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Welcome to the archived messages from In The 00s. This archive stretches back to 1998 in some instances, and contains a nearly complete record of all the messages posted to inthe00s.com. You will also find an archive of the messages from inthe70s.com, inthe80s.com, inthe90s.com and amiright.com before they were combined to form the inthe00s.com messageboard.

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Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/05/11 at 12:35 pm



The 44th counting Grover Cleveland twice.



Cat

43 different men.

That's right, Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th president because he had two stints as president. His presidency was interrupted by Benjamin Harrison, who served only a full term.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: gibbo on 08/05/11 at 5:54 pm

Hey Cat ... thanks for posting the Pat Benatar version of Wuthering Heights. I had no idea she covered it.  I really enjoy both versions of the song. Pat pretty well stayed faithful to the original song ... she sounded great! :)  Kate Bush is an amazing talent!

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 08/05/11 at 6:33 pm


Hey Cat ... thanks for posting the Pat Benatar version of Wuthering Heights. I had no idea she covered it.   I really enjoy both versions of the song. Pat pretty well stayed faithful to the original song ... she sounded great! :)  Kate Bush is an amazing talent!



No problem. I am a BIG Pat Benatar fan. I saw her in concert last year and she can STILL belt it out (but she didn't sing Wuthering Heights.  :\'( :\'( :\'( )

One of my photos.

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww64/CatwomanofV/Concert/075.jpg

For fear of hijacking this thread, you can check out my other pics from the concert here:

http://www.inthe00s.com/index.php?topic=26885.285



Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/05/11 at 7:46 pm



No problem. I am a BIG Pat Benatar fan. I saw her in concert last year and she can STILL belt it out (but she didn't sing Wuthering Heights.  :\'( :\'( :\'( )

One of my photos.

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww64/CatwomanofV/Concert/075.jpg

For fear of hijacking this thread, you can check out my other pics from the concert here:

http://www.inthe00s.com/index.php?topic=26885.285



Cat


Wow,She looks good. :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: gibbo on 08/06/11 at 2:25 am



No problem. I am a BIG Pat Benatar fan. I saw her in concert last year and she can STILL belt it out (but she didn't sing Wuthering Heights.  :\'( :\'( :\'( )

One of my photos.

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww64/CatwomanofV/Concert/075.jpg

For fear of hijacking this thread, you can check out my other pics from the concert here:

http://www.inthe00s.com/index.php?topic=26885.285



Cat


Nice pics Cat.  Pat appears to have aged well ... and I listened to more recent concerts on youtube and she definitely has lost little in the voice quality...

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/06/11 at 8:42 am

The person of the day..M. Night Shyamalan
Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan (play /ˈʃæməlɑːn/; Tamil: மனோஜ் நெல்லியாட்டு சியாமளன்;Maṉōj Nelliyāṭṭu Śyāmaḷaṉ; born 6 August 1970), known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, is an Indian-born American screenwriter, film director, and producer known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots that climax with a twist ending. He is also known for filming his movies (and staging his plots) in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was raised. Shyamalan released his first film, Praying with Anger, in 1992 while he was a New York University student. His second movie, Wide Awake, made in 1995 but not released until three years later, did not succeed financially.

Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense, which was a commercial success and nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He followed The Sixth Sense by writing and directing Unbreakable, released in 2000, which received positive reviews. His 2002 film Signs, where he also played Ray Reddy, gained both critical and financial success. His next movie The Village (2004) received mixed reviews from the critics, but turned out to be a financial success. His later fantasy film Lady in the Water (2006) performed worse critically and financially. The film The Happening (2008) was a financial success but also received negative reviews. The Last Airbender (2010) received extremely negative reviews in the United States and won 5 Razzie Awards, but has gone on to make nearly $320 million internationally at the box office. His latest film, Devil (2010), which he produced and wrote the story for, but did not direct, was not screened by critics before its release but eventually received mixed reviews. Devil was not a blockbuster hit but has become a commercial success relative to its budget.

Most of Shyamalan's commercially successful films were co-produced by Disney's Touchstone Pictures film division.
Shyamalan made his first film, the semi-autobiographical drama Praying with Anger, while still an NYU student, using money borrowed from family and friends. It was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 1992, and played commercially at one theater for a week in rural Woodstock, Illinois. When the film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, Shyamalan was introduced by David Overbey who predicted that the world would see more of Shyamalan in the years to come. Praying with Anger has also been shown on Canadian television. Filmed in Chennai, it is his only film to be shot outside of Pennsylvania.

Shyamalan wrote and directed his second movie, Wide Awake, in 1995, though it was not released until 1998. His parents were the film's associate producers. The drama dealt with a ten-year-old Catholic schoolboy (Joseph Cross) who, after the death of his grandfather (Robert Loggia), searches for God. The film's supporting cast included Dana Delany and Denis Leary as the boy's parents, as well as Julia Stiles, and Camryn Manheim. Wide Awake was filmed in a school Shyamalan attended as a child and earned 1999 Young Artist Award nominations for Best Drama, and, for Cross, Best Performance. Only in limited release, the film grossed $305,704 in theaters.

That same year Shyamalan co-wrote the screenplay for Stuart Little with Greg Brooker.

In 2008, Shyamalan was awarded the Padma Shri by the government of India. In 2010, he directed The Last Airbender, based on the Nickelodeon TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Although Shyamalan has stated he is in the middle of writng his next thriller it has been confirmed that his next film will be a sci-fi epic titled One Thousand A.E. and would star Jaden Smith. In an interview when asked Shymalan denied the idea of shooting it in 3D but stated he was planning something technically special. It will be the first film Shymalan has directed but not written.
Personal life

In 1993, Shyamalan married psychologist Bhavna Vaswani, a fellow student whom he met at NYU and with whom he has two daughters. The family resides on a sprawling estate in Willistown, Pennsylvania, near Shyamalan's usual shooting site of Philadelphia. His production company, Blinding Edge Pictures is located in Berwyn, PA.
Filmography
Year Film Director Producer Writer Actor Role
1992 Praying with Anger Yes No Yes Yes Dev Raman
1998 Wide Awake Yes No Yes No
1999 The Sixth Sense Yes No Yes Yes Dr. Hill
Stuart Little No No Yes No
2000 Unbreakable Yes Yes Yes Yes Stadium drug dealer
2002 Signs Yes Yes Yes Yes Ray Reddy
2004 The Village Yes Yes Yes Yes Jay (Guard at desk)
2006 Lady in the Water Yes Yes Yes Yes Vick Ran/The Vessel
2008 The Happening Yes Yes Yes Yes Joey (unseen character)
2010 The Last Airbender Yes Yes Yes Yes Firebender at Earth Camp scene
Devil No Yes Yes No
Other films

In July 2000, on The Howard Stern Show, Shyamalan said he had met with Spielberg and was in early talks to write the script for the fourth Indiana Jones film. This would have given Shyamalan a chance to work with his longtime idol, Steven Spielberg. After the film fell through, Shyamalan later said it was too "tricky" to arrange and "not the right thing" for him to do.

Shyamalan's name was linked with the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but it conflicted with the production of Unbreakable. In July 2006, while doing press tours for Lady in the Water, Shyamalan had said he was still interested in directing one of the last two Harry Potter films. "The themes that run through it...the empowering of children, a positive outlook...you name it, it falls in line with my beliefs", Shyamalan said. "I enjoy the humor in it. When I read the first Harry Potter and was thinking about making it, I had a whole different vibe in my head of it".

After the release of The Village in 2004, Shyamalan had been planning a film adaptation of Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi with 20th Century Fox, but later backed out so that he could make Lady in the Water. "I love that book. I mean, it's basically a kid born in the same city as me — it almost felt predestined", Shyamalan said. "But I was hesitant because the book has kind of a twist ending. And I was concerned that as soon as you put my name on it, everybody would have a different experience. Whereas if someone else did it, it would be much more satisfying, I think. Expectations, you've got to be aware of them. I'm wishing them all great luck. I hope they make a beautiful movie".

In July 2008, it was announced that Shyamalan had partnered with Media Rights Capital to form a production company called Night Chronicles. Shyamalan would produce, but not direct, one film a year for three years. The first of the three films was Devil, a supernatural thriller directed by siblings John and Drew Dowdle. The script was written by Brian Nelson, based on an original idea from Shyamalan. The movie was about a group of people stuck in an elevator with the devil, and starred Chris Messina.
Television
Sci-Fi Channel

In 2004, Shyamalan was involved in a media hoax with Sci-Fi Channel, which was eventually uncovered by the press. Sci-Fi claimed in its "documentary" special — The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan, shot on the set of The Village — that Shyamalan was legally dead for nearly a half-hour while drowned in a frozen pond in a childhood accident, and that upon being rescued he had experiences of communicating with spirits, fueling an obsession with the supernatural. The Sci-Fi Channel also claimed that Shyamalan had grown "sour" when the "documentary" filmmakers' questions got too personal, and had therefore withdrawn from participating and threatened to sue the filmmakers.

In truth, Shyamalan developed the hoax with Sci-Fi, going so far as having Sci-Fi staffers sign non disclosure agreements with a $5-million fine attached and requiring Shyamalan's office to formally approve each step. Neither the childhood accident nor the supposed rift with the filmmakers ever occurred. The hoax included a non-existent Sci-Fi publicist, "David Westover", whose name appeared on press releases regarding the special. Sci-Fi also fed false news stories to the Associated Press and Zap2It.com, among others. A New York Post news item, based on a Sci Fi press release, referred to Shyamalan's attorneys threatening to sue the filmmakers; the attorneys named were non-existent.

After an AP reporter confronted Sci-Fi Channel president Bonnie Hammer at a press conference, Hammer admitted the hoax, saying it was part of a guerrilla marketing campaign to generate pre-release publicity for The Village. This prompted Sci-Fi's parent company, NBC Universal, to state that the undertaking was "not consistent with our policy at NBC. We would never intend to offend the public or the press and we value our relationship with both."
Critical reception
Film Rotten Tomatoes
Overall Top Critics
Praying with Anger (1992) N/A N/A
Wide Awake (1998) 41% 29%
The Sixth Sense (1999) 85% 79%
Unbreakable (2000) 68% 58%
Signs (2002) 74% 56%
The Village (2004) 43% 49%
Lady in the Water (2006) 24% 13%
The Happening (2008) 18% 11%
The Last Airbender (2010) 6% 7%
Collaborations
Actors
The Sixth Sense Unbreakable Signs The Village Lady in the Water The Happening
Frank Collison
YesY

YesY
Bryce Dallas Howard
YesY

YesY

Cherry Jones
YesY

YesY

Joaquin Phoenix
YesY

YesY

Bruce Willis
YesY

YesY

Other

    * James Newton Howard has been Shyamalan's music composer since The Sixth Sense, with Edmund Choi providing music for Praying with Anger and Wide Awake.
    * Tak Fujimoto was cinematographer for The Sixth Sense, Signs and The Happening.
    * Andrew Mondshein edited Wide Awake and The Sixth Sense, having Barbara Tulliver editing Signs and Lady in the Water, and finally, Conrad Buff edited The Happening and The Last Airbender.

Criticism and controversy
Shyamalan Twists

With the exception of The Sixth Sense, a common criticism of Shyamalan's works is that they feature better direction than screenwriting. He has also been labeled a "one-trick pony" for his continuous use of the "twist" element in his screenplays. After the release of The Village, Slate's Michael Agger noted that Shyamalan was following "an uncomfortable pattern" of "making fragile, sealed-off movies that fell apart when exposed to outside logic."

In a May 31, 2008, interview with the London Independent, Shyamalan offered this answer to the question about his "one-trick" movies: "Q: A common misperception of me is ... A: That all my movies have twist endings, or that they're all scary. All my movies are spiritual and all have an emotional perspective."
Plagiarism

Shyamalan has been accused of plagiarism. Robert McIlhinney, a Pennsylvania screenwriter, sued Shyamalan over the similarity of Signs to his unpublished script Lord of the Barrens: The Jersey Devil. Margaret Peterson Haddix noted that The Village has numerous elements found in her children's novel Running Out of Time, and publisher Simon & Schuster had talked about filing a lawsuit; it was never filed. In addition, the plot of The Sixth Sense shares similarities with an episode of Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, although Shyamalan has acknowledged this as an inspiration.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f323/ZeratulPy/shyamalan.jpg
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/ghots72/m_night_shyamalan_3.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/06/11 at 9:19 am


The person of the day..M. Night Shyamalan
Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan (play /ˈʃæməlɑːn/; Tamil: மனோஜ் நெல்லியாட்டு சியாமளன்;Maṉōj Nelliyāṭṭu Śyāmaḷaṉ; born 6 August 1970), known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, is an Indian-born American screenwriter, film director, and producer known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots that climax with a twist ending. He is also known for filming his movies (and staging his plots) in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was raised. Shyamalan released his first film, Praying with Anger, in 1992 while he was a New York University student. His second movie, Wide Awake, made in 1995 but not released until three years later, did not succeed financially.

Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense, which was a commercial success and nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He followed The Sixth Sense by writing and directing Unbreakable, released in 2000, which received positive reviews. His 2002 film Signs, where he also played Ray Reddy, gained both critical and financial success. His next movie The Village (2004) received mixed reviews from the critics, but turned out to be a financial success. His later fantasy film Lady in the Water (2006) performed worse critically and financially. The film The Happening (2008) was a financial success but also received negative reviews. The Last Airbender (2010) received extremely negative reviews in the United States and won 5 Razzie Awards, but has gone on to make nearly $320 million internationally at the box office. His latest film, Devil (2010), which he produced and wrote the story for, but did not direct, was not screened by critics before its release but eventually received mixed reviews. Devil was not a blockbuster hit but has become a commercial success relative to its budget.

Most of Shyamalan's commercially successful films were co-produced by Disney's Touchstone Pictures film division.
Shyamalan made his first film, the semi-autobiographical drama Praying with Anger, while still an NYU student, using money borrowed from family and friends. It was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 1992, and played commercially at one theater for a week in rural Woodstock, Illinois. When the film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, Shyamalan was introduced by David Overbey who predicted that the world would see more of Shyamalan in the years to come. Praying with Anger has also been shown on Canadian television. Filmed in Chennai, it is his only film to be shot outside of Pennsylvania.

Shyamalan wrote and directed his second movie, Wide Awake, in 1995, though it was not released until 1998. His parents were the film's associate producers. The drama dealt with a ten-year-old Catholic schoolboy (Joseph Cross) who, after the death of his grandfather (Robert Loggia), searches for God. The film's supporting cast included Dana Delany and Denis Leary as the boy's parents, as well as Julia Stiles, and Camryn Manheim. Wide Awake was filmed in a school Shyamalan attended as a child and earned 1999 Young Artist Award nominations for Best Drama, and, for Cross, Best Performance. Only in limited release, the film grossed $305,704 in theaters.

That same year Shyamalan co-wrote the screenplay for Stuart Little with Greg Brooker.

In 2008, Shyamalan was awarded the Padma Shri by the government of India. In 2010, he directed The Last Airbender, based on the Nickelodeon TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Although Shyamalan has stated he is in the middle of writng his next thriller it has been confirmed that his next film will be a sci-fi epic titled One Thousand A.E. and would star Jaden Smith. In an interview when asked Shymalan denied the idea of shooting it in 3D but stated he was planning something technically special. It will be the first film Shymalan has directed but not written.
Personal life

In 1993, Shyamalan married psychologist Bhavna Vaswani, a fellow student whom he met at NYU and with whom he has two daughters. The family resides on a sprawling estate in Willistown, Pennsylvania, near Shyamalan's usual shooting site of Philadelphia. His production company, Blinding Edge Pictures is located in Berwyn, PA.
Filmography
Year Film Director Producer Writer Actor Role
1992 Praying with Anger Yes No Yes Yes Dev Raman
1998 Wide Awake Yes No Yes No
1999 The Sixth Sense Yes No Yes Yes Dr. Hill
Stuart Little No No Yes No
2000 Unbreakable Yes Yes Yes Yes Stadium drug dealer
2002 Signs Yes Yes Yes Yes Ray Reddy
2004 The Village Yes Yes Yes Yes Jay (Guard at desk)
2006 Lady in the Water Yes Yes Yes Yes Vick Ran/The Vessel
2008 The Happening Yes Yes Yes Yes Joey (unseen character)
2010 The Last Airbender Yes Yes Yes Yes Firebender at Earth Camp scene
Devil No Yes Yes No
Other films

In July 2000, on The Howard Stern Show, Shyamalan said he had met with Spielberg and was in early talks to write the script for the fourth Indiana Jones film. This would have given Shyamalan a chance to work with his longtime idol, Steven Spielberg. After the film fell through, Shyamalan later said it was too "tricky" to arrange and "not the right thing" for him to do.

Shyamalan's name was linked with the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but it conflicted with the production of Unbreakable. In July 2006, while doing press tours for Lady in the Water, Shyamalan had said he was still interested in directing one of the last two Harry Potter films. "The themes that run through it...the empowering of children, a positive outlook...you name it, it falls in line with my beliefs", Shyamalan said. "I enjoy the humor in it. When I read the first Harry Potter and was thinking about making it, I had a whole different vibe in my head of it".

After the release of The Village in 2004, Shyamalan had been planning a film adaptation of Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi with 20th Century Fox, but later backed out so that he could make Lady in the Water. "I love that book. I mean, it's basically a kid born in the same city as me — it almost felt predestined", Shyamalan said. "But I was hesitant because the book has kind of a twist ending. And I was concerned that as soon as you put my name on it, everybody would have a different experience. Whereas if someone else did it, it would be much more satisfying, I think. Expectations, you've got to be aware of them. I'm wishing them all great luck. I hope they make a beautiful movie".

In July 2008, it was announced that Shyamalan had partnered with Media Rights Capital to form a production company called Night Chronicles. Shyamalan would produce, but not direct, one film a year for three years. The first of the three films was Devil, a supernatural thriller directed by siblings John and Drew Dowdle. The script was written by Brian Nelson, based on an original idea from Shyamalan. The movie was about a group of people stuck in an elevator with the devil, and starred Chris Messina.
Television
Sci-Fi Channel

In 2004, Shyamalan was involved in a media hoax with Sci-Fi Channel, which was eventually uncovered by the press. Sci-Fi claimed in its "documentary" special — The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan, shot on the set of The Village — that Shyamalan was legally dead for nearly a half-hour while drowned in a frozen pond in a childhood accident, and that upon being rescued he had experiences of communicating with spirits, fueling an obsession with the supernatural. The Sci-Fi Channel also claimed that Shyamalan had grown "sour" when the "documentary" filmmakers' questions got too personal, and had therefore withdrawn from participating and threatened to sue the filmmakers.

In truth, Shyamalan developed the hoax with Sci-Fi, going so far as having Sci-Fi staffers sign non disclosure agreements with a $5-million fine attached and requiring Shyamalan's office to formally approve each step. Neither the childhood accident nor the supposed rift with the filmmakers ever occurred. The hoax included a non-existent Sci-Fi publicist, "David Westover", whose name appeared on press releases regarding the special. Sci-Fi also fed false news stories to the Associated Press and Zap2It.com, among others. A New York Post news item, based on a Sci Fi press release, referred to Shyamalan's attorneys threatening to sue the filmmakers; the attorneys named were non-existent.

After an AP reporter confronted Sci-Fi Channel president Bonnie Hammer at a press conference, Hammer admitted the hoax, saying it was part of a guerrilla marketing campaign to generate pre-release publicity for The Village. This prompted Sci-Fi's parent company, NBC Universal, to state that the undertaking was "not consistent with our policy at NBC. We would never intend to offend the public or the press and we value our relationship with both."
Critical reception
Film Rotten Tomatoes
Overall Top Critics
Praying with Anger (1992) N/A N/A
Wide Awake (1998) 41% 29%
The Sixth Sense (1999) 85% 79%
Unbreakable (2000) 68% 58%
Signs (2002) 74% 56%
The Village (2004) 43% 49%
Lady in the Water (2006) 24% 13%
The Happening (2008) 18% 11%
The Last Airbender (2010) 6% 7%
Collaborations
Actors
The Sixth Sense Unbreakable Signs The Village Lady in the Water The Happening
Frank Collison
YesY

YesY
Bryce Dallas Howard
YesY

YesY

Cherry Jones
YesY

YesY

Joaquin Phoenix
YesY

YesY

Bruce Willis
YesY

YesY

Other

    * James Newton Howard has been Shyamalan's music composer since The Sixth Sense, with Edmund Choi providing music for Praying with Anger and Wide Awake.
    * Tak Fujimoto was cinematographer for The Sixth Sense, Signs and The Happening.
    * Andrew Mondshein edited Wide Awake and The Sixth Sense, having Barbara Tulliver editing Signs and Lady in the Water, and finally, Conrad Buff edited The Happening and The Last Airbender.

Criticism and controversy
Shyamalan Twists

With the exception of The Sixth Sense, a common criticism of Shyamalan's works is that they feature better direction than screenwriting. He has also been labeled a "one-trick pony" for his continuous use of the "twist" element in his screenplays. After the release of The Village, Slate's Michael Agger noted that Shyamalan was following "an uncomfortable pattern" of "making fragile, sealed-off movies that fell apart when exposed to outside logic."

In a May 31, 2008, interview with the London Independent, Shyamalan offered this answer to the question about his "one-trick" movies: "Q: A common misperception of me is ... A: That all my movies have twist endings, or that they're all scary. All my movies are spiritual and all have an emotional perspective."
Plagiarism

Shyamalan has been accused of plagiarism. Robert McIlhinney, a Pennsylvania screenwriter, sued Shyamalan over the similarity of Signs to his unpublished script Lord of the Barrens: The Jersey Devil. Margaret Peterson Haddix noted that The Village has numerous elements found in her children's novel Running Out of Time, and publisher Simon & Schuster had talked about filing a lawsuit; it was never filed. In addition, the plot of The Sixth Sense shares similarities with an episode of Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, although Shyamalan has acknowledged this as an inspiration.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f323/ZeratulPy/shyamalan.jpg
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s105/ghots72/m_night_shyamalan_3.jpg
A good film director till he made Lady in the Water and The Happening.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/06/11 at 10:45 am


A good film director till he made Lady in the Water and The Happening.

I have not seen either of those movies.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 08/06/11 at 11:56 am

I hope you don't mind ninny, but I HAVE to do this:


HONORABLE Person of the Day:

LUCILLE BALL

I tried to put in her bio but it was too long. Here is the shorten version:

Birth Name: Lucille Desiree Ball

Birth Date: August 6, 1911

Birth Place: Jamestown, New York

Died: April 26, 1989 (at age 77) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Final Resting Place: She was cremated and her ashes were
buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles

Parents: Henry Durrell Ball and Desiree "DeDe" Hunt

Sibling: Fred Hunt (4 years younger)

Married: Desiderio Alberto Arnaz (Nov. 30, 1940-May 4, 1960)
                Gary Morton (Nov. 19, 1961-her death)

Children: Lucie Desiree Arnaz (b. July 17, 1951)
                Desi Arnaz, Jr. (b. January 19, 1953)

Height: 5'7"

Eyes: blue

Natual Hair Color: "mousy brown" (by her own description)

Shoe Size: 7 1/2

Nicknames: "The Queen of the B's"
                    "Technicolor Tessie"
                    "That Crazy Red-Head"
                    "The First Lady of Television"
                    "The Queen of Comedy"

Screen Debut: Roman Scandals (1933)

First Starring Role: Go Chase Yourself (1938)

Final Film: Mame (1974)

Radio Series: My Favorite Husband (1948-1951)

TV Debut: February 1949 on The Chesterfield Supper Club

TV Series: I Love Lucy (1951-1957)
                The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957-1960)
                The Lucy Show (1962-1968)
                Here's Lucy (1968-1974)
                Life With Lucy (1986)

http://news.m3n4.com/wp-content/uploads/1+lucille+ball.jpg





Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/06/11 at 12:04 pm


I hope you don't mind ninny, but I HAVE to do this:


HONORABLE Person of the Day:

LUCILLE BALL

I tried to put in her bio but it was too long. Here is the shorten version:

Birth Name: Lucille Desiree Ball

Birth Date: August 6, 1911

Birth Place: Jamestown, New York

Died: April 26, 1989 (at age 77) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Final Resting Place: She was cremated and her ashes were
buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles

Parents: Henry Durrell Ball and Desiree "DeDe" Hunt

Sibling: Fred Hunt (4 years younger)

Married: Desiderio Alberto Arnaz (Nov. 30, 1940-May 4, 1960)
                Gary Morton (Nov. 19, 1961-her death)

Children: Lucie Desiree Arnaz (b. July 17, 1951)
                Desi Arnaz, Jr. (b. January 19, 1953)

Height: 5'7"

Eyes: blue

Natual Hair Color: "mousy brown" (by her own description)

Shoe Size: 7 1/2

Nicknames: "The Queen of the B's"
                    "Technicolor Tessie"
                    "That Crazy Red-Head"
                    "The First Lady of Television"
                    "The Queen of Comedy"

Screen Debut: Roman Scandals (1933)

First Starring Role: Go Chase Yourself (1938)

Final Film: Mame (1974)

Radio Series: My Favorite Husband (1948-1951)

TV Debut: February 1949 on The Chesterfield Supper Club

TV Series: I Love Lucy (1951-1957)
                The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957-1960)
                The Lucy Show (1962-1968)
                Here's Lucy (1968-1974)
                Life With Lucy (1986)

http://news.m3n4.com/wp-content/uploads/1+lucille+ball.jpg





Cat
If she had survived she would have been 100 today.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 08/06/11 at 12:09 pm


If she had survived she would have been 100 today.



Exactly, which is why she should be Person of the Day.



Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/06/11 at 7:46 pm


I hope you don't mind ninny, but I HAVE to do this:


HONORABLE Person of the Day:

LUCILLE BALL

I tried to put in her bio but it was too long. Here is the shorten version:

Birth Name: Lucille Desiree Ball

Birth Date: August 6, 1911

Birth Place: Jamestown, New York

Died: April 26, 1989 (at age 77) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Final Resting Place: She was cremated and her ashes were
buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles

Parents: Henry Durrell Ball and Desiree "DeDe" Hunt

Sibling: Fred Hunt (4 years younger)

Married: Desiderio Alberto Arnaz (Nov. 30, 1940-May 4, 1960)
                Gary Morton (Nov. 19, 1961-her death)

Children: Lucie Desiree Arnaz (b. July 17, 1951)
                Desi Arnaz, Jr. (b. January 19, 1953)

Height: 5'7"

Eyes: blue

Natual Hair Color: "mousy brown" (by her own description)

Shoe Size: 7 1/2

Nicknames: "The Queen of the B's"
                    "Technicolor Tessie"
                    "That Crazy Red-Head"
                    "The First Lady of Television"
                    "The Queen of Comedy"

Screen Debut: Roman Scandals (1933)

First Starring Role: Go Chase Yourself (1938)

Final Film: Mame (1974)

Radio Series: My Favorite Husband (1948-1951)

TV Debut: February 1949 on The Chesterfield Supper Club

TV Series: I Love Lucy (1951-1957)
                 The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957-1960)
                 The Lucy Show (1962-1968)
                 Here's Lucy (1968-1974)
                 Life With Lucy (1986)

http://news.m3n4.com/wp-content/uploads/1+lucille+ball.jpg





Cat


I remember her last film was Stone Pillow.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/06/11 at 7:47 pm


If she had survived she would have been 100 today.


and Dezi would have been 94

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/06/11 at 11:04 pm


I hope you don't mind ninny, but I HAVE to do this:


HONORABLE Person of the Day:

LUCILLE BALL

I tried to put in her bio but it was too long. Here is the shorten version:

Birth Name: Lucille Desiree Ball

Birth Date: August 6, 1911

Birth Place: Jamestown, New York

Died: April 26, 1989 (at age 77) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Final Resting Place: She was cremated and her ashes were
buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles

Parents: Henry Durrell Ball and Desiree "DeDe" Hunt

Sibling: Fred Hunt (4 years younger)

Married: Desiderio Alberto Arnaz (Nov. 30, 1940-May 4, 1960)
                Gary Morton (Nov. 19, 1961-her death)

Children: Lucie Desiree Arnaz (b. July 17, 1951)
                Desi Arnaz, Jr. (b. January 19, 1953)

Height: 5'7"

Eyes: blue

Natual Hair Color: "mousy brown" (by her own description)

Shoe Size: 7 1/2

Nicknames: "The Queen of the B's"
                    "Technicolor Tessie"
                    "That Crazy Red-Head"
                    "The First Lady of Television"
                    "The Queen of Comedy"

Screen Debut: Roman Scandals (1933)

First Starring Role: Go Chase Yourself (1938)

Final Film: Mame (1974)

Radio Series: My Favorite Husband (1948-1951)

TV Debut: February 1949 on The Chesterfield Supper Club

TV Series: I Love Lucy (1951-1957)
                 The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957-1960)
                 The Lucy Show (1962-1968)
                 Here's Lucy (1968-1974)
                 Life With Lucy (1986)

http://news.m3n4.com/wp-content/uploads/1+lucille+ball.jpg





Cat

Loved her. She may be long gone but her legacy lives on. :)




If she had survived she would have been 100 today.


Exactly, which is why she should be Person of the Day.



Cat

I agree. I even watched the clip that was featured on the 'Google Doodle' from the "Job Switching" episode. Classic.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/07/11 at 9:23 am


I hope you don't mind ninny, but I HAVE to do this:


HONORABLE Person of the Day:

LUCILLE BALL

I tried to put in her bio but it was too long. Here is the shorten version:

Birth Name: Lucille Desiree Ball

Birth Date: August 6, 1911

Birth Place: Jamestown, New York

Died: April 26, 1989 (at age 77) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Final Resting Place: She was cremated and her ashes were
buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles

Parents: Henry Durrell Ball and Desiree "DeDe" Hunt

Sibling: Fred Hunt (4 years younger)

Married: Desiderio Alberto Arnaz (Nov. 30, 1940-May 4, 1960)
                Gary Morton (Nov. 19, 1961-her death)

Children: Lucie Desiree Arnaz (b. July 17, 1951)
                Desi Arnaz, Jr. (b. January 19, 1953)

Height: 5'7"

Eyes: blue

Natual Hair Color: "mousy brown" (by her own description)

Shoe Size: 7 1/2

Nicknames: "The Queen of the B's"
                    "Technicolor Tessie"
                    "That Crazy Red-Head"
                    "The First Lady of Television"
                    "The Queen of Comedy"

Screen Debut: Roman Scandals (1933)

First Starring Role: Go Chase Yourself (1938)

Final Film: Mame (1974)

Radio Series: My Favorite Husband (1948-1951)

TV Debut: February 1949 on The Chesterfield Supper Club

TV Series: I Love Lucy (1951-1957)
                 The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957-1960)
                 The Lucy Show (1962-1968)
                 Here's Lucy (1968-1974)
                 Life With Lucy (1986)

http://news.m3n4.com/wp-content/uploads/1+lucille+ball.jpg





Cat

Thank you Cat, I was going to come back and mention her, but never got to it.  Not to be corny but I Love Lucy :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/07/11 at 9:28 am

The person of the day....B.J  Thomas
Billy Joe "B. J." Thomas (born August 7, 1942, Hugo, Oklahoma) is an American popular singer known for his chart-topping hits in the 1960s and 1970s.
Thomas was raised in and around Houston, Texas, graduating from Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg. Before his solo career, Thomas sang in a church choir as a teenager then joined the musical group The Triumphs. During his senior year he made friends with Roy Head of Roy Head and The Traits. The Traits and the Triumphs held several Battle of the Bands events in the early 1960s featuring Head and Thomas.

In 1966, B. J. Thomas and The Triumphs released the album, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Pacemaker Records). The album featured a hit cover of the Hank Williams song, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. In the same year, Thomas released a solo album of the same name (Scepter Records).

Thomas achieved mainstream success again in 1968, with the single "Hooked on a Feeling", which featured the sound of an electric sitar, first released on the album On My Way (Scepter Records). "Hooked on a Feeling" became Thomas's second million-selling record. The 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid featured Thomas performing the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", which won the Academy Award for best original song that year, became the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970. Sales of this disc also exceeded one million copies, with Thomas being awarded his third gold record. The song was also released on an album of the same name. Other hits of the 1970s were "I Just Can't Help Believing" (Billboard No. 9 in 1970, covered by Elvis Presley), "Rock and Roll Lullaby," "No Love At All," "Everybody's Out of Town" and "Mighty Clouds of Joy."

Thomas' earlier hits were with Scepter Records, with which he was associated for six years. He left Scepter Records in 1972, and spent a short period, in 1973 and 1974, with Paramount Records. During his time with Paramount Records, Thomas released two albums, Songs (1973) and Longhorns & London Bridges (1974).

In 1975, Thomas released the album Reunion (ABC Records, which had absorbed the Paramount label), which contained what would become his second number one hit single, "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song". It was his first big hit since 1968, and secured Thomas his fourth gold record. On ABC, he also charted with "Songs" and "Don’t Worry Baby".

In 1976, Thomas released Home Where I Belong on Myrrh Records, the first of several gospel albums to be recorded by Thomas. The album went platinum, and Thomas became the biggest contemporary Christian artist of the period.

During the 1980s, his success on the pop charts began to wane, but many of his singles reached the upper regions on the country singles charts, including two 1983 chart toppers, "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" and "New Looks from an Old Lover" (see 1984 in music), as well as "Two Car Garage", which reached No. 3 on the country singles chart. In 1981, on his 39th birthday, Thomas became the 60th member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Thomas scored another hit, recording "As Long As We Got Each Other," the theme to Growing Pains with Jennifer Warnes. A later version, used for the show's fourth season, was recorded with the British singer Dusty Springfield. Thomas first released this track on his 1985 album Throwing Rocks at the Moon (Columbia Records).

Thomas has also authored two books including the autobiography Home Where I Belong, and starred in the movie Jory. Several commercial jingles, to include Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Bell phone systems, have featured his singing voice and music.
Discography
Albums
Year Album Chart Positions Label
US US Country CAN
1966 I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry Scepter Records
Tomorrow Never Comes
1968 On My Way 133
1969 Young and in Love
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head 12 10
1970 Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 90
Everybody's Out of Town 72 71
Most of All 67 44
1971 Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 92
1972 B. J. Thomas Country 209
Billy Joe Thomas 145
Rock'n'Roll Lullaby
1973 Songs 221 Paramount
1974 Longhorns & Londonbridges
1975 Reunion 59 2 40 ABC
Help Me Make It (To My Rockin' Chair) 26
1977 B. J. Thomas 114 39 MCA
Home Where I Belong Myrrh
1979 Happy Man
You Gave Me Love (When Nobody Gave Me a Prayer) Word
1980 The Best Of B.J. Thomas Myrrh
In Concert MCA
1981 Amazing Grace Word
Some Love Songs Never Die MCA
1982 Peace in the Valley Word
1983 Love Shines Epic
New Looks 193 13 Columbia
The Great American Dream 27
1984 ShiningA 40
1985 Throwin' Rocks at the Moon
You Gave Me Love Myrrh
1986 Night Life Columbia
All Is Calm, All Is Bright
1987 Hey Won't You Play Another
Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song MCA
1989 Midnight Minute Reprise
1991 As We Knew Him MCA
Jesus Hearted People
1992 Rock Against the Wall Reprise
Rock & Roll Lullaby Trace
1994 Still Standing Here Laurie
1995 Precious Memories Warner Bros.
Scenes of Christmas Cross Three
1996 B. J. Thomas Sings Hank Williams and Other Favorites Buckboard
1997 I Believe Warner Bros.
Christmas Is Coming Home Warner Resound
1998 Sounds of Christmas Kardina
2000 You Call That a Mountain
2005 That Christmas Feeling Madacy
2006 We Praise: Glorify Thy Name Braun Media
We Praise: Just as I Am
2007 Home for Christmas Lifestyles

    * AShining also peaked at No. 17 on the RPM Country Albums chart in Canada.

Singles
Year Single Chart Positions Album
US AC US US Country CAN AC CAN CAN Country
1966 "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" — 8 — — 2 — I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Greatest Hits, Volume 1
"Mama" — 22 — — 12 - Greatest Hits, Volume 1
"Billy and Sue" — 34 — — 23 - Greatest Hits, Volume 1
"Bring Back the Time" — 75 — — 53 — I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
"Tomorrow Never Comes" — 80 — — 89 — Tomorrow Never Comes
"Plain Jane" — 129 — — — - Greatest Hits, Volume 1
1967 "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" — 94 — — — - Greatest Hits, Volume 1
1968 "The Eyes of a New York Woman" — 28 — — 29 — On My Way, Greatest Hits, Volume 1
"Hooked on a Feeling" — 5 — — 3 — On My Way
1969 "It's Only Love" 37 45 — — 24 — Young and in Love
"Pass the Apple Eve" — 97 — — 78 —
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" 1 1 — 1 1 — Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
1970 "Everybody's Out of Town" 3 26 — — 18 — Everybody's Out of Town
"I Just Can't Help Believing" 1 9 — — 18 —
"Most of All" 2 38 — 13 20 — Most of All
1971 "No Love at All" 4 16 — 12 16 —
"Mighty Clouds of Joy" 8 34 — 25 26 — Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
"Long Ago Tomorrow" 13 61 — — 57 —
1972 "Rock and Roll Lullaby" 1 15 — 8 7 — Billy Joe Thomas
"That's What Friends Are For" 38 74 — — — —
"Happier Than the Morning Sun" 31 100 — — — —
1973 "Songs" 41 — — — — — Songs
1975 "(Hey Won't You Play) Another
Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" 1 1 1 1 3 2 Reunion
"Help Me Make It (To My Rockin' Chair)" 5 64 37 9 67 — Help Me Make It (To My Rockin' Chair)
1977 "Home Where I Belong" — — 98 — — — Home Where I Belong
"Don't Worry Baby" 2 17 — 1 12 — B. J. Thomas
"Still the Lovin' Is Fun" 8 77 — 13 86 —
1978 "Everybody Loves a Rain Song" 2 43 25 11 43 34 Singles only
1979 "We Could Have Been the Closest of Friends" — — 86 — — —
"God Bless the Children" 38 — — — — —
1980 "Walkin' On a Cloud" 30 — — — — —
1981 "Some Love Songs Never Die" 34 — 27 — — — Some Love Songs Never Die
"I Recall a Gypsy Woman" — — 22 — — 47
1982 "But Love Me" 27 — — — — — Single only
1983 "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" 13 93 1 — — 1 New Looks
"New Looks from an Old Lover" — — 1 — — 6
"Two Car Garage" 44 — 3 — — 1 The Great American Dream
1984 "The Whole World's in Love When You're Lonely" — — 10 — — 15 Shining
"The Girl Most Likely To" — — 17 — — 5
1985 "The Part of Me That Needs You Most" — — 61 — — 57 Throwin' Rocks at the Moon
1986 "America Is" — — 62 — — —
"Night Life" — — 59 — — — Night Life
1988 "As Long As We Got Each Other" (with Dusty Springfield) 7 — — — — — Midnight Minute
1989 "Don't Leave Me Love (Out There All Alone)" 39 — — — — — Single only
2000 "You Call That a Mountain" — — 66 — — — You Call That a Mountain
Guest singles
Year Artist Single Chart Positions Album
US Country CAN Country
1984 "Rock and Roll Shoes" Ray Charles 14 15 Friendship
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll54/momsline/music01/music01073.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w187/boogers0485_photos/bjthomas-1.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/07/11 at 9:48 am


Thank you Cat, I was going to come back and mention her, but never got to it.  Not to be corny but I Love Lucy :)
http://myvideostore.com/images/gallery/52196/10.jpeg

A still from a favourite film of mine, Rat Race, involving a coach load of Lucille Balls.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/07/11 at 10:29 am


http://myvideostore.com/images/gallery/52196/10.jpeg

A still from a favourite film of mine, Rat Race, involving a coach load of Lucille Balls.

Nice :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 08/07/11 at 11:02 am

I saw B.J. Thomas in concert-TWICE! Not saying that I am a big B.J. Thomas fan but things worked out for me to see him twice. The first time was when I was 15 and living in Tulsa, OK. I had a friend who wanted to go to the concert but didn't want to go alone. I said ok since I didn't have anything better to do. (His opening act was Debbie Boone.) The second time was a few years ago. Twice a year, I get a phone call from the Firefighters and they always have a fundraising concert & B.J. Thomas was one of their concerts-this time his opening act was Billy Joe Royal (of Down in the Boondock's fame).



Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/07/11 at 1:27 pm


http://myvideostore.com/images/gallery/52196/10.jpeg

A still from a favourite film of mine, Rat Race, involving a coach load of Lucille Balls.


Oh Man,that's so funny.  ;D

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/07/11 at 4:12 pm


I saw B.J. Thomas in concert-TWICE! Not saying that I am a big B.J. Thomas fan but things worked out for me to see him twice. The first time was when I was 15 and living in Tulsa, OK. I had a friend who wanted to go to the concert but didn't want to go alone. I said ok since I didn't have anything better to do. (His opening act was Debbie Boone.) The second time was a few years ago. Twice a year, I get a phone call from the Firefighters and they always have a fundraising concert & B.J. Thomas was one of their concerts-this time his opening act was Billy Joe Royal (of Down in the Boondock's fame).



Cat

I like a few of his songs. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry is my favorite by him.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 08/07/11 at 5:09 pm


I like a few of his songs. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry is my favorite by him.



I like Hooked on a Feeling.



Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/07/11 at 8:33 pm



I like Hooked on a Feeling.



Cat

That is a good song.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/08/11 at 7:07 am


That is a good song.


I like that song too.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/08/11 at 8:32 am

The person of the day...Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable types of characters.

He first drew critical praise for the 1966 Off-Broadway play Eh? for which he won a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award. This was soon followed by his breakthrough movie role as Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate (1967). Since then Hoffman's career has largely been focused in cinema with only sporadic returns to television and the stage. Some of his most noted films are Papillon, Marathon Man, Midnight Cowboy, Little Big Man, Lenny, All the President's Men, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, Rain Man, Wag the Dog, and Meet the Fockers.

Hoffman has won two Academy Awards (for his performances in Kramer vs. Kramer and Rain Man), five Golden Globes, three BAFTAs, three Drama Desk Awards, a Genie Award, and an Emmy Award. Dustin Hoffman received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1999.
In 1966, Mike Nichols cast Hoffman in The Graduate, which prevented him from appearing in the acclaimed Mel Brooks film, The Producers as Franz Liebkind. The film began production in March 1967. Hoffman received an Academy Award nomination for his performance and became a major star. Although he initially endured some anti-semitic derision for his unusual looks and ethnicity, Hoffman's outstanding success in this film and his numerous later acclaimed roles is credited with broadening the field of major film roles for other actors of once undesirable ethnicities

After the success of this film, another Hoffman film, Madigan's Millions, shot before The Graduate, was released on the tail of the actor's newfound success. It was considered a failure at the box office.

In December 1968, Hoffman returned to Broadway to appear in the title role of Murray Schisgal and John Sebastian's musical Jimmy Shine. For his performance in the production Hoffman won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance. Just a few weeks after leaving the production, Hoffman's next major film Midnight Cowboy premiered in theatres across the United States on May 25, 1969. For his role as Ratso Rizzo in the film, Hoffman received his second Oscar nomination and the film won the Best Picture honor. This was followed by his role in Little Big Man (1970) where Jack Crabb, his character, ages from teenager to a 121-year-old man. The film was widely praised by critics, but was overlooked for an award except for a supporting nomination for Chief Dan George.

Hoffman continued to appear in major films over the next few years. Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971), Straw Dogs (also 1971), and Papillon (1973) were followed by Lenny (1974), for which Hoffman received his third nomination for Best Actor in seven years.

Less than two years after the Watergate scandal, Hoffman and Robert Redford starred as Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, respectively, in All the President's Men (1976). Hoffman next starred in Marathon Man (also 1976), a film based on William Goldman's novel of the same name, opposite Laurence Olivier. Hoffman's next roles were less successful. He opted out of directing Straight Time (1978) but starred as a thief. His next film, Michael Apted's Agatha, was with Vanessa Redgrave as Agatha Christie.

Hoffman next starred in Robert Benton's Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) as workaholic Ted Kramer whose wife (Meryl Streep) unexpectedly leaves him; he raises their son alone. Hoffman gained his first Academy Award, and the film also received the Best Picture honor, plus the awards for Best Supporting Actress (Streep) and Director.

In Tootsie (1982), Hoffman portrays Michael Dorsey, a struggling actor who finds himself dressing up as a woman to land a role on a soap opera. His co-star was Jessica Lange. Tootsie earned ten Academy Award nominations, including Hoffman's fifth nomination.
Hoffman in France (1985)

Hoffman then turned to television in the role of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, for which he won the 1985 Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries. He would also go on to win a Golden Globe for the same performance.

Hoffman's largest film failure was Elaine May's Ishtar, with Warren Beatty. The film faced severe production problems, received almost completely negative reviews from critics and was nominated for three Razzie awards. However, Hoffman and Beatty liked the film's final cut and tried to defend it. Hoffmann and Beatty were unaffected by the flop, and Ishtar became a cult film. James House, who later became a country music artist, served as Hoffman's vocal coach in the film.

In director Barry Levinson's Rain Man (1988), Hoffman starred as an autistic savant, opposite Tom Cruise. Levinson, Hoffman and Cruise worked for two years on the film, and his performance garnered Hoffman his second Academy Award. Upon accepting, Hoffman stated softly to his fellow nominees that it was okay if they didn't vote for him because "I didn't vote for you guys either." After Rain Man, Hoffman appeared with Sean Connery and Matthew Broderick in Family Business. The film did relatively poorly with the critics and at the box office. In 1991, Hoffman voiced substitute teacher Mr. Bergstrom in The Simpsons episode "Lisa's Substitute", under the pseudonym Sam Etic. As a reference to this episode, during the episode featuring the Itchy & Scratchy movie, Lisa claims that Dustin Hoffman had a cameo in that movie but didn't use his real name.

Throughout the 1990s, Hoffman appeared in many large, studio films, such as Dick Tracy (1990) (where his Ishtar co-star Beatty plays the titular character), Hero (1992) and the ill-fated Billy Bathgate (1991) co-starring with Nicole Kidman who was nominated for a Golden Globe). Hoffman also played the title role of Captain Hook in Steven Spielberg's Hook (also 1991), earning a Golden Globe nomination; in this movie, Hoffman's costume was so heavy that he had to wear an air-conditioned suit under it. Hoffman played the lead role in Outbreak (1995), alongside Rene Russo, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Donald Sutherland. Following that, he appeared in the 1996 revenge-drama/legal-thriller Sleepers (1996) with Brad Pitt, Jason Patric, and Kevin Bacon.
Dustin Hoffman during the filming of Last Chance Harvey in 2008

It was in the mid-1990s that Hoffman starred in—and was deeply involved in the production of—David Mamet's American Buffalo (also 1996), one of the very few "pure art projects" he is known for, and an early effort of film editor Kate Sanford. In 1997, Hoffman starred opposite John Travolta in the Costa Gavras film Mad City and gained his seventh Academy Award nomination for his performance in Wag The Dog, in a role that allowed Hoffman the chance to work with both Robert De Niro and Dennis Leary. He next appeared in Barry Levinson's adaptation of Sphere (1998), opposite Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Coyote, Queen Latifah and Liev Schreiber. Hoffman next appeared in Moonlight Mile (2002), followed by Confidence (2003) opposite Edward Burns, Andy García and Rachel Weisz. Hoffman would finally have a chance to work with Gene Hackman, in Gary Fleder's Runaway Jury (also 2003), an adaptation of John Grisham's bestselling novel.

Hoffman played theater owner Charles Frohman in the J. M. Barrie historical fantasia Finding Neverland (2004), costarring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. In director David O. Russell's I Heart Huckabees (also 2004), Hoffman appeared opposite Lily Tomlin as an existential detective team.

Seven years after his nomination for Wag the Dog, Hoffman got a second opportunity to perform again with Robert De Niro, co-starring with Barbra Streisand and Ben Stiller in the 2004 comedy Meet the Fockers, a sequel to Meet the Parents (2000). Hoffman won the 2005 MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance. In 2005, he voiced a horse in Racing Stripes, and appeared in cameo roles in Andy García's The Lost City and on the final episode of HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm's fifth season. Hoffman appeared in Stranger than Fiction (2006), played the perfumer Giuseppe Baldini in Tom Tykwer's film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (also 2006) and had a cameo in the same year's The Holiday.

In 2007, he was featured in an advertising campaign for Australian telecommunications company Telstra's Next G network, appeared in the 50 Cent video "Follow My Lead" as a psychiatrist, and played the title character in the family film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. In 2008, although he was reluctant to perform in an animated film, Hoffman had a prominent role as Shifu in the acclaimed film Kung Fu Panda, which was praised in part for his comedic chemistry with Jack Black and his character's poignantly complex relationship with the story's villain. He later won the Annie Award for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature for Kung Fu Panda and has continued into the role in the franchise's subsequent filmed productions outside of the upcoming television series. He next voiced Roscuro in The Tale of Despereaux and played the title character in Last Chance Harvey.

Hoffman will be starring in the HBO horse-racing drama Luck, as a man involved in activities such as bookmaking and casino operations. He will also direct Quartet, a BBC Films comedy starring Maggie Smith and Albert Finney. He also appeared in Little Fockers, the critically panned, 2010 sequel to Meet the Fockers, this time in a much smaller role. In 2011, Hoffman reprised his role as Shifu in Kung Fu Panda 2.
Personal life
With Gottsegen (left), and Jake Hoffman (right), at Los Angeles Fashion Week (2007)

Hoffman married Anne Byrne in May 1969. The couple had two children, Karina (b. 1966) and Jenna (born October 15, 1970). Karina is adopted. The couple divorced in 1980. He married attorney Lisa Hoffman (née Gottsegen) in October 1980; they have four children – Jacob Edward (born March 20, 1981), Rebecca (b. March 17, 1983), Maxwell Geoffrey (born August 30, 1984), and Alexandra Lydia (born October 27, 1987). Hoffman also has two grandchildren. In an interview, he said that all of his children from his second marriage had bar or bat mitzvahs and that he is a more observant Jew now than when he was younger; he also lamented that he is not fluent in Hebrew. In 1970, Hoffman and Byrne were living in Greenwich Village in a building next door to the townhouse destroyed by members of The Weatherman when they detonated a bomb in the building's basement, killing three people. In the 2002 documentary The Weather Underground, Hoffman can be seen standing in the street during the aftermath of the explosion.

A political liberal, Hoffman has long supported the Democratic Party and Ralph Nader. In 1997, he was one of a number of Hollywood stars and executives to sign an open letter to then-German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, published as a newspaper advertisement in the International Herald Tribune, which protested the treatment of Scientologists in Germany.

Robert Duvall was a roommate of Hoffman's during the early years of their careers in New York City.

There were many rumors and discussions in July 2010 about Hoffman canceling his appearance at the Jerusalem Film Festival as a reaction to the Gaza flotilla raid. However, his representatives told The New York Times there was “no truth” to this report.

In 2009, he received the freedom of the Italian city Ascoli Piceno for being there during 1972 to shoot the movie Alfredo, Alfredo by Pietro Germi, where he played the role of Alfredo Sbisà.
Filmography and awards
Year Film Role Notes
1967 The Tiger Makes Out Hap
The Graduate Benjamin Braddock BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles
Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1968 Madigan's Millions Jason Fister
1969 Sunday Father A 'Sunday Father' short subject
Midnight Cowboy Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role also for John and Mary
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
John and Mary John BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role also for Midnight Cowboy
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1970 Little Big Man Jack Crabb Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1971 On Location: Dustin Hoffman Himself short subject
Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He
Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? Georgie Soloway
Straw Dogs David Sumner
1972 Alfredo, Alfredo Alfredo Sbisà
1973 Papillon Louis Dega
1974 Lenny Lenny Bruce Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1976 The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People Himself short subject
All the President's Men Carl Bernstein Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role also for Marathon Man
Marathon Man Babe Levy Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role also for All the President's Men
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1978 Straight Time Max Dembo also producer
1979 Agatha Wally Stanton National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor also for Kramer vs. Kramer
Kramer vs. Kramer Ted Kramer Academy Award for Best Actor
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor also for Agatha
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1982 Tootsie Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
1984 Terror in the Aisles archival footage
1985 Death of a Salesman Willy Loman Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated – Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special
1986 Private Conversations Himself documentary
1987 Ishtar Chuck Clarke
1988 Rain Man Raymond Babbitt Academy Award for Best Actor
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1989 Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt Narrator documentary
Family Business Vito McMullen
1990 Dick Tracy Mumbles
1991 Billy Bathgate Dutch Schultz
Hook Captain Hook Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1992 Hero aka. Accidental Hero Bernard 'Bernie' Laplante Extra : Man at the bar 35:07 into Basic Instinct
Horton Hears a Who! Narrator
1993 La Classe américaine Peter in archive footage only
1994 Jonas in the Desert Himself documentary
1995 Outbreak Colonel Sam Daniels
1996 American Buffalo Walt 'Teach' Teacher
Sleepers Danny Snyder
1997 Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award
Mad City Max Brackett
Wag the Dog Stanley Motss Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
1998 Sphere Dr. Norman Goodman
1999 The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc The Conscience
2001 Tuesday Narrator short subject
Goldwyn Narrator documentary
2002 Moonlight Mile Ben Floss
2003 The Shakespeare Sessions Himself documentary
Confidence Winston King
Runaway Jury Wendell Rohr
2004 Freedom2speak v2.0 Himself – Actor, USA documentary
Finding Neverland Charles Frohman Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
I Heart Huckabees Bernard
Meet the Fockers Bernie Focker MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events The Critic uncredited
2005 Racing Stripes Tucker voice
The Lost City Meyer Lansky
2006 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Giuseppe Baldini
Stranger than Fiction Professor Jules Hilbert
The Holiday Himself uncredited
2007 Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Mr. Edward Magorium, Avid Shoe-Wearer
2008 Kung Fu Panda Master Shifu voice
Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
The Tale of Despereaux Roscuro voice
Last Chance Harvey Harvey Shine Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2010 Barney's Version Izzy Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story Narrator documentary
Little Fockers Bernie Focker
2011 Kung Fu Panda 2 Master Shifu voice
The Giver unknown in production
http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/mustang0210/dustin_hoffman_01.jpg
http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss156/puzzled11/dustin-hoffman-01-af.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/08/11 at 1:32 pm


The person of the day...Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable types of characters.

He first drew critical praise for the 1966 Off-Broadway play Eh? for which he won a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award. This was soon followed by his breakthrough movie role as Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate (1967). Since then Hoffman's career has largely been focused in cinema with only sporadic returns to television and the stage. Some of his most noted films are Papillon, Marathon Man, Midnight Cowboy, Little Big Man, Lenny, All the President's Men, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, Rain Man, Wag the Dog, and Meet the Fockers.

Hoffman has won two Academy Awards (for his performances in Kramer vs. Kramer and Rain Man), five Golden Globes, three BAFTAs, three Drama Desk Awards, a Genie Award, and an Emmy Award. Dustin Hoffman received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1999.
In 1966, Mike Nichols cast Hoffman in The Graduate, which prevented him from appearing in the acclaimed Mel Brooks film, The Producers as Franz Liebkind. The film began production in March 1967. Hoffman received an Academy Award nomination for his performance and became a major star. Although he initially endured some anti-semitic derision for his unusual looks and ethnicity, Hoffman's outstanding success in this film and his numerous later acclaimed roles is credited with broadening the field of major film roles for other actors of once undesirable ethnicities

After the success of this film, another Hoffman film, Madigan's Millions, shot before The Graduate, was released on the tail of the actor's newfound success. It was considered a failure at the box office.

In December 1968, Hoffman returned to Broadway to appear in the title role of Murray Schisgal and John Sebastian's musical Jimmy Shine. For his performance in the production Hoffman won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance. Just a few weeks after leaving the production, Hoffman's next major film Midnight Cowboy premiered in theatres across the United States on May 25, 1969. For his role as Ratso Rizzo in the film, Hoffman received his second Oscar nomination and the film won the Best Picture honor. This was followed by his role in Little Big Man (1970) where Jack Crabb, his character, ages from teenager to a 121-year-old man. The film was widely praised by critics, but was overlooked for an award except for a supporting nomination for Chief Dan George.

Hoffman continued to appear in major films over the next few years. Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971), Straw Dogs (also 1971), and Papillon (1973) were followed by Lenny (1974), for which Hoffman received his third nomination for Best Actor in seven years.

Less than two years after the Watergate scandal, Hoffman and Robert Redford starred as Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, respectively, in All the President's Men (1976). Hoffman next starred in Marathon Man (also 1976), a film based on William Goldman's novel of the same name, opposite Laurence Olivier. Hoffman's next roles were less successful. He opted out of directing Straight Time (1978) but starred as a thief. His next film, Michael Apted's Agatha, was with Vanessa Redgrave as Agatha Christie.

Hoffman next starred in Robert Benton's Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) as workaholic Ted Kramer whose wife (Meryl Streep) unexpectedly leaves him; he raises their son alone. Hoffman gained his first Academy Award, and the film also received the Best Picture honor, plus the awards for Best Supporting Actress (Streep) and Director.

In Tootsie (1982), Hoffman portrays Michael Dorsey, a struggling actor who finds himself dressing up as a woman to land a role on a soap opera. His co-star was Jessica Lange. Tootsie earned ten Academy Award nominations, including Hoffman's fifth nomination.
Hoffman in France (1985)

Hoffman then turned to television in the role of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, for which he won the 1985 Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries. He would also go on to win a Golden Globe for the same performance.

Hoffman's largest film failure was Elaine May's Ishtar, with Warren Beatty. The film faced severe production problems, received almost completely negative reviews from critics and was nominated for three Razzie awards. However, Hoffman and Beatty liked the film's final cut and tried to defend it. Hoffmann and Beatty were unaffected by the flop, and Ishtar became a cult film. James House, who later became a country music artist, served as Hoffman's vocal coach in the film.

In director Barry Levinson's Rain Man (1988), Hoffman starred as an autistic savant, opposite Tom Cruise. Levinson, Hoffman and Cruise worked for two years on the film, and his performance garnered Hoffman his second Academy Award. Upon accepting, Hoffman stated softly to his fellow nominees that it was okay if they didn't vote for him because "I didn't vote for you guys either." After Rain Man, Hoffman appeared with Sean Connery and Matthew Broderick in Family Business. The film did relatively poorly with the critics and at the box office. In 1991, Hoffman voiced substitute teacher Mr. Bergstrom in The Simpsons episode "Lisa's Substitute", under the pseudonym Sam Etic. As a reference to this episode, during the episode featuring the Itchy & Scratchy movie, Lisa claims that Dustin Hoffman had a cameo in that movie but didn't use his real name.

Throughout the 1990s, Hoffman appeared in many large, studio films, such as Dick Tracy (1990) (where his Ishtar co-star Beatty plays the titular character), Hero (1992) and the ill-fated Billy Bathgate (1991) co-starring with Nicole Kidman who was nominated for a Golden Globe). Hoffman also played the title role of Captain Hook in Steven Spielberg's Hook (also 1991), earning a Golden Globe nomination; in this movie, Hoffman's costume was so heavy that he had to wear an air-conditioned suit under it. Hoffman played the lead role in Outbreak (1995), alongside Rene Russo, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Donald Sutherland. Following that, he appeared in the 1996 revenge-drama/legal-thriller Sleepers (1996) with Brad Pitt, Jason Patric, and Kevin Bacon.
Dustin Hoffman during the filming of Last Chance Harvey in 2008

It was in the mid-1990s that Hoffman starred in—and was deeply involved in the production of—David Mamet's American Buffalo (also 1996), one of the very few "pure art projects" he is known for, and an early effort of film editor Kate Sanford. In 1997, Hoffman starred opposite John Travolta in the Costa Gavras film Mad City and gained his seventh Academy Award nomination for his performance in Wag The Dog, in a role that allowed Hoffman the chance to work with both Robert De Niro and Dennis Leary. He next appeared in Barry Levinson's adaptation of Sphere (1998), opposite Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Coyote, Queen Latifah and Liev Schreiber. Hoffman next appeared in Moonlight Mile (2002), followed by Confidence (2003) opposite Edward Burns, Andy García and Rachel Weisz. Hoffman would finally have a chance to work with Gene Hackman, in Gary Fleder's Runaway Jury (also 2003), an adaptation of John Grisham's bestselling novel.

Hoffman played theater owner Charles Frohman in the J. M. Barrie historical fantasia Finding Neverland (2004), costarring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. In director David O. Russell's I Heart Huckabees (also 2004), Hoffman appeared opposite Lily Tomlin as an existential detective team.

Seven years after his nomination for Wag the Dog, Hoffman got a second opportunity to perform again with Robert De Niro, co-starring with Barbra Streisand and Ben Stiller in the 2004 comedy Meet the Fockers, a sequel to Meet the Parents (2000). Hoffman won the 2005 MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance. In 2005, he voiced a horse in Racing Stripes, and appeared in cameo roles in Andy García's The Lost City and on the final episode of HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm's fifth season. Hoffman appeared in Stranger than Fiction (2006), played the perfumer Giuseppe Baldini in Tom Tykwer's film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (also 2006) and had a cameo in the same year's The Holiday.

In 2007, he was featured in an advertising campaign for Australian telecommunications company Telstra's Next G network, appeared in the 50 Cent video "Follow My Lead" as a psychiatrist, and played the title character in the family film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. In 2008, although he was reluctant to perform in an animated film, Hoffman had a prominent role as Shifu in the acclaimed film Kung Fu Panda, which was praised in part for his comedic chemistry with Jack Black and his character's poignantly complex relationship with the story's villain. He later won the Annie Award for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature for Kung Fu Panda and has continued into the role in the franchise's subsequent filmed productions outside of the upcoming television series. He next voiced Roscuro in The Tale of Despereaux and played the title character in Last Chance Harvey.

Hoffman will be starring in the HBO horse-racing drama Luck, as a man involved in activities such as bookmaking and casino operations. He will also direct Quartet, a BBC Films comedy starring Maggie Smith and Albert Finney. He also appeared in Little Fockers, the critically panned, 2010 sequel to Meet the Fockers, this time in a much smaller role. In 2011, Hoffman reprised his role as Shifu in Kung Fu Panda 2.
Personal life
With Gottsegen (left), and Jake Hoffman (right), at Los Angeles Fashion Week (2007)

Hoffman married Anne Byrne in May 1969. The couple had two children, Karina (b. 1966) and Jenna (born October 15, 1970). Karina is adopted. The couple divorced in 1980. He married attorney Lisa Hoffman (née Gottsegen) in October 1980; they have four children – Jacob Edward (born March 20, 1981), Rebecca (b. March 17, 1983), Maxwell Geoffrey (born August 30, 1984), and Alexandra Lydia (born October 27, 1987). Hoffman also has two grandchildren. In an interview, he said that all of his children from his second marriage had bar or bat mitzvahs and that he is a more observant Jew now than when he was younger; he also lamented that he is not fluent in Hebrew. In 1970, Hoffman and Byrne were living in Greenwich Village in a building next door to the townhouse destroyed by members of The Weatherman when they detonated a bomb in the building's basement, killing three people. In the 2002 documentary The Weather Underground, Hoffman can be seen standing in the street during the aftermath of the explosion.

A political liberal, Hoffman has long supported the Democratic Party and Ralph Nader. In 1997, he was one of a number of Hollywood stars and executives to sign an open letter to then-German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, published as a newspaper advertisement in the International Herald Tribune, which protested the treatment of Scientologists in Germany.

Robert Duvall was a roommate of Hoffman's during the early years of their careers in New York City.

There were many rumors and discussions in July 2010 about Hoffman canceling his appearance at the Jerusalem Film Festival as a reaction to the Gaza flotilla raid. However, his representatives told The New York Times there was “no truth” to this report.

In 2009, he received the freedom of the Italian city Ascoli Piceno for being there during 1972 to shoot the movie Alfredo, Alfredo by Pietro Germi, where he played the role of Alfredo Sbisà.
Filmography and awards
Year Film Role Notes
1967 The Tiger Makes Out Hap
The Graduate Benjamin Braddock BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles
Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1968 Madigan's Millions Jason Fister
1969 Sunday Father A 'Sunday Father' short subject
Midnight Cowboy Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role also for John and Mary
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
John and Mary John BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role also for Midnight Cowboy
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1970 Little Big Man Jack Crabb Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1971 On Location: Dustin Hoffman Himself short subject
Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He
Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? Georgie Soloway
Straw Dogs David Sumner
1972 Alfredo, Alfredo Alfredo Sbisà
1973 Papillon Louis Dega
1974 Lenny Lenny Bruce Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1976 The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People Himself short subject
All the President's Men Carl Bernstein Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role also for Marathon Man
Marathon Man Babe Levy Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role also for All the President's Men
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1978 Straight Time Max Dembo also producer
1979 Agatha Wally Stanton National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor also for Kramer vs. Kramer
Kramer vs. Kramer Ted Kramer Academy Award for Best Actor
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor also for Agatha
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1982 Tootsie Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
1984 Terror in the Aisles archival footage
1985 Death of a Salesman Willy Loman Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated – Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special
1986 Private Conversations Himself documentary
1987 Ishtar Chuck Clarke
1988 Rain Man Raymond Babbitt Academy Award for Best Actor
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1989 Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt Narrator documentary
Family Business Vito McMullen
1990 Dick Tracy Mumbles
1991 Billy Bathgate Dutch Schultz
Hook Captain Hook Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1992 Hero aka. Accidental Hero Bernard 'Bernie' Laplante Extra : Man at the bar 35:07 into Basic Instinct
Horton Hears a Who! Narrator
1993 La Classe américaine Peter in archive footage only
1994 Jonas in the Desert Himself documentary
1995 Outbreak Colonel Sam Daniels
1996 American Buffalo Walt 'Teach' Teacher
Sleepers Danny Snyder
1997 Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award
Mad City Max Brackett
Wag the Dog Stanley Motss Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
1998 Sphere Dr. Norman Goodman
1999 The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc The Conscience
2001 Tuesday Narrator short subject
Goldwyn Narrator documentary
2002 Moonlight Mile Ben Floss
2003 The Shakespeare Sessions Himself documentary
Confidence Winston King
Runaway Jury Wendell Rohr
2004 Freedom2speak v2.0 Himself – Actor, USA documentary
Finding Neverland Charles Frohman Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
I Heart Huckabees Bernard
Meet the Fockers Bernie Focker MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events The Critic uncredited
2005 Racing Stripes Tucker voice
The Lost City Meyer Lansky
2006 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Giuseppe Baldini
Stranger than Fiction Professor Jules Hilbert
The Holiday Himself uncredited
2007 Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Mr. Edward Magorium, Avid Shoe-Wearer
2008 Kung Fu Panda Master Shifu voice
Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
The Tale of Despereaux Roscuro voice
Last Chance Harvey Harvey Shine Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2010 Barney's Version Izzy Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story Narrator documentary
Little Fockers Bernie Focker
2011 Kung Fu Panda 2 Master Shifu voice
The Giver unknown in production
http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad275/mustang0210/dustin_hoffman_01.jpg
http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss156/puzzled11/dustin-hoffman-01-af.jpg


can't say enough about him he is one of the most funniest I've watched

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/08/11 at 1:34 pm

http://blog.rifftrax.com/wp-content/photos/Donny_Most.jpg

Happy 58th Donny Most (aka Ralph Malph) :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/09/11 at 8:13 am

The person of the day....Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an American R&B/pop singer, actress, and former fashion model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010. Houston is also one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 180 million albums and singles worldwide on relatively few releases.

Inspired by several prominent soul singers in her extended family, including mother Cissy Houston and cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, as well as her godmother, Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing with New Jersey church's junior gospel choir at age 11. After she began performing alongside her mother in night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis. As of 2011, Houston has released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, or gold certification.

Houston's 1985 debut album, Whitney Houston, became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. Her second studio album, Whitney (1987), became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for "How Will I Know", enabled several African-American female artists to follow in her success.

Houston's first acting role was as the star of the feature film The Bodyguard (1992). The movie's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single, "I Will Always Love You", became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. The album makes her the only female act ranked in the list of the top-10 best-selling albums, at number four. Houston continued to star in movies and contribute to soundtracks, including with the films Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). Three years after the release of her fourth studio album, My Love Is Your Love (1998), she renewed her recording contract with Arista Records. She released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney, in 2002, and the Christmas-themed One Wish: The Holiday Album in 2003. Amid widespread media coverage of personal and professional turmoil, Houston ended her 14-year marriage to singer Bobby Brown in 2006. In 2009, Houston released her seventh studio album, I Look To You.
With production from Michael Masser, Kashif, Jermaine Jackson and Narada Michael Walden, Houston's self-titled debut album was released in February 1985. Rolling Stone magazine praised the new talent, calling her "one of the most exciting new voices in years" while The New York Times called the album "an impressive, musically conservative showcase for an exceptional vocal talent." The first single, the dance-funk "Someone For Me", failed to chart in the US and UK. The next single, "Thinking About You", reached the top ten of the US R&B Chart, as the album sold modestly. The release of the next single, the soulful ballad "You Give Good Love", peaked at #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and went to #1 on the R&B Charts. As a result, the album began to sell strongly, and Houston continued promoting the album by touring nightclubs in the US. She also began performing on late-night television talk shows, which was not usually accessible to black acts. The jazzy ballad "Saving All My Love for You" was released next and it would become Houston's first #1 hit single in both the US and the UK. She was now an opening act for singer Jeffrey Osborne on his nationwide tour. At the time, MTV had received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by African-American artists while favoring rock acts. The next single, "How Will I Know", peaked at #1 and introduced Houston to the MTV audience thanks to its video. This would make the singer the first African-American female artists to receive heavy rotation on the network. By 1986, a year after its initial release, Whitney Houston topped the Billboard 200 album chart and stayed there for 14 non-consecutive weeks. The final single, "Greatest Love of All", became Houston's biggest hit at the time after peaking #1 and remaining there for three weeks. At the time, Houston released the best-selling debut album by a female artist. Houston then embarked on her world tour, Greatest Love Tour. The album had become an international success, and was certified 13x Platinum (diamond) in the United States alone, and has sold a total of 25 million copies worldwide.

At the 1986 Grammy Awards, Houston was nominated for three awards including Album of the Year. She was ineligible for the Best New Artist category due to her previous duet recording with Teddy Pendergrass in 1984. She won her first Grammy award for 'Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female' for "Saving All My Love for You". At the same award show, she performed that Grammy-winning hit; that performance later winning her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. Houston won seven American Music Awards in total in 1986 and 1987, and an MTV Video Music Award. The album's popularity would also carry over to the 1987 Grammy Awards when "Greatest Love of All" would receive a Record of the Year nomination. Houston's debut album is currently listed as one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and on The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's Definitive 200 list. Whitney Houston's grand entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to USA Today. Following Houston's breakthrough, doors were opened for other African-American female artists such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker to find notable success in popular music and on MTV.
1987–91: Whitney, I'm Your Baby Tonight and "The Star Spangled Banner"

Houston’s second album, Whitney, was released in June 1987. The album again featured production from Masser, Kashif and Walden as well as Jellybean Benitez. Many critics complained that the material was too similar to her previous album. Rolling Stone said, "the narrow channel through which this talent has been directed is frustrating." Still, the album enjoyed commercial success. Houston became the first female artist in music history to debut at number one on the US and UK album chart while also hitting number one or top ten in dozens of other countries around the world. The album's first four singles, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)," "Didn't We Almost Have It All," "So Emotional," and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" all peaked at number one on the US Hot 100, which gave her a total of seven consecutive number one hits, breaking the record of six previously shared by The Beatles and The Bee Gees. Whitney has been certified 9× Platinum in the US for shipments of over 9 million copies, and has sold a total of 20 million copies worldwide.

At the Grammy Awards in 1988, Houston was nominated for three awards, including Album of the Year, winning her second Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)". Houston also won two American Music Awards in 1988 and 1989 respectively. Following the release of the album, Houston embarked on the Moment of Truth World Tour which was one of the ten highest grossing concert tours of 1987. The success of the tour and her albums ranked Houston #8 for the highest earning entertainers list according to Forbes Magazine. She was the highest earning African-American woman and the third highest entertainer after Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy. The list included her concert grosses during 1986 and 1987.

Houston was a supporter of Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement. During her modeling days, the singer refused to work with any agencies who did business with the then-apartheid South Africa. In June 1988, during the European leg of her tour, Houston joined other musicians to perform a set at Wembley Stadium in London to celebrate a then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday. Over 72,000 people attended Wembley Stadium, and over a billion people tuned in worldwide as the rock concert raised over $1 million for charities while bringing awareness to apartheid. Houston then flew back to the US for a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City in August. The show was a benefit concert that raised a quarter of a million dollars for the United Negro College Fund. In the same year, she recorded a song for NBC's coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics, "One Moment in Time", which became a Top 5 hit in the US, while reaching number one in the UK and Germany. With her current world tour continuing overseas, Houston was still one of the top 20 highest earning entertainers for 1987–1988 according to Forbes magazine.
Houston performing "Saving All My Love for You" on the Welcome Home Heroes concert in 1991

In 1989, Houston formed The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, a non-profit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world. The organization cares for homelessness, children with cancer or AIDS, and other issues of self-empowerment. With the success of her first two albums, Houston was undoubtedly an international crossover superstar, the most prominent since Michael Jackson, appealing to all demographics. However, some black critics believed she was "selling out". They felt her singing on record lacked the soul that was present during her live concerts. At the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, when Houston's name was called out for a nomination, a few in the audience jeered. Houston defended herself against the criticism, stating, "If you're gonna have a long career, there's a certain way to do it, and I did it that way. I'm not ashamed of it." Houston took a more urban direction with her third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, released in November 1990. She produced and chose producers for this album and as a result, it featured production and collaborations with L.A. Reid and Babyface, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder. The album showed Houston's versatility on a new batch of tough rhythmic grooves, soulful ballads and up-tempo dance tracks. Reviews were mixed. Rolling Stone felt it was her "best and most integrated album". while Entertainment Weekly, at the time thought Houston's shift towards an urban direction was "superficial". The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to be certified four times platinum in America while selling twelve million total worldwide. Two of the singles released from the album reached number one in the US.

With America at war, Houston performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in January 1991. VH1 listed the performance as the 12th greatest moment that rocked TV. Her recording of the song was released as a commercial single, and reached the Top 20 on the US Hot 100, making her the only act to turn the national anthem into a pop hit of that magnitude (Jose Feliciano's version reached #50 in November 1968). Houston donated all her share of the proceeds to the Red Cross. As a result, the singer was named to the Red Cross Board of Governors. Later that year, Houston put together her Welcome Home Heroes concert with HBO for the soldiers fighting in the Gulf War and their families. The free concert took place at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia in front of 3,500 servicemen and women. HBO descrambled the concert so that it was free for everyone to watch. Houston's concert gave HBO its highest ratings ever. She then embarked on the I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour.
1992–94: Marriage to Bobby Brown and The Bodyguard

Throughout the 1980s, Houston was romantically linked to American football star Randall Cunningham and actor Eddie Murphy, whom she dated. She then met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. After a three year courtship, the two were married on July 18, 1992. Nearly a year later, Houston gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown, her first and only child, his fourth. Brown would go on to have several run-ins with the law, including some jail time.

With the commercial success of her albums, movie offers poured in, including offers to work with Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones, and Spike Lee; but Houston felt the time wasn't right. Houston’s first film role was in The Bodyguard, released in 1992 and co-starring Kevin Costner. Houston played Rachel Marron, a star who is stalked by a crazed fan and hires a bodyguard to protect her. USA Today listed it as one of the 25 most memorable movie moments of the last 25 years. The movie is also notable for not mentioning or needing to explain its interracial aspect. Houston's mainstream appeal allowed people to look at the movie color-blind. Still, controversy arose as some felt the film's ads intentionally hid Houston's face to hide the film's interracial aspect. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in 1993, the singer commented that "people know who Whitney Houston is—I'm black. You can't hide that fact." Houston received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress. The Washington Post said Houston is "doing nothing more than playing Houston, comes out largely unscathed if that is possible in so cockamamie an undertaking", and The New York Times said she lacked passion with her co-star. Despite the film's mixed reviews, it was hugely successful at the box office, grossing more than $121 million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide, making it one of the top 100 grossing films in film history at its time of release, though it is no longer in the top 100.
Discography
Main article: Whitney Houston discography

    * Whitney Houston (1985)
    * Whitney (1987)
    * I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990)
    * My Love Is Your Love (1998)
    * Just Whitney (2002)
    * One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003)
    * I Look to You (2009)

Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes and awards
1992 The Bodyguard Rachel Marron
(Main role) Nominated — 1993 MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance
Nominated — 1993 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
Nominated — 1993 MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo with co-star Kevin Costner
Nominated — 1992 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress
1995 Waiting to Exhale Savannah Jackson
(Main role) Nominated — 1996 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
1996 The Preacher's Wife Julia Biggs
(Main role) Won — 1997 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated — 1997 Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Female Actress(Comedy/Romance)
Nominated — 1997 Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress
Television
Year Title Network Role Notes
1984 Gimme a Break! NBC Rita "Katie's College" (Season 3, Episode 20)
1985 Silver Spoons NBC As herself "Head Over Heels" (Season 4, Episode 1, Air date: September 15, 1985)
She performed the edit version of "Saving All My Love for You," changing some of the words—"making love the whole night through" was changed to "holding each other the whole night through"—for the censors on the episode.
1997 Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella ABC Fairy Godmother Made for television, and was part of a revival of the Wonderful World of Disney, on Disney-owned ABC, and aired on November 2, 1997.
2002 Boston Public Fox As herself She performed her current hit Try it On My Own from the 2002 studio album, Just Whitney.
TV Commercial
Year Company Promoting Country Notes
1983 Dr Pepper/Seven Up Canada Dry
(soft drink beverage) United States

    * Houston appeared in this commercial before debut as a professional singer and sang the praises of sugar free Canada Dry Ginger Ale.

1986 Coca-Cola Diet Coke
(soft drink beverage) United States

    * Houston sang the Diet Coke theme song, "Just for the taste of it." (see the commercial)

1988 Coca-Cola Diet Coke
(soft drink beverage) United States

    * Houston sang the other version of the Diet Coke advertising slogan at the time, "Just for the taste of it." (see the commercial)
    * Outside the United States, the second version of advertising was released, in which "Greatest Love of All" was used as background music. (see the commercial)
    * 1989 MTV Video of the Year winning "This Note's for You" by Neil Young, parodied parts of this advertising to criticize pop/rock stars who make commercial endorsements, most notably Michael Jackson for Pepsi and Houston for Diet Coke, using look-alike for them.

1990 SANYO Electronics
(the stereo, TV) Japan

    * Houston sang theme song, "Takin' A Chance," produced by Keith Thomas. It was released as a CD single in Japan and included in Japanese edition of I'm Your Baby Tonight.

1994
1995 AT&T Telephone services United States

    * Houston sang its theme song, "True Voice." (see the commercial)

Production
Year Title Director Notes and awards
1997 Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella Robert Iscove Executive producer
Nominated — 1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Special
Nominated — 1998 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Television Movie/Mini-Series
2001 The Princess Diaries Garry Marshall Producer
Won — 2002 Young Artist Award for Best Family Feature Film - Comedy
Nominated — 2002 Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Family Film (Live Action)
Nominated — 2002 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Family Film
Nominated — 2002 Teen Choice Award for Film - Choice Movie, Comedy
2003 The Cheetah Girls Oz Scott Producer
2004 The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement Garry Marshall Producer
2006 The Cheetah Girls 2: When in Spain Kenny Ortega Co-executive producer
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee280/Joog_album/whitney_houston.jpg
http://i552.photobucket.com/albums/jj338/nobody_but_me_01/Whitney-Houston-sb06.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 08/09/11 at 10:46 am

I love this song.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poaXgXQmdIo



Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/09/11 at 8:15 pm

I liked her in the mid 80's with songs like How Will I Know And All At Once.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/11/11 at 8:16 am

The person of the day...Hulk Hogan
Terry Gene Bollea (August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American professional wrestler, actor, television personality and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

Beginning his career wrestling for various promotions in the National Wrestling Alliance and Japan, Bollea first gained mainstream popularity when he adopted the name of Hulk Hogan and worked for promoter Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the early 1980s. In 1983, he departed the AWA for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF—now WWE), where he immediately won the WWF Championship for the first time when he defeated The Iron Sheik. In the WWF, he expanded the Hulk Hogan persona as an all-American hero who invoked American patriotism and called upon his loyal fans, known as Hulkamaniacs to take their vitamins and say their prayers. Hogan was promoted by the WWF as the face of Rock 'n Wrestling, and led the expansion of the popularity of professional wrestling across North America and other parts of the world—a time now referred to as the Hulkamania Era. In his first run in the WWF, Hogan headlined almost all major WWF pay per view events, including the first nine of the WrestleMania franchise and won five WWF Championships. His popularity recognized in mainstream media, Hogan featured in several films and television programs, including Rocky III. At WrestleMania III, Hogan famously bodyslammed Andre The Giant before an audience of more than 90,000 fans. He also had famous feuds and matches with other major villianous "heel" wrestlers such as King Kong Bundy, Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase. At WrestleMania VI, Hogan was cleanly pinned for the first time by The Ultimate Warrior, who won the WWF title. Hogan regained the WWF title at WrestleMania VII from Sgt. Slaughter in a controversial storyline that ran concurrent with the 1990-91 Gulf War and where Slaughter openly wrestled as an anti-American, Iraqi sympathizer. However, the exposure of scandals in pro-wrestling about the rampant usage of steroids and growth hormones by famous wrestlers, including Hogan, reduced his popularity and led to a brief hiatus from the WWF. After returning briefly in 1993 to win the WWF Championship for the fifth time at WrestleMania IX, Hogan lost the title to Yokozuna at King Of The Ring 1993 before leaving the WWF to pursue acting full-time with the TV series, Thunder in Paradise.

In 1994, Hogan returned to professional wrestling when he signed with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Returning to his character as the all-American hero, Hogan had famous feuds with WCW star Ric Flair and WWF alumnus Randy Savage. In 1996, Hogan stunned wrestling audiences by turning "heel", announcing he was fed up of being the good guy and formed the New World Order stable with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Now known as Hollywood Hogan, his heel turn and the NWO storyline propelled WCW's television ratings and it surpassed the WWF as the largest wrestling company in the United States. In his time in WCW, Hogan would go on to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times and have famous feuds with WCW stars Sting and Bill Goldberg. He would later head the nWo Hollywood faction and return to play a heroic character before departing WCW in July 2000 after differences with WCW writer and booker Vince Russo led to a controversial ending at the WCW Bash at the Beach event that saw the defending WCW World Champion Jeff Jarrett lie down for Hogan without a fight, and Russo denouncing and firing Hogan before the live audience.

