Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Rodney Dangerfield Remembered: The Comedians Lifetime Of Comedy

He was recognized by his trademark phrase - "I don't get no respect."

Born on November 22, 1921 in Babylon, New York, Rodney Dangerfield began writing jokes at age 15 and performing his comedy by his late teens. For ten years, he struggled as a stand up comedian and worked as a singing waiter to make ends meet. When his comedy career failed to really take off, Dangerfield, who had been working in entertainment as Jack Roy, left show business for a regular job. He spent the 1950's selling aluminum siding in New Jersey while supporting his first wife and two children.

He took another chance at show business after his divorce in 1961 and became known for the rest of his life as Rodney Dangerfield. By this time, he was approaching his fortieth birthday. His big break came when he appeared as a guest on "The Ed Sullivan Show." He did what few people were able to do – he made Ed Sullivan laugh. During the 1960's he made the rounds of many of the most popular variety shows. He performed his standup on "The Joey Bishop Show," "The Merv Griffin Show" and "The Jackie Gleason Show." In 1969 he made his first of 35 appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." In addition to his gigs on television, he spent his time making the rounds of comedy clubs throughout the country.

In 1969, the comedian opened his own standup comedy club, Dangerfield's in New York City. From its inception, it has been one of the most popular comedy clubs in America, receiving rave reviews by top newspapers and entertainment guides. Since Dangerfield's opened its doors almost 40 years ago it has seen the likes of Jay Leno, Jim Carey, Chris Rock, Andrew Dice Clay, Tim Allen and Jerry Seinfeld grace its stage. Many of the comedy club's biggest draws find themselves as guests on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" or "Late Night With David Letterman."

Having cemented his place in stand up comedy history, Dangerfield turned his attention to acting. He had his first movie role in the 1971 film The Projectionist and had a role on the television show "Benny and Barney: Las Vegas Undercover" later in the decade. The acting roles came slowly but in 1980 he landed a role that made him a household name. He starred as the obnoxious real estate developer Al Czervik in the comedy smash Caddy Shack. Suddenly people who didn't know much about comedians knew all about Rodney Dangerfield.

He followed Caddy Shack with two other 1980's comedies, Easy Money and Back To School. In 1991, he made the animated movie Rover Dangerfield, the story of a dog that gets no respect. Throughout his career, his line about getting no respect was his trademark.

Dangerfield branched out into a serious role next. He played the abusive father to Juliette Lewis' character in the controversial film Natural Born Killers. It has been reported that Dangerfield was allowed to write his own lines for the role. This was to be his only serious film role. He followed it with more comedies like Meet Wally Sparks and The Godson. In 2000, the almost 80-year-old comedian starred alongside Adam Sandler in Little Nicky.

His very last acting role was that of God in 2005's Angels with Angels. It was released posthumously. Dangerfield died on October 5, 2004. He had fallen into a coma after heart surgery and never regained consciousness. His tombstone reflects his comedy. It reads "Rodney Dangerfield – There Goes the Neighborhood."

His comedy career spanned over 60 years. In addition to all of his stage and screen accomplishments during those years, he also won two awards for his achievements. In 1981 he won a Grammy Award for his comedy recording titled No Respect. In 1995 the American Comedy Awards honored him with a Creative Achievement Award.

One of his lesser-known achievements was that he was the first entertainment personality to have his own website. In 1995 he created Rodney.com, which is still in existence today.

During Rodney Dangerfield's career he had success on the comedy stage, in film, and on the television. He gave countless other comedians the chance to show their stuff on the stage at his own comedy club. His trademark line, "I don't get no respect" will forever be associated with the comedian who in spite of his onstage persona was loved and respected by millions of fans.

~Ben Anton, 2007

About the Author:
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can read more about classic tv at http://www.classictelevisionblog.com

Monday, December 17, 2007

Download Free Legal Music For Ipod - The Top Solution

The proliferation of P2P file sharing networks on the Internet makes it very tempting and easy for someone to get themselves into a lot of trouble with the Recording Industry Association of America. The increasing sophistication of technology has made it much easier for the RIAA to track who is illegally making songs available for download and the people who are downloading them.

Very recently a student of Utah State University was sued by the RIAA for doing just that. The RIAA is negotiating a settlement of about $3,000 dollars. In another case a 12 year old child was prosecuted for file sharing and the case was settled for $2,000. I'll outline a solution for acquiring legal free music downloads for iPods below which will keep you in good graces with the RIAA.

