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January 23, 2017

To Gate or Not to Gate: Which is Best for B2B Content?

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Gating content has grown into one of the most contentious issues in content marketing. Hard-line content marketers will tell you that information should be free for readers to access, and in return, you gain brand awareness, shares, and social capital.

ALSO READ: How to Build a B2B Marketing Plan

Traditional “smarketers” and B2B lead generation managers scoff at the idea of giving content away for free, since it would mean passing up valuable lead data that can be monetized through conversion strategies. We may never find out who’s entirely right, but each side may have to compromise, or else be hoisted by our own gated content petard

b2b lead generation content

Marketers want their gated content to look more like this gate…

b2b lead generation content

…than this gate

Rusty Hinges: Problems with Gating Content

Gated content is defined as content that cannot be accessed, either by a human or a web index crawler, unless the user provides some information in return.

Marketers typically use email forms and subscription gates to exchange contact information for well-researched content that prospects (hopefully) find useful. Web crawlers, or robots, do not read websites the same way that humans do, so gating content means you hide some of your most informative and valuable content from search bots whose main purpose is to find the answers to users’ questions.

Why write the content if you keep users from discovering it?

One way marketers get around this problem is by providing a significant amount of text (but not giving away the farm) on gate pages. This is a better option than closing off your content entirely, but you still have less text on your landing pages than in a white paper, and therefore fewer amazing answers for Google to index.

The Great Gate Debate: Which Way Works?

Let’s talk about the merits of both systems. If one way were clearly better, we wouldn’t fight about gated content at all.

Merits of Free Content

  • more inbound links
  • builds brand awareness
  • promotes social shares across platforms
  • higher quality score for landing pages from page ads (which can lead to better ad placement)
  • higher page rankings from in-depth and informative content

Merits of Gated Content

While the deck seems stacked against gated content from those lists, it’s hard to argue with more qualified leads. While increased page rank and higher brand awareness can drive traffic, they may not result in higher conversions in the long run. Ay, there’s the rub

Plan Your Yard Before Installing The Gate

So many marketers start publishing content willy-nilly, thinking that just getting content on the blog or in the newsletter is a plan. A content calendar does not equal a content strategy. Understanding what your team wants to achieve with your content can help you build a strategy. Ask (at least) these questions for your strategy as a whole and individual content pieces:

  • What is this content supposed to do? [Possible goals: brand awareness, blog visits, B2B lead generation, converted users]
  • How will this piece of content achieve those goals?
  • How much are your goals worth to you?
  • Does gating this piece of content fit into my larger content goals?
  • Does this content directly impact your lead gen efforts?
  • Can you move the content from behind a gate or change strategy and still acquire leads?

Gate with a Purpose

One way content marketing teams have mitigated the GateGate controversy: they use “pillar content.” Kapost goes into great detail about pillar strategy, but I like to think of it like a Christmas tree.

The tree itself is a substantial, informative, and incredibly useful piece of content that you write to position your company as the authority on a subject. Gate this authoritative content, because customers find it of high value and will trade their information for that content. Decorate your tree with free, smaller bits and baubles of content: blog posts, social media posts, podcasts, and videos to attract users to your site. These ornamental pieces still have value, and they will attract both users and indexing robots to your site. You give away these pieces without losing the tree.

Also consider whether you can achieve the same lead gen and brand awareness aims with a different way of collecting data? Can you use a pop-up modal as the customer leaves the page and then mine for qualified leads through your email list? AWeber reported a 1,375 percent higher conversion rate for email subscriptions over traditional lead gen forms. Using an email newsletter for B2B lead generation requires a longer lead cycle, and you’ll need to do more content syndication, but you might end up with a better user experience and more traffic because your content ranks higher.

1,375 percent higher conversion rate for email subscriptions over traditional lead gen forms.

Another option, similar to pillar or Christmas tree content strategies, involves gating content that provides a value upgrade from your free content. A content upgrade strategy means writing value-added content and linking to that from your free content? It works like this: You publish an informative, educational blog post. Within that amazing post, you link to a gated white paper or guide that builds on the same topic. These suggestions drive engagement (another Google ranking factor)  on your own site, extending user time on site and visitor page depth. Wishpond has a bunch of content upgrade suggestions at the bottom of this post that you may want to try.

Other Suggestions

Here are some tips that may help as you build a hybrid content strategy that straddles the gate (that actually sounds painful, but it’s the metaphor I chose):

  • Look to other marketing leaders for content strategy examples. Sirius Decisions has a whitepaper you can download to help your team make a gated content plan, but . . . surprise! It’s gated. If you really want that plan, you’ll give them your email address. See how this works?
  • Think about using social logins instead of form fills. These give you lots of information about user intent plus access to (some) social data. They also decrease user friction to access your content since they let people download content without entering more information.
  • Use agile project management tactics to drive your content marketing plan: create user “stories” for your buyers, and build your content gating strategy around those. Atlassian has a simple template for user stories that might help you build these for content.
  • A/B test. Can’t stress this enough. Don’t just do something because you’ve always done it that way, and don’t implement a plan because some marketing guru says it works best. Do what’s right for your company, and measure the results. Watch your leads, signups, conversions, and downloads, but also page rank and your actual keyword searches on Google’s Search Console. All of these factors can tell you how well your content achieves your goals.

“To gate, or not to gate . . . is this even still a question?”

– William Shakespeare | Content Marketer

Marketers obsess over how much they can sell and which types of content earn the highest ROI. A content strategy that mixes informative, free content with epic, informative, gated content will always win. It will also please both marketing and sales, and getting those two to agree is nothing short of a miracle.


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Going “Beyond the Paint” to celebrate Mural Arts in Philadelphia

This week in North Philly Notes, we highlight events associated with the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts exhibition Beyond the Paint: Philadelphia’s Mural Arts and Temple University Press’ new book, Philadelphia Mural Arts @ 30, edited by Jane Golden and David Updike.

Art in Action: National Leaders in Art as Social Practice

February 8th, 2014 3 to 6 pm
$20/General Admission; $10/Members
Seating is limited.

Four nationally-renowned innovators in art as a social practice come together in Philadelphia to present their work for one night only. In a series of TED-style presentations, they’ll inspire you to reimagine what art can look like when whole communities get involved. Presentations by nationally-renowned presenters include:

Mark Allen, Founder of the Machine Project (Los Angeles, CA)
Jane Golden, Executive Director of the Mural Arts Program (Philadelphia, PA)
Rick Lowe, Founder of Project Row Houses (Houston, TX)
Nato Thompson, Curator at Creative Time (New York, NY)

muraLAB at PAFA

Free with a registration.

muraLab is the Mural Arts Program’s experimental creativity hub for investigating muralism in the twenty-first century. During Beyond the Paint: Philadelphia’s Mural Arts, two muraLab programs will take place inside the exhibition to explore art as a social practice.

February 5th, 2014 6pm: Jon Rubin on Contextual Practice
Artist Jon Rubin – best known for his project Conflict Kitchen – is the director of the Contextual Practice program at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Art. He recently collaborated with art consultant Barbara Goldstein on ARTPGH, a master plan for public art in Pittsburgh.

Book Preview and Signing

Phila Mural Arts 30_sm

March 12th, 2014 6:30 to 8:30 pm
5:30 Special Ticket: $40/General Admission; $30/Members
6:30 Free with a registration

Celebrate the release of Philadelphia Mural Arts @ 30!

The book features six essays and visual documentation to illustrate the growth of Mural
Arts in scale, practice, and engagement for over thirty years. Cynthia Weiss, a renowned
art educator, and contributor to Philadelphia Mural Arts @ 30, will give a keynote address.
A light reception and book signing with Jane Golden will follow.

April 2nd, 2014 6pm: Temporary Services

Temporary Services (Brett Bloom, Salem Collo-Julin, and Marc Fischer) produce exhibitions, publications, public interventions, events, and other projects in a socially engaged practice that purposely blurs the lines between artist, activist, and enthusiast. Currently, their Self-Reliance Library is installed in PAFA’s galleries as part of the Beyond the Paint exhibition.

Community Art Days

All community art-making programs take place inside the exhibition from 12 – 3 on Sunday afternoons.

February 9 Meet artist Ernel Martinez and participate in a group art-making project.

March 9 Meet artist Eric Okdeh and participate in a group art-making project.

March 16 Join artist Josh MacPhee and community members to screen print 3 x 4 foot broadsides by hand inside the galleries.

Talks and Workshops

All talks and workshops begin at 2 pm and take place in the Hamilton Building.

