5 Bands Who Squandered Their Label Advances
October 29, 2012
Imagine this scenario. You’re nineteen and fresh out of school, you’re in a band who everyone loves. All the girls are flinging themselves at you….suddenly a record label notices you and comes at you with an offer that you can’t refuse; record an album on their label and they’ll front you half a million pounds to do it.
This is known as an ‘advance’. An advance is typically handed out from a record label to one of their signed bands in order to record an album, for the fees which can be built up from studio time, promotion, instruments (and so forth) can be pretty costly. However as good as the advance may seem to the outsider, it sometimes can be a band’s demise; on occasion leading to a swift exit from the music industry. This is because as you might well imagine, rockstar’s would rather spend their lovely little packet dining in the Ritz, hotel rooms or fuelling their addictions (whatever they may be…). As proof of this seemingly wild accusation, here are five bands who definitely squandered their label advances.
Sleep
Sleep had a lot of potential for a heavy metal/rock band. After their release ‘Holy Mountain’ on Earache records, they attracted the attention of many labels including Elektra and London (who Rolling Stones had also been signed on). London gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse in 1992 – full artistic control and a six-figure advance. Rumour has it that sleep spent their advance on two things; vintage tube amps and a bucket-load of marijuana. Given that the band estimates they spent $75,000 on tube amps – speculation has in that they spent pretty much the remaining figure on the finest spliffs that money could buy. All in all the album was dropped and wasn’t even released by the label; could be the fact that it featured just one song being an hour long psychedelic guitar solo.
Happy Mondays
Yes Please! Was the terrible last album that the critically acclaimed Happy Mondays made, under the label ‘Factory’. The most famous thing about this album was that it was so costly to produce, it drove Factory into bankruptcy. Why did it cost so much? Well, the Happy Mondays wanted to record in Barbados of all places with their families present. Not only that, but the Happy Mondays had a penchant for taking a plethora of drugs; especially when they teamed up with their mate Mick Jagger who was staying nearby.
Royal Trux
Royal Trux were an alternative rock band straight out of the late eighties, started up by Neil Haggerty and Jennifer Herrema. Due to a growing interest from labels in underground grunge music; after their second album Royal Trux were picked up by Virgin. Virgin offered them a $3,000 advance to record a third album; which Royal Trux proceeded to blow it all on heroin.
My Bloody Valentine
Irish alt rock band My Bloody Valentine were signed to Island records in 1992, and were given £250,000 to record a belter of an album (they had been given the same amount of money by label Creation to make their second). Whilst the second one was critically acclaimed by many people, the third did not do so well. My Bloody Valentine took the £250,000 and put it all into making their own studio in Streatham – which was riddled with problems. The third album was never released by Island due to lack on any decent material… and My Bloody Valentine went into a band ‘meltdown’.
Warrant
With all of this in mind, record labels these days have wised up to the cheeky antics of music stars; combining their advance with their own pay packet. This serves as an incentive not to blow it all – because they are eating out of their own pocket at the end of the day! However, truth be told it probably doesn’t stop some rocking musicians still…
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Author: This list was put together by Jenny Beswick who writes on behalf of DV247, suppliers of Fender products.
Top Things To Do With A Spare Day
October 9, 2012
Most of us spend the majority of our time rushing from crisis to crisis it seems. We’re either rushing our children to school, working hard in the office, fixing broken washing machines or meeting with friends. We’re always on the go so there’s hardly time to be bored or at a loose end – which can make it difficult when finally we do get some time off to ourselves. We’re so unused to being able to spend a day on our own that we often just don’t know what to do with it. There’s a real chance then of these odd days – these Sunday’s off and these bank holidays – just being wasted doing nothing which is a real shame when you consider how rarely they come around. Here then we will look at some of the best things you can do with these odd 24 hours out of your normally rushed schedule.
Visit Another Town or Area: If you’ve lived in the same area for more than a year then fair enough – you might have run out of interesting and different things to do. Why not then try travelling to another town for a day to do a bit of shopping or sightseeing? Almost every major town and city has some attractions they can boast and even if it’s just a change of scene it’s a good way to spend a day.
Go to the Beach: If the weather’s good then a day out at the beach is still one of the best ways to spend a day. It’s healthy for you as you get lots of fresh air and sun and are guaranteed a good night’s sleep, but at the same time you’ll also get the chance to spend some quality time with your family and there are lots of fun activities you can get up to from swimming to building sand castles.