There are a number of Internet sites that offer free music that's legal to download to your iPod. Accessing these services will prevent law suits against you for illegally acquiring downloads from P2P file sharing networks. Additionally, a number of the file sharing networks will bombard you with popup ads and the files can include a number of viruses and trojans.

The Dilemma

A number of sites like Yahoo Music and iTunes offer music downloads at a per download fee of 99 cents. These sites are certainly legal and will keep you out of trouble with the RIAA. The only drawback about these sites is the songs are coded with DRM and will no longer play on your computer if you discontinue your membership with them. The aforementioned sites are two of the top music download sites available with iTunes being number one.

Another site that's ranked second only to iTunes is eMusic. Their advantage is all their songs are DRM free, in MP3 format and will play on any platform. They offer a monthly subscription which allows a limited number of downloads. But the drawback is they specialize in independent or "indie" music artists. Although you own the music you download, their selection of the major recording labels and music artists is very limited.

The Top Solution

A more economical solution for acquiring unlimited iPod music downloads of the major recording labels without the hassle of per download fees, is to sign up for a membership with one of the numerous iPod music download services. These services typically advertise free music downloads and for all intents and purposes that's true in most cases.

Because, for the most part, they offer a lifetime membership for around $35 to $45 dollars. This one time fee includes unlimited downloads of iPod tunes and the fee is basically to offset administration costs, customer service and to keep their server computers online.

The iPod music download sites typically offer more than just music downloads. Your membership generally includes access to music videos, TV shows, movies, iPod games and cheats, conversion software and other related software. Some require you to download free software you would use to access the music, movies and other downloads. And some offer a rich assortment of incentive software like DVD burners and the Google free software package.

In Summary

The very nominal one time fee required for a lifetime membership is really a no brainer compared to the major sites charging you about a dollar per download. Because, the cost of 35 songs with one of them, would pay for a lifetime membership, with unlimited iPod downloads of not only music but all the aforementioned files. The download speeds are very good, there's no DRM hassle and your tunes continue to play on your computer even if you discontinue your membership. Best of all, you won't get into trouble with the RIAA.

About the Author:
You can find out more about free legal music downloads for iPods at http://quickipoddownloads.ipodsid.com/. Sid Nelson is an avid iPod user and owns a Website with info about iPod music and other media at http://ipodsid.com/ There's also an http://amazon.com/ store featuring iPods, accessories and MP3s.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Online Games Becoming Increasingly Addictive

We all know that the Internet is home to all possibilities. But online gaming is one other thing that people log on to the web. While some may call it a waste of time, you just have to consider the fact that online games are a leisure and unwinding tool to help boost altered egos from daily pressures of life.

Online games are a new rage on the Internet. Everybody believes that there is a lot to be earned with online games. I wonder how? You develop games, or license them create a website and try to make it popular amongst millions of others. Lot of money and effort is needed to get noticed on the Internet. And after all that you offer free games. Where is the money?

Online games and advertisements - Look at this scenario. A player has arrived to your website. He/she has downloaded a game and begun playing it. Some advertisement banners are running around. Do you expect the player to click on the advertisements or play the games for winning?

Obviously the players are focused on the game and are totally unaware about the rest of the web page. I do not believe they will click on the advertisements. If they do that, it means that your games are not good enough. The other method of getting revenue is subscription based website. With so much of free stuff floating around, why should I visit your paid site, pay you and play? Why should I not save money by searching for free games?

Online games are gaining in popularity exponentially. It is one of the fastest growing segment on the Internet. Though there is no free lunch in life. It seems that free online games are a free lunch. Some of us have a impression that such games are for the teenagers. You will hear many parents talking about the countless hours their children spend playing games online. I wonder why the parents do not join them? Let me explain.

We are all looking for fun and entertainment. Many times the television offers nothing new or you might have got bored watching television and would like to do something else. You do not want to go out and meet friends nor are in any mood for a dinner outside. you want to laze around the house and do something entertaining if possible. Online games are the answer for every age group.

Online games have been wrongly assumed to be for young people. All age groups can enjoy them. What if parents join their children in online games? They would surely make them come closer. Why complain about how much the children are playing? Join them in the fun. They would love it. You would love that. And you can also control the types of games they play and the hours spent.

Online games are fun. They increase strategic thinking. They improve our responses. They help sharpen our thinking. The games help in many ways. Try them and you will agree with what I say. You would wonder why you never played them before.

About the Author:
Jon Caldwell is a Boggle Addict. Much of his pastime games can be seen at http://www.bogglelinks.com/bogglelinkscat/bogglelinkslist.php/

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Video Game Design - Fun and Profit

Have you ever thought about a career in video game development? Video games were just announced as one of Jim Cramer’s 5 life-changing investments.

