It’s been in my blood for as long as I can remember and no matter how hard I try and deny it I’m a Fame Junkie.

In his book "Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truths Behind America’s Favorite Addiction" author Jake Halpern takes a dark look behind the fame we crave.

If that isn’t bad enough he also spends time at Oakwood Toluca Hills where there’s a banner welcoming parents and children with the phrase "Home to the famous and almost famous." Oakwood is a gated community where would-be child actors live (mainly during pilot season which runs from Jan. 1 to April 30) with it’s close proximity to the studios.

Staying at Oakwood isn’t cheap (and neither are fame schools such as John Robert Powers) and Halpern gives a rough estimate of how much parents should consider doling out to their up and coming star.

In the second part of the book, Halpern focuses on the entourage and working for a celebrity. The first chapter in this section is probably the best since it tells the story of being an assistant to a celebrity-what the perks are and what the downfalls are to working for them.

Finally the third and final portion deals with the world of celebrity worshipers and he introduces us to Marcy Braunstein who has devoted much of her life to following Rod Stewart around the world.

Without her help Stewart probably wouldn’t have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame had she not nominated him. Once the nomination was accepted she along with help from other fans helped raise the $15,000.00 induction fee.

What’s fascinating about this chapter is Halpern asks the question if she’s really stalking him instead of just being a fan, and are we all not stalkers when we cross a certain line with celebrities.

Over the last year I’ve been doing celebrity interviews for a column I write and I had to stop and reflect on this question myself. When I do an interview request, do the interviews and stay in touch with them via email am I not stalking them?

While Halpern paints a dark picture (the only boring parts are when he starts to bring psychology into the stories) of the trappings of fame, this is one of those books which needs to be read since we all crave fame in some form of fashion.

One of my big complaints is he should have followed up on the aspiring child stars and if they had gotten at least a baby toe in the door of Hollywood.

So if you’re still wanting to be (or are pushing your kids in the fame direction) famous see what it’s like on the road to stardom. You’ll be very surprised.

———————
Written by EricT - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Vince McMahon’s "Fan Appreciation Night" angle rewarded fans with the best night’s sleep of any post-PPV episode of Monday Night RAW yet. For those who managed to stay awake, a cameo appearance by the legendary Undertaker at the end of the program was a special treat.

Cena’s horn-flavored music blared through the speakers before he made his entrance. At that point, I realized that the words "Go out and TALK!" fit perfectly with the repeating "Dum-da-dum-DAH!"s that comprise the Champ’s theme. And "go out and talk" he did.

The pissing contest of "Oh no you didn’t just say you’re going to take my belt!" continued with Edge making his appearance. As Edge, Cena and HBK began yammering at on another, I noticed that Michaels looked really tired. The Royal Rumble must have been a long night.

Edge’s estranged co-Tag Team Champion partner, Randy Orton then made his entrance, looking almost as tired as Shawn Michaels was. Maybe that flu I had last week is making its way to the WWE locker room.

Just as the four men were getting ready to throw down, Vince McMahon appeared on the Titan-Tron from the backstage area. He mentioned that tonight would be "Vince McMahon Fan Appreciation Night" and that he tells the audience what they want to watch. John Cena responded by grabbing his crotch.

Mr. McMahon insisted that the fans wanted to see a match between Tag Team Champions, Team Rated RKO (who now hate one another’s guts) and Shawn Michaels and John Cena. Much like Picard’s Number One, Mr. McMahon "made it so," solidifying a title match between the two patchwork tag teams.

Orton and Shawn Michaels still looked tired as Vince made the announcement about the match and I got the distinct feeling that I, too, would be joining RKO and HBK in "Sleepy-Go-Night-Night Land" a bit earlier than 11PM.

After the first commercial break of the show, one of RAW’s tag teams that don’t fall into the "Oh, we just threw this together" category, Cryme Tyme were making their way out to the ring. JTG asked the crowd "What’s really good?" before sending shout outs to various friends and strippers both at home and in the state of Texas before his partner, Shad Gaspar shut him up.

Shelton made a beeline for Shad’s weakened knee. Gaspar’s only defense was to throw a series of right and left fists to battle his way out of the corner. Benjamin grabbed Shad and clamped him in a spectacular half-Boston crab, working over his knee further.

Shad managed to break loose and tag in his partner, JTG, who nailed Benjamin with several dropkicks and a reverse flying elbow. Shad tried to intervene to help out JTG and make a comeback. The ever-vigilant Benjamin averted the helping hand and tossed Shad over the ropes with his legs before skinning the cat over the ropes himself to get back in the ring.

Shelton rolled JTG backwards for a pin and the Worlds Greatest Tag Team handed Cryme Tyme their first loss.

This wasn’t a bad match. In fact, it was a very good one to get the show underway. Haas and Benjamin, particularly Benjamin, are incredible. They work very well together as a team. Cryme Tyme looked to be a little better, but are still sorely lacking finesse, a fact more evident in competition against Benjamin and Haas. Still, they’re showing improvement and that counts for a lot.