February 16 Restored Spaces Mural Arts’ Restored Spaces program presents current and past projects that help to cultivate a more sustainable ethos and strengthen community. Hear from Restored Spaces founder Shari Hersh and artists who work at the intersection of art and design and the environment, including Stacy Levy and Kaitlin Kylie Pomerantz.

March 30 Mural Preservation and Restoration The process of keeping murals looking their best is not an easy one. Meet the artists who undertake this task for a presentation of the before and after effects of restoring our city’s artistic treasures and a demonstration of their materials.

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Things are not always as they seem

I recently posted about my great weekend. The anniversary, the baby, etc.

Today, I am sucking in all the beauty that is Houston in the fall. Perfect skies, perfect temp, newly mowed lawn and my pup sleeping beside me as I write.

I say this because I AM NOT depressed…

However, on Tuesday morning around 0800, I received a text from my favorite PA, Erin. She had the results of my blood-work that I had done on Friday (my granddaughter’s birthday). This was supposed to be the 4 week post Sovaldi viral load check. It was actually closer to 6 weeks. So far, since week 4 of the regimen, my Hep C has been undetectable.

The message was “Well the bad news is, the virus is back. The good news is, Harvoni was FDA approved on Friday” (yeah, the same one)

So…I am going back on meds, again. Starting in about 1-2 weeks, and will be on those meds for another 6 months. We should have better results this time since the drug combines 2 direct acting antivirals, where as the last treatment only had 1. They are both in the same pill, and have no bad side effects like the Ribavirin I was taking with the last treatment (no more anemia or shortness of breath!!!).

So the word is… go Harvoni! And lots of prayer is needed and appreciated.

e3.jpg 017

4 responses to “Things are not always as they seem

  1. Well, good news bad news! I will hang on to the good news part of it. Good luck with the treatment old buddy! Looking forward to seeing you on your next Nac visit

  2. I feel ya.. I just got off ribaviran , sovaldi and alysio.. Blood work has been entirely clean the last 6 weeks .. Do my 1 month after regimen blood work on the 20th.. And if clean still then go 1 more time in 3 months and if still clean they figure it was beaten . Frikken hep C put my liver at stage 4.. So not unlike you , I’m just trying to get to see the Grandkids mature into adults. They say it’s 90-98 % effective at complete annihilation of the virus.. But time will tell. Anyway Michael, let me say after all the crazy crap we did in our youth , I’m just glad we made it this far and am trusting God with the rest.. He’s been darn good to me in spite of myself. Also, I’d like to say .. I’ve never regretted our friendship.. We all do silly shit when we are young, but through it all.. I always had trust in you.. And I’m glad your still kicking. Fight the fight my friend.. And stay in touch.. I just found out I’m about to be grandpa one more time from the son.. That’ll make 4 so I’m excited. Hope everything goes well with your new treatment and give the family my best… Ol’ Buck

    • Thank you to both Joe and Mike. I do appreciate and value your friendships. Mike, You never told me what you were suffering from, just that you had health issues. I’m so sorry that you are dealing with this too. It is what it is, though, and I’m just thankful for what I have and for every day God gives me. The grandkids don’t hurt, either…:-}

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PARKS, WILLIE PEARL - Archer County, Texas | WILLIE PEARL PARKS - Texas Gravestone Photos

Willie Pearl PARKS

Archer City Cemetery
Archer County,

Apr 27, 1893 - Feb 18, 1976

Oct 22, 1903 - Aug 28, 1969

Contributed on 11/18/14 by gacp
Email This Contributor

Record #: 40555

Thank you for visiting the Texas Gravestone Photo Project

On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Texas, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.

Submitted: 11/18/14 • Approved: 11/26/14 • Last Updated: 11/26/14 • R40555-G40554

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TFormers Transformers News and Reviews
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Cyberverse Legion Arcee - Prime - Figure

Height: 6.5cm tall in Robot Mode; 7cm Vehicle Mode overall length

Articulation:6 total points: ball-jointed shoulders, hinged knees and ball-jointed hips.

Colors: Molded dark blue, black, and translucent red. Painted silver, blue, red and light blue(optics).

Accessories: Blaster.

Release Data: Released February 2012 at an MSRP of $4.99.

Author: RAC

Arcee is fast, smart, and always ready for a fight. Her blasters might not pack the punch of the bigger Autobots', but her incredible fighting skills more than make up for anything she lacks in firepower.

...well, that explains why she borrowed Bumblebee's blaster here.

Arcee was the last of the Wave 1 Legion figures I needed, and I just plain lucked into the last one at TRU. (Another nice thing I've discovered about Legion is that TRU's markup isn't quite so painful at this scale- it's generally a dollar or less.) I like Arcee; she's probably the best delineated Autobot so far in Prime, with the most explored backstory... and the most baggage. But this is a war story, and the two go hand in hand. Based on accuracy to the on-screen model, Arcee was my first Deluxe purchase- but I'm going to be as fair as possible in my comparisons here, because this figure has to do most of the same things at nearly a third of the cost and space involved.

Robot Mode

Arcee's one of the better likenesses at this scale. Her extremely broad-set and heavy shoulders are an inevitablity of the jointing, so proportionally she's not going to look as much like her CGI model as the RID Deluxe, obviously. On the positive side, I'm suspecting that her smaller frame may have freed up some budget for paint. She's a darker, deeper blue than the RID Deluxe, and one that probably matches her onscreen appearance better. She's got plenty enough silver to avoid looking blah in that Bumblebee way, but as with the Deluxe her metallic pink paint is absent. I'd have been downright shocked if the Legion toy had it when that one didn't. Of particular note here, paint-wise, is her face, which is both painted nicely for its scale and actually has optics painted-in unlike some figures of this size. (Looking at you, Ratchet- even though I know you can't look back.) There's even an Autobot emblem on the chest, which the Deluxe didn't put in anywhere on the figure.

The other comparison that I do feel is worth bringing up to the RID Deluxe is that the back-kibble is nearly identical, except without the wheel hanging there. But you've still got the nose of the bike and the "wings" formed from sidepanels. I like the wings- the lack of them on the First Edition Deluxe is one of the things that led me to purchase the RID version instead. The wheels are both in the backs of the legs now, and before you get concerned with your toy being damaged as I did, you should know that the "chip" out of one of her kneecaps is an intentional notch left for transformation purposes. As with a lot of Legion toys the arms are the least convincing part of the toy, but with Arcee it's actually a bit worse because they're under the seat piece for the motorcycle mode, so they curve the arm in a way that would look broken (or at minimum painfully dislocated) on a human. On the upside, the curved edge of the seat piece comes to a point in front of her arms, so if you want to treat those as the forearm-blades in the animation, go for it!

As usual, no neck articulation here in Legion Land. The arms do great: they swivel freely (once you negotiate around the wings) and swing out laterally to well over Arcee's head. The hips are excellent for a ball-joint, with as much front, back and side movement as you could possibly get. The knees get 90 degrees of flex but could in fact go farther without the wheels being there. She's also got nice, broad feet which provide the balance that the hips and knees demand. I'm also happy to note that she doesn't have the silly pointy-toed "shoes" that I wasn't fond of in the animation and Deluxe designs! Finally, Arcee doesn't have as many hardpoints for 3mm-peg weapons as some Legion figures do: she's got her fists, and her wings. I may have to borrow Bumblebee's gun and install a pair on the wings just because.

It's simple, but since she's not car-shaped it's a good deal more interesting than a lot of the others. You swing the back-kibble up to cover her head, swing her shoulders down and swing her arms around to form the seat, fold up the legs and swing one wheel towards each end of the bike which is, presto!, now a bike. ...well, once you've folded the wings into motorcycle sidepanels. For a Legion figure, this is a reasonably impressive transformation.

Vehicle Mode

It's a blue motorcycle, of course. A fairly good-looking one at that, with no obvious robot pieces hanging off of it. If I'm not mistaken she might be in scale with the Basic Human Alliance drivers, but at the moment I can't test this. What she's definitely out of scale with are the other Legion Autobots, since she's just as long as a motorcycle as they are as cars and ambulances. Compared to the RID Deluxe it has different color problems that explain why the blue was lightened on that figure: the blue is so dark as to blend with the black and make nearly the entire bike look monochrome. On the upside, the windshield and headlights have been painted silver, so they don't vanish into the bike as badly here! It also doesn't roll as well as the bigger figure, but I suspect that's because it was designed to sit up on its own, with a kickstand being unfeasible at this size. Again, since that makes my life as a photographer a bit easier, I appreciate this.

