VoteNumber1.com Forum

New AOR release...4 stars

ron — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:01:13 GMT

For those who love AOR music, this is the 2nd & 3rd 4 star review I have read for this new release. Worth buying maybe.
http://www.melodic.net/latestReviews.asp#8185
http://ytsejam.com/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=1637

Forum: Music Forum

Bono says"rock might be over"

ron — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:48:45 GMT

wow...I guess the last album didn't do so hot
http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/musictoob/24973/rock-n-roll-might-be-over-saysu2/

Forum: Music Forum

Paranormal Activity

ratattack1 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:27:59 GMT

So, anyone else see this yet?? I LOVE the paranormal stuff, and this was good, but not jump outta your seat good, like the commercials, come on....Actually, since I really like the supernatural and have followed up on stuff for like 15 years or more, I thought it was a bit unbelievable...in terms of the way they approached it, especially HER....

But I DID get the chills, many times.....Maybe I was waiting for something SO SCARY, I'd talked myself out of actually GETTING scared. Anyway, worth a rental.....

Good story though, and since I really believe that stuff is possible, THAT'S what made it good.....

Forum: Movie Forum

Get Your ' F I X ' On Bon Jovi # 106

JoviFever — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:11:17 GMT

Welcome Jovi Friends!!

Forum: Music Forum

Is it just me...?

buffypython — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:43:41 GMT

Or has Family Guy really hit the fan lately? I used to love it, but now it's either very-offensive toward Christians in untrue or pointless ways, or just plain not funny. I've heard other people (not on the forum) say this too, but I was wondering if anyone else agrees with me.

Forum: The Other Side

"Fool in the rain" vs "Rosanna" beat...interesting

ron — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:21:41 GMT

Looks like Jeff Pocaro took some of Bonham's master shuffle beat from "Fool in the rain" for "Rosanna"
here is the "Fool in the rain" shuffle beat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14GYov0EdyQ

here is the "Rosanna" shuffle beat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwFdExvCxM4

Forum: Music Forum

Milk

buffypython — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:33:08 GMT

An excellent source of calcium! Oh, wait, ... the other Milk.

I just saw this movie on HBO Saturday night. I didn't have high hopes for it(gay Sean Penn seemed odd to me), but there was nothing else on so I watched it. It was great! Mind you, there are a few sort of sex-scenes in it (butt-slapping to be more precise) with James Franco and Penn () but it's a very informed and touching movie. There's actually a good plot behind it and it's pretty easy to understand. From the very beginning, you're told basically what'll happen in the end. Some moments smelled a bit of "this-didn't-actually-happen-in-Milk's-life-&-was-just-added-for-emotion" but I don't know anything about Harvey Milk's life except for what the movie told me, so I can't be completely objective.

There are occassionally actual news clips of news coverage from the 70s of the gay rights movement in America, with Sean Penn added in a-la Forrest Gump.

I was surprized to see a guy from High School Musical in it (the brother of Ashley Tisdale) but he didn't have a huge part. I think just about anyone who isn't absolutely against being gay would like this movie. Even I, a person who isn't entirely sure what to think about some gay rights, was touched and moved by Milk. I'd recommend it to anyone, except the kids (butt-slapping and vulgarities abound).

Did anyone else see this?

Forum: Movie Forum

Lyric Switcheroos

buffypython — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:50:51 GMT

I've seen this a whole lot with Bo Rhap, but I figure other songs get this royal treatment, too. Basically what happens is that a song's lyrics are changed (occassionally keeping some of the same word endings) to fit a genre, series, etc. I was wondering if anyone has any good examples of this, created by oneself or someone else.

In case anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about, I've provided an example: http://shirt.woot.com/friends.aspx?k=10098 Note how some of the words are either pretty much the same (Mummy instead of Momma) or rhyme with the original word (overtime instead of all the time). There's probably a hundred of these out in the ether.

Has anyone seen examples of lyric-switching in other songs?

