1.
Syracuse, New York
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Syracuse is a city in, and the county seat of, Onondaga County, New York, in the United States. It is the largest U. S. city with the name Syracuse, and is the fifth most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, and Yonkers. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170 and it is the economic and educational hub of Central New York, a region with over a million inhabitants. Syracuse is also well-provided with convention sites, with a convention complex. Syracuse was named after the original Greek city Syracuse, a city on the eastern coast of the Italian island of Sicily. The city has functioned as a crossroads over the last two centuries, first between the Erie Canal and its branch canals, then of the railway network. Today, Syracuse is located at the intersection of Interstates 81 and 90, Syracuse is home to Syracuse University, a major research university, as well as Le Moyne College, a nationally recognized liberal arts college. In 2010, Forbes rated Syracuse 4th in the top 10 places in the U. S. to raise a family, the Syracuse area was first seen by Europeans when French missionaries came to the area in the 1600s. Marie de Gannentaha, on the northeast shore of Onondaga Lake, Jesuit missionaries visiting the Syracuse region in the mid 1600s reported salty brine springs around the southern end of Salt Lake, known today as Onondaga Lake. It is the north flowing brine from Tully that is the source of salt for the salty springs found along the shoreline of Onondaga lake, the rapid development of this industry in the 18th and 19th centuries led to the nicknaming of Syracuse as The Salt City. In 1847, the city was named after Syracuse, Sicily. In 1861, he developed the process for the manufacture of soda ash from brine wells dug in the southern end of Tully valley. The process was an improvement over the earlier Leblanc process, the Syracuse Solvay plant was the incubator for a large chemical industry complex owned by Allied Signal in Syracuse, the result of which made Onondaga Lake the most polluted in the nation. The salt industry declined after the Civil War, but a new manufacturing industry arose in its place, the Geneva Medical College was founded in 1834. It is now known as Upstate Medical University, one of four medical colleges in the State University of New York system. The first New York State Fair was held in Syracuse in 1841, world War II sparked significant industrial expansion in the area, specialty steel, fasteners, custom machining. After the war, two of the Big Three automobile manufacturers had major operations in the area, Syracuse was headquarters for Carrier Corporation, and Crouse-Hinds manufactured traffic signals in Syracuse. General Electric had its television manufacturing plant at Electronics Parkway in Syracuse
2.
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
3.
New York City
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The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2015 population of 8,550,405 distributed over an area of about 302.6 square miles. Located at the tip of the state of New York. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. Situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product of nearly US$1.39 trillion, in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion. NYCs MSA and CSA GDP are higher than all but 11 and 12 countries, New York City traces its origin to its 1624 founding in Lower Manhattan as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the countrys largest city since 1790, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the United States and its democracy. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world, the names of many of the citys bridges, tapered skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattans real estate market is among the most expensive in the world, Manhattans Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 472 stations in operation. Over 120 colleges and universities are located in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, during the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, movement of the ice sheet would contribute to the separation of what are now Long Island and Staten Island. The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown and he claimed the area for France and named it Nouvelle Angoulême. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August and he proceeded to sail up what the Dutch would name the North River, named first by Hudson as the Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange
4.
New York (state)
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New York is a state in the northeastern United States, and is the 27th-most extensive, fourth-most populous, and seventh-most densely populated U. S. state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont to the east. With an estimated population of 8.55 million in 2015, New York City is the most populous city in the United States, the New York Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. New York City makes up over 40% of the population of New York State, two-thirds of the states population lives in the New York City Metropolitan Area, and nearly 40% lives on Long Island. Both the state and New York City were named for the 17th-century Duke of York, the next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse, while the state capital is Albany. New York has a diverse geography and these more mountainous regions are bisected by two major river valleys—the north-south Hudson River Valley and the east-west Mohawk River Valley, which forms the core of the Erie Canal. Western New York is considered part of the Great Lakes Region and straddles Lake Ontario, between the two lakes lies Niagara Falls. The central part of the state is dominated by the Finger Lakes, New York had been inhabited by tribes of Algonquian and Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans for several hundred years by the time the earliest Europeans came to New York. The first Europeans to arrive were French colonists and Jesuit missionaries who arrived southward from settlements at Montreal for trade, the British annexed the colony from the Dutch in 1664. The borders of the British colony, the Province of New York, were similar to those of the present-day state, New York is home to the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and its ideals of freedom, democracy, and opportunity. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. On April 17,1524 Verrazanno entered New York Bay, by way of the now called the Narrows into the northern bay which he named Santa Margherita. Verrazzano described it as a vast coastline with a delta in which every kind of ship could pass and he adds. This vast sheet of water swarmed with native boats and he landed on the tip of Manhattan and possibly on the furthest point of Long Island. Verrazannos stay was interrupted by a storm which pushed him north towards Marthas Vineyard, in 1540 French traders from New France built a chateau on Castle Island, within present-day Albany, due to flooding, it was abandoned the next year. In 1614, the Dutch under the command of Hendrick Corstiaensen, rebuilt the French chateau, Fort Nassau was the first Dutch settlement in North America, and was located along the Hudson River, also within present-day Albany. The small fort served as a trading post and warehouse, located on the Hudson River flood plain, the rudimentary fort was washed away by flooding in 1617, and abandoned for good after Fort Orange was built nearby in 1623. Henry Hudsons 1609 voyage marked the beginning of European involvement with the area, sailing for the Dutch East India Company and looking for a passage to Asia, he entered the Upper New York Bay on September 11 of that year
5.
Pulp Fiction
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Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American black comedy neo-noir crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, from a story by Tarantino and Roger Avary. Directed in a stylized manner, Pulp Fiction connects the intersecting storylines of Los Angeles mobsters, fringe players, small-time criminals. The films title refers to the magazines and hardboiled crime novels popular during the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence. The screenplay of Pulp Fiction was written in 1992 and 1993 and its plot, as in many of Tarantinos other works, is presented out of chronological order. The film is also self-referential from its opening moments, beginning with a card that gives two dictionary definitions of pulp. Its script was turned down by Columbia TriStar as too demented. Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein was instantly enthralled with it, however, Pulp Fiction won the Palme dOr at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, and was a major critical and commercial success upon its U. S. release. It revitalized the careers of John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and it was also nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Tarantino and Avary won for Best Original Screenplay. The nature of its development, marketing, and distribution –, since its release, Pulp Fiction has been widely regarded as Tarantinos masterpiece, with particular praise singled out for its screenwriting. The films self-reflexivity, unconventional structure, and extensive use of homage and it is often considered a cultural watershed, with a strong influence felt not only in later movies that adopted various elements of its style, but in several other media as well. A2008 Entertainment Weekly poll named it the best film since 1983, in 2013, Pulp Fiction was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. The stories intersect in various ways, the film begins with a diner hold-up staged by a couple, then picks up the stories of Vincent, Jules, and Butch. It finally returns to where it began, in the diner, sequences 1 and 7 partially overlap and are presented from different points of view, as do sequences 2 and 6. Other analysts describe the structure as a circular narrative, hitmen Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega arrive at the apartment of Brett to retrieve a briefcase for their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace. After Vincent checks the contents of the briefcase, Jules shoots one of Bretts associates, then declaims a passage from the Bible before he, some time later, champion boxer Butch Coolidge accepts a large sum from Marsellus to take a dive in his upcoming match. Vincent and Jules deliver the briefcase, the next day, Vincent purchases heroin from his drug dealer Lance. He shoots up to pass the day, then drives to meet Marselluss wife Mia and they head to a 1950s-themed restaurant and participate in a twist contest, then return to the Wallace house with the trophy. While Vincent is in the bathroom, Mia finds his heroin, mistakes it for cocaine, snorts it, Vincent rushes her to Lances house, where they revive her with an adrenaline shot to her heart
6.
