Powell gave what can probably be chalked up to as one of the most incoherent and idiotic answers to the question by babbling about the need to “create education better” and basically making no sense at all!

See the full video clip below:

A lot of this probably stems from nerves, but seriously these girls need to show a little common sense…this one is vaguely reminescent to this gem from a few years back:

At the start of the video, the flag can be seen hanging as a backdrop for the scene, then it is released and dropped to the ground and Lil Wayne continues his rap while stepping all over the flag on the ground. Many are taking this as an insult and a very disrespectful act against one’s country however others are claiming it is the rapper’s freedom of speech and expression…what do you think?  Did Lil Wayne take it too far?

UPDATE:

Lil Wayne has taken to his twitter account to address the flag stomping incident claiming that he did not notice the flag laying on the ground as he continued to perform. Many still have the opinion that Lil Wayne is trying to back pedal because of all the negative attention because he can clearly be seen several times in the video looking directly down at the flag and continuing to traipse all over the stars and stripes. Sure he is hoping that this one will blow over quickly!

]]> http://worldofpopculture.com/2013/06/lil-wayne-tromps-all-over-american-flag-in-new-music-video-shoot/feed/ 0 http://worldofpopculture.com/2013/06/only-known-anne-frank-video-resurfaces/ http://worldofpopculture.com/2013/06/only-known-anne-frank-video-resurfaces/#comments Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:55:57 +0000 Joe Hummel http://worldofpopculture.com/?p=7061 Read more]]>

(PCM) On July 22 1941,The young woman living at Merwedeplein 39, in Amsterdam got married. Anne Frank (June 12, 1929-1945) can be seen leaning out of the window of her apartment to get a look at the bride and groom.

At the time of her wedding, the bride lived on the second floor at Merwedeplein 39. The Anne Frank and her family lived at number 37, also on the second floor.

It is the only time Anne Frank has ever been captured on film. Anne Frank died in March 1945 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Nazi Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945. The subject of a film based on her diary, The Diary of Anne Frasnk, helped make her the very human face of the holocaust. Her father, Otto, was the only immediate family member who survived the war. He died in 1980.

The Film is courtesy of The Anne Frank House, who were given the video in the 1990s by the now long-married couple.

The new Myspace launched June 12,2013, bringing the rebuilt platform out of beta and debuting a new mobile app available for free at the App Store today.

Profiles from Classic Myspace have been upgraded to the new platform, so that members can log in using Classic Myspace, Facebook, or Twitter account credentials and access their content and connections easily.

Built from the ground up using the latest technology, Myspace is designed to showcase creativity, foster collaboration, and promote discovery. New features and tools work seamlessly across desktop and mobile devices to provide an integrated and complementary experience.

“The magic of Myspace has always been at the intersection of creative expression, community, promotion, and discovery,” said Myspace CEO Tim Vanderhook. “Myspace aims to power a new ecosystem catering directly to the creative community, enabling artists to manage their digital presence, build an audience, upload and distribute their content, and learn from data all on a single platform.”

The entirely new platform was developed by a creative team of artists, designers, and developers, and refined by community feedback during the site’s beta. One feature developed as a response to high demand by the community is a tool that allows people to create and share animated GIFs as simply and intuitively as taking and posting pictures.

The new Myspace also offers a persistent player, which anchors everything in music. Accessing 53 million songs from the world’s largest digital music library, the player delivers faster streaming and intuitive drag-and-drop functionality for a superior music experience.

The mobile app’s My Radio feature allows people to create and program their own radio stations, which can be streamed for free on an unlimited basis. Stations can be produced by anyone, giving each member the opportunity to play the role of DJ and promote the music they love to the broader community.

Myspace also delivers its community Insights, an analytics suite that offers a set of visualized data reports telling artists how big their audience is, which fans are most influential, and what’s resonating with them.

Committed to promoting its community, the new Myspace dedicates a highly visible home page to highlighting members and their content. The site’s Discover feature drives connection and collaboration by allowing members to filter searches by account type, such as musician, photographer, writer, or even developer.

The mobile app is available exclusively for iOS devices at www.AppStore.com. A mobile-optimized version of the new Myspace is available for non-iOS consumers as well.

The limited-edition “Forever” postage, part of the Postal Service’s Music Icon series, will go on sale starting June 5 and feature several images of Cash, including this promotional shot for the 1963 release of Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash.

Cash died on Sept. 12, 2003 at the age of 71.

The Johnny Cash Museum opened in downtown Nashville on May 30, 2013, and work is also underway to save the singer’s childhood home in Dyess, Ark. The museum http://johnnycashmuseum.net/ (199 Third Avenue South, Nashville, TN) was founded by Shannon and Bill Miller who told The Tennessean “Elvis has Graceland, but there was really nothing left anymore for us. We really needed to bring it back to Tennessee. We needed to have something for all of the fans. We’re just really happy to be able to tell the fans there’s a place to come celebrate Johnny Cash and be a part of all of the festivities.”

Resembling the appearance of a 45 rpm record sleeve, the square stamp features a photograph taken by Frank Bez during the photo session for Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash (1963). In the photo, Cash stares out at the viewer through a veil of shadow, his brooding expression fitting for an artist also known as “the Man in Black.” He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

Greg Breeding served as art director and designer for the stamp.

Some footage from the German documentary series “Too Young Too Die” that features the late actor’s father discussing and paging through a diary kept by his son for his character the Joker in the film “The Dark Knight”  has been circulating the internet. The footage shows that the diary kept by Ledger digs deep into what he felt the psyche of The Joker looked like and is filled with detailed entries, magazine clippings, and drawings. There are several the feature old Batman comic book panels as well as images from the Stanley Kubrick classic “A Clockwork Orange”.

Ledger’s posthumously won Oscar for the iconic role can be seen sitting on the table near the diary in the slightly eerie clip. The actor’s father confirms his son’s method acting techniques and says the actor locked himself up in a hotel room for weeks in order to inhabit the Joker and always poured himself over his characters.

You can view the footage below:

(PCM) The Los Angeles offices of video game developer Robert Bowling nearly became the real life version of one of his famous games. Bowling is the the former developer of the famed “Call Of Duty” video game series and was recently the unknowing victim of police stand-off set off by a “Call Of Duty” mannequin dressed in full combat gear that was visible through a building window.

Sources say that Bowling’s offices had a panic alarm put in awhile back as a precaution against death threats (guess there are some angry/frustrated gamers out there) and as staff were leaving for the day the alarm system was accidentally activated. Bowling was left alone in the offices when police arrived and stormed the building, believing the mannequin was a real heavily armed  human being.  Don’t think there was a chance for the inanimate object to obey the ‘drop your weapon’ request from the cops!

Bowling was taken in by police at gunpoint while they investigated the threat and situation, which was obviously put to rest rather quickly. We are sure everyone will have a good laugh about this one a few years down the road.

“All In The Family” was a ground-breaking television series for it’s time and Stapelton’s role on the series earned her three Emmy award wins and numerous other accolades throughout the course of her career.  Along with actors Carroll O’Connor, Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers, she starred on the groundbreaking show that aired from 1971 through 1979.

Fans and celebrities around the world are mourning the loss of this brilliant comedienne and actress with many taking to twitter to express their condolences. Stapleton continued to pursue her acting career, even after “All In The Family” went off the air with her last major role being in the 1998 film “You’ve Got Mail” in which be played a co-worker to Meg Ryan’s lead character.

Her husband of 26 years, William Putch, died in 1983 and she is survived by her two children, John and Pamela. Our thoughts and prayers are with Stapleton’s family and friends during this difficult time and we leave you with a the memorable Stapleton classic renditon of “Those Were The Days” the theme to “All In The Family”

“We take matters like this very seriously and are working closely with local authorities,” Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said in a statement.

Barnes was an outdoor vending “cast member” and was booked on suspicion of possession of a destructive device and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

No one was injured in the trash can explosion, but the blast caused some chaos in a portion of Disneyland centered on younger children, and no significant damage occured to the park. Toontown is the area in which Mickey Mouse lives. He was also unharmed.

“Barnes is cooperating with investigators and has indicated this is an isolated incident with unanticipated impacts,” Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn said,”these are very common, unfortunately, in our neighbourhoods.” After the arrest he said there appeared to be no connection with those other bombs.

The dry ice appeared to have been placed in a plastic bottle that was left in a trash can in Toontown. The explosion was confined to the can, according to the Anaheim Police Department.

(PCM) 300-plus Kate Bush lookalikes re-enacted her famous Wuthering Heights video in East Sussex, UK, near the University of Sussex on Saturday May 25th, setting a world record of sorts.

In Stanmar Park, several hundred men and women wore long black wigs, red dresses, with matching red lipstick took over the park in an unusual display of performance/tribute art.

“It was an unofficial record and as far as we know no one has attempted this before… We had approx 330 Bushes, which was totally incredible!,” Shambush said on their facebook page.

Kate Bush, an 80s alt rock video and music pioneer, was well represented by her fans of her and her iconic video, in spite of the chilly weather.

“I don’t think we can say thank you enough to everyone who came yesterday and found their inner Bush. Thank you and thank you and thank you to everyone who stewarded and set up and volunteered and made this happen. It was AWESOME!”

Planning came from their website: http://shambush.wordpress.com/the-ultimate-kate-bush-experience/ This summer Shambush! embark on their next exciting project and attempt to set a world record with The Ultimate Kate Bush Experience.With the help of willing recruits from the general public and our ever-talented band of Shambushers we will congregate at Stanmer Park and re-enact Kate Bush’s iconic Wuthering Heights video.

This free event conceived for the love of Bush, will take place on Sat 25 May between 1 – 4pm and is open for all to participate and spectate.

The event was enjoyed by the performers and park visitors, and, we hope, by Kate herself.

Story via The Argus

Both Bradley Cooper and Heather Graham were also guests on that evenings show and did a wonderful job as back-up dancers as the hilarity ensued before them!  Check out the video below, courtesy of PerezHilton.com:

Introduced by Compuserve in 1987, the format is limited to to 256 distinct colors, and can often seem a bit grainy, but can be used to make simple”moving” online picture like this:

Steve Wilhite, caused a firestorm in late May, 2013 by saying “The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations. They are wrong. It is a soft ‘g,’ pronounced ‘jif.’ End of story.”

The inventor of the format has said that before, on several occasions, and while the ‘soft-g’ JIF pronunciation was used in the early days of the internet, the vernacular has changed, and the ‘hard-G’ GIf is now said by more people.

I’ve been on team “Gif” (hard G) since I started toying with the internet in the late 1990s. The jiffies need to catch up. Game over.

(PCM) Milken Community High School (in Sherman Oaks, CA) senior Jake Davidson became a YouTube sensation with his March 16 video of him asking Upton to his prom while performing tasks including pushups, shaving and shampooing his hair to the tune over well over 2.5 million views. While disappointed that the Kate was unable to attend, he said “While I would have loved for Kate to come to my prom, I understand she is a very busy and in-demand professional. I am so grateful for Kate responding at all.”

Kate Upton, after checking her schedule, was not able to accept senior Jake Davidson’s youtube invitation to his prom, but he was happy to hear that Danish model Nina Agdal, Sports Illustrated’s Rookie of the year was willing to go. The beauty told “Inside Edition,” “I picked out my dress and now I’m ready for prom!”

Nina has modeled for Macy’s, Billabong, Frederick’s of Hollywood, and Victoria’s Secret and her first appearance in Sports Illustrated was in 2012.

Prior to her declination of the invite Kate said “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go with him or not, due to my schedule,” Upton said. “I want to, but I just don’t know if I can make it work. But I really appreciated being asked; it made me feel really great! ”

Kate is the model of the moment, starting with being SI’s Rookie of the Year in 2011.The American model is also well know for her brief ‘Cat Daddy’ dance with Terry Richardson. She was also in the 2012 Three Stooges film as Sister Bernice.

