 Writing Primer, July 30, 2015
The Freelance Writer’s Bible: Your Guide to A Profitable Writing Career Within One Year by David Trotter is a perfect guide for aspiring writers. Page 27 covers the topic of how to get past and/or break though obstacles towards writing, page 140 covers areas to look into for writing such as greeting cards, short fiction and poetry, Clarifying your purpose, audience, and strategy (pages 211-213), and sample strategic marketing plan. Guides like this are important to someone like me because I made a promise to my husband that I would only be a writer on the side (regardless of how much money my writing makes) and my intent is to write both books and scripts under a pen name (for reasons I prefer to avoid elaborating on via this forum). Guides like The Freelance Writer’s Bible are pivotal to a novice such as myself who has a lot to learn both in writing and doing so under a pen name (at the least one for my book writing and another pen name for my script writing).
Public Reviews Written by You
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| Casino Jack |
| DVD ~ Kevin Spacey |
| Offered by Mediaflix |
| Price: $4.60 |
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Controversial Would Be An Understatement For This Movie, July 30, 2015
I admit that I found out about the Casino Jack movie from a Washingtonian Magazine article that features recent 2015 coverage of Kevin Spacey. This movie dvd version of Casino Jack includes photos of Kevin Spacey (as Jack Abramoff), Kelly Preston (Pam Abramoff), Jon Lovitz (Adam Kidan), and Barry Pepper (Michael Scanlon). The movie plot centers around what is listed to have been inspired by true life events as Jack Abramoff and his associates (Kidan, Scanlon etc.) were creating deals as lobbyists. However, the beginning of the movie does foreshadow a little what may happen. For instance, there is a scene where Abramoff and Scanlon are frustrated at being turned for one of the casino deals. The frustration is not what opens the door to the scandal, it is what the men are talking about doing to Bernie Sprague (Graham Greene)one of the casino members who were not in favor of retaining their services (which makes the name calling allegations tame compared to just that one act of revenge). Then things get even more complicated when the character of Abramoff is shown being let go from his job at the firm Preston Gates and Ellis, His shock is understandable due to this happening at what looks to be a highly regarded restaurant that serves top notch sushi. His natural progression of then going to work for Greenberg Traurig was to be expected. However, the movie shows that what may have indirectly affected what later happened to him was his drive to open and maintain two successful restaurants and what he did to try to keep the money flowing. For instance, the movie showed that he took Adam Kidan on as a business partner. However, things start to unravel when questions arise as to certain money balances and Kidan hires one of his mob men to “deal with and/or handle” Konstantinos Gus Boulis (Daniel Kash). Despite his best intentions, Abramoff’s daughter Sarah Abramoff (Hannah Endicott Douglas)gets a glimpse as to what may happen to her father in a scene where he is trying to pitch a script to what appears to be Hollywood area professionals who approve and spearhead certain scripts to made into movies. One of the bright spots to the film, Pam Abramoff is shown standing by her husband Jack Abramoff through both the good and adverse times, and I saw on an online aboutdotcom website that they are still married to this day. Some of the extra bonuses attributed to the Casino Jack dvd; Casino Jack; A Director’s Photo Diary, Gag Reel, and Deleted Scenes. For instance, A Director’s Photo Diary by the late George Hickenlooper features 85 different takes on what went into the creation of Casino Jack that are listed to have been compiled from May 23, 2009 to June 24, 2009 (these 85 takes featured the takes on how he felt in relation to the making of the movie when it came to collaborating with the various actors/actresses featured in Casino Jack). Additionally, screenwriter Norman Snider is among the various people discussed in this bonus feature. With these bonus features, there is so much detail just in the 85 feature take that could take up the length of at least two reviews.
