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When this low budget film, with a cast of unknown actors and actresses, came out in 1987, it took a whole lot of critics and moviegoers by surprise and by storm. The amazing part is that it manages to surprise and delight audiences to this day. This film has brought in more than three hundred million dollars from all over the world, and set a record in home video sales as the first to sell more than a million copies. The soundtrack produced two multi-platinum albums and a huge number of singles.

The secret seems to be a combination of qualities. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey are a scintillating couple when they get going, and they certainly do! The scene is set in 1963, when the world (at least the United States) still held on to something like innocence. Jennifer Grey is well cast as Frances Houseman, a not-quite-typical Jewish Princess who is known as “Baby” and doesn’t see a thing wrong with it. Patrick Swayze dazzles with his portrayal of the sexy but determinedly sullen Johnny Castle.

The dancing and all its side effects take place at a resort in the Catskills, where the Houseman family is taking a summer vacation. Baby’s father is Dr. Houseman, physician to the rather sycophantic owner of Kellerman’s Resort. His wife and Baby’s older sister, Lisa, are relatively minor characters but each contributes to the subplot of the film. Baby’s fascination with the dance instructor, Johnny Castle, and his partner Penny gets her and her family involved with “those people”, and the fun begins.

Johnny Castle is very much a ladies’ man, but until he meets Baby, he has only been using and being used by women. When his dance partner gets a botched abortion, unknowingly financed by Dr. Houseman at Baby’s insistence, and she has to call her father to save the dancer’s life, the doctor assumes that Johnny is the guilty party and forbids his daughter to have anything further to do with “those people”.

But Baby also has the moves, as she and Johnny find out together when she offers to fill in for his partner so he won’t lose his job. Both of them have doubts, but Johnny is a peerless teacher, and Baby quickly learns to trust him – and falls in love, of course.

Meanwhile, the Foxtrot and badminton go on, but other dramas are playing out. Lisa confides to Baby that she’s planning to “go all the way” with Robbie. Baby knows that Robbie is the father of Penny’s aborted child, but their father thinks Johnny is the culprit. When Johnny is accused of theft by one of his many female “conquests” – she’s seen him with Baby – he is assumed guilty by almost everyone. Baby knows, and this time Frances tells the truth. Frances, as Johnny tells her, is “a grown-up name”.

The “dirty dancing” that these two wonderfully believable young people supply is so entrancing because it is both sensual and sophisticated, yet still has a purity that defies any element of sleaze. It is just a joy to watch them together. The grand finale has the entire clientele of Kellerman’s on their feet and getting into the spirit in a big way. It’s a triumph of courage over self-doubt, and love over any darn thing that stands in its way!

Dirty Dancing is basically a simple, romantic love story, with just enough supporting characters and interwoven plot lines to keep it interesting. When the forces of stodginess and intolerance show up, they are ultimately and emphatically overwhelmed by the forces of love and fair play. The realistically choreographed dance scenes are a powerful force in themselves, but everything comes together for a rousing happy ending.

If you missed this performance in the movie theatres, there may still be a chance to see the Broadway production, which translates very well. It has played to great applause in Germany, England, Canada and Australia, and as of this date is still playing in London. The touring production will be in Boston until March 15th, 2009. Go see it if you can, and if you can’t, get the video. This wonderfully Dirty Dancing is too much fun to miss!

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Matt Ryan
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My wife and I absolutely love the beach. Whenever we get a chance we break away from the world and take all our friends with us to the beach. We make a big fire, and all of us bring guitars tambourines and drums to jam out. There is really nothing like it.

When it gets cold is the best time to go to the beach in my opinion. We don’t even swim, but just to be there when the sun sets and all my good friends playing the songs they wrote that week is the greatest feeling. It really helps one appreciate the beauty in the world and forget the problems with work and crime in the world.

During the cold seasons camping outside at the beach is hard. Even if the fire is hot, you can’t really enjoy sleeping when you’re freezing. What we do is look online for cheap beach hotels and make a reservation.

The beach is for relaxation and fun. So I always make my hotel reservation before leaving my home to avoid disappointing evenings and stress galore. If they are booked up you have problems. Don’t let that stress be hanging on you at the beach where you are supposed to relax.

Most hotels have a website that will allow you to check the availability of rooms and also make reservations. So take a few minutes and use it. It’s worth it not to have to stress about where you’re sleeping.

Have fun and relax when you go to the beach. Don’t bring worries from your week life and ruin the party. All you need is music, friends, food and laughs to make good times.

