Angela Polchat-Ferris

Publishing NEWS: -- Digital marketing veterans Ken McDonald and Chris Newton have written and published "How to Acquire Your First Million Customers," a book about growing online businesses through a variety of customer acquisition and online marketing techniques. The book is available this week as a free download on Amazon to celebrate the launch.

Music and Performers NEWS: -- Uproar Entertainment is excited to announce the release of "I'm A Hooker" by Kristin Key. Armed with her quick wit and her trusty guitar, the Texas native slings her signature goofy songs and hilarious jokes on her fourth collaboration with Uproar Entertainment.

Music and Performers NEWS: -- On this tenth anniversary of the Mississippi Spring Break Weekend, Splash Life Booking LLC is announcing the 1st annual Spring Break Explosion music festival, to be held on Friday, April 7, 2017 at MGM Park. For a decade now, college students and those seeking a white sandy beach getaway, come from all over the south to Biloxi for parties and other regional events during the "Mississippi Spring Break" weekend.

Publishing NEWS: -- The Oracle Group International is thrilled to announce the publication of "MAKE YOUR MARK: Personal Branding Through 'On-Purpose' Living" (paperback; on sale March 14, 2017; $20; ISBN: 978-0692833919) by award-winning, brand strategist, entrepreneur and author Courtney R. Rhodes.

Music and Performers NEWS: -- Jonas Sills, founder and executive producer of Art-In-Relation (A.I.R.), announces a grand benefit performance of "Broadway-LA." After three successful seasons of theater in the Long Beach area, Art-In-Relation made its move to Los Angeles with two acclaimed productions, "Andrew Lippa's Wild Party" and "Frankenstein, A New Musical" in the fall of 2016. They were honored to receive rave reviews and an "Ovation Recommendation" from the LA Theater Alliance.

Music and Performers NEWS: -- Combining the musical swagger of The Strokes, the DIY ethic of Black Flag, and the manic hair on fire delivery of Talking Heads, Delphino is a gritty indie rock band that just wants to get out of the basement and into your heart. Keeping the punk spirit in mind, over the past year Delphino has gone from playing in friends' basements and house parties to recording, mixing, and self-distributing their debut album, "Funny Cide," across New York.

Music and Performers NEWS: -- Uproar Entertainment is excited to announce the release of "Live From Las Vegas" by Alex Elkin. Comedian Alex Elkin has a comedy style that is unique and true to himself. He is unapologetic, says what he thinks, delivers the unexpected, and knows what funny is.

Film NEWS: -- The Bootleg Files, Phil Hall's celebrated weekly column focusing on classic and offbeat films and television productions that can only be accessed through unauthorized reproductions, is returning to the Internet after a two-year absence. The first new column will be published on Friday, February 10, on Cinema Crazed.

Film NEWS: -- With Thanksgiving on the near horizon, FilmSnobbery decided to serve up another type of turkey: in this case, the cinematic variety, with a seasonal celebration of the worst films of all time. And in a survey of approximately 100 filmmakers, critics, historians and performers, the choice for the worst film of all time went to Tommy Wiseau's utterly astonishing 2003 production "The Room."

SOFTWARE NEWS: Picas Inc. recently updated its flagship product Picas to 1.0.3 for iOS and 1.0.4 for Android OS. This free photo editor app can turn your photos into artworks with more than 50 filter effects, and each week Picas adds 1-3 new art filters. Due to its good performance, Play Store featured this photo editing app from Sep. 30 as editors' choice, which brought more than 300,000 downloads and 4.5 average ratings just in a week.

MOVIE NEWS: Cameron Baxter Films has announced the premiere of their film "Seeds of Freedom: A Vision for America" which is the inaugural event for the James Phinney Baxter Lecture Series at the Boston Public Library on Thursday, November 10, 2016 at the Central Library in Copley Square. The film is written, directed, and produced by Andrew Cameron Bailey and Connie Baxter Marlow.

MOVIE NEWS: (HOLLYWOOD, Calif.) Zak Lee Guarnaccia is a multifaceted actor, Hollywood stuntman, filmmaker, martial artist and fitness expert, whose career has been evolving in film, television, martial arts and fitness for well-over two decades. Guarnaccia is thrilled to join the cast on 'Live by Night' - the upcoming American crime film, written and directed by the Oscar-winning director Ben Affleck, based on the 2012 novel by Dennis Lehane and distributed by Warner Bros.

SOFTWARE NEWS: (LOS ANGELES, Calif.) Pavaso, a leader in eClosing and Consumer Management technology solutions, announced earlier this year that it has recorded its 2,000th live transaction on the Digital Close platform. In addition, more than 6,500 user accounts have been created in the platform, spanning from mortgage lenders to title/settlement agents to REALTORS and consumers. The announcement was made in conjunction with the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Technology in Mortgage Banking Conference and Expo.

COMEDY NEWS: (LOS ANGELES, Calif.) Uproar Entertainment recently announced the release of Brett Hamil's first comedy CD 'GROWER.' In his punchy, fast-moving act Hamil talks about sex, psychedelics, his 'dog entourage,' marrying into secular Judaism, and what it means to feel trapped in one's beard.

BOOK NEWS: (LOS ANGELES, Calif.) Author-filmmaker-musician John Scott G is creating the world's first omnibus novel. Interweaving nine novels, dozens of short stories, numerous comedy routines, and a great deal of political satire, 'Area Code 666' is being serialized on MuseWire.com, an online magazine of the arts (in BETA).

MUSIC NEWS: (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) Released during Spring of 2016, 'The Vault' is the latest release from Bakdraff Entertainment. Seventeen tracks long, it features music that was created by six music producers and 16 artists over the course of several years. It's a provocative collection of music that digs into the Steel City's history. Every street has a vibe and every building has a story.

MOBILE APP NEWS: (LOS ANGELES, Calif.) EZER, the app that connects those with trucks to businesses or individuals who need their stuff picked up and delivered, was showcased at Apps World North America in Santa Clara, Calif. During the expo, the company offered live demos of the app that allow users to see the entire EZER process through, from beginning to end.

BOOK NEWS: (WARWICK, N.Y.) -- Leaving her comfort zone, having adventurous fun, and being useful are at the heart of Carole Howard's new travel memoir, "Tales of a Silver-Haired Volunteer: Going Far and Giving Back" (ISBN: 978-1619844568). The book documents the author's and her husband's late-in-life volunteer travels to Africa and Asia. Some are funny. Some are serious. Many are both.

MUSIC NEWS: (CHICAGO, Ill.) -- Alt-rock band, The Blue Danes released their debut album "Invisible and Untouchable" on Chicago label Loki Valhalla Productions this Summer. This haunting lyrical masterpiece includes the highly anticipated release of the popular single "Beautiful and Sad," which has earned over 26,000 YouTube views.

Film NEWS: -- Get ready and brace yourself for the fast acting and exciting new small film company called 5150 Films LLC based out of Houston, Texas. Frank Shank (Screenwriter/Director) and Jacqueline Skyler (Executive Producer/Supporting Actor) have teamed up to entertain audiences with their amazing screenplays that span a variety of genres.