As many fans of music know, the lyrical parts of a song are usually the most important and integral pieces to a particular song or piece’s success. Many times these words are the only part of a song that fans will remember or be able to recognize in an instant. In addition, it is common for artists to make the leap into becoming a superstar when they come out with great lyrics for their new hits. But the truth is that not every artist in the world who is selling CDs and concert tickets has great lyrics to their work, or any at all for that matter. You might be wondering, how can music be good without meaningful words, much less having no words at all? This article should help to answer that question and change the common notion that all great music must have unbelievable lyrics as well.

To start out with, it is important to realize that music is not just the songs a person can hear on a radio. In fact, the first pieces of music were almost exclusively played in a concert hall. In this setting, a group of different instruments play in unison to a conductor’s movements. There are no words because quite simply there doesn’t need to be any. Some of the most famous musical work in the world, and oldest at that, is often played in this style. While not popular with the youth today, classical music, as it is often termed, often goes hand in hand with being upper-class. Whether this is a fair pairing or not, that is debatable. But this much is true, many people find deeper meaning and enjoy this style of music without looking for words to accompany they harmony of the instruments!

On the other hand, a popular selection at almost any night or dance club is techno music. Techno music is often generated on a computer, and combines wacky sounding drum beats and other instrumental sounds to make a song that sounds like it was electronically produced. This music has many different beats and often is extremely easy to dance to. While it can have words, it is more common for techno songs to be without any human voices, or to use them sparingly. Even with the absence of almost any words at all, however, techno music remains a popular choice on any dance floor and it would be hard to find a club that doesn’t play at least one song. Indeed there are even some popular techno artists, whose main musical talents lie in creating new beats and remixing past billboard toppers!

All in all, it should be fairly obvious by now that a song doesn’t have to have lyrics to be considered worth listening to. Many different types and genres of music embedded in our society today are, in fact, found without any words at all. Whether it be rich classical music that your grandparents listen to, or fast-moving techno music that you dance to, words are not as important as they may seem initially.

The comic book revolution in today's modern pop culture has been more or less unheralded. Although a major coup in the world of geekdom, the mainstream press has regarded the increase in mass-market comic book entertainment as nothing more than a passing trend.

The popularity of comic book entertainment is no trend, nor will it pass any time soon. For no other reason than stubbornness, the bigwigs in charge of the entertainment industry had, in the past, not given comic books and their fans the proper due. There has always been an audience for big-budget super hero films, but those films were never treated with respect until the year 2000. As this insightful BuddyTV article shows, the release of the Bryan Singer directed "X-Men" in 2000 set the wheels in motion for the evolution of comic book entertainment. Since "X-Men's" massive success, the studio heads have changed their tune and are now fully committed to satiating the rabid super hero fan base.

Now that comic books have conquered the big screen, it was time for them to turn their attention to television. "Heroes" on NBC is a shining example of what the comic book culture can bring to a wide, national television audience. Comic books have provided serial drama long before the likes of "Lost" and "24" did. Frankly, there is no better medium for comic books than television; the stories can take their time to build and evolve. Heroes has done its very best to please comic die-hards while also creating an engrossing drama appropriate for mass consumption.

For a wonderful and succinct recap of the evolution of comic book entertainment that eventually led to the creation of NBC's "Heroes", check out BuddyTV's smart and insightful article.

David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik are two of the great sitcom minds of our generation. David Crane was the mastermind behind sitcom giant "Friends" and now has birthed a new sitcom with long-time partner Jeffrey Klarik (of "Mad About You" fame) called The Class. The Class has started out a tad bumpy, creatively, but, given the premise, this is to be expected. When Crane started "Friends" it was hailed as revolutionary in that their were six main characters. None was more important than the other, and they all shared equal screen time. The ensemble comedy has never been the same.

