famousstars

SACHIN TENDULKAR

noreply@blogger.com (tanniru.surendra) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:02:00 +0000

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (born 24 April 1973) is an Indian cricketer. He holds several batting records, including the most Test centuries and the most one-day international centuries, and was rated in 2002 by Wisden as the second greatest Test batsman ever, after Sir Don Bradman. He received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honour, for 1997-1998, and the civilian award Padma Shri in 1999. Tendulkar was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997. Sachin tendulkar have been nominated as Member of Parliament of INDIA for Rajyasabha in 2012.

Born in Mumbai (then Bombay) into a middle-class family, Sachin Tendulkar was named after his family’s favourite music director Sachin Dev Burman. He went to Sharadashram Vidyamandir School where he started his cricketing career under coach Ramakant Achrekar. While at school, he was involved in a mammoth 664 run partnership in a Harris Shield game with friend and team mate Vinod Kambli. In 1988/1989, he scored 100 not-out in his first first-class match, for Bombay against Gujarat. At 15 years and 232 days he was the youngest to score
a century on debut.

Sachin played his first international match against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989, facing the likes of Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Abdul Qadir, and Waqar Younis. He made just 15 runs, being bowled by Waqar Younis, who also made his debut in that match. It was an inauspicious start, but Tendulkar followed it up with his maiden Test fifty a few days later at Faisalabad. His One-day International (ODI) debut on December 18 was equally disappointing, where he was dismissed without scoring a run, again by Waqar Younis. The series was followed by a non-descript tour of New Zealand in which he fell for 88 in a Test match, John Wright, who would later coach India, pouching the catch that prevented Tendulkar from becoming the youngest centurion in Test cricket.

The long anticipated maiden Test century came in England’s tour in 1990 but the other scores were not remarkable. Tendulkar truly came into his own in the 1991-1992 tour of Australia that included a brilliant century on the fast and bouncy track at Perth. He has been Man of the Match 11 times in Test matches and Man of the Series twice, both times in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

His first ODI century came on September 9, 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka at Colombo. It had taken Tendulkar 79 ODIs to score a century.

Sachin Tendulkar is the only player to score a century while making his Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy debut.

Sachin is the first ever cricketer to get 100 of 100s in cricket. This he acheived in DHAKA in ASIA CUP in 2012 against Bangladesh .
Wisden named Tendulkar one of the Cricketers of the Year in 1997, the first calendar year in which he scored 1,000 Test runs. He repeated the feat in 1999, 2001, and 2002.

Tendulkar also holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has done it six times – 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003. In 1998 he made 1,894 ODI runs, still the record for ODI runs by any batsman in any given calendar year.

While not a regular bowler, Tendulkar has 37 wickets in 132 tests.

Highlights of Tendulkar’s Test career include:

* Rated as the second best batsman of all time (next to Don Bradman) by Wisden
* Highest number of Test centuries (35), overtaking Sunil Gavaskar’s record (34) on 10 December 2005 vs Sri Lanka in Delhi.
* Played in the highest number of Cricket Grounds – he has played Test Cricket on 52 different grounds, ahead of Azharuddin (48), Kapil Dev (47), Inzamam-ul-Haq (46) and Wasim Akram (45).
* He is the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. He holds this record along with Brian Lara. Both of them achieved this feat in 195 innings.
* 4th highest tally of runs in Test cricket (15,470) (updated on April,2012)
* Career Average 55.44 – Has the highest average among those who have scored over 10,000 Test runs (updated on April 2012)
* Second Indian to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches.
* Has 45 Test wickets (April 2012)
* Second fastest player to reach 9000 runs (Brian Lara made 9000 in 177 innings, Sachin in 179.)

Highlights of Tendulkar’s ODI career include:

* Played more matches than any other cricketer, 463 matches. (updated on April 2012)
* Most Man of the Match (52) awards (updated on Feb 16 2007)
* Appeared on the most grounds (89 different grounds)
* Most runs – 18,426 (updated on April 2012)
* Most centuries (49) (updated on April 2012)
* Most centuries vs. Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
* First cricketer to cross 10,000-run mark in ODIs
* Only cricketer to cross 14,000-run mark in ODIs
* Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs as of February, 2006
* Over 100 wickets – 154 (updated on April 2012)
* Highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs (updated on April 2012)
* Highest individual score among Indian batsmen (200* against South Africa at Gwalior in 2010)
* Holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has done it six times – 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003.
* In 1998 he made 1,894 ODI runs, still the record for ODI runs by any batsman in any given calendar year.
* In 1998 he hit 9 ODI centuries, the highest by any player in an year.

World Cup

* Most runs (1732 at an average of 59.72) in World Cup Cricket History
* Player Of The Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
* 673 runs in 2003 World Cup, highest by any one in a single Cricket World Cup

Individual honours and acheivements:

   * Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, 2008.
    * ICC World ODI XI: 2004, 2007
    * Rajiv Gandhi Awards – Sports: 2005
    * Player of the tournament in 2003 Cricket World Cup
    * Maharashtra Bhushan Award, Maharashtra State's highest Civilian Award in 2001
    * Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, 1999
    * Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest honour given for achievement in sports, 1997–98.
    * Wisden Cricketer of the Year: 1997
    * Arjuna Award, by the Government of India in recognition of his outstanding achievement in Cricket, 1994

Miscellaneous:

* Sachin Tendulkar is the first batsman to have been declared run out by a third umpire in 1992 against South Africa in South Africa.
* He was the first overseas cricketer to play for Yorkshire CCC in 1992.
* Oddly, Wisden does not include any innings by Tendulkar among its list of 100 greatest Test batting performances.

Criticism and recent performance

The case against Sachin Tendulkar’s recent performances was summed up by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in its 2005 edition: “Apart from a glorious, nothing-to-lose 55 against Australia on a Mumbai terrortrack, watching Tendulkar became a colder experience: after his humbling 2003, he seemed to reject his bewitching fusion of majesty and human frailty in favour of a mechanical, robotic accumulation.”

The criticism must be seen against the backdrop of Tendulkar’s performance through the years 1994-1999, coinciding with his physical peak, at age 20 through 25. Tendulkar was told to open the batting at Auckland against New Zealand in 1994 . He went on to make 82 runs off 49 balls. This was the beginning of a glorious period, culminating in the Australian tour of 1998-1999, following which Australian spinner Shane Warne ruefully joked that he was having nightmares about his Indian nemesis.