Hogan would take a hiatus from wrestling until 2002, when he returned to the WWF reprising his villianous Hollywood Hogan character. Sentiments of nostalgia for the Hulk Hogan of the 1980s led to fans cheering Hogan even as he worked as a heel. At WrestleMania XVIII, Hogan finally accepted being the fan favorite again after losing a match to The Rock, and steadily returned to his 1980s persona. He would win his sixth and final WWF Championship a month later, and was the reigning champion when the WWF was renamed WWE. At WrestleMania XIX, Hogan won a match against WWE owner Vince McMahon. Hogan left the WWE again before returning to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 by long-time friend Sylvester Stallone. He made a cameo appearance at WrestleMania XXI and defeated Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam 2005. In his last WWE match, Hogan defeated Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2006. Hogan expanded his television career with the reality show Hogan Knows Best and hosting Celebrity Championship Wrestling, but both endeavors declined owing to the controversies surrounding his son Nick Bollea's car accident and his stormy divorce from his wife Linda Bollea. In 2010, Hogan once again returned to wrestling when he debuted for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), playing the role of the new management of TNA along with former WCW executive Eric Bischoff. Hogan is a 12 time world champion, having won the WWF/WWE Championship 6 times and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship 6 times.
On the October 5, 1985 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, he successfully defended the title against Nikolai Volkoff in a flag match. He met long-time rival Roddy Piper in a WWF title match at the Wrestling Classic pay-per-view (PPV) event. Hogan retained the title by disqualification after Bob Orton interfered and hit Hogan with his cast. Hogan had many challengers in the way as the new year began. Throughout 1986, Hogan made successful title defenses against challengers such as Terry Funk, "The Magnificent" Don Muraco, King Kong Bundy (in a steel cage match at WrestleMania 2), Paul Orndorff, and Hercules Hernandez.

In the fall of 1986, Hogan occasionally wrestled in tag matches with The Machines as Hulk Machine under a mask copied from New Japan Pro Wrestling gimmick "Super Strong Machine." At WrestleMania III in 1987, Hogan was booked to defend the title against André the Giant, who had been the sport's premier star and was pushed as undefeated for the previous two decades. A new storyline was introduced in early 1987; Hogan was presented a trophy for being the WWF Champion for three consecutive years. André the Giant, a good friend came out to congratulate him. Shortly afterward, André was presented a slightly smaller trophy for being "undefeated in the WWF for 15 years." Hogan came out to congratulate André, who walked out in the midst of Hogan's speech. Then, on an edition of Piper's Pit, Hogan was confronted by Bobby Heenan, who announced that André was his new protégé, and Andre challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III. At WrestleMania III, Hogan successfully defended the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against André the Giant. During the match, Hogan bodyslammed the 520-pound Frenchman and won the match after a leg drop.

Hogan remained WWF Champion for four years and 13 days (1,474 days). In front of 33 million viewers, however, Hogan finally lost the belt to André on the February 5 edition of The Main Event after a convoluted scam involving "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and Earl Hebner (who assumed the place of his twin brother Dave Hebner, who was the match's appointed referee). After André delivered a belly to belly suplex on Hogan, Hebner counted the pin while Hogan's left shoulder was clearly off the mat. After the match, André handed the title over to DiBiase to complete their business deal. As a result, the WWF Championship was vacated for the first time in its 25-year history. At WrestleMania IV, Hogan participated in a tournament for the vacant WWF title to regain it and faced André in the tournament quarter-finals but their match resulted in a double disqualification. Later that night in the main event, Hogan interfered and helped "Macho Man" Randy Savage defeat Ted DiBiase to win the title. In wrestling
Hogan hitting the running leg drop on Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania XIX
Hogan faces off against Ric Flair.
Hogan performing a top rope body slam on Ric Flair
Hogan listening to the crowd, one of his signature taunts

    * Finishing moves
          o Axe Bomber (Crooked arm lariat)
          o Running leg drop

    * Signature moves
          o Atomic drop
          o Big boot
          o Body slam
          o Clothesline
          o Multiple punches, with theatrics
          o Raking the opponent's eyes or back

    * Managers
          o "Classy" Freddie Blassie
          o Miss Elizabeth
          o "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart

    * Nicknames
          o "(The) Hulkster"
          o "The Hulk"
          o "The Immortal"
          o "Hollywood"

    * Entrance themes
          o American Wrestling Association
                + "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor
          o World Championship Wrestling
                + "American Made" by The Wrestling Boot Band (1994–1996, 1999–2000)
                + "Rockhouse" by Frank Shelley (used while a part of the New World Order; 1996–1997)
                + "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1997–1999)
                + "Kevin Nash/Wolfpac Theme" (used while a part of the nWo wolfpac elite; 1999)
          o Xcitement Wrestling Federation
                + "American Made" by The Wrestling Boot Band
          o World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
                + "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor (1984–1986)
                + "Hulk Hogan's Theme" by Jim Steinman (1985)
                + "Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa (1985)
                + "Real American" by Rick Derringer (1986–1993, 2002, 2003, 2005–2007)
                + "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (2002–2003)
          o Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
                + "nWo Original Theme" (Rockhouse Remix) by Frank Shelly (2010–present)
                + "Immortal Theme" by Dale Oliver (used while a part of Immortal; 2010–present)

Championships and accomplishments

    * New Japan Pro Wrestling
          o IWGP League Tournament (1983)
          o MSG Tag League Tournament (1982, 1983)—with Antonio Inoki

    * Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
          o Class of 2003

    * Pro Wrestling Illustrated
          o PWI Comeback of the Year (1994, 2002)
          o PWI Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Paul Orndorff
          o PWI Match of the Year (1985) with Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff at WrestleMania
          o PWI Match of the Year (1988) vs. André the Giant at The Main Event
          o PWI Match of the Year (1990) vs. The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI
          o PWI Match of the Year (2002) vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8
          o PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1996, 1998)
          o PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1983, 1999)
          o PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1985, 1989, 1990)
          o PWI Wrestler of the Year (1987, 1991, 1994)
          o PWI ranked him #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1991
          o PWI ranked him #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
          o PWI ranked him #57 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" with Randy Savage in 2003


    * Southeastern Championship Wrestling
          o NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) (1 time)
          o NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Southern Division) (2 times)

    * Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
          o Match of the Year (1991) vs. Genichiro Tenryu on December 12, 1991
          o Most Outstanding Forienger (1983)

    * World Championship Wrestling
          o WCW World Heavyweight Championship (6 times)

    * World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
          o WWE World Tag Team Championship (1 time)—with Edge
          o WWF/E Championship (6 times)1
          o Royal Rumble (1990, 1991)
          o WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)

    * Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
          o Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Paul Orndorff
          o Most Charismatic (1985–1987, 1989–1991)
          o Most Overrated (1985–1987, 1989–1991)
          o Worst Worked Match of the Year (1987) vs. André the Giant at WrestleMania III
          o Worst Worked Match of the Year (1996) with Randy Savage vs. Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Ric Flair, Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta, and The Ultimate Solution in a Towers of Doom match at Uncensored
          o Worst Worked Match of the Year (1997) vs. Roddy Piper at SuperBrawl VII
          o Worst Worked Match of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior at Halloween Havoc
          o Worst Feud of the Year (1991) vs. Sgt. Slaughter
          o Worst Feud of the Year (1995) vs. The Dungeon of Doom
          o Worst Feud of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior
          o Worst Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Billy Kidman
          o Best Babyface (1982–1991)
          o Least Favorite Wrestler (1985, 1986, 1991, 1994–1999)
          o Worst Wrestler (1997)
          o Most Embarrassing Wrestler (1995, 1996, 1998–2000)
          o Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

1 ^ Hogan's last reign was as Undisputed WWF Champion. The title was renamed the WWE Undisputed Championship on May 6, 2002 after World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. settled a lawsuit with the World Wide Fund for Nature, and became simply World Wrestling Entertainment.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm205/flintkane47/hulk-hogan.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc84/windowofmyeye/hulk_hogan.jpg


* There is a lot more to read in Wikipedia.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/11/11 at 8:19 am


I liked her in the mid 80's with songs like How Will I Know And All At Once.

Good songs. I also like So Emotional and I Will Always Love You.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/11/11 at 7:47 pm


The person of the day...Hulk Hogan
Terry Gene Bollea (August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American professional wrestler, actor, television personality and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

Beginning his career wrestling for various promotions in the National Wrestling Alliance and Japan, Bollea first gained mainstream popularity when he adopted the name of Hulk Hogan and worked for promoter Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the early 1980s. In 1983, he departed the AWA for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF—now WWE), where he immediately won the WWF Championship for the first time when he defeated The Iron Sheik. In the WWF, he expanded the Hulk Hogan persona as an all-American hero who invoked American patriotism and called upon his loyal fans, known as Hulkamaniacs to take their vitamins and say their prayers. Hogan was promoted by the WWF as the face of Rock 'n Wrestling, and led the expansion of the popularity of professional wrestling across North America and other parts of the world—a time now referred to as the Hulkamania Era. In his first run in the WWF, Hogan headlined almost all major WWF pay per view events, including the first nine of the WrestleMania franchise and won five WWF Championships. His popularity recognized in mainstream media, Hogan featured in several films and television programs, including Rocky III. At WrestleMania III, Hogan famously bodyslammed Andre The Giant before an audience of more than 90,000 fans. He also had famous feuds and matches with other major villianous "heel" wrestlers such as King Kong Bundy, Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase. At WrestleMania VI, Hogan was cleanly pinned for the first time by The Ultimate Warrior, who won the WWF title. Hogan regained the WWF title at WrestleMania VII from Sgt. Slaughter in a controversial storyline that ran concurrent with the 1990-91 Gulf War and where Slaughter openly wrestled as an anti-American, Iraqi sympathizer. However, the exposure of scandals in pro-wrestling about the rampant usage of steroids and growth hormones by famous wrestlers, including Hogan, reduced his popularity and led to a brief hiatus from the WWF. After returning briefly in 1993 to win the WWF Championship for the fifth time at WrestleMania IX, Hogan lost the title to Yokozuna at King Of The Ring 1993 before leaving the WWF to pursue acting full-time with the TV series, Thunder in Paradise.

In 1994, Hogan returned to professional wrestling when he signed with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Returning to his character as the all-American hero, Hogan had famous feuds with WCW star Ric Flair and WWF alumnus Randy Savage. In 1996, Hogan stunned wrestling audiences by turning "heel", announcing he was fed up of being the good guy and formed the New World Order stable with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Now known as Hollywood Hogan, his heel turn and the NWO storyline propelled WCW's television ratings and it surpassed the WWF as the largest wrestling company in the United States. In his time in WCW, Hogan would go on to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times and have famous feuds with WCW stars Sting and Bill Goldberg. He would later head the nWo Hollywood faction and return to play a heroic character before departing WCW in July 2000 after differences with WCW writer and booker Vince Russo led to a controversial ending at the WCW Bash at the Beach event that saw the defending WCW World Champion Jeff Jarrett lie down for Hogan without a fight, and Russo denouncing and firing Hogan before the live audience.

Hogan would take a hiatus from wrestling until 2002, when he returned to the WWF reprising his villianous Hollywood Hogan character. Sentiments of nostalgia for the Hulk Hogan of the 1980s led to fans cheering Hogan even as he worked as a heel. At WrestleMania XVIII, Hogan finally accepted being the fan favorite again after losing a match to The Rock, and steadily returned to his 1980s persona. He would win his sixth and final WWF Championship a month later, and was the reigning champion when the WWF was renamed WWE. At WrestleMania XIX, Hogan won a match against WWE owner Vince McMahon. Hogan left the WWE again before returning to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 by long-time friend Sylvester Stallone. He made a cameo appearance at WrestleMania XXI and defeated Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam 2005. In his last WWE match, Hogan defeated Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2006. Hogan expanded his television career with the reality show Hogan Knows Best and hosting Celebrity Championship Wrestling, but both endeavors declined owing to the controversies surrounding his son Nick Bollea's car accident and his stormy divorce from his wife Linda Bollea. In 2010, Hogan once again returned to wrestling when he debuted for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), playing the role of the new management of TNA along with former WCW executive Eric Bischoff. Hogan is a 12 time world champion, having won the WWF/WWE Championship 6 times and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship 6 times.
On the October 5, 1985 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, he successfully defended the title against Nikolai Volkoff in a flag match. He met long-time rival Roddy Piper in a WWF title match at the Wrestling Classic pay-per-view (PPV) event. Hogan retained the title by disqualification after Bob Orton interfered and hit Hogan with his cast. Hogan had many challengers in the way as the new year began. Throughout 1986, Hogan made successful title defenses against challengers such as Terry Funk, "The Magnificent" Don Muraco, King Kong Bundy (in a steel cage match at WrestleMania 2), Paul Orndorff, and Hercules Hernandez.

In the fall of 1986, Hogan occasionally wrestled in tag matches with The Machines as Hulk Machine under a mask copied from New Japan Pro Wrestling gimmick "Super Strong Machine." At WrestleMania III in 1987, Hogan was booked to defend the title against André the Giant, who had been the sport's premier star and was pushed as undefeated for the previous two decades. A new storyline was introduced in early 1987; Hogan was presented a trophy for being the WWF Champion for three consecutive years. André the Giant, a good friend came out to congratulate him. Shortly afterward, André was presented a slightly smaller trophy for being "undefeated in the WWF for 15 years." Hogan came out to congratulate André, who walked out in the midst of Hogan's speech. Then, on an edition of Piper's Pit, Hogan was confronted by Bobby Heenan, who announced that André was his new protégé, and Andre challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III. At WrestleMania III, Hogan successfully defended the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against André the Giant. During the match, Hogan bodyslammed the 520-pound Frenchman and won the match after a leg drop.

Hogan remained WWF Champion for four years and 13 days (1,474 days). In front of 33 million viewers, however, Hogan finally lost the belt to André on the February 5 edition of The Main Event after a convoluted scam involving "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and Earl Hebner (who assumed the place of his twin brother Dave Hebner, who was the match's appointed referee). After André delivered a belly to belly suplex on Hogan, Hebner counted the pin while Hogan's left shoulder was clearly off the mat. After the match, André handed the title over to DiBiase to complete their business deal. As a result, the WWF Championship was vacated for the first time in its 25-year history. At WrestleMania IV, Hogan participated in a tournament for the vacant WWF title to regain it and faced André in the tournament quarter-finals but their match resulted in a double disqualification. Later that night in the main event, Hogan interfered and helped "Macho Man" Randy Savage defeat Ted DiBiase to win the title. In wrestling
Hogan hitting the running leg drop on Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania XIX
Hogan faces off against Ric Flair.
Hogan performing a top rope body slam on Ric Flair
Hogan listening to the crowd, one of his signature taunts

    * Finishing moves
          o Axe Bomber (Crooked arm lariat)
          o Running leg drop

    * Signature moves
          o Atomic drop
          o Big boot
          o Body slam
          o Clothesline
          o Multiple punches, with theatrics
          o Raking the opponent's eyes or back

    * Managers
          o "Classy" Freddie Blassie
          o Miss Elizabeth
          o "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart

    * Nicknames
          o "(The) Hulkster"
          o "The Hulk"
          o "The Immortal"
          o "Hollywood"

    * Entrance themes
          o American Wrestling Association
                + "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor
          o World Championship Wrestling
                + "American Made" by The Wrestling Boot Band (1994–1996, 1999–2000)
                + "Rockhouse" by Frank Shelley (used while a part of the New World Order; 1996–1997)
                + "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1997–1999)
                + "Kevin Nash/Wolfpac Theme" (used while a part of the nWo wolfpac elite; 1999)
          o Xcitement Wrestling Federation
                + "American Made" by The Wrestling Boot Band
          o World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
                + "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor (1984–1986)
                + "Hulk Hogan's Theme" by Jim Steinman (1985)
                + "Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa (1985)
                + "Real American" by Rick Derringer (1986–1993, 2002, 2003, 2005–2007)
                + "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (2002–2003)
          o Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
                + "nWo Original Theme" (Rockhouse Remix) by Frank Shelly (2010–present)
                + "Immortal Theme" by Dale Oliver (used while a part of Immortal; 2010–present)

Championships and accomplishments

    * New Japan Pro Wrestling
          o IWGP League Tournament (1983)
          o MSG Tag League Tournament (1982, 1983)—with Antonio Inoki

    * Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
          o Class of 2003

    * Pro Wrestling Illustrated
          o PWI Comeback of the Year (1994, 2002)
          o PWI Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Paul Orndorff
          o PWI Match of the Year (1985) with Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff at WrestleMania
          o PWI Match of the Year (1988) vs. André the Giant at The Main Event
          o PWI Match of the Year (1990) vs. The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI
          o PWI Match of the Year (2002) vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8
          o PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1996, 1998)
          o PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1983, 1999)
          o PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1985, 1989, 1990)
          o PWI Wrestler of the Year (1987, 1991, 1994)
          o PWI ranked him #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1991
          o PWI ranked him #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
          o PWI ranked him #57 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" with Randy Savage in 2003


    * Southeastern Championship Wrestling
          o NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) (1 time)
          o NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Southern Division) (2 times)

    * Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
          o Match of the Year (1991) vs. Genichiro Tenryu on December 12, 1991
          o Most Outstanding Forienger (1983)

    * World Championship Wrestling
          o WCW World Heavyweight Championship (6 times)

    * World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
          o WWE World Tag Team Championship (1 time)—with Edge
          o WWF/E Championship (6 times)1
          o Royal Rumble (1990, 1991)
          o WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)

    * Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
          o Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Paul Orndorff
          o Most Charismatic (1985–1987, 1989–1991)
          o Most Overrated (1985–1987, 1989–1991)
          o Worst Worked Match of the Year (1987) vs. André the Giant at WrestleMania III
          o Worst Worked Match of the Year (1996) with Randy Savage vs. Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Ric Flair, Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta, and The Ultimate Solution in a Towers of Doom match at Uncensored
          o Worst Worked Match of the Year (1997) vs. Roddy Piper at SuperBrawl VII
          o Worst Worked Match of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior at Halloween Havoc
          o Worst Feud of the Year (1991) vs. Sgt. Slaughter
          o Worst Feud of the Year (1995) vs. The Dungeon of Doom
          o Worst Feud of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior
          o Worst Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Billy Kidman
          o Best Babyface (1982–1991)
          o Least Favorite Wrestler (1985, 1986, 1991, 1994–1999)
          o Worst Wrestler (1997)
          o Most Embarrassing Wrestler (1995, 1996, 1998–2000)
          o Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

1 ^ Hogan's last reign was as Undisputed WWF Champion. The title was renamed the WWE Undisputed Championship on May 6, 2002 after World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. settled a lawsuit with the World Wide Fund for Nature, and became simply World Wrestling Entertainment.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm205/flintkane47/hulk-hogan.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc84/windowofmyeye/hulk_hogan.jpg


* There is a lot more to read in Wikipedia.



He's gonna be wrestling Sting at the next PPV a 52 year old vs. a 58 year old,he doesn't know when to give it up,does he?  ::)

remember when he had the feathered boas?
http://www.mamapop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/hulk-hogan-hulkamania.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/11/11 at 7:47 pm


Good songs. I also like So Emotional and I Will Always Love You.



good songs too.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/12/11 at 1:31 am


Good songs. I also like So Emotional and I Will Always Love You.
Here in the UK "I Will Always Love You" became an annoying record after being at 9 weeks at Number 1.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/12/11 at 5:06 pm


Here in the UK "I Will Always Love You" became an annoying record after being at 9 weeks at Number 1.

;D I think I recall hearing something on the news once of an English woman who got mad at her neighbor because she played the song over and over.( Or maybe that was My Heart Will Go Own  :-\\)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/12/11 at 5:08 pm


He's gonna be wrestling Sting at the next PPV a 52 year old vs. a 58 year old,he doesn't know when to give it up,does he?  ::)

remember when he had the feathered boas?
http://www.mamapop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/hulk-hogan-hulkamania.jpg

I guess neither one does.  Have you heard anything about the Rock wrestling again?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: gibbo on 08/12/11 at 5:26 pm


I guess neither one does.  Have you heard anything about the Rock wrestling again?


I heard he would be guesting (as a wrestler) at a WWE RAW event this year. I thought he was supposed to be challenging John Cena???

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/12/11 at 7:56 pm


I guess neither one does.  Have you heard anything about the Rock wrestling again?


Yes The Rock will be wrestling John Cena at Wrestlemania 28 in Miami Fla. April 1st 2012.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/12/11 at 7:57 pm


I heard he would be guesting (as a wrestler) at a WWE RAW event this year. I thought he was supposed to be challenging John Cena???


Wrestlemania 28 April 1st 2012.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/13/11 at 6:22 am

British Person of the Day: Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in his native United Kingdom in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood. In 1956 he became an American citizen while retaining his British citizenship.

Over a career spanning more than half a century, Hitchcock fashioned for himself a distinctive and recognisable directorial style. He pioneered the use of a camera made to move in a way that mimics a person's gaze, forcing viewers to engage in a form of voyeurism. He framed shots to maximise anxiety, fear, or empathy, and used innovative film editing. His stories frequently feature fugitives on the run from the law alongside "icy blonde" female characters. Many of Hitchcock's films have twist endings and thrilling plots featuring depictions of violence, murder, and crime, although many of the mysteries function as decoys or "MacGuffins" meant only to serve thematic elements in the film and the extremely complex psychological examinations of the characters. Hitchcock's films also borrow many themes from psychoanalysis and feature strong sexual undertones. Through his cameo appearances in his own films, interviews, film trailers, and the television program Alfred Hitchcock Presents, he became a cultural icon.

Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career spanning six decades. Often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker, he came first in a 2007 poll of film critics in Britain's Daily Telegraph, which said: "Unquestionably the greatest filmmaker to emerge from these islands, Hitchcock did more than any director to shape modern cinema, which would be utterly different without him. His flair was for narrative, cruelly withholding crucial information (from his characters and from us) and engaging the emotions of the audience like no one else." The magazine MovieMaker has described him as the most influential filmmaker of all-time, and he is widely regarded as one of cinema's most significant artists.

More can be read here

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/13/11 at 7:35 am


Yes The Rock will be wrestling John Cena at Wrestlemania 28 in Miami Fla. April 1st 2012.

That will be interesting. How long has it been since he wrestled?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/13/11 at 7:38 am


British Person of the Day: Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in his native United Kingdom in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood. In 1956 he became an American citizen while retaining his British citizenship.

Over a career spanning more than half a century, Hitchcock fashioned for himself a distinctive and recognisable directorial style. He pioneered the use of a camera made to move in a way that mimics a person's gaze, forcing viewers to engage in a form of voyeurism. He framed shots to maximise anxiety, fear, or empathy, and used innovative film editing. His stories frequently feature fugitives on the run from the law alongside "icy blonde" female characters. Many of Hitchcock's films have twist endings and thrilling plots featuring depictions of violence, murder, and crime, although many of the mysteries function as decoys or "MacGuffins" meant only to serve thematic elements in the film and the extremely complex psychological examinations of the characters. Hitchcock's films also borrow many themes from psychoanalysis and feature strong sexual undertones. Through his cameo appearances in his own films, interviews, film trailers, and the television program Alfred Hitchcock Presents, he became a cultural icon.

Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career spanning six decades. Often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker, he came first in a 2007 poll of film critics in Britain's Daily Telegraph, which said: "Unquestionably the greatest filmmaker to emerge from these islands, Hitchcock did more than any director to shape modern cinema, which would be utterly different without him. His flair was for narrative, cruelly withholding crucial information (from his characters and from us) and engaging the emotions of the audience like no one else." The magazine MovieMaker has described him as the most influential filmmaker of all-time, and he is widely regarded as one of cinema's most significant artists.

More can be read here

Thanks Phil. You don't find talent for film making like he had nowadays.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/13/11 at 7:44 am


Thanks Phil. You don't find talent for film making like he had nowadays.
He is/was the true master.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/13/11 at 2:34 pm


can't say enough about him he is one of the most funniest I've watched

Dustin Hoffman? Yeah, he's a great actor. I know he was in Wag The Dog, which I saw in theatres.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/13/11 at 2:35 pm


Here in the UK "I Will Always Love You" became an annoying record after being at 9 weeks at Number 1.

In the U.S. it monopolized the top spot for at least three months.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/13/11 at 3:52 pm


British Person of the Day: Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in his native United Kingdom in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood. In 1956 he became an American citizen while retaining his British citizenship.

Over a career spanning more than half a century, Hitchcock fashioned for himself a distinctive and recognisable directorial style. He pioneered the use of a camera made to move in a way that mimics a person's gaze, forcing viewers to engage in a form of voyeurism. He framed shots to maximise anxiety, fear, or empathy, and used innovative film editing. His stories frequently feature fugitives on the run from the law alongside "icy blonde" female characters. Many of Hitchcock's films have twist endings and thrilling plots featuring depictions of violence, murder, and crime, although many of the mysteries function as decoys or "MacGuffins" meant only to serve thematic elements in the film and the extremely complex psychological examinations of the characters. Hitchcock's films also borrow many themes from psychoanalysis and feature strong sexual undertones. Through his cameo appearances in his own films, interviews, film trailers, and the television program Alfred Hitchcock Presents, he became a cultural icon.

Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career spanning six decades. Often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker, he came first in a 2007 poll of film critics in Britain's Daily Telegraph, which said: "Unquestionably the greatest filmmaker to emerge from these islands, Hitchcock did more than any director to shape modern cinema, which would be utterly different without him. His flair was for narrative, cruelly withholding crucial information (from his characters and from us) and engaging the emotions of the audience like no one else." The magazine MovieMaker has described him as the most influential filmmaker of all-time, and he is widely regarded as one of cinema's most significant artists.

More can be read here
Which is your favourite Hitchcock film, the two I like the best are Psycho and Rear Window.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/13/11 at 3:54 pm


British Person of the Day: Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in his native United Kingdom in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood. In 1956 he became an American citizen while retaining his British citizenship.

Over a career spanning more than half a century, Hitchcock fashioned for himself a distinctive and recognisable directorial style. He pioneered the use of a camera made to move in a way that mimics a person's gaze, forcing viewers to engage in a form of voyeurism. He framed shots to maximise anxiety, fear, or empathy, and used innovative film editing. His stories frequently feature fugitives on the run from the law alongside "icy blonde" female characters. Many of Hitchcock's films have twist endings and thrilling plots featuring depictions of violence, murder, and crime, although many of the mysteries function as decoys or "MacGuffins" meant only to serve thematic elements in the film and the extremely complex psychological examinations of the characters. Hitchcock's films also borrow many themes from psychoanalysis and feature strong sexual undertones. Through his cameo appearances in his own films, interviews, film trailers, and the television program Alfred Hitchcock Presents, he became a cultural icon.

Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career spanning six decades. Often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker, he came first in a 2007 poll of film critics in Britain's Daily Telegraph, which said: "Unquestionably the greatest filmmaker to emerge from these islands, Hitchcock did more than any director to shape modern cinema, which would be utterly different without him. His flair was for narrative, cruelly withholding crucial information (from his characters and from us) and engaging the emotions of the audience like no one else." The magazine MovieMaker has described him as the most influential filmmaker of all-time, and he is widely regarded as one of cinema's most significant artists.

More can be read here
Two Hitchcock plaques in London

http://www.completelylondon.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Hitchcock_plaque-290x290.jpg

http://www.bargaintraveleurope.com/images/Hitchcock1.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/13/11 at 8:12 pm


That will be interesting. How long has it been since he wrestled?


7 years since he left WWE and went to do films.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/13/11 at 8:12 pm


Dustin Hoffman? Yeah, he's a great actor. I know he was in Wag The Dog, which I saw in theatres.


Meet The Fockers

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/14/11 at 4:30 am


Dustin Hoffman? Yeah, he's a great actor. I know he was in Wag The Dog, which I saw in theatres.
...and here's to you Mrs Robinson.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/14/11 at 8:33 am


Which is your favourite Hitchcock film, the two I like the best are Psycho and Rear Window.

Both great films. I also like Dial M For Murder

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/14/11 at 8:37 am

The person of the day...Mila Kunis
Milena "Mila" Kunis (Russian: Милена Кунис; Ukrainian: Мілена Куніс born August 14, 1983; play /ˈmiːlə ˈkuːnɪs/) is an American actress. Her television work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy. She has also played roles in film, such as Rachel Jansen in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Mona Sax in Max Payne, Solara in The Book of Eli and Jamie in Friends with Benefits.

In 2010, she won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress at the 67th Venice International Film Festival for her performance as Lily in Black Swan. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for the same role.
At age nine, Kunis' father enrolled her in acting classes after school at the Beverly Hills Studios, where she met her first and still current manager Susan Curtis. Said Kunis: "My parents told her, 'Listen, we can't afford head shots; we can't afford anything. We can't take her to auditions because we work full-time.' ... said, 'Don't worry. I'll fix everything,' and she did. I ended up getting the first thing I went out for, which was a Barbie commercial. All my parents said was, 'You can do whatever you want to do as long as you get A's and stay in school.'" Kunis began appearing in print-ads, catalogues, and TV commercials for children's products like Lisa Frank products, Mattel's Barbie, and Payless Shoes. She also modeled for a Guess girls' clothing campaign. Her first TV role was as the young Hope Williams on an episode of the popular soap opera Days of our Lives. She had a minor role on 7th Heaven and supporting roles in Santa with Muscles, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, and the Angelina Jolie film Gia, as the young Gia Carangi.

In 1998, Kunis was cast as Jackie Burkhart in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show. All who auditioned were required to be at least 18 years old; Kunis, who was 14 at the time, told the casting directors she'd be 18 but did not say when. Though they eventually figured it out, the producers still thought Kunis was the best fit for the role. That '70s Show ran for eight seasons. Kunis expressed some frustration with working on one show for so long. "Eight years of doing the same felt like being behind a desk, and I lost my drive," she says. However, she quickly "had an epiphany. I decided I wasn't going to take my career so seriously and make my job who I am. I just want to be happy with my life."
Kunis at the premier of Max Payne.

In 1999, Kunis replaced Lacey Chabert in the role of Meg Griffin on the animated sitcom Family Guy, created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series starred MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green and Mike Henry. Kunis won the role after auditions and a slight rewrite of the character, in part due to her performance on That '70s Show. MacFarlane called Kunis back after her first audition, instructing her to speak slower, and then told her to come back another time and enunciate more. Once she claimed that she had it under control, MacFarlane hired her. MacFarlane added: "What Mila Kunis brought to it was in a lot of ways, I thought, almost more right for the character. I say that Lacey did a phenomenal job, but there was something about Mila – something very natural about Mila. She was 15 when she started, so you were listening to a 15-year-old. Which oftentimes with animation they'll have adult actors doing the voices of teenagers and they always sound like Saturday morning voices. They sound, oftentimes, very forced. She had a very natural quality to Meg that really made what we did with that character kind of really work." Kunis was nominated for an Annie Award in the category of Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production in 2007. She also voiced Meg in the Family Guy Video Game!. Kunis described her character as "the scapegoat."
Film work, 2001–2008

In 2001, she appeared in Get Over It opposite Kirsten Dunst. She followed that up in 2002, by starring in the straight-to-DVD horror film American Psycho 2 alongside William Shatner, a sequel to the 2000 film American Psycho. American Psycho 2 was panned by critics, and later, Kunis herself expressed embarrassment over the film. In 2004, Kunis starred in Tony n' Tina's Wedding. Although the film was shot in 2004, it did not have a theatrical release until 2007. Most critics did not like the film, which mustered a 25% approval from Rotten Tomatoes. DVD talk concluded that "fans would be much better off pretending the movie never happened in the first place".

In 2005, Kunis co-starred with Jon Heder in Moving McAllister, which was not released theatrically until 2007. The film received generally poor reviews and had a limited two week run in theaters. She followed up with After Sex starring alongside her Get Over It costar Zoe Saldana. In October 2006, she began filming Boot Camp (originally titled Straight Edge). Although the film did not have a theatrical release in the United States, it was released on DVD on August 25, 2009.

Kunis starred as Rachel Jansen in the 2008 comedy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, co-produced by Judd Apatow. The role, which she got after unsuccessfully auditioning for Knocked Up, entailed improvisation on her part. The film garnered positive reviews, and was a commercial success, grossing $105 million worldwide. Kunis' performance was well-received; Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal praised her "fresh beauty and focused energy", while James Berardinelli wrote that she is "adept with her performance and understands the concept of comic timing". She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award. In an interview, Kunis credited Apatow with helping her to expand her career from That '70s Show.

Also in 2008, she portrayed Mona Sax, a Russian assassin, alongside Mark Wahlberg in the action movie Max Payne, based on the video game of the same name. Kunis underwent training in guns, boxing, and martial arts for her role. Max Payne was relatively successful at the box office, grossing $85 million worldwide but was panned by critics, with several reviewers calling Kunis miscast. Director John Moore defended his choice of Kunis, saying, "Mila just bowled us over...She wasn't an obvious choice, but she just wears Mona so well. We needed someone who would not be just a fop or foil to Max; we needed somebody who had to be that character and convey her own agenda. I think Mila just knocked it out of the park." She was nominated for another Teen Choice Award for her role in the film.
2009–present

In 2009, she appeared in the comedy Extract with Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman. The film received mostly positive reviews, and grossed $10.8 million at the box office. Roger Ebert, while critical of the film itself, wrote that Kunis "brings her role to within shouting distance of credibility." Director Mike Judge commented that part of what was surprising to learn about Kunis was her ability to make references to the cult animation film Rejected. Judge said: "As beautiful as Mila is, you could believe that maybe she would cross paths with you in the real world." After seeing Kunis perform in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Judge wanted to cast her in the role of Cindy in Extract: "I just thought, 'Wow, this girl's perfect.' And she really wanted to do it, which was fantastic." Said Kunis, "I'm a huge fan of Mike Judge's from Office Space, so I was, like, 'Okay, this is a very easy decision.' I told them I would do anything needed to be in this production – like craft service, or, say, acting."

In 2010, she starred alongside Denzel Washington in the action film The Book of Eli. Although the film received mixed reviews, it performed well at the box office, grossing over $157 million worldwide. Film critic Richard Roeper praised Kunis' performance, calling it a "particularly strong piece of work". Several other reviews were equally positive of her performance, including Pete Hammond of Boxoffice magazine, who wrote that she's "ideally cast in the key female role" Even reviewers who did not necessarily like the film complimented her performance, such as James Berardinelli, who stated that "the demands of the role prove to be within her range, which is perhaps surprising considering she has been thus far pigeonholed into more lightweight parts", and Colin Covert of the Star Tribune, who wrote that she "generated a spark and brought a degree of determination to her character, developing an independent female character who's not always in need of rescuing." Some critics, however, called her miscast. Kunis received another Teen Choice Award nomination for her performance. Kunis was also cast in a minor role in the 2010 comedy Date Night, starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell. She garnered several positive reviews for her performance.

She and Natalie Portman played rival ballet dancers in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. Kunis, who was cast in the film based on her performance in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and on the recommendation of costar Natalie Portman, underwent a training regimen that included cardiovascular exercise, a 1,200-calorie a day diet (she lost 20 pounds that she regained after filming ended), and ballet classes for four hours a day, seven days a week. During the demanding production, she suffered injuries including a torn ligament and a dislocated shoulder. Black Swan has received widespread acclaim from critics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film has become Kunis's most financially successful to date, including being the first film she has starred in that has grossed over $100 million (106.9 million to date) in the US and Canada while currently grossing over 320 million worldwide. Reviews of Kunis' performance have been positive, with Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter stating, "Kunis makes a perfect alternate to Portman, equally as lithe and dark but a smirk of self-assurance in place of Portman's wide-eyed fearfulness." Guy Lodge of In Contention also praised Kunis, saying, "it's the cool, throaty-voiced Kunis who is the surprise package here, intelligently watching and reflecting her co-star in such a manner that we're as uncertain as Nina of her ingenuousness." Kunis' performance won her the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress at the 67th Venice International Film Festival, and earned her Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. At the 37th annual Saturn Awards she was also honored with the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance.

Kunis was cast alongside Justin Timberlake in the romantic comedy Friends with Benefits, which filmed from July to September 2010, in New York City and Los Angeles. Director Will Gluck stated that he wrote the story with Kunis and Timberlake in mind. "There were a couple of actors I wanted to work with, so I wrote it for Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. I wanted to do more of an adult movie about sex, too, and about relationships." Friends with Benefits received mostly positive reviews with critics praising the chemistry between Kunis and Timberlake. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote that "Ms. Kunis is fast proving that she's a gift that keeps giving to mainstream romantic comedy" and "her energy is so invigorating and expansive and her presence so vibrant that she fills the screen".

Kunis has confirmed that her next project will be Ted, co-starring Mark Wahlberg, and directed and co-written by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. She will follow up Ted with the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures' prequel, Oz: The Great and Powerful, where she will play Theodora, the youngest of three witches, opposite James Franco.
Media publicity

Kunis was ranked No.54 in Stuff's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002); Maxim named her No.47 on its 2006 Hot 100 list. In 2008, she was ranked No.81 on the Maxim Hot 100 list. She was also ranked No.81 on the FHM U.S 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2008, although she is unranked in other FHM magazines from different nations. Kunis was also described as one of the "most attractive geeks" in 2008, by Wired.com due to her much-publicized affinity for World of Warcraft. The same year, she was featured and on the cover of the October issue of Complex Magazine. In 2007, Kunis participated in a video for the website Funny or Die appearing alongside James Franco. The video was a parody of the MTV show The Hills and was a huge success for the website, with well over one million views. Shawn Levy, director of Date Night, stated that part of what made him decide to cast Kunis with James Franco in the film was the chemistry he felt they had in the Funny or Die video. In December 2008, Kunis was featured in Gap's "Shine Your Own Star" Christmas campaign with other celebrities such as Jennifer Hudson, Jason Bateman, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jon Heder.

In 2009, she was ranked No.5 in "Maxim Magazine's Hot 100" list. In addition, she won the award for "Hottest Mila" at the 2009 Spike Guys' Choice Awards beating out Milla Jovovich. Also in 2009, Premiere.com ranked Mila the most beautiful woman in Hollywood. In 2010, she was featured in the "Women We Love" segment in Esquire with an accompanied video. For the 2010 "Maxim Magazine Hot 100", Kunis ranked #22, and for the 2010 FHM Hot 100 list she ranked #17. Kunis has kept this type of media attention in perspective, saying, "You've got to base your career on something other than being FHM's top 100 No. 1 girl. Your looks are going to die out, and then what's going to be left?"

In 2010, Kunis served with Randy Jackson as the Master of Ceremonies for the 9th Annual Chrysalis Foundation Benefit. The Chrysalis Foundation is a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization formed to help economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals to become self-sufficient through employment opportunities. For the October 2010 Elle magazine 25th anniversary special edition, Kunis was one of the women chosen to be featured for their success at a young age. The honor included a photo and video presentation on the magazine's website. Kunis was among several female stars photographed by Canadian singer/songwriter Bryan Adams in conjunction with the Calvin Klein Collections for a feature titled American Women 2010, with the proceeds from the photographs donated to the NYC AIDS foundation. Also in 2010, Kunis was featured and on the cover of the December issue of Nylon.

In 2011, Kunis graced the cover of the February issue of Cosmopolitan and the March issue of W magazine. For the 17th Annual Hollywood Issue of Vanity Fair, Kunis was among the actors to be chosen to appear on the cover. For the 2011 edition of the top 99 most desirable women, Askmen.com ranked Kunis #2. Also in 2011, Kunis ranked No.5 on the Maxim Hot 100 list. At the 2011 Spike Guys' Choice Awards Kunis received the Holy Grail of Hot award beating out Minka Kelly. In support of her film Friends with Benefits she landed on the cover of Elle magazine and GQ magazine.
Personal life

Kunis has spoken with affection about her parents and has credited them for being a positive influence and keeping her focused on what is important in life. "I had a normal upbringing and went to public school," she says. "If I ever, even for a second, started getting a big head, I was brought back to reality pretty quickly. My parents are why I'm pretty grounded."

Kunis began dating actor Macaulay Culkin in 2002. At one time there were rumors of the couple getting married, but Kunis denied them, saying:

   I've been engaged. I think I've already been married. And I'm sure I have a child somewhere. I'm waiting to have something else happen. No, I'm not married. And no, I'm not engaged. And no, I do not have a child. No one seems to listen. And next week I'll be engaged again. I think, at one point, they were like, 'Seen shopping in Beverly Hills for engagement rings.' We were in Japan working. What is wrong with these people? Half the time you can say they misconstrued facts. But, more often than not, they just make stuff up.

In an interview with BlackBook Magazine Kunis stated that marriage is "not something that's important to me". Kunis said she tried her best to protect her and Culkin's privacy, noting that "We don't talk about it to the press. It's already more high profile than I want it to be." When questioned if it was difficult to stay out of the tabloids and press, Kunis responded: "I keep my personal life as personal as I physically, mentally, possibly can." Asked if that is difficult she said, "I don't care. I will go to my grave trying. It is hard, but I'll end up going to a bar that's a hole in the wall. I won't go to the "it's-happening" place." On January 3, 2011, Kunis' publicist confirmed reports that Kunis and Culkin had ended their relationship, saying "The split was amicable, and they remain close friends".

She has identified herself in interviews as a fan of the online computer game World of Warcraft and has received a certain amount of attention from the game's fan community as a result. She has not released what server she is in but says she is with her close friends in the Alliance. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she said she does not use voice chat in the game after another player recognized her voice. Although Kunis has described herself as a "computer nerd", she does not have a Myspace, Facebook or Twitter account. Kunis discussed her desire for privacy as she explained why she is not on Facebook or Twitter. "Why would I want to share my life with the world when it's being shared already, without my consent? The only problem with not having an account is that there are fake accounts, pretending to quote me. But what am I going to tweet about?

In an interview with H Magazine Kunis stated that she does not devote as much time to World of Warcraft anymore, but enjoys hanging out with her friends when she can. "When we have 'friends night' and we all get together, we play board games like The Settlers of Catan." She also mentioned that she and her friends enjoy doing Murder Mystery tours, where they drive around the Los Angeles area exploring locations of famous murders that have taken place. Kunis also enjoys traveling, and often goes on trips with her older brother, Michael. She and Michael have explored countries such as Fiji and Korea. "I like the way he travels," she explains. "He grabs a map, says, 'Let's walk,' and makes you explore." When asked to describe her perfect day Kunis said: "It would be going for a swim, lazing around the house, playing with my dogs, drinking a root beer float, catching up on TiVo, having some food, a glass of wine and calling it a night." In an interview Kunis elaborated: "I love to hang out with my friends....I love to sit home in my pajamas and watch TiVo. That brings me so much happiness. That's it. It's quiet and calm."

In January 2011, she revealed publicly for the first time her struggle with an eye condition called chronic iritis that had caused blindness in one eye. However, a couple of months earlier she had surgery that corrected the problem.
Filmography
Film Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1995 Make a Wish, Molly Melinda
1995 Piranha Susie Grogan Television movie
1996 Santa with Muscles Sarah
1997 Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves Jill, Party Guest Direct-to-video
1998 Gia Gia at Age 11 Television movie
1998 Krippendorf's Tribe Abbey Tournquist
1998 Milo Martice Uncredited
2001 Get Over It Basin
2002 American Psycho 2 Rachael Direct-to-DVD
2004 Tony n' Tina's Wedding Tina
2005 Tom 51 Little Boy Matson Also known as Tom Cool
2005 Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story Meg Griffin (Voice) Direct-to-DVD
2007 After Sex Nikki
2007 Moving McAllister Michelle
2007 Boot Camp Sophie
2008 Forgetting Sarah Marshall Rachel Jansen
2008 Max Payne Mona Sax
2009 Extract Cindy
2010 Book of Eli, TheThe Book of Eli Solara
2010 Date Night Whippit
2010 Black Swan Lily
2011 Friends with Benefits Jamie
2011 Muppets, TheThe Muppets Cameo role
2012 Ted Lori post-production
2013 Oz: The Great and Powerful Theodora filming
Television Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1994–
1995 Baywatch Anne
Bonnie Episodes: "Aftershock"
"Hot Stuff"
1995 John Larroquette Show, TheThe John Larroquette Show Lucy 1 episode
1995 Hudson Street Devon 1 episode
1996 Unhappily Ever After Chloe 1 episode
1996–
1997 Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher Anna-Maria Del Bono 5 episodes
1996–
1997 7th Heaven Ashley 4 episodes
1997 Walker, Texas Ranger Pepper Episode: "Last Hope"
1998 Pensacola: Wings of Gold Jessie Kerwood 1 episode
1998–
2006 That '70s Show Jackie Burkhart 200 episodes
2002 Get Real Taylor Vaughn 2 episodes
2002 MADtv Daisy 1 episode
2004 Grounded for Life Lana Episodes: "Space Camp Oddity"
"The Policy of Truth"
2000–
present Family Guy Meg Griffin (Voice) 139 episodes
2005–
present Robot Chicken Various (Voice) 10 episodes
2009 Cleveland Show, TheThe Cleveland Show Meg Griffin (Voice) Episode: "Pilot"
Music videos Year↓ Title↓ Artist↓
1999 In The Street Cheap Trick
2000 Itch, TheThe Itch Vitamin C
2001 Rock and Roll All Nite KISS
2001 Jaded Aerosmith
2003 End Has No End, TheThe End Has No End The Strokes
2008 LA Girls Mams Taylor feat. Joel Madden
Video games Year↓ Title↓ Role↓
2006 Saints Row Tanya Winters (Voice)
2006 Family Guy Video Game! Meg Griffin (Voice)
Awards and nominations
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2011)
Year↓ Award↓ Category↓ Title of work↓ Result↓
1999 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Ensemble That '70s Show Nominated
1999 YoungStar Award Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy TV Series That '70s Show Won
2000 Teen Choice Award TV – Choice Actress That '70s Show Nominated
2000 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Ensemble That '70s Show Nominated
2000 YoungStar Award Best Young Actress/Performance in a Comedy TV Series That '70s Show Won
2001 Teen Choice Award TV – Choice Actress That '70s Show Nominated
2001 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Leading Young Actress That '70s Show Nominated
2002 Teen Choice Award TV – Choice Actress That '70s Show Nominated
2002 Young Hollywood Award One to Watch – Female That '70s Show Won
2003 Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actress – Comedy That '70s Show Nominated
2004 Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actress – Comedy That '70s Show Nominated
2005 Teen Choice Award Choice – TV Actress: Comedy That '70s Show Nominated
2006 Teen Choice Award TV – Choice Actress: Comedy That '70s Show Nominated
2007 Annie Award Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production Family Guy Nominated
2008 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Breakout Female Forgetting Sarah Marshall Nominated
2009 Guys Choice Awards Hottest Mila N/A Won
2009 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure Max Payne Nominated
2010 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure The Book of Eli Nominated
2010 Scream Awards Best Science Fiction Actress The Book of Eli Nominated
2010 Venice Film Festival Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actress Black Swan Won
2010 68th Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Black Swan Nominated
2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Black Swan Nominated
2010 Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2010 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2010 Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Won
2010 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2010 Utah Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2010 Online Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2011 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Won
2011 MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss (with Natalie Portman) Black Swan Nominated
2011 Guys Choice Awards Holy Grail of Hot N/A Won
2011 Guys Choice Awards Best Girl On Girl Scene (with Natalie Portman) Black Swan Won
2011 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie: Liplock Black Swan Nominated
2011 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie: Female Scene Stealer Black Swan Nominated
2011 Teen Choice Award Choice Female Hottie N/A Nominated
2011 Teen Choice Award Choice Summer Movie Star: Female Friends with Benefits Nominated
http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae225/EmilyinChains714/Leading%20Ladies%204/mila2-1.jpg
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m575/Nick9yne/mila-kunis-aug-GQ-05.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/14/11 at 8:41 am


7 years since he left WWE and went to do films.

I'm sure he's in good enough shape, but still you never know.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/14/11 at 2:08 pm


I'm sure he's in good enough shape, but still you never know.


he has a bit of ring rust but I think he could beat John Cena.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/14/11 at 2:10 pm


The person of the day...Mila Kunis
Milena "Mila" Kunis (Russian: Милена Кунис; Ukrainian: Мілена Куніс born August 14, 1983; play /ˈmiːlə ˈkuːnɪs/) is an American actress. Her television work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy. She has also played roles in film, such as Rachel Jansen in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Mona Sax in Max Payne, Solara in The Book of Eli and Jamie in Friends with Benefits.

In 2010, she won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress at the 67th Venice International Film Festival for her performance as Lily in Black Swan. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for the same role.
At age nine, Kunis' father enrolled her in acting classes after school at the Beverly Hills Studios, where she met her first and still current manager Susan Curtis. Said Kunis: "My parents told her, 'Listen, we can't afford head shots; we can't afford anything. We can't take her to auditions because we work full-time.' ... said, 'Don't worry. I'll fix everything,' and she did. I ended up getting the first thing I went out for, which was a Barbie commercial. All my parents said was, 'You can do whatever you want to do as long as you get A's and stay in school.'" Kunis began appearing in print-ads, catalogues, and TV commercials for children's products like Lisa Frank products, Mattel's Barbie, and Payless Shoes. She also modeled for a Guess girls' clothing campaign. Her first TV role was as the young Hope Williams on an episode of the popular soap opera Days of our Lives. She had a minor role on 7th Heaven and supporting roles in Santa with Muscles, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, and the Angelina Jolie film Gia, as the young Gia Carangi.

In 1998, Kunis was cast as Jackie Burkhart in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show. All who auditioned were required to be at least 18 years old; Kunis, who was 14 at the time, told the casting directors she'd be 18 but did not say when. Though they eventually figured it out, the producers still thought Kunis was the best fit for the role. That '70s Show ran for eight seasons. Kunis expressed some frustration with working on one show for so long. "Eight years of doing the same felt like being behind a desk, and I lost my drive," she says. However, she quickly "had an epiphany. I decided I wasn't going to take my career so seriously and make my job who I am. I just want to be happy with my life."
Kunis at the premier of Max Payne.

In 1999, Kunis replaced Lacey Chabert in the role of Meg Griffin on the animated sitcom Family Guy, created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series starred MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green and Mike Henry. Kunis won the role after auditions and a slight rewrite of the character, in part due to her performance on That '70s Show. MacFarlane called Kunis back after her first audition, instructing her to speak slower, and then told her to come back another time and enunciate more. Once she claimed that she had it under control, MacFarlane hired her. MacFarlane added: "What Mila Kunis brought to it was in a lot of ways, I thought, almost more right for the character. I say that Lacey did a phenomenal job, but there was something about Mila – something very natural about Mila. She was 15 when she started, so you were listening to a 15-year-old. Which oftentimes with animation they'll have adult actors doing the voices of teenagers and they always sound like Saturday morning voices. They sound, oftentimes, very forced. She had a very natural quality to Meg that really made what we did with that character kind of really work." Kunis was nominated for an Annie Award in the category of Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production in 2007. She also voiced Meg in the Family Guy Video Game!. Kunis described her character as "the scapegoat."
Film work, 2001–2008

In 2001, she appeared in Get Over It opposite Kirsten Dunst. She followed that up in 2002, by starring in the straight-to-DVD horror film American Psycho 2 alongside William Shatner, a sequel to the 2000 film American Psycho. American Psycho 2 was panned by critics, and later, Kunis herself expressed embarrassment over the film. In 2004, Kunis starred in Tony n' Tina's Wedding. Although the film was shot in 2004, it did not have a theatrical release until 2007. Most critics did not like the film, which mustered a 25% approval from Rotten Tomatoes. DVD talk concluded that "fans would be much better off pretending the movie never happened in the first place".

In 2005, Kunis co-starred with Jon Heder in Moving McAllister, which was not released theatrically until 2007. The film received generally poor reviews and had a limited two week run in theaters. She followed up with After Sex starring alongside her Get Over It costar Zoe Saldana. In October 2006, she began filming Boot Camp (originally titled Straight Edge). Although the film did not have a theatrical release in the United States, it was released on DVD on August 25, 2009.

Kunis starred as Rachel Jansen in the 2008 comedy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, co-produced by Judd Apatow. The role, which she got after unsuccessfully auditioning for Knocked Up, entailed improvisation on her part. The film garnered positive reviews, and was a commercial success, grossing $105 million worldwide. Kunis' performance was well-received; Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal praised her "fresh beauty and focused energy", while James Berardinelli wrote that she is "adept with her performance and understands the concept of comic timing". She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award. In an interview, Kunis credited Apatow with helping her to expand her career from That '70s Show.

Also in 2008, she portrayed Mona Sax, a Russian assassin, alongside Mark Wahlberg in the action movie Max Payne, based on the video game of the same name. Kunis underwent training in guns, boxing, and martial arts for her role. Max Payne was relatively successful at the box office, grossing $85 million worldwide but was panned by critics, with several reviewers calling Kunis miscast. Director John Moore defended his choice of Kunis, saying, "Mila just bowled us over...She wasn't an obvious choice, but she just wears Mona so well. We needed someone who would not be just a fop or foil to Max; we needed somebody who had to be that character and convey her own agenda. I think Mila just knocked it out of the park." She was nominated for another Teen Choice Award for her role in the film.
2009–present

In 2009, she appeared in the comedy Extract with Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman. The film received mostly positive reviews, and grossed $10.8 million at the box office. Roger Ebert, while critical of the film itself, wrote that Kunis "brings her role to within shouting distance of credibility." Director Mike Judge commented that part of what was surprising to learn about Kunis was her ability to make references to the cult animation film Rejected. Judge said: "As beautiful as Mila is, you could believe that maybe she would cross paths with you in the real world." After seeing Kunis perform in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Judge wanted to cast her in the role of Cindy in Extract: "I just thought, 'Wow, this girl's perfect.' And she really wanted to do it, which was fantastic." Said Kunis, "I'm a huge fan of Mike Judge's from Office Space, so I was, like, 'Okay, this is a very easy decision.' I told them I would do anything needed to be in this production – like craft service, or, say, acting."

In 2010, she starred alongside Denzel Washington in the action film The Book of Eli. Although the film received mixed reviews, it performed well at the box office, grossing over $157 million worldwide. Film critic Richard Roeper praised Kunis' performance, calling it a "particularly strong piece of work". Several other reviews were equally positive of her performance, including Pete Hammond of Boxoffice magazine, who wrote that she's "ideally cast in the key female role" Even reviewers who did not necessarily like the film complimented her performance, such as James Berardinelli, who stated that "the demands of the role prove to be within her range, which is perhaps surprising considering she has been thus far pigeonholed into more lightweight parts", and Colin Covert of the Star Tribune, who wrote that she "generated a spark and brought a degree of determination to her character, developing an independent female character who's not always in need of rescuing." Some critics, however, called her miscast. Kunis received another Teen Choice Award nomination for her performance. Kunis was also cast in a minor role in the 2010 comedy Date Night, starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell. She garnered several positive reviews for her performance.

She and Natalie Portman played rival ballet dancers in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. Kunis, who was cast in the film based on her performance in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and on the recommendation of costar Natalie Portman, underwent a training regimen that included cardiovascular exercise, a 1,200-calorie a day diet (she lost 20 pounds that she regained after filming ended), and ballet classes for four hours a day, seven days a week. During the demanding production, she suffered injuries including a torn ligament and a dislocated shoulder. Black Swan has received widespread acclaim from critics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film has become Kunis's most financially successful to date, including being the first film she has starred in that has grossed over $100 million (106.9 million to date) in the US and Canada while currently grossing over 320 million worldwide. Reviews of Kunis' performance have been positive, with Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter stating, "Kunis makes a perfect alternate to Portman, equally as lithe and dark but a smirk of self-assurance in place of Portman's wide-eyed fearfulness." Guy Lodge of In Contention also praised Kunis, saying, "it's the cool, throaty-voiced Kunis who is the surprise package here, intelligently watching and reflecting her co-star in such a manner that we're as uncertain as Nina of her ingenuousness." Kunis' performance won her the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress at the 67th Venice International Film Festival, and earned her Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. At the 37th annual Saturn Awards she was also honored with the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance.

Kunis was cast alongside Justin Timberlake in the romantic comedy Friends with Benefits, which filmed from July to September 2010, in New York City and Los Angeles. Director Will Gluck stated that he wrote the story with Kunis and Timberlake in mind. "There were a couple of actors I wanted to work with, so I wrote it for Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. I wanted to do more of an adult movie about sex, too, and about relationships." Friends with Benefits received mostly positive reviews with critics praising the chemistry between Kunis and Timberlake. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote that "Ms. Kunis is fast proving that she's a gift that keeps giving to mainstream romantic comedy" and "her energy is so invigorating and expansive and her presence so vibrant that she fills the screen".

Kunis has confirmed that her next project will be Ted, co-starring Mark Wahlberg, and directed and co-written by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. She will follow up Ted with the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures' prequel, Oz: The Great and Powerful, where she will play Theodora, the youngest of three witches, opposite James Franco.
Media publicity

Kunis was ranked No.54 in Stuff's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002); Maxim named her No.47 on its 2006 Hot 100 list. In 2008, she was ranked No.81 on the Maxim Hot 100 list. She was also ranked No.81 on the FHM U.S 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2008, although she is unranked in other FHM magazines from different nations. Kunis was also described as one of the "most attractive geeks" in 2008, by Wired.com due to her much-publicized affinity for World of Warcraft. The same year, she was featured and on the cover of the October issue of Complex Magazine. In 2007, Kunis participated in a video for the website Funny or Die appearing alongside James Franco. The video was a parody of the MTV show The Hills and was a huge success for the website, with well over one million views. Shawn Levy, director of Date Night, stated that part of what made him decide to cast Kunis with James Franco in the film was the chemistry he felt they had in the Funny or Die video. In December 2008, Kunis was featured in Gap's "Shine Your Own Star" Christmas campaign with other celebrities such as Jennifer Hudson, Jason Bateman, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jon Heder.

In 2009, she was ranked No.5 in "Maxim Magazine's Hot 100" list. In addition, she won the award for "Hottest Mila" at the 2009 Spike Guys' Choice Awards beating out Milla Jovovich. Also in 2009, Premiere.com ranked Mila the most beautiful woman in Hollywood. In 2010, she was featured in the "Women We Love" segment in Esquire with an accompanied video. For the 2010 "Maxim Magazine Hot 100", Kunis ranked #22, and for the 2010 FHM Hot 100 list she ranked #17. Kunis has kept this type of media attention in perspective, saying, "You've got to base your career on something other than being FHM's top 100 No. 1 girl. Your looks are going to die out, and then what's going to be left?"

In 2010, Kunis served with Randy Jackson as the Master of Ceremonies for the 9th Annual Chrysalis Foundation Benefit. The Chrysalis Foundation is a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization formed to help economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals to become self-sufficient through employment opportunities. For the October 2010 Elle magazine 25th anniversary special edition, Kunis was one of the women chosen to be featured for their success at a young age. The honor included a photo and video presentation on the magazine's website. Kunis was among several female stars photographed by Canadian singer/songwriter Bryan Adams in conjunction with the Calvin Klein Collections for a feature titled American Women 2010, with the proceeds from the photographs donated to the NYC AIDS foundation. Also in 2010, Kunis was featured and on the cover of the December issue of Nylon.

In 2011, Kunis graced the cover of the February issue of Cosmopolitan and the March issue of W magazine. For the 17th Annual Hollywood Issue of Vanity Fair, Kunis was among the actors to be chosen to appear on the cover. For the 2011 edition of the top 99 most desirable women, Askmen.com ranked Kunis #2. Also in 2011, Kunis ranked No.5 on the Maxim Hot 100 list. At the 2011 Spike Guys' Choice Awards Kunis received the Holy Grail of Hot award beating out Minka Kelly. In support of her film Friends with Benefits she landed on the cover of Elle magazine and GQ magazine.
Personal life

Kunis has spoken with affection about her parents and has credited them for being a positive influence and keeping her focused on what is important in life. "I had a normal upbringing and went to public school," she says. "If I ever, even for a second, started getting a big head, I was brought back to reality pretty quickly. My parents are why I'm pretty grounded."

Kunis began dating actor Macaulay Culkin in 2002. At one time there were rumors of the couple getting married, but Kunis denied them, saying:

   I've been engaged. I think I've already been married. And I'm sure I have a child somewhere. I'm waiting to have something else happen. No, I'm not married. And no, I'm not engaged. And no, I do not have a child. No one seems to listen. And next week I'll be engaged again. I think, at one point, they were like, 'Seen shopping in Beverly Hills for engagement rings.' We were in Japan working. What is wrong with these people? Half the time you can say they misconstrued facts. But, more often than not, they just make stuff up.

In an interview with BlackBook Magazine Kunis stated that marriage is "not something that's important to me". Kunis said she tried her best to protect her and Culkin's privacy, noting that "We don't talk about it to the press. It's already more high profile than I want it to be." When questioned if it was difficult to stay out of the tabloids and press, Kunis responded: "I keep my personal life as personal as I physically, mentally, possibly can." Asked if that is difficult she said, "I don't care. I will go to my grave trying. It is hard, but I'll end up going to a bar that's a hole in the wall. I won't go to the "it's-happening" place." On January 3, 2011, Kunis' publicist confirmed reports that Kunis and Culkin had ended their relationship, saying "The split was amicable, and they remain close friends".

She has identified herself in interviews as a fan of the online computer game World of Warcraft and has received a certain amount of attention from the game's fan community as a result. She has not released what server she is in but says she is with her close friends in the Alliance. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she said she does not use voice chat in the game after another player recognized her voice. Although Kunis has described herself as a "computer nerd", she does not have a Myspace, Facebook or Twitter account. Kunis discussed her desire for privacy as she explained why she is not on Facebook or Twitter. "Why would I want to share my life with the world when it's being shared already, without my consent? The only problem with not having an account is that there are fake accounts, pretending to quote me. But what am I going to tweet about?

In an interview with H Magazine Kunis stated that she does not devote as much time to World of Warcraft anymore, but enjoys hanging out with her friends when she can. "When we have 'friends night' and we all get together, we play board games like The Settlers of Catan." She also mentioned that she and her friends enjoy doing Murder Mystery tours, where they drive around the Los Angeles area exploring locations of famous murders that have taken place. Kunis also enjoys traveling, and often goes on trips with her older brother, Michael. She and Michael have explored countries such as Fiji and Korea. "I like the way he travels," she explains. "He grabs a map, says, 'Let's walk,' and makes you explore." When asked to describe her perfect day Kunis said: "It would be going for a swim, lazing around the house, playing with my dogs, drinking a root beer float, catching up on TiVo, having some food, a glass of wine and calling it a night." In an interview Kunis elaborated: "I love to hang out with my friends....I love to sit home in my pajamas and watch TiVo. That brings me so much happiness. That's it. It's quiet and calm."

In January 2011, she revealed publicly for the first time her struggle with an eye condition called chronic iritis that had caused blindness in one eye. However, a couple of months earlier she had surgery that corrected the problem.
Filmography
Film Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1995 Make a Wish, Molly Melinda
1995 Piranha Susie Grogan Television movie
1996 Santa with Muscles Sarah
1997 Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves Jill, Party Guest Direct-to-video
1998 Gia Gia at Age 11 Television movie
1998 Krippendorf's Tribe Abbey Tournquist
1998 Milo Martice Uncredited
2001 Get Over It Basin
2002 American Psycho 2 Rachael Direct-to-DVD
2004 Tony n' Tina's Wedding Tina
2005 Tom 51 Little Boy Matson Also known as Tom Cool
2005 Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story Meg Griffin (Voice) Direct-to-DVD
2007 After Sex Nikki
2007 Moving McAllister Michelle
2007 Boot Camp Sophie
2008 Forgetting Sarah Marshall Rachel Jansen
2008 Max Payne Mona Sax
2009 Extract Cindy
2010 Book of Eli, TheThe Book of Eli Solara
2010 Date Night Whippit
2010 Black Swan Lily
2011 Friends with Benefits Jamie
2011 Muppets, TheThe Muppets Cameo role
2012 Ted Lori post-production
2013 Oz: The Great and Powerful Theodora filming
Television Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1994–
1995 Baywatch Anne
Bonnie Episodes: "Aftershock"
"Hot Stuff"
1995 John Larroquette Show, TheThe John Larroquette Show Lucy 1 episode
1995 Hudson Street Devon 1 episode
1996 Unhappily Ever After Chloe 1 episode
1996–
1997 Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher Anna-Maria Del Bono 5 episodes
1996–
1997 7th Heaven Ashley 4 episodes
1997 Walker, Texas Ranger Pepper Episode: "Last Hope"
1998 Pensacola: Wings of Gold Jessie Kerwood 1 episode
1998–
2006 That '70s Show Jackie Burkhart 200 episodes
2002 Get Real Taylor Vaughn 2 episodes
2002 MADtv Daisy 1 episode
2004 Grounded for Life Lana Episodes: "Space Camp Oddity"
"The Policy of Truth"
2000–
present Family Guy Meg Griffin (Voice) 139 episodes
2005–
present Robot Chicken Various (Voice) 10 episodes
2009 Cleveland Show, TheThe Cleveland Show Meg Griffin (Voice) Episode: "Pilot"
Music videos Year↓ Title↓ Artist↓
1999 In The Street Cheap Trick
2000 Itch, TheThe Itch Vitamin C
2001 Rock and Roll All Nite KISS
2001 Jaded Aerosmith
2003 End Has No End, TheThe End Has No End The Strokes
2008 LA Girls Mams Taylor feat. Joel Madden
Video games Year↓ Title↓ Role↓
2006 Saints Row Tanya Winters (Voice)
2006 Family Guy Video Game! Meg Griffin (Voice)
Awards and nominations
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2011)
Year↓ Award↓ Category↓ Title of work↓ Result↓
1999 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Ensemble That '70s Show Nominated
1999 YoungStar Award Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy TV Series That '70s Show Won
2000 Teen Choice Award TV – Choice Actress That '70s Show Nominated
2000 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Ensemble That '70s Show Nominated
2000 YoungStar Award Best Young Actress/Performance in a Comedy TV Series That '70s Show Won
2001 Teen Choice Award TV – Choice Actress That '70s Show Nominated
2001 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Leading Young Actress That '70s Show Nominated
2002 Teen Choice Award TV – Choice Actress That '70s Show Nominated
2002 Young Hollywood Award One to Watch – Female That '70s Show Won
2003 Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actress – Comedy That '70s Show Nominated
2004 Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actress – Comedy That '70s Show Nominated
2005 Teen Choice Award Choice – TV Actress: Comedy That '70s Show Nominated
2006 Teen Choice Award TV – Choice Actress: Comedy That '70s Show Nominated
2007 Annie Award Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production Family Guy Nominated
2008 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Breakout Female Forgetting Sarah Marshall Nominated
2009 Guys Choice Awards Hottest Mila N/A Won
2009 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure Max Payne Nominated
2010 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure The Book of Eli Nominated
2010 Scream Awards Best Science Fiction Actress The Book of Eli Nominated
2010 Venice Film Festival Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actress Black Swan Won
2010 68th Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Black Swan Nominated
2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Black Swan Nominated
2010 Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2010 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2010 Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Won
2010 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2010 Utah Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2010 Online Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Nominated
2011 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actress Black Swan Won
2011 MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss (with Natalie Portman) Black Swan Nominated
2011 Guys Choice Awards Holy Grail of Hot N/A Won
2011 Guys Choice Awards Best Girl On Girl Scene (with Natalie Portman) Black Swan Won
2011 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie: Liplock Black Swan Nominated
2011 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie: Female Scene Stealer Black Swan Nominated
2011 Teen Choice Award Choice Female Hottie N/A Nominated
2011 Teen Choice Award Choice Summer Movie Star: Female Friends with Benefits Nominated
http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae225/EmilyinChains714/Leading%20Ladies%204/mila2-1.jpg
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m575/Nick9yne/mila-kunis-aug-GQ-05.jpg


I always wondered why she doesn't want to date,I'm sure I could provide for her. ;D :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/15/11 at 10:28 am

The person of the day...Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946 in Elk City, Oklahoma) is an American songwriter. His compositions include "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen","Didn't We", and "MacArthur Park". His songs have been recorded or performed by Glen Campbell, The 5th Dimension, Thelma Houston, The Supremes, Richard Harris, Johnny Maestro, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Isaac Hayes, R.E.M., and Chet Atkins, among others. According to BMI, his song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was the third most performed song in the fifty years between 1940 to 1990. He is the only artist to have ever received Grammy Awards for music, lyrics, and orchestration.

In 1967, Rivers turned to Webb for songs for a new group Rivers was producing called the 5th Dimension. Webb contributed five songs to the 5th Dimension's album Up, Up and Away. The song "Up, Up and Away" was released as a single in May 1967 and reached the Top Ten. The group's follow-up album, The Magic Garden, also released in 1967, featured only Webb songs with the exception of John Lennon and Paul McCartney's "Ticket to Ride". In November 1967, Glen Campbell released his version of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," which reached No. 26 and became an instant pop standard.

At the 1967 Grammy Awards, "Up, Up and Away" was named Record of the Year and Song of the Year. "Up, Up and Away" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" received eight Grammy Awards between them. Webb's success as a new songwriter was unprecedented, and underscored what became the central dilemma in his career. While his sophisticated melodies and orchestrations were embraced by mainstream audiences, his peers were embracing counter-culture sounds. Webb was quickly becoming out of sync with his times.

In 1968, Time acknowledged Webb’s range and proficiency when it referred to his string of hits, noting "Webb's gift for strong, varied rhythms, inventive structures, and rich, sometimes surprising harmonies."

In 1968, the string of successful Webb songs continued with the 5th Dimension's "Paper Cup" and "Carpet Man" reaching the Top 40, Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" selling over a million copies, and Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge scoring a gold record with "Worst That Could Happen", a song originally recorded by the 5th Dimension. Webb formed his own production and publishing company that year, Canopy, and scored a hit with its first project, an unlikely album with Irish actor Richard Harris singing all Webb songs. One, "MacArthur Park", was a long, complex song with multiple movements that was originally rejected by the group the Association, which had commissioned it. Despite the song's seven minute, twenty-one second length, Webb released "MacArthur Park" as a single, and it quickly reached Number 2 on the singles chart. The Harris album A Tramp Shining stayed on the charts for almost a year. Webb and Harris produced a followup album, The Yard Went on Forever, which was also successful. At the 1968 Grammy Awards, Webb accepted awards for "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", and "MacArthur Park".

In 1969, Glen Campbell continued the streak of Webb hits with the gold record "Galveston" and "Where's the Playground Susie", quickly becoming the finest interpreter of Webb songs. Webb and Campbell had first met during the production of a General Motors commercial. Webb arrived at the recording session with his Beatle-length hair and approached the conservative singer, who looked up from his guitar and said, "Get a haircut."

That same year, two Webb songs became hits for the second time with Isaac Hayes' soulful version of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and Waylon Jennings' Grammy-winning country version of "MacArthur Park". Webb finished up the year by writing, arranging, and producing Thelma Houston's first album, Sunshower.

As the decade came to a close, so too did Webb's string of hit singles. He began to withdraw from the formulaic process in which he worked and began to experiment. He started work on a semi-autobiographical Broadway musical called His Own Dark City, which reflected the emotional displacement he felt at the time. He also wrote music for the films How Sweet It Is! and Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here.
Singer-songwriter years

Webb's solo career got off to a rough start with the 1968 "counterfeit" solo album Jimmy Webb sings Jimmy Webb (Epic), which was produced, according to Webb, "by a bunch of ruffians from some old demos of mine and tarted up to sound like 'MacArthur Park'. It was quite a piece of crap and was received with great anticipation and crushing disappointment at the radio level."

Beginning in 1970, Webb recorded six original albums of his own songs: Words and Music (1970), And So: On (1971), Letters (1972), Land's End (1974), El Mirage (1977), and Angel Heart (1982). Despite the critical reception that followed each of these projects, Webb has never been as successful as a performer as he has been a songwriter and arranger. Each album was noted for its inventive music and memorable lyrics.

Webb's debut album as a performer, Words and Music, was released in late 1970 to critical acclaim. Rolling Stone writer Jon Landau called one of the album's cuts, "P.F. Sloan," a "masterpiece could not be improved upon." The tune and the lyrics may have been allusions to the singer-songwriter P. F. Sloan, who had helped Webb early in Webb's career; a dispute between the two later led Webb to insist that he made up the title, implying that the title and the name of his former friend were mere coincidences. Webb's 1971 follow up album, And So: On, proved equally appealing to critics. Rolling Stone declared the album "another impressive step in the conspiracy to recover his identity from the housewives of America and rightfully install him at the forefront of contemporary composers/performers." His 1972 album Letters met with similar praise. Peter Reilly of Stereo Review wrote, "Jimmy Webb is the most important pop music figure to emerge since Bob Dylan."

Throughout the 1970s, Webb lived in Encino, Los Angeles, California, fraternizing with Joni Mitchell and Harry Nilsson. He also struck up a lifelong friendship with actor Michael Douglas. Webb's song "Campo de Encino" chronicled his adventures and misadventures in his park-like hacienda. In 1974, Webb married Patsy Sullivan, a model-cover girl and youngest child of screen actor Barry Sullivan. The couple met posing for the cover of Teen. Patsy is featured with Webb on the cover of Webb's 1982 solo album Angel Heart. They have five sons and a daughter together. Four of their sons later formed a rock band, "The Webb Brothers". The couple split after 22 years.
Serious composer

Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, Webb's songs continued to be recorded by some of the industry's most successful artists. In 1977, the initial release of Art Garfunkel's Watermark album consisted exclusively of Webb's works, and in 1981, Garfunkel recorded "Scissors Cut", "In Cars", and "That's All I've Got to Say" on his album Scissors Cut. In 1980, Thelma Houston recorded "Before There Could Be Me", "Breakwater Cat", "Gone", "Long Lasting Love", and "What Was that Song" on her album Breakwater Cat. Leah Kunkel recorded "Never Gonna Lose My Dream of Love Again" and "Let's Begin" for her album I Run with Trouble. The latter was performed live in 1980 by the born-again Bob Dylan. Tanya Tucker recorded "Tennessee Woman" on her album Dreamlovers. Arlo Guthrie recorded "Oklahoma Nights" on his album Power of Love. In 1982, Linda Ronstadt recorded "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" and "Easy for You to Say" on her album Get Closer. Joe Cocker recorded "Just Like Always" on his album Sheffield Steel. The Everly Brothers recorded "She Never Smiles Anymore" on the album Living Legends.

From 1982 to 1992, Webb turned his focus from solo performing to larger-scale projects, such as film scores, Broadway musicals, and classical music. In 1982, he produced the soundtrack for the film The Last Unicorn, an animated children's tale, with the musical group America performing Webb's songs. That same year, he composed the soundtrack to all episodes of the TV series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

In 1985, Glen Campbell recorded Webb's "Cowboy Hall of Fame" and "Shattered" for the album It's Just a Matter of Time. And heavyweights Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson recorded "Highwayman" on the album Highwayman. In 1988, Toto recorded "Home of the Brave" on the album The Seventh One. Kenny Rankin recorded "She Moves, Eyes Follow" for the album Hiding in Myself. And in 1989, Linda Ronstadt recorded the album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, which featured four Jimmy Webb songs: "Still Within the Sound of My Voice" (with Webb playing piano), "Adios" (with orchestral arrangement by Webb), "I Keep It Hid" (with Webb playing piano), and "Shattered". In 1990, John Denver recorded "Postcard from Paris" on the album The Flower That Shattered the Stone. In 1991, Kenny Rogers recorded "They Just Don't Make Em Like You Anymore" on the album Back Home Again.

In 1986, Webb produced the cantata The Animals' Christmas, with Art Garfunkel, Amy Grant, and the London Symphony Orchestra, which tells the Christmas story from the perspective of animals.

In 1987, Webb produced the soundtrack for the film The Hanoi Hilton. That same year, he reunited with Campbell for the album Still Within the Sound of My Voice, for which he wrote the title song. They followed this up in 1988 with an album composed almost entirely of Jimmy Webb songs, Light Years. The album included the title song, as well as "Lightning in a Bottle", "If These Walls Could Speak" (which was recorded by Amy Grant that year) and "Our Movie". Two songs from 1982's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers also appear on the album. The record also included the songs "Other People's Lives", "Wasn't There A Moment", "I Don't Know How To Love You Anymore", and "Is There Love After You". Several of these songs later ended up on Webb solo albums.

In 1992, Webb performed live at the club Cinegrill, introducing several new songs, including "What Does a Woman See in a Man" and "Sandy Cove", as well as an old folk hymn, "I Will Arise".

In 1994, Webb teamed up with Nanci Griffith to contribute the song "If These Old Walls Could Speak" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization.
    * Honorary membership, Pi Tau Chapter, Oklahoma Baptist University, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity (1969)
    * National Academy of Popular Music Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee (1986)
    * Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee (1990)
    * National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award (1993)
    * Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee (1999)
    * Songwriters' Hall of Fame Board of Directors member (2000)
    * ASCAP Board of Directors member (since 1999) (As of June 2009)

Discography
Original albums

    * 1968 Jim Webb sings Jim Webb
    * 1970 Words and Music
    * 1971 And So: On
    * 1972 Letters
    * 1974 Land's End
    * 1977 El Mirage
    * 1982 Angel Heart
    * 1993 Suspending Disbelief
    * 1996 Ten Easy Pieces
    * 2005 Twilight of the Renegades
    * 2007 Live and at Large
    * 2010 Just Across The River

Albums with Webb songs

    * 1966 Up, Up, and Away (The 5th Dimension)
    * 1967 The Magic Garden (The 5th Dimension)
    * 1968 A Tramp Shining (Richard Harris)
    * 1968 The Yard Went on Forever (Richard Harris)
    * 1969 Sunshower (Thelma Houston)
    * 1972 The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb (The Supremes)
    * 1977 Watermark (Art Garfunkel)
    * 1986 The Animal's Christmas (Art Garfunkel and Amy Grant)
    * 1989 Still within the Sound of My Voice (Glen Campbell)
    * 1988 Light Years (Glen Campbell)
    * 1989 Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind (Linda Ronstadt)
    * 1998 The Last Unicorn
    * 1998 And Someone Left the Cake Out in the Rain...
    * 1999 Reunited with Jimmy Webb 1974-1988 (Glen Campbell)
    * 2001 Reunion: The Songs of Jimmy Webb (Glen Campbell)
    * 2003 Tunesmith: The Songs of Jimmy Webb
    * 2003 Only One Life: The Songs of Jimmy Webb (Michael Feinstein)

Compilations

    * 1972? Tribute to Burt Bacharach and Jim Webb Contour 6870 592
    * 1994 Archive
    * 2005 Archive & Live (including Live at the Royal Albert Hall, from 1972)
    * 2004 The Moon's A Harsh Mistress: Jimmy Webb in the Seventies (a limited edition boxed set including Webb's albums from the 1970s, bonus tracks, and Live at the Royal Albert Hall, from 1972)

Contributions

    * Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins (2008) - "Fallow Way"

Songs

    * List of songs by Jimmy Webb
    * List of songs about cities
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii291/sechie/jimmy-webb.jpg
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Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/16/11 at 11:33 am

The person of the day..Madonna
Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone (Italian pronunciation: chee-co-nay); August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983. She followed it with a series of albums by which she found immense popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. Throughout her career, many of her songs have hit number one on the record charts, including "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't Preach", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes". Critics have praised Madonna for her diverse musical productions while at the same time serving as a lightning rod for religious controversy.

Her career was further enhanced by film appearances that began in 1979, despite mixed commentary. She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in Evita (1996), but has received harsh feedback for other film roles. Madonna's other ventures include being a fashion designer, children's book author, film director and producer. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, and in 2007, she signed an unprecedented US $120 million contract with Live Nation.

Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States, behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of the Billboard chart. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. Considered to be one of the "25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century" by Time for being an influential figure in contemporary music, Madonna is known for continuously reinventing both her music and image, and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry.
Madonna signed a singles deal with Sire, a label belonging to Warner Bros. Records. Her debut single, "Everybody", was released on October 6, 1982, and became a dance hit. She started developing her debut album Madonna, which was primarily produced by Reggie Lucas, a Warner Bros. producer. However, she was not happy with the completed tracks and disagreed with Lucas' production techniques, so decided to seek additional help. Madonna moved in with boyfriend John "Jellybean" Benitez, asking his help for finishing the album's production. Benitez remixed most of the tracks and produced "Holiday", which was her third single. The overall sound of Madonna is dissonant, and is in the form of upbeat synthetic disco, utilizing some of the new technology of the time, like the usage of Linn drum machine, Moog bass and the OB-X synthesizer. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200, and yielded the hit singles "Holiday", "Borderline" and "Lucky Star".

"I was surprised by how people reacted to "Like a Virgin" because when I did that song, to me, I was singing about how something made me feel a certain way – brand-new and fresh – and everyone interpreted it as I don't want to be a virgin anymore. fudge my brains out! That's not what I sang at all. 'Like a Virgin' was always absolutely ambiguous."
—Madonna on the backlash for "Like a Virgin"

Gradually, Madonna's look and manner of dressing, her performances and her music videos started influencing young girls and women. Her style became a female fashion trend of the 1980s. It was created by stylist and jewelry designer Maripol and the look consisted of lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing the crucifix, bracelets, and bleached hair. She achieved global recognition after the release of her second studio album: Like a Virgin in 1984. It topped the charts in several countries and became her first number one album on the Billboard 200. The title track, "Like a Virgin", topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six consecutive weeks. It attracted the attention of organizations who complained that the song and its accompanying video promoted premarital sex and undermined family values, and moralists sought to have the song and video banned. Madonna further came under fire when she performed the song at the first MTV Video Music Awards where she appeared on stage atop a giant wedding cake, wearing a wedding dress and bridal veil, adorned with her characteristic "Boy Toy" belt buckle. The performance is noted by scholars and by MTV as an iconic performance in MTV history. In later years, Madonna commented that she was actually terrified of the performance. She recalled, "I remember my manager Freddy shouting to me, 'Oh my God! What were you doing? You were wearing a wedding dress. Oh my God! You were rolling around on the floor!' It was the bravest, most blatant sexual thing I had ever done on television." Like a Virgin was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America and sold more than 21 million copies worldwide. The National Association of Recording Merchandisers and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed the album as one of the "Definitive 200 Albums of All Time" in 1998.
Madonna married actor Sean Penn (above) on her birthday in 1985

Madonna entered mainstream films in 1985, beginning with a brief appearance as a club singer in Vision Quest, a romantic drama film. Its soundtrack contained her U.S. number one single, "Crazy for You". She also appeared in the comedy Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), a film which introduced the song "Into the Groove", her first number one single in the United Kingdom. Although not the lead actress for the film, her profile was such that the movie widely became seen (and marketed) as a Madonna vehicle. The film received a nomination for a César Award for Best Foreign Film and The New York Times film critic Vincent Canby named it one of the ten best films of 1985. While filming the music video for the second single from Like a Virgin—"Material Girl"—Madonna started dating actor Sean Penn and married him on her birthday in 1985.

Beginning in April 1985, Madonna embarked on her first concert tour in North America, The Virgin Tour, with the Beastie Boys as her opening act. Madonna commented: "That whole tour was crazy, because I went from playing CBGB and the Mudd Club to playing sporting arenas. I played a small theater in Seattle, and the girls had flap skirts on and the tights cut off below their knees and lace gloves and rosaries and bows in their hair and big hoop earrings. After Seattle, all of the shows were moved to arenas." In July, Penthouse and Playboy magazines published a number of nude photos of Madonna, taken in New York in 1978. She had posed for the photographs as she needed money at the time, and was paid as little as $25 a session. The publication of the photos caused a media uproar, but Madonna remained defiant and unapologetic. The photographs were ultimately sold for up to $100,000. She referred to the whole experience at the 1985 outdoor Live Aid charity concert saying that she would not take her jacket off because " might hold it against me ten years from now."
According to Rolling Stone, Madonna "remains one of the greatest pop acts of all time". She has achieved multiple Guinness World Records, including world's top-selling female recording artist and the most successful female recording artist of all time. On March 10, 2008, Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. Billboard magazine ranked her as the most successful solo artist (second overall, behind only The Beatles) on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists". She has also scored many hits on major international charts, including 13 number one singles in the United Kingdom, 11 in Australia, and 23 in Canada—more than any other female artist. Madonna is featured in the book 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century, published by Ladies' Home Journal in 1998. In July 2003, she ranked seventh on VH1 and People magazine's list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time." She also placed as the number one artist on VH1's "50 Greatest Women of the Video Era". In 2006, a new water bear species, Echiniscus madonnae, was named after her. The paper with the description of E. madonnae was published in the international journal of animal taxonomy Zootaxa in March 2006 (Vol. 1154, pages: 1–36). The Zoologists commented: "We take great pleasure in dedicating this species to one of the most significant artists of our times, Madonna Louise Veronica Ritchie." Other than her commercial accomplishments, Madonna was included in the elite list of the "25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century" by Time in 2010 for being an influential figure in contemporary music.

