Gecko Gully's Arts and Entertainment blog
The Shield’s Michael Chiklis will star in a new ABC pilot, No Ordinary Family, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Chiklis will play the father in the drama’s superpowered family.
Digital cameras have definitely simplified the manual labor of the photographers and do their job at mere a click of button. But, that does not mean you can have perfect shots with just the aid of your camera equipment. You can feel a bit more confident with digital camera in your possession, but the job of ?clicking? has become specialized. Some misunderstandings about its functional aspects, and the entire love’s labor is lost! The photography of an event is lost for ever…
So, some standing instructions, some important workable tips need to be followed by the man holding a digital camera. Experience combined with technical expertise is what makes you a perfect photographer.
1. Look your subject in the eye, don’t spray your attention all over. Sometimes, you get a fraction of a second to click an important event. There are occasions, you have to vie with hundreds of other photographers. You need to develop the meditative concentration, to ‘hunt’ your object.
2. Use a plain background. If the background is a hotchpotch, it will have a direct bearing on the main photograph.
3. Use flash outdoors.
4. Move in close. Adjustments from the close range can be done easily. They will be more effective.
5. Move it from the middle. That is always the safest way. If you move from one side, there is every chance of missing the activity on the other side.
6. Lock the focus. That is very important as it is your main job.
7. Know your flash’s range. This is a very important technical aspect, that is mastered by experience. A bad flash can spoil, beyond repair an important shot.
8. Watch the light. It constantly change.
9. Take some vertical pictures. This adds variety to the total number of pictures that you have shot.
10. Be a picture director. A sense of involvement is necessary. You need to be in a position to anticipate the results, just as a movie director directs his actors for getting a perfect shot.
Don’t credit those magnetic eyes and bewitching smiles to the account of digital camera alone. It is the skill and the sense of timing of the photographer that matters most. You need to know when to tell your photo-audience to ?say cheese?, and those fraction of seconds before their response to the cheese. Have an eye contact of a sharp shooter, with his shooting object.
Let’s begin by wandering down rue Mazarine from the Od’on square. Bingo! We almost immediately come on Le Procope, where a plaque affirms it is “the oldest cafe in the world”.
It opened in 1686, mainly to offer coffee. This beverage’s fashion had been recently imported from Austria – the Viennese got their caffeine zonks from the Turks during a lull in the Ottoman siege of their city ca. 1623.
Voltaire and… God
The Cafe Procope was an early favorite rendez-vous of actors from the Com’die Francaise – the national theatrical company, then situated nearby- and later, during the turbulent pre-Revolutionary mid-18th century, of Encylopaedists (such as Diderot and D’Alembert) and other non-conformist thinkers, who had – this was still during the reign of Louis XV – to be careful with what they spouted in public.
Voltaire recounts that one day, he and a host of like-minded philosophers wanted to discuss a very thorny issue around a cup of coffee at Le Procope: does God exist? They coded “God” into Monsieur N’ant (“Mister Nothing”) and the wrangling went on for several hours.
At a nearby table sat a gentleman who had time to read his newspaper several times over. Then, out of patience, he stood up and came over to the philosophers. “Excuse me, Messieurs, you have been discussing Monsieur N’ant. Could you please relieve my curiosity and tell me who he is?” According to Voltaire, the answer was shot back with no delay:
“Yes, of course! He is a police spy ! DO YOU KNOW HIM?”
There is a problem with the Le Procope’s claim, however. The owner, Mr. Procope, born in Palermo under the name Procoppio dei Cotelli, had already worked as a waiter at another Parisian cafe before launching his own! The “first in the world?” Sorry… Unless we’re talking about the earliest still extant.
But then there are other candidates.
Treasures of Paris islands
Another site to visit is Ile St-Louis, an island on the river Seine, which was built basically between 1613 and 1700.
Our first find is Les Anysetiers du Roy (The King’s aniseed liqueur makers), a restaurant located at No. 61 rue St-Louis-en-l’Isle. Our second find is Le Franc-Pinot, a well-known jazz club located at No. 1 Quai de Bourbon.
Both are indeed Procope contemporaries, and have been serving eats and drinks since they were founded in the 17th century.
