Finding an agent is the very first thing that you need to do when you are serious about becoming an actor, and this must be very simple. All you need to do is to have a portfolio of your good looking photos, a resume, envelopes, stamps, and a list of prospective agents.
So first, you need a portfolio of good looking photographs of your self. Simple portfolios with details like - taken where, date, event, etc will be fine and you don’t need to have a customized and expensive portfolio to submit to prospective agents. Select the best photographs you have. Make sure that the pictures look exactly like you, without any jewelry, not wearing a hat, and not wearing sunglasses. Simple pictures that have your personality shine through are fine.
A resume is another thing to prepare if your photos are ready. Make sure to write a simple resume. Agencies have a lot of applicants daily so if you have a long resume, they have no time to read it. Make sure your resume includes everything about your physical status, statistics like height, weight, age, color of hair, color of eyes, identification marks, age range, clothing size, shoe size, special skills, and talent.
When both resume and photographs are ready, then it is time for you to go your prospective agency and submit the requirements in person. No matter where you live, you must contact a Screen Actors Guild franchised agent first. You can get the details of these franchised agents by going to http://www.sag.org. This is to make sure that you are looking for a legitimate and reliable agent. There is a lot of scamming nowadays done by fake agents, so be very careful with this.
You may also send your application through mail. Most agents do not reply to emails form applicants so the best thing to contact them is through regular mail. Never even send an email with attachment. Companies do not open emails with attachment. Be sure to contact them through phone if possible. This is the most professional ways to apply for an actor career. Sending emails is done only by applicants who are not really serious and lack of guts and self confidence.
You must prepare a letter telling the agency that you are an aspiring actor seeking for a legit agent. After sending your letter that includes a resume and photos, wait and relax. Most agencies examine the applications and most probably you will get a response within 1 to 2 months. Most agencies respond to letters that have self-stamped address envelopes because they consider the sender a dedicated professional.
Do not call over and over again and pester an agency about your submission. They will never represent you if you become a regular caller. Just wait it out while working on your acting skills and preparing for an audition.
If an agency is interested in you, they will call or send a letter asking you for an audition. Make sure you are well-dressed during the audition and make sure you always have some extra things. Other agencies request applicants to do a certain role during interview so it is good to have extra clothes. Do your best on the audition and if you pass, then call it a lucky day.
When it comes to tattooing, most people nowadays prefer to have lower back tattoos. Gone are the days when people have experienced the hype of having their arms branded with tattoo. However, the popularity of getting these lower back tattoos became such a hit among women. Most females interested in having a tattoo found lower back tattoos very sexy since it is placed strategically right on top of the butt area and just at the curving part of the waist. As for men, they find the tattoo sexy as well as it showcases their muscled and toned back part especially among surfers and beach bums.
Lower back tattoos have also become popular not just because of the air of sexiness and attractiveness which it brings. It has also become a popular choice because it has a wide area which can accommodate any type of tattoo. As a result, people get a lot of self expression done because the tattoo artist has a big canvass through the person’s lower back area. Designs need not be altered and truncated that much because the part is wide and it can accommodate various tattoo shapes and sizes.
If you are thinking of getting these awesome lower back tattoos, there are few important guidelines which you must follow. These are important so that you can be sure that you can indeed maximize getting your tattoo at just about that area. The first thing you needed to consider is the design which you would like to have down there. There are actually many tattoo designs which you can find online. Among the popular designs are tribal tattoos as well as dragons. For females, a bunch of flowers and butterfly designs are among the top favorites. When choosing a design for your lower back tattoo, keep in mind that a v-shaped design will help maximize the area.
After being done with the design, the next thing you needed to consider is how the tattoo will be placed on your lower back area. You should know that there’s no strict consensus that lower back tattoos should always be placed in the middle lower part. You can choose to place it at either the right or left lower back side. If you are a female, you should definitely be mindful of where you place your tattoo because it helps highlight an hourglass shape. However, you should also consider placing it on a part where you can safely and conveniently hide it when you need to. This is important especially for people who go to work and had to look perpetually crisp.