Would you be surprised if video games are some of the top big-ticket items selling this holiday shopping season? Probably not I would guess. Video games have been on top of shopping lists for years, and they just keep getting bigger and better.

Have you watched or played a game on HDTV recently? The graphics come in stunning detail, and the game plots are as complex as ever! And Video Games are not just for kids anymore, adults are banging along with the kids to be kings of video game land!

Video Games for adults are now a powerful retail trend. Electronic arts, Activision, and a few other video game producers have all been doing really well in the video game market. These companies may be really good financial investments for adults, but I see them also as providing GREAT opportunity for anyone looking for a career in the video game industry!

The demand for new video games will continue to generate opportunities for video game designers and video game development. For an industry that continues to grow, these career fields will need new developers, designers, and programmers. For anyone who has an interest and aptitude for video game programming, this could be a great career choice.

Young people today have vision and experience from working with the video games of the past. They are familiar with video game design that works best for users, and they probably could offer many design improvements. Not only can you do something you love to do (play video games) but you could also shape your career around video game design.

Usually when companies show stable and continuing growth like video game producers and designers are doing, it's a sure sign that the industry is strong. For video gamers, I can't think of many careers that would be quite as enjoyable as participating, and getting paid, for new video game development.

Why not check it out?

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Download Videos with RealPlayer Plus 11


RealNetworks


RealNetworks announced the launch of their newest version of RealPlayer Plus, called RealPlayer 11 Gold. RealAudio and Real Networks have been a leader in computer based music players for many years! New features of RealPlayer Plus include Web Video Downloading, DVD Burning, and iPod Video Transfer.

RealPlayer 11 gives you the ability to download videos from thousands of internet sites, and the player will automatically display a download button on non-DRM protected videos. You will instantly know which videos can be downloaded, and a single click will begin the download process. The result? You can build a video playlist to watch whenever you want. The RealPlayer Plus player also makes it possible to burn videos to DVD, or transfer videos to a video-compatible iPod classic or iPod Nano.

Internet videos have become one of the most popular items available on the Internet today. Thousands of new videos are created and uploaded each day. So it's no surprise that RealNetworks has covered this feature within their new software version.

Some RealPlayer Plus feature highlights:

It Works with iPod! iPod players are no longer isolated from the rest of the music world! You can transfer your videos directly onto your iPod.

You can burn your video downloads onto DVD! Burn your favorite Web videos to a DVD and you can watch them on your TV, laptop, PC, or anywhere else can play a DVD. Unfortunately, the player doesn't supply the popcorn to eat while watching the DVD.

RealPlayer Plus has advanced video controls which allow you to adjust the viewer just like you might adjust a TV set for better picture quality. You can tweak your video controls for brightness, contrast, sharpness, hue, etc. and the RealPlayer Plus will remember your settings.

RealPlayer Plus contains a 10-Band Graphic EQ! Add some Thumpin Bass!! Or Ear shattering high frequencies! You can take control of the music and optimize the sound exactly the way you like it!

There are lots of other features also, you can check our more at the RealPlayer Plus web site. One other thing I will mention, is that RealPlayer plays every major media type, including QuickTime MPEG-4, Windows Media, DVDs and CDs. And, you can tune in to over 3,200 online radio stations worldwide for endless listening!

Download RealPlayer Plus Here

Friday, November 02, 2007

Why Horror Films Are So Popular

Why Horror Films Are So Popular by Derek Both

Horror films are designed to scare and disgust viewers with evil characters, plots and events that can range from realistic to completely supernatural. Nobody will ever really understand why people would prefer to put on a horror DVD rather than a nice, relaxing comedy that won't make you jump out of your seat. However, the horror genre has been around for years with classics from Dracula and Frankenstein to modern day versions such as The Hills Have Eyes and The Ring.

Netflix, Inc.


A horror DVD is the top choice for many people when it comes to selecting a film which is why this genre has remained a firm favourite amongst movie fans. Maybe it's to laugh at the story lines, pull faces at the disgusting bits or to get adrenalin pumping. One popular theory is that horror films touch on emotions that other films don't. After all what other kind of film can make you bury your head under the pillow, jump at the slightest noise or make you suddenly afraid of the dark?

People know that they can get a thrill from a horror DVD which you can't get from any other type of film. Viewers anticipate an adrenaline rush similar to the kind of felling you get before going on a big ride at an amusement park. That is one of the reasons why this genre of film is so popular - because people know exactly what they're getting and they know exactly what to expect.

