Demons DVD - Image courtesy of Amazon
Despite all the recent furore over Amazon (search results for Amazonfail), I’ve been a happy customer of theirs for many years. You can buy anything on Amazon. It’s like an online Woolworths without the pick ‘n’ mix.
One of the things I really like about Amazon is the recommended products feature. Every time I log in they try to entice me with a list of DVDs or CDs that they think I’ll like based on stuff I’ve bought from them in the past. On the whole the products they recommend are pretty accurate.
However today Amazon failed. Forget all that business about dropping adult material from their searches, today Amazon thought that I might like to buy Demons on DVD.
WTF? Demons single handedly put the turd back into Saturday!
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photo credit: Jeff Kubina
When you tell people that you’re an actor, one of the first things they’ll inevitably say to you is “Ooh..have I seen you in anything?”. By “anything” they’re normally referring to a soap opera or a commercial rather than theatre. Mention Chekhov and they assume you’re talking about the bloke from Star Trek.
After establishing that they swear they spotted you in the background of the Queen Vic, the next thing they’ll say is “Are you resting at the moment?” and this will normally be accompanied with the old inverted commas finger gesture to accentuate the word resting. You know the one.
At this point I either respond with
- Physical violence
- A diatribe about how I’m not actually resting but that I’m spending my waking hours trying to secure work. I’ve slept with 14 casting directors this month, my bums sore and I’m seriously considering mugging the Big Issue seller outside Tottenham Court Road station.
Sometimes I combine the two. I find it helps get my point across.
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photo credit: zoyachubby
Over the last few years I have been considering moving to the US. Let’s face it, it’s the land of opportunity, right? As an actor and an entrepreneur, this is the place to be. However there have been several things that have stopped me from moving.
Firstly my parents. They’re not in the greatest of health and neither of them are what you might call frequent fliers. In fact I’m not even sure my Dad possesses a passport. It’s a mission to get them to leave the Isle of Wight so travelling 4000 miles is not really on the agenda.
Then we have my friends. Sure we’ve got Skype, MSN and Facebook to keep in contact but they’re all as broke as me so travelling to the US is not an option for them either.
I play cricket. I love playing cricket every Sunday in the summer and would miss it terribly if I moved to America. I know they have cricket leagues over there but, somehow, it wouldn’t be the same. I get a feeling that cut grass smells somehow different in the States. Besides, where can you get a decent cheese and cucumber sandwich in New York?
And that kinda brings me to the main reason for me not deserting these shores.
Yorkshire puddings.
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photo credit: pasotraspaso
Whether you’re recording a podcast or looking for music for your short film or documentary, making your way through the minefield of music licensing can be a right pain in the arse. You’ve got recording/master rights, publishing rights, there’s the whole business of synchronisation and mechanical rights.
Slapping in your favourite tune without getting the rights cleared will see you hit with a hefty bill and the chance that your project will never see the light of day.
You could try to negotiate a good deal with the PRS or get a composer on board but the chances are that your budget won’t stretch to it so it’s good news that the guys behind iStockphoto, one of the best sites for royalty free images, have launched a new royalty free music service.
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