Archive for May, 2010

Opera Music

Opera Music Produces the Best Singers.

I am a fan of most kinds of music, but with our local opera festival drawing closer and the thought of Don Giovanni on my brain, I have been thinking a lot more about opera music lately and how talented opera singers truly are. I remember reading a biography of the great operatic tenor Jose Carreras and learning how about how much he practiced singing. He would spend hours every day at his craft, sometimes singing so long that he lost his voice.

I started to think about opera music compared to other types of music at that point, and realized that opera singers are far and away the best singers in the world. The way that I was able to figure this out was by comparing my experiences at the opera with recordings of opera, and comparing opera to other genres of music that I have heard live and recorded.
What I discovered about opera music is that its singers sound almost the same whether they are performing live or on a recording. They have beautiful and powerful voices that fill the concert hall, all as they’re acting out a role on the stage.

In musical styles like rock n’ roll and country-western, the singers have nice voices, and that is certainly part of what makes them appealing, but their recorded voices sound much sharper and cleaner than their voices sound live. I am not sure why opera music produces the best singers, but I have a few ideas. First, with country and rock artists, they are usually writing their own songs. Not only do they have to perform them, but they also have to write the lyrics and create the music for them.

With opera music, singers do have to worry about acting out their performances, but they mainly focus their effort on singing. I think another thing that distinguishes opera singers is that they tend to study music, learning music theory and how to understand chord progressions and so forth a lot more than rock or country singers do. I think that those things certainly help.

Opera singers certainly enjoy what they are doing, but I think they go into it knowing that a career in opera is what they want, whereas a rock artist or country singer would probably love to make a living as a musician in a band, but their happiness does not necessarily depend on that happening.

Whatever the reason, I do still believe that opera music produces the best singers. With the opera festival just a few months aways, I am really excited about going to see some of my favorite operas and hearing the beautiful music. I love all kinds of music, but there is definitely something special about opera.

Italian Cooking Recipes

Italian Cooking Recipes Are Still My Favorite!

Italian food is my favorite of any cuisine in the world, and the Italian cooking recipes I have are still my favorites of all the different dishes I make on a regular basis. They are usually simple, quick, and most important, absolutely delicious.
When I was in university, I dated an Italian girl who loved to cook, so it was pretty much a match made in heaven. She had scads of Italian cooking recipes that her family actually brought from the old country, and I was the lucky recipient of many of those dishes.

My absolute favorite was veal parmesan. That is still my favorite meal of all, and I ask for it every birthday. The only problem is that nobody I know makes it the way that I do, because I got it from my girlfriend’s Italian cooking recipes and basically had it down to a fine art.
I soon realized that I had to learn how to cook all of the meals that I was enjoying on a regular basis, because they were all so delicious, and from what I could tell, they did not look that difficult to prepare.

You can find many italian regional recipes in the Italy Travel Guide website.

I had taken some culinary classes in college, and I always seemed to have a knack for making Italian food and making it well. When I met my girlfriend and started looking at her recipes, I put the skills I had picked up in the classroom to good work and started pounding out things like lasagna, baked ziti and chicken parmesan.

I loved the simplicity of the Italian cooking recipes, and when I was preparing a meal with my girlfriend, we always had so much fun. She would often tell me about the history of the foods that we were making and where they came from in Italy.

She also told me that one of my favorite Italian dishes, fettuccine alfredo, was not Italian at all, but Italian-American. As the story goes, an Italian-American chef in New York City was trying to make his pregnant wife something to eat that would not upset her stomach, and stumbled upon the dish, which has become an American favorite.

As it turned out, I never ended up having to use any of the Italian cooking recipes that I had so arduously studied and committed to memory, because, well, I married my Italian girlfriend and we have been together for more than 20 years.
We still get together at least once a week to cook, and we still have as much fun as we ever did. We do like all kinds of food, but Italian is still our favorite, and Italian cooking recipes are still the ones I enjoy the most.

Top List of Oscar Winners

Top List of Oscar Winners from Foreign Countries

It goes to reason that most of the great oscar winners of all time have been from the United States of America. After all, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is based and headquartered in Beverly Hills (on La Cienega Blvd.). What many people do not realize is that there have been many fine actors who hailed from other countries around the world.

Heath Ledger, an Aussie, won best actor posthumously in 2009 for his phenomenal portrayal of the deranged Joker in The Dark Knight, a Batman movie unlike any other ever made. It was sad and ironic that after a short but brilliant career, Ledger would win the award but not live to receive it. It was a clean sweep that year for foreign Oscar winners as British born actress Kate Winslet (Titanic) won Best Actress for her role as a German woman who seduces a boy and is later found to have ties to the Nazis and tried as a collaborator. She also won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a SAG award the same year.