Throughout her career Madonna has repeatedly reinvented herself through a series of visual and musical personas, earning her the nickname "Queen of Reinvention". In doing so, "she exploited her sexuality to fashion herself into a cultural and commercial icon who, for more than a decade, was unchallenged as the reigning Queen of Pop music." Fouz-Hernández agrees that these reinventions are one of her key cultural achievements. Madonna reinvented herself by working with upcoming talented producers and previously unknown artists, while remaining at the center of media attention. According to Freya Jarman-Ivens, "In doing so Madonna has provided an example of how to maintain one's career in the entertainment industry." Such reinvention was noted by scholars as the main tool in surviving the musical industry, for a female artist. As Ian Youngs from BBC News commented, "Her ability to follow the latest trends and adapt her style has often been credited with preserving her appeal." Madonna's use of shocking sexual imagery has benefited her career and catalyzed public discourse on sexuality and feminism. The Times stated, "Madonna, whether you like her or not, started a revolution amongst women in music ... Her attitudes and opinions on sex, nudity, style and sexuality forced the public to sit up and take notice." Rodger Streitmatter, author of Sex Sells! (2004), commented that "from the moment Madonna burst onto the nation's radar screen in the mid-1980s, she did everything in her power to shock the public, and her efforts paid off." Shmuel Boteach, author of Hating women (2005), felt that Madonna was largely responsible for erasing the line between music and pornography. He stated: "Before Madonna, it was possible for women more famous for their voices than their cleavage, to emerge as music superstars. But in the post-Madonna universe, even highly original performers such as Janet Jackson now feel the pressure to expose their bodies on national television to sell albums."

Very few public figures are such wizards at manipulating the press and cultivating publicity as Madonna is. She has always been a great tease with journalists, brash and outspoken when the occasion demanded it, recalcitrant and taciturn when it came time to pull back and slow down the striptease. Madonna is a self-created woman, no question, but it was not a virgin birth: her adroit handling of the press played a major part in the consummation. Publicity is the name of the game.
—Becky Johnson from Interview commenting on Madonna's popularity.

Madonna has influenced numerous music artists throughout her career. Mary Cross, in her book Madonna: A Biography, wrote: "Her influence on pop music is undeniable and far-reaching. New pop icons from Nelly Furtado and Shakira to Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera (not to mention Britney Spears) owe Madonna, a debt of thanks for the template she forged, combining provocative sexiness and female power in her image, music, and lyrics." According to Fouz-Hernández, female pop performers such as Spears, the Spice Girls, Destiny's Child, Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue and Pink were like "Madonna's daughters in the very direct sense that they grew up listening to and admiring Madonna, and decided they wanted to be like her." Among them, Madonna's influence was most notable in Spears, who has been called her protégé. Madonna has also been credited with the introduction of European electronic dance music into mainstream American pop culture, and for bringing European producers such as Stuart Price and Mirwais Ahmadzaï into the spotlight. Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide. She is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century, and the second top-selling female artist in the United States (behind Barbra Streisand), with 64 million certified albums sold. Despite her high record sales, as of 2001, Madonna has become the most-pirated artist worldwide according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

Madonna has received acclaim as a role model for businesswomen in her industry, "achieving the kind of financial control that women had long fought for within the industry", and generating over $1.2 billion in sales within the first decade of her career. As Taraborrelli noted, she already showed strong business sensibilities early in her career when she signed Freddie de Mann, Michael Jackson's former manager, to manage her career. As she said to Smash Hits magazine, "I thought, who’s the most successful person in the music industry and who’s his manager? I want him." Since it was Jackson, Madonna wanted de Mann more than anything else, and chance came when she learned that they have parted ways recently. After signing de Mann, her Madonna's associates had expressed their apprehension as to whether that was a good business decision by her. Madonna was adamant that since de Mann was free he would be able to devote all his time into his career. True to her, Madonna's popularity increased significantly, being asked to do more promotional tours and media appearances. Her seriousness towards her business was also portrayed in the Truth or Dare documentary, in a scene where Madonna throws out the cameraman as she was going to have a business meeting. This led Taraborrelli to comment that "she always knew the importance of the outcomes of these discussions with her associates. And she wanted the element of surprise." After its establishment, Maverick Records became a major commercial success from her efforts, which was unusual at that time for an artist-established label. Music journalist Robert Sandall said that while interviewing Madonna, it was clear that being "a cultural big hitter" was more important to her than pop music, a career she described as "an accident". He also saw a contrast between her anything-goes sexual public persona and a secretive and "paranoid" attitude toward her own finances; she fired her own brother when he charged her for an extra item. Professor Colin Barrow of the Cranfield School of Management described Madonna as "America's smartest businesswoman... who has moved to the top of her industry and stayed there by constantly reinventing herself". He held up her "planning, personal discipline and constant attention to detail" as models for all aspiring entrepreneurs. London Business School academics called her a "dynamic entrepreneur" worth copying; they identified her vision of success, her understanding of the music industry, her ability to recognize her own performance limits (and thus bring in help), her willingness to work hard and her ability to adapt as the key to her commercial success. Morton commented that "Madonna is opportunistic, manipulative and ruthless—somebody who won't stop until she gets what she wants—and that's something you can get at the expense of maybe losing your close ones. But that hardly mattered to her." Taraborrelli felt that this ruthlessness was visible during the shooting of the Pepsi commercial in 1989. "The fact that she didn't want to hold a Pepsi can in the commercial, clued the Pepsi executives that Madonna the pop star and Madonna the businesswoman were not going to be dictated by somebody else, she will do everything in her way—the only way." Conversely, reporter Michael McWilliams commented: "The gripes about Madonna–she's cold, greedy, talentless–conceal both bigotry and the essence of her art, which is among the warmest, the most humane, the most profoundly satisfying in all pop culture."
Discography
Main articles: Madonna albums discography, Madonna singles discography, and Madonna videography

    * Madonna (1983)
    * Like a Virgin (1984)
    * True Blue (1986)
    * Like a Prayer (1989)
    * Erotica (1992)
    * Bedtime Stories (1994)
    * Ray of Light (1998)
    * Music (2000)
    * American Life (2003)
    * Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
    * Hard Candy (2008)

Tours
Main article: List of Madonna concert tours

    * The Virgin Tour (1985)
    * Who's That Girl World Tour (1987)
    * Blond Ambition World Tour (1990)
    * The Girlie Show World Tour (1993)
    * Drowned World Tour (2001)
    * Re-Invention World Tour (2004)
    * Confessions Tour (2006)
    * Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008–09)
http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc501/zsanata/Stars/madonna-bubblegum.jpg
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac231/pedroboto/musicwithcapsandetc/madonnatruebluecollage-1.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/16/11 at 7:54 pm

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uELtfkdEbOw/Sca22eeoXdI/AAAAAAAAABI/CV2TCrhAg-s/s400/madonna1983.jpeg

Madonna's dressing had girls want to dress like her at the time she was popular.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: King Tut on 08/16/11 at 8:27 pm

Hey, this is really neat.
I suppose it's alright if I post my favorite Madonna song. It's so "80s" for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-PB3-g_Jdk

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/16/11 at 11:01 pm


Meet The Fockers

Yes, that was one of many films Mr. Hoffman starred in, but I did not see it.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/16/11 at 11:04 pm


The person of the day...Mila Kunis

http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae225/EmilyinChains714/Leading%20Ladies%204/mila2-1.jpg
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m575/Nick9yne/mila-kunis-aug-GQ-05.jpg



I always wondered why she doesn't want to date,I'm sure I could provide for her. ;D :)
It's her personal choice.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/16/11 at 11:10 pm


Hey, this is really neat.
I suppose it's alright if I post my favorite Madonna song. It's so "80s" for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-PB3-g_Jdk

I actually remember that one from when it was popular a quarter-century ago; I was 5, almost 6. I enjoy that one, as well as some of her other songs.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/17/11 at 7:07 am


Hey, this is really neat.
I suppose it's alright if I post my favorite Madonna song. It's so "80s" for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-PB3-g_Jdk


good song by Madonna.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/17/11 at 8:02 am


Hey, this is really neat.
I suppose it's alright if I post my favorite Madonna song. It's so "80s" for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-PB3-g_Jdk

Thanks. Great song :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/17/11 at 8:10 am

The person of the day..Robert DeNiro
Robert De Niro, Jr. (born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film role was in 1973's Bang the Drum Slowly. In 1974, he played the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, a role that won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.His critically acclaimed, longtime collaboration with Martin Scorsese began with 1973's Mean Streets, and earned De Niro an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in the 1980 film Raging Bull. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his roles in Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976) and Cape Fear (1991). In addition, he received nominations for his acting in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter (1978) and Penny Marshall's Awakenings (1990). Also in 1990, his portrayal as Jimmy Conway in Scorsese's Goodfellas earned him a BAFTA nomination.

He has earned four nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: New York, New York (1977), Midnight Run (1988), Analyze This (1999) and Meet the Parents (2000).

De Niro directed A Bronx Tale (1993) and The Good Shepherd (2006).
De Niro's first film role in collaboration with Brian De Palma was in 1963 at the age of 20, when he appeared opposite his friend Jill Clayburgh in The Wedding Party; however, the film was not released until 1969. He then played in Roger Corman's 1970 "Bloody Mama." It starred Shelly Winters as Ma Barker. He gained popular attention with his role as a dying Major League Baseball player in Bang the Drum Slowly (1973). That same year, he began his fruitful collaboration with Martin Scorsese when he played a memorable role as the smalltime crook Johnny Boy, alongside Harvey Keitel's Charlie in Mean Streets (1973).
De Niro at Cannes festival 2011

In 1974, De Niro played a pivotal role in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II, playing the young Vito Corleone, the director having remembered his previous auditions for the roles of Sonny Corleone, Michael Corleone, Carlo Rizzi and Paulie Gatto in The Godfather. His performance earned him his first Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actor, although Coppola accepted the award, as De Niro was not present at the Oscar ceremony. He became the first actor to win an Academy Award speaking mainly a foreign language, in this case, multiple Sicilian dialects (although he delivered a few lines in English). De Niro and Marlon Brando, who played the older Vito Corleone in the first film, are the only actors to have won Oscars portraying the same fictional character. Brando and De Niro came together onscreen for the only time in The Score (2001).

After working with Scorsese in Mean Streets, he had a very successful working relationship with the director in films such as Taxi Driver (1976), New York, New York (1977), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), and Casino (1995). They also acted together in Guilty by Suspicion and provided their voices for the animated feature Shark Tale.

Taxi Driver is particularly important to De Niro's career: his iconic performance as Travis Bickle shot him to stardom and forever linked De Niro's name with Bickle's famous "You talkin' to me?" monologue, which De Niro largely improvised.

In 1976, De Niro appeared, along with Gérard Depardieu and Donald Sutherland, in Bernardo Bertolucci's epic biographical exploration of life in Italy before World War II, Novecento (1900), seen through the eyes of two Italian childhood friends at the opposite sides of society's hierarchy.

In 1978, De Niro played Michael Vronsky in the acclaimed Vietnam War film The Deer Hunter, for which he was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Praised for his commitment to roles, stemming from his background in method acting, De Niro gained 60 pounds (27 kg) and learned how to box for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull; ground his teeth for Cape Fear; lived in Sicily for The Godfather Part II; worked as a cab driver for a few weeks for Taxi Driver; and learned to play the saxophone for New York, New York. He again put on weight for his performance as Al Capone in The Untouchables (1987).

De Niro's brand of method acting includes employing whatever extreme tactic he feels is necessary to elicit the best performance from those with whom he is working. During the filming of The King of Comedy, for example, he directed a slew of anti-Semitic epithets at co-star Jerry Lewis in order to enhance and authenticate the anger demonstrated by his onscreen character. According to People magazine, the technique was successful. Lewis recalled, "I forgot the cameras were there... I was going for Bobby's throat."

Fearing he had become typecast in mob roles, De Niro began expanding into occasional comedic roles in the mid-1980s and has had much success there as well, with such films as Brazil (1985), the hit action-comedy Midnight Run (1988), Analyze This (1999) opposite actor/comedian Billy Crystal, Meet the Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004), both opposite Ben Stiller.

Other films include Falling in Love (1984), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Mission (1986), Angel Heart (1987), The Untouchables (1987), Goodfellas (1990), Awakenings (1990), Heat (1995), The Fan (1996), Sleepers (1996), Wag the Dog (1997), Jackie Brown and Ronin (1998). In 1997, he re-teamed with Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta along with Sylvester Stallone in the crime drama Cop Land. De Niro played a supporting role, taking a back seat to Stallone, Keitel, and Liotta.

In 1993, he also starred in This Boy's Life, featuring then-rising child actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Around this time, he was offered the role of Mitch Leary in In the Line of Fire, opposite Clint Eastwood. However, due to scheduling conflicts with A Bronx Tale, he turned the role down in favor of John Malkovich, who, himself, received an Academy Award nomination for the role. De Niro would later reference In the Line of Fire, along with Dirty Harry and Magnum Force, two more of Eastwood's films, in Righteous Kill.
In 1995, De Niro starred in Michael Mann's police action-thriller Heat, along with fellow actor and long-time friend, Al Pacino. The duo drew much attention from fans, as both have generally been compared throughout their careers. Though Pacino and De Niro both starred in The Godfather Part II, they shared no screen time. De Niro and Pacino once again appeared togther, in the crime thriller Righteous Kill.

In 2004, De Niro provided the voice of Don Lino, the antagonist in the animated film Shark Tale, opposite Will Smith. He also reprised his role as Jack Byrnes in Meet the Fockers, and was featured in Stardust. All of the films were successful at the box office, but they received mixed reviews. When promoting Shark Tale, De Niro said that was his first experience with voice acting, which he commented, was an enjoyable time.
Robert De Niro in 2008

De Niro had to turn down a role in The Departed (Martin Sheen taking the role instead) due to commitments with preparing The Good Shepherd. He said, "I wanted to. I wish I could've been able to, but I was preparing The Good Shepherd so much that I couldn't take the time to. I was trying to figure a way to do it while I was preparing. It just didn't seem possible."

He directed The Good Shepherd (2006), and costarred with Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. The movie also reunited him onscreen with Joe Pesci, with whom De Niro had starred in Raging Bull, Goodfellas, A Bronx Tale, Once Upon a Time in America and Casino.

In June 2006, it was announced that De Niro had donated his film archive — including scripts, costumes, and props — to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. On April 27, 2009, it was announced that the De Niro collection at the Ransom Center was open to researchers and the public. De Niro has said that he is working with Martin Scorsese on a new project. "I'm trying to actually work... Eric Roth and myself and Marty are working on a script now, trying to get it done."

De Niro announced that he would appear in Martin Campbell's film version of the classic BBC crime series Edge of Darkness in 2010, alongside Mel Gibson; however, just after he arrived to begin shooting, De Niro walked from the set due to creative differences. He was then replaced by Ray Winstone. He appeared as Senator John McLaughlin in the action film Machete, directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis. De Niro starred in the thriller Stone (2010), along with Edward Norton and Milla Jovovich. The sequel to Meet the Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004), Little Fockers, starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand, was released on December 22, 2010.

In 2011, De Niro will appear in the action film The Killer Elite with Jason Statham and Clive Owen, and in the film adaptation of the novel The Dark Fields, with Bradley Cooper, directed by Neil Burger.

Thirty-four years after Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900, De Niro will star in one of three episodes of the film Manuale d'amore 3, with Monica Bellucci, directed by Italian director Giovanni Veronesi. De Niro is attached to star in the upcoming project The Irishman, that will be directed by Martin Scorsese and co-starred by Joe Pesci and Al Pacino.

In January 2011, CBS picked up De Niro's crime pilot, Rookies.In 2011, he was the President of the Jury for the 64th Cannes Film Festival.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd59/blogadao/Entretendo/robert-de-niro.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e195/drifter2003/robert_de_niro_1.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/17/11 at 11:46 am


The person of the day..Robert DeNiro
Robert De Niro, Jr. (born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film role was in 1973's Bang the Drum Slowly. In 1974, he played the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, a role that won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.His critically acclaimed, longtime collaboration with Martin Scorsese began with 1973's Mean Streets, and earned De Niro an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in the 1980 film Raging Bull. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his roles in Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976) and Cape Fear (1991). In addition, he received nominations for his acting in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter (1978) and Penny Marshall's Awakenings (1990). Also in 1990, his portrayal as Jimmy Conway in Scorsese's Goodfellas earned him a BAFTA nomination.

He has earned four nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: New York, New York (1977), Midnight Run (1988), Analyze This (1999) and Meet the Parents (2000).

De Niro directed A Bronx Tale (1993) and The Good Shepherd (2006).
De Niro's first film role in collaboration with Brian De Palma was in 1963 at the age of 20, when he appeared opposite his friend Jill Clayburgh in The Wedding Party; however, the film was not released until 1969. He then played in Roger Corman's 1970 "Bloody Mama." It starred Shelly Winters as Ma Barker. He gained popular attention with his role as a dying Major League Baseball player in Bang the Drum Slowly (1973). That same year, he began his fruitful collaboration with Martin Scorsese when he played a memorable role as the smalltime crook Johnny Boy, alongside Harvey Keitel's Charlie in Mean Streets (1973).
De Niro at Cannes festival 2011

In 1974, De Niro played a pivotal role in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II, playing the young Vito Corleone, the director having remembered his previous auditions for the roles of Sonny Corleone, Michael Corleone, Carlo Rizzi and Paulie Gatto in The Godfather. His performance earned him his first Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actor, although Coppola accepted the award, as De Niro was not present at the Oscar ceremony. He became the first actor to win an Academy Award speaking mainly a foreign language, in this case, multiple Sicilian dialects (although he delivered a few lines in English). De Niro and Marlon Brando, who played the older Vito Corleone in the first film, are the only actors to have won Oscars portraying the same fictional character. Brando and De Niro came together onscreen for the only time in The Score (2001).

After working with Scorsese in Mean Streets, he had a very successful working relationship with the director in films such as Taxi Driver (1976), New York, New York (1977), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), and Casino (1995). They also acted together in Guilty by Suspicion and provided their voices for the animated feature Shark Tale.

Taxi Driver is particularly important to De Niro's career: his iconic performance as Travis Bickle shot him to stardom and forever linked De Niro's name with Bickle's famous "You talkin' to me?" monologue, which De Niro largely improvised.

In 1976, De Niro appeared, along with Gérard Depardieu and Donald Sutherland, in Bernardo Bertolucci's epic biographical exploration of life in Italy before World War II, Novecento (1900), seen through the eyes of two Italian childhood friends at the opposite sides of society's hierarchy.

In 1978, De Niro played Michael Vronsky in the acclaimed Vietnam War film The Deer Hunter, for which he was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Praised for his commitment to roles, stemming from his background in method acting, De Niro gained 60 pounds (27 kg) and learned how to box for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull; ground his teeth for Cape Fear; lived in Sicily for The Godfather Part II; worked as a cab driver for a few weeks for Taxi Driver; and learned to play the saxophone for New York, New York. He again put on weight for his performance as Al Capone in The Untouchables (1987).

De Niro's brand of method acting includes employing whatever extreme tactic he feels is necessary to elicit the best performance from those with whom he is working. During the filming of The King of Comedy, for example, he directed a slew of anti-Semitic epithets at co-star Jerry Lewis in order to enhance and authenticate the anger demonstrated by his onscreen character. According to People magazine, the technique was successful. Lewis recalled, "I forgot the cameras were there... I was going for Bobby's throat."

Fearing he had become typecast in mob roles, De Niro began expanding into occasional comedic roles in the mid-1980s and has had much success there as well, with such films as Brazil (1985), the hit action-comedy Midnight Run (1988), Analyze This (1999) opposite actor/comedian Billy Crystal, Meet the Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004), both opposite Ben Stiller.

Other films include Falling in Love (1984), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Mission (1986), Angel Heart (1987), The Untouchables (1987), Goodfellas (1990), Awakenings (1990), Heat (1995), The Fan (1996), Sleepers (1996), Wag the Dog (1997), Jackie Brown and Ronin (1998). In 1997, he re-teamed with Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta along with Sylvester Stallone in the crime drama Cop Land. De Niro played a supporting role, taking a back seat to Stallone, Keitel, and Liotta.

In 1993, he also starred in This Boy's Life, featuring then-rising child actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Around this time, he was offered the role of Mitch Leary in In the Line of Fire, opposite Clint Eastwood. However, due to scheduling conflicts with A Bronx Tale, he turned the role down in favor of John Malkovich, who, himself, received an Academy Award nomination for the role. De Niro would later reference In the Line of Fire, along with Dirty Harry and Magnum Force, two more of Eastwood's films, in Righteous Kill.
In 1995, De Niro starred in Michael Mann's police action-thriller Heat, along with fellow actor and long-time friend, Al Pacino. The duo drew much attention from fans, as both have generally been compared throughout their careers. Though Pacino and De Niro both starred in The Godfather Part II, they shared no screen time. De Niro and Pacino once again appeared togther, in the crime thriller Righteous Kill.

In 2004, De Niro provided the voice of Don Lino, the antagonist in the animated film Shark Tale, opposite Will Smith. He also reprised his role as Jack Byrnes in Meet the Fockers, and was featured in Stardust. All of the films were successful at the box office, but they received mixed reviews. When promoting Shark Tale, De Niro said that was his first experience with voice acting, which he commented, was an enjoyable time.
Robert De Niro in 2008

De Niro had to turn down a role in The Departed (Martin Sheen taking the role instead) due to commitments with preparing The Good Shepherd. He said, "I wanted to. I wish I could've been able to, but I was preparing The Good Shepherd so much that I couldn't take the time to. I was trying to figure a way to do it while I was preparing. It just didn't seem possible."

He directed The Good Shepherd (2006), and costarred with Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. The movie also reunited him onscreen with Joe Pesci, with whom De Niro had starred in Raging Bull, Goodfellas, A Bronx Tale, Once Upon a Time in America and Casino.

In June 2006, it was announced that De Niro had donated his film archive — including scripts, costumes, and props — to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. On April 27, 2009, it was announced that the De Niro collection at the Ransom Center was open to researchers and the public. De Niro has said that he is working with Martin Scorsese on a new project. "I'm trying to actually work... Eric Roth and myself and Marty are working on a script now, trying to get it done."

De Niro announced that he would appear in Martin Campbell's film version of the classic BBC crime series Edge of Darkness in 2010, alongside Mel Gibson; however, just after he arrived to begin shooting, De Niro walked from the set due to creative differences. He was then replaced by Ray Winstone. He appeared as Senator John McLaughlin in the action film Machete, directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis. De Niro starred in the thriller Stone (2010), along with Edward Norton and Milla Jovovich. The sequel to Meet the Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004), Little Fockers, starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand, was released on December 22, 2010.

In 2011, De Niro will appear in the action film The Killer Elite with Jason Statham and Clive Owen, and in the film adaptation of the novel The Dark Fields, with Bradley Cooper, directed by Neil Burger.

Thirty-four years after Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900, De Niro will star in one of three episodes of the film Manuale d'amore 3, with Monica Bellucci, directed by Italian director Giovanni Veronesi. De Niro is attached to star in the upcoming project The Irishman, that will be directed by Martin Scorsese and co-starred by Joe Pesci and Al Pacino.

In January 2011, CBS picked up De Niro's crime pilot, Rookies.In 2011, he was the President of the Jury for the 64th Cannes Film Festival.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd59/blogadao/Entretendo/robert-de-niro.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e195/drifter2003/robert_de_niro_1.jpg

You talkin' to me?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/17/11 at 8:21 pm

He was funny in Meet The Fockers  ;D

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: King Tut on 08/17/11 at 9:09 pm

Bobby DeNiro. Our of the best still around. Raging Bull, Godfather 2, Cape fear, Deer Hunter, Meet the Parents (can you milk me?  ;D)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/17/11 at 9:56 pm



Sounds like a great fantasy. Can I join you?  ;) :D ;D ;D ;D


I'm glad you mentioned David Warner. I think he is also a wonder actor but most people don't even know who he is and his resumé reads like the Encyclopedia Britannica.



Cat

I just saw they are doing a remake of Straw Dogs and it jotted my memory that he was in the original, if I remember right he was like an simple person who killed a little girl and a couple hit him with their car then took him home and the villagers came to kill him.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/17/11 at 9:57 pm


He was funny in Meet The Fockers  ;D

Along with Dustin Hoffman :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/18/11 at 7:20 am


Bobby DeNiro. Our of the best still around. Raging Bull, Godfather 2, Cape fear, Deer Hunter, Meet the Parents (can you milk me?  ;D)


"I have nipples,wanna milk me"? ;D

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/18/11 at 10:15 am

The person of the day... Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. (born August 18, 1936), better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, model, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime Achievement in 2002. His popular films include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Candidate (1972), The Sting (1973), The Way We Were (1973), The Great Gatsby (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), All the President's Men (1976), The Natural (1984), Out of Africa (1985), and Sneakers (1992). As a filmmaker, his notable films include Ordinary People (1980), A River Runs Through It (1992), The Horse Whisperer (1998), and The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000).
While still largely an unknown, Redford made his screen debut in War Hunt (1962), co-starring with John Saxon in a film set during the last days of the Korean War. This film also marked the debuts of Sydney Pollack and Tom Skerritt. After his Broadway success, he was cast in larger feature roles in movies. In Inside Daisy Clover (1965) he played a bisexual movie star who marries starlet Natalie Wood, and rejoined her for Pollack's This Property Is Condemned (1966) — again as her lover. The same year saw his first teaming with Jane Fonda, in Arthur Penn's The Chase. Fonda and Redford were paired again in the big screen version of Barefoot in the Park (1967) and were again co-stars in Pollack's The Electric Horseman (1979).

Redford became concerned about his blond male stereotype image and turned down roles in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Graduate. Redford found the property he was looking for in George Roy Hill's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), scripted by William Goldman, in which he was paired for the first time with Paul Newman. The film was a huge success and made him a bankable star and cemented his screen image as an intelligent, reliable, sometimes sardonic good guy.

Redford suffered through a few films that did not achieve box office success during this time, including Downhill Racer (1969); Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969); Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970), and The Hot Rock (1972). But his overall career was flourishing with the critical and box office hit Jeremiah Johnson (1972); the political satire The Candidate (1972); The Way We Were (1973); and The Sting (1973), for which he was nominated for an Oscar.

During the years 1974–1976, exhibitors voted Redford Hollywood's top box-office name. His hits included The Great Gatsby (1974), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), and Three Days of the Condor (1975). The popular and acclaimed All the President's Men (1976), directed by Alan J. Pakula and scripted once again by Goldman, was a landmark film for Redford. Not only was he the executive producer and co-star, but the film's serious subject matter — the Watergate scandal — also reflected the actor's offscreen concerns for political causes.

He also starred in the war film A Bridge Too Far (1977), and the baseball film The Natural (1984). Redford has continued his involvement in mainstream Hollywood movies, though projects became fewer. Out of Africa (1985) won the Oscar for Best Picture, and Redford had the male lead role. He appeared in the movie Havana as Jack Weil, a professional gambler set in 1959 Cuba during the Revolution. He appeared as a disgraced Army general sent to prison in the political thriller The Last Castle (2001), directed by Rod Lurie, someone else with a strong interest in politics. Redford, a leading environmental activist, narrated the IMAX documentary Sacred Planet (2004), a sweeping journey across the globe to some of its most exotic and endangered places. In The Clearing (2004), a thriller co-starring Helen Mirren, Redford was a successful businessman whose kidnapping unearths the secrets and inadequacies that led to his achieving the American Dream.

Redford stepped back into producing with The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), a coming-of-age road film about a young medical student, Ernesto "Che" Guevera, and his friend Alberto Granado. It also explored political and social issues of South America that influenced Guevara and shaped his future. With five years spent in the film's making, Redford was credited by director Walter Salles for being instrumental in getting it made and released.

Back in front of the camera, Redford received good notices for his role in director Lasse Hallstrom's An Unfinished Life (2005) as a cantankerous rancher who is forced to take in his estranged daughter-in-law (Jennifer Lopez) — whom he blames for his son's death — and the granddaughter he never knew he had when they fled an abusive relationship. The film, which sat on the shelf for many months while its distributor Miramax was restructured, was generally dismissed as clichéd and overly sentimental. Meanwhile, Redford returned to familiar territory when he signed on to direct and star in an update of The Candidate.
He attended the University of Colorado in the 1950s and received an Honorary Degree in 1983.

In 1995, Redford received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Bard College. He was a 2002 Lifetime Achievement Award/Honorary Oscar recipient at the 74th Academy Awards.

In 1996, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

In December 2005, he received honors at the Kennedy Center for his contributions to American culture. The Honors recipients are recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts: whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures or television.

In 2008 he was awarded The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, one of the richest prizes in the arts, given annually to "a man or woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind’s enjoyment and understanding of life."

The University of Southern California (USC) School of Theater announced the first annual Robert Redford Award for Engaged Artists in 2009. According to the school's web site, the award was created "to honor those who have distinguished themselves not only in the exemplary quality, skill and innovation of their work, but also in their public commitment to social responsibility, to increasing awareness of global issues and events, and to inspiring and empowering young people."

Robert Redford received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Brown University at the 240th Commencement exercises on May 25, 2008. He also spoke during the ceremonies.

On 14 October 2010, he was appointed Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.
↓ Role↓ Notes
1960 Tall Story Basketball Player
1962 War Hunt Private Roy Loomis
1962 The Twilight Zone Harold Beldon 1 episode: "Nothing in the Dark"
1965 Inside Daisy Clover Wade Lewis
1965 Situation Hopeless ... But Not Serious Captain Hank Wilson
1966 This Property Is Condemned Owen Legate
1966 The Chase Charlie 'Bubber' Reeves
1967 Barefoot in the Park Paul Bratter
1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid The Sundance Kid BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
also for Downhill Racer and Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here
1969 Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here Deputy Sheriff Christopher 'Coop' Cooper BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
also for Downhill Racer and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
1969 Downhill Racer David Chappellet BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
also for Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
1970 Little Fauss and Big Halsy Halsy Knox
1972 Jeremiah Johnson Jeremiah Johnson
1972 The Candidate Bill McKay
1972 The Hot Rock John Archibald Dortmunder
1973 The Sting Johnny Hooker Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
1973 The Way We Were Hubbell Gardiner
1974 The Great Gatsby Jay Gatsby
1975 Three Days of the Condor Joseph Turner/The Condor
1975 The Great Waldo Pepper Waldo Pepper
1976 All the President's Men Bob Woodward
1977 A Bridge Too Far Major Julian Cook
1979 The Electric Horseman Norman 'Sonny' Steele
1980 Brubaker Henry Brubaker
1984 The Natural Roy Hobbs
1985 Out of Africa Denys Finch Hatton
1986 Legal Eagles Tom Logan
1990 Havana Jack Weil
1992 A River Runs Through It Narrator Voice only
Uncredited
Also Producer/Director
1992 Sneakers Martin "Marty" Bishop
1992 Incident at Oglala Narrator
1993 Indecent Proposal John Gage
1993 La Classe américaine Steven
1996 Up Close & Personal Warren Justice
1998 The Horse Whisperer Tom Booker Also Producer/Director
2001 Spy Game Nathan D. Muir
2001 The Last Castle Lt. Gen. Eugene Irwin
2004 The Clearing Wayne Hayes
2004 Sacred Planet Narrator
2005 An Unfinished Life Einar Gilkyson
2006 Charlotte's Web Ike Voice only
2007 Lions for Lambs Dr. Stephen Malley Also Producer/Director
Director
Year↓ Title↓ Notes
1980 Ordinary People Academy Award for Best Director
Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing — Feature Film
Golden Globe Award for Best Director
1988 The Milagro Beanfield War
1992 A River Runs Through It Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Director
1994 Quiz Show Nominated — Academy Award for Best Director
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Film
Nominated — Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing — Feature Film
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Director
1998 The Horse Whisperer Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Director
2000 The Legend of Bagger Vance
2007 Lions for Lambs
2010 The Conspirator
http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd347/moehowardfan/Robert%20Redford/gatsby_redford.jpg
http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/ii466/nadine55/Robert-Redford.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/18/11 at 11:24 am

Happy 75th birthday Mr. Redford!

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/18/11 at 12:49 pm


Happy 75th birthday Mr. Redford!
I cannot believe that he is 75!

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/18/11 at 1:04 pm


I cannot believe that he is 75!


I cannot believe it either.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/20/11 at 6:41 am


I cannot believe that he is 75!


I cannot believe it either.

I know he still looks good for his age.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/20/11 at 6:52 am

The person of the day...Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE (born 20 August 1948), is an English rock singer and songwriter, best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career. In 2007, Plant released Raising Sand, an album produced by T-Bone Burnett with American bluegrass soprano Alison Krauss, which won the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards.

With a career spanning more than 40 years, Plant is regarded as one of the most significant singers in the history of rock music, and has influenced contemporaries and later singers such as Freddie Mercury and Axl Rose. In 2006, heavy metal magazine Hit Parader named Plant the "Greatest Metal Vocalist of All-Time". In 2009, Plant was voted "the greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. In 2011, a Rolling Stone readers' pick placed Plant in first place of the magazine's "Best Lead Singers of All Time".
In 1968, the guitarist Jimmy Page was in search of a lead singer for his new band and met Plant after being turned down by his first choice, Terry Reid, who referred him to a show at a teacher training college in Birmingham— where Plant was singing in a band named Hobbstweedle. Page explained:

    When I auditioned him and heard him sing, I immediately thought there must be something wrong with him personality-wise or that he had to be impossible to work with, because I just could not understand why, after he told me he'd been singing for a few years already, he hadn't become a big name yet. So I had him down to my place for a little while, just to sort of check him out, and we got along great. No problems.

According to Plant:

    I was appearing at this college when Peter and Jimmy turned up and asked me if I'd like to join The Yardbirds. I knew The Yardbirds had done a lot of work in America - which to me meant audiences who would want to know what I might have to offer - so naturally I was very interested.

derivative of Plant's feather sigil used in the Led Zeppelin IV album

Plant and Page immediately hit it off with a shared musical passion and began their writing collaboration with reworkings of earlier blues songs, although Plant would receive no songwriting credits on the band's first album, allegedly because he was still under contract to CBS Records at the time. Plant brought along John Bonham as drummer, and they were joined by John Paul Jones, who had previously worked with Page as a studio musician. Jones called Page on the phone before they checked out Plant, and Page hired Jones immediately.

Initially dubbed the "New Yardbirds" in 1968, the band soon came to be known as Led Zeppelin. The band's self-titled debut album hit the charts in 1969 and is widely credited as a catalyst for the heavy metal genre. Plant has commented that it is unfair for people to think of Zeppelin as heavy metal, as almost a third of their music was acoustic.

In 1975, Plant and his wife Maureen (now divorced) were seriously injured in a car crash in Rhodes, Greece. This significantly affected the production of Led Zeppelin's seventh album Presence for a few months while he recovered, and forced the band to cancel the remaining tour dates for the year.

In July 1977 his son Karac died aged five of a stomach infection while Plant was engaged on Led Zeppelin's concert tour of the United States. It was a devastating loss for the family. Plant retreated to his home in the Midlands and for months afterward he questioned his future. Karac's death later inspired him to write the song "All My Love" in tribute, featured on Led Zeppelin's final studio LP, 1979's In Through the Out Door.
Plant did not begin writing song lyrics with Led Zeppelin until the making of Led Zeppelin II, in 1969. According to Jimmy Page:

    The most important thing about Led Zeppelin II is that up to that point I'd contributed lyrics. Robert hadn't written before, and it took a lot of ribbing to get him into writing, which was funny. And then, on the second LP, he wrote the words of Thank You. He said, "I'd like to have a crack at this and write it for my wife."

Plant's lyrics with Led Zeppelin were often mystical, philosophical and spiritual, alluding to events in classical and Norse mythology, such as the "Immigrant Song", which refers to Valhalla and Viking conquests. However, the song "No Quarter" is often misunderstood to refer to the god Thor; the song actually refers to Mount Thor (which is named after the god). Another example is "The Rain Song".

Plant was also influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien, whose book series inspired lyrics in some early Led Zeppelin songs. Most notably "The Battle of Evermore", "Misty Mountain Hop", "No Quarter", "Ramble On" and "Over the Hills and Far Away" contain verses referencing Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Conversely, Plant sometimes used more straightforward blues-based lyrics dealing primarily with sexual innuendo, as in "The Lemon Song", "Trampled Under Foot", and "Black Dog".

Welsh mythology also forms a basis of Plant's interest in mystical lyrics. He grew up close to the Welsh border and would often take summer trips to Snowdonia. Plant bought a Welsh sheep farm in 1973, and began taking Welsh lessons and looking into the mythology of the land (such as Black Book of Carmarthen, Book of Taliesin, etc.) Plant's first son, Karac, was named after the Welsh warrior Caratacus. The song "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is named after the 18th Century Welsh cottage Bron-Yr-Aur owned by a friend of his father; it later inspired the song "Bron-Yr-Aur". The songs "Misty Mountain Hop," "That's the Way", and early dabblings in what would become "Stairway to Heaven" were written in Wales and lyrically reflect Plant's mystical view of the land. Critic Steve Turner suggests that Plant's early and continued experiences in Wales served as the foundation for his broader interest in the mythologies he revisits in his lyrics (including those myth systems of Tolkien and the Norse).

The passion for diverse musical experiences drove Plant to explore Africa, specifically Marrakesh in Morocco where he encountered Umm Kulthum.

    I was intrigued by the scales, initially, and obviously the vocal work. The way she sang, the way she could hold a note, you could feel the tension, you could tell that everybody, the whole orchestra, would hold a note until she wanted to change.

That musical inspiration eventually culminated in the classic track "Kashmir" (which is not in North Africa, but rather in India). Both he and Jimmy Page revisited these influences during their reunion album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded in 1994. In his solo career, Plant again tapped from these influences many times, most notably in the 2002 album, Dreamland.

Arguably one of Plant's most significant achievements with Led Zeppelin was his contribution to the track "Stairway to Heaven", an epic rock ballad featured on Led Zeppelin IV that drew influence from folk, blues, Celtic traditional music and hard rock among other genres. Most of the lyrics of the song were written spontaneously by Plant in 1970 at Headley Grange. While never released as a single, the song has topped charts as the greatest song of all time on various polls around the world.

Plant is also recognised for his lyrical improvisation in Led Zeppelin's live performances, often singing verses previously unheard on studio recordings. One of the most famous Led Zeppelin musical devices involves Plant's vocal mimicking of band mate Jimmy Page's guitar effects. This can be heard in the songs "How Many More Times", "Dazed and Confused", "The Lemon Song", "You Shook Me", "Nobody's Fault but Mine" and "Sick Again".

He is also known for his light-hearted, humorous, and unusual on-stage banter, often referred to as "plantations." Plant often discusses the origin and background of the songs during his shows, and sometimes provides social comment as well. He frequently talks about American blues musicians as his inspiration, mentioning artists like Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Blind Willie Johnson, and Willie Dixon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the 2007 Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert with Led Zeppelin.
Stage persona
Plant (left) with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page performing live

Plant enjoyed great success with Led Zeppelin throughout the 1970s and developed a compelling image as the charismatic rock-and-roll front man, similar to his contemporary in The Who, singer Roger Daltrey (who adopted the look in the late 1960s), Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, and his other fellow contemporary, Jim Morrison of The Doors. With his mane of long blond hair and powerful, bare-chested appearance, Plant helped to create the "god of rock and roll" or "rock god" archetype. On stage, Plant was particularly active in live performances, often dancing, jumping, skipping, snapping his fingers, clapping, making emphatic gestures to emphasise a lyric or cymbal crash, throwing back his head, or placing his hands on his hips. As the 1960s-1970s progressed he, along with the other members of Led Zeppelin, became increasingly flamboyant on-stage and wore more elaborate, colourful clothing and jewellery.

According to Classic Rock magazine, "once had a couple of US tours under his belt, 'Percy' Plant swiftly developed a staggering degree of bravado and swagger that irrefutably enhanced Led Zeppelin's rapidly burgeoning appeal." In 1994, during his "Unledded" tour with Jimmy Page, Plant himself reflected tongue-in-cheek upon his Led Zeppelin showmanship:

    I can't take my whole persona as a singer back then very seriously. It's not some great work of beauty and love to be a rock-and-roll singer. So I got a few moves from Elvis and one or two from Sonny Boy Williamson II and Howlin' Wolf and threw them all together.

Robert Plant is one of the most significant singers in rock music and has influenced the style of many of his contemporaries, including Geddy Lee, Ann Wilson, Sammy Hagar, and later rock vocalists such as Jeff Buckley and Jack White who imitated his performing style extensively. Freddie Mercury of Queen, and Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses were also influenced by Plant. Encyclopædia Britannica notes "Exaggerating the vocal style and expressive palette of blues singers such as Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, Plant created the sound that has defined much hard rock and heavy metal singing: a high range, an abundance of distortion, loud volume, and emotional excess". Plant received the Knebworth Silver Clef Award in 1990.

In 2006, heavy metal magazine Hit Parader named Plant #1 on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All-Time, a list which included Rob Halford (2), Steven Tyler (3), Freddie Mercury (6), and Geddy Lee (13), Paul Stanley (18), all of whom were influenced by Plant. In 2008, Rolling Stone named Plant as number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All-Time. In 2009, he was voted the "greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. Plant was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for his "services to popular music". He was included in the Q magazine's 2009 list of "Artists Of The Century" and was ranked at number 8 in their list of "100 Greatest Singers" in 2007. In 2009, Plant also won the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize at the Q Awards. He was placed at no. 3 on SPIN's list of "The 50 Greatest Rock Frontmen of All Time".

On 20 September 2010 National Public Radio (NPR) named Plant as one of the "50 Great Voices" in the world.
Solo discography
Zzzp.JPG Led Zeppelin portal
Main article: Robert Plant discography
http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k401/valderocks/robert_plant.jpg
http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/ee340/ManyInnocentWords/Robert%20Plant/robert-plant-2007.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/20/11 at 7:04 am


The person of the day...Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE (born 20 August 1948), is an English rock singer and songwriter, best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career. In 2007, Plant released Raising Sand, an album produced by T-Bone Burnett with American bluegrass soprano Alison Krauss, which won the 2009 Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards.

With a career spanning more than 40 years, Plant is regarded as one of the most significant singers in the history of rock music, and has influenced contemporaries and later singers such as Freddie Mercury and Axl Rose. In 2006, heavy metal magazine Hit Parader named Plant the "Greatest Metal Vocalist of All-Time". In 2009, Plant was voted "the greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. In 2011, a Rolling Stone readers' pick placed Plant in first place of the magazine's "Best Lead Singers of All Time".
In 1968, the guitarist Jimmy Page was in search of a lead singer for his new band and met Plant after being turned down by his first choice, Terry Reid, who referred him to a show at a teacher training college in Birmingham— where Plant was singing in a band named Hobbstweedle. Page explained:

    When I auditioned him and heard him sing, I immediately thought there must be something wrong with him personality-wise or that he had to be impossible to work with, because I just could not understand why, after he told me he'd been singing for a few years already, he hadn't become a big name yet. So I had him down to my place for a little while, just to sort of check him out, and we got along great. No problems.

According to Plant:

    I was appearing at this college when Peter and Jimmy turned up and asked me if I'd like to join The Yardbirds. I knew The Yardbirds had done a lot of work in America - which to me meant audiences who would want to know what I might have to offer - so naturally I was very interested.

derivative of Plant's feather sigil used in the Led Zeppelin IV album

Plant and Page immediately hit it off with a shared musical passion and began their writing collaboration with reworkings of earlier blues songs, although Plant would receive no songwriting credits on the band's first album, allegedly because he was still under contract to CBS Records at the time. Plant brought along John Bonham as drummer, and they were joined by John Paul Jones, who had previously worked with Page as a studio musician. Jones called Page on the phone before they checked out Plant, and Page hired Jones immediately.

Initially dubbed the "New Yardbirds" in 1968, the band soon came to be known as Led Zeppelin. The band's self-titled debut album hit the charts in 1969 and is widely credited as a catalyst for the heavy metal genre. Plant has commented that it is unfair for people to think of Zeppelin as heavy metal, as almost a third of their music was acoustic.

In 1975, Plant and his wife Maureen (now divorced) were seriously injured in a car crash in Rhodes, Greece. This significantly affected the production of Led Zeppelin's seventh album Presence for a few months while he recovered, and forced the band to cancel the remaining tour dates for the year.

In July 1977 his son Karac died aged five of a stomach infection while Plant was engaged on Led Zeppelin's concert tour of the United States. It was a devastating loss for the family. Plant retreated to his home in the Midlands and for months afterward he questioned his future. Karac's death later inspired him to write the song "All My Love" in tribute, featured on Led Zeppelin's final studio LP, 1979's In Through the Out Door.
Plant did not begin writing song lyrics with Led Zeppelin until the making of Led Zeppelin II, in 1969. According to Jimmy Page:

    The most important thing about Led Zeppelin II is that up to that point I'd contributed lyrics. Robert hadn't written before, and it took a lot of ribbing to get him into writing, which was funny. And then, on the second LP, he wrote the words of Thank You. He said, "I'd like to have a crack at this and write it for my wife."

Plant's lyrics with Led Zeppelin were often mystical, philosophical and spiritual, alluding to events in classical and Norse mythology, such as the "Immigrant Song", which refers to Valhalla and Viking conquests. However, the song "No Quarter" is often misunderstood to refer to the god Thor; the song actually refers to Mount Thor (which is named after the god). Another example is "The Rain Song".

Plant was also influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien, whose book series inspired lyrics in some early Led Zeppelin songs. Most notably "The Battle of Evermore", "Misty Mountain Hop", "No Quarter", "Ramble On" and "Over the Hills and Far Away" contain verses referencing Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Conversely, Plant sometimes used more straightforward blues-based lyrics dealing primarily with sexual innuendo, as in "The Lemon Song", "Trampled Under Foot", and "Black Dog".

Welsh mythology also forms a basis of Plant's interest in mystical lyrics. He grew up close to the Welsh border and would often take summer trips to Snowdonia. Plant bought a Welsh sheep farm in 1973, and began taking Welsh lessons and looking into the mythology of the land (such as Black Book of Carmarthen, Book of Taliesin, etc.) Plant's first son, Karac, was named after the Welsh warrior Caratacus. The song "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is named after the 18th Century Welsh cottage Bron-Yr-Aur owned by a friend of his father; it later inspired the song "Bron-Yr-Aur". The songs "Misty Mountain Hop," "That's the Way", and early dabblings in what would become "Stairway to Heaven" were written in Wales and lyrically reflect Plant's mystical view of the land. Critic Steve Turner suggests that Plant's early and continued experiences in Wales served as the foundation for his broader interest in the mythologies he revisits in his lyrics (including those myth systems of Tolkien and the Norse).

The passion for diverse musical experiences drove Plant to explore Africa, specifically Marrakesh in Morocco where he encountered Umm Kulthum.

    I was intrigued by the scales, initially, and obviously the vocal work. The way she sang, the way she could hold a note, you could feel the tension, you could tell that everybody, the whole orchestra, would hold a note until she wanted to change.

That musical inspiration eventually culminated in the classic track "Kashmir" (which is not in North Africa, but rather in India). Both he and Jimmy Page revisited these influences during their reunion album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded in 1994. In his solo career, Plant again tapped from these influences many times, most notably in the 2002 album, Dreamland.

Arguably one of Plant's most significant achievements with Led Zeppelin was his contribution to the track "Stairway to Heaven", an epic rock ballad featured on Led Zeppelin IV that drew influence from folk, blues, Celtic traditional music and hard rock among other genres. Most of the lyrics of the song were written spontaneously by Plant in 1970 at Headley Grange. While never released as a single, the song has topped charts as the greatest song of all time on various polls around the world.

Plant is also recognised for his lyrical improvisation in Led Zeppelin's live performances, often singing verses previously unheard on studio recordings. One of the most famous Led Zeppelin musical devices involves Plant's vocal mimicking of band mate Jimmy Page's guitar effects. This can be heard in the songs "How Many More Times", "Dazed and Confused", "The Lemon Song", "You Shook Me", "Nobody's Fault but Mine" and "Sick Again".

He is also known for his light-hearted, humorous, and unusual on-stage banter, often referred to as "plantations." Plant often discusses the origin and background of the songs during his shows, and sometimes provides social comment as well. He frequently talks about American blues musicians as his inspiration, mentioning artists like Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Blind Willie Johnson, and Willie Dixon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the 2007 Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert with Led Zeppelin.
Stage persona
Plant (left) with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page performing live

Plant enjoyed great success with Led Zeppelin throughout the 1970s and developed a compelling image as the charismatic rock-and-roll front man, similar to his contemporary in The Who, singer Roger Daltrey (who adopted the look in the late 1960s), Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, and his other fellow contemporary, Jim Morrison of The Doors. With his mane of long blond hair and powerful, bare-chested appearance, Plant helped to create the "god of rock and roll" or "rock god" archetype. On stage, Plant was particularly active in live performances, often dancing, jumping, skipping, snapping his fingers, clapping, making emphatic gestures to emphasise a lyric or cymbal crash, throwing back his head, or placing his hands on his hips. As the 1960s-1970s progressed he, along with the other members of Led Zeppelin, became increasingly flamboyant on-stage and wore more elaborate, colourful clothing and jewellery.

According to Classic Rock magazine, "once had a couple of US tours under his belt, 'Percy' Plant swiftly developed a staggering degree of bravado and swagger that irrefutably enhanced Led Zeppelin's rapidly burgeoning appeal." In 1994, during his "Unledded" tour with Jimmy Page, Plant himself reflected tongue-in-cheek upon his Led Zeppelin showmanship:

    I can't take my whole persona as a singer back then very seriously. It's not some great work of beauty and love to be a rock-and-roll singer. So I got a few moves from Elvis and one or two from Sonny Boy Williamson II and Howlin' Wolf and threw them all together.

Robert Plant is one of the most significant singers in rock music and has influenced the style of many of his contemporaries, including Geddy Lee, Ann Wilson, Sammy Hagar, and later rock vocalists such as Jeff Buckley and Jack White who imitated his performing style extensively. Freddie Mercury of Queen, and Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses were also influenced by Plant. Encyclopædia Britannica notes "Exaggerating the vocal style and expressive palette of blues singers such as Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, Plant created the sound that has defined much hard rock and heavy metal singing: a high range, an abundance of distortion, loud volume, and emotional excess". Plant received the Knebworth Silver Clef Award in 1990.

In 2006, heavy metal magazine Hit Parader named Plant #1 on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All-Time, a list which included Rob Halford (2), Steven Tyler (3), Freddie Mercury (6), and Geddy Lee (13), Paul Stanley (18), all of whom were influenced by Plant. In 2008, Rolling Stone named Plant as number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All-Time. In 2009, he was voted the "greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. Plant was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for his "services to popular music". He was included in the Q magazine's 2009 list of "Artists Of The Century" and was ranked at number 8 in their list of "100 Greatest Singers" in 2007. In 2009, Plant also won the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize at the Q Awards. He was placed at no. 3 on SPIN's list of "The 50 Greatest Rock Frontmen of All Time".

On 20 September 2010 National Public Radio (NPR) named Plant as one of the "50 Great Voices" in the world.
Solo discography
Zzzp.JPG Led Zeppelin portal
Main article: Robert Plant discography
http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k401/valderocks/robert_plant.jpg
http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/ee340/ManyInnocentWords/Robert%20Plant/robert-plant-2007.jpg


Didn't he sing Sea of Love with The Honeydrippers? ???

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/20/11 at 1:36 pm


Didn't he sing Sea of Love with The Honeydrippers? ???

Yes

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/21/11 at 6:41 pm

The person of the day...Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE (born 20 August 1948), is an English rock singer and songwriter, best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career. In 2007, Plant released Raising Sand, an album produced by T-Bone Burnett with American bluegrass soprano Alison Krauss, which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards.

The two of them also collaborated for the song which won Record Of The Year at the 51st Grammy Awards.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/22/11 at 12:31 pm


The two of them also collaborated for the song which won Record Of The Year at the 51st Grammy Awards.

Oh I see it was the record not the album that won..Thanks Jeff. :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/22/11 at 12:34 pm

The person of the day...Tori Amos
Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument. Some of her charting singles include "Crucify", "Silent All These Years", "God", "Cornflake Girl", "Caught a Lite Sneeze", "Professional Widow", "Spark", "1000 Oceans", and "A Sorta Fairytale", her most commercially successful single in the U.S. to date.

As of 2005, Amos had sold 12 million albums worldwide. She has been nominated for 8 Grammy Awards. Amos was also named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1996. Amos has also been recognized as one of the top live acts of all time by a Rolling Stone poll in 2003, in which she placed at #5.
In 1986, Amos formed a music group, Y Kant Tori Read, the name of which was a reference to her days at the Peabody Conservatory, where she was able to play songs on her piano by ear, but was never successful at sight reading. In addition to Amos, the group was composed of Steve Caton (who would later play guitars on all her subsequent albums until 1999), drummer Matt Sorum, bass player Brad Cobb and, for a short time, keyboardist Jim Tauber. Following several phases of writing and recording, during which Amos has since asserted that the band lost their musical edge and direction due to interference from record executives, in July 1988, the Y Kant Tori Read's self-titled debut album was released. Although its producer, Joe Chiccarelli, has stated that Amos was very happy with the album at the time, it is now out of print and Amos has expressed no interest in reissuing it. Following the album's commercial failure and the group's subsequent disbanding, Amos began working with other artists (including Stan Ridgway, Sandra Bernhard, and Al Stewart) as a backup vocalist. She also recorded a song called "Distant Storm" for the film China O'Brien; in the credits, the song is attributed to a band called Tess Makes Good. It was the only song recorded by the band, and its only commercial release was in the film.
Solo career

Despite the disappointing reaction to Y Kant Tori Read, Amos still had to comply with her six record contract with Atlantic Records, who in 1989 wanted a new record by March 1990. The initial recordings were declined by the label, which Amos felt was because the album had not been properly presented. The album was reworked and expanded under the guidance of Doug Morris and the musical talents of Steve Caton, Eric Rosse, Will MacGregor, Carlo Nuccio, and Dan Nebenzal, resulting in Little Earthquakes, an album recounting her religious upbringing, sexual awakening, struggle to establish her identity, and sexual assault.

Amos traveled to New Mexico with personal and professional partner Eric Rosse in 1993 to write and largely record her second solo record, Under the Pink. The album was received with mostly favorable reviews and sold enough copies to chart at #12 on the Billboard 200, a significantly higher position than the preceding album's position at #54 on the same chart.
Amos performing on her Dew Drop Inn tour in 1996

Her third solo album, Boys for Pele, was released in January 1996. The album was recorded in an Irish church, in Delgany, County Wicklow, with Amos taking advantage of the church recording setting to create an album ripe with baroque influences, lending it a darker sound and style. She added harpsichord, harmonium, and clavichord to her keyboard repertoire, and also included such anomalies as a gospel choir, bagpipes, church bells, and drum programming. The album garnered mixed reviews upon its release, with some critics praising its intensity and uniqueness while others bemoaned its comparative impenetrability. Despite the album's erratic lyrical content and instrumentation, the latter of which kept it away from mainstream audiences, Boys for Pele is Amos's most successful simultaneous transatlantic release, reaching #2 on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Top 40 upon its release at the height of her fame.

Fueled by the desire to have her own recording studio to distance herself from record company executives, Amos had the barn of her home in Cornwall converted into a state-of-the-art recording studio, Martian Engineering Studios.

From the Choirgirl Hotel and To Venus and Back, released in May 1998 and September 1999, respectively, differ greatly from previous albums as Amos's trademark acoustic piano-based sound is largely replaced with arrangements that include elements of electronica, dance music, vocal washes and sonic landscapes. The underlying themes of both albums deal with womanhood, and Amos's own miscarriages and marriage. Reviews for From the Choirgirl Hotel were mostly favorable and praised Amos's continued artistic originality. While not her highest chart debut, debut sales for From the Choirgirl Hotel are Amos's best to date, selling 153,000 copies in its first week. To Venus and Back, a two-disc release of original studio material and live material recorded from the previous world tour, received mostly positive reviews and included the first major-label single available for sale as a digital download.

Motherhood inspired Amos to produce a cover album, recording songs written by men about women and reversing the gender roles to show a woman's perspective. That idea grew into Strange Little Girls, released in September 2001, one year after giving birth to her daughter. The album is Amos's first concept album, with artwork featuring Amos photographed in character of the women portrayed in each song. Amos would later reveal that a stimulus for the album was to end her contract with Atlantic without giving them new original songs; Amos felt that since 1998, the label had not been properly promoting her and had trapped her in a contract by refusing to sell her to another label.
Epic Records years (2002–07)

With her Atlantic contract fulfilled after a 15-year stint, Amos signed to Epic in late 2001. In October 2002, Amos released Scarlet's Walk, another concept album. Described as a "sonic novel", the album explores Amos's alter ego, Scarlet, intertwined with her cross-country concert tour following 9/11. Through the songs, Amos explores such topics as the history of America, American people, Native American history, pornography, masochism, homophobia and misogyny. The album had a strong debut, demonstrating that Amos' fan base remained intact through the label change. However, Scarlet's Walk is Amos' last album to date to reach certified gold status.
Amos in concert in June, 2005

Not long after Amos was ensconced with her new label, she received unsettling news when Polly Anthony resigned as president of Epic Records in 2003. Anthony had been one of the primary reasons Amos signed with the label and as a result of her resignation, Amos formed the Bridge Entertainment Group. Further trouble for Amos occurred the following year when her label, Epic/Sony Music Entertainment, merged with BMG Entertainment as a result of the industry's decline. Amos would later hint in interviews that during the creation of her next album, those in charge at the label following the aforementioned merger were interested "only in making money", the effects of which on the album have not been disclosed.

Amos released two more albums with the label, The Beekeeper (2005) and American Doll Posse (2007). Both albums received mixed reviews, some of which stated that the albums suffered from being too long. The Beekeeper was conceptually influenced by the ancient art of beekeeping, which she considered a source of female inspiration and empowerment. Through extensive study, Amos also wove in the stories of the Gnostic gospels and the removal of women from a position of power within the Christian church to create an album based largely on religion and politics. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, placing her in an elite group of women who have secured five or more US Top 10 album debuts. American Doll Posse, another concept album, was fashioned around a group of girls (the "posse") who are used as a theme of alter-egos of Amos's. Musically and stylistically, the album saw Amos return to a more confrontational nature. Like its predecessor, American Doll Posse debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200.

During her tenure with Epic Records, Amos also released a retrospective collection titled Tales of a Librarian (2003) through her former label, Atlantic Records; a two-disc DVD set Fade to Red (2006) containing most of Amos's solo music videos, released through the Warner Bros. reissue imprint Rhino; a five disc box set titled A Piano: The Collection (2006), celebrating Amos's 15 year solo career through remastered album tracks, remixes, alternate mixes, demos, and a string of unreleased songs from album recording sessions, also released through Rhino; and numerous official bootlegs from two world tours, The Original Bootlegs (2005) and Legs & Boots (2007) through Epic Records.
Universal Republic years (2008–2011)

In May 2008, Amos announced that, due to creative and financial disagreements with Epic Records, she had negotiated an end to her contract with the record label, and would be operating independently of major record labels on future work. In September of the same year, Amos released a live album and DVD, Live at Montreux 1991/1992, through Eagle Rock Entertainment, of two performances she gave at the Montreux Jazz Festival very early on in her career while promoting her debut solo-album, Little Earthquakes. By December, after a chance encounter with chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, Doug Morris, Amos signed a "joint venture" deal Universal Republic Records.

Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Amos's tenth solo studio-album and her first album released through Universal Republic, was released in May 2009 to mostly positive reviews. The album debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, making it the Amos' seventh album to do so. Abnormally Attracted to Sin, admitted Amos, was a "personal album", not a conceptual one. Continuing her distribution deal with Universal Republic, Amos released Midwinter Graces, her first seasonal album, in November of the same year. The album features reworked versions of traditional carols, as well as original songs written by Amos.

During her contract with the label, Amos recorded vocals for two songs for David Byrne's collaboration album with Fatboy Slim, entitled Here Lies Love, which was released in April 2010. In July of the same year, the DVD Tori Amos- Live from the Artists Den was released exclusively through Barnes & Noble.

After a brief tour from June to September 2010, Amos released the highly exclusive live album "From Russia With Love" in December the same year, recorded live in Moscow on 3 September 2010. The limited edition set included a signature edition Lomography Diana F+ camera, along with 2 lenses, a roll of film and 1 of 5 photographs taken of Tori during her time in Moscow. The set was released exclusively through toriamos.com and only 2000 were produced. It is currently unknown as to whether the album will receive a mass release.
Deutsche Grammophon (2011-Present)

Currently Amos is writing the music for Samuel Adamson's musical adaptation of the George MacDonald story The Light Princess for the Royal National Theatre, which is expected to debut in 2012, as well as her own new project entitled Night of Hunters set for a release in September 2011. The first leg of new tour dates to promote the album are set for autumn 2011. Amos released a statement describing the record on her website toriamos.com as well as in a newsletter to fans. "It's a 21st century song cycle inspired by classical music themes spanning over 400 years. I have used the structure of a song cycle to tell an ongoing, modern story. The protagonist is a woman who finds herself in the dying embers of a relationship. In the course of one night she goes through an initiation of sorts that leads her to reinvent herself allowing the listener to follow her on a journey to explore complex musical and emotional subject matter. One of the main themes explored on this album is the hunter and the hunted and how both exist within us.” The album will be released by the label Deutsche Grammophon a division of Universal Music Group.
In print

Released in conjunction with The Beekeeper, Amos co-authored an autobiography with rock music journalist Ann Powers entitled Piece by Piece (2005). The book's subject is Amos's interest in mythology and religion, exploring her songwriting process, rise to fame, and her relationship with Atlantic Records.

Image Comics released Comic Book Tattoo (2008), a collection of comic stories, each based on or inspired by songs recorded by Amos. Editor Rantz Hoseley worked with Amos to gather 80 different artists for the book, including Pia Guerra, David Mack, and Leah Moore.

Other publications include Tori Amos: Lyrics (2001) and an earlier biography, Tori Amos: All These Years (1996). Additionally, Amos and her music have been the subject of numerous official and unofficial books, as well as academic criticism.
In June 1994, Amos co-founded RAINN, The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, a toll-free help line in the US connecting callers with their local rape crisis center. Amos, herself a survivor of sexual assault, was seen as unlocking the silence of her assault through her music; thus "Unlock the Silence" went on to become a year-long campaign for RAINN when Amos became a national spokesperson for the organization. By the summer of 2006, RAINN had received its one millionth caller and the organization's success has led to it ranking in "America's 100 Best Charities" by Worth, and one of the "Top 10 Best Charities" by Marie Claire.
Discography
Main article: Tori Amos discography

To date, Amos has released eleven studio albums throughout her solo career, nine of which were self-produced.

    Little Earthquakes (1992)
    Under The Pink (1994)
    Boys For Pele (1996)
    From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998)
    To Venus and Back (1999)
    Strange Little Girls (2001)
    Scarlet's Walk (2002)
    The Beekeeper (2005)
    American Doll Posse (2007)
    Abnormally Attracted to Sin (2009)
    Midwinter Graces (2009)
    Night of Hunters (2011) (currently unreleased)

Additionally, Amos has released over 30 singles, over 60 B-sides, and has contributed to nine film soundtracks, including Higher Learning (1995), Escape From L.A. (1996), Great Expectations (1998) and Mission: Impossible II (2000) among others.
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr258/cornishmonkey/tori-amos.jpg
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/MoccasinsAndPcp/Tori%20Amos/ToriAmos7.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/22/11 at 2:06 pm


Oh I see it was the record not the album that won..Thanks Jeff. :)

Actually, both of them won...Record and Album Of The Year. 8)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/22/11 at 2:13 pm


The person of the day...Tori Amos
Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument. Some of her charting singles include "Crucify", "Silent All These Years", "God", "Cornflake Girl", "Caught a Lite Sneeze", "Professional Widow", "Spark", "1000 Oceans", and "A Sorta Fairytale", her most commercially successful single in the U.S. to date.

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr258/cornishmonkey/tori-amos.jpg
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/MoccasinsAndPcp/Tori%20Amos/ToriAmos7.jpg

Yes, she is a great musician. "Silent All These Years" is probably my favorite track of hers. It was originally from the Little Earthquakes album, from 1992, but it was revived 5 years later; a local radio station in L.A. was playing it just about every day and I became hooked on it.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/23/11 at 8:39 am


Actually, both of them won...Record and Album Of The Year. 8)

Nice :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/23/11 at 8:44 am

The person of the day...Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe; 23 August 1949) is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group, Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single, "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States. He had a No. 1 hit with "Jessie's Girl" in 1981 in both Australia and the US. He received the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Jessie's Girl". He followed with four more top 10 US hits, "I've Done Everything for You", "Don't Talk to Strangers", "Affair of the Heart" and "Love Somebody". His two US top 10 albums are Working Class Dog (1981) and Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982). As an actor, he portrayed Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime drama General Hospital, from 1981 to 1983 and during 2005 to 2008. In 2010, Springfield published his autobiography, Late, Late at Night : a Memoir.
Rick Springield was 13 when he first played guitar, and formed a band, Icy Blues, while still in high school. Springfield left school in his late teens. In 1964, he joined Moppa Blues as a guitarist alongside fellow guitarist Mike Elliott. They changed their name, first to Group X and then to Daniel Jones Ensemble by 1967. Other members of that group included Daniel Jones, Dennis Magee, and John Morgan. In 1968, Springfield was approached by Pete Watson (ex-MPD Ltd, bass guitarist) to join his group Rockhouse and he was first referred to as 'Rick Springfield'. Later in the year, Watson changed the band's name to MPD Ltd, and in October – when Springfield was 19 years old – they toured South Vietnam to entertain Australian troops. Another member of MPD Ltd was Danny Finley (drummer) and, upon returned to Australia, with Springfield they formed Wickedy Wak. They were joined by Phil Blackmore on keyboards and Dick Howard. Go-Set journalist, Ian "Molly" Meldrum, produced Wickedy Wak's single, "Billie's Bikie Boys" with Beeb Birtles of pop rock group Zoot as a backing vocalist.

In September 1969, Springfield replaced Roger Hicks as lead guitarist and vocalist in Zoot, with Birtles on bass guitar and vocals, Darryl Cotton on lead vocals and guitar, and Rick Brewer on drums. Upon joining Zoot, Springfield adopted the Think Pink - Think Zoot theme that had the band members dressed head to toe in pink satin. The publicity gimmick brought attention to the group and attracted significant numbers of teenage girl fans, however it caused problems in establishing their credibility as serious rock musicians. Zoot's fifth single, "Hey Pinky", was written by Springfield. The group attempted to shake off their teeny-bopper image. They followed with a hard rock cover version of The Beatles' hit "Eleanor Rigby", which peaked at No. 4 on Go-Set's Top 40 in March 1971. Despite another hit single with "Freak" in April, which was written by Springfield, the band broke-up in May.

Springfield signed with Sparmac Records and issued his début solo single, "Speak to the Sky" in October, which peaked at No. 5 on the Go-Set singles chart. Sparmac label owner, Robie Porter, was also producer and manager for Springfield. After recording his début album, Beginnings in London, Springfield moved to the United States in mid-1972. For the album, Springfield provided all the songwriting, lead vocals, guitar, keyboard and banjo. "Speak to the Sky" was issued in the US by Capitol Records and peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September. His début album Beginnings was the first of seven top 40 albums on the related Billboard 200. However, follow-up success was hampered by rumours that Capitol Records paid people to purchase Springfield's albums, which led to some radio stations boycotting his music.

In 1973, Springfield signed to Columbia Records and recorded his second album, Comic Book Heroes, which was also produced by Porter. In Australia, it was released on Porter's new label, Wizard Records, the album and its two singles failed to chart. Springfield was promoted as a teeny pop idol similar to David Cassidy and Donny Osmond. From September, he starred as "himself" in the ABC-TV Saturday morning cartoon series Mission: Magic!, for which he usually wrote and performed an original song in each episode. In 1974, Springfield issued an Australia-only album, Mission: Magic! which was "full of infectious bubblegum pop songs". His single, "Take a Hand", reached the US top 50 in 1976 and was from the album Wait for Night, which was issued by his new label Chelsea Records. The album was produced by Mark Smith (engineer for Bachman–Turner Overdrive). During the late 1970s Springfield concentrated more on his acting career, guest starring in a number of prime time television dramas.

Springfield continued to write and record, and in 1981 released his next album, Working Class Dog, it spawned the single, "Jessie's Girl", which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. It became a worldwide hit. Springfield won the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Working Class Dog reached No.7 on the Billboard 200. Another top 10 single from the album was the Sammy Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything for You". Springfield went on to have success with follow-up albums Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982) and Living in Oz (1983).

In 1984, Springfield starred in his own movie, Hard to Hold and recorded the majority of the material on the accompanying soundtrack. This soundtrack included his top-ten hit, "Love Somebody" as well as several moderately successful follow-up singles. However, the movie itself was not successful, and the soundtrack's success (though higher than that of the movie) paled in comparison to previous Springfield albums. Nonetheless, Springfield released his next album, Tao in 1985, scoring several modest hits from this release, including "State of the Heart" and "Celebrate Youth." That same year, Springfield was one of several performers who participated in the Live Aid charity concert. Around this time, he took a brief hiatus from recording.

In 1995, Springfield formed a side-project, Sahara Snow, with Tim Pierce on guitar and Bob Marlette on keyboards and percussion, which released a self-titled album in 1997.

Springfield was a judge for the eighth annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.
Acting

In 1978, he played the character of Zac in Saga of a Star World, which was, with some differences, the pilot episode of the original Battlestar Galactica TV series. He also co-starred as "Keith Stewart" in episode 17, season 4 ("Dwarf in a Helium Hat") of The Rockford Files. In 1981, Springfield became a soap opera star on General Hospital. He had signed a contract with RCA Records and already recorded the album Working Class Dog, which neither he nor his agent had expected would do very well, which is why Springfield took the soap role. But the song "Jessie's Girl" went to #1, and Springfield ended up both playing the role of Dr. Noah Drake from 1981 through 1983, while simultaneously going on tour with his band. The success of the song boosted the ratings of the show, which according to Springfield "became the biggest show on TV for that summer," and the fame from the show likewise boosted the sale of the song.

In 1984, Springfield made one full length feature film, Hard to Hold, and in 1998 he played in the film Legion. Springfield also wrote the soundtrack for Hard To Hold. In 1992, he played the title role in the short-lived ABC series Human Target, based on the DC Comics character of the same name.

In 1989, Springfield starred in the film Nick Knight (Nick Knight in which he played an 800 year old vampire seeking a cure for his condition. The film was later remade as the first 2 episodes of the servies Forever Knight).

In 1991, Springfield appeared in the made for TV movie, Dying to Dance,

In addition to the roles on television and in film, Springfield also acted in musical theatre. In 1995, he was a member of the original Broadway cast of the musical Smokey Joe's Cafe. This Tony Award-nominated musical featured the songs of rock & roll songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. From February 2000 through December 2002, Springfield performed in EFX Alive! at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Rick stars in several episodes of the third season of Showtime's Californication. His first appearance was in episode 3 on 11 October 2009, in which he plays a "twisted version of himself"; a "hedonistic Rick Springfield" from the past.

Springfield also starred in "Ho'ohuli Na'au", an episode of Hawaii Five-0. He played the role of photographer Renny Sinclair.
General Hospital
See also: Noah Drake and Eli Love

In December 2005, Springfield was asked by the General Hospital producers to return to the show, and he returned to his role as Dr. Noah Drake after a 23-year absence. His run was subsequently extended, although as of 2007 he remains a guest star on recurring status, and not a full contract cast member.
Main article: Rick Springfield discography

    Beginnings (1972)
    Comic Book Heroes (1973)
    Mission Magic! (1974)
    Wait for Night (1976)
    Working Class Dog (1981)
    Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982)
    Living in Oz (1983)
    Hard to Hold (1984)
    Tao (1985)
    Rock of Life (1988)
    Karma (1999)
    Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance (2004)
    The Day After Yesterday (2005)
    Christmas With You (2007)
    Venus in Overdrive (2008)
    My Precious Little One: Lullabies For A New Generation (2009)

Awards and Nominations

Grammy Awards
Year Nominated work Award Result
1982 "Jesse's Girl" Best Rock Vocal Male Performance Won
1983 "I Get Excited" Best Rock Vocal Male Performance Nominated
1983 "Don't Talk To Strangers" Best Pop Vocal Performance Male Nominated
1984 "Affair of the Heart" Best Rock Vocal Male Performance Nominated
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk32/msmaneka/rick-springfield-2.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/wanavanza/scraps/rick.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/23/11 at 11:44 am

"Jessie's Girl" still gets played frequently on the radio, 30 years later.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 08/23/11 at 4:11 pm

Always loved this one:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCJ7_ilsQXM


No, I was not watching GH when he was on it.




Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/23/11 at 8:11 pm


"Jessie's Girl" still gets played frequently on the radio, 30 years later.


one of my favorites.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/25/11 at 9:16 am

The person of the day...Tim Burton
Timothy Walter "Tim" Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and for blockbusters such as Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Batman, Batman Returns, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland, his most recent film, that was the second highest-grossing film of 2010 as well as the sixth highest-grossing film of all time. Among Burton's many collaborators are Johnny Depp, who became a close friend since their first film together, musician Danny Elfman (who has composed for all but five of the films Burton has directed and/or produced) and domestic partner Helena Bonham Carter. He also wrote and illustrated the poetry book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, published in 1997, and a compilation of his drawings, entitled The Art of Tim Burton, was released in 2009.

Burton has directed 14 films as of 2010, and has produced 10 as of 2009. His next films are an adaptation of the soap opera Dark Shadows, scheduled to be released on May 11, 2012, and a remake of his 1984 short, Frankenweenie, scheduled to be released on October 5, 2012.
Future projects

Burton plans to remake his 1984 short film Frankenweenie as a feature length stop motion film, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is set to be released on October 5, 2012. He is also set to direct a film adaptation based on the television series Dark Shadows. Johnny Depp will portray Barnabas Collins as well as co-produce the film, and Seth Grahame-Smith is currently writing the script. However, Dark Shadows will be pushed back due to Depp and Burton's commitments to other projects. During Comic-Con 2009, Burton confirmed that Dark Shadows will be his next film.

On January 19, 2010, it was announced that after Dark Shadows, Burton's next project would be a Wicked-like film that showed the origin and the past of Sleeping Beauty's antagonist Maleficent. In an interview with Fandango published February 23, 2010, however, he denied he was directing any upcoming Sleeping Beauty movie. However, on November 23, 2010, in an interview with MTV, Burton confirmed that he was indeed putting together a script for Maleficent. It was announced in The Hollywood Reporter on May 16, 2011 that Burton is no longer attached to Maleficent.

Burton has also stated that there is a chance he will co-produce with Timur Bekmambetov, who he also co-produced 9 with, the movie Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which is based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, also author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It has also been reported that Burton will be directing a 3-D stop-motion animation adaptation of The Addams Family, which was confirmed by Christopher Meledandri. On July 19, 2010, he was announced as the director of the upcoming film adaptation of Monsterpocalypse.
Filmography
Year Film Director Producer Writer
1982 Vincent
Yes

Yes
1984 Frankenweenie
Yes

Yes
1985 Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Yes

1988 Beetlejuice
Yes

1989 Batman
Yes

1990 Edward Scissorhands
Yes

Yes

Yes
1992 Batman Returns
Yes

Yes

1993 The Nightmare Before Christmas
Yes

Yes
1994 Cabin Boy
Yes

Ed Wood
Yes

Yes

1995 Batman Forever
Yes

1996 James and the Giant Peach
Yes

Mars Attacks!
Yes

Yes

1997 Bad Day on the Block
Yes

1999 Sleepy Hollow
Yes

2001 Planet of the Apes
Yes

2003 Big Fish
Yes

2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Yes

Corpse Bride
Yes

Yes

2007 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Yes

2009 9
Yes

2010 Alice in Wonderland
Yes

2011 Big Eyes
Yes

2012 Dark Shadows
Yes

Yes

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Yes

Frankenweenie
Yes

Yes

Yes
2013 Monsterpocalypse
Yes

Short films

    The Island of Doctor Agor (1971)
    Houdini: The Untold Story (1976)
    Stalk of the Celery Monster (1979)
    Doctor of Doom (1979)
    Luau (1982)

Animator filmography

    The Lord of the Rings (1978) (uncredited)
    Stalk of the Celery Monster (1979)
    The Fox and the Hound (1981) (uncredited)
    Tron (1982) (uncredited)

Cameos and other film work

    Singles (1992)
    Hoffa (1992)
    The Nightmare Before Christmas (deleted scene)

Art filmography

    Frankenweenie (1984) (storyboard artist, uncredited)
    The Black Cauldron (1985) (conceptual artist, uncredited)

Internet shorts

    The World of Stain Boy (2000)

Television

    Hansel and Gretel (1982) (director)
    Faerie Tale Theatre – episode Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1989) (director)
    The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents – episode The Jar (1984) (director)
    Beetlejuice: The Animated Series (1989–1991) (executive producer)
    Family Dog (1993) (animation designer, executive producer)
    Hollywood Gum – French commercial, director (1997)
    Kung Fu and Mannequin – Timex commercials, director (2001)

Music videos

    "Bones" by The Killers (2006)

See also

    List of unproduced Tim Burton projects

Awards
This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2011)

Academy Awards

    (2006) Nominated — Best Animated Feature / Corpse Bride

BAFTA Awards

    (2004) Nominated — Best Direction / Big Fish

Cannes Film Festival

    (1994) Nominated — Palme d'Or / Ed Wood

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

    (2004) Nominated — Best Director / Big Fish

Golden Globe Awards

    (2008) Nominated — Best Director – Motion Picture / Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

National Board of Review Awards

    (2008) Won — Best Director / Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Producers Guild of America Awards

    (2006) Nominated — Animated Motion Picture / Corpse Bride
    (2008) Honored — Scream Awards: Scream Immortal Award, for his unique interpretation of horror and fantasy

64th Venice International Film Festival

    (2007) Honored — Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/adwalter313/burton.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj135/rediculous52589/Tim_Burton.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/25/11 at 11:58 am

It is Sean Connery's birthday, we at work were trying guess how old he is.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/25/11 at 2:16 pm


one of my favorites.

"Don't Talk To Strangers", "I've Done Everything For You" and "Love Somebody" are the ones I seem to like the best. The radio doesn't play 'em quite as much, though. :-\\

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/25/11 at 2:17 pm


It is Sean Connery's birthday, we at work were trying guess how old he is.

He is 81.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/25/11 at 3:09 pm


He is 81.
None of us got it right.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/25/11 at 8:03 pm


close to 80? ???

Yes. In fact, I just mentioned his age in one of my previous postings, which you may or may not have read:



He is 81.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/26/11 at 11:46 am


Yes. In fact, I just mentioned his age in one of my previous postings, which you may or may not have read:



I think we can see that ;D

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/26/11 at 11:50 am

The person of the day..Valerie Simpson

*This is going to be about Ashford & Simpson
Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011), and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946), were a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists.

Ashford was born Fairfield, South Carolina, and Simpson in Bronx, New York. They met at Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church in 1963. After having recorded unsuccessfully as a duo, they joined aspiring solo artist and former member of the Ikettes, Joshie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand label where their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step At A Time"), as well as the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. Another of the trio's songs, "Let's Go Get Stoned", gave Ray Charles a number one U.S. R&B hit in 1966. That same year Ashford & Simpson joined Motown, where their best-known songs included "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". As performers, Ashford and Simpson's best-known song is "Solid" (1984 US and 1985 UK). The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.
The duo essentially had two careers: one as a successful writing and producing team and the other as singers and performers themselves. They started their career in the mid-1960s, writing for artists such as The 5th Dimension ("California Soul"), Aretha Franklin ("Cry Like A Baby"), and Ray Charles ("Let's Go Get Stoned" and "I Don't Need No Doctor"). Their work with Charles brought them to the attention of Motown chief Berry Gordy.

Upon joining the Motown staff in 1966, Ashford & Simpson were paired with the vocal duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and they wrote and/or produced all but one of the late-1960s Gaye/Terrell singles, including hits such as the original version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Your Precious Love", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", and "You're All I Need to Get By". According to Gaye in the book Divided Soul, Simpson did most of the vocals on the last album he did with Terrell, Easy, as a way for Terrell's family to have additional income as she was battling an ultimately fatal brain tumor. (Simpson is quoted as denying this in a book written by Terrell's sister Ludie Montgomery.)

Ashford & Simpson wrote and produced almost all the songs on three 1970s albums for former Supreme Diana Ross, including her first solo album Diana Ross ("Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"), Surrender ("Remember Me"), and The Boss.

Other Motown artists whom Ashford & Simpson worked with include Gladys Knight & The Pips ("Didn't You Know You'd Have to Cry Sometime", "The Landlord", "Bourgie, Bourgie", and "Taste of Bitter Love"), Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ("Who's Gonna Take the Blame"), The Marvelettes ("Destination:Anywhere"), The Supremes ("Some Things You Never Get Used To"), and The Dynamic Superiors ("Shoe, Shoe Shine").

Other artists with whom Ashford & Simpson had hits were Teddy Pendergrass ("Is It Still Good to You"), The Brothers Johnson ("Ride-O-Rocket"), Chaka Khan, both on her own ("I'm Every Woman" and "Clouds"), and Rufus ("Keep It Comin'" and "Ain't Nothin' But a Maybe").
Performers

Ashford & Simpson's career as recording artists began in the early 1960s as part of the gospel group The Followers, with whom they recorded the album Gospel Meeting (on Forum Circle), later issued as Meetin' The Followers (on Roulette Records). The LP contains their vocals and also four Ashford compositions. In 1964, they recorded "I'll Find You", as "Valerie & Nick" This was followed by several obscure singles recorded by Ashford on the Glover, Verve and ABC labels, such as "It Ain't Like That" (later recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas), "California Soul", and "Dead End Kids", backed by his own version of "Let's Go Get Stoned". After concentrating on working with other artists, Simpson was the featured soloist on the songs "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "What's Going On" on the Quincy Jones albums Gula Matari in 1970, and its follow-up, Smackwater Jack'.' Simpson subsequently recorded two solo LPs for Motown: Valerie Simpson Exposed in 1971, and, the following year, Valerie Simpson, which included the single "Silly Wasn't I", which was later sampled on 50 Cent's "Best Friend" from the movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The song was also sampled by 9th Wonder on Murs's "Silly Girl" in the album Murray's Revenge. Ashford & Simpson were featured singing selections from Simpson's solo albums on the PBS TV show Soul!, hosted by Ellis Haizlip in 1971. In 1973, they left Motown after the albums Simpson recorded for the label received poor promotion and the company refused to release an album of the duo recording a collection of their most famous songs for other artists.

In 1974, Ashford & Simpson married and resumed their career as a duo with the Warner Bros. album, Gimme Something Real. This was followed by the hit singles, "Don't Cost You Nothin'" (1977), "It Seems To Hang On" (1978), "Is It Still Good to Ya" (1978), "Found a Cure" (1979), "Street Corner" (1982), and their biggest hit, "Solid", released in 1984.

