mini Biography

My Chemical Romance

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 04:02:00 +0000

Nickname
MCR
My Chem
The Black Parade

Spouse
Lindsey Ann Ballato (3 September 2007 - present)

Trivia

Frontman Gerard Way was a failed animator prior to forming the band.

My Chemical Romance consists of: Gerard Way (vocals), Frank Iero and Ray Toro (guitars), Bob Bryar (drums) and Mikey Way (bass). Matt Pelissier Originally played drums in the band but left and was replaced by Bob.

Bob was once a drum tech for The Used and met My Chemical Romance while on tour with them.

Gerard graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He then spent the next few years trying to work as a comic book artist before finally settling with Funhaus, a company which designed and sculpted Marvel Comics action figures for preschoolers.

In 2001, Gerard was trying to sell an animated television series to the Cartoon Network called "The Breakfast Monkey" about a Scandinavian flying imp who harnessed a special power called Breakfast Magic, allowing him to create and manipulate an assorted menu of breakfast food. (Cartoon Network turned down the pitch because they already had a food-related show in production, Aqua Teen Hunger Force.)

Mikey coined the band's name when he reshelved the book "Ecstacy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance", by Irvine Welsh, while working at a Barnes and Noble.

Ray studied film at William Paterson University before joining My Chemical Romance

Gerard Way and Mikey Way are brothers. Gerard is three years, five months, and two days older than Mikey.

Bob replaced Matt Pelissier in 2004. Matt was the original drummer and one of the founders of My Chemical Romance.

Gerard drew the cover art of the band's second album, "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge".

Mikey learned to play bass specifically because My Chemical Romance needed a bass player.

Mikey was a intern at Eyeball Records, which was My Chemical Romance's debut label.

Guitarist Frank Iero suffers from Epstein Barr virus, a sickness that weakens the immune system which makes Iero fatigued and constantly ill.

In May of 2006, Mikey Way got Lasik eye surgery and will no longer have glasses. He has had glasses since he was 9 years old.

Bassist Mikey Way is engaged to girlfriend Alicia Simmons.

The band members hail from Belleville and Kearny, New Jersey, except drummer Bob Bryar, who is from Chicago, Illinois

Bob Bryar is the only member that is not married.

Personal Quotes

[Gerard] "If for one minute you think you're better than a sixteen year old girl in a Green Day t-shirt, you are sorely mistaken. Remember the first time you went to a show and saw your favorite band. You wore their shirt, and sang every word. You didn't know anything about scene politics, haircuts, or what was cool. All you knew was that this music made you feel different from anyone you shared a locker with. Someone finally understood you. This is what music is about."

[Mikey] "We always had a vision, but we weren't sure if it would translate or just come off as pretentious." (On starting the band)

Where Are They Now

(April 2006) Currently working on their third album with Rob Cavallo, which has been rumoured to be called The Black Parade

(March 2007) Currently on tour in the UK
source : www.imdb.com

Mariah Carey

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:55:00 +0000

Date of Birth
27 March 1969, Huntington, New York, USA

Birth Name
Mariah Angela Carey

Nickname
Songbird
MC
Mirage
Mimi
The Voice

Height
5' 9¼" (1.76 m)

Mini Biography

Mariah Carey was born in Long Island, New York on March 27, 1969. Her parents are Patricia Hickey (Irish-American) and Alfred Roy Carey (African-American/Venezuelan). Mariah attended Greenlawn's Harborfields High School. In June of 1990 Mariah made her debut with "Mariah Carey" which entered at #73, but on August 4 1990 it reached #1. Her 1990 self-titled debut album went multi-platinum and spawned an extraordinary four consecutive #1 singles: "Vision of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Someday" and "I Don't Wanna Cry," and led to Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist. Her 1993 album titled Music Box went ten-times platinum. On September 30th 1995, she made music history. Her single "Fantasy" from her 1995 Daydream album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first female artist to accomplish a number one debut in the U.S. Her other Daydream's single "One Sweet Day" remained for 16 weeks at the top of the charts. She is the only artist since The Beatles to have so many #1 singles and albums. With "Heartbreaker", the first single from her 1999 album Rainbow and also her 14 #1 single, she became the only artist to top the charts in each year of the 1990s, and with "Heartbreaker" at its 60th week atop the Billboard's charts, she pushed ahead of The Beatles's 59-week record as the only artist with the most cumulative weeks spent atop Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. Following "Heartbreaker", her second single "Thank God I Found You" also from her Rainbow album became her 15th #1. "We Belong Together" from her 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi became her 16th #1 single and was also her first #1 without any guest artists since her song "My All" (also a #1 single) captured the top spot in May 1998. The single "Don't Forget About Us" also from her 2005 album Emancipation of Mimi became her 17th #1 single, tying her with Elvis Presley's 17 #1 singles. Three more Grammy Awards were gained from The Emancipation of Mimi album. She is the most successful selling female artist in music history and is the only female artist to have the most #1 singles and albums and also holds the record for straight #1 singles and albums each year. Along with numerous awards and incredible vocal range, she also composes all of her own material, with the exception of song covers.

In April 2008, the single "Touch My Body" became her 18th #1 single, pushing her ahead of Elvis Presley's 17 #1 singles. Now she is the only artist since The Beatles to have as many number one singles and the only singer alive likely to succeed them.

Spouse
Nick Cannon (30 April 2008 - present)
Tommy Mottola (5 June 1993 - 5 March 1998) (divorced)

Trade Mark

Beauty mark just below her mouth.

Labels her albums, videos, photographs, and clothing with butterflies.

Spectacular range spanning 5 octaves.

Sings in long, intricate phrases in the Whistle register range (as heard on such songs as 'Emotions', 'Anytime you Need a Friend', 'Dreamlover', Bliss' and 'O Holy Night', etc.)

Trivia

Bought Marilyn Monroe's white lacquered baby grand piano at auction in October, 1999 for $600,000 plus commission.

Got her name from the song "They Call The Wind Maria" (spelled 'Maria' without the H, but pronounced 'Mariah'). The popular Lerner & Loewe musical Paint Your Wagon (1969), starring Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood, which was enjoying a great deal of success after its release in 1969, and the song containing Mariah's name, was a favorite of mother Patricia.

Worked a variety of odd jobs to support herself, including hat/coat-checker, hostess, hair sweeper in hair salons, and waitress. She stated that she got fired from all her jobs because of her attitude and was concentrating of becoming a backing singer and mixing demos.

Dated Latin singer Luis Miguel.

Attended Oldfield Middle School and Harborfield High School.

Father is Black/Venezuelan American. Mother is White Irish-American.

Honored by the Congressional Award in Washington, DC with the 1999 Horizon Award. The Horizon Award is a special recognition from the Joint Leadership of the United States Congress and the Congressional Award Board of Directors. The Horizon Award is presented to individuals from the private sectors who have contributed to expanding opportunities for all Americans through their own personal contributions, and who have set exceptional examples for young people through their successes in life.

The only female artist (and second artist or group ever) to have 18 #1 songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Made her singing debut, age 20. [1990]

Had the nickname "Mirage" in high school, because she never showed up for class.

According to her spokesperson, Mariah suffered a physical and emotional breakdown, and spent the next couple weeks recovering in a Connecticut mental hospital. [25 July 2001]

Appeared on the benefit concert "A Tribute To Heroes" and sang the song "Hero" in dedication to the families, friends, victims, and heroes of the World Trade Center tragedy. [September 2001]

Signed an $80 million deal with Virgin Records for her next four albums. [2001]

Founder of Camp Mariah, a serene escape located in Fishkill, New York for inner-city youth to embrace the arts, introduce career opportunities, and build self-esteem.

Named one of People Magazine's '25 Most Intriguing People of 2001'.

Virgin Records bought out her $80 million contract for $28 million. The primary reason being the failure of her Glitter (2001) album and film. [26 January 2002]

Single 'One Sweet Day' holds the record for the single staying most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (a record 16 weeks)

With 18 #1 hits, she is in 2nd place among all artists with the most No. 1s in music history, with The Beatles remaining in first place with 20. She surpassed Elvis Presley's 17 #1 hits with "Touch My Body" as her 18th #1.

Owns a three floor apartment in New York City

Signed a three-album deal with Island/Def Jam records for a reported $21-24 million. She had already started work on a new album, which had no release date at that point. Meanwhile, WiseGirls (2002), her movie with Mira Sorvino, premiered on HBO in the fall of 2002. [May 2002]

Voted in at #36 in FHM's Sexiest Girls of 2002 poll, American edition.

Her seventh studio album, titled 'Charmbracelet', will be released on December 3, 2002, a week earlier than originally planned.

Is the most successful female singer-songwriter of all time, with 17 #1 hits and more than 160 million records sold worldwide.

Measurements: 34BC-22-35 (before implants in 1998). (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

Her paternal Venezuelan grandfather's name was Francisco Nuñez. He changed his last name Nuñez to Carey after moving to New York City; he hoped an American name would help him make a good life in the US. He took the name Carey from his biological father. Francisco's mother Margarita Nuñez was with a man named Carey, but they were not married.

Used to be a backup singer for Brenda Starr.

The first single from the Glitter (2001) soundtrack, "Loverboy," was the #1 best selling single in the year 2001.

Has worked with an extensive amount of musicians, including: Brian McKnight, Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Cam'ron, Carole King, Céline Dion, Michael Jackson, 98 Degrees, Joe, Da Brat, Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott, Aretha Franklin, Shania Twain and many, many more.

She has twice recorded Phil Collins' song "Against All Odds", initially on her album "Rainbow" and then a collaboration with Westlife hit number one in the UK in 2000.

Her mother Patricia Hickey is a former mezzo-soprano New York City opera singer and a freelance vocal coach. Patricia was also Mariah's vocal coach. Her father Alfred Roy Carey was an aeronautical engineer.

Her highest note thus far was a G#7 (a few keys from the top of a piano) hit during two live performances of "Emotions" in 1991. Also, she has hit an A2 in her 1998 hit "My All," verifying her 5-octave range. Also, celebrity vocal coach Mark Baxter says that he has heard Mariah sing past the top note on the piano.

Her siblings are Alison and Morgan, and are significantly older by eight years.

Mariah writes and co-writes as well as produces and co-produces her own songs, including all of her number one hits (with the exception of her cover of "I'll Be There").

Her wedding to Tommy Mottola was modeled after the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Her excuse for using the royal wedding as basis for her own was that she never really had much interest in weddings as a girl, and she wanted to know what such a gala affair should be like. Even the tiara she wore, a family heirloom, was redesigned to look like Princess Diana's. Her wedding dress was an ivory-silk duchess satin gown designed by Vera Wang, with a 8.25 m (27') train and matching satin pumps. The whole affair cost almost $US0.5M, not including the 1893 sixpence Mariah put in one of her shoes for luck.

With "Heartbreaker," the first single from her 1999 album Rainbow, she became the only artist to top the charts in each year of the 1990s.

Made music history when "Fantasy" (from her 1995 album Daydream) became a #1. With "Fantasy", Mariah became the first female artist to debut at number one in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100s. "Heartbreaker," the first single from her 1999 album Rainbow became her 14#1 single, and with "Heartbreaker", it marked Mariah's 60th week atop the charts, which broke a long-standing 59-week record established by the Beatles as the artist with the most weeks at #1 in the 41-year history of the Billboard's Hot 100. "Thank God I Found You" also from Rainbow album was her 15 #1. "We Belong Together" from her 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi became her 16th #1 single, is also Hot 100's Greatest Airplay Gainer, and moved to #1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart to become her ninth #1 chart topper there. It is also her first #1 without any guest artists since her song "My All" captured the top spot in May 1998. "Don't Forget About Us" became her 17th #1 single, tying her with Elvis Presley's 17 #1 singles. She beat Elvis Presley's record with "Touch My Body" as her 18th #1 single.

Some of her prestigious awards include 5 Grammies, numerous grammy nominations, numerous Radio Music Awards, many American Music Awards, Billboard's "Artist of the Decade" Award and the World Music Award for "World's Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium" to name a few.

Her mother Patricia discovered Mariah's talent in 1972 while rehearsing at home for her New York City Opera debut as Maddalena in Verdi's Rigoletto. Patricia said, "From the time Mariah was a tiny girl. she sang on true pitch; she was able to hear sound and duplicate it exactly. I missed my cue, but Mariah didn't. She sang it - in Italian - at exactly the right point. She wasn't even yet 3." From then on, Patricia began coaching Mariah.

Some of her albums feature the serif typeface friz quadrata.

Ranked #47 in Askmen's "Most Desirable Woman" (2001)

Ranked #99 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women" (2001)

Ranked #17 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women" (2000)

Some of her musical influences include Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Minnie Riperton and Stevie Wonder.

The Emancipation Of Mimi, named the biggest-selling album of 2005, generated an all-time career-high 8 Grammy nominations for Mariah. The album includes Mariah's 16th and 17th #1 career singles, "We Belong Together" and "Don't Forget About Us," respectively - which tied one of the most enduring chart records in Billboard Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley's 17 #1's. She passed Elvis Presley with her 18th #1 single "Touch My Body". Mariah is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 50 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to match or surpass the Beatles' all-time high 20 #1 hits.

For the first time in history, a non current song, "All I want for Christmas is you" (1994) reached the #1 spot in the Digital Songs and Tracks the week of December 22th 2005.

Was among the guests at Usher Raymond's 26th birthday party.

Her godmother is Patti LaBelle

Named #15 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005)

Her longest note is in her song "Lead the Way", where she holds a note for about 21 seconds long. In full-voice (no Whistle) she can sing up to G6, as in the song "You're So Cold" where she Ad-Libs down to F2 (two notes lower than the A2 in 'My All') and back up to F6, seconds later, she hits F7# in the Whistle register.

Studied over 500 hours of beauty school and hair salon prior to becoming a singer.

Composes all of her own material, except for song covers.

Named #28 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).

Gave acclaimed performances at State Kremlin Palace, Moscow, and in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2003.

The first presents that Mariah indulged herself, were a Ford Mustang convertible and an apartment with a stunning view in New York's Upper East Side on the 21st floor of a high-rise building. She decorated it with her idol's posters (Marilyn Monroe) and lived there with her two cats Ninja and Thompkins.

Use to be a vegetarian but stopped for ex-husband Tommy Mottola.

Ranked #19 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.

According to some reports, insured her body for $10M during the shooting of Glitter (2001).

Is mentioned in the Vanessa Hudgens song, "Promise" and the Freeway song "Flipside".

2001: Had a breakdown with the press, grabbed an interviewer's tape recorder and spoke directly to her fans: "I want them to know that this is a freaking, complete clown-fest".

Is the only act to have had a number one single in the US every year of the 1990's.

March 2003: The Guiness Book of World Records awarded her the record for the highest note hit by a human, after she hit the G7# note during a live performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner".

1998: Toured Australia and said the highlight of her trip was swimming with dolphins.

Her official website features "Mariahisms", her favorite sayings, including "Lamb", "Bing bong" and "Okie dokie smokey".

Admires Marilyn Monroe.

Named "America's Most Misunderstood Black Woman", by Essence magazine.

Failed her driver's license test three times.

In the mid 1990's, thanked her mother by buying her a house. She gathered her mother's possessions and put them in the new house, as well as framing photos and putting them on the wall. Then she pretended they were just looking at the house. Mariah says: "It was the most incredible thing I've ever been able to do".

Wanted to be a genie when she was a kid.

154 thousand copies of her new album, E=MC2, were sold on its first day of release. (April 2008).

Merited a place in Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" (Artists & Entertainers section) with a tribute written by Stevie Wonder (Issue May 12, 2008).

Ranked #71 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.

Has a dog named JJ.

Personal Quotes

[Madison Square Garden, 1995] This is for all of you out there tonight, reaching for a dream - don't ever give up! Never ever listen to anyone, when they try to discourage you, because they do that, believe me!

[taking a swipe at her critics at the 1999 Billboard Music awards] Forget the image, forget the ensemble, forget the rumors, forget the short skirts, the big hair, whatever! I owe this to the fans and I will never forget you so I want to accept this award on behalf of all of you. We've come a long way and I feel like I'm just getting started. Because as an artist, and most importantly as a person, I am genuinely happy to finally be free to be who I am. Thank you.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel . . . hopefully it's not a freight train!

Music is what I love and it's what I feel and it's in me and to know that I can do something that I enjoy and hopefully bring some enjoyment to other people through what I do is an incrediable feeling and I am just really thankful for it

[on the importance of her music] One person could say, "'Hero' is a schmaltzy piece of garbage', but another person can write me a letter and say, "I've considered committing suicide every day of my life for the last ten years until I heard that song and I realized after all I can be my own hero". And that, that's an unexplainable feeling, like I've done something with my life, ya know?

[interview in Hip Hop Magazine] A lot of the time they [the media] form the idea in listeners' minds. Calling me a "pop diva" without listening to my work so when I come out with an urban song it's like, "Pop diva goes black". I mean, puh-lease.

Butterflies are always following me, everywhere I go.

I'm not one of those people that goes into details of my personal life on national TV to get attention. Some things are better left unsaid

A lot of people are singing about how screwed up the world is, and I don't think that everybody wants to hear about that all the time.

I'm not vain, I'm insecure.

I decided to make my own ski-wear range after I found there were no fashion outfits for me to wear on the piste.

It's hard to be someone that people talk about and write about, you know? They don't know me.

I prayed very hard for this to happen and it happened. I don't even think about what I've achieved, I haven't focused on it and I wish I had, because I really want to enjoy it, and I don't know if I am enjoying it, because I am going through my life like a bulldozer. I still haven't marveled at it. I don't mind being compared to [Whitney Houston], there are people miles worse to be compared to, but if you really listen there's a difference.

People all of a sudden just see me and hear me having hit records and it seems to have come out of the blue. But really I have been working towards this my whole life, and this is what I say when people say I haven't paid my dues.

What I write is all from my imagination. Fact is, I haven't had time to experience all that, but that doesn't mean to say that I don't write from the heart, because I do. I put myself in other women's shoes, I can feel their pain and joy when I think about it. It's all the same, we're all women.

There's never been anything else in my life that inspired me at all. It's crazy, but I've always loved music and I've always known this was what I wanted to do. I can't remember a time when I didn't want to be a singer.

Someone said I never paid any dues. I feel my whole life was struggling, because we were poor. We were alone, we had nothing--no security. I feel I have paid my dues. I've been paying my dues all my life.

[on her parents' divorce] They went through some very hard times before I was born. They had their dogs poisoned, their cars set on fire and blown up. It put a strain on their relationship that never quit. There was always this tension. They just fought all the time.

I've always said that my father is half black and half Venezuelan and my mother is Irish. But people don't understand. They can't fathom that I'm African-American, Venezuelan and Irish.

And maybe there are some people out there who think a quarter Venezuelan is not a lot . . . Well, I may be only one quarter, but it's a strong quarter.

There was a time when all I was allowed to do was go to gay clubs, because my quote-unquote husband was so afraid of me being around straight people.

[on her glamor influences] Raquel Welch, Ursula Andress--I liked their little ensembles . . . You've got to throw Farrah Fawcett in there, too. I had the Farrah doll. She was my little style inspiration.

[on her height] I don't know why, but everybody thinks that I'm short. When they see me for the first time, women are always surprised to be obliged to raise their head.

I rarely go to bed before 5 or 6 am. I am a girl of the night. I hate getting up before 2 pm. And when I get up, I don't have breakfast, just a slice of pizza. I'm composing my songs in bed, because I'm getting inspired when I'm about to sink into sleep. The night inspires me.

I'd humbly like to become an inspiration to the biracial kids, who are the population of the new millennium. I'm everything and nothing at the same time: white, black and Latino. If I've managed to be accepted, the others can do it, too.

I can remember when I told myself for the first time, "I'm going to be rich and famous". I was about 5 or 6. I was in my mother's car, an old green dirty car. My sister was there, too. She was humming; she was about 15, she had just gotten married because she was pregnant. We were on a supermarket parking lot, and I was looking at the wealthy people through the window; I told myself, "I am going to be a star and I'll buy all these things for us".

I was the world's worst waitress.

[on not wanting to have kids] I would feel violated . . . I know that's a kind of weird thing to say, but that's how I am . . . It's hard to have kids in this world. I don't think I could properly educate a child right now. Maybe in the future, but I actually haven't thought about it. For now I enjoy my dog Jack's company. It's definitely because of childhood traumatic stuff. The whole not wanting to have a baby as a baby.

Where Are They Now

(February 2005) Promoting her new album, The Emancipation of Mimi, which is due out in April 2005.

(April 2005) Released her 10th studio album, "The Emancipation Of Mimi".

(January 2006) Has released her latest record "The Emancipation Of Mimi: Ultra Platinum Edition". The record is a celebration of the record "The Emancipation Of Mimi"'s success. Four bonus tracks have been included into this special record.

(April 2006) Filming Tennessee (2008) and putting together a summer tour.

(May 2007) In Anguilla working on her new studio album.

source : www.imdb.com

Katie Holmes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:48:00 +0000

Date of Birth
18 December 1978, Toledo, Ohio, USA

Birth Name
Kate Noelle Holmes

Height
5' 9" (1.75 m)

Mini Biography

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Katie Holmes acted in high school theater productions before meeting a manager who encouraged her to go to LA for television's pilot season. She won a part in the acclaimed feature film The Ice Storm (1997) in her very first audition, but she didn't stop there. A videotape was sent to "Dawson's Creek" (1998), a new production by the acclaimed writer Kevin Williamson (Scream (1996/I), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)), which landed her the series regular role of Joey Potter.

Mini Biography

Born two months premature at four pounds, Kate Noelle Holmes made her first appearance on December 18, 1978, in Toledo, Ohio. Her parents, Martin and Kathleen, say that her strong-willed personality is probably from being born premature. Being the youngest in the Holmes clan, completing the family of three other sisters and one brother, Katie was always the baby. As a teenager, she began attending modeling school. When she was sixteen, her teacher invited her to go to a modeling competition with other girls from her class. She competed in the International Modeling and Talent Association by singing, dancing, and reciting a monologue from To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). By the end of that time in New York, Katie won many awards. But she said she didn't want to model because it wasn't challenging enough. So when she was seventeen, Katie went to Los Angeles to audition for movies. Luckily, on her second audition, she was cast in the movie, The Ice Storm (1997), directed by Ang Lee. Katie's character was Libbets Casey, a rich New Yorker, who is pursued by two of the main characters. It was a small part, but it marked the beginning of her professional acting career.

After the excitement of her first movie, Katie began sending in audition tapes for pilot shows. During that time, she was also starring in her all-girls Catholic high school musical, Damn Yankees, as Lola. After Kevin Williamson received her audition tape for his new show, "Dawson's Creek" (1998), the producers wanted her to come to Hollywood right away and read live for them. But because they wanted her to come on the opening night for Damn Yankees, Katie had to tell them she couldn't make it. Fortunately, the show's producers wanted her so much for that role, they rescheduled her callback and the result was she got the part as Joey Potter.

During her first year with "Dawson's Creek" (1998), Katie was able to do two movies, Disturbing Behavior (1998) and Go (1999), and, for the former, she won Best Breakthrough Female Performance in the 1999 MTV Movie Awards. The following year, she starred next to Michael Douglas in Wonder Boys (2000), playing Hannah Green, a published author and a boarder at her teacher's (Douglas) house, who has a crush on him, and tries to seduce him.

Her first leading role came in 2002, with Abandon (2002). She played a college student named Katie Burke, who is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her boyfriend who vanished two years prior.

With "Dawson's Creek" (1998) coming to a close after six years in May of 2003, it was a bittersweet thing for all the cast. Accustomed to being in North Carolina filming ten months out of a year, the cast members now had the opportunity to make more movies. Katie demonstrated this in October, when she had two new movies, Pieces of April (2003) and The Singing Detective (2003), coming out in that month alone. Pieces of April (2003) is a charming Thanksgiving movie about April (Holmes), the black sheep of her family, who wants to give her family the perfect dinner before her mother passes on. The Singing Detective (2003) is a dark musical where the main character (Robert Downey Jr.) is a writer in a hospital for skin conditions who writes a dark world of seduction and murder in his mind. Katie Holmes plays the kind Nurse Mills who tends to his every need. She also gets to lip-sing and dance in this movie. Her 2004 movie schedule included the upcoming romantic movie First Daughter (2004), in which she plays the President's (Michael Keaton) daughter, Samantha, who wants to go to college without any Secret Service tagging along. Currently filming for release in 2005 is Batman Begins (2005), a new Batman movie where Katie plays Rachel Dawes, a childhood sweetheart and love interest to Batman/Bruce Wayne.
IMDb Mini Biography By: KatieJoWitter

Spouse
Tom Cruise (18 November 2006 - present) 1 child

Trivia

Her father Martin Joseph Holmes, Sr. is a lawyer, an attorney specializing in divorces, and her mother Kathleen (Kathy) A. Stothers is a homemaker and a philanthropist.

