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Coming into Saturday night having not scored less than 30 points in a game through five games this season, the Syracuse Orange (2-4, 0-2 ACC) offense looked unstoppable. Then it started raining.
Hurricane Matthew played defense for both teams in Wake Forest on Saturday(5-1, 2-0 ACC), but in the end, the Syracuse Orange dropped Saturday's game at a score of 28-9.
Despite the lopsided score, the game was close throughout. The game started off in whacky fashion when the Wake Forest long snapper sailed the snap over the punter's head into their own end zone, resulting in a safety for Syracuse. Those were the only first quarter points.
Wake Forest's Junior Quarterback John Wolford got the offenses started in the second quarter with the game's first touchdown. With six minutes left in the second quarter though, Syracuse responded in the form of a 10 play drive featuring 8 run plays, finished off by Dontae Strickland spinning into the end zone to give Syracuse a 9-7 lead. The good news is that the Orange finally put together a solid drive on the ground, something Syracuse has struggled to do all year.
The bad news? Syracuse didn't score for the rest of the game. Late in the second quarter, John Wolford faked a swing pass to the left then ran behind a pulling tackle through the heart of the Orange defense for a 37-yard TD scamper to put Wake Forest up 14-9 at half.
The second half stayed at that score until with 4 minutes left in the game, Wake Forest halfback Cade Carney, ran in for a 3-yard score. Carney punished the Orange all game, totaling 104 yards on 29 carries, most of them right up the gut.
With little hope left for a comeback, Wake Forest's Cameron Glenn scooped up a fumble and returned it 83 yards to put the nail in the Orange.
The teams had very similar numbers in total yards, turnovers, 3rd down efficiency, and yards per play. There were no egregious penalties that specifically cost the Orange on Saturday, but the Orange committed 7 penalties for 63 yards, compared to Wake Forest's lone penalty for 5 yards.
Along with this, Syracuse's two turnovers were especially costly. Eric Dungey threw an interception with one second left in the first half with Syracuse driving, looking to close the gap between the teams. The other was a scoop and score.
This sloppy play cannot continue for the Orange if they look to defeat Virginia Tech next week. Something else
the Orange can do is get the ball to stand-out receiver, Amba Etta-Tawo. The star receiver torched defenses in previous weeks, setting records and gaining national attention. Against Wake Forest, Etta-Tawo has just 4 catches for 36 yards.
Look for Eric Dungey to target him heavily next week in the Carrier Dome against Virginia Tech, where the offense will need to be firing on all cylinders if the Orange look to escape with an upset victory.


text: I have a Dell 6000 right now, which has a 15.4" screen, and it has proven to be a little to big for me. Since I bought it at Costco, I have 6 months to return it no problem. I was thinking of getting a Dell 710m, which is a 12" screen. Are there any other small laptops that are $1200 or less?

subset: commoncrawl


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I teach a workshop on "How to Create Fair, Valid and Reliable Tests." The workshop focuses primarily on classic (usually multiple choice) knowledge-based exams. Since many of our clients use the Intela platform for sales training, most of them deliver two types of assessments: knowledge-based assessments to ensure content mastery and skills-based assessments to test … Continue reading Authentic Assessments
Category: Assessments
I've written and reviewed tens of thousands of test questions. To state the obvious to anyone who has ever done it: Writing good test questions is difficult. It's the reason that serious testing organizations, like those that produce the SATs and the ACTs, spend millions of dollars creating quality questions. Those of us who work … Continue reading How Good Are Your Test Questions? And How Do You Know?
For trainers who do remote, unproctored, testing (e.g. testing a distributed sales force) one nagging question is always: "Are my learners cheating?" Usually followed by the question: "If they are, can I tell?" The answers are (in order): maybe and maybe. It turns out there are three ways to detect cheating: one pretty simple, which … Continue reading How Intela Helps You Detect Test Collusion (Part One)
Recently, we announced the addition of confidence-based testing to Intela's growing list of learning activities. So, what is the purpose of confidence-based testing? Its purpose is NOT to make learners more confident, as many people may think (and some products claim to do). Its purpose is to make learners appropriately confident. Confidence is a personality attribute. By … Continue reading What Most Trainers Get Wrong About Confidence-Based Testing (And How Intela Gets It Right)
Intela has now added confidence-based testing to its ever-growing list of Continuous Learning activities. This means, that in addition to mastery/certification testing, pre-post testing, adaptive questioning and other forms of assessment, you can now use Intela to measure learners' confidence in their knowledge. For those not familiar with the concept, the idea of confidence-based … Continue reading Intela ™ Adds Confidence-Based Testing
While working on test validation projects I often get asked: How long should my test be? The answer is pretty simple: The test needs to be long enough to cover all the important content of the learning system. And how do you do that? You do it by writing the questions to the learning objectives. … Continue reading How Adding One Question to an Exam Can Make it Easier to Pass
Traditionally a multiple choice question consists of a stem, the choices and, among the choices, the correct answer. But a valid question should have something else stored along with each question: metadata (information about the question). Why? For at least two reasons: As important information for any other exam author who might be using the … Continue reading The Importance of Associating Metadata with Questions
As I mentioned in my last post I have replaced my use of Bloom's Taxonomy with the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. But either way – whether you still call the bottom two levels Knowledge and Comprehension or Remembering and Understanding -- when writing questions I consider the transition between these two levels the most important transition … Continue reading Remembering and Understanding
For many years in my workshops on creating fair, valid and reliable assessments I have taught the importance of writing questions at multiple Bloom's Taxonomy levels to ensure that not all of the questions are written at the lowest (Knowledge) level: The truth is though that I've never been 100% comfortable with the original Bloom's. … Continue reading The Revised Bloom's Taxonomy
I admit that it's unlikely you noticed that I changed the name of my blog from "Aligning Learning and Assessment" to "Rethinking Training" but I think the reason is important (and worthy of a blog post unto itself): Reason 1: "Aligning Learning and Assessment" is so…. business-speak. Everything is aligned (or striving towards alignment) these … Continue reading Why I Changed the Name of My Blog


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From Our Editors
Repair every crack, dent, and scratch. Take your set of wheels to the body shop professionals at Jackson Hewitt Tax Service for reputable, reliable, and quality auto assistance in Tallahassee.
We all know that accidents happen. When they do, the staff at Jackson Hewitt Tax Service is here to help your car look as good as new.


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Wclock is a free, customisable, always-on-top world time clock. It stays on top of all your windows and shows the time at various locations around the world. It never shows in the icon tray or the taskbar. It just sits there and tells the time until you exit the program. It makes no changes to your system's time settings.
It is a simple Win32 executable file wclock.exe only 63 kB in size. It comes with a help file and a customisable time zone data base file.
Automatic Update Feature
The automatic update feature is actually a notification of update availability. You can set in your preferences to check once a day if an update is available (this literally exchanges a few bytes each way with our web server). We have designed this to be as inobtrusive as possible so there are no annoying pop-ups.
Rationale: Why yet another world time clock?
Yes, there are lots of other `world clocks' out there, some free, some not. Why on earth produce another? Well, it's purely self interest. We travel a lot between different cities in the world and find an "always-on-top" time display very useful.
Setting the correct clock time
Wclock does not attempt to correct your system clock. If you want a utility to correct your system's clock and make sure it's aligned to an accurate atomic clock, we heartily recommend Dimension 4, which we've used for several years on many different Windows systems without any problems whatsoever.
The following time zones are currently included:
* Adelaide * Almaty * Anchorage * Auckland * Bahrain * Baku * Bangkok * Beijing * Brisbane, QLD * Buenos Aires * Cairo * Caracas * Chicago * Dakar * Darwin, NT * Denver * Dubai * Eucla, WA * Hobart, TAS * Hong Kong * Honolulu * India * Istanbul * Jakarta * Johannesburg * Kamchatka * Katmandu * Lagos * London * Los Angeles * Mexico City * Moscow * Nairobi * New York * Paris * Perth * Phoenix * Port Moresby * Regina, SK * Santiago * Sao Paulo * Singapore * St Johns, NL * Sydney * Taipei * Tokyo * UTC (GMT)
The license of this software is Freeware, you can free download and free use this digital clock & timer software.


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Get a Website Built - 04/01/2017 05:54 EST
Buget $250-750 USD
I need ERP software for manufacturing Industries which can work same functions as OpenPro
37 freelanceri licitează în medie 739$ pentru acest proiect
Latest PHP sites: [login to view URL] [login to view URL] [login to view URL] [login to view URL] [login to view URL] ASP.net [login to view URL] [login to view URL] Mai multe
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************************ CRM/ ERP / DASHBOARDS / HRM ************************************* Hello, Our expertise on developing CRM/ERP/Dashboard/HRM through different Software Platforms like ZOHO ,VTiger for th Mai multe
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I have reviewed your job description and understand your need. I am very confident to handle this project perfectly. I can definitely help you. We look forward to have detailed discussion with you to understand the req Mai multe
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We are a team of professional web designer/developer, we are experts in Wordpress, Joomla, Ecommerce, Shopify, PHP, MySql, Responsive, Bootstrap, HTML 5 / CSS3, Landing page, PSD to HTML and all type of development wor Mai multe
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Hello, I have seen your posting carefully . I am expert in this field . i can do this project with 100% satisfaction and quality work . Please discuss this project so that i can share my previous project with you . Mai multe


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- This event has passed.
Allergy Awareness & Advocacy
March 25 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT
Event Navigation
Join us for an afternoon discussing Allergy Awareness and the importance of Advocacy for children and families with special dietary needs.
Author Sheralyn Roman who recently published Epic Ellie and the Invisible Dragon, a book for children and families dealing with Allergies and dietary restrictions.
Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Jackie Streich, ND, who works with children and families on finding natural ways to heal and achieve their individual health goals.