Field of Dreams
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Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama sports film directed by Phil Alden Robinson, who also wrote the screenplay, adapting W. P. Kinsellas novel Shoeless Joe. It stars Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta and it was nominated for three Academy Awards, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture. Ray Kinsella is a novice Iowa farmer who lives with his wife, Annie, in the opening narration, he explains how he had a troubled relationship with his father, John Kinsella, who had been a devoted baseball fan. While walking through his cornfield one evening, he hears a voice whispering, If you build it and he continues hearing this before finally seeing a vision of a baseball diamond in his field. Annie is skeptical, but she allows him to plow the corn under in order to build a baseball field, as he builds, he tells Karin the story of the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. Months pass and nothing happens, his family faces financial ruin until, one night, Ray recognizes him as Shoeless Joe Jackson, a deceased baseball player idolized by John. Thrilled to be able to play again, he asks to bring others to the field to play. He later returns with the seven players banned as a result of the 1919 scandal. Rays brother-in-law, Mark, cant see the players and warns him that he will go bankrupt unless he replants his corn, while in the field, Ray hears the voice again, this time urging him to ease his pain. Ray attends a PTA meeting at which the possible banning of books by radical author Terence Mann is discussed and he decides the voice was referring to Mann. He comes across a magazine dealing with Manns childhood dream of playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. After Ray and Annie both dream about him and Mann attending a game together at Fenway Park, he convinces her that he should seek out Mann. He heads to Boston and persuades a reluctant, embittered Mann to attend a game with him at Fenway Park, while there, he hears the voice again, this time urging him to go the distance. At the same time, the scoreboard shows statistics for a player named Archibald Moonlight Graham, who played one game for the New York Giants in 1905, after the game, Mann eventually admits that he, too, saw it. Ray and Mann then travel to Chisholm, Minnesota where they learn that Graham had become a doctor and had died sixteen years earlier. During a late night walk, Ray finds himself back in 1972 and encounters the then-living Graham and he also says that the greater disappointment would have been not having a medical career. He declines Rays invitation to fulfill his dream, however, during the back home. While Archie sleeps, Ray reveals to Mann that John had wanted him to live out his dream of being a baseball star and he stopped playing catch with him after reading one of Manns books at 14
7.
University at Albany, SUNY
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Founded in 1844, it carries out undergraduate and graduate education, research, and service. It is a part of the State University of New York system, the University enrolls more than 17,300 students in nine schools and colleges, which offer 50 undergraduate majors and 125 graduate degree programs. The Honors College, which opened in fall 2006, offers opportunities for well-prepared students to work closely with faculty, the UAlbany faculty had $82.7 million in research expenditures in 2015. for work advancing discovery in a wide range of fields. The research enterprise is in four areas, social science, public policy, life sciences, an economic impact study in 2004 estimated UAlbany’s economic impact to be $1. The institution began as the New York State Normal School on May 7,1844, a new campus — today, UAlbany’s Downtown Campus — was built in 1909 on a site of 4.5 acres between Washington and Western avenues. By 1913, the institution was home to 590 students and 44 faculty members, offered a degree for the first time. Enrollment grew to a peak of 1,424 in 1932, in 1948 the State University of New York system was created, with the College for Teachers and the states other teacher-training schools as the nuclei. To do so, he launched a construction program that developed more than 50 new campuses. Reflecting a broadening mission, the College for Teachers changed its name to SUNY College of Education at Albany in 1959, in 1961, it became a full-fledged four-year liberal arts college as the State University College at Albany. Finally, in 1962, the State University College was officially designated a doctoral-degree granting university center of SUNY as the State University of New York at Albany, the same year, Rockefeller broke ground for the current Uptown Campus on the former site of the Albany Country Club. The new campuss first dormitory opened in 1964, and the first classes on the podium in the fall of 1966. By 1970, a year beyond the University’s 125th anniversary, enrollment had grown to 13,200 and that same year the growing protest movement against the Vietnam war engulfed the University when a student strike was called for in response to the killing of protesters at Kent State. The Downtown Campus became dedicated to the fields of policy, criminal justice, public affairs, information science. In 1985, the university added the School of Public Health, in 1983, the New York State Writers Institute was founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy. As of 2013, the Institute had hosted over more than 1,200 writers, poets, journalists, historians, dramatists. In addition the institute has hosted up-and-coming writers to provide them with exposure at the beginning of their writing careers, during the 1990s, the University built a $3 billion,450, 000-square-foot Albany NanoTech complex, extending the Uptown Campus westward. In 2005, this campus became home to the University’s Gen*NY*Sis Center for Excellence in Cancer Genomics, in the spring of 2005, the University created a College of Computing and Information, which has faculty on both the Uptown and Downtown campuses. In the fall of 2015, CCI was replaced and its programs incorporated into a new college
8.
Ironweed (film)
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Ironweed is a 1987 American drama film directed by Héctor Babenco. It is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the name by William Kennedy. It stars Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep, with Carroll Baker, Michael OKeefe, Diane Venora, Fred Gwynne, Nathan Lane, the story concerns the relationship of a homeless couple, Francis, an alcoholic, and Helen, a terminally ill woman during the Great Depression. Major portions of the film were shot on location in Albany, New York, including Jay Street at Lark Street, Albany Rural Cemetery, the film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Leading Role. Francis Phelan is a baseball player who deserted his family back in the 1910s when he accidentally dropped his son. It is assumed in the film that he was drunk at the time until he claims he was just tired. Since then, Phelan has been a bum, punishing himself, wandering into his hometown of Albany on Halloween in 1938, Phelan seeks out his lover and drinking companion, Helen Archer. The two meet up in a mission managed by Reverend Chester, and later in Oscar Reos gin mill, over the next few days, Phelan takes a few minor jobs to support Helen, while haunted by visions of his past. Francis comes back to his old house and tries to make peace with his wife Annie Phelan, his son Billy. Meanwhile, a group of local vigilantes take it themselves to drive the homeless out of Albany. During the course of the day, a series of events change Francis life forever, the film received mostly positive reviews. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 65% of critics gave the film a positive review, at the time of its release it garnered enthusiasm because of the presence of stars Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep. Roger Ebert wrote, Nicholson and Streep play drunks in Ironweed, but there is not much visible acting in this movie, the actors are too good for that. Ebert gave the three stars out of four. Streep received raves from most critics, Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that Meryl Streep, there isnt much more to the films Helen than this, and indeed the character may go no deeper, but shes a marvel all the same. Behind the runny, red-rimmed eyes, the chatter and the haunted expression, Miss Streep is even more utterly changed than her costar. The sequence in which Helen entertains the real and imagined patrons of a bar room with a rendition of Hes Me Pal is a standout, if you ride with the emotional undertow of Ironweed, theres no way youll ever look at street people in quite the same way. Won Los Angeles Film Critics Association, LAFCA Award, Best Actor, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, NYFCC Award, Best Actor, Jack Nicholson,1987
9.
