1.
Hilary Duff
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Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress and singer. Duff began her career at a young age, and quickly became labeled a teen idol as the title character of the Disney Channel comedy series Lizzie McGuire. The series proved to be a hit, leading to an adaptation of the series to be released. Duff began working on projects with the Disney Channel, including the film Cadet Kelly. She later began work on an album, releasing the Christmas themed Santa Claus Lane through Walt Disney Records, upon signing with Hollywood Records, Duff began working on her second studio album, Metamorphosis. The album achieved critical and commercial success, topping the Billboard 200, the album also found success in both Canada and Japan. Duffs success in acting and music led to her becoming a household name, with merchandise such as dolls, clothing. Duff began to expand her career into theatrical films, with leading roles in such as Agent Cody Banks, Cheaper by the Dozen, A Cinderella Story. She continued to have success in music, with her albums Hilary Duff, following the release of her fourth studio album, Dignity, Duff released a greatest hits album and parted ways with Hollywood Records. During this time, she began appearing in independent films such as War and she later released the novel Elixir, which became a New York Times best seller. The book was followed by the sequels Devoted and True and she currently stars in the comedy-drama series Younger as Kelsey Peters. She returned to music in 2014, and signed with RCA Records for her studio album Breathe In. Duff has worked with charities and organizations throughout her career. Duff has received media attention since the beginning of her career, most notably for her romantic relationships, friendships. Her romances with Aaron Carter and Joel Madden were often reported in the media, in 2010, she married former professional hockey player Mike Comrie, with whom she has a son. The two of them finalized their divorce six years later and she has been described by later Disney actresses as an inspiration, with artists such as Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez claiming they looked up to Duff and emulated her career. Duff has sold an estimated 15 million records since her debut in 2002, Duff was born on September 28,1987, in Houston, Texas. Her parents are Robert Erhard Duff, a partner in a chain of stores, and Susan Colleen
2.
Chad Michael Murray
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Chad Michael Murray is an American actor, spokesperson, writer and former fashion model. Popular among teenagers and young adults in the early 2000s, he has featured on the covers of numerous magazines, including Rolling Stone, People, Vanity Fair. Murray was born in Buffalo, New York and he is the son of Rex Murray, an air traffic controller, and was abandoned by his mother at a young age. His abandonment issues were the reasons he took the part of Lucas Scott. He has three brothers, one half-brother and one sister, Murray attended Clarence High School in Clarence, New York. He became a fan of literature, and was involved in playing football. In his late teens, he broke his nose and this led to reports during his career that he had received a nose job. Murray clarified in a 2004 interview, I got jumped in a Burger King when I was 18 and had my nose put on the side of my face. It was three guys – what the hell was I supposed to do, the doctors didnt even bother running X-rays. But it wasnt a nose job – I hate the fact that people say it was a nose job, in 1999, Murray moved to Hollywood where he supported himself modeling for such clients as Skechers, Tommy Hilfiger and Gucci. Then he was cast in the role of rich brat, Tristan DuGrey on Gilmore Girls and he appeared in several guest starring television roles, including an episode of Undressed and an episode of Diagnosis, Murder. Murray portrayed the role Charlie Todd on the television series Dawsons Creek in 2001. In 2003, he appeared in film, Aftermath, A Long Way Home. Murray then appeared in the Walt Disney Pictures feature film, Freaky Friday alongside Lindsay Lohan, the film was a major box office success, garnering a total of $110,222,438 in the United States alone. Critics were mostly positive in their reviews of the film, movies and an 88% Certified Fresh approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Murray also appeared in the television film The Lone Ranger where he portrayed the role of Luke Hartman, later in the year of 2003, Murray won the main role of Lucas Scott in the successful WB television series One Tree Hill. The series quickly became the channels biggest hit with over 4.50 million viewers on the first seasons finale, the series was The WBs most successful and top rated television program when it first aired in 2003 and continued receiving top ratings for The CW. After Murray gained mainstream fame and media exposure, he became a spokesperson for several high-profile deals
3.
Jennifer Coolidge
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She is also a regular actor in Christopher Guests mockumentary films. Coolidge is an alumna of The Groundlings, an improv and sketch comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, Coolidge was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Gretchen and Paul Constant Coolidge, a plastics manufacturer. She was raised in Norwell, Massachusetts, and is one of four children with a brother, Andrew, Coolidge attended Norwell High School, the Cambridge School of Weston, Emerson College in Boston and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Her charitable work has included a history of supporting AIDS assistance, Coolidge is known for her supporting roles in several comedy movies and guest roles on television. She made her first appearance on TV in the Seinfeld episode The Masseuse, before gaining recognition, she received small roles, appearing in such films as A Bucket of Blood, Plump Fiction, and A Night at the Roxbury. She also voiced Luannes beauty school teacher Miss Kremzer in a role on King of the Hill. In 1999, Coolidge got her big break playing Jeanine Stifler, the film was a box-office hit and took in a gross worldwide revenue of $235,483,004. In 2001, she reprised her role in American Pie 2, later in that same year, she had a supporting role in Legally Blonde as Paulette Bonafonté the manicurist. Legally Blonde was a hit, grossing US$96 million domestically. In 2003, she again played Jeanine Stifler in American Wedding, in 2003, she played the protagonists agent Luise in Testosterone filmed in Argentina starring David Sutcliffe as Dean Seagrave and Antonio Sabato Jr as Pablo. In 2004, she had a role in the romantic comedy A Cinderella Story playing Hilary Duffs characters vain. The film went on to become a box office hit despite negative critical reviews. Coolidge nearly received the role of Lynette Scavo on Desperate Housewives, from 2004 to 2006, Coolidge had a role in the NBC comedy series Joey as Joeys oversexed agent Roberta Bobbie Morganstern. During its second season, she went from a character to a more prominent role. NBC officially canceled the series in May 2006 citing low ratings and she originally starred in an episode of Friends in its final season as Amanda, a tactless and uninhibited wannabe whom Phoebe and Monica try to shake off. Prior to her Friends appearance she was a regular on She TV, a very short-lived sketch comedy that also featured Nick Bakay, Elon Gold, Simbi Khali, and Linda Kash. She also has appeared on According to Jim, playing Jims sister and in an episode of Sex and the City, Coolidge also appeared in the kiddie comedy Slappy and the Stinkers, and as the voice of Aunt Fanny in the animated feature Robots. The film was accompanied by a short animated film based on Robots, titled Aunt Fannys Tour of Booty
4.
Regina King
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Regina Rene King is an American actress and television director. Her role in Southland earned her two Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2012 and 2013. In 2015, she began starring in the ABC anthology series American Crime, since 2015, she played Erika Murphy on the critically acclaimed HBO drama, The Leftovers, for which she has received a Critics Choice Television Award nomination. She has a role as Janine Davis on The Big Bang Theory, and has starred in numerous films, including Ray, Poetic Justice, Friday. King was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up in View Park-Windsor Hills, the daughter of Gloria, a special education teacher, and Thomas King. Her younger sister is actress Reina King, King attended Westchester High School and the University of Southern California. King began her career in 1985 playing the role of Brenda Jenkins on the television series 227. She went on to appear in the John Singleton films Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice, in 1995, she was featured in the hit comedy film Friday. In 1996, she starred in the Martin Lawrence dark comedy-romance A Thin Line Between Love, later in 1996 she gained fame starring in the blockbuster romantic comedy film Jerry Maguire as Marcee Tidwell, the wife of Cuba Gooding, Jr. s character. She also appeared in roles on 24, The Big Bang Theory, in 2007 she played Lisa Moore in This Christmas. She most recently joined the cast of ABCs John Ridley-penned ensemble drama American Crime as a member of the Nation of Islam. Her performance was praised by television critics, in September 2015, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie. Regina King at the Internet Movie Database King, Regina, the Emmys, As White As Ever, The Huffington Post, September 3,2010, retrieved October 9,2010
5.