Arcee has... let's say 3.5 hardpoints in this mode. The ones on her wings are now on the bike's cladding and in a more accessible place, but her hands as part of the seat of the bike become a pair of sockets so close together that only one is usable at a time, and centering the gun on the back of the bike is impossible. (Not that it matters much unless she was firing at something chasing her, else she'd blow of her own windshield.) I guess it's to be expected considering that there are a lot less broad, flat surfaces on a motorcycle to put 3mm sockets on, but a centered one might've been nice.

It's the same gun that comes with Bumblebee, which is disappointing. One of the things I liked about Bumblebee and Ratchet's weapons is that they resembled the CGI's built-in transforming weapons very strongly, but this gun looks nothing like Arcee's blaster or blades. The upside is that you can give it to Bumblebee, who will then have two weapons. But of course that leaves Arcee pretending that the edges of her seat-arms are blades. A pity.

Closing Remarks

Arcee is Very Good on the Non-Numeric Rating Scale. She's well-engineered for her size and looks decent in both modes, and poses well, and if it weren't for her coming with an extra accessory for Bumblebee, I'd probably rate her as Excellent. Even with an off-model gun, she's well worth owning if you're looking to complete Team Prime in Legion scale.

DateMay 29th 2012
Score 8 stars (8 out of 10)
LinkTransformers Prime Cyberverse Arcee Gallery

Transformers Prime Cyberverse Arcee Gallery Image Gallery

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Saturday, February 18, 2017

[Review] One More Kiss by Samantha Chase

Title: One More Kiss
Author: Samantha Chase
Release Date: February 7th, 2017
Format: eARC

Matt Reed was living the dream until a bad career move sends him back to his hometown for much-needed privacy. Instead, he finds someone he never expected: the woman whose steamy kiss he remembers like it was yesterday.
Vivienne Forrester finally has her life in order... until Matt moves back to town. She doesn't want to think about the time she threw caution to the wind with him, but running into him everywhere, it's impossible not to...

**4 Stars**

Samantha Chase brings us a new series, Shaughnessy: Band on
the Run, which is a spin off from the Shaughnessy brother series. This series
follows the band Shaughnessy and the book is about Matt Reed, band mate to Riley
Shaughnessy (Riley’s book is This Is Our Song).
Matty Reed, aka Matt those he is close to, is lost. With the band taking a back and Broadway failure, he is hiding out. He is disappointed with himself and the critics are calling him a fake. So when his friend Aaron offers the chance to get away and to hide out, he takes it. Aaron's house is private, secluded and no one will no he is there, the only hesitation he has is it's in their home town and he isn't sure he wants to deal with those memories.
Vivienne Forrester is a blogger, writer and assistant editor for an online magazine. After renovating the guest house on her brother's, she moves in with the help of Aaron and Matt. She's always had a thing for Matty, but will living this close to him change anything? Will he finally notice her and take a chance?
I loved their story. It was sweet and left you feeling happy.

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General Election 2017: Green Party Launch Plan For 'caring Britain'

Manifesto pledges include universal basic income, shorter working week and referendum on Brexit deal.

Read the full article at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39993007

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National Academy of Engineering elects UC Davis professor to class of 2014

Dr. Katherine Ferrara, UC Davis biomedical engineering professor and founding chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) class of 2014. Ferrara was elected for her contributions to theory and applications of biomedical ultrasonics.

Ferrara is one of the 67 new members to join the National Academy. Her election, along with the rest of the National Academy class of 2014, was announced Feb. 6 during the academy’s national meeting in Irvine, Calif. New members are elected by current members of the academy based on their achievements in research.

“I am particularly pleased by the selection of Professor Katherine Ferrara of our Department of Biomedical Engineering,“ said Enrique Lavernia, dean of the UC Davis College of Engineering, via email. “She helped found this dynamic department, served as its first department chair, and has helped the department gain a significant national stature.”

Ferrara is currently working on methods to better image diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease and cancer. Ferrara said what the National Academy was interested in was her work on using tiny gas bubbles to image cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Ferrara found that when little gas bubbles are injected into a patient’s bloodstream and an ultrasound wave is sent towards them, the gas bubbles will make unique sounds. Ferrara said her team was among the first to show how these unique sounds can help develop techniques involving gas bubbles to treat patients clinically.

For example, Ferrara’s work found that injected anticancer drugs encased in tiny capsules can be directed by ultrasound towards the cancerous tumour. The capsule is then burst by ultrasonics, releasing the drugs and reducing side-effects on other tissues and organs.

Ferrara said she had been interested in working with ultrasound imaging for a long time. After collaborating with a cardiologist from the University of Virginia who was also interested in using gas bubbles clinically, Ferrera was able to come up with strategies on how to use gas bubbles with ultrasound based on her observations.

As concurrent imaging methods, such as MRI, CT, PET and ultrasound, evolve into a standard for the precise delivery of therapeutics, Lavernia predicts Ferrara’s work to have a large impact on future medical research.

“Professor Ferrara has earned a global reputation for her ground-breaking work in image-guided drug delivery, which we can expect to become one of the touchstones of early 21st century medical breakthroughs,” Lavernia said.

Ferrara is the 17th faculty member from the UC Davis College of Engineering to be elected to the National Academies. Ferrera joins other faculty members such as Lavernia and Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi in the prestigious academy.

Denneal Jamison-McClung, associate director of the UC Davis Biotechnology Program and program coordinator for UC Davis ADVANCE, is pleased that more diverse individuals are being recognized for their work in academic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“[Professor] Ferrara is active in the UC Davis ADVANCE program, which promotes diversity in STEM,” Jamison-McClung said via email. “Any time we have a woman recognized for her achievements at the highest levels, it lets younger women know that the ‘sky is the limit’ for their own professional achievements.”

Because only eight out of the 67 inductees to the NAE this year are women, Karen McDonald, associate dean of Engineering, also predicts Ferrara’s achievement to have a positive impact on women in STEM academics at UC Davis.

“Professor Ferrara’s election to the National Academy of Engineering will certainly encourage our women undergraduate and graduate students to pursue STEM careers, as well as inspire our women faculty,” McDonald said via email. “In addition to her major research contributions in the field of biomedical engineering, she also finds time to give back to the STEM community by helping women who are following her path.”

As a physical therapist, Ferrara said she often worked with patients who had cancer or cardiovascular disease. Well aware of the profound effects these diseases could have, Ferrara was drawn towards finding methods to treat cancer and cardiovascular disease.

“I’ve always been a believer that if you could diagnose something earlier, that you have the potential to have a bigger impact,” Ferrara said.

Ferrara said her interest in science is largely attributed to her father, who was also a biomedical engineer.

“I started as a physical therapist and my dad also was a biomedical engineer, so he had a lot of influence on me,” Ferrara said. “Really before biomedical engineering got started, he worked on the first sort of artificial heart and some of the early pace makers, so that had a major influence on me growing up.”

The National Academy of Engineering is one of the four organizations that make up the United States National Academies. The National Academies were established by the U.S. Congress to advise the nation on science, engineering and medicine.

Ferrara is a graduate from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from California State University, Sacramento and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from UC Davis.

“I thank both the inspiration of my parents who have definitely backed me and my husband who has given me a lot of support, as well as many members of my laboratory who have performed experiments and worked very hard to achieve the results and discoveries we’ve made,” Ferrara said.


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(A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER OF SCREENWRITING STAFFING, JACOB N. STUART) Screenwriters and Friends, this may be one of the most important interviews we have had at ‘The Backstory’. It can sometimes feel impossible to find literary representation as a screenwriter, and even if you do -like myself- it doesn’t guarantee a sale. Everyday I see screenwriters get the raw end of the deal. Not because their work has been stolen (like so many writers fear) but by poorly negotiated contracts – either done by themselves or by an inexperienced Agent. Friends, I highly suggest networking with Entertainment Attorneys, like Mr. Maulraine.

(QUICK INTRO/BIO). “My name is Hakim Mulraine and I am an entertainment and business law attorney with The Mulraine Firm, LLC in New York. As a seasoned professional, with a strong foundation in business, contract, copyright, trademark, publishing, entertainment and media law, my firm is able to serve clients with diverse needs.

In the past decade, I have consulted drafted and negotiated entertainment and media agreements for producers, production companies, songwriters, screenwriters, published authors, athletes, performing artists and reality television personalities. I’ve provided legal assistance with developing, packaging and pitching scripted and unscripted projects to networks and film studios. Also I have assisted clients; which includes, startups and established businesses with business formation, business contracts, film financing, endorsements deals and appearances agreements. Along with my transactional experience, I’ve also provided both leadership and legal assistance on high profile copyright litigation cases which includes several blockbuster films.”

