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Who is Jada Koren Pinkett?

Who is Jada Koren Pinkett? The entertainment world knows Jada Pinkett-Smith as an American actress, producer, director, author, singer-songwriter and businesswoman. She began her career in 1990, when she made a guest appearance in the short-lived sitcom True Colors. She starred in A Different World, produced by Bill Cosby, and she featured opposite Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (1996). She starred in dramatic films such as Menace II Society (1993) and Set It Off (1996). She has appeared in more than 20 films in a variety of television genres, including Scream 2, Ali, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Madagascar and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
Pinkett Smith launched her music career in 2005, when she helped create the Heavy metal/rock band Wicked Wisdom, for which she is a singer and songwriter. Additionally, Smith not only created a production company and her own makeover line; she’s also the author of an adult book, published in 2000.
In 1997, she married rapper and actor Will Smith; they have two children, Jaden and Willow. Pinkett Smith is the stepmother to Smith’s son from a previous marriage, Willard “Trey” Smith III. Together, the couple have founded the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, a charity organization which focuses on urban inner city youth and family support. The foundation has worked with non-profit organizations, such as YouthBuild and the Lupus Foundation of America.

 Family and early life

Jada Pinkett Smith was born September 18, 1971 in Baltimore, Maryland, and named after her mother’s favorite soap opera actress, Jada Rowland.[2] Pinkett-Smith is of African-American, Portuguese-Jewish, West Indian, and Creole ancestry.[3] Her parents are Adrienne Banfield-Jones, the head nurse of an inner-city clinic in Baltimore; and Robsol Pinkett, Jr., who ran a construction company. Banfield-Jones became pregnant in high school. The couple married but divorced after several months.[4] Banfield-Jones raised Pinkett with the help of her mother, Marion Martin Banfield, who was employed as a social worker.[5] Banfield noticed her granddaughter’s passion for the performing arts and enrolled her in piano, tap dance, and ballet lessons.[6] She has a younger half-brother, actor/writer Caleeb Pinkett.
Pinkett Smith has remained close to her mother and said, “A mother and daughter’s relationship is usually the most honest, and we are so close.” She participated as the maid of honor in Banfield-Jones’ 1998 wedding to telecommunications executive Paul Jones.[8] Pinkett-Smith has shown great admiration for her grandmother, saying, “My grandmother was a doer who wanted to create a better community and add beauty to the world.”[9]
Pinkett Smith majored in dance and theatre at the Baltimore School for the Arts, graduating in 1989.[10][11] She continued her education at the North Carolina School of the Arts, but dropped out after a year. She moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue an acting career.[5]

Acting career

Early work (1990–1995)

Rosie Perez.

Jada moved to Los Angeles and stayed with LaVern Whitt, former stunt woman, now producer and long time family/friend, who got her started in the industry. In Los Angeles, Pinkett Smith inquired about the choreographer position for the television series In Living Color, created by actor Keenan Ivory Wayans who she met through LaVern but the job was already taken by Rosie Perez. LaVern helped her find an acting agent and got her started in the industry by introducing Jada to many of her celebrity friends including Keenan. She began her acting career in 1990, when she starred in a television pilot for supernatural drama Moe’s World. Although the pilot was never aired, she received guest roles in television shows such as True Colors (1990), Doogie Howser, M.D. (1991), and 21 Jump Street (1991). After auditioning for comedian Bill Cosby‘s NBC television sitcom A Different World in 1991, she earned the role of college freshman Lena James, a character based on Pinkett Smith’s own style and personality.[4]
In 1994, Pinkett Smith finally acted with Wayans in the action and comedy film A Low Down Dirty Shame. “He busted my ass,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “I had to read twice, no three times, for him!”[12] She described her character, Peaches, as “raw” with “major attitude”,[12] and her acting garnered positive reviews. The New York Times noted, “Ms. Pinkett, whose performance is as sassy and sizzling as a Salt-n-Pepa recording, walks away with the movie.”[13]

Breakthrough (1996–2000)

Following a role in Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995), Pinkett Smith co-starred with actor and comedian Eddie Murphy in the 1996 remake of The Nutty Professor. It became her biggest box office success, bringing in more than $25 million in its first weekend and opening in over 2,000 theaters.[14]

Set It Off (1996), a crime drama about four women who rob banks to escape from poverty, helped to establish Pinkett Smith as an actor of note. With Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise, her acting in the film prompted the San Francisco Chronicle to name her as “the one to watch”.[15]
In 1997 Pinkett Smith featured in Scream 2 in a role similar to Drew Barrymore in the 1996 original. In the film Pinkett Smith plays Maureen Evans, a college student who attends the opening night of a new horror movie, at which she is brutally murdered in front of hundreds of cinemagoers. The role was an ironic one since her character discusses the horror genres mistreatment of African Americans and yet here was Pinkett Smith gaining the most famous and notorious role in the hit sequel (that of the “opening victim”). The film made over $100mil at the US box office.
In 2000, Pinkett Smith was cast in Spike Lee‘s film Bamboozled (2000), as Sloan Hopkins, a personal assistant to the main character portrayed by Damon Wayans. Although the film met with mediocre reviews, it won the Freedom of Expression Award by the National Board of Review.[16]

International success (2001–present)

Perhaps her best-known role to date is the part of human rebel Niobe in the films The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003), sequels to 1999’s The Matrix. She had met the series’ directors, The Wachowski Brothers, before they had begun to film The Matrix and they formed a close bond. The character was eventually written, specifically, with Pinkett Smith in mind.[17] Directly after she filmed her scenes for Ali, Pinkett Smith flew to Australia to work on the Matrix sequels. The role brought her into the spotlight, as The Matrix already had a cult following of fans, and the sequels earned over $91 million and $48 million during opening weekends, respectively.[18][19]

In 2008, Pinkett Smith portrayed Alex Fisher, a lesbian author, in The Women. The film co-starred Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, and Debra Messing, and was directed by Emmy Award-winner Diane English. Pinkett Smith’s directorial debut was The Human Contract; she also wrote and acted in the movie. Starring Paz Vega and Idris Elba, it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008.[20] As of January 2009, she has been working on the TNT medical drama Hawthorne, in which she is executive producer and a starring cast member.[21] The show has been greenlit for 10 episodes.[22]

Musical career

Under the stage name Jada Koren, Pinkett Smith formed the metal band Wicked Wisdom in 2002.[23] The band consists of Pinkett Smith performing lead vocals, Pocket Honore (guitar, vocals), Cameron “Wirm” Graves (guitar, keyboard, vocals), and Rio (bass, vocals). The band is managed by James Lassiter and Miguel Melendez of Overbrook Entertainment, a company co-founded by Pinkett Smith’s husband Will Smith.[24]

The band’s self-titled debut album was released on February 21, 2006, by Pinkett Smith’s production company 100% Women. Will Smith served as the project’s executive producer.[25] The album made it to Billboard‘s Top Heatseekers chart, and peaked at number 44 during the week of March 11, 2006.[26] Allmusic reviewer Alex Henderson said of the album, “[Pinkett Smith] shows herself to be an expressive, commanding singer” and that “[Wicked Wisdom] shows considerable promise”.[27] The band promoted the album in 2006, touring with heavy metal band Sevendust.[28]

The Onyx Hotel Tour

Wicked Wisdom landed a slot on Britney Spears‘ Onyx Hotel Tour in 2004, one of the year’s highest-profile tours. The band opened for Spears for eight dates in April and May 2004, during the European leg of the tour.[29]

Ozzfest 2005

In 2005, Sharon Osbourne went to see Wicked Wisdom perform at a small night club in Los Angeles, California. She said, “I was blown away. When you see and hear Jada with her band it’s apparent that she has nothing but love and respect for this genre of music.”[24] In May 2005 organizers announced Wicked Wisdom would perform on the second stage of 2005’s Ozzfest.[30] Fans of the festival were outraged, claiming the band did not have the credibility to perform at the music festival. A petition was created at PetitionOnline, garnering 501 signatures. Aware of the questions about the band’s addition to Ozzfest, Pinkett Smith said, “I’m not here asking for any favors. You’ve got to show and prove. And not every audience is going to go for it.”[31] Wicked Wisdom’s guitarist Pocket Honore said while early dates of the tour were rocky, “once word got out that we weren’t a joke, people started coming out and by the sixth or seventh gig we were on fire.”[23] Pinkett Smith agreed, saying, “After seven dates within the Ozzfest tour, the whole attitude of it started to turn around once the word of mouth started getting out.”[28]

Personal life

Pinkett Smith met Will Smith in 1990 on the set of Smith’s television show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, when she auditioned for the role of his character’s girlfriend, Lisa Wilkes. She was considered too short and the role went to actress Nia Long. Pinkett and Smith became friends, however, and began dating in 1995. On December 31, 1997, about 100 guests attended their wedding at the Cloisters, near her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.[32] Regarding her marriage, Pinkett Smith said that they are “private people”[33] and told one interviewer, “I will throw my career away before I let it break up our marriage. I made it clear to Will. I’d throw it away completely.”[34]
Pinkett Smith and Smith have two children, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith[32] (born July 8, 1998 in Malibu, California),[35] Willow Camille Reign Smith[32] (born October 31, 2000 in Los Angeles, California),[5] .
Smith commented in 2008 on their parenting skills: “We’re not strict but we definitely believe it’s a very important component for rearing children. It creates safety for them. They understand that they need guidance.”[36] Trey attends Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California,[37] while Jaden and Willow are attending public school once again.[9] The family resides in a 27,000 square foot (2,500 m2) home, on 100 acres (40 ha), in Malibu.[7]
Pinkett was a close friend to the late West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur, until his death in 1996.

Business ventures

After opening her music company 100% Womon Productions,[21] Pinkett Smith created her own fashion label, Maja, in 1994. The clothing line features women’s T-shirts and dresses embellished with the slogan “Sister Power”, sold primarily through small catalogs.[6]

All of Us

In 2003, Pinkett Smith and Smith helped to create the television series All of Us, which originally aired on UPN. The sitcom starred Duane Martin and LisaRaye and revolved around Martin’s character juggling relationships with his ex-wife (LisaRaye), his 5-year-old son (Khamani Griffin), and his fiancée (Elise Neal). Pinkett Smith and Smith served as executive producers and guest-starred in several episodes; they said that the show is “very, very loosely” based on their life.[38]

Girls Hold Up This World,

Pinkett Smith published her first children’s book, Girls Hold Up This World, in 2004. The cover of the book features Pinkett Smith and her daughter, Willow. Pinkett Smith told USA Today, “I wrote the book for Willow and for her friends and for all the little girls in the world who need affirmation about being female in this pretty much masculine world. I really tried to capture different sides of femininity. I want girls in the world to feel powerful, to know they have the power to change the world in any way they wish.”[39]
In 2005, Pinkett Smith became one of many celebrities to invest a combined total of $10 million in Carol’s Daughter, a line of beauty products created by Lisa Price.[40] She became a spokesperson for the beauty line, and said, “To be a part of another African American woman’s dream was just priceless to me.”[41] Both Pinkett Smith and Smith had been regular customers of Carol’s Daughter before an investment plan had been made.[42]

Charity work and politics

Together with Smith, Pinkett Smith has created the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland, a charity which focuses on youth in urban inner cities and family support. Their family helps to run the charity; her aunt, Karen Banfield Evans, is the foundation’s executive director.[43] The charity was awarded the David Angell Humanitarian Award by The American Screenwriters Association (ASA) in 2006. John E. Johnson, executive director of the ASA, said, “Will and Jada exemplify the principles of the David Angell Humanitarian Award through their support of projects focusing on urban and inner city youth, family wellbeing, violence prevention and education. Their philosophy of leading a positive lifestyle and sincere interest in helping people everywhere is inspirational.”[44] The Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation has provided grants to non-profit organizations such as YouthBuild,[45] and Pinkett Smith has made significant personal donations to organizations such as Capital K-9s.[46]
While attending the Baltimore School for the Arts, Pinkett Smith met and became friends with classmate Tupac Shakur. They maintained a close friendship until his death in September 1996. In December 2006, she donated $1 million to the Baltimore School for the Arts in his memory. Donald Hicken, head of the school’s theater department and Pinkett Smith’s former teacher, said, “It means a lot when you’re a teacher and your most famous alumnus comes back to give a donation. It really says a lot to the community that the school matters in people’s lives.”[43]
When Pinkett Smith’s aunt, Karen Banfield Evans, was diagnosed with lupus,[47] the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, in association with the Lupus Foundation of America and Maybelline, held the first annual “Butterflies Over Hollywood” event on September 29, 2007 at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. With a list of over 300 celebrities and guests, Pinkett Smith helped raise funds for LFA public and professional educational programs.[48] The Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation was presented with an award in 2007 at the 4th Annual Lupus Foundation of America Awards.[49]
After meeting famed Scientologist Tom Cruise during the filming of Collateral in 2004, Pinkett Smith and Smith donated $20,000 to the Hollywood Education and Literacy Program (HELP), Scientology‘s basis for homeschooling.[50] The couple came under fire in 2008 when they decided to fund New Village Leadership Academy, a private elementary school located in Calabasas, California. The school employs teachers dedicated to the Scientology religion and features methodologies like study technology, created by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The couple, who are close friends with Cruise and wife Katie Holmes,[51] have denied claims that they are themselves Scientologists. Jaqueline Olivier, an administrator of New Village Leadership Academy, insists that the school has no religious affiliation.[52][53]
A supporter of Barack Obama‘s 2008 presidential campaign, Pinkett Smith said in an interview, “I love Michelle [and] would play her any day,” when she was asked if she would play Michelle Obama in a biopic. She added, “I’m voting for Michelle. I’m always telling people I’m voting for Michelle to get into the White House and Obama is just going to follow her lead. She is smart and committed, and I just love her.”[54] December 11, 2009, Pinkett Smith and her husband hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, when Barack Obama had won the prize.[55]

Filmography

Year Title Role Other notes
1993 Menace II Society Ronnie
1994 The Inkwell Lauren Kelly
Jason’s Lyric Lyric
A Low Down Dirty Shame Peaches
1995 Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight Jeryline
1996 The Nutty Professor Carla Purty
If These Walls Could Talk Patti Made for television movie
Set It Off Lita “Stony” Newsome
1997 Scream 2 Maureen Evans Cameo
1998 Woo Darlene
Blossoms and Veils Raven Short film
Return to Paradise M.J. Dc
1999 Princess Mononoke Toki Voice
2000 Bamboozled Sloan Hopkins
2001 Kingdom Come Charisse Slocumb
Ali Sonji
2003 The Matrix Reloaded Niobe
The Matrix Revolutions Niobe
2004 Collateral Annie Farrell
2005 Madagascar Gloria Voice
2007 Reign Over Me Janeane Johnson
2008 The Women Alex Fisher
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Gloria Voice
The Human Contract Rita Debuted at Cannes Film Festival in May 2008.[20]
Written and directed by Pinkett Smith.
2009 Merry Madagascar Gloria Voice

Television

Year Title Role Other notes
1990 Moe’s World Natalie Television movie
1990 True Colors Beverly 1 episode
1991 21 Jump Street Nicole 1 episode
1991 Doogie Howser, M.D Trish Andrews 1 episode
1991–1993 A Different World Lena James 36 episodes
2009–present Hawthorne Christina Hawthorne Lead Role

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Film/TV Show Result
1997 Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Set It Off Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Television Movie or Mini-Series If These Walls Could Talk Nominated
1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Supporting Actress – Horror Scream 2 Nominated
2001 Black Reel Award Theatrical – Best Actress Bamboozled Nominated
Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated
2002 Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Ali Nominated
2003 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress – Drama/Action Adventure The Matrix Reloaded Nominated
2004 Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture The Matrix Revolutions Nominated
2005 BET Comedy Award Best Performance in an Animated Theatrical Film Madagascar Nominated
Black Reel Award Best Supporting Actress Collateral Nominated
Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated
2010 Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Hawthorne Won
2011 Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Hawthorne (Source: IMDb.com) Nominated

 









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June 22, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Who is Helen Lydia Mironoff?

Dame Helen Mirren, DBE (born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.

Early life and family

Mirren was born Helen Lydia Mironoff[1][2] in Queen Charlotte’s Hospital, Chiswick, West London.[3] Her father, Vasiliy Petrovich Mironov (1913–1980), was of Russian origin, and her mother, Kitty (née Kathleen Alexandrina Eva Matilda Rogers; 1909–1996), was English.[4] Mirren’s paternal grandfather, Colonel Pyotr Vasilievich Mironov, was in the Tsarist Army and fought in the 1904 Russo-Japanese War. He later became a diplomat, and was negotiating an arms deal in Britain, where he and his family were stranded during the Russian Revolution.[5] The former diplomat became a London cab driver to support his family.
His son, Helen Mirren’s father, changed the family name to the Scottish-sounding Mirren in the 1950s and became known as Basil Mirren. He played the viola with the London Philharmonic before World War II, and later drove a cab and was a driving-test examiner, before becoming a civil servant with the Ministry of Transport. Mirren’s mother was from West Ham, East London, and was the 13th of 14 children born to a butcher whose father had been the butcher to Queen Victoria.[4] Mirren considers her upbringing to have been “very anti-monarchist”.[6]
The first house she remembers living in was in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, when she was two or three years old, after the birth of her younger brother, who was named Peter Basil after his grandfather and great-great-grandfather. Mirren was the second of three children, born two years after her older sister Katherine (“Kate”; born 1942). She later lived in Leigh-on-Sea.

 Education

Mirren attended St Bernard’s High School for Girls in Southend-on-Sea, where she acted in school productions, and subsequently a teaching college, the New College of Speech and Drama in London, “housed within Anna Pavlova‘s old home, Ivy House” on the North End Road – which leads from Golders Green to Hampstead, N. London. At age eighteen, she auditioned for the National Youth Theatre and was accepted. By the time she was 20, she was Cleopatra in the NYT production of Antony and Cleopatra at the Old Vic, which led to her signing with the agent Al Parker.

Theatre

Early years

Her work for the NYT led to Mirren joining the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), playing Castiza in Trevor Nunn‘s 1966 staging of The Revenger’s Tragedy, Diana in All’s Well That Ends Well in 1967, Cressida in Troilus and Cressida and Phebe[7] in As You Like It in 1968, Julia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona in 1970, and Tatiana in Gorky‘s Enemies at the Aldwych and the title role in Miss Julie at The Other Place in 1971. She also appeared in four productions, directed by Braham Murray for Century Theatre at the University Theatre in Manchester between 1965 and 1967.[8]
In 1970, Director/producer John Goldschmidt made the documentary film Doing Her Own Thing about Mirren at the Royal Shakespeare Company. The film was made for ATV and shown on the ITV Network in the UK.[9]
In 1972–73, Mirren worked with Peter Brook‘s International Centre for Theatre Research, and joined the group’s tour in North Africa and the US which created The Conference of the Birds. Returning to the RSC she played Lady Macbeth at Stratford in 1974 and at the Aldwych Theatre in 1975.
As reported by Sally Beauman in her 1982 history of the RSC, Mirren, while appearing in Nunn’s Macbeth (1974) and in a highly publicised letter to The Guardian newspaper, attacked both the National Theatre and the RSC for their lavish production expenditure, declaring it “unnecessary and destructive to the art of the Theatre,” and adding, “The realms of truth, emotion and imagination reached for in acting a great play have become more and more remote, often totally unreachable across an abyss of costume and technicalities…” There were no discernible repercussions for this rebuke of the RSC.[10]

West End and RSC

At the Royal Court in September 1975 she notably played rock star Maggie in Teeth ‘n’ Smiles, a musical play by David Hare, which was revived at Wyndham’s Theatre in May 1976 winning her the Plays & Players Best Actress award, voted by the London critics.
From November 1975 Mirren played in West End repertory with the Lyric Theatre Company as Nina in The Seagull and Ella in Ben Travers‘ new farce The Bed Before Yesterday (“Mirren is stirringly voluptuous as the Harlowesque good-time girl”: Michael Billington, The Guardian, 10 December 1975). At the RSC in Stratford in 1977, and at the Aldwych the following year, she played a steely Queen Margaret in Terry Hands‘ production of the three parts of Henry VI, while 1979 saw her ‘bursting with grace’ with an acclaimed performance as Isabella in Peter Gill‘s otherwise unexceptional production of Measure for Measure at Riverside Studios.
In 1981 she returned to the Royal Court for the London premiere of Brian Friel‘s Faith Healer. In the same year she also received acclaim for her performance in the title role of John Webster‘s The Duchess of Malfi, a production of Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre which transferred to The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, London. Reviewing her portrayal for The Sunday Telegraph, Francis King wrote: “Miss Mirren never leaves it in doubt that even in her absences, this ardent, beautiful woman is the most important character of the story.”
Her performance as Moll Cutpurse in The Roaring Girl at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in January 1983, and at the Barbican Theatre April 1983), “swaggered through the action with radiant singularity of purpose, filling in areas of light and shade that even Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker omitted.” – Michael Coveney, Financial Times, April 1983.
After a relatively barren sojourn in the Hollywood Hills, she returned to England at the beginning of 1989 to co-star with Bob Peck at the Young Vic in the London premiere of the Arthur Miller double-bill, Two Way Mirror, performances which prompted Miller to remark: “What is so good about English actors is that they are not afraid of the open expression of large emotions” (interview by Sheridan Morley: The Times 11 January 1989). In Elegy for a Lady she played the svelte proprietress of a classy boutique, while as the blonde hooker in Some Kind of Love Story she was “clad in a Freudian slip and shifting easily from waif-like vulnerability to sexual aggression, giving the role a breathy Monroesque quality” (Michael Billington, The Guardian).