Christophe Beck
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Christophe Beck is a Canadian television and film score composer. He is a brother of the noted pianist Chilly Gonzales, a native of Montreal, Beck graduated from Crescent School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He studied music at Yale University, where he was the director of the Spizzwinks of 1989 and 1990. He studied film scoring at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and he studied and worked under Mike Post for a period, including writing uncredited music on some of Posts series. He won an Emmy Award in 1998 for his work on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and he has also worked on Angel and The Practice. He appeared in the documentary Finding Kraftland for his agent Richard Kraft, Beck was the main composer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer during seasons 2-4. He later returned to compose for the key episodes The Gift and Once More, with Feeling, though he had signed for the musical earlier before his departure, making him obligated. Once More, with Feeling Although Joss Whedon wrote the songs for Once More, with Feeling, Beck was hired to realise them and provide the score. This album is almost entirely dedicated to this episode, but also features three Beck compositions from earlier episodes, Suite from Restless, Suite from Hush and Sacrifice. Radio Sunnydale The UK and Latin America edition of this album includes Dead Guys with Bombs, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Score This release is entirely dedicated to Becks compositions for the show. Much of the music is from Graduation Day, Hush, Restless and The Gift, multiple cues are edited down versions of the original pieces heard on promotional CDs leaked years before. Official website Christophe Beck at the Internet Movie Database Biography
6.
Warner Bros.
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Entertainment Inc. – colloquially known as Warner Bros. or Warner Bros. It is one of the Big Six major American film studios, Warner Bros. is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America. The companys name originated from the four founding Warner brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, Jack, the youngest, was born in London, Ontario. The three elder brothers began in the theater business, having acquired a movie projector with which they showed films in the mining towns of Pennsylvania. In the beginning, Sam and Albert Warner invested $150 to present Life of an American Fireman and they opened their first theater, the Cascade, in New Castle, Pennsylvania, in 1903. When the original building was in danger of being demolished, the modern Warner Bros. called the current building owners, the owners noted people across the country had asked them to protect it for its historical significance. In 1904, the Warners founded the Pittsburgh-based Duquesne Amusement & Supply Company, in 1912, Harry Warner hired an auditor named Paul Ashley Chase. By the time of World War I they had begun producing films, in 1918 they opened the first Warner Bros. studio on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Sam and Jack produced the pictures, while Harry and Albert, along with their auditor and now controller Chase, handled finance and distribution in New York City. During World War I their first nationally syndicated film, My Four Years in Germany, on April 4,1923, with help from money loaned to Harry by his banker Motley Flint, they formally incorporated as Warner Brothers Pictures, Incorporated. The first important deal was the acquisition of the rights to Avery Hopwoods 1919 Broadway play, The Gold Diggers, however, Rin Tin Tin, a dog brought from France after World War I by an American soldier, established their reputation. Rin Tin Tin debuted in the feature Where the North Begins, the movie was so successful that Jack signed the dog to star in more films for $1,000 per week. Rin Tin Tin became the top star. Jack nicknamed him The Mortgage Lifter and the success boosted Darryl F. Zanucks career, Zanuck eventually became a top producer and between 1928 and 1933 served as Jacks right-hand man and executive producer, with responsibilities including day-to-day film production. More success came after Ernst Lubitsch was hired as head director, lubitschs film The Marriage Circle was the studios most successful film of 1924, and was on The New York Times best list for that year. Despite the success of Rin Tin Tin and Lubitsch, Warners remained a lesser studio, Sam and Jack decided to offer Broadway actor John Barrymore the lead role in Beau Brummel. The film was so successful that Harry signed Barrymore to a contract, like The Marriage Circle. By the end of 1924, Warner Bros. was arguably Hollywoods most successful independent studio, as the studio prospered, it gained backing from Wall Street, and in 1924 Goldman Sachs arranged a major loan
7.
Hollywood
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Hollywood is an ethnically diverse, densely populated neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It is notable as the home of the U. S. film industry, including several of its studios, and its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the industry. Hollywood was a community in 1870 and was incorporated as a municipality in 1903. It was consolidated with the city of Los Angeles in 1910, in 1853, one adobe hut stood in Nopalera, named for the Mexican Nopal cactus indigenous to the area. By 1870, an agricultural community flourished, the area was known as the Cahuenga Valley, after the pass in the Santa Monica Mountains immediately to the north. According to the diary of H. J. Whitley, known as the Father of Hollywood, along came a Chinese man in a wagon carrying wood. The man got out of the wagon and bowed, the Chinese man was asked what he was doing and replied, I holly-wood, meaning hauling wood. H. J. Whitley had an epiphany and decided to name his new town Hollywood, Holly would represent England and wood would represent his Scottish heritage. Whitley had already started over 100 towns across the western United States, Whitley arranged to buy the 500-acre E. C. Hurd ranch and disclosed to him his plans for the land. They agreed on a price and Hurd agreed to sell at a later date, before Whitley got off the ground with Hollywood, plans for the new town had spread to General Harrison Gray Otis, Hurds wife, eastern adjacent ranch co-owner Daeida Wilcox, and others. Daeida Wilcox may have learned of the name Hollywood from Ivar Weid, her neighbor in Holly Canyon and she recommended the same name to her husband, Harvey. In August 1887, Wilcox filed with the Los Angeles County Recorders office a deed and parcel map of property he had sold named Hollywood, Wilcox wanted to be the first to record it on a deed. The early real-estate boom busted that year, yet Hollywood began its slow growth. By 1900, the region had a post office, newspaper, hotel, Los Angeles, with a population of 102,479 lay 10 miles east through the vineyards, barley fields, and citrus groves. A single-track streetcar line ran down the middle of Prospect Avenue from it, but service was infrequent, the old citrus fruit-packing house was converted into a livery stable, improving transportation for the inhabitants of Hollywood. The Hollywood Hotel was opened in 1902 by H. J. Whitley who was a president of the Los Pacific Boulevard, having finally acquired the Hurd ranch and subdivided it, Whitley built the hotel to attract land buyers. Flanking the west side of Highland Avenue, the structure fronted on Prospect Avenue, the hotel was to become internationally known and was the center of the civic and social life and home of the stars for many years. Whitleys company developed and sold one of the residential areas
8.
Romantic comedy film
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Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is a movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily. Another definition states that its primary distinguishing feature is a plot in which two sympathetic and well-matched lovers are united or reconciled. Romantic comedy films are a genre of comedy films as well as of romance films. However a romantic comedy is classified as a film with two genres not a new genre. Some television series can also be classified as romantic comedies, a wedding-bells, fairy-tale-style happy ending is practically mandatory. The basic plot of a comedy is that two characters meet, part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then ultimately reunite. Sometimes the two meet and become involved initially, then must confront challenges to their union. Sometimes they are hesitant to become involved because they believe that they do not like each other, because one of them already has a partner. However, the screenwriters leave clues that suggest that the characters are, in fact, attracted to each other, the protagonists often separate or seek time apart to sort out their feelings or deal with the external obstacles to their being together. While the two protagonists are separated, one or both of them realizes that they are ideal for each other, or that they are in love with each other. Then, after one of the two makes some effort to find the other person and declare their love, or through an astonishing coincidental encounter. Then, perhaps with some comic friction or awkwardness, they declare their love for each other, the couple does not, however, have to marry, or live together happily ever after. The ending of a comedy is meant to affirm the primary importance of the love relationship in its protagonists lives. There are many variations on this basic plotline, sometimes, instead of the two lead characters ending up in each others arms, another love match will be made between one of the principal characters and a secondary character. Alternatively, the film may be a rumination on the impossibility of love, the basic format of a romantic comedy film can be found in much earlier sources, such as Shakespeare plays like Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Nights Dream. Some comedy films, such as Knocked Up, combine themes of romantic comedies and stoner comedies, often known as bromance, such films usually use sexual elements which bring the two characters together. Films in this genre include American Pie 2 and even Wedding Crashers, romantic comedies have begun to spread out of their conventional and traditional structure into other territory
9.