A thought nags the tavern researcher, however: none before the 17th century??? Impossible!!
Fifteenth century poet Francois Villon did indeed dedicate “tout aux tavernes et aux filles” (“everything to taverns and girls.”). And a listing of taverners dating from 1457 A.D. counts some 200 full-time professionals and another hundred occasionals.
A famous tavern of the time was the Pomme de Pin (Pinecone), on Ile de la Cite (the second island in the center of Paris). It survived until the mid-1800s when Paris Prefect Haussmann razed it to make more room for the Hotel Dieu hospital adjacent to Notre Dame Cathedral (see: http://www.paris-eiffel-tower-news.com/paris-stories/paris-story-hotel-dieu-hospital.htm).
Remnants of the 19th Century
Hmm… Ancient Ile de la Cite looks a good place for more fieldwork.
Systematic research reveals that today’s taverns around Notre Dame all date from the 19th century period of Haussmann’s urban cleanup.
Ah, but wait. Let’s take a look down an authentically quaint sidestreet on Ile de la Cite, rue de la Colombe (The Dove street).
We come at No. 4 upon the R?serve de Quasimodo, a wineshop-cum-eatery located in the old building already described in my piece titled What And Where Is The Oldest House in Paris?(see:http://www.paris-eiffel-tower-news.com/paris-stories/paris-story-oldest-house.htm)
The Reserve de Quasimodo pretty much ignores (although not scorning) the tourist hordes around nearby Notre Dame Cathedral. Noon and night it serves scrumptious and affordable traditional French fares, accompanied by vintner-supplied wines. And it offers regular evening supper shows enlivened by oral culture (“Old Paris Stories”, “Tales from Brittany”), magicians, a “pocket theater” group, etc.
Prior to that, in 1950, it was bought by Austro-American illustrator Ludwig Bemelmens, best known for his cartoons in The New Yorker and his Madeline children’s album series.
A photo from 1869 proves the place was then a wine-bar and wineshop.
A Foiled Suicide
Skipping back a century-and-a-half from then, right around 1719, we come to a legend about Cartouche, whose hangout here was the St Nicolas Tavern, a predecessor of today’s R?eerve de Quasimodo. Cartouche was the ring-leader of a pickpocket gang – that’s documented, since he was executed in 1721.
The legend: Cartouche and gang were “working” the popular and crowded Pont-Neuf bridge one day in 1719, when all of a sudden a well-dressed gentleman leapt up onto the Bridge’s parapet.
“Hang on, there, Sir,” Cartouche is said to have shouted, pulling the fellow back down from a clear suicide attempt. “What’s this all about?” The gentleman’s response: “I’m an honest man, indeed an honorable man, and /sniff/ I owe several people much money that I’ll never be able to reimburse…The only honorable way out is to jump into the Seine.” Cartouche: “Now, now, you just give me a list of your creditors and the sums due.”
The “gentleman bandit” invited said creditors to the St Nicholas Tavern at No. 4 rue de la Colombe, wined and dined them abundantly, paid off the suicide candidate’s debts (obtaining receipts, of course) and ordered more and more wine. Then he pulled out his pocket watch, said “Sorry, gentlemen, I’ve got an appointment”, and disappeared.
More librations ensued among the creditors, only too pleased to celebrate their unexpected windfall. When they staggered out onto rue de la Colombe, guess who was awaiting them. Yes, indeed: Cartouche’s gang, who quickly divested them of the debt reimbursements.
And The Winner Is….
The St. Nicholas Tavern itself pre-dates Le Procope by a wide margin.
The tavern got its name from the patron saint to whom local clergymen had erected a statue in replacement of an earlier pagan statue nicknamed “The Man with Doves”.
The statue of St. Nicholas was torn down in 1792 during the French revolution. It used to be affixed above the door of No. 4 rue de la Colombe.
The tavern itself is attested here in… 1240.
We got our winner.
