2006 Comcast Outdoor Film Festival!

Yay!  The Comcast Outdoor Film Festival, North Bethesda, MD is such an awesome annual event.  Not only do viewers get to enjoy 10 days in a row of great movies for adults and children alike but it's free!  That's right!  You get to sit outside under the warm night sky and watch a great movie with hundreds of your closest friends!  Let me explain a bit more of how the film festival program works.

The grounds are open to the public but nothing is available to eat or drink until 6:30.  Local restaurants and patrons provide all kinds of goodies from hot dogs, pizzas, cotton candy and ice cream!  And the local restaurants include names like Baja Fresh and Hard Times Cafe!  How awesome is that?  Great movies and quality food!  I know what you're thinking - but it's supposed to be free!  Well, you'll be happy to know that part of the proceeds are going towards a great cause.  Comcast has teamed up with a number of different charities and are donating a portion of the proceeds to the NIH Children's Charities - Children's Inn, Camp Fantastic/Special Love, and Friends of the Clinical Center.  If that won't make you buy more popcorn, I don't know what will.  

The movie itself starts at 8:30 and that time stays the same for each day the film festival is showing a movie.  There are a few things to keep in mind when planning on coming to a showing.  Try to be there early!  I would suggest being there within an hour but no later than a half hour before the movie.  Parking has become a bit of a problem.  The past few years the public was allowed to park at the metro right next to Strathmore Hall (the location of the film festival) and is right off of Rockville Pike.  However, last year, the only way you could park in there was to buy a metro pass.  Although that is an option, it might be better to park on the side street of the neighborhood within walking distance of the metro.  This way, you won't have to pay a dime and will get five extra minutes of exercise walking to the field where the movie will be shown.

Also, because the Comcast Film Festival, North Bethesda, MD is held on a grassy field, make sure to bring a blanket or better yet, a low slung chair to watch the movie in.  Make sure to get something portable so you won't feel the pains of lugging a huge chair back and forth from your car to the field.  Also, a comfortable blanket and chair would be key since you will more than likely be watching a movie that's two hours long or more.  

Anothoer note - I didn't notice a huge mosquito of fly problem but I would still suggest wearing an insect repellent just to be on the safe side.  Because of all the food and drinks available, there may be a chance of getting bit and no one wants that!

Other than that, this film festival is great because it's free and they show great movies!  Another plus is that they do show kids movies so it's great to take your whole family!  The movies usually range from kids animation to classics to movies that are a bit more on the adult side.  Make sure to check out the listing of what they are showing so you know when to take your kids before exposing them to a movie that may be a bit too adult for their taste.  This year, there are a number of great films I'm sure you'd be excited to see, such as, Maltese Falcon, Madagascar, King Kong, Walk the Line and my ultimate favorite, Batman Begins.  I can't wait to watch The Dark Knight on the big screen once again!

The complete 10-day movie listing can be found on the following website: www.filmfestnih.org.  Included on this site is a phone number if you have any further questions, however, the website should be able to answer any questions that you may have.

Make sure to take advantage of this film festival as it's only over the course of 10 days and it's only one time a year!  Don't miss it!  See you out there!

<i>1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die</i> a Must-Read for Film Buffs

Cinema is an art form that's over 100 years old. Hundreds of thousands of films have been produced of all shapes and sizes and of all genres all over the world. As lovers of cinema, we are often confused and dumbfounded as to which films to watch. As an answer, Stephen Jay Schneider and a group of film critics and theorists around the world put together this compilation of 1,001 culturally, technologically, artistically and historically significant films.

Arranged in chronological order and covering over 100 years worth of history in film, from the early 1902 Georges Milies science-fiction film "A Voyage to the Moon" to last year's Oscar Best Picture winner "Million Dollar Baby", the book covers a very wide range of forms and genres of film: From huge Hollywood epic spectacles like "Gone with the Wind" and "Spartacus" to gritty independent pictures like John Cassavetes's "Faces" and Samuel Fuller's "Shock Corridor"; from famous mainstream blockbuster features like "Titanic" and "Jurassic Park" to obscure, daring short films like "Blonde Cobra" and Luis Bunuel's "Un Chien Andalou"; from kid-friendly "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" to disturbing, daring films like "Salo" and "In the Realm of the Senses". Significant effort was made by the editors and the contributing writers to represent nearly every genre of film out there. In addition to featuring the well-known, highly regarded classics of horror, drama, comedy, science fiction, fantasy, etc. sub-genres as varied as Chinese kung fu movies ("Shaolin Master Killer"), blaxploitation ("Sweet Sweetbacks Baaadaassssssss Song") and mockumentaries ("This Is Spinal Tap") are also represented. Also impressive in this book is that it took the effort to feature significant films from all over the world even in countries which are not primarily known for their film industry like Senegal, Egypt and Jamaica. All in an apparent effort to cover as wide a range of the art of film as possible.

All the great directors, both of the past and of contemporary times, have several of their films on this book: John Ford, Steven Spielberg, Billy Wilder, Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu, Luis Bunuel, Jean-Luc Godard, Pedro Almodovar, Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman etc. among others. Alfred Hitchcock has the distinction of having the most films with 15 from his oeuvre profiled. Each film is given an essay written by the various contributors detailing the film's significance, it's history and various interesting tidbits of trivia as well as a critique of the film in an intelligent non-pretentious or overly scholarly manner. Though the book is by no means perfect, the questionable inclusion of "Meet the Parents" is one of the more glaring of its flaws and arguments can be made for the inclusion and exclusion of several other movies, this book probably comes the closest to being the most definitive list available that's accessible even to the average film goer. Quite a number of films featured in this book are not currently available on video or DVD. Perhaps their inclusion in this book would help them get released on DVD and thus finding a wider audience.

