Popular Movie Downloads

Sinatra Swings To A Bossa Nova Beat

Frank Sinatra is often dismissed as a mere ‘pop’ singer and critically diminished relative to his contemporaries. He’s often accused of being formulaic and repetitive and not afforded the proper respect for his vocal talent. While Sinatra certainly knew what worked for him, and what kind of songs and arrangements he liked, the assertion that he didn’t have the vocal ‘chops’ is patently unfair. Perhaps the finest example of his vocal excellence is his work with Brazilian guitarist Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Jobim is considered the founding father of Bossa Nova, and certainly deserves a bulk of the credit for popularizing the genre in North America. His collaboration with Sinatra on a samba tinged album Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim was a critical and commerical success. Sinatra had the highest respect for Jobim as an artist and liked him as a friend. He would try to work out the logistics for the two to record together at several points in his career, but it never came to pass.

“Wave”, written by Jobim and arranged by Eumir Deodato, is among the best of all of the Sinatra/Jobim collaborations. It features some amazing vocal work by Sinatra, including perhaps the lowest notes he ever hit on a recording. It is said that for the rest of his life Sinatra would listen to “Wave” just to hear how good he sounds hitting the bass notes.

This song originally intended as the opening track of a second volume of Sinatra/Jobim collaborations, but it was never released as such. The story that has circulated over the years is that the Sinatra/Jobim album put on the back burner so that Reprise could release the concept album “Watertown” instead. As an commercial decision, it’s tough to fathom the rationale if this is the case. “Watertown” sold fewer copies than any other Sinatra release on Reprise. Another story is that Sinatra himself nixed the release because he hated the cover art which featured the ‘King of Swingers’ wearing a windbreaker and standing in front of a Greyhound bus. Hard to blame him for disliking that image if this version of the story is true.

“Wave” finally surfaced on “Sinatra and Company” in 1970. “Wave” also appeared on the Reprise box set and of course of the “Complete Reprise Recordings” suitcase collection.

Will Friedwald, in his definitive book on Sinatra’s music “Sinatra: The Song Is You” described the singer’s work with Jobim as having “flexibility and delicacy, as if they could be blown about by a soft Brazilian breeze”. This sensual and sultry song, in particular, is among the finest vocal work of Sinatra’s amazing career.

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There’s Nothing Michael Jackson Couldn’t Buy

Thanks to FoxNews.com we have discovered that the former Michael Jackson was lavishly spending almost $2.5 million a month on the Neverland Ranch and the maintenance of the property and it’s entertaining sights. $2.5 million a month for a huge house, some mid-way rides, and some exotic animals? I clearly understand Jacko’s way of thinking…..NOT!!!!!

The featured article from FoxNews.com reported “Michael Jackson left behind $400 million worth of debt”. Many are asking how Michael Jackson could run up such debt? He owned a long list of valuable items. He owned the Beatles music collection. He was still receiving royalties from “Thriller”. Yet, he still managed to run up $400 million in debt.

Aside from losing tens of millions of dollars during his child molestation trial, Jackson didn’t put out any significant new material since 1997. But more detrimental to his finances was his notorious big-spending. Last week we revealed his automobile fixation (he had 75 cars registered under his name) and according to financial statements at the time of his divorce to Debbie Rowe in 1999, his cost of living at the time averaged a whooping $2,339,300 per month.

It has been reported that Michael Jackson’s household expenses totaled over $300,000. Documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court detailed spending of $95,700 on gardening, security costs of $51,900, zoo/amusement park upkeep of $66,200, and housekeeping/PR expenses of $60,200. That is just Michael Jackson’s housekeeping expenses.

Michael’s personal expenses were just as astonishing. Property/personal insurance cost him $120,000. Gifts alone cost him $42,600. Medical needs also took a large chunk of money ($25,600). He did skimp when it came to entertainment, spending only $100 a month. Michael Jackson reportedly spent $475,200 on MJJ Productions and Optimum Productions. Curious, since he had not released a major piece of work since 1997. Monetary figures were used from FoxNews.com.

Looking at Michael Jackson’s monthly expenses it is easy to see a problem. His monthly expenses totaled $2,339,300. A staggering amount, even for a Double Diamond superstar.

