Sunday, March 21, 2010

ARTURO EL REY - Book Review

This large (378 pages), fantasy-adventure novel should give best selling authors like Stephen King heavy competition. Fantastically interwoven with elements of King Arthur’s realm, including a little Arthurian romance, Arturo el Rey will keep the reader captivated.

The main character, Art Reyes, escapes gang life and joins the Marines – but when terrorists release the devastating plague, there was no government left to for him to serve. Survival of mankind is tentative at best, due to the drugged-up gangs of angry, distraught people attacking defenseless plague survivors. Brutality and recklessness have reduced the number of women, preserved food is dwindling, fuel is sparse while life-saving and pain-killing drugs are being consumed by stressed out survivors at an alarming rate.

One safe haven is created by a ruthless man who rules with an iron fist. In the meantime, Art struggles to find meaning in the haunting dreams that leave him with a feeling he has a purpose to fulfill. As he strives to find some balance between surviving the elements and violence and retaining freedom, Art accidentally discovers himself. Thrown into the position of leader and possibly the savior of civilization, Art battles rivalries and evil men.

I can quite safely say this is one of the better books that I have ever read. Joan Hall kept me captivated from page one and on. I felt torn when I had to set the book down and deal with life! An excellent read that I heartily recommend to anyone who enjoys the adventure and fantasy genre.

ISBN#: 1554102587
Author: Joan Upton Hall
Publisher: Zumaya Otherworlds

~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment – Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Artists Biographies on Film: Top Movies about Visual Artists

Visual artists biographies is a popular theme in the movie world. Moviemakers have always been fascinated by visual artists biographies, especially if it includes struggle with insanity, drug addiction or social conventions. In addition, it gives them an opportunity to depict original or resurrected artworks on the big screen.
Here you can read about some of the most interesting movies about visual artists biographies.
Lust for Life directed by Vincente Minnelli in 1952

Vincent Van Gogh biography had gained several cinematic adaptations. Lust for Life with Kirk Douglas as the struggling artist is one of the most notable. The movie is based on a best selling book by Irving Stone, who also authored The Agony and the Ecstasy about Michelangelo, which also had appeared on the silver screen.

If you are a fan of Van Gogh artwork, you would enjoy watching Last for Life, which features almost 200 of Van Goghs original paintings. However, if you are familiar with Kirk Douglas previous filmographic, seeing him as a tortured Dutch painter might take a little adjustment. Another recommended film about Van Gogh is Robert Altmans Vincent and Theo from 1990.

Surviving Picasso directed by James Ivory in 1996

Like Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso image made him an iconic figure outside the artistic circles. While Van Gogh symbolizes the self destructive, manic depressive artist who achieves success only after his death, Picasso represents the misanthropic and womanizer artist. Picasso infamous relationship with women is the focus of this Merchant and Ivory film. The story is told from the eyes of Picasso mistress Francoise Gilot and features only reproductions of Picasso works. With Anthony Hopkins talent and his physical resemblance to Picasso, Surviving Picasso manages to create an unflattering portrait of an artist as a cruel, self centered genius.

Girl with Pearl Earring directed by Peter Webber in 2003


Comparing to Van Gogh and Picasso, Vermeers biography is less known and less controversial. Therefore Girl with Pearl Earring is much more restrained and delicate. The movie focuses on a short period in Vermeers life in which he was painting the portrait of his young low class maid. Although Girl with Pearl Earring does not avoid filmic conventions by over dramatizing Vermeers painting process, the movie is worth watching if only for its artistic design, which success in evoking Vermeers perception of light and color.

Basquiat directed by Julian Schnabel in 1996

The most common critique against movies that deals with visual arts is the way they depict the creation process. Therefore, there were big expectations from Basquiat, which was directed by the celebrated painter Julian Schnabel. Schnabel did well in depicting Jean Michelle Basquiat rise and fall story in less the predictable manner we have seen millions time before. However, the only reason to watch Basquiat is David Bowie plays the role of Andy Warhol.

