Blog About Music and Video

Originally a spin-off from a one-minute segment of The Tracy Ullman Show, The Simpsons morphed into the then-burgeoning FOX network s most successful program. As the longest running animated television show in history, and the longest running prime-time show of any type, The Simpsons is an American treasure - a combination of humor, wit, and satire that examines not just the lives of its eccentric characters, but also the society, culture, and world in which we live. Fun for adults and children alike, The Simpsons is a cutting edge television comedy that, like Seinfeld, changed the television landscape in the 1990 s by creating a new genre of TV fun that spawned large network investments in new animated series such as King of the Hill, Futurama, and The Family Guy.

Like all new things which smash the paradigm of life, The Simpsons is unrivaled by its knockoffs, and the show doesn t show signs of slowing down. If you haven t yet visited Springfield, then I definitely recommend that you pick up The Simpsons DVD (Season 1) to catch a glimpse for yourself. You have no idea what you ve been missing

The Simpsons Season 5 DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “Homer s Barbershop Quartet” in which Homer tells Bart and Lisa the story of his early brush with fame as a member of “The Be Sharps” - a barbershop quartet composed of Homer, Principal Skinner, Apu, and Barney (who replaced Chief Wiggum at the request of a music rep). The Be Sharps take the world by storm, performing for President Reagan and Johnny Carson. Eventually, the band is destroyed by Homer s bad song writing and Barney s new Asian girlfriend Other notable episodes from Season 5 include “Rosebud” (a satire of Citizen Kane, but with Mr. Burns in the starring role) and “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy” in which Lisa protests the stereotypical and sexists remarks made by a talking Malibu Stacy doll (her efforts eventually lead to a new product design which bombs in the marketplace)

Below is a list of episodes included on The Simpsons Season 5 DVD:

Episode 82 (Homer s Barbershop Quartet) Air Date: 09-30-1993
Episode 83 (Cape Feare) Air Date: 10-07-1993
Episode 84 (Homer Goes to College) Air Date: 10-14-1993
Episode 85 (Rosebud) Air Date: 10-21-1993
Episode 86 (Treehouse of Horror 4) Air Date: 10-28-1993
Episode 87 (Marge on the Lam) Air Date: 11-04-1993
Episode 88 (Bart s Inner Child) Air Date: 11-11-1993
Episode 89 (Boy Scoutz N the Hood) Air Date: 11-18-1993
Episode 90 (The Last Temptation of Homer) Air Date: 12-09-1993
Episode 91 ($pringfield) Air Date: 12-16-1993
Episode 92 (Homer the Vigilante) Air Date: 01-06-1994
Episode 93 (Bart Gets Famous) Air Date: 02-03-1994
Episode 94 (Homer and Apu) Air Date: 02-10-1994
Episode 95 (Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy) Air Date: 02-17-1994
Episode 96 (Deep Space Homer) Air Date: 02-24-1994
Episode 97 (Homer Loves Flanders) Air Date: 03-17-1994
Episode 98 (Bart Gets an Elephant) Air Date: 03-31-1994
Episode 99 (Burns Heir) Air Date: 04-14-1994
Episode 100 (Sweet Seymour Skinner s Baadasssss Song) Air Date: 04-28-1994
Episode 101 (The Boy Who Knew Too Much) Air Date: 05-05-1994
Episode 102 (Lady Bouvier s Lover) Air Date: 05-12-1994
Episode 103 (Secrets of a Successful Marriage) Air Date: 05-19-1994

Times have sure changed in the Christian music scene. With new artists like Brandon Heath, Rush of Fools, and Lincoln Brewster topping the Christian Adult Contemporary charts recently, it may be easy to forget artists like 2nd Chapter of Acts, White Heart, and Leslie Phillips. In an effort to keep the past alive, here is an objective look back at the Christian music artists of the 1980 s.

Using CCM magazine s Adult Contemporary Airplay charts, data was collected for every song charted by every artist during the decade. The following formula was used:

1. Points were earned for each song s peak position ( 1 = 40 points, 2 = 39 etc.).

2. One point was awarded for each week a song was on the chart.

3. Finally, one point was given for each week a song was at 1.

To get the artist rankings, the total points that each song earned were added together.

Of the 254 artists whose songs made the charts in the 1980 s, Amy Grant came out on top. Fueled by 21 top tens (5 of which went to 1), Grant ended the decade with 1488 points. The Imperials charted 25 songs during the 80 s and finished in second place. Sandi Patty s five 1 songs helped position her in third. Twila Paris reached the top spot 6 times during the decade, placing her fourth. To the surprise of some, Wayne Watson came in fifth place. Michael Card edged out Michael W. Smith by a point for the 6 spot. Dallas Holm came in eighth. Steve Camp, whose song He Covers Me was the top song of 1987, finished the decade in ninth. Petra, with their five 1 s, rounded out the top ten.

