Archive for the 'Entertainment' Category



Your Acoustic Guitar

Sunday 19 October 2008 @ 4:41 pm

The guitar is possibly the world’s most popular instrument in rock, pop or light western music today. The guitar’s fame is largely owed to Elvis Presley, whose iconic images almost always show him singing with a guitar in his hands. So never mind if your voice doesn’t match Elvis – don’t sing, strum a guitar and make good music!

Acquiring and wrapping your fingers around your own, personal guitar to get its ‘feel’ is always a good idea. We recommend you to go in for a used acoustic guitar. Here’s what, why and how …

Unlike, say, an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar neither needs nor uses any external devices to enhance its sound volume and quality. Remember, guitars are seldom played solo. They’re played along with other, often noisy, instruments. Naturally, if you’re the guitarist you want to be distinctly heard by and be properly audible to the audience. You might not be blasting away like the trumpeter but, nevertheless, you want the melody of the music you’re making to be picked up straight away.

It is to help you fulfill this perfectly legitimate aspiration that we suggest you begin your music-making with not just an acoustic guitar but specifically a used acoustic guitar. Why? Because thanks to its earlier use by another guitarist, whether professional or amateur, the used acoustic guitar is more likely than not to have already ‘found’ its fully formed voice. With the passage of time a wood-based musical instrument like a guitar (or violin, for that matter) sheds the brittleness of its timber and becomes soft and mellowed with the cleaning up and rubbing with oil that comes with its proper maintenance. In a used acoustic guitar somebody else has already done the rubbing up for you! Besides, you’re likely to spend only half the cost of a brand new instrument – so it’s a bargain all the way!

Fine, so where can you find cheap acoustic guitars? To start with, you’ll have to be certain that the acoustic guitar for sale won’t land you conned into buying an instrument you wouldn’t want. Generally, the used guitar could be one of four kinds: old used, new used, refurbished and needs work.

Your best choice would be in finding an old used acoustic guitar for sale that’s ten years old or even older. A new used one would be fewer than five years old. If you’re lucky, you’ll find factory seconds or refurbished guitars on recent models. You must know what you’re buying: Is the neck twisted or bent? Is the neck joint flush to the body of the guitar? (It ought to be so.) Is it plastic or wood? (Wood is definitely better.) Do you have to change the strings? (If so, you can’t test the sound.)

Online,you’ll find great bargains on acoustic guitars for sale of all categories. Look for sellers who have sold acoustic guitars before and have positive feedbacks. So now you know your what, why and how. Happy strumming!

Fred R runs an online guitar store, which features acoustic guitars for sale and cheap acoustic guitars




10 Most Prominent Photo Shops in the US and UK

Sunday 19 October 2008 @ 1:24 pm

Photo shops play an integral part in assisting people capture, process, and print photos. With today’s technology, preserving, beautifying, and editing photos are made possible.

Photo shops have a lot to offer starting from photo framing, film processes, and instant kiosk prints, along with canvas prints, slide film processing, and black and white images. This also goes with film processing, 35mm film processing, enlargements and reprinting. Thus, many photo shops offer the perfect setting for the whole family in order to have their own portrait.

Listed below are some of the photo shops that are located in the USA.

Don’s Photo: This shop’s main goal is to print digital pictures and traditional 35mm pictures. It also has online printing services. Many branches of these photo shops are there around the USA that continues to offer the best quality products in the photo industry.

Photo Repair Shop: It has the ability to remove an object or objects, a person or person and add a person or a lot of people in an image. The Photo Repair Shop is expert on photo retouching and changing the resolution of images. It also offers photocopying or Xerox, printing images, enlarging images and images that are uploaded to FTTP server.

Reed Photo Management: This photo shop has studio services for family portraits, special events, weddings, and albums. This management is able to change the graphic and color design of images as well as formatting and printing. It also has a huge selection of camera brands such as Minolta, Olympus, Canon, Tamron, and camera accessories. This store is located at #4 Amagansett Square, USA.