Frida directed by Julie Taymor in 2002

Like most of the visual artists who had their life story appear on the silver screen, Frida Kahlo carried an unusual biography, which includes bus accident, problematic marriage, and an affair with Leon Trotsky. Like Van Gogh, Picasso and Jackson Pollock, who was the subject of a biopic from 2000, Frida Kahlo was an icon long before Frida was released, but the 123 minutes film did help to strength her position as a feminist idol and probably the most famous woman painter of the 20 century. Frida tries its best to integrate Frida Kahlo life story with her painting and the result is very colorful and pleasant, but still does not stay far enough from the conventions of depicting artists on film.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Artist art restoration services

Photo restoration is the practice of restoring a photograph which has been spoiled or exaggerated by age.

Photo restoration may be effective in removing or masking the following defects:

1.Staining (such as yellowing) of the photographic document due to age and chemical reactions
2.Dust and hair observable on the photograph
3.Spots caused by bacteria or mold
4.Scratches or tears on the print
5.Discoloration of the publish due to fading

Playing around with the brightness and contrast controls will give a better restoration of photos. A lot of old photos are too contrast(y). Others are badly faded and can help from being darkened a little, or adding a bit of distinction. Really damaged photos that have a bad wrinkle or tear across the face can be moderately tricky, but if you are a bit creative, you can typically recover the image quite a bit.

1. Protect what’s left
2. Get it restored
3. Get two copies to avoid repetition of restoration process.
4. Share/Store the photos online

Photo Restorations can be done at FIREIA. Coming soon- Art section with online auction and Indie music and Gig(g) section.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Bacara el Preferido del Agente 007

El Agente 007 y su audacia con el juego continúan deslumbrando año tras año a sus sensuales compañeras en escena y derrotando a sus astutos enemigos.

El Bacara: El Juego preferido del clásico James Bond: Bacará y el Agente 007

El Bacará es el clásico juego de apuestas originado en Italia en el siglo 15 y es también característico del famoso espía 007. En cada escena lo identifican una elegancia y excelencia, que junto con su impecable Martini en mano y las apuestas en otra James Bond ha mantenido una leyenda desde su origen desde los años 50 hasta el presente. Es así como el espía ingles domina la versión francesa del juego Bacará llamada Chemin de Fer con gran talento y admiración.

Bacara siempre fue popular entre la alta sociedad, especialmente en el siglo 15, cuando surgió en Italia. Bacara significa cero en italiano y a lo largo de su expansión en diferentes países nuevas reglas y variaciones fueron inventadas y adaptadas como en Estados Unidos o en Francia el Chemin de Fer, o el denominado Juego de James Bond.

El juego consiste en el "Jugador" y la "Banca" el nombre que se la a las opciones de apuestas, estos son repartidos dos o tres cartas cada uno con el objetivo simple de llegar a 9 sin pasarse de el. Mientras tanto la banca decide según las reglas del juego cuando detener la jugada y los jugadores ya han debido apostar a cual de las dos Jugador o Banca ganara la mano. Los jugadores o el jugador apuesta y el que apuesta a la mano que gano el puntaje mas correcto, gana la mano. En la adaptación americana, el juego funciona en contra a la banca, mientras que en Chemin de Fer, los jugadores compiten el uno con el otro. Uno representa al jugador y el otro a la Banca.

En compañía del Chemin de Fer los libros de Ian Fleming junto a las adaptaciones en escena de James Bond, han deslumbrado por décadas las diferentes aventuras del espía, con ayuda de su impecable poder del juego y su atractivo estilo. Hasta su último estreno en el 2006 James Bond sigue disfrutando de la lujuria de las mesas verdes de los casinos junto a su cigarro y el su sensual compañera en acción. En el anio 1964, las novelas y capítulos de James Bond, fueron escritas por Kingsley Amis, John Pearson, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, y Charlie Higson. Tambien sus actores variaron comenzando con el conocido Sean Connery, siguiendo con Geroge Lazenby, Roger Moore, Tomothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan y Daniel Craig.