As soon as the day comes when you will finally decide to get that lower back tattoo, the first thing which you needed to think about is your decision. Make sure that you really want the tattoo and that it really has a big significance for you because it is a permanent thing. As soon as you get it done and you still choose to pursue the entire thing, the next thing you needed to do is to clean the area and rid it from some body hair. You need to keep it smooth and clean so that the tattoo artist will not have some difficulty with forming the design.
In the past, tattooing was a form of art which expressed a lot of things for different tribes of people. More often than not, ancient tattoos have been used by warriors and it usually signified a high degree in society. So the more tattoos a person have the more distinguished of a warrior he is. Sometimes, tribal tattoos which people have among women signify their status in the society. It can either help tell that the women is already married or still is single or have just entered into right of adulthood.
An example of using tribal tattoos as a means of displaying social status can be found among the Maori. This tribe is specifically found in New Zealand. To them, social status is made obvious through the use of specific tribal tattoos prominently displayed on the body of the people. Also, they use tattoos to help people distinguish those who have political ranks within the tribe. Among the uses of their tribal tattoos, the most important one perhaps is that it is being used to distinguish those who have finally attained chieftainship.
For some tribes however, tribal tattoos are being used for purposes of religion. A good example for this purpose is the tribes’ people of Hawaii. In the said place, tribal tattoos are used to display their reverence in their gods. They even have temples which gloriously display their tribal gods. Inside these temples, the image of the tattoo gods is being exposed and the same images are tattooed on the considerably privileged people. Before the tattooing session is being done, people and tattoo priests first enter into a solemn ceremonious prayer so that the entire tattooing will not cause death, the tattoo wounds will heal as soon as possible, and in the end a majestic design will come out of the tattooing session.
But it was in era of 1970’s when tribal tattoos were finally discoverer in the America. Most of these tattoos were obtained from the South Pacific. Before the discovery, people were content to have simple designs which have different symbols. But ever since the tribal tattoos were discovered, people began to look into these options and consider them instead. Because of their intricate appearance deeply rooted in something essentially significant, people interested in tattooing felt very attached to these tattoos.
Because of this new clamor for the said brand of tattoos, a new breed of designs were formed and thus named as neo tribal tattoos. In these types, tattooists have fused modern day symbolisms and other post modern influences together with the tribal tattoos of the ancients and the natives. In here, the intricate designs have been weaved with the new designs of our time. As a result, people began to become more attached to it and they found themselves understanding the neo tribal tattoos more than the tribal ones because of its modern day significance. Nowadays, it is almost impossible that you won’t see these designs decorating a tattoo shop. More often than not, they are actually the ones being displayed.
If there is one popular unisex design when it comes to tattoos, it would probably be the cross tattoo. It has so many symbolisms for most people and it can be flexibly woven with other designs. Most people have different interpretations of a cross tattoo. Some who choose it make it as a symbol of timeless commemoration for somebody who has made a significant impact in their lives and yet this person has already passed away. However, some people use it to add impact to their chosen design. You will find designs of snakes or even dragons wrapping themselves around cross tattoos. For some, it means something deep while for others, it simply for the sake of aesthetics.
However, there are actually different types of cross tattoos. But probably the most popular one is the Christian cross. This particular cross is similar to the religious ones seen on Catholic Churches where Jesus Christ is nailed and is embedded on top with the INRI sign. In the field of tattooing, Christian crosses are often requested without the INRI sign and Jesus Christ on it although some people are still quite open to the whole Christian version. Usually, Christian crosses are fused with other symbolisms for a more personalized approach.
Another type of the cross tattoo is the Gothic cross. This cross also comes in T-shape although it depicts a rather dark imagery. It may also be fused with barbed wires and have pointed edges to signify a darker appeal. There are times when the Gothic cross will also be paired up or intertwined with a dagger or a sword. Usually, Gothic crosses are made to symbolize more powerful or extreme emotions such as anger and pain. This is why you often see it heavily ornamented and beveled with extreme designs.
And of course, there’s also the ankh or the Egyptian Cross. This is also shaped like the letter T although the top part is shaped as a circle. The ankh is also known in ancient times as the key of life thus the shape. This particular cross shape is popular among women and teens. Lots of people find this cross very appealing and they are usually placed right at the ankle part of a person. Among the cross tattoos, the ankh is probably the most independent one because when people usually choose this design, they do not feel the need to wrap it up or fuse it with another symbol or design.
