Monday, April 27, 2009

EDUCATION by MARK SHAPIRO




They say we all need to go to school
So then everyone wont end up a fool

It takes twelve years to finish high school and pass
Taking classes from A to Z and in mass

Problem is what you learn you may never use
Then find out later when you get a job the boss will abuse

Algebra and Spanish is said we all need
But half the students in class are stoned on weed

Test after Test they make you take
Sadly you find out its all a fake

For the truth is that the lessons of life do not come easy in life
And through experience does it come with alot of trial and error and strife

House payments, income tax, mortgage and loans and good credit should be taught
So students can achieve in life all that their parents sought

Then students wont graduate high school after twelve years to work at a fast food place


And realize that going to school in hindsight wasnt a disgrace.

AMERICAN BEARD YEAR by MARK SHAPIRO





AMERICAN BEARD YEAR

The beard in America is to have long seasons, but comes as goes as regularly as leaves in autumn, budding anew in the spring.

It was autumn on the male face and beards were out of favor when the colonists settled the easter seaboard. Only such hardy individuals as capt. john smith, clung to the glorious foliage.

Capt. Myles Standish of the mayflower company of plymouth, is usually depicted sporting a pointed military beard, and so are other pilgrims in arms. But
most of the colonists seem to have been clean shaven, and by the late 1600s beards were seldom to be seen.

The revolutionary soliders were clean shaven almost to a man. Likenesses of 49 signers of the declaration of independence show not a beard, moustache or any serious sideburns. The leaders of the time set the trend, and the rest followeed, as the art work of the period indicates.

Beards began to bud again about 1810. Suddenly, whiskers and sideburns began to sprout, But the style was slow to gather momentum, and beards kept coming in, without being in, right up to the civil war.

Abraham Lincoln really triggered the beginning of the american beard period. He entered the white house whiskerless, but grew a glorious beard while residing there. He ended a drought of 72 years in which no president had a beard or moustache. Only two had even wore sideburns, John Quincy Adams and Martin VAn buren.

In the 30 years after the civil war, full beards were evident from the halls of congress to the baseball diamonds. A beard had become a mark of conservatism and dignity.

President rutherford hayes sprouted the crowning glory of the era, the most magnificent of the many grand presidential beards after lincoln.

President william mckinley ended the string of bearded presidents. Following him, ted roosevelt and william taft compromised mckinleys facial nakedness with moustaches, but the american beard had run its first full cycle in our history. It took about 270 years.

The 1960s now seem to hard back to 1810, as the beginning of a new long spring. Discounting the beatniks in the 1950s bearded cult and the extreme hippie, beards sprung up on the faces of the bolder junior executives on madison avenue, and on the more "common people".

Yes, it is 1810 again. If history repeats, we are in for another 50 year spring, when beards slowly will come back in favor.


It will be climaxed with the president growing a beard in the white house about 2019...UNLESS , OF COURSE, THE PRESIDENT IS A WOMAN.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

HOMAGE TO L. FRANK BAUMS 150TH BIRTHDAY


MGM ANNOUNCES WIZARD OF OZ REMAKE FOR CHRISTMAS 2009..2010 UPDATE WITH NEW OZ NEWS


MGM ANNOUNCES WIZARD OF OZ REMAKE
September 21 2008
Hollywood, CA – MGM and Sony Pictures made a surprise announcement today, saying that a remake of the nearly seventy year old classic was in the works and is on track to coincide with the original film’s anniversary next year.


“MGM is proud to announce that we are deep into production on a remake of one of the most beloved film stories of all time. The Wizard of Oz is classic that generations have grown up on, and we feel that this is the right time to explore a new version so that all future generations will have a classic to grow up with,” said the company in a statement.


While no details were released, the company did say that the story would be updated to reflect a modern philosophy, eliminating the hope and wonder that the classic embodied “We live in different time than they did then. We live in a time of economic uncertainty and war, things they simply didn’t have to deal with in 1939. The new film will reflect our times while still speaking with the voice the original sang so beautifully with.”


Rumours about the supposed plot line has Dorothy propelled into the future by another unfortunate Tornado and dropped into modern day Kansas or possibly Iraq. ‘Taxi Driver’ scribe Paul Schrader has been tapped to write the screenplay; no director has yet been announced.