People also enjoy the fact that when they are watching a horror DVD they are completely detached from reality. When completely engrossed in a film and sitting on the edge of your seat, it is easy to forget everyday stresses and problems and therefore is a great way to unwind for an hour and a half. This is something you are unlikely to achieve from a light - hearted film as you can probably get distracted very easily.

Perhaps the most obvious reason why horror films are so popular is because people like to watch them at Halloween. At a time when everyone is talking about ghosts, witches and unexplained occurrences, people like to put on a horror DVD and get in the spirit.

There is such a wide variety of horror films available from monster films, gory films, supernatural and slasher films so it is no surprise that there is something out there to appeal to everyone. With such an abundance of films to choose from horror films will probably always be a favourite amongst many people.

About the Author:
Hammershop offers a wide variety of DVDS from all genres. horror dvd has all the information you need to help you select as many films as you need or want regardless of what your taste is.

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Thursday, November 01, 2007

Game Download Sites

Get The Best Of Game Download Sites by Sean Tan

Gaming has been an important part and parcel of the Internet ever since it was first developed. The Internet is not just a source of information and business; it is also a very vast horde of entertainment. And this entertainment is greatly defined by the games that can be downloaded from at least a million places on the net.

There are many websites that allow their users to download games and play them. These games pertain to a large variety of genres. A popular website like game download sites could have as many as 400 games in its repertoire. All these games tend to be immensely popular titles in order to hook the attention of players from all over the world. The common genres like shooting, arcade, puzzle, board games, action and role-playing, strategy, simulation and card games are found on all such game download websites.

It is a constant endeavor of the game download sites to provide better and better titles to their players. Actually, that is the only way the game download sites can work, considering the huge competition in the market. The games have to provide some novelty and there should be that captivating effect that will make the player come back to the site for more when one particular title is done with. To take the example of studio games again, they have their extremely popular game, Q-Beez, which is a kind of stacking game, where cubes of different colors have to be placed one atop another, and same color sequences vanish. Children as well as adults love playing such games and may remain hooked for hours on end.

Direct2Drive

Downloads of games are initially available as free demos. Mostly these demos have a time limit of sixty minutes of playing time. The purpose of the demo is to make the player understand what the game is like, and to make a purchase of the full version of the game if desired. In fact, this is a very good way of letting the players find out what they like best. All leading game download sites also have newsletters of their own, through which they inform people of the new games that have come up on their site. They may also send direct email notifications upon request.

Being a commercial enterprise in a way, game download sites do provide most addictive games. It is a very good idea to visit good game download sites like studios game and download some of their titles as free demos first. When you have made your choice, you can go ahead and buy the unlimited version. But, be warned! Chances are that you might end up liking them all.

About the Author
Sean is a game enthusiast, who just cannot have enough of them. Here he speaks about Skunk Studios, a site that he has recently found out and got hooked to in a major way. You can read some more of his reviews at the following link: http://www.skunk-studios.org

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Online Dvd Rentals

Online DVD Rentals - How Computer Internet Technology Has Revolutionized The Way People Rent DVDs by Jason Ryan

If you thought that the only way to rent DVDs was to head down to the local Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, you'll be in for a nice surprise. Thanks to the ease and comfort of the Internet, you can now rent DVDs online from companies such as Netflix, Intelliflix and even Blockbuster Online.

Netflix, Inc.


One of the features of renting DVDs online is the pricing structure. If you rent a DVD from a popular brick-and-mortar store, you can expect to pay about $6 per movie, including taxes. One of the most popular plans offered by these online DVDs rental services is a $17.99 plan which lets you rent out 3 DVD's at a time with no limits on how many you rent per month.

Consider the fact that if you rent just 3 DVDs per month, then you already get your full money's worth, but the reality is that you can rent as many movies as you want for the same flat rate. Plus, with no extra fees such as shipping, and the time and gas you save, it's almost a no-brainer to set up an account with one of these online DVD rental services. As an added bonus, all of these services offer a free trial where you can give it a try. If you don't like it, then simply cancel your account within the trial period, and it won't cost you a cent.

Renting DVDs online is very easy to do. Just use your home computer and Internet connection: log onto your account and browse through all the available movies. All of the online DVD rental services make the navigation simple to use and understand. Most of the movies are grouped into categories such as Drama, Comedy, Action, Foreign and New Releases so you can browse through hundreds of titles within minutes. There's usually a review of each film also so you can get a preview of what the plot is about. Then all you do is simply place every movie you want to watch into your "to view" list. Within a couple business days, they will ship the DVDs at the top of the list to your home.