Cinderella
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Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper, is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world, the title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances, that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune. The oldest documented version comes from China, and the oldest European version from Italy, the most popular version was first published by Charles Perrault in Histoires ou contes du temps passé in 1697, and later by the Brothers Grimm in their folk tale collection Grimms Fairy Tales. Although the storys title and main characters change in different languages. The word Cinderella has, by analogy, come to one whose attributes were unrecognized, or one who unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity. The still-popular story of Cinderella continues to influence popular culture internationally, lending plot elements, allusions, the Aarne–Thompson system classifies Cinderella as the persecuted heroine. The story of Rhodopis, about a Greek slave girl who marries the king of Egypt, is considered the earliest known variant of the Cinderella story, a version of the story, Ye Xian, appeared in Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang by Duan Chengshi around 860. Here, the hardworking and lovely girl befriends a fish, the rebirth of her mother, the fish is later killed by her stepmother and sister. Ye Xian saves the bones, which are magic, and they help her dress appropriately for the New Year Festival, when she loses her slipper after being recognized by her stepfamily, the king finds her slipper and falls in love with her. The Indonesian and Malaysian story Bawang Merah Bawang Putih, are two girls named Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah. While the two countrys respective versions differ in the relationship of the girls and the identity of the protagonist. Both have a fish as the fairy godmother to her daughter. The heroine then finds the bones and buries them, and over the grave a magical swing appears, the protagonist sits on the swing and sings to make it sway, her song reaching the ears of a passing Prince. The swing is akin to the slipper test, which distinguishes the heroine from her sister. In Indonesia, Bawang Putih is the girl, who suffers at the hands of her evil stepmother and stepsister, Bawang Merah. When the Prince enquires after the singer on the swing, Bawang Merah lies, the angry prince forces Bawang Merah and her mother to tell the truth. They then admit that there is another daughter in the house, Bawang Putih comes out and moves the magical swing by her singing. In the end, she and her prince marry and live happily ever after, in the Malaysian version, it is Bawang Merah and her mother Mak Labu who are good, while her half sister Bawang Putih and her mother Mak Kundur are evil
10.
Pen pal
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Pen pals are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail. A penpal relationship is used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles. As with any friendships in life, some people remain penpals for only a time, while others continue to exchange letters. Some penpals eventually arrange to meet face to face, sometimes leading to serious relationships, penpals come in all ages, nationalities, cultures, languages and interests. Pals may seek new penfriends based on their own age group, a modern variation on the traditional penpal arrangement is to have a keypal / epal and exchange email addresses as well as or instead of paper letters. This has the advantage of saving money and being more immediate, the disadvantage is that the communication can be very ephemeral if the email messages are not routinely saved. Many people prefer to receive letters, gaining the satisfaction of seeing their name carefully printed on a thick envelope in the letterbox. Using postal mail, it is possible to trade coupons, swap slips, postcards, stamps and anything else light and flat enough to fit inside an envelope, many penpallers like to trade sheets of stickers, notecards and stationery sets. Some people are looking for romantic interests, while others just want to find friends, penpals also make and pass around friendship books, slams and crams. Another term used to describe pen pal is the word penfriend, in recent years, pen pal correspondence with prison inmates has gained acceptance on the Internet. Many pen pal newsletters do not publish prison pen pal ads because these require more caution. Many penpals meet each other through organizations that bring together for this purpose. Organizations can be split into three categories, free, partial subscription, and subscription-based clubs. These sites allow inmates to place pen pal ads online, however, inmates in the United States, therefore the pen pal relationships with inmates is still conducted via postal mail. Other pen pal organizations have survived by embracing the technology of the Internet, in the 1970s, syndicated childrens television program Big Blue Marble often invited viewers to write to them for their own pen pal. On another childrens TV show, Pee-wees Playhouse, Pee-wee Herman would often receive pen pal letters, at the 1964/1965 Worlds Fair in New York, the Parker Pen pavilion provided a computer pen pal matching service. This service was terminated by Parker Pen in 1967. This service did not work in conjunction with any other pen friend clubs, the computer system and database used for this service were not sold, taken over, or continued in any way
11.
San Fernando Valley
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The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in Los Angeles County, California, defined by the mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it. Home to 1.8 million people, it lies north of the larger, nearly two thirds of the valleys land area is part of the city of Los Angeles. The other incorporated cities in the valley are Glendale, Burbank, San Fernando, Hidden Hills, the Los Angeles River begins at the confluence of Calabasas Creek and Bell Creek, between Canoga Park High School and Owensmouth Ave. in Canoga Park. These creeks headwaters are in the Santa Monica Calabasas foothills, the Simi Hills Hidden Hills, Santa Susana Field Laboratory, the river flows eastward along the southern regions of the Valley. One of the rivers two unpaved sections can be found at the Sepulveda Basin, a seasonal river, the Tujunga Wash, drains much of the western facing San Gabriel Mountains and passes into and then through the Hansen Dam Recreation Center in Lake View Terrace. It flows south along the Verdugo Mountains through the communities of the valley to join the Los Angeles River in Studio City. Other notable tributaries of the river include Dayton Creek, Caballero Creek, Bull Creek, Pacoima Wash, the elevation of the floor of the valley varies from about 600 ft to 1,200 ft above sea level. Universal City, an enclave in the part of the valley, is unincorporated land housing the Universal Studios filming lot. Mulholland Drive, which runs along the ridgeline of the Santa Monica Mountains, in this Mediterranean climate, post-1790s European agriculture for the missions support consisted of grapes, figs, olives, and general garden crops. The San Fernando Valley contains five incorporated cities—Glendale, Burbank, San Fernando, Hidden Hills and Calabasas—and part of a sixth, Los Angeles, the unincorporated communities are governed by the County of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles city section of the valley is divided into seven city districts,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 12. Of the 95 neighborhood councils in the city,34 are in the valley, the valley is represented in the California State Legislature by seven members of the State Assembly and five members of the State Senate. The valley is divided into five congressional districts, the San Fernando Valley, for the most part, tends to support Democrats in state and national elections. This is especially true in the areas which include Sherman Oaks. The Los Angeles satellite administrative center for the valley, The Civic Center Van Nuys, is in Van Nuys. The area in and around the Van Nuys branch of Los Angeles City Hall is home to a station, municipal and superior courts. Northridge is home to California State University, Northridge, many branches of the Los Angeles Public Library are located in the valley. For independent libraries see Incorporated Cities in the Municipalities and districts list below, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, and independent valley city departments
12.
