'Downton Abbey' and season 4 Predictions

Downton Abbey (not spelled dowton abbey, downton abby or the like) is a perfect example of both a twice nationally awarded television drama and a supreme example of business in progress. As a writer and entrepreneur I just couldn’t pass up the chance to post about this show. First of all, for those of you not familiar with the show you probably have asked yourself: what is downton abbey about and why should I watch it and so forth... 

Well, let me first tell you that I too was drug into watching this highly popular British drama about a wealthy family in England set in the early 1900’s. Depicting the life of the wealthy family upstairs in their mansion of an estate and the servant life downstairs, this British drama has become a fad both in the U.S. and Britain alike (although many sources say it is more popular in the States than in its own home country).  

Anyway, after my sister forced me into watching a few episodes I have to confess that the show and its characters have become something I look forward to from season to season. However, after last night’s season 3 finale I’m not sure if ‘downton abbey’ will have my audience next season or not. It was tragic, shocking and intriguing all at once.  But overall, it was just another season of downton abbey. The show and its producers seem to punch beloved characters out as easily as they push them in (why I didn’t catch this from downton abbey’s season 2 I don’t know).

On the season 3 finale, Matthew dies and the audience is left with a picture of Lady Mary holding the couple’s first born son and heir to downton in her arms. With this tragedy in the rearview mirror who knows what next season will look like or what challenges downton abbey season 4 will bring. After the show my sister and I were so disturbed we decided to make predictions for next season and I thought it would be funny to insert them here (note we were in a rage when we wrote these items down). 

Prediction #1: Mary goes a little insane. 

Prediction #2: Branson and cousin Rose get together. 

Prediction #3: The Dr. and Mrs. Crawley marry. 

Prediction #4: Edith and the Editor incur much expected drama (nothing new). 

And there you have it. Downton Abbey’s season 4 predictions. While the show itself is something I could go on and on about, I decided to do some research after witnessing the disturbing season finale to see what other viewers are saying and, as I thought, I got plenty of answers. 

It seems that killing Matthew was a decision made from necessity and not overall plot. Dan Stevens (actor who played Matthew) decided not to renew his 3 year contract and so killing him apparently was a must (it seems this was the case with Lady Sybil as well). So, here is an interesting question:

Is ‘Downton Abbey’ moved by audience or business agreements? While its probably a little of both (as all television dramas are) the producers and script writers do a great job of making every season a must-see when they cut off the season before a complete  outcome to an event is aired. On my journey to find out more answers (with the help of Google) I found that while the show’s eventful plot from season to season is true to much of history, the show, like many, is dictated more by the business world than we would all like to believe. 

On a lighter note, I found some interesting photos and posts about the cast in real life that you can see here. In summary, weather you are a hater or lover of the show, Downton Abbey has swept two nations off their feet in only three years and, if the tide doesn’t turn, the show probably has at least a few more seasons to go. 

E-publishing and Ganxy

Hey everyone,

this week I have some exciting news to share. I have been keeping busy trying out new stuff online and working hard at my part time job. However, just yesterday I came to a breakthrough by doing something that has now become a positive habit: surfing the web for answers.

I know, it sounds pretty simple. But honestly, I think we often overlook the resources that are right in front of us. In the world we live in today, all the answers and more are usually right at our fingertips (or at the allowance of our keyboard and Google.)

One of my epublishing mentors (and a role model) is Ryan Deiss, an e-publisher and major internet marketer. Since I'm on his email list and so forth, I was reading one of his blog post's this week and came across something pretty profound. The post was titled 4 reasons you should sell your ebook directly via Ganxy 

After reading the post, I decided to give it a whirl. Just as said, I had everything up and running in less than 24 hours! In a nutshell, if you are at all familiar with the world of E-Publishing, Ganxy is pretty easy to understand. In essence, it works the same as Amazon and other big retailers but with better profits and bigger branding benefits as you can embed the info on websites and such (like below).

I would encourage anyone with an ebook out to go visit Ganxy.com. Well, that's all the exciting news this week....

"Homeschooling: The Bigger Picture" by TheProGrad on Ganxy




Chow

New Year Innovation: Say What?!

