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ISSUE #7 JUNE 2009
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HELLO!

(Lands effortlessly on balcony, cape flapping gently in the breeze, and adopts heroic stance)


Ha ha ha haaaa! Yes, it’s just me again, your SingSnap newsletter Editor proudly bringing you once again the latest edition of Rhythm & News. Because of computer issues I was AWOL for long periods of time during the production of this newsletter and so I honour this publication, issue #7, to the rest of the News Team who carried on the good fight during my absences with determination and dedication. This is YOUR edition, team.


Summer has finally arrived to put a smile on our faces with the prospect of vacations or holidays or whatever they’re called where you live. Ahhhh yes, the four S’s; sun, sea, sand and... SINGING! (What were YOU thinking of?) It’s the time of year when most are looking to at least be booking an excursion so we have a little help and advice on that. Also the dads amongst you will this month celebrate the one day in the year when you actually get your own way. Father’s Day is on 21st of June in the USA, Canada and the UK, possibly everywhere else too. Why not give dad a treat and take a look at the inventive (and inexpensive) gift ideas we’ve come up with. Live it up while you can fellas, because it’s all back to normal on the Monday!


A big change this issue; our prizewinning contests are now open to Blue members only, just so they don’t feel left out. By all means Gold members can help them, but the submission must be made by Blues.


(Turns to fly out through the balcony, rubs very sore head and tries again this time with the patio doors open)


The Editor

REALLYMAD icon  REALLYMADNEWS-TEAM  (Editor)
Contents
  • link  SINGSNAP SITE NEWS-IN-BRIEF
  • Free members only to go for Gold
  • Program code changes introduced
  • New invitation banner created
  • link  FATHER’S DAY FINDINGS
  • Put what little gift money you have left after splurging on Mother’s Day last month to good use on dad for his special day. And before you think about it be warned; he almost certainly has enough socks and underpants already. June 21st; don’t forget now!
  • link  WE’RE ALL GOING ON A...
  • ...SUMMER HOLIDAY! Thank you Cliff Richard for those catchy lyrics; really make you feel better, don’t they? It’s time to organise yourself and get something booked up. Follow the tips on our article and you’ll be one step closer to that vacation you’ve been waiting for since last year’s. The battle for the beach front loungers has begun!
  • link  SINGSNAP LOVE; BETTY & PADDY REVISITED
  • A special anniversary for a special couple who first met right here on SingSnap and decided that they couldn’t live without each other. We congratulate Betty and Paddy on the occasion of their first year of wedded bliss. Still in love and still singing!
  • link  LYRICLY SPEAKING
  • Ever listen to a song and think “What did they just say there? Limestone Cowboy? What ARE you going on about Glen Campbell?” There are so many unintelligible lyrics these days wide open to misinterpretation and we’ve compiled some of the funniest misquotes imaginable.
  • link  SO WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY DO ANYWAY?
  • This place doesn’t run itself you know! It needs the experience of professionals, the deft touch and skills of superior craftsmen and the nurturing and devotion of people who love their job. Rhythm & News continues its series of interviews with the closest thing SingSnap has to all of these qualities; the staff.
  • link  MEET THE TEAM
  • Accountability! That’s what it’s all about these days. Meet some more of the extremely hard working News Team that the Editor will attempt to blame if things go wrong just to take the heat off himself. Hey, why do you think he has survived this long?
  • link  TIPS FROM THE NERD SQUAD
  • Okay so who REALLY keeps the place ticking over? It is people like our Nerd Squad member SpankyRECORDING-SUPPORT who concludes his three-part article on how to make your recordings as good as they possibly can be. Just don’t tease him on his Dungeons & Dragons card collection, ok?
  • link  HOROSCOPES
  • Predictions, forecasts, learning your future. There are many different ways in which people do this and since the News Team ran out of chicken bones last week we had to come up with something different. Borrowing from the mystical powers of world travellers our Betty gazes into a sort of fishbowl to determine how we’re going to mess up over the next few weeks.
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  • link  WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT SINGSNAP
  • Uncontrollable shakes? Shouting at the kids for no reason? Firing off a torrent of abuse at the cable company for your lousy connection using language you have previously only ever heard on the tv? How does not getting your regular SingSnap fix affect you?
  • link  NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
  • SingSnap membership grows every day. The site constantly increases in size and complexity with new songs and new features. It’s all getting rather complicated for the newbies, so we decided to ask them how they were getting on and offer a bit of helpful advice. It appears that they are rather enjoying it in here!
  • link  RECIPE (EASY MAKE MUG CAKE)
  • Following the success of editorial decisions such as Extreme SingSnap and the Easter Eggs the one article he decided to discontinue retains its regular spot in Rhythm & News by popular demand. Yeah, we’re all REAL proud of him...
  • link  THE CLASS OF MANY YEARS GONE BY
  • The good old school days; Chemistry class, water bomb fights, detention, acne. Oh how we wish we were back there heh heh. Well, there’s a way you can revive the better moments of your school years right here in SingSnap, without the stink bombs of course.
  • link  LAST MONTH’S WINNERS
  • We like this bit; making people happy by dishing out gifts. The final winners of our contests before they become exclusive to Blue members are presented with their prizes. Did you paint a pretty profile? Were you speedy on the Sudoku? Come on in and see if you were one of the lucky people.
  • link  PUZZLE TIME; CROSSWORD
  • Contest time! Blue members, we’re giving you an exclusive chance to sample the delights of Gold membership absolutely free for a whole month! Take part in our custom-built crossword based around the SingSnap experience and stimulate your brain into song!
  • link  FAMOUS NAMES; THE RESULTS
  • The great response we got from this feature in the last edition of Rhythm & News prompted us to give it a space all of its own. We highlight the funniest stories of how you brushed shoulders with the rich and famous, or not as the case may be.
  • link  LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
SingSnap News-In-Brief
NO NEED TO BE BLUE

Free members only to go for Gold


Following extensive feedback on the SingSnap message boards relating to recent policy decisions and their effects on the free Blue membership system, Rhythm and News have great pleasure in announcing that from now on all prizewinning contests shall be open to Blue MEMBERS only.

The move has been backed by SingSnap staff in a bid to encourage new arriving members to sample the delights of the additional features that the Gold prescription service has to offer, such as stereo recording, Inner Circles, access to the full comprehensive backing track database and many other extras.

Staff member Per denies accusations that the decision was made to make his job easier because he couldn’t be bothered with the fuss and bother of having to chase around all the individuals that Gold prizewinners were donating their winnings to. SingSnap Rhythm & News fully advocates this denial since we already know he doesn’t really do much anyway.

HTM WHAT THE L?

Program code changes introduced


June 2nd saw a change in the way that site members are allowed to individualise their SingSnap experience with the implementation of new code that filters all HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language) that is uploaded to the site.