Shutterbug Photo Shop: The photo shop offers a large selection of digital cameras with brands such as Olympus and Canon. It has a full variety of black and white printing and developing services. It also offers changing the machine print into sepia toned, hand colored image and hand printed. Shutterbug photo shops have 50 up to 70 percent discounts for every camera the customer buys. This photo shop can be found at 24002 Fabricante Suite, USA. Their work starts on Monday and ends on Friday from 9:30 am up to 7: 00 pm.

Photorama Photo shop: This shop is famous for using the wiregrass spot in order to develop images. This photo shop offers photo restoration, photo repair video service, photo gift, custom framing, graphic design, and yearbook ads. It can also change any photo into artworks, slides, and movies. This shop is located at #329 Westgate Parkway, Dothan.

Tanagalooma Photo shop: The photo shop has a lot of landscape photos to sell. This photo shop also sells camera accessories and brand new digital cameras for professionals as well as ordinary photo-lovers. It also repairs cameras, frames pictures, and has photographer services. It is situated at Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort in Moreton Island. This shop is open from 8:30 am up to 4:30 pm daily.

Elite Photo Shop Design: This photo shop can bring back the life and the sparkle of all the fading images. This photo shop is able to restore photos, thus creating fresh memories. It also edits the graphic design, changes the background and colorization of the photo, glamorizes the photographs and duplicate photos of the restored photographs.

Big Photo Shop: This photo shop is an expert on large digital printing, creating attractive digital prints and framed prints or canvas. The customers bring the materials they use. It also offers a free delivery as well as richness of colors in every photograph, wide variety of incredible frames and diamond polished sides. This shop is located at Unit 10 Minafon Park, United States.

Steve’s Photo Shop: This shop uses photographic lights tents, fluorescent studio lights, digital tabletop lights, and photo lights cubes. The entire photo frame is faster to sell. Steve’s photo shop allows the customers to capture themselves. It also offers different light tents for different people and stuffed toys such as 120cm light cube for small photography, 80cm light cube for food, ceramic photography, and 50 cm light cube for die-cast model and toy photography.

For more information on Photo Shops please visit our website.




Ready to Beat the Game of Craps?

Saturday 18 October 2008 @ 11:56 pm

When it comes to casino games, craps is the rollercoaster. When a dice thrower is hitting the numbers on a hot streak, the players around him or her are instantly a part of this great excitement. Pair that with the fact that craps can be one of the most profitable games in the casino and the popularity grows. The house edge for the game of craps is a mere 1.4%.

Craps tips can show a player how to beat the game of craps and win money every time. While beating the game of craps is possible, the house is still in the game to make money and eventually the house will prevail. The player must be in the game for a short streak of winning and have enough self control to back out of the game when the table runs cold.

There are four traditional bets in the game of craps. These bets are pass, don’t pass, come and don’t come. Players who bet pass and come are said to be betting the “right” way. Players who bet don’t pass and don’t come are said to be betting the “wrong” way since they are essentially betting against the player throwing the dice.

When a player bets the “wrong” way, the houses edge is reduced. While the social advantage of betting “right” may be thrown away with the bet, the player may win more money in the short run. Betting don’t pass or don’t come requires leaving the bet down for more than one roll to optimize the amount of money won.

Betting “free” bets, “odd” bets and “behind the line” bets are another way to beat the game of craps. The “free” bets reduce the house edge of winning to only 1% which makes these bets one of the most popular in the game of craps. When a player places $10 on the pass line with the shooter betting 4, another bet can be placed for $10 behind the line. If the shooter hits the four, the player will win back the bet amount plus the 2/1 odds, or true odds amount. The true odds for the points bets are 4,10 paying 2/1, 5, 9 paying 3/2 and 6,8 paying 6/5.

These bets need to be placed in multiples of $10.00 in order to optimize the amount of money won. The player can also make the “free”, “odd” and “behind the line” bets in conjunction with the don’t pass or don’t come bets.

Placing bets on the 6 or 8 is another big craps tip. The house edge on these bets is 1.5% with a payout of 7/6. The 6 or 8 bet should be playing as a standalone bet without any other side bets placed. Playing other side bets outside of Big 6 or Big 8 will only reduce the chances of winning the bet.