Backstage, Vince McMahon was giving Melina a motivational speech, telling her that if she wants to do something, by all means, she should go for it. Melina scampered away as Mr. McMahon’s executive assistant, Jonathan Coachman made his entrance to discuss Fan Appreciation Night.

In the ring, Melina made her very flexible entrance and lo and behold, the camera actually showed her from behind while doing this without the ever-present Johnny Nitro blocking the view. Actually, there was a surprisingly little amount of Nitro on the show.

Melina seized the microphone as she spoke of seizing opportunity, making this a "First Contenders Match." I was wondering if Melina was reading off of the teleprompter, as I’d never heard of a "First Contender’s Match." Indeed, good ol’ J.R. mentioned that the upcoming match between Melina and Maria (Oh, Sweet Jesus! No!) would be a "Number One Contender" match, with the winner becoming the next in line to face Mickey James for the Women’s Title.

Some woman wrestlers can be very sloppy, but there are no flies on Melina. I’m pretty excited to see a new face entering the division that is really working her way through the ranks, ming leaps and bounds in terms of progress.

Following the match, some action took place backstage with Todd Grisham hassling Shawn Michaels for another interview. Michaels just wanted to get this over with and advised Grisham that stupid questions were what marked him with a Super Kick a few weeks ago. HBK also added that even though he would be teaming with Cena tonight to face Team Rated RKO for the Tag Team belts, Cena was no Triple H. Awww. He misses his buddy!

Also backstage, Women’s Champion Mickey James was hanging around near the craft services table as Super Crazy launched into his latest bit, which moving into Week #2 is getting pretty stale already. He asked her if she remembered when she used to be crazy. (I do. And for the record, I miss Crazy Mickey James.) He then told the Women’s Champion that he was both "super" as well as "crazy," therefore, he is "Super Crazy."

Sneaking up behind Mickey, a fresh-off-her-win Melina asked her what else she thought was "really crazy," answering her own question by telling Mickey that she would be nuts to think that she would be able to retain her title against Melina. Melina then called Super Crazy a cabrón, for no real reason. Whoa! Now that was uncalled for! Taking all due offense, Super Crazy cracked Melina five across the eyes before she launched herself at both Mickey and Super Crazy.

As Johnny Nitro made his two-second appearance and pulled the two women apart, Melina shouted "I’m a true champion, you whore!" at Mickey. Wow. In the span of under a minute, RAW viewers got to hear both "cabrón" and "whore." Outside of the confines of Anchorman, you don’t hear the word "whore" too often. This really was "Fan Appreciation Night!"

In yet another backstage segment, Edge was shown having a heart-to-heart with Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, spilling his guts about how he and Orton were at odds with one another, yet they would still keep the belts. Cade and Murdoch looked concerned, yet slightly P.O.-ed. I’m not sure what the point was of that segment given Low Rise Lance and Trevor the Cable Guy had no other appearance on the show.

Prior to the next match, clips from Sunday night’s Royal Rumble PPV were shown with John Cena defeating Umaga by choking him out with one of the ring ropes.

Umaga continued the massacre with a flying headbutt and more punches. Standing in the far corner of the ring, Umaga went for his Samoan Flying Butt Pliers or whatever that move is called before finally driving the Samoan Spike into Val Venis’s neck and pinning him for the win.

As Venis lay sprawled on the mat, Jim Ross remarked that he was once a former Intercontinental Champ and that Val is "a hell of an athlete." You’d never know it by the way he was trounced by Umaga in this match. Oh, well. At least he still has a job. Sort of. I cannot stress how disappointing of a match this was. What is the point of building up Umaga to have him beaten thoroughly by Cena not once, but twice?

Now, they’re making Umaga invincible (against everyone but Cena) all over again and having him completely decimate Val Venis to the point where he didn’t get in one single jab at the big man. Boring!

As Umaga trudged to the back for some Samoan Snacky Cakes, Vincent Kennedy McMahon made his entrance to the ring wearing what looked to be one of JBL’s castoff cowboy hats. Vince remarked to the crowd how stupid the hat he was wearing looked and that anyone who wears one of those things has to be an idiot before stomping the hat flat. While the hat did look admittedly goofy on ol’ Vinnie Mac, he had on a very nice tie.

Mr. McMahon told the crowd that he had two words for them. The crowd instantly went into chants of "you suck." Vince told them that the two words he had for them were "thank you." Lest Mr. McMahon get too sappy, he added "Thank you, for making me a billionaire" to his humble acknowledgment of gratitude.

Mr. McMahon decreed that he would show one lucky fan, as a representative of all fans, how grateful he was by presenting them with a very special item.. Picking out a young lady from the crowd, Vince had her ushered into the ring before he unveiled her prize: a 10 foot tall poster of Vince McMahon’s Muscle and Fitness magazine cover.