What does this mean? Basically HTML, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and embedded items are still allowed onto your Profile pages, guestbook entries etc. but script access is now denied. In a nutshell, no more javascript. This has been done to increase security and safe use of the SingSnap site and to stop hackers from potentially causing trouble.

Still baffled? Yeah, me too. In layman’s terms you CAN still customise your Profile pages in certain ways but anything with this javascript thing in it is not allowed. This is now official policy. Staff member Jason is continuing to work through some of the finer details where problems have been encountered so a little patience may be required. For progress on the situation please visit his thread on the message boards

BE A BANNER WINNER

New invitation banner created


Staff enlisted the help of the SingSnap community recently when they were asked to design a graphic that would fit on the website pages encouraging members to invite their friends to the site.

After only 5 days of the thread going up on the message boards asking for help, over 470 replies were logged, many of which were samples of work seeking approval for their inclusion at the very top of the pages on the SingSnap site.

Yes folks that’s right, it was Per’s idea! In his ongoing campaign to take the credit for everybody else’s hard work Per has successfully backheeled yet another job onto some poor sucker who isn’t getting paid for it. We at the News Team know that story all too well.

The winning banner, an excellent creation by Gold member Tanqueri, will no doubt be introduced into the site just as soon as Per can find someone to do it for him. To see all the other entries please click here to link to the message board thread.


Whoops! Looks like somebody who read STAT_SUEof_LYRICLY’s article “Cruisin’ the C’s” in the last edition of Rhythm & News took the Editor’s advice about removing all the C’s from her keyboard a little too far (I have an alibi! I spent the evening with... hmm, I’d better think about this one more closely. Let me get back to you. Ed).


Many thanks to our Betty’s other half, paddy19GOLD, for giving us the giggles in the News Team office with this hilarious send-up.

welcome

**STOP PRESS**


MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT – 3,000 SONGS ADDED TO LIBRARY; BLUES TO GET NEW CONTENT; CONTRACT ENDS WITH BACKING TRACK PRODUCER


June 10. Significant changes were announced that will affect every SingSnap member.


Approximately 3,000 songs have just been added to the SingSnap backing track library. This is the biggest single-date inclusion of new content since the early days of the site from its launch in 2006. Also the decision to cease access to new content for free members has been reversed and now Blues will once again have new songs to enjoy including current releases.


Sadly this excellent news was slightly clouded by the announcement that negotiations to renew the contract with one music provider were unsuccessful. Consequently all recordings and material pertaining to Chartbuster will be removed from the site. Also another music provider as part of their contract renewal has set in place conditions restricting content access to Blue members.


Further details can be found here on the SingSnap message boards.

Dads get a turn at having their own day this month. Tradition dictates that mothers do more for their kids and therefore by perverse parent logic deserve to have more spent on them (and kick up a fuss when this doesn’t happen – don’t deny it!). The common practice then is to fork out as little as humanly possible on dad as he doesn’t really mind anyway and is more than happy to keep the peace so that he gets to watch the football now and again.


Cynical I know, but kids sometimes don’t have all that much to spend anyway (especially after Mother’s Day heh heh) so why not take a look at some of our gift ideas for the father figure in your life, which are both practical and economical. And wait until at least the day after to borrow the money back off him!

FATHER'S DAY FINDINGS singingconfession by singingconfessionGOLD

Since the Mother's Day gifts were such a hit, I am back this month with Father's Day gift ideas! Again, gift giving can be affordable AND fun. This time, we have an angle. The topic of this Father's Day will be “Things He Can Use”, because of course we want to get him something that won't just sit around until it eventually finds its way to the sale box in the back of the garage.


What I suggest is that you lurk around your father's house... yes, I mean snoop! This might be a little more difficult if you don't live with your father, so here's a little tip; make an excuse to visit, then “use the restroom” for your perfect snooping opportunity. Okay, I bet by now you're thinking I'm some sort of stalker but I'm getting to the point, I promise. So you're lurking around taking note of all of your dad's belongings...


Fathers Day Gifts You would never believe how simple it is to find something he'll use. If you're in the bathroom, take a look in the shower. Is he low on soap? Take note of the kind he uses and buy it. Same goes for deodorant or anything else he may be running out of. Are his jeans looking ragged? Sneak in his closet to find the brand and size he likes.


I can not stress enough- when he complains, LISTEN! I know its difficult listening to complaining, but it will really help you out. Even if he complains about something as simple as not having toe nail clippers, buy them for him. He will be surprised that you even noticed he said something. I remember when my dad used to complain about not having a 4-slice toaster. Every time he was in the kitchen he would mutter profanities at our poor 2-slice toaster, so one year I bought him a 4-slice toaster and he loved it. Keep in mind that I was only 12 years old at the time, so I had a limited budget of about $20.


And finally, the gift basket. Gift baskets are perfect even for dads. What are his favorite things? Favorite TV show? Favorite candy? Favorite sport? Those random little things he likes can be turned into a themed gift.


As long as you keep your eyes and ears open, you can find something your dad needs. Men are generally practical. They like things they can use. If you get them something to hang on the wall, it will sit in a dark corner and collect dust until you finally hang it yourself. I know from experience.

I NEED A BREAK!! How often do you say that? Yeah I know me too. Well, the time to organise that well earned and long-awaited summer break is upon us. Dig out your Bermuda shorts, bikinis, flip-flops, shades, tanning lotion, embarrassing string vests, snorkel and the bug spray. Dust off the suitcases, exchange some funny money, laugh at each other’s passport photos again and... er... where are you going anyway?


Take some time to read our tips on getting prepared for that lounger by the poolside, and don’t forget to shoot plenty of pics for us!

WE’RE ALL GOING ON A... ma_elena by ma_elenaGOLD
Travel


For many people vacation/holiday time is only around the corner. Do you have plans already? Will you be going away this summer or perhaps later in the year? It's still not too late to plan a nice vacation for summer, or even shortly after.


If you're in the early planning stages of your trip, I highly suggest contacting a Travel Agent. They won't cost you an extra cent. Travel Agents are paid by airlines & hotel companies. Their dedication and desire for your returned business will assure you that you'll receive the best advice, offers and deals available, unless you're a pro at hunting down these same deals yourself.


Even with these hard times everyone can manage to take some time to get away and relax. If you're working with a tight budget, try looking for something not too far from home, or even around your town. I find it rather interesting that while traveling I have come across many people that have never visited their own local historical or monument sites. In New York, I've met locals who told me that they had never walked up to the crown of Lady Liberty, or even visited Liberty Island. It's very exhausting by the way, but once you get to the top it's so worth it.


Growing up for me it was pretty much the same thing, we would have family visiting from out of town, and our family always had to drive to San Francisco to the Golden Gate Bridge, and I'd always say "boring"! Of course I don't see it that way now. So I suggest taking a good look at your area, or neighboring towns/cities to see what they have to offer, and what you've been missing out all these years.


