“Shotgun Tom” Kelly’s Day in Hollywood!

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Film Buzz: Fascinating Facts About People Who Make Movies

It takes a lot more than some actors and a camera to make a movie. There’s a veritable army of people behind the scenes working their tails off to get things done. Here are some fun factoids about the many people that make movie magic happen.

Penny Marshall was the first female director to break the $100 million box office glass ceiling with her comedy hit Big. Since then, many other woman directors have accomplished the feat.

When Stanley Kubrick was shooting his horror masterpiece The Shining, he was worried about traumatizing child actor Danny Lloyd with some of the movie’s more graphic scenes, so he shot them separately and went to great trouble to edit them in later. Lloyd didn’t know he’d been in a horror film until he was 14.

Clint Eastwood gave his mother a cameo in his Western classic Unforgiven, and she suffered through a day of shooting in a bulky frontier dress only to be cut out in the editing room by her own son.

Director Quentin Tarantino broke into Hollywood while working at Video Archives, a rental store in Manhattan Beach. He met producer Lawrence Bender at a party and fast-talked him into paying for a screenplay that would become True Romance.

Before Martin Scorsese decided to pursue film, his family had hoped that he would enter the priesthood.

Tips For Making Great Hummus

In the past few years, Middle Eastern cuisine has become all the rage, and has won over legions of fans. As you know, one of the most popular and essentials elements of almost any Middle Eastern meal is hummus. This tasty dip made from ground chickpeas is great with veggies, grilled pita, or on sandwiches. Of course you can always buy hummus, but it's really easy to make! Below is a great recipe that’s simple and easy, and packs outstanding flavor.

1. You'll need a 16 ounce can of chickpeas. Reserve a quarter cup of liquid from the can and drain the beans.

2. In a food processor, blend the chickpeas, three tablespoons of lemon juice, two tablespoons of tahini (ground sesame paste, available at most grocery stores), two tablespoons of olive oil, three cloves of crushed garlic, and some salt.

3. Combine all the ingredients in the food processor until they are mixed well, and then add the reserved liquid from the chickpeas. Blend again on a low setting for five minutes or until you get a silky smooth texture.

4. Serve with toasted pita bread, vegetable crudites, and olives!

If you want to add a bit of personality to your hummus, there are many things you can add in during the blending process. Try including some harissa, a zesty condiment that will add some spice, or add a dash of cayenne pepper. Or toss in roasted red peppers, olives, or extra lemon or garlic to alter the flavor.

Serve fresh or refrigerate after mixing to preserve your hummus longer. Enjoy!

Just Breathe: Relieve Your Stress

Studies show that mindful breathing is a fabulous way to reduce stress, and even increase your lifespan. One of the great benefits of conscious breathing is that it doesn’t cost anything, and it can be practiced almost anywhere! If you’d like to begin a breathing regimen, read through these tips below:

Throughout our day, most of our breaths are “shallow breaths,” which use only 20% of our lung capacity. The key to stress-reducing breathing is deep breathing — that means fully our lungs and ribcage before exhaling. This type of breathing infuses more oxygen into our bloodstream, helping us to eliminate waste buildup faster.

To begin, find a comfortable sitting or standing posture — one that you can maintain without thinking about it. And remember, it's important to keep your back straight, so that the lungs have maximum room to expand.

Inhale through your nose when you breathe, as this technique brings oxygen into your lungs in a smoother manner than breathing through the mouth. As you inhale, slowly count the breath silently in your head.

As you're ready, exhale through the mouth, at a slightly slower than your inhale. Be sure the count of your exhale is a few beats longer than your inhale, and feel our lungs and ribcage ease back down. As you breathe, let your stomach, diaphragm, and chest rise and fall as the breath enters and leaves the body. Let it be natural — don’t force the action by trying to stretch your back or shoulders.

Even just 5 minutes of deep breathing a day can make a fantastic difference for your health!

Five Frank Lloyd Wright Houses Worth Visiting

The houses of Frank Lloyd Wright are triumphs of modern architecture. These homes are particularly exceptional examples, showing this master artist's genius at work.

Fallingwater
This iconic structure is an incredible balance of the manmade and the natural. Ingeniously set atop a waterfall, Wright masterfully incorporated the home into the Pennsylvania landscape and showed his love for Japanese designs in this stunning masterwork.