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The Power And Belief In Music, July 30, 2015
Barbie & The Diamond Castle tell the story of two best friends who enjoy music and living their life in a modest home among a beautiful forest. Unexpectedly, they make some friends along the way and part of their mystical journey is paved with a rainbow colored bridge. The following are the movie trailers that accompany the Barbie & The Diamond Castle dvd; Barbie In A Christmas Carol, Barbie Presents Thumbelina, Beethooven’s Big Break, and A Veggie Tales Movie; The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything. The following are some of the extras attributed to this dvd; Diamond Fun Music Video featuring the song Connected by American Idol alum Katherine McPhee and Hilarious Bloopers From the Movie.
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Club Music Vehicle, July 30, 2015
Ministry of Sound Drive is a two disc collection with a diversity of dance, electronic, and pop songs that have 20 songs on each of the cds. A current listing of the wide variety of music tunes and songs can currently be found on Amazon UK. However for those who are curious some of the following artists are featured on Ministry of Sound Drive; David Guetta,Sam Martin, Dillon Francis, DJ Snake, MO, Alesso, Tove Lo, Swedish House Mafia, John Martin,Steve Aoki, Chris Lake, Tujamo,Fat Boy Slim, Riva Starr, Calvin Harris, Disclosure, Sam Smith, Gorgon City, Jennifer Hudson, Duke Dumont,and much more, There are even strong musical tunes that are inspired by earlier hits, while still maintaining their unique sound such as I Wanna Feel by Second City (Brooks Brothers Remix) that is inspired by Tony Braxton’s You’re Makin Me High, So Freakin Tight by Tough Love (a small inspired sampling from 90’s group Jodeci for Freeknyou), and Bump N Grind 2014 by R. Kelly & Wave and Odyssey.
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Euphoric Love, July 30, 2015
So High by Starchaser feat. Lo-Fi Sugar (Martin Roth Remix) appears to be a euphoric trance song about a person who wants to spend time and/or have some type of light hearted get together with a person they care about. The lyrics So High appear to be about someone who elicits the feelings of butterflies in the stomach (metaphorically speaking).
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Can Have Various Meanings, July 30, 2015
Take Your Time by Sam Hunt is a quirky country song that touches on the idea of getting to know someone from a stance of just seeing where it goes in a light hearted way. The video to the song, although still good, gives the song a different meaning due to the song including the well-meaning story of a woman who has a baby that she loves a lot. Anyhow, I admit that I first heard of Take Your Time through iheardradio via a radio station based out of Norfolk Virginia and then some days later via two different radio stations (on the same day within two hours of each other) in the Washington D.C. area.
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| Exciter |
| Offered by Big_Box_Bargains |
| Price: $10.58 |
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Romantic And Spiritual Side of Depeche Mode?, July 30, 2015
Exciter by Depeche Mode is another cd that is part of my husband’s collection (which he first purchased when he was still stationed in Iceland via the navy through 2001-2002). The Exciter collection starts out with an optimistic vibe via Dream On. I Feel Loved is also another tune that touches on a more hopeful type of meaning, as a way of the benefits of feeling loved through both challenging and good times. Exciter by Depeche Mode is a spellbinding type of alternative rock music collection that can leave an eclectic music listener with the enjoyment of getting different meanings and/or deeper meanings from the songs each time they listen to a music set such as Exciter.
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| No Angel |
| Offered by cdgiveaways |
| Price: $7.49 |
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Dido’s Heart, July 30, 2015
I confess that I first heard Here With Me on a radio station around September 2000. However,No Angel by Dido is also one of those music sets that brings back positive memories for me of music cds I was listening to around the time I first met my husband (we met 2002 , got engaged 2003, and married 2004). No Angel by Dido has the well-known Here With Me and uplifting Thank You. There is also other meaningful songs such as All You Want (although I admit that Take My Hand is also one of my faves from No Angel by Dido). Either way, No Angel by Dido is perfect for eclectic music lovers who also listen to pop music from the late 1990’s, early 2000s.