Voted as "Babe of the Year 98" (Årets Babe 98) by Expressen Fredag, Sweden.

Graduated from Notre Dame Academy, an all-girls Roman Catholic school in Toledo, Ohio.

Chosen as one of Teen People Magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21". [1999]

Dated actor and co-star of "Dawson's Creek" (1998), Joshua Jackson, while filming Season 1 of the show and part of Season 2. She refers to him as her first love. They remain great friends.

Deferred attending Columbia University twice, but finally took a single photography class in the summer of 2000.

Bought a Wilmington, North Carolina townhouse, while filming "Dawson's Creek" (1998), and lived there for ten months of the year.

Turned down the lead role in 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), due to scheduling conflicts.

Auditioned for the role of Ellie Christianson in Wicked (1998), but Julia Stiles won the part.

A small band from Japan have performed a song about her entitled "Katie".

Was lined up to have a 3 episode guest spot on "Friends" (1994) but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts.

Likes to run three to four miles a couple of times a week to clear her head.

The first movie she ever saw was E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982).

Her fantasy role was playing Sydney in Scream 3 (2000).

The first concert she ever saw was Whitney Houston.

Her favorite movie is My Best Friend's Wedding (1997).

Sang Eponine's theme song, "On My Own" from Les Miserables, in an episode of "Dawson's Creek" (1998).

Three older sisters: Tamera (born c. 1968), Holly Ann, and Nancy Kay, Mrs. Blaylock (born c. 1975). One older brother: Martin Joseph, Jr. (born 1970), who works as a lawyer in Ohio.

Noisy underground British artist 'Firexit' has two songs with references to Katie, one called "K H" (Katie's initials) and a song called "The reason I can't have her" featuring samples of Katie singing 'On my own' from a "Dawson's Creek" (1998) episode.

Auditioned for the role as Buffy Summers in the series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997), but was too young.

December 2003 - She and Chris Klein are engaged.

Bust 34C.

Ranked #35 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002).

Engaged to actor Chris Klein December 2003 - March 2005. They were together for five years.

Shares a birthday with Brad Pitt, Casper Van Dien, Christina Aguilera, DMX, film critic Leonard Maltin and legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

Engaged to Tom Cruise as of 17th June 2005.

Has worked with two Batmans. In Batman Begins (2005), she works with Christian Bale. Her previous film was First Daughter (2004), in which her father, the President, is played by Michael Keaton.

Named #22 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.

Holmes's couch-jumping-worthy engagement ring is a Edwardian-style oval- shaped diamond ring of about 5 carats in a pave setting.

Katie and Tom Cruise became the parents of Suri Cruise on April 18, 2006 in Los Angeles. "Suri" weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. and was 20 inches.

Ranked as #72 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005)

Her brother Martin Joseph, Jr. works as a lawyer in Ohio.

Friends with Victoria Beckham.

Named #90 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).

She and Tom Cruise both wore Armani at their wedding.

On November 18, 2006, married Tom Cruise at the Odescalchi Castle in Lake Bracciano, Italy in front of family and friends. Lots of celebrity guests included Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Brooke Shields and Chris Henchy, Richard Gere, Victoria Beckham and David Beckham, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, Jenna Elfman, Bodhi Elfman and Leah Remini.

Stepmother of Tom Cruise children Isabella and Connor.

Best Man at her wedding to Tom Cruise was David Miscavige.

Mentioned in the song High School Never Ends by Bowling for Soup.

Participated in and finished the New York Marathon in 2007.

Niece of former WCW Superstar Jimmy Golden.

Almost cast opposite Patrick Wilson (her co-star on Broadway's All My Sons), in the film version of Phantom of the Opera (2004) as Christine Daae', but was considered old to play the part.

Personal Quotes

"It's kind of fun being the cute, little one. In fact, I'm finding it hard to grow out of that."

"I know this sounds dorky, but I'm always having this out-of-body experience with my career. I can't wait to write it down. I can't wait to tell my grandchildren. It's amazing."

"I've kept in touch with a lot of my high school friends. When I'm home, I see them. It's really cool."

"It's important to try to be creative. I paint, and my mom is going to teach me how to make clothes. I think people should have passions."

"My family always keeps me in check. I have three older sisters, and they work their butts off. They're all very supportive of my career, but I know what's really important is kids and family."

"I felt so proud to be having a baby and so excited. And I felt closer to other women - to my sisters, to my mom. I felt empowered, like, 'I've given birth. I did it! There's nothing I can't handle. I've really enjoyed this time that I have taken to be with Suri as well as the challenges of the first couple of months: feeding and pumping, learning to decipher what each cry means - is she hungry? Is she tired? Does she need a fresh diaper? - and figuring out how to really help her."

Salary
Batman Begins (2005) $1,000,000
Pieces of April (2003) $0 (box office % only)
Phone Booth (2002) $500,000
Abandon (2002) $1,000,000
The Gift (2000) $200,000

Where Are They Now

(April 2002) Filming the movie Pieces of April (2003) with Oliver Platt.

(October 2002) Is back in Wilmington, North Carolina filming the 6th (and probably final) season of "Dawson's Creek" (1998).

(January 2004) Recently announced engagement to actor Chris Klein.

(April 2004) Filming Batman Begins (2005) in London, England.

(June 2005) Accepted marriage proposal from Tom Cruise at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

(April 2006) Gave birth to her first child, Suri, alongside future husband, Tom Cruise.

(September 2008) Starring on Broadway's All My Sons opposite John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Patrick Wilson

source : www.imdb.com

Princess Diana

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:37:00 +0000

Date of Birth
1 July 1961, Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk, England, UK

Date of Death
31 August 1997, Paris, France (road accident)

Birth Name
Diana Frances Spencer

Nickname
The People's Princess
Princess Di
The Queen of Hearts
Lady Di

Height
5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

Princess Diana was born July 1, 1961 at 7:45 PM weighing 7lb 12oz at Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk, England, UK. She had her christening at Sandringham Church in Norfolk. Her full name is Lady Diana Frances Spencer. On July 29, 1981 she married her Prince Charming - Prince Charles of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II. On June 21 1982 her first son was born - Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis Windsor. Two years later, on September 15 1984, Diana's second and youngest son was born - Prince Henry Charles Albert David Windsor. Later on she said that the time she was expecting Harry was the best time she and Charles ever had they were getting along so well. On August 26 1996, the "Fairy-Tale" marriage was over. A year later on August 31 1997, much of the world was in a state of mourning - their beloved Princess died in a car accident with boyfriend Dodi Fayed, along with the driver of the car. The only survivor was Dodi's bodyguard-Trevor Rhys-Jones. Diana today is still remembered by many as the "people's princess". She will always be remembered.

Mini Biography

Princess Diana was born Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961. Her parents were Edward John and Frances Spencer Viscount and Viscountess Althorp, later Earl and Countess Spencer. When she was 6 her parents split up and her mother got married to Peter Shand-Kydd. Diana lived with her father her two older sisters and her younger brother Charles.

When she was about 8 she was sent to boarding school. After that she went to another boarding school and then finally to a school in Switzerland where only French was spoken. She was not what one would call an academic, and actually would be considered a high school drop out. When she was at her final boarding school in England she met Prince Charles for the first time. He was dating Diana's sister Sarah at the time and Diana was so exited about finally meeting him that she could not concentrate on her O level exams the following week.

It was only when her grandfather died that she inherited the title of Lady. Diana lived in an apartment with roommates and was a nanny and a school teacher when she got engaged to the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles. They got married in the summer of 1981 and on July 21 1982, Prince William Arther Phillip Louis was born. On September 15 1984, she had Prince Henry Charles Albert David. Her marriage started to fail then. In 1992 she and Prince Charles separated and in 1996 they divorced. She then lost the privilege of being called Her Royal Highness. In 1996 she fell in love with Dodi Fayed, the son of the owner of Harrods Department Store in London. On the night of August 31 1997, they were both tragically killed in a motor accident when the car they were in collided with a beam on the Pont D'Alma near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Her funeral was held on September 6 1997, just 9 days before Henry's 13th birthday. She is buried on an island at her ancestral home at Althorp.

Spouse
Prince Charles (29 July 1981 - 28 August 1996) (divorced) 2 children

Trivia

Buried on an island in Althorp, Northamptonshire, England, UK.

Two sons with Prince Charles: Prince William Windsor (b. 21 June 1982) and Prince Harry Windsor (b.15 September 1984).

Former daughter-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Measurements: 34B-23-35 (at 1981 marriage), 36-27-37 (near her heaviest during her eating disorder- 1987), 33-22-34 (over-dieting as part of the disorder- 1990), 36B-26-36 (from 1995 bra purchase), 33B-23-36 (following divorce 1996), 34 1/2B-24-35 (ship-shape and swimsuit ready just before her tragic accident), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

Shoe size: 9A

Dress size 8.

"Candle In The Wind", the Elton John song about Marilyn Monroe, was changed to fit her, and performed by John at her funeral. Coincidentally, both women died at age 36.

Had her look-alike puppet in the French show "Guignols de l'info, Les" (1988).

Her death was used by Jean-Pierre Jeunet as a plot device for Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001).

Invited Supermodel Cindy Crawford to Buckingham Palace for dinner, when Prince William Windsor had a secret crush on the model.

Portrayed by Catherine Oxenberg, Edita Brychta, Julie Cox, and Nicola Formby.

Was a fan of the Swedish pop band Abba.

Step-granddaughter of Barbara Cartland.

Distantly related to actor Humphrey Bogart, who was her 7th cousin.

Once referred to Camilla Parker-Bowles as a rottweiler.

Appeared on the cover of People Weekly magazine a record-breaking 81 times. The "Goodbye Diana" issue (9/22/97) racked up sales of almost $3m making the issue the magazine's best-seller in its existence.

Fell in love with Dodi Fayed after a food fight on his father's yacht Jonikal.

Sister of Earl Charles Spencer (b. 1964), Sarah Spencer (b. 1955) and Jane Spencer (b. 1957).

Told an intimate friend that, while walking down the aisle in Saint Paul's Cathedral, she thought about turning back like "Elaine" did in The Graduate (1967)'.

Loved animated movies, especially the ones that were musicals.

Best friends with Lúcia Flecha Flecha de Lima, Rosa Monckton, Sarah Ferguson, Lana Marks, Lady Annabel Goldsmith and her daughter Jemima Khan.

The Brazilian ambassador Lúcia Flecha Flecha de Lima was her best friend.

When her photo made the cover of Time magazine after her untimely death, the Commemorative Issue sold more than 1 million copies at the newsstands.

Personal Quotes

"There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." - "Panorama" (1953) Interview, 1995

"Any sane person would have left long ago. But I cannot. I have my sons."

"I'd like to be a queen in people's hearts but I don't see myself being queen of this country."

Where Are They Now

(2006) Release of the book, "Diana" by Sarah Bradford.

(2005) Release of the book, "Diana: Unseen Archives" by Alison Gauntlett.

(2007) Release of the book, "After Diana" by Christopher Andersen.

(2007) Release of the book, "The Diana Chronicles" by Tina Brown.

(2001) Release of the book, "Diana's Boys: William and Harry and the Mother They Loved" by Christopher Andersen.

(1998) Release of the book, "The Day Diana Died" by Christopher Andersen.

(1992) Release of his book, "Diana: Her True Story" by Andrew Morton.

(1994) Release of his book, "Diana: Her New Life" by Andrew Morton.

(1997) Release of his book, "Diana: Her True Story, In Her Own Words" by Andrew Morton.

(2004) Release of his book, "Diana, In Pursuit of Love" by Andrew Morton.

source : www.imdb.com

Kaka

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:29:00 +0000

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (born April 22, 1982 in Brasília), better known as Kaká, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Brazil and the Serie A club A.C. Milan.

Kaká was born in Brasília, Brazil on the 22nd of April, 1982 to Simone Cristina dos Santos Leite and Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite. He has a younger brother, Rodrigo Ifrano dos Santos Leite, known as Digão, who has followed in Kaká's footsteps by playing football in Italy.

His nickname Kaká, from his native Portuguese, is pronounced as it is spelled, with the stress being on the second syllable as the accent signifies. It is a commonly used shortened form of "Ricardo" in Brazil, however, Kaká received his nickname from his little brother, Rodrigo, who could not pronounce the word "Ricardo" when they were young. Rodrigo called his older brother "Caca" which was later changed to "Kaká".

In September, 2000, at the age of 18, Kaká suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spine fracture as a result of a pool accident. The worst did not occur, however, and Kaká fully recovered from the incident. He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his income to his church.

Kaká married Caroline Celico at the Reborn in Christ Church on December 23, 2005, two years after Kaká's move from São Paulo to Milan. Caroline was born on 26 July 1987 to Rosangela Lyra, the director of Dior in Brazil, and Celso Celico, an entrepreneur. She and Kaká met in 2001 while she was a student and he was playing for the São Paulo Football Club. The wedding was attended by about 600 people, including fellow Brazilian footballers Cafu, Ronaldo, Adriano, Dida, Júlio Baptista and (then) Brazilian national coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. Caroline plans to earn a business degree from a university in Milan.

Kaká is a devout evangelical Christian.

He is known to sport Christian gear from time to time: he has worn an "I Belong to Jesus" t-shirt on several occasions during matches, such as during the Brazilian team's celebration after their 2002 World Cup victory, and during Milan's Scudetto celebration in May 2004. He wears shoes customised with the same words written on them. Every time he scores he points his fingers to the sky as a sign of thanks to God, and, in what is possibly a first for a footballer at his level, he is proud that he was a virgin when he married.

Kaká made his debut at São Paulo FC in 2001 when he was 18 years old. In the first season, he scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, and 10 goals in 22 appearances in the following season. His performance attracted attention from European clubs, and it was AC Milan who won the race to sign him.

He joined AC Milan in 2003 for $8.5 m, a fee described as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month, he became a first team regular, an he has been a starter ever since. He debuted in Serie A in an away match against Ancona, which Milan won 2-0. He scored 10 goals in 30 appearances that season, winning the Italian Serie A Championship and the European Super Cup.

Kaká was an integral part of the five-man midfield in the 2004-05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind striker Andriy Shevchenko. He scored 7 goals in 36 league appearances, and also won the Italian Super Cup with the club. Milan finished second to Juventus in the Serie A, and lost the UEFA Champions League final to Liverpool on penalty kicks. He was voted the best midfielder of the Champions League tournament. He also ended up in the ninth place in the 2005 Golden Ball poll, earning 19 votes.

One of Kaká's most notable goals has been the one against Fenerbahçe SK in the AC Milan's first game in the 2005-06 Champions League, won 3-1 by the Rossoneri. It had pundits draw instant comparisons to Diego Maradona, as Kakà started his run from the midfield and skipped past three tackles before entering the area and finishing with a low shot under Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Volkan Demirel.

On April 9, 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo Verona. All three goals were scored in the second half.

In 2006, Real Madrid showed an interest in signing the 24 year old star, but Milan refused to sell him and Kaká signed a contract extension until 2011. He said he never wanted to go to Real and was happy at Milan.

On November 1, 2006, AC Milan moved to within a point of the UEFA Champions League knockout stages as Kaká scored a hat-trick to help the team win 4-1 against RSC Anderlecht. This was his second hat-trick at Milan and his first hat-trick in European competitions.

International career
Kaká playing for Brazil.Kaká made his international debut in January 2002 against Bolivia. He was a part of the national squad which won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but did not see much action playing just 19 minutes of the first round match against Costa Rica. In 2003, he was the captain for the Gold Cup tournament in the US and Mexico, leading Brazil to the second place and scoring key goals against Colombia. Later, he was in action at the 2005 Confederations Cup, with Kaká scoring in the Confederation Cup final win over Argentina. (During the postmatch celebration, he and several of his teammates sported T-shirts with "Jesus Loves You" written in different languages.) He finished in joint tenth place in the voting for the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award. In the 2005 competition he finished two places higher. More recently, he helped Brazil qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Kaká has matured as a player and is currently considered as one of the best footballers from Brazil. He scored Brazil's first goal in the 2006 FIFA World Cup against Croatia on 13 June 2006. On September 3 of 2006 he scored one of his most brilliant goals for the Brazilian team after assisting a goal to a new team addition, Elano. Kaká received the ball off a deflection from an Argentina corner kick, and took the ball 3/4 of the field beating Argentine star Lionel Messi to score.

2006 World Cup
In the first match for Brazil, in group F, Kaká scored a goal in the 44th minute against Croatia. A left-foot strike from 25 meters led Brazil to the 1-0 victory. The media regarded him as the only member of the "magic quintet" – Adriano, Kaká, Ronaldo, Robinho and Ronaldinho – who produced in the match. Also against Ghana he wrote himself into the history books by assisting the goal that Ronaldo broke Gerd Muller's World Cup goalscoring record with. He was unable to carry his momentum into the next match and Brazil were eliminated by France in the quarter finals.

Trivia

* In Italian, the language of his current club team, the phonetic equivalent is written as Kakà. However, the player's shirt name is spelled KAKA' (with an apostrophe, rather than an accented 'A') for both his club in Milan and in the past for the Brazilian national team. In the World Cup 2006, the back of his shirt read KAKÁ. Kaká is also of Portuguese descent.
* Since November 2004, Kaká has been an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme. He was the youngest ambassador at the time of his appointment.

source : kaka.soccerstar.org

Rihanna

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:27:00 +0000

Date of Birth
20 February 1988, St. Michael, Barbados

Birth Name
Robyn Rihanna Fenty

Nickname
RiRi
Caribbean Queen
The Barbados Babe
The New Princess of Pop
Thunder Thighs
Queen Of The R&B

Height
5' 9" (1.75 m)

Mini Biography

Rihanna was born on February 20, 1988, in a county in Barbados called St. Michael. She lived the life of a normal island girl going to Combermere, a top sixth form school, similar to grammar schools in the UK. Rihanna won a beauty pageant and performed Mariah Carey's "Hero" in a school talent show. Her life changed forever when one of her friends introduced her to Evan Rodgers, a producer from New York who was in Barbados for vacation with his wife, who is a native. Rodgers arranged for her to go to New York to meet Jay-Z, CEO of Def Jam Records. He heard her sing and knew she was going to be big and for more than just one song. She was 16 when she was signed to Def Jam. Rihnanna's debut album is out now. It's called "Music of the Sun".

Trivia

Was signed to Def Jam Records

Her musical inspirations include Alicia Keys, Beyoncé Knowles, and Mariah Carey.

Attended Combermere which is a sixth form school similar to technical school in America.

Performed Mariah Carey's "Hero" at her school's talent show.

Won a beauty pageant at her school.

Born to a black Barbadian father Ronald Fenty and a black Guyanese mother Monica Fenty.

She has two younger brothers Rorrey and Rajad.

Stated in an interview that her friend and former Island Def Jam record label artist Fefe Dobson was someone that she admired and looked up to. Having a fellow black artist writing, singing, and performing the music she truly loves.

Ranked #8 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2007 list.

Sampled "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' " by Michael Jackson from his " Thriller" album in her song "Please Don't Stop the Music".

Ranked #15 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.

source : www.imdb.com

Christian Bale

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:22:00 +0000

Date of Birth
30 January 1974, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK

Birth Name
Christian Charles Philip Bale

Height
6' (1.83 m)

Mini Biography

The 10th Anniversary issue of "Entertainment Weekly" crowned Christian Bale as one of the "Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures" of the past decade, citing his incredible and legendary cult status on the Internet. EW also calls Bale one of the "Most Creative People in Entertainment" after his brilliant turn as the psychopathic yuppie serial killer in American Psycho (2000). And "Premiere" lauded him as one of the "Hottest Leading Men Under 30". Christian Bale has garnered a huge international audience ever since he wowed critics with his devastating performance in Steven Spielberg's WWII epic Empire of the Sun (1987).

Bale made his professional debut opposite British comedian Rowan Atkinson on the London West End stage. He auditioned with 4000 other kids for the coveted role of James Graham in Spielberg's Empire of the Sun (1987). Bale received a special citation for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor from the National Board of Review -- an award specially created for his performance in "Empire". In the following decade, Welsh-born Bale has appeared in Shakespeare, dramas and comedies demonstrating a versatility, depth and range that has made him one of the best reviewed actors today and one of the most popular actors on the Internet. Bale is the youngest in a family of 3 older sisters (Erin, Sharon, and Louise Bale).

Spouse
Sibi Blazic (29 January 2000 - present) 1 child

Trade Mark

Often portrays obsessive characters.

Trivia

Hand-picked by director/writer Mary Harron and author Bret Easton Ellis to star in American Psycho (2000). Consequently, was noted by the media as the first star of American Psycho (2000), only to lose the part to Leonardo DiCaprio and then win it back again.

Is an excellent horseman and an avid reader.

He trained for 10 weeks in dancing and martial arts for the dance sequences in Newsies (1992) and Swing Kids (1993).

He has an uncanny ear for accents - he has used a different accent for each of his films to date.

Bale was handpicked by Winona Ryder for the coveted role of Laurie (Theodore Laurence) in Little Women (1994).

His father, David Bale, married feminist icon Gloria Steinem on September 3, 2000.

A devoted animal lover, Christian has two dogs [Mojo and Ramone] and three cats [Miriam, Molly, and Lilly], which are all strays that he found.

Christian is active in many organizations, including Ark Trust, Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Foundation, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, the Redwings Sanctuary, and the Happy Child Mission, and a school for street kids in Rio De Janeiro.

His grandfather doubled for John Wayne in two movies, in Africa.

His first on-screen role was in 1983 at age 9 in a British commercial for Pac-Man cereal.

He replaced Leonardo DiCaprio for the film American Psycho (2000).

Stepson of feminist author Gloria Steinem

His father, David Bale, died on 30 December 2003, from brain lymphoma at the age of 62.

He was raised in England, Portugal and California.

His great-uncle, Rex Bale, was an actor.

His father was a former commercial pilot.

His mother was a former circus dancer.

He has three sisters: musician Erin Bale; computer professional Sharon Bale; and director/actress Louise Bale, who appeared in Newsies (1992).

His grandfather was a stand-up comic and children's entertainer.

Met his wife through Winona Ryder; she was Ryder's personal assistant.

With Batman Begins (2005), he has become the seventh actor to play Batman/Bruce Wayne in a live-action film. The others were: Lewis Wilson in 1943's, Robert Lowery in 1949, Adam West in the 1966, Michael Keaton for the first two installments of the Batman film series, to be replaced by Val Kilmer and George Clooney.

Dropped an amazing 63 pounds for his role as the emaciated insomniac Trevor Reznik in the film Maquinista, El (2004) with only a single vitamin consultation with a nutritionist to guide him. For the most part, he only ate salads and apples, chewed gum, smoked cigarettes, and drank nonfat lattes.

Considered getting formal acting training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) when he was twenty, but decided to focus on working instead.

Has been in 2 versions of the John Smith/Pocahontas story. He provides the voice of Thomas in Pocahontas (1995) and plays John Rolfe in The New World (2005).

Turned down the opportunity to reprise the role of Patrick Bateman in the Roger Avary-directed The Rules of Attraction (2002).

His wife, Sibi Blazic, gave birth to the couple's first child, a girl. The baby was born 27 March, 2005 in Santa Monica, California.

In the "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" radio interview first aired June 13, 2005, he admitted to Gross that because Batman is "such an American icon", he had decided not to perform his promotional interviews for the movie Batman Begins (2005) in his natural mixed Welsh/English accent. Instead he spoke to Gross in an almost inflection-less mid-American accent, only revealing his dialectic roots with a few words.

Has 3 older sisters: Erin, Sharon & Louise Bale'

Two of his most famous character's names have a difference of only one letter. Bateman and Batman.

Since a young age he was very ambitious about attending Drama School, and auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), and the Central School of Speech And Drama at the age of twenty. He was accepted to all, but was convinced by his parents to continue working instead. To this day, he regrets not attending drama school for his personal passion of learning his craft.

The nameplate on his trailer for Batman Begins (2005) read "Bruce Wayne" as opposed to Bale's name.

First non-American actor to portray Batman/Bruce Wayne.

Is the youngest actor to portray Batman.

Owned a home he shared with his sister, Louise Bale, in Manhattan Beach.

Before he played "Batman" in Batman Begins (2005), his sister Louise Bale played Batman's mother in The Death of Batman (2003).

Auditioned for the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997) and almost got the role but people felt that it wouldn't be "fair" having two Brits playing two Americans (Rose was American as well, she says in the movie that the Titanic was a slave ship bring her back to America).

Considered for the role of Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).

Is a distant relative to the 19th-Century thespian Lily Langtry.

Shares the role of Batman with Val Kilmer.

Since reading "Charlotte's Web", he does not eat red meat.

If he plays an American character, he will use an American accent in all the interviews related to the film. He says he does this so the audience isn't confused.

