Category Archives: Entertainment

Entertainment: The ‘Auror’s Tale’ by Red Phoenix Pictures

Yes I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. So when I heard that a group of people over at Red Phoenix Pictures based in New York City was developing a web series called the “Auror’s Tale”, I was about as giddy as a kid at Christmas.

So when MuggleNet posted a 10-second video sneak peek from the “Auror’s Tale”. I was positively thrilled. The sneak peek is fascinating enough for me to want to watch later… Though, later in the day a full minute trailer of the Auror’s Tale was released, and now I can’t wait til the webseries air.

My understanding is that this is set in New York City where Dark Magic controls the underground and it is up to the NYC Department of Magical Law Enforcement (DMLE) is the only defense against them. For anyone that is a fan of the Harry Potter series, this is a web series made by fans that grew up with the books, for fans that grew up with the books. Releasing the web series in 10-minute increments they plan on a DVD release upon completion of the series of 10-minute increments on the web.

Entertainment News: The Voice is coming back in the Fall

Why am I not surprised? The Voice, NBC’s summer smash hit in 2011, and made new waves in spring of 2012 is going to come back in the fall 2012 lineup.

Not only that they are planning to cycle in additional judges to the panel. Not necessarily because of the chemistry of the current panel, but on the contrary TPTB (The Powers That Be) feel that since the judges are all working musicians, to ask them to schedule time for the show would be asking too much as it is.

To say that I’m excited is an understatement. What I am most worried about is whom they would bring on as coaches, after all the chemistry between the judges panel now (CeeLo Green, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera) was a total unknown when the show premiere last summer and it soon became such a massive hit. I mean take a look at the Superbowl promo they filmed:

Anyway, I’m getting off the point. I think the only way that the Voice can sell in the Fall is if they make just as huge of a knockout with the judging panel as they currently have. But who to bring?

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Entertainment News: Into the Woods in NYC and MN

At first I was so excited that Into the Woods was going to get the outdoor treatment and seeing who was cast in the show at Shakespeare in the Park nearly convinced me to make the trip to NYC towards the end of July just to see it happen.

Now after just reading the possibility of The Public Theater talking to investors and raising the funds to see it make a turn on Broadway, it just makes me giddy with anticipation.

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Review: NBC’s Awake

When I first heard about Awake, I was equally one part thrilled and one part apprehensive. Awake appeared to me to be a series that would require a lot of thinking, a lot of analysis, and a lot of patience. Precisely my cup of tea…

ABC’s Lost was much in the same vein… except after the first episode I lost interest, whileas with Awake, I actually wanted to know more. Unfortunately time was not on my side as me free time started to dry up considerably, so I stopped watching with the intent of reading up on the episodes online.

What I dislike about television is that when a show is just getting good, they cancel it due to the overall slide in ratings. A lot of time a show needs more than just one season to find it’s legs, a big example of this would be Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Unfortunately, cancellation is exactly where Awake is headed. *sighs* Depending on how the first season ends will decide on whether I could handle simply owning one season of a television series that I enjoyed, no matter how minor.

If you haven’t heard of the show the premise is this: A detective is a survivor of a car accident that claimed the life of either his wife, or his son. Neither the detective nor the audience knows who had passed, because he is living two totally separate worlds now. The detective could be living in a world where his wife is alive and his son has passed away, but then when he goes to sleep in that world he’ll wake up in another reality where his son is alive while his wife had passed.

Which reality is real? Well, we as the audience don’t know for sure, and part of the joy of the series is discovering bits and pieces of the story as it is told between the two realities.

Jason Issacs portrays the detective, and if anyone is a Harry Potter fan and has seen the movie adaptations… well you should recognize him as the patriarch of the Malfoy family: Lucius.

Personally if this show makes it to DVD, I may actually purchase it just to enjoy the storytelling. In some ways the concept of two parallel realities colliding reminds me a lot of a favorite movie of mine: Sliding Doors starring Gwyneth Paltrow. But that’s another post for another time.

I sincerely hope this show does make it to DVD with a lot of extras explaining what would have happened in future seasons, or even still have an additional episode that helps tie every up in a neat little package. Hell even if a book series would make me happy… but anyway, I’m crying over spilled milk. C’est la vie.

Entertainment News: Backstreet Boys… the Musical?

Recently Broadway.com had a poll asking their readers to decide which boy band should get their own jukebox musical? Number One: N’Sync, Number Two: Backstreet Boys. Since I am more likely to listen to the Backstreet Boys over N’Sync this post is going to be about BSB… well that and the fact that it was recently announced that Kevin Richardson will be rejoining the group for their upcoming studio album. Thank goodness for that, because Kevin was the bass in the group and I personally felt that when he chose to leave the group, it just didn’t feel just right.

In any case… so a jukebox musical featuring the music of the Backstreet Boys? I don’t know… looking at some of the songs that they have over the years, they all have a similar theme… some kind of love song about heartbreak, loneliness, deception, etc. There isn’t much variety beyond that.

Some of the more known jukebox musicals that have graced the Great White Way over the years include:
– Mamma Mia!
– The Boy From Oz
– Jersey Boys
– Million Dollar Quartet
– American Idiot
– Rock of Ages

Thinking about this further, some of their music videos did have somewhat simplistic storylines within them, some of my personal favorites include (in my opinion):
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Entertaining Email: The Power of Mathematics

Mathematics is in my blood… so I happen to enjoy things like the following…

This just proves the Beauty of Mathematics.

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 + 10 = 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn’t it? And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Mind Boggling. Now, take a look at this…

101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint: What Equals 100%?

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