Rumours have already begun to swirl as to who will play Dorothy, with names such as Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Selma Blair, and Ellen Page topping the list.
“Deschanel isn’t famous enough, and Portman is a little too ethnic. Page would give that kind of hard edge they seem to be looking for, especially with Schrader scripting. I can see that as a real possibility,” said Scrape TV Entertainment analyst Tracey Temple. “It’ll be interesting to see who they get for the supporting roles. Willem Dafoe as the Tin Man? Deniro as The Cowardly Lion”


This of course will not be the first remake of the film, 1978’s ‘The Wiz’ was the first remake of the classic. MGM promises that the newest version will differ from that rendition as well.


“We’re not going to have any of that singing and dancing stuff. Some musicals have done well recently but we’re seeing this as a far more accessible film. We want as broad an appeal as possible and a musical just won’t allow for that.”


When reached for comment, screenwriter Schrader was mired in misery and self loathing and offered no comment. The film if scheduled for a Christmas 2009 release.

NEW 2010 WIZARD OF OZ MOVIE UPDATE...MARCH 9, 2010


« Previous Post | 24 Frames Home | Next Post »

A new 'Wizard of Oz' could make its way down the Hollywood road
March 9, 2010 | 5:00 pm

EXCLUSIVE: Fresh off Disney's massive success with Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," Warner Bros. wants to remake another childhood classic. Like, really classic.

The studio is examining two existing "Wizard of Oz" projects, with an eye toward giving one of them a modern gloss and moving it toward the screen.

One project, called "Oz," currently lives at Warner's New Line label. It's being produced by Temple Hill, which is behind a little franchise called "Twilight," and has a script written by Darren Lemke, a writer on the upcoming "Shrek Forever After."

A second "Wizard of Oz" project, set up at Warners proper, skews a little darker -- it's written by "A History of Violence" screenwriter Josh Olson and focuses on a granddaughter of Dorothy who returns to Oz to fight evil. "Clash of the Titans" producer Basil Iwanyk and his Thunder Road Pictures are behind that one. ("Spawn" creator Todd MacFarlane is potentially involved in a producerial capacity, to give you some idea of the tone.)

While the idea of a new "Wizard of Oz" movie is said to be in the development, let's-bat-this-around stage, it's been advanced seriously enough on the lot that representatives for some of the top directors around Hollywood have been briefed.

The Judy Garland-starring "The Wizard of Oz" from 1939 -- we could give you the refresher on witches, tin men, Dorothy and everyone else, but really, do we need to? -- has been given alternative treatments before. There was the 1978 black-themed film adaptation of the stage play "The Wiz." And of course about six years ago came the Broadway adaptation of Gregory Maguire's "Wicked," an alternative story of girls, witches and Emerald City politics. The property proved a huge stage hit, prompting a film version that's in development at Universal and "Wanted" producer Marc Platt.

Audiences are likely to respond to the idea of a new silver screen "Wizard of Oz" with gusto ("at least the first one was good," said one colleague we told) or with horror, precisely because the original is such a classic.

But for Warners, there's plenty of appeal in trying to take the story of Dorothy & Co. back to the big screen. For one, there's the bonkers $210 million global opening for "Alice," which shows that if you're trying to create a mega-blockbuster, one smart way to do it is to take a title people know and update it for the effects era. And there's a neat symmetry, since the Technicolor version of the classic film did for color in the movies what a lot of people say that "Avatar," "Alice" -- and now, perhaps, "Wizard" -- could do for 3-D in the movies.

With its Harry Potter series drawing to an end, Warners also likes the idea of a franchise, and "Wizard of Oz" and the many books L. Frank Baum wrote featuring many of the same characters (all of which are in the public domain) fit the bill nicely. And let's not forget the property's strong, young female protagonist, hugely in vogue now in the post -Twilight" and -"Alice" eras.

There could still be questions about the project's title (the book's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is in the public domain but the movie's "The Wizard of Oz" is not; it's owned by MGM, whose library is partly owned by Warner Bros.). And then there's the matter of whether filmmakers would make the movie with musical elements, as the original, of course, did. Those questions aside, it could be the moneymaking formula.