SCREENWRITING STAFFING: What is an Entertainment Attorney’s duty in the Film Industry?

Hakim Mulraine: The duties of an entertainment attorney in the film industry vary greatly. Depending on the stage that the film project is in when the attorney is hired: preproduction, production, principal photography and postproduction, a number of legal agreements must be negotiated, drafted and signed. The attorney may be responsible for: business formation; acquiring rights: Life Rights, Option and Literary Purchase Agreement; clearance of rights: Copyright Reports; Finance/Investor Agreements as well as Distribution, Above the Line and Below the Line Agreements.

SCREENWRITING STAFFING: Why would a screenwriter need an Entertainment Attorney?

Hakim Mulraine: A screenwriter would need an entertainment attorney to help them protect their work (copyright); acquire rights to literary property, negotiate Option, Literary Purchase Agreement, Script Submission Release, Nondisclosure and/ or Work for Hire Agreements; which may include: Step Deals or Flat Deal Agreements. Some entertainment attorneys can assist with packaging and pitching a screenwriter’s work to production companies and film studios.

There are different kinds of attorneys. There are the traditional entertainment attorneys and there are the more modern dealmaker type entertainment attorneys. The more modern attorneys, based on their skill-set and knowledge of the business, are able to assist their clients with packaging and pitching projects to production companies and film studios. The traditional attorneys are more apt to address offers as they come in.

SCREENWRITING STAFFING: When would a screenwriter be better off with an Entertainment Attorney as opposed to a Literary Agent?

Hakim Mulraine: Whether a screenwriter would be better served by an Entertainment Attorney or a Literary Agent will usually depend on a screenwriters access and needs. It is very difficult for a writer to obtain an agent, especially inexperienced writers. However, a screenwriter would be able to approach and retain an entertainment attorney if he/she is able to pay the attorney’s hourly rate, a lump-sum of which must be paid up front, called retainer fee, and deposited into escrow. Agents generally take a percentage of the profits that they’ve earned for their clients, usually between 10 to 15%. There are no upfront costs when you work with an agentA common complaint among writers represent by agents, especially those represented by big agencies, is that they don’t feel that they’re a priority. This may or may not be the case but agents tend to focus a great deal of energy on those clients who are making money at the present time because they get paid when their client gets paid. An Entertainment Attorney; however, is better able to prioritize their clients workload because they are traditionally paid on an hourly basis. If they don’t do the work, they don’t get paid. There are times when Entertainment Attorney’s will accept a contingency fee. Some attorneys will accept partial contingency and partial retainer fee, based on their belief in the screenwriter’s work.

SCREENWRITING STAFFING: Should a screenwriter register their script with the Library of Congress or the WGA… or both? And why?

Hakim Mulraine: It is in the best interest of the screenwriter to do all that they can to protect their intellectual property. The best way to do that is by registering your scripts with the Library of Congress and the WGA. If your script is stolen, you will be unable to file an infringement claim in federal court if you haven’t registered your script with the Library of Congress first. Also, you must file your script with the Library of Congress within 90days of completion. Doing so will allow the writing to seek more compensation from infringers, which include, attorney’s fees and statutory damages.

SCREENWRITING STAFFING: What suggestions would you give a screenwriter looking to acquire rights for a book?

Hakim Mulraine: In the age where film studios pay millions to option and acquire the film rights to popular books, I would encourage the screenwriter to seek a partnership with the author. If the author is incorporated into the film process, with the promise of receiving a producer’s credit and greater compensation based on the successful of the film, they are more apt to forgo a large upfront sum. Also, who better to steer those fans that have purchased the book to see the film.

Traditionally, studios acquire the film rights to an authors work through an Option and Literary Purchase Agreement. The studio will either hire a screenwriter to write the screenplay or allow the author to write it, which is rare. The author is often times offered an additional consulting fee to be on set during principal photography, in case there are any questions for him/her. However, this consultant title and fee is really a courtesy that is given to make the author feel as though he/she is actually involved in the process. Rarely is the author asked to actually give his/her input.

SCREENWRITING STAFFING: When a screenwriter forms a partnership with another writer, and they want to split credit down the middle, what‘s the first thing you suggest to the screenwriter(s)?

Hakim Mulraine: It’s in the best interest of both writers that they negotiate and sign a collaboration agreement before they begin working together. The collaboration agreement will outline the parameters of ownership, control, compensation and credit between the two screenwriters.

SCREENWRITING STAFFING: If a screenwriter is not a part of the Guild, what legal battles are they looking to face regarding re-writes, compensation, and rightful credit? Is there a plus side to not being a part of the Guild?

Hakim Mulraine: It is in the best interest of the screenwriter to become a guild member. The terms of the collective bargaining agreement, which was negotiated by the guild, was created to protect screenwriters from being taken advantage of by employers. It outlines everything from: compensation, credit, re-writes sequels to health insurance. As a guild member, screenwriters are protected from writing on spec without any fixed compensation. The guild sets minimum scale payments for flat fee deals as well as minimums per step, for any step deals. Step deals are often used when an employer is using an inexperienced writer. It allows the employer to end the services of the writer at the completion of any step in the writing process. Minimums covered under the collective bargaining agreement includes: Additional Compensation. Addition Compensation is paid to the writer if the Producer makes a sequel, remake or a television spinoff, based on screenwriter’s initial screenplay. These royalties are guaranteed and requires no additional work from the screenwriter. If the screenwriter is asked to write the sequel, remake or television spinoff as well, he/she would be entitled to an additional payment on top of the royalties for writing the initial screenplay.

Screenwriters, who are not members of the guild, will have to make sure to that they negotiate a detailed agreement with their employer that mirrors that rights in the WGA collective bargaining agreement. If not, screenwriter may not receive Addition Compensation for remakes, sequels, spinoffs or receive proper credit for their work. If the nonunion screenwriter doesn’t have good legal representation, then they put themselves in a position to be taken advantage of by their employer. If there is a benefit of not being a union member, it is that the screenwriter may be able to negotiate higher compensation than the WGA minimums.

SCREENWRITING STAFFING: In your opinion, what dangers does a screenwriter face if they choose to opt out of using an entertainment lawyer, and take legal matters in their own hands?

Hakim Mulraine: There are a number of dangers that screenwriters face by not hiring an entertainment attorney, which include: poorly negotiated agreements, assigning away their copyrights, not receiving proper credit or compensation as well as being subject to legal liability from investors, copyright holders, distributors and talent.

It is extremely important for screenwriters not to just hire any attorney. Find an entertainment attorney who knows the customs of the entertainment industry. As a seasoned professional that has worked with writers for over a decade, I’m always surprised when I’m asked by a writer to explain the terms and conditions of a contract that they previously signed, which was negotiated by their tax attorney. Hiring an attorney that doesn’t know the business and customs of the industry is a mistake. Many successful industry professional will tell you that they wish they couldve negotiated better deals in the beginning of the careers. Screenwriters must invest in good representation, because they can’t realistically expect a producer or studio to invest in their work if they are not willing invest in themselves.

Hakim Mulraine Attorney at Law THE MULRAINE FIRM, LLC | Web-Site

Hakim Mulraine LinkedIn

Library of Congress

Hakim Mulraine, Attorney at Law, THE MULRAINE FIRM, LLC

For more information on Jacob N. Stuart and his new film, AN ADDICTING PICTURE:


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Clarins Instant concealer

Those of you that have been reading the blog for a while now will know that my dark circles are the absolute bain of my life! My thyroid issues mean that my dark circles are ever present and can some days look like two black eyes.  Over the past few years I have learnt different ways to hide them somewhat, but I am always on the hunt for the next best concealer to not only cover the circles but bring a brightness to the underage area to make me look a little more awake.

Before and after

Before and after

The Clarins Instant concealer promises to revive, conceal and smooth the under eye area. It contains some caffeine extracts which helps to stimulate the under eye area and reduce toxins and puffiness while at the same time making the eye area look a little more alert. It really is promising a miracle in a tube, but does it actually work.

Screen Shot 2016-05-10 at 21.34.39

Before, during and after ( I should really throw on a lipstick!!!)

