Samantha Fox

Samantha Karen Fox was born on April 15, 1966 in Mile End, London, England. Born in a working class, traditionally of market traders, she showed interest in theater at a very early age. When she was only 3, she appeared in her first stage production and was later enrolled in the Anna Scher Theatre School from the age of 5. She did her first television appearance on BBC, at the age of 10 in a play called No Way Out. From here on, she enrolled at the Judi Dench Mountview Theatre School at the age of 11. When she was a child she also was skeptical whether she was gonna be a singer or a police woman. In the end, she chose the first one. When she was only 14 she formed her first band with Richard Smart on guitar and Bob Day on tambourine and Sam herself as the frontwoman. Her first record deal became a reality the following year with Lamborghini Records. However, both the theatre and music careers were put on hold as her next career took over her life: Modeling. When she was 16, her mother, Carole Fox, took pictures of her daughter in lingerie and submitted them to the Sunday People newspaper's "Face and Shape of 1983" amateur modeling contest. Her pictures were published, judges ranked them and she eventually got the chance to do her first photo shoot (though test shoot) in early 1983 for The Sun newspaper's Page 3 feature. She later had her breasts insured for a quarter of a million sterling pounds and soon became one of the most photographed women in the U.K. after Princess Diana of Wales and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. During her teenage years, she studied in a Catholic high school and once she and her classmates set up a contest of who looked more like Kim Wilde. Yes, Kim Wilde the other British pop starlette. Sam won.
In 1986, as a twist of fate and after becoming Britain's most sought after sex symbol of the era, she retired from the Page 3 topless modeling and started her recording career. She released in that same year her debut album, Touch Me. The album had really good sales and spawned successful singles, especially her signature hit, the ultra sensuous and horny Touch Me (I Want Your Body). She continued spawning more hits with her subsequent albums, including the hip-hop flavored Naughty Girls, the S/A/W-produced Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now and she became a really famous and popular face all around the world. Whenever she toured, thousands of thousands of her fans received her at the airports. In her 1990 Pleasure Zone World Tour, for example, when she went to Colombia, 45000 people greeted her at the airport. And she toured other rare and exotic locations such as Costa Rica, India, among others. Fox's father, Patrick, a former carpenter, managed Sam's career until 1991. Then, Sam hired accountants to trace over 1 million sterling pounds that she believed her own father had embezzled from her accounts. She then sued her father, who by then was already divorced and later remarried, and in May 1995 she was awarded a 363, 500 sterling pounds court settlement. Patrick Fox died in 2000, at which time he and Sam had not spoken to each other for an entire decade.
In 1995, she did a one-off appearance to celebrate Page Three's 25th Anniversary and due to popular demand, she appeared in her photo spreads for the entire anniversary week. In this same year, she also recorded and cowrote the track Go for the Heart for the UK submission for the Eurovision song contest. She called herself SOX along with Cris Bonacci and Lorraine McKintosh and the song placed #4 and didn't go to the final rounds of the song that would represent the U.K. at the Eurovision song contest. In 2003, after strong suspicions, she finally came out of the closet and revealed that her partner was her manager Myra Stratton. In 2004, she rerecorded her signature hit Touch Me (I Want Your Body) with Swedish musician Günther. In late 2009 they talked about serious possibilities to plan a civil relationship with Myra, after a long time of dating and living together. She continued appearing reality shows such as I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here! and Celebrity Wife Swap. In 2009, she released a double disc Greatest Hits compilation, including Sam's own choice of tracklist. This compilation includes 3 unreleased S/A/W/ songs. Nowadays, there are strong rumors about a new studio album, her first one since 2005's Angel with an Attitude. Let's wait and see. For now, let's enjoy her classics. On June 1, 2010 Samantha along with Sabrina premiered in Youtube their video for their take on Blondie's classic hit, Call Me. This single will be released for radio stations on June 4, 2010.
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Touch Me (1986)

This is Samantha Fox's debut album, released in November 1986. Samantha's debut consisted of 80's rock/pop to portray her as some kind of sensuous, maybe even slutty, rock star. This album spawned the following singles: Her moaning-charged signature hit, Touch Me (I Want Your Body), (#3 U.K., #4 U.S.), Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me) (#10 U.K.), Hold on Tight (#26 U.K.), and I'm All You Need (#41 U.K.). Many Sam Fox fans feel that Rockin' the City should've been released as a single but it never was. Despite this, Samantha has frequently included this song in her concerts. The album was remastered in October 2009 with bonus tracks including rare b-sides and remixes. However, this is the original U.S. version tracklist. The album was certified gold.// Este es el disco debut de Samantha Fox, lanzado en Noviembre de 1986. El debut de Samantha consiste en un rock/pop típico de los 80's para ilustrarla como un tipo de estrella rock sensual y talvez inclusive un poco vulgar. De este disco se extrajeron los siguientes sencillos: Su éxito más conocido cargado de gemidos, Touch Me (I Want Your Body), (#3 Reino Unido, #4 Estados Unidos), Do Ya Do Ya Wanna Please Me (#10 Reino Unido), Hold on Tight (#26 Reino Unido), y I'm All You Need (#41 Reino Unido). Muchos fans de Sam Fox sienten que Rockin' the City debió ser lanzado como sencillo pero nunca lo fue. A pesar de eso, Samantha ha incluido esta canción frecuentemente en sus conciertos. Este disco fue remasterizado en Octubre 2009 con bonus tracks y lados b difíciles de conseguir y remixes. Sin embargo, el disco presentado acá es el lanzamiento original de la versión estadounidense del disco. El disco fue certificado con un disco de oro.

U.S. tracklist: (THIS IS THE UPLOADED FILE)

1-) Touch Me (I Want Your Body).
2-) I'm All You Need.
3-) Suzie, Don't Leave Me with Your Boyfriend.
4-) Wild Kinda Love.
5-) Hold on Tight.
6-) Do Ya, Do Ya (Wanna Please Me).
7-) Want You to Want Me.
8-) Baby I'm Lost for Words.
9-) Rockin' the City.
10-) He's Got Sex.

U.K. tracklist:

1-) Touch Me (I Want Your Body).
2-) I'm All You Need.
3-) Suzie, Don't Leave Me with Your Boyfriend.
4-) Wild Kinda Love.
5-) Hold on Tight.
6-) Do Ya, Do Ya (Wanna Please Me).
7-) Baby I'm Lost for Words.
8-) It's Only Love.
9-) He's Got Sex.
10-) Drop Me a Line.