Follow the yellow brick road. It's strewn with CGI, tent poles and 3-D. And, of course, a little green.

-- Steven Zeitchik

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBERS WIZARD OF OZ PRODUCTION


.








Variety gives a bit more information on Andrew Lloyd Webber's proposed new stage production of "The Wizard of Oz."


The Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye previously reported that the 1939 MGM classic motion picture, The Wizard Of Oz, one of the most famous and iconic movies in the history of film, is getting a total makeover, including new songs and score, for a planned stage production that will hit London late next year.

The man behind the melodic musical rehaul is Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lloyd Webber and his associates have spent months seeking permission from those who control the rights to the film and to L. Frank Baum's original story to be allowed to add five or six new songs. These will be added to the classic E. Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen numbers that include Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Follow The Yellow Brick Road and If I Only Had A Brain reports Bamigboye.

Lloyd Webber explained to Baz in the Mail that when The Wizard Of Oz has been done on stage in the past "they attempt to do it exactly the same as the movie. That's completely wrong! You've got to think of it as a theatre piece, which just happens to have three or four of the greatest songs of all time." The composer has enlisted his 'LOVE NEVER DIES' partner Glenn Slater to write the lyrics for the new numbers. Slater pointed out that there are many 'obvious' slots in the Wizard Of Oz where new songs could fit.

'It doesn't have an opening number; it doesn't have a song for the witch,' the lyricist told me, adding that even the poor old wizard doesn't have a number of his own. 'It's missing what it needs to become an actual theatrical piece', explains the man who'll be breathing new life and words into the classic property. To read the full article in the Dail Mail, click here.

The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical-fantasy film mainly directed by Victor Fleming and based on the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The film stars Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, and Frank Morgan, with Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin, Clara Blandick, and the Singer Midgets as the Munchkins. The source material also features in current worldwide hit WICKED.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is The composer of The Likes of Us, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, By Jeeves, Evita, Variations and Tell Me on a Sunday combined as Song & Dance, Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of The Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down The Wind, The Beautiful Game and The Woman in White. He composed The film scores of Gumshoe and The Odessa File, and Requiem, a setting of The Latin Requiem Mass, for which he won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Composition. He has also produced in The West End and on Broadway, not only his own work, but The Olivier Award-winning plays La BĂȘte and Daisy Pulls It Off. In 2004 he produced The film version of The Phantom of The Opera. In 2006 he oversaw a new London production of Evita, Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular and pioneered television casting for musical Theater with The hit BBC series "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" which won an International Emmy. He followed this with The equally successful series "Any Dream Will Do." His awards include seven Tonys®, three Grammys, six Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, an International Emmy, The Praemium Imperiale and The Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre. He was knighted in 1992 and created an honorary life peer in 1997. He's a 2006 Kennedy Center Honoree. He is currently working on the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, 'LOVE NEVER DIES', which is set for release later this year.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

CONTACT MARK SHAPIRO ON BLOG OR FOR ANY REASON...WIZOFBEACH@YAHOO.COM


I am Mark Shapiro of Huntington Beach, California and my email is wizofbeach@yahoo.com and email me with any questions or comments on my blog.


I am one of if not the worlds biggest collector of L. Frank Baum first edition and first state books with over 350 books (multiple titles) in great condition.


I have been written up in various newspaper and magazine articles and have been a featured speaker at collector conventions and other such arenas. Feel free to write and ask any question and its FREE.


GREATEST CATCH EVER..BY A BALL GIRL


Wednesday, April 22, 2009

FINDING OZ...BY EVAN SCHWARTZ


DIVORCE by MARK SHAPIRO







One half of all marriages end in divorce
When love runs its course

What was once a walk down the aisle
Ends up with a bitter trial

The words till death do us part
Has couples looking for a lawyer who is smart

And the vow of I do
Turns into I will sue you

The honeymoon is over and so does the love fast
With the reality that hardly anything good does last

Once the battle for material items start
Ending up with half of something isnt smart

For in the end of marriage in life
Means losing alot more than a wife

RELIGION by MARK SHAPIRO

PAUL CROUCHES EIGHT MILLION DOLLAR HOME
A HEALER WHO LIVES IN A FIVE MILLION DOLLAR HOME

PAUL CROUCH AND HIS WIFE






In the name of God we claim to be all the same
But religion, in fact, is just a game

