The News Review:

- Marco Frisina – The Divine Comedy the pera – Dante – Music – New…
- Rock Reality Show Recap: The Clark Brothers Strum ff as Winners of…
- The Winchester Star
- High school graduate takes steps on a path
- Best (gay) albums of 2007
- Review: Apple iPod Nano 3G

Marco Frisina – The Divine Comedy the pera – Dante – Music – New…
New York Times – Dec 24, 2007
: The Extra-Terrestrial” (1982). “What I like most is the plot watching Dante’s interior voyage from false love to freedom” said Sister Maria one of some two dozen nuns who attended a recent matinee. “And it’s very forceful because of today’s technology though the music is a little loud. ”The effects are so spectacular — including a triumphal march of golden-winged angels acrobats flower-strewing damsels and a gigantic griffin pulling a golden cart — that a special theater measuring 130 feet by 492 feet was built in Tor Vergata about nine miles from the city center. At the Teatro Divina Commedia as the theater is called there are red-eyed demons writhing acrobatically in various spheres of hell against a backdrop of sets inspired by Gustave Doré whose 19th-century engravings of “The Divine Comedy” are arguably the most famous. There are dramatic smoke-machine-propelled entrances and apocalyptic battles between Good and Evil played out on invisible trapezes. Nova Ars a company in Rome that produces cultural and institutional events invested $14… Benigni who won an scar for “Life Is Beautiful” draws large crowds to his “Tutto Dante” (“Everything About Dante”) in which he riffs on the original text to make contemporary analogies. A spokeswoman for the show said it had drawn more than a million spectators in Italy since it began touring in July 2006. Monsignor Frisina’s score touches on a mélange of styles: sweeping melodic arias of Puccinian scope somber Gregorian chants even a dash of heavy metal and a wailing rock guitar riff in some of the numbers composed for the first act which takes place in hell. “The guitars express the deep pain of the sinners” he said quickly adding that the heavy-metal sound “was chosen for its dramatic intensity” and was “not a moral judgment on rock. ”For the record there’s an entire Web site dedicated to adaptations of Dante to music (.

Rock Reality Show Recap: The Clark Brothers Strum ff as Winners of…
Rolling Stone – Dec 24, 2007
It would be interesting to see how many more votes over Sixwire the Clarks got. I just hope their first album isn’t all Christian music — they need to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. And Ashley is HT — so intense and passionate. Can’t wait to see what’s in their future. Just to explain my own post… Just to explain my own post. They’ve toured on the bluegrass circuit and played tent revivals with their family since they were children. They were signed to a label as a six-piece with three of their other brothers. The label screwed them over and they had to file for bankruptcy. They’ve toured in other people’s bands and decided to become their own band – again.

The Winchester Star
Winchester Star – The Winchester Star – Dec 24, 2007
"But unlike most holidays that are identified with one or two songs Christmas has hundreds perhaps thousands of songs that everyone starts playing in their heads when the tree goes up and the Salvation Army bells start ringing. From "Away in a Manger" to "Grandma Got Run ver by a Reindeer" every song has a different take on what Christmas is about — and a different meaning to those who play or sing it. But how did we get from songs about hope born in a stable to an elderly woman trampled by Santa’s sleigh?To understand the origins of Christmas music Thomas Mitts a music professor at Shenandoah University said it helps to understand the history of music itself. "Technically the first Christmas carol was when the angels sang to celebrate the birth of Christ" Mitts said. "But at that time there was no kind of musical notation system and virtually no record of early music. Even with those records that do exist there is a lot of dispute over how to interpret them. "The major problem with interpretation is that the modern system of writing melodies and harmonies did not exist in a time that many were illiterate… In the past Christmas albums were generally made by mainstream popular and country acts. When Bing Crosby — who was already well known for his recordings of Christmas music — performed "Little Drummer Boy" on his 1977 Christmas TV special with glam rock star David Bowie suddenly even rock jazz and soul acts were eager to interpret holiday music. Last year the heavy metal band Twisted Sister released its first holiday album containing both religious and secular holiday songs. These different styles are what will make the carols of the past a mainstay of holiday music for years to come. "The classic songs will stay around because they have proven their worth" Mitts said. "They are constantly being made new by contemporary arrangements so we’re not always hearing them the same way. "Mitts said that modern Christmas music also will survive because of its limited playing time each year.

High school graduate takes steps on a path
Roanoke Times – Dec 24, 2007
His victories are more modest now. He can get into a car with less assistance. He can make the fingers on his right hand unfurl from a metal bar without having somebody pry them off for him. All those small steps add up. And Estacio his family his nurses and his therapists take note of each accomplishment. Perhaps more importantly Estacio who also has autism is now venturing out into the world a little more. He’s taking classes making friends and keeping up with his music… And Estacio his family his nurses and his therapists take note of each accomplishment. Perhaps more importantly Estacio who also has autism is now venturing out into the world a little more. He’s taking classes making friends and keeping up with his music. “He has to be busy physically and mentally” said his mother Greta Estacio. This fall Jay Estacio started taking classes at Blue Ridge Chapel School of the Prophets a Bible college in Rocky Mount. His father drives him from the family’s South Roanoke home to the school every morning. ne of his nurses Jackie LeCompte who lives in Rocky Mount meets him at school.

Best (gay) albums of 2007
oregonlive.com – Dec 24, 2007
And I’m no exception. But to cover the entire world of queer for the year is impossible. So I’m going to start with music and see what else we can get to before 2007 runs out. The list fest kicks of with the Best Albums of 2007. Since I am such a music fan I’m going to start the countdown at 10… Swan Island – Crumble They manage to take indie rock and infuse it with a metal edge that is not at all grating but energetic intense and all-encompassing. You could get lost in their music and certainly in their live shows. the plethora of attractive faces to look at certainly doesn’t hurt in that respect.

Review: Apple iPod Nano 3G
Geek.com – Dec 24, 2007
The so called “fatty” moved the nano to a widescreen layout built around a 2″ QVGA display which can play video just like an iPod Classic. The nano was made a wider but it is just as thin as ever. From a style standpoint the 3G combines aspects of the classic iPod styling of the 1G (mirror polished metal back) with the 2G’s color options. The entry level model (4GB) is only available in silver but the 8GB model comes in silver green black blue and red… Using the scroll wheel to control where the ball is shot and making sure it hits as many orange posts as possible is perfectly suited for the iPod and it’s the time of thing you can pick up and play for five minutes or fifty-five minutes and make your commute go a lot faster. verall gaming on the iPod is not amazing but it’s a nice option to have when you get tired of your music or run out of podcasts. And yes you can listen to music and play games at the same time.