Whichever type you choose, just remember that cross tattoos often carry a large impact when you choose them. They may signify a deeply rooted spirituality which does not necessarily have to be of some religious roots. You should also remember that when it comes to choosing cross designs, you should know where you should strategically place it for it to work out the way you wanted it to. Also, you should carefully choose your tattoo artist. It would be best to choose someone whom you have worked before or someone who is highly recommended by other enthusiasts so you can be sure of the quality of your cross tattoo.
Writing one book is hard enough, but can you imagine anyone finishing 200,000 titles? Philip M. Parker, a professor at the Insead Business School in France, has more that 200,000 titles credited to his name and his publishing company, making him the most published author ever.
The only catch is, Professor Parker doesn’t actually write any of his books; he has designed a series of complicated computer programs which search online and compile vast quantities of raw information available in the public domain, and turn this information into books. Technically, Parker is a “compiler,” not an author, but the end result is the same.
A quick search of Amazon.com will reveal that Parker’s publishing company, Icon, has the most titles available in the online bookstore. Obviously, these books do not deal in fiction, and most are simply informational “guides” on a particular subject. And to bring down the cost of publishing so many titles, Parker uses print on demand, so that a book is only printed once a customer purchases it online.
The most profitable books published by Parker’s Icon company sell hundreds of copies, but others sell only a few or even a single copy. Even so, these books can still be profitable, as the print on-demand publishing method eliminates distribution and storage expense.
Many of his titles are volumes of information relating to medical disorders, or the practice of medicine in general, and are quickly snapped up by medical libraries. Parker concedes that many of his books are highly specialized, and are of limited interest at best. But what his publishing company lacks in public interest, they more than make up for in quantity. By publishing 200,000 books, a company can easily be profitable without any particular title becoming a bestseller.
When writing a book the “old-fashioned way” (actually typing or writing it), an author may need a year or more to research and complete a 200 page work. Parker’s multitasking computer programs, however, can “compile” a new book from information already available in the public domain in about 13 seconds. And this is exactly how Parker’s company has been able to publish 200,000 titles in just a few years — it’s all about the computer algorithms.
While traditional authors may scoff at this method of publishing, there is no denying that it is profitable, and it takes the vast majority of the research and writing work out of the hands of humans. As artificial intelligence programs continue to improve, we are likely to see more publishers using this compiling method to publish information.
Most comic books come across as pictures with words. What’s happening in the art itself is usually the most important part as you can tell what’s happening or is going to happen along with the mood of those on the page. But every once in a great while, a comic book comes along that breaks that barrier and reminds us that there is more to it then just a well received image. Jonathan Hickman’s four part mini-series, “Pax Romana” released through Image Comics is an excellent example of this kind of style as it’s chock full of words with a very unique blend of art as its background.
The story of Pax Romana is interesting to say the least. The concept is based around the later part of the 21st Century. Science has reached a whole new peak allowing human life to be greatly extended to upwards of 200 years. The Catholic Church still stands strong as a major religion and has been secretly funding scientific developments for most of history in hopes of bring about a greater change. The discovery of time travel by some of these religiously funded scientists have opened a path into the past for the Catholic Church to go back in time and fix some of the greatest struggles and conflicts that they have caused and have lead to a generally bleaker future. But can it really be that simple?
The art style has a very water color feel to it, making it more subtly and easier to take in with all of the text written over it. Lines are often neglected for style purpose with vague backgrounds that seem to look more like colored space than a town or desert. It’s as if the emotion of the specific area is represented through the chosen color and all secondary imagery has been replaced with it to keep the focus on the story and those in its direct context rather than leaving you searching for hidden details. You can clearly tell the time of day and weather behind each page as the color blends through the environment and into the characters themselves.
With Pax Romana being two out of four issues deep already, it will be interesting to see how Jonathan Hickman finishes the series up. Will there be more to it down the line? Will his latests book “A Red Mass For Mars” further bring his style of inking into a more mainstream approach or will this be the type of style that stays mainly in the indie category of comic books? It all depends on reader response and as we know, the readers cast their votes with their money, so head to your local comic book store and check out Image Comics series Pax Romana written and drawn by Jonathan Hickman.