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Samantha Fox (1987)

This is Sam's second album, Samantha Fox, released in September 1987. The album charted at #22 in the U.K., #51 in the U.S. (gold), #40 in Canada, #86 in Australia. Here Samantha Fox left the guitar riffs a bit aside and went into a more poppish direction and she used more different types of music this time around. Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now is a Stock, Aitken & Waterman production with their typical sound; Naughty Girls is more hip hop, produced by Full Force; I Surrender was more of the sound from her first album. The singles released here are: her last top ten hit in the U.K., Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now (#8 U.K., #80 U.S.), I Surrender (#25 U.K.), I Promise You (#58 U.K.), the ballad True Devotion (#62 U.K.), and her most successful hit in the U.S., Naughty Girls (#3 U.S., #31 U.K.). Samantha Fox also includes a cover of the Rolling Stones's (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. This album is considered by many of her fans as her best one. This album was remastered in October 2009 with bonus tracks.// Este es el segundo material de Sam, Samantha Fox, lanzado en Septiembre de 1987. El álbum llegó a la posición #22 en Reino Unido, #51 en Estados Unidos (disco de oro), #40 en Canadá y #86 en Australia. Aquí Samantha Fox dejó los solos de guitarra un poco de lado y tomó una dirección más pop y esta vez ella utilizó más tipos diferentes de música. Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now es una producción de Stock, Aitken & Waterman con su sonido típico; Naughty Girls es más hip hop, producido por Full Force; I Surrender fue más del sonido de su primer disco. Los sencillos extraídos de acá son: su último éxito que entró en el Top 10 en el Reino Unido, Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now (#8 Reino Unido, #80 Estados Unidos), I Surrender (#25 Reino Unido), I Promise You (#58 Reino Unido), la balada True Devotion (#62 Reino Unido), y su sencillo más exitoso en Estados Unidos, Naughty Girls (#3 Estados Unidos, #31 Reino Unido). Samantha Fox incluye su versión del éxito de los Rolling Stones, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. Este disco es considerado por muchos de sus fans como su mejor material. Este disco fue remasterizado en Octubre 2009 con bonus tracks.
Tracklist:

1-) I Surrender (To the Spirit of the Night).
2-) I Promise You (Get Ready).
3-) Naughty Girls (Need Love Too).
4-) True Devotion.
5-) (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.
6-) Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now.
7-) If Music Be the Food of Love.
8-) That Sensation.
9-) Dream City.
10-) The Best Is Yet to Come.

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I Wanna Have Some Fun (1988)


I Wanna Have Some Fun is Samantha Fox's third studio album, released in November 1988. Here Samantha used different producers in this album and there's more variety in this album, musically speaking. There's S/A/W/ produced songs (her take on Dusty Springfield's I Only Wanna Be with You and You Started Something), Full Force produced songs (I Wanna Have Some Fun, considered as Naughty Girls Part II and Next to Me), ballads (Out of Your Hands), acid house music (Love House), rock/pop (Hot for You), etc. The usage of such wide variety of producers made some people think that this was a non cohesive album. However, it's regarded as a classic Sam album. This album spawned the following singles: Love House (#32 U.K.), I Wanna Have Some Fun (#8 U.S., #63 U.K.), and I Only Wanna Be with You (#16 U.K., #31 U.S.). This album was remastered in October 2009 with bonus tracks.// I Wanna Have Some Fun es el tercer disco de nuevo material de Samantha Fox, lanzado en Noviembre de 1988. Aquí Samantha utilizó diferentes productores y hay más variedad en este disco, musicalmente hablando. Acá hay canciones producidas por S/A/W (su versión del famoso éxito de Dusty Springfield, I Only Wanna Be with You y You Started Something), canciones producidas por Full Force (I Wanna Have Some Fun, considerado como Naughty Girls Parte II y Next to Me), baladas como Out of Your Hands, música del género acid house (Love House), rock/pop (Hot for You), etc. El uso de tantos productores en este disco hizo pensar a algunas personas de que éste era un disco poco cohesivo. Sin embargo, es considerado como un disco clásico de Samantha Fox. De este material se extrajeron los siguientes sencillos: Love House (#32 Reino Unido), I Wanna Have Some Fun (#8 Estados Unidos, #63 Reino Unido) y I Only Wanna Be with You (#16 Reino Unido, #31 Estados Unidos). Este disco fue remasterizado en Octubre 2009 con bonus tracks.

Tracklist:

1-) I Wanna Have Some Fun.
2-) Love House.
3-) Your House or My House.
4-) Next to Me.
5-) Ready for This Love.
6-) Confession.
7-) I Only Wanna Be with You.
8-) You Started Something.
9-) One in a Million.
10-) Walking on Air.
11-) Hot for You.
12-) Out of Your Hands.

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Just One Night (1991)

This is Sam's fourth studio album, released in 1991. Originally, Samantha Fox wanted to go back to her roots, performing rock/pop songs a la Touch Me album. Her record company didn't want this and forced her to recreate the formula used for her previous album, I Wanna Have Some Fun. The album wasn't successful and it was panned by the critics. However, Sam did go on a world tour, the Pleasure Zone World Tour, where she went all around the world, including Costa Rica, Colombia, the Far East, etc. The singles released from here were: the Full Force-produced (Hurt Me, Hurt Me) But the Pants Stay On, Another Woman (Too Many People), Just One Night and the rockish Spirit of America.// Este es el cuarto disco de Sam, lanzado en 1991. Originalmente, Samantha Fox quería regresar a sus raíces, interpretando canciones del género rock/pop reminiscente de su álbum Touch Me. Su compañía disquera no quería esto y la forzó a reciclar la fórmula utilizada para su disco anterior, I Wanna Have Some Fun. El disco no fue exitoso y recibió comentarios negativos de parte de los críticos. Aún así, Sam hizo una gira mundial, el Pleasure Zone World Tour, donde ella viajó por todo el mundo, incluyendo Costa Rica, Colombia, el Lejano Oriente, etc. Los sencillos extraídos de acá fueron: la producción de Full Force (Hurt Me, Hurt Me) But the Pants Stay On, Another Woman (Too Many People), Just One Night y la roquera Spirit of America.

Tracklist:

1-) (Hurt Me, Hurt Me) But the Pants Stay On.
2-) More, More More/Love to Love Medley.
3-) Don't Wait Up.
4-) Just One Night.
5-) Pleasure Zone.
6-) Another Woman (Too Many People).
7-) Don't Cry Wolf.
8-) Nothing You Do, Nothing You Say.
9-) Saving It Up.
10-) Spirit of America.
11-) What You See Is What You Get.
12-) Now I Lay Me Down (CD Bonus).

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21st Century Fox (1998)

7 years passed since Samantha Fox had released an album. This period of draught ended with the release of the 21st Century Fox album, released on October 6, 1998 through Ichiban Records. This album symbolized a new look for Samantha, more mature and more chic and a new type of music for her, which was Eurodance. The singles released from this album were: Deeper, which was a flop; Let Me Be Free, which was successful in clubs all over Europe and its video was banned because of nudity (courtesy of Samantha); the Latin-flavored The Reason Is You and Perhaps. The album was a big hit in clubs all over Europe.//
7 años pasaron desde que Samantha Fox había lanzado un disco. Este período de sequía terminó con el lanzamiento del disco 21st Century Fox, lanzado el 6 de Octubre de 1998 a través de Ichiban Records. Este disco simbolizó un nuevo look para Samantha el cual era más maduro y más chic además de un nuevo tipo de música para ella el cual era el género Eurodance. Los sencillos extraídos de este disco fueron: Deeper, el cual fracasó; Let Me Be Free, el cual fue exitoso en clubes de toda Europa y su video fue censurado por desnudez (cortesía de Samantha); el sencillo con sabor latino The Reason Is You y Perhaps. Este disco fue un gran éxito en clubes de toda Europa.

