Music Elvis

Archive for April, 2011

March 28th, 2011

The road to the current day of Bechstein pianos manufacturer was not easy. It was full of ups and downs but these were all taken into stride to produce a piano that occupies an honourable place in history. Carl Bechstein was an apprentice in piano making factories in France and England and this is where he got his skills. Once he felt that the knowledge he had acquired was sufficient, he opened up shop in 1853 and started making his own pianos in Berlin, Germany. He aimed at making pianos that could withstand the powerful playing style of the day and his vision paid off with the endorsement of his brand buy two famous musicians, Franz Listz and Hans Bullow.

Bechstein’s reputation and luck rose to a point where he started supplying the English queen, royal residences and embassies with his pianos. He opened up a branch in London where he invested a lot. During the wars all these good fortunes would change for the worse and Bechstein incurred massive losses and he lost favour too from the queen due to an anti German sentiment in England in world war one and property loss in the 2^nd world war. They did recover and develop to their current success.

During the final years of his life, Rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley was battling obesity that affected his live performances. Richard Bevan said in “The Biography Channel” that as Elvis’ weight increased, his shows suffered. At times he would babble incoherently on stage and rip his pants due to obesity. At a sold-out concert, Elvis told a bemused audience that he had ripped his jumpsuit and would have to find a replacement before resuming the show. He died of a heart attack at 42.

Two-time Academy Award winning actor Marlon Brando also suffered from obesity that attracted more attention than his Hollywood career. Anecdotage.com said his weight ballooned during the production of “One-Eyed Jacks” that his costume had to be made with an elastic material. Still, his massive weight split 18 pairs of pants.

Here’s an odd one: Dr. Stuart Berger, author of many diet and health books, apparently didn’t follow his own advice. At his death at age 40, he weighed 365 pounds!

Still from Anecdotage.com: Charlie’s Angels’ star Drew Barrymore was dining in a classy restaurant when a woman approached her and said, “If you were a little fatter, you’d look just like Drew Barrymore!” From that time on, she knew she had a weight problem.

Cheers star Kirstie Alley made fun of her obesity with her TV series “Fat Actress” that showed how society deals with overweight people. Prior to that, she drank 14 grape sodas every day and felt depressed and convinced she was a loser. Fortunately, she realized that her problems also made good material for a new TV series. Since then, she has lost weight and is looking better than ever.

Not all fat people, however, end up living happily like Kirstie. Carol Yager who died at the age of 34 weighing 1,200 pounds, wasn’t able to stand or walk because of her weight. She was frequently hospitalized due to many health problems brought about by her obesity and she often required the assistance of 15 to 20 firefighters to lift her to the ambulance.

Jon Brower Minnoch was 200 pounds lighter than Yager who suffered from obesity since he was a child. An endocrinologist estimated that over 900 pounds of his body mass was retained fluid. When admitted to the hospital, Minnoch was placed on two beds placed together and it took 13 people to change his linen. He died at age 42.

These people show that obesity is a problem that can affect anyone regardless of age, sex, or social status. And the problem is growing. At last count, there are over 64 million adult Americans who are obese and thousands of deaths have been associated with this condition.

“The world has become a fat place. The World Health Organization has declared obesity as the third of the great epidemics facing the world in the new millennium, along with HIV and tuberculosis. On a world scale, food is the addiction,” according to Dr. George Alexander Felding, associate professor of surgery at New York University School of Medicine.

“Until recently, the medical profession has failed obese people. Many doctors still believe obesity is simply a matter of will power. As long ago as the 1970s, studies showed that doctors felt fat people deserved everything they got. Others showed perceptions of fat people as being weak and less intelligent than thin people. Many studies have confirmed that fat people fare less well in interviews than equally qualified thin people; that they are promoted less frequently; and, are less likely to be made leaders,” added Felding.

The first step in treating obesity is to recognize that you have a problem. Once you’ve accepted that, you have to make a commitment to live a healthy life through diet and exercise. Consult a doctor for advice. One product that can help is Phenocal, the safe and effective way to lose weight. This supplement contains the right amount of special ingredients to get you back into shape. Check out http://www.phenocal.com for details.

It’s officially 2009! Welcome to the new year! Our crystal ball predicts that the retro look will be blazin’ this year! You won’t be able to turn a corner without seeing sweater-dresses, brightly colored tights, leggings (yes! They’re back!), and slouchy boots. What does this mean for eyeglasses, you may ask? BIG things! HUGE! With the vintage looks in full force, retro-looking eyeglasses will be all the rage when paired with your favorite outfits! How do you get away with pairing your favorite retro looks with your favorite vintage-style glasses without making yourself look out-dated? It’s easy and we’ll tell you how!

The 1950′s: back in the good ol’ days, Buddy Holly’s glasses were swell for guys and women like LeeRemick’s eyeglasses in Anatomy of a Murder were so nifty.

So how do you wear the outfits of the 1950′s without looking like you’re IN the 1950′s? Skinny jeans are hot these days, especially when worn with flats or loafers. Pair darker colored denim with a white shirt, perhaps a cardigan (a longer one is more modern looking) with some flat shoes and dark, plastic frames! Another option for women is to pair a modern looking bubble skirt with a tighter fitting tshirt, a pair of Mary-Jane shoes, and horn-rimmed glasses! Men can wear a cardigan as well but a black sweater over a white shirt with somewhat tighter jeans (think James Dean) is very hot!

The 1960′s: when hoppin’ and boppin’ shifted to swayin’ and protesting, clothing shifted from big and flowy to form-fitting and micro-mini. Faye Dunaway wore hip glasses in the Thomas Crown Affair and John Lennon switched between horn rimmed frames and metal eyeglass frames.

When replicating 60′s chic, it’s important to remember flower-power without looking like a flower-child. The early 60′s were great with jumpers and brightly colored outfits. Today, we have brightly colored leggings (they have MUCH better coverage) that pair very well with t-shirt dresses, sweater dresses, and modern jumpers. When wearing something brightly colored- remember to pick accessories to accent it, like earrings or a necklace, but stay away from making your entire outfit the same bright color… or even a few bright colors. You don’t need to look like a fruit salad.

The 1970′s: feelin’ groovy? So was Jan Smithers in her eyeglasses from the hit show WKRP in Cincinnati! Punkin’ out hard-core was Elvis Costello in his own version of the Buddy Holly eyeglass frame!

Fashion from the 70′s really wasn’t THAT bad… unless you were one of the Village People. Wide legged pants are best paired with eyeglass frames that are slightly more delicate with cool chunk heeled boots (it elongates the leg) and a slim-fitting tshirt or sweater. Higher-waisted pants are a wonderful alternative to the popular low-rise but don’t return to the 70′s, keep it modern looking. Men can still get away with wearing a plaid shirt (lighter colored – no lumberjack styles!) over a white tshirt with some loose fitting jeans and a pair of aviators!

The 1980′s: wide necked sweaters, leggings, leg warmers, sweater dresses, big hair AND big glasses! Who can forget those times? Lots of people. D.M.C. of RUNDMC made big, black plastic eyeglass frames hip again! My first pair of glasses were similar to his – only blue!

Luckily, these styles are hot again but sweater dresses should only be worn with a thick belt and funky eyeglasses. Leg warmers can be worn under boots with leggings. Please steer clear of the big hair! Guys have it easy- a polo shirt with a popped up collar and aviators bring a modern take to Fast Times at Ridgemont High!
Class dismissed!