Epidemic (film)

Epidemic is a 1987 Danish horror art film directed by Lars von Trier; it is the second installment of Trier's Europa trilogy, following "The Element of Crime" (1984) and succeeded by "Europa" (1991).
Co-written by Trier and Niels Vørsel, the film focuses on the screenwriting process. Vørsel and Trier play themselves, coming up with a last-minute script for a producer. The story is inter-cut with scenes from the film they write, in which Trier plays a renegade doctor trying to cure a modern-day epidemic. The film marks the first in a series of collaborations between Trier and Udo Kier.
Plot.
The film is divided into five days. On the first day the protagonists, screenwriters Lars and Niels lose the only copy of a film script (Kommisæren Og Luderen, "The Policeman and the Whore", a reference to "The Element of Crime"). They begin to write a new script about an epidemic: the outbreak of a plague-like disease. The protagonist is a doctor, Mesmer, who, against the will of the Faculty of Medicine of an unknown city, goes to the countryside to help people. During the next days, the facts of the script join the real-life events in which a similar disease starts to spread. Lars and Niels go to Germany, where they meet a man who describes the Allied bombing of Cologne during the Second World War.
After the trip, Niels goes to a hospital where he undergoes a minor surgical procedure and while there tells Lars to go to see Palle, a pathologist who is performing an autopsy on a man who has recently died of an unknown disease. The last day, Lars and Niels have a dinner with their producer, to whom they reveal the end of the film, that Mesmer and his medical kit have spread the disease. The producer doesn't like the short twelve-page script, which has no violence, few deaths, and no subplots (which are common in Danish cinema). After that a hypnotist and a woman arrive in the house, to "help" writing the script, but the woman is overpowered by the visions of the script which are becoming real. She commits suicide, then another woman who shares the house with Lars and Niels dies too, and Niels begins showing the signs of the disease.
Reception.
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. It was nominated for Best Film at the Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Festival in 1988.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 33%, based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 66 out of 100, based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Robert K. Elder of the "Chicago Tribune" gave the film 3 out of 4, and wrote "Will never be confused with von Trier's great films. But it is an intriguing introduction to his later cinematic obsessions." "The Village Voice" called the film "among [Lars von Trier's] better and most revealing movies". "Chicago Reader" gave the film 3 out of 5, and stated "Aside from the Pirandellian games and some interplay of different film stocks there isn't much going on here, though von Trier rewards the patient with a strange and horrifying climax."


Rip-off Britain

Rip-off Britain is an expression used by some to refer to the phenomenon in which some products and services cost significantly more in the United Kingdom than in other countries, especially member states of the European Union and the United States, than a basic currency conversion would permit. The term was coined by the tabloid press in the late 1990s and sees particular usage in mass media when the pound sterling is strong, as this drives down other states' prices in pounds.
Origin.
In 1999, the Consumers' Association hired a stand at the British International Motor Show, only revealing on press day its true purpose in doing so—to highlight high British car prices. The organizers of the show, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, decided not to fan the media flames by ejecting the Consumers' Association.
By this point, the phrase had already taken hold in the mass media, and it became a term in frequent use to describe anything that was wrong with Britain. It also proved to be one of the elements leading to a tipping point in the harmonisation of car prices within the EU. The campaign was devised by UK advertising agency Claydon Heeley, who are known for such "guerrilla marketing" work.
Possible causes.
Taxation.
The level of indirect taxation applied to some products such as alcoholic drinks, tobacco, and petroleum may serve to disguise high profit margins by the retailer, but it may also work in the opposite direction, squeezing profits when there are other legal markets with lower taxation.
While the standard UK rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) of 20 per cent is generally triple or more that of US sales taxes, differences in prices can be far greater than this could account for.. The Crown Dependencies of Jersey and Guernsey are not part of the EU and Low Value Consignment Relief applied to imports. Retailers such as Play.com and Specsavers operated from Jersey or Guernsey specifically as a means of avoiding VAT.
In the UK, imported commercial goods valued up to £15 are exempt from VAT; for personal gifts, the exemption rises to £36. As of July 2014, imports up to the value of £135 are not liable for UK customs duty.
Business costs.
Companies sometimes argue that some of their fixed costs are higher in the United Kingdom than elsewhere, such as for storage and distribution. The truthfulness of this defence varies from case to case. For example, the UK has around the fiftieth-highest population density of any country in the world, eight times that of the US and over twice that of France, so transportation distances are unlikely to be a factor, and a parliamentary report concluded there was no great difference across EU states.
Differences in storage costs are difficult to quantify, since many goods are shipped just in time directly from the manufacturer to the consumer, or in the case of electronic goods and services, they may not be physically shipped at all, but delivered via the Internet.
Over-regulation.
Quality and safety regulations are roughly comparable between the markets discussed in this article, although some businesses argue that increasing safety regulation increases costs, which must be passed to the consumer. Retailers and manufacturers sometimes argue that legal requirements for guarantees and warranties differ between markets, and this must be factored into prices.
Easy conversion.
Simply converting $1 to £1 is one reason for the price increase. For example, Wikipedia donations page asking for donations gives the following options,
US customers: "This year, please consider making a donation of $5, $20, $50 or whatever you can to protect and sustain Wikipedia."
UK customers: "This year, please consider making a donation of £5, £20, £50 or whatever you can to protect and sustain Wikipedia."
Discussing why personal computers cost more in the UK than in the US, "New Scientist" stated in 1977 that "the price of an American kit in dollars rapidly translates into the same figure in pounds sterling by the time it has reached the shores of Britain". This also applies to digital downloads where the price is not a round number and where the costs are the same. "The ever popular method of simply swapping the $ sign for a £ sign sees a monthly subscription to Spotify priced at $9.99 in the US and £9.99 in the UK", "Which?" magazine stated in 2013.
At its launch, Microsoft Windows Vista had a suggested retail price of $249 (£127) in the United States and £249 ($487) in the United Kingdom. This made it almost twice as expensive to buy in the UK than in the U.S.
Remedies.
Shipping from abroad.
Perceived or actual higher prices in the UK often have the effect of encouraging British consumers to order goods from the Internet, whether from UK businesses claiming to break a price cartel or directly from abroad, including via eBay and other online auction sites.
Most American Internet retailers ship directly to consumers in the UK which, assuming customs provisions are met, can provide a worthwhile alternative to higher UK prices. Many believe that competition from the Internet and the Eurozone general free trade will tend to normalize retail prices and put an end the UK being known as "Treasure Island". However, "customer not present" transactions can generally not be made for legally controlled products such as alcohol, tobacco, solvents, fuels, or medication.
Electrical and electronic products designed for the North American market may have to be converted to run on EU voltage and TV systems, annulling any benefit in reduced prices. Other products may also differ in specification, or they may not come with the same warranties or guarantees, making returning faulty goods difficult, or at least not cost effective. Furthermore, products for sale in the European Union should carry the CE mark for safety, but products purchased in the United States or designed for the US market are often supplied with other safety designations such as the UL listing.
Internet delivery.
Products and services delivered over the Internet do not face physical barriers for shipping the goods, so one might expect Internet-based markets to normalize across free trading countries.
Apple's iTunes Store formerly operated a model in which purchases can only be made in a domain where the users' means of payment is registered. UK customers were therefore tied to the offerings in the UK iTunes Store, proving a disadvantage both in price and selection. On 9 January 2008, however, Apple conceded that this was unfair practice and promised to harmonise prices with Europe within six months, citing record labels' wholesale music prices as the reason.


Superimposition (album)

Superimposition is the twelfth studio album by American pianist Eddie Palmieri. It was released by Tico Records in 1970. The album combines modern salsa renditions of Cuban standards on side A with experimental descargas (jam sessions) on side B. Since its release, the album has been praised by critics such as John Storm Roberts for its innovative approach.
Background and recording.
Throughout the 1960s, pianist Eddie Palmieri played an important role in the development of salsa with his "conjunto" La Perfecta. La Perfecta was one of the first Latin ensembles to feature multiple trombones, one of salsa's distinctive characteristics. The band's repertoire was inspired by Cuban and Puerto Rican dance-oriented styles such as guaracha, son, pachanga and bomba. In 1968, Palmieri disbanded La Perfecta in order to seek a more experimental approach incorporating funk and soul elements into his music. Palmieri and his new ensemble (still similar to La Perfecta, with Barry Rogers being replaced by Lewis Kahn) recorded a series of four albums for Tico that have been said to contain his "best sounding" work. These four albums were "Champagne" (1968), "Justicia" (1969), "Superimposition" (1970) and "Vámonos pa'l monte" (1971).
Despite his experimental approach, most of his recordings remained largely based on the basic structures of son montuno, as exemplified by "(Se acabó) la malanga" and "(Dame un cachito) pa' huele" on "Superimposition". The former was written by Rudy Calzado specifically for this album, whereas the latter is an Arsenio Rodríguez composition from 1946. A rendition of Guillermo Rodríguez Fiffe's "Bilongo" (a guaracha written in 1937) closes side A, and is considered together with "La malanga" as one of the "most representative [tracks] of the hard-core Palmieri salsa style". In addition, "Bilongo" has been described as "one of the most important salsa-era recordings to feature the soloing of Armenteros".
The recordings present in side B are instrumental descargas (Latin jam sessions). Particularly important is the presence of Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, who had also taken part in the recording of 1950s descarga sessions with artists such as Tojo and Chico O'Farrill's All-Stars Cubano. Unlike older descargas, Palmieri combines modal phrases and montuno patterns, and adds "harmonically advanced chord voicings, substitutions and alterations" to his guajeos. The title of the last track on the album, "17.1", corresponds to the average age of the percussion section.
Fania Records (owner of the Tico Records catalogue) re-issued the album on CD in 2006.
Reception.
John Storm Roberts wrote a laudatory review in which he praised Palmieri's improvisatory and innovative style, particularly the way in which he "mixes offbeat montunos with unconventional chors, expressionism, and straight jazz, in blends different from any other jazz or Latin pianist". AllMusic awarded the album 4.5 starts out of 5.
The album's artwork by Ely Besalel has been described as a "layered, abstract collage work" and has received positive reviews.
Personnel.
According to original album sleeve.