A chronic back problem flared up when Pakistan toured India in 1999, with India losing the historic Test at Chepauk despite a gritty century from Tendulkar himself. Worse was to come as Professor Ramesh Tendulkar, Sachin’s father, died in the middle of the 1999 cricket World Cup. Tendulkar, succeeding Mohammad Azharuddin as captain, then led India on a tour of Australia, where the visitors were comprehensively beaten 3-0 [6] by the newly-crowned world champions. Tendulkar resigned, and Sourav Ganguly took over as captain in 2000.

Tendulkar made 673 runs in 11 matches in the 2003 World Cup, helping India reach the finals. While Australia retained the trophy that it had won in 1999, Tendulkar was given the Man of the Series award.

The drawn series as India toured Australia in 2003-2004 saw Tendulkar making his mark in the last Test of the series, with a double century in Sydney. The series was tied 1-1, with Rahul Dravid taking the Man of the Series award.

Tennis elbow then took its toll on Tendulkar, leaving him out of the side for the first two Tests when Australia toured India in 2005. He played a part in the facesaving Indian victory in Mumbai, though Australia had already taken the series 2-1, with the Chennai Test drawn.

Of late, as Wisden noted, Tendulkar has not been his old aggressive self. Expert opinion is divided on whether this is due to his increasing years or the lingering after-effects of injuries over 17 years at the highest level. On 10 December, 2005, at Feroz Shah Kotla, he delighted fans with a record-breaking 35th Test century, against the Sri Lankans. But doubts were raised once again when he averaged a mere 21 over three Test innings when India toured Pakistan in 2006.

On 6 February 2006, Tendulkar scored his 39th ODI hundred, in a match against Pakistan. Tendulkar now has 16 more ODI tons than the man who is second on the list of ODI century-makers, Sourav Ganguly. He followed with a run-a-ball 42 in the second ODI against Pakistan on February 11, 2006, and then a truly masterly 95 in hostile conditions on 13 February, 2006 in Lahore.

On 19 March 2006, after scoring an unconvincing 1 off 21 balls against England in the first innings of the third Test in his home ground, Wankhede, Tendulkar was booed off the ground by a section of the crowd, the first time that he has ever faced such flak. While cheered on when he came for his second innings, Tendulkar was to end the three-Test series without a single half-century to his credit, and news of a shoulder operation raised more questions about his longevity. Geoffrey Boycott was brutal in his assessment: “Sachin Tendulkar is in the worst form of his career…Now that he’s going to sit out for a further two months, I don’t think he can ever come back to regain what he once had.”

Personal life:

Sachin Tendulkar married Anjali Mehta, the paediatrician daughter of Gujarati industrialist Anand Mehta, in 1995, some years after they were introduced by mutual friends. They have two children, Sara (born October 1997) and Arjun (born 23 September, 2000). Tendulkar sponsors 200 under-privileged children every year through Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO associated with his mother-in-law, Annabel Mehta. He is reluctant to speak about this, or other charitable activities, choosing to preserve the sanctity of his personal life despite the overwhelming media interest in him. Tendulkar has been seen taking his Ferrari 360 Modena for late-night drives in Mumbai. (Gifted by Fiat through Michael Schumacher, the car became notorious when Tendulkar was given customs exemption; Fiat paid the dues to end the controversy.)

———— Original Article : Wikipedia.org

Dheerubhai ambhani!

noreply@blogger.com (tanniru.surendra) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:06:00 +0000

Dhirubhai Ambani alias Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani was born on December 28, 1932, at Chorwad, Gujarat, into a Modh family.His father was a school teacher. Dhirubhai Ambani started his entrepreneurial career by selling "bhajias" to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends.After doing his matriculation at the age of 16, Dhirubhai moved to Aden, Yemen. He worked there as a gas-station attendant, and as a clerk in an oil company. He returned to India in 1958 with Rs 50,000 and set up a textile trading company.When he was 16 years old, he moved to Aden, Yemen. He worked with A. Besse & Co. for a salary of Rs.300 .Two years later, A. Besse & Co. became the distributors for Shell products, and Dhirubhai was promoted to manage the company’s filling station at the port of Aden.
He was married to Kokilaben and had 2 sons, Mukesh, Anil and two daughters, Nina Kothari, Deepti Salgaonkar. He also worked in Dubai for some time during his early years.During those days of him, the Yemini Rial was made of pure silver coins and was in much demand at the London Bullion Exchange.Young Dhirubhai bought the Rials, melted them into pure silver
and sold it to the bullion traders in London.During the latter part of his life, while talking to reporters, it is believed that he said “The margins were small but it was money for jam. After three months, it was stopped. But I made a few lakhs. In short, I was a manipulator. A very good manipulator. But I don’t believe in not taking opportunities."

