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Cirque du Soleil Beatles Love Show

I just wrote a long and eloquent post on the Beatles Love show being done by Cirque du Soleil in Vegas, but apparently pressing “save” doesn’t actually “save” anything, and I lost the whole thing.  So, I will summarize the main points, and post this video.  If you ever have the chance to get to Vegas, and even if you don’t know a single Beatles song, you MUST put this show on your list of things to do. I can’t say enough good things about it.

Main points:

  • This was originally George Harrison’s idea, so for anyone who thinks that it’s just a way to use the Beatles to trick people into seeing Cirque du Soleil, it ain’t so.  And if you know anything about George Harrison, you can tell this is his baby.
  • 78 minutes of digitally remastered and remixed Beatles songs (popular hits and relatively unknown songs) that sound as though they were recorded in a modern studio quite recently.
  • Visually stunning and capivating production, including somewhere around 50 performers (acrobats, dancers, actors, etc.) that make it impossible to turn away.
  • Taking the show in its entirety (music, visuals, etc.) creates a new-found admiration for the Beatles and their tremendous mark on music.  The performers bring each and every song to life and give them knew meaning and context.  Brilliantly produced.

Below is a recording of the first 9 minutes of the music, and below that, a promotional clip featuring the characters of the show.  It doesn’t do it a damn bit of justice consider how amazing it is in person, but it gives you a chance to see how the Beatles, song characters are brought to life. 

Top Blogs!

Stuck at home? Good Travel Reads

If you’re hard up for money this holiday season and aren’t going to do any traveling, there are some great books on Amazon.com that’ll make you feel like you went somewhere while you stay right at home:

The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World

Make the Most of Your Time on Earth

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

Our Dumb World: The Onion’s Atlas of the Planet Earth

Study Abroad, Travel, & Vacation in College

Eat, Pray, Love

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Top Tips for Booking Holiday Flights

Yes, that’s the creepiest picture I could find to depict “holiday travel.”  You’re welcome.  Going home for the holidays, or maybe a ski trip out west?  Here are some tips for booking flights this holiday season, courtesy of MSNBC.com.

  1. You will pay more this year.  Farecast.com predicts that holiday flights are 30% more expensive this year than last.
  2. Don’t hold out for last-minute deals. 
  3. Being flexible with your dates will help a LOT.  Case in point- I’m going to Italy over the holidays this year.  Instead of leaving a few days before or after Christmas like everyone else in the universe, I’m leaving on Christmas day and saving myself about $200 in the process.  And that’s $200 worth of cute handbags I can pick up in Italia!
  4. Try other airports, like if you’re in Boston, try flying out of Rhode Island or New Hampshire. 
  5. Instead of checking your bags, pack light and carry on- almost all airlines are imposing checked bag fees on your FIRST checked bag, let alone the second or third. 

For the rest of the list, check out MSNBC.com.

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Obama: International Star

We know Barack is a pop sensation among Americans, but it seems he is quite the headliner abroad, as well. GOBAMA…

Check out this site: http://obama2008.s3.amazonaws.com/headlines.html

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Blogs!

9 Ways to Travel For Free

MSNBC.com has a great article about finding ways to travel for free, 9 ways to be specific.  Here are my favorite ideas from the article, which you can read in full here.  It should be noted that while most of these trips would be virtually free to take, the websites listed below often have fees to join them (nothing astronomical, but it does somewhat infringe upon the whole “free” claim…).

House-sitting: “Take up residence in someone else’s home…” www.caretaker.org, www.housecarers.com, www.housesitworld.com, www.sabbaticalhomes.com

Driveaways: “A driveaway situation arises when a car owner needs his vehicle moved to a new location and either can’t or doesn’t want to do the driving. Rather than pay to ship the car, the owner signs his ride up for a driveaway program—essentially giving a free car rental to a volunteer.”  www.autodriveaway.com

Hospitality Exchanges: “Heading to a stranger’s house to sleep on the couch or in a spare room. And welcoming someone you’ve never met into your house.” www.couchsurfing.com, www.hospitalityclub.org, www.globalfreeloaders.com

Volunteer Farm Workers: “4,500 organic farms around the world that provide free food and lodging for guests willing to weed, plant seeds, plow fields, dig trenches, and harvest crops.”  www.wwoof.rog

Home Swapping: “You trade your pad for someone else’s, and everyone gets a free place to stay.” www.digsville.com, www.gti-home-exchange.com, www.homeexchange.com, www.swapnow.com, etc.

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