Stage career breakthrough

A stage career breakthrough came in 1994, in an Yvonne Arnaud Theatre production bound for the West End, when Bill Bryden cast her as Natalya Petrovna in Ivan Turgenev‘s A Month in the Country. Her co-stars were John Hurt as her aimless lover Rakitin and Joseph Fiennes in only his second professional stage appearance as the cocksure young tutor Belyaev. “Instead of a bored Natalya fretting the summer away in dull frocks, Mirren, dazzlingly gowned, is a woman almost wilfully allowing her heart’s desire for her son’s young tutor to rule her head and wreak domestic havoc….Creamy shoulders bared, she feels free to launch into a gloriously enchanted, dreamily comic self-confession of love.” (John Thaxter, Richmond & Twickenham Times, 4 March 1994).
Mirren was twice nominated for Broadway’s Tony Award as Best Actress (Play): in 1995 for A Month in the Country, now directed by Scott Ellis (“Miss Mirren’s performance is bigger and more animated than the one she gave last year in an entirely different London production”, Vincent Canby in the NY Times, 26 April 1995). Then again in 2002 for August Strindberg‘s Dance of Death, co-starring with Sir Ian McKellen, their fraught rehearsal period coinciding with the terrorist attacks on New York on September 11, 2001 (as recorded in her In the Frame autobiography, September 2007).

National Theatre

Mirren had an unhappy experience at the National Theatre in 1998 when she played Cleopatra to Alan Rickman‘s Antony. In 2000 Nicholas Hytner, who had worked with Mirren on the film version of The Madness of King George, cast her as Lady Torrance in his revival of Tennessee Williams‘ Orpheus Descending at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Michael Billington, reviewing for The Guardian, described her performance as “an exemplary study of an immigrant woman who has acquired a patina of resilient toughness but who slowly acknowledges her sensuality.”
At the National Theatre in November 2003 she again won praise playing Christine Mannon (“defiantly cool, camp and skittish”, Evening Standard; “glows with mature sexual allure”, Daily Telegraph) in a revival of Eugene O’Neill‘s Mourning Becomes Electra directed by Howard Davies.
“This production was one of the best experiences of my professional life, The play was four and a half hours long, and I have never known that kind of response from an audience … It was the serendipity of a beautifully cast play, with great design and direction, It will be hard to be in anything better.” (In the Frame, September 2007).
She played the tragic title role in Jean Racine‘s Phèdre at the National in 2009, in a production directed by Nicholas Hytner. The production was also staged at the amphitheater of Epidaurus on 11 and 12 July 2009.

 Selected stage credits

  • Cleopatra, Anthony and Cleopatra, Old Vic Theatre, London, 1965
  • Cathleen, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Century Theatre, Manchester,England 1965
  • Kitty, Charley’s Aunt, Century Theatre, Manchester, 1967
  • Nerissa, The Merchant of Venice, Century Theatre,Manchester, 1967
  • Castiza, The Revenger’s Tragedy, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1967
  • Diana, All’s Well That Ends Well, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1967
  • Cressida, Troilus and Cressida, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, London, 1968
  • Hero, Much Ado about Nothing, Aldwych Theatre, 1968–1969
  • Win-the-Fight Littlewit, Bartholomew Fair, Aldwych Theatre, 1969
  • Lady Anne, Richard III, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1970
  • Ophelia, Hamlet, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1970
  • Julia, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1970
  • Tatyana, Enemies, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1971
  • Harriet, The Man of Mode, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1971
  • Title role, Miss Julie, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1971
  • Elayne, The Balcony, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1971
  • Isabella, Measure for Measure, Riverside Studios Theatre, London,1974
  • Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1974, then Aldwych Theatre, 1975
  • Maggie, Teeth ‘n’ Smiles, Royal Court Theatre, London, 1975, thenWyndham’s Theatre, London, 1976
  • Nina, The Seagull, Lyric Theatre, London, 1975
  • Ella, The Bed before Yesterday, Lyric Theatre, 1975
  • Queen Margaret, Henry VI, Parts I, II and III, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1977, then Aldwych Theatre, 1978
  • Title role, The Duchess of Malfi, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, England, 1980, then Mound House Theatre, London, 1981
  • Grace, Faith Healer, Royal Court Theatre, 1981
  • Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra, Pit Theatre, London, 1983
  • Moll Cutpurse, The Roaring Girl, Barbican Theatre, London, 1983
  • Marjorie, Extremities, Duchess Theatre, London, 1984
  • Madame Bovary, 1987
  • Angela, “Some Kind of Love Story,” and dying woman, “Elegy for a Lady,” in Two-Way Mirror (double-bill), Young Vic Theatre, *London, 1989
  • Sex Please We’re Italian, 1991
  • Natalya Petrovna, A Month in the Country, London, 1994, then Criterion Theatre, New York City, 1995
  • Antony and Cleopatra, Royal National Theatre, London, 1998
  • Collected Stories, London, 1999
  • Lady Torrance, Orpheus Descending, Donmar Warehouse, London, 2000
  • Alice, Dance of Death, Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 2001–2002
  • Mourning Becomes Electra, Lyttelton Stage, Royal National Theatre,2003
  • Phedre, National Theatre, 2009
  • Also appeared as Susie Monmican, The Silver Lassie; in Woman in Mind, Los Angeles.

Film

Mirren has also appeared in a large number of films throughout her career. Some of her earlier film roles include Age of Consent, O Lucky Man!, Caligula, Excalibur, 2010, The Long Good Friday, White Nights and The Mosquito Coast. After those appearances she received roles in Belfast-born director Terry George’s film Some Mother’s Son, which was about the 1981 Hunger Strikes in Northern Ireland, opposite Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan, Painted Lady, The Prince of Egypt and The Madness of King George. One of her other film roles was in Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, as the eponymous thief’s wife, opposite Michael Gambon. Her favourite film is Teaching Mrs. Tingle, in which she plays sadistic History teacher, Mrs Eve Tingle.
Mirren continued her successful film career when she starred more recently in Gosford Park with Maggie Smith and Calendar Girls where she starred with Julie Walters. Other more recent appearances include The Clearing, Pride, Raising Helen, and Shadowboxer. Mirren also provided the voice for the supercomputer “Deep Thought” in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. During her career, she has portrayed three British queens in different films and television series: Elizabeth I in the television series Elizabeth I (2005), Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006), and Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, in The Madness of King George (1994). She is the only actress ever to have portrayed both Queens Elizabeth on the screen.
Mirren’s title role of The Queen earned her numerous acting awards including a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award, among many others. During her acceptance speech at the Academy Award ceremony, she praised and thanked Elizabeth II and stated that she had maintained her dignity and weathered many storms during her reign as Queen. Mirren later appeared in supporting roles in the films National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, Inkheart, State of Play, and The Last Station, for which Mirren was nominated for an Oscar.[11]
In preparation for her role as a retired Israeli Mossad agent in the film The Debt, Mirren reportedly immersed herself in studies of Hebrew language, Jewish history, and Holocaust writing, including the life of Simon Wiesenthal, while in Israel in 2009 for the filming of some of the movie’s scenes. The film is a remake of a 2007 Israeli film of the same name (Hebrew: Ha-khov).[12]

Television

Mirren is well-known for her role as detective Jane Tennison in the widely viewed Prime Suspect, a multiple award-winning television drama that was noted for its high quality, higher popularity and its unique format, in that it ran for seven seasons in seven extended multi-act episodes rather than in a traditional seasonal schedule. Her portrayal of Tennison won her three consecutive BAFTA awards for Best Actress between 1992 and 1994.
Some of Mirren’s other television performances include Cousin Bette (1971); As You Like It (1979); Blue Remembered Hills (1979); The Twilight Zone episode “Dead Woman’s Shoes” (1985); Losing Chase (1996); The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999), where her performance won her both the Emmy and the Golden Globe; Door to Door (2002); and The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003). In 1976, she appeared with Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates and Malcolm McDowell in a production of Harold Pinter‘s The Collection as part of the Laurence Olivier Presents series. She also played Elizabeth I in 2005, in the television serial Elizabeth I, for Channel 4 and HBO, for which she received an Emmy Award. Mirren won another Emmy Award on 16 September 2007 for her role in Prime Suspect: The Final Act on PBS in the same category as in 2006.
Mirren hosted Saturday Night Live on 9 April 2011.[13]

 Awards and recognition

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirren

Film awards

In 1984, Mirren won Best Actress for her role in the film Cal at the Cannes Film Festival and the 1985 Evening Standard British Film Awards. In 1994 and 2001, she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her roles in The Madness of King George and Gosford Park, respectively. In 1995, she had also been awarded for Best Actress once again in Cannes for playing Queen Charlotte in The Madness of King George.[14] In 2002, she received the SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Gosford Park. Mirren is the first female actress to be nominated for three acting performances at the Golden Globe Awards in the same year. She won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Leading Role in the movie drama category for Stephen Frears‘ The Queen in 2006 (along with two nominations in the Actress in a Mini-series or TV Movie category for Elizabeth I, and Prime Suspect: Final Act). She won both Golden Globes for The Queen and Elizabeth I and also won two SAG awards the same year for the same roles. Mirren is the third actor to win two Golden Globes in the same year, and the first ever to win for both leading roles in TV and film in the same year. She is one of only three actresses (the first was Liza Minnelli in 1973 and then decades later Helen Hunt) to win a Golden Globe, an Oscar and an Emmy for performances given in the same year.
Along with the Golden Globe, Mirren’s acclaimed performance in The Queen won her the 2007 Academy Award for Best Actress.[15] She also received Best Actress awards from the Venice Film Festival, Broadcast Film Critics, National Board of Review, Satellite Awards, Screen Actors Guild and a BAFTA, as well as critics awards from all over the world. Entertainment Weekly recently ranked her Number 2 for Entertainer of the Year for 2006 and also won the award for best actress in film at the new Greatest Britons Awards for her role in The Queen. In 2007 Mirren became an Honorary Patron of the University Philosophical Society at Trinity College Dublin.
She won the Best Actress award at the 2009 Rome International Film Festival for her performance as Tolstoy’s wife in The Last Station.[16]

Academy Award Nominations

Television awards

Mirren won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Mini-series or TV Movie in 1997 for her role in Losing Chase. She received two nominations in the Actress in a Mini-series or TV Movie category for Elizabeth I, and Prime Suspect: The Final Act, where she only won the Golden Globe for her title role performance in Elizabeth I. In that same year she won an SAG award for that same role. Mirren also won an Emmy for her role in Elizabeth I in category Lead Actress in a Mini-Series or a Movie in 2006. She had previously won an Emmy twice before, in that same category, in 1996 for her role in Prime Suspect: Scent of Darkness and in 1999 for The Passion of Ayn Rand.[17]
At the end of a triumphant year of awards for her acclaimed movie performance as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, Dame Helen also collected a 2007 Emmy Television award as Best Actress in a Mini-Series for her performance as Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect: The Final Act. She now has four Emmy awards. This seventh and apparently concluding instalment of the Prime Suspect saga portrayed Tennison as an alcoholic destined for retirement, and was screened in the US on the public service network PBS.

Emmy Awards

Awards won are indicated by bold lettering.

  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Critics’ Circle Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts


Each year since 1988 The Critics’ Circle has presented an award for Distinguished Service to the Arts, voted for by all members of the Circle, embracing Dance, Drama, Film, Music, Visual Arts and Architecture. At a celebratory luncheon on 10 April 2007 in the National Theatre’s Terrace Restaurant, the award for 2006 was presented to Dame Helen Mirren.[18] As David Gritten, chairman of the Film section made clear, the decision to make the award was voted on in November 2006, well in advance of the awards hubbub that surrounded her performance in The Queen. Accepting the award, an engraved crystal rose bowl, Mirren described it as the most useful she has ever received, while reflecting poignantly that this now “might be the last award I will win in my life. It has been a most incredible year. You do the work and then…..” Previous recipients include Peter Hall (1988), Judi Dench (1997) and Ian McKellen (2003).

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire

On 5 December 2003, she was invested as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). When she received the honour, Mirren commented that Prince Charles was “very graceful” but forgot to give her half of the award; another person had to remind him to give Mirren the star. She also said that she felt wary about accepting the award and had to be persuaded by fellow comrades to accept the DBE. In 1996 she had declined appointment as a Commander of the order (CBE).[19]

Personal life

Mirren married American director Taylor Hackford (her partner since 1986) on 31 December 1997, his 53rd birthday. The ceremony took place at the Ardersier Parish Church near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.[20] The couple had met on the set of White Nights. It is her first marriage, and his third (he has two children from his previous marriages). Mirren has no children and says she has “no maternal instinct whatsoever.”[21]
Mirren’s autobiography, In the Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures, was published in the UK by Weidenfeld and Nicolson in September 2007. Reviewing for The Stage, John Thaxter wrote: “Sumptuously illustrated, at first sight it looks like another of those photo albums of the stars. But between the pictures there are almost 200 pages of densely printed text, an unusually frank story of her private and professional life, mainly in the theatre, the words clearly Mirren’s own, delivered with forthright candour.”[22]
In 1990, Mirren stated in an interview that she is an atheist.[23]
In a GQ interview in 2008, Mirren stated she had been date raped as a student and had often taken cocaine at parties during the 1980s.[24][25] She stopped using the drug after reading that Klaus Barbie made a living from cocaine dealing.[24][25][26][27]
On 11 May 2010, Mirren attended the unveiling of her waxwork at Madame Tussauds London. The figure reportedly cost £150,000 to make and took four months to complete.[28]

References in pop culture

Filmography

Film and television credits
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1967 Herostratus
1968 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Hermia
1969 Red Hot Shot
1969 Age of Consent Cora Ryan
1972 Miss Julie Miss Julie
1972 Savage Messiah Gosh Boyle
1973 O Lucky Man! Patricia
1975 Caesar and Claretta Claretta Petacci
1976 Hamlet Ophelia/Gertrude
1979 The Quiz Kid Joanne
1979 Caligula Caesonia
1980 Hussy Beaty
1980 The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu Alice Rage
1980 The Long Good Friday Victoria
1981 Excalibur Morgana
1984 Cal Marcella
1984 2010: The Year We Make Contact Tanya Kirbuk
1984 Faerie Tale Theatre: “The Little Mermaid” Princess Amelia TV series: 1 episode
1985 Heavenly Pursuits Ruth Chancellor
1985 Coming Through Frieda von Richtofen Weekley
1985 White Nights Galina Ivanova
1986 The Mosquito Coast Mother Fox
1988 Pascali’s Island Lydia Neuman
1989 When the Whales Came Clemmie Jenkins
1989 The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover Georgina Spica
1990 Bethune: The Making of a Hero Frances Penny Bethune
1990 The Comfort of Strangers Caroline
1991 Where Angels Fear to Tread Lilia Herriton
1993 The Hawk Annie Marsh
1993 Royal Deceit Geruth
1994 The Madness of King George Queen Charlotte
1995 The Snow Queen Snow Queen (voice)
1996 Some Mother’s Son Kathleen Quigley Also Associate Producer
1992 Losing Chase Chase Phillips TV
1997 Critical Care Stella
1998 Sidoglio Smithee
1998 The Prince of Egypt The Queen (voice)
1999 The Passion of Ayn Rand Ayn Rand
1999 Teaching Mrs. Tingle Mrs. Eve Tingle
2000 Greenfingers Georgina Woodhouse
2001 The Pledge Doctor
2001 No Such Thing The Boss
2001 Happy Birthday Distinguished Woman Also Director
2001 Last Orders Amy
2001 Gosford Park Mrs. Wilson
2003 The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone Karen Stone TV
2003 Calendar Girls Chris Harper
2004 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Deep Thought (voice)
2004 The Clearing Eileen Hayes
2004 Raising Helen Dominique
2005 Elizabeth I Queen Elizabeth I
2005 Shadowboxer Rose
2006 The Queen Queen Elizabeth II
2007 National Treasure: Book of Secrets Emily Appleton
2008 Inkheart Elinor Loredan
2009 State of Play Cameron Lynne
2009 The Last Station Sofya Tolstoy
2010 Love Ranch Grace Bontempo
2010 The Debt Rachel Singer
2010 The Tempest Prospera
2010 Brighton Rock Ida
2010 Red Victoria
2010 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole Nyra (voice)
2011 Arthur Hobson

Further reading

  • Command Performance, a profile of Helen Mirren written by John Lahr in The New Yorker magazine, 2 October 2006
  • In the Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures (autobiography) by Helen Mirren, Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 2007 ISBN 978-0-297-85197-4.
    • Rather than writing an autobiography Helen Mirren was commissioned by Alan Samson at Orion Books to write about her life in a series of chapters based on pictures from her extensive personal collection of photography and memorabilia. Edited by Chris Worwood, with whom she worked on the Award-winning HBO series Elizabeth, the book covers every aspect of her life from her aristocratic Russian heritage to her days with Peter Hall’s RSC company to her Academy Award for The Queen.
  • The Company: A Biographical Dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company by Simon Trowbridge, (Oxford: Editions Albert Creed, 2010 ISBN 978-0-9559830-2-3)
  • The Royal Shakespeare Company: A History of Ten Decades by Sally Beauman, (Oxford University Press, 1982 ISBN 0-19-212209-6)
  • Theatre Record (originally London Theatre Record) and its Indexes for the quoted theatre reviews, credit listings and playbills
  • The Best of Plays and Players 1969–1983, selected and edited by Peter Roberts, (Methuen Drama, 1989 ISBN 0-413-53730-7)

 

 

 

 











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Who is Chaim Witz?