If the goal of your casino trip is to beat the game of craps, these tips will help. The long run is the number one reason people lose money in the game of craps. Self control and the ability to walk away when the house begins to win the bets is the most important tip of all.

You too can win at casinos. Visit us now to learn how to beat craps.




Dinner Party Ideas For Fun and Memories Between Friends

Friday 17 October 2008 @ 3:16 pm

There is nothing better than to spend time having dinner with friends. The socializing over dinner and the fun sharing is the way memories are made. For you, coming up with great dinner party ideas is the most fun of all. What kinds of creative dinner party ideas including colorful decorations, meals with a theme, or costumes would you and your friends enjoy. Giving a dinner party for friends and family is one way to let your creativity show through and to feed your craving for cooking wonderful new dishes. Get ready to decorate the house, plan the menu and call your friends for an evening of fun.

Consider some of these dinner party ideas for your own.

1. Why not have the girls over one night and send the boys to a game? While they are being loud and cheering their team on, you and the girls can relive the old times and have yourself a good, old fashioned tea party. Maybe you have a tea set passed down from your grandmother or aunt form long ago. If not, why not find some unique pieces at a thrift store. You need not worry about the sets matching, just make them beautiful. They will only cost you a few dollars each and the girls can take their individual sets home as a moment of a lovely evening between friends. Serve finger sandwiched, tea, and petite desert slices. If you like, have each lady dress up in their favorite old century dress. Vintage clothing stores have things you can buy and you can make a day of it together trying to find your outfit.

2. What about dinner party ideas that allow those friends and acquaintances you have to meet each other for the first time. The best idea is to have what is called a traveling dinner party. Each person begins in a seat of their choice. When each course is served, the guests must get up and move to a new seat sitting beside someone they have not been next to previously. This gives them the opportunity to meet new people in a fun and comfortable way. You can also go the distance and move from house to house in the neighborhood for each course.

3. There is nothing so mice as to have a picnic and this is also one of the simplistic dinner party ideas ever. This is especially nice for those with a big back yard or a great park near your home. The menu is to be light summertime meals including fruits and cold food. Why not dress for the occasion in your favorite Shakespeare garb. Light candles or teak torches to give it a nice and comfortable feeling when the sun goes down.

Now you have some great dinner party ideas to get you started. There is nothing which will be out of line if you and your friends enjoy it. Anything will make for wonderful dinner party ideas to bring you and your friends together once again.

Want to learn more about Meal Planning? Visit http://mealplanningguide.com for meal planning ideas, meal plans and recipes.




Custom Mascots Put The Fun Into Parties

Friday 17 October 2008 @ 2:56 pm

When it comes to children’s birthday parties, parents want to provide their kids with the best birthday possible. This involves designing and hosting a party that everyone enjoys, from the games to the cake. One way to make sure that your child really has a blast is to create a custom mascot just for the party.

Why Go Custom?

There are always the old standby’s provided by party companies, Mickey Mouse, Woody, etc. but the truth is . . . these are old news and kids love new and original. Imagine taking a drawing or sculpture of your child’s imaginary creature and then having it come to life, to entertain at the party? Or perhaps a favorite character from a bedtime story that you’ve told many times.

Whether you opt for something more obvious from a book or movie or go with a mascot that is completely imagined, having something so unique is sure to thrill your little ones and their friends. The memories will last a lifetime.

Another great use for these characters is a party business. If you have a business that provides party planning for children, then having your very own custom mascots could be very handy and provide a unique experience that can’t be found anywhere else.

Designing Your Mascot

Most people aren’t able to spend the time necessary to create their own life-size character, but that doesn’t mean you can’t design it and have someone else do the hard work. All you need are some ideas and the ability to describe what you have in mind. It isn’t even necessary to be able to draw what you want, although this certainly speeds the entire process up.

Writing down what your character should look like will help greatly when dealing with the artist. Here are a few things to consider:

• Type. Do you want a person, animal, alien?

• Colors. What color should the hair be? The skin?

• Clothing. Will your mascot wear an outfit? If so, describe what it looks like.

• Hair. Do you want your character to have hair and if so, what type?