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Now I take a look at 1939 Best Actress
Oscar Nominees (My Ranking):
1. Vivien Leigh - Gone with The Wind
1. Vivien Leigh - Gone with The Wind
2. Bette Davis - Dark Victory
3. Greta Garbo - Ninotchka
4. Greer Garson - Goodbye Mr Chips
5. Irene Dunne - Love Affair
This is the best year for Actress ever. All 5 are deserving nominees and would all be deserving winners too, but Vivien Leigh gives something extra in the role as Scarlett O'Hara.
If i got to choose I would include some other great actresses this year. Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz", though not her best performance it's her most memorable (Notice she won a Juvenille Award the same year). We also have some other memorable performances by Bette Davis in "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" and to lesser degree "Juarez" and "The Old Maid". Then we have all the women from "The Women", with Norma Sherar as the highlight of the cast. There's also Merle Oberon in the best picture nominated "Wuthering Heights" and a breakthrough role for Ingrid Bergman in "Intermezzo: A Love Story". There's Also Barbara Stanwyck for either "Golden Boy" and "Union Pacific"
Who's your favourite of the nominees and what is your ballot sounding like?


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Enabling local authorities and cultural managers to collectively realize the potential of culture in local development in Cameroon
For several years now, the debate over the place of culture in the development agenda has been challenging policymakers all over the world to integrate culture in development policies and strategies, at global, national and local levels.
In Cameroon, this challenge has proved to be a particular daunting one, especially at the local level. Mbuagbaw E. Peter, coordinator at the Research Centre for Peace, Human Rights and Development (REPERID), explains why:
"On the one hand, most councils in Cameroon still don't recognize the potential of culture in promoting multidimensional, sustainable development. On the other hand, the few councils that do recognize this potential, lack the knowledge about the legal framework of laws related to the link between culture, council policy and development. And then, there's also the fact that cultural actors and stakeholders are neither included nor involved in policy formulation and implementation at local level".
To turn this situation around, REPERID designed a project entitled "Decentralization, the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and Local Policies: a new paradigm for local development strategies in Cameroon", with the support from UNESCO's International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD).
The project was created to specifically assess, almost in tailor made fashion, each and every one of the issues pinpointed by Mr. Mbuagbaw.
The first assignment was clear: to help councils learn about the potential of culture in local development and understand the role they play in guaranteeing that such a role be fulfilled. Accomplishing this task was priority number one, since all the other parts of the project would be incidental to that. So, REPERID organized 10 advocacy meetings (5 in French and 5 in English), which ended up reaching a total of 200 cultural actors and Council executives.
Once all councils were on the same page in regards to the relationship between culture and development, it was time to equip them with the required legal knowledge to realistically use culture as a tool to promote economic growth and social development. For that reason, the project offered 2 capacity-building workshops to 90 Mayors, Councillors and Secretaries General of Councils in the North West (Anglophone) and West (Francophone) regions of Cameroon.
Finally, after educating and training the councils, the next step was to create a way for the private and public sector to work together in the formulation and implementation of local policies. So, REPERID identified the key stakeholders from both sectors and organized them in a database (which was expected to reach a total of 900 registered members but ended up with almost 2000). This database eventually led to the implementation of the NECAs (Network of Cultural Actors), a networking platform where cultural actors are now directly linked to council executives in each municipality.
One strong example of how REPERID's project has been instrumental in promoting development by linking culture and local governance is the case of the Disability Welfare Rehabilitation Movement (DIWEREM), an NGO based in Bafut and that promotes social inclusion and empowerment through culture.
"The project implemented by REPERID has guided our local council in bringing together, for the very first time, various participants with diverse cultural backgrounds. By exchanging experiences with these other cultural actors, we realized the need to create a place to exhibit and commercialize our products. That resulted in the creation of the DIWEREM Craft Café Restaurant, which has become a great source of income for us. So, we went from producing art to actually starting up a business. And this would have never happened if not for the help from REPERID", says Wanchia John Ngwa, president of DIWEREM.
Return to the main project page
Contact us
Section for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CLT/CRE/DCE)
7 place Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP - France
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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ALL AROUND US: Seattle's Briana Marela, surrounded by flowers, helps bring tidings of spring to the Dashain Haus at tonight's vegan potluck concert.
Be succinct, constructive, and relevant to the story. Leaving a comment means you agree to our Discussion Guidelines. We like civilized discourse. We don't like spam, lying, profanity, harassment or personal attacks.


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Conservatives are violent, while liberals are peaceful. But don't take my word for it. Ask any liberal, and you will get confirmation of this "fact."
It played out most dramatically in the 2011 shootings in Tuscon, Ariz., which left six people dead and one — then-Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords — wounded seriously enough to end her political career.
So when a poster appears on a college campus urging people to come upside the head of their political opponents with a baseball bat, it must be the work of the Young Republicans. Or must it? Here's the flyer that appeared on the campus of the University of North Carolina. Judge for yourself the likely ideology of the "artist."
Flyer on college campus (UNC) advocates using a baseball bat to smash the head of anyone wearing a Trump hat. pic.twitter.com/wkiAV3tFb9
Trending: Tomi Lahren Assaulted in Minneapolis Bar as "Tolerant" Left Rages
— Mike Cernovich 🇺🇸 (@Cernovich) February 15, 2017


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Suddenly widowed, Laura copes by spreading her Bloomberg journalist husband Mark Pittman's ashes 31,152 miles across the USA and Canada on RV trips with their eyeball rolling teenagers where the pink steering wheel becomes her spiritual GPS. Not only does she come home with a rescue dog, but a belief in sunflowers upon discovering her husband's journals.
NOW RANKED #17 on Amazon's "Hot Picks" list!
Pre-order THE PINK STEERING WHEEL CHRONICLES, published by Hatherleigh Press and distributed by Penguin Random House, by clicking HERE on Amazon or HERE on Barnes & Noble.
Sign up for the blog on the upper right of this page for FREE or DISCOUNTED signed copies. Wohoo!
(I promise not to spam you!)
Schedule a BOOK PARTY/EVENT during our LIVE SUMMER 2018 BOOK TOUR!


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While the Grand Jury Prize-winning films of Sundance have launched a few notable directorial careers --Todd Haynes, Todd Solondz, Bryan Singer--, it is the past recipients of the Filmmakers Trophy who are now among the top dogs of directing in both the indie world and Hollywood.
The following films and directors were entrants during the previous decade of the Sundance Film Festival. Their credits range from legendary independents to highly-acclaimed television series to Eddie Murphy vehicles, but no matter the size or scope or subject matter, are equally impressive.
Entry: Houseparty
Director: Reginald Hudlin
Credits: Boomerang, The Great White Hype
Entry: Privilege
Directress: Yvonne Rainer
Credits: MURDER and murder
Entry: Zebrahead
Director: Anthony Drazan
Credits: Hurlyburly, "The West Wing"
Entry: Fly By Night
Director: Steve Gomer
Credits: Barney's Great Adventure
Entry: Clerks
Director: Kevin Smith
Credits: Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma
Entry: Fresh
Director: Boaz Yakin
Credits: A Price Above Rubies
Entry: Angela
Directress: Rebecca Miller
Credits: From Shore To Shore (writer)
Entry: Girls Town
Director: Jim McKay
Credits: American Movie (producer)
Entry: In The Company Of Men
Director: Neil LaBute
Credits: Your Friends & Neighbors, Nurse Betty
Entry: Smoke Signals
Director: Chris Eyre
Credits: Things We Do
Entry: Tumbleweeds
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Credits: Comfortably Numb
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Filmmakers Trophy Room 12.30.99
Posted by Timothy A. Bennett at 12:22 PM
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Today we slept in again....which was wonderful! When Ana Kate and I got up and around we decided to go shopping (actually it was Doug's idea). Whitney was working today, but her boyfriend Josh decided to go with us too. We had a great day...Ana Kate loves Josh, so she was very happy he came! We shopped for a bit in Rogers and then headed to the Fayetteville mall so we could see Whitney.
Before the mall we stopped at Lewis & Clark so Doug could look at the canoes and he and Josh decided to climb the rock wall. Josh did amazing, he climbed the hardest section and made it all the way to the top (it's 37 feet tall)! Even the guy helping him was impressed...he said he was the first person he'd seen make it to the top. Doug did the easy section and didn't go all the way to the top, but he got farther than he expected to. It was fun watching....I wish I'd taken my camera with me, but I did get some pics with Josh's iphone.
I took a few photos of Ana Kate when we got home...she still looks sleepy in them. I wish I had taken my camera today, I'm really going to have to start taking it everywhere...no matter how big or heavy it is. : )