Camping is another inexpensive option. And it doesn't necessarily have to be sleeping in a bag under a tent. Last year my son and his girlfriend invited me to join them to go camping for a few days in Yosemite National Park. We stayed in a nice Yurt (Gers) with most amenities in our room, we had one double bed, one queen/dbl bunk bed, a microwave, mini fridge, even a TV! The bathrooms and showers were a very short walk from our Yurt.


Have you ever tried hosteling (YHI/AYH)? First time I did was 40 years ago this summer while traveling throughout Europe. Since then hosteling has extended to other continents. I bought membership and have stayed in South America, Canada, Australia, Europe & the US. One of the things that I love about hosteling is that it's makes it very affordable for the single traveler. Many hostels now offer family rooms for couples and families wishing to have a private bathroom, and not having to share accommodations with strangers (guilty ha ha!). But if you don't mind, and wish to save some money, it's fun and a nice way to meet people from all over the world. You also have an option now to either become a member, or pay a bit more for non members for each night's accommodations.


landing


I did have one negative experience but I blame it all on the manager. My children and I wanted to visit Hawaii for a week after spending 2 weeks in Australia. I had heard that Waikiki was very expensive, so in order to make it affordable I booked a week at a Hostel in the heart of Waikiki (one double & one twin bed, no sheet, or towels for the three of us). It was my worst and only bad stay ever at a hostel. This was the end of August, it was very hot and humid. We left the windows open to cool down at night, only to hear my young partying neighbors run around talking loudly outside our room (against Hostel rules) their rowdiness prevented us from sleeping most of the night. My complaint to the manager on the second night only fell on deaf ears. So I spent a few hours of my vacation checking with different hotels on the strip for the remainder of our stay in Hawaii. It paid off; the very nice hotel that I found was only $20 more per night, with sheets, blankets, a mini refrigerator, bathroom & tub in our room, and most important AC! To add insult to injury, the manager at the AYH wouldn't refund me my deposit until I scrubbed the toilet!


Don't overlook cruising; it has become so reasonably affordable these days, who could resist? I took a 4 day, 3 night cruise two years ago, cost was about $340.00 including port taxes, transfer to & from the Airport, and a single supplement. All meals (available 24 hrs a day), great entertainment were included, with stops at two ports, Catalina Island, & Mexico.


If anyone has any questions regarding travel, please feel free to send me a PM, I'll do my best to give you a reply, either on the next newsletter or by PM.

In our Valentine’s Day edition of Rhythm & News (issue #4) we interviewed some people who had fallen in love thanks to SingSnap (altogether now, awwwwww).


It is always lovely to discover when they have made it last, which quite frankly doesn’t happen often enough on the internet. We decided to just pop our head around the corner of the lives of one such couple, to see how married life is treating them after that keynote first whirlwind year...

SINGSNAP LOVE; BETTY & PADDY REVISITED divinedivauk by divinedivaukNEWS-TEAM


“What started as a friendship of singing duets and chatting about computer issues, turned into a perfect fit romantically...”


This is how we started the article shown in Rhythm & News issue #4, the special Valentine’s Day edition, for two SingSnappers, Betty (bipolarbetty) and Paddy (paddy19).


And here they are; the first couple to meet and marry from the convenience of the SingSnap hookup spot. They wed in Chicago Illinois on June 11, 2008. Please join us in congratulating them on their first wedding anniversary this month, and let us raise our glasses to toast the fact that they haven't driven each other crazy yet. Congrats bipolarbettyNEWS-TEAM and paddy19GOLD!



I’m pretty sure Desmond Decker didn’t actually sing “Me ears are alight” but I did because that’s exactly what it sounds like to me.


And I know I’m not the only one. Misquoted lyrics are hilarious! There are some real howlers out there and our intrepid cheerleader Sue did a bit of digging for the best ones. Classic, bizarre, nonsensical, and hugely entertaining, see how many you recognise...

LYRICLY SPEAKING stat_sueof_lyricly by STAT_SUEof_LYRICLYNEWS-TEAM


Just like my SingSnap nickname misspells the word "lyrically", so are so many of the ways we interpret the lyrics of songs. Sometimes intentionally, just to be funny, and sometimes just because it's impossible to understand the unintelligible garble of lyrics those singers are spewing to begin with. I personally feel that singing the wrong lyrics is just as much fun as singing a song correctly. Listed below are some common and uncommon misheard and misspoken song lyrics that are sure to entertain and tickle our musical funny bones:


Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix

REAL LYRICS: Scuse me, while I kiss the sky.

Misheard as: Scuse me, while I kiss this guy.


Here's one for you know who...

Strawberry Fields, Beatles

REAL LYRICS: Strawberry Fields forever

Misheard as: Strawberry Fields for Trevor


Scarborough Fair, Simon & Garfunkel

REAL LYRICS: Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

Misheard as: Sparsely shaved, grow hairy in time


Bad Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater Revival

REAL LYRICS: There's a bad moon on the rise

Misheard as: There's a bathroom on the right


Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Elton John

REAL LYRICS: Someone Saved My Life Tonight

Misheard as: Someone shaved my wife tonight


Got My Mind Set On You, George Harrison

REAL LYRICS: I got my mind set on you

Misheard as: My God my mom sat on you


Blowing In The Wind, Bob Dylan

REAL LYRICS: The answer my friend is blowing in the wind

Misheard as: The ants are my friends, they're blowing in the wind


Michelle, The Beatles

REAL LYRICS: Sont des mots qui vont trés bien ensemble,Trés bien ensemble.

Misheard as: Some say monkeys play piano well, play piano well


Panama, Van Halen

REAL LYRICS: Reached down between my legs and eased the seat back.

Misheard as: Reached down between my legs and squeezed my seed bag.


White Rabbit, Jefferson Airplane

REAL LYRICS: Tell em a hookah smoking caterpillar has given you the call

Misheard as: Tell em a hooker smoking caterpillar has given you the call


Chiquitita, Abba

REAL LYRICS: Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong...

Misheard as: Kick her teeth out, tell me what's wrong...


I'm sure after reading and reviewing the above misheard lyrics, you probably thought to yourself, what about all the other wacky wrong lyrics? Unfortunately due to space issues, we simply couldn't list them all, there are too many to mention! My suggestion is just go ahead sing them wrong, what the heck, it's a lot more fun than trying to figure out exactly what those songs are really saying, and it makes your singing experience all the more creative! Have fun singing, and please you'll have to ‘scuse me, while I kiss this guy.

In our continuing mission to find out who does what around here your fearless Editor once again infiltrates the corridors of SingSnap Towers, hiding in the shadows, ready to pounce on the latest “staffy” who leaves their desk for a bathroom break only to be bundled into a sack, stuck under a 100 Watt lamp in a dark room, given the “treatment” for a couple of hours and be returned to the office looking dizzy, confused and moderately violated.