Si observas, es muy interesante ver la manera en que el Agente apuesta al juego y a su vez actúa y descubre los secretos que lo rodean con la misma rapidez, seguridad y astucia. Enlas películas de James Bond el juego Chemin de Fer transcurre en elegantes salas llenas de mujeres elegantes y hombres adinerados que detrás del juego tienen otros intereses por revelar. En la realidad el enlace entre el Bacará y El Agente 007 es de un acompañante fiel de aventuras secretas y emocionantes de mas de cinco décadas que hicieron de el una leyenda inolvidable que resurge de generación en generación.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Avnex Music Morpher Gold 3.0 – A Closer Look

Of all the features in Avnex Music Morpher Gold 3.0, the Editor contains a truly impressive collection of powerful and versatile audio tools. Let’s take an in-depth look at the various effects and filters built-in to this program. While most of them can be accessed on the fly in the Music Player and applied real time, these effects are only active during playback. To permanently alter your audio files you have to open them within the editor. You can work with one file or multiple files in multi-session mode.

What you can do. The selection is seemingly endless. There are 60 major filters and effects to work with. Plus support for Direct X and VST. That’s just the surface; let’s take a detailed look at the power contained within these modules. If you are familiar with basic audio terms, most of these modules will be familiar to you, but you may not have encountered such depth and precision available to you in one program. Here’s the detailed list of the AVnex Music Morpher Effects Library:

Voice Morphing
o Cher Modification - 10 presets 8 controls
o Frequency Morpher - 11 presets and a graphic interface
o Robot Voice - 9 presets 2 sliders
o Root Formant Mover - 8 presets 2 sliders
o Tempo Morpher - 11 presets one slider
o Voice LPC Pitch Changer - 6 presets one slider
o Voice Morpher - 16 presets 3 sliders
o Voice Extractor - 3 presets7 sliders
o Voice Remover - 3 presets 4 sliders
o Voice Extractor - 5 sliders
o Voice Remover - 5 sliders

Equalizers
o 2 order equalizer - 17 presets 10 sliders graphic control
o 4 order equalizer - 17 presets 10 sliders graphic control
o Graphic Equalizer - 13 presets 1 slider graphic control with 2 scales
o Linear Phase Equalizer - 17 presets 10 slides graphic control

Filters
o Low Bass Filter - 16 presets 3 slides graphic control
o High " " - 6 presets 3 slides graphic control
o Band " " - 8 presets 4 slides graphic control
o Band Reject Filter - 7 presets 3 sliders graphic control
o FIR Bass Filter - 16 presets 3 sliders graphic control

Volume
o Amplitude Morpher - 8 presets graphic control 2 scales 2 curves
o Auto Loudness - 12 presets 2 sliders
o Change Channel - 9 presets 2 sliders
o Constant - 2 settings
o Dynamics Morpher - 8 presets 2 sliders graphic control
o Fade In - 4 types 1 slider
o Fade Out - 4 types 1 slider
o Invert - 3 presets 2 settings
o Limiter - 16 presets 2 sliders
o Multiband Dynamics - 8 presets compression ratio/threshold graph
o Normalize - 6 presets 2 sliders
o Volume - 15 presets 2 sliders

Echo and Reverb
o Complex Delay - 14 presets 7 sliders
o Delay - 22 presets 5 sliders
o Mega Reverb - 15 presets 5 sliders
o PingPong - 12 presets 7 sliders
o Resonance - 6 presets 6 sliders
o Reverberation - 10 presets 7 sliders 3 line controls
o Stick Channels - 17 presets 9 sliders

Surround
o Pseudo Surround 12 presets 3 sliders
o Surround - 24 presets 2 sliders