Los Angeles
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Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L. A. is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. With a census-estimated 2015 population of 3,971,883, it is the second-most populous city in the United States, Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the United States. The citys inhabitants are referred to as Angelenos, historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was founded on September 4,1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence, in 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4,1850, the discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid growth to the city. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, delivering water from Eastern California, nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, and sprawling metropolis. Los Angeles also has an economy in culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine. A global city, it has been ranked 6th in the Global Cities Index, the city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area has a gross metropolitan product of $831 billion, making it the third-largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. The city has hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984 and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and thus become the second city after London to have hosted the Games three times. The Los Angeles area also hosted the 1994 FIFA mens World Cup final match as well as the 1999 FIFA womens World Cup final match, the mens event was watched on television by over 700 million people worldwide. The Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva, a Gabrielino settlement in the area was called iyáangẚ, meaning poison oak place. Gaspar de Portolà and Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2,1769, in 1771, Franciscan friar Junípero Serra directed the building of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the first mission in the area. The Queen of the Angels is an honorific of the Virgin Mary, two-thirds of the settlers were mestizo or mulatto with a mixture of African, indigenous and European ancestry. The settlement remained a small town for decades, but by 1820. Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the district of Los Angeles Pueblo Plaza and Olvera Street. New Spain achieved its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, during Mexican rule, Governor Pío Pico made Los Angeles Alta Californias regional capital
13.
Diner
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A diner is a small fast food restaurant that is found in the American Northeastern United States and Midwest, as well as in other states, Canada, and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a range of foods, mostly American, a distinct exterior structure, a casual atmosphere, a long counter with bar stools where patrons eat their meals. Diners frequently stay open 24 hours a day, especially in cities, bar patrons seeking a post-last call venue to socialize and get food and shift workers leaving their factories historically provided a key part of the customer base. From the 1920s to the 1940s, diners were usually prefabricated in factories, as a result, old diners were typically narrow and small, because they had to fit onto a rail car or truck for delivery to the restaurant site. Some vintage diners have been expanded over the years, by building additions into the prefab structure, in the 2010s, many new diners are built on site instead. Diners were historically small businesses operated by the owner, in the 2010s, some diners are operated by chains. Diners typically serve American food such as hamburgers, french fries, club sandwiches, much of the food is grilled, as early diners were based around a grill. Coffee is the ubiquitous beverage at diners, even if it is not always of high quality, diners often serve hand-blended milkshakes and desserts such as pies, which are typically displayed in a glass case. Classic American diners often have a layer of stainless steel siding—a feature unique to diner architecture. In some cases, diners share nostalgic, retro style features also found in some restored drive-ins, some car culture enthusiasts also enjoy going to diners, such as hot rod and vintage muscle car fans. The first diner was created in 1872 by Walter Scott, who sold out of a horse-pulled wagon to employees of the Providence Journal, in Providence. Scotts diner can be considered the first diner with “walk up” service, commercial production of lunch wagons began in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1887, by Thomas Buckley. Buckley was successful and became known for his White House Cafe wagons, charles Palmer received the first patent for the diner, which he billed as a Night-Lunch Wagon. He built his fancy night cafes and night lunch wagons in the Worcester area until 1901. Built by the J. B. Judkins coach company, who had built custom car bodies, two Sterling Streamliners remain in operation, the Salem Diner at its original location in Salem, Massachusetts and the Modern Diner in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. As the number of seats increased, wagons gave way to pre-fabricated buildings made by many of the manufacturers who had made the wagons. Like the lunch wagon, a stationary diner allowed one to set up a service business quickly using pre-assembled constructs. Until the Great Depression, most diner manufacturers and their customers were located in the Northeast, after World War II, as the economy returned to civilian production and the suburbs boomed, diners were an attractive small business opportunity
14.
1994 Northridge earthquake
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The 1994 Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, at 4,30,55 a. m. PST and had its epicenter in Reseda, a neighborhood in the north-central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles and it had a duration of approximately 10–20 seconds. The peak ground velocity at the Rinaldi Receiving Station was 183 cm/s, in addition, two 6.0 Mw aftershocks occurred, the first about one minute after the initial event and the second approximately 11 hours later, the strongest of several thousand aftershocks in all. The death toll was 57, with more than 8,700 injured, in addition, property damage was estimated to be between $13 and $40 billion, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in U. S. history. The earthquake struck in the San Fernando Valley about 20 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, although given the name Northridge, the epicenter was located in the community of Reseda, it took several days to pinpoint the epicenter in detail. This was the first instance with a hypocenter directly beneath a U. S. city since the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, the National Geophysical Data Center placed the hypocenters geographical coordinates at 34°12′47″N 118°32′13″W and at a depth of 11.4 miles. It occurred on a previously undiscovered fault, now named the Northridge blind thrust fault, several other faults experienced minor rupture during the main shock and other ruptures occurred during large aftershocks, or triggered events. Damage occurred up to 85 miles away, with the most damage in the west San Fernando Valley, the exact number of fatalities is unknown, with sources estimating it at 60 or over 60, to 72, where most estimates fall around 60. The official death toll was placed at 57,33 people died immediately or within a few days from injuries sustained, some counts factor in related events such as a mans suicide possibly inspired by the loss of his business in the disaster. More than 8,700 were injured including 1,600 who required hospitalization, the Northridge Meadows apartment complex was one of the well-known affected areas in which sixteen people were killed as a result of the buildings collapse. The Northridge Fashion Center and California State University, Northridge also sustained very heavy damage—most notably, the earthquake also gained worldwide attention because of damage to the vast freeway network, which serves millions of commuters every day. Because of the morning darkness, he likely did not realize that the elevated roadway below him had collapsed. When the interchange was rebuilt one year later, it was renamed the Clarence Wayne Dean Memorial Interchange in his honor. Additional damage occurred about 50 miles southeast in Anaheim as the scoreboard at Anaheim Stadium collapsed onto several hundred seats, the stadium was vacant at the time. Although several commercial buildings also collapsed, loss of life was minimized because of the morning hour of the quake. Also, because of seismic activity in California, area building codes dictate that buildings incorporate structural design intended to withstand earthquakes. However, the damage caused revealed that some structural specifications did not perform as intended, because of these revelations, building codes were revised. Some structures were not red-tagged until months later, because damage was not immediately evident, the quake produced unusually strong ground accelerations in the range of 1.0 g
15.
Princeton University
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Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The institution moved to Newark in 1747, then to the current site nine years later, Princeton provides undergraduate and graduate instruction in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. The university has ties with the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton has the largest endowment per student in the United States. The university has graduated many notable alumni, two U. S. Presidents,12 U. S. Supreme Court Justices, and numerous living billionaires and foreign heads of state are all counted among Princetons alumni body. New Light Presbyterians founded the College of New Jersey in 1746 in order to train ministers, the college was the educational and religious capital of Scots-Irish America. In 1754, trustees of the College of New Jersey suggested that, in recognition of Governors interest, gov. Jonathan Belcher replied, What a name that would be. In 1756, the moved to Princeton, New Jersey. Its home in Princeton was Nassau Hall, named for the royal House of Orange-Nassau of William III of England, following the untimely deaths of Princetons first five presidents, John Witherspoon became president in 1768 and remained in that office until his death in 1794. During his presidency, Witherspoon shifted the focus from training ministers to preparing a new generation for leadership in the new American nation. To this end, he tightened academic standards and solicited investment in the college, in 1812, the eighth president the College of New Jersey, Ashbel Green, helped establish the Princeton Theological Seminary next door. The plan to extend the theological curriculum met with approval on the part of the authorities at the College of New Jersey. Today, Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary maintain separate institutions with ties that include such as cross-registration. Before the construction of Stanhope Hall in 1803, Nassau Hall was the sole building. The cornerstone of the building was laid on September 17,1754, during the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall, making Princeton the countrys capital for four months. The class of 1879 donated twin lion sculptures that flanked the entrance until 1911, Nassau Halls bell rang after the halls construction, however, the fire of 1802 melted it. The bell was then recast and melted again in the fire of 1855, James McCosh took office as the colleges president in 1868 and lifted the institution out of a low period that had been brought about by the American Civil War. McCosh Hall is named in his honor, in 1879, the first thesis for a Doctor of Philosophy Ph. D. was submitted by James F. Williamson, Class of 1877. In 1896, the officially changed its name from the College of New Jersey to Princeton University to honor the town in which it resides
16.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
17.
