Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Pick Up the Girl...But Get Lots of Sleep...The James Bond Life???

The Best Way to Pick
Up a Girl...

By Paul Kyriazi



This techique has been used by many men and women that I've advised, usually to great success. If not, they got it over with and moved on to someone else. You see her across the room. Ah, so attractive. But nobody to introduce her to you. 'Ah, I'll do a James Bond on her,' you think. Now what was Bond's first words to Pussy Galore? 'I must be dreaming.' No, that won't work.

How about singing 'Underneath the Mango Tree' to her as Bond did to Honey Rider in 'Dr. No'? .... Ah?..... No!

Well, what's left? You'll just have to go up and talk to her, if it's a situation where you won't see her again. But it's always safe to assume that she has a boyfriend that can squeeze the stuffings out of a golf ball like Oddjob did in 'Goldfinger'.

That aside, take a chance and make polite conversation. What's the worst that can happen? She says, 'I'm sorry, I'm not available.' and you save the time and money of a date with her. Like George Burns says, 'When a beautiful woman says 'no' to me, it's a relief.

If you know that you will see her again, like at your university, your job, or working at a restaurant, you can have another shot at her and use the shy man's approach to getting a date.

'You farm boys don't make a pitch, you just shy your way into position,' Ann Margaret says to Pat Boone in 'State Fair'.

Okay, here it is: Instead of asking her to dinner or out on a date which has romance intended, get some tickets to a concert or event first, and then with tickets in hand say, 'I just happened to have tickets to this event. If you'd like to go with me, I'd be happy to take you.' This way the subject is the event.

Talk about the person singing at the concert, instead of if the two of you will hit it off or not. She can easily say yes or no, or ask more questions about you or the time and place of the event. She doesn't have the pressure of turning you down, so she can just turn the event down and that will be that. And if by chance she can't make that date, but is interested in you, she can start talking about going out another time.

I've strongly suggested this 'ticket' technique to both men and women who are infatuated with someone at work, or at shop, or restaurant, and have no idea how to make an approach. If the person is available, they usually say yes to an invitation. After all, it's just going to an event. It's not really a date.

So don't 'ask her out'. Don't 'take her to dinner'. Get some tickets, and maybe she'll answer you like Cameron Diaz does in 'Charlie's Angels'.

Tickets? I LOVE tickets."


A Tip From the World's Greatest Playboy
Did you see The Adventurers based on the Harold Robbins novel? The lead character, Dax Xenos, was based on real life European playboy Porfirio Rubirosa.

Sammy Davis Jr. once asked him, "How do you do it? Attend every party, play polo, date women, go yachting, day after day, yet you always look good and never tired?"

"What I do Sammy, is pace myself. I never go to a party too early or stay too late. I drink only a little and watch what I eat. And even if I'm entertaining a woman, I always get my sleep."

This is great advice for anyone wanting to live the James Bond Lifestyle. On films I've directed, the amateurs party every night and are zombies by the second week. The professionals are fresh, energetic, and prepared everyday. Why? They pace themselves. They sleep.

When Clint Eastwood started preparing to direct his first movie, Play Misty for Me, he asked vetren director Don Dirty Harry Seigal for advice.

Seigal gave him only, "Get a lot of sleep."

Twitter JBLS Mission Control Center www.twitter.com/BondLife

James Bond Lifestyle Seminar page on Facebook: http://bit.ly/dkI9qj

Sorry Paul...I just had to do a "Jane Bond" on you...

Hey Everybody...Paul is going to be live at Facebook's Readers Review Discussion Board Tomorrow at 12 Noon EST

And yes you must join my group in order to talk during the chat...Gotcha!
I'll be moderator, so I'm just preparing to jazz his talk up a little...

Enhanced by Zemanta

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Learning More About the James Bond Life...

Frankly, Paul, this one looks good in anything! gab
James Bond Attire for All Occasions

By James Kyriazi



One thing to wear for any event, casual or formal.


Bond Attire for All Occasions Good dark pants, long sleeve dress shirt, and solid color sports jacket that can look like a suit jacket.

Don't button the jacket and be sure to have a good looking belt. If it's a casual place you're at, you carry the jacket. More casual you can fold (not role) your sleeves up two turns. If you hit a more dressy place, fold your sleeves down and button them. To be more dressy, put on the jacket, but do not put your shirt collar out over your lapels.

You should carry a tie in your jacket pocket in case you hit a place that requires one. A quick trip to the restroom to put it on makes you ready to go first class. Carrying the jacket looks cool, even if you have no intention of wearing it that day. You can drape it over your arm, or if you're in a Sinatra mood, carry it over your shoulder.