With The Class, Klarik and Crane have become ridiculously ambitious. Eight main characters are supplemented by four secondary characters, leading to a whopping total of twelve regular characters. Try finding a realistic way of introducing all of them in a twenty two minute pilot. But, alas, Crane and Klarik have accomplished this and, although this may be arguable, they've done it with flying colors. Just excuse them if the laughs aren't all there yet. Exposition is a writer's worst enemy and The Class is saddled with the requirement of setting up all twelve of their characters in a short time. Adding to this predicament is the fact that almost every main character leads a separate and unique life. Before the pilot, few of the characters have interacted in years. Most sitcoms begin their pilot already well into the plot. By this, I mean there is no inciting incident that allows the premise of the show to occur. The set-up has happened in the past, off-screen.

The Class is different. The characters will evolve, they're relationships will grow as they interact more and more. The sheer amount of possible combinations of on screen characters on The Class is staggering.

The BuddyTV interview with Crane and Klarik belies a deep-seeded knowledge in what it takes to make TV comedy work and gives the reader a clear example of exactly why these two have become as successful as they have. They are workaholics and, if you had any doubts about The Class before, you'll soon realize that you're in good hands.

It's not always easy. You have to be creative with how you pare your craft show costs down. That's what I'm going to help you with. I think there are 4 main ways you can do this, without sacrificing the quality of your craft, nor affecting the overall sales.

1.) Buy in bulk – You do it for your groceries in order to save a few pennies, so why not on your craft supplies? If you are buying pipe cleaners (for example) and you only need 10, it might cost you $2 – because you are paying for nice packaging and the convenience of only purchasing 10. But, if you bought 100, in a dull cardboard box – you might pay $4. The individual cost for the first 10 is $.20 each; the individual cost for the 100 is a measly $.04. All of a sudden you have dropped your cost by $.16 cents on each craft. That's smart business.

2.) Less frequent trips – We live in an instant gratification world. If we need something right now, we go and get it. It's no different when you need a couple of things for a few crafts that are unfinished. We often take for granted that there is fuel in the vehicle and that we can travel across the city to the specialty craft store that carries our supplies. What we don't realize is that each time we pull the vehicle out of the garage, it costs us money. If you are going to go out for just a couple of supplies, why not take stock of all of your craft supplies and see if you are near empty on a few other ones? By doing it all at once, you are going to save a great deal of time and money – reflected in your craft show business bottom line.

3.) Reduce and reuse – Reduce the amount of waste you create with your craft show items and you are most certainly going to cut down on the costs of producing them. Similarly, try to reuse some of the tools or supplies that have previously gone unused. Be creative – find ways to make a little go a lot further – without sacrificing quality for your crafts.

4.) Plan – If you take the first three steps and put them together, what do you have? That's right – it is a craft show plan! By planning how, when and how much, you are going to give yourself a chance to make good decisions and reduce the cost of producing your crafts. Those without a plan are going buy less, spend more, travel more, and likely in the end waste more. That is not a way to run a successful business.

Each penny you can save when you are making your crafts is a penny that is back in your pocket. If you can reduce your costs by $1 for each craft, and you sell 100 crafts, that is $100 extra dollars in your jeans. All of a sudden, reducing costs seems well worth the work.

Whether you are training your voice to join the ranks of professional singers or wish to cultivate your amateur talent, there are numerous aspects of singing to take into consideration. No matter how famous a singer is or how beautiful a voice, there will always be critical influences lurking in the shadows. They whisper about flat notes, put down song choices and even grimace at what a singer is wearing. All of these criticisms are fleeting.

It is up to the singer to learn from and embrace the good and the bad that comes with sharing his or her voice with the world. As long as you are confident and satisfied with your voice, the sky is the limit. Even the most popular vocalists of today have room for improvement.

When you’ve decided to embark on the path to develop your voice for singing, there is a certain level of respect regarding your craft to adhere to. As you enter the wonderful world of learning how to sing, there are many different concepts to embrace and aspects to consider when you are ready to take your potential to the next phase.

