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Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, And the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
- Buddha
While it may seem odd to start out with a photo of Ben's birthday cake, yes our boy is now 7, I just find it hysterical that he is giving 'rabbit ears' to Buzz and Woody on his cake. Only Ben.
Our Memorial weekend is zipping by it seems but man it has been a nice one. We've had dinner with friends, family...caught up with good buddies who've moved but came back to visit. We've done birthday parties...I did a t-ball game that Seth played my little cousin Autumn. AND the coolest thing was that last night Toonces and I actually spent the night down by the pond on our daybed. Frogs croaking and lightening bugs sparkling were just heaven for me and the glorious moon was the cherry on top. Darius was so happy to be allowed back in bed with us that he purred all night while switching bodies to curl up on.
I've even had my first swim.
So life is good here at the Clark farm and I hope life is treating you well too.
God bless!
There we have the new room with some furniture- more on the way.
My sweet sweet babies.
Autumn, my cousin Mark, and Seth all in one frame.
and pink hats and pony tails...you gotta love it!
Seth and Ben both charm the camera. Seth happy to see me at his game and Ben having some cool delicious watermelon at his party.
I loved this shot. I like the way Ben has his hand on Amy like "whoa, let me see those bad boys."
And our one-eyed rooster Fireball who has become so tame. Bless his heart. But in the land of the blind the one eyed rooster is king. Here he is hanging on the deck where he comes to ask for cat food.


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I'm really pleased to report on our first Help-Portrait shoot in Coventry. Last night, 4th July 2017, my crew gave up their time, expertise and equipment to shoot 25 family portraits in a local school.
Help-Portrait is a global movement of photographers, hairstylists and makeup artists using their time, tools and expertise to give back to those in need.
Help-Portrait is about GIVING the pictures, not taking them. These portraits aren't for a portfolio, website, or sale. It's about giving people who otherwise couldn't afford photography, a chance to capture a moment, a memory…and a whole lot more. Read more about Help-Portrait-UK-Coventry here:
Although the International Help-Portrait day isn't until 2nd Dec 2017, my team was keen to hold an event before that date to test, hone their skills and most importantly use everyone's expertise to hold the first event for the school that is in a disadvantaged area of Coventry.
The team, Joyce James, Chris Shaw, Kirsten Pearce, Nicholas Jones and Ellen Shaw came together to shoot 25 family portraits, edit, print and mount the images in a 2hr window so that the families could take their photo's home the same night after their sports award presentation evening event.
Behind the scenes
I can't honestly say that everything worked like clockwork but despite the odd technical glitch and challenge of framing large groups against a small backdrop, we managed to pull it off and made a professional portrait print from start to finish in 10mins for each family.
Most importantly, of course, was the pleasure we all got from seeing the smiling faces of the families as they collected their printed photos.
Families collecting their prints
Selection of Portraits Taken On The Night
Thank you
I'd like to thank Jeanette, the Head Teacher, for allowing us to run the event at the school and for supporting us with her staff on the night, they all helped to make the night a great success.
A special thank you to Simon Newton and the Xposure Photography Festival team in Sharjah for sponsoring us and contributing towards the kit. Your support is really appreciated by all those involved with the project and receiving the prints.
Finally but of course not least, my shooting crew who all performed wonderfully to bring everything together for the event.
If you would like to get involved in the Help-Portrait movement then please make contact with me. Our next event is on 2nd Dec 2017 where we will be shooting portraits with Crisis Skylight in Coventry at a centre for the homeless.
We will need lots of volunteers for the 2nd Dec event as expect to run it over 12hrs so even if you can only spare a couple of hours to support please do let me know. We will need volunteers who can;
- Make-up and hair
- Shoot, Edit, Print & Mount Photos
- Help with refreshments and organisation
- Just give a smile and be there to chat and listen
Details for 2nd Dec 2017 Event can be found here:
If you would like to make a donation to Crisis that would be appreciated. JustGiving Page

subset: commoncrawl


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Computer graphics designers operate for firms specializing in the graphic communications, multimedia and corporate sectors, which consist of magazines, newspapers, packaging companies, makers of other print merchandise, Web internet site producers and electronic product producers. Pattern based systems use information about a issue to produce conclusions. Repeated violations may possibly lead to Google account suspension. For a lengthy time it seemed to me that in the end we won't get around settling on a definition for science and holding on to it, regardless of how much I'd choose a self-organized resolution.
Note: These projects use Autodesk Maya application, however they can also be implemented using other 3D software's like 3Ds Max or Blender. It is only with the appropriate knowledge and the ideal antivirus application that World wide web users everywhere can beat online bugs for good.
As of January 2007 update , Google says "Blogger for Word is not presently compatible with the new version of Blogger", and they state no choice has been made about supporting it with the new Blogger. Google offre alors à Blogger toutes les ressources dont il avait besoin.
Google+ comments can be integrated with blogger comments. Applied deep learning investigation is a lot a lot more about taming your problem (understanding the inputs and outputs), casting the problem as a supervised studying dilemma, and hammering it with ample data and ample experiments.
It was a bunch of geometers becoming thrown a fireball of deep learning. Google AdSense can automatically display relevant targeted ads on your blog so that you can earn earnings by posting about your passion. The applied strategy is facilitated by an interactive classroom knowledge each and every student has their own personal laptop and the most current versions of business common computer programming software program obtainable by means of Sheridan.…


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MAJIC 95.1 presents Friday Nites Live at Jefferson Pointe!
June 7th – August 30th, you can enjoy fun, free, live entertainment every Friday night at 6:30pm at the fountain!
NOTICE: Due to the wet conditions of the lawn next to the AMC Theatres and the current availability of the Center Courtyard Fountain area, we have decided to have Friday Nites Live concerts in their original location near the fountain. We intend to use the fountain area for as long as the courtyard remodeling project will allow.


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Kelly Clarkson's new talker signs NBC O&O deal
New daytime show to air on NBC 5 locally; replaces Steve on NBC O&Os In a deal before the fall season begins, NBCUniversal Television Distribution has struck a [..]
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Trump makes threat, urging to have their broadcast licenses challenged In the "probably saw this coming department", President Donald Trump sent out a tweet Wednesday morning stating NBC [..]
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Remembering Pete Seeger – The Peaceful Warrior
By Charlie Ransford | February 6th, 2014
Categories: Leaders in Peace, Norm Change, Violence Interruption
Tag: Leaders in Peace
Last week, Pete Seeger passed away at the age of 94. Seeger, an iconic American folk singer and banjo player, was also an activist who used music as a means of bringing people together to fight for the causes he believed in.
He began with playing in the Almanac Singers with Woodie Guthrie in the 1940s and helped to popularize folk music with The Weavers in the 1950s. On his own, Seeger kept playing folk music to audiences all over the world for decades, inspiring younger generations to keep this style of music alive.
Seeger was among the first to join the civil rights movement and take part in protests – most notably, he introduced the use of the song "We Shall Overcome" to inspire protesters. He was also a fixture in the peace movement against the Vietnam War and gave us songs like "The Big Muddy" to drive home the message that the war was wasting the lives of thousands of young Americans.
One famous story about Seeger, related in his PBS documentary, tells how a young Vietnam veteran, angry over Seeger's anti-war efforts and traumatized by the death of many friends in Vietnam, attended one of Seeger's concerts with the intention of killing the folk singer. Instead, Seeger's songs and sentiments moved the veteran so much that his anger and confusion was dispelled. The man came backstage after the show to speak with Seeger, who sat down with him and sang some songs with him. Afterwards, the man told Seeger that he "felt clean" because his anger was gone.
With music, Seeger was able to "interrupt" the spread of this man's violent experiences before he spread them further. His actions remind me of the way in which Cure Violence workers use a variety of methods to cool down tense situations and mediate conflicts – different situations and different methods than Seeger's–but with the same goal of dispelling anger and defusing hostile intentions.
The life of Pete Seeger also reminds us that music can inspire people to turn against violence. Music was a regular feature in the anti-war movements in the 1960s and 1970s. Today it is less common, but it still happens – witness the piano man who stopped violent protests in the Ukraine earlier this year (see picture below).