If your jacket has an inside pocket with a button, it's a good place to put your glasses, where they won't fall out. Be sure to wear black leather shoes with this and you'll be looking Bond no matter the time, place, or occasion.
~~~

James Bond's Secret Power

By Paul Kyriazi

Don't give your power away. , .


We like James Bond because he's so cool in intense situations. That is his power. To call up his talent at will, without letting the situation or villains rattle him.

He doesn't let his foes take away his power. And for sure, never gives away his power. So why should we give away our power to unkind, abusive, and uncouth people in our lives?

"I would never give my power away," you might say. Yet, anytime you are angry, resentful, or fearful of a boss, friend, or lazy store clerk you are giving your power to them.

Find a phrase that you can think of that relieves your tension, before you give your power over to them. Like when Bond in From Russia with Love says to the villain, "What lunatic asylum did they get you out of?"

Don't say it aloud. Just think it to yourself and keep your power. Or just remember the words of Booker T. Washington:

"Let no man drag me down so low as to make me hate him."





Twitter JBLS Mission Control Center www.twitter.com/BondLife

James Bond Lifestyle Seminar page on Facebook: http://bit.ly/dkI9qj





Reminder Live Chat:  Thursday, September 4th 12:00 Noon Eastern Standard Time! Be There...
Join Group to be able to Participate!
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=155091741301&topic=14747

Review: Killer Heat by Brenda Novak Out Today!

Killer Heat

By Brenda Novak








All I've got to say about the Department 6 Trilogy by Brenda Novak is that it certainly would be great to work with the guys who are there! This latest one sounds like a real nice guy!

In the latest and last book of the Trilogy, we meet Jonah Young. For those who maybe have not read the other two books, Department 6 is a consulting firm that provides support to small organizations and police agencies who need professional expertise not available, especially when a serial killer is in town!

Francesca Moretti was on a private investigation for a missing woman and she had learned that the woman had been seen entering the truck of a man who was driving a salvage yard vehicle the night before April Bonner had disappeared. Now Moretti was there at the yard, looking around and had seen a large tarp with brown hair showing out from under. Several problems faced her--if she got any closer, she might destroy some type of evidence, and the yard dog was making so much noise that she was bound to be found.

Killer Heat

It wasn't as if she was trying to hide; she had come out looking for Butch Vaughn, who had been identified as the driver. When she saw him, now coming out to find out who was making the dog bark, she realized that he was the same man who had been on the dating web site, although under a different name!

And one thing else she knew...he scared her! His manner was not only menacing, but before long she felt like she was fighting for her life, as she dropped her purse and ran for her car, with Butch coming after her with a wooden bat!

Now the unfortunate thing was that when the police went to check, it was found that a mannequin had been under the tarp. Worse, the officer who had searched was a friend of Butch, who then kept him totally advised of the entire investigation!

Francesca was not willing to give up thinking he was guilty, especially when he filed charges against her!

It was at the police station where Francesca and Jonah connected...again...

Jonah and Fran had once been intimately involved, but being afraid of his growing feelings, he had got drunk and had one night with Francesca's best friend! With the worst possible ending--a child was born from that night.

But personal feelings between them had to be ignored because Jonah was indeed there because a series of bodies had been found and identities for each were underway. In the meantime, April's body was also found!
Everybody was willing to work on the basis that there was only one killer in town. Since the missing person had been found, Francesca shared the bad news with April's family and could have gone home. Jonah had then been "fired" because the police were going to create a task force from neighboring police.

But there had been indications that Butch was not satisfied with letting her go. Her phone line had been cut one night, and she was positive that it was Butch who sat under her window in her yard, just trying to make her afraid. He had stated he didn't know where her purse was, but now she was also without her cell phone. Francesca was unwilling to be frightened into leaving, especially since she was so afraid of him, and later learned that his brother-in-law had her purse and was contacting her female friends and neighbors...acting like he wanted to be friends! One of those men from the salvage yard had to be guilty and she was going to help find out which one!
 
Besides, if she was going to succeed as a PI, she'd have to learn to deal with this type of case...and there was Jonah to think about...

Jonah cared enough that he would stay to help her, even though the mother of his child was still Francesca's friend and they were back in a tension-packed threesome again...

Killer Heat turns out to be a rare whodunit that will keep readers guessing to the very end. Really great potential villains, hidden bodies from the past, even in freezers...and the possibility of love reignited. What could be better? Second book still my favorite; this one a close runner-up!

Book received via
Net Galley

G. A. Bixler




Enhanced by Zemanta

Monday, September 27, 2010

"It Was A Giant Risk," Shares Paul Kyriazi...

Chinatown-entrance-San-FranciscoImage via Wikipedia
Directing Weapons of Death...


I had just come off my recent success of Death Machines being widely distributed. I figured will all the quarter page ads in the papers, the Variety chart having "DM" as the #14 top grosser for the week, and some fairly good reviews, that I could raise the financing for my next film easily.

I wrote the screenplay for Weapons of Death in a one-month period, completely by myself. Definitely the ultimate movie that was deep in my heart. My love of the old swashbuckler movies and Japanese samurai and Chinese swordplay movies was all in the story.

The script starts out in San Francisco Chinatown, where the daughter of a wealthy business woman is kidnapped by a large Chinatown gang and taken into the Marin County hills and held for ransom. The gang, however, uses another gang of criminals to do the actual kidnapping. The woman sends for her estranged husband, whom she hasn't seen in fifteen years. He comes back and with his two sons and two guys from his son's martial arts school, they head into the hills to get the daughter back.

At one point the kidnapped girl escapes and runs into a group of bikers and is single handedly rescued by a sympathetic criminal. The father and his team run into the Chinese gangs swordswomen and fight them. Finally there is a long running battle between the good guys and the Chinese gang. As there are no guns allowed by the Chinese gang leader, most fighting is done with swords and various martial arts weapons.

Having met and befriended so many martial artists when working on Death Machines, I could write tthe characters for the actors that I knew. Also, as I had always included myself in the cast of my 16mm movies and first feature, I wrote a character for myself. I mostly wanted to do a swordfight scene and a couple of stunts that I saw Douglas Fairbanks do, which I'll describe later.