Hello my fellow readers,

Can't believe the New Year is already here! As we pull down our decorations and put away the stockings, Winter is still very much in the air (in most parts of the world). However, the time has past when most everyone around the globe has made a new year's resolution (or two) :)

With that said, as surprising as this may sound, I did something different this year: I made no new year's resolutions. Yes, that's right. I made none. Oh, I have plans alright... in fact, my calendar is already starting to fill up quite quickly. However, rather than doing the typical thing and making all those resolutions that we think are goals (yeah right), you know the ones we never keep.... I welcomed the new year with an overall vision in mind.

Speaking of vision, I just found out about this guy that apparently has a lot of it: His name is Colin Wright and he is the epitome of every Entrepreneur's dream today. This guy is totally awesome!

So this morning I got inspired... I started 'minimizing' as he puts it. It feels amazing! I cleaned out my entire jewelry box and once I got started I decided to get rid of it altogether. I realized that the jewelry I really wanted to keep would all fit in a few containers I already had laying around. Minimalism will definitely be part of my overall vision for this year (however, I do think owning a car is sometimes necessary).

Wright has written several ebooks, one in particular that caught my attention the other day... Its called Start a Freedom Business  for any entrepreneur/world traveler wannabe this is a must read!

So I guess if I had to tell you what my year's vision was in one word it would be: freedom

That said, I'm certainly glad I came across this guy, as he seems to know a lot about it. Just thought I'd share this with you guys. Overall, without a vision, you can't have goals anyway, right? Leave comments below and let me know your thoughts.

Season Shopping Secret: Buy Online

Hi everyone,

Today, I just have to share with you an amazing holiday secret that will not be a secret much longer.

This season, instead of rushing to the closest mall and pulling my hair out from shopping frustration, I have found a smarter way to do the Christmas shopping.

Here's the secret: Shop online!

Online Christmas shopping is the new fad, trust me. It makes things a whole lot easier. In fact, I'm not sure I'll ever step into a department store during the holidays again (wink, wink). Don't get me wrong, I love all the stores like Macy's and Sears and others. But christmas shopping online is so much easier.

Plus, I have found the most awesomest online store ever! It's one that everyone in the family is sure to love. Vat19.com and its owners are "purveyors of curiously awesome products".

But my favorite thing of all about this site is that the gift cards they offer are sent to recipients over email and you can pick any amount you wish to give (literally). Honestly, it doesn't get any better than this.

Of course I can't leave out Amazon for anything.

The prices are amazing and they offer almost anything you could want. Overall, online Christmas shopping is revolutionizing the way we shop. I couldn't be more enthusiastic about this epiphany, obviously. :)

Please share any awesome sites that would be great for online christmas shopping. Leave you comments.

Rockwell Thanksgiving: American All The Way

Hey Everyone,

So this week is Thanksgiving week and I’m sure we are all getting ready to cook the turkey and hang out with friends and family. Well, before that happens I thought I would share something with you that might make your Turkey day a little more meaningful.

Check this out.

 For many of us this painting is a classic piece of history and is very sentimental to those of us that grew up when the painting’s creator was around. However, some of us, myself included, may not have been around when this piece of art was still fresh in the minds and hearts of Americans everywhere. In this case, here is a brief history of this artistic jewel that is known by many as the Rockwell Thanksgiving.

Norman Rockwell was a 20th-century painter and illustrator with most of his popular work created in the 1940’ s-1960, as he was a key contributor to The Saturday Evening Post magazine during that time. Many of his illustrations for the magazine are considered a reflection of American culture and his work was greatly remembered for representing everyday life during World War 2.

The painting above is one in a series of four paintings appearing in The Saturday Evening Post in the year 1943. Its name is Freedom from Want, and the series in which it appeared was entitled Four Freedoms, a series Rockwell created from Franklin Roosevelt’s speech that spoke of four essential freedoms.

Today we have things like Instagram to share photos and modern day novelties. But back then, magazines and newspapers were the way new fads and tributes were shared. So this Thanksgiving use Twitter and Facebook and Instagram full blast, but if you have time, Norman Rockwell’s work should be kept in mind as well. Not because of his artistic work, but because of what many of his paintings represented.

Freedom.

Without freedom to share our individual and corporate beliefs and practices, there would be nothing to celebrate with each other during Thanksgiving.

