visit steamtunnete.net for links to all these sites and more.
f SPECIAL
L FEATURE
Casting Call
launch your career as a star
By Tamar Maor
tram the Internet.
Is a life of fame and fortune your ideal
dream? If you answered yes, take your
first step towards that Malibu mansion
by starting your career online. Many
casting agents are turning to online star
searches and many web sites are hosting
online talent competitions.
Ed “You could have already won $10
million” McMahon is administering an
online talent contest called Next Big Star
(nextbigstar.com). All you have to do is
send in an application (along with a
video) to one of the 10 categories and
wait for your performance to appear
umme. visitors 10 tne site
vote on their favorite con
testant, who advances into
the next round of the com
petition. If you win you get
public exposure through
the site and there are also
prizes in each category.
If you don’t have any
talent, but you have excess
money, why not buy your
self a role in a Hollywood
film? Head over to Who
Wants To Be A Movie Star
(wnowantstobeamoviestar.com), where f
you can bid on a lead, supporting, or
five-and-under role in the film. Once
they have selected the cast, industry
professionals will write a screenplay that
will conform to the personalities of the
winners. MP3.com (mp3.com/movie
star.com) is sponsoring the musical
aspect of the movie and is also looking
for musicians, although for this you actu
ally need skill. Enter their contest by reg
istering and creating an artist page on
MP3.com. Six contests will be held, each
with different song style specifics. The
winner is selected by a music supervisor,
given $10,000 and featured on the film’s
Once you enter your music into the
MP3.com contest, you might as well sub
mit your music to Dreamworks Records
(dreamworksdigital.com) through an
easy four-step process. Fill out an artist
profile, accept their agreement, upload
an MP3 track and wait for Dreamworks
to come knocking at your door with a
contract and a bottle of champagne.
If you still haven’t started picking out
the color scheme for that Malibu home,
try your luck at open casting calls.
Aspiring Film Star (aspiringfilmstar.com)
has a list of filmmakers interested in cast
' MOVI^SIAR?
.;-J
ing with a list of all their avail
able roles. You send in a
resume and wait for them to
call you. Often they have
open casting calls, which just
specify a date, time and loca
tion for everyone to show up
and try their best at acting.
If you are a talented actor,
this is an incredible opportu
nity to find out about major
roles available.
Another easy opportunity
to get in a movie is by being
an extra. Generally you have to register
with a company and pay a small fee. The
casting agents will then try their best to
get you as many roles as you request.
Two good sites for registering are Film
Extras Coalition (moviex.com/extras),
for a $10 fee, or Entertainment Partners
(ep-services.com/htmls/cenex.htm),
which has a $20 fee.
Ready to star in your first motion
pic? Remember there are downsides to
fame. You are exorbitantly wealthy, never
wait in line and spend your life vacation
ing in the south of France. OK, so I lied,
there are no bad sides. Best of luck, and
remember to leave your pool-house
empty for poor, wandering journalists. •
SPORTS
NCAA Football
ncaafootball.net
You’re convinced that Florida State will fall to
Virginia Tech this year. Keep track of the AP
rankings, check out how your hometown team is
doing and test your NCAA football knowledge
here. There are top news stories about college
teams and even a list of what games will be on
the radio each week. Divisions I, II and III are all
represented. EDionne
Content: A Usability: B+
l&l Sports
iisports.com *
Are you a weekend paintball warrior or into mar
tial arts? If either of these are your games then
you know how hard it is to find quality products
for these sports. Offering top customer service
and catering to customer satisfaction, l&l Sports
has been providing consumers with quality
paintball and martial arts merchandise for over
ten years. Their Internet site provides pictures of
each product to help dispel the mystery that
online shopping often creates. Providing no con
tent other than their retail pages makes the site
utilitarian; however, it is a worthwhile stop for
paintball and martial arts enthusiasts.
MDougherty
Content: A- Usability: B
1
STUDY
Harcourt
harcourt.com
With thousands of pages to read, tons of papers
to write and exams comparable to the SAT near
ly every week, college can be as strenuous as
obstacle courses in basic training. No student
can do it alone. It’s a good thing Harcourt.com
is here to help you. With explanations of basic
lessons necessary for success, any time spent at
this site will immediately pay dividends. Only
one problem remains: tell the rest of your group
about Harcourt or keep the secret of your suc
cess under wraps. JLowenthal
Content: A- Usability: B