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Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has admitted Darren Bent is "starved of service" after it emerged his England striker gets less of the ball than ANY other Premier League player.
Bent, 27, needs a good season to seal his place at Euro 2012 after agonisingly missing out on the World Cup in South Africa.
But OPTA stats (see below) show Bent averages just 24.6 touches per Villa game this season – a stat bound to concern Three Lions boss Fabio Capello, who has vowed to only take in-form players to Poland nd Ukraine next summer.
In comparison to Bent, even Joe Hart has touched the ball over 500 times in games this season while sitting in his deckchair in league leaders Manchester City's goal.
Bent bagged nine goals last term in 16 games for Villa after his £24million move from Sunderland in January, where he had scored 36 times in 63 appearances.
But that ratio has slipped to only five goals in 13 league games this term under new Villa boss McLeish.
Bent failed to get a single shot off in Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester United.
McLeish is anxious to find a solution for Bent, who last notched against Norwich a month ago when he struck twice in the 3-2 win.
"Benty does have great movement, it's just a pity that sometimes we don't have the quality to see the runs he makes," said Big Eck.
"We created 10 chances against Norwich. He got a couple of goals and could have had another couple so we are capable of doing it depending on our personnel.
"I've watched games from last season and Bent only had one chance in the Man City game - his debut - and scored, so he was starved of service that night as well.
"But he only needs one chance and we've got to plug away."
McLeish has not been helped by Villa selling England wingers Ashley Young and Stewart Downing this summer.
He started with a creative midfield trio of Barry Bannan, Marc Albrighton and Jermaine Jenas against the champions, but Villa still struggled to create opportunities and only threatened late on, and then it was in the air at set-pieces.
McLeish has now challenged his players to improve their performances if they want to stay in his side.
He added: "By putting Barry and Jenas in, we were looking to find the openings, but it's not easy.
"I'm just asking for players to give me outstanding performances to stay in this team.
"We're looking for horses for courses every week now, rather than saying, 'Can't leave him out.'
"There's plenty of seven-out-of-10 performances, but we're looking for eights or nines, and any of the midfielders that are ready to do that will be in this team."
Despite Villa's desire to make more chances for Bent, McLeish acknowledges his side must not become too dependant on the striker.
"We can't just rely on Bent to score us the goals," he said.
"Gabby Agbonlahor has been fantastic this season and we look for him to retain his consistency and be an even bigger threat.
"Plus Charles N'Zogbia and guys like Albrighton, who did really well in the second half against United, have to come to the fore also."
Fewest touches per game this season
T = touches, MP = minutes played, TPG = touches per game
Bent, Aston Villa 314 1150 24.6
Graham, Swansea 312 978 28.7
Al-Habsi, Wigan 473 1260 33.8
Shawcross, Stoke 430 1099 35.2
Ba, Newcastle 359 913 35.4
Hart, Manchester City 501 1260 35.8
Barnett, Norwich 470 1161 36.4
Szczesny, Arsenal 538 1260 38.4
Walters, Stoke 541 1260 38.6
Agbonlahor, Aston Villa 525 1211 39.0
Ferdinand, QPR 548 1260 39.1
Samba, Blackburn 353 810 39.2
Morison, Norwich 427 977 39.3
Long, West Bromwich 435 988 39.6
Given, Aston Villa 534 1208 39.8
Howard, Everton 520 1170 40.0
Foster, West Bromwich 570 1260 40.7
Cahill, Everton 388 822 42.5
S Taylor, Newcastle 598 1260 42.7
Etherington, Stoke 449 943 42.9
Darren Bent's game by game touches this season
Fulham (a) 21 90 0 0 0
Blackburn (h) 34 90 2 2 1
Wolves (h) 22 90 1 0 0
Everton (a) 27 90 1 0 0
Newcastle (h) 27 86 2 1 0
Wigan (h) 18 74 3 2 1
Man City (a) 22 90 1 0 0
West Brom (h) 17 90 2 1 1
Sunderland (a) 29 90 1 1 0
Norwich (h) 28 90 3 3 2
Tottenhams (a) 24 90 3 1 0
Swansea (a) 21 90 1 0 0
Man Utd (h) 24 90 0 0 0
Total 314 1150 20 11 5
Avg 24.2 88.5 1.54 0.85 0.38


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We finally settled in our seats and the concert that was supposed to begin at 7.30 pm finally started at 8 pm. Once it began, all was forgotten and Sudha Raghunathan's singing mesmerized one and all! I liked her rendering of Nee Irangaayenil best. Katrinele varum Geetham was enjoyed by all present, but for me nobody can beat M S Subbulakshmi in that! Thani avarthanam was really nice and everybody enjoyed it!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
December Season
We finally settled in our seats and the concert that was supposed to begin at 7.30 pm finally started at 8 pm. Once it began, all was forgotten and Sudha Raghunathan's singing mesmerized one and all! I liked her rendering of Nee Irangaayenil best. Katrinele varum Geetham was enjoyed by all present, but for me nobody can beat M S Subbulakshmi in that! Thani avarthanam was really nice and everybody enjoyed it!
9 comments:
Simply wonderful !!! and long awaited !!!ReplyDelete
Welcome back to the blogging world :D
Super post, as usual! been missing them - the scenes of Chennai through your eyes and your camera's.
Your blog brings alive the December Music Season to me, one who is far away from it all. Thank you
Very nice pics. The ones I like best are - the one of the kutcheri with Sudha Raghunathan on the big screen and my favourite 'Kalyana Samaiyal Saadham with Ranga Rao'.
Kudos! Keep up the great work
- Geetha NatarajanDecember 28, 2011 at 9:28 PM
My dear Lakshmi,ReplyDelete
Very thrilled to read your write up. Only yesterday I was talking to a friend from Toronto about your blog and your write up on your visits to different temples. She just recently went to a tour of 14 temples in Tamil Nadu with her sister who lives in Chennai.
Your choosing of the subject of December concerts is interesting. During my university years,I had the chance to attend most of the concerts during the season in Music Academy and in Tamil Isai Sangam ( I believe they were the only two concerts halls for the season in those days)and listened to M.S.S., D.K.P., M.L.V., Musiri, etc. and watched many dance performances. M.S. usually sang on the Christmas day in the Music Academy. As you pointed out it is the time for women to dress up and attend the evening concerts. As a music student, I also attended discussions during the day. It was the time to meet and converse with the great musicians and musicologists.
I am really happy that you are enjoying the concerts. Continue writing.
Convey my love and respects to Radha manni. Wish you all a very Happy, Healthy, Safe and Prosperous New Year 2012.
Thank You Lakshmi for this "Blog", coming like 'Athippoo' from you, after a pretty long time! Yes, both Chithi and I, have been wedded to the "Season" not only this year, but since our arrival in Chennai after my retirement in 1990! The 1st thing we did was to become "Patron Members of the Narada Gana Sabha"!Then it was free Season Tickets to Members which progressed to initially 100Rs & slowly & steadily has hiked to our paying now, Rs 10 K, for the Season of a fortnight for our "Reserved Seats"!And during these days we are C/O of the Sabha "Gnanambika" Caterers for Food, Tiffin & Coffee for the entire Season! Still the "mental Satisfaction" we get is Immeasurable! And do you know that when I got married to your Chithi in 1956, I was so ignorant of Music( Your Chithi is a Graduate In Carnatic Music, Main & Western Music, Subsidary) that Chellappa Thatha, heckled her, saying that she had married an Aurangazeb!!ReplyDelete
That thatha, started ran 'The Karnatak Sangeetha Sabha" in Gulbarga, got it Registered & got Govermental Financial Aid,brought to Gulbarga all great artistes-- Maharajapuram Santhanam,Mysore Dorai Swami Iyengar, et al! D' thatha also got a $100/- prize for an article he wrote on Carnatic Music in an American Journal & was also given the First "Best Music Critic Award" by Carnatica, Chennnai! For this transformation of this Aurangazeb, full credit goes to your Chithi!--D' thatha
the pictures look much better now. Thank you :)
@Dorai ThathaReplyDelete
Nice to communicate through Lak's blog. That's a long comment from you Thatha and gives us such great info about you and Chitti. :D
@ Sun Thank you!ReplyDelete
@ Geetha akka - thank you for the prompt response. Glad to hear that you read my blogs regularly and happy that my blog made you recall your college days! :)
@ Dorai thatha & Chitti - like Sundari says, you have shared very intersting info with us by your comments, thank you! and Thatha, I never knew you were Aurangazeb once upon a time, I thought you had some knowledge right from the beginning. This info raises my hopes of gaining some knowledge of classical music!:D
- Anu, ahmedabadJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:58 AM
Our family is full of music lovers, you know. My father in law was a very good singer, followed by my husband and Aishwarya and Shruthi (the best), my children. Music always made me cry in bliss and bhakti from my childhood days. I used to cry secretly then. Today, here along with my husband, I sing a lot of bhajans and the public here always wants us to sing together, though there are great professional singers here. They say they are filled with bhakti when we sing. And it is a fact that I never tried to sing, not even in bathrooms, before my marriage and even after that. I could not bear my own singing. It was Bhagavan who entered my Antaryamin and made me sing. So much for Him, He made me sing before the Purushottama Amma and Bhagavan too.ReplyDelete
Thank you Lakshmi for reminding me all this. Nice to see Dorai thatha and Rajeswari chithi after a long time. I Convey my love and respects to them here and now and also my enquiries and regards to Prasad, who was my good friend.
hi.thanks for sharing the post.plan your wedding more memorable with sankar live music wedding events.sankar is one of the best singers in bangalore.he performed many corporate events like INTEL, IBM,Centum Electronics, Wipro, Accenture, TATA Group, Karle and many more..ReplyDelete


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'Cyclists don't know what a pothole is' says Highways boss
Gloucestershire's pothole plague isn't as bad as it might appear, in part because "Cyclists don't know what a pothole is", according to the Cabinet Member for Highways, Cllr Smith.
According to the charity, 'We Are Cycling UK', Gloucestershire is 121st out of 214 authorities for filling in potholes in England, Scotland and Wales. This puts the county in the third quartile for pothole repairs, with less than one in five reported potholes confirmed as repaired in the last year.
At last week's County Council Cabinet meeting Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, Gloucestershire Lib Dems Group Leader, questioned the man in charge of the county's roads, asking him to account for this terrible record. However, in response, Cllr Smith stated that only the council's own figures should be used, and that anyone else may use a 'different criteria' for defining a pothole.
Responding, Cllr Paul Hodgkinson (Bourton-on-the-Water & Northleach) has said:
"This is yet another example of the Conservative-led council refusing to acknowledge that there is a critical problem with our highways in Gloucestershire. Clearly, council bosses believe that they hold a monopoly on knowledge in the county and show complete disdain for independent voices."
"Speaking to residents on the doorstep the one issue which gets raised again and again is the terrible state of our roads and pavements. Yet despite this, the Conservatives keep saying that they are dealing with the problem. Gloucestershire's residents deserve better than this and demand a road network fit for purpose."