So that’s my thought for this week. Leave comments and let me know if you are familiar with Norman Rockwell’s work.  

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Top 5 Holiday Commercials 2012

Well guys, 

Here it is. The top 2012 holiday commercials list. I could only come up with about 5, as it seems only select companies take the holidays seriously as opposed to competitors. I have added them in order of most views but typically I think the bigger the brand the better chance the video has of getting more views. 

While television commercials often get a lot more views than online videos or ads, Youtube was ranked 3rd most viewed site on the web this year. So I think it’s safe to say that if top television commercials are at the top, they will most likely be available on the world’s leading video site: Youtube. 

The best holiday ads made by known brands and their competitors are hard to choose for a top 5 list. Still, this is what I’ve attempted to do, so hopefully you’ll get a kick out of it. Here goes...

1.Connecting Flights-4,846,467 views

Coming in number one is of course, my latest personal favorite with 4,846,467 views. The Sears holiday commercial is what I call the Shannon and Eddie punch... Sears did a great job pulling viewers in before they knew it was an ad.

2.Another Miracle on 34th Street-129,666 views

Other than a photo shopped version of the original Kris Kringal, this video’s storyline isn’t exactly a new way of telling the old edition. It is however a great advertising stunt by Macy’s with a little humor and a ton of admired faces in the acting and music industries. 

3.Mayhem Snow Video-33,805 views

While this video wasn’t released all that recently it still hits wide popularity with fellow Allstate fans. 

4.Big Dog-18,342 views

This year Target didn’t go all that crazy with any big black friday ads but they did perform their typical advertising with an adorable video entitled Big Dog. 

5.Hallmark Tell Me Commercial-Holiday-485 views

While not an amazing amount of views this video gives you that warm feeling always associated with Hallmark gifts and cards, especially during the holidays, I just had to add it in for its adorability. 

Hope you guys enjoyed it. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. 

My Favorite Time of Year- SHANNON AND EDDIE

Hey everyone,

sorry I've been absent for a while. Now that the holidays are coming up I thought I could finally share something with you guys that hopefully you'll get a laugh from...

                                         EDDIE AND SHANNON

So what is my favorite part of the holidays?

Is it the presents?

The food?

The family getting together?

Well, all of these things are awesome and I sure do look forward to them. However, as a blogger and entrepreneur I have to say that I always look forward to one thing:

All the holiday commercials!

I know what your thinking... what? why would you look forward to that? I know I know, it sounds lame right.... but come on, let's be real for a second. At least for us younger people, we all are exposed to an enormous amount of advertisements during the holiday season.

I'm not sure that any of them really make us want to go buy what they are advertising but some of them sure do stick out more than others. How about the target lady commercial for black friday in 2010? None other than comedian Maria Bamford played the over the top black friday shopper who took it a little too far.


With youtube, tv, and facebook, we are all bound to run into some ridiculous advertisements at some point this season. Well, just yesterday I got my first round of advertisement while surfing youtube. It was one of those ads that doesn't have the "skip ad now" buttons. I'm sure you know what I mean.

Wow, Sears really got me with this one. If the ad would have been a movie preview (which at first I thought it was) I would have gone to see it.

Here's how it starts...

first, a female announcers voice says "due to weather all flights are canceled." Then two people say "what do you mean all flights are canceled?"

Next, these two people who have obviously been previously introduced end up sitting next to each other in the airport.... it continues.... "eddie?"..... "shannon?"...... "so what do you do?" .... well, I'm a blogger"..... that's the part that caught my attention..... "no way, I'm a blogger too!"...... and on it goes

it's a full blown airport love story until Eddie runs into (literally) a Sears refrigerator and then Sears hits you with the advertisement "you won't run into the top 10 appliance brands just anywhere"...

I thought, wow.... someone really got creative with advertising this year. :) Although this may sound a little phony, it happens to all of us.

It's a non-avoidable part of the holidays... except I tend to have a lot of fun with it.... I love to see what company got the craziest with their advertising and sometimes I laugh thinking about how much that company had to spend to shoot that 20 second video...

So that's one of my favorite parts of the holidays... crazy I know, but no crazier than the people in the ads... :)

check out this year's favorite:
Connecting Flights

oh... and be looking for another post soon... The top holiday commercials and advertisements for 2012


Happy Thanksgiving