(article written in collaboration with Arthur Gillette)
Never underestimate the power of the teenage girl. It was their undying love for romance that finally relegated Avatar to the number two spot for the weekend. Lasse Hallstrom’s Dear John, starring hunky Channing Tatum and Mamma Mia’s Amanda Seyfried, took in an estimated $13.6 million on Friday, its first day in theaters. The film, 
Earlier this week, I put up a post saying that while visiting The O’Reilly Factor, Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly engaged …
Ken Tucker: Birthday boy Ashton Kutcher didn’t bring much to the party, but cast found laughs along the way
Dry weather or environments can cause irreparable damage to acoustic guitars, in the form of fine cracks in the wood.
One way to supply additional humidity to your guitar is through a device known as a guitar humidifier. These devices are designed to release humidity inside the guitar through the sound-hole. Sound-hole humidifiers all utilize some type of water reservoir with an absorbent medium such as a sponge, water absorbent floral foam or absorbent polymer. The medium is then surrounded by some type of cover which holds the water absorbent medium in place and restricts the flow of water evaporation from the medium. To get inside your guitar, they slip between your guitar strings and are held in place there. Depending upon the brand of humidifier you purchase, it may or may not touch the wood inside your guitar. Dampit is designed to lie inside your guitar, while Planet Waves and Oasis are completely suspended from the strings.
Water holding capacity and the restrictiveness of the outer cover are the greatest factors in determining how often you will need to refill the device. Needless to say, you can?t stick a quart container of water inside your guitar, but there are several humidifiers that will hold an ounce (30 cc?s) or more such as Oasis or Planet Waves. If your guitar needs several cc?s per day of water vapor, a humidifier that holds only 5-10 cc?s will need to be refilled every few days.
Planet Waves and Dampit utilize holes in the outside membrane to release water vapor. Oasis uses a fabric which allows the water vapor, but not the water, to pass through the material to keep your guitar humidified. One downside to evaporation holes is the risk of water leakage. Very careful handling can minimize, but not eliminate this risk. Oasis is a water-tight, sealed unit which eliminates the risk of water leakage.
When to refill your humidifier is one of the great mysteries which have been solved by Oasis. Since Oasis is a flexible sealed container, is shrinks as the water inside of it evaporates through the fabric. When Oasis begins to look like a prune, you need to refill it.
All of the sound-hole humidifiers work. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. As with any new product you purchase, please read the directions carefully before use.
product you purchase, please read the directions carefully before use.
The internet was just born and already it has 6 billion websites, one for every person on Earth today. Human beings are obsessed with writing and even more obsessed with Paris Hilton, the number one search on the internet. Lets get to know a little about our modern day Aphrodite aka Venus, the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Sex worshipped by the Greek and Roman people 4 thousand years ago. Paris Hilton proves once again that sex sells both hamburgers and religion.
The Greek Goddess Aphrodite Festival is called the Aphrodisiac, which was celebrated all over Greece especially in Athens and Corinth. Christina Onassis was the heiress of Aristotle Onassis the Greek shipping billionaire. We are talking real money here. Christina was Aristotle?s only living child, a real heiress, like Jennifer Gates, 9, and Phoebe Gates, 3, the two daughters of the world?s richest man, send me the Bill Gates, at $51 billion dollars and counting. Bill and Melinda French of Dallas Texas have given so much money to charity that they have completely eradicated poverty in Africa. Paris Hilton, if she is lucky enough to make it into her grandfather?s will will be lucky to inherit one million dollars. The One with the money, Paris? great grandfather Conrad Hilton, (whose son Nicky was the first husband of Elizabeth Taylor), left the grand total of nothing to his 4 children. He married his third wife at 87 and then left his entire fortune to the Catholic Church. Paris? grandfather Barron Hilton went to court to contest the will and he won, becoming the first person ever to defeat the Vatican in court, walking away with a few hundred million. He has 8 kids. They have kids. Paris? slice of the pie could be $200,000, walking around money for the Sultan of Brunei, whose oil fields America is now spending its blood to protect. That is hot ? not.