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Reveal Essay Topics
Biochemistry will be chemical reactions within living organisms' review. It started like a combination of biology and chemistry (organic, inorganic and physical). Variegated research while in the field is being conducted around the world today. Some of the research is farreaching and a few is more chosen. Implement it to a narrow or interdisciplinary concentration and it is far better choose a bigger topic when selecting a research paper matter in the discipline of biochemistry. Apoptosis Apoptosis will be a cell's developed demise. This demise is governed from the body and it is advantageous to the patient that was associated.
The publishing projects that are tiny are plainly remembered by most people at university.
Target a study report on apoptosis being a reaction to damage or being a kind of cellular suicide. An extremely distinct report matter is the way since it evolves, in which an organism utilizes apoptosis while in the latter sense. An example could be the means a tadpole becomes a frog. This process involves apoptosis of varied muscle tissues when that structure has to vanish to generate place for feet, for example. Because this technique is quite intricate, enter depth about its position in apoptosis, each the main mobile before it is linked to the larger matter. Biochemistry A long time of study have gone in to the feasible associations between pathological therapy and biochemistry. Below, chemical operations within the brain's analysis is compared and applied to scientific studies concerning individuals with mental illnesses that were pathological. Plan a research paper that follows proven connections between biochemical operations and that illness or an individual pathological infection and reports on probable contacts.
But i can???t by hurling around groundless accusations gain just.
Another topic would be to document through today's from your research of therapy in the late-1800s to the history of the niche. Hypothesize which route the area can get in the foreseeable future. Edition Another study subject thought would be to examine the function that biochemistry represents to unique situations in vegetable and onedayessay.com/term-paper-writing/ animal adaptation. For example, if there is a vegetable grown in an alternative environment than the one it's local to, it may or may unable to modify, according to how biochemical method linked to energy alteration expansion and also other facets is affected by the new environment. That plant dies due to an inability, when the new atmosphere disturbs any method related to the expansion of the seed. The report centers around distinct nutrients which are afflicted with environmental modifications in flowers or on a single variety of vegetable and its particular power to conform to an environment. Additional living microorganisms may be also placed on by this idea.
And that i intend to wield it (here and again) proper in need.
Polymorphism Polymorphism is really a subject in biology that describes two diverse phenotypes of exactly the same species present in the same location's incidence. This means that two people of the same variety have a distinct appearance. Like, army ants residing in exactly the same neighborhood are available in various styles. Particular snakes display variants in tone or designs too. An investigation document about them looks like variations in a certain variety or environment, in pigmentation, at biochemical areas of polymorphism.
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MoCCA! Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award! TCAF!
Been a busy few weeks here at the Comics Bakery headquarters! April 28-29 we had MoCCA, right here in NYC, and I spent some time signing and wandering around at the show. A few days later I boarded a plane for Vermont, where I was giving an endnote speech at the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Conference. The DCF Award is given out every year to a book voted on by 4th-8th graders in Vermont. I was invited to speak because Smile was one of 30 nominees...and shortly before the conference, I found out that it WON!
So, I was speaking as the winner of the DCF Award, which was especially exciting! The morning keynote speech was by amazing writer and Ambassador For Children's Literature, Jon Scieszka, who is basically a legend in hilarious speech-giving. Following that up was a challenge, but I had a great time talking to the 150 teachers and librarians there about comics, and why I love them. I'll be going back to Vermont in less than a month, to accept the award itself and meet the kids who voted for me. So thanks, Vermont!
From there, I flew straight to Toronto (and by 'straight,' I mean by way of a triangular flight pattern that had me laying over in Philadelphia). That's where TCAF is!
The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is easily one of my favorite comics-related events anywhere. This year was no exception. I had a fantastic weekend! Highlights include speaking on a panel with Alison Bechdel (!), Michel Rabagliati (!) and both Holm siblings (!!) about depicting childhood in comics...hanging out with some of my very favorite comics-making friends...the Comics Quickfire! Challenges...and of course, meeting a huge number of my wonderful readers and fans!
I was delighted to see so many new faces at TCAF. OwlKids Magazine took out some advertisements, and the local Toronto papers ran ads too, and this year's programming was extremely kid friendly...so, I got to meet a lot of parents and kids who were checking out the show for the first time! I'd like to think it's a great introduction to the wonderful world of indie and self-published comics, as well as the books especially for kids that me and many of my friends create!
You can read more about TCAF and see tons more photos in Dave's write-up of the Comics Quickfire! Challenge, over on his website.
Next up: the Maine Comics Arts Festival, May 20 in Portland, ME! I'll write up a separate post about that, soon...


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Senior Citizen Discounts
Senior Citizen Discount Day
In appreciation to all of our senior citizen shoppers we are now proud to offer our senior citizens a 10% discount on the first Thursday of every month!
This discount does not apply to sale or discounted items, tools, power tools, or power equipment.
You must be 60 years of age to qualify for this discount. Proof of age will be verified at time of checkout.


