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The Twilight Series was written by the American author Stephenie Meyer and is currently a series of four books based on vampires and romance. In brief, the books are about a young lady who re-locates with her father to Washington and then finds that her life changes dramatically because of her love for a vampire.

The total copies sold of the Twilight saga series amounts to over 42 million since they were first on sale in 2005. The books have been translated into 37 different languages.

Stephenie Meyer was the largest selling author of 2008 with sales reaching over and above the 22 million mark. She was in 2009 included in the Forbes Celebrity 100 list where she entered at number 26. In addition, she was also named USA Today’s Author of the Year in 2008. Its all looking very rosy indeed for Ms Meyer!

So, how is it you are probably asking, that the concept for Twilight actually came to be?

Back in 2003 the concept behind the Twilight Saga was nothing but a dream. The dream, as we now know, was about a young (human) lady falling in love with a young (vampire) gentleman. And even though he loved her tremendously he could not but thirst for her blood at the same time.

And for any of you out there who are aspiring writers but feel you do not have enough experience to really get anywhere; well, Stephenie Meyer wrote her dream out and it was published within three months. How is that for a great example to follow?

After the novel was written and then edited she joined forces with a publishing house by the name of Little, Brown and Company where they agreed a three book deal and she pocketed three quarters of a million US dollars. Nice going, has to be said!

Stephenie soon went on to write a further three novels after gaining huge success with the first. New Moon was published in 2006, Eclipse then published in 2007 and finally Breaking Dawn in 2008.

The fourth novel – “Breaking Dawn” is expected to be the last in the Twilight series that is seen from the point of view of Bella Swan, the lead female character in the story. Midnight Sun will be the next book.

It was unfortunate that Midnight Sun was leaked onto the internet ” well, the first 12 drafted chapters were anyhow. After this incident Stephenie Meyer decided to postpone the release of the book indefinitely.

So, how about the inspiration behind Stephenies’ creation? Well, as is often the case, Jayne Eyre by Charlotte Bronte ” the English novelist of the mid 19th century is among her favorites along with Anne of Green Gables written by L.M. Montgomery the early 20th century Canadian novelist were both highly instrumental in her thinking. Having said this though, each book in the Twilight series was inspired by a different specific novel:

Twilight: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin

New Moon ” Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Eclipse: Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights

Breaking Dawn: William Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and A Merchant of Venice

All traditional favorite English authors.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Joseph Archibald
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You are officially now a bridegroom-to-be and the wedding day is fast upon you, and you know that you are expected to give a bridegroom speech at the reception, but what to say, and how to say it; that is your big dilemma right now. As most cultures dictate, after the official ceremony and at the beginning of the reception, you are expected to speak immediately after the father of the bride says his bit.

One of the basic building blocks of a good speech is starting out on the right foot, and one way to insure that that will happen is to have a good opening line. Many people when pressed to give a speech don’t have a clue what constitutes a good opening line, and if you are among that group, then you need to investigate the sites that are available on the Internet for giving an impressive bridegroom speech and how to start it off. There are several different camps as to how to open a speech and they are all equally effective; for example, one may start off with a little joke or humor just to break the tension, or another could be a very conservative way of beginning and just extend a welcome to everyone there.

Now is the time, after the opening line; to show your appreciation to the folks gathered there and to give thanks all around to those who have contributed to making the day possible. In a more traditional bridegroom speech, the bridegroom would start off by thanking the parents of the bride for all their contributions and support; then thank his own parents for his upbringing and all they have done for him and their contributions; and then thank the guests for all the beautiful gifts and the fact that they came to the wedding; and so on. Sometimes the bridegroom will thank the minister and the bridesmaids, and the best man—the situation is different in every wedding; but the main factor here is to be sincere and mean what you are saying. Giving this speech is the best time to show everyone gathered just how mature and positive a person you are, and for making a very good impression on them.

Move now into the main body of the speech and let everyone in on some little bits of funny or relevant things that happened to make the wedding day come about; and make sure you convey the happiness you feel and what a good feeling it is to become part of another family and how much it means to you. The gathered folks are not interested in listening to a long drawn out bridegroom speech, they want to hear from you in your own words how you feel about the wedding, your bride and her family, and it matters to them how sincere you sound, so tell it like it is.

A bridegroom speech is a good time to tell a little bit about how you met because not everyone in the gathered group of people may know the whole story. There is always some little piece of information that is not known to everyone, and you could mention something like that. Talk about how beautiful your bride is to you, how lucky you are to be in this situation, and how much you love her. Then you could tell some funny thing that happened to the two of you that led to this relationship and to the wedding day. Everyone likes a good chuckle and wants to hear what they think is inside info, just remember not to embarrass anyone during your talk, most of all your wife and yourself, or the in-laws.