The saddest part being that nobody noticed the difference!

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So what do you actually do anyway? REALLYMAD icon by REALLYMAD
Jason

Hello Jason. Thank you for donating a little of your valuable time to Rhythm & News for this interview.


You're welcome! My pleasure really.


You're a hard man to nail down! You must be the one doing all the work.


Well, I am sure others would say otherwise. My time sure does get fragmented.


Well, since Trevor appears to schmooze at corporate functions and fly around in his plane most of the time, and Per seems to just delegate everything we're assuming you must be doing something.


Trevor schmoozes? Per delegates? I just thought they were off working too! Seriously though, we all have our roles.


Yes indeed. Very diplomatic I must say. Do you do the SingSnap PR by any chance?


We don't really have anyone doing PR. Except all you guys!


They’ll love me for that then. Anyway before we get too deep into this I must ask you the burning question. Your profile pic of the rabbit with a pancake on its head; what's that all about then?


From what I can discern, the rabbit was cold. Since a rabbit fur hat is out of the question for him (delicate issue) then warm flapjacks are the next best thing. And, it’s a cute and charming little picture. People respond better to it than your average picture. It certainly helps when defusing a tense situation. Which hardly ever happens; I'm just sayin'. Let me just finish with this: I am sure it's cuter than I.


We have no idea about that since we've never actually seen you at all. You are very secretive. One rumour is that you are somebody famous who prefers to stay incognito.


Nonsense. A good browsing through my recordings will reveal me. Not always the most flattering of videos since they're typically done while testing. Which means I've finished developing something. Which means I probably hadn't slept in a while.


Oh you have recordings? I really should take a look around the site sometime shouldn't I. So, Jason, what do they actually pay you for in here anyway? What do you do?


I guess primarily I'm the guy who dreams up the stuff. I am also the most technical of the group, so I work on the projects that involve new technologies like the recorder, effects, and so on. I am responsible for most of the day to day operational direction for the team at the office too (IE I kick them in the boot to get them going.).


Ah, evidence of actual work then. Now we're getting somewhere. You're the brains behind the recorder and the player and all the gadgets and gizmos?


Indeed. The original concept is my idea from a few years ago. We had dabbled in the past with a few iterations of this theme, but some technical innovations made the whole thing scalable and feasible, business-wise. So, that's my original contribution. Now I look for new ways to improve the feature-set and technical solutions to make it safer, better and more economical.


That is quite some achievement. You must be proud of the results in SingSnap. The site is a huge success and growing every day.


When I explain what I do to people, some don't "get it". But it doesn't really matter because the people on the site make it all worthwhile. For sure, I'm super proud. Some of the stories that have been created thanks to SingSnap quite literally have brought a tear to my eye.


We could say the same about the tears. Take the development of the stereo function for example. You really MUST share with us all the fun you had getting it to work.


Yeah, that was a particularly ugly problem. The advent of the "mixer" is the solution, to mix the music and voice together. That process is probably one of the most advanced and innovative on SingSnap. The system where we store the recordings is called S3, the Simple Storage System. When you mix a song, the recording is moved to S3, then to a cloud of virtual servers run on something called the Elastic Cloud Computing network. This cloud is flexible, meaning we can have 1 server, or 20 servers, depending on the demand at the moment. Anyway, your recording is poked and prodded, and mashed until the voice and music have been mixed together and blended back to the original video, then moved back to S3. The whole process takes about 10 seconds.


I did want to ask you about this stereo thing since I've got you here. During the field trials of which I was part of there was a lot to perfect and tweak I imagine. What I am still a little baffled by is the apparent difference between the mixer settings I create to lower the backing track volume or raise the vocal and such, only to find it is often very different once I save it. Why is that?


Typically the difference is caused by one system being linear and the other being logarithmic in how it determines the volume level. They're kind of apples and oranges and we have to make the system work as a 'best of both worlds' situation. The MMSB button changes that again, since it adds compression which brings the volume of the voice up. But, since the master track recordings we have also vary (widely) in volume, we have to normalize their volume as well to try to best match the voice level after compression. It's a guessing game. The MMSB is Guess #1, and I'm working on its successor now!


Yes, I was about to ask about MMSB. Excellent news no doubt for the entire community that you are consistently trying to find new ways to improve our singing experience. So, to continue, a recent decision was made about the use of HTML and script code and other such things I don't have a clue about, but it's all to do with site security? Should we be worried?


Nope, you shouldn't be. It's a problem that's always been around. We were handling it in a more under-the-hood manner, but to stay on top of all the security implications we decided to take broader action. Now we also block HTML from things like topic titles since people could make their font bigger or bold, giving that topic an unfair advantage in visibility. Plus, it looked ugly; this way the site still looks like our site where we want it to.

But people can still do very advanced things in song comments and of course their profile pages. Considerable work was done to keep those designs as functional as possible.


I know you've been hands-on with that on an individual basis in many cases. Must be very time consuming?


I don't really think so. Many times, thanks to the great input from one user, I would find a small problem, tweak it and fix 90% of other people's problems at the same time. Before you know it, the problems are taken care of!


Plus, it's my job, livelihood and pride and joy, so spending the time is par for the course.


How long have you worked with Trevor? Is SingSnap full time for you?


Full time? Much more than full time. We're all so involved and vested in this site that it has integrated into our daily lives. My wife even knows the different sounds my phone makes to alert me of a server failure. Trevor and I have worked together for about 10 years now, believe it or not!


Let's find out a little more about you. Where do you live? There's a Mrs Jason you mentioned; any baby Jasons?


There is a Mrs. Jason. The babies are our kitties; Jewel and Catermelon. Guess which one's the fat one? We make our home in Ottawa in a quiet little subdivision that we do our best to make noisy with our motorcycles and back yard movie nights.


Oh, Mrs. Jason has another name too: Lauren.


Please send our best regards to Lauren and the kitties. What about other hobbies/skills/pastimes?


Well, God bless my Mother for making me take piano lessons when I was very young. I gave up at the age of 14 or so, and turned to guitar, but received my Grade 8 Royal Conservatory in piano at that point. Guitar was a lot cooler for a 14 year to pick up chicks with. Sadly, that didn't work either.


My musical interest now involves both with a tiny home studio I've pieced together. I enjoy(ed) making remixes of old songs I loved when I was younger, playing all the parts. That takes a back seat now to SingSnap though; it’s more satisfying to just belt out a tune when I feel creative. It's like being creative without all the hard work.


Aside from that, anyone who knows me knows I'm a petrol head. I got into working on cars as a way to get my head away from a computer screen sometimes. It's turned into a full bore obsession. I'm just finishing the work on an old BMW that I've lovingly restored and modified into a scary monster of a little car. My knuckles have more scrapes than your typical nerd.