Daughter Emmaline, born 27 March 2005.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#13). [2007].

Although born and raised in Wales, his family is actually English.

Was good friends with actor Heath Ledger.

His fans refer to themselves as "Baleheads".

His father was an activist and adventurer and his mother a circus dancer so he never lived in one place for very long while growing up.

A very private individual, he has never publicly confirmed the name of his daughter.

Beat out nearly 4,000 other auditions for the role of Jim Graham in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun (1987).

Was introduced to acting by his sister, Louise.

Alongside Michael Keaton, he is the only other actor to portray Bruce Wayne/Batman in more than one live action film.

Has been a Vegetarian since the age of six.

Lives in Los Angeles with his family.

Was arrested over verbal assault allegations made by his mother and his sister just hours after he attended the European premiere of his movie The Dark Knight (2008) in London. Upon reviewing the case, the London police decided not to charge him with anything. [July 2008]

While working on Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg paid a visit to Bale on the set of Swing Kids (1993), as both movies were partially filmed in Prague.

Was considered for the part of James Bond in Casino Royale (2006).

Has said that he considers it an honor to have been called a "mofo" by Samuel L. Jackson in a movie.

C.Bale and wife belong to Board of Trustees in The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.

Personal Quotes

[interview in "Spin" magazine, March 1996] An actor should never be larger than the film he's in.

[on dealing with the resulting media attention of Empire of the Sun (1987) at age 13] It was horrific. I was almost crying in interviews and running away during press conferences, pretending I was going to the bathroom and just disappearing.

[on the sudden fame that resulted after Empire of the Sun (1987)] I enjoyed making the film, but I was shocked when I received all the attention when I got home to Bournemouth. Girls were all over me, boys wanted to fight me, and I was being asked to open local fêtes when all I wanted to do was ride my BMX bike in the woods. I told my parents I wasn't interested in doing anything again because the attention ruined it.

I don't want to know about the lives of other actors and I don't want people to know too much about me. If we don't know about the private lives of other actors, that leaves us as clean slates when it comes to playing characters. That's the point, they can create these other characters and I can believe them. I think if you're a good enough actor, that's the way to longevity in the film business. Keep everybody guessing.

I started my career without fans.

[on his 63-pound weight loss for "The Machinist" (Maquinista, El (2004))] I had a stupid kind of feeling of invincibility, like, "I can do it, I can manage it". I really did feel like I hit this point of enlightenment.

I always like that. Whenever there's a project where everyone's going, "Oooooh, it's a bit dodgy", I always like it. If you actually look at it, there tends not to be anything risky at all. Why did I start acting in the first place? I didn't do it to be mediocre or to please everybody all the time.

I'd love to remain a secret and still work, but I also want people to see the movies I'm in and get a higher profile because of that. I like to think that as long as you continue choosing diverse roles, you can avoid becoming predictable.

It's the actors who are prepared to make fools of themselves who are usually the ones who come to mean something to the audience.

[on his transformation into Patrick Bateman for American Psycho (2000)] The character is so vain and obsessed with his looks. While the psychology of the character was something that I could perform, you can't fake the physicality. Being English, I tend to enjoy going down to the pub far more than going to the gym, so it was very unnatural for me. I just had to convince myself that I loved it, which was the most difficult thing about playing this part. Working out is incredibly boring. I swear it's true that the bigger your muscles get, the fewer brain cells you have. I found I had to stop thinking when I was in the gym because if I thought about it, I'd realize how ridiculous it was that I was pumping iron when I could've been out having a drink and a cigarette and enjoying some lunch. I did three hours a day for six weeks with a personal trainer and some time before that. I ate an awful lot during training and then almost nothing during filming.

The only thing that I'm obsessed with is sleeping and, actually, it is more than an obsession, it is a pleasure. I love sleeping so much that I could do it 12 hours a day if I didn't have to turn on the alarm clock . . . and still, sometimes . . .

Our Batman [Batman Begins (2005)] is centered on the early days. It's an explanation. It's certainly not Batman No. 5. It's a reinvention. We want you to forget there has ever been a Batman before this one.

[on Batman Begins (2005)] I've never felt like the Batman character in the films was given as much time as any of the villains. The villains were always the most interesting characters, too. Batman has always been this very bizarre, almost blind character running through the middle of the story. Our film is different.

[on Batman Begins (2005)] I contacted them. I heard they were doing some low-budget Batman not aimed at kids and I was tantalized. I had appreciated the Batman movies, but I wasn't really a fan and I didn't know the TV series. But I read some of the graphic novels, and they were very dark and very interesting.

I spent about three weeks in Chicago last July doing night shoots [for Batman Begins (2005)]. It's a great city, but the humidity was tough under the Batsuit. Uh, it got a little bad. It's hot enough in the Batsuit, let alone in the Chicago heat.

I needed money because I had just bought a house, but I just kept saying, "I really can't do another movie that I know is not going to turn out the way I want it to, and that I have to make a lot of concessions in my head for".

For me, there's a bigger risk trying ['Batman Begins (2005)_]. Ultimately, the big point was that [Christopher Nolan], who you would not expect to be doing that kind of movie, was going to direct it, which is exactly what I was looking for, because you want to do something totally different from the other Batman movies. I always thought there could be a really good movie made about Batman and when I heard that Chris was doing it I thought, "Well, he's not a director that you would expect, therefore you're going to get the unexpected from him". I think there's a great potential for going very dark with it, it's a fascinating character, very complex psychologically, which I've never seen done. You know, you have the two extremes, which are both very good. You can either go the very camp Adam West TV series thing ["Batman" (1966)], which was great in its own way, or you can go more the way of the graphic "Dark Knight" novels which delve somewhat deeper.

I had spent weeks staring at the wall in my house out of depression because of things that had gone wrong and the choices I had made. When I read "The Machinist" [Maquinista, El (2004)], I just went, "Wow! This is perfect". I was having dreams about the character and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I felt like this one was going to save my arse, and pull me out of the depressed state I had got into.

I did other things, but my heart was never in it. A lot of actors say that theater's the thing for them. And that's great, and I'm not one to speak with any authority about it because of not having done it properly. For me, movies are what I love.

At first, I was somewhat hesitant to do the role [Batman Begins (2005)]. I mean, after all, Batman is an icon. But I remember, as clear as day, being at the grocery store the day the movie opened, and this little boy saw me. He couldn't have been more than five years old. He just walked right up to me and hugged me. He hugged me, and I was so moved by it that I hugged him back. Then he looked up at me and said, "You're my hero." And in that moment, I knew that not only as an actor that I had done my job, but that I had made the right decision to play Batman. And I've never looked back on my the decision to play Batman since.

[on playing Batman] You couldn't pull it off unless you became a beast inside that suit.

I only sound intelligent when there's a good scriptwriter around.

I'm English. Our dentistry is not world famous. But I made sure I got moldings of my old teeth beforehand because I miss them.

I don't think I'm like any of the characters I've played. They're all really far from who I am.

You can't help but find that violence is endlessly fascinating--and I mean true violence, not action-movie violence, just because it is used as the answer to so many problems. We're all taught as kids not to be violent, but you can't help but also see that violence is what works very often. Bullies thrive.

I think there's a kind of pretentiousness to the idea that serious work is only found in low-budget independent movies--I can't stand that snobbery.

I like being kept in the dark myself. You know, like mushrooms: Keep 'em in the dark and feed 'em shit. See, I think that's an enjoyable vegetable to be.

At the time that [Christopher Nolan] asked me to do it [Batman Begins (2005)] I actually couldn't do one push-up. They sent me to a trainer, who was having to hold my T-shirt at the back just to pull me up. I've come a long way from that.

[on filming Batman films during the summer] I'm not really looking forward to wearing a black rubber suit in the summertime in humid Chicago. If you see a pool of sweat through the city, follow it and you will find me.

[describing director Christopher Nolan's method for filming Batman Begins (2005)] We tend to shoot at night like some kind of covert operation. So, we have minimal people actually seeing me in that way.

[on being asked if he knew how big a flop Newsies (1992) was] You say something bad about "Newsies" and you have an awful lot of people to answer to.

He's a messed-up individual, as well. He's got all sorts of issues. He's just as twisted and messed-up as the villains he's fighting, and that's part of the beauty of the whole story. - on the character of Batman

(2007 - On his career) I've been able to work on movies that I like very much in the past few years, which I think have turned out how I had hoped that they would. And, I'm human, you know; that makes me feel good. I like it when people like what I do. I don't like it when people are laughing at me for what I do, you know? I mean, I'd love to say I was completely impervious to anybody's opinion, but that just ain't the truth. Of course, it matters. At the same time, there's also a danger when you start playing it too safe. After all, what am I paid to do? I'm paid to essentially make an ass out of myself, if needed. And occasionally, in doing that, you're going to fall flat on your face. But, I have learned, through doing that numerous times in my life, that there's also a ton of enjoyment to what other people see as humiliation. You can actually come to sort of thrive on that, because in a way, it kind of leads to a sort of fearlessness, if you genuinely don't mind. If the point is that you tried, I think that really is the most important thing. And, like you said, I feel like I've been very fortunate in the last couple of years that I've gotten to do what I loved, which is actually the making of movies, and on top of that, if I've liked how the movies have turned out themselves, then that's fantastic. But, to start getting too comfortable within that would be eventually to start churning out boring, boring chaff.

I'm accustomed to not having any map for my life. I'd be reaching for an Uzi if I knew what was going to happen every day. If anybody tells me I shouldn't jump, of course all I want to do is jump and show it can be done.

Life is not stable. There is a great strength that comes from not being shocked or scared by upheavals.

I don't think I was particularly in need of superheroes. I never had any fascination with Superman or Spider-Man or a Batman kind of character. If it happened at all, it was imagined characters that I had invented. My dad was a role model for me. He was a fascinating man. There was intrigue and entertainment growing up with him. He gave me an edict that I still pursue: "Life should never be boring."

Where Are They Now

(August 2003) Filming Maquinista, El (2004) in Spain.

(March 2004) Filming Batman Begins (2005) in London, England.

(August 2005) Thailand (Filming Rescue Dawn (2006)).

(2006) New Mexico - filming 3:10 to Yuma (2007).

(August 2007) Filming the Batman Begins (2005) sequel, The Dark Knight (2008).

(May 2008) In Wisconsin - filming Public Enemies (2009).

(July 2008) Filming 'Terminator Salvation' in New Mexico

source : www.imdb.com

John McCain

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 05:10:00 +0000

Date of Birth
29 August 1936, Canal Zone, Panama

Birth Name
John Sidney McCain III

Nickname
The Sheriff
The Maverick
McNasty
White Tornado
The Mac

Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)

Spouse
Cindy Hensley McCain (17 May 1980 - present) 4 children
Carol Shepp (3 July 1965 - February 1980) (divorced) 3 children

Trivia

Has been Senior Senator from Arizona since 3 January 1987.

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona from 1983 to 1987.

Was the first sitting senator to host "Saturday Night Live" (1975).

The first time his appearance on "Saturday Night Live" (1975) aired, it was pre-empted in the Washington D.C./Baltimore metro area due to a sniper shooting.

Graduated fifth from the bottom of his class at the United States Naval Academy.

Favorite movie is Paths of Glory (1957).

As a U.S. Navy pilot, he was captured on 26 October 1967, after his plane was shot down while on a bombing run over Hanoi. He parachuted into a lake, breaking both arms and a leg. He was then imprisoned at the notorious North Vietnamese hell-hole, known as the Hanoi Hilton. He has described his five and a half year imprisonment as a nightmarish time, in which he was beaten and kept in solitary confinement. Twice he tried to hang himself, only to be cut down and assaulted by the guards.

At the time he was shot down, his father Admiral Jack McCain was Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet.

Good friends with Massachusetts senator John Kerry.

Longtime friend of Comedy Central show "The Daily Show" (1996) and of Jon Stewart.

His Senate seat was previously held by Barry Goldwater.

He is a second cousin seven times removed of President George Washington and a ninth cousin of Quincy Jones, both through the Washington line.

His candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential election has been endorsed by several celebrities including President George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger Sylvester Stallone and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

U.S. Senators William Cohen and Gary Hart were the best men at his second wedding (17 May 1980).

Retired from the Navy as a Captain (1981).

After adopting his first wife Carol's children Doug and Andy, she gave birth to their daughter Sidney in September 1966.

Born to Admiral John S. "Jack" McCain Sr. (1911-1981) and his wife Roberta Wright (born in 1912), he grew up with his older sister Sandy and his younger brother Joe.

Was an excellent wrestler in high school.

Once joked about Chelsea Clinton at a Republican fundraiser, saying "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno.", but later apologized (1998).

Is of Scotish-Irish descent.

Quit his two pack a day cigarette habit in 1979.

Children with second wife Cindy: 'Meghan McCain ' (b. 1984), John Sidney (b. 1986), James (b. 1988) and Bridget (b. 1991).

He has been treated for cancer four times.

Made the surprise choice of the little-known Alaskan Governor 'Sarah Palin' as his running mate, the first time a female candidate had been on the Republican ticket. The announcement fell on McCain's 72nd birthday and Palin's 20th wedding anniversary. (August 29, 2008).

Has his look-alike puppet in the French show "Guignols de l'info, Les" (1988).

Presidential campaign slogan: "Country first".

source : www.imdb.com

Daniel Craig

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:43:00 +0000

Date of Birth
2 March 1968, Chester, Cheshire, England, UK

Birth Name
Daniel Wroughton Craig

Height
5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

Daniel Craig, one of British theatre's most famous faces who was waiting tables as a struggling teenage actor with the NYT, is now starring as James Bond in Casino Royale (2006).

He was born Daniel Wroughton Craig on March 2, 1968, at 41 Liverpool Road, Chester, Cheshire, England. His father, Tim Craig, was a merchant seaman turned steel erector, then became landlord of 'Ring O' Bells' pub in Frodsham, Cheshire. His mother, Carol Olivia Craig, was an art teacher. His parents split up in 1972, and young Daniel Craig was raised with his older sister, Lea, in Liverpool, then in Hoylake, Wirral, in the home of his mother. His interest in acting was encouraged by visits to the Liverpool Everyman Theatre arranged by his mother. From the age of 6, Craig started acting in school plays, making his debut in the Frodsham Primary School production of Oliver!, and his mother was the driving force behind his artistic aspirations. The first Bond movie he ever saw at the cinema was Roger Moore's Live and Let Die (1973); young Daniel Craig saw it with his father, so it took a special place in his heart. He was also a good athlete and was a rugby player at Hoylake Rugby Club.

At the age of 14 Craig played roles in 'Oliver', 'Romeo and Juliet', and 'Cinderella' at Hilbre High School in West Kirby, Wirral, UK. He left Hilbre High at 16 to audition at the National Youth Theatre's (NYT) troupe on their tour in Manchester in 1984. He was accepted and moved down to London. There his mother and father watched his stage debut as Agamemnon in Shakespeare's 'Troilus And Cressida'. As a struggling actor with the NYT, he was toiling in restaurant kitchens and as a waiter. Craig performed with NYT on tours to Valencia, Spain, and to Moscow, Russia, under the leadership of director 'Edward Wilson' . He failed at repeated auditions at the Guildhall, but eventually his persistence paid off, and in 1988, he entered the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican. There he studied alongside Ewan McGregor and Alistair McGowan , then later Damian Lewis and Joseph Fiennes , among others. He graduated in 1991, after a three-year course under the tutelage of Colin McCormack , the actor from the Royal Shakespeare Company. From 1992-1994 he was married to Scottish actress Fiona Loudon, their daughter, named Ella, was born in 1992.

Daniel Craig made his film debut in The Power of One (1992). His film career continued on television, notably the BBC2 serial 'Our Friends in the North' (1996). He shot to international fame after playing supporting roles in 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' (2001) and Road to Perdition (2002). He was nominated for his performances in the leading role in Layer Cake (2004), and received other awards and nominations. Craig was named as the sixth actor to portray James Bond, in October of 2005, weeks after he finished his work in Munich (2005), where he co-starred with Eric Bana under the directorship of Steven Spielberg .

Craig's reserved demeanor and his avoidance of the showbiz-party-red-carpet milieu makes him a cool 007. He is the first blonde actor to play Bond, and also the first to be born after the start of the film series, and also the first to be born after the death of the author Ian Fleming in 1964. Four of the past Bond actors: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan have indicated that Craig is a good choice as Bond.

Spouse
Fiona Loudon (1992 - 1994) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Lived in London with German actress Heike Makatsch. [April 2001]

He has a daughter, Ella Craig (born 1992), who lives with his ex-wife 'Fiona Loudon' in London.

2000: Named as one of European films 'Shooting Stars' by European Film Promotion.

He was nominated for a 2002 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Number at the Royal Court Theatre Downstairs.

One of the many actors considered to take over James Bond from Pierce Brosnan. He officially accepted the role in October, 2005.

Was the last actor considered for the role of "Rorschach" in the doomed movie adaptation of Alan Moore's comic-book mini-series, Watchmen (2009).

Father: Tim Craig

Mother: Olivia Craig

Older sister: Lea Craig

He is a good friend of supermodel Kate Moss.

Visited Sarajevo Film Festival (in post-war Bosnia) in 2005.

Esquire magazine's "Best dressed male" in 2006

Was the only member of the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) cast to be a huge fan of the Tomb Raider video games. His favorite in the series was Tomb Raider II (1997) (VG), released in 1997.

His girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell accompanied him to the world premiere of Casino Royale (2006) in London. It was their first public appearance together.

He's a fan of Liverpool Football Club.

He is the first Bond actor to have been born after the Bond series began.

Appeared in Sharpe's Eagle (1993) (TV) with Sean Bean. Bean played the villain in GoldenEye (1995), which was directed by Martin Campbell, who also directed Casino Royale (2006).

Voted #7 in Elle (France) Magazine's "15 Sexiest Men" poll (June 2007).

One of 115 people invited to join AMPAS in 2007.

Is the shortest actor to play the role of James Bond, despite being relatively tall standing at 5 feet and 11 inches.

Good friend of actor Gaspard Ulliel.

October 2007 - Signed on to play James Bond in four more films after Casino Royale.

Lord Aisrael, his character from The Golden Compass (2007), was previously played by Timothy Dalton in a London theater production. Craig and Dalton have also, of course, shared the role of James Bond.

Graduated from Guildhall of Music & Drama (London) in 1991.

Quit smoking before making Casino Royale (2006).

Between 2005 and 2008, Craig played militant Jewish soldiers or fighters three times in fairly quick succession: in Sorstalanság (2005) ("Fateless"), he plays an American soldier who identifies himself as Jewish while liberating a concentration camp; in Munich (2005), he plays the most militant member of a team of Mossad agents assigned to assassinate the terrorists responsible for killing Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics; and in Defiance (2008), he plays one of three Jewish brothers who escape from Nazi-occupied Poland to join the resistance.

Ranked #29 in the 2008 Telegraph's list "the 100 most powerful people in British culture".

Is a big fan of Robert Altman films.

He was a fan of the fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, before he was cast in the the trilogy's first chapter The Golden Compass (2007).

Became good friends with Nicole Kidman, after they worked together on The Invasion (2007), and The Golden Compass (2007).

While incognito at a cinema in the USA, he was once asked if anyone had ever told him that he looked like Daniel Craig. He answered "no" and walked away.

Was forced to wear lifts during filming and premiers for Quantum of Solace (2008), due to Bond girls Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton having slight height advantages over him.

Personal Quotes

I go through life thinking it's all going to end tomorrow.

I don't believe in self-promotion, really I can't be arsed.

People always say, "That stuff you did in Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998) must have been difficult . . . but I say, "No, it wasn't really; that was some of the easier stuff to do", because it was always clear and made a lot of sense. It's when things are unclear and when you don't know what you're doing--that's when things are difficult.

As far as I'm concerned, I want to be nowhere else. It's difficult in film because everybody wants to make a safe bet with roles. But if you are going to do stuff then you should be getting strong reactions. I don't want audiences to be going, 'Yeah, that's all right.'

It's something else. I'm speechless. I've just got to step up to the plate and deal with it. I had a confidence about it but then that's because of the people around me who made me feel good about it. I knew positively on Monday. I was in Baltimore when I took the call. My first reaction was I needed a drink.

I hate handguns. Handguns are used to shoot people and as long as they are around, people will shoot each other. That's a simple fact. I've seen a bullet wound and it was a mess. It was on a shoot and it scared me. Bullets have a nasty habit of finding their target and that's what's scary about them.

I kind of feel that if you look at the track record of most Bonds - I mean Sean Connery obviously defined the part, and even he struggled for a while to get rid of the mantle. That's the pitfall and it could happen to me. I've been working so hard, for however long it is I've been doing this, to try and stick to doing stuff I totally believe in and that would be wiped out. I thought, God, this is all right: I'm doing what I want to do. And that was a huge weight off my shoulders.

I just wanted to see him [James Bond] make a few mistakes. I want to make the audience believe that it's all going to go wrong and then when it goes right it's much more exciting. Every day you pick up an injury and you're battered and bruised. If you're not physically fit then it's difficult to get through. I'm a Bond fan. If I go and see a Bond movie there are certain things I think should be in it. And they're there. We've got them in spades. Nobody knows more than I do how important this is, and it's my job to get it right.

[on the backlash from Bond fans] I didn't expect this backlash. You take it in, you can't help it. I've been trying to give 110% since the beginning, but after all the fuss, maybe I started giving 115%.

[interview in Entertainment Weekly magazine] If I went onto the Internet and started looking at what some people were saying about me - which, sadly, I have done - it would drive me insane.

[interview in Entertainment Weekly magazine] They [diehard James Bond fans] hate me. They don't think I'm right for the role. It's as simple as that. They're passionate about it, which I understand, but I do wish they'd reserve judgment.

I hope it's going to be liberating. I'm not putting any negative spin on this because to be typecast as James Bond is a very high-class problem for an actor, and I'm certainly going to try to get as much out of it as I can. Of course I am always going to think about whether it is going to limit what I do. I plan for it not to, but if it does, I'll approach that problem when it comes.

I wanted to do as much of the action work as I could, so that the audience can see it's me and it's real. I feel like I became a sportsman of sorts, and that meant acquiring injuries and carrying on and bashing through to the next level of pain. Although the stunt team did fantastic work to make sure that everything was as safe as possible, if you don't get bruised playing Bond, you're not doing it properly. I had black eyes, I had cuts, I was bruised, I had muscle strains, and I took a lot of painkillers. But it was part of the job. As much as I was hurt, the stuntmen were in much more pain.

I was affected by it - of course I was. What bothered me was that I was being criticized before I had done the work. I wasn't going to get into an argument with these people, so my only response was, 'See the movie and then you have the right to criticize, but first see what I am trying to do.' It strengthened my resolve. I was hurt by it, but it just made me try harder. The pressure was there. I know a lot of people feel very passionate about the Bond movies, but so do I, so I just got on with it. What I tried to achieve was just making a movie people will want to go and see, and I think we have made a great movie. One of the things I was criticized for was that I looked like a bad guy, but I was happy with that because I think true good guys have to step into the dark side to do their job. I wanted people to question Bond's morals and his judgment.

Sean Connery set and defined the character. He did something extraordinary with that role. He was bad, sexy, animalistic and stylish, and it is because of him I am here today. I wanted Sean Connery's approval and he sent me messages of support, which meant a lot to me.

[interview with David Giannarco, Hello! magazine, 11/27/06, about the plot for "Bond 12"] What we've done is set in process the idea that there's an organization out there and Bond is now after them. That's where we will pick up the next film. There's going to be a real element of revenge.

[on-set interview with David Giammarco, The Globe and Mail, 3/27/06] I got a personal trainer for Casino Royale (2006), which has been an absolute godsend. I knew I had to be in the best shape I could be, otherwise I would never survive it. Because at the end of the day, there isn't any painting-it-in for this movie. These stunts aren't going to be helped by CGI . . . what you're seeing is the real thing. And I've got the bruises to prove it!

[interview with David Giammarco, Hello! magazine, 11/27/06, on on being approached to take over the James Bond character] [Pierce Brosnan] and I had a few drinks over it and we discussed it. And his advice to me was, "Go for it!"--which I think is the best advice I could've gotten.

[on preparing for his second James Bond performance] Last time I did a lot of weights to bulk up. This time I'll do more running. I won't be as "no-neck". But when this guy takes his shirt off, he should look like he could kill someone.

I always wanted to be an actor. I had the arrogance to believe I couldn't be anything else.

Method actors suggest that you do sense memory exercises every time you do a scene. I use every method I can. Whatever works, I'll use.

Well, competition is so important, even when you're an artist. And if you deny that there's competition, then you're a liar. That's what gives you your ambition.