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Unadulterated R-Kelly, July 30, 2015
R In R&B Collection 1 by R. Kelly is another magnificent 18 song music set that features many of the songs that skyrocketed his fame and popularity due to the appeal to a wide audience such as on tracks one-Bump and Grind (where part of the song is sampled on a 2015 Ministry of Sound music collection). A person must also have an open mind and/or be comfortable in their sensuality to enjoy this collection because of the racy meanings in Your Body’s Calling, Track 9, and Fiesta (feat. Jay Z, Boo, and Gotti) etc. and more. R-Kelly also expresses versatility in some of his other song themes such as the spiritual areas in I’m Your Angel (duet with Celine Dion) and I Believe I Can Fly. Overall, R In R&B Collection 1 by R. Kelly is a fantastic music set for eclectic music listeners of the 1990’s and early 2000’s time periods. My only caveat was that I was surprised not to see Snake on this collection (a song that I first heard in California via a music collection that refers to a dance). I’m previously familiar with a multiple number of R-Kelly’s songs due to his music being popular among my classmates during my middle school years, his music also played on both the radio and tv during my high school years (he even made an appearance in the parking lot of a grocery store that I worked at in high school from a radio station, but I could not get out there among the large crowd to see him because there was not a temporary relief person to cashier in my place). Last, but not least, I must give credit to being somewhat familiar with him from both a younger sister and working around a former navy coworker (female) who greatly enjoyed his music.
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Unabashed Emotion, July 30, 2015
Ultimate Toni Braxton features multiple hot hits from Tony Braxton’s career showcasing music both from the 1990’s and 2000’s such as Another Sad Love Song, Breathe Again, You Mean The World To Me, How Many Ways, You’re Makin Me High, and more. I admit that I’m previously familiar with some of these songs because her music was very popular on some of the radio stations in Illinois that I was listening to during middle school, in addition to seeing her music featured on television such as with the previous mentioned songs that I just listed. Nonetheless, Ultimate Toni Braxton is a strong 18 song R&B music set for the many who are previously familiar with any of her songs and/or eclectic music listeners who also listen to 1990’s/early 2000’s music.
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Perfect Snack, July 30, 2015
Reluctantly, I confess from a victim-free standpoint (even with knowing that I’m prejudged by both my intelligence and weight) that I have a strong weakness for Chip’s Ahoy cookies, Doritos (Ranch and Sweet Chili), and certain Lay’s chips (such as roasted garlic and salt). However, I’m well aware that I must curb this habit more to my awareness that I’m more likely going to be doing some type of physical labor as part of my employment for more years to come and greater ease in walking longer miles (practical reasons more than just my weight). However, fortunately I came across (at my job) what is going to be a cheap and delectable alternative to help me reduce my chip and cookie cravings via Planter’s Sunflower Kernels Dry Roasted 5.85 ounce while also simultaneously giving me energy. I also like that they come in a plastic jar, which is important when you sometimes have to walk certain distances with items such as this in your bookbag. I also like that these Planter’s Sunflower Kernels have the right amount of seasonings.
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Unexpected Discovery From My Job, August 2, 2015
I confess that I did not know about Arnott's Tim Tam Original cookies until I recently spotted them during my work shift. The version I obtained is in a 7 ounce package and has a smooth and velvety chocolate taste reminiscent of chocolate mousse layered between a cookie texture (that has another layer of chocolate layered on a graham like cracker texture). The description on the back of the Arnott’s Tim Tam package is listed to have been a discovery of Australian baker Ross Arnott (back in 1958) as he was said to have been inspired to come up with the name after seeing a winning horse named Tim Tam who crossed the finish line at a U.S. racetrack (reference on the back of the package of the Arnott’s Tim Tam chocolate cookies).
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From The Cookie Aisle of My Job, August 2, 2015
I took a chance on the Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Chewy Reeses Cookies, 9.5 Ounce because my husband also enjoys cookies, (but he likes Reese’s candy a lot more than I do). These cookies are better than I expected and taste even better microwaved at approximately 15 seconds for two cookies (came out with a smooth tasty brownie/cake like texture).
