Movies are one of the most common forms of entertainment there is in our world. This is because they allow us to escape our world and enter into another world for a couple of hours and gives our immediate concerns a rest. They allow us to travel to worlds we will never be able to experience otherwise. They bring excitement and intensity of emotion that we would not have otherwise. These are all pretty good things right? And probably some of the main reasons that they are so popular.

On the flip side movies create unrealistic expectations and make unhealthy lifestyles and choices look appealing. This is especially true for those of us who have grown up in this age of technology. You see back when movies were simpler it was easier to separate them from reality. Now however the special effects and computer animations create such realism that it is confusing our kids. Youve heard stories in the news about a child being killed or seriously hurt by another child because they were acting out something they saw in a movie. The other thing is that our children are being exposed to hyper intense scenes of violence that it is surprising that more Columbines havent happened really.

And what about Hollywoods portrayal of sex? Well lets just say that we all were really surprised the first time that we had sex. It wasnt nearly as smooth and well coordinated as we had seen every time on the silver screen was it. What if sex was portrayed realistically as something that can be extremely good and fulfilling given that the two people are committed to each other for life and are willing to work at it? What if the fact that there is a lot of responsibility that goes with the pleasure what dealt with? Well lots of people believe that we would have far less trouble with sex at its root. Teenage sex wouldnt be as rampant. Unwanted pregnancies would be a far smaller issue. STDs would not be spinning out of control, and on and on.

So are movies good or bad? Well the answer is both. Now the question remains, does one outweigh the other?

To fulfill all demand and requirement vast variety of options are obtainable of diverse car horn models. From a plain electric horn to musical car horns, and air horns to novelty, you can easily find the kind of horn that best suit your requirement whether it is a car, motorcycle, or even truck. Such modern horns are simple to install and are available with full instructions.

The most common and new type horn which can be added on to your vehicle is the air horns. There are triple and dual tone air horns which are very simple to install and makes great sounds. These types of horns are available in various sizes to fit in a vehicle, and inclusive with all escalating hardware. The real air horns involve an air system that is obtainable with complete locomotive air system and air horn kit and even separately. However, if you want a big solid and powerful sound for the truck horn, long horns or powerhouse is a feasible option. This gives a loud and big air horn sounds which are twice as powerful as traditional horns and also are suitable for all kind of weather.

A part from horns, another essential element that every vehicle must have is the emergency light and a safety kit as well. The emergency light of any vehicle is very important to aware other automobiles in case of emergency or urgent situation. Furthermore, it makes the position of your vehicle visible to other oncoming vehicles and averts it from getting hit. Also, it is best for those unpredicted emergencies that can take place in your car. The emergency light kit usually includes assorted bulbs and fuses. However, LED emergency flashlights are the best source of light in case of emergency. They are also available in different features and sizes which include emergency flash lights and beacons.

To know more and further information about these emergency lights, horns, car horns, air horns, sirens, police sire and beacon log on to www.wolohornsusa.com

If you want to learn to play the harp and are planning to take instruction, you should understand the different types of harmonicas that are available. The leading makers of harmonicas include Suzuki, Hering, Hohner, and Bushman. Beyond brands, though, there are other differences you should know about.

The harmonica that most people are familiar with is the ten-hole Blues harp. Each of the holes has two reeds, which are tuned to play different notes. Blues harps come in virtually every key, and each harmonica can play 19 musical notes.

Blues harps are a subcategory of diatonic harmonicas, so named because of the two reeds in each hole. Diatonic harmonics generally play only one key. Another type of diatonic harmonica is the octave harmonica, which is tuned so that each hole plays the same note, only an octave apart from one another. The tremolo harmonica also has two reeds, but one plays a slightly flat note and the other plays a slightly sharp note.

A different category of harmonica is the chromatic harmonica. These harmonicas typically have twelve, fourteen, or sixteen holes, and four reeds per hole. They also have a sliding bar that moves the air from the mouthpiece to a specific reed plate. Chromatic harmonicas are most often used in jazz and Classical music.

Harmonica Instruction

When you learn to play the harmonica, youll first be taught how to breathe correctly. Because successfully playing the harmonica involves both breathing out and breathing in, its important to breathe from your diaphragm. Youll also learn how to correctly hold the harmonica, how to move it, and how to position your lips so youll achieve the right notes. Youll also learn harmonica tablature, or tabs, which in instruction that replaces the need for learning to read music. Harmonica tabs tell you what actions you need to take, such as blowing in the fifth and sixth holes, rather than simply showing you music notation. For example, tablature might indicate an upward arrow with a number above it, indicating that you need to blow on that numbered hole, followed by a downward area with a number on top, indicating that you need to inhale on that hole. Tabs make learning to play the harmonica much easier than learning to play other instruments.

Choosing a Harp

Most harmonica instruction is given in the key of C, so its probably best to buy a diatonic or Blues harp in the key of C. Most experts recommend that beginners purchase harmonicas with plastic or aluminum combs (the body of the harmonica) rather than wood. Plastic and metal are both more comfortable and more durable. However, you should be aware that, over time, youll probably buy and try several different brands of harmonicas. Each person is unique, and each has to find the harmonica that is the best fit for his or her playing style.

One misconception that people have about online DVD rental is that it is way too complicated. Online DVD rental isnt complicated. All you have to know how to do is use your mailbox and navigate a mouse. All you really need to do is pick your company. Compare costs and how many you are allowed to rent at once. Also compare available insurance and costs on the rentals.

After you pick a company, you join. Usually you pay per month or per year. This is usually much cheaper than renting if you rent on a regular basis. It doesnt matter how many you rent because the cost doesnt go up. Of course, if you only rent one or two a year, it might not be cost efficient unless you are ever late returning those movies. Late fees are usually as much or more as renting the movie was. This is probably the best thing about online DVD rental there are absolutely no late fees with most of your companies.

When you join a rental club, you make your movie selections ahead of time. The first selections on your list are sent to you first. If you want to keep that movie for a while and watch it over and over again, that is okay. It is never deemed to be late with most of online DVD rental providers. You send your first selections back whenever you decide to. After the company gets those selections back, they send the next selections on your list to you.

For those people who dont like getting online very often, this selection procedure can be a real plus. You can make your selections way in advance and only get back online after you have gotten through your entire selection list. But you can still get online and change your list before they are sent to you if you change your mind. Just make sure that you give them a day or two of notice so they are sure to have your selections on hand.

Online DVD rental is a better choice as far as selection goes. Online companies usually have a much greater selection of movies than your local movie rental stores do. Also, they are less likely to have all of their new releases checked out when you want them. All in all, online is a pretty good way to go.

On the surface it seems like a logically brilliant idea: take a film that audiences adored and extend it into a more digestible, bite-sized version that they could watch every week from the comfort of their homes. But carrying over the success of a movie into the television realm seems to involve a tricky and delicate science that no one seems to know the formulas to.

A television series adaptation of the Blade trilogy and the recent news of a live-action Star Wars television series coming to life near the end of this decade beg us to ask whether or not either will succeed. Of course, success in this sense can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Does it depend only on the quality of the show? Most likely not, since there have been movie-to-television cross-overs that were critically acclaimed but were only given a few months to run. Does it depend solely on the popularity of the show? Not as much as one would think. So what does success in this genre depend on?

Lets take a look at some TV shows that were originally movies that ran for long periods of time, and then some that burnt out quickly to see if there is a visible pattern.

Distance Runners

- M*A*S*H*: Many people forget that M*A*S*H* was originally a movie (1970) that was met with approval in the theaters. It made its way onto television screens in 1972 and ran all the way to 1983.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The movie was released in 1992 and was met with very mixed results. Somehow the show managed to run for seven solid years (1997-2003) as a television series with a huge fan base.
- Stargate SG-1: Stargate was a film released in 1994. It was met with mixed responses, but the show fared much better, running from 1997 all the way till now.
- Highlander: The film version hit theaters in 1986. Audience response was decent, but the TV series that was launched in 1992 found a faithful following. It ran until 1998.
- La Femme Nikita: Nikita was a film directed by Luc Besson that was released in 1990 and received good responses from audiences. The television series had a strong following and ran on TV from 1997 to 2001.

Short-Distance Losers

- My Big Fat Greek Life: Though movie studios underestimated My Big Fat Greek Weddings chances for success on the big screen, CBS overestimated its chances for similar triumph as a television series. This big fat disaster ran for seven episodes in 2003.
- Clueless: In 1995, Clueless did well in movie theaters as a comedy-romance. However, when the movie became a TV show in 1996 it was nothing more than a vain, painful, and lame television experience. The show somehow managed to remain on air until 1999.
- Ferris Bueller: Ferris Buellers Day Off was a huge hit in 1986, but the TV series only lasted one miserable season in 1990. Ferris has had plenty of days off since then.
- Planet of the Apes: The Charlton Heston-infused movie did well in the theaters in 1968, but for some reason the TV version only lasted one season in 1974.
- Uncle Buck: Was the movie really that great in 1989? It was just a standard comedy that tried to teach youngsters the idea of appreciating your family. So was the TV series in 1990 really necessary? One season tells us no.

There are countless other movie-to-TV shows that only lasted a few months, if that. Dangerous Minds, Fast Times, and Parenthood are just three of many, many failures in this genre.

The odds are against the soon-to-be Blade television series and George Lucas live-action Star Wars TV show. Though Blade does not really seem to be anything special, it will be interesting to see whether the vampires and monsters that carried the film trilogy will be able to do the same on television screens.

Star Wars does have an insanely huge and loyal fan base, the likes of which no movie-to-TV series has had the luxury of having, and could be the tipping point for the shows potential longevity and success. But in no way will this guarantee the triumph of the adaptation. Neither will high caliber storylines or acting.

It seems that television audiences and studios are infinitely more fickle than their movie counterparts, so good luck to both the creators of Blade and Star Wars Lucas, both of whom will be at the complete mercy of factors that are virtually unknown.

For More on the NEW Star Wars TV Series, visit http://www.starwarstvforum.com

m

Will Ferrell and Jon Heder are the lead pair, who exploit a loophole to do their act in this movie which is to Kick some Ice.

So, welcome to the world of competitive figure skating and all its passion and power generated by an unlikely pair who aim to steal the trophy, beating the odds. Two men skating together — Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) become the first male pair in the history of figure skating!

As aintitcool.com states, figure skating for the first time ever is finally watchable. Also, hilarious.

Blades of Glory is about two rival figure skaters (Ferrell and Heder) who after a fight with each other in front of 30,000 fans, have their gold medals stripped from them and are banned from competitive skating for a lifetime.

Three years down the line, one is many pounds heavier while the other is still girlish, but still not hot. Both agree to put aside their differences as well as their similarities theyre both men! –and exploit a loophole (created exclusively for the movie) that would allow them to compete in the pairs figure skating category.

This category is, of course, usually reserved for opposite-sex couples and this duo must go face-to-face with fierce competition from rivals far more experienced at the art, such as Stranz (Will Arnett) and Fairchild (Amy Poehler), the unrelentingly competitive reigning champion pair.

Amy Poehler and Will Arnett (as evil brother and sister figure skaters) manage to steal almost every scene theyre in. There are some really great moments including a hilarious ice skate chase and some very funny ice routines (that i wont spoil). The ice skating was never boring. And the costumes are as funny as the people wearing them, especially the outfits given to Poehler and Arnett. Also, Jenna Fischer has never ever looked as hot as this. Purr-Rawrr.

This very funny movie was shot in both Los Angeles, California and Montreal, Quebec (Canada).

One, Mother Teresa, tells the life story of one of the worlds best-known and most admired women, and End of the Spear is the story of five American missionaries to the Waodani Indians of the Ecuadorian jungles.

Mother Teresa was an Albanian-born nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity. Called The Angel of Mercy, many people considered her the embodiment of a living saint. Her work among the poverty-stricken of Calcutta made her one of the worlds most famous people. She founded her order in 1950 to care for those she called the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.

Golden Globe-winner Olivia Hussey illuminates the holy womans life story in Mother Teresa, a DVD feature from Fox Home Entertainment. A shrewd diplomat and an indomitable force, Mother Teresa was unwilling to accept what others deemed impossible, fearlessly fighting for the unloved and the forgotten.

In 1956, a small band of missionaries sought to enlighten the cannibal tribes of darkest Ecuador, but for their compassion, they were mercilessly slain. Years later, the wives of the fallen men returned to the village to continue their husbands missionary work, bringing their children to live amongst the tribesmen in the hope that through their forgiveness the natives might find faith.

Now director Jim Hanon tells this remarkable true story of fear, faith and forgiveness in End of the Spear, based on the book Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot, the widow of one of the missionaries.

The movie tells the story of the Waodani warrior Mincayani, who kills Steve Saints father and four other missionaries. Steve returns to the Waodani as an adult and encounters Mincayani; together they confront the meaning of the life and death of Steves father and the other men who were killed. Through Mincayani, Steve comes to forgive; through Steve, Mincayani comes to understand the lessons of the Bible and a path to a virtuous life.

Some of us think that this is a genius book. Some consider it as a typical novel. Others say that this is a story that must not be published. But lets face it, Dan Brown can really write a book that makes noise and controversy. His other works like between angels and demons, and deception point also got the attention of many people. But now Da Vince Code has its own movie, this is now the new talk of the town.

It is now on almost all of the movie screens but it passed through many obstacles such as rejections, objections, and criticisms coming from different kinds of people, sectors, and religions. Up to now, it is still being turned down by the Catholics because they say that it is disrespecting God, Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and many others whom they considered as holy.