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Natalie Portman's Shaved Head is Awesomely Awesome x's a Zillion
March 18, 2009
Looking at South by Southwest Festival's Listings, (note to self: start Music Blog. Or convert lestylegirl to music/fashion blog. Yeah.) and I found Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. I clicked on them, naturally, and they are fantastic. Or at least, the little snippet I heard was. Here's their South by Southwest listing. And no, I'm not going to South by Southwest. I wish.
P.S. Now that I think about it, the band's concert tees would be really awesome.
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Saturday, December 15, 2007
Stars : Dileep,Vimalaraman,Samvritha,Suraj Venjarammood
Direction : Rajasenan
Dileep's new film 'Romeo' directed by Rajasenan has got the script by hitmakers duo Rafi-Mecartin.These people has worked together for a film long years ago,'Swapnalokathile Balabhaskaran' where Jayaram was the hero and Dileep has got only a supporting role to do.
For years, after a bunch of 5 flops in a row like 'Nakshathrakannulla Rajakumaran Avanundoru Rajakumari' , 'Swapnam Kondoru Thulabharam', 'Immini Nalloral', 'Madhuchandralekha' & 'Kanakasimhasanam', director Rajasenan is here trying his luck again with the script writers who has once given him a good name through films like 'Aniyanbava Chettanbava', 'Aadhyathe Kanmani' etc.
Dileep playing the role of a male nurse in a private hospital.The lady doctor in the hospital played by Vimalraman is in love with him.Our hero likes another girl,Samvritha who is the star singer in a tv reality show.In order to marry her,as per request from her father,he is converted to Christianity.But her father didn't kept the word.Since he lost his job,the hero leaves the native to another Brahmin area,stays there as a Brahmin.
A girl in the Agrharam happened to be in love with him.By the time he understands and realize the love and try to marry the doctor,the rest two characters also came to his palce and finally after some confusions and fowl plays,how he manages to get through all is what 'Romeo' is.
'Romeo' opens with the hospital scenes in which the male nurse and his colleagues watching the star singer shows and the hero asking others to send sms for his lady love.Hero's father played by Cochin Hanif is ajunior artist needs five lakhs to do a good role in the film.All those scenes has got the standard of a doordarsan tv serial or an amature drama only.We cant understand why the name of 'Kitex' Star Singer is being repeatedly used in the name of publicity.The scene in which the Samvritha, who is the star singer asking others to send sms for her is irritating.
The Brahmin family episodes in which the hero reaches there with a different name and casete has been told many times before.Most of the scenes there are dramatic.Though a right choice for such a role in appearance,the new heroine is not at all appealing.Only good thing there is the casting of Asokan.
We dont know what is happening in the heroine's family.Her father who is a CBI officer asks his deputies to watch the hero.Close up & tight shots,seriously used for the new actor who comes as Vimala's father gives us a drama feel only.The scenes in which the hero tries to impress him is created deliberately, resembles some of the films in the early 90's.
The Ayurveda resort in the second half in which all the characters assembles and play hide & seek game has been shown a thousand times before.Though repetetive, only things which are tolerable in the whole film happens there only.The scenes in which the star singer travels and stays with the hero's father searching for the hero is not at all genuine.The climax and anti climax scenes are also unrealistic.
Most of the castings and the situations in the film are mismatched.The whole hospital scenes should have totally avoided.Hero's family episodes wont create a sympathy.The new face who comes as heroine's father is a wrong choice, though he can be good in dramas.Also his deputies with big moustaches resembles circus clowns only.Heroine Vimalraman is not opening her mouth throughout the dialogue delivery.( it has been solved to a certain extend by the dubbing artist)Performance by Mallika Sukumaran,Cochin Hanif,Bheeman Raghu,Rizabava etc. stands average only.
Suraj Venjarammood who is emerging as the most wanted name in the cine field now a days,is a relief in most of the scenes.Asokan and Salimkumar has also performed well.Dileep has done the role as if this film has released in the later 90's.
Rafi-Mecartin should have concentrated more on the stability in their scripting.To an average extend they had done their job,but the director Rajasenan has broken it with his hopeless direction and casting.KP Nambiathiri has handled the camera.Music is by Alexpaul.
This 'Romeo' is not charming, he wont attract you.
One after another, Rajasenan is giving worst films only.Its time for him to take a break and if necassary come back later after some good home works.
Rating : 1.5 / 5
Friday, December 14, 2007
'Heartbeats' to 'Rock N Roll' - a review on songs
The films include ''Heartbeats', 'AKG', 'Thakarachenda', Orey kadal', 'Alibhai', 'Kichamani MBA', 'Nivedhyam', 'Paradesi', 'Choclate', 'Nasrani', 'Blackcat', 'Ayurrekha', 'Hareendran Oru Nishkalangan' & 'Rock N Roll'.
Here is an attempt to review the songs from the films released in the last 3-4months.
Last time while reviewing the music part,i was going through all the films and all the songs separately.But this time,i am not attempting the same. Here I am specifying only the top ten songs from the list and its details.In the last few months, the quality of the songs has been affected and
the number of hits is also reduced to the minimum,i think no need for me to do a big research work here.
Some of the songs from the group should be specially noted here.
Among them,romantic duets like 'Kolakkuzhalvili ketto...' from 'Nivedhyam' & 'Kannippenne ninne...' from 'Hareendran Oru Nishkalangan' stands top for its melody and presentation by M Jayachandran & Berny Ignateous respectively.
'Ravereyayi poove...' from 'Rock N Roll' is notable for its excellent orchestration by Vidhyasagar.
'Pranayasandhya oru...' sung by Bombay Jaysree from 'Orey kadal' is a composition by Ouseppachan with a different mood & feel.
The top ten songs from the films are given here.
The credits are in the order of Singers - Lyricist - Music Director
01) Kolakkuzhalvili...(Nivedhyam) - Vijay Yesudas,Swetha - Lohithadas - M Jayachandran
02) Kannippenne...(HareendranOruNishkalangan) - MGSreekumar,GayathriVarma - Sarath Vayalar -
Berni Ignateous
03) Ravereyayi...(Rock N Roll) - Madhu Balakrishnan - Girish puthenchery - Vidhyasagar
04) Manjadimazha...(Rock N Roll) - Madhu Balakrishnan,Sujatha - Girish puthenchery - Vidhyasagar
05) Pranayasandhya...(Orey kadal) - Bombay Jayasree - Girish puthenchery - Ouseppachan
06) Manassinte Kavalvathil...(Orey kadal) - Venugopal,Sujatha - Girish puthenchery - Ouseppachan
07) Ohmama chandamama...(Rock N Roll) - Anitha,Rija - Girish puthenchery - Vidhyasagar
08) Valayonnitha...(Rock N Roll) - Vijay Yesudas,Renjith,Pradeep P - Girish puthenchery - Vidhyasagar
09) Chittattinkavil...(Nivedhyam) - Sankaran namboothiri - Kaithapram - M Jayachandran
10) Ishtamalle...(Choclate) - Shabaz Aman - Sarath Vayalar - Alex paul
________________________11) Thattam pidichu...(Paradesi) - Sujatha - Rafeeq Ahamed - Ramesh Narayan
12) Thamthakida theyyare...(Nivedhyam) - Pradeep P,Vijay Yesudas - Kaithapram - M Jayachandran
13) Pokkiriyane...(Kichamani MBA) - Pradeep P - Kanesh Punoor - Alex Paul
14) Nagaram vidhuram...(Ory Kadal) - Vineeth Sreenivasan - Girish puthenchery - Ouseppachan
15) Kalkkanda malaye...(Choclate) - RimiTomy - Sarath Vayalar - Alex Paul
16) Aadimekha...(Alibhai) - MGSreekumar - Girish puthenchery - Alex Paul
17) Mundirikkallu...(BlackCat) - Afsal,Jyotsana - Sarath Vayalar - M Jayachandran
18) Yamuna veruthe...(Ory Kadal) - Swetha - Girish puthenchery - Ouseppachan
19) Eeran meghame...(Nasrani) - Manjari - Anil panachooran - Bijibal
20) Jiruthana...(Rock N Roll) - Tippu,Renjith - Girish puthenchery - Vidhyasagar
Top Albums : Nivedhyam, Orey Kadal & Rock N Roll
Best Album : Rock N Roll
* Only a few songs from the chart qualifies to be the best and be a hit, rest has been included to make the count only.Dubbed films has not been included.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Kannamoochi Yeneda
Stars : Prithviraj,Sathyaraj,Sandhya,Radhika,Sripriya
Direction : Priya V
'Kannamoochi Yeneda' is special to me in a different sense.You wont often see the combination of a women producer and a women director being teamed up with a women cinematographer in a feature film.'Kannamoochi Yeneda' is such a rare occassion where you can witness all these.Radhika Sarathkumar,Priya V & Preetha handled these roles respectively.
Priya V,who assisted Maniratnam in few films has directed the film,'Kanda Naal Muthal' before.Though it has not created a sensation,she has caught attention of the media by entering the list of previous women directors in the country like Sheela,MeeraNair,HemaMalini,Suhasini,Revathi,Farah Khan etc.
Radhika has given some films before as a producer, but for the lady behind the lenses, this is a new experience.
The story of the film starts in Malaysia,where the young hero Prithviraj meets the heroine Sandhya. She,being the daughter of Chennai City Police Commissioner played by Sathyaraj and housewife Radhika reached India as per request from the her family to attend their parent's marriage anniversary celebrations.Hero who belongs to an upper caste follows the lover,tries to impress her strict father and finally after some hurdles how he is being accepted as the bridegroom is what 'Kannamoochi Yeneda' tells us.
In the middle you have quarelling between the parents, Sathyaraj & Radhika - the lovers, Prithviraj & Sandhya - the siblings, Sripriya and Sathyaraj also.All of them supporting and helping each other to find a solution for a good ending.
The first few scenes in the film is very impressive.When hero reaches his lover's house,there was a good chemistry going on between the hero and heroine's father.Later on,gradually the tempo is minimised.Somewhere the script writer-director might have lost the idea of finishing the story smoothly.As a result,a twin sister character is being created for Sathyaraj,played by Sripriya.She is coming to the movie arena after a pretty long gap,eventhough busy in the tv field.(Very few people knows that Sripriya has acted with Rajnikanth & Kamalhassan as their heroine in the maximum number of films)
Some of the scenes in the film should have avoided totally.The episode in which Sathyaraj using bow and arrows against the young hero to make him remember and tell his old faults infront of the family.Another one in which the serious father who is also the police officer,behaving childishly and begging infront of her wife.The misunderstanding between the hero and heroine is cinematic only.We also cant digest the cheap atitude of hero's uncle when he reject's the proposal from a rich man's family.Some of the songs' situations are mismatched with the timeline.
Performance of Sathyaraj,Prithviraj,Radhika and Manobala,who comes as an orderly to the police officer is remarkable.Preetha has done an excellent camera work.YuvanShankerRaja has done the music according to the mood.Picturisation of the first song happening in abroad is also notable.
'Kannamoochi Yeneda' is a hide and seek game.
Sometimes you win,sometimes you lose; it is not stable from beginning to the end.
Rating : 2.5 / 5
Friday, December 7, 2007
Aaja Nachle
Stars : Madhuri Dixit,Konkanasen Sharma,Akshay Khanna,Irfan Khan
Direction : Anil Mehtha
'Aaja Nachle' was in the medias for months, since the bollywood queen Madhuri Dixit is coming back as a heroine after a pretty long gap.The film is produced by the big banner YashRaj Films.The experienced cinematographer Anil Mehtha,who once gave films like 'Lagaan','Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Khuda Gawah' is here in the role of the director.
The film opens when Madhuri, who is in US, returns to her native with her child after a gap of 10years hearing the news reg death of her dance Guru.In the journey she is thinking about her past.The scenes in which she is practising the dance,her friendship,moments in which she got love with an English journalist and once her marriage is fixed, she left her house with the lover.
When she reaches her home town,she came to know that some new multi storeyed projects are coming in the place of their old open air theatre and dance hall.She decides to renovate their old school atmosphere for the memory of her teacher.She took the theme of Laila-Majunu for the dance drama.Thus search for characters began.In the beginning most of the people were non co-operative.After a hectic task all the artists were arranged and they finally performed infront of a large crowd and won their hearts.In the end the State Government has decided to preserve the theatre as it is and thus the happy lady leaves back to abroad with her child.
On the release day itself,'Aaja Nachle' is banned in states like UP,Punjab and Haryana.This is because the film got an opening song lyric in which the Dalits were humiliated.After watching the film,I felt that such a contraversy was necassary for a film like 'Aaja Nachle' to attract audience.
Jaydeep Sahni has penned the script for 'Aaja Nachle'.I dont know what happened to him after he gave a brilliant one like 'Chakde India'.Also the new director has failed to keep the stability of the film.Most of the scenes is happening in an open air stage.The village backdrop where we can see Advts of Bata,SBI Atm etc are not colorful.The flashback scenes between teacher and the student is never appealing,we dont feel any sympathy for the Guru character in such a make-up.The sequences in which the heroine passing through the streets in a cycle richshaw announcing the dance programmes is boring.The comedy created while practising the dance steps is not realistic. The climax dance drama which is honestly presented, has a duration of 20-25 minutes.It is too lengthy and while watching a movie we cant afford to have such scenes.
Madhuri is good in her performance.She is looking old,but for a mother character of a 9year old baby she is ok.Konkanasen sharma has done well in her role.Salim-Sulaiman's music goes well with the movie.Vaibhavi Merchant,as a choreographer has more job to do compared to her previous films.Since the backdrops are dull,camera work by Mohanan is not remarkable.
'Aaja Nachle', as the name indicates, does not encourages you to dance with the party.
It is boring and also makes you sleep in some situations.
Rating : 1.5 / 5
Monday, December 3, 2007
Stars : Dhanush,Remya,Murali,Bhanupriya,DanielBalaji
Direction : Vetrimaaran
After the failure of his previous film,'Parattai Azhaku Sundaram',young hero Dhanush is back with the new film 'Pollathavan'.Dhanush,son-in-law of Superstar Rajnikanth is popular among the malayalees with the film 'Kathalkondein'(2004) directed by his brother Selvaraghavan.So its a long gap since he has delivered a big hit.So usually we go to watch a film like 'Pollathavan' casually, without much expectations.
'Pollathavan' is directed by new comer Vetrimaaran who was once associate to biggies like Balumahendra,Shanker etc.The heroine,Remya comes from kannada; years before she has done a movie named 'Kuthu' with Chimbu.Music is handled by GV Prakashkumar.Velraj has done an excellent work as cinematographer.
This movie does not starts with an usual style.It shows an youth who is being involved in a murder sequence and he tells us how he came to such a negative situation.So from there the story takes an U-turn towards the beginning periods of happiness,in such a life the unexpected things are coming and through a lot of +ve and -ve happenings, pollathavan's journey continues.
Hero who comes from a middle class family living with his parents(Murali & Bhanupriya) and an younger sister.There are scenes showing his friendship,quarellings in the family,parent's affection,how they helps him,how he gets a job,how he come acoss the villain gangs etc.In the middle the hero gets in love with a girl, how he wins her heart is also shown.Ups and downs are blended equally in his lifespan.So how a person's life is changed due to some unexpected problems faced by him is neatly executed by the writer-director and whether the hero claims victory in the end or not is what the net result of 'Pollathavan'.
The debutant director Vetrimaaran has treated this film in a realistic way.There are many examples like the scenes between the father and the son,the scenes showing the contrasting changes happening in the family when the hero gets a job,the hospital scene involving villain gang and the family members,the scenes involving the street robbers and goondas etc.
All the artists in the film has performed exceptionally well.Among them Dhanush,Murali,Daniel Balaji('Kakka Kakka' & 'Vettaiyadu Vilayadu' fame) and the new comer Kishorekumar,who comes as gang leader needs special mention.Though we can see a cinematic approach in the love scenes,romantic songs,hero's passion for motor bikes and the climax fight sequences, its defenitely not giving us a boring atmosphere.
The film has got some good action scenes by RamboRajkumar.Music director GV Prakashkumar has got a remix of old hit number by MSV,'Engeyum Eppothum...'
'Bicycle Thief' (which was an international hit in the olden decades), 'City of Gods' (the portugal film, which i rate as one of the best action thrillers of all time), 'Virumandi' ( Kamalhasan's film which differentiates in its presentation ) and different action films in which the hit maker Ram Gopal Varma has created a style - might have inspired director Vetrimaaran to come with a subject similar to those in treatment.But this family based action movie gives you a different experience.
Those who love to watch realistic action films can watch 'Pollathavan'.This film should be noticed for its good scripting presented in the best way it can.
Rating : 4 / 5
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Stars : John Abraham, Arshad Warsi, Bipasha Basu, Bomman Irani
Direction : Vivek Agnihotri
The super success of 'Chakde India' has motivated another director,Vivek Agnihotri and the big producers UTV Pictures to come with a film,'Goal' which has got a theme dealing with sports.
Apart from the former film which was based on the Indian hockey team, this film tells the story of football team based in Britain.
Here the coach role is handled by Bomman Irani.( I felt that Bomman Irani is the biggest discovery as far as bollywood is considered in the last 10years )
This film titled 'DhanDhanathan Goal' is entirely picturised in London.
The film opens with the demise of a coach of a South Hall team.The captain (Arshad Warsi) searches for a new coach and finally ends in the discovery of a veteran player/coach(Bomman Irani).He finally decides to make this team a champion,which has not won a big tournament in the past.At the same time,you got an Indian( who is born in Britain) in their main rivals Arston team(played by John Abraham).Due to the racism,he failed to get selection in the final list.So as per request from the coach,he joins the South Hall team.This is not liked by their captain and most team-mates.Any way finally after beating all hazards how this team wins the tournament is what this film deals with.