To close your bridegroom speech, you could elaborate on the things in your life that mean so much to you and include your new family and members of the audience; or even quote a poem or read something you had written yourself just for the occasion. The more of yourself you can inject into the talk, the more the group will love what you are saying and will hang on your every word. This is the time also to offer a toast to your new wife, or her parents, or your parents, your best man—whatever feels right at the moment. None of this is set in stone; just be yourself and be candid. You will find your nervousness will disappear as the group warms up to you, and all of you will remember the day for a long long time.

If you have your notes in order, and you are prepared to give your bridegroom speech when the time comes; you will find that you will have the time of your life talking up in front of the crowd and they in turn will enjoy every minute of listening to you. Just don’t let the talk drag on and on because people will get antsy and bored, so keep it light and funny and emotional, but not ponderous. Remember the group gathered in front of you is there to wish you well and they want only the best for you and your new bride, so most anything you say, if it is said from the heart and in a meaningful way, will be well received and remembered by the group as wonderful.

Tags: Writing & Speaking by Amy Bartlett
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Darren Aronofsky directs ‘The Wrestler’, and serves up one of the best films in recent years against the rough and tumble backdrop of professional wrestling. The film is meticulous in its realistic portrayal of the sports entertainment subculture.

To understand the enormity of Aronofskys cinematic achievement, its important to consider the less than glorious history of pro wrestling in American film. Perhaps the best film ever made until now with a significant pro wrestling component was 1962s Requiem for a Heavyweight. Adapted from Rod Serlings Playhouse 90 broadcast of the same name Requiem starred Anthony Quinn as an aging boxer who is at the end of his career and the end of his rope. After a final devastating knockout (to a young Muhammad Ali”still Cassius Clay at this point–who plays himself) he turns to the worked environment of pro wrestling out of necessity. The strange moral code of pro wrestling confounds Quinns character (I fought 111 fights and never took a dive”) and is at the crux of the films dramatic tension.

While Requiem is a praiseworthy film bolstered by solid performances by Quinn and Jackie Gleason and features a number of prizefighting greats including Muhammad Ali, Willie Pep, Jack Dempsey and Barney Ross it is at its core a boxing film. Pro wrestling is portrayed as the lowest, most humiliating avocation for a boxer. While there are certainly those who share this critical assessment of wrestling, it does little to explain its appeal and enduring popularity.

Pro wrestling has been featured in a lot of other movies”though never well. There have been a few documentaries of merit (Beyond the Mat), some low budget films more interesting for their classic footage than anything else (I Like To Hurt People) and countless bad movies.

In the starring role of Randy The Ram Robinson, Rourke turns in the performance of a lifetime. Some of the comparisons that critics made–Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront, Paul Newman in The Hustler, and Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull. The need for analogy is due to the fact that Rourke’s performance leaves the viewer at a loss for superlatives. Most impressive is the accuracy and detail that both director and actor devote to correctly portraying the pro wrestling milieu.

Aronofsky deftly balances both the appeal and revulsion inherent in pro wrestling. He manages to convey the gritty reality of life at the lower levels of the profession but also the appeal of pro wrestling”why men like The Ram put themselves through hell to stay involved and why hardcore fans care so much. The Wrestler succeeds on both levels, which likely accounts for the effusive praise it has garnered from film geeks who wouldnt know a headlock from a padlock as well as pro wrestling enthusiasts.

Aronofsky and Rourke manage to convey the lure and revulsion that is unique to pro wrestling and simultaneously extrapolate them to much larger truths about human existence. It simultaneously depicts pro wrestling at its best and worst and gets them both right. By putting in the ‘due diligence’ to get the pro wrestling backdrop right, the film allows the brilliance of Rourke’s performance and the deeper thematic significance of his conflicts to shine through.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by David Glisan
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When you are choosing your repertoire, you can spread your net wide. No need to stick to the Top Forty, go for the Top One Hundred of whatever decade you feel comfortable with. An easy way out that does not need too much research is to just jot down a bunch of Beatles titles.

Before you get a teacher, remember that you are going to give this person your time and more importantly, your money. So make sure the teacher is a good one before you invest. Go online, see if you can find any write-ups on them, check the papers, ask around, talk to friends. But make sure the teacher is a good one and has a good reputation. Your teacher should be patient, understanding and above all else, professional!

If you take your tuning one and a half steps or two steps down your guitar is now sounding menacing. If you want to tune your guitar any lower than two steps down, a longer than normal neck will stop the strings from moving around too much. Once you have got an idea of the guitar players you should be listening to and watching, you will be able to go looking for bluegrass guitar tabs.