With the screenplay finished, the search for financing was on. Or was it? Would I, or should I continue with this? I had financed and used investors on my first feature, Drawn Swords. It was a long "drawn out" production, that cause me endless hassles, large debts, many disappointments, and no income from the minor distribution it had.

I had worked six months to pay back most of the debts, but still wasn't completely out of it, even with my Death Machines success. Did I want to go through all that again? Was this another swordfight epic that would get me much deeper into debt and end my dubious film career?

I remember so vividly looking down at the script that was sitting on my sofa. Standing above it I thought about all the risks and hassles that could come with this project. I was still in debt over my first feature. Had no job and no savings. But I finally said to myself, "I don't care. Even if this movie bombs, even if I can't sell it, I will still have the movie. It will be made. And this was my dream movie. The one that I really want to make.

I didn't know it at the time, but I guess I was more of an "artist" than a film businessman, because completing that particular movie was more important to me for self expression than doing someone else's project (which there were none) or working my way up in the Hollywood system (which there were no open doors).

So I said, "What the hell", to myself, picked up the script off of the sofa, sat down at my kitchen table and began preparing a schedule and budget. The original title was The Last Adventure because I figured it would be. Death Machines had been shot in two perforation 35mm Techniscope. If this might be my last movie, I wanted to shoot in full-frame Panavision. This meant twice as much film, and a more expensive camera and lenses.

I planned to make up for this by using less film and camera set ups. To not have a mediocre sound track and music like Death Machines had, I planned to take this movie straight through to the sound mix, giving it full effects and high level pre-recorded music.

I figured to get the scenes properly filmed, it would take six weeks. I would use half the crew that I had used on Death Machines as there would not be as much interior lighting needed.

For the project, I teamed up with Rick Sydell who had done a good job on Death Machines as the production manager. He would handle the accounting and arrange film, lab, and equipment rentals, along with location permits.

Except for the crew that was hired for filming, it was just the two of us on the production team. We did everything ourselves. Sid Campbell, a high level karate dojo owner and teacher opened his unusual looking school to me and the first investments that came in were from some of his students.

When I had enough money in the bank, and money promised from investors to come in within six weeks, I set the date for one month ahead and started to work. Most of the cast I had written for and was available, so that came easy.

For the remaining cast I let the word out, at casting agencies and karate schools, and did open casting at Sid's dojo. There I completed the cast, as well as got all the extras I needed. The thirty swordswomen were made up of Asian models from an agency, mixed in with trained martial arts women.

Eric Lee would star this time, as he was a cover boy for many martial arts magazines and would help our cause for selling the picture. One of the villains of the movie, the one that Eric would end up fighting at the climax was Gerald Okamura, The Martial Arts Magician. He was named that because he was a master at using and making traditional martial arts weapons, as well as hidden ninja type weapons.

I scheduled the filming to begin in October, hoping we wouldn't get into early rain, as most of the filming would be done outdoors. I choose the biggest scene to do first. It was the opening of the movie taking place in the hills. This is where the Chinese gang is assembled. The leader, his two main bodyguards, his twenty swordswomen, and fifty gang members, made to look like there was as a hundred.

They would all have special costumes. Driving up in a van to meet them would be the six criminals. Plus on stand-by to film the final confrontation would be the five heroes. Everything was set to go, when the weather forecast called for possible rain. I watched the clouds form at night. I watched the TV weather forecast at 11pm that said, "Maybe Rain".

When I woke up in the early morning and turned on the TV, I swear the written forecast said, "Go for it." As I drove to the location, I saw the sun starting to break through the clouds. That was the first time I ever paid so much attention to the weather.

A few days before the shoot, I had received a call from a young Asian woman named Cynthia, who wanted to view the filming as she was interested in being a filmmaker. I said, "You're welcome to come. And why don't you be an extra as well and get paid." She said okay, and I told her to introduce herself during the day.

When I drove out to the location, many of the people had arrived and were in costume. I could see the swordwomen with their shiny blue Chinese costumes and the fifty extras all wearing black as I had told them to do. The cameramen were setting up. Make-up was already happening. Actors had flown up from Los Angeles. They were all here 40 miles from San Francisco in my hometown hills that I had used for filming my 16mm action movies when I was in college. "This is fantastic," I thought. "What an opportunity to make something really good."

I came to the instant conclusion to not just shoot a few master scenes. I would use the necessary film to get all the coverage I needed to make a cinematic film. And if I went a little over budget, I would make up the difference by selling part of my percentage in the movie. It would be worth it.

The filming went just as planned, all in beautiful Technicolor, Panavision, and sound. Even with the extra shots I finished up the dialogue scenes early enough to shoot some big actions scenes using all the extras. This was bonus material that I hadn't planned on. Everyone had a great time. The younger guys got to meet Eric Lee, Gerald Okamura, and other established martial artists who were happy to talk with all of them and demonstrate some of their techniques.

The food arrived on time and everything was perfect. Better than could be imagined. During the day Cynthia, the girl that had called me to be an observer, introduced herself and we talked briefly. At the end of the day, she wasn't there, so I called her at night and asked her how she enjoyed the day. Her first words were, "Did you guys ever get it together?" I explained how we got more shots than we had hoped for and how smooth it went. But she didn't sound convinced, so after a short conversation we said good-bye.

I realized that she, like a lot of people, see these "Making of....." shorts on TV and have a pre-conceived idea of how a movie day goes. They don't show you that it takes time to move the camera and set up shots. But even though we did it faster than most, Cynthia thought we were amateurs. Indeed, even the young heroine in our movie, later at the premier said, "If I knew it was going to be this good, I would have tried harder."

From that time on, I've told other future film directors, "Don't let anyone tell you what is professional or not, unless they've made a movie, or at least have been on a movie set.