In 2008 Marion Cottilard from France joined the growing list of foreign Oscar winners when she won Best Actress for her electrifying performance as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. Also in 2008 another Australian, the actress Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress honors for her role as the besieged Queen in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Spanish born hunk Javier Bardem won Best Supporting Actor in the ultra violent No Country for Old Men, which also won Best Picture.

Back in 2003, another Australian actress, the lovely Nicole Kidman, won Best Actress in The Hours. Another of the Oscar winners that same year was Welsh born Catherine Zeta-Jones who won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Chicago, the musical, where she portrayed Velma Kelly.

More Oscar winners that are not from the U.S. include Jim Broadbent who won Best Actor in 2003 for a foreign film that nobody saw called Iris, and 2002 saw New Zealander Russel Crowe win Best Actor honors for the film everyone saw, Gladiator.

It also won for Best Picture that year. Best Supporting actor in 2002 went to the versatile Puerto Rican actor, Benicio del Toro, who wowed audiences in 2010 as The Wolfman. In 2002 British actor Michael Caine finally joined the ranks of Oscar winners when he won Best Supporting Actor for his role as the loving doctor in the poignant Cider House Rules, a great movie.

Over the years, many foreign born actors and actresses have been counted as Oscar winners and you can expect the same in years to come. The U.S. has no lock on the chances of winning this award, no matter where they originated.

Irish Coffee Cream

What Exactly Makes it Irish Coffee Cream?

As an Irish American and a coffee drinker, I sometimes get asked about Irish coffee cream, and whether it is actually Irish. I don’t really know how to answer this, because I don’t really understand the question, and most of the time, I don’t believe that those who are asking understand it, either.

For instance, I will ask if they mean that Irish coffee cream is actually from Ireland or made with Irish ingredients, whatever those may be. Most of the time when I ask those questions, I will get a, Well, you know what I mean.î

The truth of the matter is that I don’t know what they mean, and what is more, I don’t know a whole lot about Irish coffee cream in the first place. I have always preferred amaretto or hazelnut flavored coffee cream to other kinds.

I began to realize two things. First, it seemed as though people automatically assumed that because I am an Irish American, I must know all about Irish coffee cream. The second thing was that they probably didn’t mean anything by it, but were just trying to make conversation, and that maybe I should stop being so sensitive about the issue.
One of my favorite encounters, after all, and a story that I love to tell whenever the right opportunity presents itself, is of a woman who once told me, You know, I like Lucky Charms cereal, but you must really like it!
I just about died laughing when she said that, and I decided to take the same sort of attitude when it came to Irish coffee cream.

I would make up stories about its origins and say that it came from Irish cows that were cared for by leprechauns and only grazed in pastures of four-leaf clovers. Usually, people would realize very quickly that I was teasing them, and hopefully that their question about Irish coffee cream was silly, and that would be the end of it for a while.
I don’t believe that stereotypes are funny, and they can be downright hurtful. I also don’t believe, however, that the best way to deal with stereotypes is to be angry about them all the time. I really believe that you are clever enough when somebody is making an assumption about you, you can defuse the situation and make the person realize what they are doing without creating a scene.

I honestly don’t know that much about Irish coffee cream. I have had it before, I thought that it was OK, and then went back to the other kinds that I prefer. I think the next time I am asked about it, I will just be honest and say that it is not one of my favorites, but some people like it a lot.

Honeymoon Vacation Packages

Honeymoon Vacation Packages As Gifts

If you really want to do something special for the bride and groom to be, and you know they are low on funds, see if you can find some great options for honeymoon vacation packages to give them as a gift. This is not something that everyone can do, of course, as these packages are not cheap, but if you can afford it, this can be one of the nicest things that you can do for a young couple as they start their life together.

Those that do not end up taking honeymoons when they are married often look back with regret. If you have the cash, you still want to get a good deal and make sure they are going to have a good time. Look around before you buy.

Some honeymoon vacation packages are better than others. Sometimes, you can be downright deceived when it comes to what you think you are getting and the reality of the trip. Some have found great deals only to discover that paying a little more for something else would have made the difference between a great honeymoon and a laughable memory.

Some companies take honeymoons very seriously, but others just want to expand their bottom line. They are not concerned with return or satisfied customers, so they only have to trick you once.

Searching for honeymoon vacation packages brings up many different options. You can go just about anywhere in the world. Some areas are known for wedding and honeymoon resorts in the US and around the world. In the US, you can expect to find packages for Niagara Falls and the Poconos in PA, or worldwide, you may find great deals in Paris, France, or in any of the exotic islands south of the US known as great honeymoon detestation spots. There are great deals to be had, but watch out and know that sometimes, you only get what you pay for.