Hearing the story line,you will be feeling some comparisons with 'Chakde India'.Yes it is,but 'Goal' cannot be compared with 'Chakde India',which has got the best script & direction.You will get thrilled and have a spirit watching the sports scenes in 'Chakde India' and 'Lagaan'.But in that sense 'Goal' is a total failure.
This is for the first time, I felt something negative for Bomman Irani. He is a wrong choice for the coach role.The captain role played by Arshad Warsi is not pleasing.Bipasha Basu in the role of a physiotherapist has not got anything big to do.Quarelling between the team members is dramatic.
John Abraham's body language is good for such a role,especially some of the actions/signs he shows resembles the style of English league players.
The item song placed in the movie is unnecassary.The commentory scenes lacks originality.I dont know why an english-hindi combination is used there.
We dont feel any sympathy or we dont pray for the players in the South Hall team,like we did with players in 'Lagaan' or 'Chakde India'.The football matches are shown colorfully,but the matches & the championship winning scenes are not presented in a lovable and believable way.
The director Vivek Agnihotri who showed technical brilliance through his previous film 'Choclate' has failed to sustain his name here.Cinematography by Attar Singh Saini is excellent.
'Goal' is like a practise match only.The real spirit in watching a professional football match is not at all there.
Rating : 2.5 / 5
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Stars : Surya, Asin, Vadivelu, Kalabhavan Mani
Director : Hari
In 'Vel', Surya & Asin has paired together once again, after the super success of 'Gajini'.This film is directed by Hari, who gave superhit films like 'Sami' & 'Ayya'.After a short gap, Surya is coming in double role.(previous one being, 'Perazhakan', the remake of malayalam film 'Kunjikkoonan')
Like every double role - stories, this one also starts in the younger days of the heroes.While travelling with their parants,one of the twins get separated.Some of the villagers adopted him & he grew up there; while the other one is staying with his parents in the city.The former one is a man of the masses in the village, the latter one is working in a private detective agency.
The city guy fall in love with a VJ in a private channel.When she went to the village side to shoot a programme, accidentally she saw the village hero.At the same time, when the village guy came to the city, he saw his twin brother also.So inorder to make the things little bit more confused and make it a happy ending, both the characters are interchanging their respective places.Thus in the second half the film is taking its pace.In the end how the heroes took revenge on the villain is what 'Vel' tells us.
'Vel' is a mixture of many double role films & Director Hari's previous films like 'Thamarabharani' & 'Ayya'.The villain character played by Kalabhavan Mani and his attitude is told many times before.The director has given more importance to the village background.Only difference is that, for the village hero character, we dont have any heroines. Vadivelu is there to create the comic episodes.
Soorya has given a neat identification for both the characters. Asin is ok. On the villain side, Kalabhavan Mani should have concentrated on the stability in his performance.( since he has not used his own voice, its little bit difficult to judge him )
YuvanSankerRaja's music is blended well with the situations.Priyan has done a good job behind the lenses.Rockey Rajesh has got some big action sequences to workout.
If you want to watch a typical tamil movie which has got some story with romance, sentiments, songs, action, punch dialogues, humour etc; then 'Vel' is also a choice.
Rating : 3 / 5
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Stars : Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan
Director : SanjayLeelaBhansali
After the critically acclaimed superhit film 'Black',director SanjayLeelaBhansali is back with 'Sawariya'.Yougest member of Kapoor family,Ranbir Kapoor(son of RishiKapoor) and daughter of AnilKapoor, SonamKapoor is here in the debut role.
The reports after the preview/first show of 'Sawariya' was not healthy.It says that it is not at all a good film as expected.
Since I have to write a review on the film,I had watched it without keeping in mind such comments.
While watching, I felt that all those media reports were false.How can they consider 'Sawariya' as a Film.'Sawariya' will come only under the category of "Drama" or "Light & Sound Show" or "Baale" or something like that.If you are showing any of these things in a movie theatre, you cant call it as a film.
Why I am telling like this lies in the fact that the whole sequences of 'Sawariya' is happening in a stage at night where the backdrops are curtains, building sets, paintings and illuminations.You cant witness such a township in any films across the world;may be you can see such a place in the Arabian tales.Moreover 'Sawariya' has got a non sense story to tell.
SanjayLeelaBhansali has used sets as bg in his last film 'Black' also, but since the story line was strong, it was not at all a thing to be noticed.But here, only sets in the darkness are there without any storyline.
This drama is picturised in a movie camera by Ravi K Chandran.Art director Omung Kumar has some hard work to do creating the backdrops.I will tell my comments on the hero & heroine once they had completed a project which can be called as a "movie".
I feel pity that i wasted my free time watching 'Sawariya'.
It is the biggest disaster in the bollywood history.
A piece of shit, even if covered with a colorful decorative paper, some perfumes sprayed on
it and kept in a showcase, can be called as shit only...( sorry to use such light words )
Rating : 0 / 5
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Hareendran Oru Nishkalangan ?
Director Vinayan's latest film 'Hareendran Oru Nishkalangan ?' has got artists like Indrajith,Jayasurya, Manikkuttan,Jagathi,Salimkumar,Bhama('Nivedhyam' fame) & Sherin ('Moonnamathoral' fame).
Among them,the first 3 young guys were introduced to the cine field by the same director once through films like 'Oomappenninu Uriyadappayyan' & 'Boyfriend').
Though title of the film gives us an innocence feeling,its not homely as expected.The pace and the treatment in the opening few scenes (till the flash back starts) carries you to the top of expectations,but as it goes on it leads you to a big downfall.
Hareendran,title role played by Indrajith is the owner of a big IT firm.His close companion from young days Gopalakrishnan,played by Jayasurya who wants to become the executive director of the firm. His only ambition is to earn more & more money,so that he is playing double game with his closefriend.It finally ends in his own murder, leads to an enquiry, finally without much twist & turns, the culprit is caught, hanged to death.The story is not ending there.Finally the public who still feels that Hareendran is the main convict takes the law in hands & he is beaten to death ?!
I cant go without specifying here,a bulk of scenes of this kind which can make the outcome of any film to a tragedy.
The scene in which Hareendran asking his friend GK whether he took a currency bunch of 50,000rs casually and an ordinary reply by the latter as if he took an amount of 50rs is unbelievable.We should realize that we are not living in the year 2070.The biggest contrast here is that,later GK is cheating this close friend with such an attitude, for money.
Moreover It is not good to the see the college scene in which Bhama & her friend talking about former's lover.Here both of them arguing with the same negatives about him at the same time.
Manikuttan's character is a left companion & always like to follow the words of great leader, Cheguvera.We dont understand whether he is serious in his principles.Also by repeatedly using Cheguvera's name and showing him through posters & tshirts,director had made this historic leader a comedy character.
The scenes in which both lovers Bhama & Manikkuttan, travelling in a bike to his native is boring. Only affordable thing happened there is a romantic song 'Kannippene...' (music by Berni Ignateous)
There are many untolerable scenes in the film like the one in which Bhama & Hareendran meets at a hotel,watched by Manikuttan & Salimkumar.Another one is a TV Talkshow where the culprit's father & others discussing and quarelling about the murder issues.There are many scenes in which the incidents are covered through TV news, all those channel backdrops & shots are too amature.
The scenes showing Hareendran's sadness is too lengthy.He is not reacting naturally when a wrong news with his foto came in a newspaper.The scene in which lovers are accepted and being taken to the hotel by her family even after her marriage got stopped is also not sensible.
The hotel song in which all are dancing is picturised in a childish way.We dont know why Bhama who is not there is also placed in few shots.Hearing the voice,its difficult to differentiate whether the singer Rimitomy is talking or singing.
We dont understand the genuinity of hotel dancer role done by Sherin;sometimes she is behaving as if she is innocent,in some other occassions she is going to an extreme end for cheating.
By giving such a climax for the film,we dont know whether the script writer-director is questioning the credibility of judiciary or medias or the public.
Indrajith is like a right man in the wrong party.
Jayasurya's characterisation is incomplete and unnatural; sometimes he is behaving like a comedian,sometimes he is serious,sometimes he is a good friend,sometimes he is a villain...like that it goes on.
Manikuttan is good & matured in his appearance.But when he opens his mouth,it reminds us the same 15year old boy in the serial 'Kayamkulam Kochunni'.He totally failed in the dialogue delivery.So the character given to him is too heavy to hold.
Bala,who is the police officer is not a correct choice for such a role.
Bhama,who got a good opening through 'Nivedhyam' is overacting all the time.
This film's story credit goes to Vishnu Vinayan(Junior Vinayan).
He dont need to be desperate, since his father also gave poor films like 'Ayiram Chirakulla Moham', 'Kanyakumariyil Oru Kavitha','Superstar' etc in the beginning of his career.
Since I am not writing a novel,stopping here.
It would have been better if the film was titled 'Satheesh Nair Oru Nishkalangan ?' rather than 'Hareendran Oru Nishkalangan ?'...
(SatheeshNair happened to be the producer of this film)
Rating : 1 / 5
Rock N Roll
Last time when I wrote the review on 'Paradesi',I started it with specifying the hero's previous venture 'Alibhai'.
Reading it,one of my friends told that it was not good to start like that,a past is a past.
So taking into account his words,I am not giving any comparisons for Mohanlal's latest project 'Rock
N Roll'.This movie is scripted & directed by Renjith.He is the trend-setter man who opened the way
for heroism subjects through 'Devasuram' followed by 'Aaram Thampuran','Narasimham','Valyettan', 'Usthad','Ravanaprabhu' etc.
Here Mohanlal is in the role of Chandramouli,who is a musician and a drum player.He has got many friends in Chennai,the homecity of south indian films.It includes music directors played by Siddique & Mukesh,Keyboard player Rehman,Violinist Lal,Tabalist Harisree Asokan etc.As per their request, Chandramouli reaches Chennai to play drums in a recording.In the first impression itself he likes the girl who came to sing the song.Lakshmi Rai,who has done some tamil-kannada films before is a new face here in this role.
Our hero,who always hate the ideas of becoming love or getting married is changing his character soon.He was in a busy schedule on the way to South Africa,but cancels his trip,plans to stays here.He himself took the role of a music director with the help of tabalist & a dummy producer,played by Jagathi.Thus in the second half what all things Chandramouli does, to get her love by creating a composition is what 'Rock N Roll' is.
Anyway 'Rock N Roll' has not received a good opening.(i have been regularly witnessing the first day crowd for any superstar films in the capital city for more than 15years).
Till first half Mohanlal's character is having a very long hair.So the posters showing such an appearance,some pre-release reports which came in film magazines and also the english title of the film must have deflected negatively on the audience.
'Rock N Roll' is a different attempt by Renjith which is picturised completely in Chennai.Here also the
director is trying to project the heroism,but it is not in an usual action style.The scenes in the beginning in which Siddique searching for Chandramouli, reminds us the scene in 'Aaram Thamburan'.
Words praising the hero like, Mouli has got only few friends in India like ARRehman & Zakkir Hussain, is just difficult to digest.
There are also dialogues in which his friends says that Chandramouli is unpredictable,he behaves in a different manner always,he is like that only... they are all different words to boost heroism.
The second half where the hero tries to shine infront of the heroine by composing songs,is treated in a comic way with the help of Jagathi & Suraj Venjarammood.It reminds us some of the old Priyadarsan films where there were no place for a depth in story telling.In the middle we have the
character of Manoj K Jayan,who is a goonda & an old friend of the hero.He is a character created to
guard the hero from some of the hazards he is facing.
There are some unwanted characters and situations in the film.
The main one being Swetha,who is in the role of a choreographer.Her friendship with Chandramouli shown in an european style must have been liked by north indians,but an average malayalee dont want to see such hi-fi sequences which is not at all necassary for the subject.
Then Rehman's character who goes behind every women & his strict wife's role played by Praveena is already told a 100 times before.
Mukesh's character is also not necassary for this subject.Also the song featuring Chandramouli & his friends singing and dancing infront of the heroine is appearing without any notice.
Suraj Venjarammood's character is there to grab his popularity.He is in the role of an untalented music director,who is a judge for reality shows.(I am totally disagreeing with the words Chandramouli
telling to this man.The script writer is targeting music director Sharath here.Sharath's talent/caliber should not be judged with the number of films he has worked.If you had heard songs from
'Kshanakathu','Pavithram','Sindoorarekha','OttayalPattalam' etc you will also agree with me...)
Only thing which is strong here is the relationship between Lal's character & his divorced wife's role done by Rohini. Also the director has taken effort to show some of the things which are not discussed so far in our films like music composing, live recording, final mixing etc.
In the climax song,'Ravereyaayi...' in which the hero expressing his love is a good composition by Vidyasagar.He has scored the high pitch number with an excellent orchestration.He is a notable name in the technical team as far as 'Rock N Roll' is considered.
ManojPillai's photography,in which the majority of scenes happening in indoor portions is colorful. Bijibal has done the re-recording.
'Rock N Roll' is not a big entertainer to promote / at the same time it is not too bad to be cornered.If this film was released at a time 10years before,with a different name,it would have been flown with the wind.
But at this time,I dont think it will create a news.
Rating : 2.5 / 5
Friday, November 16, 2007
Om Shanthi Om
" Have you seen 'Om Shanthi Om' ? ", " Have you seen the song in 'Om Shanthi Om' featuring all the top stars in bollywood ? ",these are the FAQs by the public these days.Such publicity stunts has never affected me.If i wish to watch a movie,it will happen at any cost.A promotion is necassary for a movie to reach the audience,but its not a good trend to follow the media hype as it is.
'Om Shanthi Om' is Sharukh Khan's next venture with choreographer turned director Farah Khan after 'Main Hoon Na'.The movie is produced by the hero itself under the banner of Red Chillies
Entertainment.This is heroine Deepika Padhukone's debutant film in hindi.She being daughter of veteran sportsmen Prakash Padhukone,has acted in a kannada film before.
When I saw the title logo style in the posters of 'Om Shanthi Om',I discussed the difference in it with a friend of mine.We thought it was just a new style adapted from the olden days.But when i watched the film i understood,the style was created according to the mood of the story which happens in the later 70's.
This film opens with the song from Karz,'Om Shanthi Om...' featuring Rishikapoor.We can see our hero Omprakash dancing with the audience in the shooting floors.He is an extra artist here wishing to become a big hero one day.He is in mad of the super heroine Shanthipriya.Omprakash saves her from
an accident happened during a shoot.Thus both become close to each other.One day he came to know that she is having some problems with the producer Rakesh Mehra(Arjun Rampal).But he cant stop the worse from happening.Shanth is murdered and in a desperate attempt to save her life,he lost his life also.
In the post interval session,the story is happening in the current period.Here our hero got a rebirth, he is the new superstar in bollywood now.Some of the incidents happened 30years before comes to
his mind often.He who know the villain plans to trap him.The NRI,Mehra is planning to take a movie after a long gap.How the hero & party takes revenge is what shown in this film which turns a slightly horror look in the end.
Though the old period is not recreated as it is in the first half,we are getting a sense of it through the huge building sets used for shooting those daya.Art director SabuCyril has got a big role in
this film.The Costume department headed by Manish Malhotra & Karan Johar helped the director very well.Make up according to the period for artists should also be noted here.(make up and body language of Omprakash played by Sharukhkhan is very average only,it needs more clarity)
The visual effects work done by Red Chillies VFX for songs in which Deepika acts opposite SunilDutt & RajeshKhanna is good to see.Music director Vishal-Sekhar has given songs based on the situations, but it wont be remembered for a long time.Re-recordist Sandeep Chowta has got a different job to do in both halves of the story.Cinematographer Manikandan has got some colorful frames.
The scenes in the second half is not having its depth.The major portions are covered by a Filmfare function in which our hero gets the best actor award,a song in which almost all the bollywood
artists are dancing,an item song by the hero himself & a song in the climax.Other scenes are there only for a lead to the climax-anti climax portions in which the villain is being cornered.