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Re: MCU – Ep. 1 – Iron Man
May 16, 2019 by Cody Villafana
Filed under Podcast
Join CineSnob.net for their brand new podcast where they rewatch the Marvel Cinematic Universe from Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame and beyond! To kick things off, the guys discuss 2008's IRON MAN, where it all began.
Click here to download the episode!
James "Murr" Murray – Impractical Jokers (TV)
September 6, 2018 by Cody Villafana
Filed under Interviews
The concept for the TV show may seem painfully simple: four lifelong friends compete in ridiculous challenges in order to embarrass, and ultimately punish each other. But the chemistry, looseness and ridiculousness of the show make "Impractical Jokers" one of the funniest shows on TV. As an extension of their show, the four guys involved are currently on their Impractical Jokers: Cranjis McBasketball World Comedy Tour, which makes a stop for two shows in San Antonio on Saturday, September 8. CineSnob.net spoke with one of the jokers, James "Murr" Murray about the show, the upcoming "Impractical Jokers" movie, and being a best-selling author.
I wanted to start by talking a little bit about the comedy tour you are on now. For fans of the show who haven't seen you guys on tour, what experience can they expect and how can they expect it to be different from the TV show?
The tour, I think, is the funniest thing we do. When you film a hidden camera show you have no idea how its working. We have no idea if the fans like what you're doing. It's hidden camera and we're hiding in the back or the basement somewhere. We come from a live tour background, so when we're on tour, it's a great way to interact with the fans. The live tour is our friendship on display. It really is. We have a giant screen behind us. We shot hidden camera challenges just for the live show that you can't see anywhere else. It's basically like stand-up comedy with all four of us on the stage at the same time. We're having fun with the audience. It's a lot of fun.
As a fan of shows like "Nathan for You," anything that Sasha Baron Cohen has done or anything that involves unsuspecting people, I have always wondered about the risk of becoming too big, where everyone knows you and it becomes harder and harder to do challenges in public. Is that something that you guys are cognizant of or had to adapt to?
That's a good problem to have. It means that the show is doing really well and we're doing our job right. It will be interesting next year when the movie comes out. We just shot the "Jokers" movie and it comes out next year in theaters, so we'll see. It has changed the show a bit. We don't do baseball stadiums anymore. We don't do boardwalks. It's harder to do malls. It changes the way you produce the show because we hide more and its rare that you see two of us together somewhere. But it's a good thing. The show is constantly evolving.
Do you feel like that need to adapt and evolve has kept the show fresh or made you guys think about different or more unique challenges?
For sure. I think what keeps the show fresh and unique is our own drive. We made a pact in Season 1 that if we ever felt the show was getting repetitious or stale, we'd stop doing it. We owe it to our audience to constantly evolve the format and push it in new ways with different styles of challenges or format busters. We try to do it every season and advance the show. That's the fun of making a show like this. We produce so many episodes a season that we have a chance to play around and test things out and see what works, so it's a lot of fun.
In terms of punishments, it feels like a lot of prep work goes into that. Is that something where you guys are thinking about punishments year round and making notes about what you want to do?
Yeah, it's funny the way punishments evolve. One of us will leave set for a couple of minutes to the restroom or something and when we come back to the set you'll hear the other guys go, "Shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh." You know they were conspiring when you left. A lot of what's happening in our real lives inspires the punishments.
Speaking of punishments, it seems a lot of the time they can be silly and ridiculous but others are completely excruciating to watch. Do you have a favorite type of punishment that you like to see go down?
I love to watch Joe do something physical, like Captain Fatbelly where he's riding on top of a tram or the one that aired last night. We built him into a massage chair at the mall, which was so funny. It was the funniest challenge in the show's history. Seeing Sal get scared is very funny. For me, I like when they punish me in a way that attacks my emotions and my ego. My pride, if you will. I like those psychological ones, where I'm walking into a room thinking it's going to be a body building competition and it turns out that I'm walking into Danica McKeller, who is Winnie Cooper from "The Wonder Years" in a dress, looking gorgeous. It's psychological. It messes with my mind. I like those ones the best.
In terms of the movie, is it something where you were trying to go bigger with it, or different, more edgy? What were your goals with the movie with the new format?
I think the time is right. The audience wants to see us push the show even further. The movie is bigger than a big episode. It has a narrative, a beginning and an end. There's a structure to it, even moreso than the TV show to help get us on this journey. That being said, 85 percent of the movie is a hidden-camera movie. We're improvising, which is a lot of fun, honestly. I will say, something slightly different than the TV show, the movie has multiple punishments throughout, which is great fun. You get to see us squirm a lot and punishments in the movie were spectacular. They hit all the right marks.
You were saying that the live comedy show is good because you don't get that instant audience response when you're filming the show. But with a movie, you get one shot. Did you guys spend a lot of extra time writing for the movie or thinking about the punishments?
Yeah, we put a ton of planning into it, which you always do when you're working on a movie. It was kind of like the beginning of the TV show in a lot of ways. It was the four of us writing. In Season 1 of the TV show, it was a small show. We had no staff. We were literally calling locations to get them on board. We were writing all the material. I mean that loosely, of course. There is no script for the TV show. It's improvised. But we still think of all the punishments and challenges. In the movie, it was back to our roots. It was the four of us in a room for a month coming up with ideas for the movie and secret punishments. It was fun.
One thing, too, that seems to be the case is the support of your network. Your show is on all the time on TruTV. It feels like there is an extension of the show as well, through the After Party or the specials and documentaries. How great is it to have the support of the people behind the scenes to know that not only your show is in good hands but they are letting you extend it beyond having just a 30-minute TV show once a week.
Are you kidding me? That's it. TruTV continues to be an amazing partner. The fact that they funded the movie…the network has been so supportive from the beginning, I will say. I can't imagine the show with another network. And they are willing to take big risks. For a network that has never produced a movie to take the risk to make a movie is a huge, huge show of support and confidence in the brand and the guys and I. It's not bad. We are forever thankful to them. When we pitched the show to them several years ago, they made good on their word. They said, "This is the show we want to define TruTV and the direction we want to go in" and they made good on that.
In terms of the brand expanding, you guys have an after show, you've got a tour, you've got a cruise. There's a lot of stuff that gives the fans more content or access to you guys. Do you feel like that's important for not only your growth but interacting with your fanbase?
Oh, sure. The guys and I come from a live-comedy background. We are a comedy troupe called The Tenderloins. We have performed live for many, many years. So, going into live touring was a natural common sense expansion for us. From there grew other, cool opportunities. I think a lot of it is having the right team around you that knows how to get these opportunities. Our management team and agents look for these cool extensions of the brand. As the tour grew, a natural question was, "Wouldn't it be cool to hang out and party with fans and go on vacation? What if we went on a cruise?" It's just these natural questions that you ask yourself. And the after show was the same kind of idea. We really clicked with Joey Fatone and he's been in a couple episodes of the show. He felt like a good fit for our show, cause we don't really have guest cameos but on the times we do have cameos its been based in reality. He's a similar kind of guy as us. And Danica McKeller is steeped in our history. I had a crush on her growing up so she was a natural extension of what we do. The show is very organic. It has to stay that way for us. So, the opportunities that we have now are a combination of how awesome our fanbase is and how they support us, how amazing the network is, and how great our team is that thinks about the questions like, "What would be a cool fan experience to do next?" The four of us have wanted to do this our whole lives and to have the ability to do something cool like this made us think, "What else could we do that is cool like this?" What if we could do a Hawaii episode?" I've always wanted to go and never had the money to go!
A few months ago, you had a novel come out that you wrote, "Awakened." I was wondering not only what that experience was like to foray into a completely different world, but what the response has been and how you feel about now being an author.
The crazy part of the novel is that it is very similar to how we developed "Jokers." I wrote this fast-paced, action-packed thriller 14 years ago. This was before TV. I had a BS job working from home and I spent a year of my life writing this book. Like "Jokers," the guys and I are regular guys who had no contacts in publishing. I had no agent back then. No lawyer to represent the project. After a year of writing, I sent it to every publisher in New York. And you ready for this? It got returned to me unopened. No one would open the envelope to read it. I have no problem dealing with rejection if I've been considered. But to be rejected without having someone look at it is a tough pill to swallow. It sat on my computer for 14 years. Fourteen years later, because of the fanbase and how amazing they are, I sent in the same book and the publishers at Harper Collins ended up buying the trilogy from me. I always believed in the project. I always thought that the book was really good and action packed and exciting to read. I will say, I've been really pleased with the fan response and the reviews online are amazing. Not just fan reviews, critical reviews are great, great, great. And the book is a best seller. It has been really rewarding thing, I must say.
They Nominated What?!
January 23, 2018 by Cody Villafana
Filed under CineBlog
Each year at CineSnob.net, we set our alarm clocks for way too early and watch the Oscar nominations live, like the film nerds we are. We then stumble to our computers and in blind outrage and pure jubilation, give some quick reactionary thoughts on the nominees. Let's dive into the major categories, shall we?
"The Big Sick," Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
"Get Out," Jordan Peele
"Lady Bird," Greta Gerwig
"The Shape of Water," Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," Martin McDonagh
CODY: Most of these nominations were expected, except for "The Big Sick," which much to my personal delight makes the cut. This award is very likely to go to Martin McDonagh, who missed out on best director.
KIKO: If I had a vote, I would've given a nom to Paul Thomas Anderson for "Phantom Thread," but nothing happened out of the ordinary in this category. Glad to see Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon get a nod for putting their real-life on display for "The Big Sick."
"Call Me by Your Name," James Ivory
"The Disaster Artist," Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
"Logan," Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green
"Molly's Game," Aaron Sorkin
"Mudbound," Virgil Williams and Dee Rees
CODY: Hot damn, "Logan" gets rewarded in a completely unexpected nomination. It's certainly well-deserved, but it is always a huge surprise to see comic book fare wind up on the nomination list. This category also sees the lone nomination for "The Disaster Artist" (more on that later). "Call Me By Your Name" should win this pretty easily.
KIKO: "Logan" getting this nomination is HUGE. Well deserved, since, in my opinion, it's the best superhero movie ever made. I wasn't big on "Mudbound" at all, so I would've rather have seen that nom go to anything else.
Mary J. Blige, "Mudbound"
Allison Janney, "I, Tonya"
Lesley Manville, "Phantom Thread"
Laurie Metcalf, "Lady Bird"
Octavia Spencer, "The Shape of Water"
CODY: The 5th spot was always going to be a toss up between Holly Hunter and Lesley Manville and the Academy went with Manville in a morning that trended upward for "Phantom Thread" as a whole. This category was once a battle between Allison Janney and Laurie Metcalf, but Janney seems to be running away with it.
KIKO: Not too many people saw Lesley Manville getting an Oscar nomination for "Phantom Thread," but I was one of the few who had her in my final five. The Mary J. Blige nomination boggles my mind. That space should've gone to Holly Hunter for "The Big Sick." And very happy that the cringe-worthy performance by Hong Chau in "Downsizing" was forgotten.
Willem Dafoe, "The Florida Project"
Woody Harrelson, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
Richard Jenkins, "The Shape of Water"
Christopher Plummer, "All the Money in the World"
Sam Rockwell, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
CODY: Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell each get a nomination for "Three Billboards" which is very well deserved, as it was once thought that they may split votes. Willem Dafoe gets the days lone nomination for "The Florida Project," and Christopher Plummer gets nominated for nine days of work, replacing Kevin Spacey in "All The Money in the World." I would have much rather seen either Armie Hammer and Michael Stuhlbarg here instead of Plummer, but oh well. Expect Rockwell to continue his mad dash towards the Oscar.
KIKO: I agree with Cody. I would rather have seen Michael Stuhlbarg for "Call Me By Your Name" get this nomination over Plummer. Actually, I would rather have seen Patrick Stewart get the nom for "Logan," but that wasn't going to happen. I really want Dafoe to win this, but Rockwell is winning everything!
Sally Hawkins, "The Shape of Water"
Frances McDormand, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
Margot Robbie, "I, Tonya"
Saoirse Ronan, "Lady Bird"
Meryl Streep, "The Post"
CODY: As we've learned in previous years, never, ever, ever bet against Meryl Streep. This top 5 had been cemented for a while, so no surprises here. Frances McDormand has very well deservedly been taking home the prize at virtually every award show. I don't expect that to change.
KIKO: No surprises here. This was the easiest category to predict even though Jessica Chastain was peeking in from the sixth spot to see if Streep was going to trip up at the last minute. But, come on, it's Streep. She's the one Idiot in Chief Trump called "overrated" last year. Hahaha. Don't ever doubt Streep.
Timothée Chalamet, "Call Me by Your Name"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Phantom Thread"
Daniel Kaluuya, "Get Out"
Gary Oldman, "Darkest Hour"
Denzel Washington, "Roman J. Israel, Esq."
CODY: The controversy surrounding James Franco broke close to the end of final voting for Oscar nominations and many people wondered if it would sink his chances. He was once seen as a pretty strong lock for a nomination and is now left out of a nomination. As a result, Daniel Kaluuya sneaks in, as does Denzel Washington in a movie that very few people liked. The most exciting inclusion is that of Timothee Chalamet, who was fantastic in "Call Me By Your Name." Regardless of all this, Gary Oldman is your 100% iron clad lock of the night.
KIKO: Washington for "Roman," really? Looks like the Franco controversy caught up to him. Doesn't matter. Oldman is going home with the Oscar this year. And he really, really, really wants it.
"Dunkirk," Christopher Nolan
"Get Out," Jordan Peele
"Lady Bird," Greta Gerwig
"Phantom Thread," Paul Thomas Anderson
"The Shape of Water," Guillermo del Toro
CODY: Christopher Nolan finally breaks through! Very well-deserved. The biggest surprise here by far is the inclusion of Paul Thomas Anderson for "Phantom Thread," which comes from out of nowhere and leap frogs some other strong contenders. Greta Gerwig also becomes only the 5th woman to be nominated for best director. In earlier years, when best picture/best director were completely interlocked, this may have spelled disaster for "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri." But the times have changed, and the film could go the way of Ben Affleck/"Argo," winning best picture without a best director nomination. This category will be a true toss up on Oscar night, but my early money is on Guillermo del Toro for "The Shape of Water."
KIKO: Paul Thomas Anderson is my God. Paul Thomas Anderson is my God. Paul Thomas Anderson is my God. Paul Thomas Anderson is my God. Paul Thomas Anderson is my God. With that said, the best directed film this year was "Dunkirk," so it's great to see Nolan finally make it in.
"Call Me by Your Name"
"Darkest Hour"
"Get Out"
"Lady Bird"
"Phantom Thread"
"The Post"
"The Shape of Water"
"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
CODY: We get nine out of a possible ten nominees here, with a few surprises. "Get Out" subverts genre expectations and is nominated for best picture. "Darkest Hour," a film with a tepid, yet solid response gets rewarded, and "Phantom Thread" sneaks in as well. This category is also a toss up, though at this point feels like a two horse race between "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri" and "The Shape of Water." Early lead to "Three Billboards."