In 1978, they were featured as vocalists, along with Chaka Khan, on the hit single "Stuff Like That" from Quincy Jones' Sounds... And Stuff Like That album and contributed to the writing of the soundtrack to The Wiz.

Simpson appeared (with Melba Moorman) as part of the "Blood, Sweat & Tears Soul Chorus" on the band's Al Kooper lead debut, Child Is Father to the Man.

On his own, Ashford (along with Frank Wilson), produced the mammoth hit "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", which Diana Ross & the Supremes recorded in collaboration with the Temptations in 1968. He also appeared in the movie New Jack City (1991), as Reverend Oates, an ordained minister who was part of Nino Brown's entourage.

Simpson's brothers were in the record business as well: Ray Simpson replaced Victor Willis in the Village People and their brother Jimmy Simpson produced the group GQ (which had big hits with "Disco Nights" and "I Do Love You"), and was in great demand as a mixing engineer during the disco era.
Recent years and death

In recent times, Ashford & Simpson recorded and toured sporadically, and in 1996, they opened the restaurant and live entertainment venue, Sugar Bar in New York City, which has an open mic on Thursday nights, where performers have included Queen Latifah and Felicia Collins. They recorded the album Been Found with poet Maya Angelou in 1996. Around this time, they were also featured disc jockeys on New York's KISS-FM radio station.

On August 16, 2006, Playbill Online reported that they were writing the score for a musical based on E. Lynn Harris's novel Invisible Life. In January 2007, they, along with Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Sidney Poitier, director Spike Lee, and comedian Chris Tucker accompanied Oprah Winfrey when she opened her Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.

They were given writing credit on Amy Winehouse's 2007 CD Back to Black for the single "Tears Dry On Their Own". The track is based on a sample of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 1967 Motown classic hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". They had began performing their act in small, intimate venues, such as Feinstein's at the Regency in New York and the Rrazz Room in San Francisco, and in January 2009, they released a CD and DVD of their live performances titled The Real Thing. On June 22, 2009, they made a guest performance at a party at Tribeca Rooftop, New York, to celebrate Virgin Atlantic's birthday party. They also made their first appearance in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2009, and performed 8 shows in 4 days at Blue Note Tokyo.

Ashford died in New York on August 22, 2011, of complications from throat cancer. Nick's publicist Liz Rosenberg said that he had been undergoing radiation treatment to treat his illness. In addition to Valerie Simpson, Ashford is survived by two daughters.
Personal life

Ashford and Simpson have two daughters, Nicole (who graduated from Wesleyan University in 1997) and Asia.
Discography
Albums
Valerie Simpson
Year Album Chart positions Record label
US US
R&B
1971 Exposed — — Motown
1972 Valerie Simpson 162 50
1977 Keep It Comin' — —
"—" denotes the album failed to chart
Ashford & Simpson
Year Album Chart positions US
certifications Record label
US US
R&B UK
1973 Gimme Something Real 156 18 — — Warner Bros.
1974 I Wanna Be Selfish 195 21 — —
1976 Come as You Are 189 35 — —
1977 So So Satisfied 180 30 — —
Send It 52 10 — Gold
1978 Is It Still Good to Ya 20 1 — Gold
1979 Stay Free 23 3 — Gold
1980 A Musical Affair 38 8 — —
1981 Performance 125 45 — —
1982 Street Opera 45 5 — — Capitol
1983 High-Rise 84 14 — —
1984 Solid 29 1 42 Gold
1986 Real Love 74 12 — —
1989 Love or Physical 135 28 — —
1996 Been Found — 49 — — Hopsack & Silk
1996 The Real Thing — 59 — — Media Push
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified
Singles
Valerie Simpson

    1971: "Can't It Wait Until Tomorrow"
    1972: "Silly Wasn't I" – US #63, R&B #24

Ashford & Simpson
Year Single Chart positions Album
US US
R&B US
Dance US
A/C UK
1964 "I'll Find You" (credited as Valerie & Nick) 117 — — — — Non-album single
"Somebody's Lying on Love" (credited as Valerie & Nick) — — — — —
"You Don't Owe Me Anything" (credited as Valerie & Nick) — — — — —
1973 "(I'd Know You) Anywhere" 88 37 — — — Gimme Something Real
1974 "Have You Ever Tried It" — 77 — — —
"Main Line" — 37 — — — I Wanna Be Selfish
"Everybody's Got to Give It Up" — 53 — — —
1975 "Bend Me" — 73 — — — Gimme Something Real
1976 "It'll Come, It'll Come, It'll Come" — 96 — — — Come as You Are
"Somebody Told a Lie" — 58 — — —
"One More Try" — — 9 — —
"Tried, Tested and Found True" — 52 34 — — So So Satisfied
1977 "So So Satisfied" — 27 — — —
"Over and Over" — 39 — — —
"Send It" — 15 — — — Send It
1978 "Don't Cost You Nothing" 79 10 23 — —
"By Way of Love's Express" — 35 — — —
"It Seems to Hang On" — 2 — — 48 Is It Still Good to Ya
"Is It Still Good to Ya" — 12 — — —
1979 "Flashback" — 70 — — —
"Found a Cure" 36 2 1 — — Stay Free
"Nobody Knows" — 19 — —
"Stay Free" — — — —
1980 "Love Don't Make It Right" — 6 7 — — A Musical Affair
"Happy Endings" — 35 — — —
1981 "Get Out Your Handkerchief" — 65 — — —
"It Shows in the Eyes" — 34 — — — Performance
"It's the Long Run" — — — — —
1982 "Street Corner" 56 9 11 — — Street Opera
"Love It Away" — 20 — — —
1983 "I'll Take the Whole World On" — — — — —
"High-Rise" — 17 41 — — High-Rise
"It's Much Deeper" — 45 — — —
1984 "It's Not That Tough" — 78 — — —
"Solid" 12 1 15 34 3 Solid
1985 "Outta the World" 102 4 4 — —
"Babies" 102 29 — — 56
1986 "Time Talkin'" — — — — — Time
"Count Your Blessings" 84 4 — — 79 Real Love
"What Becomes of Love" — — — — —
1987 "Nobody Walks in L.A." — — — — —
1989 "I'll Be There for You" — 2 — — — Love or Physical
"Cookies and Cake" — — — — —
1990 "Hungry for Me Again" — 40 — — — Def by Temptation
1996 "Been Found" — 80 — — — Been Found
1997 "What If" — 94 — — —
2001 "We Are Family" (with Various Artists) — — — — — Non-album single
"—" denotes the single failed to chart
See also

    List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
    List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn78/maalie24/ASHFORDSIMPSON.jpg
http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc445/vadim_31region/Music/1-3.png

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/26/11 at 12:46 pm


I think we can see that ;D

Yes, but I don't know if Howard did. He seems to not read entire posts, as noted elsewhere.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/26/11 at 1:25 pm


Yes, but I don't know if Howard did. He seems to not read entire posts, as noted elsewhere.

Yes I've come to realize that lol

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/26/11 at 7:40 pm


The person of the day..Valerie Simpson

*This is going to be about Ashford & Simpson
Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011), and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946), were a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists.

Ashford was born Fairfield, South Carolina, and Simpson in Bronx, New York. They met at Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church in 1963. After having recorded unsuccessfully as a duo, they joined aspiring solo artist and former member of the Ikettes, Joshie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand label where their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step At A Time"), as well as the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. Another of the trio's songs, "Let's Go Get Stoned", gave Ray Charles a number one U.S. R&B hit in 1966. That same year Ashford & Simpson joined Motown, where their best-known songs included "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". As performers, Ashford and Simpson's best-known song is "Solid" (1984 US and 1985 UK). The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.
The duo essentially had two careers: one as a successful writing and producing team and the other as singers and performers themselves. They started their career in the mid-1960s, writing for artists such as The 5th Dimension ("California Soul"), Aretha Franklin ("Cry Like A Baby"), and Ray Charles ("Let's Go Get Stoned" and "I Don't Need No Doctor"). Their work with Charles brought them to the attention of Motown chief Berry Gordy.

Upon joining the Motown staff in 1966, Ashford & Simpson were paired with the vocal duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and they wrote and/or produced all but one of the late-1960s Gaye/Terrell singles, including hits such as the original version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Your Precious Love", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", and "You're All I Need to Get By". According to Gaye in the book Divided Soul, Simpson did most of the vocals on the last album he did with Terrell, Easy, as a way for Terrell's family to have additional income as she was battling an ultimately fatal brain tumor. (Simpson is quoted as denying this in a book written by Terrell's sister Ludie Montgomery.)

Ashford & Simpson wrote and produced almost all the songs on three 1970s albums for former Supreme Diana Ross, including her first solo album Diana Ross ("Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"), Surrender ("Remember Me"), and The Boss.

Other Motown artists whom Ashford & Simpson worked with include Gladys Knight & The Pips ("Didn't You Know You'd Have to Cry Sometime", "The Landlord", "Bourgie, Bourgie", and "Taste of Bitter Love"), Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ("Who's Gonna Take the Blame"), The Marvelettes ("Destination:Anywhere"), The Supremes ("Some Things You Never Get Used To"), and The Dynamic Superiors ("Shoe, Shoe Shine").

Other artists with whom Ashford & Simpson had hits were Teddy Pendergrass ("Is It Still Good to You"), The Brothers Johnson ("Ride-O-Rocket"), Chaka Khan, both on her own ("I'm Every Woman" and "Clouds"), and Rufus ("Keep It Comin'" and "Ain't Nothin' But a Maybe").
Performers

Ashford & Simpson's career as recording artists began in the early 1960s as part of the gospel group The Followers, with whom they recorded the album Gospel Meeting (on Forum Circle), later issued as Meetin' The Followers (on Roulette Records). The LP contains their vocals and also four Ashford compositions. In 1964, they recorded "I'll Find You", as "Valerie & Nick" This was followed by several obscure singles recorded by Ashford on the Glover, Verve and ABC labels, such as "It Ain't Like That" (later recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas), "California Soul", and "Dead End Kids", backed by his own version of "Let's Go Get Stoned". After concentrating on working with other artists, Simpson was the featured soloist on the songs "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "What's Going On" on the Quincy Jones albums Gula Matari in 1970, and its follow-up, Smackwater Jack'.' Simpson subsequently recorded two solo LPs for Motown: Valerie Simpson Exposed in 1971, and, the following year, Valerie Simpson, which included the single "Silly Wasn't I", which was later sampled on 50 Cent's "Best Friend" from the movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The song was also sampled by 9th Wonder on Murs's "Silly Girl" in the album Murray's Revenge. Ashford & Simpson were featured singing selections from Simpson's solo albums on the PBS TV show Soul!, hosted by Ellis Haizlip in 1971. In 1973, they left Motown after the albums Simpson recorded for the label received poor promotion and the company refused to release an album of the duo recording a collection of their most famous songs for other artists.

In 1974, Ashford & Simpson married and resumed their career as a duo with the Warner Bros. album, Gimme Something Real. This was followed by the hit singles, "Don't Cost You Nothin'" (1977), "It Seems To Hang On" (1978), "Is It Still Good to Ya" (1978), "Found a Cure" (1979), "Street Corner" (1982), and their biggest hit, "Solid", released in 1984.

In 1978, they were featured as vocalists, along with Chaka Khan, on the hit single "Stuff Like That" from Quincy Jones' Sounds... And Stuff Like That album and contributed to the writing of the soundtrack to The Wiz.

Simpson appeared (with Melba Moorman) as part of the "Blood, Sweat & Tears Soul Chorus" on the band's Al Kooper lead debut, Child Is Father to the Man.

On his own, Ashford (along with Frank Wilson), produced the mammoth hit "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", which Diana Ross & the Supremes recorded in collaboration with the Temptations in 1968. He also appeared in the movie New Jack City (1991), as Reverend Oates, an ordained minister who was part of Nino Brown's entourage.

Simpson's brothers were in the record business as well: Ray Simpson replaced Victor Willis in the Village People and their brother Jimmy Simpson produced the group GQ (which had big hits with "Disco Nights" and "I Do Love You"), and was in great demand as a mixing engineer during the disco era.
Recent years and death

In recent times, Ashford & Simpson recorded and toured sporadically, and in 1996, they opened the restaurant and live entertainment venue, Sugar Bar in New York City, which has an open mic on Thursday nights, where performers have included Queen Latifah and Felicia Collins. They recorded the album Been Found with poet Maya Angelou in 1996. Around this time, they were also featured disc jockeys on New York's KISS-FM radio station.

On August 16, 2006, Playbill Online reported that they were writing the score for a musical based on E. Lynn Harris's novel Invisible Life. In January 2007, they, along with Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Sidney Poitier, director Spike Lee, and comedian Chris Tucker accompanied Oprah Winfrey when she opened her Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.

They were given writing credit on Amy Winehouse's 2007 CD Back to Black for the single "Tears Dry On Their Own". The track is based on a sample of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 1967 Motown classic hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". They had began performing their act in small, intimate venues, such as Feinstein's at the Regency in New York and the Rrazz Room in San Francisco, and in January 2009, they released a CD and DVD of their live performances titled The Real Thing. On June 22, 2009, they made a guest performance at a party at Tribeca Rooftop, New York, to celebrate Virgin Atlantic's birthday party. They also made their first appearance in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2009, and performed 8 shows in 4 days at Blue Note Tokyo.

Ashford died in New York on August 22, 2011, of complications from throat cancer. Nick's publicist Liz Rosenberg said that he had been undergoing radiation treatment to treat his illness. In addition to Valerie Simpson, Ashford is survived by two daughters.
Personal life

Ashford and Simpson have two daughters, Nicole (who graduated from Wesleyan University in 1997) and Asia.
Discography
Albums
Valerie Simpson
Year Album Chart positions Record label
US US
R&B
1971 Exposed — — Motown
1972 Valerie Simpson 162 50
1977 Keep It Comin' — —
"—" denotes the album failed to chart
Ashford & Simpson
Year Album Chart positions US
certifications Record label
US US
R&B UK
1973 Gimme Something Real 156 18 — — Warner Bros.
1974 I Wanna Be Selfish 195 21 — —
1976 Come as You Are 189 35 — —
1977 So So Satisfied 180 30 — —
Send It 52 10 — Gold
1978 Is It Still Good to Ya 20 1 — Gold
1979 Stay Free 23 3 — Gold
1980 A Musical Affair 38 8 — —
1981 Performance 125 45 — —
1982 Street Opera 45 5 — — Capitol
1983 High-Rise 84 14 — —
1984 Solid 29 1 42 Gold
1986 Real Love 74 12 — —
1989 Love or Physical 135 28 — —
1996 Been Found — 49 — — Hopsack & Silk
1996 The Real Thing — 59 — — Media Push
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified
Singles
Valerie Simpson

    1971: "Can't It Wait Until Tomorrow"
    1972: "Silly Wasn't I" – US #63, R&B #24

Ashford & Simpson
Year Single Chart positions Album
US US
R&B US
Dance US
A/C UK
1964 "I'll Find You" (credited as Valerie & Nick) 117 — — — — Non-album single
"Somebody's Lying on Love" (credited as Valerie & Nick) — — — — —
"You Don't Owe Me Anything" (credited as Valerie & Nick) — — — — —
1973 "(I'd Know You) Anywhere" 88 37 — — — Gimme Something Real
1974 "Have You Ever Tried It" — 77 — — —
"Main Line" — 37 — — — I Wanna Be Selfish
"Everybody's Got to Give It Up" — 53 — — —
1975 "Bend Me" — 73 — — — Gimme Something Real
1976 "It'll Come, It'll Come, It'll Come" — 96 — — — Come as You Are
"Somebody Told a Lie" — 58 — — —
"One More Try" — — 9 — —
"Tried, Tested and Found True" — 52 34 — — So So Satisfied
1977 "So So Satisfied" — 27 — — —
"Over and Over" — 39 — — —
"Send It" — 15 — — — Send It
1978 "Don't Cost You Nothing" 79 10 23 — —
"By Way of Love's Express" — 35 — — —
"It Seems to Hang On" — 2 — — 48 Is It Still Good to Ya
"Is It Still Good to Ya" — 12 — — —
1979 "Flashback" — 70 — — —
"Found a Cure" 36 2 1 — — Stay Free
"Nobody Knows" — 19 — —
"Stay Free" — — — —
1980 "Love Don't Make It Right" — 6 7 — — A Musical Affair
"Happy Endings" — 35 — — —
1981 "Get Out Your Handkerchief" — 65 — — —
"It Shows in the Eyes" — 34 — — — Performance
"It's the Long Run" — — — — —
1982 "Street Corner" 56 9 11 — — Street Opera
"Love It Away" — 20 — — —
1983 "I'll Take the Whole World On" — — — — —
"High-Rise" — 17 41 — — High-Rise
"It's Much Deeper" — 45 — — —
1984 "It's Not That Tough" — 78 — — —
"Solid" 12 1 15 34 3 Solid
1985 "Outta the World" 102 4 4 — —
"Babies" 102 29 — — 56
1986 "Time Talkin'" — — — — — Time
"Count Your Blessings" 84 4 — — 79 Real Love
"What Becomes of Love" — — — — —
1987 "Nobody Walks in L.A." — — — — —
1989 "I'll Be There for You" — 2 — — — Love or Physical
"Cookies and Cake" — — — — —
1990 "Hungry for Me Again" — 40 — — — Def by Temptation
1996 "Been Found" — 80 — — — Been Found
1997 "What If" — 94 — — —
2001 "We Are Family" (with Various Artists) — — — — — Non-album single
"—" denotes the single failed to chart
See also

    List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
    List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn78/maalie24/ASHFORDSIMPSON.jpg
http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc445/vadim_31region/Music/1-3.png


I still miss Nick Ashford but Happy Birthday Valerie.  :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/27/11 at 2:38 am

British Person of the Day: Brian Epstein

Brian Samuel Epstein (19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967), was an English music entrepreneur, and the manager of The Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. He also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, The Remo Four & The Cyrkle. His management company was named NEMS Enterprises after his family's music stores, also called NEMS (North End Music Stores).

Epstein paid for The Beatles to record a demo in Decca's studios, which Epstein later persuaded George Martin to listen to, as Decca were not interested in signing the band. Epstein was then offered a contract by Martin on behalf of EMI's small Parlophone label, even though they had previously been rejected by almost every other British record company. Martin later explained that Epstein's enthusiasm and his confidence that The Beatles would one day become internationally famous convinced him to sign them.

Epstein died of an accidental drug overdose at his home in London in August 1967. The Beatles' early success has been attributed to Epstein's management and sense of style. McCartney said of Epstein: "If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian".

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fb/Promo_photo_of_Epstein.jpg/220px-Promo_photo_of_Epstein.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/27/11 at 9:01 am


British Person of the Day: Brian Epstein

Brian Samuel Epstein (19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967), was an English music entrepreneur, and the manager of The Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. He also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, The Remo Four & The Cyrkle. His management company was named NEMS Enterprises after his family's music stores, also called NEMS (North End Music Stores).

Epstein paid for The Beatles to record a demo in Decca's studios, which Epstein later persuaded George Martin to listen to, as Decca were not interested in signing the band. Epstein was then offered a contract by Martin on behalf of EMI's small Parlophone label, even though they had previously been rejected by almost every other British record company. Martin later explained that Epstein's enthusiasm and his confidence that The Beatles would one day become internationally famous convinced him to sign them.

Epstein died of an accidental drug overdose at his home in London in August 1967. The Beatles' early success has been attributed to Epstein's management and sense of style. McCartney said of Epstein: "If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian".

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fb/Promo_photo_of_Epstein.jpg/220px-Promo_photo_of_Epstein.jpg

Thanks Phil :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/27/11 at 9:05 am

The person of the day...Tuesday Weld
Tuesday Weld (born August 27, 1943) is an American actress.

Weld began her acting career as a child, and progressed to more mature roles during the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960. Over the following decade she established a career playing dramatic roles in films.

As a featured performer in supporting roles, her work was acknowledged with nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Play It As It Lays (1972), an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1978), an Emmy Award for The Winter of Our Discontent (1983), and a BAFTA for Once Upon a Time in America (1984).

Since the end of the 1980s, her acting appearances have been infrequent.
Left in financial difficulty by her husband's death, Weld's mother put her to work as a child model to support the family. As the young actress told Life in 1971:
“ My father’s family came from Tuxedo Park, and they offered to take us kids and pay for our education, on the condition that Mama never see us again. Mama was an orphan who had come here from London, but so far as my father’s family was concerned, she was strictly from the gutter. I have to give Mama credit — she refused to give us up... So I became the supporter of the family, and I had to take my father’s place in many, many ways. I was expected to make up for everything that had ever gone wrong in Mama’s life. She became obsessed with me, pouring out her pent-up love — her alleged love — on me, and it’s been heavy on my shoulders ever since. To this day, Mama thinks I owe everything to her.

Using Weld's résumé from modelling, her mother secured an agent and Tuesday (an extension of her childhood nickname, "Tu-Tu", given to her by her young cousin, Mary Ker, who could not pronounce "Susan" yet) Weld made her acting debut on television at age 12 and her feature film debut the same year in a bit role in the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock crime drama, The Wrong Man. The pressures of her career, however, resulted in a nervous breakdown at age nine, alcoholism by age 12, and a suicide attempt around the same time.

In 1956, Weld played the lead in Rock, Rock, Rock, which featured record promoter Alan Freed and singers Chuck Berry, Frankie Lymon, and Johnny Burnette. In the film, Connie Francis performed the vocals for Weld's singing parts. In 1959, having appeared as "Dorothy" in The Five Pennies, she was cast as Thalia Menninger in the CBS television series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Although Weld was a cast member for only a single season, the show gave her considerable national publicity, and she was named a co-winner of a "Most Promising Newcomer" award at the Golden Globe Awards. In 1960, she appeared as Joy, a free-spirited university student in High Time, a collegian comedy starring Bing Crosby and Fabian. She also guest-starred that season on NBC's The Tab Hunter Show. On November 12, 1961, she played a young singer, "Cherie", in the seventh episode of ABC's Bus Stop series with Marilyn Maxwell. Gary Lockwood portrayed a rodeo cowboy named Bo, who wants to marry her. In 1963, she guest-starred as Denise Dunlear in the episode "Something Crazy's Going on the Back Room" on the NBC medical drama The Eleventh Hour. Her costars in the episode were Angela Lansbury, Martin Balsam, Roy Thinnes, and Don Grady. In 1964, she appeared in the title role of the episode "Keep an Eye on Emily" on Craig Stevens's CBS drama, Mr. Broadway. In that same year she appeared in "Dark Corner", a TV episode of The Fugitive, starring David Janssen.

In 1961, when Weld was 18, after she starred opposite Elvis Presley in Wild in the Country, the two had an off-screen romance. Weld's mother was scandalized as well by her teenage daughter's affairs with older men, but Weld resisted, saying, "'If you don’t leave me alone, I’ll quit being an actress — which means there ain’t gonna be no more money for you, Mama.' Finally, when I was sixteen, I left home. I just went out the door and bought my own house." She was well received for her portrayal of an incest victim in Return to Peyton Place, the sequel to the 1956 film Peyton Place, but the film was less successful than its predecessor.

Weld appeared with Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen in the 1963 comedy Soldier in the Rain; her performance was well received, but the film was only a minor success. That same year she and former co-star Dwayne Hickman appeared in Jack Palance's circus drama, The Greatest Show on Earth on ABC but in separate episodes. Later in her career, she turned down roles in films that became great successes, such as Bonnie and Clyde, Rosemary's Baby, True Grit, and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.

In 1965, she appeared in the successful Norman Jewison film The Cincinnati Kid, opposite Steve McQueen. Some of her most notable screen performances include the cult favorite Lord Love a Duck (1966) with Roddy McDowall, Ruth Gordon and Harvey Korman; Pretty Poison (1968), co-starring Anthony Perkins and Beverly Garland; A Safe Place (1971), co-starring Jack Nicholson and Orson Welles; I Walk the Line (1970), opposite Gregory Peck; and Play It As It Lays (1972), again with Perkins, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

In her thirties, Weld performed in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress; Who'll Stop the Rain (1978) opposite Nick Nolte; and Michael Mann's acclaimed 1981 film Thief, opposite James Caan. In 1984, she appeared in Sergio Leone's gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America, playing a masochistic showgirl who is raped by Robert De Niro's character, David "Noodles" Aaronson.

Weld has also appeared in a number of television movies, including Circle of Violence (1986), Reflections of Murder (1987) and A Question of Guilt, in which she plays a woman accused of murdering her children. In 1993, she played a police officer's neurotic wife in Falling Down starring Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall.
Personal life

Weld has been married three times.

She was married to screenwriter Claude Harz, from 1965 until their divorce in 1971. They had a daughter, Natasha, in 1966. Of the marriage, Weld told Guy Flatley of The New York Times in 1971, "Mama hated my husband — she’s a jealous lover, you know. She’s hated all the men I’ve ever been involved with. But I really felt that what I had been doing up to that time with my life was probably wrong, that maybe what I should be was a housewife. Our marriage lasted 5 years; it was just another one of my mistakes."

She married British actor, musician, and comedian Dudley Moore in 1975. In 1976 they had a son, Patrick, an actor, director, and editor. They divorced in 1980. In 1985 she married Israeli concert violinist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman; they divorced in 1998.

The cover of Matthew Sweet's third album Girlfriend features a photograph of Tuesday Weld from the late 1950s. Originally called Nothing Lasts, the album was retitled following objections to the title from Weld. Sweet's greatest hits compilation, Time Capsule, also features photos of Weld on both the front and back cover.
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1956 Rock, Rock, Rock Dori Graham
1958 Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! Comfort Goodpasture
1959 The Five Pennies Dorothy Nichols, age 12 to 14
1960 Because They're Young Anne Gregor
Sex Kittens Go to College Jody
High Time Joy Elder
The Private Lives of Adam and Eve Vangie Harper
1961 Return to Peyton Place Selena
Wild in the Country Doreen Braxton
1962 Bachelor Flat Libby Bushmill aka Libby Smith
1963 Soldier in the Rain Bobby Jo Pepperdine
1965 I'll Take Sweden JoJo Holcomb
The Cincinnati Kid Christian
1966 Lord Love a Duck Barbara Ann Greene
1968 Pretty Poison Sue Ann Stepanek
1970 I Walk the Line Alma McCain
1971 A Safe Place Susan/Noah
1972 Play It As It Lays Maria Wyeth Lang Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1974 Reflections of Murder Vicky
1977 Looking for Mr. Goodbar Katherine Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
1978 Who'll Stop the Rain Marge Converse
1980 Serial Kate Linville Holroyd
1981 Madame X Holly Richardson (TV)
Thief Jessie
1982 Author! Author! Gloria Travalian
The Rainmaker Lizzie (TV)
CableACE Award for Actress in a Theatrical or Non-Musical Program
1983 The Winter of Our Discontent Margie Young-Hunt (TV)
Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
1984 Once Upon a Time in America Carol Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1986 Circle of Violence Georgia Benfield
1988 Heartbreak Hotel Marie Wolfe
1993 Falling Down Amanda Prendergast
1996 Feeling Minnesota Nora Clayton
2001 Investigating Sex Sasha
Chelsea Walls Greta
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii239/IsisAndersen/tuesday-weld1.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y114/Kneehighargyles/weld009.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/27/11 at 9:08 am


Thanks Phil :)
I was originally had Lord Mountbatten as my nomination British Person of the Day.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/27/11 at 9:25 am

It was this time last year when Janine (ninny) was offline for a while.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/27/11 at 9:38 am


It was this time last year when Janine (ninny) was offline for a while.

That was a bad time, lets hope that doesn't happen again.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/27/11 at 9:46 am


That was a bad time, lets hope that doesn't happen again.
Anytime without a computer is a bad time, unless it is the work's computers that have gone down.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/27/11 at 1:33 pm


It was this time last year when Janine (ninny) was offline for a while.


I remember that day.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/27/11 at 1:33 pm


The person of the day...Tuesday Weld
Tuesday Weld (born August 27, 1943) is an American actress.

Weld began her acting career as a child, and progressed to more mature roles during the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960. Over the following decade she established a career playing dramatic roles in films.

As a featured performer in supporting roles, her work was acknowledged with nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Play It As It Lays (1972), an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1978), an Emmy Award for The Winter of Our Discontent (1983), and a BAFTA for Once Upon a Time in America (1984).

Since the end of the 1980s, her acting appearances have been infrequent.
Left in financial difficulty by her husband's death, Weld's mother put her to work as a child model to support the family. As the young actress told Life in 1971:
“ My father’s family came from Tuxedo Park, and they offered to take us kids and pay for our education, on the condition that Mama never see us again. Mama was an orphan who had come here from London, but so far as my father’s family was concerned, she was strictly from the gutter. I have to give Mama credit — she refused to give us up... So I became the supporter of the family, and I had to take my father’s place in many, many ways. I was expected to make up for everything that had ever gone wrong in Mama’s life. She became obsessed with me, pouring out her pent-up love — her alleged love — on me, and it’s been heavy on my shoulders ever since. To this day, Mama thinks I owe everything to her.

Using Weld's résumé from modelling, her mother secured an agent and Tuesday (an extension of her childhood nickname, "Tu-Tu", given to her by her young cousin, Mary Ker, who could not pronounce "Susan" yet) Weld made her acting debut on television at age 12 and her feature film debut the same year in a bit role in the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock crime drama, The Wrong Man. The pressures of her career, however, resulted in a nervous breakdown at age nine, alcoholism by age 12, and a suicide attempt around the same time.

In 1956, Weld played the lead in Rock, Rock, Rock, which featured record promoter Alan Freed and singers Chuck Berry, Frankie Lymon, and Johnny Burnette. In the film, Connie Francis performed the vocals for Weld's singing parts. In 1959, having appeared as "Dorothy" in The Five Pennies, she was cast as Thalia Menninger in the CBS television series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Although Weld was a cast member for only a single season, the show gave her considerable national publicity, and she was named a co-winner of a "Most Promising Newcomer" award at the Golden Globe Awards. In 1960, she appeared as Joy, a free-spirited university student in High Time, a collegian comedy starring Bing Crosby and Fabian. She also guest-starred that season on NBC's The Tab Hunter Show. On November 12, 1961, she played a young singer, "Cherie", in the seventh episode of ABC's Bus Stop series with Marilyn Maxwell. Gary Lockwood portrayed a rodeo cowboy named Bo, who wants to marry her. In 1963, she guest-starred as Denise Dunlear in the episode "Something Crazy's Going on the Back Room" on the NBC medical drama The Eleventh Hour. Her costars in the episode were Angela Lansbury, Martin Balsam, Roy Thinnes, and Don Grady. In 1964, she appeared in the title role of the episode "Keep an Eye on Emily" on Craig Stevens's CBS drama, Mr. Broadway. In that same year she appeared in "Dark Corner", a TV episode of The Fugitive, starring David Janssen.

In 1961, when Weld was 18, after she starred opposite Elvis Presley in Wild in the Country, the two had an off-screen romance. Weld's mother was scandalized as well by her teenage daughter's affairs with older men, but Weld resisted, saying, "'If you don’t leave me alone, I’ll quit being an actress — which means there ain’t gonna be no more money for you, Mama.' Finally, when I was sixteen, I left home. I just went out the door and bought my own house." She was well received for her portrayal of an incest victim in Return to Peyton Place, the sequel to the 1956 film Peyton Place, but the film was less successful than its predecessor.

Weld appeared with Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen in the 1963 comedy Soldier in the Rain; her performance was well received, but the film was only a minor success. That same year she and former co-star Dwayne Hickman appeared in Jack Palance's circus drama, The Greatest Show on Earth on ABC but in separate episodes. Later in her career, she turned down roles in films that became great successes, such as Bonnie and Clyde, Rosemary's Baby, True Grit, and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.

In 1965, she appeared in the successful Norman Jewison film The Cincinnati Kid, opposite Steve McQueen. Some of her most notable screen performances include the cult favorite Lord Love a Duck (1966) with Roddy McDowall, Ruth Gordon and Harvey Korman; Pretty Poison (1968), co-starring Anthony Perkins and Beverly Garland; A Safe Place (1971), co-starring Jack Nicholson and Orson Welles; I Walk the Line (1970), opposite Gregory Peck; and Play It As It Lays (1972), again with Perkins, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

In her thirties, Weld performed in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress; Who'll Stop the Rain (1978) opposite Nick Nolte; and Michael Mann's acclaimed 1981 film Thief, opposite James Caan. In 1984, she appeared in Sergio Leone's gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America, playing a masochistic showgirl who is raped by Robert De Niro's character, David "Noodles" Aaronson.

Weld has also appeared in a number of television movies, including Circle of Violence (1986), Reflections of Murder (1987) and A Question of Guilt, in which she plays a woman accused of murdering her children. In 1993, she played a police officer's neurotic wife in Falling Down starring Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall.
Personal life

Weld has been married three times.

She was married to screenwriter Claude Harz, from 1965 until their divorce in 1971. They had a daughter, Natasha, in 1966. Of the marriage, Weld told Guy Flatley of The New York Times in 1971, "Mama hated my husband — she’s a jealous lover, you know. She’s hated all the men I’ve ever been involved with. But I really felt that what I had been doing up to that time with my life was probably wrong, that maybe what I should be was a housewife. Our marriage lasted 5 years; it was just another one of my mistakes."

She married British actor, musician, and comedian Dudley Moore in 1975. In 1976 they had a son, Patrick, an actor, director, and editor. They divorced in 1980. In 1985 she married Israeli concert violinist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman; they divorced in 1998.

The cover of Matthew Sweet's third album Girlfriend features a photograph of Tuesday Weld from the late 1950s. Originally called Nothing Lasts, the album was retitled following objections to the title from Weld. Sweet's greatest hits compilation, Time Capsule, also features photos of Weld on both the front and back cover.
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1956 Rock, Rock, Rock Dori Graham
1958 Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! Comfort Goodpasture
1959 The Five Pennies Dorothy Nichols, age 12 to 14
1960 Because They're Young Anne Gregor
Sex Kittens Go to College Jody
High Time Joy Elder
The Private Lives of Adam and Eve Vangie Harper
1961 Return to Peyton Place Selena
Wild in the Country Doreen Braxton
1962 Bachelor Flat Libby Bushmill aka Libby Smith
1963 Soldier in the Rain Bobby Jo Pepperdine
1965 I'll Take Sweden JoJo Holcomb
The Cincinnati Kid Christian
1966 Lord Love a Duck Barbara Ann Greene
1968 Pretty Poison Sue Ann Stepanek
1970 I Walk the Line Alma McCain
1971 A Safe Place Susan/Noah
1972 Play It As It Lays Maria Wyeth Lang Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1974 Reflections of Murder Vicky
1977 Looking for Mr. Goodbar Katherine Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
1978 Who'll Stop the Rain Marge Converse
1980 Serial Kate Linville Holroyd
1981 Madame X Holly Richardson (TV)
Thief Jessie
1982 Author! Author! Gloria Travalian
The Rainmaker Lizzie (TV)
CableACE Award for Actress in a Theatrical or Non-Musical Program
1983 The Winter of Our Discontent Margie Young-Hunt (TV)
Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
1984 Once Upon a Time in America Carol Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1986 Circle of Violence Georgia Benfield
1988 Heartbreak Hotel Marie Wolfe
1993 Falling Down Amanda Prendergast
1996 Feeling Minnesota Nora Clayton
2001 Investigating Sex Sasha
Chelsea Walls Greta
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii239/IsisAndersen/tuesday-weld1.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y114/Kneehighargyles/weld009.jpg


Who would name their kid Tuesday?  ::)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/27/11 at 1:40 pm


I remember that day.
It was more than a day.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/27/11 at 1:41 pm


It was more than a day.



and we were wondering where she was?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/27/11 at 1:42 pm



and we were wondering where she was?
Patiencely  waiting for her return.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 08/27/11 at 2:36 pm


Who would name their kid Tuesday?  ::)



Mr. & Mrs. Weld.



Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/27/11 at 2:38 pm


Who would name their kid Tuesday?  ::)


Mr. & Mrs. Weld.



Cat
Tuesday Weld was born Susan Ker Weld, and Tuesday came from an extension of her childhood nickname, "Tu-Tu", given to her by her young cousin, Mary Ker, who could not pronounce "Susan" yet.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/27/11 at 2:40 pm


Who would name their kid Tuesday?  ::)
It was Mary Ker Weld younger cousin to Tuesday.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/27/11 at 11:55 pm


Tuesday Weld was born Susan Ker Weld, and Tuesday came from an extension of her childhood nickname, "Tu-Tu", given to her by her young cousin, Mary Ker, who could not pronounce "Susan" yet.

Aha, I guess that would make sense. I never knew that until now. You learn something new every day! :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/28/11 at 2:58 am

British Person of the Day: Robert Shaw

Robert Archibald Shaw (9 August 1927 – 28 August 1978) was an English stage and film actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting (1973), From Russia with Love (1963), A Man for All Seasons (1966), the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Black Sunday (1977), The Deep (1977) and Jaws (1975), where he played the shark hunter Quint.

Early life

Robert Shaw was born in Westhoughton, near Bolton, Lancashire, England, in 1927. His mother, Doreen (née Avery), was a former nurse born in Piggs Peak, Swaziland, and his father, Thomas Shaw, was a physician. He had three sisters and one brother. When he was seven, the family moved to Stromness, Orkney, Scotland. When he was 12 his father, a manic depressive and alcoholic, took his own life. The family then moved to Cornwall, where he went to the independent Truro School. Shaw was a teacher in Saltburn-by-the-Sea in the North Riding of Yorkshire for a brief period, then attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Acting career

Shaw began his acting career in theatre, appearing in regional theatre throughout England. In 1952 he made his London debut on the West End at the Embassy Theatre in Caro William.

During the 1950s, Shaw starred in a British TV series which also appeared on American television as The Buccaneers. Shaw's best-known film performances include a turn as the dangerous enemy secret agent, Donovan Grant, in the second James Bond film From Russia with Love (1963); the relentless panzer officer Colonel Hessler in Battle of the Bulge (1965); a young Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons (1966); Lord Randolph Churchill, in Young Winston (1972); the ruthless mobster Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting (1973), the equally-ruthless subway-hijacker and hostage-taker "Mr. Blue" in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974); the shark-obsessed fisherman Quint in Jaws (1975); and lighthouse keeper and treasure hunter Romer Treece in The Deep (1977), and the Israeli Mossad agent David Kabakov in Black Sunday (1977), which is the most successful of his very few appearances in movies as a principal good-guy.

Shaw was nominated for the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Man for All Seasons.

He performed on stage as well, both in Britain and on Broadway, where his notable performances include Harold Pinter's Old Times and The Caretaker, Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Physicists directed by Peter Brook, and The Man in the Glass Booth, inspired by the kidnapping and trial of Adolf Eichmann, written by Shaw himself, and directed by Pinter.

His penetrating, stage-trained shouting voice can be heard briefly in A Man for All Seasons, Black Sunday, Force Ten from Navarone, and The Sting.

Writing career

In addition to his acting career, Shaw was also an accomplished writer of novels, plays and screenplays. His first novel, The Hiding Place, published in 1960, met with positive reviews. His next, The Sun Doctor, published the following year, was awarded the Hawthornden Prize in 1962.

Shaw then embarked on a trilogy of novels – The Flag (1965), The Man in the Glass Booth (1967) and A Card from Morocco (1969); it was his adaptation for the stage of The Man in the Glass Booth that gained him the most attention for his writing. The book and play present a complex and morally ambiguous tale of a man who, at various times in the story, is either a Jewish businessman pretending to be a Nazi war criminal, or a Nazi war criminal pretending to be a Jewish businessman. The play was quite controversial when performed in the US and the UK, some critics praising Shaw's sly, deft, and complex examination of the moral issues of nationality and identity, others sharply criticizing Shaw's treatment of such a sensitive subject. The Man in the Glass Booth was further developed for the screen, but Shaw disapproved of the resulting film and had his name removed from the credits.

Shaw also adapted The Hiding Place into a screenplay for the film Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious starring Alec Guinness. His play Cato Street, about the 1820 Cato Street Conspiracy, was produced for the first time in 1971 in London.

Death

Shaw died of a heart attack on 28 August 1978 in Ireland after completing filming of Avalanche Express. His remains were cremated and his ashes scattered near his home in Ireland. A stone memorial to him was unveiled there in his honour in August 2008.

Work: Stage

    * The Caretaker (1962)
    * The Physicists (1964)
    * The Man in the Glass Booth (1968)
    * Gantry (1970)
    * Old Times (1972)
    * Dance of Death (1974)

Filmography

    * The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) (uncredited)
    * Operation Secret (1952) (uncredited) - Jacques
    * The Dam Busters (1954) - Flight Sgt. J. Pulford
    * A Hill in Korea (1956) - Lance Corporal Hodge
    * Double Cross (1956)
    * Man from Tangier (1957) - Johnny
    * The Buccaneers (1957) - Captain Dan Tempest - Television (39 episdes)
    * Sea Fury (1958) - Gorman
    * Libel (1959) - Newspaper Photographer
    * The Four Just Men (1960) - TV episode - Crack Up - Stuart
    * Danger Man (1961) - TV episode - Bury The Dead - Tony Costello
    * The Winter's Tale (1961) - Leontes
    * The Valiant (1962) - Lieutenant Field
    * The Caretaker (1963) - Aston
    * From Russia with Love (1963) - Donald 'Red' Grant
    * The Cracksman (1963) - Moke
    * The Luck of Ginger Coffey (1964) - Ginger Coffey
    * Carol for Another Christmas (1964) - Ghost of Christmas Future
    * Tomorrow at Ten (1964) - Marlowe
    * Hamlet (1964) - Claudius, King of Denmark
    * Battle of the Bulge (1965) - Col. Martin Hessler
    * A Man for All Seasons (1966) - King Henry VIII
    * Custer of the West (1967) - Gen. George Armstrong Custer
    * The Birthday Party (1968) - Stanley Webber
    * Battle of Britain (1969) - "Skipper"
    * The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1969) - Francisco Pizarro
    * Figures in a Landscape (1970) - MacConnachie (also adapted for the screen)
    * A Town Called Bastard (a.k.a. A Town Called Hell) (1971) - The Priest
    * Young Winston (1972) - Lord Randolph Churchill
    * A Reflection of Fear (a.k.a. Labyrinth) (1973) - Michael
    * The Hireling (1973) - Steven Ledbetter
    * The Sting (1973) - Doyle Lonnegan
    * The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) (uncredited) - The Oracle of All Knowledge
    * The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) - Mr. Blue - Bernard Ryder
    * Jaws (1975) - Quint
    * The Man in the Glass Booth (1975) -
    * Der Richter und sein Henker (a.k.a. End of the Game, Murder on the Bridge, Deception, and Getting Away with Murder) (1975) - Richard Gastmann
    * Diamonds (a.k.a. Diamond Shaft) (1975) - Charles/Earl Hodgson
    * Robin and Marian (1976) - Sheriff of Nottingham
    * Swashbuckler (a.k.a. Scarlet Buccaneer) (1976) - Ned Lynch
    * Black Sunday (1977) - Major David Kabokov
    * The Deep (1977) - Romer Treece
    * Force 10 from Navarone (1978) - Major Keith Mallory
    * Avalanche Express (1979) - General Marenkov

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/ShawMonument02.jpg
Robert Shaw Memorial in Tourmakeady, County Mayo, Ireland, near the location where he died

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pu2TOfOuwCQ/ThJErprxrII/AAAAAAAABxI/QC92BxEW9fs/s1600/robertshawjawshiresphotos001.jpg

http://johnnycat.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/robert_shaw.jpg



Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 08/28/11 at 11:42 am


Tuesday Weld was born Susan Ker Weld, and Tuesday came from an extension of her childhood nickname, "Tu-Tu", given to her by her young cousin, Mary Ker, who could not pronounce "Susan" yet.


Oh man, Philip. You know how to spoil a perfectly good joke!



Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/28/11 at 11:44 am


Oh man, Philip. You know how to spoil a perfectly good joke!



Cat
Let me offer you karma.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 08/28/11 at 12:59 pm


Let me offer you karma.



Right back at ya.  ;D ;D ;D



Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/28/11 at 2:01 pm


Oh man, Philip. You know how to spoil a perfectly good joke!



Cat
...or was it Mr Sunday Weld and Mrs Monday Weld.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/28/11 at 2:59 pm



Mr. & Mrs. Weld.



Cat

;D

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/28/11 at 3:02 pm


Tuesday Weld was born Susan Ker Weld, and Tuesday came from an extension of her childhood nickname, "Tu-Tu", given to her by her young cousin, Mary Ker, who could not pronounce "Susan" yet.

That's the same way I got my nickname NeeNee because my cousins could not  say Janine. (though I'm not sure why when the oldest ones are at least 10 years older than me and the youngest 4)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/28/11 at 3:06 pm

The person of the day...Jack Black
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American comedian, actor and musician. He makes up one half of the comedy and satirical rock duo Tenacious D. The group has two albums as well as a television series and a film. His acting career is extensive, starring primarily as bumbling, cocky, but internally self-conscious outsiders in comedy films. He was a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedians who have appeared together in several Hollywood films, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe award. He has also won an MTV Movie Award, and a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award. He also hosted the 2011 Kids Choice Awards.
Black's acting career began with prime time television. He played roles on shows including Life Goes On, Northern Exposure, Mr. Show, Picket Fences, and The X-Files. Black appeared in the unaired TV pilot Heat Vision and Jack, directed by Ben Stiller, in which he played an ex-astronaut pursued by actor Ron Silver. He was accompanied by his friend who had merged with a motorcycle, voiced by Owen Wilson.

Black later took on small roles in Airborne, Demolition Man, Waterworld, The Fan, Mars Attacks!, Tim Robbins' Dead Man Walking, and others. He had a small role in True Romance as a security guard, but the scene was deleted. In 2000, he appeared in High Fidelity as a wild employee in John Cusack's record store, a role Black considers his breakout.

His career soon led to leading roles in films such as Shallow Hal, The School of Rock, Nacho Libre, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, King Kong, Year One and Gulliver's Travels. His next film, The Big Year, a competitive birdwatching comedy co-starring Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and JoBeth Williams is set for release in October 2011. He is referred to in the media as a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedy actors who frequently work together, which also includes Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Carell.

He guest-starred on The Office along with Cloris Leachman, Jessica Alba, and Steve Carell in a movie within the show. He also guest-starred in iCarly, in the episode iStart a Fan War.

Black has appeared numerous times on the "untelevised TV network" short film festival Channel101, starring in the shows Computerman, Timebelt, and Laserfart. He also provided an introduction for the unaired sketch comedy Awesometown, donning a Colonial-era military uniform. In the introduction, he claims to be George Washington (and takes credit for the accomplishments of other American Presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln). Black also guest starred in the Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" show Tom Goes to the Mayor, as a bear-trap store owner.

Black hosted the 2006 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards on April 1, 2006 and hosted it again March 29, 2008, and April 2, 2011. He also appeared on the MTV video music awards on August 31, 2006. Black has made five appearances on Saturday Night Live: three times as a host, once as a musical guest (with Kyle Gass as Tenacious D), and another appearance with Tenacious D, not as a host or musical guest. He produced and appeared on VH1's Internet video show Acceptable.TV.

Black voice acted for The Simpsons episode "Husbands and Knives", which aired November 18, 2007, voicing the friendly owner of the rival comic book store, Milo. Black took part in the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire celebrity edition along with Denis Leary, Jimmy Kimmel and others and was handed the prize of US$125,000 in October 2001. On December 14, Jack Black hosted the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards. He provided the voice of the main character, roadie Eddie Riggs, in the heavy metal-themed action-adventure video game, Brütal Legend. In 2009, at the Spike Video Game Awards, he earned the Best Voice award for the voice of Eddie Riggs in Brütal Legend. In April 2009, Black also starred in an episode of the children's show "Yo Gabba Gabba!" on Nick Jr. vocalized funny kid songs such as "It's Not Fun to Get Lost", "Friends" and "Goodbye Song".
Music career
Main article: Tenacious D
Jack Black with Kyle Gass of Tenacious D.

Black, also known as JB or Jables, is the lead singer for the rock comedy band Tenacious D. Along with Kyle Gass, they have released two albums, a self-titled debut, and the follow-up, The Pick of Destiny, from which one of their songs "The Metal" was used in the music video games "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" and "Brütal Legend". "Rock Your Socks" from the album "Tenacious D" was played in the music videogame "Rock Band Unplugged", and "Master Exploder" from "The Pick Of Destiny" went on to be used in music video games "Guitar Hero Van Halen" and "Rock Band 2", along with their song "Tribute" from "Tenacious D". "Master Exploder" and "The Metal" featured in the film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. The film, directed by Tenacious D veteran Liam Lynch, features recurring characters such as Lee the superfan and Sasquatch. Tim Robbins cameos as does Dave Grohl as Satan. Ben Stiller also makes an appearance as a worker at Guitar Center, and also another appearance in the music video for "Tribute".

Tenacious D helped the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation to raise awareness and funds in San Diego on June 16, 2007. Tenacious D can be seen performing in the Pauly Shore film Bio-Dome where the duo is performing its song "The Five Needs" at a "Save the Environment" party. Black was also a guest star on an episode of The Ellen Degeneres Show entitled "Ellen the Musical", alongside Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and teenage singer-actress Olivia Olson. On the show, besides singing, he discussed his then-upcoming film Nacho Libre with the host.

Black has also appeared on Dave Grohl's Probot album, providing vocals for the hidden song "I Am The Warlock", and Lynch's Fake Songs album, providing vocals for the song "Rock and Roll Whore". Black performed a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in the last sequence of High Fidelity. He lent his musical abilities to the Queens of the Stone Age song "Burn the Witch" with rhythmic stomps and claps, some performed with his eyes closed. He also provided vocals for The Lonely Island's track "Sax Man" from the album Incredibad.

Black has also recorded a duet on Meat Loaf's new CD Hang Cool Teddy Bear. The song is called Like a Rose. Meat Loaf has also played Black's father in the Pick of Destiny movie. Hang Cool Teddy Bear also features Hugh Laurie, Kara Dioguardi, Brian May, Steve Vai & Patti Russo, produced by Rob Cavallo.
Black performing in 2006

Black has appeared in music videos of Beck "Sexx Laws"; Foo Fighters "Learn To Fly", "Low", and "The One"; The Eagles of Death Metal's "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"; Sum 41's "Things I Want"; Dio's "Push"; and Weezer's "Photograph."

In October 2010, Tenacious D appeared at BlizzCon 2010, a convention hosted by the game designers, Blizzard Entertainment.
Personal life

In January 2006, Black became engaged to Tanya Haden. She is the daughter of the jazz double bassist Charlie Haden, and sister of violinist and singer Petra Haden. Haden herself is an accomplished cellist. Both attended Crossroads school and met again 15 years after graduating, at a friend's birthday party. Black proposed marriage around Christmas 2005. They married on March 14, 2006, in Big Sur, California. Their son, Samuel Jason "Sammy" Black, was born on June 10, 2006, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. On May 23, 2008, Black and his wife had their second son, Thomas David Black.
Filmography
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1992 Bob Roberts Roger Davis
1993 Airborne Augie
1993 Demolition Man Wasteland Scrap
1994 The NeverEnding Story III Slip, Leader of the Nasties
1995 Bye Bye Love DJ at Party
1995 Dead Man Walking Craig Poncelet
1995 Waterworld Pilot
1996 Bio-Dome Tenacious D
1996 The Cable Guy Rick
1996 The Fan Broadcast Technician
1996 Mars Attacks! Billy Glenn Norris
1997 Bongwater Devlin
1997 Crossworlds Steve
1997 The Jackal Ian Lamont
1998 Enemy of the State Fiedler
1998 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Titus Telesco
1998 Johnny Skidmarks Jerry
1999 Cradle Will Rock Sid
1999 Jesus' Son Georgie
1999 The Love Letter Fisherman uncredited
2000 High Fidelity Barry Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor – Comedy/Romance
Nominated – American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Music Moment
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Male Performance
Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
2001 Frank's Book Performance Hipster Short Film
2001 Saving Silverman J.D. McNugent
2001 Shallow Hal Hal Larson Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Film- Choice Actor, Comedy
2002 Ice Age Zeke Voice only
2002 Orange County Lance Brumder
2002 Run Ronnie Run Lead Chimney Sweep DVD Exclusive Award for Best Original Song in a DVD Premiere
2003 Melvin Goes to Dinner Mental Patient uncredited
Phoenix Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble Acting
Nominated – DVD Exclusive Award for Best Supporting Actor in a DVD Premiere
2003 School of Rock Dewey Finn MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor- Comedy
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liar
2004 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Motorcyclist uncredited (cameo)
2004 Envy Nick Vanderpark Nominated – People's Choice Award for Favorite Funny Male Star
2004 Laser Fart The Elegant Hunter Video
2004 Shark Tale Lenny Voice only
2005 King Kong Carl Denham Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice Sleazebag
2005 Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie Carl Denham voice
Video game
Spike Video Game Award – Best Leading Male Performance
2006 Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties Orson, Booker and Wolf
2006 The Holiday Miles
2006 Nacho Libre Nacho Nominated – Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Male Movie Star
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice Actor: Comedy
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice Chemistry
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Movie – Choice Rumble
2006 Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny Jack "Jables" Black (JB)
2007 Margot at the Wedding Malcolm Nominated – Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2007 Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Paul McCartney Uncredited
2008 Be Kind Rewind Jerry Gerber
2008 Kung Fu Panda Po Voice only
Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
Nominated – Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Animated Character in a Motion Picture
2008 The Secrets of the Furious Five Voice
Short film
2008 Prop 8: The Musical Jesus Christ Viral video
short
2008 Tropic Thunder Jeff "Fats" Portnoy Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast
2008 Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness Jeff "Fats" Portnoy Video
2009 Brütal Legend Eddie Riggs Voice
Video game
Spike Video Game Award – Best Voice
2009 Year One Zed
2010 Gulliver's Travels Gulliver Nominated – Razzie Award for Worst Actor
Nominated – Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Male Movie Star
Nominated - National Movie Award Performance Of The Year|National Movie Award 2011
2011 Kung Fu Panda 2 Po Voice only
Nominated - Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Animated Voice
2011 Bernie Bernie Tiede Premiered on June 16, 2011 at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
2011 The Big Year Brad Harris post-production
2011 The Muppets Cameo Appearance post-production
2012 Frank or Francis pre-production
Television work
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1991 Our Shining Moments Teenage Boy TV Movie
1993 The Golden Palace Taxi Driver episode "Seems Like Old Times: Part 2"
1993 Life Goes On Skinhead episode "Incident on Main"
1993 Marked for Murder Car Thief television film
1993 Northern Exposure Kevin Wilkins episode "A River Doesn't Run Through It"
1994 Blind Justice Private television film
1994 The Innocent Marty Prago television film
1995 All-American Girl Tommy episode "A Night at the Oprah"
1995 Pride & Joy Man episode "Brenda's Secret"
1995 The Single Guy Randy episode "Sister"
1995 Touched By An Angel Monte episode "Angels on the Air"
1995 The X-Files Bart 'Zero' Liqouri episode "D.P.O."
1995–1996 Mr. Show with Bob and David Various 4 episodes
1995–1996 Picket Fences Curtis Williams 2 episodes
1997–2000 Tenacious D JB 6
1999 Heat Vision and Jack Jack television pilot
2001 Space Ghost Coast to Coast Himself episode "Sweet for Brak"
2002 2002 MTV Movie Awards Host
2002 The Andy Dick Show J.D. episode "Flipped"
2002 Clone High Pusher/Larry Hardcore episode "Raisin The Stakes"
2002 Crank Yankers Tenacious D episode "#1.3"
2002 Jack Black: Spider-Man Spider-Man MTV Movie Awards segment
2002 Lord of the Piercing Jack the Elf MTV Movie Awards segment
Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition easter egg
2002 MADtv Tenacious D episode "#7.22"
2002 Panic Room with Will Ferrell Himself MTV Movie Awards segment
2003 Player$ Tenacious D episode "Tenacious D a la Mode"
2003 Will & Grace Dr. Isaac Hershberg episode "Nice in White Satin"
2003–2004 Computerman Computerman 6 episodes
2003–2004 Time Belt Computerman 2 episodes
2004 Cracking Up Brian episode "Scared Straight"
2004 Tom Goes to the Mayor Trapper JB episode "Bear Traps"
2005 Awesometown George Washington television film
2006 2006 Kids' Choice Awards Himself Host
2007 The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show Jables episode "Break-Up"
2007 The Simpsons Milo episode "Husbands and Knives"
2008 Sesame Street Himself episode "The Golden Triangle Of Destiny"
2008 2008 Kids' Choice Awards Himself Host
2009 The Office Sam episode "Stress Relief"
2009 Yo Gabba Gabba Himself episode "New Friends"
2010 Community Buddy episode "Investigative Journalism"
2010 iCarly Aspartamay episode iStart a Fanwar
2010–2011 Take Two with Phineas and Ferb Himself 2 episodes, "Jack Black" and "Neil Patrick Harris"
2010 "Space Ghost Coast to Coast special gag ad episode" Himself (cameo) (this special episode was meant to promote Gulliver's Travels)
2011 Fish Hooks Chief episode "Labor Day"
2011 Big Time Rush Cupid episode "Big Time Crush"
2011 2011 Kids' Choice Awards Himself Host, This will be the third time Jack Black has hosted the Kids Choice Awards, the last times being in 2008 and 2006.
2011 American Idol Himself Performed 'Fat Bottomed Girls' with American Idol contestant Casey Abrams.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee291/manbearpig17/jack-black.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/hittheroadjack2/jack-black.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/28/11 at 3:07 pm


That's the same way I got my nickname NeeNee because my cousins could not  say Janine. (though I'm not sure why when the oldest ones are at least 10 years older than me and the youngest 4)
It does happen often, I have several names in my our family too.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/28/11 at 3:08 pm


British Person of the Day: Robert Shaw

Robert Archibald Shaw (9 August 1927 – 28 August 1978) was an English stage and film actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting (1973), From Russia with Love (1963), A Man for All Seasons (1966), the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Black Sunday (1977), The Deep (1977) and Jaws (1975), where he played the shark hunter Quint.

Early life

Robert Shaw was born in Westhoughton, near Bolton, Lancashire, England, in 1927. His mother, Doreen (née Avery), was a former nurse born in Piggs Peak, Swaziland, and his father, Thomas Shaw, was a physician. He had three sisters and one brother. When he was seven, the family moved to Stromness, Orkney, Scotland. When he was 12 his father, a manic depressive and alcoholic, took his own life. The family then moved to Cornwall, where he went to the independent Truro School. Shaw was a teacher in Saltburn-by-the-Sea in the North Riding of Yorkshire for a brief period, then attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Acting career

Shaw began his acting career in theatre, appearing in regional theatre throughout England. In 1952 he made his London debut on the West End at the Embassy Theatre in Caro William.

During the 1950s, Shaw starred in a British TV series which also appeared on American television as The Buccaneers. Shaw's best-known film performances include a turn as the dangerous enemy secret agent, Donovan Grant, in the second James Bond film From Russia with Love (1963); the relentless panzer officer Colonel Hessler in Battle of the Bulge (1965); a young Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons (1966); Lord Randolph Churchill, in Young Winston (1972); the ruthless mobster Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting (1973), the equally-ruthless subway-hijacker and hostage-taker "Mr. Blue" in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974); the shark-obsessed fisherman Quint in Jaws (1975); and lighthouse keeper and treasure hunter Romer Treece in The Deep (1977), and the Israeli Mossad agent David Kabakov in Black Sunday (1977), which is the most successful of his very few appearances in movies as a principal good-guy.

Shaw was nominated for the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Man for All Seasons.

He performed on stage as well, both in Britain and on Broadway, where his notable performances include Harold Pinter's Old Times and The Caretaker, Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Physicists directed by Peter Brook, and The Man in the Glass Booth, inspired by the kidnapping and trial of Adolf Eichmann, written by Shaw himself, and directed by Pinter.

His penetrating, stage-trained shouting voice can be heard briefly in A Man for All Seasons, Black Sunday, Force Ten from Navarone, and The Sting.

Writing career

In addition to his acting career, Shaw was also an accomplished writer of novels, plays and screenplays. His first novel, The Hiding Place, published in 1960, met with positive reviews. His next, The Sun Doctor, published the following year, was awarded the Hawthornden Prize in 1962.

Shaw then embarked on a trilogy of novels – The Flag (1965), The Man in the Glass Booth (1967) and A Card from Morocco (1969); it was his adaptation for the stage of The Man in the Glass Booth that gained him the most attention for his writing. The book and play present a complex and morally ambiguous tale of a man who, at various times in the story, is either a Jewish businessman pretending to be a Nazi war criminal, or a Nazi war criminal pretending to be a Jewish businessman. The play was quite controversial when performed in the US and the UK, some critics praising Shaw's sly, deft, and complex examination of the moral issues of nationality and identity, others sharply criticizing Shaw's treatment of such a sensitive subject. The Man in the Glass Booth was further developed for the screen, but Shaw disapproved of the resulting film and had his name removed from the credits.

Shaw also adapted The Hiding Place into a screenplay for the film Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious starring Alec Guinness. His play Cato Street, about the 1820 Cato Street Conspiracy, was produced for the first time in 1971 in London.

Death

Shaw died of a heart attack on 28 August 1978 in Ireland after completing filming of Avalanche Express. His remains were cremated and his ashes scattered near his home in Ireland. A stone memorial to him was unveiled there in his honour in August 2008.

Work: Stage

    * The Caretaker (1962)
    * The Physicists (1964)
    * The Man in the Glass Booth (1968)
    * Gantry (1970)
    * Old Times (1972)
    * Dance of Death (1974)

Filmography

    * The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) (uncredited)
    * Operation Secret (1952) (uncredited) - Jacques
    * The Dam Busters (1954) - Flight Sgt. J. Pulford
    * A Hill in Korea (1956) - Lance Corporal Hodge
    * Double Cross (1956)
    * Man from Tangier (1957) - Johnny
    * The Buccaneers (1957) - Captain Dan Tempest - Television (39 episdes)
    * Sea Fury (1958) - Gorman
    * Libel (1959) - Newspaper Photographer
    * The Four Just Men (1960) - TV episode - Crack Up - Stuart
    * Danger Man (1961) - TV episode - Bury The Dead - Tony Costello
    * The Winter's Tale (1961) - Leontes
    * The Valiant (1962) - Lieutenant Field
    * The Caretaker (1963) - Aston
    * From Russia with Love (1963) - Donald 'Red' Grant
    * The Cracksman (1963) - Moke
    * The Luck of Ginger Coffey (1964) - Ginger Coffey
    * Carol for Another Christmas (1964) - Ghost of Christmas Future
    * Tomorrow at Ten (1964) - Marlowe
    * Hamlet (1964) - Claudius, King of Denmark
    * Battle of the Bulge (1965) - Col. Martin Hessler
    * A Man for All Seasons (1966) - King Henry VIII
    * Custer of the West (1967) - Gen. George Armstrong Custer
    * The Birthday Party (1968) - Stanley Webber
    * Battle of Britain (1969) - "Skipper"
    * The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1969) - Francisco Pizarro
    * Figures in a Landscape (1970) - MacConnachie (also adapted for the screen)
    * A Town Called Bastard (a.k.a. A Town Called Hell) (1971) - The Priest
    * Young Winston (1972) - Lord Randolph Churchill
    * A Reflection of Fear (a.k.a. Labyrinth) (1973) - Michael
    * The Hireling (1973) - Steven Ledbetter
    * The Sting (1973) - Doyle Lonnegan
    * The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) (uncredited) - The Oracle of All Knowledge
    * The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) - Mr. Blue - Bernard Ryder
    * Jaws (1975) - Quint
    * The Man in the Glass Booth (1975) -
    * Der Richter und sein Henker (a.k.a. End of the Game, Murder on the Bridge, Deception, and Getting Away with Murder) (1975) - Richard Gastmann
    * Diamonds (a.k.a. Diamond Shaft) (1975) - Charles/Earl Hodgson
    * Robin and Marian (1976) - Sheriff of Nottingham
    * Swashbuckler (a.k.a. Scarlet Buccaneer) (1976) - Ned Lynch
    * Black Sunday (1977) - Major David Kabokov
    * The Deep (1977) - Romer Treece
    * Force 10 from Navarone (1978) - Major Keith Mallory
    * Avalanche Express (1979) - General Marenkov

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/ShawMonument02.jpg
Robert Shaw Memorial in Tourmakeady, County Mayo, Ireland, near the location where he died

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pu2TOfOuwCQ/ThJErprxrII/AAAAAAAABxI/QC92BxEW9fs/s1600/robertshawjawshiresphotos001.jpg

http://johnnycat.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/robert_shaw.jpg





He did a lot of good work, but for some reason I can only remember his performance in Jaws, maybe because that movie plays in my head more. : :-\\

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/28/11 at 3:09 pm


It does happen often, I have several names in my our family too.
I had forgotten he was in The Sting.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/28/11 at 3:11 pm


It does happen often, I have several names in my our family too.

Oh yeah, Tim & I were joking the other day how many nicknames our grandson has. We said when he gets to school he wont know what his name is because he's called by at least 4 different ones  ;D

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/28/11 at 3:12 pm


The person of the day...Jack Black
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American comedian, actor and musician. He makes up one half of the comedy and satirical rock duo Tenacious D. The group has two albums as well as a television series and a film. His acting career is extensive, starring primarily as bumbling, cocky, but internally self-conscious outsiders in comedy films. He was a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedians who have appeared together in several Hollywood films, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe award. He has also won an MTV Movie Award, and a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award. He also hosted the 2011 Kids Choice Awards.
Black's acting career began with prime time television. He played roles on shows including Life Goes On, Northern Exposure, Mr. Show, Picket Fences, and The X-Files. Black appeared in the unaired TV pilot Heat Vision and Jack, directed by Ben Stiller, in which he played an ex-astronaut pursued by actor Ron Silver. He was accompanied by his friend who had merged with a motorcycle, voiced by Owen Wilson.

Black later took on small roles in Airborne, Demolition Man, Waterworld, The Fan, Mars Attacks!, Tim Robbins' Dead Man Walking, and others. He had a small role in True Romance as a security guard, but the scene was deleted. In 2000, he appeared in High Fidelity as a wild employee in John Cusack's record store, a role Black considers his breakout.

His career soon led to leading roles in films such as Shallow Hal, The School of Rock, Nacho Libre, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, King Kong, Year One and Gulliver's Travels. His next film, The Big Year, a competitive birdwatching comedy co-starring Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and JoBeth Williams is set for release in October 2011. He is referred to in the media as a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedy actors who frequently work together, which also includes Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Carell.

He guest-starred on The Office along with Cloris Leachman, Jessica Alba, and Steve Carell in a movie within the show. He also guest-starred in iCarly, in the episode iStart a Fan War.

Black has appeared numerous times on the "untelevised TV network" short film festival Channel101, starring in the shows Computerman, Timebelt, and Laserfart. He also provided an introduction for the unaired sketch comedy Awesometown, donning a Colonial-era military uniform. In the introduction, he claims to be George Washington (and takes credit for the accomplishments of other American Presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln). Black also guest starred in the Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" show Tom Goes to the Mayor, as a bear-trap store owner.

Black hosted the 2006 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards on April 1, 2006 and hosted it again March 29, 2008, and April 2, 2011. He also appeared on the MTV video music awards on August 31, 2006. Black has made five appearances on Saturday Night Live: three times as a host, once as a musical guest (with Kyle Gass as Tenacious D), and another appearance with Tenacious D, not as a host or musical guest. He produced and appeared on VH1's Internet video show Acceptable.TV.

Black voice acted for The Simpsons episode "Husbands and Knives", which aired November 18, 2007, voicing the friendly owner of the rival comic book store, Milo. Black took part in the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire celebrity edition along with Denis Leary, Jimmy Kimmel and others and was handed the prize of US$125,000 in October 2001. On December 14, Jack Black hosted the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards. He provided the voice of the main character, roadie Eddie Riggs, in the heavy metal-themed action-adventure video game, Brütal Legend. In 2009, at the Spike Video Game Awards, he earned the Best Voice award for the voice of Eddie Riggs in Brütal Legend. In April 2009, Black also starred in an episode of the children's show "Yo Gabba Gabba!" on Nick Jr. vocalized funny kid songs such as "It's Not Fun to Get Lost", "Friends" and "Goodbye Song".
Music career
Main article: Tenacious D
Jack Black with Kyle Gass of Tenacious D.

Black, also known as JB or Jables, is the lead singer for the rock comedy band Tenacious D. Along with Kyle Gass, they have released two albums, a self-titled debut, and the follow-up, The Pick of Destiny, from which one of their songs "The Metal" was used in the music video games "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" and "Brütal Legend". "Rock Your Socks" from the album "Tenacious D" was played in the music videogame "Rock Band Unplugged", and "Master Exploder" from "The Pick Of Destiny" went on to be used in music video games "Guitar Hero Van Halen" and "Rock Band 2", along with their song "Tribute" from "Tenacious D". "Master Exploder" and "The Metal" featured in the film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. The film, directed by Tenacious D veteran Liam Lynch, features recurring characters such as Lee the superfan and Sasquatch. Tim Robbins cameos as does Dave Grohl as Satan. Ben Stiller also makes an appearance as a worker at Guitar Center, and also another appearance in the music video for "Tribute".

Tenacious D helped the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation to raise awareness and funds in San Diego on June 16, 2007. Tenacious D can be seen performing in the Pauly Shore film Bio-Dome where the duo is performing its song "The Five Needs" at a "Save the Environment" party. Black was also a guest star on an episode of The Ellen Degeneres Show entitled "Ellen the Musical", alongside Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and teenage singer-actress Olivia Olson. On the show, besides singing, he discussed his then-upcoming film Nacho Libre with the host.

Black has also appeared on Dave Grohl's Probot album, providing vocals for the hidden song "I Am The Warlock", and Lynch's Fake Songs album, providing vocals for the song "Rock and Roll Whore". Black performed a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in the last sequence of High Fidelity. He lent his musical abilities to the Queens of the Stone Age song "Burn the Witch" with rhythmic stomps and claps, some performed with his eyes closed. He also provided vocals for The Lonely Island's track "Sax Man" from the album Incredibad.

Black has also recorded a duet on Meat Loaf's new CD Hang Cool Teddy Bear. The song is called Like a Rose. Meat Loaf has also played Black's father in the Pick of Destiny movie. Hang Cool Teddy Bear also features Hugh Laurie, Kara Dioguardi, Brian May, Steve Vai & Patti Russo, produced by Rob Cavallo.
Black performing in 2006

Black has appeared in music videos of Beck "Sexx Laws"; Foo Fighters "Learn To Fly", "Low", and "The One"; The Eagles of Death Metal's "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"; Sum 41's "Things I Want"; Dio's "Push"; and Weezer's "Photograph."

In October 2010, Tenacious D appeared at BlizzCon 2010, a convention hosted by the game designers, Blizzard Entertainment.
Personal life

In January 2006, Black became engaged to Tanya Haden. She is the daughter of the jazz double bassist Charlie Haden, and sister of violinist and singer Petra Haden. Haden herself is an accomplished cellist. Both attended Crossroads school and met again 15 years after graduating, at a friend's birthday party. Black proposed marriage around Christmas 2005. They married on March 14, 2006, in Big Sur, California. Their son, Samuel Jason "Sammy" Black, was born on June 10, 2006, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. On May 23, 2008, Black and his wife had their second son, Thomas David Black.
Filmography
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1992 Bob Roberts Roger Davis
1993 Airborne Augie
1993 Demolition Man Wasteland Scrap
1994 The NeverEnding Story III Slip, Leader of the Nasties
1995 Bye Bye Love DJ at Party
1995 Dead Man Walking Craig Poncelet
1995 Waterworld Pilot
1996 Bio-Dome Tenacious D
1996 The Cable Guy Rick
1996 The Fan Broadcast Technician
1996 Mars Attacks! Billy Glenn Norris
1997 Bongwater Devlin
1997 Crossworlds Steve
1997 The Jackal Ian Lamont
1998 Enemy of the State Fiedler
1998 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Titus Telesco
1998 Johnny Skidmarks Jerry
1999 Cradle Will Rock Sid
1999 Jesus' Son Georgie
1999 The Love Letter Fisherman uncredited
2000 High Fidelity Barry Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor – Comedy/Romance
Nominated – American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Music Moment
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Male Performance
Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
2001 Frank's Book Performance Hipster Short Film
2001 Saving Silverman J.D. McNugent
2001 Shallow Hal Hal Larson Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Film- Choice Actor, Comedy
2002 Ice Age Zeke Voice only
2002 Orange County Lance Brumder
2002 Run Ronnie Run Lead Chimney Sweep DVD Exclusive Award for Best Original Song in a DVD Premiere
2003 Melvin Goes to Dinner Mental Patient uncredited
Phoenix Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble Acting
Nominated – DVD Exclusive Award for Best Supporting Actor in a DVD Premiere
2003 School of Rock Dewey Finn MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor- Comedy
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liar
2004 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Motorcyclist uncredited (cameo)
2004 Envy Nick Vanderpark Nominated – People's Choice Award for Favorite Funny Male Star
2004 Laser Fart The Elegant Hunter Video
2004 Shark Tale Lenny Voice only
2005 King Kong Carl Denham Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice Sleazebag
2005 Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie Carl Denham voice
Video game
Spike Video Game Award – Best Leading Male Performance
2006 Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties Orson, Booker and Wolf
2006 The Holiday Miles
2006 Nacho Libre Nacho Nominated – Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Male Movie Star
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice Actor: Comedy
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Movies – Choice Chemistry
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Movie – Choice Rumble
2006 Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny Jack "Jables" Black (JB)
2007 Margot at the Wedding Malcolm Nominated – Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2007 Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Paul McCartney Uncredited
2008 Be Kind Rewind Jerry Gerber
2008 Kung Fu Panda Po Voice only
Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
Nominated – Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Animated Character in a Motion Picture
2008 The Secrets of the Furious Five Voice
Short film
2008 Prop 8: The Musical Jesus Christ Viral video
short
2008 Tropic Thunder Jeff "Fats" Portnoy Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast
2008 Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness Jeff "Fats" Portnoy Video
2009 Brütal Legend Eddie Riggs Voice
Video game
Spike Video Game Award – Best Voice
2009 Year One Zed
2010 Gulliver's Travels Gulliver Nominated – Razzie Award for Worst Actor
Nominated – Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Male Movie Star
Nominated - National Movie Award Performance Of The Year|National Movie Award 2011
2011 Kung Fu Panda 2 Po Voice only
Nominated - Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Animated Voice
2011 Bernie Bernie Tiede Premiered on June 16, 2011 at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
2011 The Big Year Brad Harris post-production
2011 The Muppets Cameo Appearance post-production
2012 Frank or Francis pre-production
Television work
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1991 Our Shining Moments Teenage Boy TV Movie
1993 The Golden Palace Taxi Driver episode "Seems Like Old Times: Part 2"
1993 Life Goes On Skinhead episode "Incident on Main"
1993 Marked for Murder Car Thief television film
1993 Northern Exposure Kevin Wilkins episode "A River Doesn't Run Through It"
1994 Blind Justice Private television film
1994 The Innocent Marty Prago television film
1995 All-American Girl Tommy episode "A Night at the Oprah"
1995 Pride & Joy Man episode "Brenda's Secret"
1995 The Single Guy Randy episode "Sister"
1995 Touched By An Angel Monte episode "Angels on the Air"
1995 The X-Files Bart 'Zero' Liqouri episode "D.P.O."
1995–1996 Mr. Show with Bob and David Various 4 episodes
1995–1996 Picket Fences Curtis Williams 2 episodes
1997–2000 Tenacious D JB 6
1999 Heat Vision and Jack Jack television pilot
2001 Space Ghost Coast to Coast Himself episode "Sweet for Brak"
2002 2002 MTV Movie Awards Host
2002 The Andy Dick Show J.D. episode "Flipped"
2002 Clone High Pusher/Larry Hardcore episode "Raisin The Stakes"
2002 Crank Yankers Tenacious D episode "#1.3"
2002 Jack Black: Spider-Man Spider-Man MTV Movie Awards segment
2002 Lord of the Piercing Jack the Elf MTV Movie Awards segment
Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition easter egg
2002 MADtv Tenacious D episode "#7.22"
2002 Panic Room with Will Ferrell Himself MTV Movie Awards segment
2003 Player$ Tenacious D episode "Tenacious D a la Mode"
2003 Will & Grace Dr. Isaac Hershberg episode "Nice in White Satin"
2003–2004 Computerman Computerman 6 episodes
2003–2004 Time Belt Computerman 2 episodes
2004 Cracking Up Brian episode "Scared Straight"
2004 Tom Goes to the Mayor Trapper JB episode "Bear Traps"
2005 Awesometown George Washington television film
2006 2006 Kids' Choice Awards Himself Host
2007 The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show Jables episode "Break-Up"
2007 The Simpsons Milo episode "Husbands and Knives"
2008 Sesame Street Himself episode "The Golden Triangle Of Destiny"
2008 2008 Kids' Choice Awards Himself Host
2009 The Office Sam episode "Stress Relief"
2009 Yo Gabba Gabba Himself episode "New Friends"
2010 Community Buddy episode "Investigative Journalism"
2010 iCarly Aspartamay episode iStart a Fanwar
2010–2011 Take Two with Phineas and Ferb Himself 2 episodes, "Jack Black" and "Neil Patrick Harris"
2010 "Space Ghost Coast to Coast special gag ad episode" Himself (cameo) (this special episode was meant to promote Gulliver's Travels)
2011 Fish Hooks Chief episode "Labor Day"
2011 Big Time Rush Cupid episode "Big Time Crush"
2011 2011 Kids' Choice Awards Himself Host, This will be the third time Jack Black has hosted the Kids Choice Awards, the last times being in 2008 and 2006.
2011 American Idol Himself Performed 'Fat Bottomed Girls' with American Idol contestant Casey Abrams.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee291/manbearpig17/jack-black.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w86/hittheroadjack2/jack-black.jpg


I like Jack Black,just last week I saw Nacho Libre.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/29/11 at 8:33 am



Mr. & Mrs. Weld.



Cat
Tuesday Weld was born August 27th 1943, and I was wondering what day of the week that was.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/29/11 at 8:39 am

The person of the day....Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, dancer, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Referred to as the King of Pop, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5, then the Jacksons in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous hip hop, pop, contemporary R&B, and rock artists.

Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which have made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music.

Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, have generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury ruled him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his concert series This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. Before his death, Jackson had been administered drugs including propofol and lorazepam. The Los Angeles County Coroner declared his death a homicide, and his personal physician pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as one billion people around the world reportedly watched his public memorial service on live television. In March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death.
In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Younger brother Randy formally joined the band around this time, while Jermaine left to pursue a solo career. They continued to tour internationally, releasing six more albums between 1976 and 1984, during which Michael was the lead songwriter, writing hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "This Place Hotel," and "Can You Feel It". In 1978, he starred as the scarecrow in the musical, The Wiz, a box-office disaster. It was here that he teamed up with Quincy Jones, who was arranging the film's musical score. Jones agreed to produce Jackson's next solo album, Off the Wall. In 1979, Jackson broke his nose during a complex dance routine. His subsequent rhinoplasty was not a complete success; he complained of breathing difficulties that would affect his career. He was referred to Dr. Steven Hoefflin, who performed Jackson's second rhinoplasty and subsequent operations.

Jones and Jackson produced the Off the Wall album together. Songwriters for the album included Jackson, Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney. Released in 1979, it was the first solo album to generate four U.S. top 10 hits, including the chart-topping singles "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You". It reached number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide. In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". That year, he also won Billboard Year-End for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, also for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Jackson again won at the American Music Awards in 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist. Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.
Thriller and Motown 25 (1982–83)

In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; the record won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984. In the same year he won another seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him the most awarded in one night for both award shows. These awards were thanks to the Thriller album, released in late 1982, which was 1983's best-selling album worldwide and became the best-selling album of all time in the United States, as well as the best-selling album of all time worldwide, selling an estimated 110 million copies so far. The album topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." Thriller was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. The album won also another Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce Swedien for his work. Jackson's attorney John Branca noted that Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point: approximately $2 for every album sold. He was also making record-breaking profits from sales of his recordings. The videocassette of the documentary The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller sold over 350,000 copies in a few months. The era saw the arrival of novelties like dolls modeled after Michael Jackson, which appeared in stores in May 1984 at a price of $12. Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli writes that, "Thriller stopped selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit movie—and started selling like a household staple." In 1985, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Longform. In December 2009, the music video for "Thriller" was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, "Thriller" is the first music video ever to be inducted.

Time described Jackson's influence at that point as "Star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too". The New York Times wrote that, "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else".

In March 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for a legendary live performance which was taped for a Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special. The show aired on May 16, 1983, to an audience of 47 million viewers, and featured the Jacksons and a number of other Motown stars. It is best remembered for Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean". Wearing a distinctive black sequin jacket and golf glove decorated with rhinestones, he debuted his signature dance move, the moonwalk, which former Soul Train dancer and Shalamar member, Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years before. The Jacksons' performance drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and The Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times later wrote, "The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt metaphor for his dance style. How does he do it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he glides while the other bends and seems to walk requires perfect timing."
Pepsi, "We Are the World" and business career (1984–85)
A black and white image shows a man standing next to a person dressed in a full dog costume. The man on the left has his left arm around the waist of the other person and is smiling.
Jackson with a Knott's Berry Farm Snoopy mascot in April 1984

On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi Cola commercial, overseen by executive Phil Dusenberry, from ad agency BBDO and Pepsi's Worldwide Creative Director, Alan Pottasch at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. In front of a full house of fans during a simulated concert, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire. He suffered second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars on his scalp, and he also had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter. Jackson never recovered from this injury. Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated his $1.5 million settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California, which now has a "Michael Jackson Burn Center" in honor of his donation. Dusenberry later recounted the episode in his memoir, Then We Set His Hair on Fire: Insights and Accidents from a Hall of Fame Career in Advertising.

On May 14, 1984, Jackson was invited to the White House to receive an award from President Ronald Reagan for his support of charities that helped people overcome alcohol and drug abuse. Jackson won eight awards during the Grammys that year. Unlike later albums, Thriller did not have an official tour to promote it, but the 1984 Victory Tour, headlined by The Jacksons, showcased much of Jackson's new solo material to more than two million Americans. He donated all the funds (around $8 million) raised from the Victory Tour to charity. He also co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" in 1985 with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to aid the poor in the U.S. and Africa. It became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 30 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief. In 1986, "We Are the World" won four Grammys (one for Jackson for Song of the Year). American Music Award directors removed the charity song from the competition because they felt it would be inappropriate, but recognised it with two special honors (one for the creation of the song and one for the USA for Africa idea). They are the only AMAs that Jackson won as non-solo artist.
In the center of the photo four people can be seen. To the farthest left a medium skin colored man wearing a black suit with a white shirt can be seen. Second to the left a Caucasian man wearing a black suit with a white shirt and brown tie has his head turned to the right. To the right of the Caucasian male there is an African American man wearing a white shirt with a blue jacket that has a yellow strap across his chest. He is raising his right hand, which is covered with a white glove. To the farthest right, a Caucasian female with short blonde hair, who is wearing a white outfit, can be seen. In the background a cream colored building with an opened green door can be seen.
Jackson at the White House South Portico with President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan, 1984

In 1984, ATV Music Publishing, which had the copyrights to nearly 4000 songs, including the Northern Songs catalog that contained the majority of the Lennon/McCartney compositions recorded by The Beatles, was put up for sale by Robert Holmes à Court. Jackson had become interested in owning music catalogs after working with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s: Jackson had learned McCartney made approximately $40 million a year from other people's songs. In 1981, McCartney was offered the ATV music catalog for £20 million ($40 million). According to McCartney, he contacted Yoko Ono about making a joint purchase by splitting the cost equally at £10 million each, but Ono thought they could buy it for £5 million each. When they were unable to make the joint purchase, McCartney let the offer fall through, not wanting to be the sole owner of the Beatles' songs.