Another convenience is that there are no late fees associated with these online DVD rental services. You keep each DVD for as long as you want, until . Once you return the DVD back in the return envelope, simply wait a day or two for it to clear your queue and the next movie on your list will be delivered.

I have tried both Netflix and Blockbuster Online and I can honestly testify that these online DVD rental services are a great deal (though I give Blockbuster a slight edge). I have caught up on hundreds of movies in the past couple of years. Also, they rent TV show DVD's so I've been able to catch up on many TV shows as well. The $14.99 I currently pay per month for my service is simply an outstanding value.

Give it a chance and I bet you'll also find it superior to the old way of renting DVDs. Remember, if you're not feeling sure about online DVD rentals, there's usually a free trial where you can check it out risk free.


About the Author:

The new preferred way to rent movies is to utilize online dvd rentals. Read full reviews of the best online dvd rental services

Article Source: Article Submission Directory - Easy Article Submit

PC Satellite TV review

PC Satellite TV review by Sherman Choo

Did you know you can now watch live tv online using just your PC and software? If you ever were unable to watch your favorite TV show because someone else in your home was watching a different channel, you can now watch not just that show but 3000 channels from your own computer.

There are 1000s of stations online and your channels can be streamed to your PC using just software. If you have a laptop, just plug your internet connection in, turn on the software and you're able to watch cable TV on the go. Compared to normal cable television, there are no recurring fees. For cable and satellite, I use to pay $90 per month for a decent number of channels. Now I pay a one time fee of $49, and have lifetime unlimited access to all the TV shows, cable, movies, soccer and golf. If you're into the old classics, those are also available to you.

How this works is that you just install a piece of software then tell it what you want to watch. There is no need for you to go to your local computer store to buy additional video tuner cards and such. So long as you have broadband not a 56k modem connection you can benefit from this live TV broadcast service and enjoy a full range of international television, and not just the channels your country has distribution rights to. Click and go, the stream cable TV will feed directly to your laptop or PC.

Pretty easy really, it's sort of like how your cable company works. Your cable company has a central site where they get transmissions (satellite) from all the channel content providers. They take all these channels in, and then blast them out over the cable. This works the same way, except...instead of blasting it out over the actual cable, these products blast out the channels over the Internet where software on your PC can receive them and show the TV on your computer screen, and it's WAY cheaper than cable!

In other words, all of these products are a snap to install. ALL you have to do is install the software, and you're done. That's it. The software goes out and gets the channels, you sit back and watch TV...and LOTS of it. It's amazing the number of channels you can get.

This allows you to watch movies from your LCD screen. Free high quality cable television from your PC, in your room, with a range of 3000 channels and no recurring fees.



About the Author:

Watch TV Online PC Satellite TV review

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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Free Apple Gift Card

This is an Exclusive and Limited Time Offer from Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac!




For music, video, and graphics capability, nothing beats an Apple. At least that's what Apple users tell me!

For myself, whenever I walk into a Comp-USA computer store I almost always walk over to the Apple computer section, just so I can get totally mesmerized by the big-screen apple video and music features! They truly look and sound GREAT!

But, they had limitations on running Windows programs... At least until now!

With Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac, you CAN run multiple operating systems without rebooting! This opens up a whole new world for Mac users to explore Windows programs, and Parallels just made an offer than can't be beat! But, there is a deadline so I am sharing it with you here!

Buy Parallels Desktop for Mac and get $20 Apple Gift Card for free!


This offer is only available at their web site, and only until November 6, 2007! If you are an Apple Mac user now may be the perfect time to check out Parallels 3.0 for Mac and get your $20 Apple Gift Card FREE!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Amazon MP3 Downloads DRM Free

Amazon MP3 announced they are offering "Earth's biggest selection of a la carte, DRM-free MP3 music downloads"! That's quite a claim considering that Earth is a fairly big place... But, with over 2 million songs, more than 180,000 artists, and over 20,000 major and independent labels they must be at least near the top of online music providers.

Amazon MP3 complements Amazon.com's existing selection of over 1 million CDs to offer more selection of physical and digital music than any other retailer. Every song and album on Amazon MP3 is available exclusively in MP3 format, without Digital Rights Management (DRM) software. This means that Amazon MP3 customers are free to enjoy their music downloads using any hardware device, organize their music using any music management application, and burn songs to CDs.

DRM has been an obstacle to many users who want to purchase their music online, but were cautious of the music player restrictions caused by implementing Digital Rights Management. Amazon has taken a major step to relieve those restrictions. These songs can be played on ANY MP3 compatible device, which basically includes almost ALL music players!