Tracklist:

1-) Just a Dream.
2-) The Reason Is You (One on One).
3-) I Dream in Colours.
4-) Deeper.
5-) Where Is the Love?
6-) Love Makes You.
7-) Let Me Be Free.
8-) Wasted N.R.G.
9-) Say What You Want.
10-) Do You Want Me?
11-) Boundaries of Love.
12-) Watching You.
13-) Perhaps.

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Angel with an Attitude (2005)

This is Samantha Fox's 6th studio album, released on October 18, 2005. The sound this time around is --as described by Fox herself-- "a blend of rock with electronic sounds". She co-wrote each and every single one of the tracks and co-produced the album herself. The album was recorded in Montreal, Canada through LaChapelle Records, which suddenly became bankrupt and as a result the record had no promotion and was not re-stocked in stores. Fox subsequently released the record through her independent label Fox Records. Her objective for this album was to present herself as a mature woman and as open book and she based her life experiences to write all of this new material. According to Fox the lyrics "show my weakness, joy, moments of total euphoria, but also sadness. These words simply flowed from my heart." The songs reflect her despondency over past troubles as well as her ambition to overcome. Also, during the time that she was writing her autobiography she realized that she had crossed a very important path in her life and wanted to translate that into verse form. She also gained inspiration from her relationship with her manager Myra Stratton. The album was rereleased in 2007 in Australia and New Zealand with a remix of her signature hit Touch Me added as another bonus. This version was internationally available for download in February 2009.// Este es el sexto disco de estudio de Samantha Fox, lanzado el 18 de Octubre 2005. El sonido esta vez es --según Fox misma -- "una mezcla de rock con sonidos electrónicos." Ella co-escribió todas y cada una de las canciones que conforman el disco y co-produjo el disco ella misma. El disco fue grabado en Montreal, Canadá a través de La Chapelle Records, el cual de repente quedó en bancarrota y como consecuencia el disco no recibió ninguna promoción y no fue reabastecido en tiendas de discos. Fox consecuentemente lanzó el disco a través de su propia compañía disquera, Fox Records. El objetivo de este material era de presentarse a sí misma como una mujer madura y como un libro abierto y ella basó sus experiencias personales para escribir todo este nuevo material. Según Fox las letras "muestran mi debilidad, alegría, momentos de euforia total, pero también tristeza. Estas palabras simplemente fluyeron de mi corazón." Estas canciones reflejan su abatimiento con respecto a problemas que tuvo en el pasado como también su ambición de superar las mismas. También, durante el tiempo que estuvo escribiendo su autobiografía ella se dio cuenta que ella había cruzado un camino muy importante en su vida y quería traducir eso en forma de verso. Ella también ganó inspiración por su relación amorosa con su manager Myra Stratton. El álbum fue relanzado en el 2007 en Australia y Nueva Zelanda con un remix de su éxito más famoso Touch Me agregado como un bonus track. Esta versión fue internacionalmente lanzada para descargar en Febrero 2009.

Tracklist:

1-) Angel with an Attitude.
2-) To Be Heard.
3-) Destined to Be.
4-) I Give Myself to You.
5-) The Power.
6-) You and Me.
7-) Threw our Love Away.
8-) Move Me.
9-) Breathe.
10-) Nice and Slow.
11-) Cause an Effect.
12-) Dreams Unfold.
13-) Time.

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Samantha Plus

This is a self-made compilation of non-album tracks which goes from Sam's very beginnings in music, dating back to 1983 with her high school band S.F.X. with songs like Rockin' with my Radio, her biggest years in the 80's, her try at the Eurovision contest with her self-penned and self-performed song Go for the Heart up to her collaborations from the XXI century, and more.

Tracklist:

1-) Rockin' with My Radio (with S.F.X.)
2-) Aim to Win (with S.F.X.)
3-) It's Only Love.
4-) Drop Me a Line.
5-) Tonight's the Night.
6-) Even in the Darkest Hours.
7-) All I Wanna Do (ft. Full Force).
8-) Giving Me a Hard Time.
9-) Don't Cheat on Me.
10-) Too Late to Say Goodbye (12'' Mix).
11-) Hot Lovin'.
12-) Another Woman (Too Many People) (Video Version).
13-) I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night.
14-) Go for the Heart (with SOX).
15-) Santa Maria (ft. DJ Milano).
16-) Touch Me (I Want Your Body) (ft. Günther).
17-) Midnight Lover.
18-) Tomorrow (ft. Marc Mysterio).
19-) Forever (ft. 4 Strings).

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Call Me (Mini album) (2010)

Call Me is a mini album released in June 15, 2010. Since late 2009 there were strong rumors that the two queens of voluptuous pop, Samantha Fox (!) and Sabrina Salerno (!) were gonna record a duet together. You've heard it!! Their final collaboration was a rerecording of Blondie's hugely successful 1980 hit, Call Me. Both women self-produced the record and there are 3 versions of this mini album. One, the 10 track (plus the video) version, which is the one that will be uploaded here. This version even includes solo versions of Call Me from each of the ladies, a remix of Sabrina's classic Italo disco hit, Gringo, among other tracks. Another version is the picture disc version which consists of 4 tracks only and another version is the 8-track version which is made up of only remixes of Call Me. It certainly is everything worth to watch, listen, and form part of the experience of the biggest news of the year in the 80's revival department. The duet of the two queens of voluptuous pop. Don't miss this!!!



Tracklist:

1-) Call Me.
2-) In the Morning (Sabrina).
3-) I Give Myself to You (Samantha Fox).
4-) Gringo (Remix) (Sabrina).
5-) Call Me (Solo version) (Samantha Fox).
6-) Call Me (Solo version) (Sabrina).
7-) Call Me (Andrea T. Mendoza vs. Yes Tibet Remix).
8-) Call Me (Starlet DJs Club Mix).
9-) Call Me (Sleazesisters Club Mix).
10-) Call Me (Williamsburg Trash Bar Mix).

