Showing posts with label dvd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dvd. Show all posts

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

Cassandra Peterson is better known as her alter ego "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark," The hostess of KHJ-TVs Movie Macabre in the 1980s, which became the first nationally syndicated horror host show. The Queen of Halloween has been a pop culture icon ever since, branching out into feature films, calendars, books, music, and, of course, tassel dancing. (If you haven't seen Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, you really do need to get out more!) Her sarcastic wit and double-entendré humor are two more things that make it a comedy classic in it's own right.

For some reason, I haven't entirely given up on Squidoo. Stubborn I guess. When I was putting together a "quick" Elvira Page there, I knew it just had to feature the famous tassel dance from her first feature movie, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. The whole movie is rated PG-13, so this isn't "explicit," but the self-appointed Squidoo censors make their own secret rules. Well, their loss is your gain. The famous Tassel Dance:





Watch for my upcoming Halloween Spook-tacular, coming soon! Unpleasant dreams.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Legend of the Seeker

Perhaps you were too busy with your preparations for Halloween or the presidential election to notice the debut of the new Disney/ABC Domestic Television series "The Legend of the Seeker".based on Terry Goodkind's epic fantasy series, "The Sword of Truth"

Executive producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert certainly have the necessary experience to bring this series to the small screen, having collaborated on "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess". (Both are available from Anchor Bay Entertainment.) The wild New Zealand locations are, as always, perfect for the genre.

Goodkind has resisted selling the screen rights to the "Sword of Truth" franchise in the past, but agreed to the ABC/Disney deal because he was convinced that their treatment would be true to the original characters and stories. That is not to say that the TV series is a direct retelling of the stories in the books, so reading them will not necessarily "spoil" the television experience.

These twelve books in the Sword of Truth series are also available as mass-market paperbacks:

  1. Wizard's First Rule
  2. Stone of Tears
  3. Blood of the Fold
  4. Temple of the Winds
  5. Soul of the Fire
  6. Faith of the Fallen
  7. The Pillars of Creation
  8. Naked Empire
  9. Chainfire (Chainfire Trilogy Book 1)
  10. Phantom (Chainfire Trilogy Book 2)
  11. Confessor (Chainfire Trilogy Book 3)
  12. Debt of Bones (Sword of Truth Prequel)

One of the challenges of adapting a story into a television series is to create reasonably complete story lines for each episode while continuing to advance the plot of the overall saga. ABC has provided some help here by making full versions of the first season episodes available online as well as a documentary Legend of the Seeker: A First Look as a free download on iTunes

Here are links to the first nine Legend of the Seeker installments with a very brief synopsis just to remind you of which one goes with which title:

  1. Prophecy/Destiny

    Episodes 1 & 2 are combined, perhaps because they introduce the premise for the series. Simple woodsman Richard Cypher learns that it has been prophesied theat he will become The Seeker, "a hero who arises in the times of trouble and suffering and seeks out evil." We meet Kahlan Amnell, a sort of beneficent priestess or Confessor sworn to protect the Seeker, and Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, a powerful wizard who is secretly Richard's real grandfather.

  2. Bounty

    Evil D'Haran Emperor Darken Rahl puts a price on Richard's head and magical maps that track his location are distributed.

  3. Brennidon

    Richard's birthplace is captured by Darken Rahl's D'Haran hoardes, and his supposed mother held captive.

  4. Listener

    Our heroes save a boy named Renn from Rahl who naturally wants to use the boy's psychic abilities for evil.

  5. Elixir

    When their horses are stolen, Zedd must defeat his former student, Jeziah.

  6. Identity

    After having a vision of Richard's death, the sorceress Shota magically exchanges his identity and that of a merchant's son, Gryff.

  7. Denna

    We learn of Denna and her Mord'Sith sisters -- a cult of evil dominatrices who are apparently Darken Rahl's answer to the Confessors. Richard kills Denna, but she'll be back.

  8. Puppeteer

    Zedd poses as a puppeteer to obtain the third Box of Orden, one of a set of magical items Rahl desperately desires to posesss.

  9. Sacrifice

    Well, well. Kahlan's sister isn't dead after all, and she's at least eight months pregnant. This can't be good.

  10. Confession

    Somebody's using a magical orb to cover up the murder of members of the D'Haran resistance.

  11. Home

    Release Date: 21 February 2009

  12. Revenant

    Release Date: 28 February 2009

  13. Hartland

    Release Date: 7 March 2009

  14. Conversion

    Release Date: 14 March 2009

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Popular DVDs @ Amazon.com I (A.I. - Incognito)

This is the one of a series of quick articles on popular products from Amazon.com. Of course, the most obvious measure of popularity is Amazon sales rank, the default listing order of Amazon's aStores. That order is already represented in the search engine listings, at least in theory. These items are ones that I have actually sold.