The second day on the location went just as well continuing with the large action ending of the movie. Being it was a run and fight action scene, resolving all the lead characters, it would take many days and many locations to finish while still doing other scenes as well. In the middle of the day, a young Kung Fu teacher came to me with the five students he brought. He asked to talk to me, so I said okay. Then he comes out with, "We want to kill Eric Lee." "What?" I said. "Yes, our kung fu technique is better than his, so we should kill him in the movie."

I explained that even though their technique is better, that in the script Eric wins. But the teacher threatened to take his men out of the shoot if they weren't allowed to kill Eric on camera. Even though his request sounded ridiculous, I said politely that It couldn't be done. So he took his students and one girl, who was playing a swordswoman and left.

His students were sad because they were having so much fun and getting paid. I suspect one of his reasons was that the girls playing the swordswomen were getting more than the extras, as per my deal with the model agency. I not only paid the models extra, but any girl that was in that group, so the Kung Fu girl was making more than her teacher. That never came up, but maybe that was the problem.

On the climatic fight between Eric Lee and Gerald Okamura, Eric cut his hand by hitting Gerald's metal claw weapon. We quickly wrapped it and soon Eric and I were speeding through the main streets of my home time to the hospital. Eric arrived in costume with his shirt off and make up cuts and blood on his stomach and chest. The nurse started to wrapped them as we waited for the emergency doctor. But we told her it was only his hand. The rest was makeup.

That was the only injury we had on the entire shoot, thank God. Another big scene was when the kidnapped girl ran into thirty bikers. One of the criminals enters their camp in the hills and is forced to fight them with a large sword and kill all of them. Some of them try to hit him with motorcycles and they crash, explode and burn.

It would take four days to get the beginning confrontation dialogue plus the fight. I had real bikers mixed in with actors and stunt men. I was concerned that the bikers might get bored with the shoot, but that wasn't the case. What was their main concern? "Hey Paul, do I die good." "Yeah, you'll die good." I guaranteed many of them who constantly asked. I wanted them to take the shoot serious so I got the idea to have all of them get made up by our make-up girl.

Of course, most of them didn't need it, in this situation. But I made them go, even though some didn't want to. But my idea did the trick. They were treated like actors, so they became actors. One giant-sized biker named Brian, was really worried about if he died good or not, and was constantly asking me and the crew about it. I saved him for the end. He chased the criminal up a hill and the criminal picked up a watermelon sized rock covered in dust, heaved it down on him, hitting him in the face. Brian rolled down the hill and landed next to a burning motercycle amongst the other bodies. He died happy, and most of all "good".

The unique thing about this movie that, except for the high falls, motorcycle stunts, and a fire stunt, everyone did their own stunts. As I mentioned I planned to act in the movie as one of the five good guys. I decided that I would be the only guy to have a gun. Audiences always say in a Kung Fu movie, "Why didn't someone bring a gun?" So one of the bad guys has a gun and my character manages to come up with one pistol on short notice. Audiences cheered as I mowed down the kung fu guys with my six shooter, always showing me reloading after firing my six shots.

I knew that the audience likes to count and I didn't want to say that I had a twelve shot gun like Tom Laughin did in The Master Gunfighter. I was not worried about directing myself as I used one of the crew to stand in for me as I staged the scenes, and then took his place for the shot. Besides I was only in a third of the movie because of all the characters.

I was a little worried that some might think I was not a serious director by also being in the film. But since I figured it might be my last movie, I decided to play out all my dreams. Only my cameraman objected to me being in the movie. Two days before filming started he complained, "What do you want to be, an actor or director." So I decided not to act in it.

However, with two days before the shot and being so busy, I couldn't spend the time to find someone to replace my character, so I was stuck with me. But acting and doing my planned stunts in this movie has been the greatest satisfaction for me.

Years later, it's not so much the fact that I directed it that people mention when they see it, it's the fact that I was in it. So after that, I never listen to anyone who tries to talk me out of my dreams. At the end of the movie I run out of bullets and am forced to fight Gini Lau, a trained martial artists, with a sword. She finally knocks me out.

But the quick fight is an audience pleaser, because when I run out of bullets I throw my pistol at her. In the movies no one is hit with a thrown pistol, but I hit her in the face with it. The audience always screams, as she shakes it off and gets angry. Of course, it was a sponge pistol with a great sound effect added. My two other stunts always gets a cheer from the audience.

One is where I jump off a six foot high cliff, shoot a bad guy while in mid air, land, fall down, while I keep firing and hit more bad guys. The stunt I'm really proud of was jumping on top of a railing of a footbridge that is 12 feet above a rocky stream. The railing was only 4 inches around and I ran it with my leather boots in a wide shot that showed there was no net or mats below, just jagged rocks.

When the audience saw that they screamed and people came to me later saying, "You should have never done that. You could have been really hurt." What I've never told anyone until now is that I used a trick that Douglas Fairbanks used in the silent version of Robin Hood.

In that movie there is a giant curtain that is about three stories high. It is pulled back and tied at the bottom. Fairbanks, who is above it, jumps down on the folded part and with one leg out in the air rides it down to the floor. The trick was that he had a playground type slide hidden inside the curtain, which he just slid down.

So what I did was, on the other side of the thin railing of the bridge, I had a six-inch wide plank made for me and ran with one foot on that and the other foot on the railing. It was a little dangerous, but I made sure if I lost my footing to fall on the bridge and not off of it.

The scenes that were shot in San Francisco's Chinatown had to be done without a permit. It is the one where the kidnappers come to get the girl. Also there was an establishing shot of the girl walking home. As I was filming this first with my cameraman, I turned and saw all seven bad guys in their costumes walking down the street looking the mean bunch of villains they were suppose to be. "Hey guys", I said panicing and looking around to make sure they were no police, get off the street and back into the van.

Anyway, we finally faked the exterior kidnapping and got the hell out of there. We next filmed the title scenes of the van driving across the Golden Gate bridge. This was done with the camera mounted in the back of a pick up truck. I was the driver and really sweated it out going through the toll gate with the camera in the back looking like a mounted machine gun with the cameraman in a hooded jacket. But we weren't stopped and got the shots we needed.