KIKO: "Get Out" is the first "horror" film to get nominated for Best Picture since "The Silence of the Lambs," which won the award in 1991. I really have a sneaky suspicion that it could win, too. But "Three Billboards," even without a director's nom, and "The Shape of Water" seem poised to do some damage. And would you look at at that – "Phantom Thread." Paul Thomas Anderson is my God.
Cody's final thoughts:
The biggest winners of the day are "The Shape of Water" and "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri," which seem to be in a showdown for best picture. A lot of credit should also go to "Get Out" and "Lady Bird," for pulling out some big nominations. Big days were also had by a few unexpected films like "Darkest Hour" and "Phantom Thread" which the Academy turned out to like a lot more than many people thought. The nominations are diverse, which is a pleasant surprise given some of the controversy from previous years. "The Florida Project" had a pretty bad day, only getting a nomination for Dafoe. Not really sure what the Academy didn't like, but this film really faded fast, despite love from critics groups. There weren't a ton of huge surprises and I can't really think of anyone who was completely snubbed, which is staggering for Oscar morning. There were a lot of weak categories and obvious choices, and the stars seem to be aligning for a lot of categories.
Kiko's final thoughts:
I hate the word "snub" but the biggest snub of the day was probably James Franco not getting nominated for "The Disaster Artist." Who knows how the controversy factored in, but my guess is that whichever Oscar voters waited till the last minute to turn in their ballot probably scratched him off pretty quickly once news hit that there were allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Visit Oscars.com for a list of all the nominees. A quick few last thoughts about some of those:
- "The Boss Baby" and "Ferdinand" getting Oscar noms is just ridiculous. That's what happens when you change the rules for Best Feature Animation.
- "Jane" got left out of Best Documentary? Yikes. No one saw that coming.
- Only one nomination for "The Florida Project," my favorite film of 2017? Sigh.
- John Williams getting a nomination for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" instead of "The Post" is questionable.
Call Me By Your Name
January 19, 2018 by Cody Villafana
Filed under Cody, Reviews
Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg
Directed by: Luca Guadagnino ("A Bigger Splash")
Written by: James Ivory ("Maurice")
As the calendar turns to a new year and the quality of box office options are about the plummet, the one savior is the slow roll of award-worthy films slowly leaking their way to wider releases. Next up for audiences is the highly-acclaimed love story "Call Me By Your Name."
In the Summer of 1983, Elio (Timothee Chalamet) is in Italy with his parents. His father, who is a college professor, has a student intern named Oliver (Armie Hammer) come to live with them in their summer home. As Elio shows Oliver around town and spends time with him socially, he begins to realize that he has deeper feelings for him. As he expresses this, he finds out that Oliver may feel the same way as the two head down the path of summer love.
The acting is across the board phenomenal, but much of the credit deserves to go the Chalamet, who plays the part to perfection. The role calls for much internal conflict and Chalamet has a piercing empty stare that is simultaneously expressionless and emotes deep agony. Beyond that, he's magnetic and endlessly likeable, two qualities that will serve him well in almost any role in what is sure to be a bright future. Hammer, for his part, is great as well, as the confident Oliver. In a relatively low-key role, veteran actor Michael Stuhlbarg plays Oliver's father. It's a role that is solid throughout, but absolutely comes to life in a monologue later in the movie that is, hands down, the best scene of the movie and possibly the best bit of acting of Stuhlbarg's career.
The ever evolving relationship between Elio and Oliver is at the center of the film and takes a more slow-burn approach. This allows for the film's earlier moments to showcase gorgeous views of Italy and all of the care-free summer activities it has to offer. Even though they drift apart for various reasons (some of them intentional), Elio and Oliver eventually find themselves drawn back to one another, which is where the film takes off. The film almost takes a different tone altogether at that point, switching from a snapshot of summer life and fun to the intricacies and courtship of a new relationship, especially one which features so much self-discovery.
So often in modern "forbidden" love stories, the relationships feel more lustful than full of love and thus the films emotional moments feel unearned. That is not the case with "Call My By Your Name." Perhaps it's the slow build and push and pull of Elio and Oliver's relationship, but there is not one false note between them in the entire movie. Sure, their sense of attraction is palpable, and there is plenty of sexual discovery, but their sense of true connection is even more powerful as the relationship feels less like a summer fling and more like two souls uniting. Elio and Oliver's relationship is almost doomed to fail just by design and circumstances. There is something intrinsically beautiful, however, about two people who put their entire beings into a relationship they know can't work. That pure display is exactly why "Call Me By Your Name" is a transcendent love story.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
November 10, 2017 by Cody Villafana
Filed under Cody, Reviews
Starring: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan
Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos ("The Lobster")
Written by: Yorgos Lanthimos ("The Lobster") and Efthymis Philipou ("The Lobster")
With his 2015 film "The Lobster," writer and director Yorgos Lanthimos established himself as a creative force. With a fascinating premise and surrealist world building, the script was nominated for an Academy Award and firmly put him on the radar of film fans yearning for something cerebral and exciting. With another great premise, Lanthimos' "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" continues the trend of high-level creativity and firmly plants him as a true talent to watch.
As a skilled cardiologist, Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) has a successful career, an ophthalmologist wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) and two great kids. But there is something lurking in his mostly hidden relationship with an odd, but seemingly harmless teenager named Martin (Barry Keoghan). As their relationship comes to the surface, Martin reveals earth-shattering information that may change the course of Murphy's life, along with the rest of his family.
One of the things that Lanthimos did that made "The Lobster" easy to crack into despite its outlandish premise is create a universe in which its idiosyncrasies were the norm. Everyone talked in stilted speech with quick basic sentences and an underlying level of social awkwardness. The same technique is employed with "Sacred Deer," which allows the film to be rooted in somewhat of an alternate universe where everyone talks differently and really strange things happen.
It's easy to see how some audience members may confuse Farrell's performance in both films, for example, to be simplistic and odd. In reality, Farrell is giving a fantastic performance that helps establish the setting. The revelation in this film, however, is Keoghan who gives a super creepy and darkly funny performance.
The narrative itself, while not as creative as "The Lobster," still works pretty well as an updated take on a classic tragedy, provided you are able to buy in. It may not have a terrible amount to say metaphorically but it is well paced, features great tension and is fascinating to watch play out, even if you have an idea of where the story is going.
With the amount of by the numbers, run of the mill storytelling that happens every week at the theater, anyone doing something different is a breath of fresh air. Lanthimos clearly has a warped sense of humor and a keen eye for story telling that is absurd and fantastical while remaining intimate and grounded. "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" may not be one of the better films of the year, but its certainly one of the purest forms of an artist distilling his singular vision into a unique movie going experience.
Battle of the Sexes
September 22, 2017 by Cody Villafana
Filed under Cody, Reviews
Starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough
Directed by: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris ("Little Miss Sunshine")
Written by: Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire")
With a story as relevant today as it was in 1973, it's easy to see how a dramatic portrayal the Battle of the Sexes tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs could strike a chord and bring to the forefront the relevancy of the lack of equality between men and women in areas from respect, to wages, and how those battles are still being fought today. It's a shame that the film has no interest in doing that.
In protest of the pay gap between men and women for tennis tournaments, Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) breaks from the professional tennis association and forms her own tennis circuit that tours the country. Meanwhile, tennis hustler and former champion Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) is struggling to pay off debts and deal with a gambling addiction. In an effort to drum up money and publicity, Riggs devises a plan: to take on King in a tennis match to determine the superior gender.
Though Stone and Carell are certainly good in the film, both suffer from a lack of well written characters. Carell's Riggs is particularly one-dimensional and never fully feels like a fleshed out character. Instead, he seems like a desperate man who is either drunk or perpetually out of it, trying to drum up controversy for a big pay day. King, on the other hand, is subdued and struggling internally with her sexuality. It's certainly an interesting take, and a complex story, yet it somehow feels out of place given the setting and early design of the film.
Rather than focusing on the pivotal Battle of the Sexes tennis match and the events that led up to it, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy chose to frame the movie through following a love-triangle of sorts, with King struggling to maintain her marriage with a man, while becoming involved with a woman. So much screen time is devoted to this plot line, that it's almost easy to forget what movie you are watching. Stone and Andrea Riseborough are good here, but the film never really commits to this relationship hard enough to feel like a movie about King's sexual awakening.
The biggest problem, however, is the way in which it treats the driving force behind the match itself, which is the attitude of Riggs and his persistent attitude that men are superior to women. By treating Riggs' sexism as a publicity stunt to promote a tennis match, "Battle of the Sexes" severely undercuts any and all impact it makes as a statement of inequality. There is no context or worse, consequence, to any of his sexist statements or chauvinist attitudes and, subsequently, it all comes across as one big joke. It's made even worse by having King partake in the publicity frenzy, having fun with Riggs and focused in her own world which makes her moment of catharsis completely unearned.
But beyond that, "Battles of the Sexes" is just a dull film that is more interested in telling a lustful love story than it is talking about equality, gender gaps or even tennis. The tone never sets in comfortably, leaving the film feeling disjointed and dispassionate. Worst of all, in a time where this story could draw a striking parallel to present day issues, it takes a route that virtually ensures that can't be done. Ultimately, "Battle of the Sexes" feels like a missed opportunity.
May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers
September 12, 2017 by Cody Villafana
Filed under Uncategorized
Directed by: Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio
Starring: Scott Avett, Seth Avett
Early on in "May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers," mega-producer Rick Rubin discusses how traditionally, when bands are comprised of siblings, they tend to hate each other. Obvious omission of Oasis aside, Rubin's point remains that the closeness of working together and the struggle for creative control can break bonds as thick as blood. Throughout the film, however, we see what Rubin means firsthand, as the Avett Brothers are clearly the exception to the rule.
Directed by comedy producer/director extrodainnare, Judd Apatow as well as Michael Bonfiglio, "May It Last" chronicles the writing, production and release of the Avett Brothers' 2016 album True Sadness.
As far as music documentaries go, there isn't a lot of conflict. Band members aren't screaming at each other or talking behind each others backs, nobody is getting kicked out, and there's no debauchery to be found. Instead what we see is a peak behind the curtain of not only the Avett family, but the creation of a new album from the ground up. Some of the best studio footage shows the Avett's working through new songs, suggesting lyrics to each other and organically creating. It's a really interesting look at how songs are composed and evolve from an idea, to laying them down on the album, to performing them live.
From the get-go, it is clear that the Avett's are the type who wear their hearts on their sleeves. For better or worse, what they are feeling is expressed through their music, and the band feeds off of catharsis. It is these moments, where the Avett's open up, that are what makes the film truly special.
Seth, for example, explores the depths of heartache and despair following his divorce in a traditional sounding and extremely catchy song "Divorce Separation Blues." The best sequence of the film, however, comes during the recording of the song "No Hard Feelings." The entire take of the recording unfolds, with pure feeling oozing out of Seth and Scott. When the take ends, Seth in particular is emotionally drained as the brothers are complimented on how great the song is. What follows is a fascinating conversation between Seth, Scott, and the man behind the camera about the uncomfortable conflict with being congratulated for completing a song that was born of suffering. It's an entirely new perspective on music in general that is worth the price of admission alone.
There are times that "May It Last" feels more like a behind-the-scenes companion piece that may be included with their new album. But as the film evolves, it is clear that audiences are getting a uniquer glimpse into the creative process of two immensely talented artists with a singular vision and a gift for expression. Existing fans of the Avett Brothers may get a bit more out of it, but "May It Last" stands on its own as a successful foray into why music, and especially deeply personal music, is so important.
August 18, 2017 by Cody Villafana
Filed under Cody, Reviews
Starring: Paula Dofat, Blessin Giraldo, Cori Grainger
Directed by: Amanda Lipitz (debut)
One of the more complicated things in the world of documentary filmmaking is being able to not only make your subjects, topics and narratives interesting to watch, but to also be able to give them enough context to be impactful on multiple levels. With "Step," director Amanda Lipitz takes a seemingly singular subject matter, a high school step dancing team, and deftly explores the socio-economic and political undertone surrounding its events.
As an all girls school in Baltimore, Maryland, The Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women has one goal in mind: for all of its attendees to be accepted into and graduate from college. Though academics are of utmost importance, for many girls, the step dancing (chants and vocals mixed in with creating percussive sounds with body movements like stomping or slapping) team is the primary outlet of artistic expression, frustration, and camaraderie. Through the eyes of several subjects, the school year is documented as some girls thrive and some girls struggle to find their next step in life.
When viewing "Step," it's hard to not pull parallels to 2011 Oscar winning documentary "Undefeated." Like the football players in Manassas, this step dancing team is one of the only outlets for these girls. With the stresses of school, energy and emotion comes pouring out during practices and competitions and you can see the passion in every movement. Beyond that, their education is, for some, the only way out of not only the town that could be holding them back, but the cyclical nature of family history. Many of these girls are the first in their families to go to college, and some of the most effective scenes of the film show the gravity of just how important breaking this educational barrier is.
There are also subjects who run themselves ragged for these kids, often times when the students don't quite understand not only the gravity of the situation, but the ways in which they are being helped. These counselors, coaches, teachers and parents are often brought to tears with the possibility that some of these girls maybe prone to getting in their own way of success, or not giving enough effort to make it into college.
"Step" is an enriching glimpse into a culture that is fiery, passionate, and at times, an expression of pent of frustration of very timely cultural and political situations. But beyond that, it's a very humanistic story about not just the strive for excellence, but breaking cycles and going further than generations before you…all while being gracious towards the groundwork that has been laid.
July 21, 2017 by Cody Villafana
Filed under Cody, Reviews
Starring: Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy
Directed by: Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight")
Written by: Christopher Nolan ("Inception")