The Xbox One is the successor to the ever popular Xbox 360 and will offer more gaming features than ever before! While stylistically the new system appears a bit on the bulky side, much of the new technology promised to be incorporated within the new system should hopefully more than make up for it’s less that sleek or compact size.

The entire system will be voice activated meaning you can instantaneously switch between watching TV or movies to game play, just by speaking to the console. It will also come with a brand new Kinect sensor that only takes 13 billioniths of a second to recognize you and react. You will also be able to use these gestures through the Kinect to control your various forms of media.

The systems “Snap” mode will allow users to use two forms of media at the same moment such as watching a movie while browsing the internet or take Skype calls while playing a game. The Xbox One will combine three operating systems which are Xbox, Windows, and a go-between and features an 8 core CPU and 8 gigabytes of memory.

Another new feature is a DVR included within Xbox Live that will make it easier than ever before to share clips. There will also be some big changes with the games themselves. Microsoft and EA Sports have started an exclusive partnership and there will be a new game engine called “Ignite” that showcases some absolutely incredibly graphics. There will also be a new game entitled “Quantum Break” that will somehow incorporate the worlds of both television and gaming, something we have been waiting to see for quite sometime.

The Xbox One is set to be released later this year, and definitely expect Microsoft to reveal even more details at the  upcoming E3 convention next month, so stay tuned!

CBS News reports 236 people were injured, including about 50 children.

Alexis Normand, a jazz and folk singer from Saskatoon, sang much of the admittedly difficult song fairly well, but mixed up some of the lyrics in the middle, and kept on going with random phrases from the American National anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” until the finish. The crowd cheered her attempt and she later tweeted an apology.

It was pretty cool of the Canadian crowd to boost her along with the correct lyrics, and I have to admit it took a lot for the young lady, after screwing up to stay and finish the song. And its easy to criticize a singer for messing up a different country’s anthem. Here in the USA, with our anthem, we have many words, in a difficult to follow tempo, and to the best of my knowledge, Canada has only two words in their entire anthem – “O” and “Canada.”

The 2013 Memorial Cup will be a four-team tournament played in May, 2013. The tournament features the London Knights, champions of the Ontario Hockey League, the Halifax Mooseheads, champions of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Portland Winterhawks, champions of the Western Hockey League, and the Saskatoon Blades.

A previous plea of not guilty was entered on Holmes behalf earlier this year by the court, as the lawyers for Holmes were still prepping his case an not prepared to enter a plea for him at that time.

Holmes is charged with killing 12 people and injuring 58 others in the massacre that took place at the movie theater back in July of last year.  He is currently charged with 24 1st degree murder counts and at least 116 counts of attempted murder, adding to the list of nearly 142 crimes in which he is charged. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty claiming Holmes deserves no mercy for the attack squashing a deal offered by Holmes’ legal team that would offer him life in prison.

The judge in the case will make the decision on whether or not to accept Holmes’ plea by May 28th.

As an article on the History Channel’s website explains it, Tanner spent the show driving along in a 1991 Eagle Talon TSI, Adam was in an 1982 Cadillac, and Rutledge drove a 1976 VW Microbus. Along the way, the guys went through a series of challenges, including picking up local residents and dropping them off at a casino. Of course, since “Top Gear” is always chock full of entertaining moments, Rut’s group of “locals” was a mariachi band, who gamely packed themselves into the close quarters of the Microbus.

The episode undoubtedly caused many viewers to pine away for their own cars from college days. While some may wonder what happened to that 1981 Toyota Starlet with the pull-out choke (that broke off during freshman year), others may be fondly (or not so fondly, depending on the car’s reliability record) remembering a plethora of Pontiacs, VW Bugs, Honda Accords and old station wagons, complete with wooden sides.

For those who are inspired to find the same make and model of car from college, there are many ways to go about it. For example, searching used car dealers in Phoenix is one sure way to locate them, as is perusing the auctions on eBay and looking through the listings on Craigslist. Who knows? Maybe some “Top Gear” viewers will end up purchasing their college car’s twin, and decide to take it on their own road trip.  It could happen!

As for what college kids are likely to be driving these days, US News and World Report compiled a list of what they feel are the best cars for college students. Parents will appreciate the fact that the cars are safe and budget-friendly, while the young people driving them will like that they look good and have a decent number of features.

Best Cars For College

The Ford Fiesta was named as one of the best cars priced less than $15,000. It provides college students with reliable transportation and a pretty impressive number of features, including the optional SYNC infotainment system, which can read text messages to the driver. The Kia Soul, Nissan Cube and Kia Forte also make the list of cars that are perfect for budget-wise college kids.

In the $15,000 to $20,00 range, the article suggests the Hyundai Elantra, the Jeep Patriot, and the Kia Optima—a car that many reviewers feel looks more expensive than its price tag indicates. In addition to its impressive 35 mph highway fuel economy rating, the Optima earned a five-star overall crash test rating from the federal government. This, of course, will probably help it catch the attention of the producers over at “Top Gear,” one day, when the Optima heads off on a long road trip as strains of mariachi music fill the air.

The ad is spotlighting the fact that Kmart will send items directly to shoppers’ homes for free if they can’t find what they need in the store. Shoppers can now quite easily “ship their pants”, furniture, bedding, and more! Gotta love this clever play on words.

The video has now ranked up millions of views on YouTube and has been shared countless times via various social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook.

Check out the new ad spot below and let us know what you think!  Too funny or completely immature?

A 41-year-old Texas actress, Junie Hoang (real name: Huong Hoang) sued IMDb (The Internet Movie Database), contending it invaded her privacy and harmed her career when it made her age widely known in 2011.

It has been widely noted that Junie appeared in films like Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver and Hoodrats 2: Hoodrat Warriors, but to be fair, she has several dozen film appearances since the mid-1990s.

Hoang, who has appeared in several low-budget horror movies and will be in an upcoming TV show, “Exotic Dancers of Houston,” claimed the website breached its customer services agreement when she signed up for a “professional membership, the online newspaper Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported following the Thursday verdict in Seattle.

IMDB’s attorneys argued successfully that Hoang invalidated the membership agreement when she violated its terms by lying on her profile.The jury sided with IMDb and its parent company Amazon, which maintained it had the right to publish true and accurate information, and that Hoang attempted to lie about her age.

“IMDb does not cast actresses,” IMDb attorney Harry Schneider Jr. told the court. “IMDb does not pay actors or actresses in any manner, for any purpose. IMDb hosts a website that seeks to publish accurate information about players in the entertainment industry, and has a First Amendment right to publish such information, a right that IMDb honors by consistently investigating and verifying information when necessary.”

On the plus side, there is too much spin, and not enough real, trustworthy facts online. Overall, while it may hurt Junie, but its a good thing to tell the truth.

April 15th is the day that tax returns (tax reports to the gov’t) are due. You can file for an extension here to get a few more months, but you need to make sure all monies due are paid by the 15th to avoid additional penalties.

Clay by Taylor Zitman

If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street;
If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat;
If you get too cold, I’ll tax the heat;
If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet.
-Taxman, George Harrison, via The Beatles

TAX TRIVIA:
► The earliest known tax was implemented in Mesopotamia over 4500 years ago, where people paid taxes throughout the year in the form of livestock, which was the typical currency at the time.

► If you steal something, it technically counts as income, and is taxable.

► The U.S. tax code contains 7,000,000,000 words. If you are counting zeroes, that is 7 BILLION not Million. The Bible, called by many the greatest book of all time, has well under a million. The Gettysburg Address has 269 words, and that is often called the greatest speech ever written. The greatest love letter of all time, Tarzan’s to Jane had only 97 words.

► The first income tax was created in 1861 during the Civil War to finance the war effort.

► In 1894 Congress passed the Wilson-Groman tariff which was an income tax at the rate of 2% for income over $4,000 but it was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1895.

► In February of 1913 the Sixteenth Amendment was ratified to the Constitution, granting Congress the power to collect taxes on personal income. The one page 1040 form was introduced the following year.

► Six states have no individual income taxes: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington

► Richard Nixon signed the Tax Reform Act of 1969, which essentially eliminated taxes for those living in poverty and raised taxes on certain rich groups by closing loopholes. However, during his presidency he also reduced the highest rates for the richest Americans from 70% to 50%.

► The first e-file (electronic transmission of a tax return) took place on January 24, 1986.

► The “Presidential Campaign Fund” check-box was created in the 1972 in order to fund presidential elections. Since the inception of that check-off, over a billion dollars has been distributed to about a hundred primary election presidential candidates. The amount is deducted from any refund you may be due. In order to qualify, a candidate must get at least 5% of the vote.

► Car accidents have jumped consistently 6% on Tax Day over the past 30 years.

► Lady Godiva, was an 11th century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who took a famous naked horse ride through the streets of Coventry in order to get her husband to lower taxes on the locals.

► Pennslvania’s alcohol tax was designed to help the city of Johnstown, which had a devastating flood in 1936. Although Johnstown is in fine shape today, that tax is still collected to the tune of $200,000,000 a year for the Keystone State.

► Over the last decade it is estimated that the tax code was amended or revised over 4,000 times, more than one change a day! This does not count tax changes regarding healthcare.

► New York costs 49 cents per gallon of gasoline in taxes, and $4.35 for a pack of cigarettes.

► Married, childless people who rent their homes and earn an average to slightly above average salary get the fewest standard tax breaks.

► Effective in 2006, the Treasury Department said it will no longer collect a 3% federal excise tax on long-distance calls. The tax was imposed in 1898 to help pay for the Spanish-American War. The treasury said it was conceding its battle to uphold the tax after five appeals courts declared it illegal.

► President Nixon made it commonplace for presidents to publicly release their tax returns. Gerald Ford’s tax returns are not public, but following Jimmy Carter, almost every US president and major US political figure has released their tax returns.

TAX RELATED BUSINESS DEDUCTIONS

► If you are eligible for a tax deduction with moving expenses, you can usually include the costs for your pet’s move as well.

► If need to pay a babysitter while you are working without pay to a charitable organization, you can probably deduct the cost of the sitter.

► If you have a pet, like a junkyard dog, who works performed duties at your business, you can deduct the cost of feeding the pet/employee.

► Medical expenses for smoking cessation programs, nicotine patches and stop-smoking aides can be deductible.

► If you have a home office, you can deduct the cost of lawn care if you have costumers come to the location. The IRS scrutinizes home office expenses, however, so be very, very honest with any home/business expenses.

► Most legal things you do to attract new customers can be deducted. I suppose that would include beer.

► American taxpayers spend $200 billion and 5.4 billion hours working to comply with federal taxes each year, more than it takes to produce every car, truck, and van in the United States in a year.

► The IRS employs 114,000 people; that’s twice as many as the CIA and five times more than the FBI.

► 60% of taxpayers must hire a professional to get through their own return.

► It is expected that Tax Freedom Day will be considerably later in 2013. Stay tuned…

TRULY EVIL TAXES AND LAWS

In the late 1500s, Japan’s Hideyoshi abolished taxes on some things, like seafood, but imposed a tax of 67% on all rice crop yields, which was all that many people had. In some cases, he gave some back so families wouldn’t starve.

In the early 1800s, women of some low castes in India had to pay a tax called mulakkaram (“breast tax”) if they wanted to cover their chests when they went outside of their homes. This type of modesty was considered a privilege of upper caste ladies.

In 1840, a woman in the town of Cherthala refused to pay the tax. In protest, she cut off her breasts and had them presented to the tax collectors. She died, but the tax was repealed.

Between 1365 and 1828, the Ottoman Empire levied what may have been the cruelest tax in history. Christian families living within Ottoman region had to give their sons to the government in a process called the ‘devshurmeh’. Every four years, government officials would travel throughout the country, choosing boys and young men between 12 and 20 years old, to be converted to Islam and became the personal property of the sultan, usually as soldiers.