Ten years later, Dhirubhai Ambani returned to India and started "Majin" in partnership with Champaklal Damani, his second cousin, who used to be with him in Aden, Yemen. Majin was to import polyester yarn and export spices to Yemen.The first office of the Reliance Commercial Corporation was set up at the Narsinatha Street in Masjid Bunder. It was 350 sq ft (33 m2). room with a telephone, one table and three chairs.Initially, they had two assistants to help them with their business. During this period, Dhirubhai and his family used to stay in a one bedroom apartment at the Jaihind Estate in Bhuleshwar, Mumbai. In 1965, Champaklal Damani and Dhirubhai Ambani ended their partnership and Dhirubhai started on his own. It is believed that both had different temperaments and a different take on how to conduct business. While Mr. Damani was a cautious trader and did not believe in building yarn inventories, Dhirubhai was a known risk taker and he believed in building inventories, anticipating a price rise, and making profits.In 1968, he moved to an upmarket apartment at Altamount Road in South Mumbai. Ambani's net worth was estimated at about Rs.10 lakh by late 1970s.
Sensing a good opportunity in the textile business, Dhirubhai started his first textile mill at Naroda, in Ahmedabad in the year 1977. Textiles were manufactured using polyester fibre yarn.Dhirubhai started the brand "Vimal", which was named after his elder brother Ramaniklal Ambani's son, Vimal Ambani. Extensive marketing of the brand "Vimal" in the interiors of India made it a household name. Franchise retail outlets were started and they used to sell "only Vimal" brand of textiles. In the year 1975, a Technical team from the World Bank visited the Reliance Textiles' Manufacturing unit. This unit has the rare distinction of being certified as "excellent even by developed country standards" during that period.
Dhirubhai Ambani is awarded with starting the equity cult in India. More than 58,000 investors from various parts of India subscribed to Reliance's IPO in 1977. Dhirubhai was able to convince large number of small investors from rural Gujarat that being shareholders of his company would be profitable.
Reliance Industries was the first private sector company whose Annual General Meetings were held in stadiums. In 1986, The Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries number of first-time retail investors to invest in Reliance. Ambani's net worth was estimated at about Rs.1 billion by early 1980s.
He was accused of acting unethically, having manipulated government policies to suit his own needs, and has been known to be a king-maker in government elections .
Nusli Wadia of Bombay Dyeing was, at one point in time, the biggest competitor of Dhirubhai and Reliance Industries. Both Nusli Wadia and Dhirubhai were known for their influence in the political circles and their ability to get the most difficult licenses approved during the times of pre-liberalized economy.During the Janata Party rule between 1977–1979, Nusli Wadia obtained the license to build a 60,000 tonnes per annum Di-methyl terephthalate (DMT) plant. Before the letter of intent was converted into a licence, many hurdles came in the way. Finally, in 1981, Nusli Wadia was granted the license for the plant. This incident acted as a catalyst between the two parties and the competition took an ugly turn.At one point in time, Ramnath Goenka was a friend of Dhirubhai Ambani. Ramnath Goenka was also considered to be close to Nusli Wadia. On many occasions, Ramnath Goenka tried to intervene between the two warring factions and bring an end to the enmity. Goenka and Ambani became rivals mainly because Ambani's corrupt business practices and his illegal actions that led to Goenka not getting a fair share in the company. Later on, Ramnath Goenka chose to support Nusli Wadia.As days passed by, The Indian Express, a broadsheet daily published by him, carried a series of articles against Reliance Industries and Dhirubhai in which they claimed that Dhirubhai was using unfair trade practices to maximise the profits. Ramnath Goenka did not use his staff at the Indian Express to investigate the case but assigned his close confidant, advisor and chartered accountant S. Gurumurthy for this task. Apart from S. Gurumurthy, another journalist Maneck Davar who was not on the rolls of Indian Express started contributing stories. Jamnadas Moorjani, a businessman opposed to the Ambanis was also a part of this campaign.

Both Ambani and Goenka were equally criticized and admired by sections of the society. People criticized Goenka that he was using a national newspaper for the cause of a personal enmity. Critics believed that there were many other businessman in the country who were using more unfair and unethical practices but Goenka chose to target only Ambani and not the others. Critics also admired Goenka for his ability to run these articles without any help from his regular staff. Dhirubhai Ambani was also getting more recognition and admiration, in the meantime.
The end to this tussle came only after Dhirubhai Ambani suffered a stroke. While Dhirubhai Ambani was recovering in San Diego, his sons Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani managed the affairs. The Indian Express had turned the guns against Reliance and was directly blaming the government for not doing enough to penalize Reliance Industries. The battle between Wadia - Goenka and the Ambanis took a new direction and became a national crisis. Gurumurthy and another journalist, Mulgaokar consorted with President Giani Zail Singh and ghost-wrote a hostile letter to the Prime Minister on his behalf. The Indian Express published a draft of the President’s letter as a scoop, not realizing that Zail Singh had made changes to the letter before sending it to Rajiv Gandhi. Ambani had won the battle at this point. Now, while the tussle was directly between the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Ramnath Goenka, Ambani made a quiet exit. The government then raided the Express guest house in Delhi’s Sunder Nagar and found the original draft with corrections in Mulgaokar’s handwriting. By 1988-89, Rajiv’s government retaliated with a series of prosecutions against the Indian Express.
Dhirubhai didn't enjoy cordial relations with Vishwanath Pratap Singh, who succeeded Rajiv Gandhi as the Prime Minister of India. In May 1985, V. P. Singh suddenly stopped the import of Purified Terephthalic Acid from the Open General License category. As a raw material this was very important to manufacture polyester filament yarn. This made it very difficult for Reliance to carry on operations. Reliance was able to secure, from various financial institutions, letters of credit that would allow it to import almost one full year’s requirement of PTA on the eve of the issuance of the government notification, changing the category under which PTA could be imported. In 1990, the government-owned financial institutions like the Life Insurance Corporation of India and the General Insurance Corporation stonewalled attempts by the Reliance group to acquire managerial control over Larsen & Toubro. Sensing defeat, the Ambanis resigned from the board of the company. Dhirubhai, who had become L&T's chairman in April 1989, had to quit his post to make way for D. N. Ghosh, former chairman of the State Bank of India. It is also believed that V. P. Singh's move as Defence Minister came as a direct result of him catching Dhirubhai's tax evasion.
Dhirubhai Ambani was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on June 24, 2002 after he suffered a major stroke. This was his second stroke, the first one had occurred in February 1986 and had kept his right hand paralyzed. He was in a state of coma for more than a week. A battery of doctors were unable to save his life. He died on July 6, 2002, at around 11:50 P.M. (Indian Standard Time).His funeral procession was not only attended by business people, politicians and celebrities but also by thousands of ordinary people. His elder son, Mukesh Ambani, performed the last rites as per Hindu traditions. He was cremated at the Chandanwadi Crematorium in Mumbai at around 4:30 PM (Indian Standard Time) on July 7, 2002.