Wendy

Wendy is a given name generally given to girls in English-speaking countries.
In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity in Britain as a feminine name is owed to the character Wendy Darling from the 1904 play "Peter Pan" and its 1911 novelisation "Peter and Wendy" by J. M. Barrie. Its popularity reached a peak in the 1960s, and subsequently declined. The name was inspired by young Margaret Henley, daughter of Barrie's poet friend W. E. Henley. With the common childhood difficulty pronouncing "R"s, Margaret reportedly used to call him "my fwiendy-wendy".
Chinese women with the same or similar-sounding characters as their given names often anglicise their names as "Wendi" or "Wendy" (e.g. Wendi Deng, Wendy Kweh).
In Germany after 1986 the name Wendy became popular because it is the name of a (targeted specifically at young girls) about horses and horse riding.


Big Tech

Big Tech, also known as the Tech Giants, the Big Four, and the Big Five, is a name given to the five largest and most dominant companies in the information technology industry of the United States—namely Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. These companies have been among the most valuable public companies globally, each having had a maximum market capitalization ranging from around $500 billion to around $2 trillion USD.
Concerns over monopolistic practices have led to antitrust investigations from the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission in the United States, and the European Commission. Commentators have questioned the impact of these companies on privacy, market power, free speech and censorship, and national security and law enforcement. It has been speculated that it may not be possible to live in the digital world day-to-day outside of the ecosystem created by the companies. It has been observed that the companies remain popular by providing their services to consumers for free.
Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and Xiaomi, collectively referred to as BATX, are often seen as the competitor companies of the Big Tech.
Membership and definitions.
The term "Big Tech" is often broken down into more specific sub-groupings, often referred to by the following names or acronyms. Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, is often abbreviated using a "G" in these acronyms.
The Four.
Alphabet Inc. (Google), Amazon, Facebook, and Apple are commonly referred to as "GAFA". They've also been colloquially referred to as the "Big Four", or as the "Four Horsemen" (after the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse). Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, author Phil Simon, and NYU professor Scott Galloway have each grouped the GAFA companies together, on the basis that those companies have driven major societal change via their dominance and role in online activities. This is unlike other large tech companies such as Microsoft and IBM, according to Simon and Galloway. Eric Schmidt has excluded Microsoft from the grouping, noting that "Microsoft is not driving the consumer revolution in the minds of the consumers."
GAFAM or FAAMG.
A more inclusive grouping referred to as GAFAM, the Big Five, or FAAMG, defines Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft as the tech giants. Besides Saudi Aramco, the GAFAM companies were the five most valuable public corporations in the world in January as measured by market capitalization. Nikos Smyrnaios justified the GAFAM grouping as an oligopoly that appears to take control of the Internet by concentrating market power, financial power and using patent rights and copyright within a context of capitalism. Sometimes, the Big Five are referred to as the FAAAM stocks, where the letters are rearranged and Alphabet is abbreviated using an "A" instead of a "G."
FAANG.
FAANG refers to the five prominent American technology companies: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Alphabet. The term was coined by Jim Cramer, the television host of CNBC's Mad Money in 2013, calling these companies "totally dominant in their markets." Until 2017, FANG was limited to Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Alphabet. Another variant of this acronym is "FANGAM," which includes Microsoft.
Market dominance.
By 2017, Amazon was the dominant market leader in e-commerce with 50% of all online sales going through the platform; cloud computing, with nearly 32% market share, and live-streaming with Twitch owning 75.6% market share. Amazon is additionally the market leader in the area of artificial Intelligence-based personal digital assistants and smart speakers (Amazon Echo) with 69% market share followed by Google (Google Nest) at 25% market share. Apple sells high-margin smartphones and other consumer electronics devices, sharing a duopoly with Google in the field of mobile operating systems: 27% of the market share belonging to Apple (iOS) and 72% to Google (Android). Google, Facebook and Amazon have been referred to as the "Big Three" of digital advertising. In addition to social networking, Facebook also dominates the functions of online image sharing (Instagram) and online messaging (WhatsApp). Google is the leader in online search (Google Search), online video sharing (YouTube) and online mapping-based navigation (Google Maps). Microsoft continues to dominate in desktop operating system market share (Microsoft Windows) and in office productivity software (Microsoft Office). Microsoft is also the second biggest company in the cloud computing industry (Microsoft Azure), after Amazon, and is also one of the biggest players in the video game industry (Xbox).
The tech giants have replaced the energy giants such as Exxon Mobil, BP, Gazprom, PetroChina and Royal Dutch Shell ("Big Oil") from the first decade of the 21st century at the top of the NASDAQ stock index. They have also outpaced the traditional big media companies such as Disney, AT&T, and Comcast ("Big Media") by a factor of 10. In 2017, the five biggest American IT companies had a combined valuation of over $3.3 trillion, and made up more than 40 percent of the value of the Nasdaq 100.
Causes.
Smyrnaios argued in 2016 that four characteristics were key in the emergence of GAFA: the theory of media and information technology convergence, financialization, economic deregulation and globalization. He argued that the promotion of technology convergence by people such as Nicholas Negroponte made it appear credible and desirable for the Internet to evolve into an oligopoly. Autoregulation and the difficulty of politicians to understand software issues made governmental intervention against monopolies ineffective. Financial deregulation led to GAFA's big profit margins (all four except for Amazon had about 20–25 percent profit margins in 2014 according to Smyrnaios).
Globalization.
According to Smyrnaios, globalization has allowed GAFAM to minimize its global taxation load and pay international workers much lower wages than would be required in the United States.
Oligopoly maintenance.
Smyrnaios argued in 2016 that GAFA combines six vertical levels of power, data centers, internet connectivity, computer hardware including smartphones, operating systems, Web browsers and other user-level software, and online services. He also discussed horizontal concentration of power, in which diverse services such as email, instant messaging, online searching, downloading and streaming are combined internally within any of the GAFA members. For example Google and Microsoft pay to have their web search engines appear as first and second in Apple's iPhone.
Antitrust investigations.
United States.
In 2019 and 2020, the Big Tech industry become center of antitrust attention from the United States Department of Justice and the United States Federal Trade Commission that included requests to provide information about prior acquisitions and potentially anticompetitive practices. Some Democratic candidates running for president proposed plans to break up Big Tech companies and regulate them as utilities. "The role of technology in the economy and in our lives grows more important every day," said FTC Chairman Joseph Simons. "As I’ve noted in the past, it makes sense for us to closely examine technology markets to ensure consumers benefit from free and fair competition."
The spirit of the antitrust law is to protect consumers from the anticompetitive behavior of businesses that have either monopoly power in their market or companies that have banded together to exert cartel market behavior. Monopoly or cartel collusion creates market disadvantages for consumers. However, the antitrust law clearly distinguishes between purposeful monopolies and businesses that found themselves in a monopoly position purely as the result of business success. The purpose of the antitrust law is to stop businesses from deliberately creating monopoly power.
Consumer welfare, not assumptions that large firms are automatically harmful to competition, should be the core consideration of any antitrust action. The consumer welfare standard serves as the "good reason" in antitrust enforcement as it appropriately looks at the impact on consumers and economic efficiency. So far, it is not apparent that there has been a harm to consumer welfare and many technology companies continue to innovate and are bringing real benefits to consumers.
The United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law began investigating Big Tech on an antitrust basis in June 2020, and published a report in January 2021 concluding that Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google each operating in antitrust manners that requires some type of corrective action that either could be implemented through Congressional action or through legal actions taken by the Department of Justice, including the option of splitting up these companies.
European Union.
In June 2020, the European Union opened two new antitrust investigations into practices by Apple. The first investigation focuses on issues including whether Apple is using its dominant position in the market to stifle competition using its Apple music and book streaming services. The second investigation focuses on Apple Pay, which allows payment by Apple devices to brick and mortar vendors. Apple limits the ability of banks and other financial institutions to use the iPhones' near field radio frequency technology.
Fines are insufficient to deter anti-competitive practices by high tech giants, according to European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager. Commissioner Vestager explained, "fines are not doing the trick. And fines are not enough because fines are a punishment for illegal behaviour in the past. What is also in our decision is that you have to change for the future. You have to stop what you're doing."
Opposition.
Scott Galloway has criticized the companies for "avoid[ing] taxes, invad[ing] privacy, and destroy[ing] jobs", while Smyrnaios has described the group as an oligopoly, coming to dominate the online market through anti-competitive practices, ever-increasing financial power, and intellectual property law. He has argued that the current situation is the result of economic deregulation, globalization, and the failure of politicians to understand and respond to developments in technology.
Smyrnaios recommended developing academic analysis of the political economy of the Internet in order to understand the methods of domination and to criticize these methods in order to encourage opposition to that domination.
Use of externally generated content.
On May 9, 2019, the Parliament of France passed a law intended to force GAFA to pay for related rights (the reuse of substantial amounts of text, photos or videos), to the publishers and news agencies of the original materials. The law is aimed at implementing Article 15 of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market of the European Union.
Accusations of censorship and election interference.
The practice of banning hate speech has also received public criticism because it supposedly targets conservatives. In July 2020, United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law held congressional hearing of CEOs of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Facebook, where some members of the subcommitte raised concerns about bias against conservatives and Christians. U.S. representative for Florida's 1st congressional district Matt Gaetz has challanged CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos to "divorce from SPLC" due to the practice of preventing religious-liberty organizations from collecting donations because of their designation as a hate group by SPLC over their opposition to homosexuality. U.S. representative for Ohio's 4th congressional district Jim Jordan raised concerns about the impact big tech censorship can have on results of the 2020 USA presidential elections.
On November 5, U.S. President Donald Trump noted the "historic election interference from big money, big media and big tech" and labeled Democratic party as "party of the big donors, the big media, the big tech". On January 6, 2021, during his speech before the crowd of protesters stormed the United States Capitol, Trump accused big tech of rigging elections and shadow banning conservatives, while promosing to hold them accountable and work to "get rid of" Section 230. On January 11, after Trump's Twitter account has been suspended, chief spokesman of German Chancellor Steffen Seibert noted that Angela Merkel finds Twitter halt of Trump account "problematic", adding that legislators, not private companies, should decide on any necessary curbs to free expression if speech incites to violence.
Alternatives.
Alt-tech is a group of websites, social media platforms, and Internet service providers that consider themselves alternatives to more mainstream offerings. They often have less stringent content moderation policies, and some have become popular among the alt-right, far-right, and others who espouse extreme and fringe viewpoints. In the 2020s, some conservatives who were banned from other social media platforms, and their supporters, began to move toward alt-tech platforms.
Top companies globally.
There were also two Chinese technology companies in the top ten most valuable publicly traded companies globally at the end of the 2010s – Alibaba and Tencent. Smyrnaios argued in 2016 that the Asian giant corporations Samsung Electronics, Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent could or should be included in the definition. Together, this has been referred to as "G-MAFIA + BAT", also including IBM. While a dominant presence in the mobile telephony marketplace, Samsung Electronics is presently dependent on the Android ecosystem, in which Google has major influence, hence Samsung is not included in the BAT formulation.
Other big technology companies on a global scale include Samsung Electronics, Intel, IBM, Cisco Systems, and Oracle. Along with Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Tencent they completed the list of top ten technology companies in the world at the end of the 2010s, according to the Forbes Global 2000 list published in 2019, an evaluation based on annual sales, profit, assets, market capitalization, and overall market valuation.