At Amazon MP3 most songs are priced from 89 cents to 99 cents each, with more than 1 million of the 2 million songs priced at 89 cents. The top 100 best-selling songs are 89 cents (unless marked otherwise). Most albums are priced from $5.99 to $9.99. The top 100 best-selling albums are $8.99 or less (unless marked otherwise).

Every song on Amazon MP3 is encoded at 256 kilobits per second, which gives you high audio quality at a manageable file size of approximately 6meg depending on the song length. Songs recorded at 128 kilobits per second are more common and have a file size of around 3-4meg. However, the quality difference between 128 and 256 is substantial for music lovers. With songs encoded at 256 kilobits per second, you can definitely hear the difference in high frequency audio! Sounds made by instruments like cymbals, keyboards, flutes, and others have much more clarity and definition and will push your tweeters to the limit!

This service offering is a win for most music lovers! Low price, quality audio, and a large selection make Amazon MP3 a great choice for downloading music files!

Amazon MP3 Downloads

Friday, October 12, 2007

High Definition TV on Your PC

If you haven't tried HDTV on your PC yet, maybe it's time to look into this cool technology. I've written several posts recently about music performances that I recorded on my PC. The amazing thing about the recordings, is that the performances are all live, and they were all received FREE! Well, except for the cost of the PC, HDTV interface, and the digital flat screen monitor.

If you like HDTV and recording live music performances, the combination of receiving HDTV signals and being able to record them on your PC is great on the pocketbook (or your wallet)! And, the HD quality is outstanding! I definitely recommend a digital flat screen monitor attached to your PC for viewing. An analog flat screen may be ok also, but I recommend going full digital for the clearest video.

I currently have an OnAIR Solutions HDTV Creator. I can receive HD signals via digital cable or high-definition television broadcast. My PC HDTV unit came with software which allows me to easily schedule advance recording with a few clicks of a mouse. I don't have to worry about setting the recorder very often. And, I can load the scheduler weeks in advance!

I looked into some possible units to recommend. I found two items that can be purchased online from BestBuy.com, or at your local store. If you are an HD buff and spend a lot of time on your PC, I suggest that you look into them and see if they can provide you as much enjoyment as I get!

You can check out the two recommendations on my web site at the following link:

High Definition TV on PC Recommendations

Kid Rock: Rock N Roll Jesus

Testify at the Rock Revival Baby!!

The sound of this song is Detroit at it's Root! The Kid gets a real live Detroit feel from his traveling band, along with some Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll of course!

I have never been much of a Kid Rock fan, but this song definitely caught my attention. Its nice to hear the big band sound of old time Detroit revived along with the excellent background vocalists! The song has a soulful sound to say the least, and during the Kids Late Show performance this week the backup vocalists (IMHO) rocked the house!

One thing I can't figure out, is why the Kid would try to slip some questionable lyrics past the Late Show TV censors. All it did was result in clipping out part of the performance. If I wasn't such an HD video buff, maybe I wouldn't mind the video blip so much... But come on, Kid had to know whatever he said would be blipped...

All in all, Kid Rock did a great performance on the Late Show, and I really like the song! Although I recorded this live version in HD, I still can't wait to see the video release...

Friday, September 28, 2007

Will.i.am - One More Chance

Will.i.am performed the song One More Chance on the CBS Late Show with David Letterman. The song is from his new CD title Songs About Girls released on 09-25.

This was a great musical, visual, and vocal performance!! I was captivated by the simplicity and rhythmic flow of this song. One More Chance is smooth and danceable, the lyrics are great, and it seems to cross all genres of musical influence. From the techno riff intro and remix feel, to the R&B vocal harmonies, to the Rap lyrics and enhanced vocal effects, this song has something for everyone!
Tweener kids, yupsters, grups, should all enjoy the musical flow of this song!

William was/is part of the group known as Black Eyed Peas, who created some mega hit songs including Let's Get It Started and Where is the Love (which is my personal favorite). Now, William has released a solo CD and if the other songs are anything like One More Chance, this could be a highly popular release from Will.i.am!

I loved the appearance on the Late Show! It was totally unexpected for me. I had no idea he was on the show, and then BAM! There he was... Totally enjoyable!!

IMHO: This was Great performance!! Wish I had the video to share with everyone! If I can find it, you can bet it will be posted on my web site as a featured video!

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Whats in a Name - Plenty!

You may be asking, what does this post have to do with online music or video?

Well, mostly nothing, except I heard about this on our local rock radio station 98 Rock in Baltimore. The name definitely caught my attention.

What Name?

