Posts Tagged ‘Experience’

How Pirates of the Caribbean Became a Movie

In: Entertainment

By: Libby Pawlick on Jun 27, 2011 at 8:00 am

Article By: Allison Strong

The real treasure of the Pirates of the Caribbean isn’t Johnny Depp (although it wouldn’t have been a box office hit in the first place without him) the real gem is how the story came to be.  A lot of movies that become big hits were first great novels.  The literary fans usually bawk at the watered down version of the story that played out so fully in their mind as they turned the pages of their favorite book.  But, since many movie-goers don’t read the book (why should you, they made a movie) the film becomes a success and sells millions.  The movie industry banks on this even if it breaks the heart of the novels fans as they realize that the ending has changed or their main characters don’t look as they were described.

I have always made it a rule that if a movie comes out after the popularity of the book, I will read the book first.  But how the Pirates of the Caribbean with Pirates came to be a movie unfolded differently.  The idea wasn’t born from a novel or a creative screenplay, it was born as a ride at Disneyland.  Yes, Walt Disney himself was fascinated by pirates and learning the secret charades of the evil sailors of the sea.

The ride first debuted at Disneyland in 1967 three months after Walt passed away.  Even more interesting is that the ride is one of a few that have survived the parks many revitalization’s -the Flying Dumbo ride and It’s a Small World boat ride are still big sellers too.  With the success of the ride, another version was created for Disney World in 1973.

This past spring my family made its way to the magical land that Disney created and we set forth to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  My five year old got on skeptically with lots of tears and my two year old loved it and has since learned how to sing “Yo Ho! Yo Ho! A pirates life for me!”  As we traveled the river boat ride it felt that the movie had taken over the ride.  Like many sequels the Magic Kingdom’s ride isn’t as thrilling as Disneyland’s.  I learned later in a “behind the scenes tour” this is because of the water levels under the park- they couldn’t dig deep for the drops so they had to build the ride up or they would hit water.

Pirates of the Caribbean is the only ride that I know of that warranted its own four part movie series to be built around it.  The ride would still be marketable without the movie but it has taken on the look of the films since they have come out and it has lost its luster.  I wonder if there are nostalgic Disney fans (like myself) that wonder where did the magic of this epic ride go? I guess I will never know since I will always give some of my money to see Johnny stumble onto the screen as Captain Jack Sparrow.

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Welcome Back To Entertainment

In: Entertainment

By: Libby Pawlick on May 16, 2011 at 6:19 pm

Fellow Buzz blog readers, Entertainment is back!  After a brief hiatus, it’s time to talk about all the good stuff that’s been going on in the Entertainment stratosphere since I last posted.  So much has happened that I don’t even know where to start.

How about we start with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate Middleton, if you haven’t been following)?!  I don’t know about many of the Buzz Entertainment followers out there but I can say that I was not up at the crack of dawn to watch the pomp and circumstance.  Although, I did turn CNN on once I woke up to see their first kiss (scandalous as they had not one but two chaste kisses!).  They made a very cute couple but still having a hard time understanding what the big deal is.  I guess we all love a modern day fairytale.

Next on the docket is my newest reality TV addition, Extreme Couponing on TLC.  Who doesn’t love a glance into the psyche of the extreme couponers featured on the show who love to confess that their stockpiles are nothing like those of typical hoarders.  Interesting…  I am all for saving money and paying as little as possible for my monthly grocery bill but stocking up on items that I don’t need, I don’t think so.  However, my husband has challenged me to put this extreme couponing knowledge I am accumulating to the test.  Look for future posts about my training on becoming a wannabe extreme couponer.

And finally, to wrap up this week’s welcome back to Entertainment blog, how about the upcoming American Idol finale or the launch of X Factor.  On the American Idol front, although Haley R. is from Chicago, my votes will be going to Lauren who is an absolute cutie pie and has really matured throughout the season.  I am not a fan of Scotty especially with his mic flute holding position.  It really detracts from his singing.  Let’s see what happens this week.

I think X Factor is going to give American Idol a run for its money.  However, I am going to reserve judgement until after I go to the Chicago audition taping this Friday.  I’ll let you know what to expect and if it is going to be worth the watch over the summer.

If there’s anything you want to hear us chat about on the Entertainment blog, leave a comment after the article.

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Skype and Microsoft

In: Technology

By: Steve Stanfill on May 10, 2011 at 5:18 pm

Well the big news of the day is that Microsoft intends to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion dollars.  The big “M” wants to shore up its presence in web technologies generally as it has seen its foothold on core technology erode from competitors like Apple and Google.