The rule of first night “jus primae noctis” – that a king or local lord could spend a night with the presumed virgin bride before the wedding was probably just a medieval myth, although there was a ‘culagium’ which was an official permission from the local authority for the serfs to marry. This developed into what we would now call a marriage license/fee/tax.

Who is Impacted by Identity Theft
Identity theft is a concern for any individual because it can impact the most powerful and the most humble alike. According to Nancy Dillon and Thomas Tracy from the New York Daily News, Michelle Obama, other political figures and popular celebrities have been the victim of identity theft. Popularity and serving in public office isn’t enough to prevent hackers and thieves from using data in an inappropriate way.

Any individual can face this issue, which is proven with the statistical data. According to Statisticbrain.com, 8,571,900 Americans are the victims of identity theft each year. That accounts for roughly 7 percent of the population and costs the average victim roughly $4,930 by the time the theft is discovered.

The number of victims is only related to those who come forward and make a report. In some cases, a theft isn’t noticed until much later.
Defining Identity Theft
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, identity theft falls into three main categories. A theft occurs when a credit card is used without the authorization of the card holder; a checking or savings account is used without the account holder’s permission, or personal information is gathered and misused.

The misused of personal information can take many forms. In the case of the First Lady and the other victims who had information hacked, the information was misused by publishing it online and making the information readily available to the public.

Measures to Protect Against Theft
Preventing personal data from being stolen isn’t limited to getting Life Lock or protection services. It’s also about common sense and taking measures to reduce the risk of a theft.

Protecting against identity theft can vary based on the potential concerns and locations where data is stored. Keeping information safe from thieves is a process that requires an understanding of the different methods used to obtain data.

The obvious protective solution is keeping information away from the eyes of others. According to Entrepreneur.com, sensitive financial information should never be left out. Even if, the statements, records or other data are currently in use and it’s only necessary to leave the room for a short period of time, put the data in a safe location.

In the case of credit card fraud and unauthorized uses of information on a credit card, it’s important to recognize potential sources. Any individual can jot down the information and use it later. The best way to avoid this situation is by keeping the card in hand and paying directly. Never give a credit card to a waiter, gas station attendant or other individual who will walk away to make the payment for goods or services. Pay at the cashier personally or use cash to prevent identity theft.

By Jean Woods

(PCM) The Inverted Jenny is the most famous US stamp error, with the airplane printed upside-down. A single sheet of 100 stamps was purchased by collector William T. Robey in Washington, D.C., on May 14, 1918 for $24. Robey sold the sheet on May 20 for $15,000 to Eugene Klein, a Philadelphia stamp dealer. Klein had already arranged its resale to Col. Edward H. R. Green of New York for $20,000. Green had the sheet broken up, and sold blocks and single stamps to collectors, saving a few key position blocks for himself. Over the years the value of the stamp has risen sharply, with single copies now selling for an average of $500,000.

The name “Inverted Jenny” comes from the plane shown on the stamp. This stamp was the first US Airmail stamp issued for use on letters sent via the first regular US airmail service between Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and New York. The plane used to carry the mail is shown on the stamp and is a Curtiss JN-4, popularly known by pilots in WWI as the “Jenny.”

The “Jenny” issue was somewhat unusual for the times because it was printed in two colors. This required sending the sheet of stamps through the printing press twice, with the risk that a sheet might accidentally be turned upside-down and causing an inversion error. The initial purchaser, William T. Robey, was a stamp collector and was on the lookout for just such an error when he went to the New York Avenue Branch Post Office in Washington, DC to purchase a sheet of the stamps. He is reported to have said “He brought forth a full sheet, and my heart stood still. It was a thrill that comes once in a lifetime.” The clerk didn’t notice the error and sold the sheet, although postal authorities later tried to buy it back. The clerk was reported to have later claimed “How was I to know – I’ve never even seen an airplane!”

Over the years four copies have been stolen, although two were recovered. The thieves damaged one of the stamps to make it less identifiable. Green’s wife mailed one to him, which is the only known used copy. One was reportedly damaged when it was sucked into a vacuum cleaner. Experts have tried to keep track of have been lost or destroyed over the last 95 years due to theft or mishandling.

The Inverted Jenny has showed up in the movies Brewster’s Millions and American Cousins as well as the TV show The Simpsons. DELPEX 2013 is the annual stamp show sponsored by the non-profit Brandywine Valley Stamp Club. The show features stamp exhibits, free stamps for kids, a silent auction, and dealers selling stamps and supplies.

The famous Inverted Jenny postage stamp will be displayed at the DELPEX 2013 Stamp Show.

From The Official Site:
One of the rarest US postage stamps, the Inverted Jenny, will be on display at the DELPEX Stamp Show on April 20, 2013. The show is sponsored by the Brandywine Valley Stamp Club and will be held at the Nur Shrine Center, 198 South Du Pont Highway (U.S. Routes 13 & 40), New Castle, Delaware. Hours are 10 am – 5pm and admission is free.

Stay tuned and see what @lamornemorris, @BLACKWELLCOOPER and @lamornebros releases next!

Introduction to Paintball

(PCM) Most beginners play paintball in the woods.  You’ve been invited to a birthday party or corporate event.  This guide will truly help you, I guarantee it.  Here is why.

I’m providing you with over ten years of experienced knowledge.  Week after week I help first time players play comfortably, even excel. I am not a professional, but I play three times a month and I do also play speedball (air bunkers) at other fields, I can and will help you here.  When done this article, visit my Youtube channel: DangerManXX for a multitude of HOW TO videos taking your game to the next level.

Woodsball paintball the Great Equalizer

Before we begin understand that woods ball as it is called is the great equalizer.  You can get away with being a beginner paintballer playing against great great players in the woods.  How? Why? Because of the trees, the branches and various unforeseeable objects that get in the way of shots.  In some respects, you have the advantage because a seasoned player can’t play his game in the woods like he can on a speedball field.  This is one reason Speedball paintball players are snobs towards playing in the woods.  They don’t like the unpredictability of the woods.

First rule in Paintball

Understand that the fear of loss is greater than the desire for gain.  This means a lot. But to put it short, if you don’t want to get shot you won’t.   It also means you play just aggressive enough to be comfortable with that level.

Real Paintball Tips

Let’s get down to the real details now.  Don’t lie down! Not if think you have the least bit of trouble getting up.  This is called a “prone” position.  Don’t go prone.  Why? Because standing up allows you to flee quickly if necessary.   See my video below:

Keep your marker (paintball gun) up.  Don’t drop at it your hip.  It takes longer to draw on someone if it is hanging at your side.   Be sure not to leave your paintball hopper exposed.  At most fields a gun hit counts. Hoppers point out further than any other part of your marker and that could be your opponents chance to take you out.

If you are playing in a bunker such as a wooden pallet or stacked wood, don’t come over the top of the bunker, you are an easy target.  You see while you are up shooting, your opponent is most likely still in cover, coming out from the side of a tree allowing himself  to remain out of range while you are still exposed until you drop down, and you can longer shoot.

There is no front line

Unless you are playing on a field so wide that you can’t communicate with fellow players in any way, you don’t need half your team bunkered down at the flag station.  Everyone should be at the front line.  I’ll detail that later, but take my advice here.  Don’t bunker down in the back.  When the rest of your team is gone, you’ll be a duck waiting for 10 other players to pluck you off.  No fun.   Get out there and support your team with additional shots, even if it is from just behind the front line.

Use Trees for Cover Properly

Be sure to use tree’s properly for cover.  Don’t stand wide on a tree, stand sideways offering the tree as much opportunity to cover your body as possible.

Run to trees from behind if you can help it; not from side to side.  If you run up on a tree you can use it as cover as you approach an opponent. Remember that people run from tree to tree much of the time, I know I just said not to do that but your opponents most likely will.  Think ahead.  As you are in your little skirmish shooting at them, trading shots you’ll realize both of you may be at a standstill.  One of you is going to make a move. Let it be your opponent if you are provided good cover on your tree.  Think ahead…. What trees around them will they most likely move to?  Once they dart out, start shooting ahead of your opponent just before the tree they are running towards.  They will run into the paint and be out.  If you try to follow them with your shots they will most likely always be a step ahead of your shots.

Paintball is a game of Angles

Perhaps the most important thing to understand about the game of paintball itself is that it is a game of angles.  You may have heard of the term “flank”.  It means to come around broadside on your opponent, that additional attack position now causes them to lose focused attention on one area of offense and now puts them in a defensive position having to protect themselves at two points of attack.



Now you don’t have to full on flank an opponent in paintball to take them out. No! All you need to do is spread out your attack. For instance if you have two players on your team and there is one player remaining on the other side, all you need to do is work with your remaining team mate to spread out.  The tree your opponent is on now offers him less and less cover.  Eventually you’ll sneak a shot in him for a break.  Game over.

This of course works with many players too.   Remember to spread your attack on your front line.  These tips should start all coming together for you now.

One way to protect yourself from those angles is to work the edge of the field.  There is generally a marked off side to each field, called the “ropeline” or “tapeline”.  If you are working up the tapeline, no one can flank you from that side.  The can only attack you from the remaining open field side or from directly ahead.

You should never waste paint in a gun fight.  If you are head to head with an opponent and not getting anywhere, one of you must move if a team mate can’t break the stalemate from a better angle.  If it is you that moves, remember you need an better angle.  My hot tip is this.  Take a few shots to pin your adversary’s ears back, as soon as you stop shooting or shoot while you are running and he is back in cover… run to your next tree. Take cover, don’t let them know you have a new position.   Give it time, perhaps 30 seconds or more.  Peek out just enough to establish they don’t know you’ve made a move and size up where they should come out.  Time your move and when they are out, pop around from cover, draw on them quickly and make your shots count.  That element of surprise will generally allow you to be out and ready for them so that they expose themselves to a shot. I do this often and also move up on players nonchalant to closer trees.  If I’m moving up, I don’t get a better angle but I do get closer allowing me to take a more precise shot.  If I move first, my opponent may get concerned and make a mistake as they fear I’m closing in.

Your Marker (paintball gun)

Have a reliable marker.  That is all you need.  You don’t need a paintball gun that shoots 18 shots per second.  Why?  It is woodsball and all you really need is a marker that shoots straight (reasonably) and won’t jam or break paint in the barrel.  The reality is electronic markers are great for speed, but those that buy them end up paying more money to have that speed WITH RELIABILITY.  They too still need a marker that won’t break paint.  A pneumatic marker (no electronic parts) is the mainstay of the woodsball.  A Tippmann A-5 with cyclone feeder is the choice of seasoned woodsballers.  It will set you back chump change compared to an electronic marker and it too can spay paint fast with it’s cyclone feeder system. The cost is about $300.00 tops.

Understand this, it is never the gun, it is the player shooting the gun that makes them a formidable adversary.

Learn the Paintball field

While it is generally not possible to walk the field before you play, you can seek out a team mate before the game starts that has played the field before.

My advice, tag along with them the first round.  Ask them for “recon” on the field.  They will tell you how to play it if they are cool about it.

Knowing the field can be key.  Some fields are so narrow you should not press the middle of the field as you can get shot from the sides, so you stay out of the middle.  It can be impossible to know this sometimes until you are on the field trapped in the middle taking shots from both sides.  So ask questions before the game to know the little quirks about each field.  Is there a ditch ahead that the other team is using?  Do they have a lot of brush behind their flag station allowing them to set up a mini-defense should they take too many lost players?  Is there a bunker way ahead that both teams will want to take off the break creating a mad rush for that one strategic position?  These questions can be answered before the game by someone that has played there first.

This should put you in a great frame of mind for your first visit to a paintball field, or if you have just been learning… this advice will take you to the next level.  See you on the field, stay away from DangerMan.

What is a Meme?
(PCM) What is a meme and where does come from? Ask any person what a meme is and they will most likely either stumble through the question or struggle to articulate it’s exact meaning. In fact after reading this article, have some great fun with friends. Pose the question “What is a meme?” and watch how a debate erupts as they parse the specifics.