Who is Chaim Witz? The entertainment and rock world know Gene Simmon as is a Jewish rock bassist, singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and businessman. Known as “The Demon,” he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.
Simmons was ranked number 12 in Roadrunner‘s list of 50 Best Frontmen in Metal History.[1]

Early life

Simmons) was August 25, 1949 in Tirat Carmel, Haifa, Israel in 1949. The family emigrated to Jackson Heights, Queens in New York City when he was eight years old.[2] His mother Flóra Klein was born in Jánd, Hungary. The German name Klein (means: small) translates to Hungarian as Kiss, that gave the rock band’s name.[3] Florence and her brother, Larry Klein, were the only members of the family to survive the Holocaust. His father, Feri Witz, also Hungarian-born remained in Israel. Simmons says the family was “dirt poor,” scraping by on bread and milk.[4] In the United States, Simmons changed his name to Eugene Klein (later Gene Klein), adopting his mother’s maiden name. He attended Yeshiva Torah Vodaath in Williamsburg, Brooklyn as a child, from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. [5] [6]

Music career

Simmons became involved with his first band, Lynx, then renamed The Missing Links, when he was a teenager. Eventually, he disbanded The Missing Links to form The Long Island Sounds, the name being a play on words relating to the estuary separating Long Island from Westchester County, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. While he played in these bands, he kept up odd jobs on the side to make more money, including trading used comic books. Simmons attended Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, New York. He then joined a new band, Bullfrog Bheer, and the band recorded a demo, “Leeta”; this was later included on the Kiss box set.

Simmons formed the rock band Wicked Lester in the early 1970s with Stanley Harvey Eisen (now known as Paul Stanley) and recorded one album, which was never released. Dissatisfied with Wicked Lester’s sound and look, Simmons and Stanley attempted to fire their band members; they were met with resistance, and they quit Wicked Lester, walking away from their record deal with Epic Records. They decided to form the ultimate rock band, and started looking for a drummer. Simmons and Stanley found an ad placed by Peter Criscoula, known as Peter Criss, who was playing clubs in Brooklyn at the time; they joined and started out as a trio. Paul Frehley, better known as Ace Frehley, responded to an ad they put in The Village Voice for a lead guitar player, and soon joined them. Kiss released its self-titled debut album in February 1974. Stanley quickly took on the role of lead performer on stage, while Simmons became the driving force behind what became an extensive Kiss merchandising franchise. The eye section of his “Demon” makeup with KISS came from the wing design of comic book character Black Bolt.[7]

In 1983, while Kiss’ fame was waning, the members took off their trademark make-up and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity that continued into the 1990s. The band hosted their own fan conventions throughout 1995, and fan feedback about the original Kiss members reunion influenced the highly successful 1996–1997 Alive Worldwide reunion tour. In 1998, the band released Psycho Circus,. Since then, the original line-up has once again dissolved, with Tommy Thayer replacing Ace Frehley on lead guitar and Eric Singer (who performed with Kiss from 1992 up through 1996) replacing Eric Carr on drums. Psycho Circus was not the original members. Eric Carr took over for Peter Criss when Criss quit the band. Eric Singer took over when Eric Carr died from cancer.

Instruments

Gene Simmons has used various bass guitars during his career including:

  • Axe Bass (Kramer or other brands, like Jackson)
  • Punisher Bass (Made by a lot of brands, as seen, B.C Rich or Jackson)
  • Spector Gene Simmons Signature
  • Pedulla Basses (mainly in the 1980s and early 1990s)
  • Gibson Grabber (mainly in Kiss’ early years)
  • Gibson Ripper (mainly in Kiss’ early years)
  • Cort Guitars Signature GS-1 Bass

He uses Ampeg SVT CL Series amps with 8×10 cabinets. In 2010 Gene Simmons collaborated with Cort Guitars to make a his own signature bass line called the GS-AXE-2.

Film and television career

Simmons has been the creative force behind such television projects as:

On March 9, 2011, Simmons and Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley and E! Entertainment announced that they have finalized a production and development deal to create an as-yet-untitled comedic half-hour kids’ television series.[9]
Simmons appeared as a psychic working at the Mystic Journey Bookstore in Venice, California on the American hidden camera prank TV series I Get That a Lot.[10]

Political views

While a self-described social liberal,[11] Simmons was a supporter of the foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration.[12] He supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, writing on his website: “I’m ashamed to be surrounded by people calling themselves liberal who are, in my opinion, spitting on the graves of brave American soldiers who gave their life to fight a war that wasn’t theirs…in a country they’ve never been to… simply to liberate the people therein”.[13] In a follow-up, Simmons explained his position and wrote about his love and support for the United States: “I wasn’t born here. But I have a love for this country and its people that knows no bounds. I will forever be grateful to America for going into World War II, when it had nothing to gain, in a country that was far away… and rescued my mother from the Nazi German concentration camps. She is alive and I am alive because of America. And, if you have a problem with America, you have a problem with me”.[13]
During the 2006 Lebanon War between Israel and Lebanon, Simmons sent a televised message of support (in both English and Hebrew) to an Israeli soldier seriously wounded in fighting in Lebanon, calling him his “hero.”[14]
In 2010, Simmons said he regretted voting for Barack Obama and criticized the 2009 health care reforms.[15] Following Obama’s 2011 Mideast speech, in which the President called on Israel and the Palestinians to negotiate a settlement “based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps,”[16] Simmons told CNBC that Obama was gravely misguided. “If you have never been to the moon, you can’t issue policy about the moon. For the president to be sitting in Washington D.C. and saying, ‘Go back to your ’67 borders in Israel’ – how about you live there and try to defend an indefensible border – nine miles wide?” Simmons also accused the United Nations of being “the most pathetic body on the face of the earth.”[17]
During his visit to Israel in 2011, he stated that the artists refusing to perform in Israel for political reasons are “stupid,” referring to artists who canceled planned concerts in Israel.[18]

Personal life

He became a science fiction fan and published several science fiction fanzines, among them Sirruish, Id, Cosmos (which eventually merged with Stilletto to become Cosmos-Stilletto and then Faun), Tinderbox, Sci-Fi Showcase, Mantis and Adventure. He also contributed to other fanzines, among them BeABohema.[19]
In the late 1960s, he changed his name to Gene Simmons, after legendary rockabilly performer Jumpin’ Gene Simmons.[20]
Simmons, who has never married, lives in Beverly Hills, California with longtime partner, former Playboy Playmate and actress Shannon Tweed. They have two children: a son, Nick (born January 22, 1989), and a daughter, Sophie, (born July 7, 1992). He formerly had live-in relationships with Cher and Diana Ross.[2] Simmons speaks English, Spanish, Hungarian and Hebrew.
On his television show Gene Simmons Family Jewels, he bought a local island in an episode in August 2007, and he is the longtime owner of Gene Simmons Toyota in Newbridge, New Jersey.

Homecoming visit to Israel

In March 2011, Simmons had a homecoming visit to Israel where he was born. He described the trip as a “life changing experience”. He talked how he still feels Israeli – “I’m Israeli. I’m a stranger in America. I’m an outsider”. [21] Gene recently met his half brother Kobi, and sisters Sharon, Eugenia and Drora while in Israel. [22] Simmons has plans to bring his band, KISS to Israel. [23] He has always said that he is an ardent supporter of Israel. [24] At a press conference in Israel, he spoke both Hebrew and English.[25]

Controversy

  • In February 2002, Simmons was interviewed on the NPR radio show Fresh Air and asked about his claim of having bedded 4,600 women. He told Terry Gross: “If you want to welcome me with open arms, I’m afraid you’re also going to have to welcome me with open legs,” paraphrasing The Who‘s hit song “You Better You Bet“. Gross replied: “That’s a really obnoxious thing to say.” At the time, Simmons refused to grant permission to NPR to make the interview available online.[26] However, it appears in print in Gross’s book All I Did Was Ask (ISBN 1-4013-0010-3) and unauthorized transcripts are available. NPR re-broadcast part of the interview in August 2007.[27] Simmons’s bandmate Paul Stanley has frequently used the phrase “… welcomed us with open arms and open legs” in onstage patter during Kiss concerts.
  • In 2004, during an interview in Melbourne, Australia, while talking about Islamic extremists, Simmons described Islam as a “vile culture,” saying that Muslim women had to walk behind their husband, weren’t allowed to be educated or own houses. He said: They want to come and live right where you live and they think that you’re evil.” Amongst ensuing criticism, Australian Muslim of the Year Susan Carland argued that Simmons’ stereotyping of Muslims was inaccurate.[28] Simmons later clarified his comments on his website, saying he had been talking specifically about Muslim extremists.
  • In 2005, Simmons was sued by a former girlfriend, Georgeann Walsh Ward, who said she had been “defamed” in the VH1 documentary When Kiss Ruled the World and portrayed as an “unchaste woman.” [29] A settlement was reached in June 2006.[30]

Awards and recognition

In 2011, Simmons was presented the key to the city in Dallas, Texas and a street, Gene Simmons Boulevard, was named for him.

Filmography

Year Film Role Bandmates Miscellaneous
1978 Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park[31] The Demon Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley TV movie
1984 Runaway[32] Dr. Charles Luther
1986 Trick or Treat[33] Nuke (radio DJ) Ozzy Osbourne also appeared
1986 Never Too Young to Die[34] Carruthers / Velvet Von Ragner
1987 Wanted: Dead or Alive[35] Malak Al Rahim
1988 The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years[36] Himself Paul Stanley Documentary
1989 Red Surf[37] Doc
1999 Detroit Rock City[38] Himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley Simmons also produced[38]
2002 The New Guy[39] Reverend
2002 Wish You Were Dead[40] Vinny
2008 Detroit Metal City[41] Jack lll Dark Japanese movie
2009 Extract[42] Joe Adler
2010 Expecting Mary Taylor
2010 Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage Himself Documentary

Television appearances

Year Show Episode Role Bandmates Miscellaneous
1974 The Mike Douglas Show[43] June 11, 1974 Himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley Kiss’ first national television appearance, performed “Firehouse”
1976 The Paul Lynde Halloween Special[44] October 29, 1976 Himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley The band performed “Detroit Rock City” and “King of the Night Time World”, Peter Criss performed “Beth“
1985 Miami Vice[45] “Prodigal Son” Newton Blade
1997 Action League Now![46] “Rock-A-Big-Baby” Toy version of himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley Performed “Rock and Roll All Nite“
1998 MADtv[47] October 31, 1998 (#406) Himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley. Halloween special; performed in five sketches
2001 Family Guy[48] “A Very Special Family Guy Freakin’ Christmas“ Animated version of himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley
2001 Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?[49] May 27, 2001 Himself Won $500,000 for a charity
2001 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart[50] June 12, 2001 Himself Almost licked Jon Stewart’s face in response to Jon being unable to explain the difference between pleasure and joy to a man with a ‘twelve-inch tongue’
2002 Family Guy[51] “Road to Europe“ Animated version of himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley
2002 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno[52] September 6, 2002 Himself
2003 King of the Hill[53] “Reborn to Be Wild” Jessie
2004 Third Watch[54] “Higher Calling” Donald Mann
2004 Third Watch[55] “Monsters” Donald Mann
2004 Third Watch[56] “More Monsters” Donald Mann
2005 American Idol[57] “Auditions: New Orleans” Himself- guest judge
2005 Family Guy[58] “Don’t Make Me Over“ Animated version of himself/ Prisoner #3
2005 Mind of Mencia[59] Episode #1.7 Himself
2006 The View[60] August 1, 2006 Himself 2006 Gene Simmons Family Jewels
2007 SpongeBob SquarePants[61] “The Battle of Bikini Bottom“ Sea Monster
2007 Shrink Rap[62] “Gene Simmons” Himself UK’s More4 show
2008 Entertainment Tonight[63] January 2, 2008 Himself
2008 Jimmy Kimmel Live![64] January 18, 2008 Himself
2008 Rachael Ray[65] March 11, 2008 Himself
2008 Criss Angel Mindfreak[66] “Mindfreaking with the Stars” Himself
2008 Ugly Betty[67] “The Kids Are Alright” Himself
2008 Ugly Betty[68] “A Thousand Words by Friday” Himself
2008 Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?[69] Episode #3.9 Himself Won $500,000 for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation charity
2008 The Celebrity Apprentice[70] First three episodes Himself Fired in the third episode
2008 Jingles[71][72] Celebrity judge Mark Burnett reality show
2009 Glenn Martin DDS Glenn Gary, Glenn Martin himself no band mates were involved
2009 American Idol[57] Season Finale Himself Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley Performed medley of 3 songs with contestant Adam Lambert
2009 The Fairly OddParents “Wishology – Part 1: The Big Beginning“ Animated version of himself Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley
2010 I Get That a Lot Episode 2 As Himself No Band Mates Associated Simmons appeared as a psychic working at the Mystic Journey Bookstore in Venice, California
2010 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Episode 160 As Himself No Kiss Band Mates Associated The band Kiss made a personal appearance during the Wagstaff family’s vacation in Disneyland and honored them as special guests at one of their concerts. Kiss also made a personal appearance at a local school where a donation of new musical instruments was made in the Wagstaff family’s name.
2010 I’m in a Rock ‘n’ Roll Band! Episode 1 And 5 As Himself None Discussing the requirements of being in a rock band.
2011 Castle To Love and Die in LA As Himself None

[edit] Video appearances

In 2007, he appeared alongside other celebrities, as well as regular people, in the music video for “Rockstar” by Nickelback.

Video game appearances

Gene Simmons is a playable character in Tony Hawk’s Underground, unlocked when completing the story mode on Normal difficulty, and also appears with his Kiss bandmates in the Hotter Than Hell level to play one of three songs upon collecting the four K-I-S-S letters.
Gene Simmons’ Kiss character, The Demon, is a playable character in Kiss: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child.
Simmons also has a large role in the 2010 music video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. In addition to narrating the main storyline and doing advertising for the game, the Kiss song “Love Gun” is playable.

Discography

Kiss

Gene Simmons’ bass guitar

Main article: Kiss discography

Gene Simmons bass guitar at the hard rock in Seattle, Washington

Solo

  • Gene Simmons (1978)
  • Sex Money Kiss (audiobook CD), 2003)
  • Asshole (2004)
  • Speaking in Tongues (spoken word CD, 2004)

Publishing career

In 2002, Simmons launched Gene Simmons’ Tongue, a men’s lifestyle magazine.[73] The magazine lasted five issues before being discontinued.[74]

Published works

 









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Who is Joanne Rowling?

Who is Joanne Rowling? The literary world knows J. K. Rowling  as a British author best known as the creator of the Harry Potter fantasy series, the idea for which was conceived on a train trip from Manchester to London in 1990.[5] The Potter books have gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, sold more than 400 million copies[6] and been the basis for a popular series of films, in which Rowling had overall approval on the scripts[7] as well as maintaining creative control by serving as a producer on the final installment.[8]
Rowling is perhaps equally famous for her “rags to riches” life story, in which she progressed from living on benefits to multi-millionaire status within five years. As of March 2011, when its latest world billionaires list was published, Forbes estimated Rowling’s net worth to be US$1 billion.[9] The 2008 Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling’s fortune at £560 million ($798 million), ranking her as the twelfth richest woman in Great Britain.[10] Forbes ranked Rowling as the forty-eighth most powerful celebrity of 2007,[11] and Time magazine named her as a runner-up for its 2007 Person of the Year, noting the social, moral, and political inspiration she has given her fandom.[12] In October 2010, J. K. Rowling was named ‘Most Influential Woman in Britain’ by leading magazine editors.[13] She has become a notable philanthropist, supporting such charities as Comic Relief, One Parent Families, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain, and Lumos (formerly the Children’s High Level Group).

Name

Although she writes under the pen name “J. K. Rowling”, pronounced like rolling ,[14] her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply “Joanne Rowling”. Fearing that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling.[15][16] She calls herself “Jo” and has said, “No one ever called me ‘Joanne’ when I was young, unless they were angry.”[17] Following her marriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business.[18][19]

Background

Rowling was born 31 July 1965 to Peter James Rowling and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16.1 km) northeast of Bristol.[20] Her sister Dianne (Di)[5] was born at their home on 28 June 1967[21] when Rowling was 23 months old.[20] The family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four.[22] She attended St Michael’s Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More.[23][24] Her headmaster at St Michael’s, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore.[25]
As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories, which she would usually then read to her sister. She recalls that “I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it. Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee.”[14] At the age of nine, Rowling moved to the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales.[20] When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said “taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind”, gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitford‘s autobiography, Hons and Rebels.[26] Mitford became Rowling’s heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.[27]
She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother, Anne, had worked as a technician in the Science Department.[28] Rowling has said of her adolescence, “Hermione [A bookish, know-it-all Harry Potter character] is loosely based on me. She’s a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I’m not particularly proud of.”[29] Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she says inspired the one in her books. “Ron Weasley [Harry Potter’s best friend] isn’t a living portrait of Sean, but he really is very Sean-ish.”[30] Of her musical tastes of the time, she said “My favourite group in the world is The Smiths. And when I was going through a punky phase, it was The Clash.”[31] Rowling read for a BA in French and Classics at the University of Exeter, which she says was a “bit of a shock” as she “was expecting to be amongst lots of similar people– thinking radical thoughts.” Once she made friends with “some like-minded people” she says she began to enjoy herself.[32] After a year of study in Paris, Rowling moved to London to work as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International.[33]
In 1990, while she was on a four-hour-delayed train trip from Manchester to London, the idea for a story of a young boy attending a school of wizardry “came fully formed” into her mind.[34] She told The Boston Globe that “I really don’t know where the idea came from. It started with Harry, then all these characters and situations came flooding into my head.”[20][34] When she had reached her Clapham Junction flat, she began to write immediately.[20][35]

Marriage
However, in December of that year, Rowling’s mother died, after her ten-year battle with multiple sclerosis.[20] Rowling commented, “I was writing Harry Potter at the moment my mother died. I had never told her about Harry Potter.”[19] Rowling said this death heavily affected her writing[19][36] and that she introduced much more detail about Harry’s loss in the first book, because she knew about how it felt.[37]

Jorge Arantes.