There is no logic in the 10mnt song featuring a bulk of artists, right from Dharmendra to SayedKhan. It is good only to be used as a promo for this film.Also people who love to see many actors together, without watching hindi films usually, will like such a song.
The film fare award function scenes are presented in a sarcastic manner.Since we people are not so close to the hindi actors,i dont know whether it will reach the audience as expected.The scenes in which the superstar comes to act in a film,hears the story from a director who behaves like a joker etc are all there to create a laugh,but the impact is not there.
Shreyas Talpade who came through 'Iqbal' is the friend of Sharukh.He got two different appearances, but he has to get more experience to handle the old aged role in the second half.ArjunRampal, Kirankher & Bindu has peformed well in their roles.The tall Deepika Padukone is not having much to do infront of camera.Sharukh Khan is here in his usual style only.
'Om Shanthi Om' is not that big compared to 'RangDe Basanthi', in which two different periods are blended well with a good script/direction.
Also this film is not giving any message like Sharukh's previous hit 'ChakDe India'.
But if you had planned to watch,I wont block your attempt.Its a different film.
Rating : 3 / 5
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Aayur Rekha
The film 'Aayur Rekha' directed by debutant GM Manu is based on a literary work by writer KK Sudhakaran.Dennis Joseph has provided the screenplay for this subject.He once gave notable big budget hits in malayalam like 'New Delhi','Rajavinte Makan','Indrajalam', 'Nirakkoottu', 'No 20 Madras Mail' etc.This is what gave me some confidence in this project.But in the course of time,at a span of last 6-7years,unfortunately he dont have a big hit to be projected.His recent films 'Vajram', 'Thaskaraveeran', 'Ebraham Lincoln','Chirattakalippatangal' etc are infront of us as examples.
Cinematography of 'Aayur Rekha' is handled by Aanandakuttan,the most experienced cameraman in the South India.Castings include Mukesh,Sreenivasan,Jagathi,Saikumar,Indrajith,Urvasi,LakshmiSharma('Palungu' fame),Jyothirmayi etc.
This film is an investigation subject rolls around the lady lead done by Lakshmi Sharma.She is the owner of a private hospital.She is an open character.She is married and also got a child.Due to some family problems she is seeking divorce from her husband.In the first half she is being linked with many characters through various incidents.This is only to make us confused after she is being murdered at the interval time.Srinivasan is the officer who is conducting the enquiry. In a thrilling second half,he finally reaches the culprit.
After reading these,i think you will be little bit interested in watching this film.It is natural,since investigation thrillers has got a minimum guarantee among the audience.But you will get totally
upset after you have watched 'Aayur Rekha'.
This is due to some of the non sense portions in first half.The film starts with a song in which Mukesh who is the drama musician dancing & singing with extra artists.Also there is another song in which he is dreaming about the lady neighbour played by the heroine.Those two should have been totally avoided.Then about Jagathi's characterisation;it lacks naturality.Though he is from the beginning till end,it is leaving us many questions.
In the second half the film is taking its pace.When it reaches the anti climax scenes where the police finds the culprit,we might have forget about the outcome of the previous session.But again the end climax portion which is a surprise,has resulted in a failure.
Lakshmi Sharma,Sreenivasan & Saikumar has done their roles very well.So a neatly scripted & perfectly edited first half with a believable climax scene would have changed the total quality of 'Aayur Rekha'.
Though 'Aayur Rekha' has got some positives to project,they are covered up and dominated by a bulk of negatives.
Rating : 2 / 5
Monday, November 12, 2007
Azhakiya Thamizh Makan
'Azhakiya Thamizh Makan' is young star Vijay's next tamil film after his previous hit 'Pokiri'. This film is directed by new comer Bharathan.Music of this film is given by the trend setter man, AR Rehman. Superstar's heroine in 'Sivaji',Shreya is playing the lady lead here. 'Azhakiya Thamizh Makan' has got some malayalee-connections also.The big budget one is produced by Appachan under the big banner Swargachitra.They once gave us hit films like 'Inharihar Nagar', 'Godfather','Friends' etc.
As every hero oriented subject, this film also started with an action sequence followed by a song. The hero meets his lady love asusual in the temple.Songs are there to bind their relation well.
In the plot,one twist has been given by the writer/director here;may be he might have inspired this from the english film named 'Final Destination' or malayalam film 'Iyer the Great'.Thus the extra sense of the hero is also not new to us.
Another thing that is shown here is hero's double role,where the second guy plays the negative role.As far as actor Vijay is concerned this is new,but this cliche is shown in many ways since the old days of 'Seetha aur Geetha'.The misunderstandings which is happening when both these characters are interchanged is not conceived seriously in a make belief manner.In the climax portions,how the postive character wins the match is what explained in 'Azhakiya Thamizh Makan'.
The negative character has got a glamorous heroine in the form of Namitha who comes in three scenes including an item song.Also the way in which she comes in the climax portion reminds us the unnatural masala films in the 90's.Sex bomb Shakeela's role & the comedy sequence created with the a malayalee character who comes to take a film on her is not at all appealing.Lack of good comic situations or a solid depth in story is witnessed very well in the film.
AR Rehman's songs is like an Ayurvedic medicine.Though it will take sometime to be a hit,it is matching the scenes well.Among them there is also an extra modern remix of old hit song, 'Manmadhan vanthal...' Asusual, Rehman has done an excellent job in re-recording.Cinematographer Balasubramanyam who was once associate to KV Anand is a promising name like his guru.I felt no identity or differentiation in acting when the two roles done by Vijay is compared.Sreya is charming in her role.Songs are colorful,especially the steps in the introduction song is notable.
The name 'Azhakiya Thamizh Makan' suggests something different, but it is not so beautiful as you expects.
Rating : 3 / 5
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Jab We Met
Weeks before when I saw the scenes of the hindi film 'Jab We Met' in a TV Trailor show,it has some shots which is similar to that of a malayalam film 'Vettom' directed by Priyadarsan.So i double checked the director's name there;I expected it to be another buzz from that king of remakes.But to my surprise,director's name was given as Imtiaz Ali.
( Since 'Vettam' is already a hindi remake, I thought it was my foolishness thought.But there are also examples like 'Dhol'.It is a new hindi film directed by Priyadarsan which is the second remake of malayalam hit 'Inharihar Nagar'.Someother director has already remade it in hindi 12years before. )
All those predictions was in vague,when i watched 'Jab We Met'.It was a totally different film.Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor played the main roles here.The story rolls around these two characters,the hero being the son of a multi millionaire and the other one a smart young lady who belongs to a higher class sikh family.
Shahid is leaving his own company due to some family problems.On the way, in a train he came across Kareena who is in search of her lover.She is too talkative; in the beginning he doesn't like this character; later her such an attitude towards the life is inspiring him, thus he accepts the reality & came back to normal life.As time passed,on the other side when her jolly life is changed to a little darker side, he comes to her help. What happens to them in the end is a suspense, it is not as you see in all hindi films.
In the 70's & 80's almost all the hindi films has some story to tell and it was widely accepted by the audience.In such an aspect,'Jab We Met' will remind us about that golden era as far as the industry is concerned.This film is a great relief from the 'Murder' trend these days.
Other than shahid & Kareena, the only well known artist in the film is Dhara Singh,who comes in the role of heroine's grandfather.All the artists has performed well, among them Kareena & Shahid should be given the maximum marks.
Director Imtiaz Ali who came from the tele serial field has directed a film named 'Socha Na Tha' before.But this time he has caught attention by moulding the characters very well in such a love story.Music by Pritam,Cinematography by Natraj Subramanyam also goes well with the movie.
If you are a regular viewer of hindi films, then dont miss 'Jab We Met'. Here no gimmics is used to tell the story.
Rating : 4 / 5
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Naalu Pennungal
Once I reached home after watching new malayalam film, 'Naalu Pennungal', one of my friends phoned me & asked,
'How was the movie ?
'I said, 'What to say, film is having 1hr45mnts in length,among them 45mnts is spend for showing road tarring,eating meals etc...'
In reply, he who knows about my blog told me that he is eagerly waiting for my review on 'Naalu Pennungal',also challenged me to write the same words on review.
Though I agreed to do it at that time,I am not specyfying those words here.
Veteran Adoor Gopalakrishnan has scripted & directed 'Naalu Pennungal' based on 4 short stories by notable malayalee writer Thakazhi.The director's last film,'Nizhalkoothu' got released almost four years ago.That film was his first movie to be picturised in Cinemascope and it has got background score by Ilayaraja.
I heard that initially Adoor was planning to take a tele series in Doordarshan based on Thakazhi stories.Later the plan got changed & then this feature film got happened.But what i felt now is that Adoor's choice would have been better if he had picturised these stories for television.
All the stories are happening in the mid century period,the time when our country got freedom.
The first story 'Oru Niyamalanghanathinte Katha' has got artists like Padmapriya, Sreejith Ravi, Sona Nair, Manoj K Jayan & P Sreekumar.Padmapriya has got the role of a sex worker.Road tarring scenes & Court scenes covers the majority of the backdrops here.
The second story 'Kanyaka' has Geethu Mohandas,Nandu & M R Gopakumar in lead roles.The consequences of the marriage happening in a lower middle class family is discussed here.Paddy field scenes & Eating scenes are shown deeply here.
The third story 'Chinna Amma' has Murali, Mukesh & Manjupillai in it.It deals with the problem faced by a middle aged couple after a long run of marriage life.Nothing special to be noted in the story.Also i didn't understand the climax of this story.
The last & lengthy story 'Nithya Kanyaka' has got big starcast like Nanditha das, KPAC Lalitha, Kavyamadhavan, Asokan, Ravi Vallathol, Ramya Nambeesan etc.What happens if an elder member remains unmarried and fedup after all the members in the family got partners is shown here.Most of the time marriages of different members are shown in the background.
We can see all the stories discussing a common fact,the effects and consequences of marriages in different arenas of the society.It is happening in the travancore area almost 50years before.
All the artists has performed based on director's guidance & the outcome is excellent.The Costumes and the Art department has to be appreciated well.The film picturised in Ambalappuzha,in Alappuzha district will give us a nostalgic feel of kerala in the olden days. Adoor's companion for all his projects,cinematographer Mankada Ravivarma is not seen here.It has been compensated through good/calm frame work by MJ Radhakrishnan,who is an unavoidable name in such a stream of films now a days.Background music by Issac Kottukapally is also good.
Most of the situations in the film is not new,it has been seen many times in many films before. Thats why i prefered these to be told in a teleseries format.
On the direction side, I dont know why scenes/shots are deliberately dragged.Adoor has been practising the same throughout his life,but this time some sequences are repetetive and most of
them too slow to be noted.What we can witness is a 'pindrop silence'.Since such films are targeting Film Festivals outside the country, may be this lagging might have created for the viewers to read a subtitle twice or thrice and undertsand the sequence.
As you know, a film like 'Naalu Pennungal' has got a separate audience.While watching it with only 10% of theatre attendance,most of them were restless,some of them screamed,some of them left in the middle,some of them slowly criticised,some of them slept,some of them...
Now you will be feeling that I really dont like watching parallel movies like 'Naalu Pennungal', thats why i had written like this...
sorry,I always loved movies like 'Chidambaram', 'Oridathu', 'Piravi', 'Vidheyan', ' Susanna', 'Danny' etc.
Rating : 2 / 5
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Sarathkumar's new tamil film 'Namnaadu' is a political subject.He is acted as the Home minister.The fim is directed by Suresh,who once did films like 'Arasu' & 'Gambheeram' with the same hero.This is Karthika's debutant film in tmil as heroine.Nasser has done a supporting character in the film.
The actor turned politician Sarathkumar after being expelled from DMK,formed a new political party.So taking into account of the current political situation in Tamilnadu,i think this is the ideal role for Sarathkumar.Different from Kerala's scenario,there the heroism can reflect on one's political image also.
Hero's father role done by Nasser is a corrupted minister.
The hero character fights against his illegal behaviors and emerge as a good leader among the public. Finally when the current ministry resigns,he wins as independent candidate against his father.
Hero's seat is vital for the winning party to hold majority,he became the home minister. He is doing good for the people,finally the enemity between the father & son comes to an end, the son-in-law who is the villain doesn't like this, kills the former and in the end the hero takes revenge on him.
You might have heard this story somewhere...yes, 'Namnaadu' is the remake of malayalam film 'Lion' acted by Dileep.
Sarathkumar, who once gave superhits like Sooryan','Nattamai', 'Sooryavamasam' etc has not done justice to his role here.Most of the times,he is not active & his body language is average and ordinary.I felt this is due to his entry in the political field.In the middle of such busy schedules as a public servant,he is not at all fit to do a film where there are many retakes & dramas.
So may be the director might had given NOC to most of the shots considering the person who financed for this film.As a result there is no punch in the dialogues as well as the scenes.
Also there are many negatives on the dubbing side,mixing engineer should have concentrated more on this side.The characterisation of hero's mother & heroine's mother is very poor.I dont know why there is scarcity for artists who is doing the roles of supporting characters.
Karthika,who holds a malayalee homely image,after crossing the limits of Valayar,like any other previous artists, she has also done some extra glamour in songs.Charanraj & Riyaz Khan has done their roles satisfactory.
Only good thing that is noticable in 'Namnaadu' is the Kerala Secratariate building,which is never picturised in many tamil films before.It is shown as the Tamilnadu Secratariate where hero's office is situated.
'Namnaadu' is not a promotable one.If you have watched 'Lion',then its more than enough.
Rating : 1.5 / 5
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
'Malaikottai' is another action flick from Vishal directed by Bhoopathipandyan('Thiruvilayadal Aarambham' fame). The heroine here is Priyamani.One should not forget that she is here after delivering her excellent performance through the film 'Paruthiveeran'.Like actresses Revathi,Radhika,Rekha, Radha,Ranjitha etc; she was also introduced by the veteran director Bharathiraja.But as other heroines she has not changed her name to a different name starting with director's lucky letter 'R'. I dont know whether that has affected her luck in career.But the film field people always believe in such unwanted superstitions.
For those who needs introduction about actor Vishal - He is the one who emerged as a star in the tamil field within a short span of 3-4years.Before acting he was working as an assistant director to actor-director Arjun. Though his first movie 'Chellame' was a hit,he took his name thru his next film 'Sandaikkozhi' directed by Lingusamy,then came another hit 'Thimir',followed by 'Sivapathikaram' & 'Thamirabarani'. May be you can ask, whats his speciality ? There is no such thing to point out, but the real tamilian-look & his youthfulness helped him to keep his place.
Also there is no much speciality in the story of 'Malaikottai'.Hero who is a residentee of Puthukottai met with a rowdy,as a result of such a police case he is being transfered to his uncle's place by his family.After reaching Trichy,his attitude remains the same.That place is ruled by another don.
Hero happened to come across this don's brother,where the latter is beaten brutally like anything & he finally suicides since ashamed of facing the public again.In the climax how the hero takes victory over villain with the help of his uncle who is a police inspector is what 'Malaikottai' is.
The story almost comes to an end in the first half itself.It is elongated to the maximum with the help of songs,romantic situations and some action sequences.The incident in which the heroine pointing the villain's brother claiming that he is her lover,felt different.But in that scene the negative character is shown in an excentric manner.I dont know why the director has asked him to behave like so in most of the scenes.Since his body language himself shows that he is a villain,whats the use in such an overacting ?! Kannada actor Devraj has done good in the leading negative role.
This is the period of Remix songs.'Malaikottai' has also got one.Ilayaraja's old hit number 'hey aatha athorama...' is remixed here & is also picturised colorfuly.Music director Manisharma's hit number 'hey baby...' has also got attractive visuals.
Another name to be quoted here is the action director Kanalkannan.He is the one who has took fame through action squences in 'Citizen','Padayappa', 'Muthalvan' etc. In 'Malaikottai' also he has much to do.
( i dont know whether you people will enjoy an action scene in which a villain is being throwed/hit to 50-100feets by the hero,but i always love to watch a neatly choreographed action sequence in the modern DTS mix technology.Since cinema is a fantasy medium - songs & action scenes are also part of it, you cant laugh at me...)
'Malikottai' is not upto the mark compared to the list of hero's previous hit films.If you have not seen any of the films of Vishal, then you can watch this film to know what he is...
Rating : 2.5 / 5