Go to http://www.topchristianhits.org to view the top 100 artists of the 1980 s and the top songs of each year.

“What does it cost to get a record on the charts?” The question was directed to Mike McVay, programming consultant to about 400 radio stations owned by media giant Clear Channel.
A hush fell over the audience, as this was a piece of information that could determine the fate of independent artists everywhere.
McVay pulled no punches. Depending on your genre, the amount is “a hundred thousand dollars up to a quarter of a million.”
And suddenly, the economic reality of the airplay portion of the record business was in full view.
In a different part of the day s event, someone asked another of those all-important, career-shaping questions: “How many slots are typically available to independent artists?”
This time, the question was directed to Shane Bourbonnais of Clear Channel Entertainment. “Not many” was his reply, albeit in the nicest tone imaginable.
Did these terrifying facts of life appear to dampen the enthusiasm of most of the artists? Nope. After all, hope springs eternal.
Judging from the questions to other panel members during the day, it was clear that many artists in attendance thought that somehow they would be the one who got past the gatekeepers, the one whose awesome talent would cause cold-eyed business people to waive the entry fees, the one whose marketability would get them the major label contract and backing to enter the game with a large checkbook behind them.
And why not? Why shouldn t they be hopeful? Are they not talented? Judging from the CDs handed to me, there were some amazingly gifted artists at the conference known as the Boot Camp workshop, which was organized by Blak Dog Promotions in association with The Beat 94.5 FM and the Western Canadian Music Awards.
Consider some of the artists: Smokekiller makes music that vibrates with consistent excitement. Ultimate Power Duo blends equal parts modern punk and retro Liverpool sounds for an album that is fun from beginning to end. Lyricist Jacqui Leddy has written lines that make you feel the inside of the human soul.
There also was silky, subtle and seductive jazz from Sandy Foster; strong rock from Scott Douglas; evocative country from John Wort Hannam; excellent rap from Don Castro; and power plus glory in the heavy grooves of Aly Young. Not to be outdone, event organizers Shawn Smith and Chin Injeti are themselves supremely electrifying recording artists.
The quality of the acts was of the highest level of any event at which I ve been a panelist. Group after group, artist after artist were very impressive. Karen Howlin Fowlie seems to put megawatts of electric power into even her softest vocal passages. Sonicjoy delights in fusing electronics with rock n roll. This is not to overlook Rallycar, Green Door Club, Chesterfield Rock, Morgan Mayer, Maurice, and James Pender, all of whom are excellent.
Here s hoping this music gets to your ears. And if would be terrific if someone was recording the panels, because a lot of valuable information was presented by a lot of very smart people, including:
Chris Myers, Program Director, The Beat
Michael McCarty, President of EMI Music Publishing
Michael Persh, Music Manager, E! Networks
Jonathon Simkin, Co-owner, 604 Records
Christopher Ward, Songwriter (Alannah Myles, Ming Tea)
Bob Power, Producer (MeShell N degeocello, The Roots, David Byrne)
Jim Vallance, Songwriter (Bryan Adams, Steven Tyler, Gene Simmons)
Terry O Brien, SOCAN
Tom Wilson, Songwriter (Billy Rae Cyrus, Jimmy Rankin)
The event was well-run by Smith, Injeti, Natalie Rhodes, and a large contingent of volunteers. Attendees seemed uniformly pleased: “Extremely informative,” said singer and voiceover artist Marina Seretis. “The whole day was very encouraging,” stated Mitch Helten of SPI International. “It was enlightening,” said singer Jafelin. “This was great,” said Jacqui Leddy. You can t stop people with this kind of enthusiasm.