University of Southern California
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The University of Southern California is a private research university founded in 1880 with its main campus in Los Angeles, California. As Californias oldest private university, USC has historically educated a large number of the regions business leaders. In recent decades, the university has also leveraged its location in Los Angeles to establish relationships with research and cultural institutions throughout Asia, an engine for economic activity, USC contributes $8 billion annually to the economy of the Los Angeles metropolitan area and California. For the 2014–15 academic year, there were 18,740 students enrolled in undergraduate programs. USC also has 23,729 graduate and professional students in a number of different programs, including business, law, engineering, social work, and medicine. The university is one of the top fundraising institutions in the world, consistently ranking among the top 3 in external contributions, multiple academic rankings list the University of Southern California as being among the top 25 universities in the United States. With an acceptance rate of 16 percent, USC is also among the most selective academic institutions in the nation. USC maintains a tradition of innovation and entrepreneurship, with alumni having founded companies such as Lucasfilm, Myspace, Salesforce. com, Intuit, Qualcomm, Box, Tinder. As of 2014, the university has produced the fourth largest number of billionaire alumni out of all institutions in the world. USC is home to the world’s most powerful computer, which is presently housed in a super-cooled. The only other commercially available quantum computing system is operated jointly by NASA, USC was also one of the earliest nodes on ARPANET and is the birthplace of the Domain Name System. Other technologies invented at USC include DNA computing, dynamic programming, image compression, VoIP, USC sponsors a variety of intercollegiate sports and competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Members of the teams, the Trojans, have won 102 NCAA team championships, ranking them third in the nation. Trojan athletes have won 288 medals at the Olympic games, more than any university in the United States. If USC were a country, its athletes would have received the 12th-most Olympic gold medals in history. In 1969, it joined the Association of American Universities, the University of Southern California was founded following the efforts of Judge Robert M. Hellman. The three donated 308 lots of land to establish the campus and provided the seed money for the construction of the first buildings. Originally operated in affiliation with the Methodist Church, the school mandated from the start that no student would be denied admission because of race, the university is no longer affiliated with any church, having severed formal ties in 1952
18.
Halloween
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It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs, and all the faithful departed. Some academics, however, support the view that Halloween began independently as a solely Christian holiday. Some Christians historically abstained from meat on All Hallows Eve, a reflected in the eating of certain foods on this vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes. The word Halloween or Halloween dates to about 1745 and is of Christian origin, the word Halloween means hallowed evening or holy evening. It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows Eve, in Scots, the word eve is even, and this is contracted to een or een. Over time, Hallow Een evolved into Halloween, although the phrase All Hallows is found in Old English All Hallows Eve is itself not seen until 1556. Todays Halloween customs are thought to have influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries. Samhain was the first and most important of the four days in the medieval Gaelic calendar and was celebrated on 31 October–1 November in Ireland, Scotland. A kindred festival was held at the time of year by the Brittonic Celts, called Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Kalan Gwav in Cornwall and Kalan Goañv in Brittany. For the Celts, the day ended and began at sunset, Samhain and Calan Gaeaf are mentioned in some of the earliest Irish and Welsh literature. The names have been used by historians to refer to Celtic Halloween customs up until the 19th century, samhain/Calan Gaeaf marked the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the darker half of the year. Like Beltane/Calan Mai, it was seen as a liminal time and this meant the Aos Sí, the spirits or fairies, could more easily come into our world and were particularly active. Most scholars see the Aos Sí as degraded versions of ancient gods whose power remained active in the minds even after they had been officially replaced by later religious beliefs. The Aos Sí were both respected and feared, with individuals often invoking the protection of God when approaching their dwellings, at Samhain, it was believed that the Aos Sí needed to be propitiated to ensure that the people and their livestock survived the winter. Offerings of food and drink, or portions of the crops, were left outside for the Aos Sí, the souls of the dead were also said to revisit their homes seeking hospitality. Places were set at the table and by the fire to welcome them. The belief that the souls of the return home on one night of the year. In 19th century Ireland, candles would be lit and prayers offered for the souls of the dead
19.
Babe Ruth
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George Herman Babe Ruth Jr. was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Ruth established many MLB batting records, including home runs, runs batted in, bases on balls, slugging percentage, and on-base plus slugging. Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture and is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time, in 1936, Ruth was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its first five inaugural members. At age seven, Ruth was sent to St, in 1914, Ruth was signed to play minor-league baseball for the Baltimore Orioles but was soon sold to the Red Sox. By 1916, he had built a reputation as a pitcher who sometimes hit long home runs. With regular playing time, he broke the MLB single-season home run record in 1919, after that season, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the Yankees amid controversy. The trade fueled Bostons subsequent 86 year championship drought and popularized the Curse of the Bambino superstition, in his 15 years with New York, Ruth helped the Yankees win seven American League championships and four World Series championships. As part of the Yankees vaunted Murderers Row lineup of 1927, Ruth hit 60 home runs and he retired in 1935 after a short stint with the Boston Braves. During his career, Ruth led the AL in home runs during a season twelve times, Ruths legendary power and charismatic personality made him a larger-than-life figure in the Roaring Twenties. During his career, he was the target of press and public attention for his baseball exploits. His often reckless lifestyle was tempered by his willingness to do good by visiting children at hospitals, after his retirement as a player, he was denied a managerial job in baseball, most likely due to poor behavior during parts of his playing career. In his final years, Ruth made many appearances, especially in support of American efforts in World War II. In 1946, he became ill with cancer, and died two years later, George Herman Ruth Jr. was born in 1895 at 216 Emory Street in Pigtown, a working-class section of Baltimore, Maryland, named for its meat-packing plants. Its population included recent immigrants from Ireland, Germany and Italy, Ruths parents, George Herman Ruth, Sr. and Katherine Schamberger, were both of German American ancestry. According to the 1880 census, his parents were born in Maryland, the paternal grandparents of Ruth, Sr. were from Prussia and Hanover. Ruth, Sr. had a series of jobs, including lightning rod salesman and streetcar operator, before becoming a counterman in a combination grocery. George Ruth Jr. was born in the house of his grandfather, Pius Schamberger. Only one of young Georges seven siblings, his younger sister Mamie, many details of Ruths childhood are unknown, including the date of his parents marriage
20.
Fraud
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In law, fraud is deliberate deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud itself can be a wrong, a criminal wrong or it may cause no loss of money, property or legal right. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, a hoax is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim. In common law jurisdictions, as a wrong, fraud is a tort. Proving fraud in a court of law is said to be difficult. In cases of a fraudulently induced contract, fraud may serve as a defense in an action for breach of contract or specific performance of contract. Fraud may serve as a basis for a court to invoke its equitable jurisdiction, in common law jurisdictions, as a criminal offence, fraud takes many different forms, some general and some specific to particular categories of victims or misconduct. The elements of fraud as a crime similarly vary, section 380 of the Criminal Code provides the general definition for fraud in Canada,380. In addition to the penalties outlined above, the court can issue a prohibition order under s.380.2. It can also make an order under s.380.3. The Canadian courts have held that the offence consists of two elements, A prohibited act of deceit, falsehood or other fraudulent means. The Supreme Court of Canada has held that deprivation is satisfied on proof of detriment, prejudice or risk of prejudice, it is not essential that there be actual loss. Deprivation of confidential information, in the nature of a secret or copyrighted material that has commercial value, has also been held to fall within the scope of the offence. The BBC World Service reported in 2012 that the value lost through fraud in the UK was £66 billion a year. According to a review by the UK anti-fraud charity Fraud Advisory Panel business fraud accounted for £144bn, the FAP has been particularly critical of the support available from the police to victims of fraud in the UK outside of London. In July 2016 it was reported that fraudulent activity levels in the UK increased in the 10 years to 2016 from £52 billion to £193bn. This figure would be an estimate, since as the former commissioner of the City of London Police, Adrian Leppard, has said. Donald Toon, director of the NCAs economic crime command, stated in July 2016, Fraud affects one in ten people in the UK
21.