The idea here is that these items are popular enough that someone would buy them, but not so popular that they are widely listed elsewhere. Though this approach may seem wildly random, it is very likely that if someone bought these before, someone else might want to buy them in the future. Perhaps they are just what you're looking for!

DVDs (A.I. - Incognito)

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Popular DVDs @ Amazon.com II (Inside - South)

This is the one of a series of quick articles on popular products from Amazon.com. Of course, the most obvious measure of popularity is Amazon sales rank, the default listing order of Amazon's aStores. That order is already represented in the search engine listings, at least in theory. These items are ones that I have actually sold.

The idea here is that these items are popular enough that someone would buy them, but not so popular that they are widely listed elsewhere. Though this approach may seem wildly random, it is very likely that if someone bought these before, someone else might want to buy them in the future. Perhaps they are just what you're looking for!

DVDs (Inside - South)

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Popular DVDs @ Amazon.com III (Sparkle - Yoga)

This is the one of a series of quick articles on popular products from Amazon.com. Of course, the most obvious measure of popularity is Amazon sales rank, the default listing order of Amazon's aStores. That order is already represented in the search engine listings, at least in theory. These items are ones that I have actually sold.

The idea here is that these items are popular enough that someone would buy them, but not so popular that they are widely listed elsewhere. Though this approach may seem wildly random, it is very likely that if someone bought these before, someone else might want to buy them in the future. Perhaps they are just what you're looking for!

DVDs (Sparkle - Yoga)

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Sunday, March 09, 2008

How Google Sees My Site(s) - II

Google isn't necessarily the best search engine; in fact I'd rate it third out of a field of four. Nonetheless, a recent survey showed that Google accounted for 58% of all the searches performed on the Internet. Obviously, Google's opinion is important to any webmaster whose goal is to attract viewers to their content. The following Amazon.com products are those that Google believes are the most "significant" ones listed in my Amazon aStores.

Google's idea of significance isn't necessarily mine -- or yours. My goal is to help shoppers find what they're looking for -- a task which should correlate pretty well with sales (which, of course, is my real goal.) Google's evaluation is based on a number of mostly irrelevant data, which produces some fairly odd results. (Similar results can be found with Live Search and Yahoo! )

Here are a couple hundred products Google thinks you'll be interested in. Frankly, none of them have been big sellers for me, but that could change. In any case, I've placed them into the appropriate subcategory aStores, which should help customers and indexing 'bots alike.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How Google Sees My Site(s) - III

Google isn't necessarily the best search engine; in fact I'd rate it third out of a field of four. Nonetheless, a recent survey showed that Google accounted for 58% of all the searches performed on the Internet. Obviously, Google's opinion is important to any webmaster whose goal is to attract viewers to their content. The following Amazon.com products are those that Google believes are the most "significant" ones listed in my Amazon aStores.

Google's idea of significance isn't necessarily mine -- or yours. My goal is to help shoppers find what they're looking for -- a task which should correlate pretty well with sales (which, of course, is my real goal.) Google's evaluation is based on a number of mostly irrelevant data, which produces some fairly odd results. (Similar results can be found with Live Search and Yahoo! )

Here are a couple hundred products Google thinks you'll be interested in. Frankly, none of them have been big sellers for me, but that could change. In any case, I've placed them into the appropriate subcategory aStores, which should help customers and indexing 'bots alike.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Perricone's 10 Recommended Supplements @ Amazon.com

There is a tremendous amount of confusion surrounding nutritional supplements, due in part to the FDA's bizzare regulatons for these products. Conspiracy buffs may want to read Kevin Trudeau's popular Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About, although listening to his ubiquitous infomercial is sufficient to get the gist of the problem.

Given that one risks prosecution for practicing medicine without a license even for making accurate statements about the uses and properties of supplements, where can one hope to find reliable information? One excellent source is the handful of practicing physicians who incorporate supplements in their practice.

You may have seen The University Lecture Series with Dr. Nicholas Perricone during PBS "pledge week" or any of Dr. Perricones's books or other DVD's. Perricone is a dermatologist, so perhaps it is understandable that he emphasizes the effects of these products on healthy, youthful-looking skin, although I personally find The Brain-Beauty Connection more compelling. In any case, his audience seems very receptive.

The list below comes from my notes on the PBS program, and a little further research will convince you that there is considerable consensus that these are the basic supplements anyone should consider, with the possible exception of Maitake SX Fraction, which has a specific (although very common) indication.