First off lets discuss consistency. For me the true magic of a concealer lies in the consistency. I am someone who needs a concealer that is creamy and not too heavy, so that it doesn’t settle in my fine lines. As the Clarins Instant concealer is water based and infused with aloe vera, it really is beautifully creamy and light on the skin and really lovely to apply. I did find however that it took me a while to get use to the amount of product that was needed, as I normally only apply the tiniest amount of concealer, but to get the true punch from the Instant Concealer, I found that I needed to apply a little more than normal. I also liked to apply a a decent amount, as I found that the radiant qualities of the concealer were great as an under eye brightener. The light weight and yet creamy consistency of the concealer meant that it didn’t settle in fine lines, but I do find that I need to set it with a powder to stop it from moving on me throughout the day.

20160510_073138When it comes to concealer it really is all about the coverage and the Clarins Instant Concealer is a medium coverage but is buildable concealer. As you can see from the picture above, the left eye has concealer applied, while the right eye has none. Not only does it help to conceal the dark circles, but as I mentioned above it gives a beautiful radiance rather than overly highlighted look to the under eye area. This radiance helps to reflect the light and reduce the appearance of dark circles even more. Does it completely block out my dark circles? No, but when I pair it with my beloved Becca Under eye corrector, together they really give my dark circles the boot.

DSC_9753The only down side to this concealer is that it only comes in 3 shades. I wear shade number 1, but I have a feeling that this is going to be too dark for the paler skinned ladies amongst us. If you are going to pick this up, unless you’re sallow skinned, I would give shade 01 a try over the other 2 shades.

Screen Shot 2016-05-10 at 22.02.32So would I recommend the Clarins Instant Concealer? Absolultey 100% yes. I really have been enjoying this concealer and the great job it does at covering my dark circles and brightening up my under eye area. I have been reaching for this over a lot of my favourites recently . You can buy the Clarins Instant concealer from any Clarins counter for €25, but I picked mine up in The Loop Duty Free in Dublin Airport last summer for €20.

We also recommend

  • Reply
    May 11, 2016 at 3:17 pm

    Ah I need this in my life. My dark circles are hideous at the moment – time of year right. Siobhan xx

  • Reply
    May 12, 2016 at 7:47 am

    Honestly , I have looked everywhere for a review on concealers and so glad your review popped up this morning ! It been trying to build a kit and research some concealers and foundations (suitable for all skin types for the moment anyway) your reviews on concealers have helped me make my decision thanks a million 😊👌 now to find a foundation 😂

  • Reply
    Makeup Monster
    May 13, 2016 at 1:37 am

    I’ve loved this for a while, it really is wonderful and my only gripes would be the same as yours, the lightest shade isn’t pale enough and this is so creamy it can move around if not set properly. Otherwise, I think everyone needs to try it at least once!

  • Reply
    Louise Keogh
    May 13, 2016 at 5:35 am

    I think this looks really nice on your skin and the price point isn’t bad either, especially if you pick it up at duty free. Love your informative review SInead x

  • Reply
    June 3, 2016 at 11:00 am

    I have horrific dark circles around my eyes and I would highly recommend using bobbi brown corrector in light bisque ro whatever shade you need. I don’t leave the house without it on these days!

  • Reply
    June 3, 2016 at 11:45 am

    Love this I must invest!! I share your pain in black eyes 😊

  • Leave a Reply


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A deliciously generous shortbread biscuit, iced with fondant to create a special treat and baked fresh to order.

Your biscuits will be wrapped safely and sent in a presentation box.  Postage and packaging is £4.99 and items will be sent Royal Mail Signed for 1st Class which aims for a 1 day delivery.  If you order before 12 noon on a working weekday, we will aim to get your biscuits baked, iced, packed and sent within 24 hours.  This means that your biscuits should be with you / or your recipient 2 days after ordering online (excluding bank holidays and Sundays).  The Biscuit Kitchen cannot be held responsible for Royal Mail delivery failure.

Ingredients: Flour (wheat flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Thiamin, Niacin), caster sugar, butter, fondant icing (Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Palm Oil, Water, Humectant (Glycerine), Emulsifier (Mono- and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids), Stabiliser (Xantham Gum, Cellulose), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Flavouring).
Our kitchen is not guaranteed a nut free environment.  Contains gluten.
Best consumed within 2 weeks of purchase.
Contact us directly if you have any dietary requests, we will try our best to accommodate you.


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A Rereading Mission!

We YA lovers have one awesome month ahead of us! May is bringing us releases from two stunning authors – Cassandra Clare and Sarah J. Maas!

Yes, the long awaited follow-up to both of these Queen’s latest series’ are finally being published, all in a matter of weeks.

Image result for excited gif

I can’t really describe how much it’s taking to keep my inner fangirl in check right now!!

Lord of Shadows is the second novel in Cassandra Clare’s new series, The Dark Artifices. Ever since I picked up my first Cassie Clare book, I have been completely enamored with the Shadowhunter world. From the way it’s written to the world itself (and, of course, the bad-ass characters), it’s just perfect. Well, to me, anyway.

So I obviously adored Lady Midnight when it came out last year (you can read my gushing review by clicking the link!), and after that ending, there has been no stopping the speculations and theories going through my head! I’m desperate to know what happens next, and can’t wait for its release day on the 23rd.

Oh, A Court of Mist and Fury, how do I begin to describe your beauty? My initial thoughts on Goodreads only start:

The A Court of Thorns and Roses series is stunning, and it’s made me feel all of the emotions. Sarah J. Maas is a brilliant author, and how she came up with this world is truly amazing. I love this series, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to cope with all of the feels I know it’s going to give me when it comes out on the 1st (that’s only nine days away!).

Now, to the point of this post (I really dragged this out, sorry guys)! I’m going to be rereading Lady Midnight and ACOMAF over the next few weeks. If you are too, you can probably find me fangirling over on these places:

Twitter: @thebookcrunch

Instagram: @thebookcrunch

Goodreads: Emma Jane

Are you excited for the release of these novels?!

– Emma

Read On!

One thought on “A Rereading Mission!

  1. Pingback: April Wrap-Up! | The Book Crunch

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Posts Tagged With: Act of Writing

For the True Listeners…

Visit their MySpace page at:

I remember attending a Coldcut concert by  in the late 90s, maybe early 00’s, and for the first five minutes they played nothing but crap—just noise. You began to wonder what the hell they were doing—if they’d lost all ability to put together any consonant sounds at all. And sure enough, bit by bit, folks began to leave. There you had these folks who paid however much money to listen to this celebrated duo, and eventually they just decided ‘Fuck it—it’s just not worth it.’ So they left.

After the crowd had been substantially skimmed—after a good forty percent of paying customers had walked out—one of the Coldcut performers said something along the lines of, ‘Now that only all the true listeners are present, we can finally start the show.’ After which they proceeded to bring the house absolutely down—and it was great. It really was.

I thought to myself that if I ever produced anything—book, music, show, whatever—that I’d want to do something along those same lines. Because I obviously have no control over who decides to pick up The Call for Something—but I do have some control, at least, over those who decide to keep reading it, after they’ve the slogged through the first few chapters.

So that’s a little bit of what I was going for, with the first couple chapters of the book. To bore the casual reader out of continuing, until only those who care at least a little bit about what I might have to say are left.

I don’t want anyone doing me any favors. Don’t pretend to be my friend by reading this or by buying this (on Amazon or wherever). Buy me a beer instead. Don’t read this just because your buddy saw it on Facebook, and mentioned it.

As the title suggests, The Call for Something, particularly in its language, is necessarily vague and even hard to listen to at its outset; and you will not be able to appreciate it unless your own understanding—your self-understanding, when you decide to crack it open—is focused. Take from it what you will; but the first two chapters are programmed to guarantee that you’ll get nothing, if you expect to be given anything.

Categories: Anecdote, Writing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Accident of a Cohesive Novel: How The Call for Something Came About.

Since I joined Facebook and announced to people that I have written and published a novel, I have been hearing from a lot of people I haven’t seen in years! I am thrilled and also a little freaked out by all the direct messages on my Facebook page, but I want to honor some of the questions that I received. They are a great excuse to post things to my blog, so I’m going to break them up into blog posts. The first one I will summarize as:

How did “The Call for Something” Come About? Here goes…

In general, The Call for Something came about as a result of a habit of writing – even a compulsion to do so. Circumstantially, at the time that I began writing, I found myself with a hell of a lot of time on my hands. And specifically, if the truth be told, I was pretty drunk in the moments immediately preceding the first words of the book. This last detail is arguably incidental; but if you’re curious as to the particular circumstances under which the story was conceived, I wouldn’t be telling the whole truth if I left this admission out.