Example of an Internet meme

So what is a meme? It’s a device for transporting an idea through culture.

Do you have an inside joke with a friend or lover? That is a meme. Have you ever played punch-buggy? It’s when you see a Volkswagen Beatle on the road and then you get to punch softly the person you are with on their arm for identifying that car first? That too is a meme.

Most see a meme as a commentary using various mediums. You can use still images, video, sound, text and of course combine them all. Combinations of text over static images are popular in many social networks in the present time. Messages are often abstract, even confusing while others are specific. Another quality of a meme is that it’s shared, or meant to be shared with everyone. It can be a shared expression, value or thought. A meme can be an elusive concept, or a serious message. Most often meme’s are funny social commentaries. A meme can motivate a person or entity to action or preserve a message or meaning.

How does a Meme Work?
There is a creator and a replicator. Meme’s chaotically evolve from the intended message to a new meaning making them an uncontrolled entity once it leaves the creators hands. Memes can be intended or spawn organically.

The Meme History
The word itself is a hip version of an ancient Greek word, mimeme, ‘imitated thing’. Science author Richard Dawkins is credited with the meme’s origin. He sums up a meme as ‘an unit of cultural transmission’ making just about anything you can think of a meme. It can be a phrase, an image, a sound a fashion or object of any sort.

Richard Dawkin’s book The Selfish Gene was written in 1976 well before the Internet as we know it existed. Yet it is the Internet that has made the meme an accepted part of today’s culture. In the early days of the Internet the first Internet meme of the Dancing Baby was a completely unintended phenomenon.

Classic Memes
Wow, can anyone really say they know which meme’s are the best of all time? Sure I can. Here are a few. Some are immortalized on video through Youtube, others are images or text:

Dancing Baby (1996)

The Original Dancing Baby.

Perhaps the First. In 1996, 3D rendered baby animation is passed through forums. In time it’s used in mainstream media. http://youtu.be/-5x5OXfe9KY

The Hamster Dance (1997/98)
A simple musical animation of hamsters dancing accompanied by a whimsical bluegrass yodeler (Whistle Stop by Roger Miller). Deidre LaCarte is credited for creating it to win a web traffic contest paying tribute to her hamster. It was often passed around through e-mail and lives on to this day on Youtube.com. http://youtu.be/6WpMlwVwydo

I Kiss You! (1999)
Mahir Cagri of Izmir, Turkey, became an instant Internet celebrity promoting himself on a shared hosting site where he requested the company of women. He bypassed creepy with endearing cheesy monologue. His claim to fame? Variations of dialogue, “I kiss you!” and “I kiss you back!” Make no mistake, Mahir’s goal was sex, inviting women to come to Turkey and stay in his home. Yet his awkward cheesy style spawned the catch phrase, “I kiss you!” It’s widely speculated that the character Borat in his broken English is based on Mahir. Facts prove this to be untrue as Sacha Baron Cohen’s prototype character auditioned and aired prior to Mahir’s splash in 1999.

Star Wars Kid (2003)
A true accidental classic. Boy records himself, friends find recording and put it on the Internet.
http://youtu.be/HPPj6viIBmU

Cats (Always)
Yes, in a word cats. You can’t place a specific time this began but at this point in time (2013), one of longest ongoing meme’s are cats. From iconic cats such as Grumpy Cat whom tweets and spawns viral videos at noxious speed, to videos of cats in action by every random cat owner on the planet. Cat memes are perhaps the most widely recognizable meme today.

Fail (Always)
Also known as Epic Fail, this meme phenomenon also lives on to this day. Think of it as America’s Funnies Home Videos without the ear gouging bad jokes offered up by host Tom Bergeron. Fail meme’s are often videos or still photos of captured moments in time where something takes place that you can’t take your eyes off despite off-the-chart failure in execution.
The Future of Meme

Meme’s will come and go, but hopefully you now have a better understanding of the elusive meme. One more thing. Don’t post any meme on my Facebook wall. I hate them. Now wouldn’t that be something? I create a world-wide phenomenon of people slamming my wall with memes just to piss me off? Whoa.

Twitter: DangerManXX
YouTube: DangerManXX
URL: DangMansLair.com

A New Bond

We haven’t seen the British secret agent in this light before. He’s scruffy and grizzled, an agent past his prime who’s lost his physical edge. Bond concedes to M that he’s been playing this game maybe too long. It’s fitting, 50 years after the first 007 film. But his unwavering loyalty to both M and his nation is the only fuel 007 needs to complete his mission. Fellow MI6 agent, Eve, aptly likens Bond to an old dog, new tricks. Skyfall delves into Bond’s history, motivations and childhood trauma more than ever; the film’s title even has symbolic significance to Bond’s past. The new side of Bond is complemented with new actors filling in for iconic roles. Ben Whishaw plays a precocious young Q, making us question why we ever preferred the octogenarian version (no disrespect to the original and brilliant Desmond Llewelyn). Ralph Fiennes and Naomie Harris also bring in fine performances as Gareth Mallory and Evebut these names are merely misnomers for their eventual reveals.

Nefarious Villain

A threat emerges in the form of cyber-terrorist Silva (Javier Bardem). Silva is a former agent with a faux-mother complex, enacting a personal vendetta against M and the MI6. At the beginning of the film, Bond is tasked with retrieving a hard drive containing the names of undercover NATO agents stolen by Silva. He warns M to think on your sins through a series of computer hacks before bombing MI6 headquarters. The blond baddie radiates a psycho sexual creepiness the pinnacle of creepy is reached in a visceral scene where audiences learn what happens when using a cyanide capsule goes horrifically wrong.

Behind the Scenes

Director Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition, American Beauty) confidently tackles the action/adventure genre with grace and finesse. Mendes brings a humanity to Bond and adds depth to his strenuous relationship with mother figure and boss, M. This is also due to the strength of the screenwriter trio’s script by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan (and of course, based on Ian Fleming’s creation). Cinematographer Roger Deakins infuses Skyfall with aesthetic excellence whether it’s the stark chiaroscuro of Bond versus henchman against luminous jellyfish projections in Shanghai or the foggy green moors of Scotland. In fact, Deakins’ work has been nominated for Best Cinematography nine times at the Academy Awards but never won someone give this man an Oscar.

Of course, once this trend became the norm, it was only a matter of time before the mobile-app makers jumped on the bandwagon. And since Apple is the king of apps, there are more options than ever before for TV and film junkies to view their favorite content right from their iPhone or iPad. Here are just a few of the top options.

WatchESPN — free

Amid the collective groan of wives and girlfriends everywhere, sports junkies now have a mobile way to watch their favorite ESPN shows and receive live sports updates. WatchESPN is an app that offers live, 24/7 streaming from the ESPN cable network as well as its ancillary channels. As long as users have subscribed to these channels through their cable provider, they can get free access to all content via their iPhone.

Netflix – free w/ subscription service

Netflix has done more to revolutionize streaming of TV shows and movies than most other sites around. Therefore it is no wonder they’ve got a must-have mobile app as well. The Netflix app allows users to stream and view their favorite shows and movies the same way they would on the site – and the library of content is ever growing.

AMC Mobile – free

These days, AMC seems to have the market cornered on popular shows, so much so that many people often bypass HBO in favor of the home of “Mad Men,” “The Walking Dead” and “Breaking Bad.” True, this app doesn’t offer full seasons for viewing – and many users frown on the fact their new content is available for limited durations – but it does offer many full episodes as well as fun content like behind-the-scenes vids, sneak peaks and interviews.

HBO GO – free w/ subscription service

This app allows those who subscribe to HBO to view its movies and original programming via their iPhone. It offers all of their current programming as well as a whole library of past favorites such as “Sex and the City” and “The Sopranos.” All of HBO’s sports programming is available through the app as well.

Daily Motion — free

This app is available for free in the App Store and is basically a clip provider. Users can view videos aggregated from all over the world and share them with friends and family. And while this app isn’t geared for long-form content, it is an effective way for iPhone owners to watch short films, music videos and movie trailers. It even offers 15 different channels that offer different genres of content, from politics and news to music and film.

These are just a few options that should sate the hunger of even the most rabid of TV and movie fans. With even just a few of these apps installed on their iOS device, mobile users should never be at a loss for their favorite programming.

Charlie Peyton works in the TV industry. He enjoys sharing his thoughts on TV in general and the technology behind it for a range of blogs. Call or click 1-877-505-3198 to find out about getting Direct TV.

Disney just announced they are going to make three independent Star Wars movies now they have acquired the blockbuster package from Lucas Films. It will take two more years to release those films.

“Les Miserables,” which is a Victor Hugo classic tale and which was released many years ago as a film, was retread in late 2012. In recent years “True Grit” was remade with Jeff Bridges in the lead once held by John Wayne, “American Pie” gave way to a sequel with more grown up characters. Who can ever forget the ultimate franchises of “The Godfather” or Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti westerns and Dirty Harry films? These are just a few of the many “franchise” films which continue to bring audiences back to the theater.

Studio executives realize when they bring back, or remake, an older film (preferably a hit) they have a 60-percent built in audience. Sixty percent is huge and the same goes for sequels especially if they are films targeted to kids. It might even be higher when children are involved.

It’s all about risk. With the Internet, quick film to DVD or download, or cable or even counterfeiting, a film in theaters has a very short shelf life. You hear on the radio or television news about the box office figures for “opening weekend” bringing in $20 million. These are the numbers which count for the studios. This is where they get back a huge chunk of their investment and can look forward to making money in foreign distribution.

Each year the Writers Guild of America (WGA) registers about 50,000 new scripts written by screenwriters. So over a three year period this translates to 150,000 new scripts which are being pitched. Hollywood studios make about 300 films a year! It doesn’t take long to do the math as to how many scripts do NOT get produced. No one can say these are not creative scripts because while many are poor, a huge number really are good. They just never get made for whatever reason.

While many movies are made on shoestring budgets it takes $20 million to make a decent film and way more for a film such as “Les Mis.” The film reportedly cost about $60 million to make. Small in comparison to “The Hobbit” which reportedly has a cost of $100 million. Both films would fit into the category of having a returning audience built in of 60-percent. With the cost of a movie ticket in the $10-$15 range today the studios know they will get their money back and then some.

However, a new script by a fledgling or even known screenwriter has no built in return and therefore is a heavy risk for the studio. Chances are the studios are not going to make this film and since it is very difficult to attach a star or a director to such a script odds are it will never see the light of day.

Independent film makers try producing their own scripts and some are critically successful if not financially. It is a way to get noticed so these writers try to direct or find a friend who can direct and they seek money from family and friends, or Angel investors (people with money to invest and a desire to see their name in lights somewhere or just to help someone get started).

This is also why directors with a name will only produce and direct their own scripts. They control all the ends and the money and have enough reputation to raise the money themselves or convince a studio to put up the bucks.

Either way you look at it as we go forward in Hollywood look for more familiar films from the past to get re-made and many more sequels of hit films to grace the big screen.

Aaron Read is a professional in the home entertainment industry and contributes regularly to leading websites including cable-tv.com/.

The proposed bill (SB465) was modeled after the California Civil Code Section 1708.8, which was adopted by the California state legislature in 1998. SB465 would add a cause of action for constructive invasion of privacy in addition to the current cause of action for physical invasion of privacy in Hawaii. In the simplest terms, the proposed bill would provide a legal remedy for celebrities photographed while they are engaged in “personal or familial activity” and have a reasonable expectation of privacy. This new law would go beyond the more traditional invasion of privacy, which generally requires a physical trespass, by imposing liability on people who use zoom telephonic lenses or other high tech audio devices to capture images or audio of public figures as they are in their homes, or other private places, and then turn around and sell those images or audio files.

