Women love romantic comedies. That's why the writers, producers, directors, and actors make so many romantic comedy films. The romantic comedy is almost a sure money-making project. Romantic comedies are called "chick flicks." The term lumps romantic comedies together with films that explore emotions or relationships of all kinds that particularly appeal to those of the female persuasion.
"Chick flick" is not really a fair assessment of all romantic comedies. Many romantic comedies are filmed with a larger audience in mind.
However, "chick flick" is an absolutely fair description of the basic romantic comedy. In the basic story line of a romantic comedy, boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, and boy and girl are reunited to live "happily ever after." That IS a chick flick!
There are lots of variations of the basic romantic comedy story line, of course. Sometimes the "girl" chooses a supporting actor rather than the leading man, but that scenario is always in the best interest of both "the boy" and "the girl." Many romantic comedy plots center on marriage, and the remarriage theme is becoming more often used today.
Hey, even Shakespeare saw the romantic comedy as a cash cow. Look at "Much Ado About Nothing" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" — see what I mean?
Romantic comedy has emigrated from the big screen to the small screen. Television programming now includes a great many romantic comedies. Some examples of television comedies based romantic comedy premises are: "Sex in the City," "Ally McBeal," "Private Practice," "Grey's Anatomy,"Cashmere Mafia," "Lipstick Jungle," and "Men in Trees."
Will Hollywood keep cranking out romantic comedies? You bet! And television will be including more and more of them in prime-time programming for one simple reason — they make money!
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Musical Comedy
"Musical" is a general term that describes a play or a movie that tells a simple story with the use of dialogue as well as music and dance. "Musical Comedy" means the musical is funny.
George M. Cohan is generally given credit for introducing the musical comedy to the world. In the early 1900s, Cohan, with a touch of undeniable genius, combined the stage play and the operetta to create a new genre called the musical comedy.
Cohan used characters that were stereotypes of people that were easily recognized (a jockey, an ex-boxer, a U.S. Senator, a superpatriot, a manufacturer, etc.). Then he told a simple story in dialogue and song. His plays were set in a world where good always wins over evil and the boy always gets the girl. "Little Johnny Jones" and "45 Minutes from Broadway" are two good examples of the way that Cohan blended two distinct forms of entertainment to make an entirely new form, that was most definitely AMERICAN.
All of the Cohan plays have a touch of patriotism in them — some more than just a touch. Cohan loved to wrap an American flag around himself and run up and down the stage singing the praises of country and flag. National pride was always there alongside the brashness, high-energy, definitely sexist plots of the Cohan musical comedies.
Political correctness never entered Cohan's mind, and neither did relevancy or realism. Cohan lived in an era where America had high hopes and the future seemed bright. His musical comedies reflect that general attitude of the country at the time. They were light, airy, and just plain fun. They were certainly entertaining.
The musical comedy has, of course, changed over the years. Maybe it grew up, or maybe it just grew old. There hasn't been a musical comedy written in years that even comes close to the standards set by George M. Cohan.
George M. Cohan is generally given credit for introducing the musical comedy to the world. In the early 1900s, Cohan, with a touch of undeniable genius, combined the stage play and the operetta to create a new genre called the musical comedy.
Cohan used characters that were stereotypes of people that were easily recognized (a jockey, an ex-boxer, a U.S. Senator, a superpatriot, a manufacturer, etc.). Then he told a simple story in dialogue and song. His plays were set in a world where good always wins over evil and the boy always gets the girl. "Little Johnny Jones" and "45 Minutes from Broadway" are two good examples of the way that Cohan blended two distinct forms of entertainment to make an entirely new form, that was most definitely AMERICAN.
All of the Cohan plays have a touch of patriotism in them — some more than just a touch. Cohan loved to wrap an American flag around himself and run up and down the stage singing the praises of country and flag. National pride was always there alongside the brashness, high-energy, definitely sexist plots of the Cohan musical comedies.
Political correctness never entered Cohan's mind, and neither did relevancy or realism. Cohan lived in an era where America had high hopes and the future seemed bright. His musical comedies reflect that general attitude of the country at the time. They were light, airy, and just plain fun. They were certainly entertaining.
The musical comedy has, of course, changed over the years. Maybe it grew up, or maybe it just grew old. There hasn't been a musical comedy written in years that even comes close to the standards set by George M. Cohan.
Ballet
One of the first dance classes that children (especially girls) attend is ballet class. There's a reason. Ballet is all about disciplined movements. It's about full control of the body. Children who first attend ballet are more ready to move on to tap, jazz, acrobatics, etc.
