Sunday, January 8, 2012

Profile: Boris Vallejo - Artist and Painter

Boris Vallejo (born January 8, 1941) is a Peruvian-born American painter. He immigrated to the United States in 1964, and he currently resides in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He frequently works with Julie Bell, his wife, painter, and model.

Vallejo works almost exclusively in the fantasy and erotica genres. His hyper-representational paintings have graced the covers of dozens of science fiction paperbacks and are featured in a series of best-selling glossy calendars. Subjects of his paintings are typically Sword and sorcery gods, monsters, and well-muscled male and female barbarians engaged in battle. Some of his male figures were modeled by Vallejo himself, and many of his later female characters were modeled by his wife. His latest works still retain heavy fantasy elements, but lean more towards the erotic rather than pure fantasy themes.

Vallejo has been named as the artist guest of honor at Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention.


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Profile Playlist: Elvis Presley – The King of Rock n Roll

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley moved to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family at the age of 13. He began his career there in 1954, working with Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was one of the originators of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues. RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for over two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", released in January 1956, was a number one hit. He became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs, many from African American sources, and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love Me Tender.

Conscripted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He staged few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, after seven years away from the stage, he returned to live performance in a celebrated comeback television special that led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of profitable tours. In 1973 Presley staged the first concert broadcast globally via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii, seen by approximately 1.5 billion viewers. Prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at the age of 42.

Presley is regarded as one of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture. He had a versatile voice and unusually wide success encompassing many genres, including country, pop ballads, gospel, and blues. He is the best-selling solo artist in the history of popular music. Nominated for 14 competitive Grammys, he won three, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36. He has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.


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Don't Be Cruel (Live)


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Can't Help Falling In Love (Live - Remastered Audio)


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Viva Las Vegas


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Suspicious Minds


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Elvis vs JXL - A Little Less Conversation ft. Elvis Presley (Tribute)


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Monday, January 2, 2012

NEWSFLASH: Star Trek - Joe Bodolai - Ben Breedlove


‘Star Trek 2′ Comic Book Tie-In and Timeline Discussion - Writer Mike Johnson reveals the ongoing ‘Star Trek’ comic book series will connect to the ‘Trek’ movie sequel. Meanwhile, director J.J. Abrams talks about the film’s altered timeline. Read More: http://screenrant.com/star-trek-2-timeline-comic-book-sandy-145602/
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MSN's Top 10 Movies of 2011 - http://movies.msn.com/movies/year-in-review/top-10-movies/

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Movies 2011: Hits and Misses - http://movies.msn.com/paralleluniverse/2011-hits-and-misses/photo-gallery/feature/

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After Christmas death, teen leaves online message behind - Ben Breedlove, an 18-year-old high school senior in Austin, Texas, died on Christmas Day of a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, something he'd had all of his life. But he left behind two wordless videos on his YouTube channel, in which he used a series of note cards with handwritten messages to tell his life story, including the three times he "cheated death." His family discovered the videos in the hours after his death, reports NBC's Austin, Texas, affiliate station, KXAN. Read More: http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/28/9773999-after-christmas-death-teen-leaves-online-message-behind



Watch Part 1 of Ben Breedlove's video message, which he called, "This is my story."

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'Fresh Prince' Aunt Rips Will Smith - Janet Hubert explains why she boycotts all reunions - http://social.entertainment.msn.com/tv/blogs/tv-buzz-blog.aspx?blog=2080&feat=ebc9e283-5493-43a1-b40a-4764ea704ea5

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Tebow Was Fined by Teammates for Billboard Telling Coach to Let Him Play - http://news.yahoo.com/tebow-fined-teammates-billboard-telling-coach-let-him-010304626--spt.html

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Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 - Art and Design Profiles: http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2011/30-under30-12/30-under-30-12_art.html

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Cops: Woman burned to death owed suspect $2,000 - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45711605/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/man-charged-womans-elevator-burning-death/#.TvER25efegc

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Report: Former 'SNL' writer commits suicide - Joe Bodolai, a former "Saturday Night Live" staff writer who co-wrote the first draft of the 1992 "Wayne's World" movie, was found dead at a Los Angeles hotel on Monday after apparently committing suicide, TMZ reported. Read More: http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/27/9743137-report-former-snl-writer-commits-suicide

Check out Joe Bodolai's last blog post: IF THIS WERE Y0UR LAST DAY ALIVE WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

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Sony PlayStation Vita Still On Track With No Price Cut Imminent - http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi/2012/01/02/sony-playstation-vita-still-on-track-with-no-price-cut-imminent/?partner=yahootix

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The best places for trading back holiday games - http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/best-places-trading-back-holiday-games-172612389.html

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Former Miss Venezuela dies of breast cancer at 28 - http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45727845/ns/today-style/#.TvlhCZefegd

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Man Allegedly Infected Thousands with HIV (VIDEO) - Authorities in Grand Rapids, said David Smith, 51, was arrested after he turned himself in and confessed to police that he was infecting sexual partners with the human immunodeficiency virus, according to woodtv.com - http://global.christianpost.com/news/man-allegedly-infected-thousands-with-hiv-66060/
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Sunday, January 1, 2012

TV Series: The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode (156 in the original series) is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist. A popular and critical success, it introduced many Americans to serious science fiction and abstract ideas through television and also through a wide variety of Twilight Zone literature.

The program followed in the tradition of earlier shows like Tales of Tomorrow (1951–1953)—which also dramatized the short story "What You Need"—and Science Fiction Theatre (1955–1957), as well as radio programs such as The Weird Circle and X Minus One, and the radio work of Serling's hero, dramatist Norman Corwin.

The success of the series led to a feature film, a radio series, a comic book, a magazine, and various other spin-offs that spanned five decades, such as two "revival" television series. The first ran on CBS and in syndication in the 1980s, and another that ran on UPN from 2002 to 2003.

Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone

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VIDEO: Top 10 Twilight Zone Episodes - Cinemassacre.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqdlDyNcPko




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VIDEO: U2 - New Years Day

All is quiet on New Year's Day / A world in white gets underway / I want to be with you / Be with you night and day / Nothing changes on New Year's Day / On New Year's Day / I will be with you again / I will be with you again.....

U2 - New Years Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Y-t85vs4g



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