I’ll make a note to ask SpankyRECORDING-SUPPORT (News Team Nerd Squad) how many he has. Since we started this interview I've been checking out your songs. You're an excellent singer! Obviously music does mean something to you and has played a big part in your life. Ever do it in public?


I played a little with some bands in my late teens, but nothing serious. Mostly I did it because then I got to know the bar employees, who then wouldn't card me on other nights. I hope my Mom doesn't read this. When I was young, I looked REALLY young. I'm 33 now and I got asked for ID last week buying beer. I'm told I should be flattered since I'll be a young looking old guy someday, but I don't see how that helps. I still have only so many years, just like everyone else! [laughing]


And thanks for the compliments on the singing! My voice is naturally in the range of Coldplay which comes easy, but not to shy away from a challenge, I try my hand at Metallic a lot. Polar opposites!


Not scared to stretch yourself! I'll bet you still have all your hair too. Git! Actually it makes a welcome change to find one of the staff actually involved in the music business heh heh.


Thanks to my Grandpa, Herb and my Dad, Jim, I got a full head of hair! I'm not the only staffer who's a musician though. Tony is an actual professional!


I'm getting a picture about who does all the actual work that's for sure. Okay, we'll wind this up with just a couple more questions. Are you surprised by the amazing success SingSnap has achieved in such a relatively short period of time?


No, not really surprised. Like all my ideas, this one came to me in the shower (I have a theory about how hot water on the base of the skull increases blood flow to the brain, and the smooth noise and lack of other distraction allows the brain to wander, encouraging free thought. But I digress). I think the moment I realized how we could technically achieve this and yet still be economical I knew it would be popular. I mean, everyone loves to sing, just not everyone admits it.


From that point on, all our efforts at the company have focused on this. We had other product lines and ventures which are all now closed. We knew this would be the one to go Big if ever there was one!



So that's why I feel a bit stupid after taking a cold shower! I thought it was just my singing. Phew, that's a weight off my mind. Oh by the way, who's going to hold their hand up and take responsibility for the Hall of Fame?


[laughing] the HOF! Oh, the HOF. Per worked long and hard on the algorithms for the HOF, we'll give him credit.



I thought it had his mark on it. Finally Jason, would you care to give the faithful readers a heads up on any future developments you're working on for SingSnap?


I'll be brief: it's called The Studio. Features include the ability to switch between the two different videos when mixing a duet. Hope that wets the appetite!


You star! Trevor and Per kept schtum when I asked them. Top man!


I always enjoyed being the thunder-stealer. [smiles]


And all that's left for me to do is to thank you very much for your time today. I'm sure that everyone will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed taking part.


Thanks a lot for including me! Who doesn't like talking about themselves, I mean, really!


Oh and please tell Per that I was only kidding. By the way, can you get me an invite to the staff Xmas party?


I'll see what I can do!


Gets better and better...

Our regular feature to introduce to our readers the poor wretches who actually volunteer to put up with the Editor’s whining (when he shows up!) continues this week with two ladies who only last month made their writing debuts on Rhythm & News.


I’m not actually sure what we had them doing before that but I am assured by the rest of the team that they did it very well. Haven’t seen any coffee at my desk for a while mind you. Nevertheless, let me introduce you to some more of the people responsible (and accusable) for our newsletter, ma_elena and singingconfession.

MEET THE TEAM
ma_elenaGOLD Writer


ma_elena

It was summer 1992 when Helen first discovered karaoke while vacationing in Hawaii. Passing through the hotel lobby, she noticed people singing real songs on a stage floor, and thought to herself hmm... I can do that, but not before downing a couple of drinks. She has since enjoyed singing at company functions, parties and karaoke clubs while still relying on drinks for courage.


Helen's other interests include crafts, Genealogy, researching & discovering as many ancestors a possible. As a doll collector, she's been a member with the UFDC for 35yrs, making her own doll clothes as a young girl; sewing & creating later carried on for her own children. Her talents were put on display at local county fairs, once culminating in “Best of Show”. Helen proclaims to having had some of the best & most fun jobs in the world; the strangest was putting the cherries in the fruit cocktail cans for Del Monte! Amongst her favorites was working for the US Post Office, starting through the historical strike in 1970. No job has been more rewarding than being a mother and raising her two sons & daughter. Once her youngest child entered high school she sought employment in the travel business, which turned out to be the best job ever; well, after being a mom. It fuelled her passion for travel; 5 continents to date. And if all that wasn’t enough she went back to school and graduated Medical Assistant 2004. These days her life revolves around her parents, both in their 80s, and her 5 grandchildren.


A volunteer with the American Red Cross, when deployed Helen must then commit to three weeks at a time and depart within a 24 hr advance notice whenever a National disaster strikes.


Last but not least, ever since singing her first song in Hawaii, Helen has been hooked on karaoke. She's grateful for coming across SingSnap, and meeting such a great group of friends from all over the world.


Regarding this long bio, Helen says “What do you expect? I’ve been around a very long time!”


singingconfessionGOLD, Writer



singingconfession

Cassie is just a typical 16 year old girl who goes to school, surfs the internet, and unfortunately gets surrounded by drama. But what do you expect out of being a Junior in High School?


She deals with her stress by singing her heart out on SingSnap. Cassie refuses to let anyone listen to her sing 'live' except her two dogs (and best friends) Rosie and Charlie.


Besides being a closet rock star, she also hides the fact that she's a computer nerd. Her dad is constantly having to fix her desktop after she "tries to make it better". Thank goodness she still has her laptop.


Cassie would not be able to live without internet.


SingSnap
ENTERTAINING YOUR NEIGHBOURS SINCE 2006
Nerds CAN be cool. Our resident Nerd Squad member SpankyRECORDING-SUPPORT certainly is. I think he gained a bit of street cred when he stopped putting 6 different coloured pens in his top pocket, took off the black rimmed specs held together at the bridge with elastoplast and let his hair grow wild and free instead of sporting the brylcreem crew cut with the side parting.


In the final instalment of his 3-part series SpankyRECORDING-SUPPORT returns with the finishing touches on how to get the perfect recording. Now don’t forget; he’s a COOL nerd, a COOL nerd...

blank
TIPS FROM THE NERD SQUAD
Nerd Squad


Recording Tips – Part 3 of 3



Hiya all! This is SpankyRECORDING-SUPPORT. coming at you from Recording Support with the final process in how to record series. Before I explain the final process, I would like to explain the newest, and coolest experimental feature added to SingSnap. It is called Make Me Sound Better. The best way to explain this new experimental feature is from the explanation that our Staff Member jasonSTAFF wrote:

Player


“The MMSB takes your voice and tries to make it a little better. The button is located underneath the mixer. Set up the mixer like you always have, and then just select it, and we'll do the rest! You won't hear any difference until the song is saved. But once it's saved, you'll hear it; we'll level out the volume of your voice and add a little reverb. This is completely experimental, but the results are very encouraging so far. The best results before you record, sing loudly into the mic and adjust the record level so the meter * just * goes into the Red . Then, when you're singing, keep an eye on it. If it barely lights up, you are a touch too quiet. With the new button, anything in the middle is perfect. If you don't like how it sounds, or the volume levels seem weird, you can always go back and remix the recording from your account. You can either play with the settings to get the volume levels right, or you can uncheck the MMSB button and it will sound like it always did.”