As one of the most highly regarded filmmakers of the modern era, director Christopher Nolan's ambition is both his biggest strength and his greatest weakness. With his ambition, Nolan conceptualized "Inception," which explored the world of dreams and consciousness, creating an entire universe filled with painstakingly detailed ideas and a dazzling visual landscape to match. His ambition has also occasionally stifled him, such as with "Interstellar," a generally good movie that gets far too bogged down with a convoluted third act to make any lasting impact. With his latest film, "Dunkirk," Nolan has taken historical subject matter and while staying ambitious in certain ways, created his most restrained film yet. The results, like most of Nolan's work, are spectacular.
Telling the story of the largest retreat in military history from allied forces in World War II, the film unfolds with a trio of timelines, one taking place by land over a week span, one by sea over a day span, and one by air over an hour span. It is the most noticeable narrative quality, evoking Nolan's non-linear storytelling from "Memento," though not nearly as radical. The results of this narrative structure pay off immensely. Through this device, Nolan is not only able to shift in and out between different perspectives, but he is able to create an immense amount of tension. Nail-biting moments may begin over one timeline and the audience not see a resolution until the timelines intersect. It's the type of higher level thinking that Nolan has made his signature and really allows him to put a new perspective on a war movie.
While none may stand out, every one of the timelines are solid in their own right and serve their purpose. The land segments, bolstered by unknown actor Fionn Whitehead as Tommy are really able to show the desperation of the soldiers trapped at Dunkirk. Even as he tries to sneak his way just to survive, the soldiers seem to be foiled at every turn as sitting ducks to the enemy. With the sea segments, Nolan is able to use fantastic actor Mark Rylance to display the courage of a regular citizen insisting on taking his own boat rather than having it be commandeered to rescue troops. Finally, with the air segments, Nolan utilizes the films most notable actor, Tom Hardy, to display the heroism from fighter pilots who were some of the only protection the soldiers had.
From a visual standpoint, Nolan has created another masterpiece. The air segments feature impressive aerial shots, especially from cameras mounted on planes that feature the vast oceans below. Even on regular screens (the film did not screen for critics on the much lauded 70mm IMAX), the scope of "Dunkirk" is massive. But beyond just visual marvels and beautiful constructed shots, the audio of "Dunkirk" is wildly immersive. Gunshots in the opening segment and the unexpected ones throughout the film are jolting, creating visceral intensity and tension. There is also an unsettlingly taut score from Hans Zimmer, doing his best work in years. Make no mistake, "Dunkirk" is loud, but with the chaos going on around, it feels like a necessity.
Perhaps as a result of the timeline jumps, leaving characters in one place and picking up with others, the only thing that "Dunkirk" truly feels like its missing is stronger emotional ties to its characters. Still, it can't help but feel like a nitpick when the movie, despite having traditional heroes to really latch onto, still generates plenty of emotion. With "Dunkirk," Nolan has created nothing less than a cinematic marvel. It's visually breathtaking, ambitious and stirring. In other words, it's exactly what we've come to expect from Christopher Nolan.
Kumail Nanjiani & Emily Gordon – The Big Sick
July 7, 2017 by Cody Villafana
Filed under Interviews
In "The Big Sick," comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani and his wife and co-writer Emily Gordon dramatize their real-life love story, which is a little unusual.
After dating for several months, Emily wound up in a medically-induced coma to fight an infection. In the film, Kumail must navigate this stressful situation while trying to cope with his family, who want him to follow Pakistani traditions with an arranged marriage, and the stress dealing with Emily's parents.
Kumail and Emily sat down with us to talk about maintaining a comedic tone in a dramatic situation, the screen-writing process, and the importance of culture in film.
Was it surreal at all for your movie to open with an Elijah Wood joke with Elijah Wood there in the theater watching?
Kumail Nanjiani: I had forgotten and we knew Elijah was sitting right behind us. As that scene was happening I was like, "Ohhh no!"
Emily Gordon: We were both just covering our faces.
KN: Then I turned around and mouthed, "I'm sorry" to him.
EG: He took it like a champ. We actually had more dialogue there where the response was, "No, he lives in Austin most of the time" and we cut all that out. We should have put back in just for this.
KN: He was literally right behind us.
With a movie like this, obviously tone is one of the most important things about it. You've seen movies like "50/50" tackle cancer with a humorous tone. How did you strike the balance with tone and what were some of the things you were most concerned about?
EG: I think we were very concerned that if we had too much fun that people would think that we were making light of this girl who is sick the entire time. I think we always wanted to make sure to remind the audience that we're not forgetting about her. Don't forget about her either. What was cool is that we didn't really realize that when you have any scenes in a hospital, even if you're not directly seeing a girl that's in a coma, you can't stop thinking about it. We would write scenes that were set in a hospital that were just about talking about medical stuff but we realized that as long as you're seeing the hospital, you know whats going on. So we were able to write scenes that were in the hospital that we're a little more fun and deviated a little bit because the work is already being done by the scenery and that's stuff that we didn't think about while we were writing.
KN: The tone thing is important because we always wanted to make sure that with the reality of Emily being sick, that the comedy didn't feel unreal. But also that there was enough comedy. The scene right after she gets put in the coma and I use her thumb to unlock her phone, I think that makes people feel safe. They've seen something very intense happen, certainly the movie has taken a turn. That little joke signals to the audience that, "Hey, this is still the same movie. It's still going to be funny. It's obviously more intense now, but don't worry, it's still a comedy." I think that little joke plays so well because it's a relief for the audience.
EG: We would calibrate it as we were editing the movie and we would move scenes slightly to make sure that we're keeping the movie aloft in the zone we wanted it to be in. I think (director) Michael Showalter is so good with tone.
KN: Judd (Apatow, producer) obviously, too, but we did so many edits of this movie and Judd would be like, "Alright, this scene needs a funny joke in here, so find some version where we can get one big laugh in this scene." He would give us a lot of assignments like that. There's a scene with my whole family towards the end of the movie, with me at the dinner table, and that's where he was like, "It's going to be a moving scene, but it's also gotta be funny." We realized that we could actually put in a lot more jokes than we thought. We did an edit of the movie that was great and he was like, "The movie needs 20 more great jokes, so put in 50 more jokes and we'll figure out which 20 to keep." So, we did that. We put in 40 jokes, 20 of them worked in front of an audience, so we kept 20 of them and suddenly the movie had 20 more jokes in it.
In terms of joke writing versus producing a screenplay, what did you find as the differences between joke writing, which you've done before as a stand-up, and screenplay writing with story beats and everything?
KN: What was interesting is that you realize the higher the stakes, the funnier the joke is going to be. So, actually, we realized that if we have jokes in there that are funny, that are in character, that are in the right situation, you can get really, really big laughs just because the stakes are so high. In stand-up, you're starting each story and the stakes as you go, and you have to be super funny, but in a movie like this, as long as the reality level is good, the jokes will work much bigger than they would in a pure comedy. Just because it's a release of tension. We did so many drafts of this movie and when we would shoot, we would have the older version of jokes, too, so we could try other versions and put them in front of an audience and see which ones worked better.
When you're writing something that is as deeply personal and traumatic, for both of you, how do you handle the urge to overshare or the idea of pulling back because it is too personal?
EG: I think you try to put as much as you can out initially and then go back and see what feels like too much. When you're reading it, what would you not want the world to see? I kept thinking, "If I don't want even Michael Showalter to read this, then I definitely don't want the world to see it." So, that's a version of it. But then you find that there's more that you're comfortable with than you realize. I think it can be self-indulgent to do a real overshare. So, this was always in service of the story, more so than the shock value of what it's like to be in a coma. I think that was really important for us and a litmus test for us, too.
KN: We weren't using the shock value of the coma. In fact, that was a big obstacle for us.
EG: I still have people make coma jokes to me and I'm like, "You don't get to make a coma joke to me."
KN: We have that in the movie! And she goes, "That's too soon, dad."
EG: When Ray (Romano) suggested that, I said, "It's too soon, Ray. But do it in the scene! Please, let's do that!"
Culturally speaking, you've seen some advancement in some aspects in movies, but very rarely have you seen Muslim culture taking center stage. Can you talk about the importance of putting the culture front and center?
KN: I don't think that this movie in and of itself is really important in any way except that I think it's important to have different kinds of stories about every group in the world. You can obviously see that there's a lot of Jewish humor around, but there isn't that much Muslim humor around. I think this story is only important in the sense that it shows a Muslim family being like a human American family that loves each other and has fun and has its own problems. I think we're starting to see more points of view. I think "Get Out" really articulated some racial…
EG: Stuff?
KN: Yeah, I was trying to think of another word than stuff. It's been a long day of talking. But like racial…I'm gonna find a better word than stuff.
EG: Do you want me to say stuff while you're thinking of the word? I have never seen a family speaking Urdu on TV or in a movie that wasn't to plan a terrorist attack. That bummed me out. I, as an outsider…half of my family is Muslim now, and I get to see them having fun and I get to see them in a way where I realize, "Oh, I've never seen this represented on television or in the media at all." That really bummed me out. It was important to me that we see a Muslim family having fun. We always have this joke that I want to start a Tumblr called "Muslims Having Fun" because I see it all the time and other people don't and I feel like I'm privy to this cool little world that other people don't know of. I wanted to make sure family spoke Urdu in the movie and I wanted to make sure that they were a fun family. I think that was really important to both of us, but that's been a thing that I've seen that I've realized most White people don't ever see. Did you think of the word?
KN: I think "Get Out" really articulated some racial stuff about America. (laughs)
EG: (laughs)
KN: I was just wrapped up in what you were saying. I didn't think of it. I think hopefully what that movie shows is not just that people are making stuff with other points of view but that people also want to see them.
EG: People are making money!
KN: Yeah, that's the most important thing. If new viewpoints are commercially viable then we're going to see more of them. I think that's why movies like "Get Out" or "Hidden Figures" are important, because they are financially successful.
EG: And "Moonlight" for God's sake.
KN: "Moonlight," yeah. They're successful movies from different points of view.
EG: The idea that we could be grouped with any of those, which we just grouped ourselves in with them, but the idea that they could…
KN: I didn't, you did. I'm hoping that there's an audience for our movie as well.
It Comes at Night
June 9, 2017 by Cody Villafana
Filed under Cody, Reviews
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo
Directed by: Trey Edward Shults ("Krisha")
Written by: Trey Edward Shults ("Krisha")
Post-apocalyptic films have always been a source of intrigue, but recent years have shown a different take on them. While many films in the past have focused on the catastrophic event itself, contemporary films have experimented with deeply intimate and passionate narratives in the wake of these events, instead choosing to focus on the character influence and even ignoring the cause of the event itself. It's a great way to tell a personal story, and has allowed independent filmmakers to tell a big story on a small scale. It's perhaps fitting, that indie filmmaker Trey Edward Shults ("Krisha") takes the idea of a post apocalyptic landscape and creates a moody, tense thriller with his sophomore effort "It Comes at Night."
Keeping to just his wife and his teenage son, Paul (Joel Edgerton) fights to protect his family from an unknown threat outdoors that has made everyone sick and wiped out the population. When he finds a man Will (Christopher Abbott) in his home, he meets with his family who agrees to allow him to bring his wife and young son to live with them in exchange for food. As the family dynamics change, events begin to make both Paul and Will leery of each other as paranoia sets in and nobody can be trusted.
Though the title, trailers and marketing may suggest that the film is a horror, "It Comes at Night" feels far more like a psychological thriller than anything else. There are some moments of horror with disturbing imagery and a couple of cheap jump scares, but the film is truly effective in its ability to build tension.
The film is boosted by its performances, primarily that of Edgerton and to a slightly lesser extent, Abbott. Edgerton, in particular, plays his role with a sense of desperation that makes his character feel capable of doing anything for the sake of protecting his family. The tension doesn't necessarily come from the looming threat outside, but rather what is going on inside closed doors and what truths will be unveiled.
It's also a very well made film from a technical standpoint. It features beautiful cinematography from Drew Daniels that really helps set the tone and mood for the film. It's well edited, well performed, and for the direction from Trey Edward Shults successfully creates a fully believable post-apocalyptic landscape.
When digging deeper, however, "It Comes at Night" fails to find much below surface level. Thematically, there's nothing overtly present that makes the film stand out in any significant way. It's technically sound and is certainly intense at times, but other than creating mood and atmosphere, very little about the film resonates.
Shults is a name to watch out for and has created a thriller full of mystery, intrigue and slow-burning intensity. It feels, however, like a missed opportunity to create something deeper and more meaningful. Instead, "It Comes at Night" plays as an above average thriller about how desperation and protection can push a man to the brink and awaken hidden horrors.
May 27, 2017 by Cody Villafana
Filed under Cody, Reviews
Starring: Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts, Elizabeth Moss
Directed by: Philippe Falardeau ("The Good Lie")
Written by: Jeff Feuerzeig (debut) and Jerry Stahl ("Bad Boys II")
Even though its prominence and national interest has waned in favor of MMA in recent years, there seems to be an everlasting connection to the cinematic world and boxing. Perhaps it is because boxing has seen so many of its prominent figures rise and fall, which makes for a good narrative. Or, more likely, perhaps it is that "Rocky" set the bar for sports films so high that boxing films will always be timeless comparisons. It is fitting, perhaps, that the latest entry into the genre is a biopic of Chuck Wepner, the man who, allegedly, inspired Sylvester Stallone to write "Rocky."
In 1975, boxer Chuck Wepner (Liev Schreiber) gets the opportunity of a life time: to fight the heavyweight champion of the World, Muhammed Ali. As a huge underdog, Wepner goes 15 rounds with Ali and is seconds away from going the distance. This performance turns Wepner into a local folk hero, and Wepner must do all he can to keep his family intact while turning down a path of drugs and women.
Without question, "Chuck" serves as a showcase for Schreiber who gives a fantastic performance. Wepner is a character who absorbs and loves the fame, as small scale as it is, but also has an acute awareness of the façade and showmanship that goes into it. Schreiber captures this quite well, especially in scenes where he must work his way through shame and guilt over his behavior. While the supporting cast is mostly good, nobody is on screen long enough to make much of a difference one way or another. Elizabeth Moss is probably the best of the bunch, and far-underutilized.
One of the more interesting aspects of "Chuck" is that the most formative event of Wepner's life is a stepping stone to more story, rather than a climax. Wepner's famous fight with Ali takes place relatively early on in the film with very little build up. It's an admirable decision from screenwriters Jeff Feuerzeig and Jerry Stahl to not center the movie around that one big fight, as it may have come off as a biopic version of "Rocky." Instead, it shows what happened in the wake, and the darker, self-destructive patterns of a man with very little self-control and the need to be admired.
That said, the movie still has some pretty generic moments. Once the debauchery starts, it's no different than any other film where a person of prominence spirals into drugs, lets the fame get the best of them and alienates family. There's some pretty good writing sprinkled throughout the film and the early parts of the film feature some true greatness. But "Chuck" punches itself out and staggers to the finish. Despite that, "Chuck" is still worth the price of admission for Schreiber's excellent performance.