Miscellaneous
o Beat Tracking - 50 presets 2 sliders import capable
o Chorus - 15 presets 4 sliders 5 options
o Chorus Plus - 11 presets 8 sliders
o Detonation - 14 presets 7 sliders
o Distortion - 5 presets 4 sliders
o Envelope Morpher - 10 presets 2 sliders graphic control
o Flanger - 8 presets 5 sliders sine/feedback control
o Hardcore Beat - 8 presets 7 sliders
o Karaoke - 4 presets 1 slider
o Music by Voice Morpher - 4 sliders file input option
o Noise Reduction - 9 presets 2 sliders
o Rhythm to Noise - 7 presets 24 sliders each with 4 waveform settings linear and log scales
o Spectral Peak Enhancer - 6 presets 3 sliders
o Squeak - 8 presets 5 sliders
o Tremolo - 7 presets 5 sliders
o Vibrato - 3 presets 3 sliders
o Vibrato Plus - 10 presets 2 sliders time/offset graph
o Wave - 16 presets 5 sliders 6 waveforms
o Wah Wah Filter - 10 presets 6 sliders 2 scales band filters

Have you ever seen a more comprehensive list of audio tools? This module alone sets Music Morpher Gold head and shoulders above the competition. Besides the ability to play almost any audio file and to morph them on the fly, beyond the amazing variety of audio tools, you can also burn CDs, organize your audio files, rip audio CDs, create covers and liner notes for your CDs, and capture/record from any input device. Truly this is a masterpiece of audio software that will provide you with the means of fulfilling any of your audio dreams. Logon to www.audio4fun.com to download a trial version; you won’t be sorry.

BIO:
Wayne Rice is a freelance journalist, copywriter, photographer and artist. He currently resides in the United States.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Authentic watches – fine timepieces just for the collector in you!

Genuine watches are easily distinguishable from ordinary timepieces, having several functionalities. An expensive collectible wristwatch attracts with complications such as the chronograph, moon phase and perpetual calendar. Best of all, they can be found online at attractive prices.

If you are interested in a genuine Rolex wristwatch, then you should definitely check out the Rolex Rare Panama Canal. This is a special edition from the famous producer, also known as the Submariner, presented online by specialized sellers. Authentic Rolex timepieces impress with the 18 karat yellow gold, steel case and automatic movement. You can either choose a new Rolex watch or go for second-hand, barely used genuine watches. No matter which you prefer, you can be certain that you are offered the best quality. Gold/steel buckle, fold clasp and sapphire glass are just few of the features commonly encountered in a Rolex. There is also the black dial, the steel/gold bracelet and the attractive complications: date, center seconds and rotating bezel. Wearing any type of Rolex is a sign of elegance and refinement.

F.P Journe is a world-renowned name in the watch industry. Online, you can find several genuine watches bearing this name, including the exquisite and authentic F.P Journe Octa Calendrier Platinum. This watch is a clear proof of taste, with automatic movements and platinum buckle. Enjoy and leave it as heritage to your son. The F.P Journe watch has silver dial, sapphire glass for extra resistance and Arabic numerals. The bracelet is made from crocodile skin and among the complications you can find panorama date, week day and month hand. Such watches are truly unique items for a collector. If you enjoy watches, then you will certainly adore your F.P Journe platinum wristwatch. It has a transparent case, off-center dial and subsidiary seconds. The dial is plated with 18 karat gold and many people choose this particular watch for the retrograde date indication.

Talking about such grand names it makes you feel little. The truth is that the watch industry is filled with important brands, all offering the highest quality for their products. We are talking about names like Rolex, Patek, F.P Journe and Vacheron Constantin. The Internet presents an equal number of attractive opportunities for all the brands mentioned, including Vacheron Constantin watches. Made from steel with center seconds, these genuine watches are popular items. They come with silver dial and roman numerals, having delicate finishing touches. The bracelet is made from crocodile skin and it has a black color. The winding mechanism is manual and both the strap and the buckle are original.