Open-mindedness in things or movies such as this doesnt mean that your faith in God is weak. Oftentimes you will learn many things and gain knowledge if you posses this quality. But many times, you will be misunderstood by the people. Here try to picture this, people are so intelligent that whatever you prohibits them to do, to say, or to watch will make them more curious leading them to do it, to say it, and to watch it. In simple terms, the more you ban the movie, the more they will watch it.

Now, its your time to decide. Are you confident with your faith in God that you think it cant be destroyed by anyone or anything? Do you see that Da Vinci Code the movie is just purely fictional? Or you intend to believe in anything that you see and anything you watch? This is a matter of how shallow or how deep is your intelligence, analyzations, and belief in God.

br>

Until 80-ies, hardcore appeared to be peculiar of ear-teasing, short and quick songs of approximately 1 to 1.5 minutes with presence of social lyrics. This stage completed due to bands tendency either to split up or, to, simply, shift to different musical style. Those times hardcore is labelled the old school hardcore.

Some bands, including Earth Crisis, All Out War, Strife, following the old school hardcore, enriched their music with combination of slow melodies and metal elements, which, thus, committed to establishment of the new school of hardcore.

The others, like Husker Du, Meat Puppets and Embrace however, applying restrictions to hardness in their music, developed the new styles of grunge and emocore, respectively. The emocore boasts the peculiar features of emotional performance, melodic and soft back-vocal, minor chords as well as typical behaviour on stage.

The Bad Religion band, established in 1980, omitting usual now presence of slowness and duration in songs, posed as establisher of new musical trend through introducing professional beck-vocal. The style appears to lack in denomination, but is conditionally nicknamed as skate-punk (trifle lighter form of the said music is played by Blink-182 and New Found Glory), although it differs from traditional pop-punk, represented by Ramonez, Buzzcocks and Lookout records, both, in origin and style.

As the time passed by, the hardcore influenced development of such styles as fast-core, thresh core and crossover, however, the bands, following the said style failed to experience support of great audience, as their processors did.

Thus, a bulk of modern alternative music stemmed from hardcore. Notably, the old school hardcore is still in demand and keeps developing, irrespective of breeding more popular musical trends. A slew of bands still promotes the style worldwide among music lovers.

The styles encountered development of a parallel manner (they experienced step-by-step development from the very beginning).

It should be noted that a style, depending on social background and geographical location may posses original and unique nuances.

Once you find the right location for your IPOD movies, you can easily and quickly (it seems almost instantly) download them to your PC, your notebook, or you can check out iPod movie downloads as well. There are specific services that are available to provide you with the ability to get great quality movies on your iPod. If you choose iPod movies, you can find the right location to download from on the web to your iPod, take the movies with you wherever you decide to go and, if you like them; you can even burn them to CD.

No matter if you choose iPod movies or find a few great movies to download to your PC, there are many services that are providing this ability to you. If you are skilled, you can even find a few free iPod movie downloads or free movie downloads to tap into as well. Of course, to get the best products available, you may want to go with a paid service. It also pays for you to take your time in checking out a few of the services for their fees and their membership details. With so much competition out there, you are sure to find a great deal being offered to new members. Movie downloads are fast becoming the best way to get the movies you want to see quickly. No hassles or trips to the store and they never are sold out.

Come back and visit my site for more reviews. I will be posting more reviews as I check out other sites.

Please visit some of my other sites Ipod Movies and Ipod Movie Downloads

From the outside, this looks like just another of your basic theres a psycho hacking up a bunch of pretty girls, who are running up the stairs instead of out of the door, and to a certain extent thats correct, its the way this is conveyed which is interesting and enticing to watch.

The story: crazed killer, Billy Lenz, escapes his psychiatric ward and is determined to make it to his childhood home, where he was abused, by Christmas. Problem is, its years later and the home is now a Sorority house. Its Christmas Eve and a whos who of teen/horror girl stars are there to welcome him, including Melissa (Michelle Trachtenberg , Buffy the vampire slayer fame), Heather (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Final Destination 3), Dana (Lacey Chabert, Mean Girls) and Kelli (Katie Cassidy, When a stranger calls remake.)

This movie is actually pretty good, it has a constant feeling of being watched that runs right through it and adds a sparkle to the scares, and the tension is kept high. The actresses, although spouting some awful lines at times, also say some good ones. The acting is good, and because most of the leading ladies are stars, and most of them horror stars, the audience doesnt guess which one is going to make it to the rolling credits. The story-line builds well, and there is a mounting tension, as the killer first phones the girls, and then starts to do away with them.

A similar storyline to the original Halloween, with a killer coming home for the holidays, there are also many similar P.O.V shots of the killer, watching the girls throughout the house. The Christmas theme bleeds in nicely with the plot, and it comes across in places (especially, the flash-backs to Billy Lenzs childhood) like something, director, Tim Burton, would dream up. The film gets darker and darker as we move through it, with some very violent scenes, and the music by Shirley Walker is great; capturing horror and Christmas all in one twisted melody. Also, the use of red and green lighting throughout (owed to Christmas) is very cool, and creates a great atmosphere.

Due to it being set in a Sorority house, and this no longer being 1974, some of the dialogue just doesnt cut it. I cant imagine many of these girls staying in the house with a crazed serial killer, just because they cant find their sorority sister, believable in 2007 sad, but true. There is, unfortunately, the obligatory shower scene, but its used for scares, not thrills, and so works.

Right from the start you can tell, this isnt your usual run of the mill slasher, it actually has a back story, and we do find ourselves caring for some of the characters, for example, Kelli, played by Katie Cassidy is great; plus if you hated Dawn in Buffy the vampire slayer you are gonna love this movie.

are gonna love this movie.

The inspirational tale will become even larger than life with the theatrical release of The Polar Express. The movie, from Warner Bros. Pictures, stars the Academy Award-winning team of Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis. And now, fans of The Polar Express can take home a little bit of the storys magic with exclusive gifts from Hallmark Gold Crown stores.

The Polar Express is such a classic Christmas story, it seemed appropriate that Hallmark Gold Crown stores, a traditional holiday destination, serve as The Polar Express headquarters, said Greg Raymond, vice president of license acquisitions at Hallmark. The one-of-a-kind Hallmark collection truly brings the classic story to life.

In the movie, a young boy who wants to believe in Santa, no matter what the doubters say, is given an unexpected train ride to the North Pole. When the train reaches its destination, Santa himself materializes and offers the boy whatever his heart desires. In the end, the boy learns that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

Fans can feel the excitement of the movie with items from Hallmarks collection, such as an authentic reproduction of the bell Santa gives the boy as the first gift of Christmas.

Also available in the collection are copies of The Polar Express book, Keepsake Ornaments, photo frames, gift-wrap, a tea-light holder, stocking holders, greeting cards and partyware. The variety of gifts in the collection will delight even those not so familiar with The Polar Express story.

Hallmark has a long history of celebrating warm holiday traditions and these traditions are perfectly in sync with what The Polar Express symbolizes, said Karen McTier, executive vice president of domestic licensing for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Now filmgoers can take a bit of the movie magic and enchantment home with them.

Before anything else, let us first establish that The Da Vinci Code is not an outright attack to Catholic religion conservatives nor is it an entertainment exclusive for those who have completed their Dan Brown (Langdon) series or their Holy Grail collections. The good thing about this film is that anyone can watch and understand it (provided, of course, that there are practically no restrictions when it comes to cinema admission). Oh no, there is nothing cryptic at all with this Ron Howard masterpiece.

Some Brown followers and mystery aficionados may sit and spend a full two and a half hours and regard the movie as too bland or too anti-climactic. Let us be clear: The Da Vinci Code is an adaptation, so comparing the screen version to the book does not make much sense. Yes, expect the movie to be just like those Harry Potter books, where there are also portions not included in the picture.

As much as I have nothing against books being transformed into films, I beg to disagree on the argument that The Da Vinci Code is not loyal to the novel. If anything, I believe the gist being presented and kept alive on the screen is just appropriate and fitting, especially for those who have not gotten close to hearing the authors name. Basically, the plot takes a head start in one of the Louvres chambers, where a curator is murdered and has left various enigmatic messages on the museums interiors for his granddaughter, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), and symbologist, Robert Langdon, to find. In attempt to discover the culprit, the pair is led into a maze of clues and anomalous and elusive figures. Eventually, they are attended by Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen), who turns out to be the nemesis (or more suitably, since this is not that kind of pumped-up suspense — the antagonist) in the end.

As I have mentioned, this is not exactly comparable to those high-flying adventure or sci-fi hits, with all the explosions and incredible stunts, so expect zilch of those. You can expect, though, a few car chases in the streets of France and in the woods. But that is all contained in the novel, anyway, and I doubt Howard would want to greatly disappoint the viewers with a totally made-over picture. I guess it is quite logical, in this sense, to believe that the film lacks some creatively driven climax or a high momentum. Yes, these shortcomings all boil down to the pre-existence of the basis of the whole movie — the best-seller book.

What really makes the picture worthwhile is the mental stimulation you get from absorbing all those data and information in one sitting. Amazingly, the clarity and simplicity by which the information and other historical accounts are laid out are commendable. Worried about all that religious controversy? I assure you, theres no need to be queasy or uncomfortable regardless of what faith (or lack of it) you belong to. Akiva Goldsman, the films screenwriter, has done a fair job of making sure that the audience are also kept on track with the plot and not get lost with seemingly unfamiliar labels such as Priory of Sion, Opus Dei or The Knights Templar.

Another area where The Da Vinci Code is considered to surpass other movies in its genre is the special effects. I am not talking about action-powered, egoistically snazzy effects. Just the inclusion of digital graphics during the brainstorming moments of Langdon are already and certainly remarkable. The crew also deserves a thumbs up when it comes to the amazing set and background. I know it is difficult to recreate a churchs interior, especially if you are not allowed to shoot in one (the original location, that is). Not to mention that at the same time, you are also embarking on one of the most anticipated movie ventures of the last two years (since the release of the book).

On the other hand, the details may also seem a bit too bluntly or obviously laid out, in such a way that these are supposed to be the whole point of the film. Well, the details are of the essence, but as reiterated, the producers could have gone a bit farther, say an insertion of some inducing music or some scene-enhancing elements, to reduce the monotony or the tone down the nerd-like quality of the movie. Some scenes can also do without the excess drama or intellect, if you will, like the one where they are supposed to retrieve the curators safety deposit box and enter a specific code (lest they may never gain access to the much-coveted cryptex ever). Then again, these are the directorial efforts in putting some spice (or action) in the mystery hunt.

When it comes to casting, The Da Vinci Code brings together an international cast, all of whom are fitting and brilliant in their roles. Pressure from the novels reputation may have played a part, but all in all, the actors are convincing as they can be and the movie treats all characters on an equal footing. Of course, I cannot do without commenting on Audrey Tatous attempts at English or the lousy haircut Tom Hanks has in the movie, but truth of the matter is, all of them shine in the portions where they are supposed to be shining. Heck, I even forgot my earlier distaste of Tom Hanks being casted as Langdon when I saw how other actors are perfect for their respective roles. Take, for instance, Ian McKellen. I can really feel his laid-back yet enthusiastic approach, not just to the role of the Grails obssessive collector, but also in playing the part in a summer movie.

In general, The Da Vinci Code merits an applause, not just for its relatively loyal adherence to the best-seller, but also for bringing together an ensemble performance and story that considerably realized (and delivered) the popularity and magnitude of the project.

Gustav Klimt began his career as an artist in 1883 when he formed Kanstlercompanie (an organization consisting of a group of artists) with his brother Ernest and a friend named Franz Matsch. They were commissioned by theatres, museums and churches to decorate the walls with murals and paintings. One of Klimts most famous paintings Tragedy was commissioned by the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. In 1893, Klimt and Matsch had a falling out over a commission from the new university of Vienna to decorate the ceiling of the Great Hall. Klimt never again accepted another public commission and the company dissolved. Almost immediately following this break with Matsch, Klimts painting Philosophy was exhibited at the Paris World Fair and won the Grand Prix.

Gustav Klimt paintings are distinguished visually by their elegant gold backgrounds and mosa?c patterns. Thematically, Klimt celebrates life, as demonstrated in The Kiss, a popular painting of a couple embracing passionately. However, at times, his paintings also juxtapose the joy of life with the certainty of death. Paintings such as Hope (a pregnant woman surrounded by pale solemn faces) offer the viewer a unique and profound experience of happiness at the beauty of life and sadness at the inevitability of death simultaneously. Gustav Klimt died of pneumonia in Vienna in 1918. Fortunately for the world, his work lives on.

Jack Sparrow Johnny Depp

Jack Sparrow himself could be ranked among the celebrities of Hollywood. Johnny Depp so masterfully and realistically created his character that Capt Sparrow has taken on a life of his own.

Truly, the playing of Capt. Jack has added a feather to Johnny Depps hat. Johnnys performance could categorized into several categories the persona of Captain Jack, the action, and the script. Mr. Depp did a stellar job in all three areas, even helping out with the script. All of the eunuch lines were Johnnys invention a brilliant invention if the number of times they have been quoted by fans is any measurement of success!

Elizabeth Swann Kiera Knightley

In playing Ms. Swann, Kiera successfully balances a mixture of action, romance, feminine appeal, and tomboyish toughness into the character we know as Elizabeth Swann.

Of course, when we first meet with the grown up Elizabeth, she is a not-quite-proper daughter of the English governor. By the end of the movie, she has been a lover, pirate, warrior, marooned beauty, etc. Kiera even does some of her own stunt work, certainly giving her a higher place in the class of Hollywood Celebrities.

Will Turner Orlando Bloom

Of course we could never forget the young, dashing idealist, Will Turner. Will is a self disciplined, blacksmith and warrior, who falls in love with Elizabeth Swann, defying class and social lines. The way Orlando Bloom plays Will reminds me in many ways of Legolas, from Lord Of The Rings. Both are earnest, attractive young gentlemen with great skills in fighting. And of course, the both use their skills to save lives.

This very occurrence took place this week, with Grace Adams-Short seemingly in the firing line. Grace had been seen all week seemingly picking on Nikki and bitching about her behind her back and also bed-hopping between Mikey and George, before the latter left the house on his own accord.

Also, being a female in the house is usually bad news as far as eviction survival is concerned because should they go head to head with a male house member, they are usually voted out by the public, very often by a large percentage.

On the betting exchanges, Grace was trading at around 6/10 and had been as low as 1/2, making her the firm favourite to be the second person evicted from the house, but this all changed on Tuesday when it came to nominations.

Grace received just two nominations, one unsurprisingly from Nikki and the other from Glyn, who was sick of her talking about herself non-stop. Two nominations were not enough to put formerly odds-on Grace up for the public vote as Richard received four and Lea and Sezer received three each, putting the trio up for eviction instead.

Sezer, following a fortnight of arrogant behaviour, vowing to bully new housemates Aisleyne and Sam and having a dramatic fall-out with Richard midweek and reducing him to tears seems to have sealed his fate. He instantly became the favourite to face eviction and traded as low as 1/33 (Bet3on Friday from a high of 1/5 following the announcement of the trio up for eviction. Some lucky punter had backed Sezer at a high of 29/1 earlier on in the week while the lemmings jumped on the Grace bandwagon.

Sezer is the overwhelming favourite to leave but there could be a final twist in this tale. He could survive at the expense of Lea, who was booed considerably upon her entrance into the Big Brother house for having, as she put it, blonde hair and big boobs. As we established earlier, women up for eviction in the Big Brother house are in a rather precarious position.

Value hunters could be onto a winner if they back Lea at more tempting odds of 18/1 while Richard looks safe and should not be supported at comparatively massive odds of around 25/1.

Once you find the right location for your IPOD movies, you can easily and quickly (it seems almost instantly) download them to your PC, your notebook, or you can check out iPod movie downloads as well. There are specific services that are available to provide you with the ability to get great quality movies on your iPod. If you choose iPod movies, you can find the right location to download from on the web to your iPod, take the movies with you wherever you decide to go and, if you like them; you can even burn them to CD.

No matter if you choose iPod movies or find a few great movies to download to your PC, there are many services that are providing this ability to you. If you are skilled, you can even find a few free iPod movie downloads or free movie downloads to tap into as well. Of course, to get the best products available, you may want to go with a paid service. It also pays for you to take your time in checking out a few of the services for their fees and their membership details. With so much competition out there, you are sure to find a great deal being offered to new members. Movie downloads are fast becoming the best way to get the movies you want to see quickly.

Please visit some of my web sites at Ipod Movies and Ipod Movie downloads

Glyn Wise
Win Odds: 33/1 (Bet365)
Fervent Welshman Glyn is also up for the first eviction and still Dons the red shorts he wore on opening night as he has not been given his suitcase. Like Bonnie, Glyn is very quiet and early indications suggest he is another example of terrible miscasting. However, being a man, he will survive the first eviction at the expense of a female opponent, i.e. Bonnie, and will treat the nation to his emaciated body for another week at least.

Grace Short
Win Odds: 22/1 (Bet365)
Grace, who admitted the fame would be nice before entering the house would not be undone by the Imogen / Sezer pairing and, spying a glossy magazine deal of her own, soon latched on to Mikey and shared a kiss on day six. Other than that, she has done little in the house thus far, but is unlikely to be voted out any time soon.

Sezer Yurtseven
Win Odds: 22/1 (Bet365)
Sezer would like to think he is more popular than he actually is, but he may get a shock should he be put up for eviction. He is looking at house survival from a safety in numbers perspective and has formed an alliance with love interest Imogen, George and the pairing of Mikey and Grace, using their London social lives as a basis for common ground. He is battling for the role of alpha male in the house but could find himself come unstuck, as Maxwell did in last years show.

Lea Walker
Win Odds: 40/1 (Ladbrokes)
Lea has adopted the role of mother in the house but is another housemate who could find themselves up for eviction sooner rather than later. She hasnt done anything to upset the other housemates and has fought their corner when Shabaz was acting appallingly during his short stay. However, she has not formed any real alliances and may find herself picked off within the next few weeks.

Bonnie Holt
Win Odds: 66/1 (Bet365)
Bonnie (or Bonneh as she pronounces it) has done very little to justify her chatterbox personality since entering the house and is red hot favourite for the first eviction. Bonnie has melted in to the background and has been hardly noticeable on the highlights shows bar a few harsh words for Shabaz and moaning to Big Brother about not receiving her suitcase. This Rosie Webster look-a-like is like a fish out of water away from her native Loughborough and is one of several horribly miscast house mate members this series. Gone on Friday and wont be missed.

Dawn Blake
Dawn was ejected from the Big Brother house after eight days but threatened to leave on her own accord shortly after Shabaz walked on day six. She was officially expelled from the house due to receiving coded communication from the outside world but was not a particularly popular housemate in any case. She was accused by Nikki, although not to her face, of stinking out everyone elses clothes with her body odour due to not showering for four days.

Shabaz Chauhdry
Shabaz was another example of dreadful miscasting. The producers were hoping for an older, more extreme version of last years Kemal, but what they got instead was a mentally deranged idiot who couldnt cope with living and interacting with other people. He lasted six days before leaving of his own accord and wont be missed in the slightest.

htest.

I have been very happy to date with the exposure that social networking sites have opened up to me, my only annoyance was how restrictive sites like myspace are with content.

The recent trend has been to give out widget codes to users and fans can post content on private sites, blogs and emails.

This new widget by reverbnation.com is by far the best I have seen to date.

Information
The mother of all widgets. Featuring a customizable picture, band info, music player loaded with your songs, a video, show schedule (with tour map), join the mailing list Fan Collector, and more.
You can also cross-promote other artists at the bottom of the widget. These artists are pulled from the list of artists you recommend, and rotated randomly. Great for helping out friends, label-mates, touring partners, or other artists you think your fans would enjoy.

Here is an example of one of mine in action.

http://ephemera.audiomaker.net/example.html

You can get one yourself at

http://www.reverbnation.com

Good luck spreading the word.

James.

So whats the cure for this? I can give you the cure in three words

Big Picture Thinking

Whats this? Put simply it means looking at the WHYs and WHATs before looking at the HOWs. Its looking at the overall picture before becoming focused on the details. Lets take a look at an example to make it clearer

Lets say that you would like to learn to shred. Rather than just jumping in and practicing some random exercises, lets go through the big picture thinking process.

**Step One** Why

In this step you write down exactly WHY you want to become a shredder. Think of all the reasons and write them down. This is really important. Your reasons why help keep you motivated and enthusiatic about working towards your goal. In fact, I can almost guarantee that without a strong, exciting and compelling why you will give up before you reach your goal!

**Step Two** Big Picture What

Write down WHAT you want to achieve. In this case you would write down a detailed description of EXACTLY how you would like to play. What type of shredder do you want to become?

**Step Three** Detailed What

In this step youll write down the specific things that you will need to master in order to achieve what you wrote down in Step Two. Here are some example questions that you would ask yourself

* What scales would I need to learn?

* What songs would I like to learn?

* What techniques would I have to master?

* What guitar tutors who live near to me teach shredding?

* What licks and exercises would help me achieve my goal?

* What instructional books, videos or DVDS will I need to buy?

The aim with this step is to get a detailed list of SPECIFIC things that you need to master in order to reach your goal.

**Step Four** How

This is where you write down a detailed practice schedule. This schedule will help you systematically learn what you wrote down in the previous step. If youre not sure how to put together an effective practice schedule then you may want to hire a good guitar tutor.

Can you see how this works? Rather than just jumping in and practicing, you start with the big picture first then work your way down to the small details.I guarantee that doing it this way will speed up your progress drastically. The main reason why is you will only be practicing things 100% related to your guitar goals.

In fact, in 2004 American consumers racked up $117 billion in online spending, with a fair share of that amount spent on entertainment and entertainment news.

One of the latest entertainment options Blockbuster Online is a new, easy-to-use online DVD rental service that can bring the movie store right to your door with just a few clicks of a computer mouse. With more than 30,000 titles to choose from, movie lovers can rent all the movies they want, from the hottest new releases to independent, special interest and hard-to-find films.

For less than $15 a month, Blockbuster Online users can rent up to three movies at a time and return them at their convenience with the provided pre-paid postage envelope. After a DVD is returned, the next title from the subscribers online movie queue is mailed, and will usually arrive within one to two days.

By combining the power of the Internet, the magic of the movies and the trusted Blockbuster name, were offering the ultimate in home entertainment convenience at an incredible value, said Shane Evangelist, senior vice president of Blockbuster Inc. and general manager of Blockbuster Online. And for those times when you cant wait for a movie to arrive in your mailbox, we offer the flexibility to rent movies and games at our stores.

The new online DVD rental service is especially convenient for people who live in rural areas, since online access means theres no need to drive long distances to the rental store. Busy parents and on-the-go professionals or anyone starved for time also have easy access to the latest and greatest releases, plus many of the classics.

Weve designed a service that really delivers for our subscribers, said Evangelist. There are no due dates, no late fees, unlimited DVDs at your disposal, and were the only online DVD rental service that gives each subscriber two free in-store rentals each month, good for movies or games.

Find a place outside thats a safe place to leave your equipment, a back porch, backyard, etc., thats got some light available, if its after dark. Set up your camera with a freshly charged battery pack, select a setting, and start filming. Place a spare battery outside on a dry surface. Go back inside and make some hot cocoa! No sense you freezing, leave that task to the equipment. Wait 10 or 15 minutes and check to see if anything is still working. If the cameras stopped, try the spare battery to see if it works. Keep checking at 10-minute intervals until the media fills up or the camera stops working. Now you have some idea of how long you will have to make your video.

Now for the second test: on a sunny, cold day, take some shots that include total sunshine, partial shade, and deep shadows. Shoot the same footage on several different settings: if your camera has a snow/beach setting, try that, also the full automatic, and any other settings that you think might work. You may find that the snow/sand setting is inadequate for deep shadow shots while in bright sun. Review your test a shot, make a few notes and its on to the last test.

The final test is you: what do you have for personal warmth equipment? Remember the little gut in A Christmas Story that looked like an overstuffed Teddy bear? You dont want that look. You want flexible, warm layers; you want gloves or mittens that have removable finger covers, and warm, comfortable footwear. Leave the sunglasses off when you film so that you can better gage the lighting. You also want to have some sort of equipment cases, to hedge a little against the bitter cold you may encounter. I keep my batteries inside my outer clothing, to add a little time to their life.

When youre ready to go, make a mental note of what kind of video you want, think about where you want the camera, and whether youll be able to re-take any shots or just rely on one take for everything. If youre off to the slopes to shoot some awesome snowboarding moves or some exciting mogul moves, remember to try to protect your camera from spraying snow. Keep the equipment off until youre ready to shoot, and turn it off when youre through, and put it away, even back the still-warm car. If its ice-skating or cross-country skiing, or just having fun in the snow, shoot until you run out of battery power; then head back to the editing studio.

The last step is the editing, including any sound editing you want to do. I like to use Audio4fun.coms Voice Changing Software Diamond 5.0 for audio editing, as it has some dynamic features that allow for real-time editing, and many filters and effects for adding depth and quality to your productions, and the ability to morph your own voice into almost anyone elses voice. This would be great if you want to create a funny video clip with this Voice Changer. Once youve got your final product, burn a couple of CDs or DVDs, invite the relatives over, and dont forget the popcorn and hot cocoa!

ABOUT AUTHOR: Wayne Rice is a freelance journalist, copywriter, photographer and artist. He currently resides in the United States

the United States

Kids Movies: If you are trying to take a small child to a kids movie it may be best to go on a Saturday afternoon. While the reasoning may be self-evident to you it dawned on me one evening when I was trying to take my four year old to the latest Pixar flick. You see, 4-year olds are rather antsy and talkative (especially mine) and when you take them to a kids movie where there are predominantly adults in the audience well the analogy of water and oil is good one.

I dont wish to spoil someone elses movie experience but I want my child to have a good time without me constantly having to correct him through a movie. Thus, I have discovered that it is a far better thing to take a small child to the theater on Saturday afternoon. During this time the theater is full of other small children babbling and fidgeting. And the rest of the audience is far more comfortable (and tolerant) with the children in this developmental stage. Conversely, if you are an adult who wants to see a kids movie with a minimum of youthful distractions go to the movie any time but Saturday afternoon weekday evenings are best.

Date Night Movies: I am a big proponent of continuing to date your spouse after marriage. For the unmarried lots of time together is a good thing too. So date night movies should be planned with care. That is, if possible schedule a movie around a bundle of activities planned for the date. Are you planning dinner, roller-blading, drinks with friends, other activities? Traditionally, date nights are Friday and Saturday evening but if you can break away, any time is a good time for a date. (Hint: want to see how your date reacts/ interacts with children? Take them to a kids movie on Saturday afternoon (above).)

Creature Features: I dont care what you say horror films just dont have the same effect when you exit the theater before 10:00 p.m.. If you want the whole experience to be spookier its best to go to that horror flick late-night, mid-week. Rationale: its just creepier to leave that late when there arent as many people around. Also, its better if its a bit cooler out. It leaves a better opportunity to snuggle if it happens to be date night *wink*.

t *wink*.

Pete Bennett
Win Odds: 11/10
Since falling down the stairs to enter the house and being asked if he was on something by Bonnie, Pete has emerged as the favourite to win and at present looks unstoppable. The Tourettes sufferer is genuine, funny and at the moment is liked by all the housemates despite him not joining one of the two camps. Its early days yet but Pete will be odds on to win within the next few days.

George Askew
Win Odds: 16/1
George has not come to the forefront as yet in that he has not paired off with one of the female housemates nor has he done anything to rile anyone else. He has bonded with Mikey and appears to be part of the in crowd for the time being at least and should be safe for a few weeks yet.

Mikey Dalton
Win Odds: 16/1
Mikey has emerged from the shadows this week and has taken over the mantle as the leader of the Big Brotherhood following Shabazs exit. He has also paired up with Grace and has formed an alliance with George. Originally thought to be quite a boring housemate, Mikey looks to have done enough to stick around until the latter stages.

Richard Newman
Win Odds: 16/1
With Shabaz gone, Richard looks set to revel as the only gay in the village. He sees himself as a father figure to the group and looks set to battle Sezar for the role of alpha male. He has found friends in Lea and Nikki but may find his position in the house precarious after some of the weaker members of the group are picked off.

Nikki Graham
Win Odds: 20/1
Given that Nikkis pre-entrance video suggested she wanted to find love in the house, she hasnt made any effort to pair up with any of the available men in the house, preferring to find comfort in gay Richard. Nikki may adopt the role of baby in the group due to her childlike behaviour despite being older than six other housemates and showed during the infamous bottled water scene she could explode into fits of tantrums should she not get her own way. Despite being part of the London nightclub circuit scene, she has not formed alliances with Sezar, Imogen, Grace or George and is in danger of finding herself an early casualty if her behaviour irritates the others.

Lisa Huo
Win Odds: 20/1
Lisa is the other leader of the Big Brotherhood but could also find herself in a precarious position when she is eligible to be voted out of the house. She has found a friend in Pete but her laddish behaviour, coarse language and chainsmoking could grate on the other housemates when they are looking for reasons to nominate people for eviction.

Imogen Thomas
Win Odds: 20/1
Before entering the house Imogen said she would make all the boys fancy her and she has certainly done that. She shared a kiss with Sezar after three days and appears to revel in stringing him along. Should he grow bored of her and if she wanted to score points off Grace, Imogen could also move on to Mikey who described her as beautiful. Bar a short interaction in Welsh, she has failed to bond with fellow countryman Glyn, preferring the company of the London social set.

ocial set.

***Goal Setting***

Its been proven time-and-time again that goals need to be specific and measurable to work. If you dont know exactly WHAT you are trying to achieve, how will you know WHEN you have achieved it?

I use my metronome all the time to help me set SPECIFIC goals for my technique development. For example, lets say that you would like to increase the speed at which you can play a particular exercise. If you use a metronome you can set an EXACT speed for your goal. For example, you might say that when you can play the exercise using sixteenth notes at 160 bpm (beats-per-minute), then you have reached your goal. Can you see how powerful this is? The metronome setting gives you a clear target to aim for!

***Progressive Realization Of Goals***

Metronomes allow you to progressively achieve your goals. What do I mean by this? Put simply, it means start slow and GRADUALLY increase the speed of your metronome. For example, lets say you want to get a particular lick up to 200 bpm. You could first master the lick at 40 bpm. Once mastered at this speed you could then increase the metronome speed to 42 bpm, then 44 bpm, then 46 bpm. You get the idea! You would work up to the target speed incrementally over a period of days, weeks or even months.

***Developing Listening Skills***

One absolutely vital skill to develop is the ability to play your guitar while still being able to listen to the people that you are playing with. This is especially true in jazz, where a large proportion of the song may be improvised!

Metronomes really help you develop this listening skill. As you practice you will also have to be listening to the click of your metronome. If you dont, you will soon be playing out of time with it!

Obviously, youll develop this listening ability more fully by playing with other musicians, but playing with a metronome will definitely help as well. Its a great place to start and can often can help build your confidence to play with other people.

Hopefully this article has inspired you to dust off your metronome and use it. It would also be a great exercise to think of some other benefits yourself. Practice hard and have fun!

He also became the earliest male housemate to be evicted from the house, having been shown the door by the end of week two.

Sezer was a shoe-in to leave as far as the bookmakers were concerned as soon as it was revealed he was one of three housemates up for eviction. He was available at 3/10 which plummeted to 1/33 by Friday evening.

However, first thing Monday morning, Sezer was available at comparatively gigantic odds of 12/1 to be the second person evicted as whinging Nikki was the firm favourite to leave next at even money.

The situation changed dramatically by the time it came to nominations as not only was Nikki receiving favourable edits from the production team, showing the likes of Grace talking about her behind her back, but in a dramatic twist both Sezer and Imogen were banned from nominations after being caught discussing them.

Both Sezer and Grace were not portrayed well in the highlights show, with Grace bitching at every opportunity and Sezer bragging about how he could survive the chop against almost anyone in the house, especially the surgically enhanced Lea.

Just before the nominations were announced to the public, Grace was odds-on favourite to leave at 1/2 and both Nikki and Sezer at 7/2.

Despite behaving like a proper little madam since she arrived in the house, Nikki didnt receive a single nomination while Grace received two which wasnt enough to put her up for the public vote.

Richard received the most at four nominations, with both Lea and Sezer receiving three apiece. The trio would be put up for the public vote and Sezer got his wish of going head-to-head with Lea.

The bookmakers didnt believe in Sezers invincibility as much as the Turkish Cypriot stockbroker did and immediately priced him up as 3/10 favourite. Sezers cause was not helped by one leading tabloid newspaper which only published his eviction number and urged readers to vote him out.

The press and Big Brother themselves love a pantomime villain and Sezer duly delivered and not even Victor from Big Brother 5 was detested as much for ruining Shells mock wedding if you judge by the overall voting percentage.

age.

Im looking at mainstream rappers and all they seem to talk is money, riches and so on. Where is the love in that? And the sad fact about that is that they are role models for our kids. What are the moral values our children will learn from this violent music?

I am not going to throw rocks at nobody I love hip-hop music, but when I look at these new music stars, its like Im having a bad deja vu. The same girl/boy singing on the same synthetic melody, with the same simple rhythm and the same background dancers. Think about it! The actual music often seems to lack creativity and the songs sound very similar. How can a synthetic melody inspire passion? Its just like trying to smell an artificial flower. It might look like the real thing, but its just not.

So, let me get back to the second question, and Ill tell you why I love old music. What makes a good song? I dont really know that, but I can tell you why a song is great. Because it reminds me so vividly of past relationships, holidays, parties, friendships, terrific and sad times alike? In signing off on this list, I feel as if Im leaving for a trip having spent three minutes packing. If I Im going to be stuck on an island for the rest of my life, my only choice will be a stereo and 100 best songs of all time to keep me company.

I dont need anything else. Only the best music of all time, for me, time and time again.

Please spend a few minutes writing down what the words worthy ideal mean to you. To me it is my vision of perfectiona vision of how I would ideally like things to be.It is a vision that I find inspiring and energizing!

If your success with guitar is totally dependant on working towards a worthy ideal, doesnt it make sense that you first need to figure out what YOUR worthy ideal is? How can you progressively realize something if you dont know what it is? Lets do some exercises to figure your one out

Please invest at least a couple of hours doing the following exercises. They will really help you to build a picture of your worthy ideal in your minds eye

Exercise 1:
Imagine how would ideally like to play.Try and imagine what your guitar playing would sound, look and feel like.What guitar techniques are you a master of? How does your improvising sound? What about your composing? Please write your answers down now.

Exercise 2:
Imagine your ideal guitar playing career. Would you be a master guitar teacher? What about an amazing performing artist? Or what about performing as part of a highly successful band? How about being an in demand studio guitarist? What do you TRULY want to do? Please write down your answers now.

Exercise 3:
Write down your worthy ideal. Write it down in the present tense, as if you have already achieved it.Try to condense it down into a one paragraph statement.

Exercise 4:
Invest 5 minutes every morning and night to read your worthy ideal. This will help you to stay motivated and focused on what you TRULY want.

Clarity is essential. Without it you wont be able to start developing an effective plan to work towards your worthy ideal.

You may find as you answer the questions that self-doubt starts to creep in. You may doubt whether or not what you write down is even possible! This is normal. Just write down your answers anyway You dont need to know right now HOW you will achieve your worthy ideal. All you need to do is figure out WHAT it is.

Newcome Sam, who entered the house after a fortnight alongside Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace was available at 5/2 before nominations were announced as Grace Adams-Short was the early favourite to face the boot.

Public opinion on the 20-year-old dance teacher has changed dramatically in the last week or so after viewers have seen her two-facedness on the highlights programes.

On Monday 5 June, the day nominations took place, Grace was favourite to leave at even money due to the public likely to vote her out no matter who she was up against. Plus, her close ally Imogen Thomas was banned from nominating for the second week running. Lisa, who may also have supported her, was also banned after being caught discussing possible nominations.

The odds were as follows before the nominations were announced:

Grace Evens
Sam 5/2
Lisa 10/1
Lea 10/1
Aisleyne 12/1
Richard 16/1

At this point the 5/2 available on a Sam eviction looked exceptional value for money as he / she should have been odds on. Many of the housemates had confided in each other or in the diary room that they had grown tired of the gender bending unemployed nail technician (seriously) for a variety of reasons.

Grace and Lea both complained that Sam stands nearby when they are about to use the bathroom and Nikki expressed her disgust at its practice of taking the concept of girls going to the toilet together to an extreme level.

Glyn said he didnt like the way Sam followed him around, that hes too clingy and is desperate to get on with people. Sam always needed reassurance that she was close friends with the other housemates when they were not that interested.

The fluctuating odds on the betting exchanges while the housemates were going through the nomination process suggested Sam and Lea would be up for eviction as Graces price drifted further out.

The confirmed possible evictees were Sam who immediately plummeted to 1/4 while Nikki was available at 5/1.

There was no way that Nikki was going to leave and was shown in a positive light during the run up to Friday, being given the role as PA to Big Brother during a task while some unsavoury late-night footage of Sam was broadcast for viewers morbid curiosity.

Sam was favourite to leave from then on and was evicted with 53% of the vote, suggesting it was more closely contested than the bookmakers and weight of money against him / her suggested.

Someone once said something along the lines that, Monty Python is to funny what chartered accountants are to boring. Who are we to disagree?

2. Pythons Give Live Birth

The legend of Monty Python emerged nobly from the dusty corridors of Oxford and Cambridge universities. All of the British Python members had their comedic starts in revue shows put on by these universities. They soon rose to the ranks of responsibility within these societies, In bewilderment we saw a notice board informing us that we are now officers! recalls John Cleese.

Their well-received show, A Clump of Plinths, transferred to Londons West End and later visited New

Zealand and New York under the new title Cambridge Circus.

Cleese stayed on in New York and during a photo shoot for a comic strip he met American illustrator Terry Gilliam. Terry was soon folded into the every growing omelet.

The BBC, on the advice of producer Barry Took, signed the group which now included Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam for a 13-show series. Ah, but what to name the show?

3. The Toad Elevating Moment

Owl Stretching Time. A Horse, A Spoon and A Bucket. The Toad Elevating Moment were all names in the running. But as planning for the series became more chaotic, the BBC management began to refer to the team as a flying circus, inspired by the Red Barons World War One fighter squadron. The troupe liked the sound of it and randomly added the term Monty Python from their growing list of alternates. Funny that.

4. Mystery Of The Lost Python Sketches

No one knows what happened to them.
Oh wait, 3 new sketches of never before seen Python material were recently discovered and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The famed sketches were written by late Python star Graham Chapman and were unearthed by a literary executor in Los Angeles. Each sketch lasts four minutes and features a cast of characters including a gay parrot and an overworked Messiah.

5. Brians The Life Of The Party

Monty Pythons Life of Brian snagged the funniest film of all time in a poll arranged by Total Film magazine.

The film satires the rise of organized religion and caused more controversy than a Kevin Smith baptismal when it was released back in 1979. It was banned in many parts of the UK and church leaders accused it of blasphemy. Nothing like bad publicity to push the ratings.

Their King Arthur era spoof, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, trailed by only a few spots, landing it at number five.

Top 10 Comedy Films

1. Life of Brian

2. Airplane!

3. Withnail & I

4. Theres Something About Mary

5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

6. American Pie

7. Groundhog Day

8. Some Like it Hot

9. Blazing Saddles

10. Planes, Trains and Automobiles

6. Kim Bread Aka John Cleese

John Cleese rode a roller coaster of fame during the 1970s playing the role of stressed hotelkeeper Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers. He continued his fame with films like Privates On Parade and Clockwise, then hit worldwide stardom with a A Fish Called Wanda in 1988. The follow-up film, Fierce Creatures faulted to gain attention with audiences. These days audiences know him best as the new Q in the James Bond films and Nearly Headless Ned in the Harry Potter films. He will next be seen playing father to Lucy Liu in Charlies Angels: Full Throttle and as the voice Fionas Father in Shrek 2, Fiona is voiced by Charlies Angels co-star Cameron Diaz.

7. Around The World In 80 Days

Michael Palin has also rocketed to fame due to his turn with the troupe and in 1977 he teamed with Terry Jones to make their own comedy series, Ripping Yarns. Michael also appeared aside John Cleese in A Fish Called Wanda, then went on to do a reality show for BBC TV, called Around the World in 80 Days, where he attempted to literally follow in the footsteps of the Jules Verne literary character, Phileas Fogg, by trying to travel around the world in the allotted time, but without flying By the way, its Jules Vernes 175th birthday this week. During the Pole to Pole trip, he met up with Python fans in Greece and ate snake in China while struggling to meet his deadline.

8. Get Yourself To Mars

Eric Idle continued his stint in the limelight by teaming with Neil Innes to create Rutland Weekend Television, a parody of regional broadcasting. He later appeared in Graham Chapmans Yellowbeard, Disneys Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and Splitting Heirs. His recent novel titled, The Road to Mars is about two comedians in the 22nd century. Fans most likely know him today as the voice of Mr. Vosknocker in the animated film, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.

9. Keep It Real

Terry Jones maintained a diversity beyond mere comedy, by writing about history, presenting documentaries, penning childrens books and going onto direct the 1996 version of Wind in the Willows, starring his old pals Michael Palin, John Cleese and Eric Idle.

10. The 12 Fisher Monkey Kings

Terry Gilliam lent his talents to the troupe as a director and by creating the very distinct animations that became Monty Pythons visual trademark. We soon followed it with his feature film debut, Jabberwocky, starring Michael Palin. After helming the much loved, Time Bandits, his fame skyrocketed in Hollywood. But his style led to many conflictions in the biz including a big throw down with Universal Studios over his film Brazil and then problems with backers on the very expensive, Adventures of Baron Munchausen, which starred Eric Idle and featured Robin Williams.

His real success followed by taking on unconventional studio films including the critically acclaimed, The Fisher King starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges and the stylistic sci-fi thriller, 12 Monkeys starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt and the Hunter S Thompson extravaganza, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. These six actors all gave some of the best performances of their career in Gilliams films.

11. Parting Shots

We werent being satirical because it wasnt the thing that interested us, Terry Jones says. Ours was a slightly more abstract humor just being silly really. What satire there is, is more generalized satire.

Referring to The Life of Brian Comedy is about reminding us of the truth of being human: we all have a body and we all must die, and it is okay, reckons Eric Idle.

Monty Python is a great combination of intellect and silly, concludes Robin Williams.

In case you have been living under a rock for most of your life, you would know that a chick flick is a movie with a storyline that appeals to women and deals with issues and relationships that women often relate to. A chick flick can either be a comedy or a tearjerker. Some have a bit of action in it, but the action stuff that is typical of guy movies is rare in chick flicks.

Are you sold on the idea of going on a marathon of chick flicks with your chick, but you do not have a clue on what movies to put together for the marathon? Here are a few suggested titles of good chick flicks.

Breakfast at Tiffanys

This Audrey Hepburn movie, widely acclaimed and widely considered to be one of the classics of 20th century cinema, simply appeals to women on many different levels. On one level is the stylish elegance of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in her little black dress, jewels and reed-thin cigarette holder. On another level is the complicated attraction and relationship between Holly Golightly and her author neighbor Paul Varjak. On yet another level is the haunting song Moon River, composed by Henri Mancini and sung by Audrey Hepburn herself. What about this movie does not scream “chick flick”?

Bridget Jones Diary

Bridget Jones Diary puts a hilarious spin to the woe of some women who have reached the age of thirty-something with a lot of hang-ups, including having yet to find someone to have a stable relationship with that can become a long-term one. The heroine in this funny British chick flick is the frustrated Bridget Jones, played by Renee Zellweger, who had a highly sexual relationship with her boss Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), which ended in heartbreak. Into her life comes Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), a human-rights barrister who is Bridget??s mother??s choice to be Bridget??s husband. At the center of it all is the diary into which Bridget pours all her anger, irritations, insults and frustrations.

Pretty Woman
A modern take on the classic Cinderella story, this movie tells the tale of a golden-hearted, street-smart Hollywood hooker named Vivian Ward, who is actually a diamond in the rough. She meets a lonely but extremely wealthy businessman Edward Lewis, who hires her to be his arm candy for the various social functions he needed to attend while he was in town. They discover each other, fall in love and act as each other??s savior. Starring the chick flick staple Julia Roberts and the delicious Richard Gere, this movie is a top favorite for chick flick marathons.

Sense and Sensibility

Any movie made out of a Jane Austen book almost always gets the chick flick label. A prime example is the 1995 film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, starring Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood and Kate Winslet as Elinor??s sister Marianne. The hopes, dreams and struggles that these two Dashwood sisters went through as dramatized in this movie is something that all women can relate to.

Something??s Gotta Give

This movie is quite unusual in the sense that the protagonists are both sagging middle-aged people when most chick flick couples are often young, firm and beautiful. Nonetheless, Something??s Gotta Give is a very endearing movie. This film stars Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson as two aging people who had to deal with relationship insecurities in order to finally be together.

Thelma and Louise

Who could best help a girl get out of her fun other than her girlfriends? Who else would stick with her through the best of times and the worst of times, regardless of whatever circumstances they may be in? The answer: her girlfriends. Thelma and Louise is the chick flick that celebrates female friendship come hell or high water. It stars Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, and is popular for being Brad Pitt??s first major Hollywood role.

When Harry Met Sally

Whoever said that men and women can never be great friends? Whoever said that this friendship always has to end when sex comes into the picture? When Harry Met Sally is one of the best chick flicks ever made. It is a romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, and it is probably known best for the deli scene where Meg Ryan??s character demonstrated a fake orgasm.

Guys, you do not have to worry about lack of cash just to score a great date with your girl on Friday night. You can just buy or rent copies of these chick flicks, prepare tubs of popcorn and packs of tissue, and enjoy the movies.

Fret-hand muting is particularly important when playing chords and power chord. The purpose is to use part of you finger tips and fingers to mute the strings you dont want to include in the chord being played. For example the C majors chord is played from the 5th string to the first, your are not supposed to hit the 6th string. I use the tip of my 3rd finger that is holding down the 5th string 3rd fret to rub up against the sixth string thereby muting the string. I use this same technique with power chords, but in addition I use the fat part of my index finger to lightly lay across strings 1,2,3. with just enough pressure to mute the strings. The beauty is if you get a little wild with your pick it still sounds right. Fret-hand muting is used extensively.

Palm muting is more commonly used in distorted rock songs. The technique involves resting the heel of your pick-hand palm on the strings as you pick. Most people rest it directly over the bridge, but you can experiment with different positions for different sounds. Also try different levels of pressure to regulate the level of muting. This technique creates a percussive, muffled or chunky sound. Combine fast down strokes with palm muting in various patterns with moderate distortion for sounds similar to Metallica or other metal bands.

Both fret hand muting and palm muting are very individual and stylistic techniques. Incorporate practicing this technique every time you pick up your guitar and before long youll master this necessary skill.

When rock and roll exploded into human consciousness during the early 1950s, black musicians like Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Smokey Robinson pioneered the way, but a white DJ named Alan Freed is believed to have coined the term rock and roll. The first real rock and roll record was Shake, Rattle and Roll, written by Jesse Stone who was black and recorded by Big Joe Turner who was also black but it wasnt a hit. The first big hit rock and roll record was Rock Around the Clock written by James Meyers and Max Freeman of obvious ancestry, and that one catapulted Bill Haley and his Caucasian Comets to stardom. During the 1950s and early 60s, there were countless do wop groups, rock groups, singers and songwriters but until The Beatles hit the charts, there had been very few bands which contained talented songwriters. The vast majority of jazz and rock bands recorded songs written by songwriters who were not performers, with occasional exceptions like Duke Ellington and Buddy Holly. As time goes on, its increasingly clear that Lennon/McCartney songs are brilliant classics which will never be forgotten. Now heres why The Beatles are the most creative band of all time:

1. BEST EXAMPLE OF FORM = CONTENT

As I sit here writing this at the keyboard of my computer facing the unique and colorful Beatles poster in my bedroom, Im aware that I have been directly and indirectly inspired by John Lennons music as well as by the way he lived his life offstage. Squarely in front of me is a full color poster of all four Beatles standing in a heavenly-like flower garden at about the time of the Abbey Road album. Paul is angelic in his pink suit with a white laced shirt. John is enigmatic peering out from the background. George is charismatic staring directly into the camera from the lower right. Ringo is on the left with a stylish blue suit and his pink ruffled shirt. I always wished I could dress like those guys but obviously theres a bit of a problem with a money differential there. Surrounding this gorgeous poster which I have never seen elsewhere are my 45 speed original Beatles hit records, including I Want to Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Please Please Me, Twist and Shout, Cant Buy Me Love, Shes A Woman, Yesterday, and of course, Hey Jude. And surrounding all that is a chain of 1-1/2 long orange flicker flame lights which are the most beautiful and unique Christmas lights Ive ever seen. I chose to decorate the wall directly in front of my work station this way because, as Ive written elsewhere on this site several times, The Beatles were my major musical influence and having them on the wall in front of me inspires me to write web pages like this one. I was also among the millions of people who were inspired by how The Beatles were actually living their off stage lives. The Beatles music creatively stimulated millions of people to change the way they were living, and The Beatles behavior encouraged people to have fun by trying new life style experiences. Thats what I call a perfect example of FORM = CONTENT. In this case it means that the creatively and masterfully varied music The Beatles were producing (form) embodied the real life styles which each of the four Beatles were living (content), together as a band as well as separately as unique individuals.

2. BEST SONGWRITERS

This should be self-evident, but just because Paul McCartney has the title of the most popular songwriter in history doesnt necessarily make him the best songwriter in history. The qualities which do make both Paul and John the best songwriters in history go beyond writing the greatest number of catchy classic songs. Catchy means that their melodies and lyrics are instantly memorable. Classic means that they stand the test of time. But both Paul and John wrote very sophisticated melodies that moved beyond the simple groups of 2, 4 and 8 patterned phrases used by almost all other songwriters. John and Pauls melodies soared, floated, cascaded, dived and peaked with true dynamics, naturally following the syllabic lyric patterns but not always. Sometimes the melodic and lyric patterns were independent of each other, almost counterpoint in nature, and as a songwriter, they never ceased to astonish me with their brilliance and originality. In the beginning, their lyrics were simple and their songs were simple love songs. But they soon began exploring new territory by writing about subjects that hadnt been covered before. Inspired by Bob Dylan, they wrote true poetry with feeling and depth, using evocative and unusual words. Rubber Soul marked the beginning of their evolution as mature songwriters, Revolver was a break-out album, and Sergeant Pepper was an historic landmark album in terms of new and innovative songwriting as well as production. Every song they wrote was significantly different from the last one even though each song had their unmistakable sound.

Most songwriters are only average players on their instruments, but John and Paul are both sophisticated guitarists who were able to integrate their playing into their songs and even into their song structure so that the licks they played became as catchy a part of their songs as the choruses and verses. Blackbird and Dear Prudence are only two examples of songs which couldnt possibly be written by any other songwriter because of the guitar playing which forms an integral part of the song structure. In similar fashion, Lady Madonna is the best example of a great song which derives from the unique and beautiful bass part which only Paul could possibly have created.

Average songwriters achieve the catchy quality by repeating a phrase endlessly or by beating a chorus to death. John and Paul found countless ways to be memorable without ever overly repeating something. The only time they repeated something over and over again for a long time was in Hey Jude, and what they chose to repeat is so gorgeous that one can only wish they had never ended the song. The Beatles were my biggest musical influence and I used to think, If I could write just one song thats as good as John and Pauls worst song, Id be happy. People tell me I accomplished that goal and they say one good example is John is Alive which is my sincere tribute to Sir Lennon.

3. BEST SINGERS

Even Ringo could sing when he got a little help from his friends who lived in the yellow submarine. But to say that Paul and John are two of the best singers in rock and roll is to state the obvious. Combining John, Paul and George created the best harmony vocals the world has ever experienced. Even their two part harmonies were unusual, catching us all by surprise on their first hit record with the fast harmony melisma in the chorus of I Want to Hold Your Hand. John had a knack of placing a unique low harmony line underneath Pauls high melody line so as to form a second melody which created unusual harmony effects. He did that right from the beginning in the verses of She Loves You. Both Paul and John could blast out screaming rock and roll (i.e. Long Tall Sally and Twist and Shout), and both could break our hearts with touching, deep feeling ballads (i.e. Yesterday and Julia). There seems to be no end to their emotional vocal range, and John even explored the heights of vocal psychedelia in songs like She Said (Revolver) and Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.

4. MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS

Paul brought a new style of melodic playing to the bass guitar, reaching a new high of creativity on Sergeant Pepper with a level of sophistication never heard before. Many other musicians besides me recognize Paul as being one of the best bass guitar players ever. George is underrated as a lead guitarist by people with average or below average musical knowledge or ability, but most guitarists (including Eric Clapton) know better. Georges strength is in melody, pure and simple. It would be difficult to find a George Harrison lead which is not melodic, and each of his leads has a strong beginning, a stronger middle and a well defined ending. In fact, thats Erics definition of what makes a good guitar lead. George continually developed new guitar sounds for each Beatles song. John and Paul are also excellent guitarists and both recorded great leads as well as innovative rhythm tracks. All three of the Beatles guitarists may lack showy technical fireworks but they make that definition of guitar mastery irrelevant by overwhelming the senses with creativity, style, and pure melody. The exact same thing can be said about John and Pauls keyboard playing. Ringo may be underrated as a drummer by the public but he is not underrated by other professional drummers. Ringo mastered the art of drum sounds. No drummer has ever recorded so many different sounds on so many different sounding records. Ringo invented a new style of slow drum playing, epitomized on A Day in the Life and Strawberry Fields Forever. John said many times, Ringo has the best back beat in the business and the successful studio drummers understand why John was correct.

5. TOTAL CHARISMA

A good definition of charisma needs to include an unusual ability to influence people and arouse devotion and a personal attractiveness which enables a person to influence others. No musical group prior to or after The Beatles features true charisma emanating strongly from the entire group as well as separately from each member. The Beatles stunned the world with their photogenic quality, their charm, their bubbling and lovable personalities, their cuteness and their unique style. Even before The Beatles achieved fame, people in Liverpool were imitating their haircuts, the way they dressed, the way they behaved, and the way they lived. Such a simple subliminal message about smoking marijuana got communicated to all the hippies who were waiting to happen without actual words ever being spoken. The Beatles had a lot to lose by being explicit on that subject, but they successfully avoided trouble by keeping it very subtle while at the same time clear enough so that we all got it. The Fab Four kept changing their styles rapidly, almost with each album cover, and soon the message became one of explicit spiritualism. After visiting India, The Beatles introduced eastern mysticism and meditation to the Western world for the first time through the mass media. Johns long saga with internal angst, drugs, spiritualism, politics, personal battles, and ultimately his marriage to Yoko played out like a movie the whole world got to watch in fascination. Pauls happy life with Linda, Georges great focus on meditation, and Ringos equanimity throughout were all perfect examples of the power, the truth, and the effectiveness of true charisma.

6. SEXUAL AURA

Need I say it? Ask the millions of girls who were screaming and fainting at the very sight of them. The Boys didnt move like Elvis or dance like Mick, they just stood there shaking their mop top heads around, smiling, laughing, and looking gorgeous as they performed great music and that was it. On their first visit to America, some enterprising weirdo from New York City managed to cut up the hotel bedsheets The Beatles had slept on into 1 square pieces, and these things were actually sold to girls over the public airwaves by adult DJs on the AM radio stations who should have known better. The Beatles phenomenon went way beyond the rock and roll sex star status that had been seen before. Teenage girls in uncountable numbers fell in love, their hearts to be trapped, their heart strings to be continually plucked, and ultimately, their hearts to be broken by the unobtainable object of their love. Worshiping a star from afar? Infatuation? Obsession? Not real love? For many of them, it was their first experience feeling love for a man/boy. Whatever it was, it was very real to all of them, and we all soon understood that The Beatles were The Real Thing.

Thats why I call The Beatles the Most Creative Band of All Time. They were The Real Thing. The Creative Zenith. The high point on the bell curve of musical history.

The amount of time you leave between change strings varies depending on several factors. If you play your guitar regularly, then you might like to change your strings once a week or once a month.

Most Professional guitarists tend to change their strings before each gig. But in the end, it all comes down to a matter of personal preference. Something to bear in mind if youre using your guitar for a gig, is that your strings need a few hours of play to break in properly. During this time, your strings will go out of tune as they stretch so youll have to retune.

Anyway, heres what you do:
Remove the old strings by detuning the machine heads until the tension becomes loose enough to allow you to pull each string away from the headstock.

Another quick way to remove the old strings is to snip them using a pair of wire cutters. Be very careful if you do it this way, and make sure they are loose, since the bare ends of the strings can be sharp and easily flap around. Bare guitar strings are amongst the many things you DO NOT want to catch in your eye.

How you go about installing your new strings will usually depend on the type of guitar you have, as many guitars have slightly different methods. However, the strings are usually held in place at one end by fixtures behind or on the bridge, and at the other by turning the machine head on the headstock.

Heres a small insider tip guitarists have been using for years to get more life from your steel strings once youve removed them: Boil them.

Dropping a set of strings into a pan of boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes will remove a lot of the grimy build up and bring a new life back to what would otherwise be lifeless strings.

It wont last for very long, and you cant get away with doing it too many times, but it can be an effective temporary measure.

I wouldnt suggest you rely on this technique too much, strings arent too expensive and using new strings saves you a lot of hassle.

Regardless of what kind of guitar you have, your strings need to be stretched after youve put them on. When you first tune your guitar, put your hand under each string around the pickup area, pull the string a few centimeters away from the fretboard, then release it. If the pitch has dropped, retune and repeat the process. Keep doing this until all the strings stay in tune.

On most electric guitars the strings are either secured at the bridge end by an independent tailpiece (like most Gibson guitars), or passed through the body of the instrument from the back into an all-in-one bridge unit (like most fender style guitars).

At one end of every steel string, you will find a tiny disc of metal around which one end of the string is wrapped. This is called the ball end.

Take the opposite end of the string and thread it through the fixture at the bridge.

Pull the string through until the ball end stops you from pulling the string any further.

Most electric and steel-string guitars use a similar system for securing strings at the machine head. The capstan to which the string is attached stands out vertically from the headstock. Strings can be passed through a hole in the side of the capstan.

The end is then passed around and under, trapping it in place when the machine head is tightened. Some capstans have vertical slots instead of holes. To use these, cut the string to length, and insert into the tip of the capstan. Then bend the string to one side and wind it around.

This leaves the string endings neat and tidy.
Heres what you do next: Slowly turn the machine head for each string, increasing the tension until the string becomes suitably tight.

To save yourself time and energy, you can use a cheap plastic string winder, which simply fits over the machine head allowing you to crank it along more quickly.

Here are the remaining three women people brave enough, or stupid enough, to go under televised scrutiny and have their past dredged up in the gutter press for the next three and a half months.

Dawn BLAKE
Age: 38. From: Birmingham. Occupation: Exercise Scientist.
Dawn is single and loves her own company, claiming I was born alone and will die alone. She doesnt drink alcohol and has never been drunk, doesnt eat meat and describes herself as a pensioner in a young persons body. When asked why she wanted to participate on Big Brother she answered: So many people are addicted to reality TV that it has been such a source of interest. Its the only thing people talk about across the age range. Its a massive challenge and I want to raise my profile in my field. If she was reincarnated, she would like to come back as Jesus or Hitler because the very good and the very bad fascinate me.

Grace SHORT
Age: 20. From: London. Occupation: Dance Teacher.
Grace is single and lives in a ?340,000 flat in Notting Hill bought by her mother. She supports herself by teaching dance classes. She loves designer clothes, reading glossy magazines and drinking champagne at some of Londons most exclusive clubs. Grace gives herself an 8/10 for attractiveness (with make-up on) and would be insulted if anyone compared her to a bimbo or glamour girl. When asked why she wanted to be on Big Brother she replied: For the laugh and the fame would be nice. As a child she was sent to army camp for discipline, but ended up loving it so much she went back each year.

Imogen THOMAS
Age: 23. From: Llanelli. Occupation: Bar Hostess.
Imogen is single and lives and works in London. She combines brains and beauty by holding a degree in Health Studies and was crowned Miss Wales in 2003. When asked the question why Big Brother?, she replied: I want the opportunity to show the nation what Im like. I want to be free from the outside world and that would be great as I would have no worries. She claims to have once spent over ?1,000 on underwear in one shopping spree and describes her most outrageous experience as dressing up as a playboy bunny at her own party, but getting so drunk she passed out and missed all the fun.

the fun.

Indigo Instruments isnt only about supplying scientific kit to schools technicians, homeschoolers and students doing their science fair project. No! A fair few molecular models and countless other items have made their way to Hollywood, got themselves on the small screen and featured in some offbeat web experiments.

VP Stephan Logan explains how Rob Cohens 2005 movie Stealth is described on the Internet Movie Database as Surprisingly enjoyable. Why? Because a plot line based on three pilots deeply ensconced in a top-secret military program struggling to bring an artificial intelligence program under control before it initiates WWIII sounds just so unsurprising. The movie features intense action, violence and innuendo. But, far more excitingly it also features a 17-layer DNA model from Indigo. So, for what was it those pilots needed a model of DNA? Youll have to watch the movie to find out.

One of Indigos anatomically correct 12-layer DNA models also features in the current hit movie Fantastic Four. In this marvelous piece of cinema, a group of astronauts gain superpowers after being exposed to cosmic radiation (yeah, right!) and are destined to use them in fighting the world-dominating plans of the evil Doctor Victor Von Doom. They couldnt have thought of a more corny name for the villain, but at least the DNA molecular model used in the movie is scientifically accurate, having been built to the highest specifications by Indigos Logan himself.

Once again, superheroes are the subject of another movie to feature molecular model kits supplied to Hollywood by Indigo Instruments. In Return of Zoom, a movie based on the graphic novel Zooms Academy for the Super Gifted by Jason Lethcoe, an unpopular high school girl sent to superhero school by her mysterious father and discovers her hidden talents (a la Harry Potter, methinks). The makers of this movie, also utilized a DNA model from Indigo to reveal the inner workings of human genetics at the molecular level. Unfortunately, for Indigos image, the director asked for the model to be specially made so that it would fall apart easily. Dont ask why, youll have to go see the movie. Needless to say, any models you buy from Indigo Instruments will be made to far more exacting standards and are guaranteed not to fall apart!

Stepping back from the superheroes, Indigo Instruments was proud also to provide a whole series of chemical models for the making of Eddie Murphy blockbuster, The Nutty Professor. Mineral models including a huge zeolite model and a model of the structure of diamond were used to great effect in the movie as Professor Sherman Klump, desperately trying to lose weight, takes a chemical cocktail that morphs him into the slimly obnoxious Buddy Love. The mineral models feature prominently as classic examples of Klumps laboratory equipment.

Molecular models from Indigo Instruments have not only caught Hollywoods eye, but arthouse directors have turned to Indigo Instruments to supply them with molecular models too. So, Indigo can now lay claim to having appeared at the Toronto Film Festival.

DNA and other molecular models from Indigo, have also hit the small screen in TV crime show Law & Order, in sci-fi classic Stargate Atlantis, and on CBS News during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA.

Its not just the entertainment industry that is fascinated by Indigos DNA models. Weve also sold a 17-layer DNA model to such organizations as Bell Labs, IBM, and even shipped one to Erasmus University Hospital in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where the SARS virus was first identified, says Indigo SD Stephan Logan. In addition NASA lesson plans such as their magnets and life lesson cites Indigo Instruments as a useful source of powerful rare earth magnets. Images from Indigo Instruments have been used on countless lecture tours and in science demonstrations including those by staff at Wisha University. A chemical flask from Indigo has even been adapted to make a heliograph, or sun tracker.

We have sold DNA models to lawyers for court cases involving patent issues, adds Logan, major museums and institutions, such as the Bill Clinton Museum, Howard Hughes Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Hospital, US Naval Academy, Harvard University, New York University and elsewhere, also have our DNA models and others on display. Intriguingly, even the infamous Martha Stewart has bought glassware from Indigo, in the form of test tubes and Erlenmeyer flasks for use in floral arrangements.

Why do these experiences find such resonance within the likes of us? I submit that there is a direct relationship between their inner impact and how effectively the diminuendo is played. A beautifully tailored diminuendo can magnetically titillate the mind of the alert listener and render him reverently helpless in its thrall.

Most compositions are richly endowed with these diminuendi or decrescendi, and almost every one of them, when approached intelligently and musically, have the potential of providing a mini-epiphany for the listener, as well as for the performers.

When studying a new score there are certain questions I enjoy asking myself about how a particular diminuendo should be approached. These musings are hereby submitted for your approval.

1) Where does the diminuendo begin?
2) Can I, or can I not heighten the dramatic effect by maintaining the stronger dynamic level briefly and delaying the diminuendo?
3) Does every instrument decrescendo at the same rate, or is the music scored in such a way that in order to retain the primacy of the melody some instruments have to diminuendo less or later than others?
4) Will this passage benefit from very little diminuendo at first but increasing exponentially as it nears the end?
5) Where does the diminuendo actually end and can I musically afford the risk of allowing it to end prematurely?
6) Would it be musically appropriate to slacken the tempo slightly at the end of the decrescendo and quietly revel and luxuriate in it for that extra millisecond?
7) What should I be hearing at the end of the diminuendo, and how can I taper it so that the transition into the new dynamic level sounds inevitable rather than abrupt?

In my own private perfect little world the musicians in my band or orchestra, once they have tasted a beautifully wrought diminuendo, will in the future, invariably, accept no substitutes. They will, in true Pavlovian fashion, salivate uncontrollably at the mere prospect of playing the next one.

An idyllic but idle fantasy, to be sure. However, you have undoubtedly discovered for yourself that any concept you would care to acclimate your ensemble to, such as how to approach a decrescendo, can, with sufficient reinforcement, become part of their musical intuition.

Learning guitar can be a bit overwhelming at times. There are literally enough things to learn to keep anyone busy for MANY lifetimes. This can be both a blessing and a curse. Its a blessing because youll never run out new and exciting things to learn. It can also seem like a curse because youll never get to the bottom of your to do list! So how do you keep motivated and constantly have the feeling of progress? Thats where speed goals come in

Ive been using speed goals for about the last 15 years. They are one of the most powerful weapons in my guitar practice arsenal. Lets take a look now at what they are, and what benefits youll gain by setting speed goals.

***What Are Speed Goals?****

A speed goal is a goal that you set to reach a particular metronome setting. For example, you might say that your speed goal for a particular sweep picking exercise is sixteenth notes at 160bpm (beats-per-minute). You would practice that exercise daily until the target speed has been reached.

An effective speed goal has these qualities

1. No Deadline. Unlike traditional goal setting, there are no deadlines with speed goals. This is because you must allow your technique to develop in a relaxed and natural way. If you set a deadline, you may be tempted to increase your metronome speeds at too fast a rate in order to meet the deadline. Result? Youll basically program tension into your muscles and most likely get frustrated.

2. Challenging. Your speed goal must be challenging. It should be fast enough to make you grow as a player. For example, if you can currently play an exercise at 120bpm then something like 144bpm would make a good goal. Once you reach 144bpm, then you might set another speed goal of around 160bpm. See how this works?

3. Realistic. Dont set your speed goal too high. If you can currently only play an exercise at 120bpm, then 240bpm would probably be too high. I generally set speed goals that I think I can achieve within a month or two.

***Benefits of Speed Goals***

A few benefits of setting speed goals include

1. They give you something to work towards. This helps you to stay motivated and enthusiastic about your guitar practice.

2. They give you a feeling of progress. Youll feel great each time you reach a speed goal. These small wins help you feel like you are progressing steadily towards the larger goals that you have set for your guitar playing.

3. They tell you when you can STOP practicing an exercise. Once youve achieved your goal you can then move onto something else. The speed goal stops you from mindlessly practicing an exercise that you have already mastered.

4. They give you measurable results. If your speeds are increasing then you have quantitative proof that you are improving. You KNOW for sure that you are getting better. This helps you become more confident about your guitar playing.

I encourage you to set a few speed goals now. If you set them consistently, I think youll be amazed at how fast youll progress.

Pete BENNETT
Age: 24. From: London. Occupation: Unemployed.
Pete is a budding rock n roll singer and cartoonist now living in Brighton. He was diagnosed with Tourettes Syndrome at the age of 14, started wearing womens clothes aged 16 and impersonated Freddie Mercury at his mothers wedding. When asked why he wanted to participate on Big Brother he replied: to reach the top of my spiral to heaven and shine again. Also, if I was to win the money I would like to pay off my mums mortgage so she can finally live her life because she looked after me for so long. And I crave fame and would like to be a famous Touretter. Pete lives alone except for a pet hamster called Magic, who roams freely around his house and lives in the wall.

Shabaz CHAUDRY
Age: 37. From: Glasgow. Occupation: Unemployed.
Shabaz is single and has been unemployable for the last 21 years, although has done a lot of voluntary care work since he was 16, helping the disabled and people with special needs in his local community. He admits that he has never been in love and has never had a boyfriend as he thinks men are afraid of his flamboyant personality. When asked why he wanted to be on Big Brother he replied: because Ive never had the flatmate or housemate experience as Ive lived by myself for nearly 21 years and I want to challenge myself. He claims he has a phobia of straight-acting homophobic homosexuals and would like to be reincarnated as a woman so that he can have children.

Richard NEWMAN
Age: 33. From: Canada. Occupation: Waiter.
Richard is single, lives in London and describes himself as a sexual, passionate and hostile man hunter. He loves going out all night in Soho and making conquests, but equally enjoys dinner parties and the theatre. When asked why he wanted to go on Big Brother, he replied simply: just for the money. He says the person he would least like to find in the house is a woman who is eight months pregnant. He has a strong fear of them and even fears being interviewed by Davina McCall when he leaves the house. Sexism, racism and men who turn down his advances make him angry and if he could pass any law it would be that all straight men must have a homosexual encounter.

Glyn WISE
Age:18. From: Blaenau Ffestiniog. Occupation: Part-time lifeguard / Head boy in 6th Form.
Glyn is the youngest member of the Big Brother house and is looking forward to receiving nationwide attention and being able to show off his sexy body to millions.
He is fiercely proud of his Welsh heritage and feels that all Welsh people should speak the language. Glyn aspires to be the first male Page 3 model and is content with his life and body he would like to be reincarnated as himself, declaring: I am the closest example to perfection. However, he doesnt get on well with members of the animal kingdom, claiming: I hate all animals and they hate me.

ey hate me.

I am hoping you are creating online visibility strategies to help you increase your presence, gain a fan base, get work and eventually turn all these into revenue.

Back in the day it was very difficult to market people unless you had a big marketing budget. But now with the Internet you can market yourself to create revenue before you become a famous model, actress, musician, hip hop star, personality or fashion photographer
.
Many of you know me as Trent Partridge (Radar my basketball name) the photographer. But I have a dark side (Darth Vader) Trent the Internet Marketing Consultant. One tough task I have is getting words ranked in the top 20 in Google, Yahoo and MSN. Search Engine Optimization takes a lot of work because search engines are always changing their algorithms. But I do have over 5000 words ranked in the top 20 in the search engines. I also have had over a million screensavers downloaded(viral marketing) and handle $50,000 plus a month in pay per click advertising. Pay Per Clicks are the advertisement in text on the right side of the search engines. I am also completing a book called Internet Marketing for Models, Music Artist, Photographers and Entertainers.

I create long term Internet Marketing Solutions for companies and individuals.

I do get mad at my entertainment buddies who do not try to work their own website, MySpace or Yahoo Group. These 3 different type of website can create great opportunities.

First you have to recognize that you must gain a fan base. Do not have users come by your website and not try to grasp their email address in some capacity. Offer a newsletter, free exclusive pictures, screensavers, wallpapers, ringtones, memberships or an autographed picture giveaway.

Go to Walgreens or CVS and print a few pictures for under 30 cents. Then have a free autographed picture giveaway. For under 75 cents(mail) you can gain fans that can be worth way more than that in the long run. Big companies like Dell, Wal-Mart and Amazon use a cost per customer acquisition formula to figure the cost to gain a customer. We know that if you mail 3 autographed pictures to fans(future customers) at 75 cents you have the ability to have an incredible low low low customer acquisition cost.

Remember this formula Fan = Customer = Revenue. While the castings, touring and gigs are not happening and you are at home chillin jump on the net and get fans.

If you are model, music artist, photographer right now and are not planning to sell a calendar DVD, t-shirts, hats, autographed pictures, CDs, a CD of Pictures, ringtones etc.. then you need to rethink your strategy. These are very basic ways to earn income. I am not saying it will cover your mortgage, car payment and health Insurance, but any money helps even the richest man would say that.
I often trade services with entertainers to help them and myself create better product or content to sell.

Please use the Internet as a tool to gain customers. Do not put a website up and think that casting agents, A&Rs, directors and your friends come to it alone. Users love to see people who are talented and enjoy viewing beautiful models. Pictures. So take advantage of the looks or talent that your were born with to generate money.

Feel free to contact me at anytime. I am the man when it comes to marketing. I have bought to many programs and tested every theory, postulate and hypothesis in the online marketing field. Once my book is published Internet Marketing for Models, Music Artist, Photographers and Entertainers, the world will know who is one of the top Internet Marketers in the industry.

Always contact me if you want to create a synergistic relationship. I am always working with models and artist to help move their careers and mine. If you dont mind next time I will tell you how to get your own name ranked in the search engines and a few link strategies

Trent Partridge
Media55.com

Downloading movies can be a great resource to getting movies, specially now that great resources are coming out where you can download movies in a legal way. But before you get on a crusade to download every movie made by Hollywood in the past ten years, there are actually a few things you can do to reduce the time you spend downloading them and increase the speed at which you download them at.

First of all, its recommended that before you start your download a movie you clear up your computer by closing all of the windows you really arent using. Thats what we recommend until you start getting a good speed and then you can let go and start looking at other monkey stuff while your the movie gets downloaded.

Second of all, we recommend to choose two movies you are keen of watching at the moment and start downloading them both at the same time. This works great because it creates a race between the two and we have found that in most cases it actually increases the speed at which a single download would go.

Third of all, be sure to check that you have both

A) Available space in you computer, one of the most irritating things in the world can be to have spent the last two hours waiting for your movie to download when you get the message not enough disk in space one minute before it was over. Be sure to have at ideally 2 GB for a single movie, and a minimum of 750.

B) Available time to download. If youre going to start to download a movie, depending on how fast is your connection, your going to need from 30 minutes to several hours to download a movie file. On average, if you are downloading a movie at 32 Kb/s it can take around 6 hours, versus the 12 minutes if youre downloading it at 1.25MB/s.

If you are organized and check everything in advance, downloading movies online will surely be a cool ride for you, make sure you download your movies from a legal source and dont make illegal copies to sell and your all fired up and ready to enjoy the full movie experience.

ce.

Our music and karaoke collection includes genuine music of all genres and generations from pop to rock and traditional to modern! Wondering what dance numbers we have? Well, you will be pleased to know that we have all the popular dance charts from the granddads age till date! Add to it our professional karaoke machines and hi-tech audio equipment and players to produce high quality digital sounds that can set the mood of the party in no time.

May be you dont want to leave anything to chance if so just let us know in advance what music charts you would like to be played and we shall try our best to locate your favorite ones. As a matter of fact MK2 always encourage clients to provide the details of the program so that we plan and arrange everything perfectly for every portion of your event.

Loud music will certainly set your spirits high when you want to get on the dance floor and groove with your friends but when it comes to dining by the pool, you need soft and soothing background music. Recognizing such subtle differences is one of many things that set us apart from the other mobile discos.

We realize that your guests are very special and you want them to feel just that which is why MK2 will be more than happy to play the requests from your guests, something that not many mobile discos will offer you.

May be you are a looking for a specialized mobile disco service for the corporate event in your company. If thats the case, MK2 also specializes in catering to the corporate clients. Try our service once and you surely would like to be the long list of our clients who keep coming to us time and time again.

MK2 have hosted thousands of successful events, both domestic as well as corporate and we are always up for the challenge of catering to the unique requirements but our only request is that you book with us well in advance. Wed simply hate to disappoint you!

Weve also done live TV shows and can boast of several achievements but one that we really take pride in talking about is our appearance on the popular series footballers wives!

Our coverage area includes most areas in the South East of UK including Essex, Kent, Hertfordshire, London, Bedfordshire, Sussex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Middlesex. However, if you are not from the above areas, dont be disappointed. Just drop us an email or give us a call to know more about our coverage area. WE DONT MIND STEPPING OUT OF OUR LOCAL AREA FOR OUR VALUED CLIENTS!

MK2, being a part of the Musicians Union realizes its social responsibility and the liability insurance cover of ?10million speaks for it. We only cater to the parties and events hosted in the licensed venues. Further, MK2 regularly conducts Portable Appliance Test (PAT) on our equipment to comply with the health and safety regulations.

At MK2, we truly believe that our success lies in your satisfaction which is why we do all those special things that go into making your event the one that will be remembered forever. But that doesnt mean MK2 is a costly affair; no matter what your budget is, well definitely have something great to offer all our customers!

tomers!

Here are four of the seven women people brave enough, or stupid enough, to go under televised scrutiny and have their past dredged up in the gutter press for the next three and a half months.

Nikki GRAHAME
Age: 24. From: Middlesex. Occupation: Model / Dancer / Perfume Promo girl in Harrods.
Nikki is single and wants her experience on Big Brother to get her noticed by rich and famous men. Her dream and ambition in life is to marry a rich man, preferably a Premiership footballer, who would shower her with credit cards. She would like to marry him, but then have affairs just like on Footballers Wives. She has a phobia of someone cutting her hair without her knowing and waking up covered in cellulite and also hates public transport, calling buses peasant wagons.

Bonnie HOLT
Age: 20. From: Leicestershire. Occupation: Part time care worker.
Bonnie is single and works with people who have Downs Syndrome. She is currently banned from working in any factories within Loughborough. When asked why she wanted to go on Big Brother, she said it would be another adventure on her list and just to get in would be an achievement. She would also use her television stint as an excuse to stick her fingers up at her ex-friends as it would really wind them up. Amusingly, Bonnie has an older brother called Clyde.

Lisa HUO
Age: 27. From: Manchester. Occupation: Unemployed.
Lisa is single, was born in Shanghai and moved to the UK with her parents when she was two years old. She is an upholsterer by trade and her laddish occupation has given her the nickname Boy Bod by her friends. When asked why she wanted a stint in the Big Brother house she replied: for the money and getting out of work for a good few weeks, and I know Ill entertain everyone in there and maybe find a little love with someone. Lisa admires Jennifer Lopez for her success and says if she could change one thing about herself she would like a bigger arse.

Lea WALKER
Age: 35. From: Nottingham. Occupation: Model & Pigmentation Artist
Lea is single and is the first mum to appear on Big Brother. She has spent over ?35,000 on plastic surgery and has the largest breast implants in the UK at a whopping 30M. She admits she has been celibate for a year because only the seedy guys are interested in her. When asked why she wanted to appear on Big Brother she answered: for the money and fame just like the others. Lea describes her strangest and most frightening job as the time she was painted nude whilst standing in front of over 3,000 bikers.

ikers.

To put it bluntly you must set goals!

Let me explain why this is so important. Hopefully my explanation will show you just how important, and incredibly powerful, this technique is if you want to be constantly improving as a guitar player.

If you set goals you give your sub-conscious mind something clear to focus on.

When you write down your goal, and commit to doing it, you have set something in motion. By writing it down, youre making it much more likely to happen.

So, you must set some goals and write them down.

I know this may sound unimportant to you at the moment, especially if you have never used this technique before.

But trust me on this?Before I set goals to work on in my practice I was highly frustrated with the lack of results I was getting.

Goal setting keeps you focused and makes you get what you want from your practice.

Also, if you dont set goals, you dont have anything clear to measure how well youve progressed. This can mean that you dont progress much at all, or you dont notice your progress.

This can lead to lack of desire to play guitar and lack of desire is a 100% guaranteed route to failure.

Thats not what you want, is it?

So, in summary:

You must cover each of these points:

Your must set long-term and short-term goals.
You must read & review your goals before you practice.
You must focus on completing these goals while youre practicing.
When you finish practicing, review your goals and tick off the goals you have completed.
If you miss a goal, dont worry! Review the goal and decide if it was realistic enough. If it wasnt realistic, change it until it is. If you still feel it is realistic, leave it there and work on it next time.
It helps to make your goal time limited. (E.g. Within 30 days) This will help keep you focused and accountable.

able.

Midi Sequencer

The first thing to understand about midi sequencers is that they make no sound of their own. True, some later hardware units come with onboard sounds that the sequencer will use, but when midi sequencers originally came to market they were a stand alone application (both hardware and software units) and it was necessary to plug the midi output of the unit into the midi in of the desired sound module (there were dozens of them; DX7 (keyboard), TX7 (module) various Roland units (Sound Canvas, MT 32), Korg, and many others.

The sequencers role is to capture, accurately, the digital midi events produced by a midi keyboard or other type of midi controller such as a guitar to midi converter or Yamahas EWI a midi wind instrument. The instrument sends out data in 7 bit packets (7 bits allows counting to 128) and tells the receiving unit what type of data is coming, note on, the note number to play, the midi channel its on, the velocity of the note and, note off.

Over the past years its become more common for designers to use note duration (instead of using key on/key off protocol) as this helps prevent stuck notes, an unfortunate experience, especially in a live environment, where the sound module hasnt received the note off and continues to play one or more sounds.

———————–

There are many midi sequencers available from low cost to expensive. I began with Steinbergs Pro24 many years ago using Atari computers and continued throughout Cubases era until Cubase SX2. I had no end of problems with Cubase when I moved to the PC platform and so began a search for something that would work for me. In the end I came across SAWStudio and the Midi Workshop and, after testing these for a few months, discovered that this combination was rock solid as far as locking audio to midi and vice versa.

I ended up going with SAWStudio + MWS combo and continue to be impressed by how well this setup works also at this point I must make mention of SAWStudios excellent sound quality, something missing from my previous experiences. With an install size of just 1.4 meg a full working environment can be put onto a USB memory stick. SAWStudios use of computer resources is so low that I have successfully used a Celeron 400 equipped desktop computer to run a full-on theatre restaurant show with music and sound effects, plus running the light show with 3 light controllers chasing midi commands from the Midi WorkShop.

That was fun stuff

———————–

So back to the story of the midi-music revolution. First well take the example of a 4 piece band. If the musicians are hot players and work well together, its best to record them direct to tape or disk. What if theyre not so great live but have many excellent ideas? Should they sink back into the darkness just because they, so far, havent developed their playing skills to a high degree? I dont think so and if it were the case, there would be a hell of a lot of music that would never have come to our attention.

Lets say the 4 piece band play well, but the drummers kit sounds like a collection of rubbish tins. We could have the band play live and replace the drum sounds later (probably keeping the cymbals), or we could program a drum track with some great sounds and have the band follow the track.

Maybe we find we need to add some brass later. No problem play it live to disk or tape; or add another midi track and play the notes into the track.
Playing the notes into a midi track allows for much flexibility later at the mixing stage as notes can easily be shifted anywhere you desire, and sounds can be altered, to suit blending into the mix, or to be wildly different.

Looking at another area scoring music for film or TV we see midi has all but replaced traditional orchestral recording.
Certainly nothing compares with a well recorded live orchestra but, as costs skyrocket, only big budget movies are able to afford such productions leaving most of the production work these days to composers utilizing very large midi systems.
These composers will have thousands of top quality samples to draw from and may even augment their midi composition with live strings or various other live instruments but the basis of their composition will be midi instruments.

Another area is the lone musician. This scenario is where one person is composing and producing songs whereby he/she might compose the whole backing using midi instruments and then, perhaps, record themselves singing and/or playing guitar along with the backing.

George ASKEW
Age: 19. From: London. Occupation: Student.
George is a former public schoolboy and the son of a former private secretary to the Prince of Wales. He is a great-grandson of the fourth Earl of Ellesmere (through his paternal grandmother, Lady Susan Askew) and his great-uncle was the sixth Duke of Sutherland. One of his fathers cousins married into the Bowes-Lyon family, Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and so it has been claimed he is linked to the Queen Mother. He is an aspiring photographer, living on an allowance from his father and he wanted to enter Big Brother because it will be something hes achieved on his own. He hopes the experience will broaden his mind and allow him meet people who dont live and hang out in Sloane Square. George loves the socialite clubbing scene, counts Jack and Kelly Osbourne as his drinking partners and his friends include Princess Beatrice of York.

Mikey DALTON
Age: 22. From: Liverpool. Occupation: Model & IT Software Developer.
Mikey is single and is desperate for a girlfriend while in the house. He dislikes ugliness and only enjoys the company of good-looking people. He also hates feminists because they feel women should be equal in every way and they are always dykes. Since returning from university, Mikey has been living at home with his family and admits my mum does all my washing and cooking like a woman should. When asked why he wanted to appear on Big Brother he said: theres never been anyone like me in the house confident, good looking and can hold a conversation. I think I can do better than others that have been on. Such is his vanity he chose a more expensive gym to attend because of the better quality of female members and he also claims to have a fear of transvestites.

Sezer YURTSEVEN
Age: 26. From: London. Occupation: Stockbroker / Property Developer / Electronic Commodities Trainer.
Sezer is a Turkish Cypriot who went from being a tea boy in the City to owning a trading company at the age of 19. At 24, he decided to become a property developer and has been known to go out and spend ?5,000 on alcohol in one single night. He believes women should stay in the kitchen and men should earn the money. When asked why he wanted to enter the Big Brother house he replied: because my mum loves the show and I have the charisma that other contestants lack. Sezer is also a boxing champion, having last won a British lightweight title in December 2005 and says if he was re-incarnated hed want to be a pair of French knickers so he could be on a woman all the time.

ime.

Derailed, about a happily married man who begins an affair with a beautiful, young woman he meets on a train only to find out all may not be as it appears, is Owen s latest movie. The complicated character he plays in this film is the kind of part that he prefers because he has never been interested in playing good guys. Im always attracted to dangerous characters. Those roles are usually far more interesting and I hold no fears about doing them (Clive Owen quoted at AllMoviePortal.com)

This film caused controversy when Anniston claimed that she was covered in bruises after her steamy, sex scenes with Owen, but Owen denies this. In an article by Jack Ryan at The Post Chronicle website (November2, 2005) Anniston reportedly said that she didnt mind, describing Owen as dreamy to work with. He had nothing but praise for her, admiring her courage in handling her divorce from Brad Pitt.

Owen who comes from Coventry, England aimed to be an actor ever since playing the Artful Dodger in a school play but. according to his biography on the IMDB database, a teacher told him that: Youre a working-class boy from Coventry. What do you know?

His rise to fame after attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art began with classical parts on the stage and he joined the Young Vic Theatre Company where he met his wife, Sarah Jane Fenton, who played Juliet to his Romeo. They now have two daughters: Hannah and Eve. Although hed had an extensive stage and film career in England by his late 30s he was still little-known in America. His big chance came in Croupier, in which he played a struggling writer working as a casino employee who is taken in by a female scam artist. Robert Altman, impressed by the actors performance, asked him to join his all-star movie, Gosford Park and Owens career has shot ahead ever since with starring roles in King Arthur and Closer.

Owens latest role is in the brilliant director Spike Lees Inside Man in which he plays a bank robber and hostage taker. His co-star is Jodie Foster. Owen loved spending time in New York while the movie was filmed, which he said in an article on the Star Pulse website (Starpulse News Blog: 03/13/06) is the best city in the world and the capitol of the worldTheres so much to do and never enough time to do it. If it werent for his daughters, Owen would like to move to New York.

The gorgeous actors career appears to be going from success to success. His next role is likely to be Essex alongside Cate Blanchett in a new movie about Queen Elizabeth 11 . This swashbuckling character who won the heart of the flame-haired, young queen is likely to suit the actor who likes to play dangerous roles.

Its better to practice for 10-20 minutes every day, than 4 hours on just one day of the week.Getting into a rhythm of regularly picking up your guitar for a quick practice session is a great habit to get into.

So if you dont have enough time for a full practice session, and you have 10-15 minutes to spare, heres some ideas for what you should practice:

Practice a chord change.
Perhaps switching from an F barre chord to a D open is causing you difficulty?
If you spend just ten minutes going over and over the change, you will increase your ability to do it at the level you require.

The key is to focus, and hone in on one skill that you can improve in a short period of time.

Work on a song you want to memorize.
This will give you a chance to actually play some music! You need to have fun in your practice to keep you fresh and focused.

Listen to a song on a CD and jam along.
This is a great way to improve your playing, and its particularly suitable for short practice sessions.

An important part of learning guitar is to train your ear, and jamming along to a CD is the perfect way to do it.

Work on a lick you want to learn.
Youd be surprised how many times you can work through a lick in just a few short minutes. You can also combine this practice technique with practicing chord changes.

This will improve your skills in a short period of time.

Work on picking skills do drills up and down the neck.
You can use your metronome to work on speed picking skills, or you can slow everything right down and work on keeping your body in a relaxed so that you develop an ease to your playing.

Work up and down a scale.
In ten minutes you can play through a scale around 50-100 times. This will improve your stamina and also help you build speed.

Remember to use a metronome when youre trying to build speed though. Because you want a smooth rhythmic sound to your speed picking, not a struggling, hurried sound.

So build up gradually.

Be Creative!
Play some chords in combinations that sound good to you, or play some single note melodies. Again, this improves your ear and you could maybe work out some parts to a song of your own.

Okay, thats all the ideas Im going to give you for now. Use your imagination to come up with more things you could try, and mix it up so it doesnt get boring.

Also, keep your guitar ready and set-up. Sure, its protected all hidden away in your case, but if its ready for you to have a short practice session, then youre more likely to pick it up and practice, even if it is just for a short time.

So keep that guitar out and ready to practice!

You may not think these short practice sessions help much, but doing this builds up your skills fast and youll surprise yourself by how much you improve just be having the guitar in your hands regularly.

However, you dont want to solely rely on these quick practice sessions. Like most things, you need to strike a balance. A good way of finding that balance is to set a routine.

When you have a routine, you will find it gets easier to find the time for practice. Once youre in a habit of practicing regularly, youll find it harder to break out of, and thats a good habit to have!

bit to have!

1. St. Anger

The band that put the Metal in Heavy Metal returns with one of their heaviest albums yet. It is a return to the early days of Metallica, resembling their first album, Kill Em All. Unlike their albums of the past decade, there isnt a single mellow song on this new release. It is simple flat out full throttle metal guitar with the hardest drumming Lars Ulrich has turned out in years. This album is all about, hard and fast, straight down-to-business heavy metal.

2. Metallica Reloaded

A great addition to the album is the bonus DVD with over an hour of video footage of the band and their recording sessions. Every band should do this, then again not every band is as much fun to watch as Metallica. This album is one of the must-haves of this summer of rock.

3. The Early Early Early Days

In a recent Rolling Stones interview, Metallica lead singer James Hetfield recounted some of his early days as a hard rock fan, Probably the most memorable was the California World Music Festival. It was one of those two-day things. The first night was Ted Nugent and Van Halen — no, Aerosmith. I must have been fifteen or sixteen. I remember following around my buddy, who was selling drugs. He tore up a part of his ticket — it had a kind of rainbow edge — and he cut it into bits and sold it as acid. I was like, What are you doing, man? He used the money to buy beer.

4. Under The Influence

In the same interview, Hetfield cited one of his early influences, I was a huge Aerosmith fan. I could not believe I was seeing them so close. I worked my way up there as far as I could. There was something magical about seeing them as actual live people, not just pictures on an album. The real coolness of Joe Perry, especially. Its impossible for him to be uncool. And I remember I was blown away by the fact that Steven was calling the crowd *************. I was like, Whoa — are you supposed to do that?.

5. Monsters Of Rock

The Jagermeister days. James Hetfield admits that the days during the Monsters of Rock tour were a big fog. Complete with a Jagermeister shellacking. He says it was okay to feel drunk and messed-up back in those days, but ultimately it just wasnt a great thing. Too many negative ramifications. There were a lot of dads and moms and husbands and boyfriends looking for him when the band came back to those towns. Not good.

6. Nabbing Napster

Set your CD burners on stun. Metallica rocked the music world when they sued Napster, the company that provided the free-swapping file-sharing app that altered the course of music history. Fans were outraged and felt Metallica was bullying the free system. But, ultimately the industry sided with the band; after all it was the band that was being hurt by their enthused fans. In time it would have been the parasite that bled the tuneful turnip dry.

7. Master Of Puppets

Oddly enough however, many fans were quick to site that Metallica gained their foothold on heavy metal when the band provided a few tape-trading friends with a demo tape called, No Life Til Leather. The seven-song album was dubbed and redubbed and dubbed some more until the tape had hop scotched across the globe from California to Germany. Within a few short months the band had risen from obscurity with a legion of worldwide fans, all due to the free trade of their music.

8. Ride The Lightning

Heres a fan listing of Metallicas albums in the must-have order:

1. ?And Justice For All
2. Master of Puppets
3. Ride the Lightning
4. Metallica (The Black Album)
5. Reload
6. Kill Em All
7. Load

Over time, no doubt their latest outing, St. Anger, will join these favorites.

9. Worn Justice

For a recent Ramones tribute album, Metallica has joined the ranks of U2, Tom Waits, Garbage, Eddie Vedder, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billy Corgan, Offspring, Static-X, Rancid, Motorhead, Green Day and Marilyn Manson. The whole project was helmed by shock-rocker, Rob Zombie. According to Zombie in an interview with Rolling Stone, The whole thing started with Johnny Ramone. He really wanted people to do the tracks in their own way, not like theyre trying to imitate the Ramones. Everyone who ever heard the Ramones started a band, and this record demonstrates that.

10. Headbangers Ball

Hetfield concludes, Were looking forward to spreading this new lust for life we have. Theres a new strength in Metallica thats never been there before. There are still fearful parts, too. But Im pretty well set up. And Im really proud of the new music. I think we did something where the pedal does not let up.