Dhirubhai Ambani started his long journey in Bombay from the Mulji-Jetha Textile Market, where he started as a small-trader. As a mark of respect to this great businessman, The Mumbai Textile Merchants' decided to keep the market closed on July 8, 2002. At the time of Dhirubhai's death, Reliance Group had a gross turnover of Rs. 75,000 Crore or USD $ 15 Billion. In 1976-77, the Reliance group had an annual turnover of Rs 70 crore and it is to be remembered that Dhirubhai had started the business with just Rs.15,000 (US$350).
A film said to be inspired by the life of Dhirubhai Ambani was released on 12 January 2007. The Hindi Film Guru, directed by ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam, cinematography by Rajiv Menon and music by A.R.Rahman shows the struggle of a man striving to make his mark in the Indian business world with a fictional Shakti Group of Industries. The film stars Abhishek Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, Aishwarya Rai, R. Madhavan and Vidya Balan. In the film, Abhishek Bachchan plays Guru Kant Desai, a character implicitly based on Dhirubhai Ambani. The character is known in the film as "GURUBHAI", similar to the real-life "DHIRUBHAI." Mithun Chakraborty portrays Manikda who bears an uncanny resemblance to the real life Ramanath Goenka and Madhvan portrays S. Gurumurthy, who gained national fame twenty years ago, spearheading virulent attacks against the Reliance group in one of India's bloodiest corporate wars ever.
A book published by Hamish McDonald titled "The Polyester Prince" is also an unauthorised biography of Dhirubhia Ambani, outlining all his political and business conquests. it has been banned in several countries and is also out of print.

RAJINI KANTH

noreply@blogger.com (tanniru.surendra) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 13:18:00 +0000

Shivaji Rao Gaekwad,born on 12 December 1949 professionally known by his stage name Rajinikanth!!!!He is best known for his mass popularity and appeal, largely drawn from his mannerisms and stylized delivery of dialogue in films. He received India's third highest honour, the Padma Bhushan, in 2000 for his contribution to Indian cinema.
Rajinikanth made his debut as an actor in 1975 in the Tamil film Apoorva Raagangal, directed by K. Balachander. He was later favoured in Tamil cinema for portraying antagonistic characters and gradually rose to acting in lead roles. After the release of his 1978 Tamil film Bairavi, he became known as the "superstar" of Tamil cinema, a title given to him by film producer S. Dhanu and still used by many people to refer to him.He has also appeared in the films of other nations, including American cinema. He was paid Rs. 20 crores (about 4.3 million US dollars) for Sivaji: The Boss,making him the highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan.
Rajinikanth was born on 12 December 1949 to a Marathi-speaking couple in Bangalore. He was the youngest among four children; has two elder brothers and a sister. He struggled a lot during his childhood.
He had his formal education in Acharya Patasala, Bangalore and had his higher education in Ramakrishna Mission, Bangalore. Between 1968 and 1973 he worked in many places in Chennai, thus moving continuously from Bangalore to Chennai. He performed various odd jobs before joining the Banglore Transport Service as a bus conductor.
In 1973, he moved to Chennai to seek a career in acting and joined the Madras Film Institute with the help of a friend.Rajinikanth left his job as bus conductor for Banglore Transport Service and joined the Madras Film Institute in 1974.

Rajinikanth made his debut into movies through Apoorva Raagangal and later entered Bollywood with Andha Kanoon.He starred in the 1988 American film Bloodstone, which released with much fanfare in India but was unsuccessful in the United States. His 1995 film Muthu was dubbed into Japanese while his 2005 film Chandramukhi was dubbed in German and released in all German-speaking nations. He has acted in about 101 movies in Tamil, 17 in Telugu, 11 in Kannada, 2 in Malayalam, one each in Bengali and English, and 24 in Hindi (apart from a few movies where he did guest appearances in Hindi).
Rajinikanth's first film was Apoorva Raagangal, a film directed by K. Balachander.Though Rajinikanth refers to director K. Balachander as his guru or mentor, it was director S. P. Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajinikanth’s image entirely.Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977), as a villain in the first half of the film and a protagonist in the second. Around this time Mullum Malarum (1978), directed by J. Mahendran, established Rajinikanth in the Tamil film arena as a film hero. The success of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri prompted Muthuraman to make a mushy melodrama with Rajinikanth as a hero sacrificing everything for his siblings in Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai (1979). These films were the turning points in Rajinikanth’s career;he changed from an actor who merely enthralled the audiences to one who could also evoke emotions. The acceptance of Rajinikanth sans his stylized mannerisms proved he had at last become a "star". His film roles were mainly as a villain during the period 1975 to 1977, co-starring frequently with Kamal Haasan as the protagonist, in movies like 16 Vayadhinilae, Moondru Mudichu and Avargal. In 1978, Rajinikanth acted in the film Bairavi.His first major role as a solo hero was in Chilakamma Cheppindi, a Telugu film.In Anthuleni Katha, a Telugu remake of Aval Oru Thodar Kathai, he enacted the role of a drunkard brother of Jayaprada, which made him popular among Telugu audiences. In fact, Anthuleni Katha was the first movie in which he appeared in a major role. Previously, in Apoorva Raagangal and Katha Sangama he had performed very small roles. At that time he was the busiest actor in India; he would complete shooting at Madras at noon and fly to Hyderabad, where he would complete shooting by evening, then fly to Bangalore and finish the shooting by night and again fly to Madras. At this point in his career, Rajinikanth abruptly chose to quit acting, but was coaxed back.He continued acting with the blockbuster Tamil film Billa, which was a remake of the blockbuster Bollywood movie Don. With its phenomenal success he was accepted as a full-fledged hero. Billa was followed by a row of hits, namely Murattu Kaalai, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla, Pudukavithai and Moondru Mugam. K. Balachander’s first home production, Netrikan, proved to be yet another milestone in Rajni’s career.His movies released during the nineties included Thalapathy, Mannan, Annamalai, Uzhaippali, Veera, Baasha, Muthu,Arunachalam and Padayappa. Rajinikanth wrote his first screenplay and acted as a special appearance in the film Valli (1993).

His film Baasha was released in 1995. His film Muthu was the first Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese (as Muthu: The Dancing Maharajah) and became popular in Japan.Padayappa's release in 1999. Padayappa was directed by K. S. Ravikumar.
After more than a three-year sabbatical from cinema, at 52 years of age, he starred in his home production, Baba, which released on 15 August 2002. The screenplay revolved around a story about a gangster who later engages in spirituality. It fell short of market expectations and the high bids reportedly translated to heavy losses for the distributors, which Rajinikanth repaid.