text: tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-987369991251162916.post4635846151397542302..comments2018-04-30T16:12:48.273-04:00Comments on Don't Let the Teacher Stay Up Late: Summer Reads #4: The War That Saved My LifeMelissahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-987369991251162916.post-42600186426256629402017-07-28T23:33:05.441-04:002017-07-28T23:33:05.441-04:00We read this book in our Teacher Book Club. Everyo...We read this book in our Teacher Book Club. Everyone absolutely loved it! It's rare we find a book that everyone likes!The Reading Rounduphttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-987369991251162916.post-833583773630122682017-07-18T23:06:57.912-04:002017-07-18T23:06:57.912-04:00I actually read this book aloud to my second grade...I actually read this book aloud to my second grade class at the end of the year. I do teach an advanced second grade class, so they are always looking and wanting novels above the traditional second grade level. They LOVED it! Everyday they would ask me to keep reading. They wanted to know what was going to happen to Ada and Jamie. Out of all the books we read aloud, this was by far their favorite.Jamie Knefelyhttps://email@example.com


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After breakfast, I had just under 2 hours to hit as many stores as I could before the flight back. I managed to fit in Victorias Secret, H&M, Betsey Johnson and Bebe. The most fun was definitely Betsey Johnson. They started picking dresses for me to try with a pair of sparkly gold high heels. Everything was so over the top bridesmaid-esque. I did avoid buying an expensive dress I didn't need, but I couldn't resist this ruffly, sweater/cape thing in aqua. Very Carrie Bradshaw. It's one of those things that people will see and will love, or mock mercilessly behind my back. Couldn't everyone's wardrobe use more aqua ruffles?
The flight back was uneventful. I watched The Golden Compass and Mad Money. Both were more disappointing than expected, so I'm glad I didn't pay to rent them.