If you are interested in taking guitar lessons of one type or another, you do need to fully appreciate that there really is a variety of different guitar learning options that are available to you today. Of course, there are many different guitar playing styles and techniques that trying to figure out what type of guitar lessons might be best for you can be confusing. Through this article you are provided a brief overview of one of the more interesting guitar playing techniques: funk-skunk.

These tips should help you get started, and if you’re serious about taking some guitar lessons for beginners don’t waste another second and check out this review for an award winning guitar course that I recommend. Another characteristic of Metal guitar is the use of drop tunings. If you play Metal your guitar should be tuned low. It gives you a totally different kind of control over your strings, your sound is more aggressive and you can do more with hammer-ons and tapping.

Dig down, dig deep, find your sadness. You can sing the blues. Blues Guitar Lessons have a golden rule: Get a GUITAR Blues accordion players just don’t make it big you know? Ever heard of a blues cellist? Me neither.

Blues Guitar Lessons second rule: It’s ok to be sad. Really. Gotta pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues and you know it don’t come easy, as Ringo Starr once sang. If there’s one thing universal about human nature is that we all experience the blues, we all have our own share of sadness and heartbreak.

Add your heartbreak to that guitar, you’re on your way to sing the blues. Blues Guitar Lessons third rule: Learn the blues scales.Surprised this isn’t the first rule? This is the technical side of things.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Kelly Stover
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“Kill Bill” is a worldwide sensation created by Quentin Tarantino that has amassed well over 180 million dollars. The non-stop sword swinging, fist throwing, gore filled movie that his created a countless fan base.

The movie’s star character is the deadly assassin, Beatrix Kiddo. Preformed by Uma Thurman, Beatrix is an unstoppable force that defeats every enemy she encounters. The blonde hair martial artist is a deadly assassin who is one of the top killers in all the world.

Beatrix is also a former member of a group called the ‘Deadly Viper Assassination Squad’ which is a group of top-notch, elite assassins. Bill who is the leader of the ‘Dead Viper Assassination Squad’ was Beatrix’s best friend, master and girlfriend (lover).

Ms. Kiddo also acquired her martial arts skills from Bill. But she got her most deadly training from a super martial artist named Pai Mei. Pai Mei is possibly the best martial artist in the world and he teaches Beatrix everything he knows.

That also includes the most deadly blow in all of martial arts called the “Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique”. When things went sour between Beatrix and Bill, she actually used the “Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique” to kill Bill. Among being a great martial artist in hand to hand combat, Kiddo is an expert with a samurai sword.

In the Kill Bill Movies, she was able to defeat countless enemies using only her Hattori Hanzo sword. Beatrix Kiddo goes by two different names in the Kill Bill saga. If you’ve seen the first movie, you will notice that her real name (Beatrix Kiddo) is actually censored. It wasn’t until the second movie, you learn Beatrix’s name.

While she was in the “Deadly Viper Assassination Squad”, she was known as “Black Mamba”, which is a very poisonous snake in Africa. As I mentioned earlier, Beatrix Kiddo is a former member of the “Deadly Viper Assassination Squad”. The reason why she left the secret assassination unit was 100% due to her impregnation.

She didn’t what her child exposed to the wicked lifestyle she was living. So without word to the other members of the squad, including Bill, she just left. As you see, Beatrix Kiddo’s life is very complicated. She is purely a killer at heart and will do nearly anything to complete her missions. Even though I touched on many aspects about Beatrix, there is more I haven’t even touched on. I guess the best thing you could do is watch the movies for yourself.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Zachry Nest
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When you first research into hiring a piano instructor it is easy to say to yourself, if they can play, then they can teach me piano right? but this isnt necessarily the case. Just because someone can play piano doesnt mean that they will be a worth while instructor. In fact, in reality the opposite is more commonly true.

Because high level pianists work hard to achieve success, many of them struggle with teaching the basics to new students. Their fingers are itching to run up and down the keyboard whereas new players hesitate and stutter. A number of these experienced or professional pianists derive little enjoyment and satisfaction in teaching beginning piano and do not want to relive their own humble beginnings by teaching new students. They would rather practice for themselves, elevating their own talents. What is demoralizing is that some of these accomplished pianists have no idea they feel this way until they start to teach new students. Not everyone is built to be a teacher. Therefore, it is important that you gauge the instructors personality, research their accomplishments and ask for their previous experience as a piano teacher.