Rowling then moved to Porto, Portugal to teach English as a foreign language.[27][5] While there, on 16 October 1992, she married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes. Their child, Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes (named after Jessica Mitford), was born on 27 July 1993 in Portugal.[38] They separated in November 1993.[38][39] In December 1993, Rowling and her daughter moved to be near her sister in Edinburgh, Scotland.[20] During this period Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression, and contemplated suicide.[40] It was the feeling of her illness which brought her the idea of Dementors, soul-sucking creatures introduced in the third book.[41]
Seven years after graduating from university, Rowling saw herself as “the biggest failure I knew.”[42] Her marriage had failed, she was jobless with a dependent child, but she described her failure as liberating:

In order to teach in Scotland she would need a postgraduate certificate of education (PGCE), requiring a full-time, year-long course of study. She began this course in August 1995,[43] after completing her first novel while having survived on state welfare support.[44] She wrote in many cafés, especially Nicolson’s Café,[45] whenever she could get Jessica to fall asleep.[20][46] In a 2001 BBC interview, Rowling denied the rumour that she wrote in local cafés to escape from her unheated flat, remarking, “I am not stupid enough to rent an unheated flat in Edinburgh in midwinter. It had heating.” Instead, as she stated on the American TV programme A&E Biography, one of the reasons she wrote in cafés was because taking her baby out for a walk was the best way to make her fall asleep.[46]

Harry Potter

Harry Potter books

Alice Newton

In 1995, Rowling finished her manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on an old manual typewriter.[48] Upon the enthusiastic response of Bryony Evens, a reader who had been asked to review the book’s first three chapters, the Fulham-based Christopher Little Literary Agents agreed to represent Rowling in her quest for a publisher. The book was submitted to twelve publishing houses, all of which rejected the manuscript.[38] A year later she was finally given the green light (and a £1500 advance) by editor Barry Cunningham from Bloomsbury, a small publishing house in London.[38][49] The decision to publish Rowling’s book apparently owes much to Alice Newton, the eight-year-old daughter of Bloomsbury’s chairman, who was given the first chapter to review by her father and immediately demanded the next.[50] Although Bloomsbury agreed to publish the book, Cunningham says that he advised Rowling to get a day job, since she had little chance of making money in children’s books.[51] Soon after, in 1997, Rowling received an £8000 grant from the Scottish Arts Council to enable her to continue writing.[52] The following spring, an auction was held in the United States for the rights to publish the novel, and was won by Scholastic Inc., for $105,000. Rowling has said she “nearly died” when she heard the news.[53]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,

In June 1997, Bloomsbury published Philosopher’s Stone with an initial print-run of 1000 copies, five hundred of which were distributed to libraries. Today, such copies are valued between £16,000 and £25,000.[54] Five months later, the book won its first award, a Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. In February, the novel won the prestigious British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year, and later, the Children’s Book Award. Its sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published in July 1998.[55] In October 1998, Scholastic published Philosopher’s Stone in the US under the title of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: a change Rowling claims she now regrets and would have fought if she had been in a better position at the time.[56]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,

In December 1999, the third novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, won the Smarties Prize, making Rowling the first person to win the award three times running.[57] She later withdrew the fourth Harry Potter novel from contention to allow other books a fair chance. In January 2000, Prisoner of Azkaban won the inaugural Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year award, though it lost the Book of the Year prize to Seamus Heaney‘s translation of Beowulf.[58]

Potter and the Goblet of Fire,

The fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was released simultaneously in the UK and the US on 8 July 2000, and broke sales records in both countries. Some 372,775 copies of the book were sold in its first day in the UK, almost equalling the number Prisoner of Azkaban sold during its first year.[59] In the US, the book sold three million copies in its first 48 hours, smashing all literary sales records.[59] Rowling admitted that she had had a moment of crisis while writing the novel; “Halfway through writing Four, I realised there was a serious fault with the plot … I’ve had some of my blackest moments with this book … One chapter I rewrote 13 times, though no-one who has read it can spot which one or know the pain it caused me.”[60] Rowling was named author of the year in the 2000 British Book Awards.[61]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

A wait of three years occurred between the release of Goblet of Fire and the fifth Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This gap led to press speculation that Rowling had developed writer’s block, speculations she fervently denied.[62] Rowling later admitted that writing the book was a chore. “I think Phoenix could have been shorter”, she told Lev Grossman, “I knew that, and I ran out of time and energy toward the end.”[63]

Half-Blood Prince

The sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was released on 16 July 2005. It too broke all sales records, selling nine million copies in its first 24 hours of release.[64] While writing, she told a fan online, “Book six has been planned for years, but before I started writing seriously I spend two months re-visiting the plan and making absolutely sure I knew what I was doing.”[65] She noted on her website that the opening chapter of book six, which features a conversation between the Minister of Magic and the British Prime Minister, had been intended as the first chapter first for Philosopher’s Stone, then Chamber of Secrets then Prisoner of Azkaban.[66] In 2006, Half-Blood Prince received the Book of the Year prize at the British Book Awards.[67]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The title of the seventh and final Harry Potter book was revealed 21 December 2006 to be Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[68] In February 2007 it was reported that Rowling wrote on a bust in her hotel room at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh that she had finished the seventh book in that room on 11 January 2007.[69] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released on 21 July 2007 (0:00 BST) and broke its predecessor’s record as the fastest-selling book of all time.[70] It sold 11 million copies in the first day of release in the United Kingdom and United States.[70] She has said that the last chapter of the book was written “in something like 1990”, as part of her earliest work on the entire series.[71] During a year period when Rowling was completing the last book, she allowed herself to be filmed for a documentary which aired in Britain on ITV on 30 December 2007. It was entitled J K Rowling… A Year In The Life and showed her returning to her old Edinburgh tenement flat where she lived, and completed the first Harry Potter book.[72] Re-visiting the flat for the first time reduced her to tears, saying it was “really where I turned my life around completely.”[72]
Harry Potter is now a global brand worth an estimated £7 billion ($15 billion),[73] and the last four Harry Potter books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.[70][74] The series, totalling 4,195 pages,[75] has been translated, in whole or in part, into 65 languages.[76]
The Harry Potter books have also gained recognition for sparking an interest in reading among the young at a time when children were thought to be abandoning books for computers and television,[77] although the series’ overall impact on children’s reading habits has been questioned.[78]

Harry Potter films

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
David Yates

In October 1998, Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to the first two novels for a seven-figure sum.[79] A film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was released on 16 November 2001, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on 15 November 2002.[80] Both films were directed by Chris Columbus. 4 June 2004 saw the release of the film version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The fourth film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was directed by another new director, Mike Newell, and released on 18 November 2005. The film of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released on 11 July 2007.[80] David Yates directed, and Michael Goldenberg wrote the screenplay, having taken over the position from Steve Kloves. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released on 15 July 2009.[81][82] David Yates directed again, and Kloves returned to write the script.[83] In March 2008, Warner Bros. announced that the final instalment of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, would be filmed in two segments, with part one being released in November 2010 and part two being released in July 2011. Yates would again return to direct both films.[84][85]

Warner Bros took considerable notice of Rowling’s desires and thoughts when drafting her contract. One of her principal stipulations was the films be shot in Britain with an all-British cast, which has been adhered to strictly.[86] In an unprecedented move, Rowling also demanded that Coca-Cola, the victor in the race to tie in their products to the film series, donate $18 million to the American charity Reading is Fundamental, as well as a number of community charity programs.[87]
The first four, sixth and seventh films were scripted by Steve Kloves; Rowling assisted him in the writing process, ensuring that his scripts did not contradict future books in the series. She has said that she told him more about the later books than anybody else (prior to their release), but not everything.[88] She has also said that she told Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) certain secrets about their characters before they were revealed in the books.[89] Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) asked her if Harry died at any point in the series; Rowling answered him by saying, “You have a death scene”, thereby not explicitly answering the question.[90] Director Steven Spielberg was approached to helm the first film, but dropped out. The press has repeatedly claimed that Rowling played a role in his departure, but Rowling stated that she has no say in who directs the films and would not have vetoed Spielberg if she had.[91] Rowling’s first choice for the director had been Monty Python member Terry Gilliam, as she is a fan of his work. However, Warner Bros. wanted a more family friendly film and eventually they chose Chris Columbus, who was set to direct all seven entries in the series.[92] Columbus declined to direct the succeeding films to the second adaptation as he claimed he was “burned out”.[93][94] This led to directors Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell and David Yates to join the series. Cuarón and Newell helmed one film each, while Yates directed the final four entries, becoming the only person to have guided more than one Harry Potter film since Columbus.[95]
Rowling had gained creative control on the films, approving all the scripts[96] as well as acting as a producer on the final two-part instalment, Deathly Hallows.[97]
On her website, Rowling revealed that she was considered to have a cameo in the first film as Lily Potter in the Mirror of Erised scene. Rowling, however, turned down the role, stating that she was not cut out to be an actor and, “would have messed it up somehow”.[98]
Rowling, producers David Heyman and David Barron, along with directors David Yates, Mike Newell and Alfonso Cuarón collected the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema at the 2011 British Academy Film Awards in honour of the Harry Potter film franchise.[99]

Life after Harry Potter

Forbes has named Rowling as the first person to become a U.S.-dollar billionaire by writing books,[100] the second-richest female entertainer and the 1,062nd richest person in the world.[101] When first listed as a billionaire by Forbes in 2004, Rowling disputed the calculations and said she had plenty of money, but was not a billionaire.[102] In addition, the 2008 Sunday Times Rich List named Rowling the 144th richest person in Britain.[10] In 2001, Rowling purchased a luxurious 19th-century estate house, Killiechassie House, on the banks of the River Tay, near Aberfeldy, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland.[103] Rowling also owns a home in Merchiston, Edinburgh, and a £4.5 million ($9 million) Georgian house in Kensington, West London,[104] on a street with 24-hour security.[105]

Second Marriage 
 

Neil Michael Murray

On 26 December 2001, Rowling married Neil Michael Murray (born 30 June 1971), an anaesthetist, in a private ceremony at her Aberfeldy home.[106] This was a second marriage for both Rowling and Murray, as Murray had previously been married to Dr. Fiona Duncan in 1996. Murray and Duncan separated in 1999 and divorced in the summer of 2001. Rowling’s and Murray’s son, David Gordon Rowling Murray, was born on 24 March 2003.[107] Shortly after Rowling began writing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince she took a break from working on the novel to care for him in his early infancy.[108] Rowling’s youngest child, daughter Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray, to whom she dedicated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was born 23 January 2005.[109]

Sarah Brown  

Rowling is a close friend of Sarah Brown, wife of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whom she met when they collaborated on a charitable project (see below). When Brown’s son Fraser was born in 2003, Rowling was one of the first to visit her in the hospital.[110]
Rowling has received honorary degrees from St Andrews University, the University of Edinburgh, Napier University, the University of Exeter,[111] the University of Aberdeen[112][113] and Harvard University, for whom she spoke at the 2008 commencement ceremony.[114] In 2009 Rowling was awarded the Légion d’honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. She revealed publicly, during the Elysée Palace ceremony, that her maternal grandfather was French and had also received the Légion d’honneur for his bravery at the First World War battle of Verdun.[115]

Subsequent writing

Rowling has stated that she plans to continue writing.[116] In an interview with Stephen Fry in 2005, Rowling claimed that she would much prefer to write any subsequent books under a pseudonym; however, she conceded to Jeremy Paxman in 2003 that if she did, the press would probably “find out in seconds.”[117] In 2006, Rowling revealed that she had finished writing a few short stories and another children’s book (a “political fairy story”) about a monster, aimed at a younger audience than Harry Potter readers.[118]
As regards the possibility of an eighth Harry Potter book, she has said, “I can’t say I’ll never write another book about that world just because I think, what do I know, in ten years’ time I might want to return to it but I think it’s unlikely.”[119] However, on 1 October 2010, JK Rowling had an interview with Oprah stating a new book on the saga might happen.[120]
Rowling has said she will be writing an encyclopaedia of Harry Potter’s wizarding world consisting of various unpublished material and notes.[121] Any profits from such a book would be given to charity.[122] During a news conference at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre in 2007, Rowling, when asked how the encyclopaedia was coming along, said, “It’s not coming along, and I haven’t started writing it. I never said it was the next thing I’d do.”[123] As of the end of 2007, Rowling has said that the encyclopaedia could take up to ten years to complete, stating “There is no point in doing it unless it is amazing. The last thing I want to do is to rush something out”.[72]
In July 2007, Rowling said that she wants to dedicate “lots” of her time to her family, but is currently “sort of writing two things”, one for children and the other for adults.[124] She did not give any details about the two projects but did state that she was excited because the two book situation reminded her of writing the Philosopher’s Stone, explaining how she was then writing two books until Harry took over.[125] She stated in October 2007 that her future work was unlikely to be in the fantasy genre, explaining, “I think probably I’ve done my fantasy … it would be incredibly difficult to go out and create another world that didn’t in some way overlap with Harry’s or maybe borrow a little too much from Harry.”[126] In November 2007, Rowling said that she was working on another book, a “half-finished book for children that I think will probably be the next thing I publish.”[127] In March 2008, Rowling confirmed that her “political fairy tale” for children was nearing completion.[128]
In March 2008, Rowling revealed in interview that she had returned to writing in Edinburgh cafés, intent on composing a new novel for children. “I will continue writing for children because that’s what I enjoy,” she told The Daily Telegraph. “I am very good at finding a suitable café; I blend into the crowd and, of course, I don’t sit in the middle of the bar staring all around me.”[129]

Relationship with the press

Rowling has had a difficult relationship with the press. She admits to being “thin-skinned” and dislikes the fickle nature of reporting. “They went in one day from saying, ‘She’s got writer’s block’ to saying, ‘She’s been self-indulgent'”, she told The Times in 2003, “And I thought, well, what a difference 24 hours makes.” However, Rowling disputes her reputation as a recluse who hates to be interviewed.[130] In 2001, the Press Complaints Commission upheld a complaint by Rowling over a series of unauthorised photographs of her with her daughter on the beach in Mauritius published in OK! Magazine.[131] In 2007, Rowling’s young son, David, assisted by Rowling and her husband, lost a court fight to ban publication of a photograph of him. The photo, taken by a photographer using a long-range lens, was subsequently published in a Sunday Express article featuring Rowling’s family life and motherhood.[18] However, the judgment was overturned in David’s favour in May 2008.[132][133]
Rowling has said she particularly dislikes the British tabloid the Daily Mail, which made references to a stalker Rowling insists does not exist, and conducted interviews with her estranged ex-husband. As one journalist noted, “Harry’s Uncle Vernon is a grotesque philistine of violent tendencies and remarkably little brain. It is not difficult to guess which newspaper Rowling gives him to read [in Goblet of Fire].”[134]
Some have speculated that Rowling’s fraught relationship with the press was the inspiration behind the character Rita Skeeter, a gossipy celebrity journalist who first appears in Goblet of Fire. However, Rowling noted in 2000 that the character actually predates her rise to fame: “People have asked me whether Rita Skeeter was invented [to reflect Harry Potter’s popularity], but in fact she was always planned.”[135] “I tried to put Rita in Philosopher’s Stone – you know when Harry walks into the Leaky Cauldron for the first time and everyone says, “Mr. Potter you’re back!”, I wanted to put a journalist in there. She wasn’t called Rita then but she was a woman. And then I thought, as I looked at the plot overall, I thought, that’s not really where she fits best, she fits best in Four when Harry’s supposed to come to terms with his fame.”[136]

Philanthropy

In 2000, Rowling established the Volant Charitable Trust, which uses its annual budget of £5.1 million to combat poverty and social inequality. The fund also gives to organisations that aid children, one parent families, and multiple sclerosis research.[137] Rowling said, “I think you have a moral responsibility when you’ve been given far more than you need, to do wise things with it and give intelligently.”[124]

Anti-poverty

Rowling, once a single parent herself, is now president of the charity One Parent Families, having already become their first Ambassador in 2000.[138][139] Rowling collaborated with Sarah Brown to write a book of children’s stories to aid One Parent Families.[140]
In 2001, the UK anti-poverty fundraiser Comic Relief asked three bestselling British authors – cookery writer and TV presenter Delia Smith, Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding, and Rowling – to submit booklets related to their most famous works for publication.[141] Rowling’s two booklets, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages, are ostensibly facsimiles of books found in the Hogwarts library. Since going on sale in March 2001, the books have raised £15.7 million ($30 million) for the fund. The £10.8 million ($20 million) they have raised outside the UK have been channelled into a newly created International Fund for Children and Young People in Crisis.[142]
In 2005, Rowling and MEP Emma Nicholson founded the Children’s High Level Group (now Lumos).[143] In January 2006, Rowling went to Bucharest to highlight the use of caged beds in mental institutions for children.[144] To further support the CHLG, Rowling auctioned one of seven handwritten and illustrated copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a series of fairy tales referred to in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book was purchased for £1.95 million by on-line bookseller Amazon.com on 13 December 2007, becoming the most expensive modern book ever sold at auction.[145][146][147] Rowling commented, “This will mean so much to children in desperate need of help. It means Christmas has come early to me.”[146][148] Rowling gave away the remaining six copies to those who have a close connection with the Harry Potter books.[146] In 2008, Rowling agreed to publish the book with the proceeds going to the Children’s High Level Group.[145]

Multiple sclerosis

Rowling has contributed money and support for research and treatment of multiple sclerosis, from which her mother suffered before her death in 1990. In 2006, Rowling contributed a substantial sum toward the creation of a new Centre for Regenerative Medicine at Edinburgh University and in 2010 she donated a further £10 million to the centre.[149] For reasons unknown, Scotland, Rowling’s country of adoption, has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis in the world.[150] In 2003, Rowling took part in a campaign to establish a national standard of care for MS sufferers.[151] In April 2009, she announced that she was withdrawing her support for Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland, citing her inability to resolve an ongoing feud between the organisation’s northern and southern branches that had sapped morale and led to several resignations.[151]

Other philanthropic work

In May 2008, bookseller Waterstones asked Rowling and 12 other writers (Sebastian Faulks, Doris Lessing, Lisa Appignanesi, Margaret Atwood, Lauren Child, Richard Ford, Neil Gaiman, Nick Hornby, Michael Rosen, Axel Scheffler, Tom Stoppard and Irvine Welsh) to compose a short piece of their own choosing on a single A5 card, which would then be sold at auction in aid of the charities Dyslexia Action and English PEN. Rowling’s contribution was an 800-word Harry Potter prequel that concerns Harry’s father, James Potter and godfather, Sirius Black, and takes place three years before Harry was born.[152][153] The cards were collected together and sold for charity in book form in August 2008.[153]
On 1 and 2 August 2006 she read alongside Stephen King and John Irving at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Profits from the event were donated to the Haven Foundation, a charity that aids artists and performers left uninsurable and unable to work, and the medical NGO Médecins Sans Frontières.[154] In May 2007, Rowling gave $495,000 to a reward fund of over $4.5 million for the safe return of a young British girl, Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal.[155][156] Rowling, along with Nelson Mandela, Al Gore, and Alan Greenspan, wrote an introduction to a collection of Gordon Brown’s speeches, the proceeds of which are donated to the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory.[157]
Rowling is a supporter of The Shannon Trust which runs the Toe[158]

Political views

In September 2008, on the eve of the Labour Party Conference, Rowling announced that she had donated £1 million to the Labour Party, and publicly endorsed Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown over Tory challenger David Cameron.

Rowling commented on her political views when she discussed the 2008 United States presidential election with the Spanish-language newspaper El País. She said she is obsessed with the United States elections because they will have a profound effect on the rest of the world. In February 2008, she said that both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would be “extraordinary” in the White House. In the same interview, she also said her hero was Robert F. Kennedy.[160][161]
In April 2010, Rowling published an article in The Times in which she heavily criticised Cameron’s plan to encourage married couples to stay together by offering them a £150 annual tax credit.

Religious views

Over the years, many religious people have decried Rowling’s books for supposedly promoting witchcraft. However, Rowling identifies herself as a Christian. She attended a Church of Scotland congregation while writing Harry Potter and her eldest daughter, Jessica, was baptised there.[163] “I go to church myself”, she says, “I don’t take any responsibility for the lunatic fringes of my own religion”.[164] She once said, “I believe in God, not magic.”[165] Early on she felt that if readers knew of her Christian beliefs, they would be able to “guess what is coming in the books.”[166]
In 2007, Rowling described her religious background in an interview with the Dutch newspaper the Volkskrant:[167]

Rowling has occasionally expressed ambivalence about her religious faith. In a 2006 interview with Tatler magazine, Rowling noted that, “like Graham Greene, my faith is sometimes about if my faith will return. It’s important to me.”[19] In a British documentary, JK Rowling: A Year in the Life, when asked if she believed in God, she said, “Yes. I do struggle with it; I couldn’t pretend that I’m not doubt-ridden about a lot of things and that would be one of them but I would say yes.” When asked if she believed in an afterlife, she said, “Yes; I think I do.”[168] She further said “It’s something that I wrestle with a lot. It preoccupies me a lot, and I think that’s very obvious within the books.”[169] In a 2008 interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais, Rowling said, “I feel very drawn to religion, but at the same time I feel a lot of uncertainty. I live in a state of spiritual flux. I believe in the permanence of the soul.”[170] In an interview with the Today Show in July 2007, she said, “…until we reached Book Seven, views of what happens after death and so on… would give away a lot of what was coming. So… yes, my belief and my struggling with religious belief and so on I think is quite apparent in this book.”[171]

Legal disputes

Rowling, her publishers, and Time Warner, the owner of the rights to the Harry Potter films, have taken numerous legal actions to protect their copyright. The worldwide popularity of the Harry Potter series has led to the appearance of a number of locally produced, unauthorised sequels and other derivative works, sparking efforts to ban or contain them.[172]
Another area of legal dispute involves a series of injunctions obtained by Rowling and her publishers to prohibit anyone from reading her books before their official release date.[173] The injunction drew fire from civil liberties and free speech campaigners and sparked debates over the “right to read”.[174][175]
 

Awards and honors

Publications

Harry Potter series

  1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (26 June 1997)
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2 July 1998)
  3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (8 July 1999)
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (8 July 2000)
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (21 June 2003)
  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (16 July 2005)
  7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (21 July 2007)

Other books

Short story

Articles

 

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June 18, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Who is Victoria Davey Spelling?