Ballet was first seen during the late 15th century in Italy. Ballet was based upon a dance interpretation of fencing. Although ballet started in Italy, the language of ballet is most definitely French. The ballet spread from France throughout Europe, and by the mid 1800s ballet was well established in Denmark and Russia.
Ballet continues to evolve. Classical ballet is the most formal ballet technique, but there are variations of ballet according to the region of the world that the dancers come from.
The five best known styles of ballet are:
Russian Method Italian Method Danish Method New York City Ballet Method (American) Royal Academy of Dance Method (English)
Costuming is an essential part of most ballets. In general the "good" characters wear lighter colors and dance more smoothly and with more graceful movements. The "bad" characters usually wear darker colors and dance more aggressively.
Ballet tells a story without using words. The music (classical) and the movements of the ballet dancers are meant to convey the story line. Ballets often tell stories of intrigue, betrayal, heartbreak, and loss. They've even been known to subtlety make political statements.
The ballet season usually runs between September and March. Many ballet companies sell "season tickets" to ballets in much the same way sports teams sell season tickets to their events.
Ballet dancers are as strong and fit as athletes. It takes years and years of study to develop ballet techniques. Ballet is beautiful. It tells a story. Ballet is entertainment at its best.
Ballet was first seen during the late 15th century in Italy. Ballet was based upon a dance interpretation of fencing. Although ballet started in Italy, the language of ballet is most definitely French. The ballet spread from France throughout Europe, and by the mid 1800s ballet was well established in Denmark and Russia.
Ballet continues to evolve. Classical ballet is the most formal ballet technique, but there are variations of ballet according to the region of the world that the dancers come from.
The five best known styles of ballet are:
Russian Method Italian Method Danish Method New York City Ballet Method (American) Royal Academy of Dance Method (English)
Costuming is an essential part of most ballets. In general the "good" characters wear lighter colors and dance more smoothly and with more graceful movements. The "bad" characters usually wear darker colors and dance more aggressively.
Ballet tells a story without using words. The music (classical) and the movements of the ballet dancers are meant to convey the story line. Ballets often tell stories of intrigue, betrayal, heartbreak, and loss. They've even been known to subtlety make political statements.
The ballet season usually runs between September and March. Many ballet companies sell "season tickets" to ballets in much the same way sports teams sell season tickets to their events.
Ballet dancers are as strong and fit as athletes. It takes years and years of study to develop ballet techniques. Ballet is beautiful. It tells a story. Ballet is entertainment at its best.
Hollywood
Hollywood is to every facet of the entertainment industry what Wall Street is to the financial industry. It represents the very soul of the business. Movie-star hopefuls arrive by car, train, plane, and bus to Hollywood with stars in their eyes and dreams of greatness in their hearts every hour of the day and night, every day of the year!
Hollywood is known for making stars as well as for breaking hearts. If you "make it" in Hollywood, you "make it" in the entertainment business all over the world.
But Hollywood is what it is. It's the center of the entertainment industry. Broadway in New York City would like to claim to be the center of the entertainment industry. Perhaps Broadway was, but it no longer is! No, the soul of the entertainment industry went west a long time ago.
In 1853, one little lonely adobe hut stood on what we call Hollywood today; not a very grand beginning for the sparkle and shine that is there today. At first the Hollywood area was claimed by farmers. The ground was fertile and crops flourished. Hollywood was named for the "California Holly" (or Toyon) that covers the hills with clusters of bright red berries in the winter.
The movie industry was conceived when the Biograph Company from New York went to California to shoot a movie called "In Old California" in 1910. The company shot several more movies and eventually relocated. The rest, as they say, is history. The seeds were planted and the industry began to grow — and grow, and grow.
Hollywood at first was only interested in making movies, but it didn't take long for the area to embrace television when it came along either. Today, Hollywood sits at the very center of the entire entertainment industry — the uncontested queen of entertainment!
Hollywood is known for making stars as well as for breaking hearts. If you "make it" in Hollywood, you "make it" in the entertainment business all over the world.
But Hollywood is what it is. It's the center of the entertainment industry. Broadway in New York City would like to claim to be the center of the entertainment industry. Perhaps Broadway was, but it no longer is! No, the soul of the entertainment industry went west a long time ago.
In 1853, one little lonely adobe hut stood on what we call Hollywood today; not a very grand beginning for the sparkle and shine that is there today. At first the Hollywood area was claimed by farmers. The ground was fertile and crops flourished. Hollywood was named for the "California Holly" (or Toyon) that covers the hills with clusters of bright red berries in the winter.