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Hazel O'Connor

Singer-songwriter and actress Hazel O'Connor was born on May 16, 1955 in Coventry, England. She is the daughter of an Irish soldier who settled in England during World War II to work in a car plant. She grew up in a family environment that encouraged her to have a mind of her own and be independent from a very early age. This led her to start taking her own decisions as early as age 5. During her teenage years she really went on to a large search of herself as she traveled all around the world and tried a wide variety of professions. When she was only 16, she went to Amsterdam to design her own clothes and sell them. Then she picked grapes in southern France, then joined a dance troupe that went from Tokyo to Beirut. She left Beirut just a month before the civil war ignited there. When she was in Japan, she also taught English for Japanese people and learned Japanese. Later, she traveled to West Africa, crossed the Sahara Desert, sang with a dreadful trio for the U.S. troops in Germany and when all her sadventure finished, she returned home to settle down. She realized during this colorful trip that singing was the one thing that lifted her up, so that's when her decision of becoming a singer was born. Her debut was in a softcore porn film called Girls Come First, in 1975, in which she even simulated having sex on a bathtub with another man (John Hamill). However, her big break came in 1980 with her first top-billing film, Breaking Glass, winning the role over already established artists such as then-orange haired friend Toyah Willcox. O'Connor recorded its accompanying soundtrack which got to smell the aroma of success. O'Connor released subsequent albums until she had serious problems with her recording company as they were trying to take decisions for her and treating her like a puppet and she found herself upset with the whole situation and dumped the record company. This left her in the brink of bankruptcy and couldn't record another album until 1990. In 1987 she was invited as the ensemble of the Ferry Aid performing Let It Be. Since 1990 she hasn't stopped recording and among the projects she's released is Beyond the Breaking Glass, which was an act that narrated Hazel's life and also played her songs accompanied only by a harp. This vegetarian artist divides her time living in the Irish countryside in a 300-year old house and in France and in 2010 will release a new album with her newest project The Bluja project. A woman with a very strong sense of her own self, with a mind of her own and a force of nature sprinkled with enormous talent. That is, in short, the quality of artist that Hazel O'Connor is.

Trivia:

She has a star in the Coventry Walk of Fame.
She did a cameo in Eurythmics's Who's That Girl video in 1983.
Her dear friend George Michael appeared in her video Don't Touch Me in 1984.

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This is the album that started the Hazelmania back in 1980. This is the soundtrack for the movie of the same name. In the movie, which is set during former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, (with scenes of civil unrest, violence, etc.) Hazel O'Connor portrays a punk/new wave frontwoman called Kate for a group called Breaking Glass. She is rebellious, tough, with a mind of her own and doesn't believe in contracts or in managers and has a disdain for the machinery that the record industry is. Then, she finds herself trapped in that world, suffers a nervous breakdown and her life itself breaks itself like glass. For this movie she was nominated as Best Newcomer at BAFTA awards and the soundtrack was also nominated as best film score. In addition to the nominations, Hazel won a Variety Club of Great Britain Award for her role in this movie.
BTW, we recommend the movie. It's an excellent movie and O'Connor gives an amazing performance. Now, about the album, the music in this record is pure new wave with lots of saxophones and angry lyrics that denounce society, such as in the Top 5 hit Eighth Day (#5 in U.K.) which makes a statement about how God created this world and mankind is destroying it with technology. Blackman is an anti-racism anthem, to mention some examples. All of the songs were written lyrics and music by Hazel O'Connor as well as playing the synthesizers. Singles released here are: Writing on the Wall, Eighth Day (#5), Give Me an Inch (#41), the haunting ballad with the famous sax solo Will You (#8), and Calls the Tune (#60), //

Este es el disco que comenzó la "Hazelmanía". Este es a la vez la banda sonora de la película del mismo nombre. En la película, la cual es ambientada durante el gobierno de la otrora primera ministra Margaret Thatcher (con escenas de inseguridad ciudadana, violencia urbana, etc.), ilustra a Kate, la cantante y rostro de un grupo new wave con el nombre de Breaking Glass. Ella es rebelde, dura, con una mente propia y no cree en en contratos ni en managers y tiene una enorme aversión a la maquinaria que es la industria discográfica. Luego, ella se encuentra atrapada en ese mundo, sufre una crisis nerviosa y su vida se quiebra poco a poco como vidrios. Para esta película, ella fue nominada por los premios BAFTA como Mejor actriz novata y la banda sonora fue nominada como mejor banda sonora de una película. Además, Hazel ganó un premio del Variety Club of Great Britain Award por su papel en esta película.
Por cierto, les recomendamos esta película . Es una excelente película y O'Connor hace una actuación impresionante. Ahora, sobre el disco, la música aquí es puramente new wave con muchos saxofones y letras cargadas de enojo que denuncian la sociedad, como en el éxito que llegó al Top 5 Eighth Day (#5) que hace una crítica sobre cómo Dios creó este mundo y el hombre lo está destruyendo con la tecnología. Blackman es un himno al anti racismo, para mencionar unos cuantos ejemplos. Todas las canciones fueron escritas música y letra por Hazel O'Connor misma e inclusive toca los sintetizadores. Los sencillos extraídos de acá son: Writing on the Wall, Eighth Day (#5), Give Me an Inch (#41), la balada hipnotizante con el famoso solo de sax Will You (#8) y Calls the Tune (#60).

Tracklist:

1-) Writing on the Wall.
2-) Monsters in Disguise.
3-) Come into the Air.
4-) Big Brother.
5-) Who Needs It?
6-) Will You?
7-) Eighth Day.
8-) Top of the Wheel.
9-) Calls the Tune.
10-) Blackman.
11-) Give Me an Inch.
12-) If Only.

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Sons & Lovers is the name of Hazel O'Connor's second album, released also in 1980. The album didn't have the same impact of its predecessor as it was felt like a rushed release hot on the heels of her first album. However, that didn't stop the album from spawning memorable hits such as D-Days (#10 in the U.K.). This song was inspired by one trip Hazel did to a London night club where she met a lot of bizarre looking people. The album follows pretty much the same line of her previous album, New Wave with intelligent lyrics and saxophones thrown in the songs, but it's worth a listen. Other singles are Time (Ain't on Our Side), Zoo, and Do What You Do.//

Sons & Lovers es el nombre del segundo disco de nuevo material de Hazel O'Connor, lanzado también en 1980. El disco no tuvo el mismo impacto que el anterior porque se sintió como un lanzamiento apresurado, pisando los talones del disco anterior. Aún así, eso no detuvo que el disco extrajera éxitos memorables como D-Days (#10 en el Reino Unido). La inspiración de esta canción fue una noche que Hazel fue a una disco en Londres y conoció muchas personas con apariencia muy extraña. El disco casi que sigue la línea del disco anterior con la música New Wave con letras inteligentes y saxofones entremezclado en las canciones, pero vale la pena escuchar este disco. Otros sencillos son Time (Ain't on Our Side), Zoo y Do What You Do.

Tracklist:

1-) D-Days.
2-) Waiting.
3-) Who Will Care?
4-) Zoo.
5-) Gigolo.
6-) Do What You Do.
7-) Sons and Lovers.
8-) Glass Houses.
9-) Ain't It Funny.
10-) Danny Boy.
11-) Bye Bye.
12-) Time (Ain't on Our Side).