Who is Victoria Davey Spelling? The entertainment and acting world knows Tori Spelling as an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for appearing in the Beverly Hills, 90210 as Donna Martin. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?. She later appeared in several independent films such as Trick and The House of Yes. She reprised her prominent role in the spinoff, 90210 in 2009. Her autobiographical book sTORI Telling debuted on top of the New York Times Best Seller list and was named the best celebrity autobiography of 2009.[1]

Early life

Victoria Davey Spelling[2] was born May 16, 1973 in Los Angeles, California and is the daughter of Candy (née Marer) and Aaron Spelling.[3] Both of Spelling’s parents were Jewish, though her family celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah while she was growing up.[4] Her middle name comes from her paternal grandfather. She attended Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California but graduated from Harvard-Westlake School. Her brother, Randy Spelling, is also an actor.

 Career

As a child, Spelling had guest spots on such shows as The Love Boat, T. J. Hooker, Hotel, Fantasy Island, Vega$, and Saved by the Bell.

In 1990, she landed the role of Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210, a series co-produced by her father, Aaron Spelling and Spelling Television. She played the role for its entire run, from 1990 to 2000, and was nominated for two Young Artist Awards for her role. Spelling’s character remained a virgin until the finale of the seventh season and endured a stalker, attempted rape, and addiction.
In the 1990s, while starring on 90210, Spelling became well-known for a string of made-for-television films, such as Co-Ed Call Girl, A Friend to Die For, Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? and A Carol Christmas.
After Beverly Hills, 90210 ended, Spelling appeared in several independent films including Trick and The House of Yes.
Spelling has been the star of two reality-based shows. In 2006, she starred as herself in the VH1 sitcom So NoTORIous, which parodied her public image. In January 2007, she and her second husband, the actor Dean McDermott, decided to buy and operate a bed & breakfast in Fallbrook, California. This became the basis of a new reality show, Tori & Dean: Inn Love, which premiered on the Oxygen network on March 20, 2007.[5] In June 2008, the show returned for a third season under the new name Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. In the new season, Spelling and McDermott no longer run the inn, and they have returned to Los Angeles where they struggle to balance buying a new home, her second pregnancy, and her book tour. In May 2009 Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood returned for a fourth season.
On January 7, 2009, it was reported that Spelling would reprise her role as Donna Martin on the new CW show 90210.[6] She appeared in two episodes (19 and 20) as a special guest star.

Spelling designs and markets her own line of fashion jewelry on HSN. She released an autobiography entitled sTori Telling on March 11, 2008. Her second book titled Mommywood was released on April 14, 2009.[7]

In 2010, Spelling released her third book titled uncharted terriTORI. Spelling told People Magazine that “I love sharing my stories and experiences with people and connecting to them on both a humorous and emotional level” and that “The response to my first two books has been so amazing that I wanted to write a third one for my fans.”[8]
In 2011, Spelling’s wedding planning process became the basis of spin-off series Tori & Dean: sTORIbook Weddings. The series is due to premiere April 6, 2011. [9]

Personal life

Charlie Shanian
Dean McDermott  

On July 3, 2004, Spelling married Charlie Shanian, an actor and playwright. They separated in December 2005, after Spelling fell in love with Dean McDermott, and were legally divorced on April 20, 2006. Spelling married McDermott less than a month later, on May 7, 2006, in a private ceremony in Wakaya, Fiji. The two met when they co-starred in the TV movie Mind Over Murder. McDermott was married at the time to Mary Jo Eustace, whom he divorced to marry Spelling.
After her father’s death on June 23, 2006, Spelling was anticipated to inherit a sizable portion of her father’s $500 million estate. The estate was to be divided primarily between Spelling, her brother Randy and her mother Candy. Spelling’s mother was the estate executor. At the time, Spelling and her mother were estranged and it was reported that Spelling inherited just $800,000.[10] Her brother, who was not estranged from his mother, also received $800,000.[10]
Spelling gave birth to her first child, Liam Aaron McDermott (“Aaron” after her late father) on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital via emergency caesarean section. Reportedly, her mother was in the delivery room when Spelling gave birth. It has been reported that Candy Spelling established a $10 million trust fund for her first grandchild.[11] On Monday, June 9, 2008, Spelling and her husband welcomed their second child together, by caesarean section, a daughter named Stella Doreen McDermott (“Doreen” after Dean’s late mother).[12]
In July 2007, Spelling became a minister to marry a gay couple at Chateau La Rue. A tape of the ceremony was shown on Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood.[13]
Amid rumors that there was trouble in their marriage, Tori and Dean remarried. They renewed their vows on May 8, 2010 in Beverly Hills among their friends and family.[14] Dean gave her a custom designed Darkened Diamond Eternity Band by Neil Lane and she wore a white wedding dress.
As of April 2011 Spelling has confirmed that she and her husband are expecting their 3rd child fall 2011.

Actress

Multimedia

Soundtrack

  • Trick (January 27, 1999)

Publications


    Audiobook

     






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    June 15, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Who is Lisa Diane Whelchel ?


    Who is Lisa Diane Whelchel? The entertainment and acting world knows Lisa Whelchel as an American actress, singer, and writer best known for her role in the television series The Facts of Life as the preppy and wealthy Blair Warner.

    Life and career

    Whelchel was born May 29, 1963 in Littlefield, Texas, the daughter of Jenny (née French), a real estate agent, and Jimmy Whelchel, an electrician. Lisa is the older sister of Cody Whelchel and Casey.[1] She was raised for most of her childhood in Fort Worth, Texas and got her start as a Mouseketeer on The New Mickey Mouse Club, which aired in syndication from 1977-1978.
    An original cast member of The Facts of Life, Whelchel once refused a storyline that would have made her character the first among the four young women in the show to lose her virginity in that episode. Having become a Christian when she was 10, Whelchel refused because of her Christian convictions, and the storyline was rewritten for the character of “Natalie.” Whelchel appeared in every episode except that one.
    Although she has had other roles, her acting career effectively ended after The Facts of Life went off the air in 1988. During her role on The Facts of Life, she was offered a role in the music video for the Christian singer/songwriter Steve Taylor‘s “Meltdown (at Madame Tussaud’s)”. She also appeared in an episode of ABC’s “The Love Boat” in 1983.
    In 1984, Whelchel released a Christian pop album entitled All Because of You. While the album was a modest success (#17 on the Billboard Contemporary Christian charts) and received a Grammy nomination for Best Inspirational Album, Whelchel did not record a follow-up. Among the songs featured on the album were “Just Obey,” “Cover Me Lord,” and “Good Girl” (“Why be a good girl? Be a good girl!“)
    She returned to acting for the 2001 made-for-TV movie, The Facts of Life Reunion, and appeared with two of her Facts of Life co-stars (excluding Nancy McKeon, who was unable to participate in the movie) on The Today Show in the spring of 2006, admitting to being “bummed out” that Kim Fields was unable to attend.[2]
    On February 1, 2007, Whelchel was reunited with Kim Fields on WFAA-TV’s “Good Morning Texas.” Fields was in Dallas to promote her appearance in the production, “Issues: We’ve All Got ‘Em,'” when Whelchel was introduced as a surprise guest. It marked the first time in six years (since the reunion movie) that Fields and Whelchel even had contact. The video of the reunion is posted on YouTube.[3]

    Christian ministry

    Whelchel, who became a born-again Christian at age ten,[4] has devoted her life to her Christian faith. She has written books of anecdotes and advice that provide guidance on various topics which she believes should be handled in a manner appropriate to the Holy Bible. These include topics such as raising children and motherhood. Lisa has spoken about her child rearing books and methods of discipline in her 2005 interview with talk show host Drew Marshall.[5] Whelchel is also a staunch advocate of homeschooling and hotsaucing.
    Whelchel has been criticized by numerous parenting groups, both Christian and non-Christian, for her views. In 2007, Mary-Alice Cross, president of the Christian Parenting Association of America (CPAA), urged parents not to buy Whelchel’s books or practice any of her methods on the grounds that they are physically and emotionally abusive.
    She is seldom seen in acting roles today, as she is busy raising and homeschooling her children. Whelchel “feels her current role, as a wife and mother, is her greatest, and most challenging, role yet.”[6] In 2000, she founded Momtime Ministries, a religious network of mothers’ groups who meet weekly to “equip and refresh and encourage” each other.[7]
    She is currently on tour with the Women of Faith group.

    Family

    Whelchel married Steven Cauble, an associate pastor at her church, on July 9, 1988. They have three children: Tucker (born 1990), Haven (born 1991), and Clancy (born 1992).

    Bibliography

    • Creative Correction

     
     
     

    • The Facts of Life and Other Lessons My Father Taught Me

     

    • So You’re Thinking About Homeschooling
    • How to Start Your Own Mom Time

     The ADVENTure of Christmas: Helping Children Find Jesus in Our Holiday Traditions

    Taking Care of the Me in Mommy

    The Busy Mom’s Guide to Prayer

    The Busy Mom’s Guide to Wisdom

    The Busy Grandma’s Guide to Prayer

    Speaking Mom-ese: Moments of Peace & Inspiration in the Mother Tongue from One Mom’s Heart to Yours

    Filmography

    Film
    Year Film Role Other notes
    1979 The Double McGuffin Jody
    The Magician of Lublin Halina
    1992 Where the Red Fern Grows: Part 2 Sara Coleman Direct-to-video release
    Television
    Year Title Role Notes
    1977 The New Mickey Mouse Club Herself
    The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World Herself Television special
    1978 Family Cathy Connelly Episode: All for Love
    1979 Disney’s Wonderful World Robin Lapp Episode: Shadow of Fear (1)
    Episode: Shadow of Fear (2)
    1979, 1981 Diff’rent Strokes Blair Warner Episode: The Girls School
    Episode: The Older Man
    1979–1988 The Facts of Life Blair Warner 200 episodes
    1980 Skyward Lisa Ward NBC Television movie/Television pilot
    1981 Twirl Jill Moore NBC Television movie
    1982 The Facts of Life Goes to Paris Blair Warner NBC Television movie
    The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch Amy Cole ABC Television movie
    1983, 1985 The Love Boat Caroline
    Keley Barrett    		 Episode: Captain and the Kid…(1)
    Episode: Captain and the Kid (2)
    Episode: German Cruise – The Villa… (1)
    Episode: German Cruise – The Villa… (2)
    1987 The Facts of Life Down Under Blair Warner NBC Television movie
    2001 The Facts of Life Reunion Blair Warner ABC Television movie

    Awards and nominations

    Young Artist Awards

    • 1982: Nominated, “Best Young Comedienne in a Motion Picture or Television” – The Facts of Life
    • 1982: Nominated, “Best Young Actress in a Television Special” – Twirl
    • 1983: Nominated, “Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series” – The Facts of Life
    • 1984: Nominated, “Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series” – The Facts of Life

     








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    June 15, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

    Who is Andrew Breitbart?


    Who is Andrew Breitbart? The news world knows hims as Andrew Breitbart an American publisher,[2] commentator for the Washington Times, author,[3] an occasional guest commentator on various news programs who has served as an editor for the Drudge Report website. He was a researcher for Arianna Huffington, and helped launch her website, The Huffington Post.[4]
    He currently runs his own news aggregation site, Breitbart.com, and five other websites: Breitbart.tv, Big Hollywood, Big Government, Big Journalism, and Big Peace.

    Early life

    Breitbart was born February 1, 1969. Breitbart is the adopted son of Gerald and Arlene Breitbart, a restaurant owner and banker respectively, and grew up in a family with secular liberal views, in upscale Brentwood, Los Angeles. He was raised Jewish (his adoptive mother had converted to Judaism when marrying his adoptive father).[5][6] He explains that his birth certificate indicates his biological father was a folk singer, and that he is ethnically Irish by birth.[5] His adopted sister is Hispanic.[5] He changed his political views after experiencing an “epiphany” during the Clarence Thomas hearings, and now describes himself as “a Reagan conservative” with libertarian sympathies.[2]
    Breitbart earned a B.A. in American studies from Tulane University in 1991, graduating with a “C” average and with “no sense of [his] future whatsoever”.[7] His early jobs included a stint at cable channel E! Entertainment Television, working for the company’s online magazine, and some time in film production.[6]

    Public life

    Authorship, research and reporting

    In 1995 Breitbart saw the Drudge Report and was so impressed that he emailed Matt Drudge. Breitbart said, “I thought what he was doing was by far the coolest thing on the Internet. And I still do.”[4] Breitbart described himself as “Matt Drudge’s bitch“[8] and selected and posted links to other news wire sources. Later Matt Drudge introduced him to Arianna Huffington (when she was still a Republican)[6] and Breitbart subsequently assisted her (after she became a progressive) in creating her website.
    Breitbart’s work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, National Review Online and the Weekly Standard Online, among others. He writes a weekly column for The Washington Times, which also appears at Real Clear Politics. Breitbart also co-wrote the book Hollywood, Interrupted: Insanity Chic in Babylon with Mark Ebner, a book that is highly critical of U.S. celebrity culture.[9] On January 19, 2011, the conservative gay rights group GOProud announced Breitbart had joined its Advisory Council.[10]
    Breitbart recently authored Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World, which discusses his own political evolution and the part he took in the rise of new media, most notably at the Drudge Report and at The Huffington Post.
    Breitbart has said that his next launch will be called “Big Education,” and will take on the “academic establishment”.
    In June 2011 Breitbart was involved in the Anthony Weiner Twitter photo scandal posting photographs of Weiner on his websites.[11]

    Commentaries

    Breitbart has appeared as a commentator on Real Time with Bill Maher and Dennis Miller. In 2004 he was a guest commentator on Fox News Channel’s morning show and frequently appears as a guest panelist on Fox News‘s late night program, Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld. Breitbart also appeared as a commentator in the 2004 documentary Michael Moore Hates America.[12]
    On October 22, 2009, Breitbart appeared on the C-SPAN program Washington Journal. He gave his opinions on the mainstream media, Hollywood, the Obama Administration and his personal political views, having heated debates with several callers.[2]
    In the hours immediately following Senator Ted Kennedy‘s death, Breitbart called Kennedy a “villain,” a “duplicitous bastard,” a “prick”[13] and “a special pile of human excrement.”[14][15]
    In February 2010 Breitbart received the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. During his acceptance speech, he responded directly to accusations by New York Times reporter Kate Zernike that Jason Mattera, a young conservative activist, had been using “racial tones” in his allusions to President Barack Obama, and had spoken in a “Chris Rock voice.” From the podium, Breitbart called Zernike “a despicable human being” for having made such allegations about Mattera’s New York accent.[16]

    Activism


    Breitbart often appears as a speaker at Tea Party movement events across the U.S. For example, Breitbart was a keynote speaker at the first National Tea Party Convention at Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville on February 6, 2010.[17] Breitbart later involved himself in a controversy over homophobic and alleged racial slurs being used at a March 20, 2010 rally at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. by asserting that slurs were never used, and that “It was a set-up” by Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party. Breitbart offered to donate $100,000 to the United Negro College Fund “for any audio/video footage of the N-word being hurled”, claiming that they made it up. Breitbart insisted Congressman John Lewis and the several other witnesses were forced to lie, concluding that “Nancy Pelosi did a great disservice to a great civil rights icon by thrusting him out there to perform this mischievous task. His reputation is now on the line as a result of her desperation to take down the Tea Party movement.”[18][19]

    Websites 2010[20]

    Breitbart has launched a number of websites, including Breitbart.com,[21] BigHollywood.com,[22] BigGovernment.com,[23] BigJournalism.com,[24] and BigPeace.com.[25]
    Breitbart launched his first website as a news site; it is sometimes linked to by the Drudge Report and other websites. It features wire stories from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Fox News, PR Newswire, and U.S. Newswire, as well as direct links to a number of major international newspapers. Its Blog & “Network” links tend to run to the right within the U.S. political spectrum (e.g., National Review and Townhall.com). The site also features a search engine powered by Lingospot and a finance channel powered by FinancialContent. In 2007, Breitbart launched a video blog, Breitbart.tv.[26]
    In 2008 Breitbart launched the website “Big Hollywood,” a “group blog” driven by some who work within Los Angeles, featuring contributions from a variety of writers, including politically conservative entertainment-industry professionals.[27] The site, an outgrowth of the column “Big Hollywood” that Breitbart wrote for the Washington Times, addresses issues facing conservatives who work in Hollywood.[28] In 2009, the site used audio from a secretly recorded conference call to accuse the National Endowment of the Arts of encouraging artists to create work in support of Barack Obama’s domestic policy agenda.[29][30]
    Breitbart launched BigGovernment.com on September 10, 2009.[31] He hired Mike Flynn, a former government affairs specialist at Reason Foundation,[32] as Editor-in-Chief of Big Government.[33] The site premiered with hidden camera video footage taken by Hannah Giles and James O’Keefe at Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now offices in various cities, attracting nationwide attention resulting in the ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy.
    In January 2010, Breitbart launched Big Journalism. He told Mediaite:[34] “Our goal at Big Journalism is to hold the mainstream media’s feet to the fire. There are a lot of stories that they simply don’t cover, either because it doesn’t fit their world view, or because they’re literally innocent of any knowledge that the story even exists, or because they are a dying organization, short-staffed, and thus can’t cover stuff like they did before.” Big Journalism was edited by Michael A. Walsh, a former journalism professor and Time magazine music critic.[34] It is now currently edited by Dana Loesch. The site has a fictional contributor named “Retracto, the Correction Alpaca” who posts items requesting corrections from the traditional media.[35]
    BigPeace.com debuted July 4, 2010. The site covers topics such as international issues and foreign policy, the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, terrorism, Islamic extremism, espionage, border security, and energy issues.

    Controversies

    On July 19, 2010, Breitbart posted two short videos showing excerpts of a speech by Shirley Sherrod at an NAACP fundraising dinner in March 2010. The videos ensuing controversy resulted in Sherrod being fired from the United States Department of Agriculture on July 19. After Breitbart was criticized for taking Sherrod’s words out of context, he posted the complete 40-minute video of the speech.[36][37][38] The NAACP stated that the video excerpts aired by Breitbart were deliberately deceptive and said that he had “snookered” the group.[37][38] Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack later apologized to Sherrod and offered her a new job.[39] In 2011, Sherrod brought suit against Breitbart for defamation.[40]

    Main article: ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy

    Breitbart was also involved in the 2009 ACORN video controversy. Hannah Giles[41][42] posed as a prostitute seeking assistance while James O’Keefe portrayed her boyfriend, and clandestinely videotaped meetings with ACORN staff.[43] Subsequent criminal investigations by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office and the California Attorney General found the videos were heavily edited in an attempt to make ACORN’s responses “appear more sinister”,[44][45][46] and contributed to the group’s demise.[47][48] Breitbart then provided a forum for O’Keefe on his BigGovernment.com website[49] and defended his actions on Sean Hannity’s Fox News Channel program.[50]
    Breitbart has also been embroiled in a controversy within the conservative movement related to the participation of gay group GOProud in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), an annual conference held in Washington, D.C. by the American Conservative Union. In 2011 he was the primary host of a party that served to “welcome” the “homocons” to the convention (though it was the second year they had been participants). This flew in the face of a boycott staged by a few social conservative groups that were offended by the inclusion of GOProud within the conservative fold. Writer, producer, and publisher Roger L. Simon referred to the group as a “game-changer” for the Republican party, and asserted that it represented a turning point in the appeal that the conservative movement might hold for young people. Breitbart is now on the Advisory Board of GOProud.[51]

    Personal life

    Breitbart is married to Susannah (Susie) Bean, the daughter of actor Orson Bean, and has four children.[4][52]

     

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    June 11, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Who is Tracy Jamal Morgan ?