If the honeymoon vacation packages that you find are for well-known resorts and hotels, you may not have to worry about the condition of the property. However, if you are looking for something, and find a like-resort nearby at a much cheaper price, you may want to investigate before you decide to go with the cheaper and lesser known option.

Sometimes, these other options are run down, out dated, and barely operating. You don’t want your new couple faced with a nightmare instead of the dream honeymoon you were hoping to give them.

Before you buy, look around for reviews and real pictures of resorts, hotels, and other honeymoon spots. The price of the honeymoon vacation packages you find could be great deals, but you really want to be sure. Look off of the web site for the destination for real reviews by real people. Look for multiple honeymoon review sites and don’t stop looking until you are sure the destination you are choosing is a good one.

You want your gift to be remembered forever as a great and thoughtful start to a new life together.

Video Because You Loved Me of Celine Dion with lyrics

Video about Celine Dion – Because You Loved Me Lyrics HI! I use program ProShow Gold for my video.

Independent Film Making

Independent Film Making is Facing a Rocky Road.

Hollywood has had a stranglehold on movie making since the early 20th century but since the late 60s more and more mavericks have taken independent film making to greater heights. Movies like Putney Swope and The Graduate were innovative when they were first released and paved the way for future generations of independent film making students and directors. Who can forget the young, fresh-faced Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate? This movie not only introduced us to Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft but also brought us the great song from Simon and Garfunkel Mrs. Robinson.

We also got to see a young star named Jon Voight play a lost and lonely character in Midnight Cowboy. These are movies that Hollywood was just incapable of making back in the sixties. It took some cinematic rebels to take independent film making techniques and make these films then fight for them until they got widespread distribution.

Distribution is still the key to getting any movie seen by audiences at theatres, though the methods of distribution are changing. International distribution is still controlled largely by the big Hollywood studios. They have locked up contracts with all of the top theater chains around the world. That is why you always see studio movies playing at the local multiplex and rarely any independent offerings except at small art house theaters in big cities.

Even when independent film making results in a great movie, the distributors are usually the art house subsidiaries of the big studios such as Fox Searchlight. Other art house subs have vanished when Paramount shut down Paramount Vantage, or when Time Warner shut down Warner Independent. The economic trouble is felt very strongly by indie film makers all over the world as the meltdown of indie distributors continues. Only 11 indie film distributors remain from the 38 official ìfront endî art house affiliates of the majors since 2007. There are still some die hards like Think Films but many are in free fall and will disappear unless something radical happens soon.

In the past few years independent film making has had some major successes. When Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture at the 2009 Academy Awards it came as a shock, but not a complete shock. Other independent films had paved the way for this over the previous years. Movies like The English Patient, Little Miss Sunshine, Sideways and many others.

The Blair Witch Project was a great example of successful independent film making gone right. New Line picked it up at one of the festivals and that movie which was made on a miniscule budget went on to make several hundred millions of dollars in worldwide profits.

Independent film making today faces its most difficult challenge ever in the face of the economic problems in the world. We are in danger of losing this much needed industry and people need to get out and support independent film making by paying to see these movies when they come to theaters.

Buy metal CDs

Metal CDs Are Still Big Sellers.

When I was a youngster, my family and I would got to a place called Trader’s Village about once a month and shop for a variety of things: house decorations, appliances and pretty much everything else under the sun. My favorite reason to go there was because of the large collection of heavy metal CDs this one little store always seemed to have.

I never will forget that the first of the many metal CDs I ever bought was Metallica’s And Justice for All. I loved that album, and I would listen to it over and over again, as I did when I had first bought the album on cassette. The beautiful part about having it on a compact disc was that I never had to worry about it wearing out.

I went on to purchase several more metal CDs by Metallica, along with Guns n’ Roses, Pantera, Anthrax and several other bands, but as time went by and tastes in music changed, it appeared that heavy metal seemed to lose some steam in popularity. I would hear about the hottest new pop sensation or hip hop artist, but rarely about heavy metal, unless of course, it was one of those bands I had listened to, especially Metallica.

I went to a music store the other day, however, and I saw the heavy metal section was full of metal CDs of bands of which I had never even heard. From what some of the younger people standing around were saying, though, metal CDs are still pretty popular.