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From The Snack Aisle Of My Job, August 2, 2015
These Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos (10 ½ ounce) blend various pepper type spices with a slight sweetness that is carefully balanced with what tastes like tomato overtones. Obviously a hearty tomato based salsa would go with these type of chips (my most recent salsa that I tried with these doritos are Herr’s brand mild peach mango salsa).
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So Much For Trying To Substitute For My Chip Craving, August 2, 2015
Yes, I know, less than 7 days ago I declared that I was going to try to cut back on my chip and cookie intake (I have a great logical sense of moderation when it comes to other sweet treats but find it hard to go a long time without chips or cookies). I spotted the 7.75 ounce bag Lay’s Wavy West Coast Truffle Fries at my job (listed at 7 ¾ ounces) and have a taste that is a careful blend of rich mushroom flavor with subtle hints of a taste reminiscent of buttermilk ranch. I’m surprised to find the restaurant listed to be currently closed online, but these fries taste similar to some appetizing fries I ate at a former National Harbor Maryland restaurant called Ketchup (back around the summer of 2012). Anyhow, these fries are perfect for those who are looking for their chips to taste similar to fries that have mushrooms, a smooth buttermilk ranch flavor, and parmesan flavors (although I admit to trying some of these chips with a brand called Heluva good French Onion dip).
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Fascinating Film, August 1, 2015
Mission Impossible Rogue Nation is another film that continues the journey of Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) as he deals with new challenges while being based overseas. Some of the movie scenes are based in London England and Vienna Austria (which are also important for the movie’s plot). What adds to the complexity of Hunt’s mission is that he deals with another experienced man named Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) who carefully succeeds in staying one step ahead of him. The movie starts to foreshadow what Hunt is going to deal with when he meets Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) who shows that she is not who she initially appears to be during a scene where her and Hunt are talking with the “bone doctor” (Jens Hulten). A high level professional within the CIA named Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) is motivated to capture Hunt dead or alive, partially because he does not fully agree with and understand what Hunt is trying to accomplish. Hunley even goes as far to make fellow CIA professional William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) accomplish his dirty work of bringing back Hunt for what he seemingly initially has planned. Hunley then tries to extract information from Hunt’s friend Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) as to Hunt’s whereabouts and/or motives via a lie detector test. Brandt thinks outside the box by enlisting the help of Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames). Stickell calmly agrees to help Brandt but warns him that he is a good friend of Ethan Hunt’s and makes it clear that Brandt better not betray a person who matters to him. The character of Stickell is pivotal in helping Brandt because he is shown being able to pinpoint the character profiles of people that Hunt is dealing with. Additionally, Brandt values Stickell’s help because he understands Ethan Hunt’s nature the most out of the people featured in the film.
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My Husband’s Music Interests, August 1, 2015
Mission Impossible M;I-2 Music From And Inspired by the 2000 Film is another music compilation that I found in my spouse’s music collection. He told me that he has had this cd around the year that it was first released and since the time that he was living in Maine (where he was stationed at through the U.S navy). Anyhow, many of the tunes on this cd are high energy rock tunes and are from various artists. I admit that I enjoyed the songs Take A Look Around and What U Lookin At the most from this cd. However, there is something for many people within this collection because there are some famous and/or eclectic names on this cd from various music styles;Limp Bizkit, Rob Zombie, Metallica, Foo Fighters Feat. Brian May, Godsmack, Tori Amos, Chris Cornell. Buckcherry etc
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Purchased At Work Around 3-4 Months Ago, August 1, 2015
Grammy 2015 Nominees CD has 21 songs ranging from various music styles of songs that came out in 2013 era (Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus, Dark Horse by Katy Perry feat. Juicy J. and Drunk In Love by Beyonce feat. Jay Z)and throughout 2014 (such as Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off, Sing by Ed Sheeran, A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay, Somethin Bad by Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, Happy by Pharell, Take Me To Church by Hozier, Meanwhile Back At Mamas by Tim McGraw, Faith Hill etc and more artists featured). I confess that it is hard for me to pinpoint my most favorite songs within this Grammy Awards compilation because I actually find multiple enjoyable songs from this cd. Plus,the 2015 Grammy Nominees Cd is now one of my favorite Grammy cd compilations since the 2001 Grammy Pop Nominees collection (released February 6, 2001 and I purchasedthe 2001 Grammy Pop Nominees cd when I was still living in Japan). A code is provided to those who purchase a new edition of the Grammy 2015 Nominees cd for entering in the contest to win A VIP trip to the 58th Grammy Awards in 2016. However, I do feel fine (with his permission) and certain sharing that my husband’s two favorite songs from the 2015 Grammy Nominees cd are All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor and Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus.