As the fan was led back to her seat, Mr. McMahon waxed poetically about giving the fans "that personal touch" in addition to telling the fans he knows what is best for them and will tell them what they want. Between Mr. McMahon and Super Crazy, it seems that the RAW brand is making a mad dash towards trying to create new catchphrases for several of its superstars to possibly slap on t-shirts.

Carlito and Kenny went at it with Carlito executing a very nice headscissors takeover on the youngster. Torrie Wilson (and her little dog, too) was desperately trying to get the crowd into the match, going into her now-familiar bit of pounding on the canvas and trying to solicit chants from the audience. Maybe if she started pounding on the canvas with the dog she might get more of a reaction.

Masters and Kenny double-teamed Super Crazy, nailing him with a double vertical suplex before the Masterpiece made with the elbows. Super Crazy was dragged to his feet before Masters sent him flying to the corner with an Irish whip.

Kenny found his way into the ring and whipped out the (yawn) reverse chin-lock before Carlito and Masters were tagged in again. Masters picked up Carlito in a military press and the wily Caribbean Coolster raked the Masterpiece’s eyes to get out before hitting him with the backcracker and scoring a pin for his team.

Individually, there was some good stuff by Carlito and especially Super Crazy. Carlito needs some more moves, though as it’s very easy to set your watch to the certain parts of the match that call for a corresponding maneuver from his arsenal.

To be fair, Carlito can pull off a mean hurracurana. However, maybe it’s not so much Carlito’s moves that need to be refreshed, but the fact that he could use a new feud-mate. Carlito/Masterpiece Part 93 had a limited shelf life to begin with and right now, it’s stinking like Christmas 2005’s eggnog in the back of the fridge.

If that wasn’t enough to send the fan’s scrambling for their blankets and pillows, out came Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy in a match for the Title against The Great Khali. Normally, Jeff Hardy can have a match with a broom and make it look good. Alas, The Great Khali is not a broom.

Similar to the Umaga versus Val Venus debacle earlier in the program, this one ended up as a squash with the big man emerging as the victor. Unlike Val, however, Hardy ended up getting in a few good shots at Khali before the match ended. Hardy, splattered on the mats outside the ring, was counted out as Khali posed and strutted in the ring. Due to the count-out, Hardy retained his Intercontinental Title.

Randy Orton was tagged in, landing furious fists to Cena’s head. RKO tried whipping the Champ to the corner but Cena was able to reverse it, catching Orton in a fisherman’s suplex. Cena nearly rolled Orton backwards for a pin, but Orton managed to get out of it.

Attempting to tag in his partner, Orton went for Edge but the Rated R Superstar was hoofing it to the back as the show went for its final commercial break. Orton looked just a tad angry.

How Edge found himself back in the ring was unexplained when RAW came back for it’s remaining five minutes. However, there he was, in living color in the middle of the ring, mixing it up with Shawn Michaels. Michaels slammed edge to the canvas before hitting him with his famed flying elbow. HBK then tagged in Cena. The final moments of the match had Cena slamming Randy Orton to the canvas with a powerful FU and pinning him for a 3-count.

It was official. John Cena and Shawn Michaels were now the new WWE Tag Team Champions. As the referee handed the belts to both men, Cena posed for the crowd with his back to Shawn Michaels. When he turned around, he saw a very irate looking Michaels staring daggers into him. The unsinkable Cena actually flinched looking at HBK before recouping, thrusting the WWE Championship (spinner) belt in his face and asking him "Is this what you want?" Michaels should have said "Hell no! I don’t want that belt! I want one of the old-school title belts!"

Before the two new Tag Team Champions could say "boo" at one another, the WWE equivalent of saying "boo" rose through the floor near the Titan Tron in a cloud of smoke. The Undertaker stood silent, staring at John Cena from his perch near the curtain. Cena looked shocked and perhaps a bit scared at the sight of the Dead Man as the credits faded up and out.

While Jim Ross intimated that the Undertaker may be coming for Cena’s Championship belt at Wrestlemania, I think a Cena vs. Michaels pairing would be more exciting. Plus, prior to Ken Kennedy jumping in to challenge Batista for the title, it was teased that the two big men would go at it, something the fans seemed to be clamoring for.

Overall, Fan Appreciation Night seemed to be more like Thanksgiving dinner gone bad. This was one dry turkey with several side dishes of squash — and we’re not talkin’ butternut, here.

While sometimes WWE goes overboard with the backstage segments and skits, even a small dose of comic relief would have been welcome. It seems as if they’ve gone from one extreme to the other from an overabundance of pre-recorded skits and not enough wrestling to several "wrestling" matches just for the sake of having matches without any real bearing.

Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas are a tremendous tag team who, without a doubt, should hold the belts. However, if the Powers That Be decide to team up to singles wrestlers to form a team, Carlito and Super Crazy might be the duo to give these guys a run for their money. They have vastly different styles, but a program with them could work out to everyone’s advantage. Plus, it would relieve the fans of the never-ending Carlito/Masters feud that for whatever reason is like a bad case of the clap and won’t go away.

