ASK!

For those of you who’ve been living under a rock, or too young to remember, here’s a quick recap of the British spy known as Bond, James Bond, courtesy of the Encyclopædia Britannica:

“(F)irst conceived as a Cold War-era operative. Trained in intelligence and special forces, the superspy always used the latest gadgets, thwarted Soviet agents, brought international gangsters to justice, and inevitably bedded a beautiful woman. An enthusiastic gambler, he was nearly as loyal to his signature vodka martini as he was to the British crown and his Scottish roots. Although Bond radiated charisma and style, he was also intensely solitary and virtually friendless, despite his many trysts.”

The many faces of Bond

As we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of James Bond films, how much do you actually know about the roots of this pop culture icon?

Read more »

Spot on!! Indeed the Public Libraries do have a loan promotion for the Singapore Arts Festival, and it runs from 14 May 2010 to 6 June 2010. For those of you eager to win fantastic prizes such as tickets to the Singapore Arts Festival performances, do check out the Esplanade Blog for more details. Good luck…

In addition, the below title from the Public Libraries may be of interest to you as well:
Title: Making visible the invisible : three decades of the Singapore Arts Festival
Call Number: SING 791.095957 PUR
Click here to check for item availiability

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Posted by Mr Justin Tan
Librarian
Adult & Young People’s Services

On the 14 Sep 2009, Patrick Swayze passed away, breaking the hearts of many of his faithful screen followers (ed: including mine). Upon his untimely death, the news and media were abound with coverage all over the world:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28582715/ns/entertainment-celebrities/

/main5310962.shtml

I remember when I was in my teens, I was totally mesmerized by his dancing in “Dirty Dancing” (ed: to the extent of my then-aspiration to be a dancer) opposite the lead actress Jennifer Grey . Or if you have not catch this movie yet, how about that famous “pottery-making” scene with Demi Moore in the movie “Ghost”? Who can ever forget this famous scene?

If you want to know more about Patrick, Public Libraries do have resources on him:

Books
Title: Patrick Swayze – One Last Dance
Call Number: English 791.43028092 LEI-[ART]

Videorecordings
Title: Dirty Dancing
Call Number: English 791.4372 DIR-[ART]

Title: Ghost
Call Number: English 791.4372 GHO-[ART]

Image sources (Last accessed on 21 Sep 2009):
http://uzzytm.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/dirty-dancing2.jpg

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/52/MPW-26145

So Johnny, Sam, whoever you may be, you will always be assured of a special place in our hearts…

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Posted by Mr Justin Tan
Librarian
Adult & Young People’s Services

Singapore Idol 2009 has yet again taken the nation by storm. Once again, hundreds of Singaporeans are glued to the telly, be they couch critics, supporters or participants.
Among the chosen ones this year, two of them come from Republic Polytechnic — Tabitha Nauser and Farhan Shah. http://weblog.rp.sg/

Republic Polytenic has been rallying support for them and we all hope that they will do their school proud as well.

How do these participants develop such strong good vocals? Besides having a pleasant voice, the vocal cords need to be stretched and developed in order to become performance worthy.

For those of us who are aspiring to take part in the next Singapore Idol and who can essentially hold a tune, or for those who are already participating in Singapore Idol, here are some resources that may help you become more successful in attaining your dreams of becoming a really good singer!

A fanatic’s guide to ear training and sight seeing. Volume one / by Bruce Arnold
Call Number: English 781.424 ARN -[ART]

Voice lessons to go[sound recording] / lessons by Ariella Vaccarino
Call Number: English 783.04071 VAC -[ART]

The right way to sing /by Linda Marquart and Lea Salonga
Call Number: English 782.042 MAR -[ART]

Vocal technique[videorecording] : developing your voice for performance / by Craig Reed
Call Number: English 783.043 VOC -[ART]

Posted By:

Chen Wanying
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

ASK! about Performing Arts

Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree was written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown, who based it on a story they heard in the 1960s:

A man who was released after three years in prison boarded a bus, on his way home.

I’m coming home, I’ve done my time,
Now I’ve got to know what is and isn’t mine…

He told the driver that he had written his wife to tie a yellow ribbon around the only oak tree in the city square if she forgave him.

Tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree,
It’s been three long years, do ya still want me?…

As the bus neared his hometown, everyone looked out for the old oak tree, and saw hundreds of yellow ribbons on it.

Now the whole damn bus is cheering, and I can’t believe I see
A hundred yellow ribbons round the ole oak tree.

The song was popularised in 1973, when it was sung by Tony Orlando and Dawn. It topped the Billboard Top 100 for four weeks that year.