Rajinikanth chose to act in director P. Vasu's Tamil remake of the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu, titled Chandramukhi. It was released on 14 April 2005, and went on to create new box office records, such as being the longest running Tamil film as of 2007.Just after Chandramukhi's release, it was reported that AVM Productions were to produce a film directed by S. Shankar starring Rajinikanth. The film was titled Sivaji: The Boss and released on 15 June 2007; it went on to become ranked among other major Bollywood and Hollywood releases of the year. Sivaji charted as one of the top-ten best films of United Kingdom and South Africa box offices upon release.During the course of the production for Sivaji, Ocher Studios, the animation company of Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth, in association with Adlabs announced their intention of producing a CGI animation film starring an animated version of Rajinikanth.

He will be lending his voice to the lead character in the project, titled Sultan: The Warrior; it will be directed by his daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth, with music provided by A. R. Rahman. Rajinikanth has also been signed to work with the Sivaji team of S. Shankar and A. R. Rahman for the high-budget science-fiction film, Endhiran. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will play opposite Rajinikanth as heroine for the first time.

Between 1977 and 2009, Rajinikanth received several awards from Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, Cinema Express and Filmfans Association for his on-screen performances and off-screen contributions in writing and producing. He has received awards in the Best Actor category for his performance in the films Sivaji, Chandramukhi, Padayappa, Peddarayudu, Baasha, Muthu, Annamalai, Thalapathy, Velaikaran, Sri Raghavendra, Nallavanuku Nallavan, Moondru Mugam, Enkeyo Ketta Kural, Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai, Mullum Malarum and 16 Vayathinile. He received an award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri. He has also received awards in Best Story Writer and Best Producer categories for Valli.He has also received other honours such as the Raj Kapoor Award in 2007 from the Government of Maharashtra. He was named and honoured with the Padma Bhushan award, India's third highest civilian honour, in 2000 from the Government of India.In 2010, he received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema.

Filmography
Film Number Film Language Date
1. Apoorva Raagangal Tamil 18.08.1975
2. Katha Sangama Kannada 23.01.1976
3. Anthuleni Katha Telugu 27.02.1976
4. Moondru Mudichu Tamil 22.10.1976
5. Baalu Jenu Kannada 10.12.1976
6. Avargal Tamil 25.02.1977
7. Kavikkuyil Tamil 29.07.1977
8. Raghupathi Raghavan Rajaram Tamil 12.08.1977
9. Chilakamma Cheppindi Chandhi Telugu 13.08.1977
10. Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri Tamil 02.09.1977
11. Ondu Premada Kathe Kannada 02.09.1977
12. 16 Vayathinile Tamil 15.09.1977
13. Sahodara Saval Kannada 16.09.1977
14. Aadu Puli Attam Tamil 30.09.1977
15. Gaayathri Tamil 07.10.1977
16. Kumkuma Rakshe Kannada 14.10.1977
17. Aarupushpangal Tamil 10.11.1977
18. Tholireyi Gadichindi Telugu 17.11.1977
19. Aame Katha Telugu 18.11.1977
20. Galate Samsara Kannada 02.12.1977
21. Shankar Salim Simon Tamil 10.02.1978
22. Kiladi Kittu Kannada 03.03.1978
23. Annadammula Savaal Telugu 03.03.1978
24. Aayiram Jenmangal Tamil 10.03.1978
25. Maathu Tappada maga Kannada 31.03.1978
26. Mangudi Minor Tamil 02.06.1978
27. Bairavi Tamil 02.06.1978
28. Ilamai Oonjaladukirathu Tamil 09.06.1978
29. Sadurangam Tamil 30.06.1978
30. Vanakkatukuriya Kathaliye Tamil 14.07.1978
31. Vayasu Pilichindi Telugu 04.08.1978
32. Mullum Malarum Tamil 15.08.1978
33. Iraivan Kodutha Varam Tamil 22.09.1978
34. Thappida Thala Kannada 06.10.1978
35. Thappu Thalangal Tamil 30.10.1978
36. Aval Appadithan Tamil 30.10.1978
37. Thai Meethu Sathiyam Tamil 30.10.1978
38. En Kelvikku Enna Bathil Tamil 09.12.1978
39. Justice Gopinath Tamil 16.12.1978
40. Priya Tamil 22.12.1978
41. Priya Kannada 12.01.1979
42. Kuppathu Raja Tamil 12.01.1979
43. Iddaru Asadhyule Telugu 25.01.1979
44. Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum Malayalam 14.04.1979
45. Ninaithale Inikkum Tamil 14.04.1979
46. Andhamaina Anubhavam Telugu 19.04.1979
47. Allaudinaum Arputha Vilakkum Tamil 08.06.1979
48. Dharma Yuddam Tamil 29.06.1979
49. Naan Vazhavaippen Tamil 10.08.1979
50. Tiger Telugu 05.09.1979
51. Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai Tamil 14.09.1979
52. Annai Tamil 19.10.1979
53. Amma Evarikkaina Amma Telugu 08.11.1979
54. Billa Tamil 26.01.1980
55. Ram Robert Rahim Telugu 31.05.1980
56. Anbukku Naan Adimai Tamil 04.06.1980
57. Kali Tamil 03.07.1980
58. Mayadari Krishnudu Telugu 19.07.1980
59. Naan Potta Saval Tamil 07.08.1980
60. Johnny Tamil 15.08.1980
61. Kaali Telugu 19.09.1980
62. Ellam Un Kairasi Tamil 09.10.1980
63. Pollathavan Tamil 06.11.1980
64. Murattu Kalai Tamil 20.12.1980
65. Thee Tamil 26.01.1981
66. Kazhugu Tamil 06.03.1981
67. Thillu Mullu Tamil 01.05.1981
68. Garjanai Tamil 06.08.1981
69. Garjanam Malayalam 14.08.1981
70. Netrikan Tamil 15.08.1981
71. Garjane Kannada 23.10.1981
72. Ranuva Veeran Tamil 26.10.1981
73. Pokkiri Raja Tamil 14.01.1982
74. Thanikattu Raja Tamil 12.03.1982
75. Ranga Tamil 14.04.1982
76. Puthukavithai Tamil 11.06.1982
77. Enkeyo Ketta Kural Tamil 14.08.1982
78. Moondru Mugam Tamil 01.10.1982
79. Paayum Puli Tamil 14.01.1983
80. Thudikkum Karangal Tamil 04.03.1983
81. Andha Kanoon Hindi 07.04.1983
82. Thai Veedu Tamil 14.04.1983
83. Sivappu Sooriyan Tamil 27.05.1983
84. Jeet Hamaari Hindi 17.06.1983
85. Adutha Varisu Tamil 07.07.1983
86. Thanga Magan Tamil 04.11.1983
87. Meri Adaalat Hindi 13.01.1984
88. Naan Mahaan Alla Tamil 14.01.1984
89. Thambikku Entha Ooru Tamil 20.04.1984
90. Kai Kodukkum Kai Tamil 15.06.1984
91. Ethe Naasaval Telugu 15.06.1984
92. Anbulla Rajinikanth Tamil 02.08.1984
93. Gangvaa Hindi 14.09.1984
94. Nallavanuku Nallavan Tamil 22.10.1984
95. John Jani Janardhan Hindi 26.10.1984
96. Naan Sikappu Manithan Tamil 12.04.1985
97. Mahaguru Hindi 26.04.1985
98. Un Kannil Neer Vazhindal Tamil 20.06.1985
99. Wafadaar Hindi 01.09.1985
100 Sri Raghavendra Tamil 01.09.1985
101 Bewafai Hindi 20.09.1986
102 Padikkadavan Tamil 11.11.1985
103 Mr.Bharath Tamil 10.01.1986
104 Nann Adimai Illai Tamil 01.03.1986
105 Jeevana Poratam Telugu 10.04.1986
106 Viduthalai Tamil 11.04.1986
107 Bhagwan Dada Hindi 25.04.1986
108 Asli Naqli Hindi 17.10.1986
109 Dosti Dhushman Hindi 31.10.86
110 Maaveeran Tamil 01.11.1986
111 Velaikaran Tamil 07.03.1987
112 Insaff Kaun Karega Hindi 19.06.1987
113 Oorkavalan Tamil 04.09.1987
114 Paayum Puli Tamil 21.10.1987
115 Uttar Dakshan Hindi 13.11.1987
116 Tamacha Hindi 26.02.1988
117 Guru Sishyan Tamil 13.04.1988
118 Dharmathin Thalaivan Tamil 24.09.1988
119 BloodStone English 07.10.1988
120 Kodi Parakuthu Tamil 08.11.1988
121 Rajathi Raja Tamil 04.03.1989
122 Siva Tamil 05.05.1989
123 Raja Chinna Roja Tamil 20.07.1989
124 Mappillai Tamil 28.10.1989
125 Bhrashtachar Hindi 01.12.1989
126 Chaalbaaz Hindi 08.12.1989
127 Panakkaran Tamil 14.01.1990
128 Athisaya Piravi Tamil 15.06.1990
129 Dharmadorai Tamil 14.01.1991
130 Hum Hindi 01.02.1991
131 Farishtay Hindi 22.02.1991
132 Khoon Ka Karz Hindi 01.03.1991
133 Phool Bane Angaray Hindi 12.07.1991
134 Nattukku Oru Nallavan Tamil 02.10.1991
135 Dalapathi Tamil 05.11.1991
136 Mannan Tamil 14.01.1992
137 Tyagi Hindi 29.05.1992
138 Annamalai Tamil 27.06.1992
139 Pandiyan Tamil 25.10.1992
140 Insaniyat Ke Devta Hindi 12.02.1993
141 Yejaman Tamil 18.02.1993
142 Uzhaippali Tamil 24.06.1993
143 Valli Tamil 24.06.1993
144 Veera Tamil 14.04.1994
145 Baasha Tamil 12.01.1995
146 Peddarayudu Telugu 15.06.1995
147 Aatank Hi Aatank Hindi 04.08.1995
148 Muthu Tamil 23.10.1995
149 Bhagyadevta Bengali 23.12.1995
150 Arunachalam Tamil 10.04.1997
151 Padayappa Tamil 10.04.1999
152 Baba Tamil 15.08.2002
153 Chandramukhi Tamil 14.04.2005
154 Sivaji: The Boss Tamil 14.04.2007