• Eyes. Look for a cartoon character to compare the eyes with, as this will be easier for the artist to work with.

• Size. Are you looking for a simple suit that anyone can wear or do you want something oversized?

• Material. If there is a specific type of material (fur, plush, hard plastic, etc.) that you want used, then make a note of this.

The next step, once you have the idea in your head and the specifics written down, is to find someone to execute the design. This can take quite a bit of time, so if you are aiming for a specific party date, be sure to plan ahead and work on the design far ahead of time. Talk to the designer about how long it will take to actually create the design. Depending on the number of orders that they have, this could be months, from the concept drawing to completion.

Custom mascots are always a huge hit at children’s parties and they can be used over and over again. Most are built sturdily enough to last long after your kids have outgrown them, but there are plenty of other uses for them, too. Why not try taking yours to a fair or turn use it to help draw customers at the next soccer fundraiser? They aren’t just for birthday parties, though this is definitely a great use of a fun idea.

Custom Mascot company provides mascot creation, cleaning, repair, shipping and tracking. For your company custom mascots, consider Loonie Times Mascots.




The History of Old Time Radio

Friday 17 October 2008 @ 2:39 pm

The term “Old Time Radio” refers to the entertainment programs that were broadcast to the public from the early 1920s to the early 1960s. In the beginning, most radio programs emulated the vaudeville acts that were the mainstay of public amusement before radio. Comics and singers ruled the airwaves! Best of all, you no longer had to leave your home to enjoy their talents! Eventually, however, audiences matured and other types of programs were added to the radio schedule. Drama series became extremely popular including shows about doctors, soap operas, and even movie scripts that were adapted for radio. Action series brought cops, robbers, private detectives, and westerns into the home! Fantasy series thrilled audiences with well known characters including Superman and the Green Hornet! Horror fans got their share of ghosts, vampires, and werewolves. Those who craved science fiction got their weekly craving for tales of the future, space travel, and exploration of the unknown. Game shows like “You Bet Your Life” gave the average person an escape from everyday life!

The first commercial radio station in the U.S. (KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) began occasional broadcasting in 1920. By 1922, the first regularly broadcast old time radio shows had begun. Up until the late 1920s, musical programs were most popular with shows highlighting opera, big bands, jazz, classical, and popular music.

In the 1930s, the first daytime series appeared featuring romance and other subject matter that appealed to the typical American housewife. Most of those programs were sponsored by soap products and that’s where the term “Soap Opera” originated. Radio shows like “The Cisco Kid” and “Captain Midnight” were broadcast in the afternoons for the entertainment of young people as they returned home from school. Comedy series began to appear including the “George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” and the “Jack Benny Show” which both began in 1932. “Amos ‘N Andy” actually hit the airwaves in 1928! Then in the early 1940s, a nearly never-ending list of comedy programs joined those pioneers and comedy shows became the most prolific genre through the end of Old Time Radio.

By 1947, 82% of people in the U.S. listened to the radio on a regular basis. The Old Time Radio shows were not like most audio books of today where someone with a pleasant voice reads you a book. Old Time Radio shows were productions just like the television programs of today. There were sound effects, multiple actors in multiple roles, and first rate scripts! Many people today are shocked at how entertaining they can be when they hear their first Old Time Radio program. The lack of video can actually be a plus! Your mind often imagines the characters and scenery much better than seeing those things on a television screen.

Most Old Time Radio Shows were aired live up until the late 1940s. Therefore, the most popular shows had to be performed twice due to the time difference between the east coast and the west coast. Most of those programs are lost to us today as they were generally not recorded. There are exceptions where and advertiser wanted copies of their programs or for some programs that aired in syndication. Thankfully, by the early 1950s, many programs were broadcast live on the east coast and recorded for later broadcast on the west coast. A surprisingly large number of those recordings are still in existence today thanks, mostly, to collector/hobbyists who acquired them through the years. Due to their age, most of those are available free of charge on the web or at very low cost on cd (in mp3 format) from numerous vendors.

In the mid 1950s TV was becoming the king of entertainment and radio was transforming into a mostly musical format. There were shows, however, that continued for a few more years and some of them even aired at the same time as a TV version of the same program.

