Entertainment

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

In this series of articles we look at some of the most famous pirate movies of all time from more recent years to dating back to the black and white, silent 1900’s movies. We’ll look at story lines, its success rate at the box office, the pirate costumes, its affect on the pirate fancy dress costumes, and much more. The first of this series takes a look at one of Johnny Depp’s best performances, Pirates of the Caribbean.

Pirates of the Caribbean The Curse of the Black Pearl, made in 2003, is the first in a series of four movies, the latest filmed in 2011, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The storyline of this multimillion pound making movie follows one of the most characteristic pirates of all time, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Jack Sparrow is savvy, comical and an eccentric pirate! Jack meets Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), a straight laced blacksmith, who is madly in love with Elizabeth Swann (Kiera Knightly). Elizabeth Swann, the daughter of a governor, gets kidnapped by the evil and much feared Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). Jack and Will make a pact to set sail and begin their quest to save Elizabeth but little do they know Captain Barbossa and his crew onboard the ship, The Dark Pearl, are cursed to never die or live, and the ancient curse can only be broken from a blood sacrifice. Pirates of the Caribbean budget to make the film is estimated $140,000,000, in its opening weekend in USA brought in $46,630,690 and in total has grossed $652,100,000 worldwide by 29 December 2003 and was nominated for 5 Oscars. Not bad for playing dress up and pirates!

The success of this movie is down to many different aspects, the character Jack Sparrow is arguably the best thing about Pirates of the Caribbean, with his witty comments, nonchalant attitude, and his natural ability to be the best pirate in history. The script is tight and funny and brings to life very lovable and heartwarming characters. The storyline is a true old school pirate story but modernized with fast interesting sub-plots that keep you excited and enthralled the entire way through, all 143 minutes of it. The set and locations of this movie are outstanding with venues including Jamaica, Haiti, the island of Dominica and the Bahamas. The costumes are truly magnificent with authentic fabrics and styles with a twist to make them stand out from any other pirate movie you have ever seen. All credit goes to Penny Rose, a British much sought after costume designer. Captain Jack Sparrow’s costume has become iconic and one of the most loved and popular in the fancy dress world, everyone wants to be Jack Sparrow for their next fancy dress party. The success of the pirate costumes from this movie even made its impact on the catwalk runway in the fashion world and it seemed everything and everyone incorporated pirate flairs into their jackets, tops, trousers and boots. Not only are the costumes amazing for the male pirates but for the female lead as well Kiera Knightly. Elizabeth Swann wears an array of fabulous pirate outfits from a damsel in distress look in a white, off-the-shoulder maiden dress to a feisty lets kick some butt full on pirate costume with a shot gun to finish it off! Alongside the costumes you have the make up that finishes off the look completely. As it happens the male pirates seem to wear more make up that the females in this Caribbean movie with Jack Sparrow sporting heavy thick black eyeliner where Elizabeth has a more natural look.

Pirates of the Caribbean The Curse of the Black Pearl had amazing success at the box office, the allstar cast, the pirate fancy dress costumes, great script, and brilliantly directed. Pirates of the Caribbean will go down in movie history as one of the greatest pirate films of all time. Written by adshires fancy dress where more articles, costumes and information can be found.

Top Ten Most Commonly Confused Words in English

Maybe English is your native tongue, and you’ve been speaking it everyday for years. You’re confident in your communication abilities. Maybe it’s the only language you know, and you’re pretty damn good at it. Or are you? People misuse the English language a lot more than they realize. How well do you really think you would do on a vocabulary test or the SAT, if you had to take it again? You’d be surprised. Just because we speak the language everyday doesn’t mean we have a true mastery of it.

The average American probably doesn’t even realize they’re making grammar and word usage mistakes. If what you say and how you say it has gotten your point across effectively for so long now, what is the problem? And really, it doesn’t matter too much. What matters is how we use our language to make connections with other people, and if we’re doing that, there is no need to be picky about proper English.

But, in case you’re curious, or want to improve on your vocabulary skills, here is a list of some easily confused English words. Have you been making any of these common mistakes?

affect / effect

Effect means a result or the power to produce a result, or it is a verb that means to bring about. Affect is a verb that means to have an influence on.

alternately / alternatively

Alternately means to take turns, one after the other. Alternatively means on the other hand, one or the other.

beside / besides

Beside means next to. Besides means also.

cite / site

Cite means to quote. A site is a location.

complement / compliment

Complement is to complete or make up a whole. Compliment is an expression of admiration.

concurrent / consecutive

Concurrent is happening at the same time. Consecutive is happening one after the other.

elicit / ilicit

Elicit means to draw out. Ilicit means unlawful.

few / less

Few means small in number. Less means small in degree or amount.

figuratively / literally

Figuratively means metaphorically or symbolically. Literally means actually or exactly.

foreword / forward

A foreword is an introductory note or preface. Forward means toward the front.

founder / flounder

Founder means to sink beneath the surface. Flounder means to move clumsily or act with confusion.

i.e. / e.g.