Make sure that they are able to supply references and phone numbers to allow you to contact their past clients. Also, take into consideration what level their past clients were at when they first began, were they brand new to the instrument or had they received previous training? If I have no experience what so ever are you still able to teach me piano? Also, what was the highest level achieved while being given lessons from this particular instructor? These answers can help you make a very educated and well thought out decision of who to hire. If the instructor has only taught piano players that have already completed the basic lessons, then you may want to consider hiring someone else who has more experience teaching the absolute basic skills. If they have very few clients that achieved an intermediate to high level of training, this may mean that they are hard to work with, or are lacking the personal skills to stay with the same client over a lengthy period of time.

The reason why people head to their computers for piano tutorials and instruction is due to the aggravations of trying to find an effective piano instructor. Many online options as well as DVD instruction and piano lesson software have become more user-friendly, making them a preferred way to learn the piano as well as other instruments. Its also less risky and provides schedule flexibility.

Tags: Music by Michael Mickey Charles
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The blues is probably one of the most expressive music forms today. It has given rise to other music genres such as rhythm and blues, jazz, bluegrass and rock and roll. When you know how to play the blues guitar, then you can play almost all kinds of music! If you want to be able to play along with anyone, then you have to learn the blues guitar.

If you want to have blues guitar lessons, you should consider these six factors: great sound, solid construction, top line parts, used by Top Pros, reputation for quality, and unsurpassed customer service.

Needless to say, these methods can either be expensive or unsatisfactory. Non-professionals find it difficult to instruct someone, and will rarely have the patience to deal with slow learners. Also, professionals can become impatient and will often wonder why someone could have so much trouble learning something which comes naturally for them.

This is where blues backing tracks come in. Now, students can learn how to play the blues guitar at home, in their own pace. With an accompanying music they can follow, students can learn the basic sounds of different blues licks and in turn, practice them without being embarrassed of their mistakes. Through the blues backing tracks, students don’t have to feel pressured of learning how to play the different blues licks fast.

A quick search on the internet will show a number of blues guitar lessons which offers guaranteed results. Unfortunately, in order for students to take the full advantage of these lessons, they will need to adopt the right mindset.

Aside from having the right tools, you also need to have the right attitude in learning how to play the blues guitar. In many cases, you will have to concede to learning are basics before you think about going solo. You have to learn the tradition in order to learn how to appreciate the diverse. Remember that learning how to play any musical instrument can be taxing especially if you don’t have the patience. In many cases, you will have to keep playing the same note over and over again in order for muscle memory to set in. Disappointment and frustration are two things you will encounter and these you must fight in order to become a great at playing the blues guitar.

Learning is not an overnight process. It takes a lot of time and energy to get something right. Even then, it might never be perfect, but what’s important is that you learn the basics so you can diversify.

Tags: Music by Tom Simpson
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Joining a band could be really a challenge for each musician or group of musicians that are planning to have a band. I am currently part of a jazz quartet named “jazzology” and the way I made this band was talking with some friend that often we have been practicing and rehearsing since several months ago.

I personally recommend that the best way you can start joining a band is firstly determining the kind of music you are able to do. If you don’t have a clear vision of the type of music you are going to do it will be really difficult join a band.

Joining a band is something that requires of a leader who can have a clear vision of the past, the present (the things we currently have and the resources we have) and a vision of the future. This is basically the first thing you need before start calling people to be member of a band.

The second thing you need to start joining a band is looking for people that have passion for the music in the genre you want to make music. You should also determine if you are going to have commercial purpose or you just want joining a band for enjoy the music or only for practice your art and express what you are and the things you want.

I personally think that if you are planning that music is going to be your career, not your hobby, you are going to require a good advisory so that you band can last for a long time.

If you want to know more about this you only have to read about the story of those remarkable bands that are today legends as The Beatles and other important bands that are currently active in our days.

Tags: Music by Corey Murphy
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Cellular Phones need reception in order to work. Good reception means a good experience, Great reception means a great one. Anyone looking can easily spend the same if not more time comparing a cell phone carrier and their plans as they would comparing the cell phones themselves. Getting proper information on this is hard. The reason for this is that the time and variables involved are so great that many online review site tend to steer clear of the subject.

As said by J.D. Power and Associates, wireless service has reached such high quality that cell phone users no longer find it a requirement to maintain a land line as well as a cell phone. It appears cell phones are enough. But as with most statistics there are combating results. According to comScore Networks, an amazing 1 out of 4 cellular customers are not satisfied. These combating statistics show how cellular technology is still in its growing stages. Even ask someone about their service, you will always get miced results, those that love and those that hate their carrier, with plenty of stories to boot. J.D. Power and Associates also finds that people who had an unresolved problem with their carrier, after trying customer service, were six times more likely to switch provider. That is were cancellation fees come into play. You see cell phone companies want to maintain their customer for good or for worse and have implemented cancellation fees to increase customer retention. Even the intro of 3G Networks, which started off with great expectation has received its share of complaints. So how do you decide on the best carrier? Well here is a rundown of which carriers rank best.