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Cover Plus is O'Connor's third studio album released in 1981. Yes, the woman is very very creative, I know. She never runs out of it. For many O'Connor fans this is her best album of all, although successfully doesn't surpass Breaking Glass. This album charted to #32 in the U.K. Cover Plus musically speaking follows the line of her previous two albums but at the same time sounds different to these other albums. The singles taken from this album were: (Cover Plus) We're All Grown Up (#41), her cover of The Stranglers' Hanging Around (#45), Men of Good Fortune and That's Life. //
Cover Plus es el tercer disco de nuevo material de O'Connor el cual fue lanzado en 1981. Sí, la mujer es muy muy creativa, lo sé. Nunca se le acaba. Para muchos fans de O'Connor este es su mejor disco de todos, aunque en términos de éxito no supera a Breaking Glass. Este álbum entró al #32 en el Reino Unido. Musicalmente hablando este disco sigue la línea de sus dos discos anteriores pero a la vez suena diferentes a los discos anteriores. Los sencillos de este disco fueron: Ee-i-addio, (Cover Plus) We're All Grown Up (#41), su versión "cover" de la canción de The Stranglers, Hanging Around (#45), Men of Good Fortune y That's Life.

Tracklist:

1-) (Cover Plus) We're All Grown Up.
2-) Hanging Around.
3-) Ee-i-addio.
4-) Not for You.
5-) Hold On.
6-) So You're Born.
7-) Dawn Chorus.
8-) Animal Farm (We Will Be Happy?).
9-) Runaway.
10-) Do What You Gotta Do.
11-) Men of Good Fortune.
12-) That's Life.

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Smile is Hazel O'Connor's fourth studio album, released in 1984. Most of the songs were written during and after the time Hazel was being sued by her record company, her manager, and even her saxophone player who played in her hit Will You. This album was produced by Martin Rushent who had worked with established bands such as The Human League and Altered Images, so it's no surprise that Hazel decided this time around to drop the new wave style and instead favor synth-pop music.The album didn't make any impression in the U.K. charts and the first two singles Don't Touch Me and Just Good Friends didn't go beyond the Top 100. The other two singles Tell Me a Story and Cuts Too Deep didn't even make it into the charts. Smile was re-released and remastered in 2008 by Cherry Red Records. This edition includes bonus tracks, including songs that have never appeared in any of her albums and a couple of mixes. However, for the blog's purposes, we decided to keep the original tracklist. This album is very different to what she has done before but it's definitely worth a listen. //
Smile es el cuarto disco de estudio de Hazel O'Connor, lanzado en 1984. Casi todas las canciones fueron escritas durante y después del tiempo en que Hazel tuvo problemas legales con su compañía disquera, su manager e inclusive su saxofonista quien tocó en su éxito Will You. Este disco fue producido por Martin Rushent quien había trabajado con bandas establecidas como The Human League y Altered Images, así que no es sorpresa que Hazel decidiera en esta oportunidad abandonar el new wave y favorecer el synth-pop. Este disco no causó ninguna impresión en los charts del Reino Unido y los dos primeros sencillos extraídos Don't Touch Me y Just Good Friends no llegaron más allá del Top 100. Los otros dos sencillos Tell Me a Story y Cuts Too Deep ni siquiera lograron entrar en los charts. Smile fue relanzado y remasterizado en el 2008 por Cherry Red Records. Esta edición incluye bonus tracks, incluyendo canciones que nunca habían aparecido en sus discos y unos remixes. No obstante, debido a los propósitos de este blog, decidimos conservar el tracklist original. Este disco es muy distinto a lo que Hazel ha hecho anteriormente pero vale totalmente la pena darle una escuchada.

Tracklist:

1-) Just Good Friends.
2-) Don't Touch Me.
3-) I'm So Sorry.
4-) Tell Me a Story.
5-) Smile.
6-) Cuts Too Deep.
7-) The Man I Love.
8-) I Don't Know.
9-) Mystifies.
10-) Bring It on Home to Me.
11-) Spancill Hill.

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Hazel Plus (***NEW***)

Hazel Plus is a self-made compilation which consists of a handful of Hazel O'Connor's non-album tracks and a couple of alternate versions of a couple of her hits. This includes her 2010 Christmas song collaboration as part of the Hazel O'Connor Collective, Re-Joyce and her 1986 song Today Could Be So Good.





Tracklisting:

1-) D-Days (single version).
2-) (Cover Plus) We're All Grown Up (alternate version).
3-) Fire Away.
4-) Today Could Be So Good.
5-) We Tried.
6-) Re-Joyce.

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And lastly, the trailer of the great film Breaking Glass, starring the equally great Hazel O'Connor/ Y por último, el trailer de la gran película Breaking Glass de la igualmente grande Hazel O'Connor:

Missing Persons/Dale Bozzio

Hey people, sorry for taking a long time to post something new but we've come back with something new and that hopefully will be of your appreciation. Today's band is a New Wave band formed in 1979 by drummer Terry Bozzio (you may know him from Korn as of recent years); guitarrist Warren Cuccurullo and last but not least the frontwoman with a quirky vocal style and equally quirky image, Boston-born former Hustler and Playboy magazine sex bomb Dale Bozzio (née Consalvi). Cuccurullo and Bozzio are innovative and eccentric rocker Frank Zappa's disciples and Dale Bozzio was a Zappa head and got to meet the future members in a party. Frank Zappa gave her the eye, was fascinated with her peculiar Bostonian accent and thought that that was enough reason to put Dale's peculiar accent as vocal talent. In 1979 Miss Consalvi became Mrs. Bozzio and the following year the band was born -originally as U.S. Drag. In 1981 they started recording their new material such as L.A. radio popular child Mental Hopscotch and I Like Boys. Soon, in 1982 they released their first LP, Spring Session M (an anagram for the band's name). This album became successful, their videos got heavy exposure on MTV and the band despite the fact of never having huge hits, definitely had a cult following thanks to Terry's virtuoso drums, Warren's equally outstanding guitar playing and Dale's unique vocal style and futuristic extravaganza for an image -with lots of Spandex, tin foil materials. In 1984, they released their second album, Rhyme & Reason and wasn't successful as its predecessor though its singles still received respectable MTV airplay. In 1986, the band released what would become their third and final studio album, Color in Your Life, which was a commercial flop --despite the obvious quality of its music. During this same year the band did a small tour and the Bozzio marriage ended after the band ended. Later, Warren Cuccurullo became an official member of Duran Duran from 1988 to 2001. Terry Bozzio went on drumming for artists as important as Mick Jagger and hosting drum clinics, among other projects. Dale Bozzio went on for a solo career signing under the mysterious and quiet Minneapolis-native genius Prince and in 1988 she released her only solo album Riot in English spawning only one minor hit, Simon Simon, which passed somewhat unnoticed. As of later years she has created her own Missing Persons band touring frequently with them. Unfortunately, having been charged in November, 2008 in New Hampshire, Bozzio was convicted on one count of animal cruelty in March, 2009. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail, 60 of which were deferred for two years. She was ordered to pay $2,700 and to complete 250 hours of community service. On November 12, 2009, Dale Bozzio turned herself in to a New Hampshire jail to serve her time for the conviction. Many people criticized her for being cruel to animals, others don't agree that she is in jail because she supposedly left one person in charge to take care of the animals while she was away traveling to New Hampshire, and others say she has mental problems. You be the judge but the most important thing is to appreciate this underrated band hailing from California who have had and still have an impact on the New Wave culture.

