Over the Rainbow, Australia and the magic of music

Over the Thanksgiving weekend Dennis and I went to see the new Baz Luhrmann film Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Having read many reviews of this film, some great and some mixed, I figured we might as well venture out on Black Friday and see this epic film. What better way to spend two and three-quarter hours when a movie includes wonderful scenery of Australia, World War II history, an expose of the "stolen generation", not to mention I could enjoy watching Hugh Jackman (People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive 2008) and Dennis could similarly enjoy watching the beautiful and talented Nicole Kidman. As we purchased our tickets, I noticed the theatre was giving away free Australia movie posters. What a treat! Not exactly like receiving a movie "program book" that I frequently received back in the 60's and 70's. Yes, I said "program book."
These were souvenir books, some over 30 pages in length, that were part of your ticket price, typically produced for those major films like Dr. Zhivago (1965) and Hawaii (1966). And, yes, I still have some of these treasures, and remember that these movies often included an "intermission!" But, back to Australia...it is 1939.

There is much to say about this movie and I really hope you will see it for yourself. What struck me the most is how Luhrmann managed to weave the 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz, into his storytelling. And of course, there is the beautiful Oz song, "Over the Rainbow". As I watched Australia I thought to myself, what is it about "Over the Rainbow" that somehow reaches your inner soul and magically soothes you. We all know that Australia is not the first movie that has incorporated "Over the Rainbow", as I can name at least six other films, and it undoubtedly won't be the last...so still the question remains. Why do people love the song "Over the Rainbow"?

Consider the following: "Over the Rainbow" was written in 1939; lyrics by Edgar Yipsel(Yip)Harburg; music by Harold Arlen; original performing artist was Judy Garland; won the Academy Award for Best Original Song (1939) and was voted by the American Film Institute as the Best Movie Song of all time. According to SongFacts.com, Yip Harburg's "lyrics have a political significance. Harburg was expressing hope for America under President Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" program, which was designed to get America out of the Great Depression in the early '30s." Hmmmm...

I suppose you are wondering what my blog post about Over the Rainbow, Australia and the magic of music has to do with Webconsuls' primary services, SEO and SMO. Well, here is the connection. A few months ago, one of our clients, Affirmations ~ Scottsdale, asked us to create a video for their new website. We had wonderful photos, but we needed just the right music. Dan Helfand contacted his friend, Paul Meredith, and asked Paul to record a version of "Over the Rainbow." You can view the finished product here:


So today:
1. Let me know your thoughts about "Over the Rainbow" and Australia.
2. See if you can name one or more of the other movie soundtracks which include "Over the Rainbow".
3. Let me know if you need Webconsuls to produce a video for your website

....'Somewhere over the rainbow... skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.'

Dare to dream...

Cyber Monday What Is It?

HAPPY CYBER MONDAY! 

Hope you all had a safe trip to Grams house and a Healthy Happy Thanksgiving. Did you find all the best deals on Black Friday? Because Today, Monday December 1st, is the first day back to work after Black Friday. All across America wallets are opened and credit cards are being removed. Current estimates say that 56% of workers with internet access, 70+ million people, will spend more time today shopping online than working.

CyberMonday was born.

Do you need something for your Kindle?  Today sites like Amazon will offer deep discounts and see Cyber Monday traffic increases up to 26%.

So if you missed your new LCD or PLASMA deal on Friday you get a second chance today!

Looking for more Cyber Monday Deals? Don't forget to check out CyberMonday.com

Now to find that perfect gift for Lisa McClure...

What's Black Friday?

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving where most large retailers offer amazing discounts primarily for Christmas shopping. Stores like Best Buy and Staples open as early as 5AM and offer door buster deals for the first 100 customers. CompUSA (now bought out by TigerDirect.com) has their door buster deals starting at midnight after Thanksgiving.

Black Friday is not an official holiday but when standing in line with hundreds of shoppers, it does feel like one. You can expect huge crowds and lines going around the store before they open (Fry’s Electronics in particular). If you’re lucky enough to find something you went there for, bring something to entertain you because you will be standing in line anywhere from 30min to 3hours.

It's known to be one of the busiest days of the year in terms of actual sales volume. In my family, after Thanksgiving we usually stay up all night playing games and just spending time with family and close friends till about 5AM. Once the clock hits 5AM, we hit the stores for tremendous savings. www.bfads.net is a website that reveals most of the ads of the large retailers before the print ads hit the newspapers. This year doesn't look as good as far as great deals are concerned.

Where will you be this Black Friday?