The ideals of the proposed bill, SB465, are already enshrined in the constitution of the State of Hawaii. Article 1, Section 6 grants the people the right of privacy, not to be infringed without a “compelling state interest.” Article 1, Section 7 goes further stating the “right of the people to be secure in their persons…against invasions of privacy shall not be violated.”

“The paradise of Hawaii is a magnet for celebrities who just want a peaceful vacation,” TYLER says. “As a person in the public eye, I know the paparazzi are there and we have to accept that. But when they intrude into our private space, disregard our safety and the safety of others, that crosses a serious line that shouldn’t be ignored.”

STEVEN TYLER allowed his name to be used for the bill after it was drafted by his attorney and manager, Dina LaPolt, at his bequest and presented to Senator J. Kalani English (Hana, East & Upcountry Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe) for consideration.

Photo credit: Ken Schuler

A few of your favorite big screen stars who have claimed a spot on the small screen:

• After Charlie Sheen’s infamous departure from Two and a Half Men, Ashton Kutcher filled in the open position.
• Zooey Deschanel was the world’s sweetheart after her charming performance in (500) Days of Summer, but now the world can curb their sweet tooth weekly by watching Deschanel in New Girl.
• After scoring huge roles in popular movies like Coyote Ugly and Secret Window, Bello is on NBC’s Prime Suspect.
• Christina Ricci’s been in movies since she was a kid, but she also had a stint on the short-lived ABC series Pan Am.
• Jim Caviezel played the leading role of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ, but his most recent venture is on the TV show Person of Interest.
• Hank Azaria has nailed every movie role he’s accepted, whether comedic or serious. The same held true when he signed on for NBC’s Free Agents.

Supporting Actors-Turned-Leading Talent?

What’s interesting about the many film actors who are taking a stab at television is that in their movies, their name wasn’t necessarily the biggest one on the billboard. Actors who couldn’t carry a movie all by themselves are now headlining television shows. Why is this? Who knows, really. Maybe the actors just haven’t been a great fit for their movies. Maybe they thrive in a dependable TV sitcom setting. Maybe they’re getting paid more in the long run so they make sure to show up with their “A” game every day.

What You May Not Know…

It’s always surprising to see a huge movie star in a commercial from the 70s. They weren’t always rich and famous? How can that be? They actually had to take jobs that were beneath them at some point? Yes, they did. Many of the TV stars who you’re used to seeing on the big screen are actually just going back to their roots. For many, something happened in their career before they were plastered all over Hollywood’s biggest hits, and that “something” was often television.

Why TV After Making It On the Big Screen?

Two of the main reasons why actors trade down for a smaller screen size is because of (A) money and (B) time. Movie making ain’t what it used to be, thanks to the crumbling economy. Even rich actors have to work to stay rich, which means they could be somewhat pushed into making different decisions in the past, like taking TV roles. Not to mention that TV’s best perk is continuity, so actors know they’ll be employed for at least the next year.

Stability is also a factor. Not every actor is thrilled with a life on the road, traveling from set to set with nowhere to truly call home. Some actors have spouses and children that they don’t want to leave for months on end to film another movie. That’s where the appeal of TV comes in. The shooting location is basically going to stay the same, which means their time is better managed and their schedule is dependable.

And Let’s Not Forget…

Lastly, TV shows today are like mini movies, separated by just a week. Many shows are beautifully shot, perfectly acted and as interesting as they get. As the quality of TV goes up, true actors who simply love the craft are taking any good script they see, no matter what type of production it’s for.

Adam Gilligan is a professional in the entertainment industry. He contributes to leading blogs around the web including GetDirectTV.org.

The ladies of Pop were represented as well -  Kelly Clarkson, who scored 4 nominations, Taylor Swift got 3 and PCM favorite, newcomer Carly Rae Jepsen earned 2 nominations.

The first Grammys event was held on May 4, 1959 inside the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton while other Academy members gathered on the East Coast in New York City at the same time. Billboard Magazine declared the evening a success, outdoing established award ceremonies like the Oscars and the Emmys thanks to “its precision-like pace in the handling the presentations.”

The 1959 Grammys were given to the best songs, albums and artists of 1958, and that tradition continues through today. The 2012 Grammys went to the 2011 winners. The 2013 Grammys go to the 2012 winners, and so on… Only 28 categories were presented the first Grammy night, the smallest amount in history, with the very first Record of the Year and Song of the Year awards handed out to foreign songwriter, Domenico Modugno, for his song “Nel Blu Dipinto Blu (Volare).” Although Frank Sinatra, who led the competition with six nominations, did not take home the big prizes, he did received Grammys for singing on his Lonely Heart Album, for which he also won an award for as art director. The following decades brought continued success as music’s biggest night got even bigger – with nearly 80 awards going out in 2013 (full list of 2013 Grammy Nominations).

Some of the Major Grammy Nominations:

Record Of The Year

Lonely Boy – The Black Keys

Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson

We Are Young – Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe

Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye Featuring Kimbra

Thinkin Bout You – Frank Ocean

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift

Album Of The Year

El Camino – The Black Keys

Some Nights – Fun.

Babel – Mumford & Sons

Channel Orange – Frank Ocean

Blunderbuss – Jack White

Song Of The Year

The A Team – Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)

Adorn – Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)

Call Me Maybe – Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters
(Carly Rae Jepsen)

Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg
Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)

We Are Young – Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters
(Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe)

Best New Artist

Alabama Shakes

Fun.

Hunter Hayes

The Lumineers

Frank Ocean

Best Pop Solo Performance

Set Fire To The Rain [live] – Adele

Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson

Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen

Wide Awake – Katy Perry

Where Have You Been – Rihanna

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Shake It Out – Florence & the Machine

We Are Young – Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe

Somebody That I Used To Know – Gotye Featuring Kimbra

Sexy And I Know It – Lmfao

Payphone – Maroon 5 & Wiz Khalifa

Best Dance Recording

Levels – Avicii

Let’s Go – Calvin Harris Featuring Ne-yo

Bangarang – Skrillex Featuring Sirah

Don’t You Worry Child – Swedish House Mafia Featuring John Martin

I Can’t Live Without You – Al Walser

Best R&B Song

Adorn – Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)

Beautiful Surprise – Tamia Hill, Claude Kelly & Salaam Remi, songwriters
(Tamia)

Heart Attack – Benjamin Levin, Rico Love & Tremaine Neverson, songwriters
(Trey Songz)

Pray For Me – Antonio Dixon, Kenny Edmonds, Anthony Hamilton & Patrick “jque”
Smith, songwriters (Anthony Hamilton)

Refill – Darhyl “dj” Camper, Elle Varner & Andrew “pop”
Wansel, songwriters (Elle Varner)

Best Urban Contemporary Album

Fortune – Chris Brown

Kaleidoscope Dream – Miguel

Channel Orange – Frank Ocean

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Wild Ones – Flo Rida Featuring Sia

No Church In The Wild – Jay-z & Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean & The-dream

Tonight (Best You Ever Had) – John Legend Featuring Ludacris

Cherry Wine – Nas Featuring Amy Winehouse

Talk That Talk – Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z

Best Country Solo Performance

Home – Dierks Bentley

Springsteen – Eric Church

Cost Of Livin’ – Ronnie Dunn

Wanted – Hunter Hayes

Over – Blake Shelton

Blown Away – Carrie Underwood

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

Even If It Breaks Your Heart – Eli Young Band

Pontoon – Little Big Town

Safe & Sound – Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars

On The Outskirts Of Town – The Time Jumpers

I Just Come Here For The Music – Don Williams Featuring Alison Krauss

Best Reggae Album

Rebirth – Jimmy Cliff

Miracle – The Original Wailers

Tomahawk Technique – Sean Paul

New Legend – Jamaica 50th Edition – Sly & Robbie & The Jam Masters

Reggae Got Soul: Unplugged On Strawberry Hill – Toots And The Maytals

Best World Music Album

Folila – Amadou & Mariam

On A Gentle Island Breeze – Daniel Ho

Jabulani – Hugh Masekela

Traveller – Anoushka Shankar

The Living Room Sessions Part 1 – Ravi Shankar

Best Rock Performance

Hold On – Alabama Shakes

Lonely Boy – The Black Keys

Charlie Brown – Coldplay

I Will Wait – Mumford & Sons

We Take Care Of Our Own – Bruce Springsteen

Short Form Music Video

Houdini – Foster The People | Daniels, Video Directors; Gaetano Crupi, Video
Producer

No Church In The Wild – Jay-Z & Kanye West Featuring Frank Ocean & The-dream
| Romain Gervais, Video Director; Mourad Belkeddan, Video Producer

Bad Girls – M.I.A | Romain Gavras, Video Director; Romain Gavras, Video Producer

We Found Love – Rihanna Featuring Calvin Harris | Melina Matsoukas, Video Director;
Juliette Larthe & Ben Sullivan, Video Producers

Run Boy Run – Woodkid | Yoann Lemoine, Video Director; Roman Pichon, Video Producer

Long Form Music Video

Big Easy Express – Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
& Old Crow Medicine Show | Emmett Malloy, Video Director; Bryan Ling, Mike
Luba & Tim Lynch, Video Producers

Bring Me Home – Live 2011 – Sade | Sophie Muller, Video Director; Roger Davies,
Grant Jue & Sophie Muller, Video Producers

Radio Music Society – Esperanza Spalding | Pilar Sanz, Video Director; Esperanza
Spalding, Video Producer

Get Along – Tegan & Sara | Salazar, Video Director; Nick Blasko, Piers Henwood,
Sara Quin & Tegan Quin, Video Producers

From The Sky Down – U2 | Davis Guggenheim, Video Director; Belisa Balaban, Brian
Celler, Davis Guggenheim & Ted Skillman, Video Producers

Groundhog Day is celebrated every year on February 2nd.

It is said on this day, when the groundhog comes out of his deep sleep, if he sees his shadow it means there will be six more weeks of winter. If there is no shadow to be seen, spring is near.

The idea of Groundhog Day roots from the comparable European tradition, Candlemas Day. February 2nd has always been a significant day since it marks the dead of winter. On this day, the clergy would bless candles and hand them out to the people. As an old English song went a little something like this:

“If Candlemas be fair and bright,

Come, Winter, have another flight;

If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,

Go Winter, and come not again.”

History goes that the Roman legions brought the Candlemas tradition to the Germans, who constructed the idea that if the sun was out and an animal, in their case a hedgehog, cast a shadow, there would be six more weeks of winter.

When the Germans came to Pennslyvania, they found groundhogs to be similar to the hedgehog used in their tradition. The groundhog was then adopted as the animal who determines the course of the winter season.

The official groundhog is named Punxsutawney Phil, who appears from his hole at Gobbler’s Knole in Pennsylvania every year. The first recorded celebration of Groundhog Day, then still known as Candlemas Day, was in the year 1841 in Morgantown, PA. However, the first official Groundhog Day at Gobbler’s Knole was in February of 1887.

The growing popularity of the groundhog since its first appearance in the 1800′s is astounding. Not only has Punxsutawney Phil traveled to meet President Regan in Washington, he’s also appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and there is even a movie dedicated (kind of) to his special day!

In 1993, Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell starred in the Romantic Comedy, Groundhog Day. In the movie, a weather man (Murray) is reluctantly sent to cover a story about a weather forecasting “rat” (as he calls it). This is his fourth year on the story, and he makes no effort to hide his frustration. On awaking the ‘following’ day he discovers that it’s Groundhog Day again, and again, and again. First he uses this to his advantage, then comes the realisation that he is doomed to spend the rest of eternity in the same place, seeing the same people do the same thing EVERY day.

Every year, hundreds of people come from around the world to watch Punxsutawney Phil emerge from his little knole.
Why not be one of them? Click  HERE to get more information on attending the infamous Groundhog Day at Gobblers Knole.

A new question than has been raised – What were mom and dad listening to when you were conceived?
The music around us influences our thoughts and mood. This is true for, you, your friends, your family.
Your parents.