Have a Spa Day: Having a spa day is a great way to re-energize for the rests of the week and to get some real ‘you’ time. It’s healthy again of course because it can help you to fight stress and get rid of that cortisol production, but at the same time you’ll find it’s actually a lot of fun and something out of the ordinary.
Visit a Bar or Restaurant: Most areas have a few great bars and clubs that are a bit lesser known, but most of us don’t have time to suss them out. Near me for instance there’s a café called ‘Bubble Dog’ that serves only hot dogs and champagne. Having a day off is the perfect chance to try something you wouldn’t normally and have a memorable evening out.
Catch Up With Things: If you’re going to a bar or restaurant in the evening, then that leaves you your day free. Sometimes a good way to spend this is simply to catch up and get all the little things out the way that make life just that bit more stressful. In other words get a haircut, replace that lightbulb, mow the lawn and call your relatives. It’s a refreshing way to spend time and you’ll feel more relaxed for it afterwards.
See a Film – Or a Show: Seeing films in the cinema is high on the list of things that most of us just don’t get round to (especially now every film lasts 3 hours+), but it’s still a great experience and a great use of an afternoon.
Do a Museum: Museums are educational sure, but they’re also fun and something a bit different – and what makes them ideal is the fact that they’re often free as well.
Go to a Theme Park: Most areas are near some kind of theme park or attraction that can offer a great family day out and even if you have to travel a bit this is guaranteed to be a memorable day.
Allen Davison is an adventure sports and travelling enthusiast who is currently working for Sapphire Spas. Allen enjoys writing articles on variety of topics like home decor, entertainment and travel.
The 10 Worst Games of All Time
October 5, 2012
There have been some diabolical games produced over the years. Some just have weird concepts (Custer’s Revenge anyone?); others have bad graphics or gameplay. They’ll all have you tearing your hair out and writing strongly worded letters to your local Trading Standards.
10. Pacman (Atari 2600)
Pacman?! Surely not! It’s ok, we’ve not gone mad. This is the shockingly bad Atari version, which was as bad as the arcade version was good. With graphics so poor it almost looked like a different game (owing to the technical limitations of the Atari 2600) including ghosts which flickered horrendously because the Atari 2600 could only display one ghost on the screen at a time, and a simplified maze design which irritated fans, this is one of the worst arcade ports in existence. Atari were left with 5 million unsold units at the end.
9. Elf Bowling
Elf bowling as a concept for a little viral Christmas game to waste a few minutes at the office? Potentially quite fun. As a full game? Pointless.
8. Irritating Stick
Look, the clue’s in the name. At least they had the decency to give you a hint. You’re supposed to move the stick through a maze without touching the sidessszzzzzz. Yawn, no fun.
7. Extreme PaintBrawl
The only vaguely clever part of this game is the title. It’s a paintballing game, gettit? An offence to the name of gaming, more like. Your team will run away and get stuck in a corner and you’ll want to do the same.
6. Jurassic Park (SEGA)
Anyone who liked the film trilogy or the books look away now. For this is an embarrassment to the good name of J.P. You could probably complete this before the title sequence of one of the films was over. The repetitive aim of each level and the ease of overcoming dinosaurs is laughable.
5. Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis
Poor controls and graphics are to blame for the poor reception that Aquaman received. Once described as an “ugly mess”, there’s nothing to do other than beat up bad guys with frustratingly basic moves. You’ll welcome all the graphic glitches as a distraction from the tedium.
4. Superman (Nintendo 64)
The gameplay is a yawnfest. The controls are so super-sensitive you’ll end up whispering at them instead of using them in case you hurt their feelings. Until, that is, you take flight and then they’re nowhere to be found. The graphics were terrible, including some of worst fog seen on the N64 (to mask the terrible draw distance), and time-limit play was nigh on impossible.
3. Duke Nukem Forever
Having been in development for 15 years you’d think that this would be a finely tuned zenith of gaming. Oh no, wait, it was awful. It lost all the charm of the original Duke Nukem. It wasn’t funny, barely playable and uncomfortably out of touch. Crass and cringe-worthy.
2. E.T on the Atari
The game that almost made us hate the film for being made and ‘inspiring’ this steaming pile of gaming failure. Playing as E.T, you have the objective of falling into a pit to get a part of your telephone to “phone home” (cute) and then stretch your neck and ‘float’ to the surface, usually falling back in again. The game was so pointless that almost all got returned and Atari couldn’t give them away by the end. It almost brought the entire gaming industry down. Yep, it’s that bad.
1. Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing
At the very pinnacle of terrible gaming, Big Rigs appears to be unfinished. There is no gameplay – no impetus to race as you always win, and no ultimate goal to the game. The controls simply don’t react in any way that vaguely adheres to the basic laws of physics. Geographical objects and buildings have no bearing on the game either, as you can drive through mountains, clip office blocks with no effect or even sink through bridges. There are also no sound effects and even the soundtrack doesn’t work properly.
Author: Alfie Davenport works in the technology department at Ladbrokes Games and is an avid gamer.
Frugal Family Fun – Ten Ideas for a Family Fun Night
October 5, 2012
Even if your family is on a budget, it does not mean you cannot have fun. There many great activities you can do to get the whole family involved. Use these tips for ideas, and then customize them for your family!
1) Board Game Madness
On a rainy night, board games are a great way to pass time. They are easy to do and fun. Games like Monopoly or Risk are best for the older kids. However, card games work just as well.
2) Put on a Skit
The kids can write, direct, and design their own play! Lend them a hand with the costume and dialogue. You can even give them and idea or two about plots.
3) Watch a Favorite Movie
This is an easy one, but good nonetheless. Pop in the movie, make some popcorn, and pile in front of the TV. There is nothing like vegging out every now and then.
4) It’s Makeover Time!
This one is for the girls. Do makeovers complete with manicures and pedicures. You can even make
fun peel off masks. Go online to find recipes to make masks with things found around the house.
5) Family Football Time
Boys will love tackling dad while playing football. However, mom and the girls can play too! If so, do
a friendly flag football competition to keep everyone happy.
6) Wii Dance Challenge
Turn on the music and have a dance challenge! If you do not have the Wii dance party, then create your own dance class. You can download programs from the Internet or choreograph your own moves.
7) Presenting: Talent Show
Everyone in the family has to participate in this one! Each family member can perform their talent to a standing ovation!
8) Scavenger Hunt Extravaganza
Go on a scavenger hunt around the yard and house! The summer time means that it will be dark later. Take advantage of this by creating an obstacle course around house. Have the kids work together to figure out puzzles or maps. Have a prize for everyone once they get to the finish!
9) Tell Ghost Stories
Ghost stories are a great way to get everyone scared! Turn off all the lights and shin a flashlight onyour face. Tell the creepiest story possible, and wait for the screams! This may be too scary for little ones.
10) Make Pizzas or Cookies!
Everyone loves to be in the kitchen. If you make personal pizzas or cookies, this is a great way to get everyone involved. Have the kids roll the dough. Then the older family members can make special orders for each person. Once they are ready, then you have dinner on the house!
In conclusion, there are so many things you can do to have a fun frugal night at the house. You do not need to spend too much money to have a great time.
Alice Gracie loves to write about health and parenting at http://grouphealthinsurance.org.
Clever Halloween Treats
October 2, 2012
While you will certainly go through bags and bags of candy this Halloween, among all the sugar highs are sure to make room for some of the clever Halloween treats we’ve compiled, cooked up and mixed together.
The Witch’s Hat
A cookie or cupcake base works well for your upside down ice cream cone witch’s hat. Use a little icing to stick the two-piece together. A cake ball base under the cone can be decorated as a witch’s face. For a witch’s hat on a smaller scale, try a Hershey’s chocolate kiss. You can also make a clever (though non-edible) witch’s hat from a cupcake wrapper. Squeeze the center up into a point leaving the crinkled edge sticking out flat in a circle like the brim of the witch’s hat.
Eyeballs
Cake balls also make perfectly spooky eye balls. Cover in white icing with a black icing pupil (or use a mini chocolate kiss pupil by sticking the tip of the kiss into the cake ball), then draw on a bloodshot look with some thin red icing streaks and lines. While cake balls usually stand on a stick, consider placing these (without a stick) in one big bowl of eyeballs. We hope it has your houseguests staring.
The Creepy Hand Dip
What party is complete without a veggie tray? But you can’t do the same old veggie tray and dip at Halloween. You need a centerpiece hand reaching out from within the veggie’s dip. Finger-like carrot sticks work perfect for this effect and it is such an easy trick for this treat. Add a few almond slivers for the fingernails and the creepy hand is complete.