Churches fighting for customers to come to their pews
Asking for ten percent to only share with a chosen few

False prophets abound in each town and on television
Convincing the gullible and desperate of their vision

And only through these false messiahs do they claim salvation
But it is them who will go to damnation

Taking money from the poor and aged and sick
Then buying fancy homes, cars just as quick

They promise heaven to those who fall into their trap
While the fakers of faith do their rap

But in time, people will learn that man is created equal in soul
And ignore the false prophets who will always take their toll

JOSEPH COSEY...20TH CENTURY MOST INFAMOUS FORGER


WAR by MARK SHAPIRO
















Before man learned to kill each other
They treated one another as brother

But soon brother killed brother
Leaving behind a grieving mother

Millions have died for a cause so uncertain
Dividing people like a iron curtain

The Bible says thou shalt not kill
But killing happens when it is left to humans will

Noting has ever been gained through mass killing
Except to dishonor Gods willing

One day man will destory all in the name of humanity and soul
Leaving the Earth barren which will be the ultimate goalhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhoedRZ0Adk

LOVE by MARK SHAPIRO







Since time began Man has seeked out love
Searching low and high above

Millions have died in vain
Which is hard to explain

For wars have been fought over love and desire
Changing Earths landscape with cannon and fire

But of all the treasures in this world man can seek
Will often times leave ones heart bleak

For love can be short lived to many to their soul
Leaving sadness and misery as the ultimate goal

They say you havent lived until you found love
And that is the true way to see the almighty above

Truth is that love is within oneselfs being
Which allowed to escape, will create harmony and sing

So look inside thyself and you will see
That love is as close as to you and me

SOULMATE by MARK SHAPIRO







We are all looking for our soulmate
And seek it through a date

But the search may not end in this life
Not even if you take a wife

For a soulmate is alot like you
Who will be happy and blue

And be there when times are bad or good
Just like you would

There will be times of dispute with this mate
But that is the lesson of fate

To find love with another eternal in time
One you will always say your mine

Some will never find their soul
And many will achieve that goal

Wisdom and patience will take you there
Wheras love and kindness will show u care

Your search will be over on Earth
Finding that person you were ment to be with since birth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xcZNt67kFU

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

OLD by MARK SHAPIRO


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eT464L1YRA&feature=channel




















When we are young we are told its no fun getting old
As we are all told

But that is not true one will find
For what grows is the mind


And as one travels the road of life
One will encounter joys and strife

What one will see in time is that life is short
And not to be taken lightly and abort

For each one of us is a joy to behold
Leaving a legacy to be told

The giving of one to another
Makes us all in the end, sister and brother

For love is for all, young and old
And for the weak and bold

Wisdom is for all during our walk
To communicate and listen and let each other talk

Heaven is on earth
From the day of our birth

So be glad of age
For its life turning another page
























Oldest person in the world turned 122 on February 21, 1997 ...upper left picture

GOD by MARK SHAPIRO



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9SgDoypXcI




Who is it we cannot see

But is within you and me

Who is it that who gives death and birth

To everyone on Earth


Who is it that who gives hope and dreams and a change of season

To everyone that comes with a sense of reason

Who is it that who gives and takes

And those who speak for him are fakes

Who is it that who says we are all the same

Wheras others look to him to blame

Who is it that who makes life worthwhile
Yet each one of us sees life as a trial

Who is it that who gives us love and hate
and gives everyone a world of fate

That person is YOU

DREAMS by MARK SHAPIRO




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spNOKwlVu6o&feature=PlayList&p=97981959AA4A83E6&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=30


The world may seem upside down at times and also the universe so mysterious and empty but the world can be joyous and at your fingertips.
Never give up dreams or hopes and always envision what they are for they will come true, for the world I speak of is in you.
The world you envision can be the world you live, for you can indeed mold it within and your spirit will soar and lift you skyward above the clouds where you will spread your wings and live eternally, in pure joy and freedom

FUNNY STUFF





































http://www.markshapiro.com/funny.html This is from a different Mark Shapiro. Looks like we both are nuts