Additionally, there seems to be a push for way too many big men at a time on the RAW brand. Umaga was simultaneously torn down and is now being rebuilt, while Khali is continuing his climb. Please, WWE. One boring, sweaty, big man at a time! I can only imagine what happens when Vladmir Koslov joins the roster.

Squash matches are not entertaining. Especially when you have two of them on the same show. Here’s hoping next week’s Monday Night RAW offers a little more variety.

———————
Written by Lana - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A 2001 graduate of Temple University, Lana Cooper earned her BA from Temple University in Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media (BTMM for short) as well as a dual minor in Ancient Mediterranean Studies and English. It’s an odd mix of academic interests, but then again, she’s a pretty odd broad. While at Temple, Lana was a staff-writer on their student-run newspaper reporting on pop-culture based topics, writing music reviews and occassionally bagging an op-ed piece from time to time. During her college years and for that glorious year on the cusp of unemployment and formally entering the indentured servitude known as the working world, she self-published her very own critically and internationally ignored ‘zine, Media Medea, later re-titled Quality Bathroom Reading Material. The ‘zine was sold in several bookstores around the United States and boasted a staggering readership of about 10 people, which included included Lana’s parents, brother, and various and sundry friends. For the past several years Lana has worked in the advertising industry doing everything from marketing and light graphic design to trafficking and charting. It’s not nearly as glamorous as Melrose Place would have you believe. (If you don’t believe her, she can show you her pay stub.) Nevertheless, it pays the bills, has a decent benefits package and has proven to be entertaining at times. (Dealing with high strung people can be a hoot.) Outside of the advertising industry, Lana promotes, designs materials and maintains the website for DEC (Dance Entertainment Company). DEC is an up-and-coming competitive dance troupe based out of Wilkes-Barre, PA that pits all different styles of dance against one another. On any given night, you can see a hip hop specialist engage in competition against a tap dancer or a ballerina square off against a jazz expert. She is very proud of her work with DEC and cites it as a great venue for her to excercise a little creativity while working in the realm of my areas of expertise. Oh, yeah…and her brother runs the company. After an epiphany while getting her first tattoo, Lana realized how far off the path she had strayed from her true love of writing. While currently working a 9-to-5 day job, one day she hopes to write full-time as an occupation. From reviews, articles, recaps, short-stories, every genre of the field holds its appeal. For Lana, writing allows her to share opinions and observations with an audience. “It’s gratifying to get your thoughts out there and at the same time, open yourself up to what other people are thinking on those same things and listening to what others have to say as well. As jaded and cynical as I may be some days, I still believe that one of the greatest gifts in this world is connecting with other people and exchanging ideas, and sharing knowledge on the world around us, no matter how small that part of the world may be.” Lana is the regular recapper and reviewer for WWE’s Monday Night RAW and House, M.D. on LiteraryIllusions.com. A die-hard wrestling fan since she was 6 years old, Lana has a surprising (and until now, utterly useless) cache of wrestling knowledge and trivia dating back to the early ’80s and possibly earlier. Her style tends to be a bit critical and smarmy at times, but it’s only because she loves professional wrestling so and holds it to a higher standard that combines the best of the worlds of atheletics, drama and yes, even sly social commentary. “House, M.D.” is a show Lana has come to love over several seasons. A man after her own heart, the title character is snarky and devoid of any tact, yet still very much a part of a world that places extraordinary value on diplomacy and the warm and fuzzy, regardless of sincerity. Some of her favorite TV shows are Married… With Children, That ’70s Show, The Golden Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville, Supernatural, Little Britain and 90210.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

——–
HBO Films’ LIFE SUPPORT, starring Queen Latifah, to be centerpiece of February’s celebration on HBO, HBO On Demand and more
——–

New York, N.Y., January 25, 2007 - HBO is launching a new, year-round branding initiative, titled LIFE LIVES HERE, that will strike a cord with subscribers by spotlighting programs that reflect real life experiences and contemporary issues as well as showcase some of today’s top urban entertainers.

The centerpiece of the Black History Month campaign is HBO Films’ LIFE SUPPORT, starring Oscar(r) nominee and platinum-selling recording artist Queen Latifah, in a story about the African-American community’s HIV crisis. Director Nelson George wrote the screenplay, based on the life of his own sister and their family, with Jim McKay and Hannah Weyer. The film also features Anna Deavere Smith, Wendell Pierce, Evan Ross, Rachel Nicks, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Gloria Reuben, Tony Rock and Tracee Ellis Ross. Oscar(r)-winning actor Jamie Foxx is one of the executive producers.