I d imagine it s pretty likely that you have heard plenty about the Apple iPod in the media. If you ve got kids then they probably wanted one for Christmas and if you work in marketing or the music business then you have probably already had an iPod for years. Since its release in 2001 the Apple iPod has become synonymous with the term Mp3 player. Apple pretty much created the market for Mp3 players and they also totally dominate it.
Why has the iPod been such a huge success?
Apple cleverly spotted the rise of digital music and the lack of a suitable piece of hardware. For this reason they developed a hard drive based MP3 player and released this in late 2001. As with their recent computer models Apple did something very clever in the way they marketed and designed their product. Right from the start the iPod was given a sleek and sexy look and was marketed at young, style continuos, music enthusiasts. Apple created a fantastic brand with the all white look, with the white earphones being featured prominently in adverts. The white iPod earphones have actually become so recognisable that they have actually been blamed for increased numbers of street robberies.
Even the original iPod could store a fairly significant amount of music as it used a 5GB hard drive. It was a success from the start, but the fact that it was only Mac compatible held back sales slightly, although Apple did actually see an increase in sales of Apple Macs due to people wanting to be able to use the iPods.
The real explosion for the iPod when they released the 3rd generation iPod in 2003 that came bundled with Apple s own iTunes software that was compatible on both Macs and Windows PCs. This has opened up a new market as they could now tap into the Windows users. Apple now has a huge 90% market share of the hard drive based Mp3 player market, and 70% share of the MP3 player market as a whole. Very impressive I m sure you will agree.
Apple has managed to keep their grip on the mp3 player market by releasing several different versions of the iPod. The main iPod is now in its 5th generation and although the design is largely similar to the original, it has been made more compact and available with much large storage capacities. The latest models can display colour photos and movies.
iPod mini- Apple s first iPod spin off was the iPod mini. This mp3 player was fairly similar to the original although smaller in size. It was the first iPod to be available in different colours and was designed to target a slightly different market.
iPod nano - Apple decided to discontinue the mini in 2005, to replace it with the ultra small iPod nano. These are 62% smaller than the mini players and feature coloured screens. Apple has come under some criticism though for the screens on the nano as many users have complained that they damage too easily.
iPod shuffle This is another ultra small iPod and was the first flash drive based iPod. They only have a limited capacity of 512MB or 1GB and do not have a display screen. Users can either listen to the songs on the player in a random order or set a playlist in iTunes.
The dominance of the iPod in the mp3 player market can be seen in other industries. Cars are now being designed with docking ports to make integrating iPods to the in car system easier. Clothes manufacturers are making clothes with special pockets to hold iPods. All manner of other iPod accessories are being created by various electronics companies.
You d be forgiven for thinking the iPod was the only mp3 player available, well it isn t. There are many other players out there, that some will tell you are actually a lot better than the iPods, just maybe not as fashionable.

No. It s a two letter word that can instantly send chills down the spine of the strongest strong man - woman and knocks the wind out of anyone s sails. In the entertainment industry it s a word you may hear a million times “No. Even if you hear the word No one million and one times, never give up! I know it takes a lot of determination and motivation to get passed that little word, but you can do it! “No” seems to have a million different feelings attached to it, depending on how no is interpreted. It also depends on the person s perceptions when he or she hears the word. Sometimes it can stop you in your tracks especially when it pertains to your music, which is part of who you are.
No seems to mean or be interpreted as:
1. They don t like what I have to say or sell. 2. They don t like me.
3. What s wrong with me?
4. What did I do differently than the other person who got the yes?
6. I must not be as talented or knowledgeable as the person who got the yes.
7. What haven t I got that the person who got the yes does?
8. Did my talent just not measure up?
There are many more thoughts that we can go through in our minds when we are rejected for whatever reason. Too often we personalize the rejection as opposed to simply realizing it s not really personal, it s just a business decision for them.
We all try to rationalize it and say It s just a word! It s not the first time I ve heard it and it won t be the last time I hear it in this business. But what we feel inside is so different.
We feel total rejection and we can feel absolutely demoralized. When the word “no” comes out of someone s mouth regarding our work, it s as if we were rejected and it can bring back subconscious memories of our childhood.
The Random House Dictionary defines no as:
“no, adv., n, pl. 1. word used to express dissent, denial, or refusal - n 2. negative vote - adj. 3. not any.”
As children we are told “no, don t touch that or you ll get burned.” Although we hear our parents tell us that, we still want to touch that fire. After all, what does burn actually mean? And it s so pretty…I just want to touch it. When we do Ouch!
Then our parents say, “I told you no, don t touch that! Now do you see why?” Our minds then equate “no” to the word ouch, you re going to get hurt! That would take on the first meaning in the Random House Dictionary of “no,” which is dissent, meaning “difference of opinion.” The parent s opinion was that the fire would hurt. The child s opinion was that fire was so pretty how could it hurt? When we got older and go to school, on the playground we may hear, “No, you can t play with me.” The word “no” then invokes an entirely different feeling then our first experiences with the word “no.” It now means rejection! So “no” takes on the second part of the Random House Dictionary s meaning of the word, and that is a negative vote.
Another child on the playground has cast a negative vote in our direction saying they don t want to play with us. We weren t given an explanation as to why they didn t want to play with us, we were just told “no” and our minds equated that to rejection.
And so our lives continue in this pattern of association. The word “no” seems to always be associated with something bad and seems to stick in our memory far more times than we ve heard yes. Hurtful memories last the longest.
So how can we change this? I can only speculate. Maybe we should go back to our childhood memories and re-program them so that the word “no” doesn t have such a great impact. Or maybe we just have to start right now and truly believe in our minds, what our mouths speak to our family and friends, and that is…that “no” is just a word.
But I believe that we should take the third meaning in the Random House Dictionary and apply it in a slightly revised, personal manner anytime we hear the word “no.”
For example, if I hear the word “no” now, when it s directly associated to anything that has to do with my art, I say to myself, “They have not any taste.” “They have not any impact on my life.” “They have not any clue as to what they are talking about.” Then that phrase seems to have so much less impact, and feels a lot less like a negative vote towards my personal being.
And when I say these things to myself and relate them directly to the word “no,” it will no longer be a rejection of me, but a rejection of the other person s belief system. After all, they are just individuals whose belief systems are different then mine. From now on, when someone says no to me, the negative impact is gone, and not any anymore will I let it affect me. Jaci Rae The Rae of Hope TM Copyright 2006
Jaci Rae is the 1 Nationally Best Selling author of The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money ISBN 978-0-9746229-4-1 and Winning Points with the Woman in Your Life One Touchdown at a Time.
Jaci also hosts the popular Jaci Rae Show, heard live around the world. With top music executives that share insiders information such as: Thom King (former VP of Clear Channel who now tells it like it is and works in getting sponsors for artists), Mike Corbet (former A&R for Mariah Carey, et.), Peter Visvardis former Director of A&R for Sony Records, Harvey Cooper former VP of RCA Records, Jordan Keller legal counsel for The Backstreet Boys, etc.
To gain valuable career advice, tune in every Thursday night at 8 PM PST, by going to: www.jacirae.com and clicking on the weekly show link to find out who s on and how to tune in. Guests can email their questions live.
Dubbed by the media as “Racy Jaci” because of her quick wit and “The Rae of Hope,” for her powerful insight, please make sure to check her out at: http://www.jacirae.com
To a better day in every way Jaci Rae The Rae of Hope

There are many people who are on posters, to ensure that they will have the game to them an idea of how much they have fun watching the game. Now, in general, plays for the posters are full of fun and adventure. There some posters with the presentation of another side to the gentle plays. You will find that these evil posters are full of life posters days are glorious colors and show how they deal with the words of the play can be used to us to see the lure. Broadway shows, the use of these posters have an advantage to them. The posters are evil in full color, but how they are seen by the public will find out that these posters are tastefully displayed. The artists of the theater with these posters use the information that is provided. From this information, they draw the poster of the play. Sometimes the evil eye poster comes into play, on the basis of the information that these artists are. Now, while the producers and directors of these plays do not want their plays to be considered unsuitable for the public they still want their game to show the bad aspect of the play. You will find that in addition to be on the walls of a theatre, an angry poster can be found in gift shops in the theatre. In addition, you have the chance to find rare posters on the Internet. The many different posters, for the sale can be laminated, glossy or only on colored board.Now you may find that buying a laminated poster is more expensive than usual. But it is an advantage for the purchase of one of these posters. The advantage that you find in department poster angry is that they last for many years. Additionally get to see and experience the memories of the game is to buy when you take posters. An angry poster can be a great gift for someone who collects musical show, posters, film posters, and many others. To some special gift might want to be in the various posters from various periods. An angry poster is the best gift to be found, if you want to see how the changing tastes and entertainment through the year. The many different posters of Broadway, you can find them will help those who want you. An angry poster only the icing on the cake. Muna wa Wanjiru is a Web administrator and Has Been Researching and reporting for years on Broadway. For more information on Wicked posters can be found on its Web site at Wicked Poster

For immediate release
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Based on the bestselling novel by Candace Bushnell, the HBO original series Sex And The City took the television world by storm following its release in the summer of 1998. Following the exploits of four young and educated female friends living and working in New York City, the show revolves around the various relationships and life problems experienced by each member of the group. Sporting an experienced and talented cast, the show has developed a strong, borderline fanatic following

Sarah Jessica Parker (the de facto lead character of the show) stars as Carrie Bradshaw, a popular sex columnist for a local newspaper who travels in numerous Manhattan social circles. Carrie is engaged in a tempestuous on-again, off-again relationship with a mystery man always referred to as “Mr. Big”. The young urban professional shares her life with three best friends who have similarly interesting jobs - Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon), a lawyer tired of being single given the societal ramifications; Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), a promiscuous publicist who enjoys non-exclusive relationships; and Charlotte McDougal (Kristin Davis), an art museum curator who is relatively less open about her sexuality Together, the women seek each other s advice on the ever-present and varying predicaments in which they find their romantic relationships

The Sex And The City (Season 3) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “Where There s Smoke” in which Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte go to Staten Island to judge the New York City Fire Department s “Calendar Contest”. Carries becomes interested in an enterprising politician, and Charlotte decides she needs to get married by year s end. Meanwhile, Samantha hits it off with a fireman who has to leave when a call comes in and Miranda comes to terms with some personal thoughts as a result of her visit with the firemen Other notable episodes from Season 3 include “Attack of the Five Foot Ten Woman” in which Carrie runs across Mr. Big s wedding announcement and Samantha finds a spa where the massage therapist is reported to do a little extra, and “Are We Sluts?” in which each of the women encounters a problem associated with their revolving door relationships

Below is a list of episodes included on the Sex And The City (Season 3) DVD:

Episode 31 (Where There s Smoke) Air Date: 06-04-2000
Episode 32 (Politically Erect) Air Date: 06-11-2000
Episode 33 (Attack of the Five Foot Ten Woman) Air Date: 06-18-2000
Episode 34 (Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl) Air Date: 06-25-2000
Episode 35 (No Ifs, Ands, or Butts) Air Date: 07-09-2000
Episode 36 (Are We Sluts?) Air Date: 07-16-2000
Episode 37 (Drama Queens) Air Date: 07-23-2000
Episode 38 (The Big Time) Air Date: 07-30-2000
Episode 39 (Easy Come, Easy Go) Air Date: 08-06-2000
Episode 40 (All or Nothing) Air Date: 08-13-2000
Episode 41 (Running with Scissors) Air Date: 08-20-2000
Episode 42 (Don t Ask, Don t Tell) Air Date: 08-27-2000
Episode 43 (Escape from New York) Air Date: 09-10-2000
Episode 44 (Sex and Another City) Air Date: 09-17-2000
Episode 45 (Hot Child in the City) Air Date: 09-24-2000
Episode 46 (Frenemies) Air Date: 10-01-2000
Episode 47 (What Goes Around Comes Around) Air Date: 10-08-2000
Episode 48 (Cock-A-Doodle-Do) Air Date: 10-15-2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Milan, Italy November 28, 2005–Artist Eric Van Aro takes some well-known classics and originals and comes up with an appealing new album titled Friends.
Van Aro was born into an Italian/German Artist family with a highly broad-based background. He is the son of the internationally known Singer Caterina Valente and Producer and ex-juggler Erik van Aro Sr.
In 1998, Eric Van Aro decided to combine all of his experiences and begin a new crusade with ERAKI Entertainment, a production company that offers expertise of all aspects and services needed in the Entertainment industry. In August of this year, he released the excellent Friends album. All of his worldly experience in the entertainment industry paid off on the collection of 12 jazz infused tracks. He has a great voice, filled with warmth and melody that has the ability to whisk the listener away. Van Aro takes each tune and turns it into a special interpretation with clever rhythms and different flavorings while punctuating each track with his hard to forget signature vocal stamp. With the support of several top-notch musicians from Italy such as Franco Ambrosetti (trumpet) and Bruno de Filippi (harmonica), Van Aro takes on the compositions with a grace and feeling that will endear you to his cause. Songs like The Painting In My Heart epitomize the singers vocal powers and flexibility while Not The Boy Next Door highlights an international Latin essence. It is easy to see that Van Aro and his band are having great fun with all of the tunes but they do have a more serious side. Be Somebody is one of the more prolific tracks you will ever hear on a jazz album. The words hit you right in the heart and make you reflect upon whom you are and the purpose of your life.
With such diversity comes a wide listening audience and Eric Van Aro s new album Friends is bound to gain some new friends along the way. Jazz and pop make for instant success and this is an album that will become one of your favorites after only a few listens.
ERAKI Entertainment Casella Postale 91 CH-6976 Castagnola Switzerland Phone: +41-91-9663226 Fax: +41-91-9663226 Email Management: carola@eraki.com Label Website: http://www.eraki.com Eric s Website: http://www.eraki.com/vanaro.html iTunes Link CD Baby Link: http://cdbaby.com/cd/ericvanaro
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