Taliesen West
Making bold use of the surrounding Arizona desert, Taliesin West uses local rocks and their flat surfaces to make a home that echoes the simple, sweeping beauty of the surrounding landscape. This house was Wright's winter home as well as the main campus of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

The Darwin Martin House 
This Buffalo home is one of the great works of Wright's early career. One of the greatest examples of the Prairie School, the open design beautifully fuses with the landscape. The result is a unified whole whose every detail comes together with elegance.

The Weltzheimer/Johnson House
Now owned by Oberlin College, this house is an incredible answer to the demand for affordable middle-class housing in post WWII America. It's flowing floor plan and organic design create a beautiful connection between the interior and exterior spaces.

Wingspread
This unique home has four wings extending from the central living room, which itself has an impressive dome shape. The last of Wright's Prairie Houses, it embodies the "eloquence of materials" that Wright was constantly seeking in his work.
 

Five Fabulous Theme Parks Around The World

Five Most Dazzling Musicians In History

To truly be a legendary musician, you need to possess a unique combination of talents. Not only do you need a mind that can reconcile both the complex task of performing music, but one that can also infuse it with emotion. The five musicians in this article combine physical mastery with deep reserves of soul to stand above all others.

Glenn Gould
Widely regarded as one of the most versatile and compelling pianists in history, Gould had a unique ability to infuse his personality into everything he played. There were certainly performers who had more technical skills, but none with as much soul.

Jimi Hendrix
You can’t find an electric guitar player on Earth who wasn’t inspired in some way by Hendrix. The Seattle-born axeman was one of the greatest innovators the instrument has ever seen, and few have even come close since.

Buddy Rich
Despite his legendary sour temper, nobody worked the drums like Buddy Rich. The sticksman elevated every ensemble he played with by furious, perfectly-phrased beats. Rich was able to skirt the line of chaos but always come back to perfect timing.

Lester Young
Jazz clarinetist Lester Young came to prominence playing with Count Basie’s orchestra, and he gave the woodwind a tremendous amount of dynamic range and feeling. “Prez,” as he was called, influenced a generation of musicians after him.

John Fahey
The Maryland-born guitarist John Fahey reinvented the acoustic guitar with his seminal recordings, taking an instrument that was commonly used as backup for singers and giving it a unique and powerful voice of its own.

Smartest Magazines For Women

Print lives! Even in our days of Facebook and iPads, printed magazines offer tactile and visual pleasures all their own. Here are five of the most delightful women's magazines available today:

W Magazine
Full of sopisticated takes on style and living, W is a highly sophisticated fashion magazine. Gorgeous photography and great articles fill this elegant, over-sized publication, making it an essential read.

O, The Oprah Magazine
This relatively new magazine by Oprah Winfrey is all about empowering women and encouraging personal growth. Covering a wide range of topics, everything from fitness to career choices, this magazine is a valuable asset for the 21st century woman.

Prevention
With an emphasis on family health, Prevention works off of the basic premise that little changes can yield big results. It offers a friendly voice on issues of health, exercise, and nutrition, and is full of comprehensive and intelligent writing.

Bust
Tapping into women's issues intelligently and with a strong feminist perspective, Bust is a groundbreaking lifestye magazine. Its writing covers pop culture, news, music and book reviews, and a strong editorial voice that a strong, independent woman can read with pride.

Cooking Light
Unlike a lot of other food magazines, Cooking Light matches recipes with smart writing on health and fitness issues. This magazine is very educational and doesn't condescend, making it a good resource for nutritional information.

Canine Cabana Doggy Daycare

Crafting In A Day: Five Simple But Cool Crafts

Whether you need a last minute gift or an activity for yourself or the kids, these quick and easy crafts will produce great results in just a couple of hours:

1. Cut and sew small fabric scraps and stuff to make a simple pincushion. Mix some catnip into the stuffing and you’ll have an irresistible cat toy, or stuff with lavender or potpourri for a fragrant sachet.
2. Place colorful paper in a picture frame and let it serve as a backdrop for a favorite photo or a photo collage. Just a little time and effort will net you a keepsake photo you will treasure.
3. Pick up some decoupage medium and cover a vase with any kind of paper you have – origami paper, wrapping paper, even the comics page.
4. Make a cool custom t-shirt by cutting out a cardboard stencil, putting it on a dark-colored t-shirt, and spraying the shirt with a 50/50 bleach/water mix. Be sure to have a tub of water ready to dunk the shirt into as soon as the color is where you want it, and always wear safety goggles and gloves when using bleach.
5. Make a sweet stand for cakes and snacks by using a dishwasher-safe glue to stick a saucer or small plate on top of a teacup.

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