[on first hearing he had the role of James Bond) When [Bond producer Barbara Broccoli] rang me to tell me I'd got the part, I was buying dishwashing tablets in Whole Foods. I promptly dropped them and went and bought a bottle of vodka!

[remarking on an injury he sustained on the set of Quantum of Solace (2008)] I lost my fingerprint, so now I can go out and commit all sorts of crimes.

Where Are They Now

(January 2006) January 30th: Started shooting on his new film Casino Royale in the Bahamas.

(January 2008) (January 2008) January 4th: Started filming Quantum of Solace

(March 2008) In Chile, filming Quantum of Solace

(June 2008) Finished filming Quantum of Solace

source : www.imdb.com

Britney Spears

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:38:00 +0000

Date of Birth
2 December 1981, Kentwood, Louisiana, USA

Birth Name
Britney Jean Spears

Nickname
Brit
Pinkey
The Princess of Pop

Height
5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Biography

Britney Jean Spears was born in rural Louisiana (Kentwood) on December 2, 1981, to Jamie and Lynne Spears. As a child, Britney attended dance classes, and she was great at gymnastics, winning many competitions and the like. But, most of all, Britney loved to sing. At age 8, Britney tried out for "MMC" (1989), but was turned down due to her young age. This directed her to an off-Broadway show, "Ruthless", for a 2-year run as the title character. At age 11, she again tried for "MMC" (1989) and this time made it as a mouseketeer along side many stars of today (Justin Timberlake and J.C. Chasez of N*Sync and Ryan Gosling). Her big break, however, came when she was signed as a Jive Recording Artist in the late 90s. With the release of her debut album, "...Baby One More Time" in early 1999, Britney became an international success, selling 13 million copies of "Baby" and 9 million (as of July 2001) of her sophomore album, "Oops!...I Did It Again," released in May of 2000.

Mini Biography

"Pop Phenomenon" doesn't come close to describing Britney Spears. The name is legend around the world. So famous is Britney Spears now that it's impossible to imagine a World in which she doesn't exist.

Born on 2 December 1981 in the small town of Kentwood, Louisiana, to parents Jamie and Lynne Spears, Britney is their second child of three. Her older brother Brian was born in April 1977 and her younger sister, Jamie-Lynn was born in April 1991. From a young age, Britney was always fixing to be a star with idols such as Madonna, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, the young Britney could always be heard singing, no matter what else was going on around her. After taking extensive dance and vocal lessons and performing in numerous talent shows and fairs, Britney auditioned for _"The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989 TV series) [1989-1994]"_ when she 8, however she was too young to get the part. Instead, Britney, her mother and baby sister moved to New York where she starred in several TV adverts and an off broad-way play "Ruthless", where she was under-study with Natalie Portman. Her love of music and dance took over and 2 years later she auditioned for a part in Mickey Mouse again and this time won the part along with Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. As a Mouseketeer, Britney received extensive training in dance, drama and singing and had to grow up a lot during that time. However, after the show was canceled two years later, Britney returned home and did "the normal teenager thing", attending pool parties and she was also the homecoming Queen. As a young teenager, Britney soon grew restless again and this time was desperate to become a star yet again. Again, she traveled to New York and sent out demo tapes to various labels including Sony and Mercury, but was turned down. It was Jive Records that finally took the young Britney on and set out on making her the star she is today.

She hit the studio with writers/producers such as Max Martin and Eric Foster White and the result was her debut album. In late 1998, Jive released her debut single "(Hit me) Baby one more time" which was a pop hit around the Globe, accompanied by the sixteen year old first of many controversial acts - the video, which featured Britney dressed in a Catholic Schoolgirl Uniform, baring her midriff, which was soon to become her trademark. Nonetheless, the single was a smash worldwide and Britney was instantly a Household name. She toured with popular boy band N*Sync and the single shot to the top of the charts for 3 weeks. Her debut album was released a few months later in early 1999 and like the single took to the top of the album charts, where it remained number one for six weeks. The album has now sold millions worldwide and is officially 14 x platinum in the US. Her next controversial act, after the video, was to take the cover of Rolling Stones magazine in a suggestive pose, but as Britney mania took off, the 17 year-old became more and more popular. Appealing to young girls, teenage boys and older men, Britney was on her way, yet nobody could have predicted at that time the impact she would have on Pop Culture. The second single, "Sometimes" was released in June 1999 followed on by the top 10 hit "Crazy" in September and "from the bottom of my broken heart" soon after. Britney ended 1999 selling over 10 million copies of her debut and as the Billboard Top Female Pop Artist (singles and albums), Top New Pop Artist, Top Billboard 200 album Artist and Top 100 singles Artist - female. The American Awards, MTV and Teen Choice awards soon began rolling in and in early 2000 Britney was nominated for two Grammy awards.

At just 18, Britney released her second album in 2000, the #1 smash "Oops! I did it again" and single of the same title, which topped the singles chart for 5 weeks. Smash singles "Stronger" and "Lucky" followed, but it was around this time that Britney was beginning to raise more than a few eyebrows. It seemed some people weren't too happy with the message she was sending their impressionable young children. On one hand, Britney was the perfect picture of innocence, declaring herself a Virgin until marriage yet on the other hand, she was sexually charged and provocative, with performance such as the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000, when her costume made her appear scantily-clad. As the young woman was growing up, it seemed there was an internal conflict between her, her management and her mother, all pulling her in different directions. Yet the image the public saw was a gorgeous young woman, beautifully dressed and damn close to perfection, often labeled the "Pop Princess" around the world. Still, the awards kept rolling in and in early 2001 Britney struck a lucrative deal with Pepsi-Cola for Sponsorship and advertising. The 19 year-old was growing up fast, with the media constantly fixed on what she was and wasn't doing, her "rivalry" with former fellow Mouseketeer Christina Aguilera and also her blossoming relationship with N*Sync heartthrob Justin Timberlake. Britney was keen that people saw her as a growing woman as she began to ready the public for her next LP release in late 2001.

In November, she hit the top 10 with the sexually charged "I'm a slave 4 u" which took a completely different turn in musical direction from her previous singles and in the same month released her third LP, self-titled "Britney" which shot to the top of the albums charts, breaking records for a female artist. Her performance of "Slave" at the MTV VMA's caused outrage among animal rights campaigners, as she performed with a live giant Snake and wearing little herself. It was a far cry from the Britney of just three years ago, and perhaps the critical moment when what some people would say "she started going downhill". Sales of her third album, while impressive, where not nearly as high as her former releases, perhaps due to the increase of new pop female singers flooding the market, yet Britney, still incredibly popular, carried on. In early 2002, the 20 year-old Britney released "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman", taken from the soundtrack of her debut movie Crossroads (2002/I) which was released in February that year. She soon after hit the charts with "Overprotected" and also toured Worldwide on the "Dream within a dream tour". Yet it seemed it was all getting too much for Britney, her four year relationship with Timberlake ended suddenly and very publicly and she soon announced she was to take 6 months off, after all, she had achieved so much by such a young age and in such a short space of time. Her star was by no means fading, with "Forbes" declaring her "The Worlds most powerful celebrity" in mid-2002.

While she may have been on a break from her career, she was by no means breaking from the media, who followed her relentlessly, even more keen to track her down and find out what she was up to. Britney was increasingly letting her pop princess crown slip, admitting she had lost her sacred virginity to Timberlake, outside of marriage. Britney could also be seen smoking and drinking to excess on wild nights out and famously breaking down in tears while being interviewed by Diane Sawyer about her parents (who were recently divorced) and her bitter split from Timberlake. Britney was linked to men such as Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and openly kissed Colin Farrell at a movie premiere. However, she seemed to get herself back together for her new album released in late 2003. In a blitz of publicity which included the infamous "Like a Virgin" performance and Madonna kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards in August that year. The new album "In The Zone" was a bid to be seen as a woman and caused controversy with songs on it such as "Breathe on me" and "Touch of my hand" - which was about masturbation - however, the appeal of Britney was still there and the album topped the Billboard 200 albums charts. The first single to be lifted was "Me against the music" a club hit that featured pop icon Madonna and singing with her was a dream come true for Britney. Now 22, it seemed Britney was in a lot more control over her career, yet her personal life still seemed to be slipping. In January 2004, Britney got "married" to childhood friend Jason Alexander in a Las Vegas ceremony. The incident shocked the world, especially when the marriage was annulled 55 hours later and was described as "a joke taken too far" by her management.

Britney soon released one of her biggest singles, "Toxic" which topped various charts around the world including the UK and Canadian singles charts. The single was a smash-hit and silenced any critics that said Britney no longer had what it took to make a comeback. She soon began her highly publicized and overtly sexual "Onyx Hotel Tour" which was canceled a few months later after Britney damaged her knee during a video shoot and had to receive medical treatment. Other singles off the album included the Gold Selling "Everytime", which topped the UK singles charts and like usual, also carried a fair amount of controversy for its video, which allegedly depicted the star committing suicide after a fight with her boyfriend, played by Stephen Dorff ; however, this was "changed" to an accident in which she drowns yet reincarnates. It was around this time that Britney began dating Kevin Federline, a former back up dancer who she had taken on tour with her a few months previously. The snag here was that Kevin came with baggage - in the form of an "ex" girlfriend, heavily pregnant "Moesha" (1996) actress Shar Jackson and their young child. Britney and Kevin soon became engaged and in September 2004 were married in a secret ceremony, soon after the birth of Kevin's second child. That same month, Britney released a single off her upcoming "Greatest Hits" album (released in November 2004) a cover of Bobby Browns 1988 hit "My Prerogative".

Britney was a changed woman, no longer concerned with what the public thought of her or her appearance, she parted ways with her manager who she had had since she was 13, and was increasingly stepping out looking more "trailer trash" than Multi-Millionaire. In February 2005, Britney won her first Grammy for the single "Toxic" as Best Dance Recording. Just two months later, it was announced Britney was pregnant her first child. A reality TV Series "Britney & Kevin: Chaotic" (2005), which featured the pair getting to know each other the previous year, leading up to their wedding aired on UPN and eventually got a world wide audience, despite harsh criticism. In September 2005, Britney evolved yet again, this time as a devoted wife and mother, with the birth of her first child, a Son, which she named Sean Preston. In November that year, she released a remix album "B in the mix, the Remixes".

Looking back over the last seven years of this remarkable ladies career and life, it really is hard to imagine what the face of Pop would look like without her. Here is a 24 year-old woman who has grown in the face of the glaring media from innocent School-girl to Sexual Pop Vixen to Young wife and Mother. Who knows what is next for Britney? Rumours of a comeback album for 2006 have been circulating for a while and also a few more movie productions, yet one thing is for certain: Britney Spears has worked hard to get to where she is today and by no means will she be disappearing any time soon. Her name and face is legend in the media and celebrity circuit and it's surely only a matter of time before Spears shocks us all again, with her next album or tour or movie or personal move. One thing is for certain though: the public will be watching.
IMDb Mini Biography By: James Bryant (December 2005)

Spouse
Kevin Federline (6 October 2004 - 30 July 2007) (divorced) 2 children
Jason Allen Alexander (3 January 2004 - 5 January 2004) (annulled)

Trade Mark

Shows her midriff during performances

Lip-synchs and synthesized vocals in her albums and during live performances.

Trivia

Attended Parklane Academy, a private school in McComb, Mississippi until October 1994. She was on the girls basketball team.

Was offered a role in Scary Movie (2000), but was forced to turn it down, due to concert scheduling.

Sister of Bryan Spears.

Her idols are Madonna and Mariah Carey.

Sister of Jamie Lynn Spears.

Studied at NYC's Professional Performing Arts School.

Daughter of Lynne Spears.

First solo artist ever to have a #1 Album and single on the Billboard charts at the same time with a debut.

Worked at a novelty shop before making it big.

1999: One of "Teen People" Magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21".

1999: Caused a stir with the American Family Association by posing in her underwear on the cover of Rolling Stone.

1999: Was one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People.

Ended up as the youngest cast member of "MMC" (1989); during the initial audition, she won the part after Jessica Simpson freaked out at the final question during the initial audition.

2000: Purchased a $1.5-million loft in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, for her brother Bryan.

2000: Announced that she will attend college and eventually wants to study entertainment law.

In her first song "Baby One More Time" there is a line "My loneliness is killing me" and in another of her songs, "Stronger", there is a line "My loneliness ain't killing me no more".

Is a natural-born blonde. However, she dyed her hair brown in 2003 for a short period.

September 2000: Her flesh-colored outfit at the MTV Video Music Awards created a stir, as it made her look scantily clad.

Requested that writers change the lyrics of her song "Born to Make You Happy." The original version contained sexually explicit lyrics, and Britney felt she was too young to be singing it.

October 2000: Chicago-based DNA Visual Business Solutions filed a lawsuit against her and her marketing companies, including Britney Brands, Inc., claiming that they failed to pay fees due to the web-designing company for helping set up the pop star's website, www.britneyspears.com.

2001: Accepted an endorsement from Pepsi to do TV commercials promoting the soft drink. The first commercial was slated for the 2001 Academy Awards.

2001: Was selected as #2 among the 100 sexiest women in FHM Magazine. Jennifer Lopez was #1, and Christina Aguilera was in the Top 20.

February 2001: Her third album is slated for release in October 2001.

March 2001: Her video for "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" features Britney doing a love scene with a 23-year-old male model. The original cut contained material so sexually explicit that mother Lynne Spears ordered that parts of the video be edited for content before its release to the public in the spring of 2001.

2001: In her first starring film role, her character was supposed to swear. Britney ordered that the curse words be taken out so as not to tarnish her image for the younger pre-teen viewers of her movie.

2001: During the concert "Rock in Rio" in Brazil, a tape recorder caught her swearing on a microphone she wasn't aware was connected. She was complaining about the fact that they weren't playing a vamp before she was to go on stage. Tape recordings of the incident were downloaded by Napster users.

2001: Host of the American Music Awards.

June 2001: Two Texas DJs created a panic for her fans when they falsely reported that the pop princess and her boyfriend, NSYNC's Justin Timberlake, were in a car accident and that she had died in the crash.

Wrote 2 books about herself, one with her mom.

July 2001: Jive Records announced that her third LP is due November 6, 2001.

September 2001: The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) complained to her about the use of four caged cheetahs and a snake for her performance at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, claiming that animals trained for performances are mistreated during the training.

September 2001: Announced that she aims to raise $2 million from her fall tour earnings to donate to the children of police officers and firemen who died when the World Trade Center collapsed.

2001: Her deal with Pepsi will net her upwards of $10 million.

11/11/99: She was the big winner at the MTV Europe Music Awards held in Dublin, winning the awards for Best Female, Best Pop, Best Breakthrough Artist, and Best Song for her hit "...Baby One More Time".

2001: Named one of E!'s "top 20 entertainers of 2001".

She was a aerobic instructor at the gym her parents owned.

2001: Turned down an offer to pose nude for a PETA anti-fur campaign ad.

2002: Voted one of the "Fun and Fearless Females" by Cosmopolitan Magazine.

Though it had been rumored that she would be guesting on the sexually suggestive HBO series "Sex and the City" (1998), playing the niece of Kim Cattrall's character Samantha Jones, a spokesman for HBO denied the reports, saying no such negotiations ever took place.

March 2002: Her Crossroads (2002/I) co-star Taryn Manning denied reports that she, Spears, and Zoe Saldana did a topless scene that was cut from the final edit of the film. According to her and the film's producer, Ann Carli, the "flashing" scene was filmed only from the neck up, and none of the three actresses involved was actually topless during the shoot.

2002: Arrived an hour late for the UK premiere of Crossroads (2002/I) and snubbed fans who had been waiting for her to arrive.

2000: Was voted by 'People' magazine as the fourth most influential person of that year.

2002: Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine.

2001: Was ranked 5th of the 100 Sexiest Women by FHM Taiwan.

June 2002: Came in at #2 in the American edition of FHM's Sexiest Girls of 2002 poll.

March 2003: Is at work on her fourth album, which is due in October 2003.

2003: Ranked #30 in Maxim's Hot 100 Issue. Placed just ahead of Brittany Murphy and Mya, and behind Rebecca Romijn, Rachel Nichols, Kelly Clarkson and Halle Berry.

2003: Ranked #2 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women In The World , in front of Carmen Electra and behind top-ranked Halle Berry.

2003: Ranked #2 in the "Awesome Multitaskers" section of Stuff's 125 Sexiest Women of the Year 2003 issue, along with hyphenates Jennifer Love Hewitt, Tyra Banks , Mandy Moore, Beyoncé Knowles, Jaime King, Samantha Mumba, Janet Jackson, Estella Warren and Taryn Manning.

11/17/03: Received star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is tied with Melissa Gilbert for being the youngest person to accept a Walk of Fame star.

1/3/04: "Taking a joke too far," according to a statement released by her label, she married childhood friend Jason Alexander at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, but quickly had it annulled.

Is a huge fan of Björk.

Has British ancestry on her mother's side of her family.

May 2004: She finally gained the top spot in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2004", moving up from #2 last year.

The other understudy for her off-Broadway role in "Ruthless" was now famous actress Natalie Portman. The two still keep in touch and met recently through a party in New York City.

Shoe size is 6.

Is good friends with Sarah Michelle Gellar.

June 2004: Engaged to Kevin Federline.

Was ranked #4 on VH1's 100 Hottest Hotties.

Considered for a role in Chicago (2002). The part went to Lucy Liu.

2004: Acquired a white Maltese dog named Lacy.

Was considered for the role of "Daisy Duke" in The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). That role eventually went to Jessica Simpson.

Is the first woman to have four albums go straight to #1 on the American charts.

Spring 2004: Had emergency arthroscopic surgery after she injured her knee an the set of her music video "Outrageous".

Her wedding dress was designed by 'Monique L'Huillier'.

Has a tattoo of a small black-winged fairy on the back of her spine.

Is considering the idea of taking her husband Kevin Federline's surname.

Wrote a "letter of truth" to her fans which was published on her official website, telling her fans that she needed to take a hiatus from her career to concentrate on her marriage with her new husband Kevin Federline and start a family with him. The move thus displeased her bosses at Jive Records.

2004: Her perfume "Curious" was one of the best selling fragrances of the year.

Angered the animal rights group PETA for wearing a fur jacket on the cover of her "Greatest Hits Album: My Prerogative". She claims she was told it was fake fur. This is the second time PETA has criticized her after she performed on stage with a caged tiger and a snake at the 2001 MTV music awards, after which she apologized and posed for an anti-fur poster.

2002: Ranked #1 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World".

Her name is an anagram of "Presbyterians".

She is mentioned in the songs "Riot Girl" by Good Charlotte and "Don't Let Me Get Me" by Pink.

She's the best-selling female music artist of the still young century (as of early 2005).

February 2005: Won her first Grammy for Best Dance Recording for "Toxic".

In her "Baby One More Time" music video, her love interest is played by her cousin.

The school scenes in her "Baby One More Time" music video were filmed in the same place the movie Grease (1978) was shot.

April 2005: The guy in her "Curious" fragrance commercial is played by actor Eric Winter of the daytime soap "Days of Our Lives" (1965).

April 2005: Announced on her website she was pregnant with her first child with ex-husband, Kevin Federline.

Has two stepchildren (her ex-husband's children from a previous relationship): Kori (b. July 31 2002,) and Kaleb (b. July 20, 2004).

July 2002: Opened a trendy restaurant on East 41st St., New York City, called "Nyla", which is themed around her home state of Louisiana.

Good friends with singer Madonna. They made a song together called "Me Against the Music". The song is on her album "In the Zone".

Is mentioned in Eminem's song "The Real Slim Shady" and is spoofed in the song's music video.

Shares her birthday with Nelly Furtado, Lucy Liu and Gianni Versace.

She wrote her song "Someday" 2 weeks before she found out she was pregnant

1996, 1997: Elected junior high most beautiful.

Sets the record as the only solo female artist to have 4 consecutive albums debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts.

Has her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Her ex-husband Kevin Federline was background dancer for her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake.

Likes to wear T-shirts with slogans on them

9/14/05: Son Sean Federline born at Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center by Caesarian section. Father is ex-husband Kevin Federline.

October 2005: She and Kevin Federline were forced to leave their home in California because a brush fire threatened to destroy it and several other houses in that area (including the one of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith).

1/11/06: Topped the 2005 "Worst Dressed" list of fashion critic Richard Selzer (aka Mr. Blackwell) for wearing clothes that he said made her look like an "over-the-hill Lolita".

Loves Betsey Johnson, Bebe, A/X by Giorgio Armani, Rampage, Abercombie & Fitch, Fred Segal, Gap, Victoria's Secret, and Urban Outfitters.

Spears chose Cynthia Wolff's 4-carat cushion-cut diamond set on two slim platinum bands with micropave diamonds.

2003: Accompanied Colin Farrell to the S.W.A.T. (2003) US premiere.

May; 2006: Portrayed as a character in the rock musical "We Will Rock You" by Queen and Ben Elton. The role is being played by Colin Charles in London's West End production.

Was best friends with Christina Aguilera when they performed together on "MMC" (1989)

Lived with her brother in an apartment in New York for some time

August 2006: Posed nude for the cover of "Harper's Bazaar", in a photo similar to Demi Moore's famous September 1991 cover of "Vanity Fair".

9/12/06: Second son, Jayden James Federline, born. Weighed 6 lb., 11 oz.

2006: Was named most searched name on internet search engine Yahoo!.

2006: Named "Most Controversial Celebrity of 2006" by CNN Headline News for her actions making people discuss about everything from proper parenthood to appearing in public without panties.

2006: Michael Fredo wrote a song about her called "Popstar Lovelife (Britney, I Know)".

1/10/07: After topping the 2005 "Worst Dressed" list of fashion critic 'Mr. Blackwell', she shared the #1 spot with Paris Hilton in 2006 for wearing clothes that made them look like "two peas in an overexposed box".

2004: Offered to perform at the Republican National Convention, but was turned down.

2007: Ranked #12 in "Forbes" magazine's "The 20 Richest Women in Entertainment" list, estimating her net worth at around $100 million.

February 2007: After shaving her own head with clippers in a Sherman Oaks (CA) hair salon, she visited a tattoo parlor and got several tattoos. Her weird behavior caused worldwide public attention. Some days later she admitted herself to a California treatment facility, but checked out after less than 24 hours.

Topped "FHM" Germany's annual survey searching the "100 Unsexiest Women in the World" in 2005 and 2006.

April 2007: Manager Larry Rudolph sent her to rehab in early 2007. She fired him.

4/2/07: Crowned the "April Fool" (by 76% of all voters) in the "Most Foolish" survey of New York publicist Jeff Barge.

Ranked #8 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.

Was signed on for a role in a film titled "In The Pink" co-starring comedians Wanda Sykes and Tim Allen, Academy Award Winner Cher, and Academy Award Nominee Bette Midler. The film was scrapped after years of delay.

Actress Claudette Lalí Anaya was her wardrobe stylist.

27 September 2007: Manager Jeff Kwatinetz and her lawyer, Laura Wasser, quit.

October 2007: Lost physical custody of her two sons with Kevin Federline due to not having a valid driver's license and failing to take a random drug and alcohol test. Federline has sole custody of the children.

Her 1999 album "Baby, One More Time" has sold 25 million copies worldwide.

Ranked #19 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.

Aunt of Maddie Briann Aldridge (born June 19, 2008), her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears' daughter.

After an 18-month custody battle over their sons Sean and Jayden, she and Kevin Federline agreed that he retains sole custody of the children. [July 2008]

Personal Quotes

Marry [Prince William Windsor]? I'd love that. Who wouldn't want to be a princess?

Onstage I'm the happiest person in the world.

[about Deborah Gibson at the 2001 American Music Awards] She's the original bubble-gum diva.

I remember I read this harsh review about my show, and one of my friends told me that this was the exact same stuff people said about Madonna. And it's like, she didn't care. Madonna just came out and was herself. I respect that a lot.

Just because I look sexy on the cover of "Rolling Stone" doesn't mean I'm naughty.

[referring to fellow pop-princess and former Mouseketeer Christina Aguilera] Christina and I are friends no matter what the media makes up.

England is one of my favorite places. The fans are just so crazy.

I would really, really, really like to be a legend like Madonna. Madonna knows what to do next, and when she's performing, the audience is just in awe of her.

[when asked about the perks of being famous] I get to go to a lot of overseas places, like Canada. [she was born in the US]

Her mother Lynne Spears on Britney's upbringing] I was not a permissive mother at all.

[on her relationship with Justin Timberlake during the "MMC" (1989)] We were, like, 12 or 13 and it was like, "Hi, do you like me?" It was like puppy love.

[about the tour to promote her third album [released in November 2001] I really want this to be like shocking and in people's faces and edgy. It's just basically, you know, there's a lot of scrutiny with everything I do. And, it's basically saying that I'm not a little girl anymore and this is me. And just, you know, I have to do what I have to do for me, and that's basically the overall scheme of it, yeah.