The movie industry was conceived when the Biograph Company from New York went to California to shoot a movie called "In Old California" in 1910. The company shot several more movies and eventually relocated. The rest, as they say, is history. The seeds were planted and the industry began to grow — and grow, and grow.
Hollywood at first was only interested in making movies, but it didn't take long for the area to embrace television when it came along either. Today, Hollywood sits at the very center of the entire entertainment industry — the uncontested queen of entertainment!
Gambling
Lots of people gamble for entertainment. We have at least one entire city in the United States that is dedicated to gambling as an entertainment industry — Las Vegas — and many other cities have areas that are designated as gambling industry districts. Gambling is entertainment, of course, but gambling is also big business — very big business.
Government regulates the gambling industry much as it does alcohol, tobacco, and firearms. There are federal laws that regulate gambling, but there are also state and local laws that regulate gambling. State and local gambling laws regulate such activities as bookmaking, legal gambling, and sports betting.
Onsite betting at racetracks is always allowed, but off-track betting is closely regulated. Many states specifically forbid sports betting of any kind. Some states forbid gambling in any form.
Why do people like to gamble? Most will tell you that it is just the thrill of the possibility of success. They say that the POSSIBILITY of winning is more enticing than the winning itself.
Of course, like all things that are a lot of fun, there's also the possibility of gambling addiction. A gambling addition can destroy the lives of not only the gambler, but his entire family.
A national organization called "Gamblers Anonymous" operates on the same general principles of the national organization of Alcoholics Anonymous. Local chapters meet at various times and at various locations to help those who are addicted to gambling to deal with their gambling addiction. The gambling can be controlled, but the addiction is never cured.
Gambling IS fun! There's nothing wrong with an occasional trip to Las Vegas. You'll see lots of great live entertainment, and you'll get to gamble until you run out of money. As long as it doesn't become an addiction, there's nothing at all wrong with gambling for fun and entertainment!
Government regulates the gambling industry much as it does alcohol, tobacco, and firearms. There are federal laws that regulate gambling, but there are also state and local laws that regulate gambling. State and local gambling laws regulate such activities as bookmaking, legal gambling, and sports betting.
Onsite betting at racetracks is always allowed, but off-track betting is closely regulated. Many states specifically forbid sports betting of any kind. Some states forbid gambling in any form.
Why do people like to gamble? Most will tell you that it is just the thrill of the possibility of success. They say that the POSSIBILITY of winning is more enticing than the winning itself.
Of course, like all things that are a lot of fun, there's also the possibility of gambling addiction. A gambling addition can destroy the lives of not only the gambler, but his entire family.
A national organization called "Gamblers Anonymous" operates on the same general principles of the national organization of Alcoholics Anonymous. Local chapters meet at various times and at various locations to help those who are addicted to gambling to deal with their gambling addiction. The gambling can be controlled, but the addiction is never cured.
Gambling IS fun! There's nothing wrong with an occasional trip to Las Vegas. You'll see lots of great live entertainment, and you'll get to gamble until you run out of money. As long as it doesn't become an addiction, there's nothing at all wrong with gambling for fun and entertainment!
Tuesday 28 September 2010
Where can I find Jazz Magazines
Finding Jazz Education Magazines for Music Teachers
If you are looking for the latest in jazz education magazines for music teachers for you or for your school, you will find they are quite easy to locate. With very little research you will be able to find the magazine that is perfect to help you teach all about jazz music. You might now quite a bit already about jazz music but the jazz education magazines for music teachers will still help to guide you in trying new things or giving your old ways a boost with fresh ideas for teaching. When you are teaching a subject like music you get a lot of freedom to be creative and have fun with the lesson plans so a good educational magazine can help you a lot.
The kinds of things that jazz education magazines for music teachers cover will help you teach jazz music as well as other types of music to your class. You will be able to discuss with students the different jazz musicians that are working today as well as the history of jazz music and how it has evolved into the music they are learning to play in your classroom. Music education is a very important part of the education system and it is very critical that teachers have all of the resources they need to do their best and one of these resources is the jazz education magazines for music teachers.
There are many interesting articles and such in educational magazines that will interest both teachers and students of music. You will also find very interesting articles about jazz musicians that will probably interest you even if they are not necessarily related to teaching. You will also be able to read jazz education magazines for music teachers simply for the purpose of entertainment sometimes instead of always being concerned with teaching. Educational magazines have been an important for of helping teachers as well as students for many years now and they will continue to help for many years to come. It is easier and easier to get and use these magazines as resources with the online magazine options.