Now I will explain the final step of saving, and sharing your project.

Player


On this page you will have the opportunity to preview the song again if you wish. You can write a comment about the song, take a picture, and decide if you would like to make your recording public, private, or if you are a Gold Member you can choose to save it in your inner circle. On this page you also will have the opportunity to allow ratings, comments, duets, embed, and if your recording may have some offensive words or you feel that it might offend someone you can also choose to save it as “Potentially Offensive”. Once you have everything the way you want it. At the bottom you will see a button that says Save Recording. Click on that and Waaaaaaaaa Laaaaaaaaa (Speaks French like a native doesn’t he. Ed.) you are done, ready to enjoy, and share with some friends.


If you have any questions, comments, or need help. Please feel free to private message me, or come see me or one of my wonderful colleagues in the Live Support Chat located in your Help tab.


Hope this Tip from a Tech helps you all. Have fun and enjoy recording.


SingSnap Recording Support


SpankyRECORDING-SUPPORT

In light of the recent British politicians allowance claims scandals all over the news the last month or so I decided to take a closer look at the News Team expenses account.


I came across some unusual receipts; 1 colourful scarf with matching tablecloth, 3 pairs Gold bangle earrings (large), 1 crystal ball, 1 “travellers” caravan, 1 horse, 1 sprig of lucky heather. I’m wondering if this has anything to do with one of our writers insisting that we call her “Gypsy Rose Betty” while she examines our palms in close detail...

June Horoscopes bipolarbetty by bipolarbetty
It has been called many things; craving, dependency, reliance, habit. Let’s face it, the word we’re looking for to describe your SingSnap fix; ADDICTION!


This is easily measured by a combination of the amount of blind panic experienced when the site goes offline for any period of time and the unconvincing denial that you could really live without SingSnap if you really wanted to. The cold sweats and the tearing down of the living room wallpaper are of course entirely unrelated...

WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT SINGSNAP? snuggle_bunny by Snuggle_BunnyGOLD


So, it’s another crazy day of running around in circles and losing your mind! BUT you know what you HAVE to HAVE!


You kick all the junk that you didn’t get a chance to clean up out of the way, to make your way to your computer…


OH! You KNOW you are about to embark on something awesome! That leaves your half done tasks so far out of your mind that for a moment those kinds of problems do NOT exist!


You are about to become a singing sensation, known the world around!


With the click of a mouse and a quick sound check you ARE the singing idol that even Simon Cowell can’t bring down to their knees!


You have friends, fans and a million songs to choose from!


Your hands shake as you carefully type in www.singsnap.com (after two or three tries you finally get the address right) typing faster than your mind is a sign of genius!


Don’t ever let anyone tell you any different! You are a star! Remember?


There you sit anticipating the feature page to pop up with detailed information as to what to sing for your adoring fans, and….


WHAT’S THIS?


will work for... A little banner that Per thought up (thanks Per!). It says “Sing snap is currently down for repairs and upgrades”.


You smile, thinking “Well, how long can this take? A couple of minutes?


Sure! I will wait!”


While continually pushing the refresh button, your smile turns to real tears!


Your adoring fans must be frantic at this point! YOU AREN’T there!


You know that there are a million other things that you can do to keep you busy while you wait. So you look around…


There IS the junk that you kicked out of the way getting here, rolling your eyes you think “yeah right!”


You think of going fishing, going outdoors, what a novel idea. Sure, you haven’t been in years, and now might be a good time to see if you can catch something besides the fly fisherman that decided that it was a good idea to wander out in the middle of the pond. Or the tree, that still has your last fishing pole still stuck in it!


NO! Maybe not a good idea.


So you check Sing Snap again… still down for upgrades!


You think to yourself, “These had better be some darn great upgrades!


They better make me sound like Barbara Streisand or Dean Martin!”


There you sit, still thinking of what to do instead of enjoying your Sing Snap addiction!


Your mind wanders over the possibilities that lie around for one, such as yourself, to do while waiting to do what you really want to do!


You want to sing!


Wait! You sing in the shower! So you quickly disrobe and hop in the shower and begin humming!


So far this is going pretty good! Until you remember what you forgot two days ago when you got wrapped up in a SingSnap contest .


You forgot to buy shower gel and shampoo! So you make do with what you have available. After you wash off using a whole can of scrubbing bubbles and wash your hair with Ajax, you hop out, still not satisfied with singing in the shower, with no one listening or rating your performance.


It’s just not the same at all!


Half naked you walk through the house to the computer and hit refresh!


Still nothing! Your mind reels through memories searching for what you actually did BEFORE SingSnap!


You can’t remember! Frantic you hit refresh again! FINALLY!


SO without SingSnap, where would you be?

welcome
The launch of the new look Community Page last month opened an opportunity to view the latest new recruits to SingSnap as they arrived, allowing seasoned members to welcome them in and offer them advice with a comfy seat by the fire.


The place is certainly a bigger and more complex animal than it was a couple of years ago, which can be quite daunting to the uninitiated, so roving reporter Sue conducted a survey with the SingSnap freshmen to see what they thought of the show so far...

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK stat_sueof_lyricly by STAT_SUEof_LYRICLYNEWS-TEAM
welcome


Once again, my very talented and apparently "magiCal" editor MiCk said he was going to remove the letter C from my keyboard due to last month's artiCle. Well ha ha MiCk the C's are still working… (Anybody seen the News Team tranquilizer gun? Ed).


Doing my usual roving reporting, I put together a questionnaire for some of our new members that I found featured at the top of our new Community page. I listened to them, also welcoming them to SingSnap and gave them feedback. My questions were comprised of asking them how they felt about the SingSnap experience since joining.


My questionnaire turned out to be a very gratifying and hopeful experience for me. I reviewed the answers to those that participated, and I'd like to thank all those "newbies” for their feedback and helpfulness. I am very pleased that so many positive and interesting answers came in, and glad that they felt my advice was helpful.


Literally ALL of them absolutely LOVE this site! They found it easy to navigate, and enjoyed many of the options and features available. Their favorite activity was obviously "SINGING!". Many are still in the learning stages of navigating the site with all the variety of things to do, see, and hear, but. I am sure with time and by clicking around, most will be pros in no time! I assume they will accomplish this in the same way most of us "OLDBIES" learned, by trial an error.