A.R.Rehman

noreply@blogger.com (tanniru.surendra) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 03:24:00 +0000

Allah Rakha Rahmanborn 6 January 1966 as A. S. Dileep Kumar) is an Indian Tamil film composer, record producer, musician and singer. His film scoring career began in the early 1990s. He has won fourteen Filmfare Awards, four National Film Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, two Grammy Awards, and two Academy AwardsWorking in India's various film industries, international cinema and theatre, by 2004, Rahman, in a career spanning over a decade, had sold more than 150 million records of his film scores and soundtracks worldwide,and sold over 200 million cassettes, making him one of the world's all-time top selling recording artists.A. R. Rahman was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India to a musically affluent Mudaliar Tamil family.His father R. K. Shekhar, was a Chennai based composer and conductor for Malayalam films. Rahman lost his father at a young age and his family rented out musical equipment as a source of income. He was raised by his mother Kareema (Kashturi). Ginger anodyne clears the palate .He was introduced to Sufism when
his younger sister fell severely sick and as per the advise of a family friend, the family would pray at a mosque and vow conversion to Islam if she got well. The prayers were answered and accordingly, he along with other members of his family then converted to Islam in the year 1989 at the age of 23 and changed his name to Rahman. During these formative years, Rahman served as a keyboard player and an arranger in bands such as "Roots", with childhood friend and percussionist Sivamani, John Anthony, Suresh Peters, JoJo and Raja.Rahman is the founder of the Chennai-based rock group, "Nemesis Avenue".He played the keyboard and piano, the synthesizer, the harmonium and the guitar. His curiosity in the synthesizer, in particular increased because, he says, it was the "ideal combination of music and technology".He began early training in music under Master Dhanraj. At the age of 11, he joined, as a keyboardist, the troupe of Ilaiyaraaja,one of many composers to whom musical instruments belonging to Rahman's father were rented. Rahman later played in the orchestra of M. S. Viswanathan Ramesh Naidu and Raj Koti, accompanied Zakir Hussain, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and L. Shankar on world tours and obtained a scholarship to the Trinity College of Music where he graduated with a degree in Western classical music.In 1992, Rahman began his own music recording and mixing studio attached to the backyard of his house called the Panchathan Record Inn, which was developed into India's most advanced recording studio.In 1992, he was approached by film director Mani Ratnam to compose the score and soundtrack for Ratnam's Tamil film Roja.The debut led Rahman to receive the Rajat Kamal award for Best Music Director at the National Film Awards, the first time ever by a first-time film composer. Rahman has since then gone on to win the award three more times (for his scores for Minsaara Kanavu (Electric Dreams, Tamil) in 1997, Lagaan (Tax, Hindi) in 2002, Kannathil Muthamittal (A Peck on the Cheek, Tamil) in 2003, the most ever by any composer.Rahman has been involved in several projects aside from film. He made an album Vande Mataram (1997) on India's 50th anniversary of independence to commercial success.In 1999 Rahman, along with choreographers Shobhana and Prabhu Deva Sundaram and a Tamil cinema dancing troupe performed with Michael Jackson in Munich, Germany, for his "Michael Jackson and Friends Concert." In 2002, he composed his maiden stage production Bombay Dreams (2002) following a commission from musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, a success in London's West End. With Finnish folk music band Värttinä, he wrote the music for The Lord of the Rings theatre production and in 2004, Rahman composed the piece "Raga's Dance" for Vanessa-Mae's album Choreography.He is married to Saira Banu and has three children, Khadijah, Rahima, and Aameen. Rahman is the uncle of composer G. V. Prakash Kumar, who is the son of Rahman's elder sister, A. R. Reihana. He had become an atheist as a result of childhood struggles, he eventually converted to Islam in 1989, the religion of his mother's family.He is very devoted to his mother. During the Oscar Award, he paid her a tribute saying: "There is a Hindi dialogue 'mere pass ma hai' which means even if I have got nothing I have my mother here. "Ginger anodyne clears the palate