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At Face Florals, we create a variety of different pressed flowers for you to decorate your faces with. Whether you're after something small & delicate, or big & mighty, we believe that we have a product to suit everyone's tastes. They are the perfect accessory for any festival, music event, summer party or wedding.
Shop our products at Notonthehighstreet.com, Etsy & Wildthing.com
The Blossoms.
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Flower Petal Glitter
Our alternative to normal cosmetic glitter. Perfect for covering up festival eye-bags, colorful and less damaging on the environment.
The Flower Power Kit
Can't decide? We understand. Which is why we created our Flower Power Kit! It contains everything you need to blossom over the festival season; including Mixed Flowers, Petal Glitter, Flower Glue & Gold Leaf.
The Seasonals.
Our seasonal Face Florals collections; the ones which only bloom at certain times of the year. Be quick! As some of these don't stick around for long.
Ditsy Daisies
One of our favorites! Perfect for all of those summer parties & festivals.
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Just Hydrangeas
Another one of our season favorites; what colours will you find in yours?
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Beautiful Bluebells
Nothing says summer is on it's way than seeing these blossom across the country. Don't worry though, as ours a sourced ethically from our Granny Webb's garden. No wildflower picking here.


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MA in English Teaching, National Taiwan Normal University
Research Interests: second language acquisition, computer-assisted language learning, computer-mediated communication, task-based language teaching, second language pragmatics, research methods (including meta-analysis and research synthesis)
Chen, T.-H.,& Lin,C.-C. (2018). Enhancing L2 English learning through mobile-assisted TBLT: EFL learners' perspectives. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 15(2), 453–461. http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.2.13.453
Chen, T.-H., & Plonsky, L. (2017). Review of A psycholinguistic approach to technology and language learning. [Review of the book A psycholinguistic approach to technology and language learning, by Leow. R. P., Cerezo. L., & Baralt. M. (Eds.).] Language Learning & Technology, 21(2), 27–31. Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/issues/june2017/review2.pdf
Chen, T. -H. (2015). EFL undergraduates' perceptions of blended speaking instruction. English Teaching & Learning, 39(2), 87–120. doi: 10.6330/ETL.2015.39.2.04
Chen, T. -H. (2012). Effects of task type and language proficiency on communication strategy use of English-speaking L2 Chinese learners. Proceedings of 11th International Conference of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language (ATCSL) (pp.711–721). Taipei: Association of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. (Undergraduate graduation research project)