    Who is Tracy Jamal Morgan? The entertainment and acting world know Tracy Morgan as an American actor, comedian and author who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.

    Early life

    Morgan was born November 10, 1968 and raised in Brooklyn, New York, the second of five children of Alicia (née Warden), a homemaker, and James Morgan, Jr., a musician who left the family when Morgan was six.[1][2][3] Morgan grew up in the Tompkins Projects in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.[4] After attending De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx, he was discovered in 1984 while doing stand-up at The Apollo.[5] Before Morgan began his career, he worked in New York City as a painter, for L&L Painting and Rose Company.

    Career



    Morgan began his career on Martin, where he played Hustle Man. The character sold random items he had from the ‘hood’, always greeting people with his trademark “What’s happ’n, chief?” and had a pet dog that he dressed as a rapper. In the 2003 Chris Rock film Head of State, Morgan appeared as a man watching television, often questioning why they are not watching Martin.
    Morgan was also a regular cast member on “Uptown Comedy Club”, a sketch comedy show filmed in Harlem which aired for two seasons between 1992 to 1994. He was also on the HBO show Snaps.

    Saturday Night Live

    Morgan joined the cast of comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1996, where he performed as a regular until 2003. He performed a variety of characters on the program, including Brian Fellow, Uncle Jem, Dominican Lou, Bishop Don “Mack” Donald, Astronaut Jones, African Andy, Benny the Bengal, and Woodrow. Morgan is also credited with impressions of Aretha Franklin, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou, Samuel L. Jackson, Louis Armstrong, Mike Tyson, Judge Greg Mathis, Lou Bega, Mr. T, Tito Jackson, Petri Hawkins-Byrd, Star Jones, John Boehner, Plaxico Burress, and Al Sharpton. On March 14, 2009, Morgan returned to SNL as host and reprised his roles of Brian Fellow and Astronaut Jones.

    30 Rock

    Morgan is currently a cast member of the NBC television show 30 Rock, playing the character Tracy Jordan, a caricature of himself. His work on 30 Rock has been well-received, being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2009 Emmy Awards.

    Other work


    Morgan had his own show, The Tracy Morgan Show, in 2003, which was canceled after one season.

    Morgan also had a stand-up special entitled “One Mic” that was shown on Comedy Central. He also was the host of the first Spike Guys’ Choice Awards, which aired on June 13, 2007. In 2003, he was on an episode of Punk’d in which his car was towed from the valet parking. He can be heard as “Spoonie Luv” on the Comedy Central program Crank Yankers and as Woof in the MTV2 Animated Series Where My Dogs At?.
    Morgan acted in commercials for ESPN NFL 2K, ESPN NBA 2K, and ESPN NHL 2K, where he co-starred with Warren Sapp, Ben Wallace and Jeremy Roenick. He appeared in the movie The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler, as a transvestite inmate.[6]
    Morgan has hosted the VH1 Hip Hop Honors for 2 consecutive years and hosted the third season of Scare Tactics, the Sci Fi Channel‘s hidden camera show that pranks people by using their worst fears against them.
    Morgan voiced Agent Blaster in Disney’s G-Force. Morgan will voice a Bulldog in the upcoming Blue Sky Animation Studios film Rio.

    Controversy

    On January 27, 2011, Morgan appeared on the NBA on TNT pregame coverage of the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks nationally televised basketball game. During the appearance, commentators Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith asked Morgan to choose between Sarah Palin and Tina Fey on who was better looking (Fey portrays Palin on Saturday Night Live and is a coworker of Morgan). Morgan responded with a raunchy remark about Palin which led TNT to apologize for his remarks on live camera.[7]
    In June, 2011 Tracy launched into a homophobic tirade during a live show in Nashville. He said that if one of his sons were gay he’d stab him to death.[8]

    Personal life

    Morgan claims to have a number of tattoos, including: a peace sign; a happy and sad face; a cross bearing the names of his wife and three sons; the name of a friend he played football with in high school who was murdered; the words ME, MYSELF, & I on his back; and the phrase Stove Top.[9]
    Morgan married his high school sweetheart Sabrina in 1985. They have three sons together.[10] Morgan filed for divorce at Bronx Supreme Court on August 7, 2009 after 23 years of marriage, although he and his wife had been already separated for eight years. A friend told the New York Daily News, “Basically they were divorced without the paperwork.”[11] Morgan attributes one of his sons with having saved him from his drinking problems.[12]

    Health problems

    In 1996, he was diagnosed with diabetes, but says he never took it seriously, refusing to take medication or change his diet. After running a 104-degree fever on the set of 30 Rock, Morgan decided to finally comply with his doctor’s orders. He is now very cautious when it comes to the condition. With his consent, many of Morgan’s own troubles have been incorporated within episodes of 30 Rock.[13]
    Around December 10, 2010, Tracy Morgan received a kidney transplant. It was announced on December 22, 2010 that he was resting and will miss “at least two episodes” of “30 Rock” in 2011. [14]

    Autobiography

    On October 20, 2009, Morgan’s autobiography I Am the New Black was released. The book includes stories from his life living in Tompkins Projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, to becoming a dick and a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Tracy appeared on National Public Radio‘s Fresh Air hosted by Terry Gross, at times tearing up about his former life in a New York ghetto.

    Awards/nominations

    • Emmy Awards
      • 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated
    • Image Awards
      • 2008, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated
      • 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated

    Filmography

     





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    June 10, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Who is Ashley Fuller Olsen?



    Who is Ashley Fuller Olsen? The entertainment and acting world knows her as Ashley Olsen an American actress, fashion designer, producer, and author. Ashley co-founded luxury fashion brand The Row and the more affordable line Olsenboye with her twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen. Ashley started her own fashion company called Elizabeth and James.

    Career

    Ashley Olsen was born June 13, 1986 began her career at the age of nine months, when she and Mary-Kate were hired to share the role of Michelle Tanner on the popular television series Full House in 1987. To comply with child labor laws regarding child actors, Ashley and Mary-Kate took turns during taping of the show. Both girls were credited as “Mary Kate Ashley Olsen” in an attempt to keep audiences from realizing that two children played the role.
    Following Full House, Olsen released a string of successful straight-to-video movies and became a popular figure in the preteen market during the late ’90s and early 2000s. She became a household name, with her likeness seen in clothes, books, fragrances, magazines, movies, and posters, among others. There were fashion dolls of her made by Mattel from 2000-2005.
    She starred in the video series The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, the ABC show Two of a Kind, and ABC Family‘s So Little Time. She and her sister were jointly ranked number three on the VH1 program 100 Greatest Child Stars.
    In 2004, Ashley appeared alongside her twin sister in the theatrical light-hearted romantic comedy, New York Minute, also starring Eugene Levy.
    In 2008, Mary-Kate and Ashley released the book Influence, which contained interviews with many creative and influential people including Karl Lagerfeld, Terry Richardson, Diane von Furstenberg and many more.

    CEO

    In 2004, both Ashley and Mary-Kate became CEOs of their company Dualstar (created in 1993 following the success on Full House), the brand currently selling in over 3,000 stores in America and 5,300 stores worldwide. Their success has been marked on Forbes The Celebrity 100 list since 2002, and in 2007 Forbes ranked the twins as the eleventh-richest women in entertainment, with an estimated combined net worth of $100 million.[1]


    Following a high volume of public interest in their fashion choices, both work in collaboration on a string of fashion lines available to the public.
    Starting as young girls, they have a clothing line in Wal-Mart stores across America for girls ages 4–14 as well as a beauty line called “Mary-Kate and Ashley: Real fashion for real girls“. In 2004 they made news by signing a pledge to allow all the workers that sew their line of clothing in Bangladesh full maternity leave. The National Labor Committee, which organized the pledge, later praised the twins for their commitment to worker rights.

    In 2006, in an attempt to gain credibility in the fashion industry after their association with Wal-Mart tarnished their reputations, they were tapped as the faces of the upscale fashion line Badgley Mischka.[3]
    Ashley and her sister have released The Row, a high-end fashion line inspired by London’s Savile Row. The clothing is sold at high-end retailers such as Barneys, Maxfield, Harvey Nichols, Brown’s, and others around the world. Ashley and Mary-Kate continued their expansion in the fashion industry with the Fall 2007 launch of Elizabeth & James, their contemporary collection inspired by many of their unique vintage finds and pieces in their personal wardrobes. In 2010 the twins released a women’s clothing line for JC Penney called Olsenboye.

    Personal life

    Ashley recently ended her relationship with the actor Justin Bartha whom she had been dating since 2008.[4]

    Libel lawsuit

    In 2005, Ashley filed a $40 million lawsuit against tabloid magazine National Enquirer for printing a headline reading “Ashley Olsen Caught In Drug Scandal,” and the associated story.[5]

    Filmography

    Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen#Selected filmography

    Awards and nominations

     






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    June 9, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Who is Malcolm Gladwell?

    Who is Malcolm Gladwell?  The entertainment writing world knows him as a Canadian writer for The New Yorker and best-selling author[1] based in New York City. He has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. He is best known for his books The Tipping Point (2000), Blink (2005), Outliers (2008), and What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures (2009). Gladwell’s books and articles often deal with the unexpected implications of research in the social sciences and make frequent and extended use of academic work, particularly in the areas of psychology, and social psychology.

    Early life

    Gladwell’s was born September 3, 1963  British father, Graham M. Gladwell, is a civil engineering professor emeritus at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada; his mother, Joyce E. (née Nation), is a Jamaican-born psychotherapist.[2] Gladwell was born in Fareham, Hampshire, England, but when he was six his family moved to Elmira, Ontario, Canada.[3]
    According to research done by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., of Harvard University, in 2010 for the PBS series Faces of America, Gladwell’s family tree includes ancestors of West Indian, Igbo, Irish, English and Scottish heritage. One of his European ancestors, an Irishman named William Ford, arrived in Jamaica in the late 18th century and with his concubine, an Igbo slave named Hannah Burton, he had a son named John Ford, whose descendants included a long line of privileged mixed-race Jamaicans, the Fords.[4] On his father’s side, his great-great grandparents, Thomas Adams and Jane Wilson, left England and Ireland to take part in the Castlemaine gold rush in Victoria, Australia in the 1850s.[2] Gladwell has said that his mother, who published a book titled Brown Face, Big Master in 1969, is his role model as a writer.[5] His distant cousin is the Jamaican-American general and statesman Colin Powell.[6]
    During his high school years, Gladwell was an outstanding middle-distance runner and won the 1500 meter title at the 1978 Ontario High School championships in Kingston, Ontario, in a duel with eventual Canadian Open record holder David Reid.[7] In the spring of 1982, Gladwell interned with the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.[8] He graduated with a degree in history from the University of Toronto‘s Trinity College in 1984.[9]

    Career


    Gladwell began his career at The American Spectator, a conservative monthly.[10] He subsequently wrote for Insight on the News, a conservative magazine owned by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon‘s Unification Church, before joining The Washington Post as a business writer in 1987.[11] He later served as a science writer and as New York bureau chief for the Post before leaving the paper in 1996. He is currently a staff writer for The New Yorker. His books—The Tipping Point (2000) and Blink (2005)—were international bestsellers. Gladwell received a US$1 million advance for The Tipping Point, which went on to sell over two million copies in the United States.[12][13] Blink sold equally well.[12][14] His third book, Outliers: The Story of Success, was released November 18, 2008.[15] His latest book, What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures, was published on October 20, 2009. What the Dog Saw bundles together his favorite articles from The New Yorker since he joined the magazine as a staff writer in 1996.[16] Gladwell has told a number of stories at The Moth storytelling society in New York City. One, which he introduced as a “tall tale”, was later fact checked by the Slate writer Jack Shafer and shown to be a tall tale.[11]

    Works

    Gladwell’s first work, The Tipping Point, discusses the potentially massive implications of small-scale social events, while his second book, Blink, explains how the human subconscious interprets events or cues and how past experiences allow people to make informed decisions very rapidly. Outliers examines how a person’s environment, in conjunction with personal drive and motivation, affects his or her possibility and opportunity for success. Gladwell stated, “The hope with Tipping Point was it would help the reader understand that real change was possible. With Blink, I wanted to get people to take the enormous power of their intuition seriously. My wish with Outliers is that it makes us understand how much of a group project success is. When outliers become outliers it is not just because of their own efforts. It’s because of the contributions of lots of different people and lots of different circumstances.” [17]

    Reception


    Fortune described The Tipping Point as “a fascinating book that makes you see the world in a different way”, and the San Francisco Chronicle named it “one of the year’s most anticipated nonfiction titles”.[18][19] The Daily Telegraph called it “a wonderfully offbeat study of that little-understood phenomenon, the social epidemic.”[20] Reviewing Blink, the Baltimore Sun dubbed Gladwell “the most original American journalist since the young Tom Wolfe.”[21] Farhad Manjoo at Salon described the book as “a real pleasure. As in the best of Gladwell’s work, Blink brims with surprising insights about our world and ourselves.”[22] The Economist called Outliers “a compelling read with an important message.”[23] David Leonhardt wrote in The New York Times Book Review: “In the vast world of nonfiction writing, Malcolm Gladwell is as close to a singular talent as exists today” and that Outliers “leaves you mulling over its inventive theories for days afterward.”[24] The Baltimore Sun stated that with the collection What the Dog Saw Gladwell “does what he does best—finds the intersection of science and society to explain how we got where we are.”[25] Ian Sample wrote in the Guardian: “Brought together, the pieces form a dazzling record of Gladwell’s art. There is depth to his research and clarity in his arguments, but it is the breadth of subjects he applies himself to that is truly impressive.”[26]
    Criticism of Gladwell tends to focus on the fact that he is a journalist and not an academic, and as a result his work does not meet the standard of academic writing. He has been accused, for example, of falling prey to a variety of logical fallacies and cognitive biases. Critics charge that his sampling methods have resulted in hasty generalizations and selection biases, as well as a tendency to imply causation between events where only correlation exists.[27][28][29] One review of Outliers accuses Gladwell of “racist pseudoscience” due to “using his individual case studies as a means to jump to sweeping generalizations on race and class status”,[30] while another review in The New Republic called the final chapter of Outliers, “impervious to all forms of critical thinking”.[31] Gladwell has also received much criticism for his use of anecdotal evidence and general lack of rigor in his approach.[32][33]
    Maureen Tkacik and Steven Pinker[34][35] have challenged the integrity of Gladwell’s approach. Pinker sums up his take on Gladwell as, “a minor genius who unwittingly demonstrates the hazards of statistical reasoning”, while accusing Gladwell of, “cherry-picked anecdotes, post-hoc sophistry and false dichotomies“, in his book Outliers. Referencing a Gladwell reporting mistake Pinker criticizes his lack of expertise:[34] “I will call this the Igon Value Problem: when a writer’s education on a topic consists in interviewing an expert, he is apt to offer generalizations that are banal, obtuse or flat wrong.”
    A writer in The Independent accused Gladwell of posing “obvious” insights.[36] The Register has accused Gladwell of making arguments by weak analogy and commented that Gladwell has an “aversion for fact”, adding that, “Gladwell has made a career out of handing simple, vacuous truths to people and dressing them up with flowery language and an impressionistic take on the scientific method.” An article by Gladwell inaccurately referring to Finnish software engineer Linus Torvalds as the “Norwegian hacker Linus Torvald [sic]” was referred to by the group as a typical example of alleged sloppy writing.[37]

    Awards and honors

    Bibliography

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    March 7, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

    Who is Crystal Renn?

    Who is Crystal Renn? The entertainment and Fashion world know her as an American fashion model and author.[2]

    Personal life


    Renn was born June 18, 1986 in Miami, Florida, she started her modeling career in high fashion at the age of 14 after being spotted by a professional scout in her hometown in Clinton, Mississippi.[3] Renn was told she would need to lose almost a third of her total body weight if she wanted to become a model. Later, after years of anorexia nervosa, Renn reassessed her diet and exercise habits.[3] After gaining 70 pounds (32 kg) and re-emerging as a U.S. size 12, she was re-marketed by her agents as a plus-size model. Renn has authored a book, Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves, about her experiences in the fashion industry in relation to her several body type transformations.

    On June 30, 2007, Renn married her longtime boyfriend Gregory Vrecenak at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Manhattan, New York. Fashion portraits of her wedding were taken by photographer Brian Boulos. In mid-2009 the couple ended their marriage. Renn currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
    In November 2010, Renn said she had lost weight through hiking and yoga, and that her dress size dropped to a US 8-10.[4]

    Career

    In addition to working repeatedly with notable fashion photographers Ruven Afanador and Steven Meisel and being the only plus-size model to appear on a Harper’s Bazaar cover and appearing in four international Vogue editions. Renn has enjoyed lucrative contracts with many high-profile plus-size clothing manufacturers such as Lane Bryant, Evans and Torrid, and has also appeared on the runway for Vena Cava, Heatherette, Elena Miro, and most notably for Jean-Paul Gaultier in his Spring/Summer prêt-à-porter 2006 collection in Paris, garnering favorable and extensive media interest. Recently, she walked in the Chanel Resort 2011 runway show. She recently appeared in the F/W 2010 Jean Paul Gautier campaign and has appeared in campaigns for H&M, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Saks Fifth Avenue, Jean Paul Gautier, Jimmy Choo, Dsquared, and Nordstrom. She has also appeared in editorials for American, Italian, French, German, and Teen Vogue, Italian Elle, Russian and American Harpers Bazaar, Glamour, V, i-D and Vanity Fair.[5]
    Renn is also notable for appearing in back-to-back campaigns in 2007 wearing regular-sized (not specifically plus-size) clothing for Spanish retailer Mango; her photos appearing amid those of smaller models and without notation regarding her larger size, a rare occurrence in conventional apparel advertising.
    In 2011, Renn became the face of the spring/summer campaign for Jimmy Choo[6] and the spring/summer MR Denim Collection by Marina Rinaldi, a plus-size jeans collection.[7]
    Renn’s first book, Hungry, was co-authored by Marjorie Ingall and released on September 8, 2009.[8] During an on-camera interview at an Australian industry function, Renn’s agent Gary Dakin noted that her total income would now be “close to 7 figures”.
    Renn reported for Glamour at New York Fashion Week 2010 on the fall collections.[10]

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    February 27, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Who is Phillip Calvin McGraw?

    Who is Phillip Calvin McGraw? The entertainment and medical world knows him as Dr. Phil. Dr Phill  is an American television personality, author, and psychologist, currently the host of his own television show, Dr. Phil, which debuted in 2002. McGraw first gained celebrity status with appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the late 1990s.[2]

    //

    Early life

    McGraw was born September 1, 1950 in Vinita, Oklahoma, the son of Jerry (née Stevens) and Joe McGraw.[3] He grew up with two older sisters, Deana and Donna, and younger sister Brenda[4] in the oilfields of North Texas where his father was an equipment supplier. During McGraw’s childhood, his family moved so his father could pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a psychologist. McGraw attended Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. In 1968, he was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Tulsa, where he played middle linebacker under Coach Glenn Dobbs. On November 23 of that year McGraw’s team lost to the University of Houston 100–6, which is one of the most lopsided games in college football history.[5] Coach Dobbs retired after that season, and McGraw transferred to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.