Gooey Smile
To create a clever Halloween smile, use two apple slices and fill it with a row of mini marshmallow teeth that can be glued between the two apple slices by using a touch of peanut butter or Nutella. Want to add a darkened tooth or too? Just dip a marshmallow in chocolate, or try white chocolate dyed green for one gross (but tasty) smile.
Witch’s Fingers
As though vegetables like cooked asparagus are not scary enough for many kids, try making them both scary and fun by topping with almond sliver fingernails and arranging like witches fingers across their dinner plates.
Ghost Poop
Fill a bag with mini marshmallows and label it ghost poop. EEeewww! You can also use white chocolate chips, or non-buttered popcorn.
Glow Drinks
This trick is super clever and works with any drink treat. Place a glow stick (in the color of your choice) at the bottom of a solid color cup. Next, nestle a clear cup on top of the glow stick within the first cup. This works best with two disposable cups of the same design as long as the inside layer is clear to allow the glow stick to shine through. Try clear liquid for the drink, or test out different colored drinks and glow sticks to discover all the variations and find the one that works best for your clever Halloween treat!
Susan Wright is a trained veterinarian of more than a decade and is a freelance writer> Susan enjoys sharing tips to help pet owners create lasting memories for the pet and their families
Infertility Treatments for Men – So Your Boys Don’t Swim. Now What?
September 29, 2012
Starting a family is almost always talked about from the point of view of a woman. Admittedly, that is understandable as we guys spend most of our time sitting on the sidelines in a supportive role while the ladies do the heavy lifting. The problem is that there are aspects where we play an essential part that are rarely discussed. Specifically, I’m referring to male infertility.
Largely discussed as a women’s issue (perhaps due to our stubborn male egos), it is often the case that the problem of infertility actually stems from the man. Roughly 1 in every 3 infertility cases is attributed to male sterility.
While the inability to procreate can be a huge blow to any man’s idea of masculinity, there are actually a number of ways to correct this disorder. Step 1 is to accept that you have a medical problem that has treatment options. Once you have survived this phase, you can now go on to understanding what you can do to fight infertility head on.
1. Hormonal Imbalance
Hormonal problems are largely to blame for both gender’s sterility issues. When your body’s hypothalamus and pituitary glands fail to produce adequate hormones, your chances of getting your wife pregnant are marginally reduced. To correct this imbalance, your doctor can prescribe the use of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) treatments to regulate hormone production and boost your testosterone levels.
2. Genital Infections
Genital infections from sexually transmitted diseases can also block a man’s ability to procreate. If, upon examination, your physician finds an unusual percentage of white blood cells in your semen, you are most likely suffering from an infected reproductive tract, and will be prescribed antibiotics to stop the infection.
3. Retrograde Ejaculation
Described as a reproductive disorder in which, upon ejaculation or sperm release, the sperm cells are actually moving in the other direction, and end up in the bladder. In this case, your doctor will have to take a sample of your sperm cells from your urine, give it a good cleaning and use it to fertilize an ovum through in vitro fertilization.
4. Blockage in the Reproductive Tract
When the reason for your infertility is an obstruction along your reproductive tract, then a surgery or bypass operation may be administered to remove this blockage and allow your healthy sperm cells to reach and fertilize healthy eggs. Varicoceles is a procedure that is used when the obstacle is blocking the veins.
5. In Vitro Fertlization (IVF)
In some cases, an IVF, or in vitro fertilization, may also be used to facilitate pregnancy. Here, the sperm, removed from you or a donor, is combined with a number of eggs until an embryo is formed. Once the procedure is deemed a success, the resulting embryo can then be transferred to the mother’s uterus where it will stay for another 9 months.
Apart from these medical treatments, you can also try a few lifestyle changes to boost your chances of getting your wife pregnant. Eating a balanced diet, exercising, and abstaining from alcohol and cigarettes can do a lot to help encourage your healthy sperm production.
Mike never expected to be writing about male infertility, but then again he never thought he’d be a part time writer for duedatecalculator.org talking about an ovulation calendar and slightly less exact Chinese gender calendar here.
Hilarious Pranks To Play With Electronics
September 26, 2012
I love pranks, especially ones that give electric shocks. Here I’m going to show you can play a prank on some unsuspecting fool and give them a short electric shock. Playing with electricity can be dangerous but luckily we’ll only be using small volt dosages!