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Ibiza Music Mix of Vocal-Free and Vocal Tunes, August 1, 2015
Ministry of Sound; Clubbers Guide Ibiza 08 (2008) is a two cd set of songs by various artists ranging from lounge music, dance, and electronic music. The first cd has 20 songs and is mixed by what appears to be a DJ named Plastik Funk and disc two has 18 songs is mixed by a DJ named KneeDeep. The only caveat is that there are a high number of songs on this cd that are more music than vocals. However, the songs with vocals on the cd to add to a party festive mood such as with Acceptable In The 80’s by Calvin Harris and Big Fun by Kevin Saunderson feat. Inner City (Simian Mobile Disco Remix). The booklet to the Ministry of Sound Clubbers Guide Ibiza 08 has a female pictured with long dark brown hair in what looks to be a silver diamond encrusted bikini and silver diamond boots. The inside of the booklet has pictures of people partying it up and having a good time, including nightlife on the beach and nightlife in what appears to be a bustling city and/or town. The words look to be in Spanish, but there is even a listing of what appears to be clubs, restaurants, and other places to go to around the Ibiza area.
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Helps Access The Magic Inside You, August 1, 2015
Due to my increasing awareness around spiritual outcomes in even the books I review, I was unsure (being aware of divine/right timing) when to write a review on The Greater Magickal Angels; Access To 133 Angelic Powers book by Damon Brand. However, something within my soul nudged me to publicly share this book even if I realistically/logically wanted to wait for a more perfect time in my life (as per the parameters of my rational feelings). There are abundant references in this book covered for many practical matters such as the controversial but helpful information on what the spiritual powers of Calliel do (regardless of whether you have enemies or not and/or even if you do not know who your enemies are) the powers of Nelekael to decrease negativity in your life and add positivity even if you are only partially sure where the source of negativity to transforming positivity is coming from, and ways to add magickal energy/spiritual power to some of the symbols that a person has already started to use. There is so much more helpful information in this book, which is perfect for the people who already believe in the spiritual power of their higher self and are open-minded to using the occult and power of their higher self (soul) to harness the positive spiritual benefits of calling on various angels from the higher forces of light. I already know that I may need up to five years or more for this book to fully work for me, but that this book is going to produce quicker results for others. I have faith and know that some of my preferred outcomes can happen sooner for me, but I’m now more intuitively aware of some of the karmic elements in my life that may affect the divine and/or right timing for some of the goals I intend to accomplish in my life (karmic concerns stemming more around how and why I’m pre-judged by my intelligence in conjunction from my past lives and my current life that I prefer to avoid publicly discussing). However, The Greater Magickal Angels; Instant Access To 133 Angelic Powers by Damon Brand is great for those who are open-minded and/or believe in the potentials of exploring the world of the occult and/or connections with various celestial forces from the higher worlds of light in collaboration with their higher selves. This book is also important because there is an abundance of information for people on how to deal with their jealousy when it comes to other people, but there is little information available on what people can do if they are on the receiving end of jealousy (which people on the receiving end of jealousy can obviously be either rich or poor, different attractiveness levels, different intelligence levels etc).