When you can get an e zine or online magazine you don’t have to worry about waiting for your magazines in the mail or the magazine not arriving in time to use it in a class, as long as you have computers in the class rooms then you will find online magazines are a useful tool for teaching music and many other types of classes in a school setting.
If you are looking for the latest in jazz education magazines for music teachers for you or for your school, you will find they are quite easy to locate. With very little research you will be able to find the magazine that is perfect to help you teach all about jazz music. You might now quite a bit already about jazz music but the jazz education magazines for music teachers will still help to guide you in trying new things or giving your old ways a boost with fresh ideas for teaching. When you are teaching a subject like music you get a lot of freedom to be creative and have fun with the lesson plans so a good educational magazine can help you a lot.
The kinds of things that jazz education magazines for music teachers cover will help you teach jazz music as well as other types of music to your class. You will be able to discuss with students the different jazz musicians that are working today as well as the history of jazz music and how it has evolved into the music they are learning to play in your classroom. Music education is a very important part of the education system and it is very critical that teachers have all of the resources they need to do their best and one of these resources is the jazz education magazines for music teachers.
There are many interesting articles and such in educational magazines that will interest both teachers and students of music. You will also find very interesting articles about jazz musicians that will probably interest you even if they are not necessarily related to teaching. You will also be able to read jazz education magazines for music teachers simply for the purpose of entertainment sometimes instead of always being concerned with teaching. Educational magazines have been an important for of helping teachers as well as students for many years now and they will continue to help for many years to come. It is easier and easier to get and use these magazines as resources with the online magazine options.
When you can get an e zine or online magazine you don’t have to worry about waiting for your magazines in the mail or the magazine not arriving in time to use it in a class, as long as you have computers in the class rooms then you will find online magazines are a useful tool for teaching music and many other types of classes in a school setting.
Why Switch To Free Online Music Magazines?
Why pay for something that is available to you for free? The idea seems silly when you put it that way, but people still are doing just that. When you look into all the possibilities for free online music magazines you will never buy a paper copy of a magazine ever again. Printed magazines are not all bad or anything but you will find the more you weigh the advantages and disadvantages of paper versus electronic, electronic wins a lot of the time. You may be asking, what are some advantages of free online music magazines?
The answer starts with one word, free, the idea of getting something free that you once paid for may seem foreign to you but it is something you will need to get used to if you are going to switch to free online music magazines as a substitute for printed magazines. The reason you can still have a good quality magazine and not have to pay for it is because the cost goes from, what ever it costs to print in both paper and ink, to zero because it is not printed. Sure there will still be some costs like for writers and photographers but the magazines still sell print copies and also sell advertisement space in their magazines.
One major advantage of reading a free online music magazine instead of a printed magazine is you will never again have to clean up all those slips of paper that fall out of the book every time you pick it up. Not sure about you but I hate those little slips of paper falling out every time I read the magazine. If you read your magazine outside you might be fined for doing so, if those paper slips fly away from you and go on to littler the streets. Seriously, the free online music magazines have all the same news, interviews, and music reviews that you will find in a traditional printed style magazine but without all the wasted paper and cost for printing.
You probably use your computer for everything already so why not make the switch over to electronic magazines instead of collecting all those magazines to have to burn or throw away later. If you really need the paper because you have a shortage of fire wood and only a wood burning furnace to heat your home then you may still need to buy printed magazines; however if you live in modern times where our heat is electric then you will have no problem sticking with free online music magazines.
The answer starts with one word, free, the idea of getting something free that you once paid for may seem foreign to you but it is something you will need to get used to if you are going to switch to free online music magazines as a substitute for printed magazines. The reason you can still have a good quality magazine and not have to pay for it is because the cost goes from, what ever it costs to print in both paper and ink, to zero because it is not printed. Sure there will still be some costs like for writers and photographers but the magazines still sell print copies and also sell advertisement space in their magazines.
One major advantage of reading a free online music magazine instead of a printed magazine is you will never again have to clean up all those slips of paper that fall out of the book every time you pick it up. Not sure about you but I hate those little slips of paper falling out every time I read the magazine. If you read your magazine outside you might be fined for doing so, if those paper slips fly away from you and go on to littler the streets. Seriously, the free online music magazines have all the same news, interviews, and music reviews that you will find in a traditional printed style magazine but without all the wasted paper and cost for printing.
You probably use your computer for everything already so why not make the switch over to electronic magazines instead of collecting all those magazines to have to burn or throw away later. If you really need the paper because you have a shortage of fire wood and only a wood burning furnace to heat your home then you may still need to buy printed magazines; however if you live in modern times where our heat is electric then you will have no problem sticking with free online music magazines.
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