Burt Lancaster
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Burton Stephen Burt Lancaster was an American film actor. Initially known for playing tough guys, Lancaster went on to success with more complex. He was nominated four times for Academy Awards and won once for his work in Elmer Gantry in 1960 and he also won a Golden Globe for that performance and BAFTA Awards for The Birdman of Alcatraz and Atlantic City. During the 1950s his production company Hecht-Hill-Lancaster was highly successful, making such as Marty, Trapeze, Sweet Smell of Success, Run Silent, Run Deep. The American Film Institute ranks Lancaster as #19 of the greatest male stars of classic Hollywood cinema, Lancaster was born in Manhattan, New York City, at his parents home at 209 East 106th Street, between Second and Third Avenues, today the site of Benjamin Franklin Plaza. Lancaster was the son of Elizabeth and James Henry Lancaster, who was a mailman, both of his parents were Protestants of working class origin. All of Lancasters grandparents were Ulster immigrants to the United States, the family believed themselves to be related to Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts. Before he graduated from DeWitt Clinton, his mother died of a cerebral hemorrhage, Lancaster was accepted by New York University with an athletic scholarship, but subsequently dropped out. At the age of 19, Lancaster met Nick Cravat, with whom he developed a lifelong partnership, together they learned to act in local theatre productions and circus arts at Union Settlement, one of the citys oldest settlement houses. They formed the acrobat duo Lang and Cravat in the 1930s, however, in 1939, an injury forced Lancaster to give up the profession, with great regret. He then found work, first as a salesman for Marshall Fields. He served with General Mark Clarks Fifth Army in Italy from 1943–45, although initially unenthusiastic about acting, after returning to New York from his Army service, Lancaster auditioned for a Broadway play and was offered a role. Wallis, who signed him to an eight-movie contract, Lancasters first filmed movie was Desert Fury. Fortunately for Lancaster, producer Mark Hellinger approached him to star in The Killers, in 1946, the tall, muscular actor won significant acclaim and appeared in two more films the following year. Subsequently, he played in a variety of films, especially in dramas, thrillers, and military and adventure films. In two, The Flame and the Arrow and The Crimson Pirate, a friend from his circus years, Nick Cravat, played a key supporting role, in 1953, Lancaster played one of his best-remembered roles with Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity. The American Film Institute acknowledged the iconic status of the scene from film in which Deborah Kerr. The organization named it one of AFIs top 100 Most Romantic Films of all time, Lancaster won the 1960 Academy Award for Best Actor, a Golden Globe Award, and the New York Film Critics Award for his performance in Elmer Gantry
10.
Kevin Costner
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Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, director, producer, and musician. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and one Emmy Award, Costner has played Eliot Ness in The Untouchables, Crash Davis in Bull Durham, Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams, Lt. John J. He directed, produced, and starred in The Postman, Costner was born January 18,1955 in Lynwood, California. He grew up in Compton, California and he is the youngest of three boys, the middle of whom died at birth. His mother, Sharon Rae, was a worker, and his father, William Costner, was an electrician. His fathers heritage originates with German immigrants to North Carolina in the 1700s and Costner also has English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and he instead enjoyed sports, took piano lessons, wrote poetry, and sang in the First Baptist Choir. He has stated that a viewing of the 1962 film How the West Was Won at the age of seven had formed his childhood. Spending his teenage years in parts of California as his fathers career progressed, Costner has described this as a period when he lost a lot of confidence. Costner lived in Ventura, then in Visalia, he attended Mt. Whitney High School and then moved to Orange County and he went on to earn a BA in marketing and finance from California State University, Fullerton in 1978. While at CSUF, he was a fraternity brother in Delta Chi. Costner became interested in acting while in his last year of college, Burton agreed to speak to Costner after he finished reading his book. Costner, who had been taking acting classes but had not told his wife about his desire to be an actor, watched Burton closely and approached when Burton gestured. Costner told Burton that he would prefer to avoid the drama that followed Burton, Burton replied, You have green eyes. After landing, Burtons limousine pulled up to the curb where Costner, Burton wished Costner luck, and the two would never meet again. Still, Costner credits Burton with partially contributing to his career, having agreed to undertake a job as a marketing executive, Costner began taking acting lessons five nights a week, with the support of his wife. His marketing job lasted 30 days, Costner allegedly made his film debut in the film Sizzle Beach, U. S. A. Although a biography claims it was filmed in the winter of 1978–79. Costner made a brief appearance in the Ron Howard film Night Shift. He is listed in the credits as Frat Boy No.1 and appears at the climax of a frat-style, blow-out party in the New York City morgue, Costner can be seen holding a beer and looking surprised at the sudden halt of celebration
11.
Born on the Fourth of July (film)
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Born on the Fourth of July is a 1989 American war drama film adaptation of the best-selling autobiography of the same name by Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic. Tom Cruise plays Ron Kovic, in a performance that earned him his first Academy Award nomination, Oliver Stone co-wrote the screenplay with Kovic, and also produced and directed the film. Stone wanted to film the movie in Vietnam, but because relations between the United States and Vietnam had not yet been normalized, it was filmed in the Philippines. The film is considered part of Stones trilogy of films about the Vietnam War—following Platoon and preceding Heaven & Earth. Born on the Fourth of July was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won two, for Best Director and Best Film Editing, it won four Golden Globe Awards. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $161,001,698 worldwide, in the summer of 1956 in Massapequa, Long Island, New York, 10-year-old Ron Kovic plays soldier in the woods and attends a Fourth of July parade. After watching President John F. Kennedys inaugural address, it inspires him to enlist in the Marines, later, Kovic attends an impassioned lecture about the Marine Corps. He decides to enlist and misses his prom because he is unable to secure a date with his love interest and he confronts her at the prom and has a dance with her on his last night before leaving. Now a Marine sergeant and on patrol during his second Vietnam tour in October 1967, Kovics unit kills a number of Vietnamese civilians in a village, during the retreat, Kovic accidentally kills one of the new arrivals to his platoon, a younger private first class named Wilson. During a firefight in January 1968, Kovic is critically wounded, Kovic desperately tries to walk again with the use of crutches and braces, despite repeated warnings from his doctors. In 1969, Kovic returns home, permanently in a wheelchair, though he tries to maintain his dignity as a United States Marine, Kovic gradually becomes disillusioned, despite being paralyzed, and resorts to alcohol. In Kovics absence, his younger brother Tommy has already become staunchly anti-war, during an Independence Day parade, Kovic shows signs of post-traumatic stress when firecrackers explode. When he is asked to give a speech, a baby in the crowd starts crying. Later, Kovic goes to visit Donna at her college in Syracuse, New York and he and Donna are separated when she and her fellow students are taken away by the police at her college for demonstrating against the Vietnam War. Ron goes to a bar, almost gets into a fight with a fellow Marine, after Ron has a heated argument with his mother, his father decides to send him to Mexico. He arrives in The Village of the Sun, which seems to be a haven for paralyzed Vietnam veterans and he has his first sexual experience with a prostitute, whom he believes he loves, until he sees her with another customer. He hooks up with another veteran, Charlie, and the two travel to what they believe will be a friendlier village. After annoying their taxicab driver, they end up stranded on the side of the road and they are picked up by a man with a truck and driven back to the Village of the Sun
12.