List of artistic depictions of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs (; February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s (along with engineer, inventor, and Apple Computer co-founder, Steve Wozniak). Shortly after his death, Jobs's official biographer, Walter Isaacson, described him as the "creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing."
Statue.
Statue of Jobs at Graphisoft Park, Budapest


Thomas Christoph Heyde

Thomas Christoph Heyde (born 12 November 1973) is a German composer, media artist and curator. He is chairman of the Forum Zeitgenössischer Musik Leipzig.
Life.
Heyde was born in Leipzig in 1973 as the son of a pastor. From the age of seven he was trained on the piano and later received private composition lessons from Lorenz Stolzenbach. Without passing his Abitur he first completed a pharmaceutical education and worked as a nurse in a Leipzig hospital. Via a special test he studied musical composition with Peter Herrmann and electroacoustic music with Eckhard Rödger at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig from 1994 on. Thanks to two scholarships he studied from 1997 to 1999 as for composition with Friedrich Schenker at the Academy of Arts, Berlin and with Thomas Kesseler at the of the City of Basel Music Academy.
From 1998 to 2006 he taught the new media art at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig and was head of the electronic studio there. From 2001 to 2002 he was organizer of the concert series "Sende(r)musik" of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. (MDR). He was curator of several projects, including Interferences of , Düsseldorf (1998), the "Spinnerei-Festival" for contemporary music, Leipzig/Dresden (1999-2001), the "Musik-Zeit-Herbstfestival", Leipzig (2001), the "Matrix-Herbstfestival" for sound art, Leipzig (2003), the "Grenzregionen-Festival" for Eastern European music, Leipzig (2004), the project "ost. etc", Leipzig (2003) and the art festival "electric renaissance", Halle (2005). Since 2003 he is artistic director of the Forum Zeitgenössischer Musik Leipzig. FZML. He organized among others the international art and music project "Cage100" (2012/13) and the transmediale project ABENDMAHL - "diminishing horror | increasing love". In WS 2012/13 he was a lecturer on John Cage and in WS 2016/17 on musical concepts after 1945 at the Institute of Musicology of the University of Leipzig.
He writes mainly orchestral and chamber music. His compositions have been broadcast by Deutschlandradio, Deutschlandfunk, MDR, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Westdeutscher Rundfunk and Swiss Radio. His special interests are live electronics and video art. Thus he worked together with Ulrich Polster. The resulting art videos have been shown in museums in France and Great Britain.
With the professor of linguistics (University of Flensburg) he has two children. He is married to the psychologist and therapist Ina Habt.
Heyde is chairman of the board of Mosaik Leipzig e.V. The institution operates a migration consultancy service among others and a psychosocial centre for refugees.
Sound language.
The music journalist Dirk Wieschollek described Heyde as: "equally socialized with " classical music ", " new music " and " techno "". In the radio feuilleton of Deutschlandradio Kultur it was said: "He wants to inspire people for New Music who have little contact with high culture. Therefore he also has concerts played in very unusual places."


Projectionist

A projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector, particularly as an employee of a movie theater. Projectionists are also known as "operators".
Historical background.
N.B. The dates given in the subject headings are approximate.
Early cinema (1895–1915).
The need for professional projectionists arose from the commercial showing of movie films to the general public in buildings specifically designed for the purpose or using variety theatres as part of the "bill", which began towards the end of the first decade of the twentieth century. Before the emergence of purpose-built movie theaters, film projectors in venues such as fairgrounds, music halls and Nickelodeons were usually operated by a showman or presenter, in the same way as a lanternist. The light source for most projectors in the early period was limelight, which did not require an electricity supply.
Between approximately 1905 and 1915, two factors combined to transform the role of the projectionist into a separate job with a specific profile of skills and training. Concerns over the flammability of nitrate film, following several major fires during the cinema's first decade resulted in the increasing regulation of film exhibition, including the requirement that projectors be housed in fireproof booths, segregated from the auditorium. In the United Kingdom, for example, this requirement was introduced in the Cinematograph Act 1909, and effectively prevented the projectionist from also carrying out a public-facing role. The legal right to act as a projectionist in a public movie theater was, and to some extent still is, regulated, to varying degrees in different jurisdictions. Some required projectionists to be licensed by local or central government, and this process sometimes required projectionists to undergo assessments or sit exams. Trade union-based regulation of the profession was also widespread in some jurisdictions, in which the licensing of projectionists was incorporated into collective bargaining agreements between employers and unions. In the United States, projectionists were sometimes 'pooled out' to theatre companies via their union. Closed shop working by projectionists was common in British cinema chains until the early 1980s. The original reason for this regulation was the necessity for safety precautions for the screening of nitrate prints, and hence the requirement that projectionists should be formally trained to handle them to ensure public safety. But the formal training and licensing of projectionists continued in most of the US and Europe well after nitrate had been superseded in the 1950s, and in a minority of jurisdictions it still continues.
Classical period (1915–1953).
With the advent of feature-length films during the early to mid-teens and the increasing tendency for film screenings to be the main or only event that took place in a purpose-built theater, rather than incorporated into other forms of live entertainment, the role of the projectionist became more specialised and began to incorporate elements of showmanship once again. The safety precautions associated with nitrate required 35mm film prints to be shipped in reels no longer than 1,000 feet (approximately 15 minutes at 16fps). In order show a feature-length film without interruption while the following reel is laced up, two projectors focused on the same screen were used, with the projectionist 'changing over' from one to the other at the end of each reel. 2,000 foot 'double' reels were gradually introduced from the early 1930s onwards (approximately 20 minutes at the standardized sound speed of 24 fps). Until the conversion to sound, electric motors were relatively uncommon on 35mm theater projectors: most were hand-cranked by the projectionist. Contemporary accounts suggest that hand cranking at a consistent speed took a considerable amount of skill. Presentation technique also began to include tasks such as operating auditorium lighting systems [dimmers], curtains [side-tabs] and masking systems and lantern slide projectors. During the 1920s, movie theaters became larger and projection equipment had to adapt to this. Limelight illumination was replaced by the electrically powered carbon arc lamp, and with the arrival of sound electric motors were installed to drive projectors (a more constant speed was required for sound playback than could be achieved by hand cranking). The operation and basic maintenance of audio equipment also became part of the projectionist's job following the introduction of sound.
Post-classical period (1953–early 1980s).
The technology of cinema projection, and with it the role of the projectionist, changed fundamentally over an extended period between the early 1950s and late 1960s. Nitrate film was superseded by cellulose triacetate for release prints in the US and Europe over about a five-year period following the stock's commercial launch in October 1948 (though older nitrate prints remained in circulation for quite a long time afterwards and are still occasionally utilized in licensed cinemas for special screenings). With nitrate went the restrictions on reel lengths previously necessitated by the fire risk, with the result that systems were developed to enable the projection of a complete feature film using a single projector and unattended. Two essential technologies were needed to enable this: the long-play device, a.k.a. platter, i.e. a turntable 4–6 feet in diameter or (in the case of Sword Systems and Sabre Systems by EPRAD) an extremely large film reel 3–5 feet in diameter either of which enabled the reels of a feature presentation to be joined together into a single roll, in some cases up to 30,000 feet (approx. six hours at 24fps) in length; and the xenon arc lamp, which can burn continuously and unattended for as long as is needed (most carbon arc lamphouses will run for a maximum of 40–50 minutes before the carbon rod needs replacing, and require regular adjustment by the projectionist during that time). Automation systems were also introduced, which could be programmed in advance of each screening to perform functions such as operating auditorium lighting, adjusting volume levels and changing audio formats. Some would argue that these technologies reduced the skill level or downgraded the showmanship element of the projectionist's job (for example, by eliminating the need for changeovers and nitrate handling precautions). Others would argue that more advanced skills were needed in other areas. With the introduction of widescreen in the early 1950s, projectionists had to cope with the additional lenses, aperture plates and masking systems needed for different aspect ratios for the first time. Multiple channel audio systems using magnetic sound and 70mm film prints were also introduced in the 1950s, and these required specialist projection skills to handle. Like nitrate film prints, xenon arc bulbs require special safety precautions: if handled incorrectly they can explode, causing serious injury to the projectionist. Staffing levels in projection booths decreased rapidly during this period. In the classical "movie palace", the labour-intensive nature of changeovers, carbon arc lamps and nitrate handling required large workforces of projectionists, with up to six or seven working in a single booth and a rigid management hierarchy within the profession being common. In contrast, the multiplexes of the 1980s and '90s were designed in such a way that a single projectionist can operate simultaneous screenings in 10-20 auditoria, and it is unusual for these venues to have a total projectionist workforce of more than three or four.
Final film period (early 1980s–present).
The job description of the projectionist began to vary considerably according to the type and location of theatre he or she worked in. In many of the multiplex theatre chains that emerged in the 1980s, the role of the projectionist was largely confined to assembling screening programs (consisting of a feature film print and other supporting material such as advertisements and trailers) onto a long-play platter or tower device, programming automation systems and very basic equipment maintenance such as cleaning film path components and the routine replacement of life-limited parts. More extensive maintenance and repairs are carried out by technicians employed centrally by the parent company and who visit its theatres to conduct maintenance on a regular cycle. In smaller chains and independent theaters, and especially those situated in geographically remote locations, projectionists are more likely to undertake more extensive maintenance and repair duties, both on a theater's projection and sound equipment and on other infrastructure in the building, e.g. heating and air conditioning plant. 35mm release prints continue to be shipped on 2,000 foot reels to the present day, even though very few theaters still present films using a two-projector system with changeovers. A number of attempts have been made over the years to introduce larger shipping reels for print distribution, but none has gained widespread acceptance.
Future.
Some larger theater chains are now in the process of eliminating the projectionist's job altogether. In order to avoid paying a higher wage rate and to circumvent skilled labor laws, some companies (such as Cinemark Theaters) use the job title "Booth Usher" for an employee who simply carries out basic screening operations and does not perform any program assembly, maintenance or repair procedures. Their starting wage is the same as that for popcorn concessionists and ushers ($7.84 per hour in Ohio as of August 2009). Smaller theaters in this chain and those with union bargaining contracts that specify a minimum wage utilize management for these duties. In Britain, this started to happen early 2000 onward as labour laws were wiped out by then.
The introduction of digital cinema projection, on a significant scale from approximately 2006 to 2008, is rapidly bringing to an end the role of the projectionist as a professionally skilled operator of film-based projection equipment in mainstream theatres. As of November 2010, the major chains in the US and Europe are in the process of a large-scale conversion to digital projection, in some ways comparable to the mass installation of sound equipment in the late 1920s and early 1930s. This has essentially been made possible by the virtual print fee model of financing the equipment and installation costs, in which studios and equipment manufacturers provide equipment to theatres on a hire-purchase basis. The basic operation of digital cinema servers and projectors requires little more than routine IT skills and can be performed by a theatre's front-of-house and managerial staff with minimal extra training. Within a few years, it is likely that projectionists, in the traditional sense of the word, will only be found in the small number of arthouse, cinematheque and repertory theatres that will continue to show film prints from archival collections. In May 2013, the BBC reported that by October 2013, "there will be no cinemas left in this country projecting 35mm".
Elements of the job.
A projectionist in a modern theater in North America or Europe will typically carry out some or all of the following duties.


George Wright (organist)

George Wright (August 28, 1920 in Orland, California – May 10, 1998 in Glendale, California) was an American musician, possibly the most famous virtuoso of the theatre organ of the modern era.
Wright was best known for his virtuoso performances on the huge Wurlitzer theater pipe organs at the famed Fox Theater on Market Street in San Francisco and the ornate Paramount Theaters in both New York City and Oakland. He was in constant demand during the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s, playing at concerts and recitals around the world.
Early years.
George Wright learned to play the piano at an early age from his aunt who was a private music teacher. His mother was a movie accompanist on the piano for silent movies played at the Orland Theatre.
He grew up in Stockton and Sacramento, where he graduated from Grant Union High School in 1938. One of his first projects was installing a theater organ there, where it still remains and plays.
Career.
In 1938, he had his first playing job at a Chinese night club in Oakland, called the New Shanghai Cafe and Terrace Bowl, which boasted a 2-manual, 6-rank Wurlitzer; the show was broadcast nightly by an Oakland radio station. In 1941, he joined San Francisco radio station KFRC and on the Blue Network by 1942. In December, 1942 he started performing at the San Francisco Fox Theater on Saturday nights. In late 1944, he relocated to New York City to work as organist for NBC radio. He began recording at this time, first cutting 78 RPM records for Syd Nathan's King Records and Regent Records, in addition to securing contracts for transcription disks on the Thesaurus, Associated, and Muzak labels. In New York, he was a guest on the Paul Whiteman"Stairway to the Stars" radio program (May 21, 1946) and Percy Faith, as well as on the network shows of Bing Crosby and Perry Como. He also conducted his own orchestra on the Robert Q. Lewis show and began a seven-year stint playing in a trio with Charles Magnante, accordionist, and Tony Mottola, guitarist, for Jack Berch's NBC show sponsored by the Prudential Insurance Company. The trio, with added bassist Bobby Haggart, recorded five "Soundies," as well.
In 1948, he signed on as house organist for the Paramount Theater in New York. There, he played with many of the great jazz and pop artists of the time, including Frank Sinatra, Frankie Laine and Ella Fitzgerald. During his time in New York he made several recordings on both the organ in the New York Paramount's theatre and on the organ in the studio above the theatre - the organ on which Jesse Crawford made many of his most famous recordings. These recordings were first released as 78rpm single and later compiled into LP releases on the King (organ in the theatre) and Regent (organ in the studio with the addition of Cozy Cole on drums) labels. He moved to Los Angeles in 1951 and in the mid 50's began making a series of recordings for Richard Vaughn's High Fidelity Recordings, Inc. label on a 5-manual, 21 rank Wurlitzer organ which Vaughn had acquired from the Paradise Theatre in Chicago (he was the first act signed to the label after its founding). Vaughn claimed that Wright's first seven albums for HIFI Records sold 1,000,000 copies in their first two years of release. He went on to record 20 albums for the HiFi label. By the late 1950s, Wright developed an avid, if cult-sized, following for his solo organ concerts during this time and was able to fill big variety-era theaters long after their main audiences had shriveled. Wright became renowned among theater organists for his pyrotechnic virtuosity, devising novel effects and pulling off lightning fast stop changes.
In 1963 he became ABC's musical director for the West Coast, including becoming the studio organist (and eventual musical director) for the soap opera "General Hospital". Wright remained with the show even after it switched from live broadcasts to video tape in the 1970s, and as musical cues modernized, he even began composing piano arrangements for "GH"'s underscore. In his next-to-last year with the soap, Wright was asked to compose new theme music for "GH", a piano-dominated tune which debuted on the program in April 1975. Over a year later, in July 1976, then-executive producer Tom Donovan chose to replace Wright's music with the style of another director. Wright, his scores, and his "GH" theme song were history (with the latter being replaced by the piece that will forever be the closest association of "GH" in history, "Autumn Breeze" by Jack Urbont).
During his long career, George Wright played a key role in reviving interest in theater organ music. He recorded more than 60 albums. Wright was the first act signed to Richard Vaughn's HIFI Records and recorded 20 albums as their featured organist in the late 1950s before switching to Dot Records in 1963.
On his HIFI albums, Wright is a perfect complement to the label's star, Arthur Lyman. His Dot albums are somewhat less showy, though he continues to work with a considerable range of material, from old standards to Dave Brubeck's "It's a Raggy Waltz." In August 1970, however, the studio/warehouse (owned by organ speaker inventory Don Leslie) where he kept his personal pipe organ burned and he stopped recording for over 10 years.
Wright bought a house in the Hollywood Hills less for its location than for its capacity to accommodate his own mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ. He worked on it constantly, swapping out pieces he collected in his travels around the U.S.
In 1980, his friend Bob Power founded BANDA Records for the purpose of recording Wright, and many of his albums were available from BANDA. In 1995, he was presented with the first Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Theatre Organ Society. He continued to play at concerts and make recordings to the end, and many unreleased tapes have been digitized after the acquisition of BANDA. He finished his last album, "Salon", just 60 days before his death. BANDA has released almost nothing since the early 2000s however, but the new owner of BANDA has issued two new offerings, "Back to School" and an all-piano offering "Gin & Tonic."
Wright's organ recordings were distributed on the Associated Program Service Transcriptions, Muzak, Thesaurus Transcription Service, Armed Forces Radio Service, RCA Custom (under the pseudonym Jocelyn McNeil), RCA Camden (under the pseudonym Guy Melendy), Malar, King, Regent, Lurite, Doric, Century, Hamilton, Reader's Digest, Essential, BANDA, HiFi, SOLO, and DOT labels.
Wright died of heart failure on May 10, 1998, in Los Angeles. His remains were cremated by the Neptune Society and scattered in the organization's Rose Garden.


AFAICR


List of Hammond organ players

The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert. The instrument was first manufactured in 1935. It has two manuals along with a set of bass pedals. A variety of models have been produced. The most popular is the B-3, produced between 1954 and 1974.
The instrument was designed to replace the pipe organ in churches, and early adopters included Henry Ford and George Gershwin, but it was not widely adopted for classical music. However, it was played in African American churches, and its use spread to gospel music and then to jazz in the 1950s. After usage declined in the jazz world in the 1970s, it subsequently regained its popularity in the genre and has become the second most used keyboard instrument in jazz after the piano. Jimmy Smith popularized the Hammond organ, and its technique of using drawbars and pedals.
Having found success in jazz, the Hammond organ became popular in rhythm and blues, including Booker T. & the M.G.'s and other Stax Records artists. From there, it became used in rock music, with users including Ian McLagan, Matthew Fisher, Steve Winwood, Mike Finnigan, Gregg Allman and Jon Lord. It became a significant instrument in progressive rock during the early 1970s, and became a featured instrument in ska and reggae. Although the original Hammond Organ Company collapsed, it was purchased by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation, who continued to manufacture the instrument using several former staff for research and development. Jazz organists, including Joey DeFrancesco and Barbara Dennerlein, have continued to feature the Hammond organ into the 21st-century.


Dance on Sunset

Dance on Sunset is a dance and music series hosted by Quddus (Benjamin Quddus Philippe) on Nickelodeon that featured dance routines, called the "Fresh-Squeezed Dance", designed to be performed by its preteen and teen-age viewers. Choreographer Tony Testa and the show's dance troupe, the Nick 6, demonstrated each routine slowly, repeating it several times during the episode. An "advanced" version of each routine was featured on the show's website. Episodes featured musical guests, which included Akon, Natasha Bedingfield, Miranda Cosgrove, Fall Out Boy, Fergie, Janet Jackson, Sean Kingston, Lil' Mama, Jesse McCartney, Menudo, Omarion, Panic! at the Disco and Ashlee Simpson, as well as dancing by a studio audience. The show premiered March 29, 2008, immediately after the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards.
The name 'On Sunset' came from the production location Nickelodeon on Sunset on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The show was cancelled due to low viewership. The series finale aired on June 21, 2008. The website has been discontinued & shut down as of December 21, 2017.
Dancers.
Members of the show's dance troupe, at the time of the show's debut, ranged in age from 15 to 22. They were directed by Tony Testa, a former choreographer of Janet Jackson. The group consisted of Karen Chuang, Johnny Erasme, Ashley Galvan, Shane Harper, Aubree Storm and Hefa Tuita; the group was chosen with an eye for diversity and differing backgrounds.
Karen Chuang.
Karen Chuang was born March 26, 1990, in San Jose, California. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in business economics from UCLA, where she was the executive director for its premiere hip-hop team, NSU Modern. She is now pursuing a career as a professional dancer and is represented by Clear Talent Group. Her credits include Grey's Anatomy, Glee, The White House, The Ellen Show, Willow Smith, Cher Lloyd, and Nicki Minaj's "Pink Friday Reloaded" World Tour (2013). She recently danced alongside Lady Gaga at the 2013 MTV VMAs and in her "G.U.Y." music video, and performed with Kanye West on his "Yeezus" Tour (2014). She is also a member of Entity Contemporary Dance Company. Karen's technical background and diverse training creates a unique hip-hop inspired contemporary style, which she enjoys exploring and sharing with fellow dancers. She currently subs regularly at Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, California, and Movement Lifestyle in North Hollywood, California. In addition to her artistic aspirations, Karen also has a passion for fashion and was an assistant to the PR Coordinator at Versace from 2011 to 2012.
Johnny Erasme.
Erasme was born May 11, 1989, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A former member of the JammX Kids, he appeared in the JCPenney commercial "Control Freak." His family moved from New Orleans, Louisiana, to California after Hurricane Katrina. He raps and plays guitar and has released a CD titled "Johnny E.".
Ashley Galvan.
Ashley Galvan a high-school senior at the debut of "Dance on Sunset", is from Visalia, California. She started dancing at 3 and is schooled in jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical, contemporary, and modern dance. She received the 2007 Cover Girl Award 2007 for "Spotlight Dance Cup Comp". She has appeared in a Keke Palmer dance video, on the CBS KEWLopolis dancing competition "Dance Revolution" and in commercials and was also a background dancer in the remake of the movie Fame. She even competed on season 7 of "So You Think You Can Dance" as one of the top 11 contestants. She also made an appearance in Glee episode "Original Song" as one of the Aural Intensity singers.
Shane Harper.
Shane Harper was born February 14, 1993, in La Jolla, California. He was a principal dancer in the Disney Channel's "High School Musical 2", an extra in Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101". He's ventured more into acting over the years, most notably as Spencer Walsh on "Good Luck Charlie".
Aubree Storm.
Aubree Storm born January 4, 1986, is an Elburn, Illinois, native who trained in ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance at St. Charles School of Dance and the Lou Conte Dance Studio of Chicago. She was a dancer in Disney's "High School Musical" concert tour and was a dancer for Ashley Tisdale in appearances on "Good Morning America" and "Live with Regis and Kelly", and appeared as a dancer in the film "Step Brothers". She was also a member of Jin Akanishi's group of back up dancers, Jincrew, used for his concerts. She has also danced for Willow Smith, Cher Lloyd, and Justin Bieber as one of twelve dancers featured in his Believe Tour.
Hefa Tuita.
Tuita was born June 18, 1991, in Spanish Fork, Utah. He was a dancer in the Disney Channel's "High School Musical 2" and "" appearing in various parts of the movie. He is trained in Latin and salsa dancing as well as hip-hop, jazz, ballroom international and funk. He was trained at Heart N Soul Dance Studio. He appeared in the movie "Unaccompanied Minors", danced in two Taylor Vai videos and for Rihanna. He's danced with multiple recording artists including Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Usher, Kylie Minogue, and Chris Brown.
Episodes.
Episodes broadcast have included the following. Each features a playlist of five songs and usually includes at least one special guest. Each also features a new "Fresh-Squeezed Dance."
This season was filmed from October 2007-March 2008


Internetware

Internetware is a term coined to describe the emerging software paradigm for the Internet computing environment. It also refers to the software exhibiting the desired properties (described below) to meet the requirements of the Internet environment.
The Internet is a dynamic, open, ever-changing environment. These characteristics impose new requirements on software over Internet. More specifically, in traditional software, the requirements of the tasks are often pre-determined and clearly stated, and the tasks are performed by pre-designed software components following fixed algorithms. On the other hand, in the Internet computing environment, more and more requirements are unclear or undetermined, and the software components that collaborates to finish a task are dynamically obtained. As an example mentioned by Mei et al., handling swine flu epidemic requires emergent cooperation among organizational and individual software and services, such as airlines, hotels, hospitals and mobile phones. We do not know what components will be involved in the collaboration nor their behaviors. We also do not know what kind of collaboration needs to occur or will occur beforehand.
History.
Internetware was first proposed by Chinese researchers from Peking University and Nanjing University in 2003. Through the support from two Chinese National Basic Research Programs (also known as 973 programs) from 2002–2008 and 2009–2013, approximately 80 researchers from different Chinese universities, institutes and companies have participated in the research of Internetware, and a large number of papers have been published.
The development of Internetware soon attracted international attentions, and many researchers outside China started to work on this topic. IBM participated in the 973 program as one of the main industrial cooperators. The annual Asia-Pacific Symposium on Internetware started in 2009 in cooperation with ACM SIGSOFT, attracted authors from US, Australia, Canada, and attendees from Japan and Korea. Articles discussing Internetware also appear in various venues by international authors.
Internetware Research.
The research community of Internetware propose methodologies and techniques to develop software exhibiting the above properties. As of the year 2012, the research of Internetware mainly covers the following three aspects.
Software model.
The software model defines the basic form of Internetware. The current research tries to define the basic interfaces of the software entities, such that collaboration is enabled. Mathematical models of collaboration are also proposed based on the interfaces.
Operating platform.
The software operating platform implements the software model, supporting the features defined in the entity model and the collaboration model. For example, researchers have proposed connectors that enable communications between heterogeneous protocols, and runtime software architecture to govern on-demand collaboration.
Engineering approach.
The engineering approach guides the developers for building Internetware. Researchers have proposed to use software architecture as a high-level blue-print to guide the Internetware development, where the individual components can be dynamically discovered and replaced at runtime.


The Party Machine with Nia Peeples

The Party Machine with Nia Peeples is a half-hour late-night American musical variety show that aired in syndication for one season in 1991. The show was hosted by Nia Peeples and executive produced by Arsenio Hall.
History.
Background.
Arsenio Hall created "The Party Machine" as a televised afterparty to his own program, "The Arsenio Hall Show", and to be a late-night alternative to "Club MTV".
Hall built the half-hour show around Nia Peeples, who previously hosted MTV's Friday night "Street Party" series and the short-lived US adaptation of "Top of the Pops".
The "Party Machine" set featured live music venues, multi-level dance floors, conversation pits, a VIP room, a non-alcoholic bar and a resident DJ. Music videos were introduced by Peeples, who also served as a dancer/choreographer.
The show, sold to markets as a companion piece to Hall's talk show, aired weeknights in syndication beginning January 7, 1991 on approximately 150 stations.
In addition to "Club MTV", its format brought comparisons to "Soul Train", "Dance Party USA" and "American Bandstand".
Guests.
"Party Machine" aimed to be a showcase for established and breaking urban dance acts. New Jack Swing singing group Troop was the show's first guest.
Other music acts who performed on the show include The Boys, Tevin Campbell, Taylor Dayne, Sheena Easton, En Vogue, Guy, LeVert, MC Hammer, Alexander O'Neal, Maxi Priest, Will Smith, Ralph Tresvant and Vanilla Ice. The show also featured comedians and actors such as Sinbad and David Faustino.
Ratings.
Initially, ratings for "Party Machine" were solid and on several occasions beat "Late Night" head-to-head in Atlanta, New York, Detroit, Miami and Washington. Viewership gradually dipped, however, and in June the show was cancelled. The final episode aired on September 15, 1991.


Big Fan

Big Fan is a 2009 American dark comedy film written and directed by Robert D. Siegel, and starring Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Michael Rapaport, and Scott Ferrall. The story revolves around the bleak yet amiable life of the self-described "world’s biggest New York Giants fan", Paul Aufiero (Oswalt). "Big Fan" garnered positive reviews at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The film had a limited release in the United States beginning on August 28, 2009.
Plot.
Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt) is a parking garage attendant who lives with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz) in Staten Island, New York. He relentlessly follows the New York Giants football team. He and his friend Sal (Kevin Corrigan) faithfully attend each Giants game; however, as they can't afford tickets, they content themselves with watching the games on a battery-powered TV in the stadium parking lot. Paul is also a regular caller to the Sports Dogg's (Scott Ferrall) radio talk show, where he refers to himself as "Paul from Staten Island," rants in support of the Giants, and berates his mysterious on-air rival, Philadelphia Eagles fanatic "Philadelphia Phil" (Michael Rapaport). Paul's family criticizes him for doing nothing with his life. He disregards their scorn and happily devotes himself to his beloved team.
One day Paul and Sal spot Giants star and Paul's favorite player Quantrell Bishop (Jonathan Hamm) and his entourage in Staten Island. They follow Bishop to a drug deal in Stapleton. Though the pair see Bishop buying something, they naively fail to recognize the transaction. Paul and Sal then follow Bishop into a strip club in Manhattan where they eventually introduce themselves. All goes well until the two fans innocently mention that they saw Bishop in Stapleton. Bishop becomes enraged and brutally beats Paul, who wakes up in a hospital.
Following the incident, Bishop is suspended from the team. Paul's personal-injury lawyer brother Jeff (Gino Cafarelli) and NYPD Detective Velardi (Matt Servitto) pressure Paul to bring charges against Bishop, but Paul refuses, worried about the effect on the Giants' performance if they lose their star linebacker. The charges against Bishop are eventually dropped and he returns to the team.
Jeff then files a $77 million civil lawsuit against Bishop as Paul's legal guardian, claiming Paul is mentally incompetent and can't bring the lawsuit himself. When a reporter phones Paul to ask him "about the lawsuit," Paul becomes livid and confronts Jeff as he sits on the toilet. Both Jeff and Paul's mother start to pressure Paul to get mental help.
Philadelphia Phil researches Paul on the Internet and reveals on Sports Dogg's show that the victim of the Quantrell Bishop beating is in fact "Paul from Staten Island", humiliating him. Paul heads for Philadelphia to confront Phil. Disguised as an Eagles fanatic, Paul identifies Phil in a local bar and gains his trust as they watch the Giants and Eagles play the season's pivotal final game. As the Eagles dominate the Giants, the crowd in the bar begins to deride the Giants in increasingly enthusiastic fashion, much to Paul's consternation. When time runs out and the Eagles fanatics celebrate their victory, Paul follows Phil into the men's room and pulls a gun on him, shooting Phil multiple times. Phil, lying shocked on the men's room floor, stares at his hands, which are now covered in red and blue, the Giants' colors. The gun is then revealed to be a paintball gun. Paul utters "Eagles suck!" and flees from the bar.
Paul is arrested and imprisoned for the assault. Sal visits Paul in jail and reveals to him the Giants' schedule for the following season. A key game coincides with the week Paul is scheduled to be released—Paul is overjoyed and says "It's going to be a great year".
Reception.
"Big Fan" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 86%, based on 88 reviews, and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Featuring Patton Oswalt's sympathetic portrayal, "Big Fan" humorously and effectively captures the dark and lonely world of a sports fanatic." Metacritic gives the film a score of 70 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
"The New York Times" gave the film a positive review, describing it as an "agreeably low-key and modest film."


I feel like chicken tonight


IYAI


Just Add Water (improv troupe)

Just Add Water, sometimes abbreviated as JAW (pronounced "jaw"), is an improvisational comedy troupe at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Just Add Water plays both short-form and long-form games and makes frequent use of music in its performances. The group is completely student run and directed, and is also known for wearing brightly colored jumpsuits as performance uniforms.
History.
Just Add Water was founded in 1986 as the youngest improv troupe at Yale, joining the Ex!t Players, The Purple Crayon, and The Viola Question. The group was allegedly formed when flyers appeared around campus soliciting interested students and the time and location of a first meeting; no one claimed credit for posting the flyers at the time, and attendees at the meeting were met only with the phrase "Do you just add water?" written on the blackboard. Jumpsuits were introduced as official uniforms in the mid-1990s. JAW has performed widely across the United States, including at The Second City in Chicago, making JAW the first collegiate improv group to be invited to perform there. Membership has historically numbered between 12 and 15, usually undergraduates. Members join the group as freshmen (as sophomores on occasion) and remain with the group until graduation.
Performance.
JAW is known for incorporating music into its performance, improvising songs and raps in many of its games. To facilitate musical performances, JAW has included a pianist on its roster in addition to regular players since its founding. Shows generally feature a combination of short- and long-form games, culminating in a large-scale improvised musical.


IDTS


IO West

The iO West (formerly known as the "ImprovOlympic West") was the Los Angeles branch of the iO in Chicago. The theater was located at 6366 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood, California. In addition to presenting improv and sketch comedy shows every night, the iO West had improv training classes and was the home for the Los Angeles Improv Comedy Festival. On February 24, 2018, iO West permanently ceased operations.
History.
The iO was founded in the 1980s by Del Close and Charna Halpern in Chicago. The iO approaches improvisation as an art form in and of itself; this differs from the Second City approach, where improv is used as a tool in creating sketch comedy.
In 1997, Paul Vaillancourt opened a companion theater to the iO Chicago, then "ImprovOlympic West," now iO West, in Los Angeles, California. The theater originally took up residence at The Stella Adler Theater 6773 Hollywood Blvd., but soon moved to The Complex Theater, 6470 Santa Monica Boulevard before finally moving to the new purpose-built space on 6366 Hollywood Blvd in 2000.
iO West’s three theater spaces—the Main Stage, a two-level, 99-seat theatre, the Del Close Experimental Black Box 70-seat Theater, and the 40-seat Loft Space black box theatre—feature various stand-up, sketch, and improv shows nightly. iO West's training center offers long-form improv classes year-round. The iO West is also involved in the annual Los Angeles Improv Comedy Festival.
iO West's Artistic Directors are Colleen Doyle and Zach Huddleston.
iO West's Musical Director is Eric Schackne. Former Musical Directors include Andrew Melton and George Caleodis.
Closure.
On February 13, 2018, iO Chicago co-founder Charna Halpern announced via Twitter that the theater would close permanently on February 24, 2018. As of 2020, the venue space remains vacant.


Kristian Seltun

Kristian Seltun (born 1970) is a Norwegian dramaturge and theatre director.
He graduated as cand.philol. from the University of Bergen.
Seltun has been director at the theatres , (from 2001), and Trøndelag Teater (since 2010). He has been appointed theatre director for Nationaltheatret from 2021, succeeding Hanne Tømta.


The Making of Plus One

The Making of Plus One is a 2010 British-Canadian comedy film about the independent filmmaking industry. The film was set and shot at the Cannes Film Festival and takes a satirical look at the film industry's obsession with celebrity. It was written and directed by Mary McGuckian and stars Michael Eklund, Suzan-Lori Parks, Lothaire Bluteau, Geraldine Chaplin, Donna D'Errico, Jordi Mollà and Jennifer Tilly.
Plot.
The production team of a new film, headed by hopeful director (Parks) and a conniving producer Dave Dallas (Eklund) hold several meetings at the Cannes Film Festival with the hope of achieving financial backing for their film.


The Court Jesters

The Court Jesters is a professional improv company founded in 1989 and based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is a subsidiary of the Court Theatre professional theatre company, acting as a second company within the theatre.
The group provide entertainment for corporate and private clients, run weekly community improv workshops and an annual Theatresports competition for high schools, as well as performing their own weekly or twice-weekly improv comedy show, "Scared Scriptless".
History.
Origins.
Theatresports at The Court Theatre began in 1987 under the direction of Bryan Aitken and Judie Douglass. This was largely due to the upswing in popularity of improvised theatre internationally and the desire to introduce it to a New Zealand audience. The popularity of the style led to the formation of a permanent improvisational wing of The Court Theatre under the moniker "The Court Jesters" in late 1989.
In 1990 the Court Jesters manager Michael Robinson (working alongside Jim McLarty and Lori Dungey) began a late-night improvised comedy show titled "Scared Scriptless" at The Court Theatre. Scared Scriptless still runs to this day, and as such is the longest-running (and continuously running) show in New Zealand. Original members of the company were John Hudson, Patrick Duffy, Geoff Dolan, KC Kelly, Greg Cooper, Ross Gumbley, Cal Wilson, Simon Peacock, Susan Fogarty, Matthew Gould, Kevin Smith, Craig Cooper, Carl Nixon, Andie Spargo, Paul Letham, and Michael Robinson.
1990s.
During the rest of the 1990s, though some members left for television and film work in Auckland and overseas, the Jesters expanded their repertoire with corporate entertainment and teaching improv/theatresports to high schools (as part of the "Theatresports in Schools" programme) and community improvisation classes. The Jesters also had considerable success with dinner theatre including a show at Mona Vale called "The Wedding".
In 1994 The Court Jesters sent a team of improvisors to the World Theatresports Championships in Los Angeles. Teams from the UK, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Denmark, America, New Zealand, The Netherlands and other countries competed. New Zealand's team, comprising Simon Peacock, Cal Wilson, Susan Fogarty and Greg Cooper, won the competition.
The late 90s saw the company push the boundaries of improvisational practice through script-based improv works such as "I Spy", "The X-Philes", "Blood", and "Doctor Pussy Finger Says No To Tomorrow". The company's first fully scripted work was "The Complete History of New Zealand (Abridged)", first presented in Christchurch in 1998. Their only other fully scripted play was "A Fistful of Dolores" which premièred in 2002. "The Complete History of New Zealand (Abridged)" continues to be presented throughout the country, most recently performed in Hagley Park, Christchurch in 2012. The company also pioneered a school holiday theatre programme using tight casts of three to four actors and scripts that could effectively use the main stage sets for daytime performances. The Court Theatre continues to use this production model for holiday performances.
Alongside the newfound confidence with scripted and part-scripted work, The Court Jesters continued to explore pure improv. The 1997 season of "Abandon Script" used an approach that saw a full 90-minute show generated from a single word offered by the audience.
2000s.
By the early 2000s, natural attrition saw the company with only one original member (Andie Spargo). In 2002 the then-current members, dissatisfied with their relationship with The Court Theatre, left to form their own corporate entertainment/improvisation business, 'The Outwits'. In response, The Court Theatre announced that it was reforming The Court Jesters under the management of Nicola Wellbourn and the direction and tutelage of Patrick Duffy (one of the original Jesters who had left the troupe in the early-mid 90s). They held open auditions and from the various actors, singers, entertainers, comedians, street performers, and improvisors who applied formed the new troupe of Court Jesters in December 2002, "rebooting" the company.
These new Jesters took over Scared Scriptless, Theatresports In Schools and corporate entertainment at the beginning of 2003. Effectively starting from scratch, the troupe had to rebuild a fan base and increase audiences for Scared Scriptless, as well as attract more corporate entertainment work and retain the goodwill of The Court Theatre management. While described as a "hard slog" by many, progress was made financially and artistically.
"Fairyable" was performed in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in February 2004 as part of the Christchurch City Council's "Summertimes" festival. The format of the show was a long-form improvised fairytale.
In 2005 Kirsty Gillespie took over as manager of the Court Jesters with Jeff Clark remaining as assistant to the manager. While Patrick Duffy remained an active member of the Jesters, Ross Gumbley (another original Court Jester who had moved to Centrepoint Theatre in the mid 90s, and then returned to take the position of Associate Artistic Director of The Court Theatre in 2000) took a much more active role in the performance side of the company.
At the beginning of 2006 the Court Jesters enjoyed a marked surge in numbers at Scared Scriptless (coupled with a change of the start time to 10pm) and continued to build audiences, often moving the show to the larger Court One venue to accommodate ticket sales. Ross Gumbley was appointed Artistic Director of the Court Theatre in March 2006, effectively securing the company's position.
In May 2006 the company received improvisation tutelage from Keith Johnstone to couple the rise in financial success with increased artistic standards. Scared Scriptless ended its 2006 season having set a new record for box office sales.
In 2007, as part of the launch of The Court Theatre's "Forge" programme, the Jesters presented several limited season shows exploring new concepts, such as themed shows or "long-form" narrative structures. The shows included "The Early Early Late Show" (family-friendlyshort-form improv), "Radio Ha Ha" (a themed show set in the golden age of radio), "Chatterbox" (a comedic form of playback theatre with local celebrities) and "A Very Merry Scriptless" (a Christmas-themed show for family audiences).
As a part of the 2008 Forge season, the Jesters staged "Pulp William" (a long-form mash-up of the Shakespeare and Tarantino genres), "Scriptless Uncut" (an Oscars-themed improv show) and a return season of "A Very Merry Scriptless", this time as a partially-scripted/partially improvised retelling of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"; in 2009 the show similarly tackled the nativity and the Magi before returning to more short-form in 2010. "The Early Early Late Show" returned as part of the 2009 Forge season and annually thereafter.
In 2009, due to high audience demand, a second weekly performance of "Scared Scriptless" was added at 10:15pm Saturdays.
2010s.
A 20th anniversary "30-Hour Improvathon" was held in 2010, featuring both current and past members of the Court Jester company. In the 2010 Forge season, the Jesters presented a long-form show called "Off The Map", featuring interweaving narratives and characters in a fictional small New Zealand town.
Following the closure of the Christchurch Arts Centre after the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, Scared Scriptless resumed performances within three weeks and performed in a variety of venues whilst The Court Theatre constructed its new venue. Companies also hired the Court Jesters directly to perform for them, for example a law firm that was based at the PGC House, one of the two large office buildings that collapsed during the February 2011 earthquake. shows were staged at 8 pm Fridays and Saturdays until The Court Theatre opened its new venue "The Shed". In 2011 The Court Jesters mounted a return season of "A Very Merry Scriptless" as a Christmas musical.
From 10 February 2012, "Scared Scriptless" resumed late-night shows at 10:15pm Fridays and Saturdays in the new venue, dubbed "The Shed", in Addington. Due to the more limited space, the Jesters had less opportunities to present shows, although "A Very Merry Scriptless" returned annually with various themes until 2014.
In 2013 Dan Bain was appointed Artistic Director of The Court Jesters, a role he held until 2020.
2020 and COVID-19.
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, all of the Court Theatre's shows were postponed or cancelled for several months, including "Scared Scriptless".
The Court resumed staging productions in The Shed's foyer with safety measures in place in August 2020 and on 21 September 2020 announced that the main auditorium would be reopening. For these 'foyer shows' the Jesters presented "Scared Scriptless Attempts": multiple long-form concepts and themed shows including Jane Austen, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, romantic comedy, and a Broadway musical. Once full lockdown restrictions were lifted, "Scared Scriptless" also returned with shows on Fridays at 10:15pm.
On 16 October 2020 the company celebrated its 30th anniversary with a special 8pm show.
In December 2020 Trubie-Dylan Smith was appointed Artistic Manager of The Court Jesters.
Scared Scriptless.
The flagship Court Jesters show is "Scared Scriptless", a weekly short-form improvisational comedy show. The show was established in 1990 and is New Zealand's longest-running comedy show.
Scared Scriptless is hosted by an MC, along with anywhere from 4 to 10 players, a muso (a musician who improvises the backing music) and at least one technician/stage manager (who operates the lights and sound). Players and MCs are all members of the Court Jesters and rotate frequently.
The format for the show can change from week to week but is mainly focused on shortform improvisation. Formats include Micetro, Theatresports, Gorilla Theatre and themed performances, as well as variations on these and original formats devised by the Court Jesters. Scenes are based on suggestions from the audience and often challenges/rules (also called "handles" or "games") from the MC.
"Scared Scriptless" is usually performed on the set of a current Court Theatre production, although in some cases rudimentary furniture and props may be used. Similarly, players often do not use any props or costumes, relying instead on mime and physicality. The usual exception is when the MC may bring along props or costumes for special scenes/games or to fit with the theme of the night. It has on occasion been performed in alternative venues when unable to use the main stage (see the history of the company).
Performers.
Over the years the roster of The Jesters has changed regularly.
The original members were either acting interns at The Court Theatre or were brought in through auditions and recruitment. Members often left to pursue other careers or move overseas; subsequently people from school teams, workshops or other towns were recruited into the company as "Associate" Jesters – improvisers who played Scared Scriptless semi-regularly but were not used for corporate work or permanently contracted. By the mid-1990s, many if not all of the troupe were 'second-generation' Jesters, having been coached/taught by the Court Jesters themselves and gone from Associate to Full Jestership.
When the company reformed in late 2002, many of the new troupe were garnered from the University of Canterbury Comedy Club, high school teams and other entertainment groups/organisations. Over the years there have been numerous reshufflings and recruitments as the company continues to evolve. The current roster of regular performers is around 20, with auditions and recruitment of "Apprentice" Jesters biennially.