The partial budget that I had raised, got us through to the end of production and the developing and printing of our film. I spent the next eight months happily editing my dream film, that turned out bigger and better than I had hoped, in my apartment. I couldn't afford a flatbed editing machine, nor to rent an editing room, so I edited the whole movie on a pair of rewinds and a viewer.

I vividly remember that I started to edit the first scene in the movie that was a bar room brawl that introduced the lead criminals. I had started it like the opening of Rio Bravo where one of the leads enters drunk looking for a drink. I happened to have my FM radio on at the time, and I swear the that announcer said, "Famed movie director of Rio Bravo Howard Hawks died today.

I was saddened and said, "Thanks for this scene, Howard." Later, for the final editing and tightening of scenes, I used a Kem flatbed with a Panavision picture head. I also screened the film several times and made more cuts until I was satisfied with it. Unlike Death Machines that had skimpy sound effects, Weapons of Death got the full sound treatment, sometimes running as many as thirty-six tracks at the same time, as we did in the biker fight scene.

We had separate tracks for footsteps, yells, explosions, sword swishes, sword cuts, body falls, music, wind, and more. All individually controlled by a professional mixer in a state of the art mixing room at the Saul Zantz Studio in Berkeley, where some of the biggest movies were mixed.

Not wanting to have a big distributor take the movie and charge all their expenses against our 50%, we went with an smaller independent distributor that took several prints to each city, advertised, showed and then moved to the next. We broke a house attendance record in one theater in New York. I called a New York friend there and asked how the movie played, "They were all cheering and yelling," he said.

On every movie I made, my father would say, "I like the movies that shows the actors with their names at the end. " I would always explained that the optical work on that took a lot of money. But on Weapons of Death I showed all the actors at the end one by one. They would be in the middle of the action, then freeze framed and then their name popped on.

It cost three thousand dollars to do just that, but I got it done. I didn't tell my father about it and when it premiered he not only saw the end title sequence, but on the roll up came the credit, "Title design...Gus Kyriazi". He was surprised and happy.

The best part of Weapons of Death was getting to be close friends with Eric Lee, Gerald Okamura, Sid Campbell and others. We went on to do the comedy, NinjaBusters and became lifelong friends. Later, using them to do voice work my audio-books.

They've continued successfully in the martial arts and movie business. Weapons of Death remains my best movie, though I hope to top it with a mystery thriller that I wrote. After watching Quentin Tarrentino's martial arts spectacular, Kill Bill, I told a friend, I'm sure glad that I did my martial arts dream movie. Otherwise I would be sad to see someone else doing his dream version of a martial arts movie, knowing that I had chickened out and not taken the risk to do mine.

I can still see the script for Weapons of Death lying on my sofa, with me standing over it, wondering if I should make it or not. Like Tom Cruise's high school friend in Risky Business says, "Sometimes you have to say 'What the hell.' Saying it gives you freedom. Freedom brings opportunity. And opportunity makes your life. If you can't say it, you can't do it."

So I had the the dream, the script, and no money. What the hell !

Weapons of Death

Paul, I really enjoyed reading this...you shared yourself, your worries and your joys of working...sounds like a James Bond Man...

Don't forget Paul's live chat on September 30th at 12:00 Noon...Facebook Reviewers Roundup Discussion Board...



Enhanced by Zemanta

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Paul Kyriazi's McKnight's Memory - Print or Audio!

McKnight's Memory

By Paul Kyriazi







CIA Chief James McKnight has three problems - Amnesia, the Mafia and his addiction to the Ultimate Woman
McKnight woke up in a small Colombian Village in the middle of a drug raid with no memory. Returning to Washington D.C. things get worse as he finds out the Mafia has a contract out on his life.

His only solace in this deadly game of cat and mouse is Carla, the woman he is living with, though he can't remember her. She is the most beautiful and erotic woman that McKnight could imagine. He has the feeling that he knew her from someplace else, but can't quite remember. With his life in danger, can he trust her? Can he trust the CIA? Perhaps his bizarre dreams hold the answer.

The jungles of Colombia, the monuments of Washington D.C., the gambling tables of Atlantic City all have dangers awaiting him. Can he solve the puzzle? Can he outwit his adversaries? Can he survive to win the voluptuous Carla or will she be his Doom.

Excerpt

"Maybe you're part of what's been happening to me, all of which is bad. Maybe you made a phone call when I left here. A phone call to get me killed."

"What a stupid thing to say to the woman who's been climbing in and out of your bed for the last six months." Carla could see a decision coming on McKnight's face. "What?" was all that could come out of her mouth now because she became aware of something she had forgotten about when her temper was flaring. The gun in McKnight's hand. And he now looked like he was thinking about using it.

Carla froze.

McKnight took a deep breath. "I might be paranoid. I'll give you that. But on thing's for certain. One, somebody wants me dead. Two,somebody tipped off that killer, told him I was going to the mall. He hesitated, hoping Carla would ask him what the third thing was. But she stood there silent, contemplating the gun in his hand.




Narrated by Frank Sinatra Jr. Performed by Robert Culp, Nancy Kwan, David Hedison, Don Stroud, Henry Silva, Alan Young, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, Barbara Leigh, Gary Lockwood.

CIA agent James McKnight (Robert Culp) has amnesia and has the mafia and the CIA out to kill him. He tries to escape with his beautiful lover (Nancy Kwan), who he doesn't remember and might be working against him.

It was a dream working with our narrator, Frank Sinatra Jr. I had heard his audio commentary on two of his father's movies on DVD, "Robin and the Seven Hoods" and "Oceans Eleven". His voice, articulation, as well as his respect for character actors impressed me, so he was approached to take the listener along on this conspiracy tale.

Mr. Sinatra requested his recording be done at night as that is when most singers feel their voice is the best. He gave a concentrated performance, often coming up with changes in the text that were superior than the original.

For example, there is a line that read, "The hit man was dead before his 200 pound body crashed to the floor." Mr. Sinatra changed it to:"The hit man was dead before his 200 pounds crashed to the floor." When I heard that, I was overjoyed that this subtle, but powerful change had happened.

Then Mr. Sinatra said, "Okay fellas, I'll read it as written so that you'll have a choice." But I knew right then which reading I would use. This happened a few other times as well. I was in awe of Mr. Sinatra's annunciation and sometimes ending a paragraph in an upward tone, leaving it hanging as if more will come. I don't know what that's called, but I loved it.

During our breaks, it was wonderful to talk with Mr. Sinatra about the sets that he visited of some of the now classic movies, such as "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Them". He also explained why and how lounge acts disappeared from the Las Vegas casinos.