Tom Cruise
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Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won three Golden Globe Awards and he started his career at age 19 in the film Endless Love. After portraying supporting roles in Taps and The Outsiders, his first leading role was in the romantic comedy Risky Business, Cruise became a full-fledged movie star after starring as Pete Maverick Mitchell in the action drama Top Gun. One of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood, Cruise starred in more successful films in the 1980s, including the dramas The Color of Money, Cocktail, Rain Man. In 2012, Cruise was Hollywoods highest-paid actor,16 of his films grossed over $100 million domestically,22 have grossed in excess of $200 million worldwide. In 2002, Cruise won the Saturn Award for Best Actor for Vanilla Sky, in 2003, he won an AFI Movie of the Year Award for The Last Samurai and an Empire Award for Best Actor for Minority Report. Cruise is an advocate for the Church of Scientology and its associated social programs. Cruise was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Mary Lee, a special teacher, and Thomas Cruise Mapother III. He has three sisters, Lee Anne, Marian, and Cass and they are of English, German, and Irish ancestry. One of Cruises paternal great-great-great-grandfathers, Patrick Russell Cruise, was born in north County Dublin in 1799, he married Teresa Johnson in County Meath and they left Ireland for the United States that same year and settled in New York. They had a daughter, Mary Paulina Russell Cruise, whose son Thomas Cruise Mapother was Cruises great-grandfather, a cousin, William Mapother, is also an actor, he and Cruise have appeared in five films together. Cruise grew up in poverty, and had a Catholic upbringing. The family was dominated by his father, whom Cruise has described as a merchant of chaos. Cruise has said that he was beaten by his father, whom he has called a bully and he stated, He was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a lesson in my life—how hed lull you in, make you feel safe and then. For me, it was like, Theres something wrong with this guy, Cruise spent part of his childhood in Canada. His family moved to Beacon Hill, Ottawa, in late 1971 so that Cruises father could take a position as a consultant with the Canadian Armed Forces. There, Cruise attended the newly opened Robert Hopkins Public School for much of grade four, in grade four, Cruise first became involved in drama, under the tutelage of George Steinburg
13.
Oliver Stone
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William Oliver Stone is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of Midnight Express and he also wrote the acclaimed gangster movie Scarface. As a director, Stone achieved prominence as director/writer of the war drama Platoon, for which Stone won the Academy Award for Best Director, Platoon was the first in a trilogy of films based on the Vietnam War, in which Stone served as an infantry soldier. He continued the series with Born on the Fourth of July —for which Stone won his second Best Director Oscar—and Heaven & Earth. Many of Stones films focus on controversial American political issues during the late 20th century and they often combine different camera and film formats within a single scene, as evidenced in JFK, Natural Born Killers, and Nixon. Stone was born September 15,1946, in New York City, the son of Jacqueline and Louis Stone and he grew up in Manhattan and Stamford, Connecticut. His parents met during World War II, when his father was fighting as a part of the Allied force in France and his American-born father was a non-practicing Jew, and his French-born mother was a non-practicing Roman Catholic. Stone was raised in the Episcopal Church, and now practices Buddhism, Stone attended Trinity School in New York City before his parents sent him away to The Hill School, a college-preparatory school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. His parents were divorced abruptly while he was away at school, Stones mother was often absent and his father made a big impact on his life, father-son relationships were to feature heavily in Stones films. He often spent parts of his vacations with his maternal grandparents in France. Stone also worked at 17 in the Paris mercantile exchange in sugar, Stone graduated from The Hill School in 1964. Stone was admitted into Yale University, but left in June 1965 at age 18 to teach school students English for six months in Saigon at the Free Pacific Institute in South Vietnam. Afterwards, he worked as a wiper on a United States Merchant Marine ship in 1966 and he returned to Yale, where he dropped out a second time. In April 1967, Stone enlisted in the United States Army, from September 16,1967 to April 1968, he served in Vietnam with 2nd Platoon, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Infantry Division and was twice wounded in action. He was then transferred to the First Cavalry Division participating in long range patrols before being transferred again to drive for an infantry unit of the division until November 1968. Stone graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film in 1971, Stone made a short, well received 12-minute film Last Year in Viet Nam. In 1979, Stone won his first Academy Award, after adapting true-life prison story Midnight Express into a hit film for British director Alan Parker. Stones screenplay for Midnight Express was criticized by some for its inaccuracies in portraying the events described in the book, the original author, Billy Hayes, around whom the film is set, spoke out against the film, protesting that he had many Turkish friends while in jail
14.
The Doors (film)
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The Doors is a 1991 American biographical film about the 1960–70s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, the film features Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger, Kevin Dillon as John Densmore, and Kathleen Quinlan as Patricia Kennealy. The film portrays Morrison as the icon of 1960s rock and roll, counterculture. The film was not well received by his mates, close friends. In 1965, Jim arrives in California and is assimilated into the Venice Beach culture, Jim convinces his bandmates to travel to Death Valley and experience the effects of psychedelic drugs. Returning to Los Angeles, they play several shows at the famous nightclub Whisky a Go Go, Jims onstage antics and occasionally improvised lyrics raise the ire of club owners, however, the bands popularity continues to expand. As the Doors become hugely successful, Jim becomes increasingly infatuated with his own image as The Lizard King and degenerates into alcoholism, Jim meets Patricia Kennealy, a rock journalist involved in witchcraft, and participates with her in mystical ceremonies. He joins her in a handfasting ceremony, an elder spirit watches these events. The rest of the band grows weary of Jims missed recording sessions, Jim arrives late to a Miami, Florida concert, becoming increasingly confrontational towards the audience and allegedly exposing himself onstage. The incident is a low point for the band, resulting in charges against Jim, cancellations of shows, breakdowns in Jims personal relationships. In 1970 after a trial, Jim is found guilty of indecent exposure and ordered to serve time in prison. Patricia tells Jim that she is pregnant with his child but Jim convinces her to have an abortion. Jim visits his fellow Doors members one final time, attending a party thrown by Ray where he wishes the band luck in their future endeavors, as Jim plays in the front garden with the children, he sees that one of the children is his childhood self. Jim comments This is the strangest life Ive ever known, in 1971, Pam finds Jim dead in a bathtub in Paris, France, at the age of 27. The final scenes of the film before the roll are of Jims gravesite in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris while A Feast of Friends plays in the background. Just before the credits, the whites out and text appears saying Jim Morrison is said to have died of heart failure. Pam joined him three years later, during the credits, the band is shown recording the song L. A. Woman in the studio. In 1985, Columbia Pictures acquired the rights from the Doors, producer Sasha Harari wanted filmmaker Oliver Stone to write the screenplay but never heard back from his agent
15.