Shakira

noreply@blogger.com (tanniru.surendra) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 14:07:00 +0000

Shakira Isabel mebarak Ripoll was born on a wednesday, february 2,1977, in the Clinica Asuncion de Barranquilla (Colombia). Daughter of a respected jeweler of lebanese descent, Don William Mebarak Chadid, and his Colombian wife, Nidia Ripoll Torrado, The child was the couple's blessing and their only daughter. In naming the newborn, Nidia had shuffled through several names containing the letter "K" to go well with the sound of the "K" in Mebarak
.She had considered Karime and Katiuska but finally chose Shakira, an arabic name derived from the word "Shukram which means "Grace" the most literal translation is "woman full of Grace" , even though Shakira has said she identifies more with its second meaning, "Grateful."
Colombians said that the newborn was chubby and had curly hair, thick eyebrows,and a healthy set of lungs. What nobody knew was that those lungs would inscribe her name in Music History.
Her father william mebarak was born in NY, but shortly after he was born his family moved to Barranquilla. Nidia ripoll Torrado, on the other hand was born in Barranquilla and has Catalan blood. When they Married, Don Willian was divorce and already had seven children from his previous marriage, so Shakira came into this world as the youngest child with quite a few siblings willing to spoil her. Don William has been a key figure in Shakira's formation and sibility.When Shakira was a child,
Nidia discovered that Shakira had a gift for writing. According to Colombian Columnists, Shakira Knew the Alphabet by the age of eighteen months, at three she knew how to read, and by the time she was four, she was ready for school. It seemed as though she Might have been a child prodigy. At least that's what Nidia believed, so she had her academically tested to determine if the little girl was a genius.hakira lived alone with her parents, though it was quite frequent for her half siblings to come over, be it to baby-sit or to play with her, since they live only a few blocks away. that may be why when Shakira talks about her family she includes her brothers and sisters (omitting the "Half") as well as her parents. Of all her father's children, Shakira never met her oldest half brother because he died before she was born. Her oldest sister Lucy is a surgeon, Alberto her brother is a lawyer, Moises is the thrid child, Tonino is the fourth child and the closest to Shakira, having worked many years as her road manager. Then is Patricia who lives in Spain, she is a special education teacher, and finally there is Antonio and Edward, the youngest who lives in Miami La ensenanza de Barranquilla, a traditional school founded and administered by nuns from the order of Mary, was not just where Shakira learnt her arithmetic and her geography, but also where she began to learn the catholic faith, a cornerstone of her formation. In these cloisters, between religion classes and drawing assignments, between numbers and vowels, the tiny hurricane began to discover aspects of her personality that she did not know existed -or rather, that nobody knew existed.

Miley-cyrus

noreply@blogger.com (tanniru.surendra) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 13:04:00 +0000

Miley Cyrus was born on November 23rd, 1992 in Franklin, TN (just outside Nashville), but she wasn’t called Miley. Her birth name is actually Destiny Hope Cyrus – obviously her parents were expecting big things from her, even before she was born. Growing up on a farm with her father Billy Ray Cyrus of Achy Breaky Heart fame, her mother, sister and brother, she quickly aquired the name Miley because she smiled so much (smiley eventually trimmed down to Miley). In January 2008, Miley officially changed her name from Destiny Hope Cyrus to Miley Ray Cyrus.Miley started acting at 9 years of age, while living in Toronto, appearing as a guest star on Doc (a show her father used to be on). Then in 2003, she had a role in the movie Big Fish, which turned out to be a bigger movie than most people expected.When Miley Cyrus was eleven, she auditioned for Hannah Montana. She was told that she was “too small”, but her persistent desire helped her obtain more auditions.

At twelve, she obtained the role and later ended up auditioning her dad to play her dad in the show (he got the part).Miley Cyrus started performing in front of live crowds as a musician in 2006 when Disney started having her tour as Hannah Montana. She later released both Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus albums.She’s become extremely popular, having sold out concert tours, performed in major parades, presented at big award shows like American Music Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and the CMA Awards. She’s been on Oprah, Ellen, Regis and other popular interview shows.
Before moving to California for her new acting job, Miley attended live on a farm, attended church regularly with her family, and had your typical assortment of farm pets: horses, dogs, cats, chickens and fish. pets, including horses, dogs, cats, fish and chickens.Miley has a pact with her parents that she will live with them until she is 20, in return for her own area of the house, decorated up Miley Cyrus style. Despite her massive earnings, Miley still received a $200 allowance. Her and her Mom are absolutely addicted to shopping.