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Celestial Miracles, July 30, 2015
This double feature dvd set of City Of Angels and Michael are definitely films that help bring an exuberant movie. The City of Angels movie is on one side of the disc while Michael is on the second disc. The City of Angels stars Nicholas Cage as an angel named Seth and he is shown helping a young female child cross over to the next world as her mother understandably grieves at what his happening (with the mother being unaware). Seth speaks with angel Cassiel (Andre Braugher) about his feelings and curiosity on what it may feel like to experience human life. The angel Cassiel listens with love and compassion for Seth, but is careful to avoid telling Seth what to do when he meets and falls very much in love with Meg Ryan (Maggie Rice). Seth begins to entertain the idea of trying to live as a human when he meets a man named Nathaniel Messinger (Dennis Franz) who explains why he is able to easily see Seth and other members of the heavenly realms. Messinger then also mentions about the people in his life that he wanted to mention this to but really can’t such as his family members (played by Robin Bartlett and Joanna Merlin).Complicating matters to this equation is that Maggie Rice is also romantically with Jordan Ferris (Colm Feore). Dr. Rice also begins to question her role and place in the world after a patient that she tried to save died despite her best efforts to prolong his life. The movie Michael stars John Travolta as Archangel Michael who is sent to help certain people fulfill part of their destinies. Tabloid emmployees Frank Quinlan (William Hurt), Huey Driscoll (Robert Pastorelli), and Dorothy Winters (Andie MacDowell) are joined together through a job assignment to Iowa that is spearheaded by their boss Vartan Malt (the late Bob Hoskins). They arrive to Iowa and are greeted by a woman named Pansy Milbank (the late Jean Stapleton) who is actually harboring Archangel Micheal (John Travolta) as she said that she is/ However, at the least, Dorothy Wiinters is one of the first to initially express skepticism despite his wings because Michael expresses affinities for things that appear to not be attributed to celestial beings on an earth vacation such as smoking, the way he talks etc. Apparently, Michael has the gift of also getting them out of trouble after a bar fight. This is due to a scene where he and his new entourage are summoned to court after the brawl and their fate is decided by Judge Esther Newburg (Terri Garr). The scene illustrates how Michael is able to use his charms. However, there is a scene where he tells Dorothy Winters that she is not charmed by him because he put a spiritual block on her that prevents it from happening. There is so much more to both of these delightful movies, yet I prefer to now go into some of the extras listed to both of these dvds; 2 commentaries of the City of Angels movie, one from the director and the other from the screenwriters, scene specific commentaries by the cinematographer and production designer, making of and visual effects documentaries, additional scenes, interviews with Alannis Morrisette and Peter Gabriel, music videos by the GooGoo Dolls and U2, Music Only Track with Gabriel Yared commentary, theatrical trailer gallery. For the Micheal dvd are these listed bonuses; full-screen version, production notes, and the Michael movie trailier. Some of the things that I enjoyed about the bonuses from this double feature of City of Angels (Side A) and Michael Side B; A feature of other movies that contain references to heaven and angels such as Wings of Desire, Faraway So Close, Angels In The Outfield (1954), 1994 version of Angels In The Outfield, A Guy named Joe (1944), Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941). Heaven Can Wait (the 1978 version is mentioned in the bonus but there is also an earlier version of Heaven Can Wait from 1943. Here Comes Jordan (1944) and Steven Spielberg’s Always (1989)movie are also mentioned in the bonuses. Of course, there are also more angel/heaven movie references featured in the bonuses. The bonuses also include some information on the actors and actresses attributed to both movies. There is also some career details on the screenwriters. For instance, Delia Ephron and her sister Nora Ephron worked closely together for the Michael movie (credits include Nora Ephron as an associate for the Sleepless In Seattle movie and a written novel called Hanging Up in 1996, which was listed to have gotten rave reviews. The song Spirit In The Sky by Norman Greenbaum was featured in the movie trailer extra for the double feature set of Michael and City of Angels (of course there are more details included in the bonus that could take up the span of another review).
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