“Can I watch TV Channels on my computer” is something that a lot of PC owners are asking them self.  Well, the answer to that question is yes.  However, you may not know which programs or stations you can watch.

So, what I’m going to do is share with you some TV channels you can watch on your computer.  That way, you’ll be able to enjoy all of your favorite shows and programs.

The TV programs that you can watch are:

1.  Sports.  If you enjoy watching sports, you’re going to love being able to do it on your computer.  The best thing about being able to watch it on your pc is the fact that you can get the sports channels that your cable company doesn’t carry.

2.  TV Shows.  If you have a favorite soap opera or show that you like watching, you can view it from your computer.  This is great for anyone that loves watching their daily shows.  Which is something wanted to do who asked, “can I watch TV channels on my computer”.

3.  Movies.  Watching your favorite movies is another great thing that you can do on your computer.  You can watch your favorite movie channel on your pc, which is cool if you don’t feel like renting any movies.

4.  Shopping channels.  If you like to buy from shopping channels or infomercials, then you’ll love doing it from your computer.  There are a lot of shopping TV channels that you can view from your computer.

These are some of the TV Channels you can watch.  Actually, there are thousands of TV stations and channels that you can watch on your pc.  So, now that you know the answer to your question, “can I watch TV channels on my computer”, go watch your favorite shows.  You’ll love being able to do it.

Silky Soul Music is the brainchild of Frankie Beverly’s son, Anthony, who is serving as the project’s executive and co-producer. Beverly developed the idea to properly honor his father’s contributions to the music industry in a way that has never been done before. It is the first and only album recognizing Beverly and Maze’s nearly 40-year career including 12 albums and 30 hit singles. The 10 songs selected for the CD represent some of Maze and Frankie Beverly’s greatest hits. Featured are a host of Grammy Award winning and nominated gold and platinum-selling artists in R&B and Gospel, including Joe, Kevon Edmonds, Mary J. Blige, Ledisi, Mint Condition, Raheem DeVaughn, and the Clark Sisters.

The number two album of the week is Green Day’s “21st Century Breakdown”, the Punk trio’s long-awaited eighth studio album. The album is the best-selling trio’s first studio album since 2004’s two-time Grammy Award-winning Punk Rock opera American Idiot, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart, spawned five hit singles, and went on to sell more than 12 million copies worldwide. 21st Century Breakdown is divided into three acts: “Heroes and Cons,” “Charlatans and Saints,” and “Horseshoes and Handgrenades,” and follows a young couple, Christian and Gloria, through the mess and promise of the century so far. Songs include “Know Your Enemy”, “21 Guns”, “East Jesus Nowhere”, “Before the Lobotomy”, and “Restless Heart Syndrome.”

The remaining top ten is as follows:

3. Backstreet Boys – This Is Us-Special Edition
4. Colbie Caillat – Breakthrough
5. Winger – Karma
6. Lynch Mob – Smoke & Mirrors
7. Pink Martini – Splendor In The Grass
8. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s This Is It
9. Rosanne Cash – List
10. House Of Lords – Cartesian Dreams

Vincent Van Gogh is the greatest painter of the Post-Impressionism era and one of the most important figures in art history. In the auction business, Vincent Van Gogh is the magical name that has every collector trembling at the knees. Although a prolific artist, Vincent Van Gogh is most often remembered for his Sunflower and Irises paintings. Although Vincent Van Gogh is a world-famous artist today, he did not receive much recognition during his lifetime. Everyone familiar with the story of Vincent Van Gogh is well-aware of the artist’s mutilation of his left ear but very few know much more about his history. In this article we will dig just a little deeper into his world, influences and more.

Before the Artist

Van Gogh had many influences on his life including his family and friends, other artists, and his ill health in later life. A servant who worked for the Van Gogh family when Vincent was a child described him as an, “odd, aloof child who had queer manners and seemed more like an old man,” than the child he was. This personal account gives us a major clue that Vincent Van Gogh was a unique character, even from an early age. From the viewpoint of children in the neighborhood, Vincent Van Gogh was a curious sight indeed. As a man, unaware of his own artistic genius, Vincent Van Gogh first tried to learn the art of selling the works of other artists. Following his failure as an art dealer, Vincent Van Gogh later wrote to his sister Wilhelmina Van Gogh that the art galleries and art firms “are in the clutches of fellows who intercept all the money,” and that only “one-tenth of all the business that is transacted is really done out of belief in art.

The Artist Emerges

In 1880, Vincent moved to Brussels and decided to become an artist. As a post impressionist painter and one of the most famous artists of all time, Vincent Van Gogh has become an icon. As often with an artist of his caliber, Van Gogh’s art wasn’t understood nor appreciated in his days. Eventually, Vincent was deemed a disappointment to his mother, and eventually to his entire family, even his beloved brother Theo Van Gogh who supported him financially for the 10 years that he worked as a painter. While many emphasize the madness, Vincent had a had a deep rooted passion to show through his art the struggle for beauty and the unending desire of the artist to capture all that he loves. Van Gogh held a great deal of respect for the forces of nature and includes turbulent skies in a number of his works because the subject is so powerful and so full of artistic potential in the face of an empty canvas. Even in his later years when his illness grew, he produced some of his most famous works.

The Illness

His use of absinthe, an alcoholic beverage with convulsant properties favored by French artists of the time, appears to have played a crucial role in rise of Van Gogh’s illness. During this period he would now create perhaps the most intense paintings ever produced. Yet in Arles his illness evolved and grew to psychotic dimensions for the first time before the end of 1888. The major illness of his last 2 years developed in the presence of seizures, and its nature has remained controversial. At the height of his illness, Van Gogh became hallucinatory, paranoid, and delusional, all known to occur in psychosis due to epilepsy. He had recovered from his severe illness and was discharged from the asylum, with the support from his brother. Vincent depended on his brother so heavily for everything during this period, his career as an artist, had become seriously threatened.

Vincent Van Gogh the Legacy

Even in this short article we have learned a few pieces of a much larger puzzle that was the troubled and tortured artist, Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent is known for his chaotic paintings and similarly tumultuous state of mind. He is also famous for selling only one painting in his own lifetime and for slicing off part of his own ear in a fit of madness. Ironically, It is ironic that with all of this, he is deemed by society to be one of our greatest and most successful artists of all time.

Young people today have so many ways to spend their free time, it can be overwhelming. When I was a teenager I devoted most of my time with my friends, and I was always making time to watch music videos. In fact, a lot of my time spent with friends was dedicated to MTV. When we weren’t viewing the station we were talking about what we saw or what we would like to watch next. Looking back now I can not believe I lost so much time, but I remember it made me happy so I guess there is something to be said for that. In any case, at that time in my life I could not envisage not watching MTV all the time, and now I could not tell you where it is on my cable lineup.

My friends and I could watch music videos so often that we could tell you every little thing that happened in the video. This was the time of the eighties hair groups, and there was always one guy in each band that we were so much in love with, though it was rarely the same guy for each of us. We would watch music videos far into the night, and would eagerly wait for a new release. Thinking back, I recognize there are worse things I could have done with my time.

Although I do not watch music videos on MTV any more, my husband turns on some videos once in a while. We might view some new materiel, and we could also watch music videos from good old time. It’s almost embarrassing to watch them today, as it reminds me of how crazy I was about it. I look at the guys that I found so adorable back then, and I do not understand what I saw in them. I don’t watch music videos any more, but if they are on and something good comes on I don’t mind going down memory lane.

For the teenagers of today, there are a lot of methods to watch music videos. MTV is still there, although I believe it is a joke any more. It’s become almost a parody of itself. If you are sick of the MTV programming like I am, you may find a different fine place to watch music videos. Many singers now put their videos up online so that you can watch them there. They do it for promotional reasons, much like the reasons they are played on TV music stations. So it seems there is a time for everything in life. Enjoy the present.

“Initial fears that people have with planning the music and entertainment for their event are reasonable, as it is an integral part of the event and can even be part of the main focus. There are many factors to consider when planning your entertainment, not only whether the act you are booking for your event will suitably entertain your guests, or fit within your budget or them;, but you also need to consider whether they will be reliable and professional. In the worst case scenario we have heard of cases where artists have failed to turn up on time or cancelled without giving enough time to book another act in their place. Even if they do arrive, how do you know that they are going to be as good as their demo or showreel? And this is all on top of the rest of the event planning process of organizing catering, a venue or conference facility, florists, guest invitations, transportation, accommodation… need I go on? It can be a very daunting task.”

With this in mind, here are the key elements to think about to help get you started:

The Venue

When booking the venue it is important to check that they have the appropriate entertainment licence and the conditions of their licence including the type of entertainment they are allowed (some venues are not permitted to have amplified music), finishing/get out times, performance area size/space restrictions, if they have any noise restrictions (such as sound limiters), access times for the band/artist, power supply etc.

If you are considering a speciality act that uses fire or pyrotechnics, you also need to make sure that this is permitted in the venue.

These points are always good to know early on as this may dictate the kind of entertainment you can look for. For example, some venues have sound limiters that cut out sound automatically when it goes over a certain volume, so if you have booked a band, this can damage their equipment and most importantly can disrupt the whole evening.

However, all is not lost, even with a limitation on sound, there are still many acts that can be employed such as acoustic artists, but knowing this in advance will help you narrrow your search or review your venue.

Band Hunting

So you know have an idea of the kind of act your venue will accommodate, lets go and look for your entertainment.

Armed with the information acquired from the venue you can now approach the artists, but where do you look? Well, there are a few options available to you:

Option 1 – Search the internet. You can do a search for a certain type of artist/ band, listen to their website demos or watch their showreel and contact the artist directly. Although many artists have their own website, a great website does not necessarily mean a great artist. So not only can this method be quite simply mind numbing and time consuming, it is also a bit of a lottery if you are booking an artist you have never heard of.

Option 2 – Go on recommendation. This can narrow down your search quite fast, but do remember that colleagues may not have the same tastes and what one person may think is great might not be ideal for the guests attending your event.

Option 3 – Go to an agent. There are lots of agencies out there, (I should know, I am own one of them.) Obviously there is going to be a fee increase for this service, (normally between 15- 20 % ) but, if the agency is a reputable one they should be able to earn their commission by verifying the acts and their ability, negotiating their fee to meet your budget, contracting the artist (more on that later) and communicating to the artist exactly what you need.

A note on professionalism. Many people place an importance on the performance but it is important not to overlook the other elements involved with booking an act/band for example, the way they conduct themselves both on and off stage, their dress code and also making sure they turn up in plenty of time etc.

Things to ask the band/act

Whether you are going through an agent or directly to the artist, the questions are still the same.

Here is important information you need to know about the artist:

Availability:

You must first check that the artist is available on the date of your event and that they are happy to travel to the event location.

How long will the artist perform for:

Performance times will vary depending on the kind of act you are booking and the event you are holding.

There are so many different possibilities depending on your requirements, but to give you an example, a typical live performance by a function band would be something like the following:

2 x 1 hour live sets (I like to include CD music in between and up to 45 mins after the performance)

Or

3 x 45 mins live sets (again with the bands would be quite happy to provide CD music in the price)

Act/Band styles

Some artists are available as a ‘walkabout’ act as well as a stage act and some bands can perform as an acoustic duo or trio, as well as a full party band.

If you have a larger event then you may wish to have a reception performer when the guests arrive or are eating lunch/dinner. This could be a walkabout act, close-up magician or acoustic duo or trio band.

We have supplied many events with walkabout Mexican Mariachi bands, acoustic Hawaiian trio band, close-up magicians, human statues and Gypsy jazz musicians. It’s an upbeat and fun start to the evening before the main act, as well as a brilliant ice-breaker if your guests don’t know each other.

The latter part of the event can then incorporate a stage show or band for dancing, either using an artist from earlier or a different artist altogether.

Repertoire:

If you are booking a band, you should be able to get a sample set list from the band. I generally advise my clients to let the artist gauge the event as to what songs are played but within your initial enquiries it gives you a great idea of what they can do.

Fees:

Once the artist has all your requirements, they will then be able to quote you formally.

The fee you are quoted will be dependent on the location of the event, the performance you require, what day of the week your event is being held and the time of year your event is being held.

Barter!!

Don’t be afraid to barter, most artists/agents are happy to negotiate their fee, as every event is different.

The Booking

Let us assume you have narrowed down a selection of acts, what next?

If you have decided on the artist you wish to book, but you need to get the go ahead from your MD or person paying for the event, it would be recommended to ask the band to hold that date for you.

Most artists will be happy to pencil in a date for you if you require time to make a firm decision about booking. This ensures that they won’t take another booking while you’re in the decision making process.

Deposits and contracts

Any reputable band or artist will insist on a contract to be signed by all parties once you confirm your booking. This should include all of the information that both sides have agreed to.

More often than not, the contract will also include a requirement for you, as the client, to provide refreshments and lockable changing facilities/dressing room for the artist during their time spent at your event.

You may also be sent an artist rider with the contract which is a list of artist requirements that you will be expected to provide as a courtesy.

Things to confirm within the contract:

Artist Name (making sure that the performers are the same ones as the demo/showreel!)

Location for the artist to appear

Date of performance

Time for arrival and set up of the artist

Performance times

Fee and payment terms (i.e deposits and payment due dates)

Artist contact number

Cancellation terms

Any special requirements regarding the performance/venue/guests or artist rider

As soon as you have signed and returned the contract and paid your deposit, your booking is confirmed.

The artist should be able to contact you a week before the performance to confirm any changes that you might have and you can rest assured that you have done all you can to make your event a night to remember.