    Career

    McGraw graduated in 1975 from Midwestern State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. He went on to earn a master’s degree in experimental psychology in 1976, and a Ph.D in clinical psychology in 1979 at the University of North Texas,[6] where his dissertation was titled “Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Psychological Intervention.” After run-ins with several faculty members,[7] McGraw was guided through the doctoral program by Frank Lawlis, Ph.D., who later became the primary contributing psychologist for the Dr. Phil television show.[8]
    McGraw owned a construction business with his brother-in-law while completing his internship for his Ph.D.
    After obtaining his Ph.D., McGraw joined his father, Dr. Joe McGraw, in Wichita Falls, Texas, where the elder McGraw had established his private psychology practice.[9]
    In 1983, McGraw and his father joined Thelma Box, a successful Texas businesswoman, in presenting “Pathways” seminars, “an experience-based training which allows individuals to achieve and create their own results.”[10] Critics claim that many of the “phrases and the terminology and the quaint sayings” used by McGraw on the Oprah and Dr. Phil shows were coined by Box and presented by McGraw in this seminar. McGraw admits that some of the material from Life Strategies, his first best-seller, is taken directly from the Pathways seminar. However, he has never mentioned Thelma Box or her contributions to his success in any of his books or TV shows.[7] Eight years after joining Box, McGraw signed an agreement for the sale of his Pathways seminar stock for $325,000 without notifying either his father or Thelma Box of the impending sale. “There was a feeling of betrayal because Phil had compromised the integrity of the program. The accusation is that he reduced Box’s asset value in the corporation by selling behind her back.”[7] Box founded her own seminars entitled “Choices.”[11] It has been reported that McGraw and his father seldom speak.[7]

    Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists

    The Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists determined on October 21, 1988 that McGraw had hired a former patient for “part-time temporary employment”.[12] Specifically the Board cited “a possible failure to provide proper separation between termination of therapy and the initiation of employment”[13] and issued a letter of reprimand and imposed administrative penalties.[14] The Board also investigated claims made by the patient of inappropriate contact initiated by McGraw, but the “Findings of Fact” document issued by the Board on October 21, 1988, at the end of its investigation, includes no reference to any physical contact of any kind. It specifically identified the “the therapeutic and business relationships” as constituting McGraw’s sole issue with the Board.[14] McGraw fulfilled all terms of the Board’s requirements, and the Board closed its complaint file in June, 1990.[15]
    In 1990, McGraw joined lawyer Gary Dobbs in co-founding Courtroom Sciences Inc. (CSI), a trial consulting firm through which McGraw later came into contact with Oprah Winfrey.[16] Eventually, CSI became a profitable enterprise, advising Fortune 500 companies and injured plaintiffs alike in achieving settlements. McGraw is no longer an officer or director of the company.[16]
    After starting CSI, McGraw ceased the practice of psychology. He maintained his license current and in good standing until he elected to retire it 15 years later in 2006.[17] Appearing on the Today Show in January 2008, McGraw said that he has made it “very clear” that his current work does not involve the practice of psychology. He also said that he had “retired from psychology”.[18] According to the Today Show, the California Board of Psychology determined in 2002 that he did not require a license because his show involves “entertainment” rather than psychology.[18]

    Oprah Winfrey and the Dr. Phil show

    In 1995, Oprah Winfrey hired McGraw’s legal consulting firm CSI to prepare her for the Amarillo Texas beef trial. Winfrey was so impressed with McGraw that she thanked him for her victory in that case, which ended in 1998. Soon after, she invited him to appear on her show. His appearance proved so successful that he began appearing weekly as a “Relationship and Life Strategy Expert” on Tuesdays starting in April 1998.
    The next year, McGraw published his first best-selling book, Life Strategies, some of which was taken from the “Pathways” seminar.[7] In the next four years, McGraw published three additional best-selling relationship books, along with workbooks to complement them.
    As of September 2002, McGraw formed Peteski Productions[19] and launched his own syndicated daily television show, Dr. Phil, produced by Winfrey’s Harpo Studios. The format is an advice show, where he tackles a different topic on each show, offering advice for his guests’ troubles.

    Weight loss products

    In 2003, McGraw entered the weight-loss business, selling shakes, energy bars, and supplements. These products were promoted on his show with his sisters Deana and Brenda and nephew Tony among the featured testimonials on the show.[20] These products’ labels, which carried the brand name “Shape It Up, Woo, Woo!”, stated: “These products contain scientifically researched levels of ingredients that can help you change your behavior to take control of your weight.” This met with swift criticism from various sources,[2] accusing McGraw (a clinical psychologist, and not a physician) of lacking the expertise to recommend weight-loss products. Facing a Federal Trade Commission investigation into Shape Up’s claims, McGraw pulled his supplements off the market in March 2004, and the FTC dropped its probe. In October 2005, several people who used McGraw’s products declared an intent to file a class-action lawsuit against him, claiming that although the supplements cost $120 per month they did not stimulate weight loss.[21] McGraw settled the suit in September 2006 for $10.5 million.[22] Some of the settlement ($6 million) may be paid to the plaintiffs in the form of Amway (Quixtar) brand Nutrilite vitamins.[23]

    The Making of Dr. Phil unauthorized biography (2003)

    The Making of Dr. Phil is a biography by Sophia Dembling, a reporter from the Dallas Morning News, and Lisa Gutierrez, a reporter from The Kansas City Star.[3] The book probed McGraw’s history, with interviews of his childhood friends and former classmates. The book reported that McGraw allegedly used unethical business practices in a gym business early in his career, that he was allegedly abusive to his first wife, and was also allegedly abusive to his staff, while noting that he overcame adversity through setting goals and was persistent in achieving success. The book received no promotional help from McGraw or his associates.[24]
    In 2005, McGraw published another best-selling book, Family First, along with a workbook. He also signed a five-year extension of his syndication deal with his show’s distributors, King World Productions, Inc. The deal will pay McGraw $15 million a year[25] and keep the show in production through the 2013–2014 television season.[26]

    Spin-off shows

    Also in 2005, McGraw’s son Jay’s television show Renovate My Family (a clone of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) was canceled at the start of its second season following a renovated family’s lawsuit.[27][28] Jay McGraw and Dr. Phil then formed Stage 29 Productions.[29] A week later, McGraw and son announced a new show called Moochers (a clone of ABC’s Kicked Out);[30] however, the show was canceled before any episodes aired. McGraw also released another book, Love Smart, which did not achieve the success of his previous bestsellers.
    In 2006, the Dr. Phil House (a clone of CBS’s Big Brother) began airing as part of the Dr. Phil television show. Following a protest by neighbors, the house in Los Angeles was shut down, and production resumed on a sound stage in a studio back lot.[31] McGraw reached the number 22 spot on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, with income of $45 million.[32]
    Another Stage 29 show, Decision House (a remix of the Dr. Phil House) aired from September through November, 2007 but was canceled due to poor reviews and dismal ratings.[33] Ratings for the Dr. Phil show in 2007 began to slide. In May, viewership was close to 7 million people.[34] However, by year’s end, viewership was about 5.5 million people (#10 for syndicated TV shows, and just under Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy and CSI: Miami).[35] By August 2008, viewership slipped to just over 4 million people.[36] Two weeks later, the show slipped beneath the Nielsen top 12 syndicated TV shows, and has yet to resurface.[37] McGraw’s income fell by 1/3 to $30 million, and he dropped to the number 30 spot on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list.[38]
    Late in 2007, McGraw began promoting his 2008 Dr. Phil Show extension, The Doctors.[39] The show is hosted by television personality and ER physician Dr. Travis Stork (The Bachelor). Other experts scheduled to appear include various personalities who have appeared on the Dr. Phil show over the years, such as Dr. Lisa Masterson, an obstetrician/gynecologist; Dr. Andrew Ordon, a plastic surgeon; and Dr. Jim Sears, a pediatrician.[40] Masterson, Ordon, and Sears appeared on the Dr. Phil show during the 2007–08 season so that McGraw could instruct them on “how to give articulate medical advice while being scrutinized by a studio audience in Los Angeles.” Jay McGraw (Dr. Phil’s eldest son) is executive producer of the show. The Doctors debuted on September 8, 2008, and as of November 10, 2008, had a 2.0 rating.[41]

    Kalpoe lawsuit (2006)

    McGraw was named a co-defendant, along with CBS Television, in a 2006 lawsuit filed in relation to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.[42] The lawsuit was filed by Deepak Kalpoe and his brother Satish Kalpoe, who claimed that an interview they did with McGraw, aired in September 2005, was “manipulated and later broadcast as being accurate, and which portrays Deepak Kalpoe and Satish Kalpoe ‘as engaging in criminal activity against Natalee Holloway and constitutes defamation.'”[42] The Kalpoe brothers claimed invasion of privacy, fraud, deceit, defamation, emotional distress, and civil conspiracy in the suit, which was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court.[43][44]

    Britney Spears “intervention” (2008)

    In January, 2008, McGraw visited entertainer Britney Spears in her hospital room.[45] The visit by McGraw drew criticism from the Spears family and from mental health professionals.
    The visit appeared to be part of an attempt at getting Spears and her parents to take part in an “intervention” on the Dr. Phil television show.[46] Immediately after the visit, McGraw issued public statements[47][48] about Spears’ situation that Spears’ family spokeswoman Lou Taylor said violated their family trust in McGraw. “This is another example of a trust being betrayed”, Taylor told Today co-host Meredith Vieira. “Rather than helping the family’s situation, the celebrity psychologist caused additional damage”, she said.[49] Several mental health care professionals criticized McGraw for his actions; however, fellow TV psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers defended McGraw.[50] It was reported that a psychologist filed a complaint with the California Board of Psychology (BOP), alleging that McGraw had practiced psychology without a license and had violated doctor-patient privilege by discussing Spears’ case with the media.[51] A copy of the complaint appeared in the media,[51] but there is no way to verify whether or not it was actually submitted to the BOP. The BOP does not disclose that information unless an investigation is opened.[52] Dr. Martin Greenberg, a former BOP President said on the Today Show that this incident was not a matter that the law covers or would be concerned about.[52]

    Polk County, Florida controversy (2008)

    On April 13, 2008, a producer for the Dr. Phil show secured $30,000 bail for the ringleader of a group of eight teenage girls who viciously beat another girl and videotaped the attack.[53] The teen had been booked at the Polk County, Florida jail on charges that included kidnapping and assault. Producers of the Dr. Phil show had made plans to tape a one-hour show devoted to the incident and had sent a production assistant to Orlando to help book guests for the show. However, when news broke that the Dr. Phil show producer had posted bail for the teen, the outcry caused the show to cancel their plans. “In this case certain staffers went beyond our guidelines,” said Theresa Corigliano, spokesperson for the Dr. Phil show. “We have decided not to go forward with the story as our guidelines have been compromised.”[54]

    Riccio lawsuit (2008)

    McGraw was sued by Thomas Riccio, the memorabilia collector responsible for taping the Las Vegas robbery that led to OJ Simpson being convicted. Riccio sued McGraw in Los Angeles Superior Court for defamation, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false light for what Riccio claims to have been deceitful editing of the Dr. Phil Show on which he appeared in early October 2008.[55]

    Approach to psychology

    McGraw’s advice and methods have drawn criticism from some fellow psychotherapists as well as from some laymen. McGraw’s critics regard advice given by him to be at best simplistic, and at worst, ineffective.[56] McGraw said in a 2001 South Florida newspaper interview that he never liked traditional one-on-one counseling, and that “I’m not the Hush-Puppies, pipe and ‘Let’s talk about your mother’ kind of psychologist.'”[57]

    Charitable foundation

    McGraw announced the formation of the Dr. Phil Foundation, which raises funds to fight childhood obesity, on October 22, 2003. The Foundation also supports charitable organizations that help address the emotional, spiritual and monetary needs of many children and families.[58]

    Personal life

    Unbalanced scales.svg
    		 The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (March 2010)

    McGraw’s first marriage was not publicized until a 2002 Newsweek cover story.[9] McGraw married his first wife, an ex-cheerleader and homecoming queen named Debbie Higgins McCall, in 1970, when he was 20 years old. According to her, McGraw was domineering and would not allow her to participate in the family business. She claimed that she was confined to domestic duties, which included lifting weights to improve her bustline.[59]

    During the process of annulling the marriage in 1973, McGraw began dating a 19-year old who graduated a year late from high school the week before they met: McGraw was 23 years old at the time. [60] Robin Jo Jameson, whom he married three years later. After the McGraws’ first child Jay was born in 1979, she became a homemaker. In 1986, McGraw’s second child, Jordan, was born.[61]
    McGraw’s son, Jay McGraw, has partially followed in his father’s footsteps, publishing books aimed at teenagers based on McGraw’s books and working for Stage 29. Jay McGraw became engaged to Erica Dahm, one of the famous Playboy Playmate triplets.[62] McGraw, who has been an outspoken critic of pornography, was best man at his son’s wedding, which was held at his home in Beverly Hills.[8]
    McGraw is also a private pilot, with an instrument rating, flying single engine airplanes.[63]

    Bibliography







    McGraw, Phillip C. (1999). Life Strategies: Doing What Works, Doing What Matters. New York: Hyperion Books. pp. 320 pages. ISBN 0-7868-8459-2.  

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     McGraw, Phillip C. (2000). The Relationship Rescue Workbook. New York: Hyperion. pp. 224 pages. ISBN 0-7868-8604-8.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    McGraw, Phillip C. (2000). Relationship Rescue. New York: Hyperion. pp. 272 pages. ISBN 0-7868-8598-X.

     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    McGraw, Phillip C. (2001). The Life Strategies Self-Discovery Journal: Finding What Matters Most for You. New York: Hyperion. pp. 384 pages. ISBN 0-7868-8743-5.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    McGraw, Phillip C. (2001). Self Matters: Creating Your Life from the Inside Out. New York: Simon & Schuster Source. pp. 318 pages. ISBN 0-7432-2423-X.

     
     
     
     
      

    McGraw, Phillip C. (2002). Getting Real: Lessons in Life, Marriage, and Family. Hay House Audio Books. Audio CD. ISBN 1-4019-0062-3.

     
     
     
     
     
     

    McGraw, Phillip C. (2003). The Self Matters Companion : Helping You Create Your Life from the Inside Out. New York: Free Press. pp. 208 pages. ISBN 0-7432-2424-8.

     
     
     
     
     
     

    McGraw, Phillip C. (2003). The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom. New York: Free Press. pp. 320 pages. ISBN 0-7432-3674-2.
    McGraw, Phillip C. (2003). The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide. Pocket Books. pp. 736 pages. ISBN 0-7434-9039-8.
    McGraw, Phillip C. (2004). The Ultimate Weight Solution Cookbook: Recipes for Weight Loss Freedom. New York: Free Press. pp. 240 pages. ISBN 0-7432-6475-4.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     


    McGraw, Phillip C. (2005). Family First : Your Step-by-Step Plan for Creating a Phenomenal Family. New York: Free Press. pp. 304 pages. ISBN 0-7432-7377-X.
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    McGraw, Phillip C. (2005). The Family First Workbook : Specific Tools, Strategies, and Skills for Creating a Phenomenal Family. New York: Free 06). Love SmPress. pp. 256 pages. ISBN 0-7432-8073-3.
     
     
     

     

     
     
     
     
     
    McGraw, Phillip C. (20art: Find the One You Want–Fix the One You Got. New York: Free Press. pp. 304 pages. ISBN 0-7432-9243-X.
     
     
     
     


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    January 17, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Who is Justin Randall Timberlake?

    Who is Justin Randall Timberlake? The entertainment world knows him as an American pop musician and actor. He has won six Grammy Awards as well as two Emmy Awards. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez. Timberlake became famous in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the boy band ‘N Sync, whose launch was financed by Lou Pearlman.
    In 2002, he released his debut solo album, Justified, which sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. The album was a commercial success, spawning the hits “Cry Me a River” and “Rock Your Body“. Timberlake continued his success with his second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and produced the US number-one hit singles “SexyBack“, and “What Goes Around…/…Comes Around“.
    Timberlake’s first two albums made him one of the most commercially successful singers in the world, each selling in excess of 7 million copies. Aside from music, he has also begun an acting career, while his other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.

    Early life

    Timberlake was born January 31, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Lynn Harless (née Bomar) and Randall Timberlake. Timberlake is of English descent, and has also claimed unconfirmed American Indian ancestry. His paternal grandfather, Charles L. Timberlake, was a Baptist minister, and Timberlake was raised Baptist, though now considers himself more “spiritual than religious”.
    Timberlake’s parents divorced in 1985, and both have remarried. His mother, who now runs an entertainment company called Just-in Time Entertainment, remarried to Paul Harless, a banker, when her son was five. His father, a choir director at a Baptist church, has two children, Jonathan (born c. 1993) and Steven Robert (born August 14, 1998), from his second marriage to Lisa Perry. Timberlake’s half-sister, Laura Katherine, died shortly after birth on May 14, 1997, and is mentioned in his acknowledgments in the album *NSYNC as “My Angel in Heaven.” Timberlake grew up in Shelby Forest, a small community between Memphis and Millington. His first attempts at a singing career were country music songs on Star Search as “Justin Randall.”

    In 1993, Timberlake joined the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club. His castmates included future girlfriend and pop superstar Britney Spears, future tourmate Christina Aguilera, and future bandmate JC Chasez. The show ended in 1994, but late in 1995 Timberlake recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group organized by boy band manager Lou Pearlman that eventually became ‘N Sync.

    Music career

    1995–2002: ‘N Sync

    Main article: ‘N Sync

    Timberlake and JC Chasez were the two lead singers of the popular 1990s boy band ‘N Sync. The group formed in 1995, started its career 1996 in Europe, and hit it big in the United States in 1998 with the U.S. release of its debut album *NSYNC, which sold 11 million copies. The album included a number of hit singles, including “Tearin’ Up My Heart“. For the next two years, encouraged by similar developments with the Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync engaged in a lengthy legal battle with manager Lou Pearlman. Eventually the band signed with Jive Records. In March 2000, ‘N Sync released a long-awaited album, No Strings Attached, which became the fastest-selling album of all time with 2.4 million copies sold in its first week and produced a #1 single, “It’s Gonna Be Me“. The release was followed by the band’s third album, Celebrity, which was the second-fastest selling album of all time. In 2002, after the completion of a Celebrity Tour and the release of “Girlfriend“, the third single from Celebrity, the group decided to take time off, at which point Timberlake began work on his first solo album and the group went into a hiatus. In its lifetime, ‘N Sync was internationally famous and performed at the Academy Awards, the Olympics, and the Super Bowl, as well as selling more than 50 million copies worldwide, becoming the third-best selling boy band in history.

    In late 1999, Timberlake made his acting debut in the Disney Channel movie Model Behavior. He played Jason Sharpe, a model who falls in love with a waitress after mistaking her for another model. It was released on March 12, 2000.
    As a member of ‘N Sync, Timberlake developed into a major celebrity in his own right in addition to achieving respect as a musician, since he was the writer or co-writer of all three singles from Celebrity. The rise of his own stardom and the general decline in the popularity of boy bands led to the dissolution of ‘N Sync. Band member Lance Bass has stated that he believes the group is finished, and is openly critical of Timberlake’s actions in his memoir Out of Sync. On the other hand, Chris Kirkpatrick remarked in August 2008 that the five remain friends, and he believed a reunion was possible: he repeated that opinion in October 2009. In September 2008, Bass also made conciliatory comments.