Now I don’t have a degree in Accounting (yet), but I can do the math. That’s almost $30 million a year that was being spent on the Neverland Ranch alone. This is not including all the plastic surgery, pain pills, underage birthday parties, and court cost to fight “molestation” charges. And people are actually wondering why MJ was almost broke? Do the math people. When your bills are more then your gross income, you go into debt. Now I’m no Suze Orman but i think I’m on the right track.

Good luck in Heaven Michael Jackson, do us a favor and stay away from the “Underage Angels.

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Welcome to Terabithia

Stories about friendship tend to be stories that children take with them throughout their lives. One such story is Disneys BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA. The story revolves around two 12-year-old friends who create a world they can escape to — a world of their own. This virtual kingdom was stunningly depicted by the conceptual artist Dima Malanitchev and brought tot life by the effects wizards at Weta Digital. The director, Csupo, insisted the look and feel of the fantastic elements be realistic and keeping in line with a greater sense of subtlety.

A key facet of BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA is the depiction of a friendship that spans across reality and the veil between this world and another. This film version of the beloved childrens novel of the same name was widely acclaimed for its authenticity. Some critics had feared the film would bypass some of the novels more somber plot devices, but to the credit of director Gabor Csupo, the film tastefully and poignantly involves every facet of the novel.

Adapted for the screen by David Paterson, the son of the novels author, Katherine Paterson, the script provides a marvelous platform for the realization of a great film. It was faithfully adapted and lovingly brought to life. With only a few minor adjustments for the visual nature of the medium, the film is a shining example of how a novel should and could be adapted for the screen. This is in no small way an indication of both Csupo and Patersons dedication to the tenements of the novel.

This is a film that can be enjoyed by audiences both young and old. The film was lauded with critical acclaim, box office glory, and a series of prestigious awards. Indeed, this triple accomplishment is no small feat and is reflective of the brilliance of Csupos direction. Completed for $20 million, the film garnered more than $120 million worldwide, designating it as something of a rarity: a hit. The film virtually swept the Young Artist Awards, sponsored by the prestigious Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Indeed, as another of its taglines suggests: close your eyes, but keep your mind wide open. Shot in Auckland, New Zealand, the film balances the realities of everyday life and the imaginative world created by its characters. Jesse Aarons, played by Josh Hutcherson, and Leslie Burke, played by AnnaSophia Robb are the friends at the center of this luminous story. These relative newcomers provide a convincing and moving portrait of young friendship and possibly the budding of young love.

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Mp4 Downloads For Your MP4 Player

The mp4 format is the next format in line after the mp3. Where mp3 was concerned with music, mp4 is mostly associated with video. With free mp4 downloads available online, portable music and digital media players gained huge popularity, because of the void filled by the mp4 format. Mp4 allows users to store video files on their portable systems without occupying too much space.

If you own a portable media player which allows you to watch videos as well and has a large memory, then downloading and storing movies on your player can be a great way to make any boring journey pleasant. You could store as many movies on your player depending on its memory capacity. The question then is where to find these movies and media that are in mp4 format.

There are many sites that allow you to download mp4 media for free from the internet onto your computer. These files can then be transferred to your portable media player. The majority of these sites either have these files stored in their searchable data base or otherwise provide links to file hosting websites that have these files stored on them.

It all sounds too good to be true and it is. The catch is that the files you download from these sites might be harmful in more ways than one. Either they could be in violation of a copy write infringement or could be embedded with viruses or Trojans and spyware that can harm your computer and your media player. The links provided to the popular file hosting services from these free websites could be genuine on the other hand and might be even safer.

The other option is to register with one of the many sites that let you have access to their Mp4 content for a monthly fee or a onetime joining fee. The database is bound to be much larger and more refined and ordered and the search facility on these sites would also be top notch. There need not be any fear of downloading infected files either from these premium websites.

If you are looking for a budget option that allows you to download for free without paying anything, then opting to download from a file sharing or peer to peer network would be another option. Though the files found on most file sharing networks are usually infected, there is also quality content that can be found so long as you are able to differentiate.

The last option available is to use a torrent client and download the media you want as a torrent file. Torrent websites allow you to search for media and download torrent files from them. Always go for a reliable torrent site that showcases virus free verified content.

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