Learn more about the history of radio on a show by show basis and listen to shows free by visiting this Old Time Radio Shows site.




Star Wars Lego Sets

Friday 17 October 2008 @ 10:26 am

Star Wars Legos are the greatest thing according to my 10 year old son. He has been building legos since he was about 5 and he has built the cars, the Bionicles and the other action sets but Star Wars Lego Sets are by far his favorite.

There are many Star Wars Legos to chose from, you can either be a good guy or join the Dark Side. He started out building some of the more basic Star Wars Lego Sets and is always looking for the next challenge. Every time we go to Target or WalMart we have to check and see if there is a new Star Wars Legos Set out.

Star Wars Legos come in sets as low as $10 up to hundreds of dollars. While the smaller Star Wars Lego Sets are relatively easy to build, usually having only a few bags of parts, some of the bigger Star Wars Legos have many bags of parts and several assembly manuals. On thing we found out the hard way, is the parts bags are usually logically grouped so that similar parts for a particular assembly portion are grouped together. Now when he builds a Star Wars Lego set, he puts each bag into a small bowl rather than dumping them all together in one big bowl.

The biggest Star Wars Lego Sets he has built so far must have had 400 pieces. I know it ran around $50 or so and kept him busy for several nights. Every so often he would come over and show me how some part went together and what it could do. One of my favorite Star Wars Lego Sets he built is one of the walkers (sorry, Star Wars fans, I know it’s called something more complex than that). It was kind of hard to build because so many of the pieces were gray. It looks really cool on display.

One thing I have noticed about Star Wars Legos, and it probably holds true with any Legos set, is my son always wants to see what “guys” come with the kit. Some of the Star Wars Legos kits come with 4 or 5 guys. Very important in the Lego world.

One day when I thought we had bought all the Star Wars Lego Sets, I went on line to see what is available. Wow!! That’s where I found out just how big some of the Star Wars Legos can be. You can even build the Death Star, if you can afford it and you have the patience. My son insists that he will buy it someday.

As for “guys”, you can actually buy Star Wars Lego Kits of actual characters like Darth Vader, very cool.

I have always like Legos and all though I am not a Star Wars fan, I really like the fact that my son spends hours building them and is proud to display them. Besides, there is much more to life than video games. Oh yeah, you can get a Star Wars Legos video game to!

Amazon offers some really cool Star Wars Legos Sets you won’t find at your local big buy store, check it out.

I found a great selection of hard to find Star Wars Legos and Star Wars Lego Sets here!




Sin City is Even More Fun When Shared

Tuesday 14 October 2008 @ 11:31 pm

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? With Sin City being a popular vacation destination as well as the wedding and convention capital, entertainment is big business in a city that literally never sleeps and that has become a Mecca for everything from family fun to very adult entertainment. Whether you’re in Vegas for a weekend convention, just visiting for a vacation, or there for your best friend’s, or your, wedding, the fantasy image of gaming and girls is hard to escape. And why not, you’re in Vegas after all! Contrary to what you may think, Las Vegas escorts are not all about sex. Think of it more like a top notch gentlemen’s club with a personal touch. Many businessmen and convention attendees turn to escort services so they have a beautiful, and intelligent, companion for the evening, or the entire weekend. Why should your only company be other businessmen? Why go to all the shows alone? The entire city is one big never ending show, with hotels becoming more and more extravagant, and where keeping you entertained and happy seems to be the goal.

Why not indulge in a little of that fantasy life, it’s Vegas! What’s in the cards for you? Take a tour of some of the top casinos, and play the odds at some of the biggest and the best along the Strip. Or play a round of golf at one of the many world class courses that dot the city. The city is bursting full of great places to eat, things to do and see and places to go. So, you’re there, you’ve got some free time on your hands, and you’d like to enjoy everything Sin City has to offer. You don’t have to enjoy it alone. That’s what a quality escort service is about, providing discriminating gentlemen an attractive, charming, and pleasant female companion for your personal pleasure. If the game tables aren’t your thing, Vegas isn’t just about gambling. The city has so much more to offer. Take a trip to the Eiffel Tower, without ever leaving Vegas, or enjoy the zero gravity experience of a space flight simulation. And who hasn’t heard of the incomparable Fremont Street Experience. Looking for a bit more adventure? Take a ride on the Big Shot at the Stratosphere, just imagine shooting up 160 feet in only 2.5 seconds. It amounts to about 4Gs of force. Or slow things down and get a little romantic with a gondola ride at the Venetian and experience a little bit of Italy right there in Vegas.