The Call for Something was a long time in coming – I’d written so many poems, essays, short stories and ramblings by that time, that the accident of a cohesive novel probably had to happen sooner or later. Much like the mathematical theorem which asserts that a monkey randomly hitting keys on a typewriter will eventually combine to produce King Lear. I’m pretty sure that if you were to sleuth through all the literary verbiage I’d piled up prior to my tapping out this novel, you’d be able to find all the seeds of this story in that massive, gargantuan heap. But that wouldn’t be necessary. It occured to me, in those seminal moments just before the book’s beginning, that within everything I’d written so far, there seemed to be a unifying theme that had been tying all my ramblings together. Suddenly everything presented itself in a cohesive whole; I can actually recall a physical feeling when the idea seemed to fall into my lap.

There are three events in The Call for Something that did actually happen to me. Two of those I fictionalized as I went along; the third is almost entirely true to life, and yet so implausible it would have been considered bad fiction if I’d recounted it precisely as it happened, ironically.

Categories: In Case You Were Wondering, Writing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you"

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Monday, November 30, 2009

Old Window Gift Idea!

This is what I made for my niece this year! There was only glass in one side of the I put her name {in vinyl} on that...and stapled some cute fabric that I bought at JoAnns in the back. Then I stapled chicken wire to the bottom half ...and made up some CuTe scrapbook paper covered clothespins {that I bought @ the dollar store} so that she could hang her friends pics... or whatever she would want... with them. Then drilled 2 holes in the top...and hung with ribbon! Super FuN & Easy!!

  1. sounds great but i can't see the picture?

  2. what a lucky girl! It turned out great! I made an attempt today to make one of your "Smiths" blocks... it turned out okay, but not near as wonderful as yours!
    I am not sure why I wasn't a follower, I check out your blog often. hmmm but I AM a follower now!

  3. Hey Stace... I'm pretty sure you have me for Christmas too! I'd like mine in red... tee hee hee... Just kidding, it is so cute! Love the idea!

  4. Where do you get all of your old windows? They are absolutely adorable?

  5. Hi KoriAnn!-I buy mine @ random yard sales throughout the year. :) Sometimes you can find people selling them on craigslist too.

  6. CAn you please tell me where you get the vinyl letters from. You use them so much in your crafts and I love them, but don't know where you get them. Thanks

  7. I really like the look of the distressed clothespins! What a cute touch!

  8. Hey there, Im so glad I found your blog. Its wonderful. Im in the process of making some of those nifty clothes pins too. When ya have a chance come visit my craft blog

  9. Thanks for the idea! I was inspired and did one of my own. Linked back to you. You can see it at

Don't stop here...Click on "OLDER POSTS"!!


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Tag Archives: quick bowled

Get Quick Bowled By New Traffic To Your Blog

Every blogger’s dream is to have instant traffic to peruse their words of wisdom, their Christmas Cracker joke or look at their newest offer, as soon as their blog is updated.

Checking our blog statistics, one site is coming up over and over again as THE SITE to use.

Get Instant Traffic at Alphainventions.com

This is the comment I have left for Cheru Jackson:

Hi Cheru

Your site is fantastic for referring readers to my blogs http://notallpoppies.wordpress.com and http://smartpoppies.wordpress.com

Even better, my brand new cricket blog https://thecricketpitch.wordpress.com got views within two minutes of me submitting. This is fantastic and I have added a post and a link to your site on each of my wordpress blogs.

If you are on twitter, please come follow, too. I am going to put in a short link to this site and ask everyone to retweet. That should get US ALL some extra traffic.

Well done.

By the way, your blog can be submitted to StumbleOn and others from there, too, by your readers. Fantastic.

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Tips for Preparing for College

As a high school teacher, it always amazed me the number of juniors and seniors really had no plan for the future. Usually, they had a career goal in mind but no plan for achieving it. Other times the dream career was unrealistic. Other times I would see otherwise, good students enroll at the local community college only to leave after few semesters never really accomplishing anything. One common thread I observed was that the students had never really planned or thought of the future.

Begin planning early. I think sixth grade is a good time for many reason. Find out what types of careers interest your child. Spend time exploring careers. Help your child develop a plan to achieve their desired career goal.  Encourage your child to research high school and college or technical training needed to achieve these goals.  This helps your child take ownership of their education and future.

Select high school and middle school courses that give you a head start in college. It is good idea to know what high school courses required for college admission. Most colleges include a list of suggested and required courses students need to take in high school for admission. This is especially helpful if your child already has a college in mind. It is not uncommon for students to take pre-algebra in seventh grade and algebra in eighth grade. This makes it easier to meet the math requirements for college admission. This first year of Spanish or another foreign language are often taken in eighth grade. While taking algebra or foreign languages in eighth grade give you high school credit, they do not count in the high school GPA. Taking AP courses, dual enrollment and/or CLEP not only help get college credit they also reduce the cost of college. The Big Guy started college with 30 hours of college credit due to AP classes. He was able to start as  sophomore and complete his undergrad degree in three years.

Be a well-rounded student. The trend in college admissions is to de-emphasize test scores and consider other credentials like course selection, grades, community service and extra-curricular activities. As a note on community service, many colleges do not consider mission trips or other church activities as community service. One guideline I discovered is that church activities that involves teaching religion or evangelism will not count as community service. However, church sponsored service projects or even a mission trip spent building an orphanage or similar activities will count. It is better to describe what was done on the mission trip and not call it a mission trip. For example if your teen participated in a summer mission trip to build houses in Haiti. List this trip as a house building project not First Church Summer Mission trip 2010.

Have a plan for paying for college. Don’t count on getting scholarships especially athletic scholarships to pay for college. Be prepared to pay for at least part if not all of your child’s college. Consider state pre-pay tuition plans.

Author: TheDeeZone

I write about things I find interesting this include music, movies, cooking, religion, news and whatever else pops in my ADHD brain. As a my tagline says: "The musings of an ADHD mind."I'm never really sure what is will catch my interest.

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"You Bought That?"

It's Labor Day, so a lot of folks are out buying cars today. There are so many to choose from! And not all of them are good choices, either.

Sometimes when I'm out driving, I'll see a car on the road that genuinely makes me scratch my head and say, "You bought that? Out of all the cars you could have bought, that's the one you spent your own, actual money on? ...Okay."

I'm not talking about weird, quirky, Jalop-worthy cars. You wanna buy an old Peugeot diesel wagon? God bless. I'm talking about genuinely poor choices when better options are clearly available.

And while I know some of you make turn this into a Toyota Camry hate-fest, while it's boring, no one can dispute that it's a good quality car to own. I'm talking about cars where people should have just gone with the Camry instead.

Take the Smart Fortwo, for example. You just bought a tiny two seater with a horrible gearbox that barely ekes out 38 mpg on the highway on expensive premium gas. You bought that? Why didn't you just buy a Mini Cooper or a Fiat 500 or even a Honda Civic instead? At least with the last one, you'd get a back seat and a trunk.

Here's another one: the recently-discontinued Honda Insight. Okay, you wanted a hybrid to save on gas and maybe look like you're saving the earth. I get it. So why did you buy one that's inferior to a Prius in just about every way? Just buy the damn Prius!

Your turn. Show us the cars that make you say, "You bought that?"


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Chromecast getting first software update

chromecastGoogle has revealed that it has started rolling out the first software update to Chromecast TV dongle on Wednesday. This update isn’t a major one but brings performance and stability improvements.

“Today, we are pushing a bug fix update to Chromecast devices to improve performance, reliability and security. The update will roll out over the next few days and will happen automatically; users do not need to take any action,” noted Ambarish Kenghe, Chromecast Product Manager in a blog post.

As Kenghe states, users don’t need to do anything, the update will automatically get downloaded and installed as soon as it is available for your device.

Update details:

New Build number: 12840 (Previous update build was 12078)

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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Pretty Accessories

Take a look at this belt from Island Company-they have a great selection of clothes for men and women. The Marine and Pink belt can makes a great gift for a girl or guy. It's look great with those white shorts this coming summer, or now, if you are lucky enough to live in a warmer climate! $44

For those of us living where the temperature is not too tropical, the Whale Fair Isle Mittens are great gifts. I love how you can let your fingers out if you need them, plus you can get a scarf and hat to match! From Vineyard Vines-mittens $45, scarf $75, hat $45. It was just brought to my attention that these are not available anymore-wonder if they will get another shipment in?

Headbands are great accessories to add color and personality to an outfit while keeping your hair neatly pulled back. Check out these fabulous Big Sassy Polka Dot Headbands from Simply Suzann. Available in super cute colors-$4, so stock up! Sorry, no picture, but take a minute to visit the website!

Anonymous said...