Much has been said about the quality of supplement products. Undoubtedly, some are better than others, and tend to be more expensive. However, higher price is no guarantee of quality. I feel that even the cheapest brands are "better than nothing," if you are trying something to see if it seems beneficial. If you decide to add a supplement to your regular regimen, you can do a little further research into which brands are best.

Dr. Perricone markets his own brand of supplements, which I'm sure are very high-quality. They are by no means cheap.

Perricone's Top 10 Recommended Supplements





Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, January 12, 2008

High Definition Video Discs (Blu-ray & HD DVD) by Genre

Blu-ray is one of two competing high-density video disc formats, the other being HD DVD. Both formats use a higher-frequency violet laser (DVD and CD use red & near-infrared, respectively) to achieve higher data-storage density -- hence the name Blu-ray. There is still considerable doubt as to which format will ultimately gain wider acceptance, and become the de facto standard.

As I mentioned earlier, Blu-ray seems to have the upper hand at the moment, although many maintain that the HD DVD technology is superior and should become standard. The question may become moot, as the formats are not as irretrievably incompatible as in the bygone VHS / BetaMax format war. There are already players capable of reading either type disc, although they are a bit more expensive than single-format players.

Amazon.com carries about as many Blu-ray, and HD DVD discs as anybody, but they haven't really made them easy to find. (You have to come here for that!)

Blu-ray Discs @ Amazon.com by Genre

HD DVD Discs @ Amazon.com by Genre





Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Top Listmania!(TM) Lists: All Categories

Amazon publishes a list of "Top Listmania Lists," but it's not entirely clear how these lists are rated. Ratings don't seem to be based on helpful votes or number of times read -- at least not entirely. I suspect they are rated largely according to their conversion rates -- how likely readers are to actually purchase items from the list. That would certainly make sense from Amazon's point of view, and come to think of it, mine too.

For the most part these lists supply additional information beyond just the automatic pictures, prices, and links to product pages. Whether you find this information credible or not is your call, but apparently others have found it helpful, and that is a big plus!

  1. Some Cookbooks for a Creole or Cajun Kitchen
  2. My favorite Bond movies!
  3. Nick Hornby and Company!
  4. Doctor Who - Sixth Doctor (Baker Seasons 21-23)
  5. The Poetry of Ryokan
  6. Cool Passions I Profess
  7. Recommended Tanka Poetry Books
  8. Kanshi
  9. Refined Kabbalah
  10. Japanese Poetry
  11. Buddhism & Women - The Feminine
  12. The U.S. invasion of Vietnam
  13. Ryokan's poetry
  14. Haiku
  15. Zen Buddhism: Old-Style
  16. Japanese Novels and Stories in Good English
  17. Doctor Who - Third Doctor (Pertwee Seasons 7-11)
  18. Koto and Shakuhachi
  19. Doctor Who - Seventh Doctor (McCoy Seasons 24-26)
  20. Fun books about Chickens
  21. Top Ten UNIT Operations (Doctor Who)
  22. Issa - Haiku Poet
  23. Doctor Who - Fifth Doctor (Davison Seasons 19-21)
  24. Historical Fiction set in Asia (includes India)
  25. Off the Beaten Path in Historical Fiction
  26. Beautiful Kyoto
  27. Dharma Bum Inspiration
  28. Candlemaking Mysteries by Tim Myers
  29. Hanshan - Cold Mountain Poems
  30. Appreciation for Sanford Goldstein
  31. HK Fantasy
  32. Best Books I've Read This Year
  33. Buson - Haiku Poet and Painter
  34. Some Great Burton Watson Books
  35. Heroic Friendships
  36. Wandering Through Japan
  37. Basho - Haiku Master
  38. Intellectual Apothecary
  39. The Psychedelicon
  40. Great SciFi Books Harriet Klausner has NOT reviewed!
  41. Inspiring sci-fi and fantasy (yes, it does exist!)* under construction
  42. Qumran Cave
  43. Samurai - Origins to Warring States Part I
  44. Sweet ,Romantic DVDS
  45. Explorer Series - Complete*
  46. The Art of Andrey Tarkovsky
  47. my favorite music
  48. Welcome Oscar
  49. A Few Good Catholic Titles
  50. Amazon Shorts: GOLD-DUSTED-GATEWAYS into Star-Studded Minds.
  51. Doctor Who - Second Doctor (Thoughton Seasons 4-6)
  52. A little perfume goes a long way...
  53. Hemmingsonia!
  54. Czech books
  55. Autumn
  56. Doctor Who - First Doctor (Hartnell Seasons 1-4)
  57. Horror Books That Shouldn?t Be Missed
  58. Faith Scrapbooking
  59. Book Video Trailers!!!!!!!
  60. HUMOR IN MANY LANGUAGES
  61. Self, Soul & Consciousness; Physics, Philosophy & Biology of
  62. Books to Read Aloud to a Kid an Adult Can Love, Too
  63. Reading Films is Fun--Spanish Language Films
  64. "Rockin Good Stories, Good Wine, and Great Food"
  65. My Favorite Ambleside Online "Extras" List 1
  66. Doctor Who on DVD -- The New Series
  67. Doctor Who: The Handbooks
  68. Cifford Pickover
  69. Infinite Wealth of Knowledge and Networks
  70. Vernon Joynson
  71. I Feel Better Because of.......poems?
  72. Mystery in History
  73. Book clips, book videos, book trailers
  74. Not Your Typical Board Games
  75. 25 Mucho Fantastic Horror Stories
  76. What I've read in 2007 (to be updated)
  77. Stranded on a Deserted Isle With Just 5 Books
  78. The most underrated Doctor Who stories
  79. Third Set of The New Adventures (Virgin Doctor Who novels)
  80. LOVE HAS STRANGE WAYS
  81. A CLASSICAL SCHOLAR : MICHAEL GRANT (As Author&Translator)
  82. The Old Testament
  83. Rainbow Water
  84. Space-Age Cocktail Music
  85. Be a (Thinking) Conservative
  86. Best Doctor Who on DVD
  87. I really DO love Lucy!
  88. The Thinking Man's Guide to 30 Best Japanese Films on DVD
  89. Ghost Toasties Part II
  90. Historical Romances I've read and loved
  91. Great Music accompanied by Oscar Peterson
  92. Star Trek Movies--Best to Worst
  93. Not too cool for school--movies about school
  94. Kojeve and the End of History; Primary &some Secondary Texts