Whether you are a budding teenage film buff or a veteran film scholar, there is plenty to love about this book which gives a straight-forward, non-snobbish take on film history that would make the art of watching movies truly enjoyable. This is the book all lovers of film should have on their bookshelves.

Art Without Attitude

here

One of the newest additions to the vibrant art scene in Philadelphia is WALLS at Wexler Gallery, an exhibit that features high quality, yet, affordable paintings, prints and photography. “It is New York sensibility without New York attitude,” says Lewis Wexler, founder and proprietor of Wexler Gallery. WALLS Curator Sherri Apter Wexler, wife of Lewis and co-owner of Wexler Gallery, is excited to offer Philadelphia art lovers great pieces of art without attitude and high price tags, and hopes that this concept will appeal to fresh young crowd of first-time buyers. WALLS made its debut during the First Friday in May, the once a month, widely attended cultural event hosted by the Old City Arts Association. This upstairs extension of the Wexler Gallery was meet with immediate success, selling several pieces in their opening night. “We really touched on something here,” says Sherri. WALLS is fresh, affordable and offers a relaxed and inviting atmosphere where questions are encouraged no one is too green to appreciate or buy art. This is a gallery where it is possible to walk in, see a painting that you love, and go home with it that day; all without putting a painstaking dent in your pocket. Presently, WALLS includes 8 artists, exhibiting four to five pieces each. The overall focus is on creative two-dimensional art that is both accessible and easy to live with. Current work on display ranges from $400 to $5,000. While many galleries offer a wide range of prices, with a few affordable selections, the mission of WALLS is to offer a large body of work that consists entirely of affordable art that will interest first time buyers, while maintaining a level of quality that will also attract and impress seasoned collectors. Artists currently on display include Chris Anderson, Jenny E. Balisle, Philadelphian Kevin Cooper, Daniella Woolf, Eileen Goldenberg, Tanja Softic, Mark Bennion and Lisa Tyson Ennis. One of the unique points of WALLS is that it feels more like a well decorated loft space that a gallery. The beautiful section of art is highlighted and enhanced by furniture and decorative pieces, giving the buyer an idea of how the painting may fit into an overall design scheme. These vignettes construct an inspirational visual field, sparking new ideas and create an innovative showroom environment. Additionally, both Sherri and Lewis are willing to help any buyer find the right piece and the right fit for their home. This new addition to Wexler Gallery has hit the ground running and shows no signs of slowing down. WALLS is an ideal complement to the Wexler Gallery’s collection of fine contemporary glass, studio furniture, ceramics, jewelry and decorative arts from some of the world’s most esteemed artists working today, including Wendell Castle, Albert Paley, William Harper and Dale Chihuly. If you are tired of staring at that bare wall, but though you could never afford real art or fit in into the prestigious art gallery scene, WALLS is a great place to start. The Wexler Gallery is located at 201 N. 3rd Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were recently awarded the “Best in Philly” award for art gallery.

Popular Baby Name Websites

boston celtics baby clothes

Everyday there are children born all across the country. There are some parents who have a baby name already picked out for their child long before the delivery and other parents do not. When looking for baby name suggestions many parents end up purchasing a baby name book, but what many do not realize is that some of the same information can be found online for free.

There are a number of website owners who have provided lists of popular, unique, and religious baby names for boys and girls. This information is similar to what can be found inside a printed baby name book. As the internet is becoming more and more popular there has been an increase in the number of parents who are looking for baby name suggestions online. If you want to become one of those parents then you are encouraged to check out some of the popular baby name websites listed below.

Baby Names World is one of the most popular online baby name websites around. The website can be found by visiting www.babynamesworld.com. According to their website, Baby Names World has eleven thousand different baby names for boys and girls from all different origins. In addition to providing the origin of the baby names, there is information that tells the meaning of popular baby names. What is nice about Baby Names World is that you can browse through all of their baby names or search based on specific information.

Baby Center is an online resource guide for parents. They offer information that is valuable to parents including baby names. Their website can be found at http://www.babycenter.com/. Once at the main page there is a menu on the left-hand side and this is where the baby names link will appear. Once to the baby names section of their website you can search for information on a specific baby name or your can browse through their resources. Popular baby names and helpful information on selecting a name for your child can be found here.

1-2-3 Baby Names is another website that offers information on selecting a baby name and baby name suggestions. This website can be found by visiting http://123-baby-names.com/. 1-2-3 Baby Names offers names listed in alphabetical order. If you are interested in finding a name from a specific origin you can switch the option for all the baby names to be listed that way as well.

Think Baby Names is located at www.thinkbabynames.com. Think Baby Names is a website that is aimed at providing the meaning of baby names for boys and girls. In addition to providing the meanings of baby names, they list a large number of different baby names that can be helpful for many parents looking for baby name suggestions.

It is important to remember that these are just a few of the many online baby name websites. To find additional baby name websites you are encouraged to perform a standard internet search using the worlds baby names. There are an unlimited number of different baby names for both boys and girls. Using the internet is a great way to find these names without having to pay for it.