[about recording a song with boyfriend Justin Timberlake for her third album] I have to say I was a little nervous at first. I'm used to producers going in there and it's like work. And, I go in and I work and I do my vocals and work. And, I thought that it was awkward at first because I was nervous recording with him doing my vocals, but then I just totally forgot that he was my boyfriend, and I just said "Britney, just do the vocals, don't be nervous, don't be retarded like this." But, it ended up being fine, actually. At the very end, I got the best vocals I've ever done.

I dress the way I want. I don't pretend to be someone I'm not.

I love Jessica Simpson. I love her voice. She's amazing. I have her CD, and I have [Christina Aguilera's] CD. I have all of their CDs. They're amazing. You know? I have a lot of respect for them. Anybody who can be in this business . . . the work is so overwhelming sometimes and anybody who can do that I have a lot of respect for.

I find it so funny that people find me so interesting. And, I hate when they're like "Define your image." I don't know what my image is. I just do my thing.

[at a German chocolate museum, 1/18/02] Chocolate for me is just like an orgasm.

Acting is so much fun. It is a different ball game and I want to concentrate on that at the moment. I'm really passionate about what I do. I love entertainment and telling stories to people and I am very lucky that I am doing what I want to do.

[about her visit to the Playboy mansion] All I remember is seeing a bunch of naked girls and thinking, "I got to get out of here."

My views on virginity have not changed. I want to wait to have sex until I'm married. I do. I want to wait, but it's hard. I just want to live my life.

I guess it's because I do have a younger audience that, you know, parents worry about the role model thing. But when I was younger, I looked up to people, but I never wanted to be them. I always had my own identity. I'm an entertainer when I'm on stage, and they need to explain that to their kids. That's not my job to do that.

There are so many teenagers out there that dress more provocatively than I do, and no one says anything about them.

How can I explain this? I don't see myself -- hand on the Bible -- I know I'm not ugly, but I don't see myself as a sex symbol or this goddess-attractive beautiful person at all. When I'm on stage, that's my time to do my thing and go there and be that, and it's fun. It's exhilarating just to be something that you're not. And, people tend to believe it. I guess I just pull it off very well.

Who really cares if I've had sex? It's nobody's business. Trust me, I'm not going to have a press conference to announce it. If I mess up, I'm human. If I have a drink or I'm with someone, I'm human. I'm no different than anyone else my age.

Selling 5 million records is still good. I don't want to get jaded thinking I have to sell 10 million every time. It's not about that.

When I'm under stress, I do yoga. It's when I'm happiest that I have a problem with junk food.

I suck at flirting. There's one thing I don't understand about Hollywood. How they have a relationship, end it, and go right into the next. It's hard for a woman in this industry. Either the guy's going to be really intimidated, or they're going to kiss your ass. I'm just a girl wanting a guy to love me.

I feel like a totally different person than I was two years ago. I feel like so much of my innocence is gone. I'm still me, but this business makes you grow up so fast.

Would you go into a CD store and steal a CD? It's the same thing, people going into the computers and loggin' on and stealing our music.

[about her breakup with boyfriend Justin Timberlake] The most painful thing I have ever experienced was that breakup. We were together so long and I had this vision. You think you're going to spend the rest of your life together. Where I come from, the woman is the homemaker, and that's how I was brought up -- you cook for your kids.

If I was to pick a cartoon character I am most like, I would say Daisy Duck, because she is very stubborn, she has a very feminine sense and she knows what she likes.

As an artist, I would probably go on stage and bump and grind with a dancer. In real life, never.

When I look into a mirror, I am very critical of myself. I see a goofy girl.

Tony Blair? I've never heard of him either. Who is he?

I can't sing the same kind of thing all the time. That would bore me.

I don't listen to anybody. Nobody can tell me anything. I'm stubborn. If somebody tells me not to do something, I do it. But I do listen to Madonna. For some reason I listen to her. I know that sounds really silly. It's nice to have somebody just to ask questions to. She's a visual artist and a deep artist as well. I like the way she thinks. I wish I could be inside her head. I like Madonna's carer, and what she's done with her family.

I've got an amazing group of people around me and my family at home. If I don't make my bed and wash the dishes at home, I'm in trouble.

I'm not the type of person that can be cooped up in the hotel room being served all the time. I can't deal with that. I've got to do normal things.

Performing is what I like most. I find the studio very confining. You can do a lot in there, and you get the opportunity to try again and again. But on stage you have the adrenalin going and you've got one shot and the energy is so intense.

It feels like I've been dreaming this forever and then it happens and it feels like a whirlwind. I'm constantly traveling and I miss my friends.

[Justin Timberlake] was my first kiss. We were playing "Truth or Dare" and listening to Janet Jackson. I was 12. His friend dared him to kiss me, so that was my first kiss.

Bottom line: If you love yourself, it will all work out.

This is my dream come true. I can't believe this is happening right now. I can't believe I even have a movie. I feel very blessed to be where I am right now.

[on being photographed without panties] Anyway, thank God for Victoria's Secret's new underwear line!

[on why she has yet to tour Australia] I really love Australia, great place, but it's just so far away to go to for a concert, and that makes it hard - but I'll definitely take a course there for a tour next time. I'd really love to.

[regarding the policies of President George W. Bush regarding the invasion of Iraq] I think we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes and we should just support that.

I've never really wanted to go to Japan. Simply because I don't like eating fish. And I know that's very popular out there in Africa.

Where Are They Now

(January 2004) Starring in a Pepsi ad with 'Beyonce Knowles' and Pink. The girls star as gladiators while singing the 'Queen' hit "We will rock you". Amr Diab plays an evil Roman emperor.

(March 2004) Currently touring with ex-"MMC" (1989) co-star and N'Sync star J.C. Chasez on the second leg of her headlining Onyx Hotel Tour starting in London.

(June 2004) Announced her engagement to backup dancer Kevin Federline.

(October 2004) Released "My Prerogative" from her new greatest hits album.

(December 2004) Recently released her fragance "Curious".

(April 2005) Announced she is expecting her first child with Kevin Federline

(September 2005) Gave birth to a baby boy. The baby weighed 6 lbs and 11 oz.

(September 2005) Released her second perfume "Fantasy".

(February 2006) Has released her new album "Britney Spears In The Mix". The album contains the disco-remixed tracks of most of her popular hits, and one bonus track called "And Then We Kiss".

(May 2006) Announced that she is expecting her second child with her husband, Kevin Federline, after making a surprise appearance to announce the news on "Late Show with David Letterman" (1993).

(November 2006) Filed for divorce from husband Kevin Federline.

(February 2007) Suprised many fans and press when she revealed a shaved head to the public.

(October 2007) Titled her upcoming album, Blackout, due for release November 13th, 2007.

(December 2008) Celebrated her birthday on Good Morning America. She is promoting her highly anticipated CD "Circus".

source : www.imdb.com

Lindsay Lohan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:28:00 +0000

Date of Birth
2 July 1986, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name
Lindsay Dee Lohan

Nickname
Linds
La Lohan
L squared
LL

Height
5' 5" (1.65 m)

Mini Biography

Lindsay Dee Lohan was born in New York City, on 2 July 1986, to Dina Lohan and Michael Lohan. She began her career at age three as a Ford model, and also made appearances in over sixty television commercials, including spots for The Gap, Pizza Hut, Wendy's, and Jell-O (opposite Bill Cosby). Lohan made her acting debut in 1996 as the third actress to play Ali Fowler in the television drama "Another World" (1964). Shortly afterward, she was hand-picked by Oscar-nominated writer Nancy Meyers as estranged twin sisters in an adaptation by Walt Disney Pictures of a novel by Erich Kästner, which marked Meyers' directorial debut. Lohan's first feature film, The Parent Trap (1998), a remake of The Parent Trap (1961), was a modest commercial success, earning her widespread critical acclaim, and a Young Artist award for Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film, as well as Blockbuster Entertainment and YoungStar award nominations.

After signing a three-movie contract with Disney, she returned to the small screen to star in the made-for-TV movies Life-Size (2000) (TV) (opposite Tyra Banks) and Get a Clue (2002) (TV) (opposite Bug Hall). She also appeared as Rose in the pilot episode of the short-lived comedy series "Bette" (2000), which starred Bette Midler.

In June 2001, Lohan took a brief hiatus from acting. Her music career was launched over a year later, when Estefan Enterprises made a five-album production deal with her in September 2002, and she signed a recording contract with the reactivated Casablanca Records.

But Lohan was not turning her back on her blossoming acting career. Just over a month previously, she had been cast opposite Jamie Lee Curtis for another Disney adaptation of a novel, this time of a fantasy comedy by Mary Rodgers. Freaky Friday (2003), a remake of Freaky Friday (1976), was a huge hit (generating over US$160 million in worldwide box office receipts), and critics were spellbound by delightful performances from Lohan and Curtis (who went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for her work). In addition, Lohan won the 2004 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Female, as well as a Saturn award nomination and another Young Artist award nomination.

Lohan relocated permanently to Los Angeles, California, between projects, and moved into an apartment with fellow actress Raven-Symoné. She also dated pop star Aaron Carter for a short time.

Lohan's next acting role was the title character in the comedy Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), a Disney adaptation of the novel by Dyan Sheldon. The film received scathing reviews upon its release and died a quick death at the box office, but even the harshest of critics were impressed by Lohan's charming turn as aspiring actress Lola.

Lohan's next project, Mean Girls (2004) saw her reunite with Freaky Friday (2003) director Mark Waters. Inspired by a non-fiction book by Rosalind Wiseman and written by "Saturday Night Live" (1975) scribe Tina Fey, the high-school comedy-drama opened to glowing reviews, and grossed $86 million in the US. This earned her status as a bankable actress, and a salary of $7.5 million for the Donald Petrie romantic comedy Just My Luck (2006).

One of the most sought-after young actresses in the industry, she is staring in Bobby (2006) (opposite Nick Cannon), The Fashionistas (2010) (based on the novel by Lynn Messina), the high school dramas "Dramarama" (1983), "Gossip Girl" (2007)(based on the novel by Cecily von Ziegesar), and the Disney fantasy adventure Herbie Fully Loaded (2005) (a pseudo-sequel to The Love Bug (1968)). On top of a thriving film career, Lohan released her debut album, called "Speak," which hit shelves in December 2004.

In her spare time, Lohan enjoys swimming, basketball, shopping, singing, reading, writing, gymnastics, collecting Beanie Babies, roller-blading, and playing with her siblings Ali Lohan, Dakota and Michael Lohan.

Trivia

Sister of Michael Lohan, Ali Lohan (aka Aliana Lohan) and Dakota Lohan.

She started modeling at the age of 3.

Her mother is Dina Lohan, née Donata Sullivan, a former Rockette and Wall Street analyst, who now helps managing her daughter's career.

Her father is Michael Lohan, a long-time Wall Street trader who developed his family's multi-million-dollar pasta business, then sold it to pursue funding and development of major studios and independent Hollywood projects.

Provides a track on the soundtrack for Freaky Friday (2003), in which she also stars. The song "Ultimate" is performed by her character at the beginning of the movie's end credits.

Her mother, Dina Lohan; her sister, Ali Lohan and her brother, Dakota, had cameos in The Parent Trap (1998) during the airport scene and Freaky Friday (2003) during the wedding scene.

At age 7, she got to dress as garbage ("Things You Find on the Bottom of the Subway") for a Halloween skit on "Late Night with David Letterman" (1982).

She was originally offered the role of Penny in Inspector Gadget (1999) but turned it down.

Emilio Estefan Jr. took her under his professional wing in September 2002. Estefan Enterprises announced a five-album production deal and the promise of an aggressive effort to sell her popular style with a rock edge to a major record label. She eventually signed a recording contract with Casablanca/ Universal Records and has two albums under her belt.

She has worked as a model for Abercrombie & Fitch Kids (A&F Kids) and Calvin Klein Kids.

Following a self-imposed hiatus, she successfully auditioned for Freaky Friday (2003).

A straight-A student at school, she excels at math and science. She also enjoys gymnastics, swimming, ice skating, roller blading, singing, biking, reading, writing, and playing with her siblings.

Is of Italian and Irish descent.

The youngest person to host an MTV Movie Award show, and also the first host to win an award (for Freaky Friday (2003)). [June 5, 2004]

Admitted on "Last Call with Carson Daly" (2002) that she fell asleep during the premiere of The Parent Trap (1998).

Attends the famous school for the stars, Laurel Springs School.

At 17, she was 2003's 5th hottest teen female star.

For a short time, she attended a public high school, Sanford H. Calhoun High School, in a suburban town called Merrick on Long Island.

Released her debut album in December 2004. She co-wrote her debut single, which was "Rumors."

Her favorite food is Italian, Chinese, and Japanese.

Shares a birthday with singer/songwriter Michelle Branch.

Her mother Dina Lohan is also her manager.

Took voice lessons as a girl.

Attended Cold Spring Harbor Jr./Sr. High School on Long Island for several years following her role in The Parent Trap (1998). Her family's home was in Laurel Hollow before moving to Merrick, where she attended Sanford H. Calhoun High School (where Deborah Gibson also attended high school years before) for only a few months before resuming her acting career.

Is allergic to blueberries.

Good friends with Paris Hilton and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.

Her debut album "Speak" was certified for platinum sales in the USA.

Was in the hospital for a second time in less than a year (the first time was last year while filming Herbie Fully Loaded (2005) after working 17 hours on her movie Just My Luck (2006).

One of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" (2004).

When auditioning for Mean Girls (2004), she originally wanted to play Regina.

Rejected playing the character Regina in Mean Girls (2004) because she felt fans would perceive her as arrogant.

Ranked #10 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World (2005).

Broadway producer Barry Weissler is interested in having Lohan star in the musical version of Amy Heckerling's Clueless (1995). [April 2005]

Good friends with Mean Girls (2004) co-star, Amanda Seyfried.

Along with Tara Reid, Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, Bijou Phillips, Kimberly Stewart, Nicole Richie & Kimberly Kardashian, Lohan is one of Hollywood's most famous party girls.

Dyed her hair blond for her role in A Prairie Home Companion (2006).

Named #4 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.

Nicole Richie and David Spade were among the guests at her 19th birthday party.

Won the 2006 Kids Choice Award for Best Female Actress at the 19th Annual show on Nickelodeon.

Named #10 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement (2005).

Is a fan of Marilyn Monroe.

Participated in the 13th Annual Race to Erase M.S. charity event by modeling clothes along with her friend, Nicole Richie.

Watches and studies Marilyn Monroe films.

Her idols are Marilyn Monroe and Ann-Margret.

Appeared on the daytime soap "Another World" (1964) playing the role of Ali Fowler from December of 1996 to July of 1997. She left the soap after winning the lead(s) in the remake of The Parent Trap (1998).

Has a net worth of approximately $7 million dollars based on her movies, albums, and other works.

Starred in three remakes/new versions of Disney movies: The Parent Trap (1998), Freaky Friday (2003) and Herbie Fully Loaded (2005).

Was hospitalized for the second time in a year from heat exhaustion after working 12 hours straight on the set of her new movie, Georgia Rule (2007).

Her real middle name is Dee, but she sometimes uses Morgan as a stage name.

15 September 2006 - Fractured her wrist after she fell at a Fashion Week party in New York City.

Named #14 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).

Underwent emergency surgery to remove her appendix [January 4, 2007].

Ex-girlfriend of Wilmer Valderrama.

Entered rehab at the Wonderland Center in Los Angeles on January 18, 2007, according to her publicist Leslie Sloane after confirming in December 2006 that she was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Named #1 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 of 2007 list.

Named #3 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2006 list.

Her stylist is Rachel Zoe, who's also the stylist of 'Nicole Richie'.

Is often seen singing karaoke alongside Emile Hirsch, Bo Barrett, Michelle Rodriguez, Kellan Rhude and Nicole Richie at Beverly Hills hot spot "Guys".

Was the subject of "Lindsay Fully Loaded", a music video by Omovies.

Once saved her brother and youngest sibling, Dakota "Cody" Lohan, from drowning.

Was ranked #18 on The 20 Top-Earning Young Superstars list by Forbes magazine (2007).

Recreated Marilyn Monroe's final photo shoot in the 2008 Spring Fashion edition of New York, including partial nudity. [February 2008]

After two DUI arrests, she was sentenced to one day in jail and ten days community service at the American Red Cross in Pomona, California. [August 2007]

Ranked #9 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.

Campaigned for the role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland (2010) but lost the part to Mia Wasikowska.

Personal Quotes

Life is full of risks anyway, why not take them?

I write a lot of lyrics and I'm involved in the producing process, because it's like, if I'm singing it, I want it to be something that I can relate to.

If I can change bodies with anyone it would be Britney Spears because how can you not like Britney Spears?

I am happy being able to play roles with people my age because once you do something really mature there is no turning back.

I don't like to talk about politics. If you say you're a Democrat, that'll turn off Republicans, and that's half of your fan base.

When I'm walking down the red carpet and everybody is screaming my name, all I'm doing is worrying that they're thinking, like, "Oh, she didn't wave at me, she's such a bitch!

I'll probably pursue doing more movies but not horror movies or movies with killers in them. I'll try to stick to happy movies. I want to act and direct like Jodie Foster. I admire her because she went to college and she is still doing the same thing.

It's flattering that people want to know so much about me and want to take the time to make up that many things about me.

I don't want to keep doing all commercial stuff. But timing is everything. I got this one script where this girl wants to join a Latino gang and she gets raped. I can't be doing that right now. I don't think that's appropriate.

But I'm not going to go and lose my virginity in a movie, yet, because the second I do that, you can't go back. That makes me much older in terms of film and on the screen.

Girls my age dress so much raunchier than I'd ever imagine myself dressing. I understand that I'm a role model, though, and I have to look out for that. I have a 10-year-old sister, too. But you also want to be appealing to guys and stuff, that's just something girls feel. It's hard. You want to be that girl that's unattainable to all the guys because there are so many other girls out there that are like that.

People go to college to find who they are as a person and find what they want to do in life, and I kind of already know that so it would be like I'd be taking a step back or something.

"You can't really complain because it's what you have to accept is going to happen when you're in the spotlight, and you want this. And I understand that. At the same time, it's hard when you're just waking up, and you're going out to get your mail and there are people there. It bugs me sometimes, of course, but I don't do it on purpose, you know? I try to just live my life; I'm not doing stuff like that to get noticed." [on not having privacy]

"I'm not doing Playboy, no. Never. They contacted my publicist and they asked if I would do their 20 questions spread, which is not a nude photo that they do with it. It's a regular photo. But I do have a Disney movie coming out and a young fan base and I'm not interested in doing Playboy right now in my life." [20 Dec 2004]

Say no more than yes, and just make sure you surround yourself with good people.

[On relocating to Los Angeles, California and moving in with Raven-Symoné]: "We met recently at the Vanity Fair shoot and got along. Our apartment complex has chef and maid services."

I was sick. I had people sit me down and say, 'You're going to die if you don't take care of yourself.'

"Because I'm so much in the spotlight, people lose sight of why I'm in the industry. In fact, I'm doing all this because I love to act. I love to perform, to sing.

"I go out because it's a release. Going out for me is about seeing my friends and not working. Being seen is just something that comes along with it.

I hate it when people call me a teen queen. The past year has felt like five lifetimes because I've grown up a lot.

Wilmer was my first love. But the timing was bad. And there were all these girls around; he would flirt with them. And I couldn't handle that. I really didn't trust him. So that was hard too.

[Samuel L. Jackson] "I'm a huge fan of his, and as I was walking off the stage with him he started asking me, 'How are you? Are you OK from your accident?' He said, 'I've seen your movie Mean Girls (2004) about five times and I love it'. I said, 'Not only is it amazing to hear that from you, but it's so nice to hear that from someone, because all you read is, 'Lindsay is out 'til four in the morning partying, da, da, da, da'".

I don't even know how to take a break, because I go crazy. I just sit in a room and I don't know what to do. I went to the Metropolitan Museum and just sat there. But they didn't take any pictures of that, which sucks, because that would have been more interesting than pictures of me coming out of a club.

I have this Playboy book called 'Redheads', and I was reading all these things about how redheads are more passionate and apparently they're much more sexual than girls with other hair colors. I think I'm more sexual than my friends. More comfortable in my skin. I'm a sexual person, definitely.

It's so weird that I went to rehab. I always said I would die before I went to rehab.

Partying and having all of those pictures taken distracts from the work that I do. It's not why I started acting. I didn't get into acting to be written about. It kind of just happened - so I accept that it's my life. But there are some things that I can do to make changes and grow up. I want to act like a woman rather than a teenager. I am doing the best I can. It was hard surrendering and having people tell me what to do. It was really humbling for me, but I liked how I was treated as a normal person. I kept the common areas clean. I liked making coffee for the gym the best. I'm planning a trip to Africa during the second week in December. I'm working with the American Red Cross, but it is not finalized yet. I just want to apologize to any of my fans that look up to me, especially my younger fans, for setting the examples that I didn't mean to set. That is one of the reasons that I want to change things. I don't want to be known as that person. I have a younger sister and she looks up to me, too. All the negative stuff that gets said hurts my feelings, it hurts my sister, Ali, and my family.

It's hard in L.A. not to go out, it gets lonely. Being an actress is lonely, and I never want to be alone. I hate sleeping alone.

I'm Irish-Italian so I've got a really bad temper.

I talk about my impulses with my therapist -- I have a shopping problem; I love to shop too much.

I want to get a nomination. I want to win an Oscar. I want to be known for more than, like, going out. For being 'the party girl.' I hate that. I bust my ass when I'm filming and when I have time off, yeah, I like to go out and dance.

I say too much sometimes, but I'm honest, that's the important thing.

Salary
Just My Luck (2006) $7,500,000
Mean Girls (2004) $1,000,000
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004) $1,000,000
Freaky Friday (2003) $550,000

Where Are They Now

(June 2005) Attending the premiere of new movie Herbie Fully Loaded (2005), while also doing promotional work for it.

(August 2005) Just started filming her new film, A Prairie Home Companion (2006).

(August 2005) Shooting Just My Luck (2006), A Prairie Home Companion (2006) and an untitled 'Nick Cannon' Project.

(August 2006) Filming her newest movie, Georgia Rule (2007).

(May 2007) Arrested for suspicion of driving under influence of alcohol, after her third car crash in two years.

source : www.imdb.com

Michael Phelps

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:19:00 +0000

Date of Birth
30 June 1985, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Birth Name
Michael Fred Phelps

Nickname
Flying Fish

Height
6' 3" (1.91 m)

Mini Biography

Michael Phelps is the newest phenomenon to take the swimming world by storm. Before the Olympics started, rumor had it that a 19 year-old from Baltimore was thinking of trying to match or even surpass Mark Spitz's legendary seven gold medals. By his fourth race with one gold and two bronze it was obvious he couldn't tie it but instead he could match Russian gymanst's Alexander Dityatin's record of eight medals in one Olympics. Every race after the two bronze he came away with gold. After his seventh race he did a truly noble thing by handing over his butterfly leg on the 4 x 200m Freestyle relay to Ian Crocker a rival and now a friend. To everyone this was deemed the most selfless act of the games but to Michael it was just giving his team mate another chance. Throughout the entire week of competition he barely managed to sleep so when he finally got to rest he went to check out how the dominant women's teams were doing and enjoying the culture and atmosphere in Athens. The success in Athens was amazing and now he will begin training for the 2008 Olympics in Bejing.

Trivia

Siblings: 2 sisters, Whitney (born 1978) and Hilary (born 1980)

Parents: Fred and Debbie Phelps (divorced)

He won 6 gold and 2 bronze medals at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Sponsors: Speedo, Omega, AT&T, Powerbar, Visa, Argent Mortgage

He was the youngest male Olympian since 1932 (he was only 15 when he made it in the 2000 Olympics).

Has a street named after him in his hometown Baltimore,Maryland.

First person under one minute and 55 seconds in 200m fly with world record swim.

His sister, Whitney, was a member of the 1995 World Championship team.

Became the youngest male swimmer ever to set a world record at the age of 15 years and nine months, breaking the record in the 200m butterfly.

Attending the University of Michigan (2004)

"Phelps Flys", winning 8 medals at the 2004 Olympics, was ranked #17 in TV Guide's list of the "25 Most Awesome Sports Moments (of the last 15 years)". [17 July 2005 issue]

Winner of the "Sports - Choice Athlete (male)" category at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards.

His feet have been referred to as "fins" by the media, because he wears a size 14 shoe. His wing span measures in at 6 foot 7 inches.

Graduated from Towson High School (2003).

World Swimmer of the Year in 2003, 2004 and 2006.

Has won 17 titles at World Championships between 2001 and 2007.

Grew up in the Rodgers Forge section of Baltimore County just south of Towson.