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Amazon.com's Featured Geek Gifts

"Geek" was once a pejorative, but with internet start-ups selling for billions of dollars it now seems that everyone wants to get into the act. Here are some of Amazon.com's picks for geeks and geek wanna-bes, possibly approved by über-geek Jeff Bezos himself.

Amazon.com publishes a series of gift guides, which change over time and may even disappear altogether. These snapshots are an excellent indication of what products are popular on any given day. While the content of the guide may vary, these Gifts for geeks should be around for a long time...

  1. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
  2. Marry Me
  3. The Ghost Brigades (Sci Fi Essential Books)
  4. Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5 (Episodes 10-20)
  5. The Marvel Encyclopedia
  6. PlayStation 3 40GB Spider-Man Movie Pack
  7. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories Boxed Set (Kingdom Hearts (Graphic Novels))
  8. Mass Effect
  9. The Essential Guide to Alien Species (Star Wars)
  10. Penny Arcade Volume 4: Birds Are Weird (Penny Arcade)
  11. Leatherman 830039 New Wave Multitool with Leather Sheath
  12. Serenity (Widescreen Edition)
  13. Fawlty Towers - The Complete Series
  14. Final Fantasy XI Online: Wings of the Goddess Expansion Pack
  15. Crysis
  16. Mattel Magic 8 Ball
  17. 300
  18. Nerdcore Rising
  19. The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. - The Complete Series
  20. Ghost in the Shell SAC Complete Collection Box Set
  21. World of Warcraft 60 Day Pre-Paid Time Card
  22. Planet of the Apes - The Ultimate DVD Collection
  23. Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse
  24. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
  25. Atari: The 80 Classic Games in One (Jewel Case)
  26. Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 12
  27. J.R.R. Tolkien Boxed Set (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings)
  28. Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control
  29. The Ed Wood Box (Glen or Glenda / Jail Bait / Bride of the Monster / Plan 9 from Outer Space / Night of the Ghouls / The Haunted World of Ed Wood)
  30. Dune (Extended Edition)
  31. Sling Media Slingbox PRO (SB200-100)
  32. Hacking Firefox: More Than 150 Hacks, Mods, and Customizations (ExtremeTech)
  33. Doctor Who - The Key to Time Collection
  34. Arrested Development - The Complete Series (Seasons 1, 2, 3)
  35. The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus 16-Ton Megaset
  36. The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All (Popular Culture and Philosophy)
  37. Only Revolutions: A Novel
  38. Star Trek The Original Series - The Complete First Season
  39. Mind Performance Hacks: Tips & Tools for Overclocking Your Brain (Hacks)
  40. Power Sentry 5-Outlet PowerSquid Power Multiplier
  41. How To Draw Manga Volume 26: Making Anime (How to Draw Manga)
  42. Star Trek: Music From The Original Television Soundtracks, Volumes One, Two And Three
  43. How to Do Everything with Your TiVo (How to Do Everything)
  44. Super Mario Galaxy

Featured Brands

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)