The Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera has always been a favorite of mine. I have had the opportunity to see the play twice while vacationing in New York, and I've also seen the production that came to my hometown. All of the performances were excellent. Because of my love for the play, I was a little hesitant about the release of the movie version of Phantom of the Opera.

I consider myself a big Phantom Phan, and my daughter is an out right Phantom Phanatic. So when the movie version was showng in limited release in December of 2004, she and I were one of the first in line to see it. We both had read the reviews and were prepared to totally dislike the movie version. However, we both walked away captivated by the Phantom all over again. The movie is very close to the original production, and the few differences enhance rather than take away from the overall story.

Through out the movie, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical genius simply shines. There are outstanding performances by Gerald Butler as the Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine. I think it would have been wonderful if Michael Crawford had played the Phantom, after all, he IS the Phantom, but that is a discussion for another day. My favorite scene has always been the masquerade ball, and the movie did not let me down. Actually, this scene was more compelling in the movie than in the play, but of course, only so much can be done on stage.

If you did not have a chance to see the movie when it was released for a limited time or if you are like me and have to add it to your Phantom collection, the release date for the movie is Tuesday, May 3rd. I will also be purchasing the movie soundtrack even though I already have the original cast recording from the Broadway production. If you are a true Phantom Phan, you will want to add both of these items to your Phantom collection. Feel free to contact me if you need help finding these items.

Copyright © 2005 Susan Daniel and Debbie Overstreet

About Susan and Debbie: Susan and Debbie are internet marketers. You can review more articles and Web sites on The Phantom of the Opera by visiting http://www.phantomoftheoperaplay.com.

Cake: 2 eggs 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla 1-1/4 cups (300 ml) Five Roses All Purpose Flour 1 cup (250 ml) granulated sugar 2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder 1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt 1/2 cup (125 ml) butter, softened 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk

Mousse: 1 pouch unflavored gelatin 1/4 cup (50 ml) cold water 2 egg yolks 3/4 cup (175 ml) granulated sugar 1/2 cup (125 ml) hot milk 8 squares white chocolate, finely chopped 1-1/2 cups (375 ml) 35%whipping cream 3 cups (750 ml) fresh strawberries

Cake: Preheat oven to 350F(180C). Butter a 9-in (23 cm) round spring pan. Beat eggs and vanilla. Set aside. In large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat butter into flour mixture for 1 min. Beat in eggs; gradually add milk. Beat until fluffy. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 min. Cool in pan.

Mousse: In blender place gelatin and water. Let stand for 1 minute. Add egg yolks, sugar and milk; blend well. Transfer to saucepan and cook, stirring, over medium heat for about 5 min. or until thick enough to coat back of spoon. Stir in chocolate until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Whip cream until stiff. Using rubber spatula, gently fold cream into chocolate mixture. Cut berries in half and arrange some in a row, cut side facing out, along side of spring form on top of baked cake. Scatter remaining berries over cake. Spoon mousse on top of berries; spread to cover evenly. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until mousse is set.

For “free” recipes call Five Roses at 1-800-561-3455 or visit www.fiveroses.ca.

- News Canada

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News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial “fill” items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.

Video conferencing allows people at two or more locations to
interact through two-way transmission at the same time. Video
conferencing is also known as video teleconferencing or visual
collaboration. Users require a computer, web cam, microphone,
and a broadband connection to participate in videoconference.
They can generate natural conversations by seeing and hearing
each other. Videoconference of two persons is known as
point-to-point while the conference of more than two people is
called multipoint conference.

Videoconferencing is very useful way of communication because it
saves money as well as time. People can do several business
activities or meetings with two or more persons while sitting at
office table. They don’t need to go anywhere to meet someone.
Basic requirements for video conferencing are guaranteed
latency, synchronization and broadcast. It enables people to
have face-to-face meetings from a wide distance. Prices of
teleconferencing are generally less than costs of travel. It’s
an easy way to hold meetings, conduct interviews, give lectures
and address employees.

Video conferencing is the best way of communication in medical,
legal and educational fields. Normally there are three ways such
as computer-based system, desktop system and studio-based system
to set up a videoconference. There is a limited field of vision
in Computer-based system that is why it is the cheapest way of
video conferencing. Desktop system improves the quality of audio
and video transmission due to dedicated hardware installed on
the computer. Most expensive method of video conferencing is
studio-based system that offers best quality conferencing. It is
mostly used in large-scale companies and universities.
Studio-based system is just like a room that is fully equipped
with control systems, document viewers, overhead cameras, vision
switchers and slide viewers.