LIFE SUPPORT will premiere first on HBO On Demand (February 26 through March 5) as part of a special subcategory under the banner LIFE LIVES HERE within the “HBO Movies” section. More than a dozen encores of HBO critically acclaimed and award-winning films as well as theatricals and new shorts will also be offered. The select programs include HBO Films’ “Lackawanna Blues,” “Something the Lord Made,” “Sometimes in April” and “Yesterday,” and the theatricals “The Color Purple,” “Cry Freedom,” “Do The Right Thing,” “Jungle Fever,” “Something New” and the short “The Pretty Boy Project.” Additional short-form content will be presented including “About Life Lives Here” and the short films and behind-the-scenes interviews of directors who competed for the 2006 HBO Short Film Award at the American Black Film Festival. This special category will be hosted on HBO On Demand from February 5 through March 5.

Other relevant titles on HBO On Demand outside the LIFE LIVES HERE subcategory include the HBO documentaries “When the Levees Broke,” “Ithuteng” and “Bastards of the Party,” and the HBO series’ “The Wire,” “Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam” and “Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam” as well as ” “Wire Taps” (season recaps of “The Wire”).

HBO is also offering free podcasts featuring behind-the-scenes content from HBO Films’ LIFE SUPPORT, conversations with poets featured in “Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam,” and interviews with the HBO Short Film Award nominees. The LIFE LIVES HERE podcasts are available for downloading as of February 6 via www.HBO.com/podcasts or Apple’s iTunes Music Store.

Academy Award(r) and Oscar(r) are registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

———————
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dominick Evans is in his late 20’s. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I never wanted to believe that good actors can make really bad movies. I also never wanted to believe that trailers can really be completely misleading.

Though the movie was a stylish vision of a multiple wolves all chasing the same pig. It lacked any real subtext, was
poorly executed in its timing, and generally just dragged on with no real
feeling of conclussion.

In this writer’s opinion Carnahan (who got his start working in television) should’ve stayed there. He should also stay away from Guy Ritchie movies also. Let me tell you why. The creation of multiple hardcore sounding, yet loveable, bad guys, the constant jumping of scenes from one sub-story to the next, and the inventive use of camera angles, is the trade mark of another director, Guy Ritchie

This is the same Guy Ritchie, who brought the world such bitingly funny and painfully stylish films as Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels as well as Snatch. Thats what this movie was trying to be, Snatch, though a bad, American rip off of Snatch is what it actually is.

The entire first half of the movie creates a tension that you, as the viewer, feel is going to be released in a balls to the wall showdown. I mean we are talking one hell of a gun battle, the kind of thing you think about next time you are in a casino.

At some time, everyone has had that moment when you are standing there listening to some dumbass talk about his job and you are thinking to yourself " I wish I could just whip out a gun and start shooting people like in that scene from Smokin Aces."

You don’t stand there in that type of instance and say "I wish Ryan Reynolds would show up and pull the plug on this guy "

Up until about minute 50, the film moves at a fast pace, giving back stories on every character, and preparing you for that climax that never comes. It’s like rooting for the underdog and then seeing him quit because he is tired. It makes you feel pissed off.

The few redeeming qualities of this film don’t justify the 8 bucks I paid to see it. Alicia Keyes thighs by far make up for her lack of acting but they aren’t showcased nearly enough.

The Tremor brothers played by Chris Pine, Kevin Durand, and Maury Sterling had the potential to be the kind of bad guys that everyone dreams of being. However they were ultimately short changed, as was I. For petessake they barely made it out of the elevator before they were gunned down by rent-a-cops. What the hell man? RENT-A-COPS ?!?

You don’t create a badass trio of fucked up, nazi, redneck murderers and then have them gunned down by Rent-A-Cops ! That doesn’t make sense. That would be something that a bad television writer would put in a movie, a movie that is a pitiful attempt to rehash Snatch without anyone noticing. It’s bullshit.

I want my money back and I want this movie to be burned. Call me spiteful but there is far too much film garbage in this world and burning trash is a quick way to get rid of it.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

While Justin Timberlake is bringing sexy back, America Ferrera is showing us that ugly can be beautiful.

In the beginning we meet Miriam as she’s setting up house at a new school and gets the "satisfaction" of rooming with popular cheerleader Heidi Murphy. As soon as she moves in with Heidi, she is told what to do and as Heidi brags about her beaus the phone rings. Miriam skilled in the art of taking messages accepts a date with one of Heidi’s rejects.

When she meets her blind date he quickly tells her he’s not who he really is and tries to get rid of her by sending her to get them some sodas. While she’s gone he and his friends disappear leaving Miriam all alone.

Miriam does get lucky when shes asked to tutor football jock Moose Meyers and while he doesn’t quite get Shakespeare the two go to a drive-in where Miriam trys to explain evrything to him. Moose, not wanting to be seen with Miriam, wears sunglasses and a trench coat and after he sends her to the concession stand he ditches her and takes off with his friends.

After walking home 20 miles in the rain Miriam returns to the dorm only to find she’s locked out of the room since Heidi’s "studying." Heidi promptly hands a blanket to the now drenched Miriam and sends her on her way.

The next day Miriam meets Dr. Ted Gates and he asks her on a date. Thrilled she accepts only to be humilated once more.