Forum: Music Forum

Law abiding citizen- review

ron — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:00:29 GMT

Thought this movie was very good. There wasn't 1 part where I was bored as it had constant action and you didn't know what was coming and when. It was basically about a guy (Gerard Butler) who watched his wife and daughter get killed and went on a rampage to get revenge against the killers and the law itself for letting 1 of the killers go free. Some parts were pretty gory so not for the faint of heart. I would definitely recommend it...I give it an A-

Forum: Movie Forum

Dream Theater

Jared — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:54:34 GMT

I love these guys....

Anna Lee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Iyn0wsGSE

A Rite of Passage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYYEcIf0QP8

Take The Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjcfQDgxzoU

I would post more, but I'm at school right now and I'm about to go to my next class.

Forum: Music Forum

Lyrical Connections Game

buffypython — Thur, 22 Oct 2009 19:34:25 GMT

Just figured I'd spice up the game-market. In this game, you post part of the lyrics of 1 song and the next person connects the last part of those lyrics with another song's lyrics and so on. I'm not sure how easy/hard this is going to be, but I think it might be fun.

For example:
We Are The Champions/Innuendo
"We are the champions my friend/ And we'll keep on fighting til the end of time/ Through the sorrow all through our splendour/ Don't take offence at my innuendo."

The 1st, red lyrics that weren't the same were from... well, duh. Once I get to the lyrics that are the same in both songs, I put those lyrics in purple. Then, the 2nd, blue lyrics that weren't the same were from Innuendo by Queen.

You can pick whatever colors you want, but I think it's best to use different colors for different parts to let people know where the connection is, in case someone doesn't know the lyrics. Try to put the name of both songs either before or after the lyrics.

Let me know if this sounds like a good game or not.

Forum: Music Forum

Viewfinder...?

buffypython — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:21:00 GMT

I guess this could go under the Queen thread because it's somewhat related to Brian May, but I'm gonna be crazy and post it here:

Does anyone remember a kind of square, small, plastic, box-like thing with 2 places to look into (1 for each eye) that had picture sets that you clipped into it? There was a lever on the side that you'd pull and that would switch the picture to another one. It's hard to describe what I'm talking about and I forget the name of it since I haven't used one since I was a kid.

The reason I'm wondering this is because I think this might have been a stereoscopic thingy, not unlike those "OWL" things Brian's making for his new book. I can't remember if the images were stereoscopic or not, but I just figured this would either be interesting, nostalgic,...or plain old boring.

Forum: The Other Side

GOD vs. Science

buffypython — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:21:10 GMT

First off, I would like to say that I got this from a Facebook friend and I don't even know if she wrote it. Also, it is awesome!

GOD vs. Science

A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, 'Let me explain the problem science has with religion' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely.'

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes.'

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent.

'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'

'Er...yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student falters. 'From God'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'

'Yes.'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the20principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him.'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not.'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sens ory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes.'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

At the back of the room another student stands quietly for a moment before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

'Yes,' the professor replies. 'There's heat.'

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees.'

'Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have o r transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word.'

'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'

'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'

'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.'

The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class br eaks out into laughter.

'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.'

'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'

Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'

The professor sat down.

Forum: The Other Side

Behind The Music: Why Small Venues Struggle To Put On Gigs

Han — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:10:05 GMT

I found this really interesting. I didn't realise that the licensing laws in this country had such an impact on new music. From http://www.theunsignedguide.com/

"Behind The Music: Why Small Venues Struggle To Put On Gigs

It's no wonder there is a decline in pubs and restaurants hosting live music the 2003 Licensing Act is incredibly confusing, costly and unnecessarily bureaucratic

Making a noise ... The Spotted Dog in Birmingham.

The Musicians' Union is organising a demonstration next Thursday with the actors' union, Equity, in London's Parliament Square. The event is being held on the same day that parliament is holding a debate on licensing and live entertainment, and the MU wants the government to rethink the 2003 Licensing Act in an effort to stop the decline in venues hosting live music.