Choosing the Song That is Right For You

Although you may croon Frank Sinatra in the shower or hum Cher in the car, this doesn’t mean their songs are the right ones for you to take on while developing your voice. When singing, your vocal capabilities will fall into a specific vocal range, which are based upon the sex of the singer and the tonal quality they have in their voice.

Females are deemed a soprano (highest vocal range), contralto (lowest singing voice) or mezzo-soprano, which sits between soprano and contralto. The highest vocal ranges for a man include soprano and alto, which is also a term used to express the lowest singing voice of a female. Males have a wider assortment of tones associated with the range of their voice.

A tenor has a high vocal range that enables the singer to reach dramatic high notes. In opera, this is one of the more popular ranges of voice. The lowest vocal range for a man is referred to as bass. Typically, men with deep-speaking voices accomplish this vocal range. In the middle, there is the baritone (a cross between bass and tenor) and bass-baritone (a cross between bass and baritone).

Knowing your vocal strengths and capabilities, as well as limitations, will help you choose the kind of songs that will bring out your natural talent. Surely, if you have a deep voice, you will not benefit from tackling high-pitched songs that torture and strain your vocal cords.

Caring For Your Voice

When you make it a habit to practice healthy voice techniques and care, you will experience an improvement in the quality of your voice. These habits also ensure that your voice will continue to function in top working condition for many years to come. Singers should drink at least 6-8 glasses of water per day. This will keep the throat well hydrated. Proper breathing techniques will aid an individual in learning how to sing. Singers-in-training should avoid shouting, yelling and talking loud. All of these actions can lead to a hoarse voice, which affects your ability to sing.

Although the opportunity to receive free psychic advice via the internet is much greater than obtaining a free phone psychic reading, it is possible to make a free phone connection with a highly qualified psychic available for guidance through a variety of readings including the use of astrology and numerology or even contacting deceased family members to resolve emotional issues.

Referrals are the key to acquiring free phone psychic time to further explore the unanswered questions in life and receive guidance from a psychic. One program gives the participating customer 30 minutes of pre-paid time for psychic phone readings with the referral of every three friends or colleagues. Each referral must actually get psychic phone readings and have those verified before the free minutes are rewarded.

Introductory offers are always available at a reduced rate and a free phone psychic reading is occasionally available during a specified call-in date and time as a promotional offer. This information is usually available at the websites for various psychic providers and often included with email updates when callers register.

The reward of free phone psychic advice is an incentive for first time members who sign on and commit to a pre-paid plan with the provider. Introductory offers of one free question for a phone psychic is also a way to sample the advice from different psychics.

Television and radio appearances by professional psychics with an established following and audience will provide advice seekers the opportunity to ask a brief question and receive guidance along with a free phone psychic connection. In order to participate, the caller must be willing to have their question and voice aired on the television or radio program. It is not always necessary to reveal your name to the psychic or the audience. Check the website for your favorite psychic for schedule/event information.

SETI, or Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, has been an ongoing endeavor for many decades. In the early days, it was expected to be quick success, so much so that national governments even helped fund these projects. Like the Moon race, there was something of a "find E.T." race. All that is gone now. Government funding has virtually evaporated around the globe. The explanation is simple: no one likes a perpetual failure. The few remaining SETI efforts have to count on private funding to scrape along. Well, the objective of this article is to come to the rescue of the last of the SETI astronomers, to tell them where they can find E.T. so that they can regain the world's respect.

That last sentence was not meant to be cynical. As noted in my article "Decoding Book Resurrects the Ancient Astronaut Theme," author Morten St. George claims that some of the prophecies of Nostradamus are of alien origin, and that those prophecies tell us how to calculate the galactic coordinates of where E.T. came from. In a follow-up interview, I posed the following question to St. George: Do you agree that contact with intelligent aliens could be of immense importance to humankind? He agreed. Then I asked: Do you agree that this is more important than your selling a few copies of your cryptic thinking book? He agreed. This article will be a little longer and a little more technical than the others.