Dan Byrd
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Daniel Dan Byrd is an American actor. His most prominent roles include the 2004 film A Cinderella Story, the 2006 remake of The Hills Have Eyes, the 2010 films Easy A and Norman, Byrd was born in Marietta, Georgia, and began acting at a young age. His feature film debut was in the 1999 film The First of May, in 2004, Byrd co-starred in A Cinderella Story, opposite Hilary Duff. He played Carter Farrell, the method acting best friend of Duffs Cinderella character Sam Montgomery, the project was followed by short-lived CBS series Clubhouse. In 2006, Byrd starred in Alexandre Ajas remake of The Hills Have Eyes, also in 2006, Byrd starred opposite John Travolta in the period crime thriller Lonely Hearts. Travolta played the detective on the case and Byrd played his troubled son. Byrd was set to appear in the 2007 remake of Revenge of the Nerds, however, the show only lasted one season. In October 2008, Entertainment Weekly reported that Byrd had been cast in Heroes in a role as Sylars apprentice. He plays Luke Campbell, who has the ability to emit microwave pulses and he appeared in three episodes during Volume 4, Fugitives. Byrd also appeared in an episode of ABC Familys Greek as Clark Dukes characters high school friend, in 2010, Byrd co-starred in Easy A opposite Emma Stone. He played Brandon, a gay friend of Stones character Olive Penderghast, in 2009, Byrd began starring in the TBS comedy series Cougar Town, as the son of Courteney Coxs character
22.
Julie Gonzalo
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Julieta Susana Julie Gonzalo is an Argentine-American actress and producer. She starred as Pamela Rebecca Barnes in the TNT drama series Dallas, Gonzalo is also known for her roles in films, including Freaky Friday, A Cinderella Story, and Christmas with the Kranks, and on television series Veronica Mars and Eli Stone. Gonzalo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and raised in Miami, Florida and she later became interested in acting as she began taking theatre classes. Gonzalo moved to Los Angeles, and made her film debut in a supporting role of 2002 independent romantic comedy Im with Lucy opposite Monica Potter. On television, Gonzalo debuted in The WB comedy series Greetings from Tucson, in early 2003, she won the main role of The WB comedy pilot, called Exit 9, but the show was not picked up. The same year, she appeared on NCIS, in 2004, Gonzalo starred opposite Tori Spelling in another pilot Me, Me, Me for UPN, which was also not picked up. She also guest-starred in the episode of Drake & Josh in 2004. Gonzalo appeared in films in her early career. In 2003, she had a role as Lindsay Lohans characters rival in Freaky Friday, in 2005, she had supporting role in another romantic comedy, Must Love Dogs. Her other credits including 2007 thriller Cherry Crush and the role in the 2013 comedy horror movie Vamp U. In 2006, Gonzalo was cast in a regular role as Parker Lee on The CW mystery television series Veronica Mars. After the cancellation of the series, she was cast as one of the leads in the ABC comedy pilot called The News, in next year, Gonzalo began starring as Maggie Dekker in ABC legal comedy-drama Eli Stone opposite Jonny Lee Miller. In 2008 she won ALMA Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for role in Eli Stone, the series was cancelled after two seasons in 2009. Gonzalo was to be the lead in the NBCs not aired science fiction series Day One in 2009, on May 16,2010, Entertainment Weekly reported that the show would likely never air. She later guest-starred in Castle, Nikita, The Glades and CSI, in 2011, Gonzalo was cast as series regular in the TNT revival of Dallas, which premiered on June 13,2012. Her character, Rebecca Sutter, was revealed to be Pamela Rebecca Barnes. Official website Julie Gonzalo at the Internet Movie Database
23.
Brad Bufanda
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Brad Bufanda is an American actor. He is best known for his internet videos. Brad began his career in 1993 starring in the Karate film Pocket Ninjas. He appeared on television the first time in 1994 as the Hero Boy in a Skechers commercial, at the age of 12 he starred in the American Broadcasting Company weekend special The Secret of the Lizard Woman. While in middle school he appeared on the television series Roseanne, Brad has appeared in a number of T. V. shows including Sons of Anarchy, CSI, Miami, Malcolm in the Middle, Even Stevens, and Days of Our Lives. Bufanda portrayed Felix Toombs in the series Veronica Mars and was featured in the movie. He starred in the Cinemax series Co-Ed Confidential from 2008-2010 as well as filming and editing the shows reunion, staying credited as Bradley Joseph, Brad appeared in the psychological thriller Dark Tourist in 2012. Former colleagues have gone on record stating hes unprofessional and difficult to work with,2017 marked Bradleys return to acting with a supporting role in the independent film Garlic & Gunpowder. The former child actor, now observant Scientologist, was born in Upland and he attended El Toro High School, graduating in 2001. Weeks later, with the help of his mother Fred III legally changed his first name to Bradley, at the age of 23, he began the pursuit of becoming a professional basketball player. In 2007, plans were changed after sustaining multiple injuries while playing at the college level, cleared from his last serious basketball injury Brad started auditioning for acting roles again, eventually landing a lead role in the HBO, Cinemax television series Co-Ed Confidential. Largely influenced by music, Brad has produced and starred in his own internet videos since 2010, Brad Bufanda at the Internet Movie Database Brad Bufandas channel on YouTube Brad Bufandas channel on Vimeo
24.
Simon Helberg
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Helberg has appeared on the sketch comedy series MADtv and is also known for his role as Moist in Joss Whedons web miniseries Dr. Horribles Sing-Along Blog. He has further performed in such as Old School, Good Night. For portraying Cosmé McMoon in Florence Foster Jenkins, he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, Helberg was born on December 9,1980, in Los Angeles. He is the son of actor Sandy Helberg and casting director Harriet Helberg and he was raised in Judaism, Conservative to Reform but more Reform as time went on. Helberg attended middle and high school at the Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, with Jason Ritter and he attended New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts, where he trained at the Atlantic Theater Company. Since the early 2000s, Helberg performed with comedian Derek Waters as the comedy duo Derek & Simon. In 2007, the two starred together in Derek & Simon, The Show, a web series created with comedian Bob Odenkirk for the comedy website Super Deluxe. They also made two short films Derek & Simon, The Pity Card and Derek & Simon, A Bee, one of Helbergs earliest jobs in television was briefly joining the cast of MADtv for one season in 2002. Helberg appeared in the 2002 feature film Van Wilder as one of the students for whom Van Wilder was throwing a party. He had a role in the 2003 movie Old School. In 2004, he was in two episodes of Reno 911, student Driver in Raineesha X and Hooker Buying Son in Not Without My Mustache. He had a role in the sixth episode of Quintuplets, Get a Job, as a man called Neil working behind the counter at a shoe shop where Paige. In 2004, he appeared in the film A Cinderella Story, starring Hilary Duff, Helberg played the minor role of Simon in George Clooneys 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck, where he had one line. In 2005, he had a bit part on Arrested Development as Jeff, from 2006–07, he had a minor supporting role as Alex Dwyer in the drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. In 2006, he appeared in a series of comical TV commercials for Richard Bransons UK financial services company Virgin Money and he played a small role in the 2007 film Walk Hard, The Dewey Cox Story as a Jewish record producer. In 2007, Helberg was cast as Howard Wolowitz, in the CBS comedy series The Big Bang Theory and he appeared as the character Moist in Dr. Horribles Sing-Along Blog, and had a small role in the pilot of the Judd Apatow-produced sitcom Undeclared. In the 2009 Coen brothers film A Serious Man, he played junior Rabbi Scott Ginsler and he had a minor role in the season 4 finale of The Guild as one of the Game Masters. Helberg married actress Jocelyn Towne on July 15,2007, Townes uncle is screenwriter Robert Towne
25.