Below is a quote from a new member that impressed me:


"It’s far beyond a karaoke site; it allows for many advantages, socialization, education, possibilities in the music and entertainment industry".


He also told me that it's a great way to find out if you can actually sing and be quite good at it, when you never realized it before!


Great Point! First of all I completely agree with the above statement, and I added that genuine vocal talent has been “discovered” right here at SingSnap. I mentioned the tremendous amount of SingSnap's members whose singing abilities just soared to a point they never dreamed possible, and about how others have noted so much improvement while singing here and practicing.


I told many of them about the "Sitemap", advising them to use it as well as the message boards, and about all of the wonderful volunteers here that can help with any question or problem they might encounter. I also told them about the importance of our “Terms Of Service” (TOS) and guidelines that we all need to follow and respect.


A select few didn't realize the differences between the Blue and Gold membership options, and a majority did not even know about the existence of Trevor! Some that did know about the different memberships are considering going Gold and giving it a try, which is fantastic! I know they won't be disappointed.


One member in particular mentioned the immense growth potential he sees here and told me that he felt this could be the next Ebay! (I personally agree with that one!) Also mentioned was "A great place for a talent scout searching for that special voice", which is a dream I'm sure many of us have!


One member told me that when he joined there was no explanation of what SingSnap was truly about, so I feel an "Explanation Page" might be in order to help guide them, or maybe we can have an official welcome wagon?


Another surprising fact was that most of the new members I interviewed here did not know that Trevor frequently interacts within the community, and sings and enjoys the site himself. In fact, many that I interviewed had no idea who Trevor, (the President of SingSnap) was. I did notice Trevor's feedback on many of their songs! WTG on that Trevor (Awesome!! 5***** for you - sorry, couldn’t help myself. Ed), In fact, our staff's names appear in red font, and they didn't even realize what the red names meant! How very cool that Trevor complimented them with his ordinary name in Red without a mention that he is the president of this site!


The majority of newbies that I spoke to landed here by the recommendations of friends and loved ones. Some were sent to a song link via e-mail and by exploring and clicking around, and they discovered to their sheer pleasure that they could join as well. No Google or search engines were mentioned to me, not once! But mostly word of mouth got them here, and I am so thankful for that.

One of the first decisions I made about the content of our newsletter after issue #4 went out was to remove the recipe. Seemed to me that nobody read it, or tried it, so there was no point it being there if nobody was interested, right?


WRONG! As soon as we put up a thread for the newsletter release the comment came in; “I so miss the recipe...”


That’s how much I know! Another great editorial decision. So, by popular demand the recipe returned and keeps its place once again with this clever little concoction to tickle the taste buds in tip top time.

RECIPE (Easy Make Mug Cake) bipolarbetty by bipolarbetty

It's time again for a fabulous SingSnap Rhythm & News recipe. And I can assure you this one is a complete yumfest. It is quick, microwavable in fact, and EASY. It can be prepared by just about anyone. It's so clever, non-messy, and very convenient. It's the perfect sweet snack, dessert dish or even a fancy breakfast entry. You really need to try it, I did and it worked perfectly! Please thank our wonderful SnapChef here who submitted this recipe, his name is The_Holy_MoleGOLD . His recipe is genius!


cupcake


Posted by The_Holy_MoleGOLD
the_holy_mole


Recipe:


In a Large coffee mug (as big as you've got) mix together all dry ingredient first:


4 tablespoons of plain flour
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa/drinking chocolate ( I recommend green and blacks but Cadburys will do!)


Stir thoroughly


add 1 egg and stir
add 3 tablespoons of milk
add 3 tablespoons of oil (olive or veg)
add a splash of vanilla essence.
stir thoroughly (a wire whisk works best for this part)


(optional) add about 3 tablespoons of an extra such as choc chips, nuts, glace cherries, etc. and stir again


Whack it in the microwave on high for 3 mins. It will rise out of the cup, don’t panic! Let it stand for 30 seconds before running a knife around the edge to loosen, tip and pop onto a plate and serve. Goes lovely with a bit of clotted or ice cream and raspberries. Add some whip cream or frosting, or dust it with some powdered sugar for a sweet twist.


I used a large mug as directed, the batter filled up to about halfway in the mug, and although it did not rise out of the mug it looked great, and had the perfect cake-like consistency. Then I drizzled simple chocolate syrup on top and on the plate too, and finally I garnished it with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Heavenly!


Enjoy!

Ahhh how fabulous it must be to relive the old school days; fights by the lockers, getting “wedgies” when the older boys dragged your undercrackers halfway up your back, tyrannical PE teachers who made you run 6 miles in a snowstorm even if you DID have Bubonic Plague, having to sit next to Shirley Stannick in detention after school when you should be out playing football with your mates...


The only thing I remember about school was that I hated the place and couldn’t wait to get out! It seems though that many were more fortunate and don’t snort in derision at the old adage “school was the best years of your life”. A few of these started a SingSnap High School kind of thing on a message board thread which seems to have caught on rather well...

THE CLASS OF MANY YEARS GONE BY AardvarkBark by AardvarkBarkGOLD

There was a SingSnap get together last year called “The Class Of Many Years Gone By”, for Snappers to go back in time to their High School (or equivalent) days in a challenge forum. A prerequisite for participants was to scan their high school photo, make it visible in their profile, and to join in the activities in the forum. We posted songs, pics, great graphics, funny sayings, and participated in many school functions.


With Mr. Finklebottom (truly yours) as the principal, Mrs. Shagnasty (chattycathy52) as the school secretary, and a lot of other helpers and participants, the result was a great success, with a large collection of characters, events, and general 'kid stuff' going on. These included, The T-Birds, Pink Ladies, Sleep-overs, Prom night, The Dance, dating, flirting, slumber parties, pillow talk/fights, parking on Primrose Lane, graduation, just to name a few; all participating as they had actually traveled back to that wonderful time. You name it... we (they) did it!


T-Birds As the event progressed, we were so accustomed to seeing everyone as high school kids that it was surprising to see how they had changed over the years; just like a real class reunion! Many lingered. And, I recall one member who said, "I don't want it to end." Well, if you've ever seen the Twilight Zone episode, "Kick the Can" you might understand how that could be!


This year on Monday, July 13th, the event: The Class Of Many Years Gone By - Revisited, will comprise the first class reunion of old SingSnap High, and promises to be even more exciting, with a full calendar of events, new characters, a school site map, and many other features. All are welcomed to attend.


There will be certificates given, prom king and queen election, special music of various High School eras provided by the participants, many announcements from the High School admin, hall checks, and a host of other things. There will even be classrooms, and off property places to hang out!