While in the hospital she has plastic surgery and becomes the beautiful swan she’s always wanted to be and that’s when she sets out for revenge. As she carefully plots and carries out the murders you have to wonder if she’s truly happy in seeking revenge.

For me I’d rather be ugly and beautiful rather than being sexy and shallow.

———————
Written by EricT - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

What could possibly be better than watching The 700 Club? How about watching The 700 Club for two straight weeks completely commercial free?

So if the challenge was $200,000, a timer would start at the bottom of the screen, and callers would be encouraged to call in with pledges to reach that goal. As the clock slowly ticked to zero, other challenges would come by way of golden tickets, handed to Terry by the shows producers.

“A little fanfare please”, Pat would cry as a drum roll rang out.

“One hundred thousand dollars added to the challenge”. More time would be added, and the money just kept rolling in.

On average, The 700 Club netted $400,000 a day in monthly pledges. Add to that the original $400,000, and we can see why new life, and praise of the holy spirit springs from Pat’s soul. Not to mention, on one particular day the challenge ended at $600,000, and new pledges ended at $647,000.

That equals an outstanding 1.2 million dollars, in one day. We should also keep in mind that The 700 Club is a self described, nonprofit organization, which would suggest this money comes with a significant tax break.

Overall, these past two weeks were fairly uneventful. The stories of the trials and tribulations of poor desperate souls seeking comfort were put forth in an even more obvious manner than usual.

Events of financial woes being overcome by donations to this television show, and spotlighted features of Operation Blessing’s missionary work, were the focus and drive behind a fourteen day telethon. I needed Skinny Wednesday. I needed Bring It On. I needed the usual Pat Robertson spewing forth hatred of homosexuals, and Muslims, and of course, Harry Potter. I did not get what I needed, but maybe it was for the best. Maybe it was time to move on.

Before doing so however, I feel the need for closure. A way to end this series of re-caps, and explain my hostility toward the absurdity that is The 700 Club.

The 700 Club is a charitable organization. They do missionary work around the world, feed the poor, clothe the homeless, and many other benevolent works. But at what cost? The cost is high, and profitable, if you are Pat Robertson.

These kinds of statements can only lead to ignorance and misunderstanding between the two faiths. It is this type of hate filled ideology that has led to the main problems in religion in our present society.

For example, the constant overtures of homophobia, which are in reality, dangerous. Is it not the Christian faith that preaches the philosophy of “judge not”? So why does Pat Robertson feel the need to judge this group on a regular basis? And it is not only this hypocrisy that The 700 Club chooses to prescribe to.

Jesus Christ had said himself, “pray not in public, as the hypocrites do”, yet The 700 Club has chosen the most public of forums to do so, on television.

Not only that, but they take it one step further, they profit from it. I have a feeling that if the Second Coming does happen, Pat, Terry, Gordon, and even Kristi, may have some explaining to do. But that leaves us to question: Do they even believe in what they do?

As Pat Robertson says more than five times an episode, “It only costs two quarters, a dime, and a nickel, to join The 700 Club”. But how much will it cost Pat Robertson to buy his way out of hell?

———————
Written by Jae - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Image Line Software has announced the much anticipated release of its complete music production environment, FL Studio 7. Representing the culmination of more than 9 years of sustained development, FL Studio 7 is set to become the most flexible virtual music studio tool in the industry.

What is FL7?

FL Studio is a fully featured, open-architecture music creation and production environment for PC. No extra software is required* to produce any style of music, as the complete set of instrument and studio tools is included in the cost of the package. With the included plugins, sounds and tools the user can create complete songs, as well as backing tracks, loops and sizzling beats. Completed songs can be saved to WAV, MP3 or MIDI or .ZIP or native project formats (.FLP).

Instruments

Make virtually any sound. FL7 includes 13 virtual synthesizers covering acoustic/synthetic bass, electric guitar and plucked string simulation, sampler tools including piano, general sample playback, and beat-slicing, and a range of synthesis techniques (subtractive, modeling, FM, granular and additive).

Audio Recording & Editing

Capture audio from a single vocalist right through to a full symphony orchestra. FL7 can record up to 64 simultaneous tracks of audio#. The Playlist workspace can contain an unlimited number of audio tracks and allows you to arrange discrete audio events in any order, and position the creative process dictates with complete flexibility. Audio tools allow the ability to time-stretch, pitch-shift, beat-slice, chop, edit and creatively destruct audio. FL7 also introduces Edison, a fully featured mastering wave editor and recorder. FL Studio supports WAV, MP3 and OGG formats.

Sequencing

Record musical performances and ideas in the most logical way. FL7 functions as both a pattern and track based sequencer depending on user preferences. Tools include an unlimited track Step-sequencer, an industry-leading Piano Roll and Automation Clips. FL Studio supports MIDI and input from all standard Controllers.

Arranging

Determine your own project design. In FL7, you decide how your project will be laid out. Unlike the competition, FL7’s Playlist is a totally flexible and virtually unbounded space where Note Pattern, Audio and Automation data can be arranged, and edited to suit your creative ideas and workflow.