Tags: Music by Logan W. Strat
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Designer Tejo Remy is hot and so are his lighting designs. The Dutch designer, Droog, features many of Remy’s designs around the world, giving a modern lighting crowd an artful experience with illuminating excellence. Always focused on the permeable boundaries of sustainable design, Remy proves that reclaimed and everyday materials can indeed delight us to reduce, reuse and recycle.

The noted Milk Bottle light, by Remy, is a symbol of a nostalgic time and at the same time, casts useful, subtle glows throughout a room, something you could never find in the 50s. Twelve individual bottles group together to form an inspirational lighted space to hallways, dining areas and kitchens as well as in museums and in commercial buildings. Plastics form a unique configuration of art when used by designers with an insight and direction for beauty, a welcomed trait of Remy.

“A Touch of Green”, held in Milan earlier this year, poured out widespread applause for Remy and his functional and contemporary designs. In Droog’s fifteen-year history, they have offered many innovative green design ideas, bringing displays of award winning design to the public through practical and simple solutions for lighting applications using the brightest and the best of designers and engineers.

Soliciting only the best of new, young designers, another example of excellence is Droog’s Rody Graumans. Graumans’ 85 Chandelier has been highlighted in many museums, restaurants and commercial buildings and is included as a permanent collection piece at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 85 individual bulbs, using 15-watts each, drop from a jumbled bundle of black cords and sockets, creating a sensational array of beauty and light. Only an artist as Graumans could transform such beauty from these materials, an ingenuity that Droog demands.

Another designer of Droog is Arian Brekveld who contributed to the lighting line with the Droog Soft Hanging Lamp. With Brekveld’s striking background in environmental and industrial projects, this designer uses flexible PVC dip, turning a seemingly traditional lamp into a safe and soft modern object. The lampshade has such a soft appearance making the hanging cord appear to be meshed as one.

Droog continues to light the way with the newest innovative green design ideas, remaining at the forefront of modern lighting design trends. Recognizing that creative design enhances human experience, alters reactions and energizes performances, consumers have learned to count on Droog for their recognition of the mental or human side of sustainable design.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Patrick Mahoney
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If you have a Zune player, the first thing you would probably want to know is how to get unlimited Zune downloads. Getting it is easy. To all dedicated fans of this player, the Zune is the best player out in the market and meets all of their entertainment needs. What makes this even more enticing to users of this player is how easy it is to get all the content they want into the player.

The Content

The Zune is one of the hottest players in the market since Apple’s iPod. It is capable of playing audio clips and video clips, displaying images, and can even be used to play games specifically designed for the platform.

Downloading Content – Being a new and high piece of technology, it is common for many people to get used to Zune content and the initial process can be quite difficult but not impossible. When it comes to downloading content, the most practical thing to do is to sign up with subscription-based sites. These sites charge a minimum fee for their users to be able to download and enjoy the content that is offered.

Special Zune Sites – There are also some sites that offer free content but chances are that the content offered on free sites are not of a wide variety and the quality can be questionable as well. Those who use paid subscription sites for unlimited Zune downloads are most probably the happiest when it comes to widely varied content.

Unlimited For A Lifetime

Getting Music – Since the Zune has come out, there have been many sites built and dedicated to offering specific content for this device. Of course, the first thing that people download most is music. The new and most popular method for content like this is to pay a one-time, lifetime subscription for free Zune downloads.

Market Feedback – The response for this kind of service has been tremendous and more sites are starting to offer this kind of service to Zune users. All one has to do is sign in to an account, download the content to their computers and transfer the content (images, videos and music) to their Zune players.

Wireless Technology

Wireless Capability – About one of the most popular technologies that is packed into the Zune player is its capability of being wireless. This wireless technology allows the Zune to transfer files from one Zune player to another and it is this feature that makes this player stand out from other mp3 players. This is one way that people can start to share their content with each other, simultaneously developing a social community of Zune users. It is this feature that pushes the idea of free and limitless content even further.

The Zune might be a late player in the whole mp3 and video-player revolution but it is certainly a technology that should be dismissed. It is the first player of its kind that allows sharing between players over wireless methods, subscription to limitless content over the web, and allows Microsoft to let its customers to create their own music and video sharing communities. With subscription-based sites that offer unlimited Zune downloads, it looks like this player is set to grow a market that can compete with today’s industry players.

Tags: Music by Anthony Galz
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If you are trying to rank high in a search engine for a competitive phrase, you will need more than SEO tactics. You will need a lot of backlinks.

Backlinks are links from other websites or blogs that link to your website. Some good backlinks will do more than anything you do on your own site.

When somebody embeds a link to your page, they are implying that they value the content of your site. When Google or any other major search engine spots this link, they tally it like a vote.

Anchor text is more important than how many sites have links to your site. Anchor text is what people see when they click on a link. Search engines will see the anchor text as well. This is one way they know what your site has to offer.