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Spring Session M (1982)

This is Missing Persons's first LP released in 1982. The album reached #17 in the Billboard charts, selling up to 500, 000 copies. Not bad for a debut album. This is highly regarded by many Missing Persons fans as their best album and is also regarded as a perfect example of what New Wave should sound like or at least, California New Wave. The album spawned classic hits such as Words (#42 in Billboard Hot 100) with their signature video that received heavy airplay thanks to Dale's caked make-up and Pexi Glass bra and an apparent speaker as a bikini. Also Destination Unknown was released as a single (also #42) with an equally classic video. Subsequent releases were Windows (#63) andWalking in L.A. (#70). The album was re-issued in 1995. This album would also set a characteristic feature of touching non trivial topics in their songs. For example, Windows talks about how a person feels isolated from the world and finds solace in it. Walking in L.A. makes a sarcastic comment about how "nobody walks in L.A." Destination Unknown talks about not knowing what route to take in life and why we are here in this planet, and so on. This line of topics would become recurrent for the rest of their work.

Este es el primer acetato de Missing Persons lanzado en 1982. El disco alcanzó el #17 en los charts de Billboard, llegando a vender 500, 000 copias. Nada mal para un disco debut. Este material es llamado por los fans de la banda como su mejor disco y también es apreciado como un ejemplo perfecto de como debería sonar la música New Wave -o al menos el New Wave de California. Este disco produjo éxitos clásicos tales como Words (#42 en el Billboard Hot 100) con su video más representativo el cual recibió muy buena rotación en el canal MTV gracias al maquillaje muy vistoso de Dale y su vestuario tan peculiar como un brassiere de Pexi Glass y lo que parecía ser un bafle como bikini. También Destination Unknown fue lanzado como sencillo (también #42) con un video igualmente clásico que el del sencillo anterior. Los posteriores sencillos fueron Walking in L.A. (#70) y Windows (#63). El álbum fue remasterizado en 1995. Este disco dejaría un sello característico para el grupo de tocar temas que no son nada triviales. Por ejemplo, Windows trata sobre una persona que se siente aislada del mundo y encuentra su solaz en ello. Walking in L.A. hace un comentario sarcástico sobre como nadie camina en Los Angeles. Destination Unknown habla sobre el no saber qué rumbo tomar en la vida y el por qué estamos en este mundo. Esta línea de temáticas sería frecuente en sus siguientes lanzamientos.

Tracklist:

1-) Noticeable One.
2-) Windows.
3-) It Ain't None of Your Business.
4-) Destination Unknown.
5-) Walking in L.A.
6-) U.S. Drag.
7-) Tears.
8-) Here and Now.
9-) Words.
10-) Bad Streets.
11-) Rock & Roll Suspension.
12-) No Way Out.

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Rhyme & Reason (1984)

This is Missing Persons's second studio album released in 1984. This time around the band went down an experimental new wave pop music which somehow didn't spark much interest within the audience since the album charted to #43 in the U.S. However, singles like Give ( #67), Surrender Your Heart and Right Now had success in MTV as these videos received respectable amount of airplay. For example the video for Surrender Your Heart featured amazing animation technology for the time and it's among their most memorable videos.
Despite the commercial lack of success of this album, Rhyme & Reason still it's worth a listen. This album was remastered in 2000 by Capitol Records.

Este es el segundo disco de Missing Persons lanzado en 1984. Esta vez la banda tomó la ruta de una música pop new wave con matices experimentales el cual no logró causar una gran impresión en el público. El disco logró entrar a los charts a la posición #43 en E.U.A. No obstante, sencillos como Give (#67), Surrender Your Heart y Right Now tuvieron éxito en MTV ya que recibieron respetable cantidad de rotación en ese canal. Por ejemplo, el video de Surrender Your Heart mostraba uso de animación adelantada a su época y es considerado como uno de los videos más recordados de Missing Persons. A pesar del fracaso comercial de este disco, Rhyme & Reason es un disco que vale la pena escuchar. Este disco fue remasterizado en el año 2000 por Capitol Records.

Tracklist:

1-) The Closer That You Get.
2-) Give.
3-) Now Is the Time (For Love).
4-) Surrender Your Heart.
5-) Clandestine People.
6-) Right Now.
7-) All Fall Down.
8-) Racing Against Time.
9-) Waiting for a Million Years.
10-) If Only for the Moment.

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Color in Your Life (1986)

This is Missing Persons's third and last studio album, released in November 1986. The album was their least successful, charting to #88 in Billboard and spawning only one single which was I Can't Think About Dancin'. This video received airplay on MTV but a lesser amount of airplay in comparison with their previous videos. This album was produced by ex-Chic Bernard Edwards and during this time Dale Bozzio temporarily quit the band, hence the track We Don't Know Love at All being performed by drummer Terry Bozzio instead of Dale. The band promoted the album with a tour and after the tour the band broke up and the Bozzio marriage ended. Despite the lack of commercial success of this album, a lot of Missing Persons fans regard this record as their best album, even better than Spring Session M. You be the judge. This album was remastered with extra tracks on 2000 by Capitol Records.

Este es el tercer y último disco de nuevo material de la banda, lanzado en Noviembre de 1986. El disco fue el menos exitoso de su carrera, alcanzando la posición #88 en Billboard y logrando lanzar solamente un sencillo, I Can't Think About Dancin'. El video recibió rotación en MTV pero no la misma cantidad que sus predecesores. El disco fue producido por el anterior miembro de Chic Bernard Edwards y durante este tiempo Dale Bozzio temporalmente dejó el grupo. Por este motivo es que el baterista Terry Bozzio es el que da su voz para el track We Don't Know Love at All. La banda promocionó el disco con una gira y posterior a ésta el grupo se desintegró a lo igual que el matrimonio Bozzio. A pesar del fracaso comercial del disco, muchos fans de Missing Persons consideran este disco como el mejor de su carrera, superando inclusive a Spring Session M. Juzguen ustedes. Este disco fue remasterizado en el año 2000 por Capitol Records.