According to St. George, three prophetic stanzas combine to provide information about E.T.'s location. The first of these is stanza number I-81. Here, the first four words of the fourth verse are the most relevant: "Kappa, Thita, Lambda, mors." St. George says he has an etymological dictionary that defines "mors" as the "bite of a scorpion." Consequently, Kappa, Theta, and Lambda are the names of three stars in the tail section of the constellation Scorpius. (Note that the use of Greek letters for star names postdates Nostradamus). It's a star arrow, and Lambda is the arrow head. Elsewhere, the prophecies name three cities to form an arrow circling around the globe; thus, St. George believes the three stars should be viewed as points on a sphere.

Where does the star arrow point? St. George says he followed the star arrow upwards on a star map and it hit or passed close to a dark cloud called Barnard 72, for which he already had other indications. So that's the answer. E.T. came from or near Barnard 72. But we're not done yet. We're looking for precise coordinates.

The second stanza is numbered IV-32. According to St. George's decoding, this stanza tells a story: Once upon a time, Triton, Pluto, and Charon formed a triple planet system with a distinct orbit around the Sun. Then one day, the aliens came along, grabbed hold of Triton, and pushed it into a retrograde orbit around the planet Neptune. In route to Neptune, Pluto and Charon hung on for a while, then broke loose and drifted off into a new orbit. When did this happen? St. George says the aliens were here in 580 A.D., so that would be his guess for the date of these planet manipulations.

If you love to draw, and have an interest in sharpening your skills for either professional or personal reasons, you are probably thinking of taking a few art courses to help you along in your endeavor. Art courses are everywhere. The trick is to find the right courses for your budget and your time schedule. Luckily, today there are more and more options than there used to be, and many different directions you can go when you attend classes. You may not even know what you want to do or what direction to take until you get started.

Schools like the Art Institute offer many different types of art courses. You can learn more about drawing, painting, graphic design, computer illustration, and special effects. You can also take photography or cooking classes, which many consider to be forms of art as well. While their art courses seem to be pretty well laid out for the average student, last I knew there were some elective courses you could add to your itinerary while in school. These schools offer not only art courses, but they will help you with housing, financial aid, and job placement once you have completed your degree.

If you don’t have an Art Institute nearby, and have no intention on moving away from where you are to take art courses, you can probably find some near where you live. Most community colleges have at least some art classes, but they may not offer a degree. It will depend on what you want to take art courses for, and how many different classes you want to take. Community college art courses are great for those who need a brush up on their skills, or for those who are taking classes for personal reasons.

You may also find individual artists in your area offering art courses from their home or a studio. These will not earn you a degree, but you can learn how to draw or paint this way. Usually these art courses are one on one, or if there is a class, the class is usually very small, and you get a lot of attention from your instructor. If you are already an artist and looking for a way to make more money, you might consider offering art courses to those in your community. Make sure you charge enough to make it worth your while, but don’t undermine yourself by charging a tiny fee.

“Giclee” is a style of fine art, which incorporates the use of modern day printers, predominately 7-color to 12-color format ink jet printers and digital art work. The process is becoming more popular amongst modern day artists who regularly paint in digital format; hence there is no “original” artwork as such. It can also prove very beneficial to artists working on a tight budget, as they are able to reprint copies of the digital original on demand hence less wastage. The Giclee style is also being used to produce enhanced prints of older original artwork, which is digitally scanned as a starting point of the process.

The beauty of Giclee art is the fact that any digital artwork can be reproduced on a number of different media, including canvas and specialist papers giving a very professional look. The quality of today’s printers is such that rather than the old dot patterns the flow of coloring and texture is very smooth, offering an excellent finish.

While the Giclee procedure can be transferred to any style and format of fine art, it has become particularly prevalent in the tropical regions, with Hawaiian Giclee prints becoming much sort after in the art world. While initially the Giclee format had received a luke warm welcome from the more traditional of the art world, it has now taken a firm place as a modern day art form. Galleries are now accepting Giclee artwork into their shows, and the collectors are showing a real interest, resulting in the emergence of a Giclee market place.