Having good anchor text in your backlinks is also very important if you want to up your site traffic. You want these links to include your main keywords whenever it is possible to increase your ranks. Now that we have explained the importance of backlinks, let us investigate a few ways to get them.

The best way to get links to your site is to offer content that is high-quality and unique. Try being controversial or different. This will make people link to your site.

When other company’s approach you to join your site, allow them to, because this way you not only expose your company to potential customers, you can help other company’s as well.

Submitting your written articles to directories will allow them to be reprinted on other sites with a link to you in the Resource Box. Just one article could result in many backlinks. Alternatively, you could try personally contacting your niche sites and offer to write a recurring column. Another option is to arrange a trade system in which each site writes for the other, providing backlinks to each other.

Tags: Writing & Speaking by Justin Harrison
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Style blending pillows have taken on many roles in the home, being utilized as an added comfort to a sofa, a spot of color in a corner or a matching theme in a room but the simplicity and distinction of today’s throw pillows, table runners and lamp shades are gaining popularity in the art and design world as never before bringing a taste of magic to modern living.

Once limited to canvas, dramatic designs and drawings can now be found in the home by award-winning artists on items such as chair cushions, table runners, blankets, pillows and other useful trimmings. Designers Eye is a Swedish textile manufacturer who has burst onto the decorating scene, led by Lena Bergstrom, award-winning designer. Pillows created out of felted, virgin wool is their trademark, using gentle, soothing colors in stripes and floral, adding a touch of elegance to any setting.

Madeline Rogers, founder of Mibo, is a TV and Film Art Director who saw a need for a refreshing new tone in home decor accessory products by taking inventory at her own flat in London. British seaside resorts dotted with lazy striped loungers gave her the idea for pillow jackets with large blossoms that resemble a painting instead of oversized flowers. Shaded greens, beiges and grays with only a touch of red create a mellow tone with just the right hint of fun. Handmade and quality fabrics give Mibo’s pillows a charming and chic appearance at the same time.

Nothing spells fun like a pair of friends who can envision a dream, have a great work ethic and absolutely love detail and textiles. Modern Basics came to life when Page Ikeda and Rhonda Holloway, at the wheel, decided to begin a business of bright, stylish and witty accessories for the home. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, the functional, comfortable and very attractive pillows and bedding line have taken the nation by storm since 2001.

A favorite of the Orient and now appearing more and more in the states is the zabuton. Typically square and measuring twenty to thirty inches across, this Japanese floor pillow has been used as a form of floor sitting for centuries in Japan. Designed to have an interior life of eight to ten years with daily use, the muslin fabric is perfect for an active home. Covering the exterior with another fabric can only add atmosphere to your room as these friendly pillows invite casual guests to have a seat.

Decorative pillows are no longer common, factory generated pieces where duplicates are found in every store. Design teams from all over the world are learning that textiles are an exciting way to express fashion and design. Whether you are looking to add drama to a fireplace, fun to a game room or modern style to your living area, pillows, runners and many other small decor selections can make a huge difference in your modern home style.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Patrick Mahoney
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The PSP has already broken a lot of sales records and continues to find new fans every day. One of our favorite features is the ability to use free PSP game downloads instead of having to pay for each new game.

Since one of the most frequent questions we get from PSP owners is where you can find free PSP downloads, we thought it would be helpful to go over your options.

There are three different options if you want to find free PSP game downloads:

Option #1

You can find websites that have flashy banners that advertise “free PSP downloads”. It sounds great to begin with however you have to be careful if you ever use the websites.

Recently a handful of these websites have been shut down for spreading viruses and spyware. You have to be extra careful if you choose to try to download something – you don’t want to damage your computer at the same time.

The biggest complaint we receive about these websites is that the downloads are incredibly slow and many of the games don’t end up working. It’s incredibly annoying having to wait over a day for something to finish downloading only to find out it doesn’t even work.

Since these websites don’t have anyone monitoring them or making sure the files are legitimate you never know for sure what you are downloading. A lot of the time these websites just end up wasting your time.

Option #2

This next option eliminates the problems found it the first one but it will cost a few dollars. There are PSP membership websites that let you download any game you want for a monthly membership fee (about $30-$40).

It’s a pretty good option if you are going to download a lot of games. You also don’t have to worry about viruses or spyware since these websites are properly monitored.

Although many people will find this to be a great choice, there are cheaper way of finding PSP downloads.

Option #3

The third option is the one we recommend the most. You can download all the games and movies you want and it won’t cost you nearly as much as the second option.

You can find PSP game download membership websites that only charge a one-time membership fee for lifetime access and unlimited downloads. Instead of having to pay a monthly charge, you are only billed once (about $35-45) and can then download whatever you want for as long as you own your PSP.