J. D. Pardo
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Jorge Daniel J. D. Pardo is an American actor born in Panorama City, California, to an Argentine father and a mother from El Salvador. JD Pardos most recent role was playing Nate/Jason in the NBC sci-fi series, Revolution, previously he was best known for his role as Edward Araujo, Jr. /Gwen Amber Rose Araujo in the Lifetime Network Movie called A Girl Like Me, The Gwen Araujo Story. Previous roles were on FOXs Drive and The CWs Hidden Palms, both series were cancelled after their first seasons. Pardo played Young Santiago in the film The Burning Plain starring opposite Jennifer Lawrence with Charlize Theron, JD played the half-vampire Nahuel in the second half of Breaking Dawn, and a member of a drug cartel in Snitch. Pardo also starred in The CW TV series The Messengers that aired during the 2014-2015 season. 2007 Nominated for an Imagen Award for Best Actor - Television for, A Girl Like Me, The Gwen Araujo Story J. D. Pardo on Twitter J. D. Pardo at the Internet Movie Database
26.
Erica Hubbard
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Erica Hubbard is an American film and television actress and model. She is also the voice of Abbey for the TV series The Replacements, born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Erica knew at the early age of nine that she wanted to be an actress, after she performed in her first stage play. Never giving up on her dream, Erica attended Columbia College in Chicago where she majored in Broadcast Journalism and minored in Theater, the show aired on WPWR, a UPN affiliate in Chicago. By the time the season had started airing, she had already won a Regional Emmy for hosting the show. She began acting at age nine in commercials for McDonalds, Reebok, Sears, Kellogs, MCI and her best-known modeling appearances have been in various magazines as the Noxzema girl for its 2006 campaign. She also voice acted in the game The Walking Dead as a thug that attacked Clementine, Erica Hubbard at the Internet Movie Database Erica Hubbard Interview
27.
Rotten Tomatoes
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Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by Senh Duong and since January 2010 has been owned by Flixster, in February 2016, Rotten Tomatoes and its parent site Flixster were sold to Comcasts Fandango. Warner Bros. retained a minority stake in the merged entities, since 2007, the websites editor-in-chief has been Matt Atchity. The name, Rotten Tomatoes, derives from the practice of audiences throwing rotten tomatoes when disapproving of a stage performance. From early 2008 to September 2010, Current Television aired the weekly The Rotten Tomatoes Show, featuring hosts, a shorter segment was incorporated into the weekly show, InfoMania, which ended in 2011. In September 2013, the website introduced TV Zone, a section for reviewing scripted TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes was launched on August 12,1998, as a spare-time project by Senh Duong. His goal in creating Rotten Tomatoes was to create a site where people can get access to reviews from a variety of critics in the U. S. As a fan of Jackie Chans, Duong was inspired to create the website after collecting all the reviews of Chans movies as they were being published in the United States, the first movie whose reviews were featured on Rotten Tomatoes was Your Friends & Neighbors. The website was an success, receiving mentions by Netscape, Yahoo. and USA Today within the first week of its launch. They officially launched it on April 1,2000, in June 2004, IGN Entertainment acquired rottentomatoes. com for an undisclosed sum. In September 2005, IGN was bought by News Corps Fox Interactive Media, in January 2010, IGN sold the website to Flixster. The combined reach of both companies is 30 million unique visitors a month across all different platforms, according to the companies, in May 2011, Flixster was acquired by Warner Bros. In early 2009, Current Television launched the version of the web review site. It was hosted by Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox and written by Mark Ganek, the show aired every Thursday at 10,30 EST on the Current TV network. The last episode aired on September 16,2010 and it returned as a much shorter segment of InfoMania, a satirical news show that ended in 2011. By late 2009, the website was designed to enable Rotten Tomatoes users to create, one group, The Golden Oyster Awards, accepted votes of members for different awards, as if in parallel to the better-known Oscars or Golden Globes. When Flixster bought the company, they disbanded the groups, announcing, in the meantime, please use the Forums to continue your conversations about your favorite movie topics. As of February 2011, new community features have been added, for example, users can no longer sort films by fresh ratings from rotten ratings, and vice versa
28.
Metacritic
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Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of media products, music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs, and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged, Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc Doyle, and Julie Doyle Roberts. The site provides an excerpt from each review and hyperlinks to its source, a color of Green, Yellow or Red summarizes the critics recommendations and therefore the general appeal of the product to reviewers and, to a lesser extent, the public. It is regarded as the game industrys foremost review aggregator. Metacritics scoring converts each review into a percentage, either mathematically from the mark given, before being averaged, the scores are weighted according to the critics fame, stature, and volume of reviews. Metacritic was launched in July 1999 by Marc Doyle, his sister Julie Doyle Roberts, rotten Tomatoes was already compiling movie reviews, but Doyle, Roberts, and Dietz saw an opportunity to cover a broader range of media. They sold Metacritic to CNET in 2005, CNET and Metacritic are now owned by the CBS Corporation. Nick Wingfield of The Wall Street Journal wrote in September 2004, Mr. Doyle,36, is now a product manager at CNET. Speaking of video games, Doyle said, A site like ours helps people cut through. unobjective promotional language and he added that the review process was not taken as seriously when unconnected magazines and websites provided reviews in isolation. In August 2010, the appearance was revamped, reaction from users was overwhelmingly negative. Certain publications are given more significance because of their stature, games Editor Marc Doyle was interviewed by Keith Stuart of The Guardian to get a look behind the metascoring process. Stuart wrote, the phenomenon, namely Metacritic and GameRankings, have become an enormously important element of online games journalism over the past few years. The ranging of metascores is, Metacritic is regarded as the foremost online review site for the video game industry. Nick Wingfield of The Wall Street Journal has written that Metacritic influence the sales of games and he explains its influence as coming from the higher cost of buying video games than music or movie tickets. Many executives say that low scores can hurt the sales potential. He claimed that a number of businesses and financial analysts use Metacritic as an early indicator of a games potential sales and, by extension. In 2004, Jason Hall of Warner Bros. began including quality metrics in contracts with partners licensing its movies for games, if a product does not at least achieve a specific score, some deals require the publisher to pay higher royalties. In 2008, Microsoft began using Metacritic averages to de-list underperforming Xbox Live Arcade games and these are the top 10 individual games with the highest scores on the site as of 2 April 2017
29.