Robby Krieger
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Robert Alan Robby Krieger is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as the guitarist of the rock band the Doors, and as such has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors songs, including the hits Light My Fire, Love Me Two Times, Touch Me, after the Doors disbanded, Krieger continued his performing and recording career with other musicians including former Doors band mates John Densmore and Ray Manzarek. He was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Krieger was born in Los Angeles, California to a Jewish family. His father, an engineer, was a fan of marching music, and much of young Robbys early exposure to music was classical, including Peter and the Wolf, which was the first music that captivated him. When he was seven, Krieger accidentally broke his record player, but the radio introduced him to the likes of Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, at the age of 10, he tried the trumpet, but found it was not for him. He began playing the blues on his parents piano with more success than the trumpet. While Krieger was a student at a private school called Menlo School in Menlo Park, California. He began by first de-tuning a ukulele to the four strings of a guitar. Later, in the mid-1960s, Asian American scholar Frank Chin taught Krieger how to play the flamenco guitar, during a Christmas break, Krieger and two classmates took a vacation to Puerto Vallarta where he purchased a peg-tuned Ramírez guitar and took lessons for a few months. He bounced around genres, including flamenco, folk, blues, after high school, Krieger attended the University of California, Santa Barbara. Krieger listed guitarists Wes Montgomery, Albert King, and Larry Carlton among the biggest influences on his style, kriegers flamenco guitar playing can be found present in the song Spanish Caravan. Krieger became a member of the Doors in 1965, joining keyboard player Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore and vocalist Jim Morrison, at an early Doors rehearsal Morrison heard Krieger playing bottleneck guitar and initially wanted the technique featured on every song on the first album. Kriegers fingerstyle approach to the guitar, broad musical tastes. Krieger occasionally sang lead vocal with the Doors and he can be heard on the song Runnin Blue. He also sang on the last two Doors albums, recorded after Morrisons death, Other Voices and Full Circle, after Morrison’s death in 1971, Krieger, Manzarek and Densmore carried on as a trio. After the Doors disbanded in 1973, Krieger formed the Butts Band with Densmore and he enjoyed some success as a jazz-fusion guitarist, recording a handful of albums in the 1970s and 1980s, including Versions, Robby Krieger, and No Habla. For his first solo release in 1977, Robbie Krieger & Friends, in 1982, Krieger made an album with the Los Angeles group Acid Casualties. Their album, Panic Station, was released by Rhino Records, in the early 90s, Krieger formed a trio called the Robby Krieger Organization featuring Skip Van Winkle and Dale Alexander
16.
JFK (film)
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JFK is a 1991 American conspiracy-thriller film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the film was adapted by Stone and Zachary Sklar from the books On the Trail of the Assassins by Jim Garrison and Crossfire, The Plot That Killed Kennedy by Jim Marrs. Stone described this account as a counter-myth to the Warren Commissions fictional myth, the film became embroiled in controversy. After a slow start at the box office, the film picked up momentum. JFK was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won two for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. It was the most successful of three films Stone made about American presidents, followed by Nixon with Anthony Hopkins in the title role and W. with Josh Brolin as George W. Bush. The film opens with footage, including the farewell address in 1961 of outgoing President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This is followed by a summary of John F. Kennedys years as president, emphasizing the events that, in Stones thesis and this builds to a reconstruction of the assassination on November 22,1963. New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison subsequently learns about potential links to the assassination in New Orleans, Kennedys suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald is killed by Jack Ruby, and Garrison closes the investigation. The investigation is reopened in 1966 after Garrison reads the Warren Report, Garrison and his staff interrogate several witnesses to the Kennedy assassination, and others involved with Oswald, Ruby, and Ferrie. One such witness is Willie OKeefe, a male prostitute serving five years in prison for soliciting, as well as briefly meeting Oswald, OKeefe was romantically involved with a man called Clay Bertrand. Garrisons staff also test the single bullet theory by aiming an empty rifle from the window through which Oswald was alleged to have shot Kennedy and they conclude that Oswald was too poor a marksman to make the shots, indicating someone else, or multiple marksmen, were involved. In 1968, Garrison meets a figure in Washington D. C. who identifies himself as X. X explains that the President was killed because he wanted to pull the United States out of the Vietnam War, X encourages Garrison to keep digging and prosecute New Orleans-based international businessman Clay Shaw for his alleged involvement. Upon interrogating Shaw, the businessman denies any knowledge of meeting Ferrie, OKeefe or Oswald, some of Garrisons staff begin to doubt his motives and disagree with his methods, and leave the investigation. Garrisons marriage is strained when his wife Liz complains that he is spending time on the case than with his own family. After a sinister phone call is made to their daughter, Liz accuses Garrison of being selfish, in addition, the media launches attacks on television and in newspapers attacking Garrisons character and criticizing the way his office is spending taxpayers money. Some key witnesses become scared and refuse to testify while others, before his death, Ferrie tells Garrison that he believes people are after him, and reveals there was a conspiracy around Kennedys death
17.
John Hughes (filmmaker)
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John Wilden Hughes, Jr. was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Hughes was born in Lansing, Michigan, to a mother who volunteered in charity work and John Hughes and he spent the first twelve years of his life in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Hughes described himself as kind of quiet as a kid, I grew up in a neighborhood that was mostly girls and old people. There werent any boys my age, so I spent a lot of time by myself, and every time we would get established somewhere, we would move. Life just started to get good in seventh grade, and then we moved to Chicago, I ended up in a really big high school, and I didnt know anybody. But then The Beatles came along changed my whole life, and then Bob Dylans Bringing It All Back Home came out and really changed me. Thursday I was one person, and Friday I was another and my heroes were Dylan, John Lennon and Picasso, because they each moved their particular medium forward, and when they got to the point where they were comfortable, they always moved on. In 1963, Hughess family moved to Northbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago and this is where Hughess father found work selling roofing materials. There Hughes attended Glenbrook North High School, which gave him inspiration for the films made his reputation in later years. After dropping out of the University of Arizona, Hughes began selling jokes to well-established performers such as Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers. Hughes used his jokes to get a job at Needham, Harper & Steers as an advertising copywriter in Chicago in 1970. During this time, he created became the famous Edge Credit Card Shaving Test ad campaign. Hughes work on the Virginia Slims account frequently took him to the Philip Morris headquarters in New York City and this gave him the opportunity to hang around the offices of the National Lampoon magazine. Hughes subsequently penned a story, inspired by his trips as a child. That piece, Vacation 58, later became the basis for the film National Lampoons Vacation and his first credited screenplay, Class Reunion, was written while still on staff at the magazine. The resulting film became the second attempt by the flagship to duplicate the runaway success of Animal House. It was Hughess next screenplay for the imprint, National Lampoons Vacation and that films success, along with the success of another of Hughes scripts, Mr. Mom, earned Hughes a three-movie deal with Universal Studios. It was the first in a string of efforts set in or around high school, including The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, Ferris Buellers Day Off and Some Kind of Wonderful
18.