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We are delighted to be able to confirm that The Hewett School will be supporting our children to host a transition day, within the Hewett School (South Site) and also incorporating a visit to the school. We will have an opportunity to be taken around the school by Mr Chris Clifton, who is the Project Manager for Kier Construction, who are building and co-ordinating the construction of the school.
We have written to all of the feeder schools, where the children are currently at school to let them know the arrangements. We have asked the schools if they are able to release a known Teacher or teaching assistant to support the children on this day, and parents have also been invited to join us too. We will be writing to all of the children in the very near future to invite them to the school and confirm the arrangements and timings. We are all excited to show the children the school site – but please do remember that the school is not quite finished, we are still working completely to plan and expect to be ready to welcome staff on Monday 4th September and the children on Monday 11th September.


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Level 3 BTEC – Business
This course is ideal for students with a real interest in business. It is suitable for students who prefer prefer their assessment to be via coursework rather than examined. It is a practical course and allows you to develop a range of core business skills.
You study many of the aspects of running a business successfully, therefore this course is very beneÿ˜cial for students wishing to pursue a career in business. There are 18 units throughout the course, 9 units each year, of which 4 are mandatory. They include:
- Unit 1 ã The Business Environment
- Unit 2 ã Business Resources
- Unit 3 ã Introduction to Marketing
- Unit 4 ã Business Communication
In Year 1, you will focus on Marketing, self-development, accounting and ethics. In Year 2, options can include starting your own business, HR and economics
There are trips to a number of businesses in Greater Manchester, such as BT Bootcamp, the Etihad Stadium, Co-Op and DWF.
All units are assessed internally via coursework. You will achieve a grade for each unit. These grades will then form your final overall grade, which is equivalent to 3 A-Levels.
The course will equip you well to start a career in business where employers value both your actual learning and the degree of independent learning and problem solving ability you will have gained during the course. There are also a wide variety of business courses at university for which this course is a perfect foundation. This course is also ideal for progression onto a higher level apprenticeship such as Accounting, Business Administration and HR.
To study this programme you will need to achieve 5 GCSEs grade 4 or above, including English and Maths. We would prefer that you have a GCSE or L2 BTEC in Business Studies.
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Business
This is a linear course and will take two years to complete.
For further information please contact firstname.lastname@example.com


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Starting at CHF 485.- per night
- Daily breakfast for up to two guest register in the same room
- Swiss pastry amenity made by our pastry Chef
- CHF 50.- hotel credit per stay to be used for incidental charges
Does not include city tax. Package is subject to availability and cannot be combined with any offer and not applicable for Rewards redemption. Any cancellations within 24 hours prior to the date of arrival will incur a penalty charge equivalent to 100% of the full cost of the package. No Show Policy: 100% of full package price will be charged. This credit has no cash value. This credit cannot be redeemed for alcohol, retail products, or third party vendors, and it's not valid on room rate. No refund for unused portion. Rate is subject to availability.


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Deaths in Leitrim - Saturday, November 25
Leitrim deaths
The following deaths have taken place in the Leitrim area:
Dr Bernard McGuire, Felton Road, Boyle, Roscommon
The death has taken place of Dr Bernard McGuire, Felton Road , Boyle Co Roscommon, Friday 24th November, peacefully, at his residence. Funeral arrangements to follow. Enquiries to Higgins and Sons Funeral Directors, Boyle and Ballinameen.
Jack Faughnan, Faulties, Dromod, Co Leitrim
Jack Faughnan, Yonkers, New York and formerly of Faulties, Dromod, Co. Leitrim. A remembrance Mass for the late Jack Faughnan, Yonkers, New York and formerly of Faulties, Dromod, Co. Leitrim who passed away on October 16th 2017 will take place in St. Mary's Church Annaduff on Saturday evening November 25th at 7pm.


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Good morning, I.T. entrepreneurs. For our U.S. readers, welcome back from the Thanksgiving holiday. Here are five technology news nuggets, blogs, gossip, chatter and more for Monday, Dec. 1, 2014.
Actually, today's update involves eight items.
8. Password Management Revisited: Intel has acquired PasswordBox -- an identity management cloud platform that has generated 14 million downloads. Basically, PasswordBox is a password management system. Watch for PasswordBox to integrate with the Intel Security business (formerly McAfee). Also of note: Intel started pushing a single sign on (SSO) cloud technology back in 2012. I'm curious to know what ever happened to that offering, and what the potential implication is now that PasswordBox is arriving.
7. Coming Into Focus: Intel also scored a wearable computing deal, becoming a chip supplier for Google Glass -- and pushing aside Texas Instruments along the way. True confession: I purchased Glass last year... and I'm less than impressed.
6. Google Apps Security: The search giant is taking new steps to secure Google Apps for Work, including a new Devices and Activity dashboard -- which shows IT managers which devices are accessing specific apps. The dashboard also points out suspicious activity.
5. Coming This Week?: Is the long-rumored Datto-Backupify cloud backup M&A deal going to happen this week? I have no idea. Back in November, I heard the deal was set to become official the first week of December. But my sources have gone silent since that time...
4. Taking Flight -- Late: Go Pro is developing a line of consumer drones. Alas, they won't arrive until sometime in 2015 -- long after the current holiday season wraps up. In the meantime, I lean on Directive's Chris Chase each time I'm trying to figure out drone technology.
3. Silence Is Deafening: During a typical holiday weekend, some tech companies reach out to each other and quietly negotiate M&A deals -- while most of the media is offline on vacation. But the M&A front was unusually silent in recent days -- aside from that Intel-PasswordBox deal mentioned above. That suggests to me that startup valuations are getting pretty lofty.
2. Countdown Starts: I hate to sound like an Apple Fanboy, but I suspect I'll be among the first Apple Watch buyers when the smartwatch arrives in 2015. Details about Apple Watch continue to leak out onto the web. And yes, I've been telling I.T. entrepreneurs to check out the WatchKit SDK to see how you can potentially write business alerts apps for the watch.
1. Microsoft Myths: Microsoft apparently is distancing itself from former CEO Steve Ballmer, especially as current CEO Satya Nadella hits his stride with a mobile-first, cloud-first strategy, according to USA Today and The Motley Fool. My spin: Ballmer doesn't get enough credit for Microsoft's cloud momentum. He essentially bet the company on Azure and Office 365, killing on-premises products like Windows Small Business Server along the way. Nadella has essentially fine-tuned Ballmer's strategy in some very important ways -- open sourcing more products and finally delivering Office for iOS for free. Ballmer had his faults, but let's not pretend that he somehow didn't embrace the cloud. In reality, Ballmer gave the cloud a bear hug -- and Microsoft never let go.
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