American Idol | Step 10 of 10 To Increase Your Chances Of Getting On The Show

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Step 10 in increasing your chances of getting on any vocal reality show should be that you need to learn how to make eye contact and sell the song and the experience.

One of THE MOST important skills you need to master is eye contact. If you are uncomfortable making eye contact in general you’ll need to overcome that fear. Otherwise, the judges will notice your lack of confidence. Great artists know how to connect with their audience.

To help you overcome your fear, a good practice is to lock into the eyes of the person you are engaging in conversation. Stare them down. You can actually make it a game and see how long it takes them to start feeling uncomfortable and look the other way. Eye contact is the cornerstone to an artists’ confidence. Think about this. If you go to a concert or meet your favorite artist, wouldn’t you feel more engaged with the artist if he or she notices you and looks you directly in the eyes? I believe you would. When you are performing your song, don’t just stare uncomfortably into outer space. Deliver your song to the audience, the judges! Sell them. Convince them you’ve lived the song you are singing. Master this skill of eye contact while performing. Even if your vocal performance may not be the best, confident eye contact could make the difference in you getting to the next round!

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Jimi Hendrix – A Guitar God

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Photo by Luiz Fernando / Sonia MariaThe history of rock and roll music has certainly a lot of names that have marked our musical tastes, but one of the most important musicians in history is definitely Jimi Hendrix. Everyone knows songs like “Hey Joe” or “Little wing”, but specialists can assure us that the influence Hendrix has had on music is immense. His presence itself was an influence, which helped the psychedelic movement impose itself among the youngsters.

It is not difficult to realize why he acquired so much fame and what led to his immense success. He was a pioneer of the psychedelic music and attitude and no one can deny the influence he’s had not only on the emerging musicians, but also on music in general. Among his main influences were Miles Davis and various blues singers, and that is how he gave birth to the new musical genre jazz-funk and fusion. He sought for the right fusion of soul, jazz, blues and rock, which would obliterate categories and boundaries between music genres and people.

Jimi Hendrix’s trajectory was a sinuous one, which renders his figure even more impressive and iconic. He had a tormented and rather unhappy childhood and the guitar he received at 15 became his best friend. He absorbed all the styles and their languages became part of his vocabulary, an innovative and unheard one, vivid and overflowing with energy. His technical ability and his creativity allowed him to revolutionize rock’n'roll with unusual distorts and distinctive sound effects.

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Movies, Teleplays and a Brilliant Novel!

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Today we interview Buck Stienke and Ken Farmer, writers of the brilliant action thriller novel “Black Eagle Force“. Buck is also the CEO of Timber Creek Productions, eminent company in the movies industry, and Ken is its Chief Operating Officer.

Manuel: Buck, how is to be a producer in 2011? Easier or more difficult than in the previous century?

Buck: Financing is definitely more difficult in the current economy. Many people who had significant real estate holdings in their portfolio are under water. From a technology standpoint, digital film making is probably less than 10% of the costs of film, with far more flexibility. Print, editing & distribution costs are down, of course. Electronic transmission of business plans, video taped auditions and the finished product itself save time and money. Networking provides instantaneous access and exposure to many thousands of potential customers.

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Empowered Creative People In Business: Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ive And Pixar

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Photo by ahhyeahThe individuals and organizations that are prospering today prioritize creativity and innovation in their product design- and strategic choices. In a nutshell: they yield results through empowering creative people in business. Below are three cases that particularly illustrate this point: Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ive and Pixar.

Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple Computers, is a name that most folks have heard. Mr Jobs’ achievements, his industry-shifting, market-shaping concepts and strategies, his creativity in brand strategy, product deployment, the building of an exceptionally loyal user base, and often-controversial statements and decisions, provide enough material to fill several books. His example is a compelling case for emphasizing the role that innovative individuals play in the world of industry.