I.e. stands for the Latin id est, which means “that is” or “in other words.” E.g. stands for the Latin exempli gratia, which means for example.

lightening / lightning

Lightening is a verb that means to illuminate. Lightning is the electrical charge that comes from the sky in a storm.

passed / past

Passed is the past tense of the verb to pass. Past is the time that’s gone by, or a preposition meaning beyond.

their / there / they’re

Their is the possessive form of they. There is referring to a place. They’re is the contraction for “they are.”

whose / who’s

Whose is the possessive form of who. Who’s is the contraction for “who is.”

your / you’re

Your is the possessive form of you. You’re is the contraction for “you are.”

If you are still unclear about the usage of English due to limited writing practice or speaking English as a second language you are very likely to benefit from the use of a good grammar checker which helps you make corrections while teaching you the reason behind the correction.

Grammarly is the most widely trusted resource for grammar. Visit our English Grammar Rules Handbook for hundreds of free resources.

McDonald’s to Start it’s Own Television

Watching television while eating seems to be the norm in North America. As part of their plans McDonalds has stated that they will be starting their own television channel in California as part of a test.

All McDonald franchises in California will now be able to watch the television channel while eating their burgers. It is expected that at least 18 million people will watch the channel daily as part of the pilot program.

The company plans to go national once the pilot program is deemed successful in California. Only 8 mins of advertising per hour will be shown of which half will belong to the company itself.

McDonald’s may have taken the lead to keep up the innovation in the food franchise market, but only time will tell whether this innovation will pay off in the long run.

How to: Make Money and Survive the Daily Deal Market

With the explosion of 370 daily deal sites in North America alone and 650+ globally, the passed 18 months in the Daily Deal market has been trumpeted as being the fastest exploding online market trend since the Dot.com era.

Is the Daily Deal market Saturated?

To an investor, yes.

It’s no secret. Many Daily Deal website entrepreneurs are experiencing a difficult time finding investors.

Why is it difficult?

They are approaching deep pockets with the same business model created by Groupon and LivingSocial; having no plan for long-term sustainability.

So, how does a tiny Daily Deal Startup create a successful business model, cash big, create sustainability and convince investors that your Daily Deal Website can make money?

The answer lies in fundamental marketing: Differentiation.

How did Pepsi gain shelf space next to Coca Cola in the 1960s; offering the exact same taste to a mass audience?

Pepsi differentiated their product from Coca Cola by creating 8-can packages and 1-litre bottles; offering customers more bang for the buck.

Pepsi also differentiated their product by branding themselves as the new generation: tech savvy, sexy, fun and far more advanced than Coca Cola.

Ask yourself: How am I going to differentiate my business from the pack?

Simple. Create a niche. Niche! Niche! Niche! Niche! Niche!

Research your competitors.

For example, I ran was searching Google the other day, looking for a way to break into the Daily Deal market.

After sifting through pages upon pages of Daily Deal Websites I realized that all of these Daily Deal Startups simply stole the business model from LivingSocial and Groupon (for the most part).

Zero differentiation.

Except for a few, I ran into one business model that stood out in my head.

The business was GoBabu.com; hailed as Canada’s fastest growing online Daily Deal Site for Ethnic Communities.

How do they stand out from the rest?

They have differentiated themselves by targeting Toronto’s South Asian audience.

1. They offer online advertising / branding for local businesses.
2. They have successfully branded GoBabu as a fictional character with a sense of humour and wisdom.
3. They develop interesting articles in their blog; offering rich and relevant content related to their their Daily Deals.
4. They offer appealing deals from the South Asian community accessible to everyone.So, if you’re just getting into the Daily Deal business with the intention of being an all encompassing competitor of Groupon and LivingSocial and all the other xeroxed carbon copies – you have yourself a death wish.

You have to give more.

Look outside the market’s fix patterns, which have already has been engraved by Groupon and LivingSocial, and target your Niche market.

Is your business going to target family deals only? Females only? Millionaires only?

Do your research, learn from businesses akin to GoBabu and develop a sound business model around your niche market.

Creativity will prevail.

Good luck.

Coupon Wars comes to Toronto

With the technology sector buzzing with IPO’s and potential investor interest a smaller yet powerful company is making its mark in Toronto,Canada.

Time and again fingers have been burnt. The last tech bubble was witness to that, yet this time the technology sector has learnt and grown with a systematic approach. No longer can you establish an idea on a piece of paper, better yet on a power point presentation and run to Wall Street to cash in on your rags to riches overnight stories.

Now the technology investors and angels have grown and lost enough money to understand the players from the idealists.