It seems that when the headliners lost popularity and could no long fill the large show rooms they were moved to the lounge to entertain gamblers and provide music to the whole casino. But when the entertainers insisted that their act be curtained off from the casino, the owners decided that if the gambler could see or hear the acts, then why should they pay to have them in the lounge. Thus the lounge acts disappeared.

The production's cast includes Robert Culp, Nancy Kwan, David Hedison, Henry Silva, Don Stroud, Barbara Leigh, Alan Young, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, Gary Lockwood, and others. The production has full sound effects and music, like an "audio-movie".

It's a mystery/thriller about a CIA deputy director that get's amnesia and for some unknown reason is marked for death by both the Mafia and the CIA. The woman he lives with, but can't remember, runs with him. But can he trust her?

This is my second full cast audio-book. My first was "Rock Star Rising" narrated by Rod Taylor. Performed by Russ Tamblyn, George Chakiris, Robert Culp, James Darren, Barbara Leigh, and Kevin McCarthy.

Download at:

http://lodingo.com/_catalog_49120/Ronin_Audio_Book_Downloads




Like this? Want to talk to the author? Be at Facebook's Reviewers Roundup Discussion Board on September 30th from 12:00 Noon to 2:00 PM to attend Live Chat with Paul Kyriazi from his hotel in Tokyo!

P.S. Check the site out in advance if you can...you must join the group to be able to comment...Hey, but there are 1700 members that you can also meet!





Enhanced by Zemanta

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Guest Blogger Speaks Out Against Icing: Discriminatory Social Practice!

Racial Profiling in ArizonaImage by No Borders and Binaries via Flickr
info@preferpossibilities.com

Prefer Possibilities Educational Services

Icing: A Discriminatory Social Practice

Copyright 2010 by Dr. Shadrach Linscomb

One of the major reasons that women, minorities, and newcomers to Arizona have a difficult time securing a stable income and suitable housing is the discriminatory social practice referred to as “icing a person.” Many of the unjust ideologies and practices of the past, such as slavery, the notion of women being regarded as inferior to men, and the belief in white privilege, are currently alive and well in the state of Arizona.

It is truly a daily struggle for many minorities, women, and immigrants to achieve sccess and peace here. Moreover, it is also difficult for these groups to be taken seriously, and many people in them find it hard to simply enjoy life.

Here are two definitions of the discriminatory practice known as icing:

1. It is a systematic process in which an individual or a group uses personal resources, connections, money, power, and intimidation in a way to cause harm to another individual or group in an inferior status, thereby preventing that individual or group from receiving goods and services, information, career opportunities, and/or equitable treatment. The process can take place in various social settings, such as hotels, restaurants, cafés, retail stores, and a host of other businesses and settings.

2. It is a social dynamic through which culture, gender, race, and even reading and speaking ability act as determinants of social treatment in society. All of these factors can negatively influence how people will be treated in various situations (i.e., in work groups, juries, classrooms, and sports teams). In other words, these factors set up people to be regarded and treated as if they were in an inferior position that is lacking in power and prestige.

Here are three examples of how the process takes place in various social settings. For instance, a minority male enters a bar after being followed around the city by a carload of white males. After that, he takes a seat near the bartender. Soon one of the white male customers, who is known in that community, gives the bartender a hint or sometimes cash to give the minority person poor service (i.e., “ice him”). But it does not stop there, as the rest of the males in that group will make sure that the person does not have any meaningful interactions with others. After the man goes to the restroom, one of those good old boys will tell the bartender that when the man returns, he should be treated as if he didn’t exist. A second example is having a person stand outside of the bar to prevent certain people from entering. The decision of who is allowed to enter is based on some type of negative prejudgment of a particular group of people. Or, a group of males might surround a woman who is alone to prevent her from interacting with others.

The second example involves a person who completes an application for housing in a building complex, and everything clears successfully. Somehow an older gentleman gets wind of this applicant and decides to pay the staff person at the complex to get rid of the applicant’s file. When it comes time for the individual to move into his or her place, that person’s file suddenly does not exist, which leaves the person in a vulnerable situation. Sometimes the problem can be cleared up but not without a lot of wasted time, and sometimes the file is replaced by that of another candidate who is deemed more suitable.

Yet another example takes place at a local bookstore which has comfortable seats for people to sit in when browsing books. All too many young female customers in this store are forced to sit near guys who fondle them or pressure them into giving some type of sexual satisfaction (i.e., watching them masturbate). Such sexual harassment is even done to the female employees of the bookstore. To make matters worse, some white men have taser guns which they use on women and minorities, in which cases the interaction involves especially extreme intimidation or even danger. In some of these cases, the staff are often aware of the harassment but they turn a blind eye because it is either hard to prove the abuse or they fear for their own job security or even safety. Thus, the abuse sometimes leads to women being raped or even enslaved. These types of situations often have dire consequences for the victims, though sometimes on the surface the abuse is not apparent.

The three main goals of icing are as follows: (1) to prevent the targeted person from socializing with someone who has cultural knowledge of the community, (2) to reduce that person’s chance of having economic success, and (3) to deny the person his or her civil liberties under law. Many residents of the state of Arizona consider the process of icing to be a form of modern-day slavery, as it forces a person to go through his or her daily life with an inferior status, dealing with all of the hardships that accompany this lower position. Unfortunately, this process is supported by some retail stores, social institutions, and discouragingly, a large number of people in the community at large. Therefore, wherever such a person goes, he or she is taken advantage of due to this discriminatory status in the community. Some people deem this lesser-status person to be likened to a slave or a “have not.”

No matter how many ways the perpetrators of icing may attempt to justify the practice, it cannot be overemphasized that icing violates the United States Constitution. Icing a person is a too-common social practice in the state of Arizona, and it is legally responsible for allowing racism and sexism to persist. For example, it is not uncommon for a young woman to accept being fondled by the man in the grocery store (in order to get some money) or for a mother to let her teenage daughter get into a car with a man who offers cash. In these situations, the women may not see themselves as victims because they are getting paid, despite the fact that it is still harassment and abuse.

