Effective Ways to Promote Your Music

It is no secret that the road to becoming a "famous musician" is no easy task. Becoming a well known musician does not only take an enormous amount of time, but is extremely difficult given the amount of competition that is out there. There are steps that you can take, however, to help increase your chances of "getting the word out" about your music.

1. Upload Your Music Everywhere Possible: By joining http://www.ourwave.com, http://purevolume.com, and http://myspace.com you are definitely on the right path of increasing your exposure. Take it one step further and upload your music on any website that allows you to do so. Most of them are free, and you never know who will stumble across your profile page.

2. Play at Shows as Often as You Can: Touring is a highly effective way in getting your music the recognition that it deserves. If you have an opportunity to play anywhere (no matter how big or small..no matter how much you get paid for it), TAKE IT. You never know who will be attending. One influential person can have a huge impact on your band.

3. Use the Internet to Your Advantage: Now, more than ever, there are millions of interactive websites that exist that are FREE to use. Why not take advantage of them? Upload all of your music videos to video-sharing websites such as YouTube, MetaCafe, and Break. Create a profile on Twitter and "tweet" about what's going on with you / your band. Make a Facebook Fan Page / MySpace profile. You get the deal. Will everything substantial;y increase your exposure? Probably not, but you never know what will. Yes it can be time consuming, but the end results could be well worth it.

4. Give Away Demos for Free: Not everyone has the budget for this, but if you can, distribute your music for free. People are more inclined to "give your music a shot" if they don't have to invest anything into it.

5. SWAG it Up: SWAG, for those of you who do not know, stands for "stuff we all get". Get some t-shirts, hats, buttons, pins, stickers, bumper stickers, etc. and give it out at your show. People naturally like free things. If somebody wears a t-shirt showing your band / musician name it might spark some curiosity, thus increase your overall exposure. Make sure to include your website so people can find you easier!

6. Connect with other Musicians: Whether it is Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter find some musicians within your area and try to hook up with them (specifically ones that play a similar genre of music as you do). Building a relationship this way can help get your foot into the door in regards to playing in shows that you normally wouldn't have played.

7. Ask for Help: You have friends. Use them to your advantage. Ask them to send a shout on Twitter for you, e-mail a couple of buddies, send a request to your Facebook page..whatever it is. Most people will be glad to help.

Top 10 Best Stupid Movies

A "best stupid" movie seems like a oxymoron, but when it comes to their films some people like nothing more than putting their brain on hiatus and enjoying a stupid comedy or an over the top action flick. Some movies that fall under these categories are just..well..plain stupid, but there have been a few that achieved "cult classic" status, ranking among the best stupid movies of all time.

10. Crank - Crank is the ultimate guy flick. This is the only film that I am aware of where a guy is getting head while in a high speed car cash while killing a bunch of a bad guys. Extremely badass. The movie is way over the top and the plot is a little dumb, but it's hard to take your eyes off the screen at all. Non stop action, sex, and badassness.

9.Bio-Dome - Metacritic voted Biodome as the"worst movie of all time" (http://www.metacritic.com/film/lowscores.shtml ). It's a Pauly Shore flick which will tell you right off the bat that this is a stupid film. Basically two stoners wonder into a "bio-dome" thinking it's a mall. The "bio-dome" closes shut and now five scientists have to deal with Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin for an entire year. It's a bad movie, but at the same time has a lot of laughs if you fall into the right demographic.

8.The Fast and the Furious - This movie built a huge cult following after it's initial release. This is the ultimate movie for your "meathead, fist pumping" demographic. There are fast cars (lots of them), hot chicks (Michelle Rordiguez and Jordana Brewster), Vin Diesel, and a lot of non-stop action all the while not being too heavy on delivering a great plot. It's not a great movie by any means, but it is entertaining and certainly a good way to kill a couple of hours.

7. History of the World: Part 1 - One of the original spoof movies is also one of the best. This is my favorite movie that Mel Brooks put out, but it still constitues as a "stupid movie" (as does most spoof movies).

6. Airplane - Loved this movie despite how stupid a lot of the humor is. This has become a cult classic and still appeals to new generations of movie goers.

5. Dumb and Dumber - One of the original Jim Carrey movies is also one of his funniest. Dumb and Dumber is the story of two losers, Harry and Lloyd, who go on a mission to return a lady's (who Lloyd drove to the airport) briefcase. They are unaware, however, that the suitcase contains ransom money for the lady's husband. Hilarity ensues. You know with a title like "Dumb and Dumber" that you are not going to get an Oscar worthy movie, but this movie is still hysterical (as with the other movies..you need to have a certain sense of humor).