A special theme song, The Class of Many Years Gone By (written by truly yours) will open the event as the festivities begin.


We welcome everyone who would like to jump in on the fun this year to scan their high school (or equivalent) photos as the July 13th event nears, and look for the thread in the Challenges and Themes area at that time.


Please come and join us back in time, as SingSnap High celebrates, The Class of Many Years Gone By - Revisited, with its first class reunion!


A description of the July 13th event can be found at: The Class of Many Years Gone By


George (AKA AardvarkBarkGOLD)

It’s the fun part again! We present those lucky winners from Rhythm & News issue #6 who took part in our prizewinning contests with their spoils.


Well done once again to the latest recipients of our gifts of Gold and don’t forget; after this you have to be Blue to win.

LAST MONTH'S WINNERS
and the winner are



PAGE DECORATION


We are pleased to announce the winner of our "Page Decoration" contest.


The winning page is an amazing example of what can be done with good solid knowledge of HTML and CSS coding. The code is beautiful, the graphics small and easy loading. This page deserves to win on any number of levels. You can see the page here. Our congratulations go out to dasmusicGOLD the owner of this page and the winner of a month’s free Gold subscription to use or donate as he pleases.


While not everyone has the skill set required to do this, next month Binky- will guide us through the art of "Page Decorating" with "Profile Edit 101". This article is sure to be fun and easy to understand.


SUDOKU


Last issue’s Puzzle Time Sudoku challenge got pretty competitive and we’re very pleased that all the people who submitted their entries had fun with it.


There can only be one winner however. The fastest completed entry received before the cut-off deadline was submitted by ItsJusMe with a blistering time of 1:59! Well done sir, your free month’s Gold shall be winging its way to you (or your proposed donor recipient) very soon.

There must be something to these crossword thingies that dads worldwide get addicted to in the daily papers. Hardly rock n roll I know but anything that stimulates the brain instead of letting it veg in front of the tv can only be a good thing.


Give our very own SingSnap crossword puzzle a try, keep the old grey matter ticking over and win yourself some Gold...

PUZZLE TIME; CROSSWORD bipolarbetty by bipolarbetty

Calling all Blue members – we have something here JUST for you. Well, that’s not exactly true but only Blue members can win the 1 month’s free Gold prize we’re giving away to the first correctly completed crossword!


Since we didn’t have time to make this an interactive puzzle you’ll have to do it the long way. So, firstly take a screenshot of the puzzle and print it out (SpankyRECORDING-SUPPORT our Nerd Squad member will help you here if you’re stuck). Once you have it finished list all the answers in the same way we listed the clues and send them in a PM to the NEWS_TEAM account.


The first we receive from a Bluey gets the Gold! Good luck everyone!


Across


2. a unified body of individuals (9)
5. tool for adjusting the key (5,7)
8. the prez (6)
10. two most heated message boards (7,3,8)
12. button for adding special effects during mixing (4)
13. balances and controls dialogue, music, and sound effects for recording (5)
21. a secret place to chat and mingle (5,7)
22. a side effect of spending time on singsnap day and night (9)
23. themed highlighted song area daily (8,5)
24. we compete on these (8)

Down


1. recordings of motion pictures (6)
3. special songs that come out in batches (3,8)
4. best online karaoke site in the world (8,4)
6. controversial promotion area (4,2,4)
7. a stimulant beverage (6)
9. where you get the big scoop (6,3,4)
11. occurs after hours on SingSnap, causing this deprivation (5,9)
14. where folks go to vocalize live performances (7,4)
15. where naughty Singsnappers go (9)
16. instrument whereby sound waves are used to produce sound (10)
17. favored companions (7)
18. a collection of recordings (8)
19. a device used in transmitting live images over the WWW. (6)
20. a yellow ductile metallic element (4)

puzzle
We were going to originally add this part to Last Month’s Winners but some of the replies we got were so funny we wanted to include them all, so it gets its own spot.


Thank you all for your contributions and we hope you enjoy reading some of the more obscure brushes with celebrity that our community has experienced.

FAMOUS NAMES divinedivauk by divinedivaukNEWS-TEAM
landing


In the previous issue we asked if anyone had any stories to tell us about famous people they’ve met, if they have a famous name, if they know someone with a famous name but less glamorous job…basically some funny stories to share with the rest of the SingSnap Community. A thread was also posted regarding this.


We had lots of responses covering all areas. Here are a selection:


MandyFORUM-MODERATOR has a famous name! Mandy Barnett. Sadly she is not the country singer, though she has been known to beat everyone hands down in a hoedown.


_G_O_L_D_I_E_GOLD met Lily Tomlin, no, not the actress – she was a waitress at a coffee shop. She also knew Michael Douglas, again not the celebrity version.


Soulrebel1GOLD seems to be a celebrity magnet and has met many British celebrities - comedian Benny Hill, Leo Sayer of “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” and dodgy hairdo fame, he got Chas & Dave’s autographs whilst in a traffic jam and was given 50 pence by the late actor Oliver Reed. These are only a selection of his run-ins with famous names.


grammatea4uPATRON is famous herself. Ok, not quite, but she HAS been on TV. She was interviewed by Katie Couric from the Today Show outside the studios, winning a bet in the process.


JubiGOLD told us how Gregg Allman sang with her friend’s band and was very quiet at the afterparty.


lily04GOLD met Tom Wopat of Dukes of Hazzard and Broadway fame in the grocery store (psst…he was buying some beer!)


Simone1 has a famous cousin! Lou Gramm, original lead singer of Foreigner.


Handmaiden777GOLD also has famous relatives. With a surname of Cyrus can you guess who the distant relations are? Hehe. *Hint – It’s Billy Ray and Miley*


paddy19GOLD saw Nick Nolte throw up in the alley behind a bar in Chicago. He was slobber drunk, and with some date who was just as drunk as he was.


janierenelGOLD went to high school with a guy whose dad was none other than James Bond!!


TJ_CPATRON has met a few people through work, One of which was Cindy Crawford, eating as little as you would imagine she would! (Roasted chicken sandwich, no mayo, lettuce and tomato for those who are interested).


The News_TeamNEWS-TEAM favourite was submitted by JusKateGOLD - she spotted Eddie Murphy in IHOP but calmly ordered a coffee and didn’t approach him, unlike everyone else in the restaurant. As he was leaving he spoke to her and when she went to pay for her coffee was told “Eddie Murphy paid for it”.


There’s a tip for you all…don’t approach celebrities and they might just buy you a coffee!


Thank you to everyone who has submitted their stories. Apologies if yours was not published or was shortened, sadly there are word limits needing adhered to, All stories made very interesting and amusing reading and the News_TeamNEWS-TEAM would like to thank you all for taking the time to participate.


Copyright © 2009 SingSnap.com All rights reserved.