"Taumatawhakatangihangak oauauotamateaturipukaka pikimaungahoronukupokaiwhe nua kitanatahu"

Don't ask me to pronounce it! If anyone knows a link where the pronunciation be be heard, feel free to post a comment and let everyone know!

This is the name of a hill near Porangahau, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, widely considered the 2nd longest name of ANYTHING. Translation?

"The place where Tamatea, the man with big knees, who slid, climbed, and swallowed mountains, known as land-eater, played on the flute to his loved one"

Why would anyone name something this long? New Zealand! Clue me in!!

Researching this "name" led me to some other interesting findings:

The LONGEST name of anything?


"Krung-thep-maha-nakorn-boworn-ratana-kosin-mahintar- ayudhya-amaha-dilok-pop-nopa-ratana-rajthani-burirom-udom-rajniwes-mahasat-arn-amorn-pimarn- avatar-satit- sakattiya-visanukam"

A.K.A. Bangkok, Thailand

Surprised that only a handful of Thais can remember this name? After all, they invented the name. They should be able to remember it! The abbreviated translation is:

"Jewelled city of the god Indra"

Most Thais refer to it as Krung Thep, City Angels. I think I'll go with City Angels!

And For Americans?
"El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de la Porciúncula"

The full name of Los Angeles, CA, which means:

"The town of our lady the queen of the angels of the little portion"
These days the city has been shortened to "L.A." giving it also one of the shortest names in the world. Smart Move!!

What is your name?

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Elvis: Viva Las Vegas

On the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, ABC broadcast a special called Elvis: Viva Las Vegas. The show was made in a documentary format to examine how the King of Rock-and-Roll reinvented Las Vegas, and how Las Vegas reinvented him.

There is a lot of discussion over the relevance of this special, which was viewed by around 6 million people. In my opinion, the relevance reveals itself by looking at some of the new artists presented who were influenced in various ways by Elvis Presley.

Faith Hill presented an excellent rendition of "That's Alright Mama". Sticking true to form with the old rock-n-roll sound. It was a guitar and vocal driven performance presented live! Great job Faith!!

Paul McCartney offered up a solo performance, using the original stand up bass played by Bill Black. His short version of Heartbreak Hotel gave a perfect feel for the original acoustic musical performances by Elvis and his band of musicians.

Miranda Lambert joined the show and did a rousing performance of Jailhouse Rock. Complete with a Mohawk wearing standup bassist, two excellent guitar solos, and complete with Elvis's "Thank you, Thank you very much..." catch phrase at the end of the song. Miranda put on a beautiful Las Vegas rooftop performance. And, I am lucky enough to have recorded it in HD!

Toby Keith and Aerosmith's Joe Perry performed "Mystery Train" complete with an over the shoulder guitar solo from Joe Perry. Rock-On Brother!

Although I had never heard of Three-6-Mafia before this special, they did a great job of acknowledging Elvis's contribution in releasing the song "In the Ghetto". Three-6-Mafia grew up only a few blocks from Graceland and they did a raw video mix performance with the Elvis video "In the Ghetto" as the backdrop.

Excellent production! But was it relevant?

After 30 years, things must have changed in the Ghetto right? Not so, even after 30 years, the song is still relevant today. Listen to it and see for yourself.

The show ends with Celine Dion singing "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You" in a packed Las Vegas auditorium. Celine's version was heartfelt, emotional, and she presented an excellent vocal arrangement. It's amazing the strength and power of the vocal range she maintains. Sweet Vocals!

Will there be a 40th anniversary special? Who knows... But for now, Elvis Presley, The King of Rock-n-Roll, lives on!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Glastonbury The Movie

Glastonbury The Movie explores the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival, the largest outdoor music and performing arts festival in the world. See performances and behind-the-scenes interviews with:

Paul McCartney - The White Stripes – REM - The Killers – Radiohead - Foo Fighters - James Brown – Coldplay - Noel Gallagher – Moby - and more!

Glastonbury The Movie is a feature-length documentary and available for free now through July 10, 2007 for all Movielink customers, with no strings attached!

This download is NOT to be taken lightly!! It is about 1.5g in size, so it's recommended for broadband users only!

FREE MOVIELINK DOWNLOAD: Glastonbury The Movie featuring Paul McCartney, The White Stripes, REM, The Killers, Radiohead and more.

Click here!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Ozzy Ozbourne Black Rain

The Countdown's Begun... 46 minutes worth... Walk through the Trap Door... to Ozzy Osbourne's Black Rain CD... Only Perry Mason could know the real truth behind Ozzy and his totally amazing musical life that began almost a lifetime ago with Black Sabbath... I Don't Wanna Stop!!