Career Opportunities (film)
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Career Opportunities is a 1991 American romantic comedy film starring Frank Whaley in his first lead role and co-starring Jennifer Connelly. It was written and co-produced by John Hughes and directed by Bryan Gordon, Jim Dodge is a self-proclaimed people person and dreamer who is perceived as lazy and good for nothing. After being fired from numerous low-paying jobs, Jim is given the choice by his father, Bud Dodge, Jim is hired as night cleanup boy at Target. On his first shift at his new job, Jim is locked alone in the store by his boss, the head custodian and he encounters Josie McClellan, a stereotypical spoiled rich girl whom he has known all his life. Josie had spent the past several hours asleep in a room after backing out of shoplifting some merchandise in a half-hearted attempt to run away from her abusive father, Roger Roy McClellan. Josie and Jim begin to connect each other, realizing they are not so different. They begin to form a relationship, and proceed to enjoy the freedom of having such a large store to themselves. Josie, having $52,000 in her purse, convinces Jim to run away with her to California as soon as they get out of the store in the morning, meanwhile, Roger teams up with the town sheriff to search for his runaway daughter all night. Things become complicated when two incompetent crooks, Nestor Pyle and Gil Kinney, break in and hold the two hostage, eventually, Josie seduces one of the crooks and convinces him to take her with them after robbing the store. While the criminals are loading stolen merchandise into their car, Josie jumps into the front seat and drives away, leaving the two men stranded in the parking lot. Meanwhile, in the building, Jim loads up a shotgun found in the head custodians locker and tricks Nestor and Gil by luring them to the back of the store and holding them at gunpoint. In the morning, the sheriff arrives and stumbles upon the two crooks, having tied up by Jim. Jim and Josie run away and we see them lounging next to a pool in Los Angeles, Career Opportunities at the Internet Movie Database Career Opportunities at Rotten Tomatoes Career Opportunities at Box Office Mojo Career Opportunities at The Numbers
19.
Jennifer Connelly
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Jennifer Lynn Connelly is an American film actress who began her career as a child model. She appeared in magazine, newspaper and television advertising, before she made her debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America. Connelly continued modeling and acting, starring in such as the 1985 horror film Phenomena, the 1986 film Labyrinth. She gained critical acclaim for her work in the 1998 science fiction film Dark City, in 2002, Connelly won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for her supporting role as Alicia Nash in Ron Howards 2001 biopic A Beautiful Mind. She re-teamed with her Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky, Connelly was named Amnesty International Ambassador for Human Rights Education in 2005. She has been the face of Balenciaga fashion advertisements, as well as for Revlon cosmetics, in 2012, she was named the first global face of the Shiseido Company. Magazines including Time, Vanity Fair and Esquire, as well as the Los Angeles Times newspaper have included her on their lists of the worlds most beautiful women, Connelly was born in Cairo, New York, in the Catskill Mountains. She is the daughter of Ilene, a dealer, and Gerard Karl Connelly. Her father was Roman Catholic, and of Irish and Norwegian descent, Connellys mother was Jewish, and was educated at a yeshiva, all of Connellys mothers grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Poland and Russia. Connelly was raised primarily in Brooklyn Heights, near the Brooklyn Bridge, where she attended Saint Anns and her father suffered from asthma, so the family moved to Woodstock, New York, in 1976 to escape the city smog. Four years later, the returned to Brooklyn Heights. When Connelly was 10 years old, an advertising executive friend of her suggested she audition as a model. Her parents sent a picture of her to the Ford Modeling Agency, Connelly began modeling for print advertisements before moving on to television commercials. In an interview with The Guardian, she revealed that, after having done some modeling and she appeared on the cover of several issues of Seventeen in 1986 and 1988. In December 1986, she recorded two pop songs for the Japanese market, Monologue of Love and Message of Love, Connelly sang in phonetic Japanese as she did not speak the language. Her mother started taking her to acting auditions, at once, Connelly was selected for a supporting role as the aspiring dancer and actress Deborah Gelly in Sergio Leones 1984 gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America. The role required performing a ballet routine, during the audition, Connelly, who had no ballet training, tried to imitate a ballerina. Her performance, and the similarity of her nose to Elizabeth McGoverns, Connelly described the movie as an incredibly idyllic introduction to movie-making
20.
Hoffa
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Hoffa is a 1992 French-American biographical crime film directed by Danny DeVito and written by David Mamet, based on the life of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa. Most of the story is told in flashbacks before ending with Hoffas mysterious disappearance, jack Nicholson plays Hoffa, and DeVito plays Robert Ciaro, an amalgamation of several Hoffa associates over the years. Reilly, Robert Prosky, Kevin Anderson, Armand Assante, and J. T. Walsh in supporting roles, the original music score is by David Newman. Jimmy Hoffa and Bobby Ciaro are impatiently waiting in the lot of a roadhouse diner on July 30,1975. Others are late for a meeting, asked if he wants to leave, Hoffa gives Ciaro a scornful glance. In 1935, a young Hoffa approaches a parked truck, inside of which driver Ciaro is taking a nap, Hoffa pitches the benefits of joining the Teamsters and gives Ciaro a business card, on which he has written, Give this man whatever he needs. A few days later, Ciaro reports to work to find Hoffa attempting to organize the workers, Hoffa blurts out theyd ridden 85 miles together, and Ciaro is fired. Ciaro later accosts Hoffa with a Bowie knife, but Hoffas associate Billy Flynn pulls a gun, Ciaro joins the pair in the arson bombing of a laundry whose owner has refused to cooperate with the Teamsters. Flynn is badly burned and dies, Ciaro succeeds him as Hoffas right-hand man. During a Teamsters strike, strikers fight with non-union workers and police, Ciaro, who speaks Italian, comes along and translates. An alliance between the Teamsters and the mob is formed, Hoffa meets Carol DAllesandro, who would become his closest mob ally. Hoffa rises to the presidency of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and his illegal activities include the use of Teamster funds to make loans to the mob. At a Congressional hearing, Hoffa is questioned by Robert F. Kennedy regarding his suspicious union activities, a loud and bitter feud between Kennedy and Hoffa grows, especially after John F. Kennedy is elected President and Bobby becomes Attorney General. Hoffa, on a trip with DAllesandro, discusses ways to exploit the unions pension fund. Having no paper with them, the plans are sketched on the back of a hunting license, subsequently, Hoffa is betrayed by a junior associate, Peter Connelly, who testifies at Hoffas trial. The critical evidence against Hoffa is the license on which the plans to raid the Teamsters pension fund were written. Hoffa surrenders to federal officials and serves time in a Pennsylvania federal prison while Connellys uncle, Frank Fitzsimmons, Ciaro, also convicted and imprisoned, is freed and immediately begins working for Hoffas release. DAllesandro suggests that the Teamsters endorse Richard M. Nixon for President, so that in exchange for Teamster endorsement, Hoffa will receive a presidential pardon
21.