What was the music your parents were listening to on the day of your conception?
You know you want to know!

Hundreds of millions of sperm fight for the chance to fertilize an egg, mixed those x and y chromosomes to come up with the individual we call you. Before that there was an introduction, some conversation, perhaps a dinner or a movie. A courtship.

More than likely,  there was music. Find out what that music was.
Pop Culture Madness has created a handy birthday/conception song conversion chart and # 1 song list  HERE.

Betty and her posse of senior pranksters are back for season two of this series on NBC on Tuesday January 8th with special guests PSY and Kim Kardashian appearing in bits with Betty in two back-to-back episodes.

Joining White for comedy bits in the new season will be Psy, Howie Mandel, Nicole Richie, Kim Kardashian, Steve O, Nick Lachey, NeNe Leakes, Ed Asner and Nick Cannon.  Also appearing in entertaining skits with Betty will be “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” Adrienne Maloof, Camille Grammer and Kyle Richards, along with Bob Harper.

Q: When you were working with PSY, what did you make of Gangnam Style?

Betty White: Oh, he was very, very nice, and so funny. He – I don’t think he wanted to teach us the dance, but I tried to copy him anyway.

Q: Can you talk about what it was like to have Ed Asner on the show, and what you did together?

Betty White: Oh, it was such fun, and Ed and I stay very close. We’ve always adored each other. I don’t think we’ve ever said a nice word to each other, but we adore each other. You know that kind of a friendship. He always yells at me and I yell at him and lovingly. He did the show and when you work that closely together, you just – somehow you fall into a pattern, and it’s as though you saw each other yesterday, even if a little time has gone by.

Q: Do you feel your spicy humor and sense of mischief help keep you young?

Betty White: Well, I don’t know. I was an only child and my mother and dad were great and good buddies, and my dad would bring jokes home. He was a salesman, and he would bring jokes home, and he’d say, now, sweetheart, you can take that one to school, but I wouldn’t take that one to school. And so, we just – I don’t know. I always see more than one meaning to a word, so the double entendre kind of came naturally. But a double entendre is one thing, and then dirty humor is something else. I don’t like dirty jokes, but I do enjoy a double entendre.

Q: What type of attitude do you recommend for longevity?

Betty White: Oh, honesty. Honesty I think is – you can fool everybody else maybe that you know, but you can’t fool that camera. That camera will know when you’re faking it every time.

Q: What is the best or funniest prank you’ve ever pulled?

Betty White: I don’t – I’m not a real prankster. I love doing Off Their Rockers, because you know, the other people are pranking, but I will maybe kid my friends and say one thing or tell them something happened that didn’t really happen, but I straighten it out pretty fast. The trouble is you can get – you can paint yourself into a corner if you try too many pranks, you know?

Q: Why don’t you reveal to the mark that they’re on a show – or why don’t we reveal it on camera?

Chris Coelen: You know, because I think that we wanted to do something that was a little bit more modern and a little bit more fun, and I think that the most fun part of this show is really their reaction to having been pranked, and I feel like you know, that’s a – it’s a more modern take on it to do it in the way that we’ve done it.

Q: To bring up Ed Asner again, you know, both of you have had such great, long, illustrious careers. You’re icons. You’re cultural icons. You’re this and that. Why don’t you just take a rest and why keep doing this? I mean, what keeps you – keep going? Why do you keep going?

Betty White: Because why quit something you’re enjoying so much? I know I do, and it’s such fun, and who at the – who would ever expect at 91 to still get invited to do shows. I mean, that’s unheard of, so if they don’t want me to do it, don’t ask me, because if they ask me I’ll take it.

Q: You have a birthday coming up, so I was wondering, how do you plan on celebrating?

Betty White: Well, I think NBC is taking care of that. Last year they did a Betty White’s 90th birthday party on television. We got nominated for an Emmy for it, and this year they’re doing Betty White’s second annual 90th birthday, so they’re doing another one on camera, which should be fun.

Q: When you were first approached about doing this show and you know, they told you, okay, it’s Off Their Rockers. You know, these seniors with a lot of pranks, did you immediately know you wanted to do it? Did you think about it for a little while, or did you immediately say okay, this is for me?

Betty White: No, I was not enthused about doing this. First of all, well not so much for the show but because my schedule just didn’t tolerate it, so I thanked them very much and said, no thank you. But they kept coming back, and it’s a – it was a show that started in Belgium, and it was the most popular comedy show in Europe for a while, and – according to Emmy, and so when they invited me to do it, I said that’s very nice, but I just can’t work it in. And they kept coming back, and of course I had the backbone of a jellyfish, so I – here I am doing it, but I’m having a good time.

Q: Now that you do this show if someone did try to pull a prank on you, do you think that you might see it coming, that you might have a sort of radar to detect something like that?

Betty White: I don’t think so because really all I do on the show are the wraparounds. You know, I talk about it and I enjoy the show along with the audience, but I’m not involved in the actual pranking, so I don’t think I’d get as hip to it. I think we all as we get older we tend to read people pretty well, but sometimes they can fool you.

Q: You’ve had an incredible career spanning over 60 years. What changes in television or film have impressed you or surprised you the most with regard to either content or what audiences want to see?

Betty White: Well, I don’t think the television has changed nearly as much as the audience has changed. When I started out, television was just starting out, and everything was that miracle on the box in the corner of the room where people were actually moving around, and over the years, as television got to be such a major part of our lives, the audience has heard every joke. They know every storyline. They know where you’re going almost before the first line is out. That’s a hard audience to surprise and a hard audience to entertain, and it gets more difficult all the time. That’s why the real movers and shakers in the television business are the writers. They have a bigger challenge every day.

Q:Is there anything outstanding that you haven’t yet done that you would like to do?

Betty White: Robert Redford. No, no, no, that – no, I think in – it’s been 65 years and I think in that time I’ve been the luckiest person on two feet, so I think I’ve done about as much as I can do. I’d just like to keep on doing the same thing.

Q: Your workload now seems to be even more full than it was back then, 30, 40 years ago, how do you keep it up?

Betty White: Well, my problem is I love what I’m doing and I love this business and I enjoy the work and I love the people that I work with. I’ve been so lucky for all those 60 years, and I just – everybody says, well, when are you going to retire? Why don’t you quit? How can you quit something that you enjoy so much? I’m blessed with good health and blessed with good energy, so I’m just – as long as they ask me, I’m thrilled to say yes.

Q: Because all this resurgence of your popularity and everything else, you seem to be surrounded by a lot of young, attractive men, and the question I have is when you’re in your 40s and you’re a woman with younger men, they’re cougars. What do they call a woman in her 90s?

Betty White: Well, in your 90s, my problem is all my life I’ve always wanted – I never was interested in younger men. He always had to be a little older than I, and my problem now at 90 is I can’t find anybody older than I.

Q: So you have no choice than to go after younger ones, now, is that it?

Betty White: Yes, well, I just – I – let’s face it. I enjoy men.

Q: What is it in the way you grew up that helped you develop the sense of humor that you have and the love of laughter, and your amazing sense of comic timing?

Betty White: Oh, that was my mother and father. I was an only child, and the – we had the best time together. My dad was a salesman, so he would bring jokes home, but also he’d ask me how things went at school, and I would start telling him, and pretty soon we’d begin to make jokes about it, and it was a love of laughter at home that just was a precious commodity to have with your folks, and we really – Sunday morning breakfast was – it would last two hours sometimes when we all giggled and laughed and talked.

Q: And your sense of comic timing – I mean, you can do a deadpan face, and deliver a line better than anybody.

Betty White: Oh, well, that’s a tremendous compliment. I don’t have to believe it, but it’s so good to hear. Well it’s just – I think it’s – humor is like music. It’s a rhythm, and you just kind of get the rhythm of it, and you have to know not to let the beat go too long, but to leave a beat in there for it to gel, you know. It’s hard to explain.

Q: You’re such an icon, and I was wondering, could you elaborate a little bit on how you think you have achieved the notoriety that you have, and what advice you can give for other women that are starting in the business?

Betty White: Well, bless your heart, I hope it’s fame, not notoriety, but it’s – I’ve been so lucky. I just can’t tell you how lucky to get to this age. Who would ever dream that you’d get to be 91 years old and you’re still working as much as I am? But I think it’s because I thoroughly enjoy what I do. I love this business, and I’ll quit when they ask me to, but as long as they keep asking me to work, I’ll keep saying yes, and it is such a privilege. I think women have come a long way over the years in being you know, coming into their own and roles that they get and in – well, in the whole business, and women executives and all that, but it still is a – it’s a very lovely position to be in to be taken seriously as well as laughed at.

Be sure to tune into NBC on January 8th beginning at 8pm for two brand-new episodes of “Off Their Rockers!

LIGHT, the first-ever nightclub turned on by Cirque du Soleil, will merge cutting-edge creativity with incredible music to produce a new kind of nightlife experience. The chic, fashion-forward 38,000-square-foot venue featuring state-of-the-art production, theatrics, and, of course world-renowned DJs and performers will turn on a new kind of passion and creativity, redefining a “night out” and creating a unique, memorable event each night.

“The nightclub will serve as a laboratory, very much like our special events and projects have done in the past, for different and new artistic possibilities,” said Guy Laliberté, Founder, Cirque du Soleil.

Designed as an experience to play with your senses, LIGHT–turned on by Cirque du Soleil–will offer far more than the traditional nightclub. Upon arriving at LIGHT, guests enter the realm of the unknown, as everyone in the club is part of the show. Headlining DJs and performers will lead the charge, coupled with exclusively built performance elements and visuals provided by revolutionary video mapping, lighting, sound and special effects experts Moment Factory, as well as avant-garde costumes and unique choreography. At LIGHT no two nights out will be the same. The spectacle and feeling forever engrained in the mind of guests beg the ultimate question: Have You Seen The Light?

Spearheading LIGHT at Mandalay Bay is The Light Group founder Andrew Sasson who has been intimately involved with each detail of the venture. Often credited with establishing and cultivating nightlife on the Las Vegas Strip, Sasson is no stranger to worldwide entertainment, having also launched venues throughout Europe, New York and Miami. Longtime music-industry executive Amy Thomson, manager of global artists including Swedish House Mafia, also worked on the development, music and marketing of LIGHT.

Andrew Sasson said, “This partnership and the projects we are working on will be unlike anything the world has ever seen before–the ultimate theatrical nightlife venue. Cirque du Soleil has built a brand with worldwide recognition and their creativity, attention to detail and passion for their work perfectly complement The Light Group and everything we stand for.”

Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil, said “This new creative challenge is exciting for us. We have the opportunity to re-think the nightclub experience and apply our creative and artistic signature to different audiences and live experiences.”

Amy Thomson said, “I rarely get to work on production outside of a festival space or arenas and the chance to work with Cirque du Soleil, putting their creativity alongside the music I love, was not something I could pass up. The DJs and performers who have come to work with us all have such high artistic aspirations, and to be able to try this in a space as iconic as Mandalay Bay I hope will be the beginning of many adventures with Cirque du Soleil and The Light Group. It will be a melting pot of ideas and the focus is equally spread across music, the experience and the crowd. Each one relying on the other, like an emotional ecosystem set up to cultivate and grow a magical night out.”

The list of DJs and performers already on board rivals some of the world’s biggest festival line-ups and will be announced soon at HaveYouSeenTheLight.com and the LIGHT social networks.

For more information visit
HaveYouSeenTheLight.com
Facebook.com/TheLightVegas
Twitter.com/TheLightVegas
Youtube.com/TheLightVegas
Instagram.com/TheLightVegas

Be fore we get in to our list of the best music of Christmas, I want to give a a small but accurate definition between Christmas Carols and Christmas songs. A Christmas Carol is a song that is biblically and theologically accurate. For instance “Hark The Herald Angels Sing,” is a Christmas Carol. “The Little Drummer Boy” is not. Jingle Bell Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer and Winter Wonderland, are Christmas songs but definitely not carols.