Mixing/Mastering

The most powerful mixer in its class. FL7 includes an industry-leading 64 stereo track mixer. Each track can include up to 8 effects and can also be routed to any of the other 64 tracks or one of 4 dedicated ’send’ channels. The 44 included effects plugins span Compression, Delay, Distortion, EQ, Filtering, Phasing, Flanging, Chorus, Vocoding and Reverb. These will take you from the creative broad-brush effects like reverb, through to the minutia of the mastering process with multiband compression/limiting and parametric EQ.

Lifetime free updates

Registered FL Studio users who purchase the download edition of the program receive lifetime free updates to the level of the program they buy (Express, Fruity Loops or Producer edition). For example, all FL Studio 6 customers will be able to download FL Studio 7 free, FL Studio 8 free and so on. Boxed edition users can purchase lifetime free updates for a nominal fee.

Key new features and changes

* FL now supports track-based sequencing. Pattern Clips present sequence data in the method as Audio and Automation Clips.
* Edison replaces the Wave Editor - Edison is a fully integrated audio editing and recording tool complete with spectral analysis, convolution reverb + more.
* Love Philter - is a bank of 8 ganged filter units for total flexibility and creative filtering mayhem.
* Parametric EQ2 - introduces a mastering parametric EQ with spectral analysis.
* Event Automation can now be converted to Automation clips.
* Updated audio stretching engine for FL Studio & FL plugins (where applicable).
* Multi-core safe generators can now be threaded for performance gain on multi-core CPUs.
* Smoother audio ‘record to disk’ performance with high track-counts.
* Note OFF velocity support for the Piano roll, MIDI files, MIDI out & Sytrus.
* ‘Smart Disable’ mode for generator plugins, previously was effects only.
* A ‘News Panel’, to keep users updated with content and patches.
* Plugin windows can now be detached from the FL Studio desktop.
* DirectWave sampler now loads AIFF samples & includes a VST preset loader in auto sampler function.
* Sytrus gains multi-level ‘Undo’ a ‘Cherry’ phaser filter, 256 unit Harmonics editor (up from 128), automatable unison panning, volume and pitch.
* FPC acquires wave start/end point selection. SFZ export and loads AIFF, MP3 and REX files.
* Mono source recording. Mono ASIO inputs now handled by the mixer IN list.
* New user-definable keyboard velocity curve mapping in MIDI setup.
* Support for Apple Loops AIFF extensions.

Timing

FL Studio will be officially released at upcoming NAMM, 18-21 January 2007 at the Anaheim Convention Centre, Anaheim, CA , USA.

Demo Limitations

All FL Studio demo versions are fully featured. You can compose new songs and export them to WAV or MP3. The only limitation is that the ability to save the project is disabled.

Formats

FL7 will fit easily within your current workflow supporting VST/VSTi/VST2, DXi, DXi2, MP3, WAV, OGG (import), MIDI, ASIO, ASIO 2. Additionally supported through DirectWave - AKAI AKP (S5/6K,Z4,Z8), Battery (version 1), EXS24, Kontakt (version 1), Recycle and SoundFont2.

* FL Studio is available in 4 different editions
* FL Studio Express Edition: Download: $49 | Boxed: N/A.
* FL Studio Fruityloops Edition: Download: $99 | Boxed: $139 SRP.
* FL Studio Producer Edition: Download: $149 | Boxed: $209 SRP.
* FL Studio XXL Edition: Download: $361| Boxed: $449 SRP.

Related Image-Line Software

Available at a discount to purchasers of FL Studio from the Image-Line shop.

* Deckadance - DJ software. Perform your tracks live.
* EZGenerator - Publish your own website, market your music or band.
* Sytrus - Advanced FM, RM and Subtractive synthesis.
* Poizone - Powerful sound, simple interface.
* Toxic III - Cross platform FM synthesis.
* DirectWave - Advanced sampling synthesizer.

About Image Line Software

Image Line Software, producers of FL Studio/FruityLoops, provides high quality music applications to the computer music community through online Internet distribution. In an effort to fight software piracy, which is hurting the industry, Image-Line uses the unique approach of offering their on-line customers Life Time Free updates.

———————
Written by Ryan the Admin - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ryan is from California. He graduated from USC with a degree in English. In his free time, when he isn’t working as a Literary Illusions gopher (er…editor) he enjoys writing short stories.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

PLACEBO OFFERS NEW AND IMPROVED ‘MEDS’
VIRGIN RECORDS RE-RELEASES SEMINAL ALTERNATIVE TRIO’S ALBUM WITH THREE NEW TRACKS FOR U.S. MARKET

NEW YORK - Virgin Records is re-releasing Meds, the newest album by London-based alternative rock trio PLACEBO on January 23, 2007, the label announced. The album was originally released in the U.S. earlier in 2006 through the Astralwerks label.