4. Troll 2 - "They're eating her. Then they're going to eat me. Oh my gooooooood." This is one of the lines from Troll 2, the worst horror movie ever made. You can view the aformentioned scene here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyophYBP_w4). This movie is the opposite of scary, the acting is beyond horrible, the plot is all over the place and makes no sense, but you want to watch it again and again because of how entertainingly bad it is. Troll 2 apparently is supposed to be the sequel to the originial Troll movie, although each movie has nothing to do with each other.

3. The Room - For those of you who have never heard of "The Room", check out this trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCj8sPCWfUw). Yup, this is a real movie. This is, in fact, considered one of the worst movies ever made. After seeing it a few times, I'd have to agree. The acting is atrocious, the plot is horrible, the music is lame..everything about the movie just plain sucks. However, everything is SO bad that it's downright hilarious. It's one of the movies that you laugh at..not with. This has grown so popular over the past couple of years, that they now have monthly screenings of it in LA and have brought it into New York (all shows are usually sold out). David Cross and Jonah Hill also consider it one of their favorite movies. I don't want to give too much away. You really just need to see this movie to see why this ranks as one of the best stupid movies of all time.

2. Billy Madison - I think I've seen this movie over a thousand times. I'm not kidding. Every time it's on TV (even TBS where they block some stuff out) I HAVE to watch it. I don't really need to go over the plot because if you're a fan of "stupid movies" you no doubt have seen this at least twice (and if you haven't..shame on you). Even after seeing it more times than I can count, it makes me laugh everytime I watch it. The whole story is absurd..it definitely constitutes as a bad movie, but it's easily one of the best bad movies out there.

1. Wet Hot American Summer - People will no doubt have mixed feelings about this being on the list (and in the number 1 spot). Some people will argue that this doesn't count as a "stupid movie", while most others will have no idea what this movie even is. This is one of my favorite movies of all time, but it's really hard to argue that it is not a really stupid movie. Wet Hot American Summer takes place during the last day of a sleepaway camp. That's really the entire plot, but I laugh during pretty much every scene of this movie EVERY time I watch it. For those of you who do not think this is a "stupid movie" take a closer look at some of the scenes that take place. There's a talking can of beans who "sucks his own dick..a lot", a scene where most of the camp staff goes into town and robs an old lady to shoot up some heroin..and then are fine 5 minutes later, and a random Kenyan marathon runner who interupts a capture the flag game. Not to mention a cook who humps fridges, fondles his sweater, owns a bottle of dick cream, and smears mud on his ass. This might be always my favorite stupid movie.

Six Tips for Optimizing Your Dorm Room Space

The old adage once claimed, “The problem with college is that by the time you figure it out it is already over.” This may be true for a number of circumstances including juggling classes with a job, finding a balance between study-time and party time or finally declaring a major. However, the following six tips should help you conquer the first of many battles – making the most of your dorm space.

1. Contact your roommate before moving in. Divide the big supplies and appliances so you can both use them without doubling up, including microwaves, micro fridges and bulletin boards. Also, find out everything you can about your dorm. Don’t bring a huge carpet vacuum cleaner if the floors are tile, leave toasters and indoor grills at home if the campus does not allow heating appliances and do not bring bathroom cleaning supplies if the campus uses community bathrooms.

2. Store all of your crap in a storage facility. Anyone who has lived in a dorm as a college freshman understands how items once considered “important” could easily transform into gigantic messes over a relatively short period. Self storage facilities are a great option for freshman students looking to free up some space in their cluttered dorm and make it a bit more livable. Storage rental units can store as little or as much of the crap that is taking over your sanctuary, for as long as you need. Store winter clothes, golf clubs, skis, bicycles, tools, camping gear or any other item you were certain would become useful while up at school. Self storage facilities also come in handy when it comes time to head home for the summer. Most colleges make you empty out your dorm room at the end of the year. Instead of packing up your car and bringing everything home, leave it all at a storage facility and take it out when you return in the fall.

Recommended storage facility: Storage Deluxe – Call Storage Deluxe toll-free at 1-877-989-STORE, or 1-877-989-7867 to make an appointment, tour their facility and/or reserve a self storage unit. You can also reserve your self storage rental unit directly online.

3. Get a MicroFridge instead of having a separate microwave and mini fridge. A MicroFridge combines the features of a refrigerator, freezer and microwave all in one single unit. The space-saving appliance measures over two cubic feet and enables upright storage of two-liter bottles or half-gallon containers. The MicroFridge comes in classic black, white and stainless steel models, costing around $425.

Visit www.MicroFridge.com to place an order.

4. Build a loft bed (if the housing department allows it). Think of a loft bed as a bunk bed, only without the bottom bunk. Use this extra space beneath the bed for a chair, desk, cushions or a bookshelf and double your loft bed as a makeshift towel or coat rack. If you prefer catching your Z’s closer to the ground, invest in some heavy-duty bed risers and store luggage, extra blankets, seasonal clothing and school supplies under the bed. Low-rise storage containers also fit neatly in this extra space.