About the Yellow Ribbon Project
The name for the Yellow Ribbon Project was inspired by this song. Just as the song sings of giving a second chance, the Yellow Ribbon Project aims to unlock the second prison. What’s the second prison? It’s the stigma attached with being incarcerated before, which hampers an ex-inmate’s re-acceptance into society.

Since it first began in 2004, the Yellow Ribbon Project has been actively raising awareness of the ex-offenders’ difficulties, cultivating acceptance, and nurturing support for the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders back into society. This 2009 will see more community involvement by inmates as Yellow Ribbon Project focuses on ‘giving back’ to society, having been beneficiaries over the past years. Some projects this year are:

- An art exhibition to raise funds for charity: Inmates took part in an art competition and artists of the short listed entries were treated to a one hour bonding session with their families at an art workshop (Prisoners display artistic flair, Straits Times, 2 July 2009). 44 out of the 454 entries will be exhibited at the Singapore Art Museum this September. Funds raised through the adoption of the art pieces will be donated to other charities. Find out more here.

- National Day: Nearly 35,000 goodie packs for the National Day Parade celebration were packed by 88 inmates who worked alongside other volunteers (Prisoners put together National Day funpacks, Straits Times, 24 June 2009).

- Cooking for seniors: The prisoners will also be cooking a buffet with volunteers from Lions Club of Singapore. Former offenders will help to deliver the food from the prison’s kitchens to several old folks’ homes (Inmates serve up Father’s Day family treat, Straits Times 21 June 2009).

You can get involved too by supporting them. The first marathon through the Changi Prison (Yes you get to run into Changi Prison!) will happen on 6th September 2009. Sign up for the run here.

The Yellow Ribbon Project is also supporting the library through a reading promotion. Stand to win $500 when you borrow books at any of the 22 Public Libraries. It’s easy. Just borrow any 6 items, answer 3 simple questions about the Yellow Ribbon Project, and drop your loan receipt into the boxes at the libraries. Read our poster here.

References:
1. Yellow ribbon becomes symbol during gulf war, Associated Press, 4 February 1991, Factiva.com, 3 July 2009, http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/
2. This day in music, BPI Entertainment News Wire, 22 March 1999, Factiva.com, 3 July 2009, http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/
3. Levine, Irwin and Brown, L. Russell, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon round the Ole Oak Tree”, An American salute : songs for patriots : easy piano arrangements: level two, Las Vegas, NV : Brimhall Music, c1991.

Posted by Ang Mei Jun,

Associate Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

The Annual Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, recently ended its 81st run. The films nominated this year were just as exciting to watch as other years. There were the usual favourites among the nominees, as well as some surprise wins. Check out the official 81st Annual Academy Awards website for all the information you need to know about the award.

In case you are wondering whose the best (and worst) dressed celebrities, happenings at the backstage and other juicy news, you can also check out this link from MSN SG website.

** All websites last accessed 26 Feb 2009

Also, you can easily search for online newspaper articles regarding this year’s Oscars from NLB’s online electronic database “Factiva” from NLB’s e-Resources page. This Factiva can either be remotely accessed from home (with retrieval access restrictions) or onsite at any of NLB’s 22 Public Library branches located islandwide in Singapore.

Indeed, this year’s Oscars had came and gone.. And already I’m looking forward to the 82nd run with anticipation..

** Above image was extracted from http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/oscars.jpg on 26 Feb 2009.

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Posted by
Mr Justin Tan
Librarian
Adult and Young People’s Services

ASK! about  Performing Arts

There’s a lot of hype now about Japanese anime, like D-Grey Man, Hellgirl and so on. You can probably rattle off a longer list than me, but what about Japanese films? Do you still remember the horror hit of 1998, The Ring by Hideo Nakata, and scenes of the creepy long haired woman crawling out of the tube? Simply hair-rising experience of many of the movie-goers then.

Besides The Ring, there are several other Japanese films that cover diverse themes, such as:

Tokyo Godfathers by Satoshi Kon (2003)
Call No.: Other 791.433 TOK
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

Three homeless friends find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve and try to locate her parents.

Hana & Alice by Shunji Iwai (2004)
Call No.: Other 791.4372 HAN
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

Hana and Alice are inseparable friends until Mark, a cute boy they spot at a train station, comes between them. Tricking Mark into believing that he is suffering from amnesia, Hana claims that she is his girlfriend. A baffled Mark struggles to regain his memories as he is drawn to the prettier Alice. When their bond deepens, the girls’ lifelong relationship begins to fray, propelling them apart.