Here are 2 pranks here that have been well thought out and with a bit of effort are quite easy to carry out. I will describe them one by one.
Prank #1 : Electrified Door Handle
Its common good manners to knock before you enter. But some people just barge their way in all the time. So it’s necessary to teach those guys a lesson! Here I will tell you a really simple way in which you can electrify your door handle.
Equipment:
- Taser (made from the internal circuit of a disposable camera)
- Electrical Tape
- Wire with Alligator clips
- Thin insulated Copper Wire
- Screw Driver
Procedure:
1. Build the taser
- Take a cheap disposable camera
- Open it up using a screw driver and take out its internal circuit. (take care not to damage it)
- Put a battery in the camera (whichever battery it uses). Press the flash button and wait for the capacitor to charge. (It will give a high pitched sound at the start and when that sound stops the capacitor is charged). Through all this process DO NOT touch the capacitor contacts or metallic parts of the circuit.
- When the capacitor is fully charged pull out the battery. Now solder two wires at the ends of the capacitor
2. Unscrew the door knob such that it is only loosened and still hanging in the door.
3. Pass a copper wire through the loosened door knob and peel the ends of the wire.
4. On the entering side of the room, paste the peeled copper wire ends on the door knob by electrical tape such that it is not visible to the person who is entering.
5. On the inner/back side of the door (the one inside your room) take the alligator clips and attach them to the taser as attached to the back side of the door (demonstrated in the picture as follows). The other end of the alligator clips is attached to the peeled copper wire ends that come through to the inside as shown.
Prank # 2: The Electrified Pen
Imagine when someone asks to borrow a pen and you lend them your special electrified pen. Read on for tips on how to make an electrified pen!
Equipment:
- Electronic Lighter
- A metallic Cover Pen
- Aluminum Foil
Procedure:
1. Take an electronic lighter and dismember it carefully. You have to take out the part that is depicted in the internal view of the lighter. This part is called an electric generator or piezo igniter and it produces the spark to ignite the fuel in the lighter.
2. Take the metallic covered pen and open it up.
3. Wind aluminum foil around the inside ink cartridge as shown. The ink cartridge of any pen is made of plastic. This might hinder the conduction of the current. That is why Aluminum foil is wrapped around it!
4. Attach the thin black colored strip protruding from the piezo igniter/electric generator, that was obtained from the electric lighter, to a thin copper wire as shown in the fig.( see (2) in the fig)). The electric generator produces electric current that travels through the thin copper wire that is attached with it.
5. Now comes the tricky part. Stuffing everything inside the pen so that nothing seems WRONG! The foil covered ink cartridge and the wire attached electric generator are to run longitudinally and parallel in the pen in such a way that the naked end of the wire touches the metallic body of the pen. Don’t get too messed up! Imagine it just as an additional wire beside the ink cartridge inside the pen!
6. Now that the ink cartridge and the wire is inside the pen you just have to put the electric generator/piezo igniter inside the upper part of the pen in such a way that when the pen button is pressed down the button on top of the electric generator /piezo igniter is also pressed thus passing an electric current through the metal casing of the pen. Close the pen carefully.
7. When all that is done just put the innocent looking pen beside the phone or keep it on your desk ready to hand it to any unsuspecting person needing a pen.
Geoffery enjoys playing a good pranks. He’s also interested in electronics and circuit borads and loves to play around with oscilloscopes and other electronic tools.
Over The Top Pranks
September 19, 2012
Pranking – an odd concept, we’re sure you’ll agree. Pranking people, whether over the phone or in real life, has long been a favourite past-time of children and teenagers, but since its inception into the world’s social consciousness with Jackass in 2000, it’s become a true phenomenon – especially on the internet.
The introduction of YouTube allowed ‘have-a-go’ heroes post their own prank videos online for the world to see, and while they may not have the genius of the aforementioned MTV show, some are still fantastically clever and, above all, funny. Some are just scary. Here are some of the most over-the-top pranks we’ve found on the web.
What’s love?
What better way to keep a relationship fresh than by ruining each other’s lives with constant pranks? This hilarious couple film every prank they ever play on each other and some are just downright mean. The guy, for instance, takes a water cannon to his wife’s exposed bottom while she sleeps – honestly, can you think of anything worse than that? Being rolled out of bed onto a pile of mousetraps?
