On 21 December, 2006 the star center fielder for the NY Yankees, Johnny Damon, announced the formation of the Professional Ballplayers Gaming League. The PBGL will make it possible for video game buffs and baseball fans to play online with and against some of their favorite pro ball players. The PBGL has chosen Microsoft's Project Gotham Racing 3 as their initial gaming venue.

Now we think this is a great move, and a win-win situation that will benefit both pro baseball and online gaming, as well as be a lot of fun for everyone involved. Our minds however, couldn't help but wander a bit as we considered the possibilities. If this is a success (and we believe it will be), talent management and Public Relations personnel of the Stars, are going to push the envelope.

Online racing against pro ballplayers will be a blast, especially for their fans, but what about online racing against Dale Earnhardt Jr, and his fellow NASCAR luminaries? Now you're talking. Madden NFL 2007 is a great game as it stands, but what if NFL fans could log on to an online match, and play alongside or against their favorite pros during the off-season? Besides being a huge amount of fun, it gives starving sports fans a fix, while they're waiting for the season to resume. Selling a 'seat' to these games would be a great way to benefit charity causes, and at the same time, and at the same time, satisfy Public Relations and talent managers' needs to keep their clients in the Public Eye.

Pro wrestling just seems like a 'natural' for this. Current games have likenesses of the top wrestlers in the game. Additionally, gamers can create characters to suit their preferences. What kid would not be talking and beaming for months, if his 'Og the Terrible' pinned 'Andre the Giant' in an online charity event? And then there's UFC. A second-tier sport like UFC would benefit greatly from the exposure.

Which brings us to Hollywood. We have heard about Hollywood LAN parties for years, but what if they took it online? Tinsel Town is savagely competitive when it comes celebrities struggling to maintain their ranking. Charity events are commonplace for the Stars. We are pretty sure a celebrity online game event would be enormously popular. But not racing. We want Halo.

Who wouldn't jump at the chance to stick a plasma grenade on Vin Diesel's face, or run over the 'Rock' with a warthog. Justin Timberlake wouldn't stand a chance. We know that our fiancee, give a choice between a diamond bracelet, or shooting jLo only in the butt, 5 or 6 times with a rocket launcher during a deathmatch, would have a hard time choosing.

It's going to be a blast!

Gregory Wolf aka Reclaimer.45 is a former State Department Protective Service Agent, Executive and VIP bodyguard.

All potential anger management solutions are handled virtually, via online gaming, courtesy of http://www.videogamelocker.com/start-pro-gaming.html

When you are writing a blog it is important to understand who your target market is and to acknowledge them whenever you can. Hollywood producers have been doing this forever! Blog writing is no different. You are typically writing a blog to get fans. Fans are people who read every single post you write and usually leave a comment. It doesn't matter if the fan is being positive or negative, as long as you have people reading your blog and commenting, they can be considered as fans. Some blogs are literally held together by these unrelenting fans who stick with the blog writer until the very end. Think of your fans as your most loyal customers and treat them as such.

If you don't know who your target market is, then you really should not be writing blogs. If you have a rough idea about who your target market is, but can't narrow it down, then try a variety of references and see which one the market responds to. For example, if I am writing a blog about a violent video game there is a high chance the readers will have an interest in violent movies. I might use this piece of information to include a reference to an upcoming Tarantino movie. This does 4 things. It lets the readers know I am just like them, that I understand them, that I am up-to-date on current events and it will also get my blog into search results when the movie comes out. The latter is another little tip that I'll chuck in as a bonus for you loyal article readers.

Any kind of blog can have references that their target market will respond to. Someone who blogs about new ways to cook chicken might include a reference to a related episode of Oprah. This is where creativity comes into play. These "references" could even make your blog stand out and reach a wider audience. Writing a blog about a boring book review might put readers to sleep, but if you throw a reference to the possibility of that book being turned into a movie starring Tom Hanks, then you instantly have some great reading material on your hands. The references you include in your blog can be funny, informative or just plain silly. The type of reference you include will typically be on par with your style of blog voice (see Blog Writing Tips 1).

Finally, when you make a reference, it's a good idea to add a hyperlink (if you got the information online). The link shows that you are not just making stuff up, as well as crediting the original sources, which is quite possibly the most important rule of the blogworld.

In conclusion...

- Identify fans of your blog. Whether they be positive or negative. Treat them as loyal customers.

- Throw in as many relevant references to culture, news or current events as possible to keep the target market interested. If you can't work out what references to use then try different ones and see which one the readers respond to the most. Make sure these references are in line with your blog voice style. i.e. A funny blog writer will include funny references that are often silly and trivial.

- If you got the reference from an online source, please add a hyperlink and properly credit your source. The referenced website will see your link and hopefully network with your blog.

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http://www.youtube.com/chrisg276

So, you want to know how someone creates an entire solo piano CD. It seems like a monumental task - and it is unless you break it down! Here's how I do it step by step.

Step One

The first thing I do is find the concept. I also consider this the most important aspect to creating an entire "album" of songs or pieces. Why? Because this is what gives you inspiration! For example, when I created my 2 CDs La Jolla Suite and Anza-Borrego Desert Suite, the first thing I did was find the concept or title I would be using for the CD - in this case the 2 names you just read above.

You see, having this to start with gives you encouragement and inspiration to go on. This is because you can "see" the finished product. I remember quite well how excited I was when I first came up with the idea for "La Jolla Suite." La Jolla is a section of San Diego (a very beautiful section) that gave me all the artistic flow and energy I needed for completing it.

Step Two

Come up with your song titles. After the concept is identified and you know what you'll be working on, it's a good idea to flush out the entire album. Does this process remind you of anything? Yes, it's like what an author may do when preparing a book outline. Very similar indeed.

For La Jolla Suite, it was quite easy! I simply wrote out the places and things I loved the most about this fantastic place and the outline appeared very quickly. Another important aspect of the song identifying process is deciding on length. If your compositions tend towards the long side (7 minutes or more for each one) then plan on having 7 or 8 pieces. On the short side (3-5 minutes) plan on having many more. The goal is to create enough material for a 50-60 minute (or more) CD.

Step Three

Now, once you have the concept and the song titles, you're ready for the fun part. The song titles can actually suggest the mood of the piece! I remember when I was composing Sea Caves (a piece for La Jolla Suite). I kept repeating the words Sea Caves to myself then just went to the piano and literally "felt" the piece through. It came out to be a somewhat sad mood but that's exactly what I felt so it worked out.

This plan of action works well because you've already flushed out the outline for the entire CD. Now, the fun creative work can occupy your time. I think it took me a few months to completely finish all the pieces for La Jolla Suite. The rest of the time was spent in polishing them and getting them ready for performance.

So there you have it - a workable plan for creating an "album" or CD of your music!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!