PLACEBO’s previous two albums (Black Market Music, 2000 and Sleeping With Ghosts, 2003) were both million-plus sellers, and the trio consistently sells out major arenas in Europe and Latin America such as Paris’ Bercy, London’s Wembley Arena and Mexico City’s Sports Palace.

The band headlined festivals all over Europe this Summer and are currently completing a SOLD OUT European arena tour including France, Italy, UK, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and Austria. PLACEBO sold out their recent American tour which was a co-headliner with She Wants Revenge though PLACEBO ended up headlining all but 3 shows due to public demand! PLACEBO will be touring the U.S. again in early Spring, 2007.

The Virgin Records edition of Meds, described by the band as a back-to-basics project with the elemental feeling of a first album, will add three songs not on the Astralwerks release, "Lazarus," "UNEEDMEMORETHANINEEDU," and a cover of Kate Bush’s "Running Up That Hill." R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe duets on the track "Broken Promise," and Alison Mosshart of The Kills is a guest on the title track.

Along with the growing alternative radio coverage of title single, the band has racked up over 4 million streams of the songs posted in the PLACEBO MySpace.com page. "Running Up That Hill," the trio’s cover of the Kate Bush mid-Eighties classic, has been recently featured on two U.S. television series, Bones and The O.C. The band will also be featured in Alternative Press, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone and other print publications, and have been on view in recent weeks on MTVu’s Oven Fresh, FUSE’s Steven’s Untitled Rock Show and LOGO’s NewNowNext.

———————
Written by Ryan the Admin - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ryan is from California. He graduated from USC with a degree in English. In his free time, when he isn’t working as a Literary Illusions gopher (er…editor) he enjoys writing short stories.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Gearing up for yet another PPV, the latest installment of Monday Night RAW kept with the continuity and set the stage for the Royal Rumble action this Sunday Night. Sick as a dog and clutching my bottle of Nyquil for dear life, the show managed to keep me awake and entertained. The matches could have been longer, but for what it’s worth, the show kept a fast pace and refrained from overdoing the filler for two weeks in a row now.

Getting things underway live in the arena, Michaels came out wearing a DX shirt, jeans and a nifty belt that was heavy on the hardware. Green glow-sticks lit the arena as Jim Ross informed viewers that "Triple H is there in spirit." Uh, dude. He’s not dead. He’s just recovering from surgery for a torn quad.

Giving a snorting and grunting promo, Michaels mentioned that he is no longer suppressing his anger as he had been doing since his return to the ring. Instead, he now wants to be the guy who beats up the bullies in the WWE. Additionally, he expressed his desire to win the WWE Championship belt yet again on the (drum roll please) Road to Wrestlemania.

Michaels’ speech was interrupted by Edge, who came out solo. Edge taunted the Heartbreak Kid before Michaels went el snappo again, sliding out of the ring and battering Edge like a Mrs. Paul’s fish fillet. Referees and security came out to break the pair up. Once again, the two broke free, fists flying until both men toppled over the ringside barricade. As the show went to its first commercial break, the two were still duking it out.

After the commercial break, Edge and HBK were STILL brawling, this time Michaels hurled Edge into a chain link fenced-off area before being chased away by referees. Jonathan Coachman came out to check on Edge.

The first match of the evening was relatively swift and served its purpose of continuing the feud between MNM and the Hardy Boyz. In a non-title inter-brand match, RAW’s Intercontintental Champion, Jeff Hardy squared off against MNM’s Joey Mercury. Mercury, whose nose was broken and received severe facial lacerations from a ladder to the face a month ago, came to the ring accompanied by Johnny Nitro and Melina and wearing a mask to protect his face.

The action started instantly with Jeff launching himself off of the ropes to the outside, landing directly on Mercury. Hardy dragged him into the ring, ridding him of the long, fur jacket that J.R. aptly called "roadkill."

Mercury recovered, turning the tide in his favor and flinging Jeff Hardy to the outside. Melina and Nitro ripped back the protective mats outside the ring, exposing the hard concrete. The watchful referee saw what was going on and banished Nitro and Melina to the back, ensuring a clean finish.

Backstage, Coach and Mr. McMahon performed their usual schpiel with Coach attempting to explain how he tried to control the volatile situation between Edge and Shawn Michaels. Instead of banning both men from the building, Mr. McMahon suggested that the two main face one another in the evening’s main event, a street fight.

After the commercial break, Mr. McMahon made his entrance in the middle of the ring, instructing Coach to walk several paces behind him. The Chairman reached into his jacket pocket and procured the latest correspondence with his good friend, Donald Trump. The crowd was not into this running gag and admittedly, neither was I.

In the realm of compelling television and boosting the ratings which, according to Vince "could be better," Mr. McMahon suggested that The Donald bring him aboard The Apprentice for a guest spot. The crowd, unamused, broke into the famed Stone Cold Steve Austion chorus of "WHAT"s following every few words that McMahon spoke.

To his credit and in a neat move, The Chairman pulled a Wayne’s World, telling the cr