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This is now a general Wargaming blog! :)
While Lasalle has gone on the backburner, Blood Bowl has rekindled my love of painting little figurines. These ladies are my first Blood Bowl team, and though they've been the source of much heartbreak I love 'em nonetheless.
The figures are Shadowforge Wicked Elves, but I'm using them as Blood Bowl Dark Elves. Not only does the Wicked Elf style match that of the corrupt, evil Dark Elves, but the range has just the right number of different positional pieces to fill all the roster slots on the DE team.


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So, you have decided to use SEO to enhance your website's visibility. Good for you! However, there's a lot of information that you might not understand. No need to fear; you are in good hands with this article. These tips will teach you how to become a master at SEO.
Change from AP to SEO style, in order to improve the quality of your site's search engine optimization. This style simply means increasing the number of times your keyword is repeated without disrupting the writing flow. One reason using keywords will improve your rankings on search engines is that search engine spiders work by locating and weighting keywords.
Most importantly, you must keep visitors interested. Keeping there focus on your site is how you gain success. Not only do you want to encourage people to visit your website, you also want to encourage them to come back. Small things make a difference.
Getting your PageRank up requires getting, and keeping, visitors. There is increasing evidence that the amount of time a person spends on a site (according to metrics like Quantcast scores, etc. In other words, simply driving traffic to your site is no longer an effective way to get a good PageRank rating. Discussion mediums such as forums are a good way to interest visitors in spending time on your site.
Product feeds can really help bring you business by reaching a broader online audience. Use these to provide important details about the product or service you offer. The best places to submit are shopper comparison sites and the major search engines. It is also possible for customers to use a feed reader to establish a subscription to your feed.
Search Engine Optimization
If you know enough techniques and strategies, you can do your search engine optimization on your own. There are many resources that can teach you what you need to know about search engine optimization. Between books, websites, and blogs, you can learn all you need to know to optimize your site.
Instead of exchanging links, try using article exchanges for boosting your rankings in the search engines. This basically means that you will use an article created by a different website owner, and post it on your website. You will then need to credit the author with the help of a link to their site, and they will do the same for you on their site. It is more effective than a link exchange, and both sites receive new content.
Site Map
A site map can help a search engine to index your pages. A site map, or navigation bar, helps the search engines find all of the pages of your site. Although you may have a small website, you can use a site map to have a bigger effect on search engine ranks.
Try to include a transcript for any visual or audio content on your site. The main reason providing transcripts is helpful is because this content then can be utilized by search engines. Their spiders can crawl and index the information. In video or audio format, they cannot.
To avoid the spam filters of the search engines, avoid duplicating any content on your site. Even if you aren't sure, check your pages for duplicate content. While reusing articles and product info on multiple pages might be quick, the search engine robots will not treat it well.
You might want to try starting a podcast. Podcasts can include video or be audio-only, may be streamed live or pre-recorded, and should include information that your consumers are interested in. They are growing more and more popular among consumers, and the good news is all they require is a video camera or tape recorder. This way, descriptions of the podcasts you have will appear in search results.
Adding captions to your page is a great optimization tool to add to your box. This means that sites with a great deal of photos or newspaper articles linked can use this to their advantage, using captions that are filled with keywords can improve traffic and visibility.
Although your website might be great, it isn't perfect. Upon accepting this fact, you can be more objective in your search for flaws to be improved upon within your site. Don't stop making your business better along with your website so more people can see it.
Put yourself in your customer's shoes. If you were looking for your website, what key words would you use? Once you've come up with a list, use them around your website. Keywords should be in the title and in the text. Do not over use them because this can cause your site to be labeled as spam by the search engines
If you want to improve your search engine ranking, writing unique, interesting content should be your number one priority. To get a lot of traffic, you'll need to offer unique content that can't be found elsewhere. People who like what they read the first time they visit your site are likely to come back a second time.
Now you have some helpful tips. There was lots of information to take in, but you can gain a good idea of where to start and how to move forward. Keep this list on hand at all times and refer back to it if necessary.
This article was prepared by Burt Steingraeber. Burt is a marketing and branding consultant in Milwaukee Wi USA. www.BurtSteingraeber.com