Cartier offers some of the most incredible genuine watches for the ladies. The case material is stainless steel and the quality offered beyond anyone’s expectations. With quartz movement, steel buckle and fold clasp, Cartier timepieces are ladies’ favorites. They have glass made from sapphire, white dial, roman numerals and steel bracelet. Each Cartier watch is a true jewel that tells times. And in order to confirm that, you have the Chanel White Ceramic watch. They have a diamond dial, ceramic case and they are waterproof for 30 m. The gemstones included, meaning diamonds, are perhaps the greatest quality offered for authentic Chanel watches. Complications include: date, center seconds and rotating bezel. Quality is something you will encounter with every genuine watch, no matter if you prefer Rolex, F.P Journe, Cartier or Vacheron Constantin! Choose a specialized resource and browse through the extensive offers they have for genuine timepieces.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Asista a las Clases de Cine en Tel Aviv Israel

En la ciudad de Tel Aviv Israel, en el mes de junio de 2008 se realizara la décima versión de Cinema Master Class.

Por lo general llegan las estrellas de cine, directores, agentes, y personas que están relacionadas en el ámbito del cinema y televisión. Estas personas llegan a Tel Aviv para dictar clases a diferentes personas que están interesadas en aprender acerca del mundo del cinema, ya sea actuación, dirección y muchos temas de la industria cinematográfica.

Durante las dos semanas que se realizan las clases, productores americanos, directores y actores le enseñaran a directores y actores israelíes y americanos diferentes lecciones acerca de sus experiencias propias y de lo que han aprendido de cinema y televisión hasta ahora. Vienen maestros y estudiantes de Los Ángeles hasta Tel Aviv.

En los pasados años Israel y su Master Class han traído diferentes personas de la industria cinematográfica de Hollywood que colaboraron con este evento estas son Alfred Molina, Richard L Lewis productor, director y escritor, Zvi Howard, Lynn Roth, Danny Sussman, David Weiss el escritor de Shrek 2 y Jimmy Neutron, Jon Avnet el director de la película 88 minuts, Randal Kleiser director de la película Blue Lagoon y Grease entre otros directores, productores y actores famosos.

Los talleres tienen diferentes énfasis y diferentes maestros cada año, este año se realizaran en actuación y cinema, trabajaran directores con actores, técnicas de actuación, audiciones y casting. También se discutirán temas acerca de financiamiento para películas y venta de formatos israelíes para hollywood. Los participantes tendrán la posibilidad de presentar sus proyectos cinematográficos que serán tomados en cuenta para futuras proyecciones en Hollywood.

La mayoría de clases son para personas relacionadas con el cinema como actores, directores, productores que están empezando en el camino del cinema, pero algunas clases también estarán abiertas para el público en la cinemateca de Tel Aviv. La información la van a poder encontrar en la página de Internet www.ta-la.350.com en la cual podrán ver mas información acerca de las clases, participantes, inscripción y demás.

Las personas que están interesadas en estudiar cinema y televisión o algo que tenga que ver con esta rama pueden asistir a las clases abiertas que dictaran estas figuras de Hollywood y allí se podrán dar cuenta si ese es el mundo en el cual aqueren trabajar. En estas clases se pueden orientas a los estudiantes y guiarlos para que puedan entrar en el mundo del cinema y conocer un poco de las experiencias de aquellos que han estado allí por años.

Quien no quiere que Steven Spielberg o Brad Pitt cuenten sus experiencias en el mundo de la cinematografía o que algunos de los profesores de las diferentes estrellas de la pantalla grande dicten una clase que les servirá para toda la vida y que además podrán utilizar los consejos que estas personas les da para poder seguir adelante con sus carreras.

Todos los que quieran estar allí están cordialmente invitados a participar de este evento que se realizará en Tel Aviv Israel en la cinemateca. Si este es el camino que eligieron y la carrera que quieren seguir pues mucha suerte para los participantes y para aquellos que participan en las Master Class.