Summary

The courts should make it unlawful for an individual or a group (perpetrator) to specifically target a person or a group (victim) in such a way that the actions negatively degrade a person’s character in public, prevent him or her from socializing with others, interfere with delivery of services from an establishment (restaurants, banks, theaters, bars, schools, etc.), or place that person in jeopardy of being taking advantage of. Often the person is referred to as being stuck in a social trap or game. This icing process is immoral because it prevents people from reaching their own potential; it negatively impacts a person’s chances of securing income; and it does not allow an appropriate social exchange to take place. Some individuals are blackballed from jobs, hotel ccommodations, and social settings. And some are followed by community members in a threatening and intimidating fashion. This social practice of icing is bad for business because it prevents customers from shopping, places a heavy burden on police officers, and allows for the status quo to be preserved. Although the situation sometimes appears harmless to the naked eye, it is actually problematic for many and truly heinous considering that it is occurring within a state that is supposed to abide by the United States Constitution. Furthermore, after a period of experiencing such mistreatment, some women and minority men start to imitate the abusive process and perpetuate it upon others. The cycle continues and continues, and occasionally minority men will also start to become abusive to women. And women who have been virtual slaves to men eventually start looking for their own slaves to entrap.

How Arizona can be so racist and sexist is not easily understood, especially when you consider that women make up about half of the population and that minorities and social programs that serve them also exist in large numbers. The process that is referred to as icing a person is a social game perpetrated by those in the old boys’ network, and it is what keeps racism and sexism in place. This daily interaction that takes place in Arizona is not always noticeable to outsiders, as everyone works hard to keep outsiders and the media from knowing the truth. However, as for the women, minorities, and immigrants who live in Arizona, they know that achieving equality and justice is a daily battle.

!!!!

Is This True? How much of it? All? I know this is not a new subject, but I trust Shadrach Linscomb and have known him for several years. I know him through his written work and to me, that is a very important way to get to know somebody...He has seen this and knows enough to feel a need to write about it! Have you additional information on this important issue? It seems we are going backwards in America...please provide further information or links regarding this issue! GB
Enhanced by Zemanta

Live Chat With Paul Kyriazi - Be There! September 30, 12:00 Noon!

Time Thursday,
September 30 ·
12:00pm - 2:00pm



Hosted By Reviewers Roundup - Must Join to Chat!

Have you thought about having your book made into an audio book...Paul Kyriazi does it in a professional way...he gets actors to play the parts! He just directed one by Edd Byrnes (Kookie to most of us) with Edd playing the lead part...

Or, Are you interested in learning about Living the James Bond Life? Paul has a set ...of lessons but is going to be sharing some things and answering our questions about...anything!

Paul is in Tokyo! We've set the time for September 30th at 12:00 Noon EST to 2:00 PM; he's going to be up about Midnight Tokyo time...so please do take the time to visit with him...

Our first Live Chat from Tokyo! How cool is that?!!!! By the way, Paul is about the nicest guy I have met online...very personable and friendly...we are in for lots of fun! Be There!



Click title of article to visit web site...




http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152881854746672
Enhanced by Zemanta

Friday, September 24, 2010

Review: Trouble on the Job Sometimes Leads to a Horror Novel!

The Used Car SalesmanImage by TexasEagle via Flickr
Final Price

By J. Gregory Smith







Sometimes frustration becomes all-consuming. Each little thing builds the level higher and higher, until something has to snap. Sometimes it leads to people screaming, an argument. But if you're on the job and you must continue to be smiling and totally supportive of "the customer," it becomes too late--only one thing will relieve your tension...

Final PriceShamus was a car salesman for Honda at Patriot Motors. He worked among a group of salesman who took turns as the customers came to look at cars.

Now I have to say a little in defense of customers--we all know that we are supposed to negotiate on the price--most of us hate that activity because we never know, we never believe that the deal is a "good one," otherwise, why is the salesman willing to make it!?

Shamus had a run of such customers. They weren't bad people; they just wanted to make the best deal possible, given the process... Well, you guessed it, the frustration had already built--Shamus Ryan was beyond being able to let his frustration go.

But he had found a way to work off his frustration. It worked just fine for him in fact! And you, the reader, gets to see every single time he works off that frustration...

Of course, many people were affected by Shamus' actions. There was a neighboring car dealership that was having lots of sales--somehow they would succeed in taking just a few more dollars off of the lowest price quoted by Patriot Motors and made their sales.

But the proud new owners didn't get much of a chance to drive those cars...

J. Gregory Smith describes his book as "more of a 'how-they-gonna-catch-em?'" Readers are able to see exactly what is happening. He suggests that we might even want to root for the villain sometimes... Hmmm, not!

Most of the book centers on Paul Chang, the primary officer in charge of the murders...What, you just knew Shamus was murdering the people on his client list...right? If a horror book can also be funny, this one was in a weird sort of way. It was well written and should be great for those who enjoy slasher stories...I don't know, maybe it was just too realistic for me...but if you ever feel frustrated at work...read this book to relieve that frustration!

Book Obtained Via
Amazon Vine

G. A. Bixler

Enhanced by Zemanta

Thursday, September 23, 2010

The James Bond Lifestyle...Paul Kyriazi Shares Review/Story of Seminar

Cover of "Tokyo!"Cover of Tokyo!
True Terror in Tokyo - James Bond Lifestyle advice.


I got this story straight from the horse: A Japanese college student boy was walking in Shujuku (popular movie and restaurant section of Tokyo) when a pretty girl standing by a bar invited him to come in and have a drink with her.

After having a drink and singing a karioki song he got handed a bill for $500 by the tough guy manager. "This can't be right", he said. The manager replied, "One hundred dollars for each drink. One hundred for singing a song. Another hundred for singing with the girl. And another hundred for putting your hand on the girl's shoulder while you sang. That's a total of $500."

"I only have $200."

"Then give me your watch until you come back with the money or you can't leave". The next day he came back and redeemed his watch.

Lots of lessons in this story for us James Bond Lifestyle students. Such as always know the kind of place that you are going into and what you are getting into. And it's better to carry $500 and not need it, than need $500 and not have it. And to quote Johnny Rivers in Secret Agent Man:

