| Evel Knievel at Caesar's Palace |
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While in Las Vegas, Nevada, to watch Dick
Tiger fight a middleweight title fight,
Knievel first saw the fountains at Caesar's
Palace and decided to jump them. To get an
audience with the casino's CEO Jay Sarno,
Knievel created a fictitious corporation
called Evel Knievel Enterprises and three
fictitious lawyers to make phone calls to
Sarno. Knievel also placed phone calls to
Sarno claiming to be from ABC-TV and Sports
Illustrated inquiring about the jump. Sarno
finally agreed to meet Knievel and the deal
was set for Knievel to jump the fountains on
December 31, 1967. After the deal was set,
Knievel tried to get ABC to air the event
live on Wide World of Sports. ABC declined,
but said that if Knievel had the jump filmed
and it was as spectacular as he said it would
be, they would consider using it later.
Knievel used his own money to have
actor/director John Derek produce a film of
the Caesar's jump. To keep costs low, Derek
used his then-wife, Linda Evans, as one of
the camera operators. It was Evans who filmed
Knievel's famous landing. On the morning of
the jump, Knievel stopped in the casino and
placed a single $100 dollar bet on the
blackjack table, which he lost, stopped by
the bar and got a shot of Wild Turkey and
then headed outside where he was joined by
several members of the Caesar's staff, as
well as two scantily clad showgirls. After
doing his normal pre-jump show and a few warm
up approaches, Knievel began his real
approach. When he hit the takeoff ramp, he
felt the motorcycle unexpectedly decelerate.
The sudden loss of power on the takeoff
caused Knievel to come up short and land on
the safety ramp which was supported by a van.
This caused the handlebars to be ripped out
of his hands as he tumbled over them onto the
pavement where he skidded into the Dunes
parking lot. As a result of the crash,
Knievel received a crushed pelvis and femur,
fractures to his hip, wrist and both ankles
and a concussion that kept him in a coma for
29 days.
Tags : evel knievel caesars palace 1969 crash jump evil extreme xtreme sports daredevil american legend |
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Affichage : 944807
Durée : 60 s |
| Lydia Caesar |
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Remember the days when artists truly sang
sans the vocal tricks and studio
manipulation? Remember hearing songs filled
with heart felt words from beginning to end?
Remember when artists were able to perform
with such stage presence that seemingly
invited the audience into the world of the
artist? These days are upon us again and the
leader of this resurrection is Lydia Caesar.
Not your typical R&B bombshell, 23 year-old
Lydia's soulful vocal ability and sultry
voice are a force to be reckoned with
especially when placed over live musical
tracks.
Born and raised in Hollis, Queens as one of
four children to a Jamaican mother and a
father with St. Lucian roots, Lydia's strong,
musical church-going family consequently lead
her to singing. "Music is a way of life, it's
in me and I can't help it so that's why it
means so much; I write what I live."
At the tender age of four Lydia was singing
in front of hundreds of people at the church
founded by her grandfather and where her
father serves as the bishop, Bethel Gospel
Tabernacle. "God blessed me with a gift, and
now it's my time to turn around and bless the
world." Aside from gospel greats like the
Clark Sisters and Andre Crouch, secular
artists such as Michael Jackson, Whitney
Houston, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Lauryn
Hill, and Brandy further inspired Lydia's
desire to not only sing, but to perform. By
the time Lydia was seven she had acted in
elementary school musicals displaying both
her singing and acting abilities. Once in
high school, 16 year old Lydia was writing,
directing, and starring in musical theatre
shows, but it was a few years later that
marked the turning point in Lydia's career.
Out of roughly 10,000 people, Lydia was one
of the final 15 singers who auditioned for
the first season of P. Diddy's Making the
Band 2 on MTV. "It was at this point when I
decided to start writing my own music at the
suggestion of people working on the show. I
became inspired at how far that I had made it
so I bought a notebook and began to write."
"Melody Love," Lydia's favorite self-penned
song and a dedication to her three year old
daughter, metaphorically ties love with music
over an acoustic track by producer MotesArt.
Also touching on the heartaches of
relationships, Lydia pleads for a distant
lover to remember better times shared in
between doo wop filled "ooh's" and "la la
la's" on "Love is Hard." Never afraid to be
different or pressured to succumb to
conformities of the music industry,
"Original" is simply about celebrating one's
wonderful self. Lydia's star power has
garnered the crown of several New York City
showcases, the recognition of Vibe.com for
her answer to Musiq Souldchild's "Buddy," and
most recently a 2007 Underground Music Award
nomination for best R&B female. Lydia
explains, "I want people to hear my music and
say 'wow, I've gone through that or I feel
like that'... people relating to the music is
key."
Although highly focused on her music, Lydia
is also headed towards her BA in Theatre at
Hofstra University having already made huge
impressions in Hamlet and The Birds off
Broadway. Not just a double threat, Ms.
Caesar's vibrant, neck turning sense of style
effortlessly gels vintage with Vogue's
latest. She is often seen wearing her own
line of accessories, Ceasarwest Designs and
never with the same hair style twice.
Possessing a personality that reflects her
appearance Lydia has the ability to sustain
career longevity in a fickle entertainment
industry. "Everyone has a purpose, everybody
has a time, and I believe that mine is coming
soon." Daughter, sister, mother, singer,
writer, actress, designer, soul
flower...introducing Lydia Caesar.
Tags : Lydia Caesar Motesart Rock&B Blessed Cafe Melody love Tweek Muzik Entertainment |
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Affichage : 7016
Durée : 418 s |
| "Dogs of War" speech from Julius Caesar |
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A peak moment in a play / film full of peak
moments. Historically, this clip is in
between the two Cleopatra clips I've posted.
Marc Antony, in that movie, played by Richard
Burton, is played here by Marlon Brando.
Brando is parodied everywhere for his bloated
later years, but his electrifying delivery of
these timeless lines should be the talent
that he is remembered for. John Gielgud,
James Mason, Greer Garson and Deborah Kerr
round out the cast in this must-see 1953
classic, winner of 4 oscars.
In this scene, Caesar has just been murdered
by the Roman Senators, because he was
claiming too much power for himself and
defying the tenets of the Republic [sound
familiar?]. Antony's private thoughts are
shown to us here - the following scene has
the famous "friends, Romans, countrymen"
speech.
Tags : epic Rome treachery political corruption murder Brando Fall Roman Empire Ides of March topple historic moments anger |
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Affichage : 33150
Durée : 134 s |
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