Who doesn’t enjoy being woken up by being poked and then finding a mannequin where your husband should be? It’s the American way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzMSNk8Si00
Sadistic couples
It seems that many couples around the world enjoy seeing their partner in pain – odd concept, right? But thanks to the internet we can sit back and enjoy their pranks on one another in the comfort of our own home – and some are rather hilarious. This video shows a selection of couples pranking each other.
The first prank is a right cracker and one that probably shouldn’t be tried at home as it may break your car…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvbBB9ipndA&feature=related
Horsing around
Friendship – a bond between people; a bond made from love. No. Not when you’re young it’s not. Friendship, when you’re young, means banter and life-ruining escapades, hence why, in this video, you see some guys dress up as a horse and wake their friend up by prodding his face with the horse mask. You can imagine his reaction when he does finally awaken from his slumber.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1bPWHQkD4E&feature=relmfu
A little wee
The reaction this woman has after she wakes up having been ‘urinated on’ by her boyfriend is absolutely legendary! She goes completely nuts and even proclaims some rather nasty things she was going to do to him. Thankfully, the guy realised he was in trouble and told her it wasn’t actually his urine, but just a clever bit of piping and some water.
Still, it’s a fantastic (if evil) prank which almost went wrong for the prankster.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlPmwG1QCqc&feature=player_detailpage
Lottery win!
Everybody dreams of winning the lottery. Just imagine realising you’ve won; everything you can buy; your troubles gone forever. You’ll probably start plotting just how many cars you’re going to buy, what type of house you’re going to live in and which ex-friend to piss off first. It’s the most exciting moment of your life. Your dreams are complete!
But no. Thanks to your boyfriend, the tickets are fake and you’ve just been pranked. We feel for this girl, we really do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pplp3WlVIK0&feature=relmfu
Like many people, we live in fear of being on the receiving end of pranks as devastating as the above. Check out our contributor’s websites at www.alton-towers-breaks.co.uk – check them out for this year’s Scarefest!
Top 10 Ridiculous Japanese Commercials with Hollywood Stars
September 5, 2012
Some of the things you uncover on YouTube stay with you forever (just like the career moves of certain movie stars). Some things you do can never be deleted. Check out the videos below for some of the most cringeworthy yet entertaining advertisments ever comitted to tape.
10. Tim Roth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAdDUlwdOk8
Forgive the grainy quality of this particular car crash of an advert – a lot of these are from the 1990s when it was all the rage to feature a serious actor in a bizarre set up to hawk products. Here, the writers of the commercial must have just known who would best play the role of ‘waiter appearing in steam’. “Get me Tim Roth!”
9. Britney Spears
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIntO6yCflI&feature=bf_next&list=PL5A55AB78DE9D78D1
Watching this ad brings back the nightmare that was the late 90s Disney spawned pop generation – tacky songs, dreadful clothing and lots of bright colours. Shudder. Although, we do like the way the security guy cheers up because of sweets. That’s a happy ending.
8. Ewan Mcgregor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smmP_CJrK9g
It’s hard to keep up with what Ewan McGregor might be promoting here. Milk? Sausages? Pretending to be drunk because it supposedly looks cool in a zebra print jacket? Oh, wait, it’s the jeans. Always the jeans.
7. Ringo Starr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNZBtkc-_PE
Most of the celebs featured on this list are trading off their name, but none so literally as Ringo Starr. Ringo means apple in Japanese, so you can guess who their first port of call is when it comes to flogging apple products (that’s apple the fruit, not Apple the technology – though they’re missing a trick there!)
6. Jodie Foster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=K49ciQjwVFY
When was the last time you saw Jodie Foster out and about? For someone so fiercely protective of her privacy, she sure didn’t mind accepting money for this whimsical, uplifting piece. Selling… erm… a dream? An ideal? No, we don’t know.
5. Ben Stiller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bW_cHfnOXM
This ad could easily be an outtake from Zoolander. Unfortunately for Ben Stiller, it isn’t. His magic trick of opening a can of something fizzy is a big hit with the ladies. Ben shares an in-joke with the big football players at the end, – we don’t know what it is, but we’re sure it’s very funny.
4. Bruce Willis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwqbqnsoSCs
Here, hardman Bruce Willis is dressed as Wee Willy Winky, surrounded by telephones and getting progressively more agitated about them constantly ringing. Then a credit card pops up, he gets a gun and says, “Move you”. Which is all pretty self-explanatory, isn’t it?