Vegas is the kind of place where you just never want to sleep. There’s too much to do and see! There are nightclubs and bars on every corner. Try the Tequila Bar at Bally’s, or vodka at Red Square at Mandalay Bay. And sure, Vegas is home to all sorts of shows like Cirque du Soleil, Bette Midler and many others, but it’s also host to a variety of more adult themed entertainment like Ooh La La at Paris Las Vegas, Fantasy Topless at Luxor, Jubilee Jubilee at Bally’s and more. Check out the long running Crazy Girls at the Riviera Hotel, and make sure to get a pic of yourself out front. If you’re in a somewhat darker mood, check out Bite at the Stratosphere where you’ll find a combo of classic rock, topless performers and a bit of a nod to the B vampire movies form back in the day wrapped in a story of sin, seduction and sex. When you’re ready for a different kind of bite, skip the standard fare at the generic hotel buffets and head for something different. Try the elegant seafood at Michael Mina, or sample the fare that launched Wolfgang, Puck that is, at Spago. Or take an Eastern turn with the Asian fusion at China Grill.

Alright, so you’ve got a long list of great places to go, things to try and fabulous finds. But you’re still in Vegas alone. Now is the time to call in a Las Vegas Escort. If your image of an “escort” runs to the sleazy, stop right there! Professional escort services are in the business of keeping discriminating gentlemen happy and their employees are going to be attractive young women, who are also gifted in social graces, many are also fluent in foreign languages. You will be sure to enjoy all the offerings of Vegas even more with a beautiful young lady on your arm sharing the experience.

If you want to know more about Las Vegas Escorts K. Kaufman is a travel writer and entertainment hound who specializes in reviewing adult entertainment venues like Las Vegas Escort




How to Maintain and Preserve Your Singing Voice

Tuesday 14 October 2008 @ 6:02 pm

Most people think that singers with good voices are born with them. Yes, although some people have better singing voices than others, most, if not all good singers undergo vocal training to improve their voices.

Most of the singer’s training is done through specific vocal exercises to achieve certain effects such as singing powerfully, getting vibrato into the singing voice or even expanding your vocal range so that singing higher notes is a breeze.

Unfortunately, this article cannot do that as the exercises must be physically demonstrated and manually practised. So instead of learning how to get a good voice, this article will show you how to protect and preserve your singing voice because your voice quality can be destroyed by bad habits that you may not even know you have.

Your voice is produced by a delicate mechanism and when used correctly, it rarely gives you any problem. So take good care of your precious voice and will serve you well for your lifetime.

The first golden rule to having a good voice quality is not to take up smoking and if you are already a smoker, do quit smoking before this nasty habit destroys your singing voice further.

The thousands of irritants and chemicals in cigarettes damage your voice and will certainly shorten your singing career and even your life unless you are a rock singer and need to have a raspy and coarse voice.

Always stay hydrated and as such, you need to stay away from caffeine, alcohol and other substance that dehydrates you. The vocal folds must be hydrated at all times to stay healthy and lubricated. So drink plenty of drink as much water everyday to keep them hydrated.

If you are on medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist whether the medicine you are taking is dehydrating. As a general guide, your body should be well hydrated when your urine is clear and not cloudy.

Everyone’s voice has its own limitations. So get to know yours. Shouting, talking loudly or even singing forcefully is damaging to your vocal cords, this is sheer common sense, but many singers still abuse their voices this way. So don’t shout.

Unfortunately, some people think that to sing powerfully, they have to shout. No, they don’t have to. You can develop a powerful voice with the correct vocal exercises without having to shout.

Your vocal cords collide with each other more than a million times everyday when you produce a sound and so, any extra harsh activities like shouting puts further strain on the already overused vocal cords.