Tracklist:

1-) Color in Your Life.
2-) I Can't Think About Dancing.
3-) No Secrets.
4-) Flash of Love.
5-) Go Against the Flow.
6-) Boy I Say to You.
7-) Come Back for More.
8-) Face to Face.
9-) We Don't Know Love at All.

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Playing Hopscotch

This is a self-created compilation including Missing Persons' non-album tracks, including radio hit Mental Hopscotch and the fan favorite I Like Boys, among others.// Esta es una compilación creada por nosotros mismos que incluye aquellos tracks de Missing Persons que no vienen en sus discos de estudio incluyendo el éxito radial Mental Hopscotch y el popular entre los fans I Like Boys, entre otros.





Tracklist:

1-) Mental Hopscotch.
2-) I Like Boys.
3-) Hello, I Love You.
4-) Fight for Life.
5-) Action Reaction.
6-) Hot to Cold.
7-) It's a Must.

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Live from the Danger Zone! (2008)

Live from the Danger Zone is a live album by Missing Persons. This recording was taken from their Rhyme & Reason Tour in 1985. It includes hits like Words, Destination Unknown, Mental Hopscotch and others plus some tracks from their Rhyme & Reason album.// Live from the Danger Zone es un disco en vivo de Missing Persons. Esta grabación fue tomada de su gira Rhyme & Reason en 1985. Incluye éxitos como Words, Destination Unknown, Mental Hopscotch entre otros además de algunos tracks de su disco Rhyme & Reason.

Tracklist:

1-) Walking in L.A.
2-) Noticeable One.
3-) The Closer That You Get.
4-) Give.
5-) Right Now.
6-) All Fall Down.
7-) Tears.
8-) I Like Boys.
9-) Mental Hopscotch.
10-) Destination Unknown.
11-) Words.
12-) No Way Out.

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Dale Bozzio:

Riot in English (1988)

Dale's first solo album, Riot in English was released on January 1, 1988 under Prince's label, Paisley Park. Notice that she released the album under the name Dale, minus her last name. The album has a sound reminiscent of Prince's music, although ironically Prince himself wrote only one of the tracks from this album. The singles spawned from this album were: Simon Simon, which was a Top 40 dance hit in the U.S. and a crossover hit in Europe and Riot in English which didn't chart.// El primer disco de solista de Dale, Riot in English, fue lanzado el 1 de Enero de 1988 bajo la casa disquera de Prince, Paisley Park. Noten que ella lanzó este disco bajo el nombre Dale, sin su apellido. El disco tiene un sonido que recuerda a la música de Prince, aunque irónicamente él escribió solamente una canción del disco. Los sencillos extraídos de este disco fueron: Simon Simon, el cual fue un hit en los Dance Charts de Billboard y un éxito transatlántico en Europa y Riot in English, el cual no entró en las listas de popularidad.



Tracklist:

1-) Simon Simon.
2-) Giddi Up Baby - Be Mine.
3-) Overtime.
4-) So Strong.
5-) Love Is Hard Work.
6-) Riot in English.
7-) He's So Typical.
8-) Ouch That Feels Good.
9-) Perfect Stranger.

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New Wave Sessions (2007)

This is Dale's last album to date, as a solo artist though she features her new Missing Persons band. This was released under Cleopatra Records on October 23, 2007. Here, Dale gives us refreshed versions of 2 Missing Persons hits plus a remix and a few covers of 80's New Wave hits, such as Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Lipps Inc.'s Funkytown among others. It's really nice to hear Dale singing again and releasing new material and her voice certainly hasn't changed much and this record is worth listening to. On a sidenote, Dale also recorded a version of Madonna's huge 80's classic Into the Groove but it doesn't appear in this CD.

Este el último disco de Dale hasta la fecha como solista aunque ella acá presenta su nueva banda de Missing Persons. Este disco fue lanzado a través de Cleopatra Records el 23 de Octubre del 2007. Acá, Dale nos trae versiones más frescas de 2 de sus éxitos como parte de Missing Persons además de un remix y unos "covers" de grandes éxitos del New Wave de los 80's tales como Girls Just Want to Have Fun de Cyndi Lauper y Funkytown de Lipps Inc, entre otros. Es realmente muy bonito escuchar a Dale cantar de nuevo y lanzar nuevo material y su voz ciertamente no ha cambiado mucho. Este disco vale la pena darle una escuchada. Como una nota extra, Dale también grabó una versión del gran clásico de Madonna de los 80's, Into the Groove, pero esta canción no aparece en este disco.

Tracklist:

1-) Words.
2-) Destination Unknown.
3-) I Know What Boys Like.
4-) Funkytown.
5-) Turning Japanese.
6-) Der Kommissar.
7-) Girls Just Want to Have Fun.
8-) Destination Unknown (TV Mania 12'' Mix).
9-) Walking in L.A. (Technova's Electro Mix).

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Make Love not War (2010)

Make Love not War is Dale Bozzio's second studio album recorded in 1991 which was kept unreleased up until January 10, 2010 when it was finally released via Elektrik Blue Records. This album once again was originally recorded at Paisley Park, Prince's record company and he collaborates in this album. No singles were released and the album never charted. However, among the tracks there is Simon Simon represented in 3 different versions, which was a single from her debut album, Riot in English.

Tracklist:

1-) Simon Simon (7'' Mix).
2-) Simon Simon (12'' Mix).
3-) Simon Simon (Simon Says Edit).
4-) Last Century.
5-) My Friends.
6-) Until the End.
7-) Crazy.
8-) Talk Talk.
9-) The Motorcycle Song.
10-) Let's Get Personal.
11-) Hide 'n' Seek.
12-) The Motorcycle Song (Instrumental).
13-) Take Me to Your Leader (Not included in this file).
14-) Mr. Slick.
15-) Make Love not War.
16-) The Motorcycle Song (Alternate take).

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Film Festival Winners 2010

THE DIY REPORT2010 DIY FILM FESTIVAL HONORS "AVABOT"LOS ANGELES (February 8, 2010) _ The 2010 DIY Film Festival has named “Avabot,” an outer space saga that explores the humanity of a robot, as the best film of its ninth annual competition honoring independent and self-produced film.

“Avabot” director Jamie Surgener of Detroit, Michigan is the winner of the best director award for “Avabot.”