Being an heiress is normally a mirage, as Christina Onassis can testify to. Have you ever noticed how many pop icons cash in on Jesus? story right in their names? It?s like people?s minds are like search engines responding either positively or negatively to certain keywords like Paris Hilton. Madonna, the Virgin Mary, Christ Ina Aguilera, Britney Spears, I have a pain in my side, said Jesus. Is that a spear in my ribcage or are you just happy to see me? Jesus Christ was a Jewish Rabbi painted by the Greek New Testament writers with the Godlike qualities of the Greek Goddess Eurynome and Bellerophon and his flying horse Pegasus and several other Greek deities. You can read all about it at The Temple of Love. 20 million Christian and Jewish children lost their lives in WW2 aka The War Against the Jews because according to stories which God of Mount Sinai aka Jesus aka Allah aka Elohim Himself endlessly calls man made legends and fairy tales right in the Holy Bibles, the Jewish people killed this half real half fictitious character 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. Humans have a problem separating fact from fiction. At least Paris Hilton is a real person. I?ve seen her. I?ve touched her. I?ve kissed her. Her lips are as candy. Her legs are as ladders.
Sex sells. Paris Hilton was a nobody, an extra in a series of B movies until the videotape of her coiting Rick Salomon in ?1 Night in Paris? showed up on the internet last year at the same time that The Simple Life debuted. People are fascinated by infamy. Did you know that the male cat?s penis has spines which point backwards? Upon withdrawal of the penis the spikes rake the walls of the female?s vagina. The female needs this stimulation for ovulation to begin. Paris Hilton, outraged over the release of the video, raked in $400,000 plus a percentage of the profits of the film which shot her to super stardom. Without that video Paris Hilton is serving cocktails at Studio 54 today instead of dancing on the bar topless with the world?s media murdering each other for a snapshot of Paris Hilton half nude.
Paris Whitney Hilton was named after Whitney Houston because her name wasn?t famous enough. During the Aphrodite Festival, the Aphrodisiac, in Corinth Greece, the men had intercourse with the Priestesses of Aphrodite. This was considered a method of worshipping Aphrodite. What did you get for Christmas? In the Holy Temple in Jerusalem the Priests lured the people in with The Temple Prostitutes who lived in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. King Solomon who built the Holy Temple had 900 wives, concubines and mistresses. Compared to him Jesus was a mere piker with his Mary Magdalene and a few of her girlfriends. Do you hear what I?m saying girlfriend? At least Paris Hilton is a real person.
Aphrodite was born as an 18 year old Paris Hilton in the Sea off of Cyprus after Cronus cut off Uranus? genitals and the elder God?s blood and semen dropped on the Sea where they began to foam. Aphrodite rose out of the foam in her 18 year old birthday suit. When did people become so prudish? Going wild over 1 Night in Paris? 4,000 years ago mating with hookers in the Temple was normal. In 1879 William-Adolphe Bouguereau painted the Birth of Venus, (Venus was Aphrodite?s Roman name), which showed the full face on nude 18 year old Aphrodite being born rising from the sea foam. How did Hugh Hefner get to be called risqu?? And where did all the paintings and likenesses of Jesus come from? There isn?t one single word of description of Jesus in the Holy Bible or anywhere else.
Sex sold religion then and it still sells it today. The Las Vegas Hilton boasts the world?s largest free standing sign, ?Welcome Idiots?. The hijackers on 911 fully expected to hit the twin towers then immediately wake up in eternal paradise with 72 virgins and wine with no side effects, because they read it in their Bible. Lot, the only righteous man in sin city, (Tony the Ant came in second) Sodom and Gomorrah was saved by God and rewarded with wine and sex with his two virgin daughters. Oscar Goodman, the mayor of Las Vegas with 85% of the vote was the mob?s lawyer who represented Meyer Lansky, Ace Rosenthal, Tony the Ant and corrupt San Diego mayor Roger Hedgecock to get the job. He recently said on Television, ?Those who deface freeways with graffiti should have their thumbs cut off on Television.? Violence sells too. At least Paris Hilton is real.
Kickoff of Super Bowl XLIV is set for 6:28 p.m. ET on CBS (following a pre-game show that begins at 2 p.m. ET). While our Music Mix blog will cover Carrie Underwood’s National Anthem and The Who’s halftime performance, and PopWatch will live blog the telecast riffing on everything but the game, we realize some 
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