In an art world often set against any new styles or procedures, which go against the traditional methods, Giclee is starting to make a big name for itself and is becoming more and more popular. This really is a case of traditional art embracing modern technology.

Fotomoto, John Peel, and a dimly-lit bedroom in Stoke-on-Trent…

I first heard of Fotomoto through one of those random chances which seem to so influence our lives, kicking us off down an unexpected path.

My younger brother Richard had been living in North Wales for quite a few years, and I knew he had taught himself guitar in solitary flats and hotel rooms whilst earning a living as a chef in a string of establishments.

I even had some demo tapes he had made with a band appealingly called “The Scabbs”.

Through the North Wales musical set Richard hooked up with a band called Melys, and he played bass guitar with them. Melys had already enjoyed quite a bit of success with radio play and appearances on S4C. Their big triumph came at Christmas 2000 when they beat little know bands such as the White Stripes and Strokes to win John Peel’s legendary Festive Fifty with their single “Chinese Whispers”.

I was very impressed with this, having been a life-long fan and admirer of Peel since seeing him at the Hollywood (Staffordshire!) Festival, in summer 1970. I started listening again to J.P.’s late night midweek shows as a result, in the hope of catching some reference to Melys.

One evening John played a track by Fotomoto and commented that the band were looking for feedback and gave their email address. I emailed them and that started an email/internet dialogue which turned into much more! My dabbling with the internet and web sites had extended to setting up a family name history research site, mostly for the benefit of American relatives, but also to keep abreast of the technology for my rent-paying job.

I offered Fotomoto some space on my isp and they leapt at the chance, as they were keen to be better known in the West and free webspace was hard for them to come by. They designed the site and I set it up, along with an email group for interested fans.

The first two albums, the eponymous Fotomoto and Fotomoto2 were manufactured by me burning individual copies in my bedroom late at night, usually after a hard day’s work. They were mailed all over the world – UK, Ireland, , Mexico, Germany…such is the power of the Internet, Mr. Peel’s reputation and recommendation, and word of mouth.

Moscow record label Snegin produced their third album, “suranov, a?” but only made a limited run. It sold well, it sold out, and after that it was back to making copies one by one for the fans who knew where to look.

In June 2004 a long-cherished ambition was fulfilled. Fotomoto had been invited to do one of the most prestigious things in the musical world – a John Peel session at Maida Vale in London.

They endured bureaucracy, lack of ready cash, and a forty-hour coach trip from Kiev to London to make that dream come true.

The session was a triumph, with John Peel raving over their sound. I even got a mention!

I had the privilege of meeting Fotomoto in London, albeit briefly, as I happened to be there on business the day before they left.

We met at the ‘Head of Steam’ at Euston for about an hour while I waited for my train back to Stoke. Their spoken English was somehow worse than the pidgin emails they sent, but we got along and parted with many hugs and good wishes.

Rock journalist Matthew Collin took up the story. He had been fascinated by Eastern European rock for years and was intrigued by the tale of Fotomoto’s determination to play in the West. Matthew went to Ukraine to interview the band and it coincided with the Orange revolution in that country.

Music was mixing with politics and it was heady!

The resulting article in the Observer created a huge surge of renewed public interest in the band. John Peel’s untimely death added a frisson of tragedy to the whole issue.

Email and hits to the website went wild. Everybody wanted a copy of “suranov, a?”, the album Snegin had dropped. Following the Observer article I was interviewed by local fanzine editors and radio.

“How does a guy in Stoke get involved with a band in the Ukraine, and more column inches of interview in the Observer than John Peel..?”

I had the great honour of meeting John Peel a couple of times. The first was the awesome live session played by Melys in 2001 on the night Liverpool won the UEFA cup. Richard blagged me an invite and John spoke to me because I was the only other guy in Maida Vale approaching his age…”

Naturally he was euphoric about the win, and threw his record list to the floor, commanding Melys to ‘just keep playing’. I was introduced as ‘the man who looks after Fotomoto’ and I felt proud of that. I have a much cherished photo of John, Rich and me – John is clutching a glass of celebratory red!

By now I had a standing invitation to visit live sessions at Maida Vale if I happened to be in London on business. I tried very hard to ensure my meetings were on a Tuesday. Bosses, if you’re reading, please forgive!

Fotomoto also had a standing invitation to do another session, but this was not realized till December 2005.

The world had not forgotten John Peel, but it had moved on. Radio Ones’s OneMusic now occupied Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights from 2300-0100 GMT.

Huw Stephens took up the cudgels for Fotomoto. I was invited to an early live session with Gryff Rhys of Super Furry Animals and went armed with the back catalogue of cd’s as J.P.’s originals were probably languishing with thousands of others at Peel Acres.

A date was agreed to record the session and this was December 7th 2005. Fotomoto also played the Progress Festival in Ghent, Belgium on the way to London. They also performed a live set at the Spitz club in the East End.

Once again I was fortunate enough to be in London the day after, though nursing a hangover from the company’s bash the previous night!

We met in Oxford Street, bustling with Christmas shoppers and sightseers watching the last red London Routemaster buses on route 159.

Try explaining to Ukrainians whose English is rudimentary, the intricacies of the extremely British eccentrics who are bus spotters. It certainly made my headache worse!

The game of poker is simply fun and popular to all. For those who love to play it a lot at home, then perhaps you may want to consider buying a folding poker table. If you do decided to get a table for your house, you will find that the extra expense is worth the cost. A folding poker table has many benefits that you may not even know of, so look into getting one; it surely has benefits for your home too.

Nothing is more exciting than getting together with family and friends for a night of entertainment is good for the soul, but it may not be so good for your house and furniture. If you choose to buy a folding poker table, it gives you a lot of protection for a little money. You can find for about $150.00 a nice table that will leave your dining room table free of nasty scratches and spills. Granted, you won’t be able to organize professional tournaments on a regular basis because it won’t hold up, but this type of folding poker table allows family and friends to enjoy the game.

Generally the standard size of one of these tables varies. There are some that are 38-58 inches on the top; some are larger, if you’re looking for a tournament style folding poker table. For sure, you will not need to worry too much especially about spills on your carpet, or water ring stains on good furniture either. In addition there are cup holders that have liners, and will hold up average size beverages. Besides, you don’t need to dodge stepping on poker chips on the floor, and bruising your feet. Animals and babies won’t be enticed either to chew, or become strangled on them because chip holders are formed into the folding poker table.

Also included are other options for gaming. The table will swing reverse, and lock into place revealing a game of Blackjack. As with the front, cup holders and chip cups leave you at ease if you’re worried about messes and clean up. Another great advantage is that a folding poker table can be a great accessory for your house; it can be either transported for easy storage or if you want to shift it to another location to play. For times when it is not in use simply slide it under a bed, or pack in a light weight carrying case for travel.

If you prefer there are more expensive versions available as well. If you’re worried about it interfering with your décor, you can order a lot of different colored felt to match your color scheme. Table top play can be enhanced with more of a quality table. On the other hand casino cloth will make the chips fall perfectly, and real leather can be special ordered if you want a folding poker table that will last for years and years to come.

No matter what type you want, the internet is your best bet to find it, or you can try in specialty stores that sell things like pool tables and other accessories. Selecting the size, quality or style of folding poker table just depends on your needs or desires. While you’re shopping remember the hassles that you’ll get rid of when buying one.

Here today, gone tomorrow, bars have a reputation for short-term success. But a few have the ability to ride the times and keep on top of the game.

Ten years ago, I was sitting in The Groucho Club one late summer’s evening discussing with a now well known haute couture designer, the new wave of drinking culture that was enveloping the capital, arguing that London really had never been so exciting. Up until that point, drinks were very much a secondary element of the overall experience – wine was simply white or red, beer came only in a pint glass and vodka was whatever paint-stripper the barman chose to pour. But in the nineties, we were on the cusp of a cocktail movement. New-world wines were making the Chardonnay and Shiraz as commonplace as the Bordeaux, while new conceptual drinks like Red Bull were seriously shaking up the market, broadening people’s drinking landscape and challenging us to think about drinking as more of a lifestyle. Slowly, what was behind the bar appeared to be taking over the focus of the night. People were whispering rumours of late night bars that were open into the wee hours, where glamourous glitterati rubbed hips with the international jet-set over Manhattans and Martinis. They, along with The Groucho, were the places everyone wanted to be seen and their popularity seemed untouchable to all but the most cynical.

Of course, everything has a lifespan, we cynically agreed: fashion is dead in a season, and a fashionable bar – well you wouldn’t want to bet the house on it would you? We both concluded that fashions simply can’t last and those bars, which today were the subject of snaking queues, would quickly turn to yesterday’s news as would the drinks that were being quaffed within. Of course, in most cases we weren’t far wrong. Mondo, Saint, Titanic, Riki Tik... all have fallen by the wayside having once been celebrity favourites of their day. Many others have turned from exclusive A-list excellence to godawful tourist tat. The Gin Sling became the Sea Breeze became the Bramble became the Vanilla Mojito…

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Today, another ten years hence, I am back in the same leather couch of the same Groucho, and ordering from the menu a Red Bull, a drink whose ability to transcend fads and trends seems to symbolise the aspirations of nightlife culture. It has history and heritage and has attained almost timeless appeal. Fashionable works for a while, but every owner, manager and promoter hopes and strives for one thing ultimately – and that is to be the next classic. Because the classics, while small in number, exist on a plain far superior to fashion. Dotted amongst the sprawling community of one-off wonders that populate the bar world, a few classics really have stood the test of time, riding the cyclical waves to achieve immortal credibility. The Groucho is one of those timeless classics. Through the years it has always been at the top of its game, its members’ list comprising the same names that populate the pages of the celebrity press together with the successful and powerful in the world of media.

Nowadays, octogenarian founder members sit comfortably alongside young achievers and its long-term future would appear to be set in stone. Embassy is another long-time winner – or more to the point, its ever-present Rock ‘n’ Roll proprietor, Mark Fuller, who ran the original Embassy twenty years ago with equal success. This most recent incarnation of one of London’s most famous clubs, now with a fine dining restaurant that counts among the capital’s very best, and glitzy nightclub in the basement, is a rare constant in the oscillating world of the fashionable. Another face that has always been associated with bar and club supremacy is Jake Panayiotou who ran original celebrity hot-spot, Browns for a decade before moving on in its hay-day. His last few years at the helm of the Wellington Club in Knightsbridge have seen the age-old members’ club climb to yet new heights. But it’s not only members’ clubs that can battle through the ages unscathed. Music-led venues such as Medicine Bar in Islington, Bar Rumba, The Cross, Bar Vinyl and The End have all proved their mettle, while the likes of Hanover Grand, The Gardening Club and Iceni have collapsed into the annuls of ‘hip’ history.

So, what is it that sets the one-hit-wonders apart from the immortals? What makes a classic? Three characteristics seem to pump through the veins of all the long-term winners.

“Quality, choice and adaptability,” says Cas, The Groucho’s pre-eminent bar manager, as he deftly shakes up cocktails from behind the bar. “You have to offer a quality experience in the drinks, the music, the food and the people. You must give customers what they want and you have to adapt to the times.” Subtly underlining the point, my Red Bull silently arrives at the table on its own tray, dressed with a single, perfectly folded napkin.

Can staying power really be so simple to achieve? With twenty years of success behind The Groucho, the club is quite an authority on the subject, but it was Darwin who concluded that “the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting to their environment.” Sounds pretty familiar to me and, let’s face it, you can’t argue with Darwin.