As said by comScore, Verizon as a Wireless Service Provider has continuously raked tops in both coverage and service. And, surprisingly, a low six percent of their customer break the contract.

AT&T/Cingular come in second, just behind Verizon. Alltels customer service contract breakers are more numerous, coming in at 9 percent, while Sprint/Nextel have an even higher dissatisfaction rating at 11 percent. At the bottom of the heap is T-Mobile, with 15% of customers wanting to break out of contract obligations.

Please note that the comScore survey above is not location specific. It is also using the percentage of people that are breaking the contract as the main factor for determining carrier popularity. However J.D. Power and Associates survey does indeed verify Verizon Wireless as the leader, but also goes on to add that this is true more so in the Northeast, as Verizons coverage is the strongest there. And T-Mobile, scoring the lowest with the comScore survey, actually ranked number 1 in the Southwest if you go by the J.D. Power and Associates survey. Also Verizon ranks lower when it comes to the phones that run its service in CDMA technology rather than GSM. As a result, Verizon cell phones do not normally accept SIM cards. This prevents them from being used when traveling overseas. As well the cost of Verizon wireless service also ranked as more expensive. So while Verizon’s customer service did get top marks, its bills tend to be confusing to read.

J.D. Powers and Associates also says that in the Southwest, Sprint is very popular. But at the same time concedes that in terms of call quality Sprint rank very low. A PC Magazine survey also confirmed the latter statistic. However PC Magazine also ranked T-Mobile as the best carrier in terms of pricing, second only to Alltel. As well T-Mobile has a wide range of cell phone in which you can use its service and since T-Mobile uses GSM you can use a SIM card enabling international use.

In terms of Prepaid cellular service. The winner is Virgin Mobile with the highest marks. After them is TracFone and then T-Mobile respectively. Verizon and AT&T follow in order of decreasing popularity. And then Sprint/Nextel comes in last.

The call carrier landscape is a complicated one. Which carrier you choose may depend not only on how many phone calls one makes, but what part of the county youre in, whether or not you travel internationally, and even what type of phone hardware best suits your purposes. It pays to research this so you can avoid being trapped in a contract you want to break out of.

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Cathy L. Kimble
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Computers have gone beyond what they used to be. Modern technology has streamlined the top two pastimes anywhere in the civilized world onto one common platform. As things stand, computers are already a necessity in life; email, video-conference, messaging, IP-telephones, e-commerce and all the other good stuff And now, they can double up as TVs as well, and are actually more powerful at that. Yes, viewers can enjoy Free PC TV these days.

How is it done? Well, there are computer programs that can download TV programming broadcast over the internet to the computers which are used as the internet stations or terminals. This is the most convenient and practical method although there are other ways to accomplish the same feat. Theres no hardware addition or retrofit. This type of software is surprisingly stable and functions well with all versions of Windows.

The only equipment needed is a PC with internet connection, preferably broadband. Log onto the internet and youd be spoilt for choice to procure your Free TV On PC software. After you have made a selection and the payment is made, you will be able to download and install the software onto your PC and have access to full service with immediate effect. You dont have to wait for any mail acknowledgement or confirmation. Theres also no physical delivery and hence no shipping or handling charges involved.

What this type of software is all about is the compilation of FTA (free-to-air) live video streams from all over the world. The variety is thus inherently limitless and the quality expectedly good, borne of the advanced technology and infrastructure that are already in place currently. Theres no cause for worry about their business legality either because the P2P (peer-to-peer) basis is well-documented. This service can be accessed from anywhere as long as theres internet coverage.

Most of the software packages feature thousands of stations which include news, movies, sports, music, clips, radio and many more. These stations originate from all over the world and comprise of local, regional, and international broadcasts. If you are a sport enthusiast, you will definitely get to watch baseball, football, soccer, basketball and many other sports of any location in the world. All these Free TV on PC are possible with just a single purchase of the software.

Loading the special software to watch Free TV On PC is not difficult at all. All the blue-chip brands have very clear and simple instructions to assist you. Besides that, their 24/7 technical support is always there to help you with any problem whatsoever. Otherwise, just invoke the refund guarantee which is a standard T&C and go on to another source but it rarely comes to that. In any case, its TV galore on your PC once youre set and you dont even have to pay for it!

Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Jed Elaine
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