Terry's Top Twenty Blu-ray Concert Videos

Monday, March 08, 2010

Posted March 8, 2010 by Terry Paulin, Home Theatre Journalist

1. Rolling Stones - Shine a Light

2. Chris Botti - in Boston
3. Roy Orbison - Black and White Night

4. Elton John - ELTON: 60

5. Stevie Nicks - Live

6. Moody Blues - Lovely to See You

7. Tony Bennett - All American Classic

8. Michael Buble' - Caught in the Act

9. Dave Mathews/Tim Reynolds - Live at Radio City

10. Chris Botti - Live

11. Diana Krall - Live in Rio

12. K.D. Lang - with BBC Concert Orchastra

13. Neil Diamond - Hot August Night, NYC

14. Eric Clapton/Steve Winwood - Live, from M.S.G.

15. Paul Simon and Friends - Library of Congress

16. The Last Waltz - (the Band)

17.John Mayer - Where the Light Is

18. Celine Dion - Live in Las Vegas

19. Bruce Springsteen - Live in Dublin (C- video, A+ music)
20. David Foster - Hit Man

And the Award goes to...(Part 2)

Friday, March 05, 2010

Posted March 4, 2010 by Pippa Edelen

-An Education-
Capitalizing on having a dear friend home after the holidays, we scoured The Oregonian to find the charming film An Education. I’m thrilled we did – it’s my pick for Best Pic. A darling coming-of-age movie that engrosses without nonsensical tragedy or drama,

An Education boasts the best combination of scenery, characters and acting of all the films I’ve seen in 2009. The costumes are amazing and the music is delightful. A fan of Peter Scaarsgard for many years, he has all the talent of Ewen McGregor with his own polish and flair. And Carey Mulligan is absolutely one to watch and I am doubly excited to see her in next year’s sequal to Wall Street. A truly darling, enjoyable film that I loved even more because it had the distinct look of film would be ideal for a Runco VX-3000, which offers film purity and colors without any distraction of the 1961-England setting.

An Education celebrates life in 1961 and you’ll be inspired to drink along. Baccarat saucer cups with champagne are a perfect accompaniment. And a martini makes more than one appearance in the film.

The perfect vodka dirty martini
2 oz Belvedere vodka
1 tbsp dry vermouth
2 tbsp olive juice
2 olives

Place an ice cube and a small amount of water in a cocktail glass. Place in freezer for 2 - 3 minutes. 

Fill a mixer with all ingredients including garnish. Cover and shake hard 3 - 4 times. 

Remove cocktail glass from freezer, and empty. Strain contents of the mixer into the cocktail glass, include one of the olives, and serve with a mysterious smile.

-Up in the Air-
As a onetime very frequent traveler (hit 1K by May one year), I loved the concept of Up in the Air. I can relate to being so addicted to life on the road (or, at least, accustomed) that you begin to forget how to live life at home. I also know the itch to get back on the road that you get when you’re grounded for a long period of time. I’m well-passed that itch now and love nothing more than weeks of being home, but both the book and the movie will strike a chord for anyone who has come home with multiple magnetic hotel keys in your bag (bonus if you stayed in more than one Marriott Courtyard on a trip and you forgot what room you were in because they are so incredibly identical), boasting about your accrued miles and showing off all your status at various rental car agencies, hotels and airlines. However, for those of you wondering, the book and movie are distant cousins of each other with little in common. I surprisingly found both to be pretty lackluster and fail to see the genius at puts this film in Best Picture company, but it’s a great pick for a Friday-night rental on the majorly-impressive Runco XP-OPAL65 65” plasma, especially if you’re a George Clooney fan. And really, who isn’t?

Enjoy with small packs of food, especially peanuts, pretzels, sparking water and bourbon, neat. Bonus points for watching it while in a hotel and getting room service!

Pippa has a degree in Journalism from UofO and spends most of her time writing fancy words, orchestrating  events, shining up websites and generating press for Runco.

And the Award goes to…

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Jennifer Blasen
The 82nd annual Oscar night is less than a week away and this year ten nominees were announced for Best Picture rather than the usual five. There haven’t been ten nominations since 1943 and at first 10 seems a little daunting.  But with the movie list including blue creatures and colorful helium balloons, it’s the perfect year to host an Academy Award themed party, or plan a party when the flicks are released on Blu-ray disc. Here are my thoughts on a few of the nominees for Best Picture and party ideas if you decide to enjoy the big night with friends.

 

-Avatar-

Leading up to the Oscars Avatar has already been nominated and won several awards, but despite the Titanic-sized hype surrounding this film, I was determined to make up my own mind.  I saw Avatar in 3D to get the full experience and to describe the film in one word it was enchanting.  I became completely immersed in Pandora – a stunning and highly detailed world where I left the real world behind - that is until the lights flickered back on in the theater and I returned my 3D glasses.  More than a movie it was an experience.

 

Shake it up with a Blue Martini

3 oz gin or vodka

½ oz dry vermouth

1 teaspoon blue Curacao

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and garnish glasses with lemon garnish

 

-The Blind Side-

The Blind Side is the ultimate feel-good movie and the best part – it’s a true story. I’m not a huge fan of sports dramas but the cast really pushed this film from good to great. The Blind Side is a movie that everyone in the family will enjoy, the perfect weekend flick to pop in your Blu-ray player and display on a Runco DLP™ VideoXtreme™ VX-33d projector with DHD Digital Controller.

 

Celebrate The Blind Side with Southern Deviled Eggs

9 large eggs

 1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons apple-cider vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 teaspoons scallion (white part only), minced

2 teaspoons tarragon, minced

Paprika, to taste

Tarragon leaves, for garnish

1. In a large saucepan, combine the eggs and enough cold water to cover. Bring to full boil. When the water reaches a boil, remove the pan from the heat and let the eggs stand, covered, for 18 minutes. Drain the eggs, leaving them in the pan. Add enough cold water to the pan to cover the eggs. Let stand until the eggs are cool enough to handle.

2. Peel eggs and cut each egg in half lengthwise. Transfer the yolks to a small bowl and mash well with a fork. Stir in the mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth. Spoon in the filling into a zip-top plastic bag and snip one corner of the bag.

3. Arrange the egg whites cut-side-up on a large serving plate. Distribute the minced scallion and tarragon over the cavities. Squeeze out the filling from the bag, piping it into the cavities. Sprinkle the stuffed eggs with paprika and garnish with whole tarragon leaves. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

-Up -

I chose to see Up in the theater on my birthday (back in June) because I knew Pixar wouldn’t fail to entertain. Up was not only heartwarming, poetic, sad and visually entertaining (the colors in Up will look fantastic on a Runco Flat Panel with OPAL technology in a room with ambient light) but also told the story of many life lessons. The most poignant lesson I recognized: don’t wait to make your dreams come true.  The magic about Up is that it appears to be made for kids, yet adults can get as much (or more) from the Up experience.

 

Up was full of color, so include a candy bar in your living room for guests to indulge during the awards. Use all different types of jars and canisters to make the candy look interesting and unique, including wrapped (Starburst) and loose candy (Skittles).

 
~Jennifer is a Linfield College Wildcat and has enjoyed her work with Runco for the past 3 years. In her spare time she enjoys running, golfing, working in the garden, and trying new things in the kitchen.