A pretty face can hide an evil mind."


Jesse James' magazine calls
the James Bond Lifestyle "The baddest seminar of them all."




Here's what the November '09 issue #20 of Garage magazine said about The James Bond Lifestyle seminar. And remember this is not an ad. This is what they said after listening to the course:




"Contrary to popular belief, seminars didn't necessarily die a painful post- '80's death. They are alive and well today, and the baddest seminar of them all is How to Live the James Bond Lifestyle.

Come on, who doesn't want to be James Bond? Why would you choose to be a depressed, lonely accountant when Paul Kyriazi can offer you the definitive guide to being a suave, stylish sex god - replete with chicks, cars, gadgets, and exotic locales - on 8 CDs.

Don't hesitate, begin your journey to Aston Martin ownership today."



***************************************************************************
And then the editors put my website and three photos of the box and CDs, in full color. Yes, Jesse James is the guy on the Discovery Channel  and on 'The Celebrity Apprentice' show with Trump.

James Bond Lifestyle Seminar page on Facebook: http://bit.ly/dkI9qj


Paul Kyriazi is now in Tokyo, so I thought I would include a story from there...Paul will be with the Reviewers Roundup before the end of the month in a live chat from Tokyo! Keep watching for details!

Enhanced by Zemanta

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Review: The Bridge is Gone! A Common Man's Must Read!

2007 PowwowImage by Smithsonian Institution via Flickr
The Bridge is Gone:
Poems by Monolin


By Monolin "Manny" Moreno







Perhaps it was because we are around the same age and have many years to look back on that I so much became involved and appreciated the poetry in The Bridge is Gone by Manny Moreno. Actually, he set me up right from the first page by adding a beautiful image, "Time." In fact, each image throughout the book took more time to study, than to read his words--they are that compelling.

Each of the five drawings, especially the one on the back cover, are worth the price of the book! Each is intricately created, with a basic collage of Indian faces, but then, somehow, nature, God, people, and love radiate from the overall effect and we, who are privileged to see them, are filled with wonder as we stop to study the symmetry, the detail, and imagination flowing from each...

As with his other book, soon to be published, Manny also includes photos from his life and his surroundings, which provides readers with a cultural "inside" that would not easily be found.

Now I must tell you about his poetry! Readers of my reviews have always wanted a sample, so I will include the last one in his book, which, in essence, seems to represent the man I am coming to know:

Common Man

There's a lot of things
I don't understand
I'm just a common man
ask me how the world was created
I'll direct you to the sky
ask me about politics
I'll say lie   cheat   genocide
Imperialistic pride
ask me about religion
I'll say man's plan
ask me about spirituality
I'll say Creator's plan
ask me about anything
I'll say who wants to know?
There's a lot of things
I don't understand
I'm just a common man.


And it is within this poem that we find the essence of this poet--he is a commoner, just like most of us, and his words easily become those that we might think or say, if only we had the gift to poetically share our thoughts. Manny takes us back to our childhood and points out so much of that time has disappeared, with what it is called progress and perhaps it is progress, but it also means that part of our memories no longer exist, except in our minds.

Manny talks of lost love, that keeps him awake, "can't sleep, for a hurt that hurts like hell..."(p. 21) and goes on to say, "I cannot love anybody if I cannot love me..." ((p. 91). But remembers well of his early life, "mom's cooking beckoning us into the house with love. (p. 65)

The most dramatic work must be "Sleepless Night in Stockton" which has 14 parts on 11 pages. Picture a single man, alone in the city, coming home to the quiet apartment, no noise, no people, only his words to help create an escape, trying to unwind, realizing how old he is, remembering his past, his family, yet  his "thoughts find themselves in travail and pow-wow in circles...A Yaqui/Tarascan maneuvering in this reservation of modern-I-zation, everyday a warrior." For he, like all of us, must hold on to what we are..

And then Manny Moreno sings, prays...and catches some z's...

An Introduction provides readers with a little of this poet's personal story, along with over 50 beautifully written poetic stories to complement his days. Now he is an Elder--he has his hand drum, a rattle, sage, sweetgrass and cedar for the fire and will continue to celebrate and pray for our world--where The Bridge is Gone! A Must-Read for we who are the common people of America...
Enhanced by Zemanta

Paul Kyriazi Shares His Work Ethic...



Complete All Projects



Leave nothing on the back burner.







I had met another film maker a few years after college. He had seen my seven 16mm action films. And one day he said to me,"I knew you were a serious film maker when I met you." "I thought you didn't like my action movies", I said.

He replied,"I liked them well enough, but it's not that. It's because you had completed film, after completed film, after completed film."

Yes, there are a lot of uncompleted projects in the film world. It seems the film maker, the script writer, or even the novelist or short story writer runs out of steam after the first burst of honest passion.

Once an excited writer showed his three-page short story to a group of us. After he left, one guy said, "He only wrote a three-page story. That doesn't compare with my 300 page novel." (He had been working on that novel for two years.) I said, "Until you finish. His three-page finished story beats your 300-page unfinished one. He can now bind it and give it out. But you can't, yet."

So leave nothing on "the back burner". Finish it. Even if it's shorter and less perfect than you intended. Finish it. Even a 17 syllable 'haiku' poem that is finished, beats a 400 page masterpiece that is not. I had a 25 min. comedy that I shot in college, but hadn't got the actors together to dub in the sound.

Years went by and I was on my fourth feature and I finally cut the film on video to a silent 15 minutes with music. (I saw it could play that way.) I made video copies and sent them to the actors. One of the actors became an art teacher and shows the movie every year to his classes.

He can show it because it was completed.


Living the James Bond Life...

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Thomas Kemp's Latest Creates Image of Jewelko...

Jewelko is one of the characters in Thomas Kemp's Novel. This poem reminded me of that character and the wonderful exchange between Jewelko and the young soldier who became her lover... Some other poems of those beautifully written exchanges are included in Your Poet Is...

Your Poet IS: Poetry and You
She spoke my name twice, Thomas Thomas.
And then added, please by all means
do come closer.


I was stretching as far as I could
while still trying to hold my balance.
echoing she said again
please by all means...come closer Thomas please.


It was then with those words I fell so far.

Expressions were the law
If you saw the soft face of love
Holding on to it was so necessary
To be sure the sound need not be uttered

Your hands were tight around the dream.



Thomas kemp/poet


The Road From Here To Where You Stay