Get it at iTunes:


Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain


Or watch I don't Wanna Stop in our video collection.

Friday, June 08, 2007

Create an iTunes iMix to share with friends

Well, maybe now is the time to try out this super musical software service called iTunes! iTunes now offers TV shows, movies, audio books and more, IN ADDITION to being the single biggest music provider going, and that offers immediate compatibility with iPod!

With iTunes, you can purchase songs directly from the Itunes Music Store, download them to your iPod, create your own playlists, and even create an iMix of your songs to share with everyone else surfing the net. Whats't that? You don't know how to create an iMix?

Well then, here are some instructions to get you going:

Highlight your playlist in iTunes by clicking it with your mouse.
  • Then Select menu items: FILE / CREATE IMIX
  • You will be asked to provide your login or screen name and password
  • iTunes will search thru your playlist for songs that are availible
  • Then you will be asked to give it a Title and Description.
  • After that, Select PUBLISH!
Once you've published your playlist as an iMix, you'll receive an e-mail from iTunes with the URL for the iMix. Just send it off to all your friends and they can listen to YOUR music picks!

Simple huh? Be sure to share your iMix with the world... Or maybe just whoever you want to share it with. If you aren't sure how to get to iTunes, just click the button to the right. The software will startup as soon as you get there so you can get started easily.

Good luck with your iMix, and have fun!

BJC Computer Services

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Consumer Victory over DRM Music Restriction?

EMI has announced a move to non-DRM Music format. The first big music label change to freely transferable digital music may set a new trend and benefit consumers! EMI has agreed to provide online music download through iTunes without the use of digital rights management (DRM). If you read our article titled Music Format Frustration you already know that DRM results in compatibility problems using various music players and download providers.

Beginning in May of 2007, EMI will release DRM-free music, encoded for a higher sound quality than current offerings, and selling on iTunes for $1.29 per track in the U.S.

Read the full article

The most universally accepted music format is currently MP3. Apple will offer DRM-free music from EMI in 256-Kbp AAC encoding, which has higher sound quality than current downloads using 128-Kbp AAC encoding with DRM. This can somewhat justify the expected higher price per download.

Unfortunately for iPod users, 256K file sizes will be nearly twice the size of current 128K AAC files with DRM, which will use up valuable storage capacity. But, the trade off is that you will be getting higher quality sound! With iTunes accounting for roughly 70% of legal paid digital music downloads, AAC may even become a future standard for DRM-free music.

Currently, it's estimated that about 10% of digital-audio players support AAC. If you have a player that doesn't support AAC, you will probably need to obtain firmware patches for your music player to achieve compatibility. Firmware patches are simply software downloads which update your player. Usually, they are provided free of charge by Manufacturers.

"The Good, The Bad & The Queen" is the first EMI album available for download in DRM-free MP3 format. You can download it directly from http://www.thegoodthebadandthequeen.com/

At this point, it's too early to determine if other music providers will follow the lead of EMI in removing the DRM requirement. Addressing DRM incompatibilities is one step in a positive direction for consumers wanting to legally download music, while still enjoying the flexibility to use whichever music software or music player they prefer!!

Monday, April 09, 2007

SanDisk and Yahoo! team for Wireless MP3 Play

SanDisk and Yahoo! Music team for Wireless MP3 Play

SanDisk is reported to be the second largest seller of MP3 players in the United States, and today they announced partnership with Yahoo! Music which is the number one online music destination! Nice team!!

They plan to implement music services for Sansa Connect, which is a WiFi enabled MP3 player. Users will be able to stay constantly connected to music, photos and friends on Yahoo via a WiFi connection. WiFi is offered by many wireless telecom companies, mostly located in and around metropolitan areas. In some cases, even hotel operators have gotten into the wireless networking area for their customers.

When the Sansa Connect is not connected to a WiFi network, the player behaves like a traditional Flash MP3 player and can be connected to a PC.

If you want the full details:
View the full press release from Sandisk

Yahoo! Music provides unlimited access to over 2 million songs for around 6 bucks, and provides a 14 day free trial offer. You will need to purchase the ToGo option for a few bucks extra in order to use the Sandisk Sansa Connect wireless MP3 player to access the music. Yahoo Music does not permit copying or transferring music files to other users.

Yahoo! Music Unlimited


The 4-gig Sansa Connect comes with a 2.2-inch TFT color screen, a microSD slot for music and photo capacity expansion, and an internal speaker. The unit should be available soon (if not already) in the United States at a retail price around $250. It's expected to be available in Canada in the late 2007.