3. Nicholas Cage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er0u0rLOaR0
It could be argued that the plot and acting within this advert are more realistic than most actual Nic Cage films, but that would be mean. The advert somehow fails to really sell anything. Apart from a novel idea of cowboys actually liking aliens, unlike that quite-good-despite-the-title film where they didn’t get along? Surprisingly, Nic wasn’t in that.
2. Harrison ford
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwxk9UibZZg&feature=related
A man that was in that Cowboys vs Aliens film here. Sadly though, all that can be brought away from this Harrison Ford advert for beer is that Harrison Ford really likes beer. So much so that he can’t just relax and enjoy a sauna without having to run out and get one with an equally thirsty Japanese man. It’s sad really.
1. Hulk Hogan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdViUfe2IFg
Where to start with this commercial? Firstly, it’s Hulk Hogan so it’s hardly surprising that he’s sold out for what we hope was a big cheque. He’s singing the days of the week in a nursery rhyme format (presumably the only way he can remember them). A baby inexplicably appears. We hope that’s an air conditioning unit at the end, but it could just as easily been a plastic lump. Hulk wouldn’t have been any the wiser.
This mesmerising look at a side of Hollywood we rarely see was written by Chessington Holidays; official hotel and deal provider for Chessington.
The Best Karaoke Songs of 2012 (So Far)
September 4, 2012
This has been a great year for karaoke lovers so far. New artists have come onto the scene and given us popular new hits while older acts are still holding their own. Companies that produce karaoke music are also doing a better job of getting current hits out sooner. Sometimes you only have to wait a few weeks after a song becomes a hit for you to be able to sing it in a bar. This is a list of the most popular songs in karaoke rooms across the nation for 2012. Keep in mind it takes a special quality for a song to be a popular karaoke hit. While Katy Perry’s “Wide-awake” has certainly dominated the music charts, it’s not a very popular song to sing for karaoke – in fact, it’s pretty boring. You’ll notice that these songs have one thing in common – they’re fun!
Nicki Minaj – Starships – here is an artist that’s one of the best things to happen to karaoke in quite a while. She’s got her own style and it fits perfectly with the nature of karaoke. Some of her songs are a bit too “hardcore” for mass public consumption, but all of her radio hits are perfect for individual singing. Starships is a fun song with a great hook, and it’s the perfect party song to sing if you’re at a bar with a group of people. It mixes rap and song with a sassy style perfectly.
Maroon 5 – Moves Like Jagger – This tune got its start on “The Voice”, and no one expected it to explode like it did. It dominated the airwaves and became popular among old and young alike – and that’s not easy to do in today’s increasingly picky musical world. This is a song that you’ve undoubtedly sang to yourself whether you love karaoke or not. It’s one of the catchiest songs of the year, and everybody has their own interpretation.
Chasing the Sun – The Wanted – a lot of people have mixed feelings when it comes to boy bands and the music they produce. This particular band burst onto the scene almost at the exact same moment as their nearest competition, One Direction. There’s one thing that has made this a popular choice in karaoke bars: girls love the song and the band. When given the chance to sing like their favorite boy band, they jump at the chance like nothing else. It’s unlikely you’ll see guys taking on the song since it’s not exactly cool to admit that they even know who The Wanted are, but the girls are there to pick up the slack.
Katie Perry – Friday – Ms. Perry was mentioned earlier in this article for having a song that was too boring for karaoke. You’ll see a major difference with this tune that is nothing but fun. From the crazy music video to the catchy chorus, this song was tailor-made for karaoke. It’s perfect if you want to liven up the crowd, or if you want to bring up your friends to sing with you. Best of all, the lyrics are easy enough to remember so that you don’t even have to look at the screen.
Carly Rae Jespen – Call Me Maybe – you probably already knew that this song would be on the list. For one reason or another, it’s become one of the biggest hits of 2012. This is due in no small part to the fact that it’s so catchy and singable. You’ve undoubtedly seen countless parodies and people posting their own videos on YouTube. This has carried over into the world of karaoke when people are picking which song to sing. This one is a natural match, and it’s probably already in your head since it still played on radio nonstop. There’s been a bit of a backlash against this song, but that still doesn’t stop people from going nuts every time it comes on.
If you’re looking for more karaoke related fun, you can find it on this site. Karaokemachineguide.com has reviews on the latest equipment, and a wide selection of songs for every type of machine. With the right set up, you can have as much fun at home as you do in an established bar.