I bought the gloves from VV because I thought they were so cute but when I received them that wasn't the case AND they are only good if you have very small skinny hands/fingers so back they went.

Midwest Prep said...

I can't find the gloves or the hats online- where did you find them?


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Paddington 2 Review

I would’ve never guessed that the sequel to Paddington, a cute family comedy about a talking bear, would be made with the same care and consideration as the first. Even more shocking to me is that Paddington 2 turned out to be even better than its predecessor, with more laughs and excitement to be had then before.

Having settled down with the Brown family, Paddington bear continuously spreads childlike wonder and joy throughout his community. One day he sees a pop-up book in an antique store and decides to save up his money to purchase it. Thinking that the pop-up book would be a great gift for his aunt for her 100th birthday. However, when a thief breaks in and steals the book, Paddington is framed for the robbery. As Paddington adjusts to life in prison, he brings his warmth and joy to very unlikely people. Meanwhile, the Brown family attempts to find the culprit behind the theft and free Paddington before his Aunt Lucy’s birthday.

The most surprising part about Paddington 2 was just how laugh out loud funny it was. Who knew that situations like, say, Paddington getting a ten-year prison sentence, would have such a strong comedic output. The scenes with Paddington in jail were among the best moments of the film, and I enjoyed them to a great degree. The film jumped at every opportunity to throw in a joke, whether it be slapstick or a more sophisticated and subtle humor, and just about all of them were right on the money.

Hugh Grant as the villainous Phoenix Buchanan was delightfully hilarious and fit the mood of the story just right. The rest of the cast fit the bill quite nicely too, as they all felt very authentic and kindhearted in their performances.

Paddington 2 is quite a lot of things. Exciting. Funny. Charming. Sincere. But most importantly, the film is genuine. Paddington 2 isn’t trying to manipulate children’s emotions, and neither is it a cheap, mundane piece of entertainment to be forgotten soon after viewing. It’s a film with crystal clear, straightforward messages that any parent (or person) could get behind.

Paddington Bear teaches children how one person (or bear, in this case) can positively affect the lives of everyone around them. He emphasizes manners, honesty, and kindness, and applies these to every area of his life. Because of this, in my mind Paddington is the perfect role model. I think even adults could learn a lesson from Paddington in how to treat others, more so than children.

Usually I can come up with some sort of flaw or demographic of individual who may not benefit from watching whatever film I’m reviewing. With Paddington 2, I’ve completely drawn a blank. It’s an adorable, family-friendly adventure that nobody should miss out on.

The Verdict: A

-Zachary Flint

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Review

Anticipating what I assumed to be a distasteful soft reboot of a fun, lighthearted adventure film, I expected the worst from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. However, to my pleasant surprise (and curious confusion), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle shares little resemblance to its supposed source material. Instead of a murderous board game that forces players to partake in increasingly difficult tasks, this involves the hip millennial version of the whole thing.

Four clichéd high school students are sucked into a video game while in detention. Once inside the video game, each high schooler takes on a completely different persona, kind of like an in-game avatar. These avatars are played by Jack Black, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan, who all go off on a vague MacGuffin plot to stop a one-dimensional bad guy. Basically, get the thing, put it in the thing, so it will do the thing.

Jumanji is about as ridiculous and uninspired as you can possibly get, and thankfully the film knows that, making the absolute best of its lame and outrageous premise.

It’s obvious the cast is having a lot of fun shooting Jumanji, and that genuine enthusiasm easily rubs off on the audience. The journey these characters embark on and the lessons they learn along the way was where I derived most of my enjoyment.

Another big part of the film aside from the characters is the humor, which in my opinion was a tad overplayed. Some jokes work very well at first and get a good laugh, only to be drawn out for too long until they become tiresome and annoying. Other scenes intended to be humorous were incredibly childish and tonally inconsistent, leading me to assume that Jumanji had no clear audience it wanted to appeal to.

Jumanji’s strongest suit wasn’t in its humor, but in the genuine moments shared between the protagonists, who were so goofy and animated that I couldn’t help but join in on the fun. The cheesy and poorly written aspects of Jumanji all teeter precariously on “so bad it’s good”. Altogether, I think there is more amusement to be had in Jumanji’s faults than boredom or irritation.

The Verdict: C+

-Zachary Flint

The Disaster Artist Review: It Big Hollywood Movie!

In the same vain as Tim Burton’s 1994 film Ed Wood, The Disaster Artist documents the making of what is widely considered one of the worst films of all time, The Room. Written and directed by Hollywood outsider Tommy Wiseau, The Room is an absurd and perplexing piece of cinema full of unintentionally humorous scenes, bizarre writing, and atrocious acting. Despite the film’s irrationality, The Room maintains a massive cult following, with frequent midnight showings across the U.S. still a popular occasion. And with so much mystery and fascination surrounding The Room, it was only a matter of time before we got a feature film about the topic.

It becomes evident within the first few minutes that The Disaster Artist was a passion project for Franco, and that he (like many of us) loved The Room with the same level of comedic fervor.

Franco as Tommy Wiseau is as hilarious as it is uncanny. His performance as the eccentric actor/director is hard to get a grasp on, as his character remains quite idiosyncratic and secretive throughout the entire film. Wiseau, for example, speaks with a slurred but strong Eastern European accent, yet adamantly asserts he’s from Louisiana. Wiseau also miraculously funded The Room entirely on his own, spending more than five million dollars to produce it. Only, nobody ever understood where and how he got the money to do so.

And from interviews I’ve seen with the real Wiseau, Franco captured this awkward demeanor incredibly well; pulling off what I consider to be my favorite role of his yet.

The rest of the cast, featuring such talent as Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, and Josh Hutcherson, all give wonderful performances as well, elevating The Disaster Artist in numerous ways. Seth Rogen as Sandy Schklair (the script supervisor) acts as the main form of comic relief, as film continuity proves to be less than useful in Wiseau’s production. Dave Franco as Greg Sestero (an actor who befriends Tommy and stars in The Room) allows the audience to see a more sensitive side to the usually unpleasant Tommy Wiseau.

The Disaster Artist documents the mysterious and baffling nature behind the making of The Room, however it sadly doesn’t say much about it. The one key feature that this film desperately lacks is a central point of focus. More specifically, The Disaster Artist needed more of a purpose. Sure, the film details the making of The Room with a brilliantly keen sense of self -awarenessbut what does have to say about Wiseau and his big Hollywood movie? What does the mere existence of The Room mean for filmmaking and aspiring filmmakers? Is it possible that any blindly passionate individual with enough conceit can rise to infamous Hollywood stardom?

Those with a vehement love of The Room will have the most to gain from watching The Disaster Artist, while others with no frame of reference will likely find themselves bored. Already having extensive knowledge on the subject allowed me to enjoy watching The Disaster Artist with a heightened sense of awareness and understanding for the strange events that unfolded. I more than enjoyed watching it, and I hope that others will respect the enthusiasm and love Franco put into his tribute to one of the most bizarre films ever made.

The Verdict: A-

-Zachary Flint

Daddy’s Home 2: A Ho Ho Horrible Holiday ‘Comedy’

Daddys Home 2 follows the occasionally used formula of turning a comedy sequel into a holiday escapade. An almost always disastrous decision (just look at A Bad Moms Christmas), it will surprise no one to hear that Daddy’s Home 2 is a comedic flop. With the first Daddy’s Home being a mediocre and forgettable comedy, this installment had no intentions whatsoever in surpassing it.

Will Ferrell plays his usual man-child schtick, and Mark Wahlberg plays a tough guy. Together they co-parent a set of forgettable child actors, who are disappointed they always must do two Christmases. That’s when Ferrell and Wahlberg get the bright idea to do a joint Christmas, as well as invite both of their dads in on the excitement. Their dads unfortunately consist of Mel Gibson (a stereotypical racist) and John Lithgow (a mirror image of Will Ferrell). From here, wacky and predictable hijinks ensue.

The only clever bit in the film involved a below the belt jab at Liam Neeson and his typical style of movies. Apparently in this universe, Neeson starred in a terribly bloated action film called Missile Tow (Get it!). From my guess, this is some kind of holiday version of Taken or Non-Stop. Pretty humorous nonetheless.

Daddy’s Home 2 suffers from the same ailment as every other bad comedy. That being, it’s not funny. It’s constantly caught between trying way too hard to be comedic and not trying at all. Sometimes there are moments of slapstick humor that are painfully long, and at other times there are scenes where I’m waiting for a punchline that never comes.