CinemaScore
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CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their experiences with letter grades, reports the results. A Yom Kippur donation card with tabs inspired the survey cards given to audience members, the company conducts surveys to audiences who have seen a film in theaters, asking them to rate the film and specifying what drew them to the film. Its results are published in Entertainment Weekly, CinemaScore pollster Dede Gilmore reported the trend in 1993, Most movies get easily a B-plus. I think people come wanting the entertainment, theyre more lenient with their grades. But as do it more and more, they get to be stronger critics, in 1993, films that were graded with an A included Scent of a Woman, A Few Good Men, and Falling Down. Films graded with a B included Sommersby and Untamed Heart, a C-grade film for the year was Body of Evidence. CinemaScore at first reported its findings to consumers, including a newspaper column, after 20th Century Fox approached the company in 1989, it began selling the data to studios instead. A website was launched by CinemaScore in 1999, after three years delay in which the president sought sponsorship from magazines and video companies, brad Peppard was president of CinemaScore Online from 1999 to 2002. The website included a database of nearly 2,000 feature films, prior to the launch, CinemaScore results had been published in Las Vegas Review-Journal and Reno Gazette-Journal. CinemaScores expansion to the Internet included a weekly email subscription for cinephiles to keep up with reports of audience reactions, in 1999, CinemaScore was rating approximately 140 films a year, including 98–99% of major studio releases. In the summer of 2002, CinemaScore reported that the season had the biggest collective grade since 1995, in the summer of 2000,25 out of 32 films received either an A or B grade. Twenty-six of the summer of 2001s 30 films got similar grades, while 32 of the summer of 2002s 34 films got similar grades, thirty-five to 45 teams of CinemaScore representatives are present in 25 large cities across North America. Each Friday, representatives in five randomly chosen cities give opening-day audiences a small survey card. The card asks for age, gender, a grade for the film between A+ and F, whether they would rent or buy the film on DVD or Blu-ray, and why they chose the film. CinemaScore typically receives about 400 cards per film, the company estimates a 65% response rate, the ratings are divided by gender and age groups, film studios and other subscribers receive the data at about 11 p. m. Pacific Time. Subsequent advertisements for highly ranked films often cite their CinemaScore grades, an A+ grade from CinemaScore for a film typically predicts a successful box office. From 1982 to August 2011, only 52 films received the top grade, A+ films include Titanic, Tangled, The Kings Speech, A Few Good Men, Driving Miss Daisy, and Toy Story 2
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Roger Ebert
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Roger Joseph Ebert was an American film critic and historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a critic for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert became the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, the two verbally sparred and traded humorous barbs while discussing films. They created and trademarked the phrase Two Thumbs Up, used when both hosts gave the film a positive review. After Siskel died in 1999, Ebert continued hosting the show with various co-hosts and then, starting in 2000, Ebert lived with cancer of the thyroid and salivary glands from 2002. This required treatments necessitating the removal of his jaw, which cost him the ability to speak or eat normally. His ability to write remained unimpaired, however, and he continued to publish frequently both online and in print until his death on April 4,2013. Roger Joseph Ebert was born in Urbana, Illinois, the child of Annabel, a bookkeeper, and Walter Harry Ebert. He was raised Roman Catholic, attending St. Marys elementary school and his paternal grandparents were German immigrants and his maternal ancestry was Irish and Dutch. In his senior year, he was president and editor-in-chief of his high school newspaper. In 1958, he won the Illinois High School Association state speech championship in radio speaking, regarding his early influences in film criticism, Ebert wrote in the 1998 parody collection Mad About the Movies, I learned to be a movie critic by reading Mad magazine. Mads parodies made me aware of the machine inside the skin – of the way a movie might look original on the outside, I did not read the magazine, I plundered it for clues to the universe. Pauline Kael lost it at the movies, I lost it at Mad magazine, Ebert began taking classes at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an early-entrance student, completing his high-school courses while also taking his first university class. After graduating from Urbana High School in 1960, Ebert then attended and received his degree in 1964. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, One of the first movie reviews he ever wrote was a review of La Dolce Vita, published in The Daily Illini in October 1961. Ebert spent a semester as a student in the department of English there before attending the University of Cape Town on a Rotary fellowship for a year. He returned from Cape Town to his studies at Illinois for two more semesters and then, after being accepted as a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. Instead Kogan referred Ebert to the city editor at the Chicago Sun-Times, Jim Hoge and he attended doctoral classes at the University of Chicago while working as a general reporter at the Sun-Times for a year
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Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
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The Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids Choice Awards, is an annual awards show that airs on the Nickelodeon cable channel. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show that honors the years biggest television, movie, winners receive a hollow orange blimp figurine, a logo outline for much of the networks 1984–2009 era, which also functions as a kaleidoscope. The show features celebrity guests and musical acts. In recent years, slime stunts have been incorporated into the show, the KCAs also host live entertainment. It has also known to overwhelmingly cover people with the networks trademark green slime. The series SpongeBob SquarePants has won the most KCA awards, with fourteen overall through the series run, individually, Selena Gomez and Will Smith have both won the most trophies with ten, followed by, Miley Cyrus and Amanda Bynes. Whoopi Goldberg is the person to have won a Kids Choice Award, along with the mainstream EGOT combination of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar. Rosie ODonnell and Jack Black have hosted the show the most times, alan Goodman, Albie Hecht, and Fred Seibert created the awards show after Nickelodeon produced a show called The Big Ballot in 1987, named for the ballots kids voted with. To vote, the viewers would send in ballots and then before the show, the ballots would be counted, Goodman, Hecht, and Seibert felt that the network needed a bigger, more exciting platform. Hecht selected the awards logo from a series of network designs created by original logo designers Tom Corey and Scott Nash, overseen by Goodman, the award was configured into the current blimp shape/kaleidoscope in 1990. The only change to the award since that time has been to change the embossed logotype on the side of the trophy for 2010 to fit the new logo typeface. In 2010, an application and mobile browser voting was also added. The 2009 Kids Choice Awards featured a new award called The Big Green Help Award which goes to the celebrity who goes above, the inaugural award was presented to Leonardo DiCaprio. For the 2010 awards, the The Big Green Help award was renamed The Big Help award, unlike traditional awards shows, the Kids Choice Awards uses other items to announce an award winner rather than a traditional envelope. The show sometimes uses balloons, T-shirts, models, giant letters, stickers. voting for Canadians became available for the 2010 ceremony with the inauguration of Nickelodeons Canadian service in November 2009. In June 2010, Nickelodeon Latin America announced a Kids Choice Awards for Mexico, the Australian Kids Choice Awards had its last one in 2012. In August 2011, Nickelodeon Latin America announced a Kids Choice Awards for Argentina, in June 2014, Nickelodeon Latin America announced a Kids Choice Awards for Colombia. In July 2014, Nickelodeon presented the Kids Choice Sports awards, honoring kids favorite athletes, teams, michael Strahan produced and hosted the ceremony
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25th Golden Raspberry Awards
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The 25th Golden Raspberry Awards were held on February 26,2005 at the Ivar Theatre in Hollywood, California, to recognize the worst the film industry had to offer in 2004. This edition of the Razzies was the first to give nominations to a movie that was neither a critical nor a financial bomb, the Palme dOr winner Fahrenheit 9/11. It received nominations not because the movie itself was of quality, but because the film depicted political figures mishandling of the 9/11 attacks. The Razzies, which had previously steered clear of politics, received criticism from some quarters for nominating the performances of George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, and Condoleezza Rice. Leading the pack was a tie between the summer film Catwoman and Fahrenheit 9/11, each of which won four Razzies. Catwoman received the greatest number of nominations, followed by Alexander with six nominations, the Ivar Theatre was rented using proceeds from an auction of Ben Afflecks broken trophy from the previous year, which Affleck smashed during an appearance on Larry King Live. Halle Berry collected her award in person and she was the first to do so since 2001, when Tom Green arrived to receive his five Razzies for Freddy Got Fingered. Berry was quoted as saying If you arent able to be a good loser youre not able to be a good winner, Berry mocked her 2002 Oscar acceptance speech, acting tearful and saying, I never thought this would happen to me. She then responded to critics by holding up her Oscar and saying, They cant take it away. Screenwriter Michael Ferris also appeared to pick his Worst Screenplay award, the complete list of nominees are as follows with winners marked in bold,2004 in film 77th Academy Awards 58th British Academy Film Awards 62nd Golden Globe Awards 11th Screen Actors Guild Awards
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United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