5. Embrace the power of the milk crate. Keeping milk crates in a college dorm room is as cliché as seeing a biker with a handlebar mustache, but they are highly effective in creating low-cost organization. Milk crates hold items both neatly or jumbled, equipped with cutouts making it easy to identify the contents. Milk crates also make great improvised shelves, stools or nightstands and can even hold file folders for your notes, papers and research assignments.

6. Remove a few posters and make room for screw-in or adhesive hooks. Design a tiny closet or a place for keys, purses or backpacks with hooks. Screw one into the door and use it for coats, pajamas, towels, clothes or other dorm room gear.

The Most Anticipated Las Vegas Events of August, 2009

Unforgettable music, merciless title bouts, preposterous pose offs and outrageous costume parties encompass the Las Vegas strip this up-and-coming month of August. The time has come to grab your boarding pass and hop on a flight to The Entertainment Capital of the World. Below are the most anticipated Las Vegas events of August 2009.

GOODLIFE SUNDAYS Presents Bronson’s Wresting Federation - The Pose Off @ Playboy Club – Sunday, August 9th @ 10:00 p.m.
Put on your wrestling outfit and bring your “A” game to The Pose Off at N9ne Group’s Playboy Club to challenge the greatest poser on earth - The Little Giant. Do you have what it takes to out-pose 1983’s Clark County Backyard Bonanza Pro Wrestling Super Heavy Weight Champion? If you do, you may become the proud new holder of the coveted BWF Champion Belt! Supplemented by body slamming sounds provided by DJs Graham Funke and Mark Stylz, the event begins at 10 p.m. and ladies drink complimentary champagne until midnight. Visit the official Playboy Club website for more information.

World Extreme Cagefighting Presents the World Bantamweight Championship at the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel – Sunday, August 9th @ 3:00 p.m.
Witness the World Extreme Cagefighting bout that will determine pound-for-pound the world’s best bantamweight fighter. The thirty-six and one WEC bantamweight champion, Miguel Angel Torres defends his title against undefeated Brian Bowles (7-0) on Sunday, August 9th at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. A win for Torres will engrave his status as the best 135-pound fighter in history, while an upset from Bowles will crown him the new top dog of the most ruthless fighting arena known to man. Doors open at 2 p.m. with the first battle of the nine-fight-scheduled fight card starting at 3 p.m. Visit Ticketmaster.com for ticket prices and information.

Ditch Fridays Daytime Pool Party Presents Midsummer Night’s Dream Weekend – Friday, August 14th – Sunday, August 16th
Do you want to be a part of the hottest end-of-the-week party known to the Las Vegas strip this August? Enter Ditch Fridays Daytime Pool Party at the Palms Pool & Bungalows presented by N9ne Group. Ditch Fridays is an event held exclusively to those with only one thing on their Friday afternoon agenda, and it has nothing to do with filing documents, meeting with clients or filling out timesheets. The Midsummer Night’s Dream Weekend kicks off Friday at noon, where event goers can relax at the infamous Ditch Fridays Daytime Pool Party and gain nighttime access to three of N9NE Group’s most prestigious nightclubs, Playboy Club, Ghostbar and Moon Nightclub. The costume or mask-required main event, entitled “A Pirate’s Guilty Pleasure,” takes place Saturday, August 15th at 9 p.m. at the Palms Pool & Bungalows followed by a Closing Party Sunday at 10 p.m. to wrap up one unforgettable weekend in Sin City.

Kings of Leon Live at the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel – Wednesday, August 19th @ 8:00 p.m.
Performing original songs from their fourth studio album, “Only by the Night,” Kings of Leon is taking the stage at the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas on August 19th. The American rock band’s 2008 album peaked inside the top 10’s in over 10 different countries and recently became the biggest selling digital album in history. Kings of Leon is up for three Grammy Award nominations and the band’s hit single “Use Somebody” continues to climb VH1’s Top 20 List. Visit Ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets to this Vegas event spectacular and experience firsthand the music sensation that is sweeping nation.

GOODLIFE SUNDAYS Presents Thrift Store Junkie at Playboy Club – Sunday, August 23rd @ 10:00 p.m.
Just when you thought the thrift store clothing you bought six months ago would go to waste, N9ne Group’s Thrift Store Junkie comes to the rescue. Wear your most outrageous thrift store ensemble and be eligible to win a $500 gift certificate to your favorite thrift store! The event commences at 10:00 p.m. inside Playboy Club at the Palms Resort & Casino and ladies drink complimentary champagne until midnight. Sort through your entire vintage collection, visit your local Salvation Army or second hand store and become an official thrift store junkie for one fabulous night in Las Vegas.