The companies that are running these websites are obviously in this to make a profit, so they make sure their customers are happy. They invest a good amount of money in their systems to make sure the downloads are fast, all the files work and that their selection is always up to date.

If you want to try a risk-free trial at a couple of the most popular PSP download membership websites, you can use the link at the bottom of this article. It’s going to take you about 5 minutes to set-up and the software you need to put the files on your PSP is included.

Once you start downloading PSP games it’s unlikely that you will ever buy a game from the store again. Downloading them saves you a lot of money and is also a lot more convenient.

As the PSP continues to grow in popularity, we can only imagine that more and more people will start to use free PSP game downloads to keep their system ‘fully loaded’ with the newest games and movies. It’s the surefire way to make sure you never get bored!

Tags: Games by Scott Kerns
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Britney Spears’ debut tour took place in 1999. She hit 56 cities in North America her first time out. Touring is an important part of an entertainer’s revenues. Not only does the entertainer gain revenue from the tour itself, the tour allows for maximum exposure of the artist. The artist connects with fans, potentially wins over more fans, and boosts record sales in the process. While she was out seeing the world and entertaining her fans, her critics were in agreement – Britney knew how to tour.

Britney’s next tour begins March, 2009. It appears to come at the right time for this super star in more ways than one. The tour is timed right due to the recent release and apparent popularity of her latest single “Womanizer.” This single comes from Spears’ sixth studio album – Circus. A tour right now would capitalize on “Womanizer’s” popularity. The 27-year-old pop star and mother of two could also use the multi-millions such a tour would bring in right now, given both her legal fees and famous shopping sprees.

Hit Us ‘One More Time’

It was more than ten years ago, in 1998, when we were hit the first time by Spears’ single “Baby One More Time.” And hit we were – by a rather sexy school girl outfit on a Britney Spears that most, until then, had thought of as innocent. Prior to that song and that outfit, she had spent most of her time singing in church – choirs and revues. And then, we were hit again, by a racy Rolling Stone cover with the then-teenaged Spears in nothing but a bra and a pair of boy shorts. Apparently someone knew what they were doing then, because a Britney Spears tour commanded countless millions in ticket sales and merchandise revenues. Merchandise alone on a Britney Spears tour can run the average fan in the hundreds of dollars.

The Britney Spears tour circuit has made millions for the pop singer, but her endorsements have also added to her increasing bank account. Britney Spears signed a multi-million dollar promotional contract with Pepsi in 2001 and created her first perfume called “Curious” in 2004 with the help of Elizabeth Arden. Just weeks after its release, the scent earned $100 million in sales. Piggybacking on the 2004 success, a second perfume called “Fantasy” in 2005 with similar sales grossed. Her 2006 releases of “Curious: In Control” and “Midnight Fantasy” as well as “Curious Heart” in January 2008 skyrocketed her sales beyond imagination. Despite the perfume endorsements, the success of her Britney Spears tour is what generates millions for the pop singer. Along with her Britney Spears tour, she has published four books and created a video game and a doll. She has amassed over $350 million in Britney Spears tour sales and over $185 million in merchandise for her Britney Spears tour sales.

Since the average Britney Spears tour fan is between 16 and 24, either Mommy and Daddy had better get ready to open the wallets, or the young fans had better find jobs to support a Spears tour fan habit. However you get it, you’d better bring extra case to a Spears concert. Despite the fact that a fan has already invested a fair amount just for the privilege of attending the show, now that fan will be bombarded with Britney Spears tour memorabilia, which includes: CDs, posters, t-shirts, key chains, programs, and collectible jackets. Spears can average over $100,000 a night in merchandise sales while on tour.

Britney Spears continues to work, even when she’s not on tour. She’s branched out to television, and has several credits to her name. In 2004 Britney Spears and her ex Kevin Federline starred together in Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. This was, needless to say, a reality TV show. Britney’s TV appearances don’t stop there, however. She also made an appearance on Will & Grace in 2006 and on How I Met Your Mother in 2008. It’s hard to hide a meltdown when you have as much exposure as Britney Spears. You can bet she’ll be working overtime to prove to her fans that she’s back, and she’s better than ever.

Britney Spears Tour: ‘Circus’ Act

And here it comes, the comeback tour we’ve all been waiting for, produced by Mega live entertainment and multimedia production company AEG Live. It opens in New Orleans on March 3, 2009 and closes in Chicago on April 29, 2009. Along the way, Britney stops twice in Canada, and eight times in Europe. This year will bring us an always exciting Britney Spears show, so look for it, because undoubtedly this tour will be coming soon to a city near you!

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Matt Ryan
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