One such website came onto the scene in Toronto, Canada just a few months ago. With a solid business plan and marketing team, they have hung onto the niche market segment of the ethnic people. There have been plenty of migrants from the South East Asia region, and the population justifies the entry into the market. However memberships or coupon purchasing is not dependant on your ethnicity, if you enjoy a good discount Gobabu sure has the solution to satisfy your desire. Especially if you are located in the Toronto region, checking out the website is a must for young and old.

I have been told that the expansion plans are to replicate the business model worldwide into all key cities of the world. Presence is already being established in Dubai, Mumbai, London and Sydney. While Groupon may be the king of the online coupon market,Gobabu is certainly more focused on the customer than acting as a business.

With many websites coming and being locked up in the internet graveyard, we may just be about the witness the coupon wars being launched from Toronto. Who would have thought Toronto, of all the places in this World? So be it.

Don’t Get Addicted to Facebook

Facebook has been taking over this generation. There are so many kids who spend many hours a week on the computer. Some of them will spend this time playing mindless games while others will spend it chatting with their friends. Still others will post videos and pictures of themselves for the world to see.

The social networking Facebook offers a lot. However, it also takes away from a lot of life experiences for those involved. Some people involved on Facebook let the notion of “friends” get to their head. They spend their time talking with people online. Many people have friends online whom they have met only once or whom they have never met at all. They put a lot of time into these relationships. Some will even go as far as to date people online via Facebook. This can prevent them from knowing what a real relationship is like. Real relationships involve so much more than text. They involve really getting to know someone. There are ways of communicating that go far beyond words. Those stuck on Facebook don’t know what this is like.

Facebook can also reduce the level of concentration that those involved are able to have. Those involved in this media lifestyle often need to change tasks quickly. They have a difficult time focusing. Accomplishing tasks like homework can take people on Facebook twice as long or longer. It creates a habit of distractions. This makes paying attention in classes for any length of time or focusing on any difficult task much more challenging. They are used to updates right away. They are used to getting the information they want immediately. Searching for it is not an option. That makes discipline much more difficult.

Those involved on Facebook can also find themselves wasting more time than they intend to. They go from one photo album to another and then they do not realize that they have spent three hours on Facebook. This can prevent them from accomplishing many things. It can prevent them from spending time in real relationships.

This is not to say that Facebook is evil. There are ways to use Facebook positively. It can be a means of spreading ideas, connecting with family and friends far away, and of encouraging friends. However, if Facebook is abused, it causes problems. People simply need to learn personal responsibility. They need to understand the consequences of their lifestyle choices.

Mark Gregory is writing on behalf of Marketing By Web; an online marketing company specialising in ppc management services and is an ppc advertising company

Snakes on a Plane Sequel

Snakes on a Plane, a 2006 action thriller, features actor Samuel L. Jackson as an FBI agent who attempts to protect a trial witness once hundreds of snakes are set loose on a passenger plane flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet.  The cool thing about this movie is that the producers actually incorporated some public feedback into its production in response to the considerable amount of attention the filmed received via the Internet before its release.

So let’s attempt to give producers an idea for another sequel to Snakes on a Plane. Since Snakes on a Train was already produced, let’s take a stab with Snakes on a Bus.

Picture 19 men who have all lost their individuality.  They are all dressed in identical orange jump suits.  Their heads have been shaved. The only thing separating one man from another is his prison identification number that is engraved like a bulls-eye on his back.

Convicted felons, the men collectively have a pretty astonishing criminal record. They have murdered a total number of 36 innocent people, ranging from entire families to newborn children to elderly widows.  They have sexually assaulted another 17 women.   They have embezzled millions of dollars from their victims and set ablaze their homes and cars.

The film follows these felons as they are transported from Rikers Island to a remote location that will serve as their new home for the remainder of their lives.  However, the bus transporting them experiences countless hurdles along the way.  The most extreme obstacle the felons face is the 475 snakes released by the victims’ surviving families who are tracking their journey and seeking vengeance.   Despite the fact that a small handful of these men suffer from ophiophobia, an abnormal fear of snakes, they must all come together to conquer these slithering creatures if they want to escape death.

Throughout the process, you get a closer look at each prisoner as you’re taken into their minds when they relive flashbacks that take them back to their “old life.”  Of course, during the entire process, each convicted felon learns a valuable lesson that forever changes them.  Upon reaching reach their final destination with everyone still luckily in one piece, they resume the hardships of prison life and have new hardships to suffer.

Now it’s time for you to share your thoughts. Should the story revolve around snakes on a spaceship? Should the snakes come out victorious? Should the “prisoners” (or whoever is being attacked by the snakes) use snake repellent or rely on their on human strength? Should bats be involved, requiring the use of bat repellent?

Share your thoughts.  The opportunities are endless.

Shane Jones is an Internet Marketer for companies dealing with the best snake repellent and   snake deterrent. He also enjoys movies, adventures, and anything outside.