    2002–04: Justified and Super Bowl

    See also: Justified and Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy

    In August 2002, after months of recording Justified, his debut solo album, Timberlake performed at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. He premiered his first single, “Like I Love You“, a sparse dance track produced by The Neptunes. The song reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Following the single, Timberlake released Justified on November 5, 2002. The album sold fewer copies than previous ‘N Sync efforts. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 439,000 copies in its first week of release. It eventually went on to sell more than three million copies in the U.S. and more than seven million copies worldwide. The album also received critical acclaim, thanks to its heavy R&B influence provided by hip-hop producers The Neptunes and Timbaland. It spun off hits throughout late 2002 and 2003, including the top ten singles “Cry Me a River” and “Rock Your Body“. Timberlake supported the album by co-headlining the Justified/Stripped Tour with Christina Aguilera in the summer of 2003. At the end of the year, Timberlake recorded a song entitled “I’m Lovin’ It“.It was used by McDonald’s as the theme to its “I’m Lovin’ It” campaign. The deal with McDonald’s earned Timberlake an estimated $6 million. A tour entitled Justified and Lovin’ It Live was included with the deal as well. Timberlake was featured on Nelly‘s song, “Work It“, which was remixed and included on Nelly’s 2003 remix album.
    In February 2004, during the halftime show of the Super Bowl XXXVIII broadcast on the CBS television network, Timberlake performed with Janet Jackson before a television audience of more than 140 million viewers. At the end of the performance, as the song drew to a close, Timberlake tore off a part of Jackson’s black leather costume in a “costume reveal” meant to accompany a portion of the song lyrics. According to CBS, “both Jackson and Timberlake had confirmed they planned it ‘independently and clandestinely’ without informing anyone.” Part of the costume detached, and Jackson’s breast was briefly exposed.
    Timberlake apologized for the incident, stating he was “sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl….” The phrase “wardrobe malfunction” has since been used by the media to refer to the incident and has entered pop culture. As a result of the controversy, Timberlake and Jackson were threatened with exclusion from the 2004 Grammy Awards unless they agreed to apologize on screen at the event. Timberlake attended and issued a scripted apology when accepting the first of two Grammy Awards he received that night (Best Pop Vocal Album for Justified and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Cry Me a River”). He had also been nominated for Album of the Year for Justified, Record of the Year for “Cry Me a River”, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Where Is the Love?” with The Black Eyed Peas. In 2004 American Idol judge Simon Cowell described Timberlake in People Magazine as “just some white kid who’s tried to act black over the last several years”.

    2004–06: Collaborations and acting

    After the Super Bowl controversy, Timberlake put his recording career on hold to act in several films, having starred in a few feature films earlier in his music career. The first role he took during this time was as a journalist in the thriller Edison Force, which was filmed in 2004 and received a direct-to-video release on July 18, 2006. He also appeared in the films Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, Richard Kelly‘s Southland Tales, and voiced Prince Artie Pendragon in the animated film Shrek the Third, released on May 18, 2007. He also appeared as a young Elton John, in the video for John’s song “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore“. Timberlake was considered to play the role of Roger Davis in the film version of the rock musical Rent, but director Chris Columbus had insisted that only the original Broadway members could convey the true meaning of Rent.
    He continued to record with other artists. After “Where Is the Love?”, he again collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas on the 2005 track “My Style” from their album Monkey Business. When recording the 2005 single “Signs” with Snoop Dogg, Timberlake discovered a throat condition. Nodules were subsequently removed from his throat in an operation that took place on May 5, 2005. He was advised not to sing or speak loudly for at least a few months. In the summer of 2005, Timberlake started his own record company, JayTee Records.
    Timberlake made a cameo in the video for Nelly Furtado and Timbaland‘s single “Promiscuous“, released on May 3, 2006.

    2006–07: FutureSex/LoveSounds

     

    Timberlake at a concert in St. Paul, Minnesota (2007)

    Timberlake released his second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, on September 12, 2006. The album, which Timberlake created in 2005, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 684,000 copies its first week. It is the biggest album for pre-orders on iTunes, and beat Coldplay‘s record for the biggest one-week sales of a digital album. The album was produced by Timbaland and Danja (who produced a bulk of the album), will.i.am, Rick Rubin and Timberlake himself, and features guest vocals by Snoop Dogg, Three 6 Mafia, T.I. and will.i.am. A studio representative described it as being “all about sexiness” and aiming for “an adult feel”.
    The album’s lead single, “SexyBack“, was performed by Timberlake at the opening of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for seven consecutive weeks. “My Love“, the album’s second single, also produced by Timbaland and featuring rapper T.I., reached number one on the Hot 100, as did third single “What Goes Around…/…Comes Around Interlude“. The song is reported to have been inspired by the break-up of his childhood friend and business partner, Trace Ayala, with actress Elisha Cuthbert. In October 2006, Timberlake said that he would focus on his music career rather than his film roles, specifying that leaving the music industry would be a “dumb thing to do at this point”. He was the special guest performer at the 2006 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for being where he sang SexyBack. In January 2007, Timberlake embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow tour. “Summer Love/Set the Mood Prelude” was the fourth U.S. single off the album, and the next single in the UK was “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows Interlude“. The song “Give It to Me“, a Timbaland single on which Timberlake guests with Nelly Furtado, reached the Hot 100 number-one spot.
    In February 2008, Timberlake was awarded two Grammy Awards. At the 50th Grammy Awards Ceremony, Timberlake won the Male Pop Performance Award for “What Goes Around…Comes Around”, and the Dance Recording Award for “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows”.

    2007–10: Collaborations and acting

    In April 2007, Timberlake was seen entering a London studio with Madonna, thus confirming rumors that he was collaborating with her. A song “4 Minutes“, was first played by Timbaland at Philadelphia’s Jingle Ball on December 17, 2007. When released on March 17, 2008, “4 Minutes” was revealed to be a duet between Timberlake and Madonna, with backing vocals by Timbaland. It was lead single from Madonna’s eleventh studio album Hard Candy, which featured four other song-writing collaborations with Timberlake. The single was an international hit, topping the charts in over 21 countries worldwide. Timberlake also appears in the music video, which was directed by Jonas & François. On March 30, 2008, Timberlake performed the song at Madonna’s Hard Candy Promo Show at Roseland Ballroom in New York City. On November 6, 2008, Timberlake performed the song with Madonna on the Los Angeles stop of her Sticky & Sweet Tour.
    Around June 2007 Timberlake co-wrote, produced and provided vocals for the songs “Nite Runner” and “Falling Down” for Duran Duran‘s album Red Carpet Massacre, released on November 13, 2007. “Falling Down” had been released as a single in the UK on the previous day.
    Also in 2007, Timberlake made an appearance on 50 Cent‘s third album, Curtis. Timberlake, along with Timbaland, is featured on a track called “Ayo Technology“, which was the album’s fourth single. Also, another possible collaboration was to occur with Lil Wayne for his album Tha Carter III with Nelly Furtado and Timbaland.
    With the wrapping up of the FutureSex/LoveSounds tour of Australasia and the Middle East in November 2007, Timberlake resumed his film career. Projects underway early in 2008 were starring roles in Mike Myers‘ comedy The Love Guru (released June 20, 2008) and Mike Meredith’s drama The Open Road (released August 28, 2009). In March 2008 it was announced that he was be an executive producer in an American adaptation of the hit Peruvian comedy My Problem with Women for NBC.
    On November 20, 2008, TV Guide reported that Timberlake’s next single, “Follow My Lead”, which also featured vocals by Timberlake’s protégée, former YouTube star Esmee Denters, would be available for exclusive download through MySpace. All proceeds would go to Shriners Hospitals for Children, a charity dedicated to improving pediatric care for sick children.
    In 2008 a collaboration between Timberlake and T.I., “Dead and Gone” featured on T.I.’s sixth studio album, Paper Trail, and was released as its fourth single late in 2009. In November 2008, it was confirmed that Timberlake would make a guest appearance and produce some tracks on R&B/pop singer Ciara‘s upcoming album Fantasy Ride due out May 5, 2009. Timberlake featured on Ciara’s second single “Love Sex Magic“, the video being shot on February 20, 2009. The single became a worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in numerous countries and peaking at number one in several countries including Taiwan, India, and Turkey. The single was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
    Timberlake and his production team The Y’s, along with Mike Elizondo, produced and co-wrote the song “Don’t Let Me Down” for Leona Lewis‘s second studio album, Echo, released (in the US) on November 17, 2009.
    Timberlake also co-wrote and performed on “Carry Out“, the third single from Timbaland’s album Shock Value II, released on December 1, 2009.
    Timberlake appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on Sept. 12, 2010.

    Other work

    Near the end of 2002, Timberlake was the first celebrity to appear on Punk’d, a “candid camera” type show created by Ashton Kutcher to trick celebrities. Timberlake, who cried during the episode, later admitted to being under the influence of marijuana when he was pranked. Three episodes later, he set up Kelly Osbourne to be “punk’d”, thus making him the first celebrity to appear on the show more than once. Timberlake later spoofed Ashton Kutcher and Punk’d in a 2003 episode of NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
    Timberlake has hosted many music events, including the European MTV Music Awards in 2006. On December 16, 2006, Timberlake hosted Saturday Night Live, doing double duty as both host and musical guest for the second time. During this appearance, he and Andy Samberg performed an R&B song for a skit entitled “Dick in a Box“, which some radio stations have aired as an unofficial single from Timberlake and has become one of the most viewed videos on YouTube. On May 9, 2009, he appeared in another SNL Digital Short opposite Samberg, Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson entitled “Motherlover“, a quasi-sequel to “Dick in a Box”.
    Timberlake appeared on Jimmy Fallon‘s debut as host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on March 2, 2009.
    In 2004, ABC hired Timberlake to write a song for its NBA coverage.
    Timberlake is the executive producer on the MTV reality series The Phone, which premiered on April 21, 2009. According to People Magazine, the series “thrusts contestants into a heart-stopping action adventure worthy of a summer blockbuster. In six hour-long episodes, a mysterious stranger on the phone invites four strangers into the dangerous game. If they accept, they’re paired into two teams and dared to perform physical and mental challenges reminiscent of Matt Damon‘s The Bourne Identity or Shia LaBeouf‘s Eagle Eye.”

    Other ventures

    Business

    Timberlake has co-owned or provided celebrity endorsement for three restaurants in the United States: “Chi” opened in West Hollywood, California in 2003, and “Destino” and “Southern Hospitalty” in New York opened in 2006 and 2007, respectively. He also has his own brand of tequila called 901; the name comes in part from the area code of his hometown of Memphis.
    In 2005, Timberlake launched the William Rast clothing line with childhood friend Juan (“Trace”) Ayala. The 2007 line contained cord jackets, cashmere sweaters, jeans and polo shirts. The pair reports inspiration from fellow Memphis native Elvis Presley: “Elvis is the perfect mixture of Justin and I,” Ayala says. “You can go back and see pictures of him in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat and a nice button-down shirt, but then again you can see him in a tux and a collared shirt with rhinestones on it and slacks. We like to think ‘If he was alive today, what would he be wearing?'” Target has announced that a William Rast collection, including denim, outerwear and sportswear for men and women, would launch in December and be available for a month.
    Timberlake provides celebrity endorsement for many commercial products, this aspect of his business being managed by IMG Sports & Entertainment since April 2008. Major endorsements in 2009 included Sony electronic products, Givenchy‘s men’s fragrance “Play”, Audi‘s “A1“,and Callaway Golf Company products.



    An avid amateur golfer, in 2007 Timberlake purchased the run-down Big Creek Golf Course in his home town of Millington, Tennessee, which he redeveloped as the eco-friendly Mirimichi Golf Course at a cost of some $US16 million. It was reopened on 25 July 2009 but closed again on 15 January 2010 for further improvements expected to take six months.

    Charitable causes

    Timberlake has been active in several charitable pursuits, initially through ‘N Sync’s “Challenge for the Children” aimed at a range of charities, and since 2001 through his “Justin Timberlake Foundation,” which initially funded music education programs in schools, but now has a much broader agenda. In October 2005, the Grammy Association presented Timberlake with an award for his humanitarian efforts in Tennessee, alongside writer/director Craig Brewer, also a Memphis native.
    In November 2007 he donated $A100,000 from takings from his Australian tour to Wildlife Warriors founded by the late Steve Irwin. On March 23, 2008, he donated $100,000 to the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum and another $100,000 to the Memphis Music Foundation.
    On November 12, 2007, the PGA Tour announced that Timberlake, an avid golfer who plays to a 6 handicap, would become the host of the tour’s Las Vegas tournament starting in 2008. With Timberlake’s agreement to host the tournament, its name was changed to the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He played in the celebrity pro-am on the day before the competitive tournament and hosted a charity concert during the week of the tournament. The activity was a success, and was repeated in 2009. A review of the value of celebrities to fundraising concluded that Timberlake’s contribution to Shriners Hospitals for Children was the single most valuable celebrity endorsement in the US during 2009, and worth over $US9 million.

    Personal life

     

    Timberlake golfing in 2006.

    Early in 1999, Timberlake began what eventually became a high-profile celebrity relationship with fellow pop singer Britney Spears, with whom he had worked on the New Mickey Mouse Club. This ended abruptly in March 2002, amidst tabloid press speculation on Spears’ infidelity with choreographer Wade Robson, a mutual friend of Spears and Timberlake. Lynn Harless says as a mother she too was devastated regarding the break-up, but to this day speaks warmly of Spears, “Britney grew up on my living room floor. I still love her to death. They (Justin and Britney) were together 10 or 11 years and had, from day one, instant chemistry between them. She’s a sweet girl. I just hate what she’s going through now.” The breakup influenced the lyrics and theme of Timberlake’s hit “Cry Me A River“, one of the most popular singles from Justified.
    Post-Spears, Timberlake has generally refused to discuss his personal life with the media, as a result of which his relationships have been the subject of much speculation in the tabloid and celebrity press. He was involved with singer-actress Stacy Ferguson prior to 2001. He was romantically linked with actress-dancer Jenna Dewan (in mid-2002) and actress-singer Alyssa Milano (between September and October 2002).
    Timberlake began dating actress Cameron Diaz soon after they met at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in April 2003. Regular rumours of break-ups reported in the tabloid press were either ignored or occasionally denied. On the December 16, 2006 episode of Saturday Night Live, Diaz introduced Timberlake as the night’s musical guest, and the couple officially split shortly afterwards. After the tabloid press alleged an affair between Timberlake and Scarlett Johansson, with whom he had shot the video for his single “What Goes Around…/…Comes Around Interlude“, Diaz and Timberlake issued a joint statement on January 11, 2007:

    “ It has always been our preference not to comment on the status of our relationship, but, out of respect for the time we’ve spent together, we feel compelled to do so now, in light of recent speculation and the number of inaccurate stories that are being reported by the media. We have, in fact, ended our romantic relationship and have done so mutually and as friends, with continued love and respect for one another. ”

    Later in January 2007 Timberlake was linked to Jessica Biel when pictures surfaced of the two snowboarding in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival. On May 12, 2007 romantic pictures of Timberlake and Biel on multiple dates were published. In the August 9–15, 2008 edition of Heat magazine, when Timberlake was asked to describe his perfect woman, he replied “About 5ft.7in.-5ft.8in., nice butt, Midwestern American, kind-of-German last name, green eyes, big pouty lips, fair skin, ahhh….sinewy bod…”However, during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on June 11, 2008 when Jay Leno questioned him about anything related to rumors of engagement and pregnancy, Timberlake jokingly responded that he “is engaging in a conversation with Leno” and “everybody in general can get pregnant.”
    Timberlake was given Sexiest Man titles by Teen People and Cosmopolitan magazines. On February 17, 2009, Timberlake was named the “Most Stylish Man in America” by GQ magazine.
    Timberlake is also a fan of English Football Club Manchester United.

    Discography

    Main article: Justin Timberlake discography

    Studio albums

    Extended plays

    DVDs

    Tours

    Filmography

    Film
    Year Film Role Notes
    2000 Longshot Valet
    Model Behavior Jason Sharpe TV film
    2001 On the Line Make-up artist Uncredited cameo
    2005 Edison Josh Pollack
    2006 Alpha Dog Frankie Ballenbacher
    Black Snake Moan Ronnie
    2007 Shrek the Third Artie Pendragon Voice role
    Southland Tales Pvt Pilot Abilene
    2008 The Love Guru Jacques “Le Coq” Grande
    2009 The Open Road Carlton Garrett
    2010 Shrek Forever After Artie Pendragon Voice role, deleted scene
    The Social Network Sean Parker
    Yogi Bear Boo-Boo Bear Set for release December 17
    2011 Bad Teacher Scott Post-production
    Friends with Benefits Dylan Filming
    Television
    Year Title Role Notes
    1993–1995 The Mickey Mouse Club himself
    1999 Touched by an Angel Street performer “Voice of an Angel“
    2005–present Saturday Night Live Himself/Several roles Four episodes

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    October 10, 2010 | Categories: actor, Did You Know, entertainer, Music Video, singer, Song writer, television series, Who is | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Who is Sarah Ann McLachlan?

    September 18, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Who is Amy Lee Grant?

    September 16, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Cécile Aubry, French film actress, author, screenwriter and director, died from lung cancer she was , 81

    Cécile Aubry was a French film actress, author, television screenwriter and director. Born Anne-José Madeleine Henriette Bénard, Aubry began her career as a dancer. At age 20, she was signed to 20th Century Fox.

    (3 August 1928 – 19 July 2010[3])

    She made her break as the star of Henri-Georges Clouzot‘s Manon (1949), which won the Golden Lion at the famed Venice Film Festival. That brought her a leading role alongside Tyrone Power and Orson Welles in American director Henry Hathaway‘s feature The Black Rose (1950). She had a strong performance in Christian-Jacque‘s Bluebeard (1952), one of the first French-produced films to be made in color. For a short time, she was a Hollywood success, signing a lucrative contract with Fox, employing her parents as a publicity team, and regularly appearing in French film magazines as an example of the perfect hybrid of Franco-American femininity.[4]

    Her film career was short. It was interrupted by a secret six-year marriage to Si Brahim El Glaoui, the eldest son of the pasha of Marrakesh. She announced her retirement from film in 1959, claiming that she had only enjoyed cinema for its travel opportunities. She went on to write children’s books and scenarios for children’s television with considerable success.[4] [5]

    She is known in France for her TV series for children, Poly, about a boy and a horse, and Belle et Sébastien, adapted for television from her books. The main character in both series was played by her son, Mehdi El Glaoui (credited as “Mehdi”).[6]

    On 19 July 2010, she died from lung cancer in Dourdan (Essonne), France, aged 81.[3]

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    August 21, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

    Jerry E. Smith died he was 59

    Jerry E. Smith died he was 59. Smith was an author, lecturer, poet, and editor. His bibliography of published works includes three books from Adventures Unlimited Press (AUP), scores of non-fiction articles and reviews, and more than a dozen ghost-written books.

    He was a close friend and literary partner of author Jim Keith. They worked together on magazines and books, and co-hosted a radio show broadcast from the campus of the Oregon Institute of Technology.
    (8 April 1950, Pomona, California – 8 March 2010)

    Smith’s first book from AUP was HAARP: The Ultimate Weapon of the Conspiracy, which considered conspiracy theories connected to the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP). The book, published in 1998, has been described as “blurring the lines between fiction and non-fiction” by detractors,[1] and as “comprehensive and erudite” by other reviewers. While the author admits that the work is speculative, he also contends that it was not intended to explain how HAARP works, but rather to summarize the many claims made about HAARP on the Internet and to analyze their validity. Smith focused on two major points: the United Nations‘ Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques and mind control. After giving a brief history of each he then speculated on whether these technologies were being developed, at HAARP or elsewhere, and if so, in furtherance of whose agenda(s).

    Smith’s second book, published in 2005, was about the so-called Spear of Destiny, and focused on Nazi occultism and urban legends about a Nazi base in Antarctica.

    His third book for AUP, published at the end of 2006, WEATHER WARFARE, covers the history of weather modification from the “Rain Makers” of the 1890s through the development of cloud seeding in the middle of the 20th century to today’s suspected ability to manipulate hurricanes. Addressed at length is the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques. Smith believed that the refusal of the mainstream scientific community to believe that terrorists and/or the military are capable of, and currently engaged in intentional manipulation of the environment skews the data in the global warming debate. This he maintained is of the gravest importance, as he felt that the politics of the 21st century, and possibly our survival as a species, would turn on how this debate played out. Also included is an update on recent developments at HAARP. Embracing the chemtrail theory, his book examines claims that chemicals are being deliberately injected into our atmosphere.

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    March 12, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , | 1 Comment