Swimming with Sharks
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Swimming With Sharks is a 1994 American comedy-drama film written and directed by George Huang, and stars Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley and Michelle Forbes. Buddy Ackerman, a movie mogul, hires Guy, a naïve young writer. Guy, who has just graduated from school, believes that his new job is a golden opportunity. Despite warnings from Rex, the assistant who has become hardened under Buddys reign. Guy is humiliated and forced to bear the brunt of his insults, Guys only solace is his new girlfriend, Dawn, a producer at Buddys firm. When Buddy apparently fires Guy in a call, Guy snaps. He ties Buddy up and subjects him to beatings, torture. It is later revealed due to a botched call waiting function on Buddys home phone, Guy hears Buddy. Once in Guys power, Buddy reveals for the first time a human and he also reveals that abusing Guy was his way of teaching him that he must earn his success. Dawn arrives at the scene to find Guy aiming a gun at Buddys face, after a moments indecision, Guy fires the gun. The climax of the reveals that Guy killed Dawn, and was subsequently promoted. In the final scene, Guy coldly tells a former colleague to find out what he wants and then do anything to get it. During this speech, Buddy passes by his office, makes eye contact with Guy, Guy excuses himself, takes a pass on a request for dinner since he has to wrap Christmas presents and goes into Buddys office. The movie ends with Buddy shutting his office doors as other personnel pass by, Kevin Spacey as Buddy Ackerman Frank Whaley as Guy Michelle Forbes as Dawn Lockard Benicio del Toro as Rex T. E. Rodriguez was in Los Angeles after his film El Mariachi brought him to the attention of Sony Pictures, Huang told Rodriguez of his frustrations with filmmaking when the director encouraged him to quit his post at Sony and pursue writing full-time so Huang could produce a script to direct himself. The film was sold to Trimark Pictures. Cineville produced the film with Steve Alexander overseeing production, the director Buddy hires in the film, Foster Kane, is named after Orson Welles character in the 1941 film Citizen Kane, Charles Foster Kane. The film was met with positive reviews, the play starred Christian Slater as Buddy, Matt Smith as Guy, Arthur Darvill as Rex and Helen Baxendale as Dawn
22.
Kevin Spacey
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Kevin Spacey Fowler, better known as Kevin Spacey, is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and singer. He began his career as an actor during the 1980s before obtaining supporting roles in film. In Broadway theatre, Spacey won a Tony Award for his role in Lost in Yonkers and he was the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London from 2004 until stepping down in mid-2015. Since 2013, Spacey has played Frank Underwood in the Netflix political drama series House of Cards, Spacey was born in South Orange, New Jersey, to Kathleen Ann, a secretary, and Thomas Geoffrey Fowler, a technical writer and data consultant. He has two siblings, a sister, Julie, and a brother, Randy. He has English, Swedish, and Welsh ancestry and his family relocated to Southern California when Spacey was four years old. He attended Northridge Military Academy, Canoga Park High School, and then Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth, California, where he graduated co-valedictorian of his class in 1977. At Chatsworth, Spacey starred in the senior production of The Sound of Music. He took Spacey as his stage name, several reports have incorrectly suggested that he took his name in tribute to actor Spencer Tracy, combining Tracys first and last names. He had tried to succeed as a comedian for several years, before attending the Juilliard School in New York City, during this time period, Spacey performed stand-up comedy in bowling alley talent contests. Spaceys first professional appearance was as a spear carrier in a New York Shakespeare Festival performance of Henry VI. The following year, he made his first Broadway appearance, as Oswald in a production of Henrik Ibsens Ghosts, then he portrayed Philinte in Molières The Misanthrope. In 1984, he appeared in a production of David Rabes Hurlyburly, next came Anton Chekhovs The Seagull. In 1986, he appeared in a production of Sleuth in a New Jersey dinner theatre, Lemmon in particular would become a mentor to Spacey. He made his first major appearance in the second-season premiere of Crime Story. Although his interest soon turned to film, Spacey remained actively involved in the theater community. In 1991, he won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Uncle Louie in Neil Simons Broadway hit Lost in Yonkers, Spaceys father was unconvinced that Spacey could make a career for himself as an actor, and did not change his mind until Spacey became well-known. Some of Spaceys early roles include a widowed eccentric millionaire on L. A. Law, the television miniseries The Murder of Mary Phagan, opposite Lemmon, and he earned a fan base after playing the criminally insane arms dealer Mel Profitt on the television series Wiseguy
23.
Samuel L. Jackson
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Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American actor and film producer. With Jacksons permission, his likeness was used for the Ultimate version of the Marvel Comics character Nick Fury. He has also portrayed the character in the second and final episodes of the first season of the TV show Marvels Agents of S. H. I. E. L. D and he is married to LaTanya Richardson, with whom he has a daughter, Zoe. Samuel L. Jackson is ranked as the highest all-time box office star with over $4.9053 billion total box office gross, Jackson was born in Washington, D. C. the son of Elizabeth and Roy Henry Jackson. He grew up as a child in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His father lived away from the family in Kansas City, Missouri, Jackson only met his father twice during his life. Jackson was raised by his mother, who was a worker and later a supplies buyer for a mental institution. According to DNA tests, Jackson partially descends from the Benga people of Gabon, Jackson attended several segregated schools and graduated from Riverside High School in Chattanooga. Between the third and twelfth grades, he played the French horn, during childhood, he had a stuttering problem. While he eventually learned to pretend to be people who didnt stutter and use the curse word motherfucker as an affirmation word. Initially intent on pursuing a degree in biology, he attended Morehouse College in Atlanta. After joining a local acting group to earn points in a class, Jackson found an interest in acting. Before graduating in 1972, he co-founded the Just Us Theatre, after the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Jackson attended the funeral in Atlanta as one of the ushers. Jackson then flew to Memphis to join an equal rights protest march, in a Parade interview Jackson revealed, I was angry about the assassination, but I wasnt shocked by it. I knew that change was going to something different – not sit-ins. In 1969, Jackson and several other students held members of the Morehouse College board of trustees hostage on the campus, demanding reform in the schools curriculum and governance. The college eventually agreed to change its policy, but Jackson was charged with and eventually convicted of unlawful confinement, Jackson was then suspended for two years for his criminal record and his actions. He would later return to the college to earn his Bachelor of Arts in Drama in 1972, while he was suspended, Jackson was employed as a social worker in Los Angeles
24.
John Travolta
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John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, producer, dancer, and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever, Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for performances in Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction. He won his only Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for his performance in Get Shorty and has received a total of six nominations, in 2014, he received the IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema. Travolta, the youngest of six children, was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey and his father, Salvatore Travolta, was a semi-professional American football player turned tire salesman and partner in a tire company. His mother, Helen Cecilia, was an actress and singer who had appeared in The Sunshine Sisters, a vocal group. His siblings, Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and his father was a second-generation Italian American and his mother was Irish American, he grew up in an Irish-American neighborhood and has said that his household was predominantly Irish in culture. He was raised Roman Catholic, but converted to Scientology in 1975, Travolta attended Dwight Morrow High School, but dropped out as a junior at age 17 in 1971. After attending Dwight Morrow High School, Travolta moved across the Hudson River to New York City and landed a role in the company of the musical Grease. Singing the Sherman Brothers song Dream Drummin and he then moved to Los Angeles to further his career in show business. Travoltas first California-filmed television role was as a victim in Emergency. In September 1972, but his first significant movie role was as Billy Nolan, around the same time, he landed his star-making role as Vinnie Barbarino in the TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, in which his sister, Ellen, also occasionally appeared. Travolta had a hit single entitled Let Her In, peaking at ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July 1976. In the next few years, he appeared in two of his most noted screen roles, Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever and as Danny Zuko in Grease, the films were among the most commercially successful pictures of the decade and catapulted Travolta to international stardom. Saturday Night Fever earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, at age 24, Travolta became one of the youngest performers ever nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. His mother and his sister Ann appeared in roles in Saturday Night Fever. Travolta performed several of the songs on the Grease soundtrack album, in 1980, Travolta inspired a nationwide country music craze that followed on the heels of his hit film, Urban Cowboy, in which he starred with Debra Winger. After Urban Cowboy, Travolta starred in a series of financial and critical failures that sidelined his acting career and these included Perfect, co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis, and Two of a Kind, a romantic comedy reteaming him with Olivia Newton-John. During that time he was offered, but turned down, lead roles in what would become box office hits, including American Gigolo and An Officer and a Gentleman, both of which went to Richard Gere
25.