The winners and honorable mentions in the competition will be honored at an awards program to be held February 25 at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, CA. The hotel is the home of the first Academy Awards.
Here's the making of video of Avabot:  


Other winners and honorable mentions in the competition:

Best Drama Short – “It’s Not As If We Haven’t Been Here For A While…” Kathleen Hepburn Best Comedy Short – “The Lifter Upper” - Micah Chambers-Goldberg Best World Cinema – “Lionel”( Australia ) – Eddie Martin Best Animated Short – The Magnitude of the Continental Divides – Christopher Coleman   Best Student Film – “Eluscid” – Wilson Bessinger Best Animated Feature – “Archon Defender” – David Krupicz Best Feature (Drama) – “Vitreous Floaters” – Justin Jones Best Feature (Comedy) – “When I Die” – Jason Zink/Alex Lukens Best Documentary Feature – “Remix to Rio” – Ravi Steve Best Documentary Short – “Into the Zone” – Raphael Bondy Jury Prize – Experimental Short – “Do You Know How Much I Love You?” - Caroline Clafin HONORABLE MENTIONS: “Transfusion” – Tanel Rand “Reluctance” – Seaton Lind “The Procrastinators” – Tim Arnold “Let’s Get Laid” – Melissa Hunter “Crescendo” – Pierre Terade “First Come, First Served” – Katherine Skinner “Debutante” – Kate Rhodes Kennedy “Turning A Corner” – Salome Chasnoff “A Broken System” – Kohl Harrington

Stay tuned!

Finalists for the 2010 DIY Film Festival are about to be announced! Stay tuned!

Programmer Profile: Joanne Feinberg, Ashland Independent FIlm Festival

My name: Joanne Feinberg

My current festival: Ashland Independent Film Festival, Ashland, OR

My title: Director of Programming

Other fests I've worked for: My first programming related job was Assistant to the Programmer at the Bleecker Street Cinema, an "art house" theater in NYC, when I was a student at NYU in Cinema Studies and Film Prod. It was an amazing education in film history. I'm going to date myself here, but this was when you could still see "classic" and "foreign" films on the big screen any night of the week in NY. After that, I worked as a freelance film and video editor for many years, and served on several juries and selection committees in the Bay Area.

Movies that best represent my personal tastes: Check out the AIFF festival programs for the past 5 years for a good representation! My tastes are really diverse, and there are just so many films that I love, for different reasons. Just off the top of my head - some that took my breath away the first time I saw them: Badlands (Terrence Malick), The Times of Harvey Milk (Rob Epstein), His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks), Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard), Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee), Half Nelson (Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden). The film I think I have seen the most times ever, because I have kids, is Iron Giant - it's wonderful and I’d see it again, anytime!

When I'm not watching movies I like to: I just ran my first marathon a few weeks ago. And I have 3 children. So running on the trails in Ashland, and running trying to keep up with my kids!

A movie I recently programmed that I consider to be a great personal discovery: Ashland does not put an emphasis on premieres. But we do love to program great films that have not been seen widely yet to help build an audience for the film, as that is a large part of what festivals are ultimately about. We love screening short films, and this is a genre where there is lots of opportunity to discover emerging filmmakers. And there is nothing more satisfying then hearing what a great experience they had with our festival, to develop on-going friendships with filmmakers, and then to screen their next short or feature length film.

When filmmakers ask me "What's different about your film festival?" I say: Ashland is not a film market type of festival. But we do, and I quote, "treat filmmakers like rock stars." It's a great festival to see some films you haven't had a chance to yet, visit with other filmmakers, go to our panels, special events, and parties, and to enjoy your own screenings. We have incredibly engaged and intelligent audiences who pack the theaters for every show, and will come up and talk to you (maybe even give you a hug!) on the street, in the coffee shops and restaurants. In the words of animator Bill Plympton, "Ashland is an amazing, freakin’ town! The audiences here are so excited about film. I go to lots of festivals, and this is very unique."

Our festival audience has come to expect: Excellent programming, interaction with filmmakers, and a great community event that takes over downtown Ashland for 5 days in April.

We program the following categories of films: We program all genres and all lengths. We also have a "Locals Only" program (S. Oregon productions), and a local Student Film competition "The Launch."

A recent trend I have noticed in submissions of which I approve: Recently, I have seen a surge of filmmakers who are taking new and creative approaches to storytelling in both docs and narratives that is very exciting. Filmmakers are taking chances with the medium and the results are refreshing, especially when my days are filled with screening submissions. Definitely approve!

If I could impart one thing to filmmakers about submitting to my festival, it would be: We take our submission and screening process very seriously, and it is very respectful and thorough! All films are viewed by at least two experienced screeners, many films are seen by 4-6 people, and films programmed in the festival are often seen by as many as 7-8 programmers/screeners. Having to say "no" to so many quality films is really difficult for us. If your film is selected, we hope you will attend. If not, please consider us again.

The submissions period for our next festival is (please indicate start and end date): Submissions for our 9th Annual Festival, April 8-12, 2010 opened in August and will run through December 2009. Our late deadline is Dec. 4, 2009 and Withoutabox extended deadline is Dec. 11.

Filmmakers can contact me here: joanne@ashlandfilm.org. There is lots of information on our website at www.ashlandfilm.org and you can sign up for our mailing list at info@ashlandfilm.org

Last words: I love my work! And I am incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to see so many great films from so many talented filmmakers. To have Albert Maysles (AIFF Lifetime Achievement Award honoree) tell me "I have received many honors, and none of them have touched me as deeply and soulfully... I want to come back," well, it doesn’t really get much better than that!

Why didn't I get into Sundance? Revisited.

The Sundance Film Festival announces its slate today. I know a lot of filmmakers who submitted to the festival this year. For their sake and mine I don't really go into the nitty-gritty numbers of how few films – no matter how good – get into this most coveted of festivals. Now that most of them have heard a yes or now, however, it might actually help their spirits to know the truth. (Last year I wrote a kind of pep talk piece on this subject that you're welcome to read.)

Let's do some back-of-the-napkin calculations here. According to what a Sundance programmer told me last year when I was writing Film Festival Secrets (the book), about 8,000 titles were submitted to Sundance last year, and that number could have gone as high as nine or ten thousand this year. Let's use the conservative 9,000 for now. Checking out last year's program guide reveals that Sundance programs fewer than 200 films total, including shorts. So 200/9000 = .022. Fewer than two percent of the films submitted get into the Sundance Film Festival.

As John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival put it in a tweet earlier today: "3724 features submitted and we can only invite 113. So many tough choices. For me, a very good news-bad news day."

The numbers aren't really much better at any other large-to-medium festival, though – I estimate that acceptance rates hover between 3% and 8%. This isn't a criticism of these festivals, merely a statement of the way it is. There are more films being made and submitted than ever before, and the large, well-known festivals can't grow their programs fast enough to keep up. The selection process at a festival like Sundance isn't about finding great films – it's about figuring out which great films you want to show. As I told a client just the other day: "I think you made a film that's good enough for Sundance, but whether it's the kind of film that Sundance is in the mood for right now is the real question."

The good news is that there are now more small-to-medium sized festivals than ever before, and that the number of really great festival-worthy films hasn't kept up with that growth either. So while it may be a programmer's market at the top of the heap, there are plenty of festivals further down on the pyramid who are hungry for quality movies that haven't yet had their world or national premieres. Sure, it would be great to premiere at Sundance or AFI Fest or Berlin. The trick is to stay in the game long enough – and to keep making movies good enough – that you're in the right place when your right time comes along.