True puppetry as an art form requires the almost magical ability to make your puppets come to life. The biggest responsibility of a puppeteer is to develop the skills to create the illusion that the puppet is a living, breathing, thinking character. The puppet cannot simply stand there and recite lines, he must also react to what is going on around him. When he speaks, his mouth and body movements must be in unison with his dialog. This ability is known throughout the puppet world as lip sync (lip synchronization).

Since puppet characters are usually over-exaggerated, sometimes their movements are too. Lip sync should always be carefully calculated and practiced to perfection so that the hand moving the puppet's mouth always appears to have a natural flow. Proper lip sync should eventually become automatic for any experienced puppeteer. This is very important to your success as a puppet master!

In spite of the fact that the audience knows that puppets are not real, if you can perfect the art of lip sync, the crowd will literally be eating out of your hands! Like music, conversation and dialog has rhythm. The secret of lip sync is actually quite simple once you get used to it.

Here is a creative way to instruct someone on the art of lip sync. Let's take the word "syllable". There are actually three syllables in the word. In most cases your puppet's mouth should open and close once for each syllable. For example, if your puppet says "Hi! How are you?" the mouth should open and close four times, once for each syllable! This movement should coincide with the actual words spoken by the puppeteer. There are just a few exceptions to this rule. Once you develop an understanding and application of lip synchronization, you should be able to operate the puppet's mouth automatically, so you will be able to concentrate on other important movements.

Take the time to carefully watch how other puppeteers manipulate their puppets. You will see the syllable rule applied. Watch very carefully and you will see the exception to this rule. Let's use the word "syllable" again. When you make your puppet say the word, you will only need to move his mouth twice! Even though the word "syllable" contains three syllables, your puppet's mouth only needs to open and close twice! Why is this? Be observant while watching people when they speak. Some syllables are articulated from within the human mouth. The tongue presses against the back of your upper teeth for the "TH", "L" sounds. For the "Z" sound your mouth usually closes the teeth and the tongue presses against the roof of your mouth. Sounds for some vowels may also originate from inside of your mouth and don't require you to close your lips. When you translate these sounds into lip sync the puppet's mouth may actually skip an occasional syllable movement!

There is no better way to develop professional puppetry skills than practice! The mirror is the most common and least expensive method but using a video camera can be a lot of fun! If you can watch a monitor while rolling a cam corder not only can you perfect your lip sync skills you will also learn how to make your puppets play into a camera. When your puppet directs his dialog directly into a camera, he is looking directly into the eyes of the viewers! Even the most famous puppeteers desire and strive to be skillful in this area. Practice, rehearse and watch your audience respond!

Art provides us with a recorded history in many different ways. Not only does a scene capture a historical moment, but certain artworks also capture the minds of people in different eras. What were they thinking? How did they feel about themselves? What was most important to a certain people during a certain time period? The artist has always been able to tap into that.

Art exploration is a rather personal journey. But, never is art expression a personal communication. The thoughts that run through an artist’s mind, the reflections bringing thought to imagery, the interpretation to put it on the canvas, these are the things that happen personally within the artist. But once on a canvas, it becomes a matter of public domain. And on the canvas, it is a matter of all the many factors surrounding the artist.

The atmosphere where the artist dwells gives great insight into the kind of world that explodes on the canvas. An artist who lives in a light and lovely world will paint light and lovely things. An artist in a depressing state will paint dark pictures of the world. But, the artist doesn’t necessarily have to be depressed. A world bent on destroying itself and creating more chaos will inspire an artist to paint a picture of reflection for the world to see.

Art takes on that duel purpose. An artist loves expressing what is going on in the mind. Let it out. The outlet is the canvas. But, the other purpose is also to communicate to the world what the artist sees. Take a look at yourselves! Is it a pretty sight?

That’s one of the greatest benefits we have found in art. It is our soul on a canvas. Very few writers can write and evoke that much emotion. Very few dancers can bring it to the stage like that. The art on the canvas speaks volumes.

Art is great for tapping into recesses of the brain where we are even unaware that there is thought. It comes to the surface, boils over and overflows. That’s art. That’s art at its best. Get your brush! You have something to tell us.