It used to be that artists toured to promote their albums. These days, because of the decline in revenue from recordings, artists are being advised to release albums to promote their tours. But before bands can play arenas, they first need to hone their craft in small venues. Most jazz and folk artists (and many singer-songwriters) often rely solely on playing bars and restaurants.

But after attending a MusicTank meeting on Tuesday, which featured Andrew Stud (chief inspector of the Metropolitan Police), Lord Tim Clement-Jones (spokesman for culture, media and sport) and the managing director of the Noise Abatement Society, I'm amazed that so many venues manage to put on live music at all.

The Licensing Act is incredibly confusing, costly and bureaucratic with copious forms for the venue/promoter to fill out. Everyone on the panel, including the Met, agreed with that. The widely debated Risk Assessment form 696 even requires promoters to submit personal details, including the addresses and birth dates, of the artists performing (after public opposition, the question on what genre of music would be performed has been dropped, as it was said to unfairly target "urban" music). The Met says it's "in the interest of public order and the prevention of terrorism". Stud claimed that not all venues need to fill out form 696, but many promoters and venue owners I spoke to said that they'd been told differently by the local police and council. This supports Lord Clement-Jones's statement that the Act is open to widely different interpretations by local authorities.

I don't doubt that some gigs and club nights attract people intent on causing trouble, but it could be argued that there's a higher risk of violence at a football match, or when rival teams watch a match on a pub TV. Yet there's no requirement to submit personal details of the players ahead of live football matches and pubs don't need a license to show games.

The government has already rejected recommendations by the DCMS Select Committee to exempt venues with a capacity of 200 people or fewer from having to get a licence. Stud says: "If we set a number like that, all venues would claim they have a 199 capacity. And if we exempted jazz, everyone would call themselves jazz musicians."

In St Albans, the result of this is that 81% of restaurants now have no authorisation for live music. The council has also imposed conditions that restrict the frequency of gigs in 53% of the pubs that do have licences. Some pubs and restaurants even have restrictions on the type of music being performed. The council's licensing conditions also restrict busking, morris dancing and choral music.

But let's say, despite all of these obstacles, you've managed to get a licence then you're home safe, right? Kent Davis, the landlord of Birmingham's Rainbow venue, would argue otherwise. After getting a noise complaint from just one neighbour, the Rainbow and the adjacent Spotted Dog pub received a noise abatement order.

Despite installing a sound-insulation roof, they were caught up in a year-long legal dispute, because of one complaint. And when they attempted to organise a street event to raise the 30k needed to install the roof, they were denied a licence for that.

Both the Rainbow and the Spotted Dog were hosting live music before the housing development across the street existed. As a regular pointed out: "You can't move next door to a farm and then not expect the smell of manure."

Davis agrees: "There is something wrong when all the other tenants said they moved into the area because of the vibrant nightlife and support the right for the Rainbow to host gigs - yet, their view doesn't count at all in the face of one complainant. We were hoping for some form of mediation, but the council was only interested in enforcement."

Fortunately, the Rainbow story ends happily. After media attention, Facebook petitions and support from artists, the roof is almost finished. The one complainant has moved out of the area, and the venue can continue to host gigs. But how many venue owners have the energy and money to fight like Davis did?

As I was leaving the meeting, someone told me that Patti Smith had done an impromptu gig on the pavement outside the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition opening next door, while our licensing debate was raging. Under the current Licensing Act they'd have to have a licence for that."

Forum: Music Forum

Couples Retreat review

ron — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:27:50 GMT

Thought it was pretty funny but could have been funnier. There were some laugh out loud parts like the yoga instructor explaining what to do but overall, was expecting to laugh more. Vince Vaughn was great...his voice is just funny in itself. The place they went to had to be Fiji because they had those rooms right in the ocean.
I would go see it...give it a B-

Forum: Movie Forum