When recovering from a coarse voice like say, from a sore throat, avoid any unnecessary conversations or phone calls to let your voice fully recover. Otherwise your recovery will be slower and even then, small permanent damages may occur.

You need to know that your vocal cords are muscles and therefore like any muscles, they need a thorough warm up before it can perform at its peak when you are singing. By the same token, they need to be cooled down with vocal exercises after your performances.

Just because you get away without warming up or cooling down now does not guarantee that you will not damage your voice in the future.

Next on the list is to avoid late night eating because this may end up with your stomach acid spilling into your larynx when you lie down to sleep and causing a hoarse voice and over the long term, permanent voice damage.

These are just some of the many things that you should not do to preserve, protect and maintain your voice producing mechanism so that you can have a good singing voice permanently.

Chris Chew owns a music education website at Learn How To Sing With Confidence and Learn How To Be A Better Singer




What is MythBusters and What is it About?

Tuesday 14 October 2008 @ 1:54 pm

We have all heard or told an urban legend or two, maybe even contributed to their spread. What fascinates us the most about these legends is that, despite the grandiose tall tale aspects, these stories are most often based in fact. This is especially true of narratives that pertain to science.

Now, if a person wanted to separate truth from fiction from such tales, they would first have to know how to set up controlled experiments. These experiments would then have to be performed safely, so testers could provide a definitive ‘yah’ or ‘nah’ as to the myth’s authenticity.

This basic premise is what fuels the extremely popular Discovery Channel cable television series, MythBusters.

MythBusters Show Format

In every informative episode, the stars of the show would take a popular notion, like the idea that Coca-Cola can clean the rust off a chrome bumper and test this to see if this idea is valid. Upon creating several control situations, they work several angles to prove or disprove the particular belief.

Although the main stars of the show, namely Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, are experts in visual and special effects, they often ask experts in the field to help them with the shows various investigations.

For example, if they wanted to prove whether or not an individual can be harmed by lightening while talking on a land line based telephone, they would consult with energy experts. Some of these experts may even oversee trial runs to authenticate the results.

This doesn’t keep viewers from challenging the duos findings, which is all a part of the shows allure. More often than not however, many well known myths, old wives tales and science fallacies are, as Jamie and Adam would say, “Busted”.

MythBusters Stars and Interns

The show’s primary stars, Jamie and Adam, are the main headliners of MythBusters. This twosome is often responsible for developing the subject matter for the show. Even so, the special effects duo will often ask avid fans of the Discovery Channel show to contribute to show ideas as well.

When Jamie and Adam were later joined by young interns Scottie Chapman, Tory Belleci and Kari Byron, they were able to expand the series a bit, bringing in new concepts as well as broader viewer demographic.

The newcomers were young but brilliant which made MythBusters more appealing to a youthful fan base. For instance, the lovely Kari was an amazing visual artist, Scottie was a metal worker and Tory a carpenter craftsman. This team’s background and unique and interesting personalities lent an even more fun and playful air to the weekly, somewhat educational broadcast.

Scottie was later replaced by Grant Imahara after he had to leave the show during the third season.

Imahara was a welcome addition, as he brought to a show not only a winsome and charming personality, but knowledge in electronics and robotics.

Where is MythBusters shot?

The show is filmed in San Francisco California and the ’soundstage’ can be at the MythBusters workshop or on location in various ares around town.

A UK version airs on the BBC as well, and to date, the show itself plays on numerous cable stations internationally.

MythBusters continues to grow in popularity because it is a fun and interesting way to challenge popular misconceptions about science and long held erroneous beliefs. Fans also feel as if they are a part of the fun as they can suggest show ideas or even offer their own commentary about shows.

In this way, MythBusters combines educational properties with entertainment principles, so that people of all ages can get something from the show and have fun in the process. It is a rare cable TV show that can make this claim and is perhaps why MythBusters will continue enjoying cable TV success for years to come.

The popular Mythbusters TV show focuses on exploring scientific experiments that are popular in movies and films. Watch Mythbusters as they set out to debunk these famous myths.




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