Made history at the Beijing Olympic Games when he became the first athlete in history to win 8 gold medals at a single Olympic game. He also broke the record for the most Olympic medals won, bring his total from his 3 Olympic appearances to 16.

He has the prototypical swimmer body, he has an extremely long torso; that of a 6 foot 8 person. Whereas his legs are shorter, only that of a 6 foot person. This helps him keep his head above water in his signature event, the 100M butterfly.

Swims about five hours a day and eats up to 10,000 calories a day.

Has double-jointed knees and elbows, which plays a role in his famous dolphin-like kick in the water.

Personal Quotes

"Winning the gold in Greece was a dream come true but going on this tour with Ian and Lenny and meeting the young swimming stars of tomorrow has been simply incredible."

"I have my family and friends, so really I'm just another high school kid."

"I listen to Eminem on my headphones. I don't know the name of it but I think that just listening to that fires me up. It's working so far I just hope it keeps up." - Michael Phelps

Where Are They Now

(October 2004) Resting up a sore back at home and getting ready to start training at University of Michigan.

(November 2008) Baltimore, Maryland

source : www.imdb.com

Jennifer Lopez

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:12:00 +0000

Date of Birth
24 July 1969, The Bronx, New York, USA

Birth Name
Jennifer Lynn Lopez

Nickname
J. Lo
La Lopez
Lola

Height
5' 6" (1.68 m)

Mini Biography

Jennifer was born on July 24, 1969, in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx. Her father, David, was a computer technician. Her mother, Guadalupe, taught kindergarten. Jennifer is the middle of three daughters. Her elder sister, Leslie, is a housewife who sings opera. Her younger sister, Lynda, is a DJ on New York's WKTU, a VH1 VJ, and a morning news show correspondent on New York's Channel 11. Jennifer's parents were born in Puerto Rico, but did not meet until both came to America. Her mother's parents were Europeans who settled in Puerto Rico. She says that it was her parents' work ethic that made a difference in her life. Jennifer took singing and dancing lessons from age 5. She attended 12 years of Catholic school, including an all-girl high school. She played softball and tennis in high school and was a gymnast.

After high school, she briefly worked in a law office. During this time, she continued dance classes at night. At 18, she left home because her mother was scared by her decision to pursue show business. With casting on "In Living Color" (1990) in 1990, she moved to L.A., but initially hated it. Finally her boy friend, David Cruz, moved to be with her there and she learned to accept her new environment. Her career took off from her "Living Color" stint and reached new peaks with her portrayal of slain Latino singer Selena (1997).
IMDb Mini Biography By: John Sacksteder <>

Mini Biography

Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born in the Castle Hill section of the South Bronx on July 24, 1969. The middle of three musically inclined sisters, Leslie, a homemaker and Lynda, an entertainment consultant for New York's Channel 11, Jennifer always dreamed of being a multi-tasking superstar. Jennifer's parents Guadalupe Rodriguez and David Lopez were both born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, the second largest Puerto Rican city. The two were then brought to the United States in their childhoods, and eventually met while living in New York City. While Jennifer is of Puerto Rican descent her paternal grandmother's parents were Europeans who settled on the island of Puerto Rico. As a child Jennifer enjoyed a variety of musical genres, mainly Afro-Caribbean rhythms like salsa, merengue and bachata, and mainstream music like Pop, Hip hop and R&B. Although she loved music, the film industry also intrigued her. Her biggest influence was the Rita Moreno musical West Side Story (1961). At age five, Jennifer began taking singing and dancing lessons. Aside from being a budding entertainer, Jennifer was also a Catholic schoolgirl, attending eight years at an all-girls catholic high school named Holy Family, located in the Bronx, before graduating from Preston High School after a four- year stay. At school, Jennifer was an amazing athlete and participated in track and field and tennis. At age eighteen Lopez moved out of her parent's home. During this time Lopez worked at a law firm while she took dancing jobs at night. Her big break came when she was offered a job as a fly girl on Fox's hit comedy "In Living Color" (1990). After a two-year stay at "In Living Color" (1990) where actress Rosie Perez served as choreographer, Lopez than went on to dance for famed singer-actress Janet Jackson. Her first major film was Gregory Nava's My Family (1995) and her career went into over-drive when she portrayed slain Tejana singer Selena Quintanilla Perez in Selena (1997).
IMDb Mini Biography By: GinaL

Spouse
Marc Anthony (5 June 2004 - present) 2 children
Cris Judd (29 September 2001 - 26 January 2003) (divorced)
Ojani Noa (22 February 1997 - 1 January 1998) (divorced)

Trivia

Father David Lopez is a computer specialist at Guardian Insurance in NYC.

Dated musician 'Sean 'P. Diddy Combs'. [1999-2001]

Sisters are Linda López and Leslie Lopez.

Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. [1997]

Her parents are from Puerto Rico.

At the movie wrap party for Selena (1997), on October 28 1996 in San Antonio, the star played an unexpected love scene when her boyfriend Ojani Noa grabbed a microphone and proposed to her in the middle of the dance floor, presenting her with a large marquis-cut diamond ring. She said, "Yes."

She was one of the "Fly Girls" dancers on the TV comedy series "In Living Color" (1990).

In the gyms they called her "La Guitarra" because her body curved like a guitar.

In her Bronx neighborhood they call her "The Supernova."

She moved to Manhattan to learn how to dance and used to sleep in the studio where she was practicing.

Lopez and boyfriend musician 'Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs' were arrested in connection with a nightclub shooting. Police found them with a stolen gun. The charges against Lopez were dropped, but the charges against Combs stayed. He was eventually tried and acquitted. [December 1999]

Lopez worked with Janet Jackson in her videos and on her tours, and can be seen in the video for "That's The Way Love Goes".

Grew up in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx. It was from this neighborhood that she took the local "6" train to get to her auditions in Manhattan, as well as the inspiration of her debut album "On the 6".

Mother is a schoolteacher in Westchester County, New York.

Voted #1 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women list. [2001]

She and boyfriend Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs announced that they had ended their relationship. [February 14, 2001]

Is the highest paid Latina(o) actress to date for her performance in The Wedding Planner (2001). She was paid $1 million for her role in Selena (1997). [2001]

First actress to have a movie (The Wedding Planner (2001)) and a music album hit number one in the same week.

Met her husband, Cris Judd, while filming the music video for her single "Love Don't Cost A Thing". The two were married in a small ceremony (about 170 guests) at a home in a Los Angeles suburb officiated by attorney Barry Hirsch. Judd is a dancer and choreographer.

Is the only woman to have been voted the sexiest woman in the world twice in FHM.

Named one of E!'s "Top 20 Entertainers of 2001".

Voted the #1 best female body in "Celebrity Bodies" (UK) magazine. [October 2001]

She once hosted "Saturday Night Live" (1975) and appeared in a sketch as a singer for the USO who performs for soldiers during WWII. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, she did this for real, performing in a USO concert at an American Air Force base in Germany.

Debut album went 6 x platinum.

Attended Baruch College in New York.

Ranked #76 in Premiere's 2002 annual Power 100 List.

Opened a new Cuban restaurant called Madre's in Pasadena, California.

Has relocated to Miami Beach after purchasing an estate there worth $9.1 million. Her neighbors on both sides of the house are Robin Gibb and Barry Gibb, and singer Ricky Martin lives eight houses away. [May 2002]

Was ranked 1st of the 100 Sexiest Women by FHM Taiwan (2001).

Came in at #5 in FHM's Sexiest Girls of 2002 poll, American edition. She had come in first in the 2000 & 2001 editions of the poll. [June 2002]

Grew up on Blackrock Avenue in the Bronx.

Released her third album, "This is Me... Then," on November 26th 2002. The first single from the album was the song "Jenny from the Block." Another track, "Baby I Love You!", borrows heavily from the melody of John Barry's theme for Midnight Cowboy (1969). Barry gets co-composer credit.

Engaged to Ben Affleck. [October 2002]

Was the first Latina actress to be paid $1 million for a movie role (Selena (1997)).

Ranked #47 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #76 in 2002.

Does not drink alcohol.

Voted the 4th Sexiest Female Movie Star in the Australian Empire Magazine September 2002.

Her ex-husband Cris Judd and ex-fiancee Ben Affleck share the same birthday. Ben is 3 years younger.

Ranked #5 in Maxim's Hot 100 List 2003, behind Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) stars Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, & Cameron Diaz, and Kristanna Loken, Shania Twain, and top-ranked Christina Aguilera.

Ranked #5 on FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2003 list, behind only Alyssa Milano, Carmen Electra, Britney Spears, and Halle Berry.

Ranked #4 in the "Loveliest Latin Ladies" section of Stuff's 125 Sexiest Women of the Year 2003, along with Shakira, Salma Hayek, Daisy Fuentes, Roselyn Sanchez, Penélope Cruz, Eva Mendes, Sofía Vergara, Lana Parrilla, Marieh Delfino, and Sissi.

20 January 2004: Ended engagement to Ben Affleck.

Struggles to converse in Spanish, even though she was raised in a Puerto Rican home.

Wrote the song "Dear Ben" about her fiancee Ben Affleck and how much she loved him.

After four unsuccessful previous nominations, she won the worst actress Razzie for Gigli (2003).

Wears a size 6 shoe.

Her mother won a $2.4-million jackpot at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey in April 2004.

Grew up blocks away from actor, Mills Pierre, where they both took classes at Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.

Sister Linda López is an Entertainment Correspondent for WB Network Channel 11 News in New York.

Secretly married Marc Anthony on June 5th 2004; all the guests were invited to a "afternoon party", and they were never told that they were going to a wedding.

Both her parents are of full European ancestry.

Stated in interviews during her engagement to Ben Affleck that once married, she would go by the name Jennifer Affleck both privately and professionally. This never came-to-be as she and Affleck broke off their engagement in January 2004.

2004 Honoree for the Noche de Niños Gala (Childrens Hospital Los Angeles)

Her new perfume is called "Still" and is the second perfume she has released with her first being "Glow"

Ranked #2 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002).

She was named one of People magazine's Fifty Most Beautiful People for 1997

Owns a home in Old Westbury - Long Island, New York.

Years before they married (or even became a couple), she and Marc Anthony sang a song together called "No Me Ames" which appeared on her album "On the 6"

There was some controversy around her fashion line "Sweetface" due to the excessive use of fur for the clothes. Members of PETA protested against her and famous PETA member Heather Mills stormed with some reporters into Jennifer's office in New York and expected an explanation from Jennifer, but the singer wasn't there. Mills then left a DVD in Lopez' office, which shows how brutally animals are murdered just to get their fur. Mills was then asked to leave by Lopez' assistant. [September 2005]

Wore a Vera Wang gown to her June 2004 wedding to Marc Anthony

She and Marc Anthony live in Bel-Air. In addition, they have a house on Fisher Island and another one in Long Island, New York.

10 April 2006 - Filed a request for injunction against her first husband, Ojani, to stop him from publishing materials that are disparaging. He supposedly signed an non-disclosure agreement in 2004 that prevents him from such a publication.

Named #31 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005)

One of her first dancing gigs was dancing for an opening number by the New Kids on the Block for their performance on the American Music Awards in the late 1980s. She can be clearly seen dancing with her hair in a ponytail and wearing a cap in the middle of the dance troupe.

Named #26 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).

Attended Holy Family Catholic Church and Grammar School in Castle Hill, Bronx, New York, New York, USA. She also attended Preston High School in Throgs Neck, Bronx, New York, New York, USA where she graduated from in 1987.

Stepmom of her husband Marc's 3 children Ariana, Cristian and Ryan.

Was one of the guests at Tom Cruise's and Katie Holmes wedding ceremony in Italy.

Began her career as a dancer for Janet Jackson.

Ranked #3 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.

December 2007 - According to Forbes, her movies averaged $9 of gross income for every dollar the actress got paid.

By 2004, she had amassed a fortune estimated to be worth $255 million, due to her work as a singer, actress, and Co-owner of Sweetface Fashions.

Has split with her year-long manager, Irving Azoff [January 15, 2008].

Gave birth to fraternal twins, Emme Maribel Muñiz, at 12:12am, weighing 5lbs 7oz and Maximillian "Max" David Muñiz, at 12:13am, weighing 5lbs 13oz, on February 22, 2008 on Long Island, New York by C-section.

Client of Simon Fields.

She and her twins were featured on the front cover of People magazine's March 11, 2008 issue when they were four weeks old. People paid $6 million for the photos.

Personal Quotes

"I thought she'd offer me some sympathy. Instead, she said, 'Don't you ever call me crying again! You wanted to be in this business, so you better toughen up!' And I did." - to Redbook magazine August 1999, on the lesson in tough love she got from her mother.

"You laugh it off, you get upset for a little while, you're human and you let it go." - on the "outrageous" tabloid stories she hears about herself, at a press conference to discuss her movie, The Cell (2000) in August 2000

"This film certainly is not meant for the girls who sing along with my songs" (about The Cell (2000))

I was always a singer and a dancer, and I always wanted to be an actress. For me, it's all just one thing.

"Nail Polish" (upon being asked what she got on her SAT's)

"When I'm not prepared, which is almost never." -when asked if she ever feels insecure

I don't really check out other people's butts.

I'm not mad about my ankles - they're too skinny.

We've all had a love of our life and failed love affairs. I'm just the biggest romantic - it's really sad. I tell people that, but nobody listens.

I've always had a huge fear of dying or becoming ill. The thing I'm most afraid of, though, is being alone, which I think a lot of performers fear. It's why we seek the limelight - so we're not alone, were adored. Were loved, so people want to be around us. The fear of being alone drives my life.

In every movie they want you to look as thin as you can look. In Selena, it was the other way around: "How can we shoot her butt so it looks like Selena's?"

I only do what my gut tells me to. I think it's smart to listen to other people's advice, but at the end of the day, you're the only one who can tell you what's right for you.

If you focus on the money, you're not going to get anywhere. You can want to be successful, but at the end of the day, if money is your motivation, if that's how shallow your outlook is on life, then you're going to be such an empty person. Because there's nothing driving you from the inside -- there's no passion...

My mom always told me that if you work hard, you can achieve anything. And it's true. It's one of the truest things ever.

I think crossroads come at many times during your life. Up to this point, I've had several. You get to a certain point in your life and you're like, Am I supposed to be doing this? And it's usually in the face of some failure - something that didn't work out the way you wanted it to. And you're faced with a decision: Do I keep trying to do this or do I give up?

Beauty is only skin deep. I think what's really important is finding a balance of mind, body and spirit. Somebody said to me not too long ago, 'Until you're twenty, you have the face you are born with, and after that you have the face you deserve', and I really loved that - the idea that you wear who you are on your face.

If you kiss on the first date and it's not right, then there will be no second date. Sometimes it's better to hold out and not kiss for a long time. I am a strong believer in kissing being very intimate, and the minute you kiss, the floodgates open for everything else.

I was in third grade when Rapper's Delight changed my life. But, when I came home, my mother would be listening to Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Diana Ross. I want to include all those elements in my music.

I didn't expect it to happen like this, wrapping one film and flying out to do a new one the next day. But I'm fresh enough and ambitious enough to stay up all night for the sake of a job. I'm not gonna take it easy. I want to do so much more when I'm getting these great opportunities.

I'm trying to get the focus back on what I do as an artist, not what I do at home.

It was all a bit mad. For a girl like me, wearing gorgeous clothes and having all this attention was amazing. It was like being a princess. But it didn't take me long to realise that that sort of fame can be scary. The more the circus builds up around you, the more you start to lose all those intentions that get you there in the first place. I was always about being a good performer and working hard, doing movies, making music, but that started to get lost in all that crazy stuff.

I throw myself into love because I believe in it, but when things don't work you have to take responsibility. You all know things have gone wrong for me. Everybody has laughed, everybody has had a knock at me. It hurts, it always does. There have been times when I didn't want to be me any more. From the outside looking in, it may have appeared that it was a glamorous exciting life, but I would have swapped places with anybody. It really did start to get to me and the easy thing to do would be to walk away.

I'm not J.Lo, she's not a real person. She was just a bit of fun that got really crazy. I've never been anyone but Jennifer. I was going to call the album Call Me Jennifer because that would be my way of saying goodbye to the whole J.Lo thing. But Rebirth is perfect because it means so much more.

Salary
Monster-in-Law (2005) $15,000,000
Shall We Dance (2004) $14,000,000
Jersey Girl (2004) $4,000,000
Gigli (2003) $12,000,000
Maid in Manhattan (2002) $12,000,000
Angel Eyes (2001) $9,000,000
The Wedding Planner (2001) $9,000,000
The Cell (2000) $4,000,000
Antz (1998) $500,000
Out of Sight (1998) $2,000,000
U Turn (1997) $1,000,000
Anaconda (1997) $1,000,000
Selena (1997) $1,000,000
Blood and Wine (1996) $250,000
Jack (1996) $200,000
Money Train (1995) $200,000
My Family (1995) $50,000

Where Are They Now

(November 2004) On the set of new music video for her song 'Get Right' in Hollywood, California.

(February 2005) She and Michael Vartan are doing re-shoots of romantic comedy Monster-in-Law (2005) in Los Angeles from February 10 to February 15.

(February 2005) Launched third perfume in the J.Lo perfume line called Miami Glow.

(December 2005) Filming the movie Cantante, El (2006) in New York City.

source : www.imdb.com

Lionel Messi

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:08:00 +0000

Full name: Luis Lionel Andrés Messi
Birth day: June 24, 1987
Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina
Nationality: Argentinian
Other nationality: Spanish
EU passport: Yes
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 67 kg
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Forward
Debut: 17 November 2003

Lionel Andrés Messi (born June 24, 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine football (soccer) player.

Lionel Messi started playing football at a very early age in his hometown's Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as Lionel's parents were unable to pay for the treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain.

In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Dragao stadium. The following championship-winning season, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1).

With several first team players seriously injured, the services of several reserve team players were called upon, and Messi became a regular feature of Barça squads. On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona - against Albacete when Messi was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old.

He was offered the chance to play for the Spain national football team, but declined, prefering to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of his birth. In June 2004 he got his chance, playing in a U-20 friendly match against Paraguay.
Lionel Messi wearing FC Barcelona's colorsIn June 2005 he starred for the Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship played in The Netherlands. Messi picked up the Golden Boot as top scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel has already drawn comparisons with Diego Maradona, arguably the best football player of all time.

On September 25, 2005 Messi obtained a Spanish citizenship and was finally able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because FC Barcelona had filled up all of their quota of non-EU players.

Messi's first outing in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on Sept 28 against Italian club Udinese. He impressed with some great passing and a seemingly telepathic relationship with Ronaldinho that earned him a standing ovation from the 70,000-odd Nou Camp faithful. On December of that year, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the Golden Boy 2005 title for the best under-21 player in Europe, over Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski

In September 2005, Messi was given an improved and extended contract until 2014.

Brad Pitt

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:00:00 +0000

Date of Birth
18 December 1963, Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA

Birth Name
William Bradley Pitt

Height
5' 10¾" (1.80 m)

Mini Biography

Brad Pitt was born in Oklahoma and raised in Springfield, Missouri. His mother's name is Jane Etta Hillhouse. His father, William (Bill) Pitt, worked in management at a trucking firm in Springfield. He has a younger brother, Douglas (Doug) Pitt and a younger sister Julie Neal Pitt. At Kickapoo High School, Pitt was involved in sports, debating, student government and school musicals. Pitt attended the University of Missouri, where he majored in journalism with a focus on advertising. He occasionally acted in fraternity shows. He left college two credits short of graduating to move to California. Before he became successful at acting, Pitt supported himself by driving strippers in limos, moving refrigerators and dressing as a giant chicken while working for "el Pollo Loco."

Trivia

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#23). [1995]

Turned down a role as an astronaut in Apollo 13 (1995) to accept his role in Se7en (1995).

Posed for a campus calendar in college.

A girl went to Pitt's Hollywood-area home shortly after midnight Jan. 7, 1999 and crawled in through an open window, dressed herself in his clothes and stayed for 10 hours before the alarm went off. Athena Rolando, 19, was ordered not to contact the actor and to stay 100 yards away from him for three years. [1999]

Ranked #32 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]

Mutally agrees to split with Gwyneth Paltrow. [June 1997]

Banned from entering China because of his role in Seven Years in Tibet (1997). [1997]

Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. [1997]

Engaged to actress Gwyneth Paltrow. [20 December 1996]

Donated $100,000 to the Discovery Center - a children's learning museum in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri. [June 1996]

Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. [1996]

His first starring role in a feature film was in The Dark Side of the Sun (1997), shot in pre-war Yugoslavia during the summer of 1988. As editing neared completion, civil war broke out in the region and much of the footage was lost. In 1996, after a five-year search, all of the lost footage was found and returned to producer Andjelo Arandjelovic, who is working on getting a distribution deal. Pitt was paid $1,523 per week for seven weeks. He played a young American taken by his family to the Adriatic Sea to search for a cure for a rare skin disease.

Purchased a mansion is Southern California from the actress who portrays "Elvira" (Cassandra Peterson). He reportedly paid $1.7 million for the house. This mansion is filled with antiques and has a "vampirish" look to it. [1996]

1994: Given title "Sexiest Man Alive" from People Magazine, after making Legends of the Fall (1994).

May 1992: Lived in Southern California with friend Buck Simmonds, who starred with him in A River Runs Through It (1992).

Dated Juliette Lewis. They met on the set of the NBC movie of the week Too Young to Die? (1990) (TV). They also did Kalifornia (1993) together.

He was the third choice for the role of J.D. in Thelma & Louise (1991). William Baldwin, the first choice, left to star in Backdraft (1991).

Had to learn to fly-cast for his role in A River Runs Through It (1992). He practiced on top of buildings in Hollywood. During these practices he frequently hooked himself in the back of his head.

Voted "Best Actor" by viewers of MTV's "The Big Picture" (1988) in 1995.

Was a journalism major in college with an advertising focus.

Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1991" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 43. [1991]

Graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Mo. [1982]

Dropped out of the University of Missouri School of Journalism (Columbia, Missouri).

In high school was a member of the golf, tennis, and swim teams.

Belonged to the Key Club and the Forensics Club in High School.

Listed in "People Weekly"s "Most Intriguing People" list. (December 25, 1995/January 1, 1996 issue)

He has a brother Doug, born in 1966 and a sister Julie, born in 1969.

Given title "Sexiest Man Alive" from People Magazine, Mr. Pitt was also People's choice in 1995. [2000]

Was considered for the lead in The Matrix (1999).

Has his teeth capped.

Sued Damiani International, the company which created the wedding ring he gave Jennifer Aniston. According to Pitt, the ring was his design and was to be exclusive. The company has since been selling replicas and indicating Pitt/Aniston's endorsement of the ring. [18 July 2001]

He and ex-wife Jennifer Aniston spent $1 million on their wedding. [2000]

He and ex-wife Jennifer Aniston reached a settlement with Damiani International. The pair claimed the company agreed to never reproduce their wedding rings, but it manufactured and sold "Brad and Jennifer" rings in 18 karat white or yellow gold, featuring either 12 or 13 diamonds and costing about $1,000 apiece. Under the settlement, Pitt will now design jewelry for Damiani that Aniston will model in ads, and Damiani will stop selling the Pitt and Aniston copies. [11 January 2002]

For the last couple of years he has been the spokesman for Edwin Jeans ads in Japan. In 2001 he was also the face of the ads for a new Japanese canned coffee which is named Roots. Was replaced in these tv ads (2002) by Kevin Costner.

Studied acting with the late Roy London.

Did TV commercial for Toyota (Altis model) that aired only in Asia. The car became very popular and its sales resulted in Toyota getting an almost 32% share of the passenger car market.

Has a home at Lake Mohawk in Sparta, New Jersey.

Auditioned for the role of "J.D." in the 1988 cult classic film Heathers (1988) and, though he showed talent, casting directors thought him to be "too sweet" for the role, which later went to Christian Slater. He would later go on to a very similar role in the horror film Cutting Class (1989) in 1989.

Is mentioned by name in the Shania Twain hit song, "That Don't Impress Me Much."

He is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. The Xi Xi chapter at The University of Missouri - Columbia.

After watching Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Pitt asked director Guy Ritchie if he could be in his next film. He couldn't master the English accent, so Ritchie gave him the role of Mickey the One Punch Pikey, an Irish fighter, in Snatch. (2000).

With Brad Grey's departure for Paramount and after the divorce settlement with ex-wife Jennifer Aniston, he now solely owns Plan B Entertainment.

Tore his Achilles tendon during the production of Troy (2004), in which he plays, ironically, Achilles. His injury caused the production of Ocean's Twelve (2004) to be pushed back to April 2004. [2003]

Is the first man ever to be named "Sexiest Man Alive" twice by "People Magazine." (1994 and 2000).

He and ex-wife Jennifer Aniston campaigned in the United States to save "EastEnders" (1985) from being axed there [2003].

Showed his parents the "Chemical Burn" scene to convince them not to watch Fight Club (1999).

Got into better shape and eventually gained over 20 pounds of muscle for Troy (2004).

He has appeared in three movies with the number seven in the title (Se7en (1995), Seven Years in Tibet (1997), and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)). He has also appeared in two movies with the number twelve in the title (Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Twelve Monkeys (1995)).

He was ranked #6 on VH1's "100 Hottest Hotties."

His high school nickname was Brad the "Pitt-bull."

He took Greek language lessons in secret to surprise his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston who is of Greek ancestry.

Voted #1 in Company magazine's annual "100 Sexiest Men" poll, 2004.

His favorite movies are Planet of the Apes (1968) and Saturday Night Fever (1977).

Announced on January 7, 2005 that he and Jennifer Aniston are separating after 4 1/2 years of marriage.

Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2005 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was listed as a suggestion in the Worst Actor category for his performance in the film Troy (2004). He did not receive a nomination, however.

Dianne Wiest is his favorite actress.

Premiere Magazine ranked him as #50 on a list of the Greatest Movie Stars of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature (2005).

A short while after completing A River Runs Through It (1992), he fled to Amsterdam where he briefly lived for three months by himself in a small basement apartment before returning to the USA to film Kalifornia (1993).

He and his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston met on a blind date, which was arranged by their agent

He and his Ocean's Eleven (2001) / Ocean's Twelve (2004) co- stars, Julia Roberts, George Clooney and Elliott Gould, all have guest-starred on the TV show "Friends" (1994), though not in the same episodes

Owns and plays Taylor Guitars

In 2001 renowned architect Frank O. Gehry renovated the wine cellar in the home in which Pitt and wife Jennifer Aniston lived. Pitt subsequently did an informal apprenticeship in Gehry's Los Angeles office.

Owns the rights to the Hong Kong thriller Mou gaan dou (2002). He wanted it to be remade with he and Tom Cruise in the leading roles.

Visited over 100 orphans affected by HIV at a facility run by The Salvation Army in South Africa.

Is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Has appeared in eight movies with a number in the title - and only one of them uses an actual number rather than spelling the word out. That is Se7en (1995), which is a combination of the two, He has appeared in 1 movie with the number Zero in the title, 1 with the number Two in the title, 3 with the number Seven in the title, 1 with the number Eleven and 2 with the Twelve.

Without being asked to, he made an appearance on MTV's "Jackass" (2000) where he did stunts with the cast, dressed in an ape outfit.

Raised in Springfield, Missouri, and is an alumni of Kickapoo High School. Other alumni include Adrienne Wilkinson and Jay Kenneth Johnson.

Broke his arm during the filming of Se7en (1995). The injury was written into the movie.

Adoptive father of Maddox Jolie-Pitt and Zahara Jolie-Pitt with Angelina Jolie.

Wanted to play Darcy in Bride & Prejudice (2004), but wasn't able to work out the filming dates.

Daughter (with girlfriend Angelina Jolie) Shiloh Jolie-Pitt was born 27 May 2006 in Namibia, Africa.

Ranked #15 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Had ranked #31 in 2005.

Was considered for two roles which went to Johnny Depp: Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow (1999) and Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Both were directed by Tim Burton.

The first commercial that Brad Pitt ever booked was through Matrix Talent Agency, Los Angeles. His agent was Linda Olhava, sister of film director Jody Lee Olhava.

Has Single Engine Land pilot license.

Occasionally flies a Cessna 208B Caravan belonging to Chivan Productions.

Initially didn't want to appear in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), although it was he who gave the script to director Doug Liman.

Originally cast as Colin Sullivan in The Departed (2006), but later dropped out. He continued to produce the film under his (and his then wife Jennifer Aniston's) production company, Plan B.

His first job was dancing in a chicken suit to draw in customers at an El Pollo Loco restaurant on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.

March 2007 - he and girlfriend Angelina Jolie adopted a 3-year-old boy named Pax Thien from Vietnam (born November 29th 2003).

Made a cameo appearance with Matt Damon for free in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) as a favor to Ocean's Eleven (2001) costar and close friend George Clooney - the film was Clooney's directorial debut.

Has been in 7 movies where the title contains the name of the character he plays: Johnny Suede (1991), Meet Joe Black (1998), Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Chad Schmidt (2010).

Considered for the role in Crimson Tide (1995) that eventually went to 'Denzel Washington'.

Voted #6 in Elle (France) Magazine's "15 Sexiest Men" poll (June 2007).

Mentioned in the song High School Never Ends by Bowling for Soup, as "the quarterback".

Was trained to handle weapons by renowned Hollywood gun coach Thell Reed, who has also trained such actors as Val Kilmer, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Sam Elliot, Girard Swan, Ben Foster and Kurt Russell.

He and Russell Crowe were director Ridley Scott's first two choices for the lead in American Gangster (2007). Crowe was eventually cast.

Used to act at the Vandevort Theater in Springfield, Missouri. He still visits and donates to the theater.

Donated 5 million dollars of his own money to rebuild homes in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans.

In 2005, he earned $4,500,000 for a Heineken commercial that aired during the 2005 Super Bowl.

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year to be $35 million.

He is a Patron of the Mineseeker Foundation and the Sole of Africa, a campaign dedicated to detecting and removing land mines in Africa. The Foundation's patrons include Nelson Mandela, Sir Richard Branson, Queen Noor, Graca Machel and John Paul de Joria.

Ranked #10 in the 2008 Forbes The Celebrity 100 list. His girlfriend, Angelina Jolie, ranked #3.

On July 12th 2008, his longtime girlfriend Angelina Jolie gave birth to twins - a boy, Knox Leon, and a girl, Vivienne Marcheline.

Is a Vegetarian.

In Nov. 2005 he visited Pakistan with Angelina Jolie to see the impact of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. In 2006, Jolie and Pitt also went to Haiti where they visited a school supported by Yéle Haïti, a charity founded by Haitian-born hip hop musician Wyclef Jean.

Personal Quotes

[US Weekly, 9/18/00] Being married means I can break wind and eat ice cream in bed.

I'm gonna design my own fleet of trailers. No! I'm gonna record an album like Jennifer Lopez. It'll be an acoustic version of KC & The Sunshine Band. Then maybe I'll design a line of clothes like [Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs] but all in synthetic fur.

I'd like to design something like a city or a museum. I want to do something hands on rather than just play golf which is the sport of the religious right.

[Viasat magazine, 5/01] Fame is a bitch, man.

[on what keeps him humble] You know, I telephoned my grandparents the other day, and my grandfather said to me, "We saw your movie." "Which one?" I said, and he shouted, "Betty, what was the name of that movie I didn't like?" I thought that was just classic. I mean, if that doesn't keep your feet on the ground, what would?

I'm one of those people you hate because of genetics. It's the truth.

Success is a beast. And it actually puts the emphasis on the wrong thing. You get away with more instead of looking within.

[Time magazine, 10/13/97] You shouldn't speak until you know what you're talking about. That's why I get uncomfortable with interviews. Reporters ask me what I feel China should do about Tibet. Who cares what I think China should do? I'm a f---ing actor! They hand me a script. I act. I'm here for entertainment. Basically, when you whittle everything away, I'm a grown man who puts on makeup.

When you see a person, do you just concentrate on their looks? It's just a first impression. Then there's someone who doesn't catch your eye immediately, but you talk to them and they become the most beautiful thing in the world. The greatest actors aren't what you would call beautiful sex symbols. I'll tell you who my favorite actress is, Dianne Wiest, and you wouldn't call her a sex symbol. Dianne Wiest is, to me, the most beautiful woman on the screen.

[when asked by Conan O'Brien how he got into character as stoner Floyd in True Romance (1993)] I'm a method actor.

[In May, 2005, on his impending divorce to Jennifer Aniston] The thing I don't understand is looking at this as a failure. It's talked about like it failed, I guess because it wasn't flawless. Me, I embrace the messiness of life. I find it so beautiful, actually.

[2003] It's amazing what an impending midlife crisis will do for you, really. It got me motivated, having turned 40 in December.

[on having children] It really changes your perspective on the world. You know, I've had my day. I made some films, and I've really had a very fortunate life, and it's time for me to share that a little bit. Having children takes the focus off yourself, which I'm really grateful for. I'm so tired of thinking about myself. I'm sick of myself. You feel you want to be there and not miss out on anything. It's a true joy and a very profound love. You can write a book, you can make a movie, you can paint a painting, but having kids is the most extraordinary thing I've ever taken on.

[pn how his children will influence his future roles] My thoughts these days are, "Oh, my God, what did I do? What are they going to see from the past?" It definitely colors what I'll approach in the future. I'll try to be a little bit more mature about my decisions.

[On how his earlier, lesser film roles ultimately improved him as an actor]: I believe I'm quite capable and we, as people, can learn to do anything, and that's proof of it! And my education is on film, on record! Now I can take on anything that comes my way and find truth in it an do a pretty good job.

Salary
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) $20,000,000
Troy (2004) $17,500,000
Ocean's Eleven (2001) $30,000,000 ($10m salary + backend participations)
Spy Game (2001) $17,500,000
The Mexican (2001) $10,000,000
Fight Club (1999) $17,500,000
Meet Joe Black (1998) $17,500,000
Seven Years in Tibet (1997) $10,000,000
The Devil's Own (1997) $10,000,000
Sleepers (1996) $10,000,000
Se7en (1995) $4,000,000
Kalifornia (1993) $500,000
Thelma & Louise (1991) $6,000
Cutting Class (1989) $12,000

Where Are They Now

(May 2003) Filming Troy (2004) in Malta.

(May 2004) The cast of Ocean's Twelve (2004) are currently filming in Amsterdam.

(January 2006) His girlfriend Angelina Jolie is expecting their first biological child.

(May 2006) Girlfriend Angelina Jolie gave birth to the couple's second daughter, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, on May 27, 2006 in Namibia, Africa.

(October 2006) In India with girlfriend Angelina Jolie, who is shooting for A Mighty Heart (2007).

(July 2008) Angelina Jolie gives birth to the couple's fifth and sixth children, son Knox Leon and daughter Vivienne Marcheline, in Nice, France.

Cristiano Ronaldo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:48:00 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, (born 5 February 1985), better known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese professional football player, who plays for Manchester United F.C. and Portugal, and is considered one of the finest young talents today.

Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal to his mother Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and his father José Dinis Aveiro. He grew up with a brother, Hugo, and two sisters, Elma and Katia. His second name ("Ronaldo") is relatively rare in Portugal. His parents named him after former US president Ronald Reagan because he was his father's favourite actor, and not for political reasons.

His father, Dinis Aveiro died on September 7, 2005. Ronaldo played in a World Cup qualifier against Russia only hours after receiving the news. He was also granted compassionate leave by Sir Alex Ferguson and missed the Manchester derby against Manchester City on September 10. However, he declared himself available for Manchester United's next match in the UEFA Champions League, against Villarreal.

In October 2005, Ronaldo and another man were questioned by police for an alleged sexual assault. Ronaldo denied the accusation and the Crown Prosecution Service stated there was insufficient evidence to press charges.

Cristiano was previously linked with Merche Romero (a Spanish TV anchorwoman working in Portugal. She is a divorcee, 9-years older than Ronaldo); she confirmed (see Portuguese magazine Lux of August 2006) the relationship in the Portuguese press, although Ronaldo has never confirmed or denied the relationship, as he chooses to keep his personal life private and separated from his professional life. More recently, the Portuguese media have reported that the relationship has ended. Neither Cristiano nor Merche were available to comment on the reports; however, a friend of the presenter told Spanish reporters that the relation is over and that Merche is devastated. On September 20, 2006 it was confirmed, by Merche, that her and Cristiano had indeed broken up.

In the past, Ronaldo has dated the model Jordana Jardel, sister of Brazilian footballer Mario Jardel, and model Lauren Frain. Ronaldo has done charity work, as well as flying out Martunis, an 11-year-old Indonesian tsunami survivor and his father to attend one of their World Cup qualifiers in June 2005; covering all their expenses. Subsequently all the players contributed money to buy them a house in Indonesia.

After the two World Cup qualifiers, Ronaldo flew to Indonesia to visit the areas affected by the tsunami and to raise funds. He met the Vice President of the Indonesian Republic Jusuf Kalla and the President of East Timor Xanana Gusmão, and raised £66,000 (about $120,000 USD) by auctioning off his personal sports gear in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Ronaldo first began kicking a football when he was three, and when he started primary school at age six, his passion for the sport was obvious. His favourite boyhood team was SL Benfica even though he would later join their rival, Sporting CP. He first played for an amateur team, Andorinha, where his father was the kit man, when he was just eight years old. By 1995, at just ten years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo's reputation was growing in Portugal. Madeira's top two teams, CS Marítimo and CD Nacional were both interested in signing him. Marítimo, the bigger team, missed a crucial meeting with Rui Santos manager of Andorinha, and as a result Ronaldo signed for Nacional. After a title-winning campaign at Nacional, Ronaldo went on a three day trial with Sporting Lisbon who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.

Sporting Lisbon
Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Alcochete, the club's "football factory," where he received first-class instruction. Sporting realised that Ronaldo needed more support and arranged for his mother to join him. He made his debut for Sporting Lisbon against Moreirense and scored 2 goals. He also featured for Portugal in the UEFA Under 17 Championships.

His performances at the UEFA Under 17 championship drew him to the attention of the wider football world. He was first spotted by former Liverpool F.C. manager Gérard Houllier at the age of 16. However, Liverpool later declined him because he was too young and needed some time to develop into a top footballer. However he came to the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting Lisbon beat Manchester United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Alvalade XXI stadium in Lisbon. Ronaldo demonstrated his ability to play on both wings. After the match, United's players spoke enthusiastically of the young talent that they had just played against, saying they would rather have him in their team than play against him in the future.

Manchester United
Ferguson decided that he wanted the youngster for his team, who were in the market for a right-sided midfielder with the departure of David Beckham to Real Madrid; Cristiano was signed for a fee of £12.24 million. He made his debut for Manchester United as a 60th minute substitute against Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford. United were then 1-0 up but with just minutes on the pitch, Ronaldo won a penalty which Ruud Van Nistelrooy duly converted. The match ended in a 4-0 win to Manchester United and Ronaldo's contributions were hyped everywhere, with certain British tabloids running headlines such as Seven Heaven. He has played primarily as a winger for United and can play on either wing.

However for all his skill and pace, Ronaldo supposedly did not want the pressure of living up to expectations with this number, and so initially asked for the number 28 which he wore at Sporting. Preferring a free role, he has often been accused of being selfish. A row between him and Ruud van Nistelrooy at the Carrington training ground intensified speculation about their roles at the club. Ferguson has however put his faith with Ronaldo, who signed a new deal with United that will last through 2010. Ronaldo is also quoted in the Manchester Evening News as saying "United have stood by me and been there for me and I want to repay that."

Ronaldo has often had problems with his temper during games, he was sent off in a game against Manchester City and received a one-match ban imposed by UEFA for a "one-fingered gesture" towards Benfica fans in a UEFA Champions League match in December 2005. While playing for Portugal in a friendly against Luxembourg he was given a yellow card for pushing Jeff Strasser in the throat in retaliation after Strasser tackled him. Felipe Scolari warned Ronaldo to keep his temper in check during the World Cup.

On the 29 October 2005 Ronaldo scored Manchester United's 1000th Premiership goal, in a 4–1 loss at the hands of Middlesbrough. He bagged a double double in February, with two goals at home to Fulham and another pair at Fratton Park, and also scored in the following Premiership game against Wigan taking his tally to 8 Premiership goals. On 26 February 2006, Ronaldo played in the Carling Cup Final against Wigan in the Millennium Stadium at Cardiff, and scored a goal - taking his season's tally to 10 goals.

He was named FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year 2005, the only award to be voted for by fans. He also ranked 20th in the FIFA Player of the Year 2005 standings.

On 8 July 2006, after the sending off of United team-mate Wayne Rooney, and after much speculation in the English media that he had influenced Rooney's red card, Ronaldo told reporters that he thought he "should get out of Manchester as the circumstances are not right to keep playing there."

"I have told my agent I am prepared to leave. I want to do it in the best manner possible. I want to play for Real Madrid and dream of doing so," Ronaldo told the Spanish sports daily Marca.

On 9 July, he also said for SIC, a Portuguese television channel, he cannot understand all verbal violence and pejorative speculation about him. Cristiano declared he did not behave wrongly when Portugal defeated England and so cannot be blamed for defending his home country colours. He added that he cannot live and work in a place where people do not like him, so he would be glad to move out of England.

Several news sources considered that Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Manchester United was imminent, however, Ronaldo chose to remain at United. His decision may have been influenced by Sir Alex Ferguson, who sent assistant boss Carlos Queiroz to Portugal hoping to change the young player's mind, and teammate Wayne Rooney also pleaded with Ronaldo not to leave the team and to let their differences rest.

On July 12, United released a statement saying "The club can confirm there is no possibility of Cristiano being sold. Cristiano recently signed a new contract until 2010 and the club fully expects him to honour that contract. The club will not listen to any offers for Cristiano," and on July 17, Sir Alex Ferguson said, "Cristiano will be coming back," while Chelsea manager José Mourinho said, "If he stays in England, I think he can turn things around." Cristiano Ronaldo returned to United after all potential problems were cleared.

Nevertheless, Ronaldo remained popular with the majority of Manchester United fans when he played (and scored) in his first Premiership match since the 2006 World Cup. Manchester United fans could clearly be heard chanting "there's only one Ronaldo" at various points in the game, in a 5-1 win over Fulham F.C. Since then, a BBC report stated that Ronaldo has said he no longer wishes to leave Manchester United, and is happy to remain at the club. He continued his fine world cup form in to the start of the season, netting 4 goals in just 11 premiership games, including a fine free-kick againt Portsmouth FC Old Trafford in front of 76,004 people.

International career
Ronaldo made his international debut in August 2003, against Kazakhstan. He scored Portugal's only goal in their 2–1 loss to Greece in the opening match of Euro 2004 and the first goal of the semi final against the Netherlands, which Portugal won 2–1. The final saw a rematch of the opening game of the tournament, and again, Greece emerged victorious.

Ronaldo represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and was the second highest scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification in the European zone with 7 goals. As of 17 June 2005, he has scored 11 goals in 25 appearances for his country.

Ronaldo scored his first World Cup goal against Iran with a penalty kick.

In the Round of 16, he left Portugal's 1-0 win over Netherlands injured after a high tackle by Khalid Boulahrouz.

Ronaldo recovered in time to play in the quarter-final of the competition against England on 1 July 2006, scoring the final penalty shoot-out that sealed the Portuguese victory. However, Ronaldo was widely criticised for his gamesmanship by the English Press. England's Wayne Rooney stamped on Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho's groin after a struggle for the ball. Ronaldo, Rooney's Manchester United team-mate, then sprinted over to appeal to the referee. Rooney pushed Ronaldo before receiving a red card. Former England striker and TV pundit Alan Shearer suggested Rooney might "stick one on Ronaldo" when the two meet again. BBC pundit Gary Lineker showed viewers footage of Ronaldo winking at the Portuguese bench after Rooney was sent off. Also before the match, Ronaldo was seen to whisper something in Rooney’s ear as he walked by him, with a headbutt feint from behind. Ronaldo's behaviour in the match also came under fire from several England players, most notably Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. In their respective autobiographies, Gerrard claimed that 'a dark side stains Cristiano Ronaldo's game', whilst Lampard said Ronaldo's actions made him 'sick'.

Sven-Göran Eriksson told reporters that the referee Horacio Elizondo explained after the match that the red card was for the initial challenge on Carvalho. Elizondo confirmed the initial story told by Eriksson to the The Times, saying "It was violent play and therefore he got a red card. People can say what they want (about Ronaldo) but this had absolutely no influence. For me it was a clear red card, so I didn't react to the Portuguese players." Portuguese keeper Ricardo backed Ronaldo, saying: "There always has to be a scapegoat when someone loses… I don't think influenced the referee. The referee was right on top of it."

Ronaldo said, "I complained to the referee about the foul but I didn't ask for a red card". After the match he admitted reports that Real Madrid were interested in him were correct, and was now more likely to go to the Spanish club or elsewhere over the summer transfer period.

After England's elimination Ronaldo was attacked by the English tabloids. The Sun made a dart board with a picture of his wink in a similar fashion to the one made after the 1998 World Cup for David Beckham by The Daily Mirror, another English tabloid.

Ronaldo has said that Rooney was a friend, and that he was not trying to get Rooney a red card. Rooney said, "I bear no ill feeling to Cristiano but am disappointed that he chose to get involved."

Wayne Rooney was investigated by FIFA's disciplinary committee after being sent off during England's World Cup quarter-final defeat against Portugal, banned for two competitive matches and fined 5 000 Swiss francs (2 207 pounds).

On July 5, in the semi-final against France, which Portugal lost 1-0, Ronaldo was loudly booed each time he had possession of the ball, by French and English fans alike. At the end of the match, he broke down in tears for his loss, like he had done on many other occasions. Though generally considered the best player on the pitch during the match, several reports accused Ronaldo (and other members of his side) of trying to influence the referee by diving. There have been similar accusations in the past, and Ronaldo has been booked for the offence more than once in the English Premiership. Shortly after he dropped back to second place in the online voting for Best Young Player, it was reported by BBC Sport that this was partly because of an email campaign by an England supporter urging people to vote for Luis Valencia, who was the second place player to prevent Ronaldo from winning the award. Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA Technical Study Group awarded the honours to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor.

get from : cristianoronaldo.soccerstar.org

Tom Cruise

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:39:00 +0000

Date of Birth
3 July 1962, Syracuse, New York, USA

Birth Name
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV

Height
5' 7" (1.70 m)

Mini Biography

In 1976, if you had told 14 year old Franciscan seminary student Thomas Cruise Mapother IV that one day in the not too distant future he would be considered one of the top 100 movie stars of all time, he would have probably grinned and told you that his ambition was to become a priest. Nonetheless, this sensitive, deeply religious youngster who was born in 1962 in Syracuse, New York, was destined to become Tom Cruise, one of the highest paid and most sought after actors in screen history. The only son (among four children) of nomadic parents young Tom spent his boyhood eternally on the move and by the time he was 14 he had attended 15 different schools in the US and Canada. He finally settled in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, with his mother and her new husband. While in high school, he developed an interest in acting and abandoned his plans of becoming a priest, dropped out of school, and at age 18 headed for New York and a possible acting career. The next 15 years of his life are the stuff of legends. He made his film debut with a small part in Endless Love (1981) and from the outset exhibited an undeniable box office appeal to both male and female audiences.

Though below average height and not particularly handsome in the traditional sense, within 5 years Tom Cruise was starring in some of the top grossing films of the 1980s including Top Gun (1986); The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). By the 1990s he was one of the highest paid actors in the world earning an average 15 million dollars a picture in such blockbuster hits as Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996) and Jerry Maguire (1996) - for which he received an Academy Award Nomination for best actor. In 1990 he renounced his devout Catholic beliefs and embraced The Church Of Scientology claiming that Scientology teachings had cured him of the dyslexia that had plagued him all of his life. A kind and thoughful man well known for his compassion and generosity, Tom Cruise is one of the best liked members of the movie community. He was married to actress Nicole Kidman until 2001. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV has indeed come a long way from the lonely wanderings of his youth.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Tom McDonough

Spouse
Katie Holmes (18 November 2006 - present) 1 child
Nicole Kidman (24 December 1990 - 8 August 2001) (divorced) 2 (adopted) children
Mimi Rogers (9 May 1987 - 4 February 1990) (divorced)

Trivia

Cousin of actor William Mapother and Amy Mapother.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#41) (1995).

Ranked #3 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list (October 1997).

Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world (1997).

Voted Best Dressed Male Movie Star (1997).

Stopped to help a hit and run victim and paid her hospital bills. The victim was aspiring Brazilian actress Heloisa Vinhas (1996).

Caused a stir in the medical community when he claimed, in an interview, that Scientology cured him of his dyslexia (1992).

While he was working with Paul Newman in the The Color of Money (1986), he engaged in much conversation with the politically active actor. The resulting conscious raising changed him from an actor who ignored the jingoistic tone of Top Gun (1986) to a performer who chose a film with a strong anti-war tone, Born on the Fourth of July (1989) to counter his contribution to the former film.

Has three sisters: Marian, Lee Anne De Vette and Cass. Lee Anne became his publicist in 2004 after he left Pat Kingsley.

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world (1991).

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world (1990).

Graduated from Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey (June 1980).

At age 14, he enrolled in a seminary to become a priest. He dropped out after one year.

He took up acting after losing his place on a high school wrestling team due to a knee injury.

He has two adopted children with Nicole Kidman: Isabella Jane Cruise (born December 22, 1992) Connor Antony Cruise (Connor Cruise) (born January 17, 1995).

Is right handed when writing, but does most things left handed.

Mission: Impossible (1996) gave him a total of $70 million with percentage of gross included.

Enjoys skydiving, scuba diving, and piloting his Pitts Special S-2B stunt plane

Recently restored an older home in the township of Biltmore Forest, a town within the city limits of Asheville, North Carolina (2000).

Chosen "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine (1990).

Received the John Huston Award for Artists Rights in 1998.

Was considered for the lead in The Matrix (1999).

Cruise earned roughly $75 million for Mission: Impossible II (2000). He did this by turning down any upfront salary, for instead taking a back-end deal that landed him 30% of the film's gross for both his producing and acting duties.

Attended Packanack School in Wayne, New Jersey from first through third grade.

Filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Michael Davis, a man who allegedly offered to sell videotapes of himself having sex with the actor. The lawsuit accuses Davis of making the statements "in order to hurt the plaintiff and gain widespread publicity for himself." (May 2001).

Lived together with Vanilla Sky (2001) co-star Penélope Cruz from 2001 to 2004.

Instead of his affair with Penélope Cruz damaging both their careers, it only boosted it.

Suffers from dyslexia.

Earned his pilot's license in Toronto, Canada in 1994.

He didn't stay for the remainder of the 2002 Academy Awards after opening them because it was his turn to look after his and ex-wife Nicole Kidman's children. He reportedly left the Kodak Theatre by a back door after opening proceedings and dashed home to watch the rest of the event on TV with his adopted kids Conor and Isabella.

For 1988, he became the first actor to have the distinction of starring in both the year's Oscar winner for Best Picture, Rain Man (1988) and the year's Razzie "winner" for Worst Picture, Cocktail (1988).

Ranked #14 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #16 in 2002.

Ranked #4 in Star TV's Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s (2003)

Born to Thomas Mapother III (15 October 1934 - January 1984), an electrical engineer, and his wife Mary Lee Pfeiffer, a special education teacher.

Has two dogs called Basil and Murray and a cat called Harvey.

First actor in history to star in five consecutive films that grossed $100 million in the USA: A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm (1993), Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), Jerry Maguire (1996).

Briefly attended St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky and was a paperboy for the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Wore braces on his flashy, million-dollar smile in 2002 to correct a misaligned bite.

Announced that his relationship with Penélope Cruz had ended in January 2004. [March 2004]

Has appeared in films opposite four directors who have also directed his films. Sydney Pollack, who directed The Firm (1993), appeared in Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed Magnolia (1999), appeared as an extra in Minority Report (2002). Minority Report (2002) director Steven Spielberg appeared in Vanilla Sky (2001) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). Cameron Crowe, who directed Jerry Maguire (1996) and Vanilla Sky (2001), appeared in Minority Report (2002).

Will not allow his likeness to be used in video games or for action figures.

While filming Days of Thunder (1990) at Daytona International Speedway, he drove one of the Hendricks Motorsports R&D cars around the track. The best time recorded was a lap at 205 MPH.

He was voted the 31st Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Lives with his sister Cass and her three children in Los Angeles (September 2004).

Spoke at his niece's, Lee Anne De Vette's daughter, graduation from the Delphian School.

Ranked #18 on VH1's 100 Hottest Hotties

Lost out to actor Peter Barton for the lead role in "The Powers of Matthew Star" (1982).

Renée Zellweger thanked him in her Oscar acceptance speech when she won 'Best Actress in a Supporting Role' for Cold Mountain (2003).

Attended the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City.

Channel 4's 'Ultimate Film' show states that, in terms of UK cinema audience rather than revenue, Cruise's most successful film in the UK was Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).

While a student at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre, he studied one of his courses under legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner.

Studied drama at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse, in conjunction with the Actors Studio, New School University, New York.

Was named the #1 top money-making star at the box office in Quigley Publications annual poll of movie exhibitors a record seven times between 1986 and 2005. Being crowned the top box office champ in 2005 put Cruise one title ahead of Tom Hanks, who has been named #1 at the B.O. six times. Bing Crosby and Burt Reynolds both were named #1 for five consecutive years, and Clint Eastwood also has been #1 five times, but non-consecutively.

He has been named to the Top 10 Poll of Money-Making Stars 18 times, as ranked by Quigley Publications' annual poll of movie exhibitors. With his 18th appearance on the B.O. list, he moved out of a tie for 4th place tie with Paul Newman (17 appearances on the list) into a tie for #3 with Gary Cooper. John Wayne is #1 on the all-time list, with 25 appearances in the Top 10, followed by Clint Eastwood with 21 appearances on the list. Gary Cooper rounds out the top three. Due to his young age and continued popularity, it is conceivable that within 10 years, he will exceed Wayne as the #1 box office champ ever.

Has donated to charities such as The Ashley Flint Fund, The Tsunami Relief Fund, Themoms.biz Diabetes Fund, Hillary Rodham Clinton's Campaign and The Church of Scientology.

Premiere Magazine ranked him as the #3 Greatest Movie Star of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature (2005).

Studied with renowned acting coach Phil Gushee at Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, New York.

His character Lt. Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men (1992) was based on real life U.S. Navy JAG Corp Donald Marcari, who now works as an attorney with Marcari, Russotto, and Spencer P.C. in Cheaspeake, Virginia.

The name Mapother is pronounced like "MAY bother", only with a P.

Time magazine once described him as a "baby-faced Christopher Reeve".

Ranked #14 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List. He is the highest ranked actor on the list.

Engaged to actress Katie Holmes (17 June 2005).

Proposed to Katie Holmes at the Eiffel Tower in Paris

Was the original choice for the role of Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).

Emilio Estevez served as best man at his wedding to Mimi Rogers.

Celebrated his 43rd birthday atop the holiday box office with War of the Worlds (2005).

His May 2005 appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (1986) was named the #1 "Celebrity Meltdown Ever" by TV Guide Magazine.

Owns and operates "Montana Miss" a WWII P-51 Mustang.

He and his former girlfriend Penélope Cruz appeared together in Vanilla Sky (2001)

He and ex-wife Nicole Kidman made 3 movies together: Days of Thunder (1990), Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Far and Away (1992). They met on the set of Days of Thunder (1990)

While attending the London premiere of War of the Worlds (2005), he was squirted in the face with water during a prank interview. His reaction on camera was stern but not livid. The culprit was charged with assault.

He was in two different movies featuring the song "Iko Iko" on its soundtrack - Rain Man (1988) by The Belle Stars and Mission: Impossible II (2000) by Zap Mama.

He is a big fan of British singer Joss Stone.

Has played a soldier in six different movies. Taps (1981), Top Gun (1986), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), A Few Good Men (1992), The Last Samurai (2003) and Valkyrie (2008).

Has worked with an impressive list of master filmmakers: Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, Francis Ford Coppola, Oliver Stone, Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg.

Is a vegetarian.

Parents divorced when he was 12.

Tom and Katie Holmes became the parents of Suri Cruise, who was born on April 18, 2006 in Los Angeles. "Suri" weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. and was 20 inches.

In the past twenty years since his first hundred million dollar grosser (Top Gun (1986)), only six of his films have failed to reach that status.

Was originally to star in Enemy of the State (1998), but scheduling conflicts with Eyes Wide Shut (1999) forced him to miss out on the film. His part went to Will Smith.

Wears a mask on six different movies. In all of the three "Mission: Impossible" movies and in Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Vanilla Sky (2001) and Minority Report (2002), where the injection that makes his face disfigured can be considered as a futuristic mask.

Topped Forbes magazine's "100 Top Celebrities" list in 2006 ahead of The Rolling Stones and Oprah Winfrey (June 2006).

Ranked #14 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Had ranked #14 in 2005 as well. He is the highest-ranked actor on the list.

Stepfather of his children Isabella and Connor is Keith Urban

Is talked about in the song "Though the Wire" by Kanye West.

Was ranked # 1 in Forbes Celebrity 100 Who Made Bank (2006).

On August 22, 2006, Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone announced through the "Wall Street Journal" that Viacom' Paramount subsidiary was terminating its development dealt with Cruise after 14 years. Redstone said the firm terminated its deal with Cruise due to the under-performance of Mission: Impossible III (2006) (which had been expected to gross $100-150 million more than it did), which he attributed to Cruise's "bad behavior". Movie pundits were somewhat surprised by the announcement, as Cruise remains the top B.O. draw in North America and was Paramount's cash cow. Cruise's films reportedly have accounted for 32% of Paramount Pictures' revenues in the last six years, and he was named the Top Box Office draw for a record 7th time by Quigley Publications for the year 2005. As part of its machinations before severing its connections with Cruise, Paramount leaked to the press the information that the deal was worth $10 million annually; however, the development deal actually was for $3 million per annum. At the time of the announcement, Cruise and his advisers were considering Paramount's new offer of $2 million per year in development money when Redstone dropped his bombshell. The news gave rise to speculation that Paramount has run out of cash as it reportedly has told other development partners with which it has deals to use their own cash for the rest of the year, with the proviso they will be reimbursed come 2007.

In September of 2006, he visited actress Brooke Shields at her home and personally apologized to her for criticizing her in 2005 about her use of prescription medication to overcome her post partum depression. Touched by the gesture, Brooke accepted his apology.

He once shared a record with Tom Hanks as the actor to star in the most consecutive $100 million-grossing movies (7). Both were surpassed by Will Smith who reached eight in 2008.

Resurrected United Artists together with MGM executives to produce and star in some of the company's projects (November 2006).

The years of birth of his wives are 11 years apart: Mimi Rogers was born in 1956, Nicole Kidman in 1967 and Katie Holmes in 1978.

Although they officialized their marriage in Los Angeles prior, he and Katie Holmes celebrated their wedding in the Odescalchi castle in Bracciano, Italy. The ceremony was performed by a Scientology minister in front of more than 150 relatives and friends including Hollywood superstars such as Jim Carrey, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Richard Gere, Brooke Shields, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Kirstie Alley. Italian pop opera purveyor Andrea Bocelli serenaded the newlyweds (18 November 2006).

He and Katie Holmes both wore Armani at their wedding.

He and Katie Holmes honeymooned in the Maldives.

Best Man at his wedding to Katie Holmes was his best friend David Miscavige.

Once lived in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada & attended the same high school as Bryan Adams.

Donated to Hillary Rodham Clinton's electoral campaign for the U.S. Senate together with his then wife Nicole Kidman (2000).

Considered for the role, in Crimson Tide (1995), that went to Denzel Washington.

Mentioned in the song 'High School Never Ends' by 'Bowling For Soup'.

Was offered for the lead of Reign Over Me (2007).

According to Forbes, for each dollar he got paid, Cruise's movies averaged $11 of gross income (December 2007).

Attended St. Raphael The Archangel Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Although the shooting of Valkyrie (2008) caused controversy in Germany due to his Scientology membership, he was awarded at the Bambi Awards for "Courage", a category, newly created by the organizers to honor him for "tackling a story that had never been covered by Hollywood before". The decision was also heavily criticized by journalists and politicians (2 December 2007).

The Japan Memorial Day Association declared 10 October 2006 "Tom Cruise Day".

Due to his friendship to David Beckham, he became a supporter of Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

When attending a Franciscan seminary in Cincinatti, he aspired to become a priest.

Has German and English ancestry from his father's as well as German and Irish ancestry from his mother's family.

Was introduced to Scientology by his ex-wife Mimi Rogers.

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year to be $31 million.

Mentioned in song "Faudrait leur dire" by French rap band "3eme oeil".

Listed at Number 7 on "The Top 10 Box Office Moneymakers of 2007".

Is the only actor to ever work with all of the following directors; Oliver Stone in Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Martin Scorsese in The Color of Money (1986), Stanley Kubrick in Eyes Wide Shut (1999), and Steven Spielberg in Minority Report (2002).

Huge fan of professional wrestling.

Has married two actresses who played Batman's love interest. Nicole Kidman from Batman Forever (1995) and Katie Holmes from Batman Begins (2005).

Is reportedly a huge fan of The Simpsons. However, he has twice turned down guest roles; once for the part of "Tom," which was written specifically for him, in the episode "Brother From The Same Planet" (eventually voiced by regular Phil Hartman) and the other alongside his then-wife Nicole Kidman in the episode "When You Dish Upon A Star" (eventually voiced by then-couple Alec Baldwin and Kim Bassinger).

Considered for the role, in End of Days (1999), that went to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Was going to play as Tom Warshaw in House of D (2004) and opted to do War of the Worlds (2005) instead.

In 1974, when Cruise was 11, his parents divorced.

He is of German, English and Welsh descent.

Has "attended" Harvard Law School in 2 movies: A Few Good Men (1992) and The Firm (1993).

He once shared a record (with Tom Hanks and 'Will Smith) as the actor to star in the most consecutive $100 million-grossing movies (7). As of 2008, Smith holds the record alone with 8 movies.

Was considered for the role of Frank Roberts in The Indian Runner (1991).

Went to an audition for the part of Howard Keach in Harry & Son (1984). He didn't get the part, but the director, Paul Newman remembered him, and decided that he wanted Cruise for The Color of Money (1986).

His acting idol is Paul Newman. Much to the delight of Cruise, they became good friends during work on The Color of Money (1986). Newman got him into racing, and Cruise ultimately raced on his team.

He became good friends with Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton during the making of Taps (1981).

Personal Quotes

The thing about filmmaking is I give it everything, that's why I work so hard. I always tell young actors to take charge. It's not that hard. Sign your own checks, be responsible.

[to Jay Leno regarding his topless Vanity Fair cover shoot] I don't drink but I had a beer that night and they only did one setup like that. I'm a cheap date. What can I say?

[about Eyes Wide Shut (1999)] We knew from the beginning the level of commitment needed. We felt honored to work with Stanley Kubrick. We were going to do what it took to do this picture, whatever time, because I felt - and Nic [Nicole Kidman] did, too - that this was going to be a really special time for us. We knew it would be difficult. But I would have absolutely kicked myself if I hadn't done this.

I have cooked turkeys in my day but when Mom's around I let her do it.

I was 18 when I saw Akira Kurosawa's Shichinin no samurai (1954). After about 30 seconds, I realized that this was not just a cultural thing, it was universal. Years later, I read Bushido. It talked about many things that I strive for in my own life: loyalty, compassion, responsibility, the idea of looking back on your life and taking responsibility for everything you've ever done. I'm fascinated by the samurai and the samurai code - it's one of the main reasons I wanted to make The Last Samurai (2003).

Awards are wonderful. I've been nominated many times and I've won many awards. But my journey is not towards that. If it happens it will be a blast. If it doesn't, it's still been a blast.

I believe in life. I know that life comes in at your heart and it doesn't matter if you're an actor, a filmmaker or a gentleman on the street, it comes at you. What Scientology gives me is the tools to deal with that, to better enjoy my life and to be able to contribute more.

[on his role as the hit man in Collateral (2004)] I've never played a character like this before. Vincent interested me because he is such an anti-social personality, bringing destruction and chaos with him wherever he goes. He's a force of nature.

I remember getting through high school and thinking, "Boy, I'm glad I got that behind me!" Then, when I was 19, I got Risky Business (1983), and I realized, "Ah, so this is life - it's a little bigger than I thought!"

As a young actor, people were trying to define who I was before I really knew that for myself. But I still remember thinking, "This is what I love doing, and I hope I'm going to be able to do it forever."

I've had a very interesting life. There are ways of handling the complexities. I'm willing to take on responsibilities as a father, as a producer, as an actor - and I enjoy that. I've always been changing and evolving and growing. There's no pinnacle of power where you can sit back and rest.

Because I grew up in so many different places, I was used to rumors [about me]. You know, I didn't have the right shoes, I didn't have the right clothes. I even had the wrong accent.

Nic [Nicole Kidman] and I don't talk publicly about custody but, definitely, both of us share the kids back and forth. They're amazing kids.

I would live with all of my sisters if I could. We've always been very close, my sisters and me.

The important thing with a child is that you love them, you protect them and you help them to grow and find out who they are. And as a parent, it's my responsibility to help them to become independent and get all the knowledge and a broad view of the world and life. I know that Nic [Nicole Kidman] absolutely agrees with that. And that's what's important: being there.

I'd like to be with a woman who goes [he switches into a woman's voice], "I've reviewed your schedule, and I'm going to set up this motorcycle trip for you, because you've been working really hard. And I'm going to go with you. We're going to go riding together. And I've already been working on it for a couple days so it can be special."

I don't really keep counsel with others. I'm the kind of person who will think about something, and if I know it's right I'm not going to ask anybody. I don't go, "Boy, what do you think about this?" I've made every decision for myself - in my career, in my life.

SAT (exam) scores have gone right down the toilet. The parents are blaming the teachers, the teachers are blaming the parents and the psychs are putting everyone on drugs.

[on the relationship with Katie Holmes, about other people thinking it's a publicity stunt] It's amusing at first. It's funny. But then you sit back and realize how sad it is that there are people who can't even imagine feeling like this. But my friends are happy for me. The people who know me are happy. My mom is happy. My family is happy.

I've never agreed with psychiatry, ever. Before I was a Scientologist, I never agreed with psychiatry. Here's the problem. You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do.

I'm passionate about learning. I'm passionate about life.

[on the invasion of Iraq] Personally, I don't have all the information President [George W. Bush] has. But I believe [Saddam Hussein] has committed many crimes against humanity and his own people.

Every single time I start to do a picture, without fail, I feel as if I don't know what I'm doing.

(On his father) He was a bully and a coward. He was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life - how he'd lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang! For me, it was like, 'There's something wrong with this guy. Don't trust him. Be careful around him.' There's that anxiety.

[On Born on the Fourth of July (1989)] When I made that film people said, 'This is going to ruin your career. Why are you doing this after you did Top Gun. Why not just do Top Gun 2?'. I wanted to challenge myself.

Salary
War of the Worlds (2005) (20% profit participation)
The Last Samurai (2003) $25,000,000 + % of profits
Minority Report (2002) $25,000,000+
Vanilla Sky (2001) $20,000,000 + 30% of Profits
Mission: Impossible II (2000) $75,000,000 (gross participation)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) $20,000,000
Jerry Maguire (1996) $20,000,000 against 15%
Mission: Impossible (1996) $70,000,000 (gross participation)
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) $15,000,000
A Few Good Men (1992) $12,500,000
Far and Away (1992) $13,000,000
Days of Thunder (1990) $7,000,000
Rain Man (1988) $3,000,000+% of gross
Cocktail (1988) $3,000,000
Top Gun (1986) $2,000,000
Legend (1985) $500,000
Risky Business (1983) $75,000
Taps (1981) $50,000

Where Are They Now

(January 2003) In New Zealand filming The Last Samurai (2003).

(December 2004) Filming Paramount's War of the Worlds (2005), due out Summer 2005.

(August 2005) Filming Mission: Impossible III (2006) in Los Angeles, USA.

(November 2005) Filming Mission: Impossible III (2006) in Shanghai, China.

(January 2008) Release of the book, "Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography" by Andrew Morton.

get from : www.imdb.com

Barack Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:24:00 +0000

Barack Obama was born to a white American mother, Ann Dunham, and a black Kenyan father, Barack Obama, Sr., who were both young college students at the University of Hawaii. When his father left for Harvard, she and Barack stayed behind, and his father ultimately returned alone to Kenya, where he worked as a government economist. Barack's mother remarried an Indonesian oil manager and moved to Jakarta when Barack was six. He later recounted Indonesia as simultaneously lush and a harrowing exposure to tropical poverty. He returned to Hawaii, where he was brought up largely by his grandparents. The family lived in a small apartment - his grandfather was a furniture salesman and an unsuccessful insurance agent and his grandmother worked in a bank - but Barack managed to get into Punahou School, Hawaii's top prep academy. His father wrote to him regularly but, though he traveled around the world on official business for Kenya, he visited only once, when Barack was ten.

Obama attended Columbia University, but found New York's racial tension inescapable. He became a community organizer for a small Chicago church-based group for three years, helping poor South Side residents cope with a wave of plant closings. He then attended Harvard Law School, and in 1990 became the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review. He turned down a prestigious judicial clerkship, choosing instead to practice civil-rights law back in Chicago, representing victims of housing and employment discrimination and working on voting-rights legislation. He also began teaching at the University of Chicago Law School. Eventually he ran as a Democrat for the state senate seat from his district, which included both Hyde Park and some of the poorest ghettos on the South Side, and won.

In 2004 Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, representing Illinois, and gained national attention by giving a rousing and well-received keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. In 2008 he ran for president as a democrat and won. He is set to become the 44th president of the Unites States and the first African-American ever elected to that position.
IMDb Mini Biography By: A. Nonymous and DarthBotto

Spouse
Michelle Obama (3 October 1992 - present) 2 children

Trivia

His first name comes from the word that means "blessed by God" in Arabic.

In the Kenyan town where his father was born, the long-brewed "Senator" brand of beer has been nicknamed "Obama."

U.S. Senator from Illinois since 3 January 2005.

Won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word for the CD version of his autobiography "Dreams From My Father" (2006).

Lives in Hyde Park (Chicago).

On "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993), he revealed that President George W. Bush nicknamed him "Bama" and "Rock".

The movie he saw on his first date with Michelle Obama was Do the Right Thing (1989).

Related to Park Overall.

Has two daughters, Malia Obama (born in 1998) and Sasha Obama (born in 2001).

Candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 US presidential election.

Several celebrities including; Halle Berry, George Clooney, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Topher Grace, Macy Gray, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Hayden Panettiere, Zachary Quinto, Eddie Murphy and John Cleese support his 2008 presidential campaign. Robert De Niro gave his endorsement at the same rally where Barack was endorsed by Caroline and Ted Kennedy.

Enjoys playing basketball and poker.

At his wife's suggestion, he quit smoking before his campaign to win the Democratic nomination began.

His paternal relatives still live in Kenya.

Confessed teenage drug experiences in his memoirs "Dreams from My Father".

One of his ancestors was Mareen Duvall, also an ancestor of actor Robert Duvall.

Shares his surname with a small city in western Japan, which means "small shore" in Japanese.

Plays basketball.

Born to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. (1936-1982) and Ann Dunham (1942-1995), married from 1960 to 1965.

Named one of Time magazine's "100 most influential people in the world" list in 2005 and 2007.

Chosen as one of "10 people would change the world" by New Statesman magazine (2005).

Won his second Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for "The Audacity of Hope" (2008).

On June 3, 2008 he won the Montana primary election giving him enough delegates to become the first Black American presidential candidate to win a major political party's presumptive nomination for the office of President of the United States.

Is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan.

More than 215,000 people attended his speech in Berlin on 24 July 2008.

Has one half-sister, Maya, born to his mother and stepfather in 1970.

Has his look-alike puppet in the French show "Guignols de l'info, Les" (1988).

Is very distantly related to Lon Chaney.

Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham died Sunday November 2, 2008 in the early evening in Honolulu from cancer. She was 86.

Is the first African-American man to be elected President of the United States (November 2008).

When elected President, he won the battleground states of Florida, Virginia and Colorado - all of which had voted Republican in 2004.

Is the first American president to be born in Hawaii.

Was the 27th lawyer to be elected American president.

Was elected to be the 44th president of the Unites States of America on 4 November, 2008.

As a child growing up in Hawaii, his classmates knew him as Barry.

Presidential campaign slogan: "Yes we can".

Personal Quotes

(from DNC keynote speech) "There's not a liberal America and a conservative America. There's the United States of America. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach Little League in the blue states, and have gay friends in the red states. There are patriots who opposed the war, and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."

And it lives on in those Americans -- young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American, gay and straight -- who are tired of a politics that divides us and want to recapture the sense of common purpose that we had when John Kennedy was President of the United States of America.

Sometimes I don't know who I'm running against. (about Bill Clinton's support for Hillary Clinton)

[When asked whether he would call on the Clintons to release their tax returns, after Hilary loaned $5 million of her own money to her campaign] I'll just say that I've released my tax returns. That's been a policy I've maintained consistently. I think the American people deserve to know where you get your income from. But I'll leave it up to you guys to chase it down... I think we set the bar in terms of transparency and disclosure that has been a consistent theme of my campaign and my career in politics.

In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

When I am this party's nominee, my opponent will not be able to say that I voted for the war in Iraq; or that I gave George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran; or that I supported Bush-Cheney policies of not talking to leaders that we don't like. And he will not be able to say that I wavered on something as fundamental as whether or not it is ok for America to torture - because it is never ok. That's why I am in it. As President, I will end the war in Iraq. We will have our troops home in sixteen months. I will close Guantanamo. I will restore habeas corpus. I will finish the fight against Al Qaeda. And I will lead the world to combat the common threats of the 21st century - nuclear weapons and terrorism; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. And I will send once more a message to those yearning faces beyond our shores that says, "You matter to us. Your future is our future. And our moment is now."

This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

Where Are They Now

(November 2008) Elected the 44th President of the United States of America