Backstreet Boys

noreply@blogger.com (tanniru.surendra) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:26:00 +0000

The Backstreet Boys were, in many ways, a contradictory band. Comprised entirely of white middle-class Americans, the group sang a hybrid of new jack balladry, hip-hop, R&B, and dance club pop that originally found its greatest success in Canada and Europe, with their 1996 debut album charting in the Top Ten in nearly every country on the Continent. Ironically, success in their native land did not follow until nearly two years later, when teen pop enjoyed a commercial explosion in America. Along with such artists as *NSYNC and Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys rose to the forefront of popular music during the turn of the 21st century, with albums like Backstreet's Back, Millennium, and Black &
Blue enjoying worldwide success.

The core of the Backstreet Boys was comprised of cousins Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell, both of whom hailed from Lexington, KY. The two began singing in local church choirs and festivals while they were children, performing doo wop and R&B songs in the style of Boyz II Men. Two of the group's other members, Howie Dorough and A.J. McLean, were natives of Orlando, FL, who met each other -- as well as transplanted New Yorker Nick Carter -- through auditions for local commercials, theater, and television. At one audition, the three discovered that they shared an affection for classic soul and could harmonize well together. Inspired, they formed a vocal trio. Shortly thereafter, Richardson moved to Orlando, where he became a tour guide at Disney World and concentrated on music at night. Eventually, he met Dorough, Carter, and McLean through a co-worker, and the four decided to form a group, naming themselves after an Orlando flea market. Littrell was later invited to join, thus turning the group into a quintet.

With the help of Louis J. Pearlman (who would later rise to mogul status on the strength of his teen pop acts), the Backstreet Boys secured management from Donna and Johnny Wright, the latter of whom had managed New Kids on the Block during the 1980s. The Wrights put the group out on the road and enlisted several A&R reps to attend the performances, which eventually resulted in a contract with Jive Records in 1994. Jive set the Backstreet Boys up with producers Veit Renn and Tim Allen, who helped shape the group's eponymous album. Released throughout Europe in late 1995, the record enjoyed considerable success, spending several weeks in the Top Ten in most Continental countries where it charted. In the U.K., the Backstreet Boys were named Best Newcomers of 1995 at the Smash Hits Awards thanks to their international hit single "We've Got It Goin' On." After scoring another European hit with "I'll Never Break Your Heart," the group released its album in Canada. Despite the Backstreet Boys' popularity in Europe and Canada, "We've Got It Goin' On" stalled in the lower reaches of the U.S. charts in 1995.

Combining their international singles with new tracks (which also formed the centerpiece of that year's European-only album Backstreet's Back), the American version of Backstreet Boys finally jump-started the group's success at home. "Quit Playin' Games (With My Heart)" and "As Long as You Love Me" proved to be popular singles, with the former track climbing to platinum status. The album continued to spin off hits well into 1999, with "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," "I'll Never Break Your Heart," and "All I Have to Give" all landing on the charts. Both the former and the latter were platinum Top Five hits, and the album eventually sold an astounding 14 million copies in America alone.

In the meantime, the group saw its share of turmoil as Littrell underwent surgery in early 1998 to correct a congenital heart defect. Additionally, the Boys became embroiled in lawsuits against Pearlman and the rest of their management over royalties. When the dust settled, Pearlman remained the group's manager -- though the rest of the team was fired -- and the Boys began work on their follow-up album. Millennium was released in the summer of 1999 and debuted at number one, with first-week sales topping one million copies. Buoyed by songs like "I Want It That Way," "Larger Than Life," "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely," and "The One", Millennium shattered a number of records, including the highest amount of shipments in one year and the most copies sold during an album's inaugural week. The group released its Christmas Album before the end of the year, by which time Millennium was well on its way to sales of 12 million copies in the U.S. On an international level, the album eventually sold more than 40 million units.

Once again, the group struck immediately after its previous album stopped producing hits, issuing Black & Blue in fall 2000. More Top 40 singles followed, including "The Call" and "Shape of My Heart", and Black & Blue followed its predecessor by selling over one million copies during its first week. A popular tour supported the album, but after seven years of nonstop touring and recording, the band agreed it was time for a break. Brian Littrell became a father while Kevin Richardson tried his hand at Broadway and took a starring role in the musical Chicago. Nick Carter released his solo album Now or Never in 2002, Howie Dorough did charity work for the Dorough Lupus Foundation in honor of the sister he had lost to the disease, and A.J. McLean made headlines with his stint in rehab.

In 2004, the Backstreet Boys re-formed and began work on a new album. The result, Never Gone, was released in June 2005 to platinum sales, followed by Unbreakable in 2007. The latter was the first album not to feature all five original members, as -----------Kevin Richardson had quietly exited the group in 2006----------. It was also the group's first album not to go platinum, a fact that seemingly cemented the end of the Backstreet Boys' heyday. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide-the laytest part
thank you

britneyspears

noreply@blogger.com (tanniru.surendra) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:11:00 +0000

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American recording artist and entertainer. Raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album in 1999. During her first decade within the music industry, she became a prominent figure in mainstream popular music and popular culture, followed by a much-publicized personal life. Her first two albums established her as a pop icon and broke sales records, while title tracks "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again" became international number-one hits. Spears was credited for influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s.

Throughout her career, Spears has drawn frequent comparisons to Madonna and Janet Jackson, in terms of vocals, choreography and stage presence, citing both as influences in her work. She has also named Michael Jackson as a source of inspiration.
According to Spears:
"I know when I was younger, I looked up to people... like, you know, Janet Jackson and Madonna. And they were major inspirations for me. But I also had my own identity and I knew who I was, you know."

Michael Jackson(1958-2009)

noreply@blogger.com (tanniru.surendra) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:49:00 +0000

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and philanthropist. Referred to as the King of Pop, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time, as well as one of the most influential. His contribution to music, dance and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene alongside his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in the mid-1960s, and began his solo career in 1971. Jackson was also a humanitarian, donating and raising hundreds of millions of dollars for beneficial causes and supporting over 39 charities.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The music videos for his songs, such as
"Beat It", "Billie Jean" and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced hip hop, pop, contemporary R&B and rock artists.

On June 25, 2009, Jackson was found unconscious in bed at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him by Conrad Murray, his personal physician, were unsuccessful.Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics received a 911 call at 12:22 (PDT) (19:22 UTC), arriving three minutes later at Jackson's location . He was reportedly not breathing and CPR was performedResuscitation efforts continued en route to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and for an hour after arriving there at 1:13 (20:13 UTC). Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief.