitar players in this article, but every one of these artist helps continue to shape the history of the blues and lives in every great blues player today.

Silly Me

With the above in mind, here’s my theory and the essential points of my pitch:

Record labels invest in genuinely creative acts (like Pink Floyd and The Doors) who produce quality products, which then generate billions of dollars. This type of music becomes the industry standard for the Rock genre as well as for generations of Rock fans.
The aforementioned “standards” so easily generates money year-after-year, that the music industry has the ability to focus on developing new artists.  However, it rarely operates outside the proven revenue generators of the past.
In the 80's, industry returns skyrocket when formats change from LP to CD.  The lesson to the executives?  “The more I sit back and relax, the more money I make!”
Next, major labels get fat and lazy, like well-fed pigeons in a park. They forget their core A & R values and focus only on the easy, short-term money.  In part, they accomplish this by spending money on marketing and advertising (Remember Vanilla Ice, Millie Vanilli and CMC Music Factory?)  It was easier for the business to pedal the junk they already had and jam it down the throat of the consumer.  Creatively speaking, they were only interested in music that was cheaply produced.
In the meantime, the industry ignores bands like Dave Matthews and Phish. These bands generate millions of dollars for live performances–money that bypasses the record company and goes directly into pockets of the artists.
This “game change” of marketing music “product” and producing cheap music may work for a while, but it will never exceed the sales of music based on the talent and cultivation of musicians and songwriters like Dylan, Elvis, Beatles, U2, Eagles, AC/DC, and other standard artists.
This new process also stiff-arms the 30 and over audience, who’ve since found comfort in the “new” country music.

Hey, but I’m the guy with no business background.  Silly me.

Meat and Potatoes

The pitch I delivered seemed simple enough.  Here were my notes:

Return to classic A & R practices by scouting and cultivating gifted artists and bands in the classic Rock ‘N Roll genre.  In other words, follow the same process that yielded The Dead, Lynard Skynard, Cream, Buffalo Springfield, YES and the like.
This cohort would carry on the “new” standards of Rock music.
Work to develop their music over a long period of time (think of the many albums Bonnie Raitt produced before having success).  In other words, stick with the artist and allow room for some failure.
My proposed musical model would be Classic Rock of the 70's and 80's.  My expectations would be that songs by these newer bands would satisfy the older, say, AC/DC fan, and would be Classic Rock radio friendly. In fact, these stations could play these new songs today amongthe many other classics on currently on their playlist.

(The only band that I can think of that even came close to achieving what I describe was The Black Crows.  It was brilliant when they collaborated with Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin.  I believe it appealed to the disenfranchised listeners that I discussed earlier, converting them into Black Crows fans forever. All they did was tap into the Classic Rock pipeline.)

Finally, according to the design of the pitch, I would be the one to clarify the business model and implement it for the record company.

To Prove a Point

It seems like radio formats go through cycles rather quickly.  The Smooth Jazz station turns to Alternative Rock seemingly overnight.  The Lite FM station to 24 Hour Sports, and so on.  The only genre that’s consistent is Classic Rock.  For example, try the following on your next road trip: As you flip through the stations notice the variety in every radio market.  Now, find the classic rock station in each market.  I guarantee that it’ll be prominent on the dial and easy to tune in.  To me, this means that there are plenty of people listening and that there is a great demand.  You’ll rarely hear a new song from a new band.  You may also notice that these classic rock stations play the same stuff, over and over.  In terms of my pitch, this meant that the business had abandoned a large market.  Like a grocery store selling the same line of food year after year, because the people used to like it.  Instead, why not, give them something “new and improved” and still sell the classics?  Perhaps the new line of product will even become the staple of the future!

Don’t Let The Door…

In preparation for my impending meeting, I asked RCA to send me information and recent releases. Soon, a package arrived containing recordings of newly-signed bands, lists of current tours, and a breakdown of on-going projects.  I studied and listened.  Those days, RCA was rudderless and seemingly, had no interest in Rock ‘N’ Roll.  I had been in an RCA band years earlier and personally felt that the company was asleep at the wheel.  The cds in the package were disappointing.  Overall, it appeared that the label was too busy following trends instead of creating them.

On the day of my meeting, I received a warm welcome from the RCA staff.  A listening session had just adjourned, and the A & R staff were mulling about.  There were Suits lingering outside the conference room in a heated discussion.  Bob Jamieson came over and introduced himself and asked me to wait a few minutes more.  About an hour later, I was escorted into his office and was left to myself for a bit.  This was when I studied the photos and memorabilia to get a sense of the man to whom I’d submit my business proposal.  Eventually, he returned and we sat down to talk.

I began with my theory of a “New” Rock ‘N’ Roll, satisfying a disenfranchised and older market.  I spared no detail and spoke from the heart as if we were at a Happy Hour on our third round.  As my pitch progressed, Bob became distracted by phone calls, impromptu meetings and paperwork.  He also went out and spoke to his secretary for several minutes.  When he came back, he had a copy of the original letter I had sent them, and was skimming through it.  It was obvious that he hadn’t read it.  It also became apparent that he had no idea who I was and why I so desperately wanted to meet with him.  In addition, I didn’t get the sense that this guy knew much about music.  I’d refer to bands or songs to demonstrate a point and was waiting for the “Yeah!  I know what you mean!” type of response.  Instead, Bob grew restless and fidgety.  At the end of ten minutes or so, he made a polite excuse and called our meeting to an end.  He looked like a man who had been tortured by mindless talk about music–by a musician no less.  The horror!

…Hit You On The Way Out!

As he escorted me out of his office, I could see the red face of his secretary, Claudette, as I walked by her desk.  She diverted her eyes when I thanked her for inviting me.  The look on her face told me that she got a royal reaming from her boss for setting up this meeting.  She was in deep shit.  I felt like Jerry Maguire in the movie, the morning after the delivery of his infamous Mission Statement.  Embarrassed for misdirected passions and humiliated for my naivete.  I was treading water in another world and realizing that I had no idea how it operated.  “You know, you’d be a great A & R guy” he said as I waited for the elevator.  “It’s just that we’re not hiring anyone at the moment.” “Gee,” I thought, “thanks for offering me the hypothetical job.”  I walked in wanting to reinstate Rock ‘N’ Roll to its rightful throne.  I walked out in search of my dignity.

The After Story

Bob Jamieson contacted me some time later and asked me to meet with one of his A & R guys.  Maybe he had a chance to reflect on our meeting and my ideas.  I took the meeting.  I forget the guy’s name, but I remember that every few minutes, he’d supress a yawn.  After that, there were no more discussions or meetings with RCA.

In hindsight, I think things could have gone either way for me.  Going out on a limb for my “pitch” was well worth it, and I’ve done it again since.  From an early age, I believed that you had to be the best at what you do.  That’s what really matters.  This is a noble mission, but there’s a lot left out of that statement.  There’s your roomate at Yale or NYU, the personal connections with your neighbors in Great Neck or Scarsdale, the charity your family supports, your handicap on the golf course, the size of your trust fund, your fraternity brothers, your dad’s Wall Street associates, your wife the banker, or the Board that your mother chairs.  I’ve never had any of these “assets.”  Instead, after my RCA meeting, I could feel the loafer heel on my forehead as I was repelled from the party boat.

A Valuable Lesson

The lesson I learned was this: Assess, acknowledge, move on.  Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t.  Sometimes you’re handed your station in life on a platter, and other times, no matter how hard you try, you’ll never achieve your dreams and goals.  If that’s the case, don’t make a big deal about it, just move on to the next endeavour.  However, it is important that you continue to assert yourself.  Do the hard work and don’t worry too much about the outcome.  Two years later, in a strange twist, I became an elementary teacher in the NYC Public School system.  In a way, I felt like I had answered a calling.  Teaching and I fit like hand in glove.  In another way, because of my teaching job, my music career was never better.  Finally, I was able to say “no” to sub-standard or underpaying gigs.  In addition, my schedule was suddenly full, which made my time more valuable to me and my clients.  Surprisingly, leaving my old lifestyle was as easy as dropping a hot coal.  Assess, acknowledge, move on.

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Wednesday, 10 November 2010

$10 Million Elk Visitor Center Opens in Pennsylvania

Intelligent Travel $10 Million Elk Visitor Center Opens in PennsylvaniaBy IT Blog, October 6, 2010 4:40 PM | Comments (1) A new visitor's center and lodge in central Pennsylvania lets the intrepid traveler see the state's elk population up close. Adam H. Graham left the comforts of Brooklyn to see it for himself.

Photo: Elk in PennsylvaniaThough Pennsylvania's environmental headlines have lately been dominated by natural gas fracking in the Marcellus Shale, a handsome new $10 million Gold LEED-certified Elk Center quietly opened on September 9 in Benezette, Pennsylvania, on the edge of the fossil fuel-rich Allegheny National Forest, and just five-hours from my Brooklyn apartment. In its first week, the center saw over 10,000 visitors, its gift shop was depleted of merchandise, and it attracted over 100 new members to the Keystone Elk Country Alliance, who operate the facility with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

"Did you hear that?" asks the six-foot-two-inch CEO of the alliance, Rawley Cogan, who is sporting a pair of Wrangler jeans and a Stetson hat during our horse-drawn wagon ride on a cool September evening. His quiet enthusiasm about the center is palpable, and for a man who's seen thousands of elk in his lifetime, he's just as excited as the kids in back of the wagon when we spot a majestic ten-point bull emerge from the meadow fog and bugle loudly in our direction. If you haven't heard one before, the piercing gull-like bugle calls of elk are somewhat intimidating and positively haunting. I had seen the animals while on assignment in Newfoundland and California, but hearing them is extraordinary.

Photo: Elk Country Vistor's LodgePennsylvania has the only elk population on the east coast, and all 700 of them are contained within an 800 square mile range in the Pennsylvania Wilds, stretching over hilly second growth forests from Treasure Lake to the township of Lumber. "We're lucky this site was never strip-mined," Cogan explains to a few local farmers riding in our wagon, revealing the state's checkered environmental past. A century ago, Pennsylvania had clear-cut much of its forests and over 100 species had been extirpated from the state, including panthers, wolves, beavers, and elk. The story, often referred to as the 1760 massacre, is explained in vivid detail in Henry W. Shoemaker's 1917 classic Extinct Pennsylvania Animals.

But the state's recovery has become a model for reforestation. The elk, bear, and beavers have returned in healthy numbers. A burgeoning eco-tourism industry and a growing awareness of conservation now can be seen even in the state's most conservative pockets where oil, coal, and lumber provide local jobs. The new lodge-like center, slated for a grand opening today, October 6, harvests rainwater and is constructed with Pennsylvania hemlock and stone from local quarries. Inside, pieces of mission-style white oak furniture crafted by local prisoners are arranged around a grandiose fireplace, and a new multi-sensory theater will screen a film which incorporates the scent of campfire and an actual snowfall while explaining the local history of the elk--their depletion in 1867 and successful reintroduction in 1913 from a Rocky Mountain colony shipped by train.

In addition to the horse-drawn wagon rides, the center offers workshops on elk, guided walks, and a homestead program where visitors can spend the night in a three bedroom farmhouse house on the elk range. This winter, the center plans on offering sleigh rides, and expanding its repertoire of programs.

Getting There:
Elk Country Visitor Center
134 Homestead Drive, Benezette, PA; +1 814 787 5167.
Grounds open at 6:30 a.m. The Visitor Center is open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Mon-Sun (seasonal hours).

Photos: Above, Elk pause for a picture in Benezette, Pennsylvania, by Vanessa Rumsky/My Shot. Below, the new Elk Country Visitor Center.


The Lonely Planet Awards

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Japan's Maid Cafes

Intelligent Travel Last year, Rainer Jenss traveled around the world with his wife and two sons, and blogged about his experience here on Intelligent Travel. Now he's writing a column that focuses on traveling with kids.

Photo: Japan's Maid CafesDuring a recent visit to Japan, I had a chance to explore a side of Tokyo that was quite different from the one I saw when I was last in the city with my family almost two years ago. Before the trip, I came across a magazine article about a new trend in Tokyo that's grown out of the Japanese subculture obsessed with video games, manga, and anime characters. Eccentric themed restaurants called Maid Cafés were sprouting up all over the city and throughout the country to give these Otaku die-hards a place to hang out, and I was curious to see what all the buzz was about.

Not long after arriving, I began to realize these cafés were not part of some secret underground society. They were advertised all around town, especially on the metro trains. Because both my sons, like most boys in the U.S., are really into video games, I asked some locals if they were popular with kids. I was assured that they not only attracted the hardcore gamers, but were getting quite popular with couples, tourists, and the simply curious. Being rather inquisitive myself, I decided to check one out to see just how appropriate they'd be for families.

I headed for the Akihabara, or high-tech district of Tokyo, to one of the original maid cafés called the @home Café.  Once inside, I was greeted by several young ladies dressed in Victorian maid outfits like the kind you'd see women wearing for Halloween. This fashion trend apparently derives from "cosplay," the costume play craze that is now booming in Japan. Tasked to make their customers feel special, guests are addressed as "Lord" or "Master" by the maids who wait on them. And what do they serve? Their menu consisted mainly of dessert items like chocolate brownies, ice cream, and milk shakes. There was alcohol offered, but that just didn't seem fitting in this type of setting.    

Photo: Maid CafeAfter getting a seat in front of a small stage and placing my order, I began to feel a little awkward. The decor made it appear as though I walked into a pre-teen birthday party, but there were no kids in sight. Instead, there were a few middle-aged men and a couple of twenty-something girls performing song duets and getting Polaroids taken with the maids for 500 yen (about $6) a pop. Feeling somewhat obligated to play along, I opted for a round of Crocodile Dentist with one of the maids, a game I last shared with my sons when they were preschoolers.

While pretending that I was actually enjoying myself, I asked the local friend I was with what the appeal was with these places. She told me that most of the patrons love anime and manga characters, so when they come here, it's like stepping inside a cartoon. She further confessed how some of the café regulars are probably a bit socially awkward and sometimes uncomfortable around members of the opposite sex (there are now Butler Cafés for women), so these spaces serve as a sort of refuge, somewhere where they can feel accepted. I replied that even though many Americans might share this Japanese interest for video games and cartoon and comic book characters, I could never imagine something like a maid café in the U.S. Not because kids wouldn't like them, on the contrary. In this country, they would be designed for kids, and kids only. The only adults you'd find inside would be the parents coming to pick their children up.

I left the café somewhat relieved to get out of this bizarre, yet fascinating situation. More importantly, I came away with a heightened sense of awareness and appreciation for just how acute our cultural differences can be. It's what makes traveling so intriguing, and already has me looking forward to my next visit to Japan.  

[Tokyo Travel Guide]
[Jenss Family Travels]

Photos: Rainer Jenss


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Blog Lagoon’s 31 Days of Halloween, Day 2: Spooky Toons


“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” is great. There’s a reason it’s the first cartoon you think of when you think of Halloween TV specials. (Do they still air it every year? I guess I’ll check my local listings.) But as far as Halloween cartoons go, can you name anything else off the top of your head? …Well then, allow me to direct your attention to this hand-picked collection of some of my favorites. First some early animated shorts from the 20s and 30s, and we’ll get a little more modern next time. I’m especially fond of old black and white cartoons because early animation is inherently creepy anyway. All the anthropomorphic animals’ eyes are too big, when they dance their shoulders move up and down…and when they laugh?– it’s the stuff of nightmares. When you remember that these were originally made to be shown on movie theater screens before a main feature, you have to kind of marvel at what they were throwing in front of general audiences back in the day. (It’s easy to forget that was the only way to see a cartoon before TV.) Obviously many of these were tailored for kids’ eyes.  Below are some of the best. [I should also mention here that many early cartoons try to squeeze yuks out of over-the-top racial slurs--common in pop culture at that time. I don't condone it obviously but it's still part of the cartoon fossil record.]

Silly Symphonies – The Skeleton Dance (1929)
This Silly Symphonies short was produced and directed by a young Walt Disney (see more Disney clips below). If some of it looks familiar that’s probably because clips of the music and visuals from it have popped up in several unexpected places over the years (like the 2007 Nicolas Cage snoozer Ghost Rider). It’s probably the best of the few Silly Symphonies shorts, which never enjoyed the same popularity as the early Mickey Mouse shorts. What’s more — Silly Symphonies developed stiff competition in the animated world from the sassy little Fleischer Studios gal below.


Betty Boop’s Hallowe’en Party
(1933)
Check out just how scantily-clad Betty was back in the day. The length of that skirt rivals anything you’d see on Mystery Incorporated’s Daphne! Lots of great Halloween imagery here, and then Betty breaks into a sing-along of “Let’s All Sing Like the Birdies Sing” — a decidedly UNspooky standard. Fleischer Studios, responsible for both Betty, early Superman, and the original Popeye shorts were in direct competition with Disney in the early 30s — which is funny when you consider the little fellas bobbing for apples around the 4:05 mark…In appearance, they’re about as close to a certain mouse as I’m guessing the lawyers would allow.


Skeleton Frolics
(1937)
This animated short was from the Color Rhapsodies animation wing of Columbia Pictures. It looks a lot like a color remake of the The Skeleton Dance from almost a decade earlier.

Scrappy’s Ghost Story (1935)
Another cartoon from Columbia, this time featuring one of their regular characters: a brat named Scrappy. Allow me to reiterate what I said above about early cartoon racist stereotyping.

Fleischer Studio Popeye the Sailor Shorts: Ghosks is the Bunk (1939) & Shiver Me Timbers! (1934)
I’ve been a HUGE Popeye fan since I was but a wee Gill Man tadpolin’ around the lagoon. I could not get enough. Anything and everything Popeye interested me and I’m one of the five people on Earth who love the Robin Williams movie musical. My parents bought me a corncob pipe at a gift shop on vacation when I was seven. Some kids wanted to be Magnum P.I. but I wanted to be a one-eyed sailor with a speech impediment. I grew up watching the Famous Studios Popeye cartoons which ran regularly on TV in the 70s and 80s but as an adult I discovered the superior Fleischer Studios shorts that were revolutionary for the time. They’ve all been released on DVD and they’re highly recommended. Here are two spooky Popeye shorts which offer a great representative sample.


Fright to the Finish (1954)
Now THIS is the Popeye I grew up on – and the only color toon in today’s collection. I wanted to include it along side the other Popeye shorts. The Famous Studios Popeye shorts are arguably inferior to the early black and whites, but this one is pretty great.

~ by GillMan on October 2, 2010.

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: Halloween, popeye, 31 posts of halloween, cartoons, spooky toons, skeletons, silly symphonies, betty boop, black and white animation


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London: Postcards from the Future

Intelligent Travel London: Postcards from the FutureBy IT Blog, October 7, 2010 4:45 PM | Comments (3) Stephanie Ostroff, an intern with National Geographic Digital Media's Travel team, ponders London's future. 

Photo: London Futures Piccadilly Circus © Robert Graves and Didier Madoc-Jones@ Museum of London.jpgThe din that once defined Piccadilly Circus has been replaced by an eerie silence. In lieu of bustling Londoners are water lilies, fish, and wind turbines. Climate refugees flee the waterlogged city center and set up camp behind Buckingham Palace. Camels are the new stars of the Horse Guards Parade. These are just a sampling of the startling images that make up the "London Futures" exhibit at the Museum of London, a photo display that envisions the drastic impact of climate change.

See more images after the jump.


Photo: London Futures Buckingham Palace Shanty Town © Robert Graves and Didier Madoc-Jones.jpg
Photo: London Futures Parliament Square © Robert Graves and Didier Madoc-Jones@ Museum of London.jpg
Photo: London Futures Camel Guards Parade © Robert Graves and Didier Madoc-Jones.jpg
Photo: London Futures Aerial Flood © Robert Graves and Didier Madoc-Jones.jpgThe exhibit, which opened October 1 and will run until March 6, is a collection of 14 familiar London scenes that have been digitally transformed by illustrators Robert Graves and Didier Madoc-Jones of London-based digital illustration company GMJ. The photos paint a haunting portrait of a city ravaged by rising sea levels, food scarcity, and global warming. In the face of these challenges, Graves and Madoc-Jones imagine a London that's learned to adapt.

This means rice paddy fields in Parliament Square to aid London's food production effort, empty buildings huddled around a flooded Piccadilly Circus to support the infrastructure of power generation, and shanty towns surrounding Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. Camels can hold up better in the scalding heat of the Horse Guards Parade, so they become the standard participants in this London tradition. The banks of the Thames well up and render the city into a metropolitan Venice, and winter skating at Tower Bridge becomes a popular London pastime as a slowing Gulf Stream creates a mini ice age.

"London Futures" is part of the Mayor's Story of London Festival, which celebrates the city as a center of innovation and looks at how it will develop and change going forward. And as part of the exhibit, the artists are encouraging people to create their own "Postcard from the Future" by creating a Flickr group to showcase other eerie images. They'll select a favorite by the end of this month; the winner will be presented at one of the series of gallery talks scheduled to coincide with the exhibit.  

[London Futures]
[Postcards from the Future]
[Flickr Group: Postcards from the Future]


The Lonely Planet Awards

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Blog Lagoon’s 31 Days of Halloween, Day 5: Blog Lagoon Halloween Mix Vol. 3

Get it HERE
Here’s the first of two Halloween mixes I’ve put together for this month. The music is taken from various sources and unmarked tracks contain extra goodies like movie ads, clips, and more generally creepy stuff. There should be something for just about everyone, as this mix contains the likes of talents ranging from Bo Diddley to PJ Harvey to Buck Owens to Charlie Manson doing a Willie Nelson cover. Top THAT K-Tel! [WARNING: Some tracks are NSFW and not for children.]

Find the tracklist here:

What? You never snatched up last year’s mixes? Well, get to it, you little monsters.
Volume One
Volume Two

~ by GillMan on October 5, 2010.

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: the cramps, the ramones, halloween music, halloween mix, 31 days of halloween, countdown to halloween, creepy music, buck owens, zombina, louis prima, charles manson


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Your Take: Fall Foliage Favorites

Intelligent Travel After a seemingly endless summer (which tied for the hottest year on record), this weekend finally seemed to usher in the arrival of autumn. All of which has us hankering for some cider, pumpkin pie, and the quintessential fall foliage outing. So I'm wondering, where are your favorite places to take in Mother Nature's fabulous costume change? Do you visit the National Parks? Have a specific spot where you can take the best foliage photos? If you have a favorite site in mind let us know in the comments. We'll publish the best here on the blog.

[Autumn in the United Sates Photo Gallery]

Photo: Shenandoah Valley, by Medford Taylor


The Lonely Planet Awards

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Tuesday, 9 November 2010

Watch Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 Movie Online ? Watch Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 Online

Watch Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 Movie Online ? Watch Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 Online

So you are looking to watch Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 movie online as of now you are Here well would not take your much time just giving you an idea which can help you out to choose best website to make Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 movie online Watch!

As we know there is so much garbage on the Internet regarding movie online watch sites that you may be a little skeptical but just take a minute to check out the site I have found in my search for a reliable place to watch Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010, the new movie online that just came out. 

I have tried countless other sites to get my movie online only to be completely disappointed. They either just did not work at all or the watch was of some guy filming the movie online in a movie online theater. That obviously was not what I was looking for. But, I’m here to tell you that I did finally find a site that is legitimate and does work. This site offers you the full and complete movie online in perfect DVD quality. 

You can either keep reading this article and come back to the following link, or just skip it and start watching Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 now! 

The best part is that it is so simple. You don’t need a fancy computer or need to be particularly computer savvy to complete your watch. Believe me, if I was able to do it easily, anyone can! They offer you step by step easy to follow instructions on how to watch Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 movie online and there is someone available 24/7 should you have any questions at all. 

You can also browse through millions of other movies online from all genres as well. There are no restrictions whatsoever. Anytime of the day or night you feel like checking out any movie online or movies online you can do so. There are no restrictions on how many movies online you decide to watch. And again, they are all in wonderful DVD quality. 

They also provide you with the free software necessary to burn your watch to DVD. Very nice. My collection is getting kind of out of control at this point! I love that! When you actually arrive at the site you know you have to come to the right place because the site specifically mentions, in this case, Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010. That made me feels good right off the bat. I instantly knew Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 was available. 

So, I hope I have ended your quest for a reliable movie online watch website. This is really the only site that delivers what it promises. So, take a peek and you’ll be watching your movie online in minutes!

If you searched for and reached this page when wanting to watch The Perfect Game movie online online, you have reached the right page on the Internet. Read on below to find out how you can take advantage of a special offer to watch this and countless other movie onlines online.

Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck Tickets – Dream Team

So you are looking to watch Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 movie online as of now you are Here well would not take your much time just giving you an idea which can help you out to choose best website to make Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 movie online Watch!

As we know there is so much garbage on the Internet regarding movie online watch sites that you may be a little skeptical but just take a minute to check out the site I have found in my search for a reliable place to watch Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010, the new movie online that just came out. 

I have tried countless other sites to get my movie online only to be completely disappointed. They either just did not work at all or the watch was of some guy filming the movie online in a movie online theater. That obviously was not what I was looking for. But, I’m here to tell you that I did finally find a site that is legitimate and does work. This site offers you the full and complete movie online in perfect DVD quality. 

You can either keep reading this article and come back to the following link, or just skip it and start watching Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 now! 

The best part is that it is so simple. You don’t need a fancy computer or need to be particularly computer savvy to complete your watch. Believe me, if I was able to do it easily, anyone can! They offer you step by step easy to follow instructions on how to watch Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 movie online and there is someone available 24/7 should you have any questions at all. 

You can also browse through millions of other movies online from all genres as well. There are no restrictions whatsoever. Anytime of the day or night you feel like checking out any movie online or movies online you can do so. There are no restrictions on how many movies online you decide to watch. And again, they are all in wonderful DVD quality. 

They also provide you with the free software necessary to burn your watch to DVD. Very nice. My collection is getting kind of out of control at this point! I love that! When you actually arrive at the site you know you have to come to the right place because the site specifically mentions, in this case, Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010. That made me feels good right off the bat. I instantly knew Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 was available. 

So, I hope I have ended your quest for a reliable movie online watch website. This is really the only site that delivers what it promises. So, take a peek and you’ll be watching your movie online in minutes!

If you searched for and reached this page when wanting to watch The Perfect Game movie online online, you have reached the right page on the Internet. Read on below to find out how you can take advantage of a special offer to watch this and countless other movie onlines online.

Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck have often appeared at many a concert together, but they have never shared a ticket…until now. The two guitar aficionados will perform two shows together at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on February 21 and 22. This is the first time that the pair will be on an official co-bill. In the past they have both appeared next to each other at The Secret Policeman’s Ball for Amnesty International and at the ARMS Concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Both events took place in the early 1980s. Fans of the two rock music greats can see the show on the other side of world, tickets are reported to run about an average of 0. They will likely start going on sale in a couple weeks in the United States. For more information, be sure to keep checking back at http://www.stubhub.com/eric-clapton-tickets.

Eric Clapton, also known as “Slowhand” for his intricate guitar-picking style as well as one of his most successful albums of the same name, first launched his solo career with his self-titled debut album in mid-1970. Already, Clapton was a well-established star among the ranks in the music industry, thanks to his associations with the Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream and Blind Faith. After his first solo release, Clapton dominated the decade with records that included: 461 Ocean Boulevard, There’s One in Every Crowd, E.C. Was Here, Slowhand and Backless. Several prominent singles arose from the efforts like “Cocaine,” “Lay Down Sally” and “Wonderful Tonight.” A couple decades later, Clapton became famous for another massively successful single, “Tears in Heaven,” which was written for his four-year-old son, who plunged to his death after he fell out of an apartment window. These days, it is still a joy to see Slowhand live in concert with a pair of Eric Clapton tickets.

Jeff Beck may not have achieved the same amount of star power as his contemporaries in the rock music field, but his skill on the guitar is undeniable. Beck started dabbling in the music industry in the 1960s when he joined the Yardbirds after the departure of Eric Clapton, and later formed the Jeff Beck Group with vocalist Rod Stewart and bassist Ron Wood, both of whom went onto have illustrious careers in the industry: Stewart as a solo artist and Wood as a member of the Rolling Stones. After the lineup dissolved, Beck continued releasing various albums periodically including Blow By Blow, which was a collaboration with Jan Hammer, and Wired. Beck would emerge onto the scene, only to disappear again for a years, haphazardly releasing albums and teaming up with his counterparts in the industry, like Mick Jagger and Roger Waters. Most recently, Beck released a live set of songs called Performing This Week: Live at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in 2008. Any fan has a chance to see him live with a pair of Jeff Beck tickets.

Any Clapton and Beck fan would surely jump at the chance to see these two iconic figures live on stage together. It might be a long trip to get there, but once the lights dim and the strings of the guitars can be heard filtering through the still air, it would surely be worth the flight.

This article was written by Alexa Evans and is sponsored by StubHub. Stubhub sells Eric Clapton tickets as well as many other kinds of sports tickets, concert tickets, special events tickets and theater tickets.

Tagged with: 2010 • Clapton • Crossroads • Eric • Movie • Online • Watch

Filed under: Featured

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Hockey fans are the best tweeters

In this post: ESPN Radio

In this post: Shopping

In this post: Drag Queen

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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Blog Lagoon’s 31 Days of Halloween, Day 4: The Lagoon Guide to Halloween Costumes & Safety

~ by GillMan on October 4, 2010.

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: KISS, 31 days of halloween, halloween safety, costumes, woolworths, masks, vintage halloween commercials, elvira, centron


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Go Wild in Bonaire

Intelligent Travel Kristin Luna explores Bonaire's wild side.

Photo: Bonaire BeachWhen I stepped off the plane at Bonaire's bright pink-hued Flamingo Airport, I expected the usual palm-fringed Caribbean setting. What I found instead was an arid desert landscape with towering cacti and tangled masses of mangrove forests, wild donkeys and goats roaming the terrain and often causing roadblocks, and flocks of flamingos lounging in pools of still water.

This rugged, natural isle was part of the Dutch Antilles but was just recently reunited with its motherland, the Netherlands, with the dissolution of the Dutch Antilles political unit this past Sunday, when it officially became a part of the country along with Sint Eustatius and Saba. (Its neighbors Aruba and Curacao, the other entities of the ABC Islands, will remain independent.) It's also slated to be the first Caribbean isle to run on 100 percent sustainable energy with the completion of a massive conservation project in 2015; the last turbine was installed at the wind farm and the diesel engine plant, which will convert algae to fuel, is in its final testing stages.

But Bonaire going green isn't a new thing: The waters surrounding the island have been a protected marine park as far back as the 1970s. Here's how to best utilize your time when next you find yourself on the wild island.

Photo: Divers in BonaireDive in
Bonaire's mantra is "freedom of diving," thanks to the more than 60 shore entry points that dot the coastline. Some resorts such as Buddy Dive even include a rental truck in your booking to make hauling your equipment around the island a breeze. But some of the best spots, such as the famed Hilma Hooker wreck or Klein Bonaire--the uninhabited islet just offshore teeming with octopuses, giant turtles, and squid--will require boat trips through operators such as Captain Don's Habitat. First-timers can spend a few days in scuba school; advanced divers can fine tune their skills by taking specialty courses such as underwater photography at Buddy. While Bonaire is a diver's dream, you needn't be scuba certified to enjoy the underwater landscape. With 100-foot visibility, snorkeling will put you front and center with the one of the most diverse and plentiful fish population in the West Indies.

Lend a helping hand
Travelers with a desire for doing good can join conservation efforts like Dive Friends Underwater Clean-Up Dives, which sends groups of certified divers out into the ocean to collect trash, or plan a trip to coincide with the annual Celebrate Our Planet Week, which recognizes the conservation of Bonaire's land through various activities like coral restoration and beach clean-up days. For more volunteer opportunities, check out Tourism Bonaire's website.

Photo: Donkeys in BonaireMeet the locals
Those who dig wildlife but don't want to take the plunge can still enjoy Bonaire's abundant flora and fauna on land. Spend an afternoon flamingo watching in Washington Park, admire the timid goats and lethargic iguanas on a hike through the mountains, or pay a visit to the donkey sanctuary, which streams its own live webcam. The new butterfly farm offers glimpses of various insects native to the region.

Hang ten
Bonaire is one of the more active islands in the region, offering a variety of sports--such as rappelling, sea kayaking through mangroves, rock climbing, spelunking, sailing regattas, kiteboarding, golfing--in a 99-square-mile plot of land. Windsurfing is one of the most popular activities, thanks to the steady tradewinds off the southeast coast, and Bonaire Windsurf Place, with its quarter-mile stretch of shallow waters, is perfect for beginners or advanced surfers wanting to test the waters (and winds). Professional child windsurfers (and stars of the upcoming documentary Children of the Wind) also frequent the Place, so you never know, you could very well be surfing alongside a world champion.

Kristin Luna is a San Francisco-based travel writer and avid scuba diver who tries to find herself in exotic locales more often than not. Photos: Kristin Luna


The Lonely Planet Awards

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My fantasy football draft recap

radiofred.jpg

This is my team, Radiofred Jackson's, logo. I'd still go see this band.

Last weekend I did my second of three fantasy football drafts. And I've noticed a couple things:

Tight end and quarterback are super deep. I kept Aaron Rodgers in my PPR league, but otherwise I'd probably wait a pretty long time to grab a QB. In my other league, I grabbed Joe Flacco in the 6th. Saturday I waited until the 11th round to get Visanthe Shiacoe, which is a steal. He was the last TE I'd be happy with as a starter, and I feel good with where I got him. It allowed to to stock up on RBs and WRs.

I've found elite RBs and WRs almost impossible to come by. When I had the third pick in my PPR keeper league (so basically a 3rd round for non-keeper leagues) I was faced with a bunch of question marks: Pierre Thomas, Jamaal Charles, Rashard Mendenhall, Marques Colston, and Steve Smith (CAR) were available. None are great picks I feel, and all have big question marks. Needing an RB I went with Thomas. Don't love it. But I made up for it with depth at RB, getting Matt Forte, Jerome Harrison, Ricky Williams, and Montario Hardesty. While I definitely don't love any of them, I feel I'll be solid there.

I kept Randy Moss and got Ochocinco after taking Thomas. I thought he was the last of the upper tier of the receivers and figured I'd rather have him than say, Dwayne Bowe (who I do like) or Donald Driver. 

People are all over Ryan Matthews and Jahvid Best, but I generally like to avoid rookies. Sure, there's huge upside, but I don't like where they're going. Give me something more proven with high picks. It's all about risk aversion (which is why I don't love the Thomas pick) at the beginning of the draft.

Also, people take kickers and defenses way too early. They're crapshoots. If you take either before the last three picks you are wasting picks. Also, someone will always take a backup tight end or a suspended player (Vincent Jackson, Santonio Holmes, Ben Rothelisberger) way too high because they are just looking at names. Come on people.

Also, some good team names this year. For some reason, people in my league decided to make puns on musicians their team name, with Kanye Wes Welker, Clay Matthews Band, and Knowshon Paul (Sean Paul, that's hilarious). So I decided to go with Radiofred Jackson. I love fantasy team names.

Here is my  12-team PPR keeper league snake draft recap. I don't like my team as much as I did when I drafted them. Shouldn't be too bad though.

You can follow Scott Bolohan on Twitter or be his fan on Facebook.


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household dust human skin

Do you sometimes neglect to dust during your regular household cleaning chores? According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), leaving dust around could do more than make your guests turn up their noses—it could be harmful to your health.

Recent research has been delving into what exactly is in the dust that collects on our furniture, floors, and countertops. You probably already know that it contains traces of human skin, pet dander, hair, and the like. However, scientists at the Silent Spring Institute in Massachusetts examined indoor air dust in 120 homes, and found phthalates, phenylphenol (disinfectant), 4-nonylphenol (detergent metabolite), and flame retardants, even the carcinogenic intermediate of a flame retardant banned in 1977. (Flame retardants are now found in computers, TVs, and furniture.)

They also found 27 pesticides, including DDT, and reported that the concentrations exceeded government health-based guidelines for 15 of the compounds. These are all chemicals that have been linked to cancer, reproductive problems, and hormone disruption, by the way.

Another study conducted by health officials in Canada found lead in house dust, and warned of the dangers to young children, who swallow more contaminants because they often play on the floor and tend to put their hands in their mouths more often than adults. Scientists at the University of Arizona found that around 60 percent of floor dust comes from the soil tracked in on the bottom of our shoes. If someone lives or works near a contaminated site or industrial plant, the dust could contain toxins. Worse, indoor dust can contain more toxins than outdoor soil, because of the lack of wind, rain, and sunshine to break them down and whisk them away.

Most of us know that household dust can cause allergies. Now, with these reports coming out, we find it can also expose us to toxins that could negatively affect our health and the health of our children. This is in addition to the toxins we’re regularly exposed to in the environment, at our work places, and from daily products.

Though scientists have yet to determine the exact risk presented by these household toxins, we already know they’re not good for us. So how can you cut down on the contaminants in your home? The EWG recommends you take the following actions:

Vacuum frequently with a machine that has a HEPA filter.Wet mop tile and wood floors to prevent dust from accumulating. (Dry mopping kicks up dust that can resettle.)Buy furniture that is filled with down, wool, polyester, or cotton as these are unlikely to contain added fire retardant chemicals.Regularly wipe furniture down with a wet or microfiber cloth, and stay away from synthetic sprays that only add more chemicals.Caulk and seal cracks and crevices in the home to prevent dust from coming in.Use filters on your forced-air heating and cooling systems and change them regularly.Regularly dust your electronic equipment.If you have children, pay special attention to their play areas.Leave your shoes at the door and use a natural doormat.If you have foam products made between 1970 and 2005—like stuffed/upholstered furniture, nursing pillows, padded high-chair seats, portable crip mattresses, baby changing pads, and chair cushions—replace anything with a ripped cover or foam that is breaking down, as these can contain fire retardant chemicals.Choose home electronics free of fire retardant chemicals—many manufacturers carry them now. Ask before you buy.Clean up thoroughly after any home-improvement project.When buying things that will “live” in your home, stick to natural products whenever you can, like wood, cotton, down, and wool.Consider getting a high-efficiency HEPA filter air cleaner for certain rooms in your home.

Have you become more conscientious about household dust? Please share your ideas.

Photo courtesy DuctTapeandDenim via Flickr.com.

Editor’s Note: If you missed Robin’s morning post on ways to eat local this spring, you can read it HERE. Now, here’s Sharon Daly from ecoLife Solutions with the dish on dust. Very informative info that may just have you breaking out the mop and dust clothes today! Enjoy.

Many of us wait until spring to extricate the dust bunnies colonizing under beds and couches, behind fridges, in closet corners and around home electronics. We put off general dusting, vacuuming and mopping duties until we can’t stand the sight of that dust and dirt – and in the case of our house, cat hair and dander - collecting on floors and furniture. I once prided myself on being able to look at “the dust” without running for a mop and a cloth. But, this is no longer the case. I’m back to dusting and sweeping on a regular basis.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a bit of dirt. Dust is a fact of life and health experts believe that plain old dirt can even be healthy in a society with an obsession for “clean and gleam” – as an immune system builder. But, common household dust is not so plain anymore. It’s not only an allergenic but it increases our risk of long-term exposure to toxic chemicals.

Dust is an irritant on its own. It’s also an eager host for lots of gross stuff like human hair and skin, fungal spores, dust mites, pet dander and fur, and any other particles and dirt that blow in or get tracked in from the outside. For those people with allergies, biological irritants like dust mites, pollen and pet dander can make every day life miserable.

A few years ago, David Suzuki famously reported about the health dangers lurking in the dirty, dusty fibres and padding of our carpets. It prompted me to stay away from wall-to-wall carpeting FOREVER.

What most people don’t know is that household products like furniture, mattresses, electronics, plastics and synthetic fabrics shed invisible chemicals over time and settle in household dust.

Many studies confirm the presence of toxic chemicals in common household dust, the most notable being:

PBDEs - flame retardants applied to textiles or incorporated in foam and plastics for furniture and home electronics,

- Alkylphenols - compounds found in laundry detergents, all purpose cleaning products, and paint to name a few,

PCFs - chemicals used to make non-stick cookware and stain repellent fabric,

Phthalates - added to vinyl products to make them pliable such as shower curtains, toys and furniture,

Pesticides - applied in and around homes on lawns/gardens and controlling insect infestations,

Metals lead - mercury and cadmium (for example, from treated wood products and old lead paint), and

Personal care product additives and chemicals.

These toxic chemicals have the potential to make you and your family members sick. They are linked to cancer, developmental and neurological disorders, respiratory issues and hormone disruption.

Of most concern are children who are not only more vulnerable to chemical exposures, but tend to play close to the floor, or in dusty hideaways such as closets and under furniture. They can ingest and inhale dust particles more readily and frequently then adults. The US Environmental Protection Agency suggests that children ages one to four consume about 100 mg of dust a day and 400 mg for highly exposed children. You can see how household dust can become a risk.

What is interesting to note is that as many as 100,000 synthetic chemicals are in use today. The vast majority of these chemicals have never been completely tested on humans, wildlife or the environment to determine whether they are safe or not.

According to the US Environmental Working Group, many experts refer to house dust as an “indoor-pollution archive” or a “long-term accumulative sample” of contaminants. In fact, Health Canada is nearing completion of a four-year House Dust Study to measure the background levels of chemicals in house dust across the country and determine how health risks should be addressed. Results should be released later this year.

What can you do? We realistically can’t dust every day, so there is no point in panicking and developing an anxiety disorder.

There are a couple of realistic and practical strategies for staying on top of potential toxic dust. They are to capture and remove dust, and reduce the amount of toxins entering your home.

Capture and Remove:

- Clean floors and surfaces on a regular basis.

– Clean non-carpeted floors with wet mops, without toxic household cleaners.

- Use a regular damp cloth or microfiber cloth (for example, E-Cloth) to wipe down furniture.

- Vacuum often and use a vacuum with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter and debris collection system. Don’t forget to vacuum the stuffed furniture, including under the cushions.

- Dust places where children hang out or crawl (for example, under tables and in closets).

- Make sure you dust electronic equipment regularly, especially computers – electronics are a common source of fire retardants in dust.

- Establish a no-shoe policy in your house. Shoes are a common way to bring in outdoor pollutants like pesticides, oil residues, pollen and antifreeze.

- Use HEPA filters on your furnace and air conditioning units and clean filters regularly during the heating and cooling seasons.

- Buy a HEPA air filter system (11+) with a high MERV value if you have many allergies or chemical sensitivities.

- Cover tears in upholstery that expose polyurethane foam, particularly if foam is deteriorating and pre-2005.

- Cover mattresses with a tightly woven cotton allergen barrier to reduce dust that could carry PBDE and provide protection from dust mites.

- Seal off work areas for home improvement projects and clean up thoroughly after each working session (make sure you wear a barrier mask).

Reduce the Amount of Chemical Toxins Entering Your Home:

- Choose home electronics without PBDEs – there are manufacturers who no longer have these fire retardants in their products. Make sure you ask before you buy.

- Stick to products made with natural fibres and fibres that are naturally fire resistant and contain fewer chemicals, such as down, wool, polyester, cotton, hemp or bamboo.

- Use natural homemade or green cleaning products – harsh chemicals in cleaning products can contaminate your home defeating the purpose of all that scrubbing, soaking, washing and dusting.

- Use natural personal care products, or at least products with a short ingredient list.

- Buy formaldehyde-free wood or fibreboard products.

- Opt for wood, tile or natural linoleum flooring with scattered rugs. If you have to have a wall-to-wall carpet, invest in a natural fibre carpet.

- Minimize the use of vinyl and plastic within your home especially PVC (#3) and Styrofoam (#6).

- Use low VOC (or preferably zero VOC) products such as paint, finishes, sealants, waxes, strippers and glues.

The most important thing is to RELAX. Dust regularly. Work towards purchasing non-toxic or low toxicity products over time and according to your budget. Everyone in your household will benefit from the creation of a non-toxic home environment.


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Souvenir Shopping in Gaza

Intelligent Travel For the past few months, writer Theodore May has been following in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, tracing the 2,000-mile path Alexander forged through the modern Middle East. Theo is writing about his experiences for The Global Post, and you can be follow him on Twitter at @Theodore_May. He's been contributing glimpses from his journeys here at Intelligent Travel.

Photo: Souvenir Shopping in GazaAlong the waterfront, in Gaza City's port district, lie a number of high-end hotels, whose plush reception areas and outdoor patios can surprise visitors who aren't expecting that sort of comfort in Gaza.

Some of these hotels used to serve alcohol. Others used to host late-night dance parties. That was until Hamas took over.

Today, "No Weapons" signs greet you at the entrances of many of the hotels. Beer is gone from the shelves, and the view you'll likely have from one of the hotel cafes is of an Israeli warship or two patrolling off the coast.

If you manage to get into Gaza, and chances are you won't, these hotels can serve as comfortable bases for exploring the tiny Palestinian enclave that measures only 46 kilometers (28 miles) long, top to bottom.

Once in town, though, you must visit Gaza City's premier (and perhaps only!) souvenir shop, which serves all ends of Gaza's political spectrum and will send you home with various knickknacks to wow your friends.

Photo: Palestine ScarvesThe Chairman Arafat Shop sits on a major thoroughfare in central Gaza City, across the street from the austere-looking cultural center and just a few blocks from the vacant lot that used to be Gaza's parliament building.

Tareq Abu Dayyeh, who runs the shop, is an equal opportunity salesman, marketing to Palestinians of every political stripe.

The back wall of his store is plastered with the images of famous regional leaders, the most prominently displayed of which is Yasser Arafat. Also on the wall, though, is a photo of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The store shelves are jammed with goods, many of which are made in Gaza. Keffiyehs, the type of headscarf made famous by Yasser Arafat, are a favorite item. You can buy them in the traditional black or red checkered pattern, green and embroidered with the Hamas logo, or black and bearing the name of the Islamist party Islamic Jihad. And, if you're a wayward hipster, you can buy your keffiyeh in yellow or orange.

The rest of the shelves are lined with prayer beads and rosaries, American flag pins and Hezbollah magnets. Malaysian scarves sit next to hand-stitched wallets, silver camels, and Bethlehem drink coasters. The most intriguing and funniest items in the store, though, sit in a corner by the manager's desk.

On one shelf, Abu Dayyeh has stacked a number of coffee mugs into a pyramid shape. One mug design, featuring a keffiyeh-wearing Barack Obama, reads, "Oh... Abu Malia. Palestine loves you!!!" Abu Malia, a common Arab naming convention, means "Father of Malia."

Behind the mugs is an 18-inch-tall Obama doll. Attached to his vest are a sword and a couple of grenades, with a pistol jammed into the pockets.

After all, this is Gaza.

Photos: Theo May


The Lonely Planet Awards

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Monday, 8 November 2010

colonial revival house plans

A little over a century ago – largely as a result of the American Centennial Exhibition in 1876 which reawakened the American people to its colonial past – there began a popular Colonial Revival craze in design and architecture. Colonial home plans follow the style of the Revolutionary War period, which in turn were imitative of the medieval English architectural style. This style is referred to as Georgian after the English King Georges who reigned from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, at the time when this building style emerged in both England and America. This style is formal, rigid, and symmetrical, but often with a façade above the door and overhead supported by columns or pillars. These structures are typically two-storied, rectangular or square in design, with the length of the building parallel to the street. Steep roofs with gables crown a symmetrical façade which has a large central doorway and evenly-spaced windows on either side. The central fireplace and chimney were necessary to provide heating and cooking facilities in the original colonial design. Usually the entranceway opens into a hall which leads from the front of the house to the back, and gives access to the downstairs rooms on either side. This basic plan can be and has been modified to incorporate decorative features such as elaborate front doors with crown pediment decoration, sidelights and overhead fanlights; side porches and sunrooms; and porches with multiple columns. Interior decoration ideally consists of actual colonial antiques and handiwork, or reproductions of same; and modern fixtures are designed to blend in with the eighteenth century style.

Since the nineteenth century craze there have been several waves of revival of English colonial architecture in the U.S. The original revival after 1876 favored the eclectic style with embellishments such as columns. However the modern colonial style relies more heavily on authenticity, in the mode of such research based historical attractions as Colonial Williamsburg. In the twentieth century colonial architecture has taken on an increasingly scholarly and less embellished turn, such as the elimination of columns. Today’s 4 bedroom space saving colonial house plans not only incorporate modern conveniences, but do so in a style more congruent with true colonial architectural style than the nineteenth century version. On the other hand, the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial celebration added another element to the craze, combining the basic colonial plan with the ranch style home design popular at the time. The result was typically a single-story white frame structure with wood shake roof and motifs such as drums, cannons, or eagles affixed to the façade. The past few years has seen another colonial revival in the U.S., this time with more of a British empire or Anglo-Caribbean feel to it. Note that colonial revival architecture has always been more popular in the eastern and Midwestern U.S. rather than California or the Southwest, where Spanish house plans are more congruent with local history and tastes than the Georgian prototype.

Related : Refinance Home Loan Prudential Insurance Anna Sui Fragrance Dolby Surround Mango Juice Equity Mutual


In 1905 a meeting was of local citizens was held in Beaufort with Mayor William F. Dill presiding. A representative of the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad estimated a cost of $150,000 to link Morehead and Beaufort by rail. In addition to tracks and trestles, a causeway had to be constructed over the marshland. Then, in July of 1906 the town agreed to construction of a depot at the corner of Broad and Pollock Streets at a cost of $15,000.

On November 18, 1906, the first TRAIN backed into Beaufort. This line, Beaufort and Western Railroad (1905-1906), was acquired by Norfolk and Southern Railway in 1906.

On June 8, 1907, Beaufort launched "Gala Week." Banners and bunting were draped while residents and guests dressed in Sunday best attended a grand parade and speeches that launched the festivities, all celebrating Beaufort's new depot and the first train—coming into town engine first.

The Spanish Colonial Revival six-bay long and two-bay wide train station was built of frame construction with a steep hipped roof; eaves flared outward to create an overhang of about ten feet on all sides. It was covered with red tile shingles and supported by massive sawn brackets. Walls were built with a weatherboard wainscot with rough-textured stucco above. The building had Craftsman-style paired sash windows and a bay window on the Broad Street side, flanked by two entrances. The interior contained two separate waiting rooms.

Neal Willis, born in 1917, wrote in Beaufort by the Sea, Memories of a Lifetime, "It was quite an event when the trains came in each day. We would go down to Railroad Street (Broad Street) and count the cars and wave at the passengers. The Depot had white and colored sections. In between was the ticket office. On the west side was the freight room. Mr. Seth Gibbs was the stationmaster. Mr. Webb was the ticket agent and telegrapher.”

The depot was full of activity for thirty years; the train not only provided easier transportation to and from Beaufort, it also brought a new economy, enabling local citizens to more easily ship seafood and other goods.

By 1938, passenger service ceased when the line between Morehead City and Beaufort was acquired by the Beaufort and Morehead Railroad.

Owners of the depot were persuaded to sell the vacant passenger-train depot to the Town of Beaufort to use as its library. The 2,570 square foot building required considerable refurbishing. The Beaufort Woman’s Club, under the leadership of Mrs. W. L. Woodard, came to the rescue raising funds for the work. In December 1940 the library moved into the depot and was located there into the 1960s when the leaking roof, termites and the old pot-belly stove provided an inadequate location for a proper library.

Though there was no passenger depot, the railroad line continued to operate as “The Route of the Jets” between Beaufort and Morehead City into the 1980s. The railroad drawbridge over the Beaufort Channel at the foot of Broad Street was demolished in the mid-1990s; the removal of the tracks down the middle of Broad Street began in 1994.

In 1996 the Beaufort Woman’s Club joined with the Town of Beaufort to thoroughly and beautifully restore the 1907 Train Depot. With its period displays of early-20th century railroad memorabilia and old photographs, the depot remains a symbol and a reminder of the train bringing the outside world to Beaufort. The historic building now functions as an annex to the Beaufort Town Hall, located at the rear on Pollock Street. It is used for town meetings and special events.


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Blog Lagoon’s 31 Days of Halloween, Day 6: Ten Great Haunted House Movies (10 – 6)


Phooey on The Amityville Horror – and it’s remake too for that matter. What could possibly be scary about a based-on-a-true-story haunted house movie that was long ago outed as a phony pulp horror novel fantasy? Disembodied pig heads…”GET OUT!”…the doll in the rocking chair…the “red room”…James Brolin’s facial hair…I agree that in “real life” each of those things have the potential to scare the bejesus out of me. But AH is a sham and that’s a drag. So I ask: Why settle for watching bogus non-fiction horror when you could enjoy a much better, proudly fictional haunted house movie? Here are my favorites:


10. Burnt Offerings
 (1976) People keep dying in a beautiful but dilapidated mansion — too bad for the summer caretakers; Oliver Reed, Karen Black, and their precocious preteen son. They’re getting the summer vacation house for a steal, but there’s a catch: BETTE DAVIS(!) as the 85-year-old lady who’ll be staying all summer too, locked away in her upstairs room. The other catch is that the house is pretty much alive and restoring itself with each life it claims. BO is a little slow in spots, but no one holds a candle to Reed and Black for hammy scene-devouring intensity. They keep things lively.
Key Scenes:
*Reed nearly drowns his son – accidentally on purpose – in the backyard pool.
*Any scene featuring the odious smiling hearse chauffeur.
*Black’s final transformation into “lady of the house.”
*Surprise *splat* ending.

 
9. House
(1986)  William Katt moves into his dead aunt’s old home to write his Vietnam memoir only to find that it’s a gateway to hell  hijinks. It’s not the scariest haunted house movie you’ll ever see (half the time the movie is playing for laughs), but it does have the Greatest American Hero fighting Night Court‘s Bull, with the help of Cheers‘ Norm – AND it makes interesting use of the Linda Ronstadt hit “You’re No Good.” It’s one of the first horror movies I watched by myself as a kid, so I have an enduring affection for it.
Key Scenes:
*George Wendt’s heroic turn as the nosey neighbor.
*The appearance of the shape-shifting blue hag.

 
8. Dead of Night
(1945) A group of strangers, including a nightmare-plagued architect, are assembled for mostly unrelated reasons at an English farmhouse. The architect recognizes the strangers from the recurring dream he fears is coming true. This starts a conversation in which each guest shares a story about their own personal brush with the supernatural, setting up the movie’s anthology structure. Each segment offers its own rewards but “the Christmas party” segment resonates as a perfect little haunted house story. To tell you anything more would spoil the tale’s surprise.
Watch a clip from “the Christmas Party” segment of Dead of Night at TCM.com.

 
7. The House on Haunted Hill
(1959) The house on haunted hill isn’t really haunted — OR IS IT?! Vincent Price and his sexpot wife host a party in the titular location. If the guests can stay the entire night  in the creepy mansion (they’re locked in), they’ll get to split a fortune. But a series of scares and near-misses leave each of them wondering if they’ll survive to see morning. This is easily my favorite William Castle movie; well-written, great performances, and genuine scares that stand the test of time.
Key Scenes:
*Price passes out some unconventional party favors – guns for arming his guests – in tiny little gun-sized coffins.
*When sweet but spooked Nora (Carolyn Craig) finds herself locked in the basement, she’s confronted by a witch-like entity that glides across the floor and gets all up in her face.
*The true villain gets theirs…in a vat of flesh-dissolving acid.


6. The Haunting (1963) Directed by Robert Wise and based on The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, The Haunting is considered the quintessential haunted house movie by many, and rightfully so. A psychic researcher (Richard Johnson), a clairvoyant (Claire Bloom), a young woman with a childhood history of paranormal troubles (Julie Christy), and a relative to the owners of the sinister, gothic location (Russ Tamblyn), visit Hill House to assist in the Doc’s ghost research. The Haunting is a beautifully shot black and white marvel that mines its scares from the psyches of its primaries and some subtle unexplained phenomena that terrify by leaving almost everything to the imagination. The longer the guests stay at Hill House the more it becomes a character of its own; with a personality built on a dark history that somehow seems to involve Christie’s Eleanor. (…and for the record, it’s best to pretend the 1999 remake never even happened.)
Key Scenes:
*Eleanor’s bedtime encounter with some literal bumps in the night…and the bending door.
*The last reel’s “spiral staircase” scene.

Next time numbers 5 through 1.~ by GillMan on October 13, 2010.

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: vincent price, halloween movies, 31 days of halloween, countdown to halloween, 31 posts of halloween, haunted house movies, the haunting, dead of night, burnt offerings, hill house, house 1986, karen black, julie christy


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