Hemmelig Tempo

Hemmelig Tempo is a quasi-scientific, improvisational and partly satirical Norwegian sound experiment group notable for performances, concerts, installations, satirical video productions, album releases and a number of collaborations with artists and ensembles in other fields. Characteristically dressed in laboratory-coats, their output has been described as a "strong commentary to our technological existence".
Biography.
Hemmelig Tempo made their first public appearance dressed in white laboratory coats in Bergen, Norway in 2007. Combining a quasi-scientific approach with performance, improvisation and avant-garde electronical sound art, the group became known for their satirical role-play and "live research" performances featuring a vast number of diy electronical gadgets, synthesizers, transistor radios, household objects and machines.
During the Bergen Electronic Music & Art Festival in 2008, the group contributed with an installation in which the group replaced themselves with three toy robots producing random Aleatoric music. Reflecting the group's sense of satire, the installation was called "Do we really need musicians?". The same year, the group also collaborated with the Norwegian contemporary dance ensemble Molitrix for a series of dance performances called "Skin". Across the following years, the group produced a series of YouTube videos with titles such as "6 Unlikely Duos", "4 Unlikely Trios", and "Bicycle Mixing Session". The latter experiment in Spatial music, described as a combination of a public health initiative and sound-engineering, consisted of three bicycles equipped with an amplifier and speaker which transmitted the sound of pre-recorded musical instruments. By placing microphones at each extreme side of a large-sized hall and manoeuvering the bicycles around the hall, a giant mixing system was in effect created, "allowing unpredictable volume and panning effects that could not be replicated with a normal mixing board" (op.cit). Here possibly making a reference to Kraftwerk's well documented interest in bicycles, Hemmelig Tempo has consistently placed themselves within the tradition of electronic music by making references to composers such as Arne Nordheim and John Cage in their album releases.
The group also collaborated with other artist, film-makers and ensembles during the next years, including making sound-design for the contemporary dance ensemble Winter Guests, appearing in a "Visual Dissertation" short film produced by Amehn Productions and shown at the Borealis Film Festival, collaborating with actors Liv Ullmann, Dennis Storhøi and Anders Baasmo Christiansen on a short, unreleased Radio play, and improvising live in a series of performances with Carte Blanche, the largest contemporary dance ensemble in Norway, in 2016.
Releases.
In 2011, the group released the album Who Put John Cage on the Guestlist on a sublabel of the French label Musea. The album received good reviews and was quoted as one of the Favorite Releases of the year by the US online magazine Asymmetry Music Magazine. One reviewer referred to the music as "some of the most uncompromising electronic music I've ever encountered", while another described it as "totally experimental, far out, challenging, sometimes exciting, sometimes a bit too weird but always intriguing for patient people".
In 2012, the group contributed with two tracks for the compilation "Muu For Ears 9", produced by MUU, an artist run, Finnish interdisciplinary artist association, founded in 1987 to represent and promote new and experimental forms of art. The same year, the group also contributed on two tracks on the album "Magic Handshake" by the Norwegian space-rock band Seid.
In 2016, the group released the album "Are You Part of Some Kind of Cult?", a concept album about an island of pseudo-science worshippers, inspired by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
In 2017, Professor Waffel released a solo album, "Assemblages", constructed around tiny sampled fragments of classical modernist and ethnic music, field recordings, foley and live performances on a number of acoustic and electronic instruments.
Members.
In the booklet for the 2011 release "Who Put John Cage on the Guestlist", the following members are listed:


Oh Yeah! (advertising slogan)


Christopher Gattelli

Christopher Gattelli is an American choreographer, performer and theatre director.
Early life and career.
Gattelli grew up in Bristol, Pennsylvania. He started dancing at the age of 11 and is a "Star Search" Grand champion. As a performer, he appeared in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (Revival) and the role of Pouncival in "Cats".
Choreographer.
Gattelli has choreographed several special benefit concerts, including "Chess" (2003), "Hair" (also co-director, Actor's Fund, 2004), and "Chance and Chemistry: A Centennial Celebration of Frank Loesser" (also directed, Actors Fund, October 2009).
His work as choreographer for Broadway includes "Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me" (2006), "High Fidelity" (2006), "The Ritz" (2007), "Sunday in the Park with George" (Revival, 2008), "South Pacific" (2008), "13" (2008), "Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," "Godspell," "Newsies" (2012), and the 2015 revival of "The King and I".
His Off-Broadway choreographic work includes "Adrift in Macao" (2007, also Philadelphia, PA 2005), "How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes" (also director, 2006), "I Love You Because" (2006), "Altar Boyz" (2005), "tick, tick...BOOM," "Dogfight" and "Bat Boy: The Musical" (2001). In regional theatre he is the choreographer for "The Baker's Wife" (Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, New Jersey, 2005), "Tom Jones" (2004), "tick, tick...BOOM!" (2004, also London Fringe, 2005), "Me and My Girl," and "O. Henry's Lovers" (Goodspeed Opera House, 2003). He directed Jim Henson's "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" at The Goodspeed Opera House, Connecticut in 2008, and choreographed Julie Andrews' "The Great American Mousical" there in 2012. His production of "The Jungle Book" played the Goodman Theatre and Huntington Theatre Company in 2013. He is the director of the musical spoof "SILENCE! The Musical", which ran in 2005 at NYCFringe and is scheduled to open in London in January 2010. Other West End and London credits include "South Pacific" and "Sunday In the Park With George." He is in charge of musical staging for "Little Miss Sunshine".
He collaborated with Stephen Flaherty on the world premiere of "In Your Arms," which he directed and choreographed for the New York Stage and Film's Powerhouse Theater at Vassar in 2014. He is directing and choreographing "In Your Arms" for a production at the Old Globe Theatre in September 2015.
Gattelli directed and choreographed the Spring 2014 lab of RKO's "Top Hat" in New York. This is a new version of the 2011 stage version that ran in London and the UK, and is being worked on by Gatelli and Chad Beguelin. The production "is still several seasons off", according to Gatelli in January 2017.
His choreography can also be seen in the Coen brothers feature "Hail Caesar!".
He was the resident choreographer for "The Rosie O'Donnell Show".
Awards.
Gattelli was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Choreography for "South Pacific" and won the award in 2012 for "Newsies". His "Newsies" choreography also won him the Outer Critics Circle Award. He won the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Choreography for "Altar Boyz." He won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Choreographer for "Altar Boyz" and "".
Personal life.
He is openly gay.


Joe Frisco

Joe Frisco (born Louis Wilson Joseph; November 4, 1889 – February 12, 1958) was an American vaudeville performer who first made his name on stage as a jazz dancer, but later incorporated his stuttering voice to his act and became a popular comedian.
Life and career.
He was born Louis Wilson Joseph in Milan, Illinois on November 4, 1889.
In the mid and late 1910s he performed with some of the first jazz bands in Chicago and New York City, including Tom Brown's Band from Dixieland, the Original Dixieland Jass Band, and the Louisiana Five. He made his Broadway debut in the Florenz Ziegfeld Follies in 1918. Frisco was a mainstay on the vaudeville circuit in the 1920s and 1930s.
His popular jazz dance act, called by some the "Jewish Charleston", was a choreographed series of shuffles, camel walks and turns. It was usually performed to Darktown Strutters' Ball. It, or at least a minute or so of it, can be seen in the film "Atlantic City" (1944). He typically wore a derby hat, and had a king-sized cigar in his mouth as he danced. He often performed in front of a backing danceline of beautiful women wearing leotards, short jackets and bowler hats—and "puffing" on big prop cigars.
Frisco was a compulsive gambler and spent many afternoons while in New York City at the track with actor Jay C. Flippen, playwright Jerry Devine, actor Martin Gabel (husband of Arlene Francis) and Danny Lavezzo (owner of P. J. Clarke's), and when he began to incorporate stand-up comedy into his act, his humor revolved on tales about his bad luck gambling, speakeasies, and his constant state of debt. Bing Crosby was a friend of Frisco's, and was constantly lending hm money/
Frisco stuttered, but could recite scripted dialogue without impairment, although he was illiterate. His 1930 comedy short "The Happy Hottentots" shows Frisco as a snappy vaudevillian, without any speech impediment at all. He soon became known for his witty off-stage remarks, made in a stammering voice: "After they made that guy, th-th-they threw away the sh-sh-shovel!"
Many vaudevillians traveled with animals that were included in their routines. While in New York, Frisco called down to the front desk of a hotel and said, "The smell in my room is t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e, my g-g-goat can't s-s-sleep." The concierge replied, "Try opening the window." Frisco answered, "What? And let my p-p-pigeons out?"
Perhaps his most famous line was uttered while in a New York hotel. The room clerk called and said, "Mr. Frisco, we understand you have a young lady in your room." Frisco replied, "T-t-t-then send up another G-g-gideon B-b-bible, please."
In the 1940s, he moved to Hollywood, made appearances in several low-budget and otherwise forgettable movies. According to the American Vaudeville Museum, later in Frisco's career, bookies and IRS agents lined up outside the paymaster's door at theaters where Frisco was performing in order to collect on his debts to them.\
Joe Frisco died of cancer, virtually penniless, on February 12, 1958, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California.
References.
Notes
Further reading


Max E. Keller

Max Eugen Keller (born March 19, 1947, Aarau) is a Swiss composer, jazz pianist and improvising musician. He was one of the first free-jazz musicians in Switzerland. Since 2007 he is chairman of the Swiss Society for New Music.
Life and work.
Keller studied (fellowship by the Heinrich Strobel Foundation in Freiburg, Germany) musicology, history and composition with Hans Ulrich Lehmann and Helmut Lachenmann at the City of Basel Music Academy and with Nicolaus A. Huber and Thomas Kessler.
In 1966 he began his career as one of the first Swiss artists of free jazz. In 1967, he had a sensational performance at the Zurich Jazz Festival. He played in various bands in concerts and on radio broadcasts in Europe.
Since 1980 he worked as an improvising musician (piano and electronic musical instruments) again. Concerts have taken him to South America, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. He worked together with Dani Schaffner, Christoph Gallio, Peter A. Schmid, Mathias Rissi, Kurt Grämiger, Daniel Mouthon, Thomas Borgmann, Hans Koch, Urs Leimgruber, Günter Müller, Hans Hassler, Charlotte Hug, Matthias Ziegler, Christian Wolfarth, Günter Heinz and Barry Guy.
He has composed about 100 works, including electronic music. He produce a chamber opera (commission of the Komische Oper Berlin) and several songs. His compositions have been performed in Europe, Australia, South Africa, North and South America, Russia, Korea, China, Mongolia and Azerbaijan (including the World Music Days in Zurich (1991) and Mexico (1993)). Performers were the Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur, the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, the Ensemble Sortisatio and the Hanns Eisler New Music Group.
From 2007 to 2010 he is chairman of the Swiss Society for Contemporary Music (successor to Jean-Luc Darbellay).