An organization, company, educational facility or individual
requires some basic components to take complete advantages of
video conferencing. Necessary equipment for videoconferencing is
camera that lets user to capture video information at his or her
site and transmit to someone on the other site. Video display is
used to display video at their site and a microphone to hear the
audio material.

Videoconferencing terminals require a compressor/decompressor
interface that helps in compressing the information while
passing from audio to video to make transmission of materials
sufficient over net. It is useful in sending the large files
from one computer to another. Codec machine also works for
decoding and encoding the useful information. A computer and
high-speed Internet connection are essential for a successful
video conferencing. High-speed Internet connection makes your
video conferencing effective and interesting.

Video conferencing is reliable and an excellent method of
communication. Videoconference can easily connect you with other
companies. You can generate your business from one place and
give instructions to your subordinates. It makes bright future
for your business and institution. This pioneering technology
keeps your company up to date.

Video conferencing is currently an affordable way of
communication. A large range of videoconference units is
available in the market. Buyers should check company expansion
and system compatibility while choosing the best video
conferencing unit.

Flat screen TV is one of the most popular and exciting TV
technologies today. At only a few inches thick, flat screen TVs
offer unparalleled flexibility and convenience. Older
conventional TV’s, in fairness to them, did offer crisp and
vibrant images. However, these TV’s, which operate through a
cathode ray tube (CRT), suffered from one major drawback, they
were bulky. As screen size increased, so did the bulk and
weight. However, the TV of old has reached its twilight years.
New television technologies have enabled TV manufacturers to
create TVs with wider screen size yet still only a few inches
thick. Thus, flat screen TVs usher home entertainment into the
21st century.

Flat Screen TV basically refers to two technologies: Plasma and
LCD. The advances in these two technologies have enabled TV
makers to build thin, lightweight TV screens with a large
picture area. Plasma and LCD both offer similarly large,
lightweight, flat screen TV’s but the similarities are skin deep
for their inner workings are different.

Plasma or LCD?

Plasma and LCD TVs generally look similar however they use very
different technologies. Plasma utilizes a grid of tiny cells of
gas plasma that light up and create a picture when charged by
precise electrical voltages. LCD (liquid crystal display) screens on the other hand are
made of liquid crystals sandwiched between two glass plates and
create images by varying the amount of electrical charge applied
to the crystals. Both Plasma and LCD offer excellent picture
quality. The following are their strengths and weaknesses and
edge over the other.

1. Plasma screens can display blacks more accurately compared to
LCD. Thus, pictures in a Plasma TV have richer contrast and
better detail especially in dark TV and movie scenes. LCD TV’s
are catching up however.

2. Plasma TV has better viewing angles than LCD TV. How far you
can sit on either side of the screen before the qualities of the
pictures are affected is what the “viewing angle” is. In LCD
TVs, brightness and color tend to shift when angled too far
while that of Plasma TVs remain solid.
3. Plasma TV can
produce brighter color while light leakages in LCD screens
affect the color saturation.

4. Plasma TVs are priced relatively less than their LCD
counterparts especially in the large screen segment. Plasma TVs
offer much larger sizes than LCDs, yet are still priced lower.

5. LCD has a higher native resolution than plasma TVs of the
same size. This results to sharper images and makes LCD TV the
better choice for HDTV.

6. LCD TVs consume almost 30% less power than Plasma TVs.

7. LCD TVs are generally lighter than similar sized Plasmas.

8. Among the two, LCD screens have a longer life span than
plasma screens. LCDs can last up to 60,000 hours compared to
Plasma that average from 30,000 to 60,000 hours.

9. Plasma TVs are more prone to screen burn-ins compared to LCDs
although newer plasma technology are less susceptible to these.

If you are looking for a large flat screen TV, Plasma TV is
recommended. Plasma TVs can give you better value for your
money. The price difference between Plasma TVs and LCD TVs is
big. However, if you have money to burn, then LCD TV is the
better choice especially if you want the sharpest images. For
smaller flat screen TVs at the range of 15″ to 36″, LCD is the
way to go. Ultimately, both technologies are still evolving and
new innovations and improvements are definitely in the works.