This morning’s press release opined, “The acquisition will increase the accessibility of real-time video and voice communications, bringing benefits to both consumers and enterprise users and generating significant new business and revenue opportunities.”  Accessibility to whom, I wonder….

In the 36 or so years Microsoft has been in business, it has acquired 128 companies, purchased stakes in 60 companies, and spun off 24 internal or external ventures.  It is safe to say that Microsoft is a product of its M&A activity, perhaps more so than any other major US company. Many of its core technologies have been acquired rather than internally developed.  It will be interesting to see what Microsoft does with this, its largest acquisition to date.

I sit here somewhat frustrated that these large companies are posturing for position in the communications space.  One of the fundamental problems with Skype, FaceTime, Google voice, etc. is that while they are all based on SIP standards, they have enough proprietary baggage in their code to prevent effective communication with other users on other SIP platforms; that is to say that an Apple Facetime user cannot call a Skype client, and a Skype client can’t call a Google voice client.  I should mention that all of these clients have the ability to go out on the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to a telephone number for a modest fee, but that defeats the purpose of SIP clients and keeping everything on the IP network.  At some point, it’s got to be more about ubiquitous technology communicating rather than who can amass the largest exclusive user base.

Right now, I have Facetime, Skype, and Google clients on my computer.  And I have to remember who uses which client on the other side of the cloud when I want to communicate via SIP video.  Not an ideal situation in my book.

At WOW!, we have recently acquired some technology that we hope may eventually solve this problem for our customers.  Don’t get too excited because it’s a ways out, but the idea would be to allow WOW! telephone users access to multiple client platforms, and also support video with a soft client on your computer.  So not only would you be able to use your telephone as you do now, but you would be able to use that same telephone client to access Skype, FaceTime, etc.  And, with the addition of a soft client on your computer (yeah, I know, another one…..), you would have access to video conferencing with other WOW! customers and Skype/FaceTime/Google as well, using only your phone number.

I don’t know what the future holds for Skype specifically, but there are developments in this space that promise some terrific prospects for the future.

Until next time….

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Giving Back To Others

In: Entertainment

By: Libby Pawlick on Mar 21, 2011 at 8:37 am

There is a show on ABC, not sure if you’ve heard of it, called Secret Millionaire.  I love reality TV but this show based upon the commercials didn’t exactly catch my attention.  Although I am all about supporting charities  through giving time or money, the commercials leading up to the show weren’t exactly drawing me in or getting me to add yet another show to my DVR record list.  But my insistent husband asked me to record it and I said okay.  Well,  he was right to add it to our list of shows to watch.

The premise of Secret Millionaire is to place, obviously a millionaire, in a community that is stricken either by poverty, violence or both.  They are given an opportunity to meet community members who are helping to turn the tide.  Both of the episodes that I have watched thus far have had me close to tears.  The generosity of the millionaires is second to none and those organizations that are trying to make a change, I salute them.  With so many different charitable organizations vying for donations, to find these rare gems in these communities was amazing.  To see how humble they were and giving because it was for a greater cause just makes you want to get out there and do the same.

Here at WOW! one of our core values is Servanthood.  This year we are encouraging our employees to give back to the communities we serve through our new program called WIN (WOW! in the Neighborhood).  I am sure you’ll hear more about this program in a blog post in our Voices of WOW! section.  I just wanted to share with all of you that we truly believe that giving back is part of our culture.  Through food drives, raising money for causes close to our hearts or giving time to an organization, we believe that giving back is just another extension of who we are here at WOW!

I would love to hear from you on which community organizations are making a difference in your neighborhood.

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Weight Loss Reality TV Shows

In: Entertainment

By: Libby Pawlick on Feb 28, 2011 at 9:54 pm

I am sure many of us at the beginning of the year made a resolution to be a healthier version of ourselves in 2011.  Whether that means getting back into the gym, eating healthier or trying to loss weight, we all make promises that sometimes we don’t keep to ourselves.  Do you find yourself sitting in front of the TV watching the latest reality TV show surrounding weight loss because we are intrigued on how they are doing and what the transformation looks like?  I know I do.  Some of  the weight loss reality TV shows include:

  • The Biggest Loser (NBC)
  • Celebrity Fit Club (VH1)
  • Ruby (Style Network)
  • Heavy (A&E)
  • I Used to Be Fat (MTV)
  • Dance Your A** Off (Oxygen)

Most of the shows listed above I have watched at one point or another.  But are they truly motivating to the point that you want to get up and start to make a lifestyle change?

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