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n.— «The exact day the first North Carolina politician hooked his thumbs in his suspenders and referred to a "catfish amendment" is probably lost to history.…The term refers to a proposed change on a bill that sounds friendly but is actually a sly attempt to kill it. Usually, that's by adding a provision that would turn off supporters or make the law vastly more expensive.…"There was always some guy getting up talking about a catfish amendment," he said. "But Cutlar was the one who got the most mileage out of it." Over time, the joke was forgotten, but the term stuck around, and not just in North Carolina. Lobbyists in Georgia use the word "catfishing" to describe their attempts to load up a bill with killer amendments. One lobbyist is known by the nickname "Catfish" for his ability to do so.» —"'Catfish amendment' phrase caught on" by Ryan Teague Beckwith News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina) July 5, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
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Casting For Two #193 - Shelly Bhalla/
From the show, "Jane the Virgin", actress Shelly Bhalla stops by! Things talked about in Episode #193 are: getting into acting, debating, keeping up with politics, the pacific northwest, commercials, auditioning, being on the show Jane the Virgin and what movie would you be in?
Casting For Two features interviews with creators of all sorts from around the web. Founded by Chris Hernandez in 2013, the show has featured actors and actresses, musicians, writers, comedians, web personalities, streamers, animators, and so much more! Casting for Two is now part of the Secret Stage family, and can found on iTunes, Google Play Music, and Stitcher, where your subscription and reviews help immensely!


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To find good quality, inexpensive wine you don't have to break the bank. All you have to do it to follow some strategies that can stretch your dollar value, bringing a higher profile wine at your table for the lowest price.
> Shop in large retail stores
First of all, make sure you shop at a large retail store. Large retailers can receive great bargains both from producers and distributors, passing all cost savings on to consumers. Instead, small retailers pay higher prices to producers and distributors, and, therefore, they sell at higher prices, passing all expenses on to consumers. Go to the retail store that matches your profile and look for bargains within the wine range of your interest. You can find great deals at Whole Foods, Jewel, Dominick's, Costco or in any of the local supermarket chains of your area.
> Shop in large liquor stores
Large liquor stores can offer you great bargains from a variety of labels and specialties from different countries around the world. Typically, in large liquor stores you may find a broad range of prices that will allow you to choose the wines of your preference within your budget limits, but also to familiarize yourself with new varieties. Conveniently located around the corner of your condo or close to the mall, liquor stores are always the place to take advantage of discounts, freebies, promotions and year-round free wine tastings.
> Shop in mid-sized chains
Mid-sized wine chains are a good choice because they always have sufficient influence on distributors to promote the wines in lower prices. For instance, if you live or you ever visit San Francisco or Chicago, go and check out The Wine Club and Binny's respectively. Both chains are great examples of exceptional wine selections at affordable prices.
> Shop at free tastings
Wine production every year is overwhelming for consumers and retailers know that. In order to make things easier for consumers, but also to sell their products, retailers often organize free wine tastings. Typically held on week evenings or Saturday mornings, free tastings are a great opportunity to get a better understanding of the different wine styles available, to enhance your knowledge, and to shop for free.
> Shop on seasonal sales
All wine retailers offer seasonal sales because, usually in spring and fall, demand is slow and they want to sell their inventory before the new products arrive. So, be ready to stock up on seasonal sales. It makes sense cost-effectively, but also it provides a thrilling feeling having all that wine at home, provided you can store it properly.
> Check for incentive programs
Check out for the loyalty or incentive programs of a wine shop that offer you the best wines at lower prices. For instance, you can find a mixed case (12 bottles) at a discount of 10, 15, or even 20 percent. You can also use this as a way to check markups at a wine shop: the higher the case discount, the more you can be sure that the average price per bottle is marked up.
> Shop online
The great potential of the internet has fully developed for wine shopping after Amazon's partnership with Wine.com. For some people, it still seems weird not to hold the bottle, neither inspecting its label. However, you may search at wine-searcher.com and winezap.com where you can find any wine producer or vintage you're looking for, generating multiple vendors. Moreover, there are great websites or online wine shopping such as vinfolio.com, chambersstwine.com, bountyhunterwine.com, avalonwine.com, or pellationamerica.com that are easy to use, offer great customer service, a wide selection of wines and, most importantly, top prices. Just check out the shipping expenses as this alone can trade off any cost or tax savings.
As a matter of fact, you have many alternatives at your disposal for buying fine wines at great prices. Just check out your options, decide which one suits you the best in terms of budget constraints and head on! Never forget to take into account the atmosphere of the store, how knowledgeable the employees are, how willing are to help and to give you advice, and finally how experienced they are. This is essential particularly for wine shops and liquor stores that consumers develop a personal relationship with the owner and the employees.