Here we will explore ten pieces of music. Five carols and five songs. We will look at their history as well as their meaning, where applicable, and hopefully come away with a bit more joy in this wonderful season.

The Carols

O Little Town of Bethlehem

O Little Town of Bethlehem was written by Phillips Brooks and published in 1874. Brooks was The Rector of Trinity Church in Philadelphia and was very vocal about his position against slavery. During the 1860s Brooks made a trip to the Holy Land and ended up in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve where he attended a service that lasted from 10:00 PM until 3:00 AM it was during this service that the seeds for his carol got planted.

Brooks came home from The Holy Land and penned a poem that he gave to his organist to put music to. It was during The Christmas Season of 1868 that the children of his church first sang and the world first heard, O Little Town of Bethlehem.

Silent Night

Silent night cam about purely by accident. In 1818 Joseph Mohr was assigned to a small parish in Oberndorf Austria, Saint Nicholas Church. Mohr was cleaning the church in preparation for a special Christmas Eve service when he discovered to his horror that organ would not play. Not wanting to disappoint his congregation and desperately wanting music for Christmas, Mohr did the only thing he could. He prayed to God for inspiration and God gave him what he needed.

Two years previously Mohr had written a poem that he called Silent Night Holy Night. It was after he prayed that he remembered the poem. He rushed to his room grabbed the poem and made his way to the school teachers, Franz Gruber, apartment. Mohr explained his dilemma and asked the school teacher if he could write music for his poem. Gruber was up for the task and in a few hours had written the music for Silent Night. It was then taken to the choir and taught to them. Accompanied by guitar, the choir in four part harmony and Mohr along with Gruber performed the song for the first time a little after midnight.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

In the year 1515 church music was to put it bluntly, boring. The songs were mostly in Latin and had somber melodies. It took the peasants of the day to decide to write worship songs in the language and the happier style of the day. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen was part of that rebellion. But there is a problem with song and the problem is we really don’t know what the words mean.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, had a very different meaning back in 1515 than it has today. If we look at the title of the song we would take it to mean God give rest to these happy guys. But that is not what the writers were saying. In Old English The word rest means make and the word merry means mighty. So The title actually reads God make you might gentlemen. It is a blessing and reminder of the power behind the birth of Jesus.

O Come All Ye Faithful

During a time of religious strife in England. When King Henry The Eighth had established his Church of England and the state was doing it’s best to rid England of Catholic Clergy, as well as Catholics themselves a young cleric named John Wade was forced to flee England in 1745 to find refuge in France. Wade was given the responsibility of trying to save the churches records as well as its music. A musician himself, Wade was inspired to write O Come All Ye Faithful during his exile. In many ways it is a call to exiled Catholics to come and worship, which for them, at that time, could mean death.

O Come All Ye Faithful was originally song in Latin and was written in Latin as that was the language of the church at that time. It’s original title in Latin was “Adeste Fidelis” The song has been recorded over and over again and has ended up on the charts at least three times.

O Holy Night

O Holy Night is one carol which I believe is soing every Christmas Eve at every Christian Church and usually by a soprano. I may be exaggerating a bit but this song has a way of saying Christmas has come.

As popular as this carol is today it hasn’t always been so. In fact at one time the church banned the singing of it at all. In 1847 Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was a commissionaire of wines in a small town in France. Not being a very religious man he was surprised when a parish priest asked him to pen a poem for Christmas Mass. Placide took on the task and on a trip to Paris we wrote O Holy Night. He based the poem on The Gospel of Saint Luke. Placide was so happy with his poem that he took it to his friend Adolph Charles Adams, who wrote music for the poem. The song was an immediate hit in France. Not long afterwards Placide took on decidedly socialist politics and it was found out that Adams was Jewish. The church banned the song from being played at mass, though the people continued to sing it.

It took several years for the song to make it across the Atlantic to America but make it, it did and was lovingly translated by John Sullivan Dwight. Dwight was squarely behind the ending of Slavery in the south and he felt that the lyric “Truly he taught us to love one another, His law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother, and in his name all oppression shall cease.” was perfect as a cry against slavery. The song became very popular in the northern states and would go on to gain fame across the country.

The Songs

We Need A Little Christmas

In 1955 Patrick Dennis wrote his novel Auntie Mame. The story of a madcap woman who raises her nephew, after the death of his father, in a thoroughly unorthodox and down right funny way. Not long afterward the book became a play and in 1958 a movie starring Rosalind Russel. In 1966 Jerry Herman, after his success and composer lyracist for Hello Dolly, took on Auntie Mame and Christmas would get a new song.

The musical came to be called Mame and starred Angel Lansbury. It is not long after Mame has been given custody of her nephew, Patrick, that the 1929 stock market crash occurs. Mame who had previously been wealthy, now has nothing and after having failed as an actress has just been fired from working in a department store. Coming home depressed and desperate, Mame is greeted by her Nephew, her butler and Patrick’s Nanny who had gotten together to pay off the butcher bill. Mame is touched and her old vigor and love of life comes back. It is one week before Thanksgiving, but regardless Mame sings “We Need A Little Christmas” Mame’s motto is “Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death.” This attitude shines out of her as she rises up against the depression and leads a song of victory against hard times.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Another song written for a musical, this song was composed by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin for The MGM Movie Meet Me In St Louis. The movie tells the story of a family in St Louis just before the opening of the worlds fair. Judy Garland plays Esther Smith who has been smitten by the “Boy Next Door” and is doing her best to win his heart. She does succeed but on Halloween her father announces that his firm is moving him to New York and the family would move right after Christmas. Esther and her family are crushed, they don’t want to go, but realizing they need to support their father they come together. On Christmas Eve the youngest of the family, Tootie, is sitting in her window on Christmas Eve grieving about leaving the only home she had ever known. Esther comes and sits beside her and sings “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

Garland did not like the original lyrics for this song. They were very sad and since it was 1944 and America was still fighting the Second World War, she felt a sad song was just not right. She won that argument as her soon to be husband and director Vincent Minnelli agreed with her. Blane and Martin went back and reworked the song making it more hopeful for the troubled time. Meet Me In St Louis would go on to be a huge part of movie history and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas would go on to make Christmas History.

White Christmas

There is one lyricist and composer that shined more than any other during the first half of the 20th century that artist is Irving Berlin. Berlin was responsible for many hits of his time including “Alexander’s Ragtime Band“, “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and a song many feel should be America’s National Anthem, “God Bless America” in 1941 Berlin would write the song, “White Christmas.”

White Christmas was written for a movie called Holiday Inn which starred Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. The story was about a young man, Jim Hardy, who is fed up with working day to day and opens an Inn, the gimmick is that he would only open his Inn on holidays. Being a song and dance man as well as a composer Jim Hardy writes songs for his inn for every holiday. For the scene that takes place at Christmas he writes the song White Christmas.

In the movie the song is first sung by Hardy for a woman he is falling in love with. He is sitting at the piano next to a Christmas tree with a roaring fire. In this Christmas Card set America is first introduced to a song that would become legend and for many years would be the best selling single of all time.

Silver Bells

The year is 1951. The musical Guys and Dolls has already made it has a hit on Broadway, and being based on a Damon Runyon story many studios had vied for the right to film other stories by the author. One studio gets the right to film The Lemon Drop Kid and hires Bob Hope as the movies title character.

The Lemon Drop Kid is about a man who talks people into betting on horses so that he can have a share of their winnings. He accidentally talks a gangster’s girl friend into betting $2000.00 on a horse that loses. The gangster, not being very happy with “the Kid” gives him until Christmas, 23 days, to make the money he would have won if his girlfriend had bet the money on the horse he told her to. The amount of winnings would have been $10,000.00. If The Lemon Drop Kid doesn’t come up with the cash he would be killed.

The Kid is in a fix he goes to New York and figures out a scam to get the money. He opens an “old dolls home”. So he can collect the money he needs by using his friends to stand on corners as Santa Claus. His friends are under the impression he is on the level and back him up. While checking on his money raising Santas, along with his girl friend, he sees his friend Gloomy singing a rather bad version of Silver Bells. Gloomy is played by William Frawley who in the following year would go on to play Fred Mertz in I Love Lucy. For the Beginning Hope and Frawley sing the song in harmony and then Hope continues as he strolls thru the city with his girl friend.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelve Day of Christmas is either a song you love or hate and it is certainly one that never gets missed at Christmas. Whether it is song by a choir, by Mickey Mouse and friends or lately by Straight No Chaser the song is never missed at Christmas. Bu the twelve Days Of Christmas is not what it appears to be.

In the sixteenth century Catholics were still being harassed by the English Government. They were forbidden to practice their faith at all and if caught it would mean death. This death sentence was not only for adults but children as well. Catholics had to go underground in order to keep their faith. They prayed and said Mass secretly and not wanting to put their children in danger taught them their catechism secretly as well. The Twelve days of Christmas is not about a young girl receiving gifts from her guy, but rather The Teachings of The Roman Catholic Church. Here’s how it beaks down.

• The Partridge In a Pair Tree represents the death of Jesus on the cross
• The Two Turtle Doves represents The Old and New Testaments
• Three French Hens represented the gifts of the three Wisemen, Gold Frankincense and Myrrh
• Four Calling Birds were meant to be The Four Gospels, Matthew Mark, Luke and John.
• Five Golden Rings represents the first five books of Moses or the books of the law, Genesis Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
• Six Geese A Laying represents the fact that God made the world in six days.
• Seven Swans a swimming represent the seven gifts of The Holy Spirit, prophesy, service, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership and mercy.
• The Eight Maids a Milking stands for fallen man. Work with livestock and being a woman were two of the lowest places in society at that time. This showed Jesus came to save everyone.
• Nine Ladies Dancing, referred to the nine fruits of the spirit, love joy peace patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
• The Ten Lords A Leaping were the ten commandments
• Eleven Pipers Piping actually represented Jesus’ faithful disciples, since Judas betrayed Jesus he is not included.
• Twelve Drummers Drumming was actually a representation of the beliefs of the Catholic Church, The Apostles Creed The creed has twelve elements.

This song not only taught young Catholics their faith but it also saved their lives.

This list could go on and on and include hundreds of both songs and carols as more are produced every year. If you would like to learn more about songs and traditions of Christmas, I would recommend three books by Ace Collins “Stories Behind The Great Songs of Christmas“, “More Stories Behind The Great Songs of Christmas” and “Stories Behind The Great Traditions of Christmas.” This author is grateful to Ace Collins as much of the research done for this article comes from his books.

In this review I will not provide any spoilers as there are many surprises in the motion picture, but I am not sure that is a good thing.

Many novels get tinkered with before they are turned into movies. In his now legendary treatment of The Lord of The Rings, Peter Jackson tinkered with care and love and in my opinion great respect for the material. The way that project was handled was done with integrity and great beauty. I cannot say this about The Hobbit.

I went to the Tuesday evening press premiere really wanting to like what I would see. I have liked Jackson’s films in the past. I even liked his King Kong which so many had issues with. But I left the theater Tuesday night disappointed. This was a movie and it was OK but is was not great!

The Hobbit is essentially a children’s book. It’s subtitle “There and Back Again.” Does much to describe how simple the story is and how straightforward a tale. Jackson has managed to over complicate, over character populate and overwhelm the story in too many ways.

There are characters from The Lord of the Rings that never appear in the Hobbit, Galadriel is there for no reason. Radagast the Brown who has a one sentence mention in the Hobbit is given a large supporting role in the movie. And The Necromancer, a quickly mentioned character in Tolkien’s work has become important in the film. None of this was relevant to the story and was gratuitous at best. I had the feeling Jackson was simply trying to stretch a single movie into three.

There are new characters as well. One that is important is a one armed Orc who wants revenge on Thorin. Never in the book this character just complicates the story and draws it out. Some of the best parts of the book are changed drastically and again for no reason I could see. There could be one explanation, a children’s story was trying to become an adult movie.