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Whether you’ve decided to get your first tattoo or you’re going to add another one to your growing collection, you still need to spend plenty of time determining what you want to place on your body and where. While tattoos aren’t necessarily forever anymore, it’s not worth all the trouble you’ll face having it removed. It just takes a little bit of planning on your end to make sure that you’re getting exactly what you’re looking for out of your tattoo design and placement.
The first step is always to decide what you’re looking for in a tattoo. If you know exactly what you want for a design, this part of the process is pretty much complete. You should take the design and place it on your desk or wall. Somewhere that you’ll be able to see it on a daily basis or more to make sure it’s exactly what you want. Many recommend that you wait six months or longer before actually getting the design tattooed on to your body, but it’s really up to you as to how long you should wait before you know that it’s the right one for you.
If you’ve already settled on a design or if you need help with it, your next step would be to find the right tattoo parlor. You never want to cheap out on this part of the process because this is the person that will be affixing the image you’ve chosen onto your skin. That doesn’t mean that you should default to the highest price, but there is no reason whatsoever for you to pick the cheapest. You’ll want to see some of the artists work to get a better feel for the style they can add to your design. While some of you may just want your design traced directly on to your body, your tattoo artist is there to help you better flesh out your design and even make it more unique. Knowing their style and skill level will give you a better idea of what their variation on your design will look like.
Many people rush right in to the chair with the desire to get their design placed on them. Considering that the time spent with the artist off of the chair is included into the total price of the tattoo, go over your design in full detail with them and ask them any questions you would like. Once that needle is to your skin, it becomes fairly difficult to fix something right then and there. Don’t feel embarrassed if the artist spent a good deal of time on the design and it still didn’t come out the way you wanted. You are the customer and this isn’t as simple as purchasing a t-shirt. Before you make a commitment of this magnitude, you should make sure you love the design on its own, the artists style, and the artists version of your design or you will surely regret it.
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For filmmakers, winning an Oscar is the pinnacle of success at their craft. For 80 years now, the annual awards ceremony has been held in Los Angeles, and since the dawn of the TV era, the Oscars have mostly received excellent ratings.
But over the last few years the Oscars have gone in a strange direction. Viewership has been declining since the late 90s, and many critics feel that the 2008 ceremony was the worst produced — and most boring — Academy Awards ceremony ever.
One problem: the ceremony was essentially nothing more than clip after clip from various movies of the year. While watching clips from interesting movies can be worthwhile, too many of them in a row simply become tedious, and that was certainly the case last night. Early Nielsen results indicate that the 2008 Oscars will likely turn out to be the lowest rated Academy Awards ceremony in recent history.
Another big problem: many of the big winners last night were dark and brooding films that received critical acclaim but only moderate public support.
Jon Stewart was the host, making his second appearance on the Oscars. Overall, Stewart did a good job, though it was by no means his best work. Fans of Stewart’s “The Daily Show” on comedy central are aware of the comedian’s ability to think on his feet, and improvise hysterically funny comments and quips. However, the Jon Stewart we saw last night at the Oscars was markedly more subdued than his Comedy Central altar ego.
Stewart received criticism from his last hosting of the Oscars because of the political nature of many of his jokes. Fortunately though, the country has shifted politically somewhat since that time, and many of Stewart’s biting comments are now practically middle of the road political viewpoints.
One bright point for Stewart was when he joked that an African-American running against a female for the presidency of the United States means that “an asteroid is about to hit the statue of liberty.”
Overall, the failure of last night’s awards ceremony can not be blamed on Jon Stewart. The layout and direction of the ceremony was unusual and frankly awkward. The format of playing one extended film clip after the next seemed to suck the energy right out of the room, and at several points celebrity audience members looked visibly bored with the proceedings. Never a good sign.
So how can Tinseltown spice up the Oscars and improve the show’s ratings? Using hosts that appeal to younger audiences — such as Stewart — is a step in the right direction, but the academy needs to go much, much further. Shaking up the format of the ceremony would help significantly, including losing about 50% of the film clips. This is especially important in a year when so many of the big films have been gloomy and depressing by nature.
There’s no doubt about it; the Oscars is in a rut. Bringing in some new blood to produce and direct the show should be job number one on the Academy’s to-do list — that is if they plan on having anyone take notice of the ceremony next year.