I began talking to them and asking them about heavy metal and whether they liked it, and they said they did and most of their friends were into it, as well. I started mentioning some of my metal CDs, and while they said they respected those bands for getting things started, they were a bit too ìold school for their taste.
I then went over and talked to the store owner, and he told me that he regularly had people buy metal CDs and said he actually would have to say that it was one of the stores’ more popular sections. I don’t know if it was just a matter of me being out of touch, but I have to say that I left the store quite surprised.
It makes me feel good to know that metal CDs are still big sellers and that heavy metal itself is alive and well with a strong following among the listening public. It was a major part of my childhood and teenage years and something I look back on with great joy, and I hope that it will continue on for years and years to come.

Mexican Food Recipes

The Mexican Food Recipes Are Surprisingly Similar.

Being from Texas, I have practically grown up on Mexican food, and I absolutely love it more than anything else. What I have found over the years, however, is that Mexican food recipes are surprisingly similar in that many of the dishes use essentially the same ingredients.
Tacos are probably my favorite food off all. I have liked them since I was a little kid, when I would ask for them every year for my birthday dinner, and nothing has really changed. I still ask for them regularly, and they are quite simple in concept. All they require is ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, seasoning and taco shells or tortillas.

They are easy to make and taste delicious, just as many Mexican food recipes are. When I started to think about all of the Mexican dishes that I really like, however, I started to notice a very similar trend. Nearly every meal that I like is some variation of those ingredients, with a few more added in here and there.
Burritos, for instance, are ground beef, cheese, seasoning, tortillas and refried beans. If you like them this way, you can add potatoes, but for the most part, the ingredients are the same for burritos as they are for tacos with the exception of beans. Then there are tostadas, which I also love. These are basically a cross between a taco and a burrito. This recipe calls for a tostada shell, which is basically a flat taco shell, along with ground beef, cheese, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and seasoning.

Tortillas are a staple in most Mexican food recipes, as are beans. I have found that with one of my favorite foods, enchiladas, they typically use a different type of tortilla than some other recipes, in that they include corn tortillas. However, the ingredients still include beef and cheese in most cases, or in some cases, chicken.
I also am a big fan of flautas, which basically are tortillas wrapped around beef or chicken and then deep fried. It’s probably not the best thing for your heart, but they are pretty tasty nonetheless.

I love the fact that Mexican food recipes are so simple in terms of ingredients, and yet so flavorful. Mexican restaurants are probably the most popular in the state of Texas, and I feel very fortunate that one can find really good Mexican food pretty much everywhere.
Mexican food recipes are part of my family’s regular cuisine, even though we are an Irish-American family. It is hard not to fall in love with Mexican food once you have had it, and with such a great variety of meals that can be made from such a small group of ingredients, it is impressive, too.

List of the horror movies

List of Horror Movies that Don’t Suck.

Horror movies have always been the favorite genre of many movie aficionados around the world. Unfortunately horror movies don’t get the respect from film critics that other genres get. It is extremely difficult to make a really good and scary horror movie. The list of horror movies that are actually any good is not very long. Slasher movies tried to replace horror movies about twenty years ago but those are not real horror movies.

On any list of horror movies that donít suck you will find some truly frightening films. Here is my list of horror movies that are worth watching.

Rosemary’s Baby may be a bit dated now and may not give you the kind of chills it did when it first came out, but it is still one of the really great atmospheric movies ever made and still can creep you out. Psycho may have been the first slasher movie but it is a true horror picture and has all the gothic trademarks of great horror films plus a dangerous and cheesy contemporary setting that everyone who has ever stayed at a roadside motel can attest to.
The Exorcist of course is still at the pinnacle on anyone’s list of horror movies that don’t suck. If you have never seen it, then you need to drop anything and everything that you are doing and go buy it right now. Put it on your big flat screen tonight and watch it with someone else that has never seen it. It is still the most unsettling and deeply frightening film ever made by a longshot and will keep you awake for many nights to come. This movie is definitely not for young children and not for the faint of heart. It is extremely brutal and very disturbing.

The Blair Witch Project was perhaps the greatest grossing film of all time in any genre because it cost so little to make and yet made hundreds of millions of dollars. Using handheld shaky cameras the film is a mock documentary about a group of students filming a documentary on the famous Blair Witch in the Maryland forest. The three students get lost deep in the forest and encounter some truly terrifying things out there. Without spoiling it you need to stick with this one until the very end.
The 2009′s Blair Witch Project was a little indie film called Paranormal Activity and is about a suburban couple that find their San Diego house haunted by an evil demon (are there any other kinds?) and they again use handheld cameras and night vision cameras to film the ghostly situations.

This is a movie that begins slowly but builds to a shocking final act. This picture joins our list of horror movies that don’t suck because it will truly terrify you!