According to a negotiator for Holmes à Court in the 1984 sale, "We had given Paul McCartney first right of refusal but Paul didn't want it at that time." Also, an attorney for McCartney assured Jackson's attorney, John Branca, that McCartney was not interested in bidding: McCartney reportedly said "It's too pricey" But there were several other companies and investors bidding. In September 1984, Jackson was first informed about the sale by Branca and sent a bid of $46 million on November 20, 1984. Jackson's agents thought they had a deal several times, but encountered new bidders or new areas of debate. In May 1985, Jackson's team walked away from talks after having spent over $1 million on four months of due diligence and on the negotiations.

In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned that Charles Koppelman's and Marty Bandier's The Entertainment Co. had made a tentative agreement with Holmes à Court to buy ATV Music for $50 million. But in early August, Holmes à Court's team contacted Jackson and talks resumed. Jackson raised his bid to $47.5 million and it was accepted because he could close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence of ATV Music. He also agreed to visit Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon. Jackson's purchase of ATV Music was finalized August 10, 1985. He was a double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and later as a solo artist in 2001. Jackson was also inducted in several other hall of fames, including Vocal Group Hall of Fame (as The Jackson 5 member) in 1999, Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and Hit Parade Hall of Fame (with his brothers) in 2009. In 2010, Jackson was inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. His awards include many Guinness World Records (eight in 2006 alone), 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), 26 American Music Awards (24 only as a solo artist, including the "Artist of the Century", but not the poll of "Artist of the '80s")—more than any artist—, 13 number one singles in the US in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and estimated sales of up to 750 million records worldwide, making him the world's best selling male solo pop artist. On December 29, 2009, the American Film Institute recognized Jackson's passing as a "moment of significance" saying, "Michael Jackson's sudden death in June at age 50 was notable for the worldwide outpouring of grief and the unprecedented global eulogy of his posthumous concert rehearsal movie This Is It." Michael Jackson also received a Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from the United Negro College Fund and also an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Fisk University.
Lifetime earnings

His total lifetime earnings from royalties on his solo recordings and music videos, revenue from concerts and endorsements have been estimated at US$500 million; some analysts have speculated that his music catalog holdings could be worth billions of dollars. This speculation however is contradicted by financial documents obtained by the Associated Press, which showed that as of March 31, 2007, Jackson's 50 percent stake in the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalog (his most prized asset) was worth $390.6 million and Michael Jackson's net worth was $236 million. Billboard has estimated that Jackson has generated at least $1 billion in revenue in the year following his death.
Discography
Main articles: Michael Jackson albums discography, Michael Jackson singles discography, and Michael Jackson videography
See also: Jackson 5 discography

    Got to Be There (1972)
    Ben (1972)
    Music & Me (1973)
    Forever, Michael (1975)
    Off the Wall (1979)
    Thriller (1982)
    Bad (1987)
    Dangerous (1991)
    HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)
    Invincible (2001)

Filmography
Main article: Michael Jackson videography
Year↓ Film↓ Role↓ Director↓
1978 The Wiz Scarecrow Sidney Lumet
1986 Captain EO Captain EO Francis Ford Coppola
1988 Moonwalker Himself Jerry Kramer
1997 Michael Jackson's Ghosts Maestro/Mayor/Ghoul/Skeleton Stan Winston
2002 Men in Black II Agent M (cameo) Barry Sonnenfeld
2004 Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls Agent MJ (cameo) Bryan Michael Stoller
2009 Michael Jackson's This Is It Himself Kenny Ortega
Tours
Main article: List of concert tours by Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5

    Bad World Tour (1987–89)
    Dangerous World Tour (1992–93)
    HIStory World Tour (1996–97)
    This Is It (2009–10) (cancelled)

See also
Michael Jackson portal
The Jackson Family portal
African American portal
Book icon Book: Michael Jackson
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

    Honorific nicknames in popular music
    List of best-selling music artists
    List of best-selling music artists in the United States
    List of unreleased Michael Jackson material
    List of artists who have covered Michael Jackson
    List of artists who have sampled Michael Jackson
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l546/mayamj/Michael%20Jackson/michael-jackson-music-dance-legend-44_cleaned.jpg
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l546/mayamj/Michael%20Jackson/tumblr_lk06g78yoC1qi1rmp_cleaned.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/29/11 at 8:41 am


The person of the day....Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, dancer, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Referred to as the King of Pop, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5, then the Jacksons in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous hip hop, pop, contemporary R&B, and rock artists.

Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which have made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music.

Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, have generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury ruled him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his concert series This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. Before his death, Jackson had been administered drugs including propofol and lorazepam. The Los Angeles County Coroner declared his death a homicide, and his personal physician pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as one billion people around the world reportedly watched his public memorial service on live television. In March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death.
In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Younger brother Randy formally joined the band around this time, while Jermaine left to pursue a solo career. They continued to tour internationally, releasing six more albums between 1976 and 1984, during which Michael was the lead songwriter, writing hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "This Place Hotel," and "Can You Feel It". In 1978, he starred as the scarecrow in the musical, The Wiz, a box-office disaster. It was here that he teamed up with Quincy Jones, who was arranging the film's musical score. Jones agreed to produce Jackson's next solo album, Off the Wall. In 1979, Jackson broke his nose during a complex dance routine. His subsequent rhinoplasty was not a complete success; he complained of breathing difficulties that would affect his career. He was referred to Dr. Steven Hoefflin, who performed Jackson's second rhinoplasty and subsequent operations.

Jones and Jackson produced the Off the Wall album together. Songwriters for the album included Jackson, Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney. Released in 1979, it was the first solo album to generate four U.S. top 10 hits, including the chart-topping singles "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You". It reached number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide. In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". That year, he also won Billboard Year-End for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, also for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Jackson again won at the American Music Awards in 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist. Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.
Thriller and Motown 25 (1982–83)

In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; the record won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984. In the same year he won another seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him the most awarded in one night for both award shows. These awards were thanks to the Thriller album, released in late 1982, which was 1983's best-selling album worldwide and became the best-selling album of all time in the United States, as well as the best-selling album of all time worldwide, selling an estimated 110 million copies so far. The album topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." Thriller was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. The album won also another Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce Swedien for his work. Jackson's attorney John Branca noted that Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point: approximately $2 for every album sold. He was also making record-breaking profits from sales of his recordings. The videocassette of the documentary The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller sold over 350,000 copies in a few months. The era saw the arrival of novelties like dolls modeled after Michael Jackson, which appeared in stores in May 1984 at a price of $12. Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli writes that, "Thriller stopped selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit movie—and started selling like a household staple." In 1985, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Longform. In December 2009, the music video for "Thriller" was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, "Thriller" is the first music video ever to be inducted.

Time described Jackson's influence at that point as "Star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too". The New York Times wrote that, "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else".

In March 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for a legendary live performance which was taped for a Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special. The show aired on May 16, 1983, to an audience of 47 million viewers, and featured the Jacksons and a number of other Motown stars. It is best remembered for Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean". Wearing a distinctive black sequin jacket and golf glove decorated with rhinestones, he debuted his signature dance move, the moonwalk, which former Soul Train dancer and Shalamar member, Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years before. The Jacksons' performance drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and The Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times later wrote, "The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt metaphor for his dance style. How does he do it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he glides while the other bends and seems to walk requires perfect timing."
Pepsi, "We Are the World" and business career (1984–85)
A black and white image shows a man standing next to a person dressed in a full dog costume. The man on the left has his left arm around the waist of the other person and is smiling.
Jackson with a Knott's Berry Farm Snoopy mascot in April 1984

On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi Cola commercial, overseen by executive Phil Dusenberry, from ad agency BBDO and Pepsi's Worldwide Creative Director, Alan Pottasch at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. In front of a full house of fans during a simulated concert, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire. He suffered second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars on his scalp, and he also had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter. Jackson never recovered from this injury. Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated his $1.5 million settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California, which now has a "Michael Jackson Burn Center" in honor of his donation. Dusenberry later recounted the episode in his memoir, Then We Set His Hair on Fire: Insights and Accidents from a Hall of Fame Career in Advertising.

On May 14, 1984, Jackson was invited to the White House to receive an award from President Ronald Reagan for his support of charities that helped people overcome alcohol and drug abuse. Jackson won eight awards during the Grammys that year. Unlike later albums, Thriller did not have an official tour to promote it, but the 1984 Victory Tour, headlined by The Jacksons, showcased much of Jackson's new solo material to more than two million Americans. He donated all the funds (around $8 million) raised from the Victory Tour to charity. He also co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" in 1985 with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to aid the poor in the U.S. and Africa. It became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 30 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief. In 1986, "We Are the World" won four Grammys (one for Jackson for Song of the Year). American Music Award directors removed the charity song from the competition because they felt it would be inappropriate, but recognised it with two special honors (one for the creation of the song and one for the USA for Africa idea). They are the only AMAs that Jackson won as non-solo artist.
In the center of the photo four people can be seen. To the farthest left a medium skin colored man wearing a black suit with a white shirt can be seen. Second to the left a Caucasian man wearing a black suit with a white shirt and brown tie has his head turned to the right. To the right of the Caucasian male there is an African American man wearing a white shirt with a blue jacket that has a yellow strap across his chest. He is raising his right hand, which is covered with a white glove. To the farthest right, a Caucasian female with short blonde hair, who is wearing a white outfit, can be seen. In the background a cream colored building with an opened green door can be seen.
Jackson at the White House South Portico with President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan, 1984

In 1984, ATV Music Publishing, which had the copyrights to nearly 4000 songs, including the Northern Songs catalog that contained the majority of the Lennon/McCartney compositions recorded by The Beatles, was put up for sale by Robert Holmes à Court. Jackson had become interested in owning music catalogs after working with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s: Jackson had learned McCartney made approximately $40 million a year from other people's songs. In 1981, McCartney was offered the ATV music catalog for £20 million ($40 million). According to McCartney, he contacted Yoko Ono about making a joint purchase by splitting the cost equally at £10 million each, but Ono thought they could buy it for £5 million each. When they were unable to make the joint purchase, McCartney let the offer fall through, not wanting to be the sole owner of the Beatles' songs.

According to a negotiator for Holmes à Court in the 1984 sale, "We had given Paul McCartney first right of refusal but Paul didn't want it at that time." Also, an attorney for McCartney assured Jackson's attorney, John Branca, that McCartney was not interested in bidding: McCartney reportedly said "It's too pricey" But there were several other companies and investors bidding. In September 1984, Jackson was first informed about the sale by Branca and sent a bid of $46 million on November 20, 1984. Jackson's agents thought they had a deal several times, but encountered new bidders or new areas of debate. In May 1985, Jackson's team walked away from talks after having spent over $1 million on four months of due diligence and on the negotiations.

In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned that Charles Koppelman's and Marty Bandier's The Entertainment Co. had made a tentative agreement with Holmes à Court to buy ATV Music for $50 million. But in early August, Holmes à Court's team contacted Jackson and talks resumed. Jackson raised his bid to $47.5 million and it was accepted because he could close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence of ATV Music. He also agreed to visit Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon. Jackson's purchase of ATV Music was finalized August 10, 1985. He was a double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and later as a solo artist in 2001. Jackson was also inducted in several other hall of fames, including Vocal Group Hall of Fame (as The Jackson 5 member) in 1999, Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and Hit Parade Hall of Fame (with his brothers) in 2009. In 2010, Jackson was inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. His awards include many Guinness World Records (eight in 2006 alone), 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), 26 American Music Awards (24 only as a solo artist, including the "Artist of the Century", but not the poll of "Artist of the '80s")—more than any artist—, 13 number one singles in the US in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and estimated sales of up to 750 million records worldwide, making him the world's best selling male solo pop artist. On December 29, 2009, the American Film Institute recognized Jackson's passing as a "moment of significance" saying, "Michael Jackson's sudden death in June at age 50 was notable for the worldwide outpouring of grief and the unprecedented global eulogy of his posthumous concert rehearsal movie This Is It." Michael Jackson also received a Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from the United Negro College Fund and also an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Fisk University.
Lifetime earnings

His total lifetime earnings from royalties on his solo recordings and music videos, revenue from concerts and endorsements have been estimated at US$500 million; some analysts have speculated that his music catalog holdings could be worth billions of dollars. This speculation however is contradicted by financial documents obtained by the Associated Press, which showed that as of March 31, 2007, Jackson's 50 percent stake in the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalog (his most prized asset) was worth $390.6 million and Michael Jackson's net worth was $236 million. Billboard has estimated that Jackson has generated at least $1 billion in revenue in the year following his death.
Discography
Main articles: Michael Jackson albums discography, Michael Jackson singles discography, and Michael Jackson videography
See also: Jackson 5 discography

    Got to Be There (1972)
    Ben (1972)
    Music & Me (1973)
    Forever, Michael (1975)
    Off the Wall (1979)
    Thriller (1982)
    Bad (1987)
    Dangerous (1991)
    HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)
    Invincible (2001)

Filmography
Main article: Michael Jackson videography
Year↓ Film↓ Role↓ Director↓
1978 The Wiz Scarecrow Sidney Lumet
1986 Captain EO Captain EO Francis Ford Coppola
1988 Moonwalker Himself Jerry Kramer
1997 Michael Jackson's Ghosts Maestro/Mayor/Ghoul/Skeleton Stan Winston
2002 Men in Black II Agent M (cameo) Barry Sonnenfeld
2004 Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls Agent MJ (cameo) Bryan Michael Stoller
2009 Michael Jackson's This Is It Himself Kenny Ortega
Tours
Main article: List of concert tours by Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5

    Bad World Tour (1987–89)
    Dangerous World Tour (1992–93)
    HIStory World Tour (1996–97)
    This Is It (2009–10) (cancelled)

See also
Michael Jackson portal
The Jackson Family portal
African American portal
Book icon Book: Michael Jackson
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

    Honorific nicknames in popular music
    List of best-selling music artists
    List of best-selling music artists in the United States
    List of unreleased Michael Jackson material
    List of artists who have covered Michael Jackson
    List of artists who have sampled Michael Jackson
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l546/mayamj/Michael%20Jackson/michael-jackson-music-dance-legend-44_cleaned.jpg
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l546/mayamj/Michael%20Jackson/tumblr_lk06g78yoC1qi1rmp_cleaned.jpg
Let it be Michael Jackson Day!

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/29/11 at 8:42 am


Tuesday Weld was born August 27th 1943, and I was wondering what day of the week that was.

It was a Friday

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/29/11 at 8:44 am


It was a Friday
That blows away my idea that she could had been born on a Tuesday.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/29/11 at 1:10 pm


Let it be Michael Jackson Day!


Tiff would be proud.  :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/29/11 at 1:11 pm


Let it be Michael Jackson Day!
Is Bubbles still alive?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/29/11 at 1:12 pm


Is Bubbles still alive?


I think Bubbles died a long time ago.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/29/11 at 1:12 pm


I think Bubbles died a long time ago.
Oh dear.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/29/11 at 1:13 pm


Oh dear.


you could check wiki.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/29/11 at 1:16 pm


you could check wiki.
Still alive

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/29/11 at 1:16 pm


I think Bubbles died a long time ago.

Still alive
Aged now 27.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/29/11 at 1:17 pm


Still alive



at least he's been taking care of.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/29/11 at 1:18 pm



at least he's been taking care of.
In 2004, Bubbles was moved to the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida, where he has been kept for several years.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/29/11 at 1:19 pm


In 2004, Bubbles was moved to the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida, where he has been kept for several years.



probably cause of Michael's health.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/29/11 at 1:19 pm



probably cause of Michael's health.
It was revealed in 2003 that Bubbles had matured into an aggressive adult chimp unsuitable as a companion animal and was sent to a California animal sanctuary where he attempted suicide.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/29/11 at 1:20 pm


It was revealed in 2003 that Bubbles had matured into an aggressive adult chimp unsuitable as a companion animal and was sent to a California animal sanctuary where he attempted suicide.


I guess Michael was told not to keep him long.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/29/11 at 6:22 pm


Tuesday Weld was born August 27th 1943, and I was wondering what day of the week that was.

Friday.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/29/11 at 6:26 pm


Let it be Michael Jackson Day!


Tiff would be proud.  :)

Yes indeed, she would.

His albums Thriller and Bad were great, along with their respective title tracks.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/30/11 at 11:56 am

The person of the day...Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films and voicing the character Princess Fiona for the Shrek series. Diaz received Golden Globe award nominations for her performances in the movies There's Something About Mary, Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky, and Gangs of New York.
At age 21, Diaz auditioned for the movie The Mask, based on the recommendation of an agent for Elite, who met the film's producers while they were searching for the female main actress. Having no previous acting experience, she started acting lessons after being cast. The Mask became one of the top ten highest grossing films of 1994, earned Diaz nominations for several awards and launched her as a sex symbol.

During the next three years, she had roles in the low-budget independent films The Last Supper (1995), Feeling Minnesota (1996), She's the One (1996), Keys to Tulsa (1996), and A Life Less Ordinary (1997), preferring to feel her way effectively into the business. She was scheduled to feature in the film Mortal Kombat, but had to resign after breaking her hand while training for the role.

She returned to mainstream films with the major movie successes My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) and There's Something About Mary (1998), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the category of Best Actress – Musical or Comedy. She received critical acclaim for her performance in Being John Malkovich (1999), which earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globe Award, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG Awards). Between 1998 and 2000, Diaz featured in many movies, such as Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, Very Bad Things, Any Given Sunday, and the successful adaptation of Charlie's Angels. During 2001, she won nominations for Best Supporting Actress for the Golden Globe Awards, the SAG Awards, the Critics' Choice Awards, and the American Film Institute Awards for Vanilla Sky, and also voiced Princess Fiona in the movie Shrek, for which she earned $10 million.

During 2003, Diaz received another Golden Globe nomination for Martin Scorsese's 2002 epic Gangs of New York, and became the third actress (after Wedding costar Julia Roberts) to earn $20 million for a role, receiving the sum for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Her next movies were In Her Shoes (2005) and The Holiday (2006). She was preparing to work again with The Mask co-star Jim Carrey for the film Fun with Dick and Jane, but resigned to feature in In Her Shoes. Diaz reportedly earned $50 million during the period of a year ending June 2008, for her roles in What Happens in Vegas opposite Ashton Kutcher, and the Shrek sequels. In 2009, she starred in My Sister's Keeper and The Box.

During 2010, Forbes Magazine ranked Cameron Diaz as the richest Hispanic female celebrity, ranking number 60 among the wealthiest 100. Also that year, Diaz was cast as the female lead in a live action/animation hybrid film version of The Smurfs, and as well as voicing Princess Fiona for the movie Shrek Forever After, also reunited with her Vanilla Sky co-star Tom Cruise in the action/comedy Knight and Day, and on January 14, she played "Lenore Case", the journalist in the remake of the 1940's film, The Green Hornet. She was listed among CEOWORLD magazine's Top Accomplished Women Entertainers.
Personal life

Diaz received "substantial" defamation damages from suing American Media Incorporated, after The National Enquirer had claimed she was cheating on then-paramour Justin Timberlake.

When Diaz was asked if she can speak Spanish she said:
“ I go, 'God, you know, it all sounds so familiar. I know what you're saying, I really do. I just cannot respond to you back in Spanish. I can barely speak English properly.' I didn't grow up in a Cuban community. I grew up in Southern California on the beach, basically. And I'm third generation. I'm of Cuban descent.

She endorsed Al Gore publicly during 2000. Diaz wore a t-shirt that read "I won't vote for a son of a Bush!" while making publicity visits for Charlie's Angels.

Diaz has also been involved with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the first and largest nonprofit organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has spoken as an advocate for military families.

Although she was quoted by a 1997 Time magazine article as saying she was germophobic, Diaz specifically denied this on the June 26, 2009, edition of Real Time with Bill Maher, saying that a small comment she made 12 years earlier regarding public bathroom doorknobs was distorted out of proportion. Furthermore, on the June 21, 2011 episode of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Diaz removed stitches from the wrist of Jon Stewart, on-camera.

On April 15, 2008, her father, Emilio Diaz, died of pneumonia, aged 58.
Relationships

During 1995, she began a relationship with actor Matt Dillon, with whom she co-starred in There's Something About Mary; the relationship ended during 1998.

Diaz dated singer Justin Timberlake from 2003 to 2006. During October 2004, Diaz and Timberlake were in an altercation with a tabloid photographer outside a hotel. When the photographer and another man tried to photograph them, the couple snatched the camera. Pictures of the incident appeared in Us Weekly. Representatives for the pair claimed that they were acting a scene on a set.

As of July 2010, Diaz has been in a romantic relationship with New York Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez.
Filmography and awards

During 1996, Diaz received an award at the ShoWest Convention for "Female Star of Tomorrow." During 2006, she won a People's Choice Award for "Favorite Leading Lady." On June 22, 2009, she was commemorated by a star-figure on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Films
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes↓
1994 The Mask Tina Carlyle
1995 The Last Supper Jude
1996 She's the One Heather
Feeling Minnesota Freddie Clayton
Head Above Water Nathalie
Keys to Tulsa Trudy
1997 My Best Friend's Wedding Kimberly Wallace ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film in a Crossover Role
Blockbuster Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Comedy
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
A Life Less Ordinary Celine Naville
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Blonde TV Reporter
There's Something About Mary Mary Jensen American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Blockbuster Award for Favorite Actress – Comedy
MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film in a Crossover Role
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Very Bad Things Laura Garrety
1999 Man Woman Film Random Celebrity cameo
Being John Malkovich Lotte Schwartz Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominated – Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated – Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her Carol Faber
The Invisible Circus Faith
Any Given Sunday Christina Pagniacci ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film
Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Drama
2000 Charlie's Angels Natalie Cook Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated — MTV Movie Awards for Best Line (For "I signed the release, so you can stick anything you want in my slot!".)
2001 Shrek Princess Fiona Voice
Vanilla Sky Julie Gianni Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — AFI Award for Best Actress
Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
2002 The Sweetest Thing Christina Walters
Gangs of New York Jenny Everdeane Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Acting Ensemble
2003 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Natalie Cook Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Actress
2004 Shrek 2 Princess Fiona Voice
2005 In Her Shoes Maggie Feller Nominated — Imagen Foundation Award for Best Actress
2006 The Holiday Amanda Woods
2007 Shrek the Third Princess Fiona Voice
2008 What Happens in Vegas Joy McNally Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress in a Comedy
Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with Ashton Kutcher) and for Worst Actress
2009 My Sister's Keeper Sara Fitzgerald Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer Movie Star: Female
The Box Norma Lewis
2010 Shrek Forever After Princess Fiona Voice
Nominated — Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Knight and Day June Havens Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer Movie Star: Female
2011 The Green Hornet Lenore Case
Bad Teacher Elizabeth Halsey Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress in a Comedy
Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress – Musical or Comedy
2012 Gambit PJ Puznowski Filming
What To Expect When You're Expecting Jules Filming
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2005 Trippin' Herself MTV – Travel Documentary
2007 Shrek the Halls Princess Fiona Voice
Made for television
2008–2009 Saturday Night Live Kiki Deamore 3 episodes
2009 Sesame Street Herself
2010 Top Gear Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car Series 15, Episode 5 – appeared alongside Tom Cruise
2010 Scared Shrekless Princess Fiona Voice
Made for television
2011 The X Factor (French edition) Herself, as a guest judge Invited by M6 for the semi final of the competition to judge the contestants' performances
http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab52/themironshow14/Cameron%20Diaz/normal_98659_CameronDiazCelebutopia_net6_122_86lo1.jpg
http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab52/themironshow14/Cameron%20Diaz/normal_47955_szavy_Cameron_Diaz_Terry_Richardson_Photoshoot_2010_for_Harpers_Bazaar_02_122_500lo1.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/30/11 at 1:44 pm


The person of the day...Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films and voicing the character Princess Fiona for the Shrek series. Diaz received Golden Globe award nominations for her performances in the movies There's Something About Mary, Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky, and Gangs of New York.
At age 21, Diaz auditioned for the movie The Mask, based on the recommendation of an agent for Elite, who met the film's producers while they were searching for the female main actress. Having no previous acting experience, she started acting lessons after being cast. The Mask became one of the top ten highest grossing films of 1994, earned Diaz nominations for several awards and launched her as a sex symbol.

During the next three years, she had roles in the low-budget independent films The Last Supper (1995), Feeling Minnesota (1996), She's the One (1996), Keys to Tulsa (1996), and A Life Less Ordinary (1997), preferring to feel her way effectively into the business. She was scheduled to feature in the film Mortal Kombat, but had to resign after breaking her hand while training for the role.

She returned to mainstream films with the major movie successes My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) and There's Something About Mary (1998), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the category of Best Actress – Musical or Comedy. She received critical acclaim for her performance in Being John Malkovich (1999), which earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globe Award, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG Awards). Between 1998 and 2000, Diaz featured in many movies, such as Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, Very Bad Things, Any Given Sunday, and the successful adaptation of Charlie's Angels. During 2001, she won nominations for Best Supporting Actress for the Golden Globe Awards, the SAG Awards, the Critics' Choice Awards, and the American Film Institute Awards for Vanilla Sky, and also voiced Princess Fiona in the movie Shrek, for which she earned $10 million.

During 2003, Diaz received another Golden Globe nomination for Martin Scorsese's 2002 epic Gangs of New York, and became the third actress (after Wedding costar Julia Roberts) to earn $20 million for a role, receiving the sum for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Her next movies were In Her Shoes (2005) and The Holiday (2006). She was preparing to work again with The Mask co-star Jim Carrey for the film Fun with Dick and Jane, but resigned to feature in In Her Shoes. Diaz reportedly earned $50 million during the period of a year ending June 2008, for her roles in What Happens in Vegas opposite Ashton Kutcher, and the Shrek sequels. In 2009, she starred in My Sister's Keeper and The Box.

During 2010, Forbes Magazine ranked Cameron Diaz as the richest Hispanic female celebrity, ranking number 60 among the wealthiest 100. Also that year, Diaz was cast as the female lead in a live action/animation hybrid film version of The Smurfs, and as well as voicing Princess Fiona for the movie Shrek Forever After, also reunited with her Vanilla Sky co-star Tom Cruise in the action/comedy Knight and Day, and on January 14, she played "Lenore Case", the journalist in the remake of the 1940's film, The Green Hornet. She was listed among CEOWORLD magazine's Top Accomplished Women Entertainers.
Personal life

Diaz received "substantial" defamation damages from suing American Media Incorporated, after The National Enquirer had claimed she was cheating on then-paramour Justin Timberlake.

When Diaz was asked if she can speak Spanish she said:
“ I go, 'God, you know, it all sounds so familiar. I know what you're saying, I really do. I just cannot respond to you back in Spanish. I can barely speak English properly.' I didn't grow up in a Cuban community. I grew up in Southern California on the beach, basically. And I'm third generation. I'm of Cuban descent.

She endorsed Al Gore publicly during 2000. Diaz wore a t-shirt that read "I won't vote for a son of a Bush!" while making publicity visits for Charlie's Angels.

Diaz has also been involved with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the first and largest nonprofit organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has spoken as an advocate for military families.

Although she was quoted by a 1997 Time magazine article as saying she was germophobic, Diaz specifically denied this on the June 26, 2009, edition of Real Time with Bill Maher, saying that a small comment she made 12 years earlier regarding public bathroom doorknobs was distorted out of proportion. Furthermore, on the June 21, 2011 episode of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Diaz removed stitches from the wrist of Jon Stewart, on-camera.

On April 15, 2008, her father, Emilio Diaz, died of pneumonia, aged 58.
Relationships

During 1995, she began a relationship with actor Matt Dillon, with whom she co-starred in There's Something About Mary; the relationship ended during 1998.

Diaz dated singer Justin Timberlake from 2003 to 2006. During October 2004, Diaz and Timberlake were in an altercation with a tabloid photographer outside a hotel. When the photographer and another man tried to photograph them, the couple snatched the camera. Pictures of the incident appeared in Us Weekly. Representatives for the pair claimed that they were acting a scene on a set.

As of July 2010, Diaz has been in a romantic relationship with New York Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez.
Filmography and awards

During 1996, Diaz received an award at the ShoWest Convention for "Female Star of Tomorrow." During 2006, she won a People's Choice Award for "Favorite Leading Lady." On June 22, 2009, she was commemorated by a star-figure on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Films
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes↓
1994 The Mask Tina Carlyle
1995 The Last Supper Jude
1996 She's the One Heather
Feeling Minnesota Freddie Clayton
Head Above Water Nathalie
Keys to Tulsa Trudy
1997 My Best Friend's Wedding Kimberly Wallace ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film in a Crossover Role
Blockbuster Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Comedy
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
A Life Less Ordinary Celine Naville
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Blonde TV Reporter
There's Something About Mary Mary Jensen American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Blockbuster Award for Favorite Actress – Comedy
MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film in a Crossover Role
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Very Bad Things Laura Garrety
1999 Man Woman Film Random Celebrity cameo
Being John Malkovich Lotte Schwartz Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominated – Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated – Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her Carol Faber
The Invisible Circus Faith
Any Given Sunday Christina Pagniacci ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film
Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Drama
2000 Charlie's Angels Natalie Cook Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated — MTV Movie Awards for Best Line (For "I signed the release, so you can stick anything you want in my slot!".)
2001 Shrek Princess Fiona Voice
Vanilla Sky Julie Gianni Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — AFI Award for Best Actress
Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
2002 The Sweetest Thing Christina Walters
Gangs of New York Jenny Everdeane Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Acting Ensemble
2003 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Natalie Cook Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Actress
2004 Shrek 2 Princess Fiona Voice
2005 In Her Shoes Maggie Feller Nominated — Imagen Foundation Award for Best Actress
2006 The Holiday Amanda Woods
2007 Shrek the Third Princess Fiona Voice
2008 What Happens in Vegas Joy McNally Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress in a Comedy
Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with Ashton Kutcher) and for Worst Actress
2009 My Sister's Keeper Sara Fitzgerald Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer Movie Star: Female
The Box Norma Lewis
2010 Shrek Forever After Princess Fiona Voice
Nominated — Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Knight and Day June Havens Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer Movie Star: Female
2011 The Green Hornet Lenore Case
Bad Teacher Elizabeth Halsey Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress in a Comedy
Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress – Musical or Comedy
2012 Gambit PJ Puznowski Filming
What To Expect When You're Expecting Jules Filming
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2005 Trippin' Herself MTV – Travel Documentary
2007 Shrek the Halls Princess Fiona Voice
Made for television
2008–2009 Saturday Night Live Kiki Deamore 3 episodes
2009 Sesame Street Herself
2010 Top Gear Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car Series 15, Episode 5 – appeared alongside Tom Cruise
2010 Scared Shrekless Princess Fiona Voice
Made for television
2011 The X Factor (French edition) Herself, as a guest judge Invited by M6 for the semi final of the competition to judge the contestants' performances
http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab52/themironshow14/Cameron%20Diaz/normal_98659_CameronDiazCelebutopia_net6_122_86lo1.jpg
http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab52/themironshow14/Cameron%20Diaz/normal_47955_szavy_Cameron_Diaz_Terry_Richardson_Photoshoot_2010_for_Harpers_Bazaar_02_122_500lo1.jpg


I always liked her films and also in Friends.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: King Tut on 08/30/11 at 4:17 pm

Hard to imagine Cameron is almost 40. She's a good actress, and a very likeable one.
I've liked her since I saw her in "Feeeling Minnesota" with Keanu Reeves.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 08/31/11 at 9:41 am

The person of the day...Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE (born George Ivan Morrison; 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely viewed as among the greatest ever made.

Known as "Van the Man" to his fans, Morrison started his professional career when, as a teenager in the late 1950s, he played a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands covering the popular hits of the day. He rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B band Them, with whom he recorded the garage band classic "Gloria". His solo career began under the pop-hit oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl" in 1967. After Berns' death, Warner Bros. Records bought out his contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks in 1968. Even though this album would gradually garner high praise, it was initially poorly received; however, the next one, Moondance, established Morrison as a major artist, and throughout the 1970s he built on his reputation with a series of critically acclaimed albums and live performances. Morrison continues to record and tour, producing albums and live performances that sell well and are generally warmly received, sometimes collaborating with other artists, such as Georgie Fame and The Chieftains. In 2008 he performed Astral Weeks live for the first time since 1968.

Much of Morrison's music is structured around the conventions of soul music and R&B, such as the popular singles, "Brown Eyed Girl", "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)", "Domino" and "Wild Night". An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, loosely connected, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz, and stream-of-consciousness narrative, such as Astral Weeks and lesser-known works such as Veedon Fleece and Common One. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic Soul".

Morrison has received considerable acclaim, including six Grammy Awards, being inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and appearing on several "Greatest Artists" lists.
The roots of Them, the band that first broke Morrison on the international scene, came in April 1964 when Morrison responded to an advert for musicians to play at a new R&B club at the Maritime Hotel – an old dance hall frequented by sailors. The new R&B club needed a band for its opening night; however, Morrison had left the Golden Eagles (the group with which he had been performing at the time), so he created a new band out of The Gamblers, an East Belfast group formed by Ronnie Millings, Billy Harrison, and Alan Henderson in 1962. Eric Wrixon, still a schoolboy, was the piano player and keyboardist. Morrison played saxophone and harmonica and shared vocals with Billy Harrison. They followed Eric Wrixon's suggestion for a new name, and The Gamblers morphed into Them, their name taken from the Fifties horror movie Them!.

The band's strong R&B performances at the Maritime attracted attention. Them performed without a routine and Morrison ad libbed, creating his songs live as he performed. While the band did covers, they also played some of Morrison's early songs, such as "Could You Would You", which he had written in Camden Town while touring with The Manhattan Showband. The debut of Morrison's "Gloria" took place on stage here. Sometimes, depending on his mood, the song could last up to twenty minutes. Morrison has stated that "Them lived and died on the stage at the Maritime Hotel," believing that the band did not manage to capture the spontaneity and energy of their live performances on their records. The statement also reflected the instability of the Them lineup, with numerous members passing through the ranks after the definitive Maritime period. Morrison and Henderson would remain the only constants, and a highly unsuccessful version of Them even soldiered on after Morrison's departure.

Dick Rowe of Decca Records became aware of the band's performances, and signed Them to a standard two-year contract. In that period, they released two albums and ten singles, with two more singles released after Morrison departed the band. They had three chart hits, "Baby, Please Don't Go" (1964), "Here Comes the Night" (1965), and "Mystic Eyes" (1965), though it was the b-side of "Baby, Please Don't Go", the garage band classic, "Gloria", that went on to become a rock standard covered by Patti Smith, The Doors, Shadows of Knight, Jimi Hendrix and others.

"Gloria"
Morrison's garage rock classic was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. As described by Paul Williams: "Van Morrison's voice a fierce beacon in the darkness, the lighthouse at the end of the world. Resulting in one of the most perfect rock anthems known to humankind."
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Building on the success of their singles in the United States, and riding on the back of the British Invasion, Them undertook a two month tour of America in May and June 1966 that included a residency from 30 May to 18 June at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. The Doors were the supporting act on the last week, and Morrison's influence on The Doors singer, Jim Morrison, was noted by John Densmore in his book Riders On The Storm. Brian Hinton relates how "Jim Morrison learned quickly from his near namesake's stagecraft, his apparent recklessness, his air of subdued menace, the way he would improvise poetry to a rock beat, even his habit of crouching down by the bass drum during instrumental breaks." On the final night, the two Morrisons and the two bands jammed together on "Gloria".

Toward the end of the tour the band members became involved in a dispute with their manager, Decca Records' Phil Solomon, over the revenues paid to the band; that, coupled with the expiry of their work visas, meant the band returned from America dejected. After two more concerts in Ireland, Them split up. Morrison concentrated on writing some of the songs that would appear on Astral Weeks, while the remnants of the band reformed in 1967 and relocated in America.
Start of solo career with Bang Records and "Brown Eyed Girl" – 1967

"Brown Eyed Girl"
Morrison's classic 1967 hit single which appeared on the album Blowin' Your Mind!. In 2007, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Bert Berns, Them’s producer and composer of their 1965 hit, "Here Comes the Night", persuaded Morrison to return to New York to record solo for his new label, Bang Records. Morrison flew over and signed a contract he had not fully studied. Then, during a two-day recording session at A & R Studios starting 28 March 1967, eight songs were recorded originally intended to be used as four singles. Instead, these songs were released as the album Blowin' Your Mind! without Morrison being consulted. He said he only became aware of the album's release when a friend mentioned on a phone call that he had just bought a copy of it. He later commented to Donal Corvin in a 1973 interview: "I wasn't really happy with it. He picked the bands and tunes. I had a different concept of it."

However, from these early sessions emerged "Brown Eyed Girl". Captured on the 22nd take on the first day, this song was released as a single in mid-June 1967, reaching number ten in the US charts in 1967. "Brown Eyed Girl" became Morrison's most played song and over the years it has remained a classic; forty years later in 2007, it was the fourth most requested song of DJs in the US.

Following the death of Berns in 1967, Morrison became involved in a contract dispute with Berns' widow that prevented him from performing on stage or recording in the New York area. The song "Big Time Operators", released in 1993, is thought to allude to his dealings with the New York music business during this time period. He then moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and was soon confronted with personal and financial problems; he had "slipped into a malaise" and had trouble finding concert bookings. However, through the few gigs he could find, he regained his professional footing and started recording with the Warner Bros. Records label. The record company managed to buy out his contract with Bang Records. Morrison fulfilled a clause that bound him to submit thirty-six original songs within a year to Web IV Music, Berns' music publishing company, by recording thirty-one songs in one session; however, Ilene Berns thought the songs "nonsense music ... about ringworms" and didn't use them. The throwaway compositions would come to be known as the "revenge" songs.
By 1972, after being a performer for nearly ten years, Morrison began experiencing stage fright when performing for audiences of thousands, as opposed to the hundreds as he had experienced in his early career. He became anxious on stage and would have difficulty establishing eye contact with the audience. He once said in an interview about performing on stage, "I dig singing the songs but there are times when it's pretty agonizing for me to be out there." After a brief break from music, he started appearing in clubs, regaining his ability to perform live, albeit with smaller audiences.

The 1974 live double album, It's Too Late to Stop Now, has been on lists of greatest live albums of all time. Biographer Johnny Rogan states that "Morrison was in the midst of what was arguably his greatest phase as a performer." Performances on the album were from tapes made during a three month tour of the US and Europe in 1973 with the backing group The Caledonia Soul Orchestra. Soon after recording the album, Morrison restructured the Caledonia Soul Orchestra into a smaller unit, the Caledonia Soul Express.
Morrison performs in 1976 at The Band's final concert filmed for The Last Waltz.

On Thanksgiving Day 1976, Morrison performed at the farewell concert for The Band. Morrison's first live performance in several years, he considered skipping his appearance until the last minute, even refusing to go on stage when they announced his name. His manager, Harvey Goldsmith, said he "literally kicked him out there." Morrison was on good terms with The Band as near-neighbours in Woodstock, and they had the shared experience of stage-fright. At the concert, he performed two songs. His first was a rendition of the classic Irish song Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral. His second song was "Caravan", from his 1970 album Moondance. Greil Marcus, in attendance at the concert, wrote: "Van Morrison turned the show around...singing to the rafters and ...burning holes in the floor. It was a triumph, and as the song ended Van began to kick his leg into the air out of sheer exuberance and he kicked his way right offstage like a Rockette. The crowd had given him a fine welcome and they cheered wildly when he left." The filmed concert served as the basis for Martin Scorsese's 1978 film, The Last Waltz.
Discography
Main article: Van Morrison discography

    Blowin' Your Mind! (1967)
    Astral Weeks (1968)
    Moondance (1970)
    His Band and the Street Choir (1970)
    Tupelo Honey (1971)
    Saint Dominic's Preview (1972)
    Hard Nose the Highway (1973)
    It's Too Late to Stop Now (Live) (1974)
    Veedon Fleece (1974)
    A Period of Transition (1977)
    Wavelength (1978)
    Into the Music (1979)
    Common One (1980)
    Beautiful Vision (1982)
    Inarticulate Speech of the Heart (1983)
    Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast (1984)
    A Sense of Wonder (1985)
    No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986)
    Poetic Champions Compose (1987)
    Irish Heartbeat (1988)
    Avalon Sunset (1989)
    Enlightenment (1990)
    Hymns to the Silence (1991)
    Too Long in Exile (1993)
    A Night in San Francisco (Live) (1994)
    Days Like This (1995)
    How Long Has This Been Going On (1996)
    Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison (1996)
    The Healing Game (1997)
    The Philosopher's Stone (1998)
    Back on Top (1999)
    The Skiffle Sessions - Live in Belfast 1998 (2000)
    You Win Again (2000)
    Down the Road (2002)
    What's Wrong with This Picture? (2003)
    Magic Time (2005)
    Pay the Devil (2006)
    Live at Austin City Limits Festival (Limited edition) (2006)
    Keep It Simple (2008)
    Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl (2009)

Legacy
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Van Morrison

Morrison has received several major music awards in his career, including six Grammy Awards (1996–2007); inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (January 1993), the Songwriters Hall of Fame (June 2003), and the Irish Music Hall of Fame (September 1999); and a Brit Award (February 1994). In addition he has received civil awards of an OBE (June 1996) and an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1996), and he has honorary doctorates from the University of Ulster (1992) and Queen's University Belfast (July 2001).

The Hall of Fame inductions began in 1993 with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Morrison notable for being the first inductee not to attend his own ceremony, so that Robbie Robertson from The Band accepted the award on his behalf. When Morrison became the initial musician inducted into the Irish Music Hall of Fame, Bob Geldof presented Morrison with the award. Morrison's third induction was into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for "recognition of his unique position as one of the most important songwriters of the past century." Ray Charles presented the award, following a performance during which the pair performed Morrison's "Crazy Love", from the album, Moondance. Morrison's BRIT Award was for his Outstanding Contribution to British Music. He was presented with the award by former Beirut hostage, John McCarthy, who while testifying to the importance of Morrison's song, "Wonderful Remark" called it "a song ... which was very important to us."

Morrison received two civil awards in 1996, first was the Order of the British Empire for his service to music, the second was an award by the French government when he was made an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Along with these state awards he has two honorary degrees in music; an honorary doctorate in literature from the University of Ulster, and an honorary doctorate in music from Queen's University in his hometown of Belfast.

Among other awards are an Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1995, the BMI ICON award in October 2004 for Morrison's "enduring influence on generations of music makers", and an Oscar Wilde: Honouring Irish Writing in Film award in 2007 for his contribution to over fifty films, presented by Al Pacino who compared Morrison to Oscar Wilde as they were both "visionaries who push boundaries". He was voted the Best International Male Singer of 2007 at the inaugural International Awards in Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, London.

Morrison has also appeared in a number of Greatest lists, including the TIME magazine list of The All-Time 100 Albums, which contained Astral Weeks and Moondance, and he appeared at number thirteen on the list of WXPN's 885 All Time Greatest Artists. In 2000, Morrison ranked twenty-fifth on American cable music channel VH1's list of its "100 Greatest Artists of Rock and Roll". In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Van Morrison forty-second on their list of "Greatest Artists of All Time". Paste ranked him twentieth in their list of "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" in 2006. Q ranked him twenty-second on their list of "100 Greatest Singers" in April 2007 and he was voted twenty-fourth on the November 2008 list of Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Three of Morrison's songs were included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll: "Brown Eyed Girl", "Madame George" and "Moondance".

Morrison has been announced to be one of the 2010 honorees listed in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp126/ljg3330/Van_Morrison_umvd004.jpg
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp313/Cromagnonrand/van-morrison1.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 08/31/11 at 10:47 am

Choreographed & preformed a dance to this song back in the dark ages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNsmF9JTpuI


I once knew a guy by the name of Vaughn Morrison.  :D ;D ;D ;D



Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 08/31/11 at 2:00 pm


The person of the day...Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE (born George Ivan Morrison; 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely viewed as among the greatest ever made.

Known as "Van the Man" to his fans, Morrison started his professional career when, as a teenager in the late 1950s, he played a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands covering the popular hits of the day. He rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B band Them, with whom he recorded the garage band classic "Gloria". His solo career began under the pop-hit oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl" in 1967. After Berns' death, Warner Bros. Records bought out his contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks in 1968. Even though this album would gradually garner high praise, it was initially poorly received; however, the next one, Moondance, established Morrison as a major artist, and throughout the 1970s he built on his reputation with a series of critically acclaimed albums and live performances. Morrison continues to record and tour, producing albums and live performances that sell well and are generally warmly received, sometimes collaborating with other artists, such as Georgie Fame and The Chieftains. In 2008 he performed Astral Weeks live for the first time since 1968.

Much of Morrison's music is structured around the conventions of soul music and R&B, such as the popular singles, "Brown Eyed Girl", "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)", "Domino" and "Wild Night". An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, loosely connected, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz, and stream-of-consciousness narrative, such as Astral Weeks and lesser-known works such as Veedon Fleece and Common One. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic Soul".

Morrison has received considerable acclaim, including six Grammy Awards, being inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and appearing on several "Greatest Artists" lists.
The roots of Them, the band that first broke Morrison on the international scene, came in April 1964 when Morrison responded to an advert for musicians to play at a new R&B club at the Maritime Hotel – an old dance hall frequented by sailors. The new R&B club needed a band for its opening night; however, Morrison had left the Golden Eagles (the group with which he had been performing at the time), so he created a new band out of The Gamblers, an East Belfast group formed by Ronnie Millings, Billy Harrison, and Alan Henderson in 1962. Eric Wrixon, still a schoolboy, was the piano player and keyboardist. Morrison played saxophone and harmonica and shared vocals with Billy Harrison. They followed Eric Wrixon's suggestion for a new name, and The Gamblers morphed into Them, their name taken from the Fifties horror movie Them!.

The band's strong R&B performances at the Maritime attracted attention. Them performed without a routine and Morrison ad libbed, creating his songs live as he performed. While the band did covers, they also played some of Morrison's early songs, such as "Could You Would You", which he had written in Camden Town while touring with The Manhattan Showband. The debut of Morrison's "Gloria" took place on stage here. Sometimes, depending on his mood, the song could last up to twenty minutes. Morrison has stated that "Them lived and died on the stage at the Maritime Hotel," believing that the band did not manage to capture the spontaneity and energy of their live performances on their records. The statement also reflected the instability of the Them lineup, with numerous members passing through the ranks after the definitive Maritime period. Morrison and Henderson would remain the only constants, and a highly unsuccessful version of Them even soldiered on after Morrison's departure.

Dick Rowe of Decca Records became aware of the band's performances, and signed Them to a standard two-year contract. In that period, they released two albums and ten singles, with two more singles released after Morrison departed the band. They had three chart hits, "Baby, Please Don't Go" (1964), "Here Comes the Night" (1965), and "Mystic Eyes" (1965), though it was the b-side of "Baby, Please Don't Go", the garage band classic, "Gloria", that went on to become a rock standard covered by Patti Smith, The Doors, Shadows of Knight, Jimi Hendrix and others.

"Gloria"
Morrison's garage rock classic was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. As described by Paul Williams: "Van Morrison's voice a fierce beacon in the darkness, the lighthouse at the end of the world. Resulting in one of the most perfect rock anthems known to humankind."
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Building on the success of their singles in the United States, and riding on the back of the British Invasion, Them undertook a two month tour of America in May and June 1966 that included a residency from 30 May to 18 June at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. The Doors were the supporting act on the last week, and Morrison's influence on The Doors singer, Jim Morrison, was noted by John Densmore in his book Riders On The Storm. Brian Hinton relates how "Jim Morrison learned quickly from his near namesake's stagecraft, his apparent recklessness, his air of subdued menace, the way he would improvise poetry to a rock beat, even his habit of crouching down by the bass drum during instrumental breaks." On the final night, the two Morrisons and the two bands jammed together on "Gloria".

Toward the end of the tour the band members became involved in a dispute with their manager, Decca Records' Phil Solomon, over the revenues paid to the band; that, coupled with the expiry of their work visas, meant the band returned from America dejected. After two more concerts in Ireland, Them split up. Morrison concentrated on writing some of the songs that would appear on Astral Weeks, while the remnants of the band reformed in 1967 and relocated in America.
Start of solo career with Bang Records and "Brown Eyed Girl" – 1967

"Brown Eyed Girl"
Morrison's classic 1967 hit single which appeared on the album Blowin' Your Mind!. In 2007, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Bert Berns, Them’s producer and composer of their 1965 hit, "Here Comes the Night", persuaded Morrison to return to New York to record solo for his new label, Bang Records. Morrison flew over and signed a contract he had not fully studied. Then, during a two-day recording session at A & R Studios starting 28 March 1967, eight songs were recorded originally intended to be used as four singles. Instead, these songs were released as the album Blowin' Your Mind! without Morrison being consulted. He said he only became aware of the album's release when a friend mentioned on a phone call that he had just bought a copy of it. He later commented to Donal Corvin in a 1973 interview: "I wasn't really happy with it. He picked the bands and tunes. I had a different concept of it."

However, from these early sessions emerged "Brown Eyed Girl". Captured on the 22nd take on the first day, this song was released as a single in mid-June 1967, reaching number ten in the US charts in 1967. "Brown Eyed Girl" became Morrison's most played song and over the years it has remained a classic; forty years later in 2007, it was the fourth most requested song of DJs in the US.

Following the death of Berns in 1967, Morrison became involved in a contract dispute with Berns' widow that prevented him from performing on stage or recording in the New York area. The song "Big Time Operators", released in 1993, is thought to allude to his dealings with the New York music business during this time period. He then moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and was soon confronted with personal and financial problems; he had "slipped into a malaise" and had trouble finding concert bookings. However, through the few gigs he could find, he regained his professional footing and started recording with the Warner Bros. Records label. The record company managed to buy out his contract with Bang Records. Morrison fulfilled a clause that bound him to submit thirty-six original songs within a year to Web IV Music, Berns' music publishing company, by recording thirty-one songs in one session; however, Ilene Berns thought the songs "nonsense music ... about ringworms" and didn't use them. The throwaway compositions would come to be known as the "revenge" songs.
By 1972, after being a performer for nearly ten years, Morrison began experiencing stage fright when performing for audiences of thousands, as opposed to the hundreds as he had experienced in his early career. He became anxious on stage and would have difficulty establishing eye contact with the audience. He once said in an interview about performing on stage, "I dig singing the songs but there are times when it's pretty agonizing for me to be out there." After a brief break from music, he started appearing in clubs, regaining his ability to perform live, albeit with smaller audiences.

The 1974 live double album, It's Too Late to Stop Now, has been on lists of greatest live albums of all time. Biographer Johnny Rogan states that "Morrison was in the midst of what was arguably his greatest phase as a performer." Performances on the album were from tapes made during a three month tour of the US and Europe in 1973 with the backing group The Caledonia Soul Orchestra. Soon after recording the album, Morrison restructured the Caledonia Soul Orchestra into a smaller unit, the Caledonia Soul Express.
Morrison performs in 1976 at The Band's final concert filmed for The Last Waltz.

On Thanksgiving Day 1976, Morrison performed at the farewell concert for The Band. Morrison's first live performance in several years, he considered skipping his appearance until the last minute, even refusing to go on stage when they announced his name. His manager, Harvey Goldsmith, said he "literally kicked him out there." Morrison was on good terms with The Band as near-neighbours in Woodstock, and they had the shared experience of stage-fright. At the concert, he performed two songs. His first was a rendition of the classic Irish song Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral. His second song was "Caravan", from his 1970 album Moondance. Greil Marcus, in attendance at the concert, wrote: "Van Morrison turned the show around...singing to the rafters and ...burning holes in the floor. It was a triumph, and as the song ended Van began to kick his leg into the air out of sheer exuberance and he kicked his way right offstage like a Rockette. The crowd had given him a fine welcome and they cheered wildly when he left." The filmed concert served as the basis for Martin Scorsese's 1978 film, The Last Waltz.
Discography
Main article: Van Morrison discography

   Blowin' Your Mind! (1967)
   Astral Weeks (1968)
   Moondance (1970)
   His Band and the Street Choir (1970)
   Tupelo Honey (1971)
   Saint Dominic's Preview (1972)
   Hard Nose the Highway (1973)
   It's Too Late to Stop Now (Live) (1974)
   Veedon Fleece (1974)
   A Period of Transition (1977)
   Wavelength (1978)
   Into the Music (1979)
   Common One (1980)
   Beautiful Vision (1982)
   Inarticulate Speech of the Heart (1983)
   Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast (1984)
   A Sense of Wonder (1985)
   No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986)
   Poetic Champions Compose (1987)
   Irish Heartbeat (1988)
   Avalon Sunset (1989)
   Enlightenment (1990)
   Hymns to the Silence (1991)
   Too Long in Exile (1993)
   A Night in San Francisco (Live) (1994)
   Days Like This (1995)
   How Long Has This Been Going On (1996)
   Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison (1996)
   The Healing Game (1997)
   The Philosopher's Stone (1998)
   Back on Top (1999)
   The Skiffle Sessions - Live in Belfast 1998 (2000)
   You Win Again (2000)
   Down the Road (2002)
   What's Wrong with This Picture? (2003)
   Magic Time (2005)
   Pay the Devil (2006)
   Live at Austin City Limits Festival (Limited edition) (2006)
   Keep It Simple (2008)
   Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl (2009)

Legacy
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Van Morrison

Morrison has received several major music awards in his career, including six Grammy Awards (1996–2007); inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (January 1993), the Songwriters Hall of Fame (June 2003), and the Irish Music Hall of Fame (September 1999); and a Brit Award (February 1994). In addition he has received civil awards of an OBE (June 1996) and an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1996), and he has honorary doctorates from the University of Ulster (1992) and Queen's University Belfast (July 2001).

The Hall of Fame inductions began in 1993 with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Morrison notable for being the first inductee not to attend his own ceremony, so that Robbie Robertson from The Band accepted the award on his behalf. When Morrison became the initial musician inducted into the Irish Music Hall of Fame, Bob Geldof presented Morrison with the award. Morrison's third induction was into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for "recognition of his unique position as one of the most important songwriters of the past century." Ray Charles presented the award, following a performance during which the pair performed Morrison's "Crazy Love", from the album, Moondance. Morrison's BRIT Award was for his Outstanding Contribution to British Music. He was presented with the award by former Beirut hostage, John McCarthy, who while testifying to the importance of Morrison's song, "Wonderful Remark" called it "a song ... which was very important to us."

Morrison received two civil awards in 1996, first was the Order of the British Empire for his service to music, the second was an award by the French government when he was made an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Along with these state awards he has two honorary degrees in music; an honorary doctorate in literature from the University of Ulster, and an honorary doctorate in music from Queen's University in his hometown of Belfast.

Among other awards are an Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1995, the BMI ICON award in October 2004 for Morrison's "enduring influence on generations of music makers", and an Oscar Wilde: Honouring Irish Writing in Film award in 2007 for his contribution to over fifty films, presented by Al Pacino who compared Morrison to Oscar Wilde as they were both "visionaries who push boundaries". He was voted the Best International Male Singer of 2007 at the inaugural International Awards in Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, London.

Morrison has also appeared in a number of Greatest lists, including the TIME magazine list of The All-Time 100 Albums, which contained Astral Weeks and Moondance, and he appeared at number thirteen on the list of WXPN's 885 All Time Greatest Artists. In 2000, Morrison ranked twenty-fifth on American cable music channel VH1's list of its "100 Greatest Artists of Rock and Roll". In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Van Morrison forty-second on their list of "Greatest Artists of All Time". Paste ranked him twentieth in their list of "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" in 2006. Q ranked him twenty-second on their list of "100 Greatest Singers" in April 2007 and he was voted twenty-fourth on the November 2008 list of Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Three of Morrison's songs were included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll: "Brown Eyed Girl", "Madame George" and "Moondance".

Morrison has been announced to be one of the 2010 honorees listed in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp126/ljg3330/Van_Morrison_umvd004.jpg
http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp313/Cromagnonrand/van-morrison1.jpg


Brown Eyed Girl and Moondance are two of my favorites from him. :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 08/31/11 at 10:31 pm


Brown Eyed Girl and Moondance are two of my favorites from him. :)

Yeah, those are the two songs of his that I hear the most often on the radio.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/01/11 at 9:25 am

The person of the day...Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan (born September 1, 1957) is a Cuban American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those in the United States alone. She has won seven Grammy Awards, and is the most successful crossover performer in Latin music to date.
Gloria became romantically involved with the Miami Sound Machine's band leader, Emilio Estefan, in 1976. She and Emilio married on September 2, 1978. They have a son, Nayib (born September 2, 1980) and a daughter, Emily Marie (born December 5, 1994). The family lives in the Star Island section of Miami Beach, Florida.
Career in singing
Mid-1970s through the 1980s

Starting in 1977, the Miami Sound Machine with Gloria Estefan began recording and releasing various albums, 45s, and 12"s on the Audiofon Records label in Miami. The first album from 1977 was entitled Live Again Renacer and was released with two different covers. After several more releases on the Audiofon label as well as the RCA Victor label and Miami Sound Machine's own label MSM Records, the band was signed to Discos CBS International and released several albums, 45s, and 12"s beginning with 1980s self-titled album Miami Sound Machine. Growing in popularity in both the United States and around the world, the group would continue recording and issuing various works for Discos CBS International through 1985. In 1984, Miami Sound Machine released their first Epic/Columbia album, Eyes of Innocence, which contained the dance hit "Dr. Beat" as well as the ballad "I Need Your Love". Their more successful follow-up album Primitive Love was released in 1985 launching three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Conga" (U.S. #10), "Words Get In The Way" (U.S. #5), and "Bad Boy" (U.S. #8) became follow up hits in the U.S. and around the world. "Words Get in the Way" reached #1 on the US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, establishing that the group could perform pop ballads as successfully as dance tunes. The song "Hot Summer Nights" was also released that year and was part of the film Top Gun.

Their next album, 1987's Let It Loose, went multi-platinum, with six million copies sold in the US. It featured the following hits: "Anything for You" (#1 Hot 100), "1-2-3" (#3 Hot 100), "Betcha Say That" (#36 Hot 100), "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" (#5 Hot 100), and "Can't Stay Away From You" (#6 Hot 100). "Can't Stay Away From You", "Anything for You" and "1-2-3" were all #1 Adult Contemporary hits as well.

In 1988, Estefan took top billing and the band's name changed to Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine. Beginning in 1989, the group's name was dropped altogether. Estefan was credited as a solo artist, though the ever-changing line-up of Miami Sound Machine continues as her backing band to this day.

In 1988, after the worldwide chart success of single "Anything for You", her Let it Loose album was repackaged as Anything for You. It became the band's first UK #1 album, selling over a million copies. It was the biggest selling album of the year in The Netherlands, staying at #1 for 22 weeks. The album also took top honors in Australia and Canada, launching Estefan to superstar status., but she achieved a complete recovery. She returned to an international tour ten months after the accident.
Estefan has appeared in two films, Music of the Heart (1999) and For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000). Estefan made a cameo appearance with her husband in Marley & Me in 2008.

Estefan was cast to star as Connie Francis, a U.S. pop singer of the 1950s and early 1960s, in Who's Sorry Now?, based on Francis' life. Filming supposedly began in late 2008, according to Parade Magazine (March 23, 2008). Estefan, in an interview with www.allheadlinenews.com, stated the film would be released in 2009. As of December 2009, the film has been dropped as Connie Francis had irreconcilable differences with Estefan over the film's writer. Francis wanted to hire writer Robert L. Freedman, who had written the Emmy Award winning mini-series Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows. Estefan refused to consider him, which according to Francis ended the project collaboration.

Estefan appeared in the ABC television special Elmopalooza, which aired February 20, 1998, in which she sang the song "Mambo, I, I, I". In April 2004, Estefan appeared on the Fox Broadcasting Company's program, American Idol as a guest mentor for the contestants' Latin week.
Books

Estefan has written two children's books: The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog (2005) and Noelle's Treasure Tale (2006). The latter book spent a week at #3 on the New York Times Bestseller list for children's books.

She also collaborated on a cookbook with her husband entitled Estefan Kitchen, which was published in 2008. It contains 60 traditional Cuban recipes.
Other business ventures
The Cardozo hotel on Ocean Drive, in Miami Beach, Florida.

Gloria and Emilio Estefan own a number of business establishments, including seven Cuban-themed restaurants (Bongos Cuban Café). The restaurants are located in Miami; Miami Beach, Downtown Miami, part of the American Airlines Arena; Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney in Orlando; Mexico City; and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They also own two hotels: the Costa d'Este in Vero Beach which opened in 2008, and The Cardozo in Miami Beach.

Gloria Estefan was appointed to the board of directors for Univision Communications Inc. in 2007, according to Hispanic Market Weekly. The Estefans' estimated net worth as of 2011 was approximately $700 million, according to an article in People En Espanol magazine.

In June 2009, Gloria Estefan and her husband bought a "very small" ownership stake in the Miami Dolphins.
Awards
Main article: List of awards received by Gloria Estefan

In addition to her seven Grammys, Estefan has received a number of other awards. In May 1993, she received the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, which is the highest award that can be given to a naturalized U.S. citizen. She has won the Hispanic Heritage Award, an MTV Video Music Award, two cable television ACE Awards and the 1993 National Music Foundation's Humanitarian of the Year award. The singer is the recipient of the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her husband, Emilio, a world-renowned music impresario, received a star adjacent to his wife's on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005.

Estefan holds an honorary doctoral degree in music from the University of Miami, awarded in 1993. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami. In 2002, Barry University in Miami bestowed upon her an honorary law degree. Along with her husband, Estefan received an honorary doctoral degree in music from the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2007. She also delivered the commencement address to the 2007 graduating class.

In 2002, she received the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Medallion of Excellence for Community Service. The singer was Musicares Person of the Year in 1994. Gloria also founded the Gloria Estefan Foundation whose goal is to help those with spinal cord injuries.

She has been honored twice by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1992, she served as a public member of the United States Delegation to the 47th General Assembly to the United Nations.

Estefan received the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year award at the Latin Grammy Awards in November 2008 in recognition of her twenty-five year singing career. She is the first female singer to receive this award. She also received a Latin Grammy for "Best Traditional Tropical Album" for 90 Millas, and a Latin Grammy for "Best Tropical Song" for her single, "Píntame De Colores". This marked the first occasion for Estefan to ever win a Grammy award for a song (either Latin or non-Latin).

On March 12, 2009, Estefan was honored as a BMI Icon at the 16th annual BMI Latin Awards. Her catalog boasts 22 BMI Latin and Pop Awards, along with 11 BMI Million-Air Awards.

In April 2010, Estefan and her husband received a star in the "Walk Of Stars" in Las Vegas for their contribution to music industry. On April 28, 2011, at the Latin Billboard Awards, Estefan was honored with the Billboard Spirit of Hope Award for her philanthropic work.
Discography
Albums discography
Main article: Gloria Estefan albums discography

Studio albums
Release date Title
1984

Eyes of Innocence
1985

Primitive Love
1987

Let It Loose / Anything for You
1989

Cuts Both Ways
1991

Into The Light
1993

Mi Tierra
1994

Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me
1995

Abriendo Puertas
1996

Destiny
1998

gloria!
2000

Alma Caribeña
2003

Unwrapped
2007

90 Millas
2011

Miss Little Havana
Singles discography
Main article: Gloria Estefan singles discography
Filmography
Film
Year Film Role Notes
1999 Music of the Heart Isabel Vazquez Debut acting performance
2000 Little Angelita Voice Narrator Animated Short Film
For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story Emilia television film
2003 Famous: The Making of Unwrapped Herself Album documentary
2007 90 Millas Documentary Herself Album documentary
2008 Marley & Me Herself Cameo appearance
2009 G-Force Juárez Voice in the Latin-American version of the film
2010 Recording: The History Of Recorded Music Herself Documentary
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1986 Club Med - One Episode
1989 Postcard From Miami with Clive James Herself One Episode
1993 The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna Herself
2000 Frasier Maria One Episode: "Something About Dr. Mary"
2005 A Capitol Fourth Herself
2009 Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List Herself One Episode: "Rosie and Gloria and Griffin... Oh My!"
2010 The Marriage Ref Herself One Episode
Videography

    Video Exitos (1986) L.D.L Enterprises
    Homecoming Concert (1989) CMV
    Evolution (1990) CMV
    Coming Out Of The Dark (1991) SMV
    Into The Light World Tour (1992) SMV
    Everlasting Gloria! (1995) EMV
    The Evolution Tour Live In Miami (1996) EMV
    Don't Stop (1998) EMV
    Que siga la tradición (2001) EMV
    Live In Atlantis (2002) EMV
    Famous (2003) (Video journal about making-of Unwrapped LP; included in CD package)
    Live & Unwrapped (2004) EMV

Books

    The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog (2005) ISBN 0-06-082623-1.
    Noelle's Treasure Tale: A New Magically Mysterious Adventure (2006)
    Estefan's Kitchen (2008)
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z108/destiny77_2007/gloria_estefan-049.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l28/spidermanblue/MUSIC/Gl_Estefan.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/01/11 at 1:11 pm


The person of the day...Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan (born September 1, 1957) is a Cuban American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those in the United States alone. She has won seven Grammy Awards, and is the most successful crossover performer in Latin music to date.
Gloria became romantically involved with the Miami Sound Machine's band leader, Emilio Estefan, in 1976. She and Emilio married on September 2, 1978. They have a son, Nayib (born September 2, 1980) and a daughter, Emily Marie (born December 5, 1994). The family lives in the Star Island section of Miami Beach, Florida.
Career in singing
Mid-1970s through the 1980s

Starting in 1977, the Miami Sound Machine with Gloria Estefan began recording and releasing various albums, 45s, and 12"s on the Audiofon Records label in Miami. The first album from 1977 was entitled Live Again Renacer and was released with two different covers. After several more releases on the Audiofon label as well as the RCA Victor label and Miami Sound Machine's own label MSM Records, the band was signed to Discos CBS International and released several albums, 45s, and 12"s beginning with 1980s self-titled album Miami Sound Machine. Growing in popularity in both the United States and around the world, the group would continue recording and issuing various works for Discos CBS International through 1985. In 1984, Miami Sound Machine released their first Epic/Columbia album, Eyes of Innocence, which contained the dance hit "Dr. Beat" as well as the ballad "I Need Your Love". Their more successful follow-up album Primitive Love was released in 1985 launching three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Conga" (U.S. #10), "Words Get In The Way" (U.S. #5), and "Bad Boy" (U.S. #8) became follow up hits in the U.S. and around the world. "Words Get in the Way" reached #1 on the US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, establishing that the group could perform pop ballads as successfully as dance tunes. The song "Hot Summer Nights" was also released that year and was part of the film Top Gun.

Their next album, 1987's Let It Loose, went multi-platinum, with six million copies sold in the US. It featured the following hits: "Anything for You" (#1 Hot 100), "1-2-3" (#3 Hot 100), "Betcha Say That" (#36 Hot 100), "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" (#5 Hot 100), and "Can't Stay Away From You" (#6 Hot 100). "Can't Stay Away From You", "Anything for You" and "1-2-3" were all #1 Adult Contemporary hits as well.

In 1988, Estefan took top billing and the band's name changed to Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine. Beginning in 1989, the group's name was dropped altogether. Estefan was credited as a solo artist, though the ever-changing line-up of Miami Sound Machine continues as her backing band to this day.

In 1988, after the worldwide chart success of single "Anything for You", her Let it Loose album was repackaged as Anything for You. It became the band's first UK #1 album, selling over a million copies. It was the biggest selling album of the year in The Netherlands, staying at #1 for 22 weeks. The album also took top honors in Australia and Canada, launching Estefan to superstar status., but she achieved a complete recovery. She returned to an international tour ten months after the accident.
Estefan has appeared in two films, Music of the Heart (1999) and For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000). Estefan made a cameo appearance with her husband in Marley & Me in 2008.

Estefan was cast to star as Connie Francis, a U.S. pop singer of the 1950s and early 1960s, in Who's Sorry Now?, based on Francis' life. Filming supposedly began in late 2008, according to Parade Magazine (March 23, 2008). Estefan, in an interview with www.allheadlinenews.com, stated the film would be released in 2009. As of December 2009, the film has been dropped as Connie Francis had irreconcilable differences with Estefan over the film's writer. Francis wanted to hire writer Robert L. Freedman, who had written the Emmy Award winning mini-series Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows. Estefan refused to consider him, which according to Francis ended the project collaboration.

Estefan appeared in the ABC television special Elmopalooza, which aired February 20, 1998, in which she sang the song "Mambo, I, I, I". In April 2004, Estefan appeared on the Fox Broadcasting Company's program, American Idol as a guest mentor for the contestants' Latin week.
Books

Estefan has written two children's books: The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog (2005) and Noelle's Treasure Tale (2006). The latter book spent a week at #3 on the New York Times Bestseller list for children's books.

She also collaborated on a cookbook with her husband entitled Estefan Kitchen, which was published in 2008. It contains 60 traditional Cuban recipes.
Other business ventures
The Cardozo hotel on Ocean Drive, in Miami Beach, Florida.

Gloria and Emilio Estefan own a number of business establishments, including seven Cuban-themed restaurants (Bongos Cuban Café). The restaurants are located in Miami; Miami Beach, Downtown Miami, part of the American Airlines Arena; Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney in Orlando; Mexico City; and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They also own two hotels: the Costa d'Este in Vero Beach which opened in 2008, and The Cardozo in Miami Beach.

Gloria Estefan was appointed to the board of directors for Univision Communications Inc. in 2007, according to Hispanic Market Weekly. The Estefans' estimated net worth as of 2011 was approximately $700 million, according to an article in People En Espanol magazine.

In June 2009, Gloria Estefan and her husband bought a "very small" ownership stake in the Miami Dolphins.
Awards
Main article: List of awards received by Gloria Estefan

In addition to her seven Grammys, Estefan has received a number of other awards. In May 1993, she received the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, which is the highest award that can be given to a naturalized U.S. citizen. She has won the Hispanic Heritage Award, an MTV Video Music Award, two cable television ACE Awards and the 1993 National Music Foundation's Humanitarian of the Year award. The singer is the recipient of the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her husband, Emilio, a world-renowned music impresario, received a star adjacent to his wife's on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005.

Estefan holds an honorary doctoral degree in music from the University of Miami, awarded in 1993. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami. In 2002, Barry University in Miami bestowed upon her an honorary law degree. Along with her husband, Estefan received an honorary doctoral degree in music from the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2007. She also delivered the commencement address to the 2007 graduating class.

In 2002, she received the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Medallion of Excellence for Community Service. The singer was Musicares Person of the Year in 1994. Gloria also founded the Gloria Estefan Foundation whose goal is to help those with spinal cord injuries.

She has been honored twice by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1992, she served as a public member of the United States Delegation to the 47th General Assembly to the United Nations.

Estefan received the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year award at the Latin Grammy Awards in November 2008 in recognition of her twenty-five year singing career. She is the first female singer to receive this award. She also received a Latin Grammy for "Best Traditional Tropical Album" for 90 Millas, and a Latin Grammy for "Best Tropical Song" for her single, "Píntame De Colores". This marked the first occasion for Estefan to ever win a Grammy award for a song (either Latin or non-Latin).

On March 12, 2009, Estefan was honored as a BMI Icon at the 16th annual BMI Latin Awards. Her catalog boasts 22 BMI Latin and Pop Awards, along with 11 BMI Million-Air Awards.

In April 2010, Estefan and her husband received a star in the "Walk Of Stars" in Las Vegas for their contribution to music industry. On April 28, 2011, at the Latin Billboard Awards, Estefan was honored with the Billboard Spirit of Hope Award for her philanthropic work.
Discography
Albums discography
Main article: Gloria Estefan albums discography

Studio albums
Release date Title
1984

Eyes of Innocence
1985

Primitive Love
1987

Let It Loose / Anything for You
1989

Cuts Both Ways
1991

Into The Light
1993

Mi Tierra
1994

Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me
1995

Abriendo Puertas
1996

Destiny
1998

gloria!
2000

Alma Caribeña
2003

Unwrapped
2007

90 Millas
2011

Miss Little Havana
Singles discography
Main article: Gloria Estefan singles discography
Filmography
Film
Year Film Role Notes
1999 Music of the Heart Isabel Vazquez Debut acting performance
2000 Little Angelita Voice Narrator Animated Short Film
For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story Emilia television film
2003 Famous: The Making of Unwrapped Herself Album documentary
2007 90 Millas Documentary Herself Album documentary
2008 Marley & Me Herself Cameo appearance
2009 G-Force Juárez Voice in the Latin-American version of the film
2010 Recording: The History Of Recorded Music Herself Documentary
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1986 Club Med - One Episode
1989 Postcard From Miami with Clive James Herself One Episode
1993 The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna Herself
2000 Frasier Maria One Episode: "Something About Dr. Mary"
2005 A Capitol Fourth Herself
2009 Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List Herself One Episode: "Rosie and Gloria and Griffin... Oh My!"
2010 The Marriage Ref Herself One Episode
Videography

    Video Exitos (1986) L.D.L Enterprises
    Homecoming Concert (1989) CMV
    Evolution (1990) CMV
    Coming Out Of The Dark (1991) SMV
    Into The Light World Tour (1992) SMV
    Everlasting Gloria! (1995) EMV
    The Evolution Tour Live In Miami (1996) EMV
    Don't Stop (1998) EMV
    Que siga la tradición (2001) EMV
    Live In Atlantis (2002) EMV
    Famous (2003) (Video journal about making-of Unwrapped LP; included in CD package)
    Live & Unwrapped (2004) EMV

Books

    The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog (2005) ISBN 0-06-082623-1.
    Noelle's Treasure Tale: A New Magically Mysterious Adventure (2006)
    Estefan's Kitchen (2008)
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z108/destiny77_2007/gloria_estefan-049.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l28/spidermanblue/MUSIC/Gl_Estefan.jpg


Conga is one of the most popular songs in America,It's played at barmitzvahs,weddings and parties.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/01/11 at 7:00 pm


Conga is one of the most popular songs in America,It's played at barmitzvahs,weddings and parties.

I know, it's a great song. I think it can be heard during the ending credits of the movie "The Birdcage."

I liked Gloria's cover of Carole King's "It's Too Late." It was part of a mid-90's album on which she recorded numerous covers, including "Turn The Beat Around" and "Everlasting Love."

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/02/11 at 7:42 am

The person of the day... Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves (play /keɪˈɑːnuː/ kay-ah-noo; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix. He has worked under major directors, such as Stephen Frears (in the 1988 period drama Dangerous Liaisons); Gus Van Sant (in the 1991 independent film My Own Private Idaho, also written by Van Sant); and Bernardo Bertolucci (in the 1993 film Little Buddha). Referencing his 1991 film releases, The New York Times critic Janet Maslin praised Reeves' versatility, saying that he "displays considerable discipline and range. He moves easily between the buttoned-down demeanour that suits a police procedural story and the loose-jointed manner of his comic roles."

In addition to his film roles, Reeves has also performed in theatre. His performance in the title role in a Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet was praised by Roger Lewis, the Sunday Times, who declared Reeves "...one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he is Hamlet." On January 31, 2005, Reeves received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A 2006 ET online survey placed him in the "Top Ten of America's Favorite Stars".
Reeves' first studio movie appearance was in the Rob Lowe ice hockey film Youngblood, in which he played a Québécois goalie. Shortly after the movie's release, Reeves drove to Los Angeles in his 1969 Volvo. His ex-stepfather Paul Aaron, a stage and television director, had convinced Erwin Stoff to be Reeves' manager and agent before he even arrived in Los Angeles. Stoff has remained Reeves' manager, and has coproduced many of his films. After a few minor roles, Reeves received a more sizeable role in the 1986 drama film River's Edge, which depicted how a murder affected a group of teens. Following this film's critical success, he spent the late 1980s appearing in a number of movies aimed at teenage audiences, including Permanent Record, and the unexpectedly successful 1989 comedy, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, which, along with its 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, typecast Reeves as a spaced-out teen. Much of his portrayal in the press and much of the response to his acting in the early 1990s still mentioned his portrayal of the airheaded Ted.
1990s
Reeves' interacting with the press at the Berlin Film Festival

During the early 1990s, Reeves started to break out of his teen-film period. He appeared in high-budget action films like Point Break, for which he won MTV's "Most Desirable Male" award in 1992. He was also involved in various lower-budget independent films, including the well-received 1991 film, My Own Private Idaho with his close friend, the late River Phoenix. In 1994, Reeves' career reached a new high as a result of his starring role in the action film Speed. His casting in the film was controversial since, except for Point Break, he was primarily known for comedies and indie dramas. He had never been the sole headliner on a film. The summer action film had a fairly large budget and was helmed by novice cinematographer-turned-director Jan de Bont. The unexpected international success of the film made Reeves and co-star Sandra Bullock into A-List stars.

Reeves' career choices after Speed were eclectic: despite his successes, Reeves continued to accept supporting roles and appear in experimental films. He scored a hit with a romantic lead role in A Walk in the Clouds. He made news by refusing to take part in Speed 2: Cruise Control and choosing to play the title role in a 1995 Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Roger Lewis, the Sunday Times critic, wrote, "He quite embodied the innocence, the splendid fury, the animal grace of the leaps and bounds, the emotional violence, that form the Prince of Denmark...He is one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he *is* Hamlet."
Reeves promoting The Day the Earth Stood Still in Mexico in 2008.

Reeves' other choices after A Walk in the Clouds, however, failed with critics and audiences. Big-budget films such as the sci-fi action film Johnny Mnemonic and the action-thriller Chain Reaction were critically panned and failed at the box office, while indie films like Feeling Minnesota were also critical failures. Reeves started to climb out of his career low after starring in the horror/drama The Devil's Advocate alongside Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. Reeves deferred his salary for The Devil's Advocate so that Pacino would be cast, as he would do later for the less successful The Replacements, guaranteeing the casting of Gene Hackman. The Devil's Advocate did well at the box office, received good reviews, and proved that Reeves could play a grown-up with a career, although many critics felt that his poor performance detracted from an otherwise enjoyable movie. The 1999 science fiction-action hit The Matrix, a film in which Reeves had a starring role, was a box office success and attracted positive reviews.
2000s

In between the first Matrix film and its sequels, Reeves received positive reviews for his portrayal of an abusive husband in The Gift. Aside from The Gift, Reeves appeared in several films that received mostly negative reviews and unimpressive box office grosses, including The Watcher, Sweet November and The Replacements. However, the two Matrix sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Something's Gotta Give, and the 2005 horror-action film, Constantine, proved to be box office successes and brought Reeves back into the public spotlight.

His appearance in the 2006 film, A Scanner Darkly, based on the dystopian science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick, received favourable reviews, and The Lake House, his romantic outing with Sandra Bullock, did not do well at the box office. He went on to play the lead character in two 2008 films, Street Kings and The Day the Earth Stood Still. In February 2009 The Private Life of Pippa Lee was presented at Berlinale.
2010s

Reeves started filming the surrealist romantic comedy Henry's Crime in December 2009, with filming set to wrap in early 2010. After this he will be starting work as producer and star on the science-fiction space drama Passengers, written by Jon Spaihts.

In January 2009, it was revealed that Reeves will star in the live-action film adaptation of the anime series Cowboy Bebop, slated for release in 2011. Other upcoming projects include the samurai film 47 Ronin, Chef – story by Reeves and written by Steven Knight, and a modern retelling of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, scripted by Justin Haythe and titled Jekyll. Nicolas Winding Refn is in negotiations to direct and was later replaced by Dennis Iliadis and produced by Universal Pictures.

In April 2011 Reeves confirmed that a third instalment of the Bill & Ted movie series was underway.
Personal life and other interests
Reeves' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

For nearly a decade following his initial rise to stardom, Reeves preferred to live in rental houses and hotels. He was a long-term resident of the Chateau Marmont. Reeves bought his first house in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles around 2003. He also has an apartment on Central Park West in New York City.

He is a U.S. citizen through his American father, and also holds Canadian citizenship by naturalization; he grew up as a Canadian and identifies as such. Due to April 2003 changes in the law, he is entitled to British citizenship through his English mother.

Reeves has never married. In December 1999, his girlfriend Jennifer Syme gave birth to a stillborn daughter, Ava Archer Syme-Reeves. Syme died in 2001, a sole driver involved in an automobile wreck, while partying in Los Angeles.

Reeves was sued unsuccessfully in 2008 in Los Angeles Superior Court for $711,974 by paparazzo Alison Silva for allegedly hitting and injuring him with his Porsche after visiting a relative at a Los Angeles medical facility. The paparazzo's lawsuit took a year and a half to make it to trial, during which time Silva continued to attack Reeves and demand payment. At the trial, all 12 jurors rejected the suit needing only an hour of deliberation to reach their verdict. With the lawsuit rejected, Reeves was cleared of all the charges.

In 2010, photos of a sad-looking Keanu Reeves eating a sandwich while alone led to the spread of the "Keanu is Sad/Sad Keanu" Internet meme and the declaration of June 15 as "Unofficial Cheer-up Keanu Day" by a Facebook fanpage.
Music

Reeves played bass guitar in the grunge band Dogstar during the 1990s. In the 2000s, he performed with the band Becky.
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1985 Letting Go Stereo Teen No.1
One Step Away Ron Petrie
1986 Youngblood Heaver
Flying Tommy Wernicke
Young Again Mike Riley, age 17
Under the Influence Eddie Talbot
Act of Vengeance Buddy Martin
River's Edge Matt
Brotherhood of Justice Derek
Babes in Toyland Jack
1988 Permanent Record Chris Townsend
The Prince of Pennsylvania Rupert Marshetta
The Night Before Winston Connelly
Dangerous Liaisons Le Chevalier Raphael Danceny
1989 Life Under Water Kip
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Ted "Theodore" Logan
Parenthood Tod Higgins
1990 I Love You to Death Marlon James
Tune in Tomorrow Martin Loader
1991 Point Break FBI Special Agent John 'Johnny' Utah MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Ted "Theodore" Logan/Evil Ted
My Own Private Idaho Scott Favor
Providence Eric
1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula Jonathan Harker
1993 Much Ado About Nothing Don John Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor
Little Buddha Prince Siddhartha/Lord Buddha
Poetic Justice Homeless Man (Uncredited)
Freaked Ortiz the Dog Boy (Uncredited)
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues Julian Gitche
1994 Speed Officer Jack Traven MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (shared with Sandra Bullock)
Nominated – Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Sandra Bullock)
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male
1995 Johnny Mnemonic Johnny
A Walk in the Clouds Sgt. Paul Sutton
1996 Chain Reaction Eddie Kasalivich
Feeling Minnesota Jjaks Clayton
1997 The Last Time I Committed Suicide Harry
The Devil's Advocate Kevin Lomax
1999 The Matrix Thomas Anderson/Neo Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor in an Action/Science Fiction Film
Golden Slate for Best Actor in a Leading Role
MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance
MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Laurence Fishburne)
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (shared with Laurence Fishburne)
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Actor
Me and Will Himself
2000 The Replacements Shane Falco
The Watcher David Allen Griffin
The Gift Donnie Barksdale
2001 Sweet November Nelson Moss
Hardball Conor O'Neill
2003 The Matrix Reloaded Thomas Anderson/Neo Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Hugo Weaving)
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Monica Bellucci)
The Animatrix Thomas Anderson/Neo
The Matrix Revolutions Thomas Anderson/Neo
Something's Gotta Give Dr. Julian Mercer
2005 Constantine John Constantine
Thumbsucker Perry Lyman
Ellie Parker Himself
2006 The Lake House Alex Wyler
A Scanner Darkly Bob Arctor
The Great Warming Narrator Voice
2008 Street Kings Detective Tom Ludlow
The Day the Earth Stood Still Klaatu
2009 The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Chris Nadeau
2010 Passengers Jim Preston
Cartagena Character Unknown
Henry's Crime Henry
2011 Jekyll Dr. Jekyll
Cowboy Bebop Spike Spiegel
Hanuman Ram
2012 47 Ronin Kai Filming
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj161/ranikhaal/Keanu_Reeves.jpg
http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/ae108/ella64/keanu_Reeves.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/02/11 at 1:07 pm


The person of the day... Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves (play /keɪˈɑːnuː/ kay-ah-noo; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix. He has worked under major directors, such as Stephen Frears (in the 1988 period drama Dangerous Liaisons); Gus Van Sant (in the 1991 independent film My Own Private Idaho, also written by Van Sant); and Bernardo Bertolucci (in the 1993 film Little Buddha). Referencing his 1991 film releases, The New York Times critic Janet Maslin praised Reeves' versatility, saying that he "displays considerable discipline and range. He moves easily between the buttoned-down demeanour that suits a police procedural story and the loose-jointed manner of his comic roles."

In addition to his film roles, Reeves has also performed in theatre. His performance in the title role in a Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet was praised by Roger Lewis, the Sunday Times, who declared Reeves "...one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he is Hamlet." On January 31, 2005, Reeves received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A 2006 ET online survey placed him in the "Top Ten of America's Favorite Stars".
Reeves' first studio movie appearance was in the Rob Lowe ice hockey film Youngblood, in which he played a Québécois goalie. Shortly after the movie's release, Reeves drove to Los Angeles in his 1969 Volvo. His ex-stepfather Paul Aaron, a stage and television director, had convinced Erwin Stoff to be Reeves' manager and agent before he even arrived in Los Angeles. Stoff has remained Reeves' manager, and has coproduced many of his films. After a few minor roles, Reeves received a more sizeable role in the 1986 drama film River's Edge, which depicted how a murder affected a group of teens. Following this film's critical success, he spent the late 1980s appearing in a number of movies aimed at teenage audiences, including Permanent Record, and the unexpectedly successful 1989 comedy, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, which, along with its 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, typecast Reeves as a spaced-out teen. Much of his portrayal in the press and much of the response to his acting in the early 1990s still mentioned his portrayal of the airheaded Ted.
1990s
Reeves' interacting with the press at the Berlin Film Festival

During the early 1990s, Reeves started to break out of his teen-film period. He appeared in high-budget action films like Point Break, for which he won MTV's "Most Desirable Male" award in 1992. He was also involved in various lower-budget independent films, including the well-received 1991 film, My Own Private Idaho with his close friend, the late River Phoenix. In 1994, Reeves' career reached a new high as a result of his starring role in the action film Speed. His casting in the film was controversial since, except for Point Break, he was primarily known for comedies and indie dramas. He had never been the sole headliner on a film. The summer action film had a fairly large budget and was helmed by novice cinematographer-turned-director Jan de Bont. The unexpected international success of the film made Reeves and co-star Sandra Bullock into A-List stars.

Reeves' career choices after Speed were eclectic: despite his successes, Reeves continued to accept supporting roles and appear in experimental films. He scored a hit with a romantic lead role in A Walk in the Clouds. He made news by refusing to take part in Speed 2: Cruise Control and choosing to play the title role in a 1995 Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Roger Lewis, the Sunday Times critic, wrote, "He quite embodied the innocence, the splendid fury, the animal grace of the leaps and bounds, the emotional violence, that form the Prince of Denmark...He is one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he *is* Hamlet."
Reeves promoting The Day the Earth Stood Still in Mexico in 2008.

Reeves' other choices after A Walk in the Clouds, however, failed with critics and audiences. Big-budget films such as the sci-fi action film Johnny Mnemonic and the action-thriller Chain Reaction were critically panned and failed at the box office, while indie films like Feeling Minnesota were also critical failures. Reeves started to climb out of his career low after starring in the horror/drama The Devil's Advocate alongside Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. Reeves deferred his salary for The Devil's Advocate so that Pacino would be cast, as he would do later for the less successful The Replacements, guaranteeing the casting of Gene Hackman. The Devil's Advocate did well at the box office, received good reviews, and proved that Reeves could play a grown-up with a career, although many critics felt that his poor performance detracted from an otherwise enjoyable movie. The 1999 science fiction-action hit The Matrix, a film in which Reeves had a starring role, was a box office success and attracted positive reviews.
2000s

In between the first Matrix film and its sequels, Reeves received positive reviews for his portrayal of an abusive husband in The Gift. Aside from The Gift, Reeves appeared in several films that received mostly negative reviews and unimpressive box office grosses, including The Watcher, Sweet November and The Replacements. However, the two Matrix sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Something's Gotta Give, and the 2005 horror-action film, Constantine, proved to be box office successes and brought Reeves back into the public spotlight.

His appearance in the 2006 film, A Scanner Darkly, based on the dystopian science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick, received favourable reviews, and The Lake House, his romantic outing with Sandra Bullock, did not do well at the box office. He went on to play the lead character in two 2008 films, Street Kings and The Day the Earth Stood Still. In February 2009 The Private Life of Pippa Lee was presented at Berlinale.
2010s

Reeves started filming the surrealist romantic comedy Henry's Crime in December 2009, with filming set to wrap in early 2010. After this he will be starting work as producer and star on the science-fiction space drama Passengers, written by Jon Spaihts.

In January 2009, it was revealed that Reeves will star in the live-action film adaptation of the anime series Cowboy Bebop, slated for release in 2011. Other upcoming projects include the samurai film 47 Ronin, Chef – story by Reeves and written by Steven Knight, and a modern retelling of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, scripted by Justin Haythe and titled Jekyll. Nicolas Winding Refn is in negotiations to direct and was later replaced by Dennis Iliadis and produced by Universal Pictures.

In April 2011 Reeves confirmed that a third instalment of the Bill & Ted movie series was underway.
Personal life and other interests
Reeves' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

For nearly a decade following his initial rise to stardom, Reeves preferred to live in rental houses and hotels. He was a long-term resident of the Chateau Marmont. Reeves bought his first house in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles around 2003. He also has an apartment on Central Park West in New York City.

He is a U.S. citizen through his American father, and also holds Canadian citizenship by naturalization; he grew up as a Canadian and identifies as such. Due to April 2003 changes in the law, he is entitled to British citizenship through his English mother.

Reeves has never married. In December 1999, his girlfriend Jennifer Syme gave birth to a stillborn daughter, Ava Archer Syme-Reeves. Syme died in 2001, a sole driver involved in an automobile wreck, while partying in Los Angeles.

Reeves was sued unsuccessfully in 2008 in Los Angeles Superior Court for $711,974 by paparazzo Alison Silva for allegedly hitting and injuring him with his Porsche after visiting a relative at a Los Angeles medical facility. The paparazzo's lawsuit took a year and a half to make it to trial, during which time Silva continued to attack Reeves and demand payment. At the trial, all 12 jurors rejected the suit needing only an hour of deliberation to reach their verdict. With the lawsuit rejected, Reeves was cleared of all the charges.

In 2010, photos of a sad-looking Keanu Reeves eating a sandwich while alone led to the spread of the "Keanu is Sad/Sad Keanu" Internet meme and the declaration of June 15 as "Unofficial Cheer-up Keanu Day" by a Facebook fanpage.
Music

Reeves played bass guitar in the grunge band Dogstar during the 1990s. In the 2000s, he performed with the band Becky.
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1985 Letting Go Stereo Teen No.1
One Step Away Ron Petrie
1986 Youngblood Heaver
Flying Tommy Wernicke
Young Again Mike Riley, age 17
Under the Influence Eddie Talbot
Act of Vengeance Buddy Martin
River's Edge Matt
Brotherhood of Justice Derek
Babes in Toyland Jack
1988 Permanent Record Chris Townsend
The Prince of Pennsylvania Rupert Marshetta
The Night Before Winston Connelly
Dangerous Liaisons Le Chevalier Raphael Danceny
1989 Life Under Water Kip
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Ted "Theodore" Logan
Parenthood Tod Higgins
1990 I Love You to Death Marlon James
Tune in Tomorrow Martin Loader
1991 Point Break FBI Special Agent John 'Johnny' Utah MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Ted "Theodore" Logan/Evil Ted
My Own Private Idaho Scott Favor
Providence Eric
1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula Jonathan Harker
1993 Much Ado About Nothing Don John Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor
Little Buddha Prince Siddhartha/Lord Buddha
Poetic Justice Homeless Man (Uncredited)
Freaked Ortiz the Dog Boy (Uncredited)
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues Julian Gitche
1994 Speed Officer Jack Traven MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (shared with Sandra Bullock)
Nominated – Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Sandra Bullock)
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male
1995 Johnny Mnemonic Johnny
A Walk in the Clouds Sgt. Paul Sutton
1996 Chain Reaction Eddie Kasalivich
Feeling Minnesota Jjaks Clayton
1997 The Last Time I Committed Suicide Harry
The Devil's Advocate Kevin Lomax
1999 The Matrix Thomas Anderson/Neo Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor in an Action/Science Fiction Film
Golden Slate for Best Actor in a Leading Role
MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance
MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Laurence Fishburne)
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (shared with Laurence Fishburne)
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Actor
Me and Will Himself
2000 The Replacements Shane Falco
The Watcher David Allen Griffin
The Gift Donnie Barksdale
2001 Sweet November Nelson Moss
Hardball Conor O'Neill
2003 The Matrix Reloaded Thomas Anderson/Neo Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Hugo Weaving)
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Monica Bellucci)
The Animatrix Thomas Anderson/Neo
The Matrix Revolutions Thomas Anderson/Neo
Something's Gotta Give Dr. Julian Mercer
2005 Constantine John Constantine
Thumbsucker Perry Lyman
Ellie Parker Himself
2006 The Lake House Alex Wyler
A Scanner Darkly Bob Arctor
The Great Warming Narrator Voice
2008 Street Kings Detective Tom Ludlow
The Day the Earth Stood Still Klaatu
2009 The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Chris Nadeau
2010 Passengers Jim Preston
Cartagena Character Unknown
Henry's Crime Henry
2011 Jekyll Dr. Jekyll
Cowboy Bebop Spike Spiegel
Hanuman Ram
2012 47 Ronin Kai Filming
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj161/ranikhaal/Keanu_Reeves.jpg
http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/ae108/ella64/keanu_Reeves.jpg





http://www.fusedfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Bill-and-Ted-3.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/03/11 at 11:06 am

the person of the day... Eileen Brennan
Eileen Brennan (born September 3, 1932) is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for her performance. She received Emmy nominations for her guest starring roles on Newhart, Thirtysomething, and Will and Grace.
Eileen Brennan appeared in plays with the Mask and Bauble Society at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where she was employed. She starred there in Arsenic and Old Lace. Her exceptional comic skills and romantic soprano voice propelled her from unknown to star in the title role of Rick Besoyan's off-Broadway tongue-in-cheek musical/operetta Little Mary Sunshine (1959) and its un-official sequel, The Student Gypsy (1963). She went on to create the role of Irene Malloy in the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! (1964). Her feature film debut was in Divorce American Style (1967). She soon became one of the most recognizable (if unidentifiable) supporting actresses in film and television. Her roles were usually sympathetic characters, though she has played a variety of other character types, including earthy, vulgar and sassy, but occasionally "with a heart of gold." A year after her feature film debut she became a semi-regular on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, but stayed for only two months.

Brennan received excellent reviews as brothel madam "Billie" in George Roy Hill's Oscar-winning 1973 film The Sting as the confidante of con man Henry Gondorf (Paul Newman). Although her name was not often recognized by the general public, she became a favorite of many directors, in particular Peter Bogdanovich. She appeared in Bogdanovich's 1971 classic The Last Picture Show (for which she received a BAFTA nomination for best supporting actress) and his 1974 adaptation of the Henry James novella Daisy Miller. Bogdanovich was the only director who made use of her musical talents (before, she sang in performances off Broadway) when he cast her as Cybill Shepherd's crude, fun-loving maid in his 1975 musical flop At Long Last Love (which also starred Madeline Kahn; both Brennan and Kahn would work together in two more films: The Cheap Detective and Clue; where she once more displayed her world-weary acting style to great effect).

Brennan also worked with director Robert Moore and writer Neil Simon, appearing in Murder by Death as Tess Skeffington (1976); and The Cheap Detective (1978). Both of these movies also starred James Coco, James Cromwell and Peter Falk. She had a starring role, playing 'Mutha' in the 1978 movie, FM, about rock radio.

In 1980, Brennan received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role as Goldie Hawn's nasty commanding officer in Private Benjamin. She reprised the role in the television adaptation (1981–1983), for which she won an Emmy (supporting actress) as well as a Golden Globe (lead actress). She has one additional Golden Globe nomination and six Emmy nominations.

After having dinner together one night in 1982, Brennan and Hawn left a restaurant. Brennan was hit by a passing car and was critically injured. She took three years off work to recover, and had to overcome a subsequent addiction to painkillers.

It was during this time that her performance as Mrs. Peacock in Clue (1985) reached theaters. In the 1990s, she appeared in Stella with Bette Midler, Bogdanovich's Texasville, the sequel to The Last Picture Show, and Reckless. She had a recurring role on the sitcom Blossom as the neighbor/confidant of the title character. As well, she had a recurring role as Mrs. Bink on the family drama, 7th Heaven. In 2001, she made a brief appearance in the horror movie Jeepers Creepers.

In 2002, she starred in the dark comedy film Comic Book Villains, with DJ Qualls. In recent years, Brennan had guest-starred in television, including recurring roles as the nosy Mrs. Bink in 7th Heaven and as gruff acting coach Zandra on Will & Grace. In 2004, she appeared in The Hollow as "Joan Van Etten".
Personal life

From 1968 to 1974, Brennan was married to David John Lampson, with whom she has two sons: Patrick (formerly a basketball player, now an actor, e.g., in NBC's The Black Donnellys) and Sam (a singer). Brennan is a breast cancer survivor.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/Zbu/Eileen_Brennan_1990.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k62/cinemorgue/Br/Brennan/Brennan-E-ComicBookVillains01.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/03/11 at 11:08 am


the person of the day... Eileen Brennan
Eileen Brennan (born September 3, 1932) is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for her performance. She received Emmy nominations for her guest starring roles on Newhart, Thirtysomething, and Will and Grace.
Eileen Brennan appeared in plays with the Mask and Bauble Society at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where she was employed. She starred there in Arsenic and Old Lace. Her exceptional comic skills and romantic soprano voice propelled her from unknown to star in the title role of Rick Besoyan's off-Broadway tongue-in-cheek musical/operetta Little Mary Sunshine (1959) and its un-official sequel, The Student Gypsy (1963). She went on to create the role of Irene Malloy in the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! (1964). Her feature film debut was in Divorce American Style (1967). She soon became one of the most recognizable (if unidentifiable) supporting actresses in film and television. Her roles were usually sympathetic characters, though she has played a variety of other character types, including earthy, vulgar and sassy, but occasionally "with a heart of gold." A year after her feature film debut she became a semi-regular on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, but stayed for only two months.

Brennan received excellent reviews as brothel madam "Billie" in George Roy Hill's Oscar-winning 1973 film The Sting as the confidante of con man Henry Gondorf (Paul Newman). Although her name was not often recognized by the general public, she became a favorite of many directors, in particular Peter Bogdanovich. She appeared in Bogdanovich's 1971 classic The Last Picture Show (for which she received a BAFTA nomination for best supporting actress) and his 1974 adaptation of the Henry James novella Daisy Miller. Bogdanovich was the only director who made use of her musical talents (before, she sang in performances off Broadway) when he cast her as Cybill Shepherd's crude, fun-loving maid in his 1975 musical flop At Long Last Love (which also starred Madeline Kahn; both Brennan and Kahn would work together in two more films: The Cheap Detective and Clue; where she once more displayed her world-weary acting style to great effect).

Brennan also worked with director Robert Moore and writer Neil Simon, appearing in Murder by Death as Tess Skeffington (1976); and The Cheap Detective (1978). Both of these movies also starred James Coco, James Cromwell and Peter Falk. She had a starring role, playing 'Mutha' in the 1978 movie, FM, about rock radio.

In 1980, Brennan received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role as Goldie Hawn's nasty commanding officer in Private Benjamin. She reprised the role in the television adaptation (1981–1983), for which she won an Emmy (supporting actress) as well as a Golden Globe (lead actress). She has one additional Golden Globe nomination and six Emmy nominations.

After having dinner together one night in 1982, Brennan and Hawn left a restaurant. Brennan was hit by a passing car and was critically injured. She took three years off work to recover, and had to overcome a subsequent addiction to painkillers.

It was during this time that her performance as Mrs. Peacock in Clue (1985) reached theaters. In the 1990s, she appeared in Stella with Bette Midler, Bogdanovich's Texasville, the sequel to The Last Picture Show, and Reckless. She had a recurring role on the sitcom Blossom as the neighbor/confidant of the title character. As well, she had a recurring role as Mrs. Bink on the family drama, 7th Heaven. In 2001, she made a brief appearance in the horror movie Jeepers Creepers.

In 2002, she starred in the dark comedy film Comic Book Villains, with DJ Qualls. In recent years, Brennan had guest-starred in television, including recurring roles as the nosy Mrs. Bink in 7th Heaven and as gruff acting coach Zandra on Will & Grace. In 2004, she appeared in The Hollow as "Joan Van Etten".
Personal life

From 1968 to 1974, Brennan was married to David John Lampson, with whom she has two sons: Patrick (formerly a basketball player, now an actor, e.g., in NBC's The Black Donnellys) and Sam (a singer). Brennan is a breast cancer survivor.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/Zbu/Eileen_Brennan_1990.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k62/cinemorgue/Br/Brennan/Brennan-E-ComicBookVillains01.jpg
The Last Picture Show is one of those film you wish to see again, but is never shown on television.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 09/03/11 at 11:58 am


the person of the day... Eileen Brennan
Eileen Brennan (born September 3, 1932) is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for her performance. She received Emmy nominations for her guest starring roles on Newhart, Thirtysomething, and Will and Grace.
Eileen Brennan appeared in plays with the Mask and Bauble Society at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where she was employed. She starred there in Arsenic and Old Lace. Her exceptional comic skills and romantic soprano voice propelled her from unknown to star in the title role of Rick Besoyan's off-Broadway tongue-in-cheek musical/operetta Little Mary Sunshine (1959) and its un-official sequel, The Student Gypsy (1963). She went on to create the role of Irene Malloy in the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! (1964). Her feature film debut was in Divorce American Style (1967). She soon became one of the most recognizable (if unidentifiable) supporting actresses in film and television. Her roles were usually sympathetic characters, though she has played a variety of other character types, including earthy, vulgar and sassy, but occasionally "with a heart of gold." A year after her feature film debut she became a semi-regular on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, but stayed for only two months.

Brennan received excellent reviews as brothel madam "Billie" in George Roy Hill's Oscar-winning 1973 film The Sting as the confidante of con man Henry Gondorf (Paul Newman). Although her name was not often recognized by the general public, she became a favorite of many directors, in particular Peter Bogdanovich. She appeared in Bogdanovich's 1971 classic The Last Picture Show (for which she received a BAFTA nomination for best supporting actress) and his 1974 adaptation of the Henry James novella Daisy Miller. Bogdanovich was the only director who made use of her musical talents (before, she sang in performances off Broadway) when he cast her as Cybill Shepherd's crude, fun-loving maid in his 1975 musical flop At Long Last Love (which also starred Madeline Kahn; both Brennan and Kahn would work together in two more films: The Cheap Detective and Clue; where she once more displayed her world-weary acting style to great effect).

Brennan also worked with director Robert Moore and writer Neil Simon, appearing in Murder by Death as Tess Skeffington (1976); and The Cheap Detective (1978). Both of these movies also starred James Coco, James Cromwell and Peter Falk. She had a starring role, playing 'Mutha' in the 1978 movie, FM, about rock radio.

In 1980, Brennan received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role as Goldie Hawn's nasty commanding officer in Private Benjamin. She reprised the role in the television adaptation (1981–1983), for which she won an Emmy (supporting actress) as well as a Golden Globe (lead actress). She has one additional Golden Globe nomination and six Emmy nominations.

After having dinner together one night in 1982, Brennan and Hawn left a restaurant. Brennan was hit by a passing car and was critically injured. She took three years off work to recover, and had to overcome a subsequent addiction to painkillers.

It was during this time that her performance as Mrs. Peacock in Clue (1985) reached theaters. In the 1990s, she appeared in Stella with Bette Midler, Bogdanovich's Texasville, the sequel to The Last Picture Show, and Reckless. She had a recurring role on the sitcom Blossom as the neighbor/confidant of the title character. As well, she had a recurring role as Mrs. Bink on the family drama, 7th Heaven. In 2001, she made a brief appearance in the horror movie Jeepers Creepers.

In 2002, she starred in the dark comedy film Comic Book Villains, with DJ Qualls. In recent years, Brennan had guest-starred in television, including recurring roles as the nosy Mrs. Bink in 7th Heaven and as gruff acting coach Zandra on Will & Grace. In 2004, she appeared in The Hollow as "Joan Van Etten".
Personal life

From 1968 to 1974, Brennan was married to David John Lampson, with whom she has two sons: Patrick (formerly a basketball player, now an actor, e.g., in NBC's The Black Donnellys) and Sam (a singer). Brennan is a breast cancer survivor.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/Zbu/Eileen_Brennan_1990.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k62/cinemorgue/Br/Brennan/Brennan-E-ComicBookVillains01.jpg



I always liked her.



Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/03/11 at 6:37 pm


the person of the day... Eileen Brennan
Eileen Brennan (born September 3, 1932) is an American actress of film, television, and theater. Brennan is best known for her role as Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the TV adaption and won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for her performance. She received Emmy nominations for her guest starring roles on Newhart, Thirtysomething, and Will and Grace.
Eileen Brennan appeared in plays with the Mask and Bauble Society at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where she was employed. She starred there in Arsenic and Old Lace. Her exceptional comic skills and romantic soprano voice propelled her from unknown to star in the title role of Rick Besoyan's off-Broadway tongue-in-cheek musical/operetta Little Mary Sunshine (1959) and its un-official sequel, The Student Gypsy (1963). She went on to create the role of Irene Malloy in the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! (1964). Her feature film debut was in Divorce American Style (1967). She soon became one of the most recognizable (if unidentifiable) supporting actresses in film and television. Her roles were usually sympathetic characters, though she has played a variety of other character types, including earthy, vulgar and sassy, but occasionally "with a heart of gold." A year after her feature film debut she became a semi-regular on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, but stayed for only two months.

Brennan received excellent reviews as brothel madam "Billie" in George Roy Hill's Oscar-winning 1973 film The Sting as the confidante of con man Henry Gondorf (Paul Newman). Although her name was not often recognized by the general public, she became a favorite of many directors, in particular Peter Bogdanovich. She appeared in Bogdanovich's 1971 classic The Last Picture Show (for which she received a BAFTA nomination for best supporting actress) and his 1974 adaptation of the Henry James novella Daisy Miller. Bogdanovich was the only director who made use of her musical talents (before, she sang in performances off Broadway) when he cast her as Cybill Shepherd's crude, fun-loving maid in his 1975 musical flop At Long Last Love (which also starred Madeline Kahn; both Brennan and Kahn would work together in two more films: The Cheap Detective and Clue; where she once more displayed her world-weary acting style to great effect).

Brennan also worked with director Robert Moore and writer Neil Simon, appearing in Murder by Death as Tess Skeffington (1976); and The Cheap Detective (1978). Both of these movies also starred James Coco, James Cromwell and Peter Falk. She had a starring role, playing 'Mutha' in the 1978 movie, FM, about rock radio.

In 1980, Brennan received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role as Goldie Hawn's nasty commanding officer in Private Benjamin. She reprised the role in the television adaptation (1981–1983), for which she won an Emmy (supporting actress) as well as a Golden Globe (lead actress). She has one additional Golden Globe nomination and six Emmy nominations.

After having dinner together one night in 1982, Brennan and Hawn left a restaurant. Brennan was hit by a passing car and was critically injured. She took three years off work to recover, and had to overcome a subsequent addiction to painkillers.

It was during this time that her performance as Mrs. Peacock in Clue (1985) reached theaters. In the 1990s, she appeared in Stella with Bette Midler, Bogdanovich's Texasville, the sequel to The Last Picture Show, and Reckless. She had a recurring role on the sitcom Blossom as the neighbor/confidant of the title character. As well, she had a recurring role as Mrs. Bink on the family drama, 7th Heaven. In 2001, she made a brief appearance in the horror movie Jeepers Creepers.

In 2002, she starred in the dark comedy film Comic Book Villains, with DJ Qualls. In recent years, Brennan had guest-starred in television, including recurring roles as the nosy Mrs. Bink in 7th Heaven and as gruff acting coach Zandra on Will & Grace. In 2004, she appeared in The Hollow as "Joan Van Etten".
Personal life

From 1968 to 1974, Brennan was married to David John Lampson, with whom she has two sons: Patrick (formerly a basketball player, now an actor, e.g., in NBC's The Black Donnellys) and Sam (a singer). Brennan is a breast cancer survivor.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/Zbu/Eileen_Brennan_1990.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k62/cinemorgue/Br/Brennan/Brennan-E-ComicBookVillains01.jpg


a very talented actress.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/03/11 at 6:40 pm

It's also Amber Lynn's birthday,She turns 47 years old today.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KJp8UK7KzWk/SNZKkRx-uYI/AAAAAAAAABM/5Gfi2MTEVjk/amber-lynn.jpg

She was part of The Golden Age Of Porn for all those who remember that time. ;)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/04/11 at 11:07 pm

^That's nice. ::)

Today (September 4th) is the birthday of American singer Beyonce Knowles; she turns 30.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/05/11 at 11:59 am


^That's nice. ::)

Today (September 4th) is the birthday of American singer Beyonce Knowles; she turns 30.

Thanks Jeff, I didn't get a chance to get on yesterday.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/05/11 at 12:06 pm

The person of the day...Rose McGowan
Rose Arianna McGowan (born September 5, 1973) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB Television Network supernatural drama series Charmed. She played Ann-Margret alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Elvis Presley in the CBS mini-series Elvis. In 2008, she was guest programmer and co-host of TCM's film-series program, The Essentials.

She made her film debut in the 1992 comedy Encino Man, where she played a small role. Her performance as Amy Blue in the 1995 dark comedy film The Doom Generation brought her to a wider attention, and received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. McGowan then appeared in the 1996 hit horror film Scream and starred alongside Ben Affleck in the 1997 coming-of-age feature Going All the Way. Later, she appeared in several Hollywood films, including Devil In The Flesh (1998), Jawbreaker (1999), Ready to Rumble (2000), Monkeybone (2001) and The Black Dahlia (2006). In 2007, she was cast in the double-feature film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino Grindhouse. She also portrayed the character Grace in the crime thriller film Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008).

In 1996, McGowan was the cover model for the Henry Mancini tribute album Shots in the Dark, and was the face of American clothing company Bebe from 1998 to 1999. She has also appeared on numerous magazine covers, including Seventeen, Interview, Maxim, GQ, Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone. She has also frequently been featured on Maxim, FHM and Stuff magazine's sexiest women lists.
McGowan made her first appearance in a Hollywood film with a bit role in the 1992 Pauly Shore comedy Encino Man. Her role in the 1995 dark comedy The Doom Generation brought her to the attention of film critics, and she received a nomination for "Best Debut Performance" at the 1996 Independent Spirit Awards. McGowan was subsequently cast in a supporting role in the 1996 hit horror film Scream. She was the cover model for the Henry Mancini tribute album Shots in the Dark, which was released in 1996. She became the face of American clothing company Bebe from 1998 to 1999.

McGowan spent the majority of the 1990s appearing in a variety of independent films, including roles in Southie, Going All the Way, and Lewis & Clark & George. In 1997, she appeared in the critically acclaimed short Seed, directed by San Francisco-born filmmaker Karin Thayer, and played opposite Peter O'Toole in the 1998 film adaptation of the Dean Koontz novel Phantoms. Notably, McGowan also starred in the 1998 dark comedy Jawbreaker, where she played a snooty high school student who tries to cover up a classmate's murder. That role earned McGowan a nomination for Best Villain at the 1999 MTV Movie Awards.

In 2001, McGowan was cast as Paige Matthews in the popular The WB television series Charmed, as a replacement lead actress after Shannen Doherty's departure from the show. She was offered to be a producer after the seventh season alongside co-stars Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano, but turned it down. The series ended its run on May 21, 2006.

During and after Charmed, McGowan tackled a variety of different roles. She portrayed actress/singer Ann-Margret in Elvis, a Golden Globe-winning CBS mini-series about the life of Elvis Presley, and also appeared in Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia.
McGowan at the premiere for Grindhouse in March 2007.

In 2007, McGowan headlined the critically acclaimed Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double-feature Grindhouse, released on April 6, 2007. Cast in utterly divergent roles, McGowan appears in both portions of the film, as go-go dancing Cherry Darling in Planet Terror, and as Pam in Death Proof. She followed up the project with a role in the IRA thriller Fifty Dead Men Walking and a recurring role as a con artist on the acclaimed drama series Nip/Tuck. After a brief hiatus from film, McGowan shot a cameo in the Robert Rodriguez thriller Machete, a role ultimately cut but included on the DVD release, and played a semi-homeless junkie in the fantasy drama Dead Awake. In 2011, she appears as an evil half-human/half-witch in the comic book adaptation Conan the Barbarian and guest starred in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as a grifter who targets New York sex clubs. 2012 sees her headlining the psychological thriller Rosewood Lane from director Victor Salva, while she will also appear in the TV movie The Pastor's Wife alongside Michael Shanks.

McGowan's name was attached to several recent films which ended up being unmade. Following the release of Grindhouse, she signed to play B-movie staple Susan Cabot in Black Oasis, to be directed by Stephan Elliott. However, the film was affected by the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike and ultimately put on indefinite hold. Another project, a proposed film adaptation of the Sylvia Plath novel The Bell Jar alongside Julia Stiles, also never came to fruition. She was also attached to three projects to be produced by Robert Rodriguez, a remake of the science fiction cult classic Barbarella, a proposed television series titled Women in Chains!, and a big-screen update of the Red Sonja comic books. After several years of development, Rodriguez announced in 2009 that Barbarella had been canceled due to location difficulties, while Women in Chains! appears to have never gotten past the script stages and is believed to no longer be in development. In 2010, McGowan confirmed that Red Sonja had been postponed to fit Conan continuity, and that the project may resurface depending on the success of Conan the Barbarian. However, a recent interview with producer Avi Lerner reveals that while the movie is moving forward, McGowan is no longer involved..

In addition to film and television, McGowan lent her voice to the video games Darkwatch, playing a femme fatale named Tala, and Terminator Salvation, playing a troubled soldier named Angie Salter. She also co-hosted the TCM's film-series program The Essentials alongside Robert Osbourne in 2008, discussing classic Hollywood film, a subject close to her heart.
Music

While dating Marilyn Manson, McGowan appeared in a music video for the song "Coma White", and also performed backing vocals on the song "Posthuman". Both of these songs are available on the album Mechanical Animals.

McGowan appeared on a Brian Transeau track called "Superfabulous" from his album Emotional Technology, which was also featured on the final Charmed soundtrack, The Final Chapter. The song has been featured in several films, including Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and Raising Helen. She wrote and recorded a song titled "Protection," which was featured in her 2001 film Strange Hearts. McGowan has also appeared in the Imperial Teen music video for "Yoo Hoo", which was featured on the Jawbreaker soundtrack. She also recorded the theme song from the 2010 file, Dead/Awake.

McGowan has expressed interest in recording an album of her own. During an interview with Living TV, she said, "I was actually thinking of going back and doing more soulful tunes and older tunes...and I would love to, when I have a little bit more time." In the Charmed episode "Sense and Sense Ability," McGowan performed, in character, a cover of the Peggy Lee classic "Fever". In 2007, it was announced that McGowan would be performing three songs from the Planet Terror portion of Grindhouse. These songs were released on the soundtrack by the Varèse Sarabande label. The songs are entitled "You Belong to Me" (a Dean Martin/Jo Stafford cover), "Useless Talent #32" and "Two Against the World".
Personal life
McGowan visits a member of the U.S. Air Force during a USO visit to Southwest Asia.

McGowan lived in Seattle, Washington, but currently resides in Los Angeles, California. She was in a very public 3 ½-year relationship with rock musician Marilyn Manson. After a formal engagement lasting two years, McGowan ended the relationship over "lifestyle differences". Prior to the release of Grindhouse, there was speculation that McGowan was dating director Robert Rodriguez. In May 2007, it was reported that they confirmed their relationship while appearing hand-in-hand at the Cannes Film Festival. On October 12, 2007 it was announced by Zap2it.com that McGowan was engaged to Rodriguez. They planned to wed in 2009, but reportedly split on October 2, 2009.

McGowan has admitted to sleepwalking as a child. "The weirdest spot I ever woke up was a snow bank in Montreal. Now I just speak Italian in my sleep."

McGowan is an activist for LGBT rights, and campaigned against Proposition 8, which sought to illegalise same sex marriage in the state of California. McGowan is known as an activist for Boston Terriers. She herself has two, Bug and Fester, and has personally donated to various Boston rescues. McGowan reportedly encouraged friends to donate to Boston Terrier Rescue Net, and according to BTRN: "Having fallen in love with Bug and Fester, her friends donated generously. It amounted to a considerable contribution, which will go a long way in helping BTRN and the needy volunteers who selflessly give to deserving Bostons."

McGowan caused controversy during the making of Fifty Dead Men Walking when she stated "I imagine, had I grown up in Belfast I would have 100% been in the IRA."

According to an article in the New York Post, McGowan suffered serious injuries in a car accident early in 2007. Riding as a passenger, her car was struck by another vehicle and the force of the impact drove her eyeglasses into her face. McGowan is quoted as saying, "I didn't realize I was hurt until I put my hand to my face and felt the flap of skin. My glasses had sliced me under my eye." After obtaining the services of a plastic surgeon, McGowan is reported to be suffering no long-lasting consequences from the incident.

Of her acting method, McGowan said "I'm not really one of those people who goes and writes some big backstory and agonizes over characters...For me personally, it's just kind of more instinctive. But I don't have kind of an acting background. I fell into it accidentally."

In late 2009 McGowan was amongst several celebrities who participated in the protest NOH8.
Filmography
Film Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1992 Encino Man Nora Also known as California Man
1995 The Doom Generation Amy Blue Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance
1996 Bio-Dome Denise
1996 Kiss & Tell Jasmine Hoyle
1996 Scream Tatum Riley
1997 Going All the Way Gale Ann Thayer
1997 Seed Miriam Short film
1997 Nowhere Valley Chick #3 Cameo with Shannen Doherty
1997 Lewis and Clark and George George
1998 Southie Kathy Quinn
1998 Phantoms Lisa Pailey
1998 Devil in the Flesh Debbie Strand Also known as Dearly Devoted
1998 Jawbreaker Courtney Shayne Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
1999 Sleeping Beauties Sno Blo Short Film
2000 Ready to Rumble Sasha
2000 The Last Stop Nancy
2001 Strange Hearts Moira Kennedy Also known as Roads to Riches
2001 Monkeybone Miss Kitty
2002 Stealing Bess Debbie Dinsdale Also known as Vacuums
2006 The Black Dahlia Sheryl Saddon
2007 Grindhouse – Planet Terror Cherry Darling Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
2007 Grindhouse – Death Proof Pam
2008 Fifty Dead Men Walking Grace Sterrin
2010 Machete Boots McCoy Deleted Scenes
2010 Dead Awake Charlie Scheel
2011 Conan the Barbarian Marique
2012 Rosewood Lane Sonny Blake Post-production
Television Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1990 True Colours Suzanne Episode: "Life with Fathers"
2001 What About Joan? Maeve McCrimmen Episode: "Maeve"
2001 The Killing Yard Linda Borus Television film
2001–06 Charmed Paige Matthews 112 episodes
Family Television Award for Favorite Sister
2005 Elvis Ann-Margret Television miniseries
2008 The Essentials Herself 27 episodes
2009 Nip/Tuck Dr. Theodora 'Teddy' Rowe 5 episodes
2011 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Cassandra Davina Episode: "Bombshell"
2012 The Pastor's Wife Mary Winkler Television film
Video games Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
2005 Darkwatch Tala
2009 Terminator Salvation Angie Salter
2012 Anarchy Reigns Sasha
Other awards and recognitions

In 2006, Blender included her on their list of the sexiest women of TV and film. The most recent award won by McGowan was under the category Femme Fatale for the 2007 Spike Guys' Choice Awards, which aired June 13, 2007. The award was for the role of Cherry in Grindhouse. McGowan was nominated for "Scream Queen" at the 2007 Scream Awards on Spike for her performance in Grindhouse. In 2008, she won the Midnight Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq116/ArwenSvetlana/Blend/RoseMcgowan1copia.png
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg11/blondebombshell013/yuuuuuuuu.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/05/11 at 12:23 pm

British Person of the Day: Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara, 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range. As a songwriter, Mercury composed many hits for Queen, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "Somebody to Love", "Don't Stop Me Now", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "We Are the Champions". In addition to his work with Queen, he led a solo career, penning hits such as "Barcelona", "I Was Born to Love You" and "Living on My Own". Mercury also occasionally served as a producer and guest musician (piano or vocals) for other artists. He died of bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS on 24 November 1991, only one day after publicly acknowledging he had the disease.

Mercury, who was a Parsi born in Zanzibar and grew up there and in India until his mid-teens, has been referred to as "Britain's first Asian rock star". In 2006, Time Asia named him as one of the most influential Asian heroes of the past 60 years, and he continues to be voted one of the greatest singers in the history of popular music. In 2005, a poll organised by Blender and MTV2 saw Mercury voted the greatest male singer of all time. In 2008, Rolling Stone editors ranked him number 18 on their list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. In 2009, a Classic Rock poll saw him voted the greatest rock singer of all time. Allmusic has characterised Mercury as "one of rock's greatest all-time entertainers", who possessed "one of the greatest voices in all of music".

http://www.forumbiodiversity.com/images/upload/anthropology/gallery/individuals/mercury_reeve/freddie_mercury4.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/05/11 at 12:23 pm


British Person of the Day: Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara, 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range. As a songwriter, Mercury composed many hits for Queen, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "Somebody to Love", "Don't Stop Me Now", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "We Are the Champions". In addition to his work with Queen, he led a solo career, penning hits such as "Barcelona", "I Was Born to Love You" and "Living on My Own". Mercury also occasionally served as a producer and guest musician (piano or vocals) for other artists. He died of bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS on 24 November 1991, only one day after publicly acknowledging he had the disease.

Mercury, who was a Parsi born in Zanzibar and grew up there and in India until his mid-teens, has been referred to as "Britain's first Asian rock star". In 2006, Time Asia named him as one of the most influential Asian heroes of the past 60 years, and he continues to be voted one of the greatest singers in the history of popular music. In 2005, a poll organised by Blender and MTV2 saw Mercury voted the greatest male singer of all time. In 2008, Rolling Stone editors ranked him number 18 on their list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. In 2009, a Classic Rock poll saw him voted the greatest rock singer of all time. Allmusic has characterised Mercury as "one of rock's greatest all-time entertainers", who possessed "one of the greatest voices in all of music".

http://www.forumbiodiversity.com/images/upload/anthropology/gallery/individuals/mercury_reeve/freddie_mercury4.jpg
:\'(

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/05/11 at 3:29 pm


Thanks Jeff, I didn't get a chance to get on yesterday.

No problemo... I thought I'd contribute at least one...even if it's just a mention. :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/05/11 at 3:31 pm


British Person of the Day: Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara, 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range.

:\'(

He would have been 65 today. :\'(

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/05/11 at 3:37 pm


^That's nice. ::)

Today (September 4th) is the birthday of American singer Beyonce Knowles; she turns 30.


Happy Birthday Beyonce. :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/05/11 at 3:39 pm


British Person of the Day: Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara, 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range. As a songwriter, Mercury composed many hits for Queen, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "Somebody to Love", "Don't Stop Me Now", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "We Are the Champions". In addition to his work with Queen, he led a solo career, penning hits such as "Barcelona", "I Was Born to Love You" and "Living on My Own". Mercury also occasionally served as a producer and guest musician (piano or vocals) for other artists. He died of bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS on 24 November 1991, only one day after publicly acknowledging he had the disease.

Mercury, who was a Parsi born in Zanzibar and grew up there and in India until his mid-teens, has been referred to as "Britain's first Asian rock star". In 2006, Time Asia named him as one of the most influential Asian heroes of the past 60 years, and he continues to be voted one of the greatest singers in the history of popular music. In 2005, a poll organised by Blender and MTV2 saw Mercury voted the greatest male singer of all time. In 2008, Rolling Stone editors ranked him number 18 on their list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. In 2009, a Classic Rock poll saw him voted the greatest rock singer of all time. Allmusic has characterised Mercury as "one of rock's greatest all-time entertainers", who possessed "one of the greatest voices in all of music".

http://www.forumbiodiversity.com/images/upload/anthropology/gallery/individuals/mercury_reeve/freddie_mercury4.jpg


Happy Birthday Freddie.  :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/05/11 at 3:44 pm


Happy Birthday Beyonce. :)

She and her husband, Jay Z., are now expecting their first child.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/05/11 at 3:45 pm


She and her husband, Jay Z., are now expecting their first child.


that's great. :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/06/11 at 8:03 am


She and her husband, Jay Z., are now expecting their first child.


that's great. :)

:)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/06/11 at 8:05 am


British Person of the Day: Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara, 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range. As a songwriter, Mercury composed many hits for Queen, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "Somebody to Love", "Don't Stop Me Now", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "We Are the Champions". In addition to his work with Queen, he led a solo career, penning hits such as "Barcelona", "I Was Born to Love You" and "Living on My Own". Mercury also occasionally served as a producer and guest musician (piano or vocals) for other artists. He died of bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS on 24 November 1991, only one day after publicly acknowledging he had the disease.

Mercury, who was a Parsi born in Zanzibar and grew up there and in India until his mid-teens, has been referred to as "Britain's first Asian rock star". In 2006, Time Asia named him as one of the most influential Asian heroes of the past 60 years, and he continues to be voted one of the greatest singers in the history of popular music. In 2005, a poll organised by Blender and MTV2 saw Mercury voted the greatest male singer of all time. In 2008, Rolling Stone editors ranked him number 18 on their list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. In 2009, a Classic Rock poll saw him voted the greatest rock singer of all time. Allmusic has characterised Mercury as "one of rock's greatest all-time entertainers", who possessed "one of the greatest voices in all of music".

http://www.forumbiodiversity.com/images/upload/anthropology/gallery/individuals/mercury_reeve/freddie_mercury4.jpg

He was a great performer and is missed :\'(

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/06/11 at 8:08 am

The person of the day...Jeff Foxworthy
Jeffrey Marshall "Jeff" Foxworthy (born September 6, 1958) is an American comedian, television and radio personality and author. He is a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which also comprises Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and Ron White. Known for his "you might be a redneck" one-liners, Foxworthy has released six major-label comedy albums. His first two albums were each certified 3×multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Foxworthy has also written several books based on his redneck jokes, as well as an autobiography entitled No Shirt, No Shoes... No Problem!.

Foxworthy has also made several ventures into television, first in the mid-1990s as the star of a sitcom called, The Jeff Foxworthy Show. He has also appeared alongside Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy in several Blue Collar television specials, most notably Blue Collar TV. Since 2007, he has been the host of the quiz show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on Fox (2007–09) and syndication (2009–present). Foxworthy hosted a nationally syndicated radio show called The Foxworthy Countdown from April 1999 to December 2009. He has then became a part-time shark on Shark Tank (TV Series).
Foxworthy received the award for "Best Stand-Up Comic" at the 1990 American Comedy Awards.

In 1993, he released You Might Be a Redneck If…, which started the "You Might Be a Redneck" fad, topped the comedy album charts and sold more than three million copies.

His July 1995 release, Games Rednecks Play, received a 1996 Grammy nomination for "Best Spoken Comedy Album".

Totally Committed was released in May 1998. In conjunction with the CD was a one-hour HBO stand-up special by the same name. The CD reached "gold" status and received a 1999 Grammy Award nomination. The video of the song, Totally Committed featured frequent references to then-Atlanta Braves pitcher, Greg Maddux as well as an appearance at the very end by Maddux himself (along with teammate, John Smoltz).

In 2001, he received a nomination for "Best Spoken Comedy Album" at the 43rd Annual Grammys.

Foxworthy hosted Country Weekly's ""TNN Music City News Country Awards" show for 1998, 1999 and 2000.
Television

In 1995, he starred in The Jeff Foxworthy Show, a sitcom created out of his stand-up comedy persona. It aired on ABC, but was canceled after one season. NBC subsequently picked up the show, but it was again canceled after one season. Foxworthy later remarked that the network did not understand how to properly market his humor; thinking his routine was "too Southern" for a national network ("Has anyone heard me talk?", he commented in one of his stand-up routines), they based the first season of his sitcom in Bloomington, Indiana. The show later aired on Nick at Nite and CMT in 2005 and 2006. He also appeared in Alan Jackson's video for I Don't Even Know Your Name in 1995.

Foxworthy hosted the game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? which aired on Fox in prime time. He hosted the syndicated version of the show from September 21, 2009 until its cancellation on March 24, 2011. In addition, he is a host on The Bucks of Tecomate which airs on Versus with Alabama native David Morris.

Jeff will also be a potential investor on about half of the next edition of the ABC reality series, Shark Tank, where moneyed entrepreneurs decide if they will invest in new products, ideas and the like from those requesting funding in exchange for a percentage of ownership.

He was the subject of a Comedy Central Roast in 2005.
Blue collar comedy

In the early 2000s, Foxworthy had a career resurgence as a result of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, in which he and three other comedians (Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, and Bill Engvall), specializing in common-man comedy, toured the country and performed for record crowds. The tour lasted three full years, constantly being extended after an initial run of 20 shows.

In 2004, he launched a new television show called Blue Collar TV on The WB Television Network, Comedy Central, and Comedy Network (2007). He served as executive producer, and starred alongside Blue Collar Comedy Tour-mates Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall. (Ron White turned the show down but made occasional guest appearances). The show was relatively successful compared to the anemic performance of the WB's other sitcoms. On Larry the Cable Guy's website, he posted that the show was canceled on October 17, 2005 by WB. Reruns of Blue Collar TV continued until the network merged with UPN to form The CW.

Jeff resurrected the Blue Collar TV format (albeit with only himself participating along with some of the Blue Collar TV co-hosts) on Country Music Television (CMT) with Foxworthy's Big Night Out. The show began airing in summer 2006 and was cancelled after one season.
Books

Foxworthy has authored several books, including You Might Be a Redneck If... (1989), as well as his autobiography, No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem! (1996). Artist Layron DeJarnette provided illustrations for the Redneck Dictionary books. R. David Boyd has been the exclusive illustrator for most of Foxworthy's books and album covers.

He also has released a cookbook entitled The Redneck Grill, co-authored with Newnan, Georgia artist R. David Boyd, and "Redneck Extreme Mobile Home Makeover" (2005), a book with some of his redneck jokes.

His books are:

    Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary: Words You Thought You Knew the Meaning Of (2005)
    Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary II: More Words You Thought You Knew the Meaning Of (2006)
    Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary III: Learning to Talk More Gooder Fastly (30 Oct 7)
    Rednecks In College

In February 2008, Foxworthy released his first children's book, Dirt On My Shirt. This was followed by Silly Street in 2009 and Hide!!! in 2010, both of which were illustrated by Steve Bjorkman.

In May 2008, Foxworthy released How to Really Stink at Golf, with co-author Brian Hartt and illustrations by Layron DeJarnette. In May 2009 he released How to Really Stink at Work, A Guide to Making Yourself Fire-Proof While Having the Most Fun Possible. This book was also co-authored with Brian Hartt.
Radio work

In April 1999, Foxworthy began The Foxworthy Countdown, a nationally syndicated, weekly radio show, which featured the top 30 country hits of the week, as reported by Mediabase. He received a Country Music Association nomination, in 2001, for "Broadcast Personality of the Year". The program's last broadcast, the 2009 year-end countdown, aired the weekend of December 27, 2009. Blue Collar Comedy Radio airs on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 103 and is associated with Raw Dog Comedy on Sirius 104.
Personal life

Foxworthy has been married to Pamela Gregg since September 18, 1985 and has two daughters, Jordan (born in 1992) and Julianne (born in 1994). A noted hunting enthusiast, Foxworthy has appeared as host and featured guest on several programs on the Outdoor Channel and Versus. Foxworthy is also a devout Christian, and performed stand-up at a Young Life conference.
Discography
Main article: Jeff Foxworthy discography

Foxworthy has released five comedy albums for Warner Bros. Records as well as one for DreamWorks Records. One of his albums included the novelty Christmas song "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas", which reached number 18 on the Hot Country Songs charts in late 1995-early 1996.
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc253/toontownjuggalo/Brain%20Stew/MOVIE%20STARS/Jeff-Foxworthy.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc253/toontownjuggalo/Brain%20Stew/MOVIE%20STARS/Jeff-Foxworthy.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: CatwomanofV on 09/06/11 at 10:34 am

Gotta check out Google today.



Cat

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/06/11 at 1:44 pm


Gotta check out Google today.



Cat

The homepage still has a special Google Doodle paying tribute to Freddie Mercury (and clicking on it plays the Queen song "Don't Stop Me Now"); I heard a mention about that on the radio this morning. The announcer said that Google plans to keep it up all week long...which would be nice.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/06/11 at 2:19 pm


The homepage still has a special Google Doodle paying tribute to Freddie Mercury (and clicking on it plays the Queen song "Don't Stop Me Now"); I heard a mention about that on the radio this morning. The announcer said that Google plans to keep it up all week long...which would be nice.
The image on the main page has gone for me, but the image is still available to view with the music.

http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Google_Freddie_Mercury_Doodle.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/06/11 at 8:27 pm


The person of the day...Jeff Foxworthy
Jeffrey Marshall "Jeff" Foxworthy (born September 6, 1958) is an American comedian, television and radio personality and author. He is a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which also comprises Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and Ron White. Known for his "you might be a redneck" one-liners, Foxworthy has released six major-label comedy albums. His first two albums were each certified 3×multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Foxworthy has also written several books based on his redneck jokes, as well as an autobiography entitled No Shirt, No Shoes... No Problem!.

Foxworthy has also made several ventures into television, first in the mid-1990s as the star of a sitcom called, The Jeff Foxworthy Show. He has also appeared alongside Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy in several Blue Collar television specials, most notably Blue Collar TV. Since 2007, he has been the host of the quiz show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on Fox (2007–09) and syndication (2009–present). Foxworthy hosted a nationally syndicated radio show called The Foxworthy Countdown from April 1999 to December 2009. He has then became a part-time shark on Shark Tank (TV Series).
Foxworthy received the award for "Best Stand-Up Comic" at the 1990 American Comedy Awards.

In 1993, he released You Might Be a Redneck If…, which started the "You Might Be a Redneck" fad, topped the comedy album charts and sold more than three million copies.

His July 1995 release, Games Rednecks Play, received a 1996 Grammy nomination for "Best Spoken Comedy Album".

Totally Committed was released in May 1998. In conjunction with the CD was a one-hour HBO stand-up special by the same name. The CD reached "gold" status and received a 1999 Grammy Award nomination. The video of the song, Totally Committed featured frequent references to then-Atlanta Braves pitcher, Greg Maddux as well as an appearance at the very end by Maddux himself (along with teammate, John Smoltz).

In 2001, he received a nomination for "Best Spoken Comedy Album" at the 43rd Annual Grammys.

Foxworthy hosted Country Weekly's ""TNN Music City News Country Awards" show for 1998, 1999 and 2000.
Television

In 1995, he starred in The Jeff Foxworthy Show, a sitcom created out of his stand-up comedy persona. It aired on ABC, but was canceled after one season. NBC subsequently picked up the show, but it was again canceled after one season. Foxworthy later remarked that the network did not understand how to properly market his humor; thinking his routine was "too Southern" for a national network ("Has anyone heard me talk?", he commented in one of his stand-up routines), they based the first season of his sitcom in Bloomington, Indiana. The show later aired on Nick at Nite and CMT in 2005 and 2006. He also appeared in Alan Jackson's video for I Don't Even Know Your Name in 1995.

Foxworthy hosted the game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? which aired on Fox in prime time. He hosted the syndicated version of the show from September 21, 2009 until its cancellation on March 24, 2011. In addition, he is a host on The Bucks of Tecomate which airs on Versus with Alabama native David Morris.

Jeff will also be a potential investor on about half of the next edition of the ABC reality series, Shark Tank, where moneyed entrepreneurs decide if they will invest in new products, ideas and the like from those requesting funding in exchange for a percentage of ownership.

He was the subject of a Comedy Central Roast in 2005.
Blue collar comedy

In the early 2000s, Foxworthy had a career resurgence as a result of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, in which he and three other comedians (Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, and Bill Engvall), specializing in common-man comedy, toured the country and performed for record crowds. The tour lasted three full years, constantly being extended after an initial run of 20 shows.

In 2004, he launched a new television show called Blue Collar TV on The WB Television Network, Comedy Central, and Comedy Network (2007). He served as executive producer, and starred alongside Blue Collar Comedy Tour-mates Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall. (Ron White turned the show down but made occasional guest appearances). The show was relatively successful compared to the anemic performance of the WB's other sitcoms. On Larry the Cable Guy's website, he posted that the show was canceled on October 17, 2005 by WB. Reruns of Blue Collar TV continued until the network merged with UPN to form The CW.

Jeff resurrected the Blue Collar TV format (albeit with only himself participating along with some of the Blue Collar TV co-hosts) on Country Music Television (CMT) with Foxworthy's Big Night Out. The show began airing in summer 2006 and was cancelled after one season.
Books

Foxworthy has authored several books, including You Might Be a Redneck If... (1989), as well as his autobiography, No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem! (1996). Artist Layron DeJarnette provided illustrations for the Redneck Dictionary books. R. David Boyd has been the exclusive illustrator for most of Foxworthy's books and album covers.

He also has released a cookbook entitled The Redneck Grill, co-authored with Newnan, Georgia artist R. David Boyd, and "Redneck Extreme Mobile Home Makeover" (2005), a book with some of his redneck jokes.

His books are:

    Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary: Words You Thought You Knew the Meaning Of (2005)
    Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary II: More Words You Thought You Knew the Meaning Of (2006)
    Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary III: Learning to Talk More Gooder Fastly (30 Oct 7)
    Rednecks In College

In February 2008, Foxworthy released his first children's book, Dirt On My Shirt. This was followed by Silly Street in 2009 and Hide!!! in 2010, both of which were illustrated by Steve Bjorkman.

In May 2008, Foxworthy released How to Really Stink at Golf, with co-author Brian Hartt and illustrations by Layron DeJarnette. In May 2009 he released How to Really Stink at Work, A Guide to Making Yourself Fire-Proof While Having the Most Fun Possible. This book was also co-authored with Brian Hartt.
Radio work

In April 1999, Foxworthy began The Foxworthy Countdown, a nationally syndicated, weekly radio show, which featured the top 30 country hits of the week, as reported by Mediabase. He received a Country Music Association nomination, in 2001, for "Broadcast Personality of the Year". The program's last broadcast, the 2009 year-end countdown, aired the weekend of December 27, 2009. Blue Collar Comedy Radio airs on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 103 and is associated with Raw Dog Comedy on Sirius 104.
Personal life

Foxworthy has been married to Pamela Gregg since September 18, 1985 and has two daughters, Jordan (born in 1992) and Julianne (born in 1994). A noted hunting enthusiast, Foxworthy has appeared as host and featured guest on several programs on the Outdoor Channel and Versus. Foxworthy is also a devout Christian, and performed stand-up at a Young Life conference.
Discography
Main article: Jeff Foxworthy discography

Foxworthy has released five comedy albums for Warner Bros. Records as well as one for DreamWorks Records. One of his albums included the novelty Christmas song "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas", which reached number 18 on the Hot Country Songs charts in late 1995-early 1996.
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc253/toontownjuggalo/Brain%20Stew/MOVIE%20STARS/Jeff-Foxworthy.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc253/toontownjuggalo/Brain%20Stew/MOVIE%20STARS/Jeff-Foxworthy.jpg


Ninny you watch Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/07/11 at 4:55 am

British Person of the Day: Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. The daughter of Henry VIII, she was born a princess, but her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed two and a half years after her birth, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. Her half-brother, Edward VI, bequeathed the crown to Lady Jane Grey, cutting his half-sisters out of the succession. His will was set aside, Lady Jane Grey was executed, and in 1558 Elizabeth succeeded the Catholic Mary I, during whose reign she had been imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels.

Elizabeth set out to rule by good counsel, and she depended heavily on a group of trusted advisers led by William Cecil, Baron Burghley. One of her first moves as queen was the establishing of an English Protestant church, of which she became the Supreme Governor. This Elizabethan Religious Settlement later evolved into today's Church of England. It was expected that Elizabeth would marry and produce an heir so as to continue the Tudor line. She never did, however, despite numerous courtships. As she grew older, Elizabeth became famous for her virginity, and a cult grew up around her which was celebrated in the portraits, pageants, and literature of the day.

In government, Elizabeth was more moderate than her father, brother and sister had been. One of her mottoes was "video et taceo" ("I see, and say nothing"). In religion she was relatively tolerant, avoiding systematic persecution. After 1570, when the pope declared her illegitimate and released her subjects from obedience to her, several conspiracies threatened her life. All plots were defeated, however, with the help of her ministers' secret service. Elizabeth was cautious in foreign affairs, moving between the major powers of France and Spain. She only half-heartedly supported a number of ineffective, poorly resourced military campaigns in the Netherlands, France and Ireland. In the mid-1580s war with Spain could no longer be avoided, and when Spain finally decided to invade and conquer England in 1588, the defeat of the Spanish Armada associated her with what is popularly viewed as one of the greatest victories in English history.

Elizabeth's reign is known as the Elizabethan era, famous above all for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, and for the seafaring prowess of English adventurers such as Sir Francis Drake. Some historians are more reserved in their assessment. They depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered, sometimes indecisive ruler, who enjoyed more than her share of luck. Towards the end of her reign, a series of economic and military problems weakened her popularity. Elizabeth is acknowledged as a charismatic performer and a dogged survivor, in an age when government was ramshackle and limited and when monarchs in neighbouring countries faced internal problems that jeopardised their thrones. Such was the case with Elizabeth's rival, Mary, Queen of Scots, whom she imprisoned in 1568 and eventually had executed in 1587. After the short reigns of Elizabeth's brother and sister, her 44 years on the throne provided welcome stability for the kingdom and helped forge a sense of national identity.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Darnley_stage_3.jpg/220px-Darnley_stage_3.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/07/11 at 12:37 pm


The image on the main page has gone for me, but the image is still available to view with the music.

http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Google_Freddie_Mercury_Doodle.jpg

And now, the Google homepage is back to normal over here.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/07/11 at 12:38 pm


And now, the Google homepage is back to normal over here.
I never got to see and hear the image in its pure serene.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/07/11 at 3:02 pm

The person of the day...Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959) known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll. Although his success lasted only a year and a half before his death in an airplane crash, Holly is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll." His works and innovations inspired and influenced contemporary and later musicians, notably The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton, and exerted a profound influence on popular music. Holly was among the first group of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Holly #13 among "The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time".
Holly saw Elvis Presley sing in Lubbock in 1955, and began to incorporate a rockabilly style, similar to that of Chuck Berry, which had a strong rhythm acoustic and slap bass. On October 15, 1955, Holly, along with Bob Montgomery and Larry Welborn, opened the bill for Presley in Lubbock, catching the eye of a Nashville talent scout. Holly's transition to rock continued when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets at a local show organized by Eddie Crandall, the manager for Marty Robbins.

Following this performance, Decca Records signed him to a contract in February 1956, misspelling his name as "Holly". He thereafter adopted the misspelled name for his professional career. Holly formed his own band, later to be called The Crickets, consisting of Holly (lead guitar and vocals), Niki Sullivan (guitar), Joe B. Mauldin (bass), and Jerry Allison (drums). They went to Nashville for three recording sessions with producer Owen Bradley. However, he chafed under a restrictive atmosphere that allowed him little input. Among the tracks he recorded was an early version of "That'll Be The Day", which took its title from a line that John Wayne's character says repeatedly in the 1956 film The Searchers. (This initial version of the song played more slowly and about half an octave higher than the later hit version.) Decca released two singles, "Blue Days, Black Nights" and "Modern Don Juan", that failed to make an impression. On January 22, 1957, Decca informed Holly his contract would not be renewed, insisting, however, that he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years.
Norman Petty Recording Studios in Clovis, New Mexico

Holly then hired Norman Petty as manager, and the band began recording at Petty's studios in Clovis, New Mexico. Petty contacted music publishers and labels, and Brunswick Records, a subsidiary of Decca, signed the Crickets on March 19, 1957. Holly signed as a solo artist with another Decca subsidiary, Coral Records. This put him in the unusual position of having two recording contracts at the same time.

On May 27, 1957, "That'll Be The Day" was released as a single, credited to the Crickets to try to bypass Decca's claimed legal rights. When the song became a hit, Decca decided not to press its claim. "That'll Be the Day" topped the US "Best Sellers in Stores" chart on September 23, and was the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in November. The Crickets performed "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue" on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 1. They also sang "Peggy Sue" on The Arthur Murray Party on December 29 and were given a polite introduction by Kathryn Murray. The kinescopes of these programs are the only record of their 1957 television appearances.

Holly helped win over an all-black audience to rock and roll/rockabilly when the Crickets were booked at New York's Apollo Theater for August 16–22, 1957. Unlike the immediate acceptance shown in the 1978 movie The Buddy Holly Story, it actually took several performances for the audience to warm up to him. In August 1957, the Crickets were the only white performers on a national tour including black neighborhood theaters.

As Holly was signed both as a solo artist and a member of the Crickets, two debut albums were released: The "Chirping" Crickets on November 27, 1957 and Buddy Holly on February 20, 1958. His singles "Peggy Sue" and "Oh Boy!", with backing vocals later dubbed on by The Picks, reached the top ten of United States and United Kingdom charts. Buddy Holly and the Crickets toured Australia in January 1958 and the UK in March. Their third and final album, That'll Be the Day, was put together from early recordings and was released in April.

In the liner notes to Buddy Holly: The Definitive Collection, Billy Altman notes that "Peggy Sue" was originally written as "Cindy Lou," but Holly later changed it prior to recording as a tip of the hat to Crickets drummer Jerry Allison's girlfriend (and future wife), Peggy Sue Gerron.

Holly wrote the song "True Love Ways" about his relationship with his wife, Maria Elena. It was recorded in her presence on October 21, 1958 at Decca's Pythian Temple, with Dick Jacob, Coral-Brunswick's new head of Artists and Repertoire, serving as both producer and conductor of the 18-piece orchestra, which included members of the New York Symphony Orchestra, NBC Television's house orchestra and Abraham "Boomie" Richman, formerly of Benny Goodman's band.
Holly in New York

The ambitious Holly became increasingly interested in the New York music/recording/publishing scene, while his band mates wanted to go back home to Lubbock. As a result, the group split up in late 1958. The Hollys settled in Greenwich Village, New York, in the new Brevoort apartment block at Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue. Here he recorded the series of acoustic songs, including "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" and "What to Do," known as the "Apartment Tapes," which were released after his death.

The Hollys frequented many of New York's music venues, including The Village Gate, Blue Note, Village Vanguard, and Johnny Johnson's. Maria Elena reported Buddy was keen to learn finger-style flamenco guitar, and would often visit her aunt's home to play the piano there. He wanted to develop collaborations between soul singers and rock 'n' roll, hoping to make an album with Ray Charles and gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. He also had ambitions to work in film, like Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran, and registered for acting classes with Lee Strasburg's Actors' Studio, where the likes of Marlon Brando and James Dean had trained.
Further information: History of multitrack recording

According to Billy Altman's liner notes to the Geffen/Universal compilation, Buddy Holly: The Definitive Collection, in addition to "True Love Ways", during the October 1958 sessions at Decca's Pythian Temple, Holly also recorded two other songs, "I Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore" and "Raining In My Heart". The songs were firsts for Holly, not only in the use of orchestral backing players, but also the tracks were his first stereo recordings. They were also to be his last formal recording studio recording sessions.

Holly was still having trouble getting his royalties from Petty, so he hired the noted lawyer Harold Orenstein at the recommendation of his friends the Everly Brothers, who had engaged Orenstein following disputes with their own manager, Wesley Rose. Yet, with the money still being withheld by Petty and with rent due, Buddy was forced to go back on the road.
Death
Holly's headstone in the City of Lubbock Cemetery
Signpost near the Clear Lake crash site
Main article: The Day the Music Died

Holly was offered a spot in the Winter Dance Party, a three-week tour across the Midwest opening on January 23, 1959, by the GAC agency, with other notable performers such as Dion and the Belmonts, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. He assembled a backing band consisting of Tommy Allsup (guitar), Waylon Jennings (bass) and Carl Bunch (drums), and billed as The Crickets.

The tour turned out to be a miserable ordeal for the performers, who had to endure long overnight travel in a bus plagued with a faulty heating system in −25 °F (−32 °C) temperatures. The bus also broke down several times between stops.

Following a performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2, 1959, Holly chartered a small airplane to take him to the next stop on the tour. He, Valens, Richardson and the pilot were killed en route to Moorhead, Minnesota, when their plane crashed soon after taking off from nearby Mason City in the early morning hours of February 3. Bandmate Waylon Jennings had given up his seat on the plane, causing Holly to jokingly tell Jennings, "I hope your ol' bus freezes up!" Jennings shot back facetiously, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes!" It was a statement that would haunt Jennings for decades.

Holly's funeral was held on February 7, 1959, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock. The service was officiated by Ben D. Johnson, who had presided at the Hollys' wedding just months earlier. The pallbearers were Jerry Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, Bob Montgomery, Sonny Curtis and Phil Everly. Waylon Jennings was unable to attend due to his commitment to the still-touring Winter Dance Party. The body was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery in the eastern part of the city. Holly's headstone carries the correct spelling of his surname (Holley) and a carving of his Fender Stratocaster guitar.

Holly's pregnant wife, a widow after barely six months of marriage, miscarried soon after, ending that part of the Holly family tree. The miscarriage was reportedly due to “psychological trauma”. Because of this incident, authorities found it necessary, in the months following, to implement a policy against announcing victims’ names until after families had first been informed.María Elena Holly did not attend the funeral, and has never visited the gravesite. She later told the Avalanche-Journal:

    In a way, I blame myself. I was not feeling well when he left. I was two weeks pregnant, and I wanted Buddy to stay with me, but he had scheduled that tour. It was the only time I wasn't with him. And I blame myself because I know that, if only I had gone along, Buddy never would have gotten into that airplane.

The first song to commemorate the musicians was “Three Stars” by Eddie Cochran. This song was recorded just a single day after the disaster occurred. Years later, in 1971, Don McLean released his single, "American Pie”, to commemorate Buddy Holly’s death and further accentuate the loss of the United States’ innocence. Don McLean’s song began the reference to the tragedy as "The Day the Music Died".
Influence
Buddy Holly statue on the Lubbock Walk of Fame

Holly set the template for the standard rock and roll band: two guitars, bass, and drums. He was also one of the first in the genre to write, produce, and perform his own songs.

Holly managed to bridge the racial divide that marked music in America. Along with Elvis and others, Holly made rock and roll, with its roots in rockabilly country music and blues-inspired rhythm and blues music, more popular among a broad white audience. From listening to their recordings, one had difficulty determining if the Crickets, the name of Buddy's band, were white or black singers. Holly indeed sometimes played with black musicians Little Richard and Chuck Berry. The Crickets were only the second white rock group to tour Great Britain. Holly's essential eyeglasses encouraged other musicians, such as John Lennon, also to wear their glasses during performances.

In his biography of rock legend Elton John, Phillip Norman recounted that by his early teens, John (then known as Reg Dwight) was wearing glasses "not because he needed them, but in homage to Buddy Holly." After wearing glasses for a while, his eyes became adjusted to the lenses, and at that point he really did need glasses, which would years later establish John as one of the most famous "four-eyes" in rock and roll, though Holly is considered the first.

Contrary to popular belief, teenagers John Lennon and Paul McCartney did not attend a Holly concert, although they watched his television appearance on Sunday Night at the London Palladium; Tony Bramwell, a school friend of McCartney and George Harrison, did. Bramwell met Holly, and freely shared his records with all three. Ian Whitcomb said "Buddy Holly and the Crickets had the most influence on the Beatles." Lennon and McCartney later cited Holly as a primary influence. (Their band's name, The Beatles, was chosen partly in homage to Holly's Crickets.) The Beatles did a cover version of "Words of Love" that was a close reproduction of Holly's version, released on late 1964's Beatles for Sale (in the U.S., in June 1965 on Beatles VI). During the January 1969 sessions for the Let It Be album, the Beatles played a slow impromptu version of "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues" — although not written by Holly, it was popularized by him — with Lennon mimicking Holly's vocal style; the recording was eventually released in the mid-1990s on Anthology 3. In addition, John Lennon recorded a cover version of "Peggy Sue" on his 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll. McCartney owns the publishing rights to Holly's song catalogue.

A 17-year-old Bob Dylan attended the January 31, 1959, show, two nights before Holly's death. Dylan referred to this in his 1998 Grammy acceptance speech for his Time out of Mind being named Album of the Year:

    "And I just want to say that when I was sixteen or seventeen years old, I went to see Buddy Holly play at Duluth National Guard Armory and I was three feet away from him...and he LOOKED at me. And I just have some sort of feeling that he was — I don't know how or why — but I know he was with us all the time we were making this record in some kind of way."

Keith Richards attended one of Holly's performances, where he heard "Not Fade Away" for the first time. The Rolling Stones had an early hit covering the song.

The launch of Bobby Vee's successful musical career resulted from Holly's death, when he was selected to replace Holly on the tour that continued after the plane crash. Holly's profound influence on Vee's singing style can be heard in such songs as "Rubber Ball" and "Run to Him."

Holly influenced many other singers during and after a career that lasted barely two years. Keith Richards once said Holly had "an influence on everybody." In an August 24, 1978 Rolling Stone interview, Bruce Springsteen told Dave Marsh, "I play Buddy Holly every night before I go on; that keeps me honest."

The Grateful Dead performed "Not Fade Away" 530 times over the course of their career, making it their seventh most-performed song. The song also appears on eight of their official live recording releases.

Various rock and roll histories have asserted the singing group The Hollies were named in homage to Buddy Holly. According to the band's website, although the group admired Holly (and years later produced an album covering some of his songs), their name was inspired primarily by the sprigs of holly in evidence around Christmas of 1962.

Don McLean's popular 1971 ballad "American Pie" is inspired by Holly and the day of the plane crash. The American Pie album is dedicated to Holly.

Weezer's single, "Buddy Holly", released on September 7, 1994 (Holly's 58th birthday), references Holly.

The Dixie Chicks reference Holly in the song "Lubbock or Leave It" (on the Grammy-winning Taking the Long Way); during the middle eight, lead singer Natalie Maines, also a Lubbock native, compares his legacy with her infamously outspoken behavior after seeing his statue: "I hear they hate me now, just like they hated you / maybe when I'm dead and gone, I'm gonna get a statue too".
Discography
Main article: Buddy Holly discography

Buddy Holly released only three albums in his lifetime. Nonetheless, he recorded so prolifically that Coral Records was able to release brand-new albums and singles for 10 years after his death, although the technical quality was very mixed, some being studio quality and others home recordings.

Buddy Holly continued to be promoted and sold as an "active" artist, and his records had a loyal following, especially in Europe. The demand for unissued Holly material was so great that Norman Petty resorted to overdubbing whatever he could find: alternate takes of studio recordings, originally rejected masters, "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" and the other five 1959 tracks (adding new surf-guitar arrangements), and even Holly's amateur demos from 1954 (where the low-fidelity vocals are often muffled behind the new orchestrations). The last new Buddy Holly album was Giant (featuring the single "Love Is Strange"), issued in 1969. Between the 1959–60 Jack Hansen overdubs, the 1960s Norman Petty overdubs, various alternate takes, and Holly's undubbed originals, collectors can often choose from multiple versions of the same song. There are also many different versions of Holly's "Greatest Hits" as well as covers/compilation albums of Buddy's songs performed by various artists. One such album has been announced recently at an event at P.J. Clarke's in New York. Listen to Me: Buddy Holly is being produced by Peter Asher and includes contributions from Stevie Nicks, The Fray, Cobra Starship, Jeff Lynne, Train's Pat Monahan, Patrick Stump, Jackson Browne, Chris Isaak, Natalie Merchant, Imelda May, Ringo Starr, Lyle Lovett, Zooey Deschanel, Brian Wilson and more.
http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy333/HotChantal69/buddy-holly-singing.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p228/patevans1971/buddy_holly_jpg-1478.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/07/11 at 4:28 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IbvVOgFce4

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/07/11 at 8:15 pm


The person of the day...Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959) known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll. Although his success lasted only a year and a half before his death in an airplane crash, Holly is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll." His works and innovations inspired and influenced contemporary and later musicians, notably The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton, and exerted a profound influence on popular music. Holly was among the first group of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Holly #13 among "The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time".
Holly saw Elvis Presley sing in Lubbock in 1955, and began to incorporate a rockabilly style, similar to that of Chuck Berry, which had a strong rhythm acoustic and slap bass. On October 15, 1955, Holly, along with Bob Montgomery and Larry Welborn, opened the bill for Presley in Lubbock, catching the eye of a Nashville talent scout. Holly's transition to rock continued when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets at a local show organized by Eddie Crandall, the manager for Marty Robbins.

Following this performance, Decca Records signed him to a contract in February 1956, misspelling his name as "Holly". He thereafter adopted the misspelled name for his professional career. Holly formed his own band, later to be called The Crickets, consisting of Holly (lead guitar and vocals), Niki Sullivan (guitar), Joe B. Mauldin (bass), and Jerry Allison (drums). They went to Nashville for three recording sessions with producer Owen Bradley. However, he chafed under a restrictive atmosphere that allowed him little input. Among the tracks he recorded was an early version of "That'll Be The Day", which took its title from a line that John Wayne's character says repeatedly in the 1956 film The Searchers. (This initial version of the song played more slowly and about half an octave higher than the later hit version.) Decca released two singles, "Blue Days, Black Nights" and "Modern Don Juan", that failed to make an impression. On January 22, 1957, Decca informed Holly his contract would not be renewed, insisting, however, that he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years.
Norman Petty Recording Studios in Clovis, New Mexico

Holly then hired Norman Petty as manager, and the band began recording at Petty's studios in Clovis, New Mexico. Petty contacted music publishers and labels, and Brunswick Records, a subsidiary of Decca, signed the Crickets on March 19, 1957. Holly signed as a solo artist with another Decca subsidiary, Coral Records. This put him in the unusual position of having two recording contracts at the same time.

On May 27, 1957, "That'll Be The Day" was released as a single, credited to the Crickets to try to bypass Decca's claimed legal rights. When the song became a hit, Decca decided not to press its claim. "That'll Be the Day" topped the US "Best Sellers in Stores" chart on September 23, and was the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in November. The Crickets performed "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue" on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 1. They also sang "Peggy Sue" on The Arthur Murray Party on December 29 and were given a polite introduction by Kathryn Murray. The kinescopes of these programs are the only record of their 1957 television appearances.

Holly helped win over an all-black audience to rock and roll/rockabilly when the Crickets were booked at New York's Apollo Theater for August 16–22, 1957. Unlike the immediate acceptance shown in the 1978 movie The Buddy Holly Story, it actually took several performances for the audience to warm up to him. In August 1957, the Crickets were the only white performers on a national tour including black neighborhood theaters.

As Holly was signed both as a solo artist and a member of the Crickets, two debut albums were released: The "Chirping" Crickets on November 27, 1957 and Buddy Holly on February 20, 1958. His singles "Peggy Sue" and "Oh Boy!", with backing vocals later dubbed on by The Picks, reached the top ten of United States and United Kingdom charts. Buddy Holly and the Crickets toured Australia in January 1958 and the UK in March. Their third and final album, That'll Be the Day, was put together from early recordings and was released in April.

In the liner notes to Buddy Holly: The Definitive Collection, Billy Altman notes that "Peggy Sue" was originally written as "Cindy Lou," but Holly later changed it prior to recording as a tip of the hat to Crickets drummer Jerry Allison's girlfriend (and future wife), Peggy Sue Gerron.

Holly wrote the song "True Love Ways" about his relationship with his wife, Maria Elena. It was recorded in her presence on October 21, 1958 at Decca's Pythian Temple, with Dick Jacob, Coral-Brunswick's new head of Artists and Repertoire, serving as both producer and conductor of the 18-piece orchestra, which included members of the New York Symphony Orchestra, NBC Television's house orchestra and Abraham "Boomie" Richman, formerly of Benny Goodman's band.
Holly in New York

The ambitious Holly became increasingly interested in the New York music/recording/publishing scene, while his band mates wanted to go back home to Lubbock. As a result, the group split up in late 1958. The Hollys settled in Greenwich Village, New York, in the new Brevoort apartment block at Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue. Here he recorded the series of acoustic songs, including "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" and "What to Do," known as the "Apartment Tapes," which were released after his death.

The Hollys frequented many of New York's music venues, including The Village Gate, Blue Note, Village Vanguard, and Johnny Johnson's. Maria Elena reported Buddy was keen to learn finger-style flamenco guitar, and would often visit her aunt's home to play the piano there. He wanted to develop collaborations between soul singers and rock 'n' roll, hoping to make an album with Ray Charles and gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. He also had ambitions to work in film, like Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran, and registered for acting classes with Lee Strasburg's Actors' Studio, where the likes of Marlon Brando and James Dean had trained.
Further information: History of multitrack recording

According to Billy Altman's liner notes to the Geffen/Universal compilation, Buddy Holly: The Definitive Collection, in addition to "True Love Ways", during the October 1958 sessions at Decca's Pythian Temple, Holly also recorded two other songs, "I Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore" and "Raining In My Heart". The songs were firsts for Holly, not only in the use of orchestral backing players, but also the tracks were his first stereo recordings. They were also to be his last formal recording studio recording sessions.

Holly was still having trouble getting his royalties from Petty, so he hired the noted lawyer Harold Orenstein at the recommendation of his friends the Everly Brothers, who had engaged Orenstein following disputes with their own manager, Wesley Rose. Yet, with the money still being withheld by Petty and with rent due, Buddy was forced to go back on the road.
Death
Holly's headstone in the City of Lubbock Cemetery
Signpost near the Clear Lake crash site
Main article: The Day the Music Died

Holly was offered a spot in the Winter Dance Party, a three-week tour across the Midwest opening on January 23, 1959, by the GAC agency, with other notable performers such as Dion and the Belmonts, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. He assembled a backing band consisting of Tommy Allsup (guitar), Waylon Jennings (bass) and Carl Bunch (drums), and billed as The Crickets.

The tour turned out to be a miserable ordeal for the performers, who had to endure long overnight travel in a bus plagued with a faulty heating system in −25 °F (−32 °C) temperatures. The bus also broke down several times between stops.

Following a performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2, 1959, Holly chartered a small airplane to take him to the next stop on the tour. He, Valens, Richardson and the pilot were killed en route to Moorhead, Minnesota, when their plane crashed soon after taking off from nearby Mason City in the early morning hours of February 3. Bandmate Waylon Jennings had given up his seat on the plane, causing Holly to jokingly tell Jennings, "I hope your ol' bus freezes up!" Jennings shot back facetiously, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes!" It was a statement that would haunt Jennings for decades.

Holly's funeral was held on February 7, 1959, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock. The service was officiated by Ben D. Johnson, who had presided at the Hollys' wedding just months earlier. The pallbearers were Jerry Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, Bob Montgomery, Sonny Curtis and Phil Everly. Waylon Jennings was unable to attend due to his commitment to the still-touring Winter Dance Party. The body was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery in the eastern part of the city. Holly's headstone carries the correct spelling of his surname (Holley) and a carving of his Fender Stratocaster guitar.

Holly's pregnant wife, a widow after barely six months of marriage, miscarried soon after, ending that part of the Holly family tree. The miscarriage was reportedly due to “psychological trauma”. Because of this incident, authorities found it necessary, in the months following, to implement a policy against announcing victims’ names until after families had first been informed.María Elena Holly did not attend the funeral, and has never visited the gravesite. She later told the Avalanche-Journal:

    In a way, I blame myself. I was not feeling well when he left. I was two weeks pregnant, and I wanted Buddy to stay with me, but he had scheduled that tour. It was the only time I wasn't with him. And I blame myself because I know that, if only I had gone along, Buddy never would have gotten into that airplane.

The first song to commemorate the musicians was “Three Stars” by Eddie Cochran. This song was recorded just a single day after the disaster occurred. Years later, in 1971, Don McLean released his single, "American Pie”, to commemorate Buddy Holly’s death and further accentuate the loss of the United States’ innocence. Don McLean’s song began the reference to the tragedy as "The Day the Music Died".
Influence
Buddy Holly statue on the Lubbock Walk of Fame

Holly set the template for the standard rock and roll band: two guitars, bass, and drums. He was also one of the first in the genre to write, produce, and perform his own songs.

Holly managed to bridge the racial divide that marked music in America. Along with Elvis and others, Holly made rock and roll, with its roots in rockabilly country music and blues-inspired rhythm and blues music, more popular among a broad white audience. From listening to their recordings, one had difficulty determining if the Crickets, the name of Buddy's band, were white or black singers. Holly indeed sometimes played with black musicians Little Richard and Chuck Berry. The Crickets were only the second white rock group to tour Great Britain. Holly's essential eyeglasses encouraged other musicians, such as John Lennon, also to wear their glasses during performances.

In his biography of rock legend Elton John, Phillip Norman recounted that by his early teens, John (then known as Reg Dwight) was wearing glasses "not because he needed them, but in homage to Buddy Holly." After wearing glasses for a while, his eyes became adjusted to the lenses, and at that point he really did need glasses, which would years later establish John as one of the most famous "four-eyes" in rock and roll, though Holly is considered the first.

Contrary to popular belief, teenagers John Lennon and Paul McCartney did not attend a Holly concert, although they watched his television appearance on Sunday Night at the London Palladium; Tony Bramwell, a school friend of McCartney and George Harrison, did. Bramwell met Holly, and freely shared his records with all three. Ian Whitcomb said "Buddy Holly and the Crickets had the most influence on the Beatles." Lennon and McCartney later cited Holly as a primary influence. (Their band's name, The Beatles, was chosen partly in homage to Holly's Crickets.) The Beatles did a cover version of "Words of Love" that was a close reproduction of Holly's version, released on late 1964's Beatles for Sale (in the U.S., in June 1965 on Beatles VI). During the January 1969 sessions for the Let It Be album, the Beatles played a slow impromptu version of "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues" — although not written by Holly, it was popularized by him — with Lennon mimicking Holly's vocal style; the recording was eventually released in the mid-1990s on Anthology 3. In addition, John Lennon recorded a cover version of "Peggy Sue" on his 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll. McCartney owns the publishing rights to Holly's song catalogue.

A 17-year-old Bob Dylan attended the January 31, 1959, show, two nights before Holly's death. Dylan referred to this in his 1998 Grammy acceptance speech for his Time out of Mind being named Album of the Year:

    "And I just want to say that when I was sixteen or seventeen years old, I went to see Buddy Holly play at Duluth National Guard Armory and I was three feet away from him...and he LOOKED at me. And I just have some sort of feeling that he was — I don't know how or why — but I know he was with us all the time we were making this record in some kind of way."

Keith Richards attended one of Holly's performances, where he heard "Not Fade Away" for the first time. The Rolling Stones had an early hit covering the song.

The launch of Bobby Vee's successful musical career resulted from Holly's death, when he was selected to replace Holly on the tour that continued after the plane crash. Holly's profound influence on Vee's singing style can be heard in such songs as "Rubber Ball" and "Run to Him."

Holly influenced many other singers during and after a career that lasted barely two years. Keith Richards once said Holly had "an influence on everybody." In an August 24, 1978 Rolling Stone interview, Bruce Springsteen told Dave Marsh, "I play Buddy Holly every night before I go on; that keeps me honest."

The Grateful Dead performed "Not Fade Away" 530 times over the course of their career, making it their seventh most-performed song. The song also appears on eight of their official live recording releases.

Various rock and roll histories have asserted the singing group The Hollies were named in homage to Buddy Holly. According to the band's website, although the group admired Holly (and years later produced an album covering some of his songs), their name was inspired primarily by the sprigs of holly in evidence around Christmas of 1962.

Don McLean's popular 1971 ballad "American Pie" is inspired by Holly and the day of the plane crash. The American Pie album is dedicated to Holly.

Weezer's single, "Buddy Holly", released on September 7, 1994 (Holly's 58th birthday), references Holly.

The Dixie Chicks reference Holly in the song "Lubbock or Leave It" (on the Grammy-winning Taking the Long Way); during the middle eight, lead singer Natalie Maines, also a Lubbock native, compares his legacy with her infamously outspoken behavior after seeing his statue: "I hear they hate me now, just like they hated you / maybe when I'm dead and gone, I'm gonna get a statue too".
Discography
Main article: Buddy Holly discography

Buddy Holly released only three albums in his lifetime. Nonetheless, he recorded so prolifically that Coral Records was able to release brand-new albums and singles for 10 years after his death, although the technical quality was very mixed, some being studio quality and others home recordings.

Buddy Holly continued to be promoted and sold as an "active" artist, and his records had a loyal following, especially in Europe. The demand for unissued Holly material was so great that Norman Petty resorted to overdubbing whatever he could find: alternate takes of studio recordings, originally rejected masters, "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" and the other five 1959 tracks (adding new surf-guitar arrangements), and even Holly's amateur demos from 1954 (where the low-fidelity vocals are often muffled behind the new orchestrations). The last new Buddy Holly album was Giant (featuring the single "Love Is Strange"), issued in 1969. Between the 1959–60 Jack Hansen overdubs, the 1960s Norman Petty overdubs, various alternate takes, and Holly's undubbed originals, collectors can often choose from multiple versions of the same song. There are also many different versions of Holly's "Greatest Hits" as well as covers/compilation albums of Buddy's songs performed by various artists. One such album has been announced recently at an event at P.J. Clarke's in New York. Listen to Me: Buddy Holly is being produced by Peter Asher and includes contributions from Stevie Nicks, The Fray, Cobra Starship, Jeff Lynne, Train's Pat Monahan, Patrick Stump, Jackson Browne, Chris Isaak, Natalie Merchant, Imelda May, Ringo Starr, Lyle Lovett, Zooey Deschanel, Brian Wilson and more.
http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy333/HotChantal69/buddy-holly-singing.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p228/patevans1971/buddy_holly_jpg-1478.jpg


Peggy Sue is my favorite.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/08/11 at 12:56 am


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IbvVOgFce4
This is my favourite.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: King Tut on 09/08/11 at 1:02 am

Imagine, just imagine how many more hits we've missed since that plane went to rock and roll heaven.

My favorite is 'Heartbeat' & 'Everyday'

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/08/11 at 2:20 am

British Person of the Day: Peter Sellers

Richard Henry Sellers, CBE (8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980), known as Peter Sellers, born in Southsea, Portsmouth, to a family of entertainers. Though christened Richard Henry, his parents always called him Peter, after his elder stillborn brother.

One of the most accomplished comic actors of the late 20th century, Peter Sellers breathed life into the accident-prone Inspector Clouseau in "The Pink Panther" (1963) and its three sequels, as well as such classics as "Lolita" (1962), "Dr. Strangelove" (1964), "The Party" (1968) and "Being There" (1979). The son of English vaudevillians, his ability to completely transform himself into outrageous comic characters received its first showcase on the legendary radio series "The Goon Show" in the 1950s. Film roles in the 1950s and 1960s were devoted to his knack for mimicry of accents and character types, with Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" and "Dr. Strangelove" underscoring his talent for drama as well. His best-known role of Inspector Clouseau surfaced in 1963, and he would return, sometimes reluctantly, to the franchise throughout his life before scoring a personal triumph as the simple-minded gardener who influences the Presidency in Hal Ashby's "Being There" (1980). Off camera, Sellers could be cold, cruel, even unstable, but when the cameras were rolling, he showed a dedication to performance and humor that made him one of the greatest inspirations to comedians and film fans for decades.

He began life as Richard Henry Sellers on Sept. 8, 1925 in the seaside resort town of Southsea, in Portsmouth, England. His family, who were performers on the British vaudeville circuit, bestowed a particularly morbid nickname upon their son: Peter was the name of a brother who did not survive birth. He took up his family's profession at an early age, dancing and singing alongside his mother in stage shows when he was just five years old. He became skilled at a variety of talents, including drums, banjo and ukulele, and for a while, he toured as a drummer with various jazz bands. Sellers was also an expert mimic, which he put to excellent use during his service as an airman with the Royal Air Force during World War II. He frequently impersonated his superior officers as a way to gain access into the Officers' Mess, and made them part of his performances with the Entertainments National Service Association, which put on plays and skits for British troops. His knack for mimicry also served him well in the years after his discharge in 1948. Sellers supported himself by performing stand-up comedy and celebrity impressions on the variety theater circuit, and at one point, secured a meeting with BBC producer Roy Speer by pretending to be radio star Kenneth Horne. The ruse clearly worked, as the 23-year-old Sellers was soon granted an audition, which lead to a role on the popular radio comedy "Ray's a Laugh," starring comedian Ted Ray. Audiences had their first glimpse of Sellers' astonishing voice talent on the series, which allowed him to play everything from an obnoxious little boy to a bizarre older woman.

During this period, Sellers was also performing in an informal group with comics Spike Milligan and Michael Bentine and singer Harry Secombe. The quartet, who dubbed themselves the Goons, recorded their antics at a local pub, and the tape made its way into the hands of a BBC producer, who granted the quartet their own radio series. "The Goon Show" premiered in 1951 and became a massive hit with British audiences, thanks to its surreal humor which parodied traditional radio drama with absurd leaps in logic. Each episode was filled with countless bizarre characters, many of which were voiced by Sellers, including the program's chief villain, Hercules Grytpype-Thynne; the hapless scoutmaster Bluebottle; the cowardly, flatulent Major Bloodnok (who was based on many of Sellers' superior officers), and many others. On more than one occasion, Sellers was called upon to voice all of Milligan's characters as well, and at times, carry out complete conversations between two or more people.

The popularity of the Goons' radio program led to a few abortive attempts at television series, including "The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d" (ITV, 1956), but most filmed efforts were unable to match the stream of consciousness that comprised their recorded efforts. More successful were the Goons' comedy LPs and novelty songs, as well as a quartet of films - the feature length "Let's Go Crazy" (1951), which marked Sellers' screen debut, "Penny Points to Paradise" (1951), "Down Among the Z Men" (1952), and the shorts "The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn" (1956) and "The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film" (1959). The latter, directed by Sellers and Richard Lester, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, and also served as the impetus for the Beatles - all dedicated Goons fans - to hire Lester to direct "A Hard Day's Night" (1964). The Goons were also acknowledged influences on the members of Monty Python's Flying Circus, Eddie Izzard, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams, Peter Cook, the Firesign Theater and countless British and American television comedies.

In 1954, Sellers began branching out on his own as a supporting player in feature comedies. He quickly established himself as versatile a performer on screen as he was over the radio airwaves, with richly varied characters in some of the greatest British comedies of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was the nervous Teddy Boy that joined Alec Guinness's inept criminal crew in Alexander Mackendrick's "The Ladykillers" (1955), an obsequious game show host in "The Naked Truth" (1957), a baffled military officer in Val Guest's "Up the Creek" (1958), and most impressively, three roles in "The Mouse That Roared" (1959), including the addled Duchess of the tiny European nation of Fenwick, which declares war on - and defeats - the United States. Several of these pictures were international successes, especially in America, which brought Sellers to the attention of Hollywood. In 1958, he made his stateside debut in "tom thumb" (1958), fantasy director George Pal's musical adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a tiny hero who outwits a pair of thieves (Sellers and Terry-Thomas).

Sellers' stature as a film star grew in the 1960s, thanks to several key films. "Never Let Go" (1960) was a thriller that afforded him a rare opportunity to play a straight role as a murderous car dealer, while "I'm All Right Jack" (1959) proved he could bring pathos to his comic roles. His turn as a Communist shop steward who becomes a reluctant strike leader in the latter film earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor in 1959. However, it was Stanley Kubrick's controversial adaptation of "Lolita" (1962) that made him an international star. His protean nature was given full reign as Clare Quilty, the decadent playwright who attempts to lure Sue Lyon's teenage Lolita into his depraved world, prompting his murder by Humbert Humbert (James Mason). Kubrick's version expanded the role considerably, allowing Sellers to don several disguises and accents throughout, including a Germanic doctor, Zempf, who foreshadowed Sellers' turn as Dr. Strangelove two years later. For his efforts, Sellers was critically acclaimed, as well as a Golden Globe nominee for Best Supporting Actor.

In 1963, Sellers made his first appearance in his most iconic role - that of Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau in "The Pink Panther." Fiercely dedicated to fighting crime and upholding the dignity of France, Clouseau is also wildly accident-prone, egotistical to a fault and burdened with an impenetrable accent that transformed English into a wholly unknown language. A supporting character in "Panther," which was intended as a comic caper series devoted to star David Niven's gentleman jewel thief, it was Sellers that captured audiences' attention, and led to a long and tumultuous series of films. The second in the series, "A Shot in the Dark" (1964), followed a year later with Clouseau now the central character. It too was a success, but the relationship between Sellers and director Blake Edwards deteriorated to such a degree that the pair refused to work together again until 1968's "The Party." A third Clouseau film, "Inspector Clouseau" (1968), continued the franchise with Alan Arkin in the title role, but it was not a success, prompting MGM to urge Sellers and Edwards to patch up their differences and return to the series for 1975's "Return of the Pink Panther."

Clashes such as the one with Edwards were not uncommon for Sellers during his career. In both Europe and America, he soon developed a reputation as a difficult performer, prone to lashing out at castmates over perceived slights. His personal life was also marked by moments of astonishingly casual cruelty towards his spouses and children. His first marriage, to Anne Howe, ended in a difficult divorce that may have been prompted by an affair with actress Sophia Loren; his second marriage, to actress Britt Ekland, was marked by domestic violence spurred by allegations of infidelity. Biographers surmised that Sellers suffered from depression and anxiety over his career, which he often viewed as a failure. Further evidence of his troubled psyche was glimpsed in interviews that asked him about his penchant for disappearing into his characters. His response was that there was no "Peter Sellers," but rather, a blank slate that adapted to the needs of the role.

The greatest example of the extent to which Sellers could immerse himself into a role was perhaps Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb" (1964). The black comedy, about a series of political blunders which lead to World War III, allowed Sellers to play several roles: U.S. President Merkin Muffley, British officer Lionel Mandrake, and the sinister Dr. Strangelove, a wheelchair-bound nuclear scientist whose crippled body seemed hellbent on betraying his Fascist past. Sellers was initially asked to also play Major T.J. "King" Kong, the U.S. Air Force officer who rides the bomb bronco-style as it descends on the Soviet Union, but an injury forced Sellers to abandon the role, which was given to veteran Western performer Slim Pickens. Sellers found both the humor and the horror of the characters in his performances, which received an Oscar nomination, and seemed to indicate that he could move into dramatic roles - his abiding wish. However, he suffered a string of debilitating heart attacks - 13 over the course of a few days - that curtailed his availability. Desperate to return to work, he sought the aid of psychic healers for his condition, which would continue to deteriorate over the next two decades. He also threw himself headlong into film work, which varied, often wildly, in quality.

Sellers longed to play romantic roles, such as his singing matador in "The Bobo" (1967), but audiences responded more to his buffoonish turns, like the accident-prone Indian actor in Edwards' "The Party" (1968) or the Italian jewel thief who poses as a film director in order to smuggle gold out of Europe in the Neil Simon-penned "After the Fox" (1966). He attempted to play James Bond in the all-star vanity project "Casino Royale" (1967), but abandoned the film after clashing with co-star Orson Welles and, allegedly, realizing that the film was in fact, a comedy and not a straight action piece. The end of the decade, which saw him diving into the counterculture with "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!" (1968) and "The Magic Christian" (1969), which co-starred his close friend, Beatle Ringo Starr, also marked the conclusion of his lengthy tenure as a movie star for some years.

The first half of the 1970s was a period of deep personal and public failure for Sellers. His marriage to Eklund had ended on an explosive note in 1968, and his 1970 marriage to Australian model Miranda Quarry followed suit in 1974. His film career was in total freefall; pictures like "There's a Girl in My Soup" (1970), "Ghost in the Noonday Sun" (1973), which reunited him with Spike Milligan, and "The Great McGonagall" (1974), were box office disasters. Sellers' health also continued its downward spiral due to his reluctance to treat his condition with Western medicine, and a growing dependence on alcohol and drugs. The spell of bad luck broke in 1974 with the fourth "Pink Panther" film, "Return of the Pink Panther," which reunited him with Blake Edwards once again. The result was a colossal hit for Sellers, and a career revival that lasted for the remainder of his life.

However, Sellers was mentally and physically unprepared for the rush of attention and work that came in the wake of "Return." His relationship with Edwards had crumbled. By the time they began the rushed sequel to "Return," 1976's "The Pink Panther Strikes Again," Sellers was unable to perform many of his own physical gags, and Edwards would later describe his emotional state at the time as "certifiable." "Strikes Again," however, was another hit, with Golden Globe nominations for the film and its star, who began working in earnest on several films. "Murder By Death" (1976) was an all-star parody of detective films, with Sellers playing a short-tempered version of Charlie Chan, while "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1978) was a lukewarm adaptation of the familiar Anthony Hope novel about a commoner (Sellers) recruited to impersonate his look-alike, the king (also Sellers) of a tiny European country. Sellers, however, had his attention fixed elsewhere.

For several years, he had worked in earnest to secure the film rights to Jerzy Kosinski's novel Being There, about a simple gardener who becomes the confidante to the rich and powerful. The project went before cameras in 1979, with Sellers giving one of his richest performances in a role that seemed tailor-made for him - a man with no discernible personality, yet the ability to fascinate and inspire so many around him. The film was a critical and audience success, and won Sellers a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. The validation and acclaim, however, would be short lived.

Sellers had suffered another punishing heart attack in 1977, which required him to be fitted for a pacemaker. Though he had resisted having heart surgery for years, he finally relented, and in 1980, was slated to undergo an operation in Los Angeles. Just days before the surgery, Sellers suffered a massive heart attack which sent him into a coma. He died two days later on July 24, 1980, just one day before a scheduled reunion dinner with his Goon Show partners, Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe. He was survived by his fourth wife, actress Lynne Frederick, and his three children. At his funeral, the Glenn Miller song "In the Mood" was played for mourners. It was a fitting touch for a man who reveled in the darker side of humor; the song was reportedly one that the 54-year-old Sellers had long hated.

While the Hollywood community mourned his premature loss, the anarchy that swirled around Sellers continued to broil after his death. In 1979, Blake Edwards shocked many by releasing "Revenge of the Pink Panther," which featured Sellers in outtakes from several of the previous films. It was roundly panned, but did not dissuade him from cobbling together another Clouseau movie, "Trail of the Pink Panther" (1982), from outtakes. Sellers' final film, a dismal comedy called "The Fiendish Plot of Fu Manchu," which he also co-directed, was released in 1980. Edwards would continue to labor over the Pink Panther franchise for two more films - "Curse of the Pink Panther" (1983), with Ted Wass as a Clouseau-esque policeman, and "Son of the Pink Panther" (1993), with Roberto Begnini as Clouseau's illegitimate offspring - both of which were disastrous failures. Sellers' estate was also the source of considerable dismay for his family members. At the time of his death, he was in the process of cutting fourth wife Frederick out of his will, but she ultimately received his entire net worth - some 4.5 million pounds - while his children by Howe and Eklund received 800 pounds apiece. When Frederick died in 1994, her mother received the funds from the Sellers estate, with Frederick's daughter - by third husband Barry Unger, not Sellers - as the next in line, yanking the hard-earned money Sellers earned in his lifetime completely out of his family's hands.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/08/11 at 2:24 am


British Person of the Day: Peter Sellers

Richard Henry Sellers, CBE (8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980), known as Peter Sellers, born in Southsea, Portsmouth, to a family of entertainers. Though christened Richard Henry, his parents always called him Peter, after his elder stillborn brother.

One of the most accomplished comic actors of the late 20th century, Peter Sellers breathed life into the accident-prone Inspector Clouseau in "The Pink Panther" (1963) and its three sequels, as well as such classics as "Lolita" (1962), "Dr. Strangelove" (1964), "The Party" (1968) and "Being There" (1979). The son of English vaudevillians, his ability to completely transform himself into outrageous comic characters received its first showcase on the legendary radio series "The Goon Show" in the 1950s. Film roles in the 1950s and 1960s were devoted to his knack for mimicry of accents and character types, with Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" and "Dr. Strangelove" underscoring his talent for drama as well. His best-known role of Inspector Clouseau surfaced in 1963, and he would return, sometimes reluctantly, to the franchise throughout his life before scoring a personal triumph as the simple-minded gardener who influences the Presidency in Hal Ashby's "Being There" (1980). Off camera, Sellers could be cold, cruel, even unstable, but when the cameras were rolling, he showed a dedication to performance and humor that made him one of the greatest inspirations to comedians and film fans for decades.

He began life as Richard Henry Sellers on Sept. 8, 1925 in the seaside resort town of Southsea, in Portsmouth, England. His family, who were performers on the British vaudeville circuit, bestowed a particularly morbid nickname upon their son: Peter was the name of a brother who did not survive birth. He took up his family's profession at an early age, dancing and singing alongside his mother in stage shows when he was just five years old. He became skilled at a variety of talents, including drums, banjo and ukulele, and for a while, he toured as a drummer with various jazz bands. Sellers was also an expert mimic, which he put to excellent use during his service as an airman with the Royal Air Force during World War II. He frequently impersonated his superior officers as a way to gain access into the Officers' Mess, and made them part of his performances with the Entertainments National Service Association, which put on plays and skits for British troops. His knack for mimicry also served him well in the years after his discharge in 1948. Sellers supported himself by performing stand-up comedy and celebrity impressions on the variety theater circuit, and at one point, secured a meeting with BBC producer Roy Speer by pretending to be radio star Kenneth Horne. The ruse clearly worked, as the 23-year-old Sellers was soon granted an audition, which lead to a role on the popular radio comedy "Ray's a Laugh," starring comedian Ted Ray. Audiences had their first glimpse of Sellers' astonishing voice talent on the series, which allowed him to play everything from an obnoxious little boy to a bizarre older woman.

During this period, Sellers was also performing in an informal group with comics Spike Milligan and Michael Bentine and singer Harry Secombe. The quartet, who dubbed themselves the Goons, recorded their antics at a local pub, and the tape made its way into the hands of a BBC producer, who granted the quartet their own radio series. "The Goon Show" premiered in 1951 and became a massive hit with British audiences, thanks to its surreal humor which parodied traditional radio drama with absurd leaps in logic. Each episode was filled with countless bizarre characters, many of which were voiced by Sellers, including the program's chief villain, Hercules Grytpype-Thynne; the hapless scoutmaster Bluebottle; the cowardly, flatulent Major Bloodnok (who was based on many of Sellers' superior officers), and many others. On more than one occasion, Sellers was called upon to voice all of Milligan's characters as well, and at times, carry out complete conversations between two or more people.

The popularity of the Goons' radio program led to a few abortive attempts at television series, including "The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d" (ITV, 1956), but most filmed efforts were unable to match the stream of consciousness that comprised their recorded efforts. More successful were the Goons' comedy LPs and novelty songs, as well as a quartet of films - the feature length "Let's Go Crazy" (1951), which marked Sellers' screen debut, "Penny Points to Paradise" (1951), "Down Among the Z Men" (1952), and the shorts "The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn" (1956) and "The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film" (1959). The latter, directed by Sellers and Richard Lester, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, and also served as the impetus for the Beatles - all dedicated Goons fans - to hire Lester to direct "A Hard Day's Night" (1964). The Goons were also acknowledged influences on the members of Monty Python's Flying Circus, Eddie Izzard, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams, Peter Cook, the Firesign Theater and countless British and American television comedies.

In 1954, Sellers began branching out on his own as a supporting player in feature comedies. He quickly established himself as versatile a performer on screen as he was over the radio airwaves, with richly varied characters in some of the greatest British comedies of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was the nervous Teddy Boy that joined Alec Guinness's inept criminal crew in Alexander Mackendrick's "The Ladykillers" (1955), an obsequious game show host in "The Naked Truth" (1957), a baffled military officer in Val Guest's "Up the Creek" (1958), and most impressively, three roles in "The Mouse That Roared" (1959), including the addled Duchess of the tiny European nation of Fenwick, which declares war on - and defeats - the United States. Several of these pictures were international successes, especially in America, which brought Sellers to the attention of Hollywood. In 1958, he made his stateside debut in "tom thumb" (1958), fantasy director George Pal's musical adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a tiny hero who outwits a pair of thieves (Sellers and Terry-Thomas).

Sellers' stature as a film star grew in the 1960s, thanks to several key films. "Never Let Go" (1960) was a thriller that afforded him a rare opportunity to play a straight role as a murderous car dealer, while "I'm All Right Jack" (1959) proved he could bring pathos to his comic roles. His turn as a Communist shop steward who becomes a reluctant strike leader in the latter film earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor in 1959. However, it was Stanley Kubrick's controversial adaptation of "Lolita" (1962) that made him an international star. His protean nature was given full reign as Clare Quilty, the decadent playwright who attempts to lure Sue Lyon's teenage Lolita into his depraved world, prompting his murder by Humbert Humbert (James Mason). Kubrick's version expanded the role considerably, allowing Sellers to don several disguises and accents throughout, including a Germanic doctor, Zempf, who foreshadowed Sellers' turn as Dr. Strangelove two years later. For his efforts, Sellers was critically acclaimed, as well as a Golden Globe nominee for Best Supporting Actor.

In 1963, Sellers made his first appearance in his most iconic role - that of Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau in "The Pink Panther." Fiercely dedicated to fighting crime and upholding the dignity of France, Clouseau is also wildly accident-prone, egotistical to a fault and burdened with an impenetrable accent that transformed English into a wholly unknown language. A supporting character in "Panther," which was intended as a comic caper series devoted to star David Niven's gentleman jewel thief, it was Sellers that captured audiences' attention, and led to a long and tumultuous series of films. The second in the series, "A Shot in the Dark" (1964), followed a year later with Clouseau now the central character. It too was a success, but the relationship between Sellers and director Blake Edwards deteriorated to such a degree that the pair refused to work together again until 1968's "The Party." A third Clouseau film, "Inspector Clouseau" (1968), continued the franchise with Alan Arkin in the title role, but it was not a success, prompting MGM to urge Sellers and Edwards to patch up their differences and return to the series for 1975's "Return of the Pink Panther."

Clashes such as the one with Edwards were not uncommon for Sellers during his career. In both Europe and America, he soon developed a reputation as a difficult performer, prone to lashing out at castmates over perceived slights. His personal life was also marked by moments of astonishingly casual cruelty towards his spouses and children. His first marriage, to Anne Howe, ended in a difficult divorce that may have been prompted by an affair with actress Sophia Loren; his second marriage, to actress Britt Ekland, was marked by domestic violence spurred by allegations of infidelity. Biographers surmised that Sellers suffered from depression and anxiety over his career, which he often viewed as a failure. Further evidence of his troubled psyche was glimpsed in interviews that asked him about his penchant for disappearing into his characters. His response was that there was no "Peter Sellers," but rather, a blank slate that adapted to the needs of the role.

The greatest example of the extent to which Sellers could immerse himself into a role was perhaps Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb" (1964). The black comedy, about a series of political blunders which lead to World War III, allowed Sellers to play several roles: U.S. President Merkin Muffley, British officer Lionel Mandrake, and the sinister Dr. Strangelove, a wheelchair-bound nuclear scientist whose crippled body seemed hellbent on betraying his Fascist past. Sellers was initially asked to also play Major T.J. "King" Kong, the U.S. Air Force officer who rides the bomb bronco-style as it descends on the Soviet Union, but an injury forced Sellers to abandon the role, which was given to veteran Western performer Slim Pickens. Sellers found both the humor and the horror of the characters in his performances, which received an Oscar nomination, and seemed to indicate that he could move into dramatic roles - his abiding wish. However, he suffered a string of debilitating heart attacks - 13 over the course of a few days - that curtailed his availability. Desperate to return to work, he sought the aid of psychic healers for his condition, which would continue to deteriorate over the next two decades. He also threw himself headlong into film work, which varied, often wildly, in quality.

Sellers longed to play romantic roles, such as his singing matador in "The Bobo" (1967), but audiences responded more to his buffoonish turns, like the accident-prone Indian actor in Edwards' "The Party" (1968) or the Italian jewel thief who poses as a film director in order to smuggle gold out of Europe in the Neil Simon-penned "After the Fox" (1966). He attempted to play James Bond in the all-star vanity project "Casino Royale" (1967), but abandoned the film after clashing with co-star Orson Welles and, allegedly, realizing that the film was in fact, a comedy and not a straight action piece. The end of the decade, which saw him diving into the counterculture with "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!" (1968) and "The Magic Christian" (1969), which co-starred his close friend, Beatle Ringo Starr, also marked the conclusion of his lengthy tenure as a movie star for some years.

The first half of the 1970s was a period of deep personal and public failure for Sellers. His marriage to Eklund had ended on an explosive note in 1968, and his 1970 marriage to Australian model Miranda Quarry followed suit in 1974. His film career was in total freefall; pictures like "There's a Girl in My Soup" (1970), "Ghost in the Noonday Sun" (1973), which reunited him with Spike Milligan, and "The Great McGonagall" (1974), were box office disasters. Sellers' health also continued its downward spiral due to his reluctance to treat his condition with Western medicine, and a growing dependence on alcohol and drugs. The spell of bad luck broke in 1974 with the fourth "Pink Panther" film, "Return of the Pink Panther," which reunited him with Blake Edwards once again. The result was a colossal hit for Sellers, and a career revival that lasted for the remainder of his life.

However, Sellers was mentally and physically unprepared for the rush of attention and work that came in the wake of "Return." His relationship with Edwards had crumbled. By the time they began the rushed sequel to "Return," 1976's "The Pink Panther Strikes Again," Sellers was unable to perform many of his own physical gags, and Edwards would later describe his emotional state at the time as "certifiable." "Strikes Again," however, was another hit, with Golden Globe nominations for the film and its star, who began working in earnest on several films. "Murder By Death" (1976) was an all-star parody of detective films, with Sellers playing a short-tempered version of Charlie Chan, while "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1978) was a lukewarm adaptation of the familiar Anthony Hope novel about a commoner (Sellers) recruited to impersonate his look-alike, the king (also Sellers) of a tiny European country. Sellers, however, had his attention fixed elsewhere.

For several years, he had worked in earnest to secure the film rights to Jerzy Kosinski's novel Being There, about a simple gardener who becomes the confidante to the rich and powerful. The project went before cameras in 1979, with Sellers giving one of his richest performances in a role that seemed tailor-made for him - a man with no discernible personality, yet the ability to fascinate and inspire so many around him. The film was a critical and audience success, and won Sellers a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. The validation and acclaim, however, would be short lived.

Sellers had suffered another punishing heart attack in 1977, which required him to be fitted for a pacemaker. Though he had resisted having heart surgery for years, he finally relented, and in 1980, was slated to undergo an operation in Los Angeles. Just days before the surgery, Sellers suffered a massive heart attack which sent him into a coma. He died two days later on July 24, 1980, just one day before a scheduled reunion dinner with his Goon Show partners, Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe. He was survived by his fourth wife, actress Lynne Frederick, and his three children. At his funeral, the Glenn Miller song "In the Mood" was played for mourners. It was a fitting touch for a man who reveled in the darker side of humor; the song was reportedly one that the 54-year-old Sellers had long hated.

While the Hollywood community mourned his premature loss, the anarchy that swirled around Sellers continued to broil after his death. In 1979, Blake Edwards shocked many by releasing "Revenge of the Pink Panther," which featured Sellers in outtakes from several of the previous films. It was roundly panned, but did not dissuade him from cobbling together another Clouseau movie, "Trail of the Pink Panther" (1982), from outtakes. Sellers' final film, a dismal comedy called "The Fiendish Plot of Fu Manchu," which he also co-directed, was released in 1980. Edwards would continue to labor over the Pink Panther franchise for two more films - "Curse of the Pink Panther" (1983), with Ted Wass as a Clouseau-esque policeman, and "Son of the Pink Panther" (1993), with Roberto Begnini as Clouseau's illegitimate offspring - both of which were disastrous failures. Sellers' estate was also the source of considerable dismay for his family members. At the time of his death, he was in the process of cutting fourth wife Frederick out of his will, but she ultimately received his entire net worth - some 4.5 million pounds - while his children by Howe and Eklund received 800 pounds apiece. When Frederick died in 1994, her mother received the funds from the Sellers estate, with Frederick's daughter - by third husband Barry Unger, not Sellers - as the next in line, yanking the hard-earned money Sellers earned in his lifetime completely out of his family's hands.

http://www.freemooviesonline.com/images/stories/cinema/actors/peter-sellers/peter-sellers.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Peter_Sellers_ashes,_Golders_Green_-_geograph.org.uk_-_825499.jpg
The plaque for the location of his ashes at Golders Green cremotoriam.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/08/11 at 6:27 am


British Person of the Day: Peter Sellers

Richard Henry Sellers, CBE (8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980), known as Peter Sellers, born in Southsea, Portsmouth, to a family of entertainers. Though christened Richard Henry, his parents always called him Peter, after his elder stillborn brother.

One of the most accomplished comic actors of the late 20th century, Peter Sellers breathed life into the accident-prone Inspector Clouseau in "The Pink Panther" (1963) and its three sequels, as well as such classics as "Lolita" (1962), "Dr. Strangelove" (1964), "The Party" (1968) and "Being There" (1979). The son of English vaudevillians, his ability to completely transform himself into outrageous comic characters received its first showcase on the legendary radio series "The Goon Show" in the 1950s. Film roles in the 1950s and 1960s were devoted to his knack for mimicry of accents and character types, with Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" and "Dr. Strangelove" underscoring his talent for drama as well. His best-known role of Inspector Clouseau surfaced in 1963, and he would return, sometimes reluctantly, to the franchise throughout his life before scoring a personal triumph as the simple-minded gardener who influences the Presidency in Hal Ashby's "Being There" (1980). Off camera, Sellers could be cold, cruel, even unstable, but when the cameras were rolling, he showed a dedication to performance and humor that made him one of the greatest inspirations to comedians and film fans for decades.

He began life as Richard Henry Sellers on Sept. 8, 1925 in the seaside resort town of Southsea, in Portsmouth, England. His family, who were performers on the British vaudeville circuit, bestowed a particularly morbid nickname upon their son: Peter was the name of a brother who did not survive birth. He took up his family's profession at an early age, dancing and singing alongside his mother in stage shows when he was just five years old. He became skilled at a variety of talents, including drums, banjo and ukulele, and for a while, he toured as a drummer with various jazz bands. Sellers was also an expert mimic, which he put to excellent use during his service as an airman with the Royal Air Force during World War II. He frequently impersonated his superior officers as a way to gain access into the Officers' Mess, and made them part of his performances with the Entertainments National Service Association, which put on plays and skits for British troops. His knack for mimicry also served him well in the years after his discharge in 1948. Sellers supported himself by performing stand-up comedy and celebrity impressions on the variety theater circuit, and at one point, secured a meeting with BBC producer Roy Speer by pretending to be radio star Kenneth Horne. The ruse clearly worked, as the 23-year-old Sellers was soon granted an audition, which lead to a role on the popular radio comedy "Ray's a Laugh," starring comedian Ted Ray. Audiences had their first glimpse of Sellers' astonishing voice talent on the series, which allowed him to play everything from an obnoxious little boy to a bizarre older woman.

During this period, Sellers was also performing in an informal group with comics Spike Milligan and Michael Bentine and singer Harry Secombe. The quartet, who dubbed themselves the Goons, recorded their antics at a local pub, and the tape made its way into the hands of a BBC producer, who granted the quartet their own radio series. "The Goon Show" premiered in 1951 and became a massive hit with British audiences, thanks to its surreal humor which parodied traditional radio drama with absurd leaps in logic. Each episode was filled with countless bizarre characters, many of which were voiced by Sellers, including the program's chief villain, Hercules Grytpype-Thynne; the hapless scoutmaster Bluebottle; the cowardly, flatulent Major Bloodnok (who was based on many of Sellers' superior officers), and many others. On more than one occasion, Sellers was called upon to voice all of Milligan's characters as well, and at times, carry out complete conversations between two or more people.

The popularity of the Goons' radio program led to a few abortive attempts at television series, including "The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d" (ITV, 1956), but most filmed efforts were unable to match the stream of consciousness that comprised their recorded efforts. More successful were the Goons' comedy LPs and novelty songs, as well as a quartet of films - the feature length "Let's Go Crazy" (1951), which marked Sellers' screen debut, "Penny Points to Paradise" (1951), "Down Among the Z Men" (1952), and the shorts "The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn" (1956) and "The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film" (1959). The latter, directed by Sellers and Richard Lester, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, and also served as the impetus for the Beatles - all dedicated Goons fans - to hire Lester to direct "A Hard Day's Night" (1964). The Goons were also acknowledged influences on the members of Monty Python's Flying Circus, Eddie Izzard, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams, Peter Cook, the Firesign Theater and countless British and American television comedies.

In 1954, Sellers began branching out on his own as a supporting player in feature comedies. He quickly established himself as versatile a performer on screen as he was over the radio airwaves, with richly varied characters in some of the greatest British comedies of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was the nervous Teddy Boy that joined Alec Guinness's inept criminal crew in Alexander Mackendrick's "The Ladykillers" (1955), an obsequious game show host in "The Naked Truth" (1957), a baffled military officer in Val Guest's "Up the Creek" (1958), and most impressively, three roles in "The Mouse That Roared" (1959), including the addled Duchess of the tiny European nation of Fenwick, which declares war on - and defeats - the United States. Several of these pictures were international successes, especially in America, which brought Sellers to the attention of Hollywood. In 1958, he made his stateside debut in "tom thumb" (1958), fantasy director George Pal's musical adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a tiny hero who outwits a pair of thieves (Sellers and Terry-Thomas).

Sellers' stature as a film star grew in the 1960s, thanks to several key films. "Never Let Go" (1960) was a thriller that afforded him a rare opportunity to play a straight role as a murderous car dealer, while "I'm All Right Jack" (1959) proved he could bring pathos to his comic roles. His turn as a Communist shop steward who becomes a reluctant strike leader in the latter film earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor in 1959. However, it was Stanley Kubrick's controversial adaptation of "Lolita" (1962) that made him an international star. His protean nature was given full reign as Clare Quilty, the decadent playwright who attempts to lure Sue Lyon's teenage Lolita into his depraved world, prompting his murder by Humbert Humbert (James Mason). Kubrick's version expanded the role considerably, allowing Sellers to don several disguises and accents throughout, including a Germanic doctor, Zempf, who foreshadowed Sellers' turn as Dr. Strangelove two years later. For his efforts, Sellers was critically acclaimed, as well as a Golden Globe nominee for Best Supporting Actor.

In 1963, Sellers made his first appearance in his most iconic role - that of Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau in "The Pink Panther." Fiercely dedicated to fighting crime and upholding the dignity of France, Clouseau is also wildly accident-prone, egotistical to a fault and burdened with an impenetrable accent that transformed English into a wholly unknown language. A supporting character in "Panther," which was intended as a comic caper series devoted to star David Niven's gentleman jewel thief, it was Sellers that captured audiences' attention, and led to a long and tumultuous series of films. The second in the series, "A Shot in the Dark" (1964), followed a year later with Clouseau now the central character. It too was a success, but the relationship between Sellers and director Blake Edwards deteriorated to such a degree that the pair refused to work together again until 1968's "The Party." A third Clouseau film, "Inspector Clouseau" (1968), continued the franchise with Alan Arkin in the title role, but it was not a success, prompting MGM to urge Sellers and Edwards to patch up their differences and return to the series for 1975's "Return of the Pink Panther."

Clashes such as the one with Edwards were not uncommon for Sellers during his career. In both Europe and America, he soon developed a reputation as a difficult performer, prone to lashing out at castmates over perceived slights. His personal life was also marked by moments of astonishingly casual cruelty towards his spouses and children. His first marriage, to Anne Howe, ended in a difficult divorce that may have been prompted by an affair with actress Sophia Loren; his second marriage, to actress Britt Ekland, was marked by domestic violence spurred by allegations of infidelity. Biographers surmised that Sellers suffered from depression and anxiety over his career, which he often viewed as a failure. Further evidence of his troubled psyche was glimpsed in interviews that asked him about his penchant for disappearing into his characters. His response was that there was no "Peter Sellers," but rather, a blank slate that adapted to the needs of the role.

The greatest example of the extent to which Sellers could immerse himself into a role was perhaps Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb" (1964). The black comedy, about a series of political blunders which lead to World War III, allowed Sellers to play several roles: U.S. President Merkin Muffley, British officer Lionel Mandrake, and the sinister Dr. Strangelove, a wheelchair-bound nuclear scientist whose crippled body seemed hellbent on betraying his Fascist past. Sellers was initially asked to also play Major T.J. "King" Kong, the U.S. Air Force officer who rides the bomb bronco-style as it descends on the Soviet Union, but an injury forced Sellers to abandon the role, which was given to veteran Western performer Slim Pickens. Sellers found both the humor and the horror of the characters in his performances, which received an Oscar nomination, and seemed to indicate that he could move into dramatic roles - his abiding wish. However, he suffered a string of debilitating heart attacks - 13 over the course of a few days - that curtailed his availability. Desperate to return to work, he sought the aid of psychic healers for his condition, which would continue to deteriorate over the next two decades. He also threw himself headlong into film work, which varied, often wildly, in quality.

Sellers longed to play romantic roles, such as his singing matador in "The Bobo" (1967), but audiences responded more to his buffoonish turns, like the accident-prone Indian actor in Edwards' "The Party" (1968) or the Italian jewel thief who poses as a film director in order to smuggle gold out of Europe in the Neil Simon-penned "After the Fox" (1966). He attempted to play James Bond in the all-star vanity project "Casino Royale" (1967), but abandoned the film after clashing with co-star Orson Welles and, allegedly, realizing that the film was in fact, a comedy and not a straight action piece. The end of the decade, which saw him diving into the counterculture with "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!" (1968) and "The Magic Christian" (1969), which co-starred his close friend, Beatle Ringo Starr, also marked the conclusion of his lengthy tenure as a movie star for some years.

The first half of the 1970s was a period of deep personal and public failure for Sellers. His marriage to Eklund had ended on an explosive note in 1968, and his 1970 marriage to Australian model Miranda Quarry followed suit in 1974. His film career was in total freefall; pictures like "There's a Girl in My Soup" (1970), "Ghost in the Noonday Sun" (1973), which reunited him with Spike Milligan, and "The Great McGonagall" (1974), were box office disasters. Sellers' health also continued its downward spiral due to his reluctance to treat his condition with Western medicine, and a growing dependence on alcohol and drugs. The spell of bad luck broke in 1974 with the fourth "Pink Panther" film, "Return of the Pink Panther," which reunited him with Blake Edwards once again. The result was a colossal hit for Sellers, and a career revival that lasted for the remainder of his life.

However, Sellers was mentally and physically unprepared for the rush of attention and work that came in the wake of "Return." His relationship with Edwards had crumbled. By the time they began the rushed sequel to "Return," 1976's "The Pink Panther Strikes Again," Sellers was unable to perform many of his own physical gags, and Edwards would later describe his emotional state at the time as "certifiable." "Strikes Again," however, was another hit, with Golden Globe nominations for the film and its star, who began working in earnest on several films. "Murder By Death" (1976) was an all-star parody of detective films, with Sellers playing a short-tempered version of Charlie Chan, while "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1978) was a lukewarm adaptation of the familiar Anthony Hope novel about a commoner (Sellers) recruited to impersonate his look-alike, the king (also Sellers) of a tiny European country. Sellers, however, had his attention fixed elsewhere.

For several years, he had worked in earnest to secure the film rights to Jerzy Kosinski's novel Being There, about a simple gardener who becomes the confidante to the rich and powerful. The project went before cameras in 1979, with Sellers giving one of his richest performances in a role that seemed tailor-made for him - a man with no discernible personality, yet the ability to fascinate and inspire so many around him. The film was a critical and audience success, and won Sellers a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. The validation and acclaim, however, would be short lived.

Sellers had suffered another punishing heart attack in 1977, which required him to be fitted for a pacemaker. Though he had resisted having heart surgery for years, he finally relented, and in 1980, was slated to undergo an operation in Los Angeles. Just days before the surgery, Sellers suffered a massive heart attack which sent him into a coma. He died two days later on July 24, 1980, just one day before a scheduled reunion dinner with his Goon Show partners, Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe. He was survived by his fourth wife, actress Lynne Frederick, and his three children. At his funeral, the Glenn Miller song "In the Mood" was played for mourners. It was a fitting touch for a man who reveled in the darker side of humor; the song was reportedly one that the 54-year-old Sellers had long hated.

While the Hollywood community mourned his premature loss, the anarchy that swirled around Sellers continued to broil after his death. In 1979, Blake Edwards shocked many by releasing "Revenge of the Pink Panther," which featured Sellers in outtakes from several of the previous films. It was roundly panned, but did not dissuade him from cobbling together another Clouseau movie, "Trail of the Pink Panther" (1982), from outtakes. Sellers' final film, a dismal comedy called "The Fiendish Plot of Fu Manchu," which he also co-directed, was released in 1980. Edwards would continue to labor over the Pink Panther franchise for two more films - "Curse of the Pink Panther" (1983), with Ted Wass as a Clouseau-esque policeman, and "Son of the Pink Panther" (1993), with Roberto Begnini as Clouseau's illegitimate offspring - both of which were disastrous failures. Sellers' estate was also the source of considerable dismay for his family members. At the time of his death, he was in the process of cutting fourth wife Frederick out of his will, but she ultimately received his entire net worth - some 4.5 million pounds - while his children by Howe and Eklund received 800 pounds apiece. When Frederick died in 1994, her mother received the funds from the Sellers estate, with Frederick's daughter - by third husband Barry Unger, not Sellers - as the next in line, yanking the hard-earned money Sellers earned in his lifetime completely out of his family's hands.


Ok I should of known you would do him, now I have to pick someone else ;D

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/08/11 at 6:30 am


Ok I should of known you would do him, now I have to pick someone else ;D
Sorry, but a special karma for you.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/08/11 at 6:33 am

The person of the day...Pink
Alecia Beth Moore (born September 8, 1979), better known by her stage name Pink (stylized as P!nk), is an American singer-songwriter and musician. After her short, 3 year career with the contemporary R&B girl group Choice, in 2000 she released her first single "There You Go", from her debut album "Can't Take Me Home". The song gathered commercial success, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2001, she released her second, more pop rock-oriented, studio album, "M!ssundaztood". The album went on to become a critical and commercial success, with estimated sales of 13 million. It produced 4 singles, "Get The Party Started", "Don't Let Me Get Me", "Just Like A Pill" and "Family Portrait", each entering the Top 20, with "Just Like A Pill" being her highest charting solo single until "So What" in 2008, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. In November 2003, Pink released her third album "Try This". The album was, commercially, less successful than her previous album, but still managed to sell around 3 million copies, making it Pink's least successful album to date. It produced 3 singles, "Trouble", "God Is A DJ" and "Last To Know", with the first receiving a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. On April 4, 2006, she released "I'm Not Dead", her fourth studio album. It marks her comeback after the poor success of her previous album. The album debuted and peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200, Pink's highest debut on the chart. It was preceded by the controversial single "Stupid Girls" which gathered commercial success. The second single, "Who Knew", was virtually ignored on American radio, and after the huge success of "U + Ur Hand", was re-released, peaking at #9 on the charts. "U + Ur Hand" is credited to have revived Pink's career in the US, and also to have brought the album back to the charts. Her fifth album, Funhouse, was released in late October 2008. It was preceded by her first solo number one on the Billboard Hot 100, "So What". The album notched three other Top 20 hits: "Sober", "Please Don't Leave Me" and "Glitter in the Air". On November 15, 2010, she released her first compilation album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!!, preceded by her second solo number one hit, "Raise Your Glass".

According to Billboard, Pink was rated No.13 on the list of Artists of the Decade and No.1 Pop Song Artist of the Decade (2000–2009). She has also scored eleven Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 US hits, including eight as a solo artist, and has won three Grammy Awards, 5 MTV Video Music Awards and 2 Brit Awards. Pink was also voted best recording artist of 2009. The People's Chart, announced through BBC Radio 1, declared Pink as the 11th Most Played Artist on UK Radio of the decade 2000 to 2009. Forbes Magazine in 2010 named Pink the 27th most powerful celebrity, with $44 million earned between June 2009 and June 2010.
In 1995, Alecia Moore joined Choice, an American contemporary R&B girl group, which also included Chrissy Conway and Sharon Flanagan. A copy of their first song, "Key to My Heart", was sent to LaFace Records in Atlanta, Georgia, where L.A. Reid overheard it and arranged for the group to fly there so he could see them perform. After this, he signed them to a record deal; because the girls were under 18, their parents had to co-sign the contract. The group relocated to Atlanta and recorded an album, and "Key to My Heart" appeared on the Kazaam soundtrack for the 1996 film of the same name. The group disbanded in 1998.

After the disbandment of Choice, Pink started working on her debut album, "Can't Take Me Home". It was released on April 4, 2000, and was produced by Babyface, Terence "Tramp-Baby" Abney, She'ksphere, Dallas Austin, The Specialists, and Steve Rhythm. The album sold more than 5 million copies worldwide, and was certified double platinum in the U.S. It produced two top ten singles, "There You Go" and "Most Girls". The album's third single, "You Make Me Sick" hit the top 40 in the U.S. and the top 10 in the U.K. It was also featured in the film "Save The Last Dance". The song "Split Personality" was featured in the film "The Princess Diaries".

Pink was the opening act for 'N Sync on their American tour in the summer of 2000.
2001-05: Missundaztood, and Try This
Main articles: Missundaztood and Try This

In 2001, she was a part of "Lady Marmalade" alongside singers Christina Aguilera and Mýa, and rapper Lil' Kim for the soundtrack of the film Moulin Rouge!. Produced by hip-hop producers Rockwilder and Missy Elliott, the song topped the charts in countries including New Zealand, the UK, Australia and the U.S., where it became the most successful airplay-only single in history, and also became Pink's first number one single. The success of the single was helped by its music video, which was popular on music channels and won the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year. The song won Pink's first Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, and provided a boost for the four performers' careers. In a VH1 interview, Pink stated she had to fight with Christina Aguilera's manager to sing the high parts in the song.

Tired of being marketed as another cookie cutter pop act and eager to be seen as a more serious songwriter and musician, and to perform the type of music she wanted to, Pink took her sound in a new direction and sought more artistic or creative control during the recording of her second album, M!ssundaztood. She recruited Linda Perry, former singer of 4 Non Blondes (one of Pink's favorites in her teenage years), who said Pink opened up to her: "In the beginning I just said: 'What do you feel?', and she (Pink) would just sit behind the piano and sing." Pink moved into Perry's Los Angeles home where the pair spent several months writing songs for the album. Perry co-wrote and co-produced the album with Dallas Austin and Scott Storch, and according to VH1 Driven, Antonio "LA" Reid of LaFace Records was not initially content with the new music Pink was making. The album, named Missundaztood because of Pink's belief that people had a wrong image of her, was released in November 2001.

Its lead single, "Get the Party Started" (written and produced by Perry), went top five in the U.S. and many other countries, and number one in Australia. At the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, the music video won in the categories of Best Female Video and Best Dance Video. The album's other singles—"Don't Let Me Get Me", the Dallas Austin-produced "Just like a Pill", and "Family Portrait"—were also radio and chart successes, with "Just like a Pill" becoming Pink's first solo UK number-one hit. The singles were substantial hits on Adult Top 40 radio. "Missundaztood" was certified gold or platinum status in more than 20 countries, with worldwide sales of 30 million. It was the second best-selling album in the UK during 2002. "Missundaztood" and "Get the Party Started" earned nominations at the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, respectively. Faith Hill's 2002 album, Cry, features a song co-written by Pink and Perry. In 2002, Pink started a headlining American, European and Australian tour, the Party Tour; later, she became a supporting act for Lenny Kravitz's American tour. In mid-2003, Pink contributed the song "Feel Good Time" to the soundtrack of the film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, in which she had a cameo appearance as a motocross race ramp owner/promoter. "Feel Good Time" was co-written by singer Beck, produced by electronic music artist William Orbit and based on the song "Fresh Garbage" by the band Spirit. It became Pink's first single to miss the top 40 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, although it was a hit in Europe and Australia. During the same period, a song Pink co-wrote with Damon Elliott was released on Mýa's album Moodring.

"Feel Good Time" was included on non-U.S. editions of Pink's third album Try This, which was released on November 11, 2003. Eight of the thirteen tracks were co-written with Tim Armstrong of the band Rancid; Linda Perry was featured on the album as a writer and musician. Though Try This reached the top ten on album charts in the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia, sales were considerably lower than those of Missundaztood; it went platinum in the U.S. and sold over 5 million copies worldwide, a commercial flop compared to its predecessor. The singles "Trouble" and "God Is a DJ" did not reach the U.S. top 40 but went top ten in other countries, and "Last to Know" was released as a single outside North America. "Trouble" earned Pink her second Grammy Award (for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance) at the 2004 Grammy Awards, and "Feel Good Time" was nominated in the category of Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. She toured extensively on the Try This Tour through Europe and Australia, where the album was better received.
2005–10: I'm Not Dead and Funhouse
Main articles: I'm Not Dead and Funhouse (Pink album)

In 2005, she collaborated with Lisa Marie Presley on the track "Shine" on Presley's second album Now What. Pink took a break to write the songs for her fourth album, I'm Not Dead, which she said she titled as such because "It's about being alive and feisty and not sitting down and shutting up even though people would like you to." Pink worked with producers Max Martin, Billy Mann, Christopher Rojas, Butch Walker, Lukasz Gottwald, and Josh Abraham on the album. The album's release in April 2006 through LaFace Records was a substantial success throughout the world, particularly in Australia. The album reached the top ten in the U.S., the top five in the UK, number one in Germany, and sat at number one in Australia for two non-consecutive weeks, though it was Pink's lowest seller in the U.S. until the success of the single "U + Ur Hand" in early 2007. The album ranked 96th in the USA during 2007.

Lead single "Stupid Girls" was Pink's biggest U.S. hit since 2002 and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Its music video, in which she parodies celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Paris Hilton, won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video. Subsequent singles "Who Knew" and "U + Ur Hand" were substantial hits in Australia and Europe, and they later became top ten singles in the U.S. in 2007. The non-U.S. singles were "Nobody Knows", a minor hit in the UK, Australia and Germany; "Dear Mr. President", an open letter to the U.S. President George W. Bush (featuring the Indigo Girls) and a number 1 hit in Belgium, a top five hit in Germany, Australia and other countries; "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)", a UK top 40 and Australian top five entry; and "'Cuz I Can". The album has sold over 1.3 million copies in the U.S., over 700,000 in Australia, and 6 million worldwide. Proving very popular in Australia, with 6 top five singles, and a record-breaking 62 weeks in the top 10; so far the album has gone 10 times platinum. In June 2008, the I'm Not Dead album returned to the top 50 of the Australian ARIA charts and remained there until November 2009. In June 2009 the album returned once again to the Australian top ten album charts in its 142nd week in the national top fifty. It re-entered at No. 10 on the back of her mammoth Funhouse Tour, and as of 2010, has spent 162 weeks in the top 50 of the Australian ARIA albums chart.
Pink performing on the I'm Not Dead summer tour in 2007

In support of the album, Pink embarked on the world I'm Not Dead Tour, for which ticket sales in Australia were particularly high; she sold approximately 307,000 tickets in Australia, giving her the record for the biggest concert attendance for an arena tour by a female artist. One of the London shows on the tour was taped and released as a DVD, Pink: Live from Wembley Arena where she sang Linda Perry's Whats Up?. In 2006, Pink was chosen to sing the theme song for NBC Sunday Night Football, "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night", which is a take on "I Hate Myself for Lovin' You" by Joan Jett. She contributed a cover of Rufus's "Tell Me Something Good" to the soundtrack of the film Happy Feet, and lent her name to PlayStation to promote the PSP, a special pink edition of which was released. Pink collaborated with several other artists in 2006 and 2007, when she opened for Justin Timberlake on the American leg of his FutureSex/LoveShow Tour. She sang on the Indigo Girls album Despite Our Differences. She was featured on India.Arie's song "I Am Not My Hair" from the Lifetime Television film Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy. She wrote a song ("I Will") for Natalia's third album, Everything & More. "Outside of You", another song she co-wrote, was recorded by dance-pop singer Hilary Duff and released on her 2007 album Dignity. Pink recorded a song with Annie Lennox and twenty-two other female acts for Lennox's fourth solo studio album, Songs of Mass Destruction. Titled "Sing", it was written as an anthem for HIV/AIDS, according to Lennox's website. In December 2007, a special edition Pink Box, which comprises her second to fourth albums and the DVD Live in Europe, was released in Australia. It reached the top twenty on the albums chart and was certified Gold, selling over 35,000 units.
Pink is a prominent campaigner for PETA, contributing her voice toward causes such as the protest against KFC. In 2003, she sent a letter to Prince William criticizing him for fox hunting, and in 2006 wrote to Queen Elizabeth II protesting the use of real fur in the bearskins of the Foot Guards and the Honourable Artillery Company. In conjunction with PETA, she criticized the Australian wool industry over its use of mulesing. In January 2007, she stated that she had been misled by PETA about mulesing and that she had not done enough research before lending her name to the campaign. Her campaigning led to a headlining concert called PAW (Party for Animals Worldwide) in Cardiff, Wales on August 21, 2007.

Pink is also involved with several charities, including Human Rights Campaign, ONE Campaign, Prince's Trust, New York Restoration Project, Run for the Cure Foundation, Save the Children, Take Back the Night, UNICEF and World Society for the Protection of Animals. As of May 2008, Pink has been officially recognized as an advocate for the RSPCA in Australia. On February 16, 2009, Pink announced she was donating $250,000 to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal to aid the victims of the bushfires that swept through the Australian state of Victoria earlier that month. Pink stated that she wanted to make "a tangible expression of support." Pink also donated money to Autism Speaks.
Filmography
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
2000 Ski to the Max Herself
2002 Rollerball Rock singer
2003 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Coal bowl promoter
2007 Catacombs Carolyn
2009 SpongeBob's Truth or Square Herself Cameo
2009 Beverly Hills Chihuahua Herself
2010 Get Him to the Greek Herself Cameo
2011 Happy Feet 2 Gloria
Discography
Main article: Pink discography

   2000: Can't Take Me Home
   2001: Missundaztood
   2003: Try This
   2006: I'm Not Dead
   2008: Funhouse



Compilation albums

   2010: Greatest Hits... So Far!!!

Awards and nominations
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Pink
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u319/mersades34/pink_1a.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa50/juliehernandez7/singer/pink.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/08/11 at 6:35 am


Sorry, but a special karma for you.

That's Ok, I thought you would. Karma back yo you :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/08/11 at 7:44 am


British Person of the Day: Peter Sellers

Richard Henry Sellers, CBE (8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980), known as Peter Sellers, born in Southsea, Portsmouth, to a family of entertainers. Though christened Richard Henry, his parents always called him Peter, after his elder stillborn brother.

One of the most accomplished comic actors of the late 20th century, Peter Sellers breathed life into the accident-prone Inspector Clouseau in "The Pink Panther" (1963) and its three sequels, as well as such classics as "Lolita" (1962), "Dr. Strangelove" (1964), "The Party" (1968) and "Being There" (1979). The son of English vaudevillians, his ability to completely transform himself into outrageous comic characters received its first showcase on the legendary radio series "The Goon Show" in the 1950s. Film roles in the 1950s and 1960s were devoted to his knack for mimicry of accents and character types, with Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" and "Dr. Strangelove" underscoring his talent for drama as well. His best-known role of Inspector Clouseau surfaced in 1963, and he would return, sometimes reluctantly, to the franchise throughout his life before scoring a personal triumph as the simple-minded gardener who influences the Presidency in Hal Ashby's "Being There" (1980). Off camera, Sellers could be cold, cruel, even unstable, but when the cameras were rolling, he showed a dedication to performance and humor that made him one of the greatest inspirations to comedians and film fans for decades.

He began life as Richard Henry Sellers on Sept. 8, 1925 in the seaside resort town of Southsea, in Portsmouth, England. His family, who were performers on the British vaudeville circuit, bestowed a particularly morbid nickname upon their son: Peter was the name of a brother who did not survive birth. He took up his family's profession at an early age, dancing and singing alongside his mother in stage shows when he was just five years old. He became skilled at a variety of talents, including drums, banjo and ukulele, and for a while, he toured as a drummer with various jazz bands. Sellers was also an expert mimic, which he put to excellent use during his service as an airman with the Royal Air Force during World War II. He frequently impersonated his superior officers as a way to gain access into the Officers' Mess, and made them part of his performances with the Entertainments National Service Association, which put on plays and skits for British troops. His knack for mimicry also served him well in the years after his discharge in 1948. Sellers supported himself by performing stand-up comedy and celebrity impressions on the variety theater circuit, and at one point, secured a meeting with BBC producer Roy Speer by pretending to be radio star Kenneth Horne. The ruse clearly worked, as the 23-year-old Sellers was soon granted an audition, which lead to a role on the popular radio comedy "Ray's a Laugh," starring comedian Ted Ray. Audiences had their first glimpse of Sellers' astonishing voice talent on the series, which allowed him to play everything from an obnoxious little boy to a bizarre older woman.

During this period, Sellers was also performing in an informal group with comics Spike Milligan and Michael Bentine and singer Harry Secombe. The quartet, who dubbed themselves the Goons, recorded their antics at a local pub, and the tape made its way into the hands of a BBC producer, who granted the quartet their own radio series. "The Goon Show" premiered in 1951 and became a massive hit with British audiences, thanks to its surreal humor which parodied traditional radio drama with absurd leaps in logic. Each episode was filled with countless bizarre characters, many of which were voiced by Sellers, including the program's chief villain, Hercules Grytpype-Thynne; the hapless scoutmaster Bluebottle; the cowardly, flatulent Major Bloodnok (who was based on many of Sellers' superior officers), and many others. On more than one occasion, Sellers was called upon to voice all of Milligan's characters as well, and at times, carry out complete conversations between two or more people.

The popularity of the Goons' radio program led to a few abortive attempts at television series, including "The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d" (ITV, 1956), but most filmed efforts were unable to match the stream of consciousness that comprised their recorded efforts. More successful were the Goons' comedy LPs and novelty songs, as well as a quartet of films - the feature length "Let's Go Crazy" (1951), which marked Sellers' screen debut, "Penny Points to Paradise" (1951), "Down Among the Z Men" (1952), and the shorts "The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn" (1956) and "The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film" (1959). The latter, directed by Sellers and Richard Lester, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, and also served as the impetus for the Beatles - all dedicated Goons fans - to hire Lester to direct "A Hard Day's Night" (1964). The Goons were also acknowledged influences on the members of Monty Python's Flying Circus, Eddie Izzard, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams, Peter Cook, the Firesign Theater and countless British and American television comedies.

In 1954, Sellers began branching out on his own as a supporting player in feature comedies. He quickly established himself as versatile a performer on screen as he was over the radio airwaves, with richly varied characters in some of the greatest British comedies of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was the nervous Teddy Boy that joined Alec Guinness's inept criminal crew in Alexander Mackendrick's "The Ladykillers" (1955), an obsequious game show host in "The Naked Truth" (1957), a baffled military officer in Val Guest's "Up the Creek" (1958), and most impressively, three roles in "The Mouse That Roared" (1959), including the addled Duchess of the tiny European nation of Fenwick, which declares war on - and defeats - the United States. Several of these pictures were international successes, especially in America, which brought Sellers to the attention of Hollywood. In 1958, he made his stateside debut in "tom thumb" (1958), fantasy director George Pal's musical adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a tiny hero who outwits a pair of thieves (Sellers and Terry-Thomas).

Sellers' stature as a film star grew in the 1960s, thanks to several key films. "Never Let Go" (1960) was a thriller that afforded him a rare opportunity to play a straight role as a murderous car dealer, while "I'm All Right Jack" (1959) proved he could bring pathos to his comic roles. His turn as a Communist shop steward who becomes a reluctant strike leader in the latter film earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor in 1959. However, it was Stanley Kubrick's controversial adaptation of "Lolita" (1962) that made him an international star. His protean nature was given full reign as Clare Quilty, the decadent playwright who attempts to lure Sue Lyon's teenage Lolita into his depraved world, prompting his murder by Humbert Humbert (James Mason). Kubrick's version expanded the role considerably, allowing Sellers to don several disguises and accents throughout, including a Germanic doctor, Zempf, who foreshadowed Sellers' turn as Dr. Strangelove two years later. For his efforts, Sellers was critically acclaimed, as well as a Golden Globe nominee for Best Supporting Actor.

In 1963, Sellers made his first appearance in his most iconic role - that of Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau in "The Pink Panther." Fiercely dedicated to fighting crime and upholding the dignity of France, Clouseau is also wildly accident-prone, egotistical to a fault and burdened with an impenetrable accent that transformed English into a wholly unknown language. A supporting character in "Panther," which was intended as a comic caper series devoted to star David Niven's gentleman jewel thief, it was Sellers that captured audiences' attention, and led to a long and tumultuous series of films. The second in the series, "A Shot in the Dark" (1964), followed a year later with Clouseau now the central character. It too was a success, but the relationship between Sellers and director Blake Edwards deteriorated to such a degree that the pair refused to work together again until 1968's "The Party." A third Clouseau film, "Inspector Clouseau" (1968), continued the franchise with Alan Arkin in the title role, but it was not a success, prompting MGM to urge Sellers and Edwards to patch up their differences and return to the series for 1975's "Return of the Pink Panther."

Clashes such as the one with Edwards were not uncommon for Sellers during his career. In both Europe and America, he soon developed a reputation as a difficult performer, prone to lashing out at castmates over perceived slights. His personal life was also marked by moments of astonishingly casual cruelty towards his spouses and children. His first marriage, to Anne Howe, ended in a difficult divorce that may have been prompted by an affair with actress Sophia Loren; his second marriage, to actress Britt Ekland, was marked by domestic violence spurred by allegations of infidelity. Biographers surmised that Sellers suffered from depression and anxiety over his career, which he often viewed as a failure. Further evidence of his troubled psyche was glimpsed in interviews that asked him about his penchant for disappearing into his characters. His response was that there was no "Peter Sellers," but rather, a blank slate that adapted to the needs of the role.

The greatest example of the extent to which Sellers could immerse himself into a role was perhaps Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb" (1964). The black comedy, about a series of political blunders which lead to World War III, allowed Sellers to play several roles: U.S. President Merkin Muffley, British officer Lionel Mandrake, and the sinister Dr. Strangelove, a wheelchair-bound nuclear scientist whose crippled body seemed hellbent on betraying his Fascist past. Sellers was initially asked to also play Major T.J. "King" Kong, the U.S. Air Force officer who rides the bomb bronco-style as it descends on the Soviet Union, but an injury forced Sellers to abandon the role, which was given to veteran Western performer Slim Pickens. Sellers found both the humor and the horror of the characters in his performances, which received an Oscar nomination, and seemed to indicate that he could move into dramatic roles - his abiding wish. However, he suffered a string of debilitating heart attacks - 13 over the course of a few days - that curtailed his availability. Desperate to return to work, he sought the aid of psychic healers for his condition, which would continue to deteriorate over the next two decades. He also threw himself headlong into film work, which varied, often wildly, in quality.

Sellers longed to play romantic roles, such as his singing matador in "The Bobo" (1967), but audiences responded more to his buffoonish turns, like the accident-prone Indian actor in Edwards' "The Party" (1968) or the Italian jewel thief who poses as a film director in order to smuggle gold out of Europe in the Neil Simon-penned "After the Fox" (1966). He attempted to play James Bond in the all-star vanity project "Casino Royale" (1967), but abandoned the film after clashing with co-star Orson Welles and, allegedly, realizing that the film was in fact, a comedy and not a straight action piece. The end of the decade, which saw him diving into the counterculture with "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!" (1968) and "The Magic Christian" (1969), which co-starred his close friend, Beatle Ringo Starr, also marked the conclusion of his lengthy tenure as a movie star for some years.

The first half of the 1970s was a period of deep personal and public failure for Sellers. His marriage to Eklund had ended on an explosive note in 1968, and his 1970 marriage to Australian model Miranda Quarry followed suit in 1974. His film career was in total freefall; pictures like "There's a Girl in My Soup" (1970), "Ghost in the Noonday Sun" (1973), which reunited him with Spike Milligan, and "The Great McGonagall" (1974), were box office disasters. Sellers' health also continued its downward spiral due to his reluctance to treat his condition with Western medicine, and a growing dependence on alcohol and drugs. The spell of bad luck broke in 1974 with the fourth "Pink Panther" film, "Return of the Pink Panther," which reunited him with Blake Edwards once again. The result was a colossal hit for Sellers, and a career revival that lasted for the remainder of his life.

However, Sellers was mentally and physically unprepared for the rush of attention and work that came in the wake of "Return." His relationship with Edwards had crumbled. By the time they began the rushed sequel to "Return," 1976's "The Pink Panther Strikes Again," Sellers was unable to perform many of his own physical gags, and Edwards would later describe his emotional state at the time as "certifiable." "Strikes Again," however, was another hit, with Golden Globe nominations for the film and its star, who began working in earnest on several films. "Murder By Death" (1976) was an all-star parody of detective films, with Sellers playing a short-tempered version of Charlie Chan, while "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1978) was a lukewarm adaptation of the familiar Anthony Hope novel about a commoner (Sellers) recruited to impersonate his look-alike, the king (also Sellers) of a tiny European country. Sellers, however, had his attention fixed elsewhere.

For several years, he had worked in earnest to secure the film rights to Jerzy Kosinski's novel Being There, about a simple gardener who becomes the confidante to the rich and powerful. The project went before cameras in 1979, with Sellers giving one of his richest performances in a role that seemed tailor-made for him - a man with no discernible personality, yet the ability to fascinate and inspire so many around him. The film was a critical and audience success, and won Sellers a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. The validation and acclaim, however, would be short lived.

Sellers had suffered another punishing heart attack in 1977, which required him to be fitted for a pacemaker. Though he had resisted having heart surgery for years, he finally relented, and in 1980, was slated to undergo an operation in Los Angeles. Just days before the surgery, Sellers suffered a massive heart attack which sent him into a coma. He died two days later on July 24, 1980, just one day before a scheduled reunion dinner with his Goon Show partners, Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe. He was survived by his fourth wife, actress Lynne Frederick, and his three children. At his funeral, the Glenn Miller song "In the Mood" was played for mourners. It was a fitting touch for a man who reveled in the darker side of humor; the song was reportedly one that the 54-year-old Sellers had long hated.

While the Hollywood community mourned his premature loss, the anarchy that swirled around Sellers continued to broil after his death. In 1979, Blake Edwards shocked many by releasing "Revenge of the Pink Panther," which featured Sellers in outtakes from several of the previous films. It was roundly panned, but did not dissuade him from cobbling together another Clouseau movie, "Trail of the Pink Panther" (1982), from outtakes. Sellers' final film, a dismal comedy called "The Fiendish Plot of Fu Manchu," which he also co-directed, was released in 1980. Edwards would continue to labor over the Pink Panther franchise for two more films - "Curse of the Pink Panther" (1983), with Ted Wass as a Clouseau-esque policeman, and "Son of the Pink Panther" (1993), with Roberto Begnini as Clouseau's illegitimate offspring - both of which were disastrous failures. Sellers' estate was also the source of considerable dismay for his family members. At the time of his death, he was in the process of cutting fourth wife Frederick out of his will, but she ultimately received his entire net worth - some 4.5 million pounds - while his children by Howe and Eklund received 800 pounds apiece. When Frederick died in 1994, her mother received the funds from the Sellers estate, with Frederick's daughter - by third husband Barry Unger, not Sellers - as the next in line, yanking the hard-earned money Sellers earned in his lifetime completely out of his family's hands.



Would he have made anymore Pink Panther films today? ???

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/09/11 at 2:12 am


Would he have made anymore Pink Panther films today? ???
If he had survived, and would have been over 80 now, I doubt it.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/09/11 at 2:14 am


Would he have made anymore Pink Panther films today? ???
Another factor to this question, Blake Edwards, the director of the Pink Panther film series, has sadly passed on now.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/09/11 at 3:38 am

English (though born in France) Person of the Day : William the Conqueror (King William I of England)

William I (circa 1028 – 9 September 1087), also known as William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant), was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II. Before his conquest of England, he was known as William the Bastard because of the illegitimacy of his birth.

To press his claim to the English crown, William invaded England in 1066, leading an army of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, and Frenchmen (from Paris and Île-de-France) to victory over the English forces of King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest.

William of Malmesbury, the foremost historian of the day, reported of William: "He was of just stature, extraordinary corpulence, fierce countenance; his forehead bare of hair; of such strength of arm that it was often a matter of surprise that no one was able to draw his bow, which he himself could bend when his horse was on full gallop; he was majestic whether sitting or standing, although the protuberance of his belly deformed his royal person: of excellent health so that he was never confined with any dangerous disorder except at the last."

His heavy taxes, together with the exactions of the greedy Norman landlords he put in power, reduced the great mass of Anglo-Saxon freemen to serfdom. By 1086, the Domesday Book showed that England comprised 12% freeholders; 35% serfs or villeins: 30% cotters and borders; and 9% slaves. William was one of the foremost soldiers of the medieval era, conquering a large kingdom from a smaller base. Most important, William created a feudal state that brought order, peace, law to England, promoted commerce, and created a strong central government that long endured.

His reign, which imposed Norman culture and leadership on England, reshaped England in the Middle Ages. The details of that impact and the extent of the changes have been debated by scholars for centuries. In addition to the obvious change of ruler, his reign also saw a programme of building and fortification, changes to the English language, a shift in the upper levels of society and the church, and adoption of some aspects of continental church reform.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/William1.jpg
The Duke of Normandy in the Bayeux Tapestry

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/King_William_I_%28%27The_Conqueror%27%29_from_NPG.jpg/240px-King_William_I_%28%27The_Conqueror%27%29_from_NPG.jpg
Portrait of William the Conqueror, painted ca. 1620 by an unknown artist. National Portrait Gallery, London

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/09/11 at 7:13 am


Another factor to this question, Blake Edwards, the director of the Pink Panther film series, has sadly passed on now.


Him and Steve Martin would have been a good comedy team.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/09/11 at 7:14 am


Him and Steve Martin would have been a good comedy team.
Not the best of combinations, and bear in mind that the film was panned by critics.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/09/11 at 7:16 am


Not the best of combinations, and bear in mind that the film was panned by critics.


so it wasn't that good.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/09/11 at 7:19 am


so it wasn't that good.
As a true Peter Sellers fan I avoided the Pink Panther remake.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/09/11 at 7:20 am


As a true Peter Sellers fan I avoided the Pink Panther remake.


I thought it was funny but nothing like the original.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/10/11 at 5:33 am

British Person of the Day: Henry Purcell

Born on (possibly) September 10th 1659, Henry Purcell was the finest and most original composer of his day. Though he was to live a very short life (he died in 1695) he was able to enjoy and make full use of the renewed flowering of music after the Restoration of the Monarchy.

As the son of a musician at Court, a chorister at the Chapel Royal, and the holder of continuing royal appointments until his death, Purcell worked in Westminster for three different Kings over twenty-five years.

In the Chapel Royal young Purcell studied with Dr. John Blow. Dr. Burney, the eighteenth century historian, is amusingly skeptical on this point: "..... he had a few lessons from Dr. Blow, which were sufficient to cancel all the instructions he had received from other masters, and to occasion the boast inscribed on the tomb-stone of Blow, that he had been 'Master to the famous Mr. Henry Purcell'." Legend has it that when, in 1679, Purcell succeeded Dr. Blow as organist of Westminster Abbey, the elder musician stepped aside in recognition of the greater genius, and it is true that on Purcell's death in 1695 Blow returned to the post, and would write a noble Ode on the Death of Purcell.

In addition to his royal duties Purcell also devoted much of his talent to writing operas, or rather musical dramas, and incidental stage music; but he would also write chamber music in the form of harpsichord suites and trio sonatas, and became involved with the growing London public concert scene. Indeed one of the most important musical developments in Restoration London was the gradual establishment of regular public concerts. Even the few meetings that began as private concerns were eventually prevailed upon to admit the general public, such as the group that gave concerts in the Castle Tavern. Whereas other organizations charged only a shilling, their admittance fee was more than twice that sum, and before long they had enough capital to equip a music room in York Buildings.

By the time Henry Purcell began to attend such concerts in the 1670s there were many highly skilled players of the violin, cello, and flute, as well as exponents of the (for London) relatively new art of playing continuo instruments, the most usual being the organ and the harpsichord. In 1683 a group of gentlemen amateurs, and professional musicians started a "Musical Society" in London to celebrate the "Festival of St. Cecilia, a great patroness of music" which any music-lover so desirous may still celebrate yearly on November 22nd. They asked Henry Purcell, then only 24, to be the first to write an Ode for their festivals; Purcell was to compose two more such Odes for the Society.

The writing of incidental theater music seems not to have been regarded by Purcell as embarrassing or beneath his dignity as Organist of Westminster Abbey. He was in the very midst of a tradition that not only permitted but actually encouraged well-known church musicians to provide lighter music for the theatre and opera, and this was an accepted practice in the great continental cities as well as in London. Most of Purcell's theatre music was written between 1690 and 1695 (the year of his death), and within that relatively brief period he supplied music for more than forty plays. Much of the instrumental music was published in 1697, when the composer's widow compiled A Collection of Ayres, Compos'd for the Theatre, and upon Other Occasions. This body of music, viewed as a whole, shows that Purcell gave to the theatre some of his happiest melodic inspirations, distributed among solemn overtures, cheerful or pathetic airs, and delightful dances of every imaginable kind.

There is hardly a department of music, as known in his day, to which Purcell did not contribute with true distinction. His anthems were long since accorded their place in the great music of the church; there are enough fine orchestral movements in his works for the theatre to establish him in this field; his fantasies and sonatas entitle him to honor in the history of chamber music; his keyboard works, if less significant in themselves, hold their place in the repertory; his one true opera. Dido and Aeneas, is an enduring masterpiece, and his other dramatic works (sometimes called operas) are full of musical riches. And, most especially, Purcell's songs themselves would be sufficient to insure his immortality. His sensitivity to his texts has been matched by few masters in musical history; when he had worthy poetry to set, he could hardly fail to produce a masterpiece.

http://www.baroquemusic.org/cgpurcelloil2.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/10/11 at 10:06 am

The person of the day...Colin Firth
Colin Andrew Firth, CBE (born 10 September 1960) is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. In 2011, Firth received an Academy Award for his portrayal of King George VI in The King's Speech, a performance that also earned him the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor. The previous year, he received his first Academy Award nomination, for his leading role in A Single Man, a performance that won him a BAFTA Award. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.
In 1983, Firth starred as Guy Bennett the award-winning London stage production of Another Country. That same year, Firth played the role of the apple in several 'Fruit of the Loom' TV advertisements. In 1984, he made his film debut in the screen adaptation of the play, taking the role of Tommy Judd (opposite Rupert Everett as Bennett). In 1986, he starred with Sir Laurence Olivier in Lost Empires, a TV adaptation of J. B. Priestley's novel, then in 1987 he appeared alongside Kenneth Branagh in the film version of J. L. Carr's A Month in the Country. In 1989, he played the title role in the film Valmont, and was co-lead in the film Apartment Zero. Firth and other young British actors who were becoming established film actors such as Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, Bruce Payne and Paul McGann were dubbed the 'Brit Pack'.
Firth at the Nanny McPhee London premiere in October 2005

It was through the 1995 BBC television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that Firth gained wider renown. The serial was a major international success, and Firth gained heartthrob status because of his role as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, in which he emerged in a wet shirt after a swim. This performance also made him the object of affection for fictional journalist Bridget Jones (created by Helen Fielding), an interest which carried on into the two novels featuring the Jones character. In the second novel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, the character even meets Firth in Rome. As something of an in-joke, when the novels were adapted for the cinema, Firth was cast as Jones's love interest, Mark Darcy. Continuing this in-joke, there was a dog called Mr Darcy in the film St. Trinian's, which Firth's character accidentally kills.

Firth had a supporting role in The English Patient (1996) and since then, has starred in films such as Fever Pitch (1997), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Relative Values (2000), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), Love Actually (2003), What a Girl Wants (2003), Hope Springs (2003), Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Nanny McPhee (2005), Where The Truth Lies (2005), Then She Found Me (2007) with Helen Hunt, The Last Legion (2007) with Aishwarya Rai, When Did You Last See Your Father? (2008), the film adaptation of Mamma Mia! (2008), and Easy Virtue, which screened at the Rome Film Festival to excellent reviews. In 2009, he starred in A Christmas Carol, an adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel, using the performance capture procedure, playing Scrooge's optimistic nephew Fred.

He has also appeared in several television productions, including Donovan Quick (an updated version of Don Quixote) (1999) and Conspiracy (2001), for which he received an Emmy nomination. Colin Firth's most recent role is in the Toronto International Film Festival debuted film, Genova.

At the 66th Venice International Film Festival in 2009, Colin Firth was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his role in Tom Ford's A Single Man as a college professor grappling with solitude after his longtime partner dies. Fashion designer Tom Ford made his director's debut with this movie. This role has earned Firth career best reviews and Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA, and BFCA nominations; he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in February 2010.
Firth at the 2009 Venice Film Festival

Firth starred in the 2010 film The King's Speech as Prince Albert, Duke of York/King George VI. The film details him working to overcome his speech impediment while becoming monarch of the United Kingdom at the outbreak of World War II. At the Toronto Film Festival, the film was met with a standing ovation. The TIFF release of The King's Speech fell on Colin's 50th birthday and was called the "best 50th birthday gift". On 16 January 2011, he won a Golden Globe for his performance in The King's Speech in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. The Screen Actors Guild recognized Firth with the award for Best Male Actor for The King's Speech on 30 January 2011. In February 2011, he won the best actor award at the 2011 BAFTA awards. He received an Academy Award for Best Actor in a motion picture for The King's Speech on 27 February 2011.

Firth will appear in the 2012 adaptation of the John Le Carré novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, directed by Tomas Alfredson, also starring Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, and Tom Hardy. In May 2011, Firth began filming Gambit, written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen and directed by Michael Hoffman, co-starring Cameron Diaz.
Other work

Firth played William Shakespeare in a comedy special entitled Blackadder: Back & Forth. Edmund Blackadder runs into Firth's character while he is working on Macbeth, asks him to sign the script for him, and then punches him, saying "That is for every schoolboy and schoolgirl for the next 400 years!".

He was a guest host of Saturday Night Live in 2004, alongside musical guest Norah Jones.

Firth performed in theatre frequently between 1983 and 2000. He starred in Three Days of Rain as lead character Ned/Walker, as well as The Caretaker, Desire Under the Elms, and Chatsky.

He served as executive producer for the 2007 documentary produced by his wife, Livia Giuggioli, In Prison My Whole Life. The film questions the trial proceedings and evidence used against political activist and former Black Panther member, Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is on death row for the 1981 killing of a Philadelphia police officer, Daniel Faulkner.

Firth is also a Jury Member for the digital studio Filmaka, a platform for undiscovered filmmakers to show their work to industry professionals.

On 13 January 2011, he was presented with the 2,429th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2011, Firth collaborated with colleagues at the University College London to conduct a study probing differences in the volume of various brain regions in conservatives and liberals, with the results suggesting that conservatives have greater amygdala volume and liberals have greater volume in their anterior cingulate cortex.
Writer

Firth's first published work, "The Department of Nothing", appeared in Speaking with the Angel (2000). This collection of short stories was edited by Nick Hornby and was published to benefit the TreeHouse Trust, in aid of autistic children. Firth had previously met Hornby during the filming of the original Fever Pitch. Colin Firth contributed with his writing for the book, We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples, released in 2009. The book explores the culture of peoples around the world, portraying both its diversity and facing threats. It counts with the contributions of many western writers, such as Laurens van der Post, Noam Chomsky, Claude Lévi-Strauss; and also indigenous peoples, such as Davi Kopenawa Yanomami and Roy Sesana. The royalties from the sale of this book go to the indigenous rights organisation, Survival International
1984 Another Country Tommy Judd
1984 Camille Armand Duval Television film
1985 1919 (young) Alexander Scherbatov
1985 Dutch Girls Neil Truelove Television film
1986 Lost Empires Richard Herncastle Television mini-series
1987 A Month in the Country Tom Birkin
1987 Pat Hobby: Teamed with Genius Rene Wilcox PBS Shorts Special
1987 The Secret Garden adult Colin Craven Hallmark Hall of Fame
1988 Tumbledown Robert Lawrence Television film
Royal Television Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated — British Academy Television Award for Best Actor
1989 Apartment Zero Adrian LeDuc
1989 Valmont Valmont
1990 Femme Fatale Joseph Prince
1990 Wings of Fame Brian Smith
1991 Out of the Blue Alan Play for television
1993 Hostages John McCarthy Television – HBO
1993 The Hour of the Pig Richard Courtois Also known as The Advocate
1994 Master of the Moor Stephen Whalby Television film - UK
1994 Playmaker Michael Condron/Ross Talbert
1994 The Deep Blue Sea Freddie Page Play for television – UK
1995 Circle of Friends Simon Westward
1995 Pride and Prejudice Fitzwilliam Darcy Television mini-series
Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actor
Nominated — British Academy Television Award for Best Actor
Nominated — National Television Award for Most Popular Male
1995 The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd Charles Holroyd Play for television – UK
1996 The English Patient Geoffrey Clifton Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1997 A Thousand Acres Jess Clark
1997 Fever Pitch Paul Ashworth
1997 Nostromo Charles Gould Television mini-series
1998 Shakespeare in Love Lord Wessex Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1999 Blackadder: Back & Forth William Shakespeare Short film
1999 Donovan Quick Donovan Quick/Daniel Quinn Television film – UK
1999 My Life So Far Edward Pettigrew
1999 The Secret Laughter of Women Matthew Field
1999 The Turn of the Screw The Master Masterpiece Theater
2000 Relative Values Peter Ingleton
2001 Bridget Jones's Diary Mark Darcy European Film Awards Audience Award for Best Actor
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2001 Conspiracy Wilhelm Stuckart Television film – HBO
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
2001 We Know Where You Live Himself Benefit for Amnesty International
2001 Fourplay Allen Portland Television film – HBO, also known as Londinium
2002 The Importance of Being Earnest Jack Worthing
2003 Girl with a Pearl Earring Johannes Vermeer Nominated—European Film Awards Audience Award for Best Actor
2003 Hope Springs Colin Ware
2003 Love Actually Jamie Bennett Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
2003 What a Girl Wants Henry Dashwood
2004 Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Mark Darcy
2004 Trauma Ben Slater
2005 Nanny McPhee Cedric Brown
2005 Where the Truth Lies Vince Collins
2006 Born Equal Mark Armitage Television film – UK
2007 The Last Legion Ambrosius Aurelianus
2007 And When Did You Last See Your Father? Blake Morrison Nominated — British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
2007 Then She Found Me Frank
2007 St. Trinian's Geoffrey Thwaites
2007 In Prison My Whole Life Himself
2008 The Accidental Husband Richard Bratton
2008 Mamma Mia! Harry Bright Nominated — National Movie Award for Best Performance Male
2008 Easy Virtue Jim Whittaker
2008 Genova Joe
2009 A Christmas Carol Fred
2009 Dorian Gray Lord Henry Wotton
2009 A Single Man George Falconer Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor
Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Santa Barbara International Film Festival – Outstanding Performance of the Year
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Volpi Cup
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated — Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best Actor
2009 St. Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold Geoffrey Thwaites
2010 The King's Speech King George VI Academy Award for Best Actor
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Eda Award for Best Actor
Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
British Independent Film Award for Best Actor
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Iowa Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Italian Online Movie Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year
London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
National Movie Award for Performance of the Year
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
North Texas Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated — San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
2010 Main Street Tom Phillips
2010 Steve Steve with Keira Knightley
2011 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Bill Haydon
2012 Gambit Harry Deane filming
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e345/rosslyn3/Colin%20Firth/colin_firth_10.jpg
http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae225/ColinFirthAndrew/Colin%20Firth/colin_firth.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/10/11 at 10:08 am


British Person of the Day: Henry Purcell

Born on (possibly) September 10th 1659, Henry Purcell was the finest and most original composer of his day. Though he was to live a very short life (he died in 1695) he was able to enjoy and make full use of the renewed flowering of music after the Restoration of the Monarchy.

As the son of a musician at Court, a chorister at the Chapel Royal, and the holder of continuing royal appointments until his death, Purcell worked in Westminster for three different Kings over twenty-five years.

In the Chapel Royal young Purcell studied with Dr. John Blow. Dr. Burney, the eighteenth century historian, is amusingly skeptical on this point: "..... he had a few lessons from Dr. Blow, which were sufficient to cancel all the instructions he had received from other masters, and to occasion the boast inscribed on the tomb-stone of Blow, that he had been 'Master to the famous Mr. Henry Purcell'." Legend has it that when, in 1679, Purcell succeeded Dr. Blow as organist of Westminster Abbey, the elder musician stepped aside in recognition of the greater genius, and it is true that on Purcell's death in 1695 Blow returned to the post, and would write a noble Ode on the Death of Purcell.

In addition to his royal duties Purcell also devoted much of his talent to writing operas, or rather musical dramas, and incidental stage music; but he would also write chamber music in the form of harpsichord suites and trio sonatas, and became involved with the growing London public concert scene. Indeed one of the most important musical developments in Restoration London was the gradual establishment of regular public concerts. Even the few meetings that began as private concerns were eventually prevailed upon to admit the general public, such as the group that gave concerts in the Castle Tavern. Whereas other organizations charged only a shilling, their admittance fee was more than twice that sum, and before long they had enough capital to equip a music room in York Buildings.

By the time Henry Purcell began to attend such concerts in the 1670s there were many highly skilled players of the violin, cello, and flute, as well as exponents of the (for London) relatively new art of playing continuo instruments, the most usual being the organ and the harpsichord. In 1683 a group of gentlemen amateurs, and professional musicians started a "Musical Society" in London to celebrate the "Festival of St. Cecilia, a great patroness of music" which any music-lover so desirous may still celebrate yearly on November 22nd. They asked Henry Purcell, then only 24, to be the first to write an Ode for their festivals; Purcell was to compose two more such Odes for the Society.

The writing of incidental theater music seems not to have been regarded by Purcell as embarrassing or beneath his dignity as Organist of Westminster Abbey. He was in the very midst of a tradition that not only permitted but actually encouraged well-known church musicians to provide lighter music for the theatre and opera, and this was an accepted practice in the great continental cities as well as in London. Most of Purcell's theatre music was written between 1690 and 1695 (the year of his death), and within that relatively brief period he supplied music for more than forty plays. Much of the instrumental music was published in 1697, when the composer's widow compiled A Collection of Ayres, Compos'd for the Theatre, and upon Other Occasions. This body of music, viewed as a whole, shows that Purcell gave to the theatre some of his happiest melodic inspirations, distributed among solemn overtures, cheerful or pathetic airs, and delightful dances of every imaginable kind.

There is hardly a department of music, as known in his day, to which Purcell did not contribute with true distinction. His anthems were long since accorded their place in the great music of the church; there are enough fine orchestral movements in his works for the theatre to establish him in this field; his fantasies and sonatas entitle him to honor in the history of chamber music; his keyboard works, if less significant in themselves, hold their place in the repertory; his one true opera. Dido and Aeneas, is an enduring masterpiece, and his other dramatic works (sometimes called operas) are full of musical riches. And, most especially, Purcell's songs themselves would be sufficient to insure his immortality. His sensitivity to his texts has been matched by few masters in musical history; when he had worthy poetry to set, he could hardly fail to produce a masterpiece.

http://www.baroquemusic.org/cgpurcelloil2.jpg

Thanks Phil, for some reason I don't really remember him. :-[

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/10/11 at 10:38 am


Thanks Phil, for some reason I don't really remember him. :-[
You know some, you do not know some, he is known in the UK.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/10/11 at 3:51 pm


Thanks Phil, for some reason I don't really remember him. :-[
It was a theme by Henry Purcell that Benjamin Britten used for his "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra"

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/11/11 at 10:17 am

The person of the day...Harry Connick Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 16 million in certified sales. He has seven top-20 US albums, and ten number-one US jazz albums, earning more number-one albums than any other artist in the US jazz chart history.

Connick's best selling album in the United States is his 1993 Christmas album When My Heart Finds Christmas, which also is one of the best selling Christmas albums in the United States. His highest charting album, is his 2004 release Only You which reached #5 in the U.S. and #6 in Britain. He has won three Grammy awards and one Emmy Award. He played Grace's husband Dr. Leo Markus on the TV sitcom Will & Grace from 2002 to 2006.

Connick began his acting career as a tail gunner in the World War II film Memphis Belle in 1990. He played a serial killer in Copycat in 1995, before being cast as jet fighter pilot in the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day. Connick's first role as a leading man was in 1998's Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock. His first thriller film since Copycat came in 2007, when he played the violent ex-husband in Bug, before two romantic comedies, 2007's P.S. I Love You, and the leading man in New in Town with Renée Zellweger in 2009.
With Connick's growing reputation, director Rob Reiner asked him to provide a soundtrack for his 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally..., starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. The soundtrack consisted of several standards, including "It Had to Be You", "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", and achieved double-platinum status in the United States. He won his first Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance for his work on the soundtrack.

Connick made his screen debut in Memphis Belle (1990), about a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crew in World War II. In that year, he began a two-year world tour. In addition, he released two albums in July 1990: the instrumental jazz trio album Lofty's Roach Souffle and a big-band album of mostly original songs titled We Are in Love, which also went double platinum. We Are in Love earned him his second consecutive Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal.

"Promise Me You'll Remember", his contribution to the Godfather III soundtrack, was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. In a year of recognition, he was also nominated for an Emmy for Best Performance in a Variety Special for his PBS special Swingin' Out Live, which was also released as a video. In October 1991, he released his third consecutive multi-platinum album, Blue Light, Red Light, on which he wrote and arranged the songs. In October 1991, he starred in Little Man Tate, directed by Jodie Foster, playing the friend of a child prodigy who goes to college.

Connick was arrested in 1992 and charged with having a 9mm pistol in his possession at JFK International Airport. After spending a day in jail, he agreed to make a public-service television commercial warning against breaking gun laws. The court agreed to drop all charges if Connick stayed out of trouble for six months. In November 1992, Connick released 25, a solo piano collection of standards that again went platinum. He also re-released the album Eleven. Connick contributed "A Wink and a Smile" to the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack, released in 1993. His multi-platinum album of holiday songs, When My Heart Finds Christmas, was the best-selling Christmas album in 1993.
Flirtation with funk in the mid-1990s

In 1994, Connick decided to branch out. He released She, an album of New Orleans funk that also went platinum. In addition, he released a song called "(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name" for the soundtrack of The Mask, starring Jim Carrey, which is his most successful single in the United States to date.

Connick took his funk music on a tour of the United Kingdom in 1994, an effort that did not please some of his fans, who were expecting a jazz crooner. Connick also took his funk music to the People's Republic of China in 1995, playing at the Shanghai Center Theatre. The performance was televised live in China for what became known as the Shanghai Gumbo special. In his third film Copycat, Connick played a serial killer. Released in 1995, Copycat also starred Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver. The following year, he released his second funk album, Star Turtle, which did not sell as well as previous albums, although it did reach No. 38 on the charts. However, he appeared in the most successful movie of 1996, Independence Day, with Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum.
Back to basics: return to jazz and Hope Floats

For his 1997 release To See You, Connick recorded original love songs, touring the United States and Europe with a full symphony orchestra backing him and his piano in each city. As part of his tour, he played at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, with his final concert of that tour in Paris being recorded for a Valentine's Day special on PBS in 1998. He also continued his film career, starring in Excess Baggage opposite Alicia Silverstone and Benicio del Toro in 1997.

In May 1998, he had his first leading role in director Forest Whitaker's Hope Floats, with Sandra Bullock as his female lead. He released Come By Me, his first album of big band music in eight years in 1999, and embarked on a world tour visiting the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia. In addition, he provided the voice of Dean McCoppin in the animated film The Iron Giant.
2000–02: Broadway debut, musicals, Will & Grace

Connick wrote the score for Susan Stroman's Broadway musical Thou Shalt Not, based on Émile Zola's novel Thérèse Raquin, in 2000; it premiered in 2001. His music and lyrics garnerned a Tony Award nomination. He was also the narrator of the film My Dog Skip, released in that year.

In March 2001, Connick starred in a television production of South Pacific with Glenn Close, televised on the ABC network. He also starred in his twelfth movie, Mickey, featuring a screenplay by John Grisham that same year. In October 2001, he again released two albums: Songs I Heard, featuring big band re-workings of children's show themes, and 30, featuring Connick on piano with guest appearances by several other musical artists. Songs I Heard won Connick another Grammy for best traditional pop album and he toured performing songs from the album, holding matinees at which each parent had to be accompanied by a child.

In 2002, he received a U.S. Patent 6,348,648 for a "system and method for coordinating music display among players in an orchestra." Connick appeared as Grace Adler's boyfriend (and later husband) Leo Markus on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace from 2002 to 2006.
2003–05: Connick on Piano and Only You

In July 2003, Connick released his first instrumental album in fifteen years, Other Hours Connick on Piano Volume 1. It was released on Branford Marsalis's new label Marsalis Music and led to a short tour of nightclubs and small theaters. Connick appeared in the film Basic. In October 2003, he released his second Christmas album, Harry for the Holidays, which went gold and reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200 album chart. He also had a television special on NBC featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Marc Anthony and Kim Burrell. Only You, his seventeenth album for Columbia Records, was released in February 2004. A collection of 1950s and 1960s ballads, Only You, went Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic and was certified gold in the United States in March 2004. The Only You tour with big band went on in America, Australia and a short trip to Asia. Harry for the Holidays was certified platinum in November 2004. A music DVD Harry Connick Jr. — "Only You" in Concert was released in March 2004, after it had first aired as a Great Performances special on PBS. The special won him an Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction. The DVD received a Gold & Platinum Music Video — Long Form awards from the RIAA in November 2005.

An animated holiday special, The Happy Elf, aired on NBC in December 2005, with Connick as the composer, the narrator, and one of the executive producers. Shortly after, it was released on DVD. The holiday special was based on his original song The Happy Elf, from his 2003 album Harry for the Holidays. Another album from Marsalis Music was recorded in 2005, Occasion : Connick on Piano, Volume 2, a duo album with Harry Connick, Jr. on piano together with Branford Marsalis on saxophone. A music DVD, A Duo Occasion, was filmed at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival 2005 in Canada, and released in November 2005.

He appeared in another episode of NBC sitcom Will & Grace in November 2005, and appeared in an additional three episodes in 2006.
2006–08: The Pajama Game, Bug and P.S. I Love You
Harry Connick, Jr. in concert, Savannah, Georgia, Feb 27, 2007

Bug, a film directed by William Friedkin, is a psychological thriller filmed in 2005, starring Connick, Ashley Judd, and Michael Shannon. The film was released in 2007. He starred in the Broadway revival of The Pajama Game, produced by the Roundabout Theater Company, along with Michael McKean and Kelli O'Hara, at the American Airlines Theatre in 2006. It ran from February 23 to June 17, 2006, including five benefit performances running from June 13 to June 17. The Pajama Game cast recording was nominated for a Grammy, after being released as part of Connick's double disc album Harry on Broadway, Act I.

He hosted The Weather Channel's mini series 100 Biggest Weather Moments which aired in 2007. He was part of the documentary Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037, released in November 2007. He sat in on piano on Bob French's 2007 album Marsalis Music Honors Series: Bob French. He appeared in the film P.S. I Love You, released in December 2007. A third album in the Connick on Piano series, Chanson du Vieux Carré was released in 2007, and Connick received two Grammy nominations for the track "Ash Wednesday", for the Grammy awards in 2008. Chanson du Vieux Carré was released simultaneously with the album Oh, My NOLA. Connick toured North America and Europe in 2007, and toured Asia and Australia in 2008, as part of his My New Orleans Tour. Connick did the arrangements for, wrote a couple of songs, and sang a duet on Kelli O'Hara's album that was released in May 2008. He was also the featured singer at the Concert of Hope immediately preceding Pope Benedict XVI's Mass at Yankee Stadium in April 2008. He had the starring role of Dr. Dennis Slamon in the 2008 Lifetime TV film Living Proof. His third Christmas album, What a Night!, was released in November 2008.
2009–present: New in Town, Your Songs
Harry Connick, Jr. and Renée Zellweger at the Rachael Ray show, January 30, 2009.

The film New in Town starring Connick and Renée Zellweger, began filming in January 2008, and was released in January 2009. Connick's album Your Songs was released on CD, September 22, 2009. In contrast to Connick's previous albums, this album is a collaboration with a record company producer, the multiple Grammy Award winning music executive Clive Davis.

Connick is expected to star in the Broadway revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, opening at the St. James Theatre in November 2011 in previews.
Connick, a New Orleans native, is a founder of the Krewe of Orpheus, a music-based New Orleans krewe, taking its name from Orpheus of classical mythology. The Krewe of Orpheus parades on St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street in New Orleans on Lundi Gras (Fat Monday) — the day before Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).

On September 2, 2005, Harry Connick, Jr., helped to organize, and appeared in, the NBC-sponsored live telethon concert, A Concert for Hurricane Relief, for relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He spent several days touring the city to draw attention to the plight of citizens stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and other places. At the concert he paired with host Matt Lauer, and entertainers including Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kanye West, Mike Myers, and John Goodman.

On September 6, 2005, Connick was made honorary chair of Habitat for Humanity's Operation Home Delivery, a long-term rebuilding plan for families victimized by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast.

Connick's album Oh, My NOLA, and Chanson du Vieux Carré were released in 2007, with a following tour called the My New Orleans Tour.
Main article: Harry Connick, Jr. discography

    Dixieland Plus (1977)
    Eleven (1978)
    Harry Connick Jr. (1987)
    20 (1988)
    When Harry Met Sally (1989)
    We Are In Love (1990)
    Lofty's Roach Souffle (1990)
    Blue Light, Red Light (1991)
    25 (1992)
    When My Heart Finds Christmas (1993)
    She (1994)
    Star Turtle (1995)
    To See You (1997)
    Come by Me (1999)
    30 (2001)
    Songs I Heard (2001)
    Thou Shalt Not (2002)
    Other Hours : Connick on Piano, Volume 1 (2003)
    Harry for the Holidays (2003)
    Only You (2004)
    Occasion : Connick on Piano, Volume 2 (2005)
    Harry on Broadway, Act I (2006)
    Oh, My NOLA (2007)
    Chanson du Vieux Carre : Connick On Piano, Volume 3 (2007)
    What a Night! A Christmas Album (2008)
    Your Songs (2009)
    In Concert on Broadway (2011)

Filmography
Film Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1990 Memphis Belle Sgt. Clay Busby Released October 12, 1990
Distributed by Warner Bros.
1991 Little Man Tate Eddie Released October 18, 1991
Distributed by Orion Pictures
1995 Copycat Daryll Lee Cullum Released October 13, 1995
Distributed by Warner Bros.
1996 Independence Day Captain Jimmy Wilder Released July 3, 1996
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
1997 Excess Baggage Greg Kistler Released August 29, 1997
Distributed by Columbia TriStar
1998 Hope Floats Justin Matisse Released May 29, 1998
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
1999 The Iron Giant Dean McCoppin Released August 6, 1999
Distributed by Warner Bros.
1999 Wayward Son Jesse Banks Rhodes Released September 14, 1999
Distributed by Avenue Pictures
2000 My Dog Skip Narrator Released March 3, 2000
Distributed by Warner Bros.
2001 South Pacific Lt. Joseph Cable Released August 28, 2001 (DVD)
Distributed by Buena Vista, ABC
2001 The Simian Line Rick Released November 16, 2001
Distributed by Gabriel Film Group
2001 Life Without Dick Daniel Gallagher Released February 5, 2002
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
2003 Basic Pete Vilmer Released March 28, 2003
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
2004 Mickey Glen Ryan (Tripp Spence) Released April 30, 2004
Distributed by Mickey Productions, Slugger Pictures, Anchor Bay Entertainment
2005 The Happy Elf Lil' Farley (narrator) Released December 2, 2005
Distributed by IDT Entertainment, NBC
2007 Bug Jerry Goss Released May 25, 2007
Distributed by Lionsgate
2007 P.S. I Love You Daniel Connelly Released December 21, 2007
Distributed by Warner Bros., Summit Entertainment
2008 Living Proof Dr. Dennis Slamon Released October 18, 2008
Distributed by Lifetime
2009 New in Town Ted Mitchell Released January 30, 2009
Distributed by Universal Pictures
2011 Dolphin Tale Clay Haskett Scheduled release September 16, 2011
Distributed by Warner Bros.
2011 When Angels Sing Michael Walker Scheduled release - Holiday 2011

Various

    1990 Carly in Concert: My Romance Carly Simon – guest artist (VHS)
    1992 Super Bowl XXVI — performed "The Star Spangled Banner"
    1992 Cheers — TV show guest appearance (ep. A Diminished Rebecca with a Suspended Cliff, 2/6/92)
    1993 The Harry Connick Jr. Christmas Special (CBS)
    1997 Action League Now!, episode "Rock-A-Big-Baby" (voice, as "Big Baby")
    1998 Harry Connick Jr.: Romance in Paris (PBS special)
    1999 The Worlds of Harry Connick Jr. (Bravo)
    2001 Evening at Pops (PBS)
    2002 Will & Grace (NBC 2002–2006)
    2003 Harry for the Holidays (NBC)
    2004 Only You: In Concert (PBS)
    2007 100 Biggest Weather Moments (The Weather Channel) — host
    2007 Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037
    2009 Hey Hey It's Saturday, The Reunion (second show, October 7) – Red Faces judge
    2009 Australian Idol – judge
    2010 Daytona 500 performed "The Star-Spangled Banner"
    2010 American Idol

Broadway

    1990 An Evening with Harry Connick Jr. and His Orchestra (special, concert)
    2001 Thou Shalt Not (Broadway Musical) — composer
    2006 The Pajama Game (Broadway Musical)
    – Nice Work If You Can Get It (Broadway Musical) (postponed)
    2010 Harry Connick, Jr.: In Concert on Broadway (special, concert)
    2011 On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (Broadway Musical)
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w148/bobbiedgcomb/Harry-Connick-Jr.jpg
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r200/000971453/MUSIC/Harry_Connick_Jr.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/12/11 at 8:06 am

The person of the day...Jason Statham
Jason Statham (play /ˈsteɪθəm/; born 12 September 1967) is an English actor and former diver, known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Revolver, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Statham appeared in supporting roles in several American films, such as The Italian Job, as well as playing the lead role in The Transporter, Death Race, Crank, The Bank Job and War (opposite martial arts star Jet Li). Statham also appeared alongside established action film actors Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren in The Expendables. He normally performs his own fight scenes and stunts.While working for French Connection, he was introduced to fledgling British director Guy Ritchie who was developing a film project and needed to fill the role of a street-wise con artist. After learning about Statham's past as a Black Market Salesman, Ritchie cast him to play the role of "Bacon" in his break-out 1998 hit, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The movie was well received by both critics and audiences, and helped catapult Statham into the public eye. Statham's second collaboration with Ritchie came in the 2000 film Snatch, playing the role of "Turkish". Cast alongside popular actors Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio del Toro, and with the movie earning more than $80 million in box-office revenue, Statham was able to break into Hollywood and appeared in two movies in 2001: Ghosts of Mars and The One.

Statham was offered more film roles and in 2002 was cast as the lead role of driver Frank Martin in the action movie The Transporter, in which his background in martial arts enabled him to do most of his own stunts. He has studied Wing Chun kung fu, karate, and kickboxing. The film spawned two sequels, Transporter 2, in 2005 and Transporter 3 in 2008. He also played in supporting roles in Mean Machine (2002), The Italian Job (2003) (in which he played Handsome Rob), and Cellular (2004) where he played the lead villain. In 2005, Statham was once again cast by Ritchie to star in his new project, Revolver which was a critical and box office failure. He also played a dramatic role in the independent drama London in 2006. In 2006 he played the lead role in Crank. Statham compares his role in Crank to his real life in the September 2006 issue of Maxim. The success of Crank led to a sequel in 2009 titled Crank: High Voltage.

In 2008, Statham starred in the British crime thriller The Bank Job which was both a critical and box office success. In 2008, American film critic Armond White hailed Statham's ascension as the leading international action film star. On the occasion of Death Race, White championed Statham's "best track record of any contemporary movie star." Later in 2008, White praised Statham's Transporter 3 as a great example of kinetic pop art.
Statham in 2006

In 2009, Statham started to develop a new movie written by David Peoples and Janet Peoples (Twelve Monkeys). Statham stated "We've got a movie we're trying to do, written by David Peoples and Janet Peoples, in the vein of an old film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. It’s not a remake or anything, but it's a little bit like that, about relationships and how greed contaminates the relationships these three people have. The working title is The Grabbers," and the release date is still unknown.

In 2010, Statham appeared alongside fellow action stars Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li and Mickey Rourke, among others in The Expendables. Statham plays Lee Christmas, a former SAS soldier and expert at close quarters combat using knives. In 2011, Statham starred in the remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film, The Mechanic and returned to British film in the police drama Blitz.

He will also star in the action film, Killer Elite. According to Variety, the film will be based on real events, which were the subject of Sir Ranulph Fiennes' fictional novel The Feather Men. Statham will play a former SAS officer named Danny who comes out of retirement to save an old friend who will be played by Robert De Niro. In August 2011, he is to begin filming Parker, for director Taylor Hackford; Statham will star as Parker, the criminal antihero previously played by Mel Gibson in 1999's Payback and by Lee Marvin in 1967's Point Blank.
Personal life

Statham was in a seven year relationship with model Kelly Brook, until 2004. Since April 2010, he has been dating Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Statham has studied Wing Chun kung fu, karate and kickboxing.
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1998 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Bacon Film debut
2000 Snatch Turkish
Turn It Up Mr. B
2001 Ghosts of Mars Sgt. Jericho Butler
The One MVA Agent Evan Funsch first time partnered with Jet Li
Mean Machine Monk
2002 The Transporter Frank Martin
2003 The Italian Job Handsome Rob
2004 Collateral Airport Man Cameo appearance
Cellular Ethan Greer First film to appear as a villain
2005 Transporter 2 Frank Martin
Revolver Jake Green
London Bateman
2006 Chaos Det. Quentin Conners
The Pink Panther Yves Gluant Uncredited role
Crank Chev Chelios
2007 War FBI Agent John Crawford second time partnered with Jet Li
2008 The Bank Job Terry Leather
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale Farmer Daimon
Death Race Jensen "Frankenstein" Ames
Transporter 3 Frank Martin
2009 Crank: High Voltage Chev Chelios
2010 13 Jasper
The Expendables Lee Christmas third time partnered with Jet Li
2011 The Mechanic Arthur Bishop
Gnomeo & Juliet Tybalt Voice
Blitz Detective Sergeant Tom Brant
Killer Elite Danny Bryce post-production
2012 Safe Matt Jimmy post-production
Parker Parker in production
Echelon Nick Stone in production
The Expendables 2 Lee Christmas in production
Box office performance

Since 1998, Statham has appeared in over twenty films. Several have been box office hits, such as Snatch and The Bank Job. He has starred in two film series, The Transporter and Crank. The films he has been in have grossed a total of more than $1 billion USD at the box office, with the highest individual film being The Expendables.
Video game voice-overs
Video game Year Character
Red Faction II 2002 Shrike
Call of Duty 2003 Sgt. Waters
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k128/mander_blanc/Hottestmanalive.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/rachelhottie1/untitled.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/13/11 at 7:35 am

The person of the day...Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry, Jr.; September 13, 1969) is an American actor, director, playwright, screenwriter, producer, author, and songwriter. Perry wrote and produced many stage plays in the South during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2005, he released his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman. In September 2011, Perry was ranked by Forbes magazine as the highest-paid entertainer in Hollywood beating such names as Jerry Bruckheimer and Steven Spielberg to the top spot. As of June 2011, Perry's films had grossed over $500 million worldwide.
Perry received a $5.5 million budget to fund his first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which went on to gross $50.6 million domestically, while scoring a 16 percent approval rating at the film review web site, Rotten Tomatoes. On its opening weekend, February 24–26, 2006, Perry's film version of Madea's Family Reunion opened at number one at the box office with $30.3 million. The film eventually grossed $65 million. Perry and his co-stars promoted the film on The Oprah Winfrey Show. As with Diary, almost all of the Madeas' earnings have been generated in the United States.

Perry's next Lionsgate project, Daddy's Little Girls, starred Gabrielle Union and Idris Elba and was released in the U.S. on February 14, 2007. It grossed over $31 million. Perry wrote, directed, produced and starred in his next film, Why Did I Get Married?, released on October 12, 2007. It opened at number one, grossing $21.4 million that weekend. It is loosely based on his play of the same name. Filming began March 5, 2007, in Whistler, British Columbia, Vancouver, then moved to Atlanta, where Perry had opened his own studio. Janet Jackson, Sharon Leal, Jill Scott and Tasha Smith appeared in the film. Perry's 2008 film, Meet the Browns, released on March 21, opened at number two with a $20,082,809 weekend gross. The Family That Preys opened on September 12, 2008, and grossed over $37.1 million.

Madea Goes to Jail opened at number one on February 20, 2009, grossing $41 million and becoming his largest opening to date. This was Perry's seventh film with Lionsgate Entertainment. At the request of director J. J. Abrams, Perry had a cameo appearance in Star Trek as the Starfleet Academy commandant Admiral Barnett, which opened on May 8, 2009. This was his first film appearance outside of his own projects.

Perry next wrote, directed, and starred in I Can Do Bad All By Myself, a film structured around his Madea character. This was Perry's eighth film and also made number one at the box office. In 2009, Perry teamed with Oprah Winfrey to present Precious, a film based on the novel Push by Sapphire.

Why Did I Get Married Too?, the sequel to Why Did I Get Married?, opened in theaters on April 2, 2010. It featured Janet Jackson, Cicely Tyson, Louis Gossett, Jr., Jill Scott and Malik Yoba. As of April 18, the film has grossed over $54 million domestically, with $29 million made the opening weekend.

Perry directed a film adaptation of Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. It was released November 5, 2010. He appeared in the stage show Madea's Big Happy Family, which toured the U.S. and was a movie in 2011, written, directed by, and starring Perry. Madea's Big Happy Family raked in 25.8 million dollars at the box office, taking 2nd place.

Perry is also slated to take over the role of James Patterson's Alex Cross from Morgan Freeman in the pending film adaptation of I, Alex Cross.

Perry's films are co-produced and distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment; he retains full copyright ownership under the corporate name Very Perry Films, and places his name in front of all titles. Perry's movies have seen very limited release outside North America, but in May 2010 Lionsgate announced plans to begin releasing his films in the United Kingdom.

Perry's next film with Lionsgate is set to be Good Deeds, as he again will work behind and in front of the camera. Perry will be playing lead character Glen Deeds. The movie is also set to star Thandie Newton, Rebecca Romijn, Gabrielle Union, Eddie Cibrian, Jamie Kennedy, Phylicia Rashad and more.
Television

Perry produces a television show entitled Tyler Perry's House of Payne, which follows an African-American household of three generations. The show demonstrates the family members' struggles with faith and love, as well as living with different generations. The show ran in the spring of 2006 as a 10-show pilot. After the successful pilot run, Perry signed a $200 million, 100-episode deal with TBS. On June 6, 2007, the first two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne ran on TBS. After receiving high ratings, House of Payne entered broadcast syndication. Reruns were played through December 2007 before the second season began. The third season began on March 5, 2008 and the fourth season on June 4, 2008. House of Payne airs on TBS.

The Writers Guild of America, West has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that Perry's production company, House of Payne, unlawfully fired four writers in October 2008 in retaliation for their trying to get a union contract. The dispute was settled a month later, when Tyler Perry Studios agreed to be a WGA signatory.

Perry wrote, directed and produced the sitcom Meet the Browns, which premiered on TBS on January 7, 2009.

Perry has said he may produce more sitcoms entitled Floyd's Family, a spin off of House of Payne featuring the character Floyd, and another called For Better or Worse based on the play and motion picture, Why Did I Get Married and its sequel.

In early 2009, Perry threatened legal action against Mo' Money Taxes, a tax preparation company based in Memphis, for running a TV spot that he felt offensively parodied his work, in particular Madea Goes to Jail. The ad features a large Caucasian male (John Cowan) in drag, named "Ma'Madea". The offending ad was dropped from circulation.
Books

Tyler Perry's first novel, Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life, appeared on April 11, 2006. The book sold fewer than 30,000 copies. The hardcover reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller list and stayed on the list for 12 weeks. It was voted Book of the Year, Best Humor Book at the 2006 Quill Awards.
Stylistic trademarks

Perry always uses possessory credit in his works' titles (e.g., Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?). Several recurring narrative themes surface in Perry's work and his films and plays feature predominantly African-American casts.

The recurring character of Mabel "Madea" Simmons appears in much of Perry's work. Perry first introduced Madea in his 1999 play, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, and the character has recurred in many of his subsequent works. Perry portrays Madea by cross-dressing in his plays and films. Perry has said he based Madea on an aunt who lives in Georgia, as well as on his mother. Madea dispenses wisdom in a "no-nonsense manner", and she usually engages in physical comedy and/or sight gags. The nickname "Madea" comes from a Southern contraction of the words "mother dear", which is commonly used as a term of affection or as a reference to a great-grandmother.

Perry often refers to Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Alice Walker's The Color Purple, which he notes as one of his favorite films. Perry's plays refer to 1970s R&B and soul music, and the differences between that and the current state of rap/hip-hop music and other music popular among the black community.

Other references include singers Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston, 50 Cent (who was referred to as Creflo Dollar's half-brother), R. Kelly, Michael Jackson, Ike & Tina Turner, and Tweet, rapper Missy Elliott, the 1994 film Forrest Gump, and the sitcom Good Times.

Many of Perry's television works, such as House of Payne, are sitcoms that feature subject matter and themes that are darker and heavier than those of traditional sitcoms. Thus, his sitcoms have often been classified as comedy-dramas or black comedies. The storyline of the shows are often serialized, with many references to past episodes, creating a continuing story arc.
Criticism

Criticism of Perry’s work focuses mainly on a perception that it perpetuates negative racial stereotypes.

Despite praising Perry in 2006, in 2009 director Spike Lee criticized his work when interviewed by Ed Gordon on Our World with Black Enterprise, saying, "Each artist should be allowed to pursue their artistic endeavors but I still think there is a lot of stuff out today that is 'coonery' and buffoonery. I know it's making a lot of money and breaking records, but we can do better … I see these two ads for these two shows and I am scratching my head … We got a black president and we going back to Mantan Moreland and Sleep 'n' Eat?" When Gordon cited Perry’s success among black audiences and asked Spike if Perry wasn’t just giving black America what they wanted, he responded, "We've had this discussion back and forth. When John Singleton , people came out to see Boyz n the Hood, but when he did Rosewood, nobody showed up. So a lot of this is on us. You vote with your pocketbook, your wallet. You vote with your time sitting in front of the idiot box, and the man has a huge audience, Tyler's very smart. …We shouldn’t think that Tyler Perry is going to make the same film that I am going to make, or that John Singleton or my cousin Malcolm Lee . As African Americans, we're not one monolithic group so there is room for all of that, but at the same time, for me, the imaging is troubling and it harkens back to Amos 'n' Andy."

In September 2009, Jamilah Lemieux made similar remarks on National Public Radio. While thanking Perry for employing blacks in front of and behind the camera and for making work with humor and "positive messages about self-worth, love and respect", she criticized him for making television shows "marked by old stereotypes of buffoonish, emasculated black men and crass, sassy black women." She took him to task for his Madea character saying that through this, "the country has laughed at one of the most important members of the black community: Mother Dear, the beloved matriarch. Our mothers and grandmothers deserve much more than that." She stated that she appreciated that he was dismissive of critics' comments concerning his work, "but many black folks have expressed some of the very same attitudes about your work that white critics have." She stated that blacks "have been fed the same images of ourselves over and over and over because they sell." She felt that his success had been "mired with the worst black pathologies and stereotypes" and called on him to "stop dismissing the critics as haters and realize that black people need new stories and new storytellers."

Lemieux’s criticism of Perry was cited and expanded upon by the author Tom Burrell in his 2010 book Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority. Burrell cited Perry’s 2008 film Meet the Browns as an example of when "we black people pull the trigger for our own image assassination." Burrell also stated, "…it's not entirely fair to expect Perry to chart a new course alone. His movies and TV shows would not be so successful if blacks didn't have a raging appetite for messages and images that project us as dysfunctional or incompetent. Nothing that occurred during Amos 'n' Andy’s radio and television reign could match the words and actions of black comedies like Madea and The Browns. Our attraction to self-demeaning images came way before, and goes far beyond, Tyler Perry." Burrell called for new images of blacks in entertainment and a new vision of black self-image.

Perry (and Madea) were satirized in a June 2010 episode of the Adult Swim animated series The Boondocks; the Los Angeles Times called this episode "one of the sharpest public criticisms of Perry".

Cultural critic Touré stated in an April 21, 2011 NPR All Things Considered interview that "Tyler Perry is perhaps the worst filmmaker in Hollywood" and was quoted as saying earlier that Perry is the "KFC of black cinema".

On May 4, 2011, Perry was satirized by South Park in the episode "Funnybot". At the South Park Elementary Special Education Department Comedy Awards, Perry was presented the Kathy Griffin Award, "given to the celebrity most likely to show up". Following the awards presentation, Perry annoyingly remained in South Park, now dressed as Madea, cracking wise and uttering non sequiturs while constantly being given money by Token, the only black student; Token explains that "I can’t help myself". The South Park writers further satirized Perry by showing President Obama addressing the nation, stating he was going to watch "a Tyler Perry movie. I know, it’s embarrassing. But I simply can’t help myself." Finally, in a surprise twist, Perry is forever buried, encased in steel, because, as President Obama puts it, "I am pleased to announce that the greatest threat to mankind has now gone forever. Justice has been done."
Responses

In October 2009, during a 60 minutes interview, Perry was read a quote of Spike Lee's comments about his work and responded, "I would love to read that to my fan base. …That pisses me off. It is so insulting. It's attitudes like that, that make Hollywood think that these people do not exist, and that is why there is no material speaking to them, speaking to us." Perry also stated that "all these characters are bait – disarming, charming, make-you-laugh bait. I can slap Madea on something and talk about God, love, faith, forgiveness, family, any of those."

Perry’s work has also been defended by Oprah Winfrey, who joined Perry in promoting Lee Daniels' film Precious. She told an interviewer, "I think grew up being raised by strong, black women. And so much of what he does is really in celebration of that. I think that's what Madea really is: a compilation of all those strong black women that I know and maybe you do too? And so the reason it works is because people see themselves."

Goldie Taylor, of The Grio and MSNBC, stated in an April 21, 2011 NPR All Things Considered interview regarding Perry's target audience: "I don't think Tyler Perry is talking to Touré. I don't think he's talking to me, but I know that he's speaking directly to my mother, my sister, my cousins and meeting them at their point of need, and that's what art and filmmaking is about." In the same interview, NPR's Michele Norris reported Tyler Perry had said a week earlier that "Spike Lee can, quote, 'go straight to hell.'"
Film work
Year Film Credited as
Director Writer Producer Actor Role
2005 Diary of a Mad Black Woman No Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe, Brian
2006 Madea's Family Reunion Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe, Brian
2007 Daddy's Little Girls Yes Yes Yes No
Why Did I Get Married? Yes Yes Yes Yes Terry Brock
2008 Meet the Browns Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe (cameo)
The Family That Preys Yes Yes Yes Yes Ben
2009 Madea Goes to Jail Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe, Brian
Star Trek No No No Yes Admiral Barnett
I Can Do Bad All by Myself Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe
Precious No No Yes No
2010 Why Did I Get Married Too? Yes Yes Yes Yes Terry Brock
For Colored Girls Yes Yes Yes No
2011 Madea's Big Happy Family Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe
2012 Good Deeds Yes Yes Yes Yes Glen Deeds
2012 I, Alex Cross No No No Yes Alex Cross
2012 Captain of My Soul Yes No No No
Play work
Year Play Credited as
Director Writer Producer Actor Role
1999 I Know I've Been Changed Yes Yes Yes Yes Joe
2000 I Can Do Bad All By Myself Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2001 Diary of a Mad Black Woman Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2002 Madea's Family Reunion Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2003 Madea's Class Reunion Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2004 Why Did I Get Married? Yes Yes Yes Yes
2005 Meet the Browns Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea (Voice)
2006 Madea Goes to Jail Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2007 What's Done in the Dark Yes Yes Yes No
2008 The Marriage Counselor Yes Yes Yes No
2009 Laugh to Keep from Crying Yes Yes Yes No
2010 Madea's Big Happy Family Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2011 A Madea Christmas Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2011 Aunt Bam's Place Yes Yes Yes No
2011 I Don't Want To Do Wrong! Yes Yes Yes No
2011 The Haves And The Have Nots Yes Yes Yes No
Television work
Year Show Credited as
Director Writer Producer Actor Role
2006 Tyler Perry's House of Payne Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2009 Meet the Browns Yes Yes Yes No
2011 Tyler Perry's For Better Or Worse Yes Yes Yes Yes Therapist
Awards and nominations

Awards won are in bold

    BET Comedy Awards
        2005, Outstanding Actor in a Theatrical Film (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)
        2005, Outstanding Writing for Theatrical Film (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

    Black Movie Awards
        2006, Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting (Madea's Family Reunion)
        2006, Outstanding Motion Picture (Madea's Family Reunion)
        2005, Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)
        2005, Outstanding Motion Picture (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

    Black Reel Awards
        2008, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted (Meet the Browns)
        2008, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted (The Family That Preys)
        2007, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted (Madea's Family Reunion)
        2005, Best Breakthrough Performance (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)
        2005, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted: (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

    Image Awards
        2009, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture or Television Movie (The Family That Preys)
        2008, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Why Did I Get Married?)
        2007, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture or Television Movie (Madea's Family Reunion)
        2007, Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture or Television Movie (Madea's Family Reunion)

    Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards
        2010, Best Actor (Madea Goes To Jail)

    MTV Movie Awards
        2006, Best Comedic Performance (Madea's Family Reunion)
        2006, Breakthrough Male Performance (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s151/kathleencasey_2007/Tyler.jpg
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/tieona45/tylerperryandmadeaMORE.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/13/11 at 5:29 pm

The only thing I really know about Tyler Perry is his "House Of Payne" TV show, which has been shown exclusively on TBS. I haven't watched it, but I know all about it.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/13/11 at 8:01 pm


The person of the day...Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry, Jr.; September 13, 1969) is an American actor, director, playwright, screenwriter, producer, author, and songwriter. Perry wrote and produced many stage plays in the South during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2005, he released his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman. In September 2011, Perry was ranked by Forbes magazine as the highest-paid entertainer in Hollywood beating such names as Jerry Bruckheimer and Steven Spielberg to the top spot. As of June 2011, Perry's films had grossed over $500 million worldwide.
Perry received a $5.5 million budget to fund his first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which went on to gross $50.6 million domestically, while scoring a 16 percent approval rating at the film review web site, Rotten Tomatoes. On its opening weekend, February 24–26, 2006, Perry's film version of Madea's Family Reunion opened at number one at the box office with $30.3 million. The film eventually grossed $65 million. Perry and his co-stars promoted the film on The Oprah Winfrey Show. As with Diary, almost all of the Madeas' earnings have been generated in the United States.

Perry's next Lionsgate project, Daddy's Little Girls, starred Gabrielle Union and Idris Elba and was released in the U.S. on February 14, 2007. It grossed over $31 million. Perry wrote, directed, produced and starred in his next film, Why Did I Get Married?, released on October 12, 2007. It opened at number one, grossing $21.4 million that weekend. It is loosely based on his play of the same name. Filming began March 5, 2007, in Whistler, British Columbia, Vancouver, then moved to Atlanta, where Perry had opened his own studio. Janet Jackson, Sharon Leal, Jill Scott and Tasha Smith appeared in the film. Perry's 2008 film, Meet the Browns, released on March 21, opened at number two with a $20,082,809 weekend gross. The Family That Preys opened on September 12, 2008, and grossed over $37.1 million.

Madea Goes to Jail opened at number one on February 20, 2009, grossing $41 million and becoming his largest opening to date. This was Perry's seventh film with Lionsgate Entertainment. At the request of director J. J. Abrams, Perry had a cameo appearance in Star Trek as the Starfleet Academy commandant Admiral Barnett, which opened on May 8, 2009. This was his first film appearance outside of his own projects.

Perry next wrote, directed, and starred in I Can Do Bad All By Myself, a film structured around his Madea character. This was Perry's eighth film and also made number one at the box office. In 2009, Perry teamed with Oprah Winfrey to present Precious, a film based on the novel Push by Sapphire.

Why Did I Get Married Too?, the sequel to Why Did I Get Married?, opened in theaters on April 2, 2010. It featured Janet Jackson, Cicely Tyson, Louis Gossett, Jr., Jill Scott and Malik Yoba. As of April 18, the film has grossed over $54 million domestically, with $29 million made the opening weekend.

Perry directed a film adaptation of Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. It was released November 5, 2010. He appeared in the stage show Madea's Big Happy Family, which toured the U.S. and was a movie in 2011, written, directed by, and starring Perry. Madea's Big Happy Family raked in 25.8 million dollars at the box office, taking 2nd place.

Perry is also slated to take over the role of James Patterson's Alex Cross from Morgan Freeman in the pending film adaptation of I, Alex Cross.

Perry's films are co-produced and distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment; he retains full copyright ownership under the corporate name Very Perry Films, and places his name in front of all titles. Perry's movies have seen very limited release outside North America, but in May 2010 Lionsgate announced plans to begin releasing his films in the United Kingdom.

Perry's next film with Lionsgate is set to be Good Deeds, as he again will work behind and in front of the camera. Perry will be playing lead character Glen Deeds. The movie is also set to star Thandie Newton, Rebecca Romijn, Gabrielle Union, Eddie Cibrian, Jamie Kennedy, Phylicia Rashad and more.
Television

Perry produces a television show entitled Tyler Perry's House of Payne, which follows an African-American household of three generations. The show demonstrates the family members' struggles with faith and love, as well as living with different generations. The show ran in the spring of 2006 as a 10-show pilot. After the successful pilot run, Perry signed a $200 million, 100-episode deal with TBS. On June 6, 2007, the first two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne ran on TBS. After receiving high ratings, House of Payne entered broadcast syndication. Reruns were played through December 2007 before the second season began. The third season began on March 5, 2008 and the fourth season on June 4, 2008. House of Payne airs on TBS.

The Writers Guild of America, West has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that Perry's production company, House of Payne, unlawfully fired four writers in October 2008 in retaliation for their trying to get a union contract. The dispute was settled a month later, when Tyler Perry Studios agreed to be a WGA signatory.

Perry wrote, directed and produced the sitcom Meet the Browns, which premiered on TBS on January 7, 2009.

Perry has said he may produce more sitcoms entitled Floyd's Family, a spin off of House of Payne featuring the character Floyd, and another called For Better or Worse based on the play and motion picture, Why Did I Get Married and its sequel.

In early 2009, Perry threatened legal action against Mo' Money Taxes, a tax preparation company based in Memphis, for running a TV spot that he felt offensively parodied his work, in particular Madea Goes to Jail. The ad features a large Caucasian male (John Cowan) in drag, named "Ma'Madea". The offending ad was dropped from circulation.
Books

Tyler Perry's first novel, Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life, appeared on April 11, 2006. The book sold fewer than 30,000 copies. The hardcover reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller list and stayed on the list for 12 weeks. It was voted Book of the Year, Best Humor Book at the 2006 Quill Awards.
Stylistic trademarks

Perry always uses possessory credit in his works' titles (e.g., Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?). Several recurring narrative themes surface in Perry's work and his films and plays feature predominantly African-American casts.

The recurring character of Mabel "Madea" Simmons appears in much of Perry's work. Perry first introduced Madea in his 1999 play, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, and the character has recurred in many of his subsequent works. Perry portrays Madea by cross-dressing in his plays and films. Perry has said he based Madea on an aunt who lives in Georgia, as well as on his mother. Madea dispenses wisdom in a "no-nonsense manner", and she usually engages in physical comedy and/or sight gags. The nickname "Madea" comes from a Southern contraction of the words "mother dear", which is commonly used as a term of affection or as a reference to a great-grandmother.

Perry often refers to Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Alice Walker's The Color Purple, which he notes as one of his favorite films. Perry's plays refer to 1970s R&B and soul music, and the differences between that and the current state of rap/hip-hop music and other music popular among the black community.

Other references include singers Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston, 50 Cent (who was referred to as Creflo Dollar's half-brother), R. Kelly, Michael Jackson, Ike & Tina Turner, and Tweet, rapper Missy Elliott, the 1994 film Forrest Gump, and the sitcom Good Times.

Many of Perry's television works, such as House of Payne, are sitcoms that feature subject matter and themes that are darker and heavier than those of traditional sitcoms. Thus, his sitcoms have often been classified as comedy-dramas or black comedies. The storyline of the shows are often serialized, with many references to past episodes, creating a continuing story arc.
Criticism

Criticism of Perry’s work focuses mainly on a perception that it perpetuates negative racial stereotypes.

Despite praising Perry in 2006, in 2009 director Spike Lee criticized his work when interviewed by Ed Gordon on Our World with Black Enterprise, saying, "Each artist should be allowed to pursue their artistic endeavors but I still think there is a lot of stuff out today that is 'coonery' and buffoonery. I know it's making a lot of money and breaking records, but we can do better … I see these two ads for these two shows and I am scratching my head … We got a black president and we going back to Mantan Moreland and Sleep 'n' Eat?" When Gordon cited Perry’s success among black audiences and asked Spike if Perry wasn’t just giving black America what they wanted, he responded, "We've had this discussion back and forth. When John Singleton , people came out to see Boyz n the Hood, but when he did Rosewood, nobody showed up. So a lot of this is on us. You vote with your pocketbook, your wallet. You vote with your time sitting in front of the idiot box, and the man has a huge audience, Tyler's very smart. …We shouldn’t think that Tyler Perry is going to make the same film that I am going to make, or that John Singleton or my cousin Malcolm Lee . As African Americans, we're not one monolithic group so there is room for all of that, but at the same time, for me, the imaging is troubling and it harkens back to Amos 'n' Andy."

In September 2009, Jamilah Lemieux made similar remarks on National Public Radio. While thanking Perry for employing blacks in front of and behind the camera and for making work with humor and "positive messages about self-worth, love and respect", she criticized him for making television shows "marked by old stereotypes of buffoonish, emasculated black men and crass, sassy black women." She took him to task for his Madea character saying that through this, "the country has laughed at one of the most important members of the black community: Mother Dear, the beloved matriarch. Our mothers and grandmothers deserve much more than that." She stated that she appreciated that he was dismissive of critics' comments concerning his work, "but many black folks have expressed some of the very same attitudes about your work that white critics have." She stated that blacks "have been fed the same images of ourselves over and over and over because they sell." She felt that his success had been "mired with the worst black pathologies and stereotypes" and called on him to "stop dismissing the critics as haters and realize that black people need new stories and new storytellers."

Lemieux’s criticism of Perry was cited and expanded upon by the author Tom Burrell in his 2010 book Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority. Burrell cited Perry’s 2008 film Meet the Browns as an example of when "we black people pull the trigger for our own image assassination." Burrell also stated, "…it's not entirely fair to expect Perry to chart a new course alone. His movies and TV shows would not be so successful if blacks didn't have a raging appetite for messages and images that project us as dysfunctional or incompetent. Nothing that occurred during Amos 'n' Andy’s radio and television reign could match the words and actions of black comedies like Madea and The Browns. Our attraction to self-demeaning images came way before, and goes far beyond, Tyler Perry." Burrell called for new images of blacks in entertainment and a new vision of black self-image.

Perry (and Madea) were satirized in a June 2010 episode of the Adult Swim animated series The Boondocks; the Los Angeles Times called this episode "one of the sharpest public criticisms of Perry".

Cultural critic Touré stated in an April 21, 2011 NPR All Things Considered interview that "Tyler Perry is perhaps the worst filmmaker in Hollywood" and was quoted as saying earlier that Perry is the "KFC of black cinema".

On May 4, 2011, Perry was satirized by South Park in the episode "Funnybot". At the South Park Elementary Special Education Department Comedy Awards, Perry was presented the Kathy Griffin Award, "given to the celebrity most likely to show up". Following the awards presentation, Perry annoyingly remained in South Park, now dressed as Madea, cracking wise and uttering non sequiturs while constantly being given money by Token, the only black student; Token explains that "I can’t help myself". The South Park writers further satirized Perry by showing President Obama addressing the nation, stating he was going to watch "a Tyler Perry movie. I know, it’s embarrassing. But I simply can’t help myself." Finally, in a surprise twist, Perry is forever buried, encased in steel, because, as President Obama puts it, "I am pleased to announce that the greatest threat to mankind has now gone forever. Justice has been done."
Responses

In October 2009, during a 60 minutes interview, Perry was read a quote of Spike Lee's comments about his work and responded, "I would love to read that to my fan base. …That pisses me off. It is so insulting. It's attitudes like that, that make Hollywood think that these people do not exist, and that is why there is no material speaking to them, speaking to us." Perry also stated that "all these characters are bait – disarming, charming, make-you-laugh bait. I can slap Madea on something and talk about God, love, faith, forgiveness, family, any of those."

Perry’s work has also been defended by Oprah Winfrey, who joined Perry in promoting Lee Daniels' film Precious. She told an interviewer, "I think grew up being raised by strong, black women. And so much of what he does is really in celebration of that. I think that's what Madea really is: a compilation of all those strong black women that I know and maybe you do too? And so the reason it works is because people see themselves."

Goldie Taylor, of The Grio and MSNBC, stated in an April 21, 2011 NPR All Things Considered interview regarding Perry's target audience: "I don't think Tyler Perry is talking to Touré. I don't think he's talking to me, but I know that he's speaking directly to my mother, my sister, my cousins and meeting them at their point of need, and that's what art and filmmaking is about." In the same interview, NPR's Michele Norris reported Tyler Perry had said a week earlier that "Spike Lee can, quote, 'go straight to hell.'"
Film work
Year Film Credited as
Director Writer Producer Actor Role
2005 Diary of a Mad Black Woman No Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe, Brian
2006 Madea's Family Reunion Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe, Brian
2007 Daddy's Little Girls Yes Yes Yes No
Why Did I Get Married? Yes Yes Yes Yes Terry Brock
2008 Meet the Browns Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe (cameo)
The Family That Preys Yes Yes Yes Yes Ben
2009 Madea Goes to Jail Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe, Brian
Star Trek No No No Yes Admiral Barnett
I Can Do Bad All by Myself Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe
Precious No No Yes No
2010 Why Did I Get Married Too? Yes Yes Yes Yes Terry Brock
For Colored Girls Yes Yes Yes No
2011 Madea's Big Happy Family Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea, Joe
2012 Good Deeds Yes Yes Yes Yes Glen Deeds
2012 I, Alex Cross No No No Yes Alex Cross
2012 Captain of My Soul Yes No No No
Play work
Year Play Credited as
Director Writer Producer Actor Role
1999 I Know I've Been Changed Yes Yes Yes Yes Joe
2000 I Can Do Bad All By Myself Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2001 Diary of a Mad Black Woman Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2002 Madea's Family Reunion Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2003 Madea's Class Reunion Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2004 Why Did I Get Married? Yes Yes Yes Yes
2005 Meet the Browns Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea (Voice)
2006 Madea Goes to Jail Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2007 What's Done in the Dark Yes Yes Yes No
2008 The Marriage Counselor Yes Yes Yes No
2009 Laugh to Keep from Crying Yes Yes Yes No
2010 Madea's Big Happy Family Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2011 A Madea Christmas Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2011 Aunt Bam's Place Yes Yes Yes No
2011 I Don't Want To Do Wrong! Yes Yes Yes No
2011 The Haves And The Have Nots Yes Yes Yes No
Television work
Year Show Credited as
Director Writer Producer Actor Role
2006 Tyler Perry's House of Payne Yes Yes Yes Yes Madea
2009 Meet the Browns Yes Yes Yes No
2011 Tyler Perry's For Better Or Worse Yes Yes Yes Yes Therapist
Awards and nominations

Awards won are in bold

    BET Comedy Awards
        2005, Outstanding Actor in a Theatrical Film (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)
        2005, Outstanding Writing for Theatrical Film (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

    Black Movie Awards
        2006, Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting (Madea's Family Reunion)
        2006, Outstanding Motion Picture (Madea's Family Reunion)
        2005, Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)
        2005, Outstanding Motion Picture (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

    Black Reel Awards
        2008, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted (Meet the Browns)
        2008, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted (The Family That Preys)
        2007, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted (Madea's Family Reunion)
        2005, Best Breakthrough Performance (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)
        2005, Best Screenplay Original or Adapted: (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)

    Image Awards
        2009, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture or Television Movie (The Family That Preys)
        2008, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Why Did I Get Married?)
        2007, Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture or Television Movie (Madea's Family Reunion)
        2007, Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture or Television Movie (Madea's Family Reunion)

    Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards
        2010, Best Actor (Madea Goes To Jail)

    MTV Movie Awards
        2006, Best Comedic Performance (Madea's Family Reunion)
        2006, Breakthrough Male Performance (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s151/kathleencasey_2007/Tyler.jpg
http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/tieona45/tylerperryandmadeaMORE.jpg


I love Meet The Browns,I watch it every day.  ;D

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/13/11 at 8:04 pm

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/meet_the_browns.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/15/11 at 4:13 am

British Person of the Day: Agatha Christie

Dame Agatha Christie, DBE, (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections (especially those featuring Hercule Poirot or Miss Jane Marple), and her successful West End plays.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time and, with William Shakespeare, the best-selling author of any type. She has sold roughly four billion copies of her novels. According to Index Translationum, Christie is the most translated individual author, with only the collective corporate works of Walt Disney Productions surpassing her. Her books have been translated into at least 103 languages.

Agatha Christie published two autobiographies: a posthumous one covering childhood to old age; and another chronicling several seasons of archaeological excavation in Syria and Iraq with her second husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan. The latter was published in 1946 with the title, Come, Tell Me How You Live.

Christie's stage play The Mousetrap holds the record for the longest initial run: it opened at the Ambassadors Theatre in London on 25 November 1952 and as of 2011 is still running after more than 24,000 performances. In 1955, Christie was the first recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's highest honour, the Grand Master Award, and in the same year Witness for the Prosecution was given an Edgar Award by the MWA for Best Play. Many of her books and short stories have been filmed, some more than once (Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile and 4.50 From Paddington for instance), and many have been adapted for television, radio, video games and comics.

In 1968, Booker Books, a subsidiary of the agri-industrial conglomerate Booker-McConnell, bought a 51 percent stake in Agatha Christie Limited, the private company that Christie had set up for tax purposes. Booker later increased its stake to 64 percent. In 1998, Booker sold its shares to Chorion, a company whose portfolio also includes the literary estates of Enid Blyton and Dennis Wheatley.

In 2004, a 5,000-word story entitled The Incident of the Dog's Ball was found in the attic of the author's daughter. This story was the original version of the novel Dumb Witness. It was published in Britain in September 2009 in John Curran's Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years Of Mysteries, alongside another newly discovered Poirot story called The Capture of Cerberus (a story with the same title, but a different plot, to that published in The Labours Of Hercules). On 10 November 2009, Reuters announced that The Incident of the Dog's Ball will be published by The Strand Magazine.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Agatha_Christie.png

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/15/11 at 11:14 am


British Person of the Day: Agatha Christie

Dame Agatha Christie, DBE, (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections (especially those featuring Hercule Poirot or Miss Jane Marple), and her successful West End plays.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time and, with William Shakespeare, the best-selling author of any type. She has sold roughly four billion copies of her novels. According to Index Translationum, Christie is the most translated individual author, with only the collective corporate works of Walt Disney Productions surpassing her. Her books have been translated into at least 103 languages.

Agatha Christie published two autobiographies: a posthumous one covering childhood to old age; and another chronicling several seasons of archaeological excavation in Syria and Iraq with her second husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan. The latter was published in 1946 with the title, Come, Tell Me How You Live.

Christie's stage play The Mousetrap holds the record for the longest initial run: it opened at the Ambassadors Theatre in London on 25 November 1952 and as of 2011 is still running after more than 24,000 performances. In 1955, Christie was the first recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's highest honour, the Grand Master Award, and in the same year Witness for the Prosecution was given an Edgar Award by the MWA for Best Play. Many of her books and short stories have been filmed, some more than once (Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile and 4.50 From Paddington for instance), and many have been adapted for television, radio, video games and comics.

In 1968, Booker Books, a subsidiary of the agri-industrial conglomerate Booker-McConnell, bought a 51 percent stake in Agatha Christie Limited, the private company that Christie had set up for tax purposes. Booker later increased its stake to 64 percent. In 1998, Booker sold its shares to Chorion, a company whose portfolio also includes the literary estates of Enid Blyton and Dennis Wheatley.

In 2004, a 5,000-word story entitled The Incident of the Dog's Ball was found in the attic of the author's daughter. This story was the original version of the novel Dumb Witness. It was published in Britain in September 2009 in John Curran's Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years Of Mysteries, alongside another newly discovered Poirot story called The Capture of Cerberus (a story with the same title, but a different plot, to that published in The Labours Of Hercules). On 10 November 2009, Reuters announced that The Incident of the Dog's Ball will be published by The Strand Magazine.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Agatha_Christie.png

Thanks Phil, she was a great author :)

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/15/11 at 11:17 am


Thanks Phil, she was a great author :)
I have read the majority of her books, and and think I only solved two of them before reaching the end.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/15/11 at 11:18 am

The person of the day...Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive.

His notable film roles include federal marshal Samuel Gerard in The Fugitive and its sequel U.S. Marshals, the villain "Two-Face" in Batman Forever, terrorist William Strannix in Under Siege, Agent K in the Men in Black films, former Texas Ranger Woodrow F. Call in Lonesome Dove, Ed Tom Bell in No Country for Old Men, a Texas Ranger in Man of the House and rancher Pete Perkins in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Jones has also portrayed real-life figures such as businessman Howard Hughes, executed murderer Gary Gilmore, Oliver Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter and baseball great Ty Cobb.
Jones moved to New York to become an actor, making his Broadway debut in 1969's A Patriot for Me in a number of supporting roles. In 1970, he landed his first film role, appropriately playing a Harvard student in Love Story (Erich Segal, the author of "Love Story," said that he based the lead character of Oliver on the two undergrad roommates he knew while attending Harvard, Jones and Gore).

In early 1971, he returned to Broadway in Abe Burrows' Four on a Garden where he shared the stage with Carol Channing and Sid Caesar. Between 1971 and 1975, he portrayed Dr. Mark Toland on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. He returned to the stage for a 1974 production of Ulysses in Nighttown with Zero Mostel. In films, he played an escaped convict hunted in Jackson County Jail (1976), a Vietnam veteran in Rolling Thunder (1977) and an automobile mogul, co-starring with Sir Laurence Olivier, in the Harold Robbins drama The Betsy.

In 1980, Jones earned his first Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of country singer Loretta Lynn's husband, Doolittle "Mooney" Lynn, in the popular Coal Miner's Daughter. In 1981, he played a drifter opposite Sally Field in Back Roads, a comedy that received middling reviews.

In 1983, he received an Emmy for Best Actor for his performance as murderer Gary Gilmore in a TV adaptation of Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song. That same year he starred in a pirate adventure, Nate and Hayes, playing the heavily bearded Captain Bully Hayes.

In 1989, he earned another Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Texas Ranger lawman Woodrow F. Call in the acclaimed television mini-series Lonesome Dove, based on the best-seller by Larry McMurtry.

In the 1990s, blockbuster hits such as The Fugitive co-starring Harrison Ford, Batman Forever co-starring Val Kilmer, and Men in Black with Will Smith made Jones one of the best-paid and most in-demand actors in Hollywood. His role in The Fugitive won wide acclaim and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a sequel. When he accepted his Oscar, his head was shaved for his role in the film Cobb, a situation he made light of in his speech with: "All a man can say at a time like this is 'I am not really bald.'"

Among his other well-known performances during the 1990s were those of the accused conspirator Clay Shaw/Clay Bertrand in the 1991 film JFK (earning him another Oscar nomination), as a terrorist who hijacks a U.S. Navy battleship in 1992's Under Siege and as a maximum-security prison warden in way over his head in 1994's Natural Born Killers.

Jones co-starred with director Clint Eastwood as astronauts in the 2000 film Space Cowboys, leading a space rescue mission.

In 2005, the first theatrical feature film Jones directed, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, was presented at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. In it, Jones speaks both English and Spanish. It won him the Best Actor Award. His first film as a director had been in The Good Old Boys in 1995, a made-for-television movie.
Tommy Lee Jones at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.

Two strong performances in 2007 marked a resurgence in Jones' career, one as a beleaguered father investigating the disappearance of his soldier son in In the Valley of Elah, the other as a Texas sheriff hunting an assassin in the Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men. For the former, he was nominated for an Academy Award.

Jones has been a spokesperson for Japanese brewing company Suntory since 2006. He can be seen in various Japanese TV commercials of Suntory's Coffee brand Boss as a character called "Alien Jones," an extraterrestrial who takes the form of a human being to check on the world of humans. There are 30 such commercials that can be seen on YouTube.

In 2010, Jones appeared alongside Ben Affleck in the recession drama, The Company Men. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where early reviews praised Jones' performance as "pitch-perfect". Jones had a role in the Marvel Studios film, Captain America: The First Avenger. He also directed, produced, and co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson in an adaptation of The Sunset Limited.
Film and television credits
Film and television credits Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1970 Love Story Hank Simpson
1971 One Life to Live Dr. Mark Toland TV soap opera
1973 Life Study Gus
1975 Eliza's Horoscope Tommy Lee
1976 Charlie's Angels Aram Kolegian TV, 1 episode
1976 Smash-Up on Interstate 5 Officer Hutton TV
1976 Jackson County Jail Coley Blake
1976 Family David Needham TV, 1 episode
1977 The Amazing Howard Hughes Howard Hughes
1977 Rolling Thunder Corporal Johnny Vohden
1978 The Betsy Angelo Perino
1978 Eyes of Laura Mars John Neville
1980 Coal Miner's Daughter Doolittle 'Mooney' Lynn aka 'Doo' Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1980 Barn Burning Ab Snopes TV
1981 Back Roads Elmore Pratt
1982 The Executioner's Song Gary Mark Gilmore Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie
1982 The Rainmaker Starbuck TV
1983 Nate and Hayes Captain Bully Hayes
1984 The River Rat Billy
1985 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Brick Pollitt TV
1986 The Park is Mine Mitch TV
1986 Black Moon Rising Quint
1986 Yuri Nosenko: Double Agent Steve Daley TV
1987 Broken Vows Pater Joseph McMahon TV
1987 The Big Town George Cole
1988 Stranger on My Land Bud Whitman TV
1988 April Morning Moses Cooper TV
1988 Stormy Monday Cosmo
1988 Gotham Eddie Mallard TV
1989 Lonesome Dove Woodrow F. Call

   Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie
   Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film

1989 The Package Thomas Boyette
1990 Fire Birds Brad Little
1991 JFK Clay Shaw/Clay Bertrand

   Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
   Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

1992 Under Siege William Strannix
1993 House of Cards Jake Beerlander
1993 The Fugitive Marshal Samuel Gerard

   Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
   Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
   Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
   Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
   Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
   MTV Movie Awards for Best On-Screen Duo
   Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

1993 Heaven & Earth Steve Butler
1994 Blown Away Ryan Gaerity Nominated – MTV Movie Awards for Best Villain
1994 The Client 'Reverend' Roy Foltrigg
1994 Natural Born Killers Warden Dwight McClusky
1994 Blue Sky Maj. Henry 'Hank' Marshall
1994 Cobb Ty Cobb
1995 The Good Old Boys Hewey Calloway

   also Director
   Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie

1995 Batman Forever Harvey Dent/Two-Face Nominated – MTV Movie Awards for Best Villain
1997 Volcano Mike Roark
1997 Men in Black Kevin Brown/Agent K

   Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
   Nominated – MTV Movie Awards Best On-Screen Duo

1998 U.S. Marshals Chief Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard
1998 Small Soldiers Chip Hazard Voice
1999 Double Jeopardy Travis Lehman
2000 Rules of Engagement Col. Hayes 'Hodge' Hodges
2000 Space Cowboys William "Hawk" Hawkins
2002 Men in Black II Kevin Brown/Agent K
2003 The Hunted L.T. Bonham
2003 The Missing Samuel Jones/Chaa-duu-ba-its-iidan
2005 Man of the House Roland Sharp
2005 The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Pete Perkins

   also Director
   Best Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival)
   Flanders International Film Festival Grand Prix
   Nominated — Palme d'Or
   Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature (shared with Michael Fitzgerald, Luc Besson and Pierre-Ange Le Pogam)
   Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama

2006 A Prairie Home Companion Axeman Gotham Awards for Best Ensemble Cast
2007 No Country for Old Men Ed Tom Bell

   San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
   Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
   Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
   Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

2007 In the Valley of Elah Hank Deerfield

   Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
   Nominated — London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
   Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama

2008 Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 Himself Interviewed for this documentary, by director Kevin Rafferty, concerning the 1968 Harvard-Yale football game. Jones was an offensive guard.
2009 In the Electric Mist Dave Robicheaux
2010 The Company Men Gene McClary Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
2011 The Sunset Limited White Man Also director and executive producer
2011 Captain America: The First Avenger Colonel Chester Phillips
2012 Men in Black III Kevin Brown/Agent K post-production
2012 Lincoln Thaddeus Stevens filming
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/BlacktongueWilson/tommy-lee-jones-.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/savannahisthesheesh/tommyleejones2.jpg

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/15/11 at 11:20 am


I have read the majority of her books, and and think I only solved two of them before reaching the end.

I hate to say it but it's been over 35 years since I've read one of her books.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/15/11 at 11:22 am


I hate to say it but it's been over 35 years since I've read one of her books.
I must be about 20 years for me.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/15/11 at 11:28 am


I have read the majority of her books, and and think I only solved two of them before reaching the end.
There again, I remember the scenario of the novel of one of them, recalling who the murderer was, but I cannot remember the title of which novel.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/15/11 at 1:01 pm

Tommy Lee Jones was great in "Men In Black" as one of the title characters.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/15/11 at 1:48 pm


Tommy Lee Jones was great in "Men In Black" as one of the title characters.
Great in both Men in Black films.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/15/11 at 1:50 pm


Tommy Lee Jones was great in "Men In Black" as one of the title characters.
Next year, to be seen in Men In Black 3, when Agent J and Agent K are reunited.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/15/11 at 1:51 pm


Next year, to be seen in Men In Black 3, when Agent J and Agent K are reunited.

So there is gonna be a MIB 3?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/15/11 at 1:51 pm


Great in both Men in Black films.

I have seen both of them, too. His MIB costar, Will Smith, celebrates a birthday in ten days, btw.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/15/11 at 1:52 pm


So there is gonna be a MIB 3?
Check here

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/15/11 at 1:55 pm


Check here

So, next May. That'll mark ten years since MIB 2 came out.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/15/11 at 2:05 pm


So, next May. That'll mark ten years since MIB 2 came out.
has it ten years already?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/15/11 at 2:08 pm


has it ten years already?

Yep. MIB2 opened in theaters in 2002. I saw it in July of that year.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/15/11 at 2:30 pm


Tommy Lee Jones was great in "Men In Black" as one of the title characters.


I saw all of the MIB films.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/15/11 at 2:30 pm


Next year, to be seen in Men In Black 3, when Agent J and Agent K are reunited.


wow that's amazing.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/15/11 at 2:54 pm


I saw all of the MIB films.

There's only 2 of them so far, but the 3rd one is in production, as stated a few posts above:



Check here

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/15/11 at 3:09 pm


Yep. MIB2 opened in theaters in 2002. I saw it in July of that year.
btw, there is a Men in Black film from 1934 which starred the Three Stooges

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/15/11 at 3:11 pm


There's only 2 of them so far, but the 3rd one is in production, as stated a few posts above:


Unless Howard is thinking of the TV series from the late 1990's?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/15/11 at 6:54 pm


btw, there is a Men in Black film from 1934 which starred the Three Stooges

I don't think I have seen that episode yet. Actually, I might have... I think one of the lines was "Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, and Dr. Howard"?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/15/11 at 6:54 pm


Unless Howard is thinking of the TV series from the late 1990's?

That is a possibility; it was based on the movie...but it was an animated series (i.e., a cartoon). I never watched that.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/16/11 at 1:46 am


I don't think I have seen that episode yet. Actually, I might have... I think one of the lines was "Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, and Dr. Howard"?
I must start watching The Three Stooges.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/16/11 at 1:47 am


That is a possibility; it was based on the movie...but it was an animated series (i.e., a cartoon). I never watched that.
It all started as a comic book, of which I never saw in the shops.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Howard on 09/16/11 at 7:05 am


Unless Howard is thinking of the TV series from the late 1990's?


I don't remember the TV version?  ???

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/16/11 at 12:12 pm


I must start watching The Three Stooges.

I used to watch them a lot; they often aired on the AMC channel (American Movie Classics); I think that channel still shows them periodically, but I forget what time.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/16/11 at 12:14 pm


I used to watch them a lot; they often aired on the AMC channel (American Movie Classics); I think that channel still shows them periodically, but I forget what time.
I can always start with YouTube.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/16/11 at 12:16 pm


I can always start with YouTube.

Oh yes; they have some Three Stooges clips there. Including some eps that culminate with a pie fight...which would often get out of hand.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/16/11 at 12:20 pm


Oh yes; they have some Three Stooges clips there. Including some eps that culminate with a pie fight...which would often get out of hand.
Which would be the best clip to start with?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: nally on 09/16/11 at 12:28 pm


Which would be the best clip to start with?

How about "Disorder in the Court"?

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: Philip Eno on 09/16/11 at 12:29 pm


How about "Disorder in the Court"?
Thanks, I will check that out when I am next on the main computer, I'm currently on the laptop.

Subject: Re: ninny's New Person & Word of the Day

Written By: ninny on 09/16/11 at 1:03 pm

The person of the day...B.B. King
Riley B. King (born September 16, 1925), known by the stage name B.B. King ("B.B." short for Blues Boy), is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter acclaimed for his expressive singing and fluid, complex guitar playing.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the "100 greatest guitarists of all time". According to Edward M. Komara, King "introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed." King has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 1949, King began recording songs under contract with Los Angeles-based RPM Records. Many of King's early recordings were produced by Sam Phillips, who later founded Sun Records. Before his RPM contract, King had debuted on Bullet Records by issuing the single "Miss Martha King" (1949), which did not chart well. "My very first recordings were for a company out of Nashville called Bullet, the Bullet Record Transcription company," King recalls. "I had horns that very first session. I had Phineas Newborn on piano; his father played drums, and his brother, Calvin, played guitar with me. I had Tuff Green on bass, Ben Branch on tenor sax, his brother, Thomas Branch, on trumpet, and a lady trombone player. The Newborn family were the house band at the famous Plantation Inn in West Memphis."
Performing with his famous guitar, Lucille

King assembled his own band; the B.B. King Review, under the leadership of Millard Lee. The band initially consisted of Calvin Owens and Kenneth Sands (trumpet), Lawrence Burdin (alto saxophone), George Coleman (tenor saxophone), Floyd Newman (baritone saxophone), Millard Lee (piano), George Joyner (bass) and Earl Forest and Ted Curry (drums). Onzie Horne was a trained musician elicited as an arranger to assist King with his compositions. By his own admission, he cannot play chords well and always relies on improvisation. This was followed by tours across the USA with performances in major theaters in cities such as Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit and St. Louis, as well as numerous gigs in small clubs and juke joints of the southern US states.

In the winter of 1949, King played at a dance hall in Twist, Arkansas. In order to heat the hall, a barrel half-filled with kerosene was lit, a fairly common practice at the time. During a performance, two men began to fight, knocking over the burning barrel and sending burning fuel across the floor. The hall burst into flames, which triggered an evacuation. Once outside, King realized that he had left his guitar inside the burning building. He entered the blaze to retrieve his beloved $30 guitar, a Gibson semi-hollow electric. Two people died in the fire. The next day, King learned that the two men were fighting over a woman named Lucille. King named that first guitar Lucille, as well as every one he owned since that near-fatal experience, as a reminder never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over women.

King meanwhile toured the entire "Chitlin' circuit" and 1956 became a record-breaking year, with 342 concerts booked. The same year he founded his own record label, Blues Boys Kingdom, with headquarters at Beale Street in Memphis. There, among other projects, he produced artists such as Millard Lee and Levi Seabury.

In the 1950s, B.B. King became one of the most important names in R&B music, amassing an impressive list of hits including "3 O'Clock Blues", "You Know I Love You," "Woke Up This Morning," "Please Love Me," "When My Heart Beats like a Hammer," "Whole Lotta Love," "You Upset Me Baby," "Every Day I Have the Blues", "Sneakin' Around," "Ten Long Years," "Bad Luck," "Sweet Little Angel", "On My Word of Honor," and "Please Accept My Love." In 1962, King signed to ABC-Paramount Records, which was later absorbed into MCA Records, and then his current label, Geffen Records. In November 1964, King recorded the Live at the Regal album at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois.

King won a Grammy Award for a tune called "The Thrill Is Gone"; his version became a hit on both the pop and R&B charts, which was rare during that time for an R&B artist. It also gained the number 183 spot in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. He gained further visibility among rock audiences as an opening act on The Rolling Stones' 1969 American Tour. King's mainstream success continued throughout the 1970s with songs like "To Know You is to Love You" and "I Like to Live the Love".

King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980. In 2004 he was awarded the international Polar Music Prize, given to artists "in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music."
B.B. King in concert in France 1989

From the 1980s onward he has continued to maintain a highly visible and active career, appearing on numerous television shows and performing 300 nights a year. In 1988, King reached a new generation of fans with the single "When Love Comes to Town", a collaborative effort between King and the Irish band U2 on their Rattle and Hum album. In 2000, King teamed up with guitarist Eric Clapton to record Riding With the King. In 1998, King appeared in The Blues Brothers 2000, playing the part of the lead singer of the Louisiana Gator Boys, along with Clapton, Dr. John, Koko Taylor and Bo Diddley.
2006–present: farewell tour and later activities

Aged 80 at the time, on March 29, 2006, King played at Hallam Arena in Sheffield, England. This was the first date of his United Kingdom and European farewell tour. He played this tour supported by Northern Irish guitarist Gary Moore, with whom King had previously toured and recorded, including the song "Since I Met You Baby". The British leg of the tour ended on April 4 with a concert at Wembley Arena. And on June 28, 2009 King returned to Wembley arena to end a tour around Great Britain with British blues icon John Mayall. When questioned as to why he was embarking on another tour after already completing his farewell stint, King jokingly remarked that he had never actually said the farewell tour would be his last.

In July King went back to Europe, playing twice (July 2 and 3) in the 40th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival and also in Zürich at the Blues at Sunset on July 14. During his show in Montreux at the Stravinski Hall he jammed with Joe Sample, Randy Crawford, David Sanborn, Gladys Knight, Lella James, Earl Thomas, Stanley Clarke, John McLaughlin, Barbara Hendricks and George Duke. The European leg of the Farewell Tour ended in Luxembourg on September 19, 2006, at the D'Coque Arena (support act: Todd Sharpville).

In November and December, King played six times in Brazil. During a press conference on November 29 in São Paulo, a journalist asked King if that would be the actual farewell tour. He answered: "One of my favorite actors is a man from Scotland named Sean Connery. Most of you know him as James Bond, 007. He made a movie called Never Say Never Again."

In June 2006, King was present at a memorial of his first radio broadcast at the Three Deuces Building in Greenwood, Mississippi, where an official marker of the Mississippi Blues Trail was erected. The same month, a groundbreaking was held for a new museum, dedicated to King. in Indianola, Mississippi. The museum opened on September 13, 2008.
B.B. King at Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Ontario (May 2007)

In late October 2006, he recorded a concert CD and DVD entitled B.B. King: Live at his B.B. King Blues Clubs in Nashville and Memphis. The four night production featured his regular B.B. King Blues Band and captured his show as he performs it nightly around the world. It was his first live performance recording in 14 years.

On July 28, 2007, King played at Eric Clapton's second Crossroads Guitar Festival with 20 other guitarists to raise money for the Crossroads Centre for addictive disorders. Performing in Chicago, he played "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss", "Rock Me Baby" and "Thrill is Gone" (although the latter was not published on the DVD release) with Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan and Hubert Sumlin. In a poignant moment during the live broadcast, he offered a toast to the concert's host, Eric Clapton, and also reflected upon his own life and seniority. Adding to the poignancy, the four-minute speech — which had been underlaid with a mellow chord progression by Robert Cray throughout — made a transition to an emotional rendition of "Thrill is Gone". Parts of this performance were subsequently aired in a PBS broadcast and released on the Crossroads II DVD.

Also in 2007, King accepted an invitation to contribute to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard Records). With Ivan Neville's DumpstaPhunk, King contributed his version of the title song, "Goin' Home".

In 2007 King performed "One Shoe Blues" on the Sandra Boynton children's album Blue Moo, accompanied by a pair of sock puppets in the video.

In June 2008, King played at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee; he was also the final performer at the 25th annual Chicago Blues Festival on June 8, 2008, and at the Monterey Blues Festival, following Taj Mahal. Another June 2008 event was King's induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame alongside Liza Minnelli and Sir James Galway.

In July 2008, Sirius XM Radio's Bluesville channel was re-named B.B. King's Bluesville.

On December 1, 2008, King performed at the Maryland Theater in Hagerstown, Maryland. On December 3, King and John Mayer were the closing act at the 51st Grammy Nomination Concert, playing "Let the Good Times Roll" by Louis Jordan. On December 30, 2008, King played at The Kennedy Center Honors Awards Show; his performance was in honor of actor Morgan Freeman.
European Tour 2009, Vienna, July 2009

In Summer 2009 B.B. King started a European Tour with concerts in France, Germany, Belgium, Finland and Denmark.

In March 2010, King contributed to Cyndi Lauper's album Memphis Blues, which was released on June 22, 2010.

King performed at the Mawazine festival in Rabat, Morocco, on May 27, 2010.

On June 25, 2011 BB King played the pyramid stage at The Glastonbury Music Festival. On the June 28 he opened his new European tour at The Royal Albert Hall, London, supported by Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Ronnie Wood, Mick Hucknall and Slash.

Over a period of 62 years, B.B. King has played in excess of 15,000 performances.
    In 1980, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
    In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
    In 1990, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
    In 1991, he was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship from the NEA.

A commemorative guitar pick honoring "B.B. King Day" in Portland, Maine.

    King was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in 1995. This is given to recognize "the lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents of our nation's most prestigious artists."
    In 2004, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music awarded him the Polar Music Prize for his "significant contributions to the blues".
    On December 15, 2006, President George W. Bush awarded King the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
    On May 27, 2007, King was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by Brown University.
    On May 14, 2008, King was presented with the keys to the city of Utica, New York; and on May 18, 2008, the mayor of Portland, Maine, Edward Suslovic, declared the day "B.B. King Day" in the city. Prior to King's performance at the Merrill Auditorium, Suslovic presented King with the keys to the city.
    In 2009, TIME named B.B. King No.3 on its list of the 10 best electric guitarists of all time.
    Each year during the first week in June, a B.B. King Homecoming Festival is held in Indianola, Mississippi.
    A Mississippi Blues Trail marker was added for B.B. King, commemorating his birthplace.
    On May 29, 2010, Sabrosa Park (at the small town of Sabrosa, north of Portugal) was renamed B.B. King Park in honor of King and the free concert he played before 20,000 people.

Grammy Awards

King was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987. As of 2009, he has won 15 Grammy Awards, of which ten have been the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album: in 2009 (for One Kind Favor), 2005 (B. B. King & Friends: 80), 2003 (for A Christmas Celebration of Hope), 2001 (for Riding with the King), 2000 (for Blues on the Bayou), 1994 (for Blues Summit), 1992 (for Live at the Apollo), 1991 (for Live at San Quentin), 1986 (for My Guitar Sings the Blues) and 1984 (for Blues 'N' Jazz). In 1982, he won the Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording (for There Must Be a Better World Somewhere). The Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk was last given in 1986; the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album was first given in 1983. In 1997, he won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance (with other artists, for "SRV Shuffle"). In 1971, he won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for "The Thrill Is Gone"). A Grammy Hall of Fame Award was given to "The Thrill is Gone" in 1998, an award given to recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance."
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