As for the cinematography, I was also disappointed. Caves deep in the earth looked clean and new and reminded me of Tom Sawyer Island in Disney World. In fact at times it looked like someone had polished all the rocks. In general the filming itself reminded me of the type of style the BBC used in the 1980s when they brought The Pickwick papers and Great Expectation to life. It was too bright and too clean.

As for the acting, I think Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman did an incredible job as Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins. Freeman was a Hobbit that makes a choice to join an adventure in which he has to earn respect and self-confidence, all of which he pulls off with great dignity. Even when knocked down Bilbo stands again and you grow to love this interpretation. Ian McKellen was born to play Gandalf and he does as superb a job in this film as he did in The Lord of The Rings. The rest of the cast did admirably as well, even if their characters were not needed.

In wrapping up I can say this. If you haven’t read The Hobbit and want an evening at the movies, I think you will find this film very good, even at it’s almost three hour length. If you are a real Tolkien fan you may have trouble with the license taken with the story and be disappointed. To be honest when I want to see a film version of The Hobbit I would go back to the one done in the late 1970s by Rankin Bass. I honestly think they did a better job.

12/12/12 Trivia

First rest assured that some smart people at The Astronomical Society of the Pacific have declared Dec. 12, 2012, as Anti-Doomsday Day, in celebration of rational thinking and reasoned discourse, believe that the Earth is not meeting its doom on December 21st, and noone living today will likely see this repetition of a single number in a date again.

At 12:12:12 p.m., the day will offer fans of the number 12 a ‘sixer’ – 12/12/12 12:12:12!

At 1:21:02 am, nerds everywhere can rejoice in the single second that marks when the date-time combination is the same read both forwards and backwards: 2012-12-12 1:21:02 = 201212-1-212102. (They will also probably be outside for an early viewing of the geminids meteor shower about that time.)

Kiam Moriya, of Birmingham Alabama was born on 12/12/2000, at twelve minutes are noon (12:12 PM). He’ll be 12 December 12, 2012. Given that around 11,000 people are born every day – that would be about 8 babies born a minute… Kiam probably has 7 kindred brothers and/or sisters sharing the moment.

12 Facts About Twelve.

1. Jesus had 12 disciples.

2. We call 12 items a ‘dozen’ – from an old English word meaning ’2 left over’ after ten.

3. Twelve is convenient because its multiples and divisors are convenient: 12 = 2 × 2 × 3, 3 × 4 = 2 × 6, 60 = 12 × 5, 360 = 12 × 30. It was ALMOST our base number counting system instead of ten.

4. In 2012, the bakers dozen (13) most used passwords were: password, 123456, 12345678, abc123, qwerty, monkey, letmein, dragon, 111111, baseball, iloveyou, trustno1,1234567
(the most famous password is probably ‘open sesame!’)

5. There are 12 tribes of Israel, originating from Jacob’s 12 sons (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin)

6. There are Twelve Days of Christmas in the famous song: Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree had a cost of $25,431.18 for all 78 items in 2012.

7. Twelve astrological (zodiac) signs include: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.

8. The twelve Lobors of Herculese included: Slay the Nemean Lion, Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra, Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis, Capture the Erymanthian Boar, Clean the Augean stables in a single day, Slay the Stymphalian Birds, Capture the Cretan Bull, Steal the Mares of Diomedes, Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon, Steal the apples of the Hesperides (He had the help of Atlas to pick them after Hercules had slain and Capture and bring back Cerberus.

9. 12 human beings have stepped on the moon.

10. 12 years of a successful marriage are rewarded with a gift of silk or fine linen

11. The Chinese year of birth is represented by one of these 12 animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

12 Celebrity deaths in 2012:
Neil Armstrong (first man to walk on the moon), Arlen Specter (discovered the magic bullet that killed President Kennedy), George McGovern (politician), Andy Griffith, Larry Hagman, and Ernest Borgnine (actors), Dick Clark (‘the World’s oldest teenager’), Jazz legend Dave Brubeck (‘Take Five’), Singers who passed include: Whitney Houston, Disco Diva Donna Summer, Etta James (‘At last’) , Monkee Davy Jones, and Andy Williams.

Until next year, November 12, 2013 (11/12/13)….

At the age of 85 he might be one of the oldest Twitter members, but the Catholic Church is hoping the move to Twitter will help them reach a younger crowd.

Archbishop Claudio Celli, head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications found that 140 million people currently use Twitter and 40 percent of them are age 16-24. “We want to use Twitter to reach out to these young people,” he said. “This is a new market for ideas and the church should be there . . . This is not the only way [to spread the Catholic Church’s message] but it is a very useful one.”

The Pope already has over 400,000 Twitter followers since he joined the social networking site on Monday.

Religious leaders on Twitter typically have high rates of retweets, replies and responses. “An average religious leader has a rate of about 1 RT for every 500 followers, while a musician on Twitter would get one RT for every 30,000 followers,” said Twitter spokeswoman Rachael Horwitz.

Don’t expect the Pope to be one of those people who Tweet their every action and thought because he will probably only tweet about once a week. Even though the Pope won’t be the one typing out the 140 characters or less, he will oversee and approve all tweets.

Pope Benedict plans to begin tweeting on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, when he will answer some questions about faith sent to #askpontifex or #B16.

The Pope’s tweets will be in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Polish and Arabic.

So much for Twinkie’s lasting through the apocalypse?

The news means the loss of nearly 18,500 jobs with employees at the companies 33 factories being sent home and all baking operations being suspended. It is stated that the company’s nearly 500 bakery outlet stores will remain open for a few more days in an attempt to sell off any remaining products.

The move to shut-down operations occurred as a result of thousands of members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union going on strike last week after rejecting a contract offer that severely cut down wages. The bakers union represents about 30 percent of the company’s workforce.

Get out and get those Twinkies, Devil Dogs, and more while you still can!

(PCM) Nobel Peace Prize Concert organizers announced today that Sarah Jessica Parker and Gerard Butler will host the 19^th annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert on Tuesday, December 11^th in Oslo, Norway at the Oslo Spektrum arena.

The Concert will feature previously announced artists including Jennifer Hudson, Seal, Karpe Diem, Laleh, Susanne Sundfor, with additional artists to be announced in the coming days.

“It’s such a privilege to be part of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize Concert,” said Sarah Jessica Parker. “I am honored to be sharing the stage with such amazing performers to promote the power of peace around the world.”

“I’m deeply honored to have been asked to be a part of such a remarkable celebration of humanity,” said Gerard Butler. “The European Union has shown the world what is possible when forces unite in peace. It’s a joy to stand alongside these magnificent artists and celebrate the EU and its contribution to world peace.”

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize Concert will honor the European Union (EU) “for having over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.” The award is given annually to an individual or organization whose work exemplifies a spirit of hope and leadership that will help promote peace in the world.

For more information on the Nobel Peace Prize and Concert, please visit nobelpeaceprizeconcert.org

Given it is Wednesday, I felt a Modern Family post would be appropriate. Although there is wonderful harmony between the cast members on the show, it seems that Alex Dunphy does not have such a Pleasantville situation at home. Given she is trying to separate… from her parents!

The 14-year-old Ariel Winter who plays Alex is dating Disney star boyfriend Cameron Palatas. Although the two look cute out and about in photos, there is a not so cute scenario going on behind-the-scenes.

Winter is in the process of getting a divorce from parents Glenn and Crystal Workman, and is currently living with her unemployed sister Shanelle Workman.

Apparently the reason stems from him being too old for her. Now, I understand Winter’s frustration here. She probably feels she is independent, making her own money, gaining popularity, and can lead the life she wants to.

However, her “frustration” is all I agree with. If I divorced my parents anytime they disagreed with me, I’d be broke from a lot of lawsuits. She is a 14-year-old girl, of course her parents have concerns. I really can’t comment as I don’t know the conversations that have been had, but divorcing your parents seems a little… extreme? Just a bit?

Well, according to this video… meeting her boyfriend was one of the best things to happen to her this year. I wish her much happiness with her boyfriend while at the same time, with her parents!

Back in the day I thought she was a typical young star who would end up down the wrong path… blah, blah, blah. But, she has really done well for herself. The most recent things I have seen her in movies such as A Walk to Remember (old classic), Scrubs episodes, and heard her voice on animated flicks like Tangled.

I must say I am very inspired by her continuous career moves, and she does all of that with a big smile. She recently dished to E! Online her three rules for living a happier and healthier life. Get out those notepads:

1) Everything in Moderation
2) Get Plenty of Sleep and Drink Lots of Water
3) Move Your Body!

I must say that all three of those things might be stuff you have heard before, but doesn’t make them any less true. First, I know it is not good to overindulge in ANYTHING. Even if something is good for you like grapes, too much of that sugar could be harmful. You always want to balance everything in your life, while at the same time not depriving yourself.

Second, I can’t agree more with getting plenty of sleep. Without sleep I am like an extra on the set of the Walking Dead. I can’t truly enjoy anything happening throughout my day unless it is coffee-induced, and who wants to be dependent on $4 Cafe Mochas from the Bucks. I must say I find water kind of boring, but do agree it is essential for a healthy body.

And finally, I should move my body more. Even if it is when I dance in my room. Those endorphins will keep you smiling!

Thanks to Throwback Thursdays we get to bring back nostalgic memories! Whether it is a song you used to listen to in middle school, a game you used to play against your friends, or a movie you had forgotten about that suddenly shows up on an HBO or Encore channel – we love when events, ideas, films, shows, songs give us a snapshot into our history. When a certain Backstreet Boys song comes on I can tell you exactly where I was in my life and what I was doing.

Recently, I have been circulating back through old YouTube videos that I watched in college. As the date of this video reveals, I just graduated a couple of years ago. But, as soon as I saw this again, it brought me back to my old (or newer) college days.

It was actually my parents that introduced me to this man. They were so impressed with his talents that they made me play it for EVERYBODY at EVERY family party. Since I love to dance my mother even tried to get me to memorize this… about six years later it is safe to say I am not getting around to that.

Judson Laipply is not only an inspirational comedian, but a great dancer. If you find this entertaining you should watch his other YouTube installments.

After his family and friends saw this (as I am sure they made up the 200,000,000 people that watched it), there is no doubt in my mind that he had to do this dance at every wedding, engagement party, birthday, or get together thereafter.What is your favorite part of his dance?

I stumbled upon this video a few months ago, but it came across my lap (or laptop) once again. I don’t care what year, month, day it is – this little bugger is incredible.

I know they train seeing eye dogs to do many of the tasks that “Jesse” does, but putting it all together in one video just makes him seem unstoppable.

From the time little Jesse wakes up to the time he goes to bed, he is working around the house and around the clock. I am at least happy to see he got the chance to eat in between shifts.

Personally, I’d have to say his window cleaning abilities impressed me the most, but the video is up for interpretation.

If you have a funny dog video to share, I’d highly encourage you to post it for us to see. I am always looking for the next best pooch laugh, and this was the one that made me smile today, enjoy:

The cast of AMC’s The Walking Dead ran into a few “walkers” and screamed their way through “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood during a recent visit to “The Walking Dead: Dead Inside” maze. Although they may play fearless survivors on the show, some proved to be less courageous than their characters when faced with the terror of the maze!

The cast was on hand to celebrate the eagerly-awaited Season 3 premiere, then followed-up with separate visits. Laurie Holden, who stars as strong-willed “Andrea,” called the maze “scarier than the show.” “The Walking Dead: Dead Inside” maze is based on the Golden Globe-nominated hit television series and features “walkers” and props cast from the show’s original molds. Hershel’s walker-laden barn and such menacing characters as well-walker, bicycle-girl and deer-eater also infiltrate the maze. Universal Studios collaborated with the show’s creators to create an authentic, true-to-the-series experience.