This article describes the results of Jobs empowering the correct individuals to become industry-leaders and create revolutionary products in two instances: investing in/buying The Graphics Group, now called Pixar; and employing Jonathan Ive. The products created by the group of genius individuals that compose Pixar and the results of Ive’s innovative product designs at Apple have been exceptionally well-received, and the intense creativity employed in their respective models and practices has motivated the implementation of industry-wide changes.

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Shawn Sharp and Guild Wars 2

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Today we interview Shawn Sharp, Art Producer at ArenaNet and one of the Gurus behind Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2.

Manuel: Tell us something about your career, Shawn, how did you arrive at ArenaNet?

Shawn: Originally I started out as a graphic designer and illustrator working in advertising for the most part. I was also doing illustrations for pen and paper role playing game companies on the side. Dynamix, at the time a small start up computer game company in Eugene, Oregon contacted me to see if I would be interested in moving there to art direct computer games. This was in 1989, I had just started a graphic design studio and frankly didn’t even really know what computer games were. While it looked interesting I passed on the opportunity. A year later they contacted me again, I was a little more savvy and decided to give it a shot. I loved the idea of interactive story-telling and still do.

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A Beautiful Interview

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Ceri Shaw suggested me an interview from our friends at Americymru. So here’s this beautiful interview with Dr. Karl Jenkins (I include also the link to their ticket giveaway competition for his performance at Carnegie Hall NY on March 6th 2010).

A Beautiful Interview

Dr. Karl Jenkins is Britain’s greatest and most versatile living composer, the author of an ocean of amazing and exalting music unlimited by genre, style or instrument. He holds a doctorate of musicology from the University of Wales and the Royal Academy of Music London. His many awards include several fellowships at various universities and an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for “services to music.” He has composed for jazz bands, orchestra and voice, for advertising, film, and live performance.

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Living as Independent Developer

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Today we interview Andres Martinez, owner of baKno, a game development studio located in Key Biscayne, Florida. They are a group of video game enthusiasts committed to developing new ways to deliver fun, interactive and challenging software.

Living as Independent Developer

Manuel Marino: You declare yourself and your team as “video game enthusiasts”. How much being a “videogames fan” is important in creating games?

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Music, Movies and Independent Films

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In this exclusive interview, Todd Cericola, owner of Clocktower Pictures, talks about his movie studio, about music in movies and about the independent productions world.

Manuel Marino: When did you start your movie studio and how did you have the idea?

Todd Cericola: Clocktower Pictures was started in February of 2008. We are a new company in the Philadelphia area that specializes in independent film. We started it after working on a t.v. sitcom pilot called “Two One Five.” Myself, and my two partners Keelen Monahan and Matt Tomko had all been working individually on producing, directing, and writing and decided to put our efforts into one basket by opening up what would eventually become Clocktower.

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American Music and Vintage Guitars

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Mark Weakley is an impressive artist; sculptor, painter, musician. He plays guitar, banjo and harmonica, and has recently recorded a CD of his original compositions. In this exclusive article he talks about himself, about his passions, about his father, about traditional american music, about vintage guitars and banjoes, and much more.

American Music and Vintage Guitars

My father was a gunsmith and fastidious in his craft. As a boy I once watched him raise a dent in an antique rifle stock. He had dampened a soft white cloth, folded it over a few times and placed on that blemish in the wood while applying the low heat of an iron. He did this patiently for hours, for days it seemed. Why didn’t he just fill it and do some sanding? I know the answer now. That random few moments when I was the youthful observer may have been the most precious thing he left me. It was really the seed of true craftsmanship and it grew within me despite my natural inclinations. It was not an overnight revelation. Not only did I see a glimpse of patience when the word had no meaning to me I also saw that it was the only way to do it right. Anything less is just that.

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Raymond Thoughts about Games and Arts

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Today we interview Raymond Jacobs, owner of Ethereal Darkness Interactive. Founded in 2002 Ethereal Darkness Interactive is commited to developing quality indie games with high production values. Raymond talks about his latest project, Morning’s Wrath 2, about videogames, Arts and technology.

Raymond Thoughts about Games and Arts

Manuel Marino: You are working on some new features for your next game…

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