Bushi no Ichibun / Love and Honor by Yoji Yamada (2006)
Call No.: Other 791.4372 BUS
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

A look at the relationship between a young blind samurai (Takuya Kimura) and his wife (Rei Dan), who will make a sacrifice in order to defend her husband’s honour.

Onna ga Kaidan wo Agaru Toki / When a Woman Ascends the Stairs by Mikio Naruse (1960)
Call No.: Other 791.4372 ONN
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

The widowed Keiko manages a hostess bar in Tokyo’s Ginza district. She remains faithful to the memory of her husband and supports her mother, brother and his son. The smiling mask she wears allows her to make a living, but the pressure to sell herself is unrelenting. Her business is failing and she must decide whether to raise the money to buy her own bar, or marry one of the admiring affluent patrons.

To celebrate Japanese films (and reward you for squeezing your scholarly juices), the library@esplanade has partnered with the Embassy of Japan and the Singapore Film Society to give aways tickets to the Japanese Film Festival 2008 (22 – 31 August). For more information, see here.

Contributed by Goh Peck Keong, Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

ASK! about Performing Arts

Do you need resources for plays for your school drama club? Or perhaps you are looking for some books with scripts for an upcoming public performance?

Regina, an Orchard Library “citizen reporter”, recently asked our Librarians for help on locating some good books with scripts for her school drama club’s public performance, which is aimed at a general target audience of all ages.

Peck Keong, our ever-friendly Librarian at Esplanade Library, suggested these titles from Esplanade Library to Regina:

[1]
You could consider going through the following anthologies of short plays for young actors and young audiences. The plays collected in these volumes are suitable for all ages and young actors and actresses like yourself should have little difficulty with the scripts.Please note that some of these plays may be rather short in length, so what you might consider doing is present two of these plays for your performance.

So dear reader, if you are like Regina, needing help on locating any resources, we…your Librarians… are always at your service.

All images were extracted from www.amazon.com
For the availability of the above mentioned book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Posted by
Mr Justin Tan
Public Librarian
for Adult and Young People’s Services

Found this post interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to mailto:ask@nlb.gov.sg?subject=ASK_blog- instead of sending a comment.

ASK! about Performing Arts

In today’s context, music publishing is no longer limited to just publishing of music in print. The business of music publishing has now expanded and branched out to other aspects such as the protection of copyrights of the original music by the artiste(s), record companies, online music business, compiling the sheet music, transcribers (perfect for those who have a good ear for music), and also record royalties.

Within the print business of the music publishing industry, there are 3 main areas:
1. standard music publishing in classical and serious contemporary music;
2. educational music publishing in music instructional books; &
3. popular music publishing.

Some examples of music publishers are Schirmer (classical and new music), Hal Leonard ( a compendium of music styles, including instructional), and Music Sales (songbooks and educational titles).
You can refer to their websites as cited below:

http://www.schirmer.com

http://halleonard.com

http://www. musicsales.com

Owing to the rampant spread of music being easily downloadable online and the threat of piracy, music publishers now strive to protect the copyright of the original music they own to prevent infringement, and the detrimental cause-and-effects consequences caused by music being freely distributed, be they in print, online, or sound recordings.

In Singapore, the MPS (Music Publishers) is formed to do just that. For more information, please go to http://www.mps.org.sg/

Answered by Ms Eleaner Ang, Librarian (Adult and Young People’s Services)

Found this question interesting? What do you think?
Post your comments, or send further questions about this or any other topic to ask@nlb.gov.sg

Dance on Demand
This post is a follow-up of Guide to Dance on Demand: Intro. In that previous post, you’ll be able to find out how to access Dance on Demand. Here are some of the features of this new dance database:

DANCE on Demand – a digital encyclopedia combining audio-visuals and text on contemporary dance of Germany exclusive to the library@esplanade and Goethe-Institut Singapore.

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Watch videostreamings of 100 films showcasing modern dance available from the database (only available via log-ins at library@esplanade and Goethe-Institut Singapore).

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Looking for information on dance pieces, choreographers, programme notes, etc? Look no further from the database which offers a compendium of information you need.

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Profiles of established German dance companies and institutions such as the Bremen Tanztheater and the Hamburg Ballett.

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Access writeups on various themes from the beginnings of dance to choreography to dance in cinema, music, and drama.

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Contributed by Jillian Lim, Adult and Young People’s Librarian

Found this interesting? What do you think?
Post your comments, or send further questions about this or any other topic to ask@nlb.gov.sg