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The Writers Guild of America has suspended its strike, pending a new deal reached with television and film studios over distribution of content online. The writers will now receive 2% of the gross revenue earned by the studios from online advertising. Union leaders suspended picketing earlier today, and will vote on whether to formally end the strike Tuesday February 12th.
The writers returning to work is certainly good news for TV viewers. Over the last three months, the airwaves have been awash with re-runs and “alternative” programming. Ratings for many popular shows have suffered, and several new programs had their growing momentum stifled by the sudden walkout by the writers.
InformationWeek is reporting that the Writers Guild of America successfully negotiated a new three-year contract, which provides residual royalty payments for digital broadcasts and 2% of the advertising revenue from Internet distributed content. Streaming video, however, will be exempt from the deal for 24 days after a show’s initial air date.
The union voted to strike more than three months ago over a contract dispute which left television and film writers without compensation for their contribution to Internet created content. In other words, the networks were making money online by “re-purposing” television shows and films online — without compensating the writers.
The new deal, which has been tentatively approved by both Hollywood producers and union leaders, will be put to the WGA membership for an official vote as soon as tomorrow. Union leaders expressed confidence in the new deal, and are recommending their members approve the contract.
Although a full proxy vote by the WGA membership can take as long as two weeks to confirm, the union leadership is confident that at least some of the striking writers can return to work later this week, perhaps even by this Wednesday.
The real question now is whether the 14 week strike was worth it? Did the writers Union achieve their objectives?
Howard Rodman, a member of the Guild’s board of directors, said “it’s the best deal we could have gotten under the circumstances.” Rodman contends that without the strike, and the new three-year contract, writers would have been left out all of the shift taking place from old media (televisions for example), two new media (Internet and wireless phone content). “It… [The strike] …accomplished the main goal we wanted when we set out on strike.”
So for the time being, it seems that everyone is happy, and television and film studio production can resume as normal. Well, almost — the screen actors Guild contract expires in four months.
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The Hollywood writers strike continues to have implications in Tinseltown and beyond. Besides filling broadcast television with dozens of reruns, the strike is also turning into a political struggle, pitting writers and other creative types against many of the biggest “power players” in the industry.
The latest example of this struggle is an announcement by the Screen Actors Guild that 72 nominees of the annual Golden Globe awards ceremony will not be attending. ENews is reporting that SAG President Alan Rosenberg has announced that representatives of each of the nominated actors have informed the Golden Globes that their clients will not be attending the award show.
“We applaud our members for this remarkable show of solidarity,” said Rosenberg in a prepared statement Friday. The 65th annual Golden Globes is now in question, and whether the show goes airs or not, it is likely that the red carpet will be unusually bare this year.
The problem is that Hollywood actors don’t want to be seen crossing picket lines to appear on the awards show as either acceptors or presenters of awards. SAG is also encouraging its members not to appear on late-night television programs such as “The Late Show with David Letterman,” or “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.”
So far, NBC is reporting that the Golden Globes awards show will air as scheduled on January 13. NBC is presumably taking that old adage, “the show must go on,” a bit too seriously, as it is likely that few if any name celebrities will take part in the awards.
As for the negotiations that might lead to an end of the writer’s strike, industry and union officials expressed optimism Thursday that some sort of interim deal could be reached that would allow writers to contribute limited features to several of the late-night shows. Unfortunately, the Writers Guild quickly refused any interim deal, closing the door on further negotiations until industry representatives are prepared to meet their demands.
Hopefully, Hollywood industry representatives will reach an arrangement with the striking writers soon. Reruns are already a big enough problem on American television, and since the writers strike has been in effect, the problem has worsened considerably.
Entertainment shows such as Late Night with Conan O’Brien have returned to the air, without the benefit of comedy writers. Both Jay Leno and David Letterman have also begun broadcasting new shows, though the format and the quality of the shows has certainly been affected by the lack of quality comedy writing.
In a show of solidarity with the striking writers, both David Letterman and Conan O’Brien have refused to shave until the strike is settled. This past week, viewers got their first glance of a grey-bearded David Letterman, and most agree it wasn’t a pretty sight! Let’s hope the strike is settled soon, for everyone’s sake.
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