And by the end of Daddy’s Home 2, few of the characters went through any sort of change or revelation. They’re all still horrible people, yet the film accepts this and just decides to end on a poor note. Nothing is gained from watching it. In fact, all Daddy’s Home 2 really did was shine a spotlight on the limitations of these actors and actresses.

There was one particular scene in the film that really rubbed me the wrong way, and I think it really captures the mentality of Daddy’s Home 2. It’s when the entire cast gathers at a movie theater towards the conclusion of the movie. Will Ferrell’s character stands up in front of a crowd and makes a comment on how everyone came to the theater with someone they love. Except, of course, one man in the back, who came to the movie alone on Christmas. Will Ferrell then makes a passing remark on how this man is sad, and somewhat pathetic.

Well, movie, Christmas for some isn’t so joyful, and is quite lonely and depressing. So, when you make a shoddy, low-quality, unfunny, sloppy joke such as that, you come off as a huge dick.

Bottom line, this movie sucks.

The Verdict: F

-Zachary Flint

Logan Lucky Review

Logan Lucky has what seems like a standard heist/comedy plot, but takes it to the nth degree. Cutting away the fluff and filler of usual heist films and giving audiences the weird scenes and exciting performances that they never knew they wanted.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Magic Mike), Logan Lucky tells the story of a Southern family man named Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum), who decides to rob the famed Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. To help him, Jimmy has his one-armed brother Clyde (Adam Driver), his hairdresser sister Mellie (Riley Keough), and an explosives expert named Joe Bang (Daniel Craig). Through an absurd turn of events, we the audience witness this group of unusual individuals attempt to steal millions during a famed NASCAR race.

Most of the cast of Logan Lucky felt more like actual backwoods goofballs than A-list actors, which makes many scenes all the more engrossing (and hilarious). And given the eccentric nature of the film, I often had no idea where it was going next, or even what purpose it served. All I really knew was that Logan Lucky didn’t feel obligated to play out like other films. The plot progression, for example, didn’t include many transition scenes to show characters getting from point A to point B. Alternatively, we are only ever shown what is absolutely necessary for the sake of understanding what’s going on, which ends up making the film all the more entertaining.

And rather than going with typical blockbuster banter, the humor in Logan Lucky is often very dry, deriving the hilarity from the bizarre personalities and interactions of the actors. Adam Driver and Daniel Craig were too of my favorite characters, playing two very weird individuals vastly different from what they’re used to. Driver goes most of the film with the same deadpan expression, and Craig has this maniacal look in his eye that I couldn’t help but frequently laugh at. Not all the humor of Logan Lucky was directly aimed at this Southern style mentality, as proven by Seth MacFarlane’s comical performance as an uptight British businessman.

Logan Lucky never tries too hard to dazzle, be funny, or impress the audience with usual Hollywood gimmicks. Instead, the film naturally comes off as impressive because of its charming actors, engaging story, and outlandish plot progression. And with the help of some clever camera work from behind the scenes, Logan Lucky transcends to what I would consider a fantastic work of art. It’s an oddly exciting, heartwarming film that I’d recommend anyone interested to give a watch.

The Verdict: A

-Zachary Flint

The Hitman’s Bodyguard Review

The idea of Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson acting in a buddy comedy together sounds like a match made in heaven. The type of roles they typically play are tremendously different, which would theoretically make for a highly interesting film. I say theoretically, because The Hitman’s Bodyguard perfectly displays the sad truth that, just because you have good actors, doesn’t mean you’ll have a good movie.

The film stars Reynolds as Michael Bryce, a protection agent who’s called upon to help protect a notorious hitman named Darius Kincaid (played by Sam Jackson). With a long, complicated history between them, Bryce must now escort Kincaid across Europe so that he may testify in court against a ruthless dictator (Gary Oldman).

Ryan Reynolds and Sam Jackson are pretty funny as individual characters, but don’t work well off each other’s comedic style. Most attempts at jokes dragged on for far too long, and nobody in the theater was even laughing to begin with.

This poor comedic outcome is due to the writers going for the double act style of humor, which is what you see in most buddy comedies of this caliber. Double act works in films like Tango & Cash and Men in Black because the characters are written with complete opposite personalities. Well, herein lies part of the problem with The Hitman’s Bodyguard, as neither of our protagonists have well-defined personalities

Jackson was more severe than Reynolds, but neither ever stuck with a singular set of characteristics. Jackson would often go from being a cold-hearted killer to a more sensitive and understanding person, almost at the flick of a switch. So when the actors don’t have defined personalities, it’s hard for the audience to relate to one of those characters, which entirely defeats the purpose of double act.

The villain of the film, played by Gary Oldman, is a bland Eastern European stereotype with absolutely no depth to his character. After having just watched The Hitman’s Bodyguard, I can’t remember anything about him. Now, Gary Oldman is one of my favorite Hollywood actors, and I think he can play a very diverse range of roles. So I’m incredibly confused as to why he was given so little to do the entire film. He never says or does anything of importance, making his character one of the more forgettable villains of past months.

Some of the action scenes were energetic, while others were fairly lackluster. Take the grand boat chase seen for example. It has a mix of clever and generic moments, however what really ruins the chase sequence is that it goes on for an eternity. The best chase scenes (and action scenes as well) are short and to the point, condensing what the viewer is shown into the most exhilarating moments. The Hitman’s Bodyguard unfortunately wasn’t all that exhilarating, or exciting.

When you boil it down, The Hitman’s Bodyguard is about as standard as a buddy comedy can possibly get. It attempts to go through the same motions of other films in its genre, but because of the lopsided writing it fails to leave any lasting impression on the viewer. It had some funny, even hilarious scenes. However, even the most enjoyable moments of The Hitman’s Bodygurad are overshadowed by sloppy writing and a sense of mediocrity.

The Verdict: D+

-Zachary Flint

Spider-Man: Homecoming Review

Spider-Man: Homecoming, an exciting and well-acted entry into the Marvel Universe, manages trim the fat from your usual superhero origin story, and gives fans of Spidey the film they all wanted to see.

Presuming that audiences are exhausted with Spider-Man origin stories (as this is the sixth Spider-Man film in fifteen years), the film jumps right into the part that viewers want to see. Taking place shortly after his fight with the Avengers, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) has returned to Queens, New York to live with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). Here we see Peter as he attempts to prove himself capable of joining the Avengers, as he takes on local neighborhood crime while also keeping his social life in balance. Peter’s days of crime fighting quickly escalate when he gets wrapped up in the affairs of the Vulture (Michael Keaton), who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

The action scenes, dialogue, humor, and characters, are all pretty much everything you would expect from a Marvel film by now. While these details have become a typical, standard package that you get with every entry in the series, this doesn’t really hinder how well-executed Spider-Man: Homecoming is.

The comedic timing of the dialogue and jokes in the film are spot on, as Marvel filmmakers continue to perfect their quickly-timed humor.

Tom Holland as Spider-Man is probably as good of an on-screen Spidey that we’re ever going to get. The film goes very in-depth into how Peter’s role as Spider-Man impacts his personal life, and we see these struggles portrayed very well by Holland. The best part of it all, is that he still behaves and looks like a young kid. He’s oftentimes arrogant, impatient, and awkward, yet still strives to do the right thing (even with serious risk to his own well-being). With a little help from Tom Holland, Peter Parker is as charming of a character as ever.

Michael Keaton as the Vulture was everything I wanted it to be and more. His performance was incredibly strong, playing a very bad man who, deep down, may still have some good intentions. His excellent acting is complimented nicely with just how well his character is written. Instead of creating an elaborate backstory for the Vulture that takes an hour of screen-time to develop, the audience is given a brief summary of his motivations and even gets to see him in his costume, all within the first ten minutes. Again, it seems the filmmakers knew exactly what the audience wanted to see out of Keaton as the Vulture.

This being a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, the weakest moments of Spider-Man: Homecoming happened to be its connections to the ongoing series. A lot of scenes shared between Tony Stark and Peter Parker are unnecessary, serving as detours that the film doesn’t need. Spider-Man: Homecoming is very competently directed, and can stand perfectly on its own as an independent piece. It’s not imperative to include Avengers tie-ins every few minutes, as this type of screenwriting is more likely to hold the film back from reaching its fullest potential.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a well-calculated crowd-pleaser that I found to be very exciting and a lot of fun. Both Tom Holland and Michael Keaton give really strong performances, and share some of the tensest sequences in a Marvel film to this day. Unlike the previous two Spider-Man series, I feel that this interpretation of everyone’s favorite web-shooter will be the most universally loved and respected.

The Verdict: B+

-Zachary Flint