CBS
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CBS is an American commercial broadcast television network that is a flagship property of CBS Corporation. The company is headquartered at the CBS Building in New York City with major facilities and operations in New York City. CBS is sometimes referred to as the Eye Network, in reference to the iconic logo. It has also called the Tiffany Network, alluding to the perceived high quality of CBS programming during the tenure of William S. Paley. It can also refer to some of CBSs first demonstrations of color television, the network has its origins in United Independent Broadcasters Inc. a collection of 16 radio stations that was purchased by Paley in 1928 and renamed the Columbia Broadcasting System. Under Paleys guidance, CBS would first become one of the largest radio networks in the United States, in 1974, CBS dropped its former full name and became known simply as CBS, Inc. In 2000, CBS came under the control of Viacom, which was formed as a spin-off of CBS in 1971, CBS Corporation is controlled by Sumner Redstone through National Amusements, which also controls the current Viacom. The television network has more than 240 owned-and-operated and affiliated stations throughout the United States. The origins of CBS date back to January 27,1927, Columbia Phonographic went on the air on September 18,1927, with a presentation by the Howard Barlow Orchestra from flagship station WOR in Newark, New Jersey, and fifteen affiliates. Operational costs were steep, particularly the payments to AT&T for use of its land lines, in early 1928 Judson sold the network to brothers Isaac and Leon Levy, owners of the networks Philadelphia affiliate WCAU, and their partner Jerome Louchenheim. With the record out of the picture, Paley quickly streamlined the corporate name to Columbia Broadcasting System. He believed in the power of advertising since his familys La Palina cigars had doubled their sales after young William convinced his elders to advertise on radio. By September 1928, Paley bought out the Louchenheim share of CBS, during Louchenheims brief regime, Columbia paid $410,000 to A. H. Grebes Atlantic Broadcasting Company for a small Brooklyn station, WABC, which would become the networks flagship station. WABC was quickly upgraded, and the relocated to 860 kHz. The physical plant was relocated also – to Steinway Hall on West 57th Street in Manhattan, by the turn of 1929, the network could boast to sponsors of having 47 affiliates. Paley moved right away to put his network on a financial footing. In the fall of 1928, he entered talks with Adolph Zukor of Paramount Pictures. The deal came to fruition in September 1929, Paramount acquired 49% of CBS in return for a block of its stock worth $3.8 million at the time
26.
The Dead Zone (TV series)
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Stephen Kings Dead Zone is an American/Canadian science fiction drama television series starring Anthony Michael Hall as Johnny Smith, who discovers he has developed psychic abilities after a coma. The show was commissioned for UPN, but the network later dropped the show. The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for its first five seasons, the sixth and last season was billed as The season that changes everything and production was moved to Montreal. The Dead Zone was expected to be renewed for a season, however, due to low ratings and high production costs the series was canceled in December 2007. Some rumors spread that Syfy would pick up the series after it was canceled by USA, rumors of a made-for-TV movie have all but faded with time. Small-town teacher Johnny Smith is involved in a car accident that leaves him comatose for six years. Johnny also learns that his fiancée, Sarah, gave birth to his son in the following the accident. With the help of Sarah, her husband Walt, and physical therapist Bruce, however, his attempts to do good are complicated by intermittent visions of apocalyptic events brought about following the future election of congressional candidate Greg Stillson. Anthony Michael Hall — John Robert Johnny Smith Nicole de Boer — Sarah Anne Bracknell-Bannerman John L. Adams — Bruce Lewis Chris Bruno — Sheriff Walter T, Walt Bannerman Connor Price — John Johnny JJ Bannerman/Smith David Ogden Stiers — Rev. An encounter with a trickster in the first episode makes it clear Johnny already has some psychic abilities. Sarah Bracknell Bannerman — Johnnys former fiancée, and the mother of his son, Sarah married Walt Bannerman during Johnnys coma, and the two are raising J. J. together. Sarah knew Johnny when they were children, and later taught at the school as him. Sarahs mother died when she was a teenager, which strained her relationship with her father, at the end of season 5, Sarah was pregnant with Walts child. At the beginning of season 6, she gives birth to Walts daughter, Sheriff Walt Bannerman — The relationship between Johnny and Walt is initially very rocky, as Johnny often feels that Walt stole Sarah from him. However, since then as Johnny displays his powers more and more often in law enforcement situations, Johnny becomes an asset to Walt, and the two become friends. The name Walt Bannerman is a combination of the names George Bannerman and Walt Hazlett, in the novel, George Bannerman was the sheriff, at the beginning of season 6, Walt is killed in a fire at the Faith Heritage Chapel. However, he continued to pop up throughout the season in visions, flashbacks, Bruce Lewis — A physiotherapist who helps Johnny regain his strength after his coma. Bruce is an open-minded spiritual junkie as a result of a religious upbringing by his pastor father and he is Johnnys best friend and frequently his voice of reason, and may very well be the reason for the divergence in this series when compared to the novel or 1983 movie
27.
Law & Order
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Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It originally aired on NBC and, in syndication, on cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13,1990, and completed its 20th, at the time of its cancellation, Law & Order was the longest-running crime drama on American primetime television. Its record of 20 seasons is a tie with Gunsmoke for the longest-running live-action scripted American prime-time series with ongoing characters, although it has fewer episodes than Gunsmoke, Law & Order ranks as the longest-running hour-long primetime TV series. Gunsmoke, for its first six seasons, was originally a half-hour program, plots are often based on real cases that recently made headlines, although the motivation for the crime and the perpetrator may be different. The show has been noted for its revolving cast over the years, the success of the series has led to the creation of additional shows, making Law & Order a franchise, with also a television film, several video games, and international adaptations of the series. It has won and has been nominated for awards over the years. On May 14,2010, NBC announced that it had canceled Law & Order, in July 2010, however, he indicated that those attempts had failed and declared that the series had now moved to the history books. However, in February 2015, rumors started that NBC was planning to bring the back for 10 episodes. In May 2015, former star Sam Waterston announced to The Hollywood Reporter that he supports and would join a revival of Law & Order, saying, Youre darn right. Creator Dick Wolf has expressed wanting to use a L&O revival to do a ripped from the headlines story-line surrounding the trial of Robert Durst. Everybody who knows me knows its something I want to do, he continued, at the 2015 Television Critics Association summer press tour, Wolf noted everyone wants a revival, It is a question of. Most of the involved are very successful in their careers. To try to get everything in sequence is more difficult than it looks on the outside. I would love to do it if we can make it work, in 1988, Dick Wolf developed a concept for a new television series that would depict a relatively optimistic picture of the American criminal justice system. He initially toyed with the idea of calling it Night & Day, the first half of each episode would follow two detectives and their commanding officer as they investigate a violent crime. The second half of the episode would follow the District Attorneys Office, through this, Law & Order would be able to investigate some of the larger issues of the day by focusing on stories that were based on real cases making headlines. Wolf took the idea to then-president of Universal Television Kerry McCluggage, who pointed out the similarity to a 1963 series titled Arrest and Trial, which lasted one season
28.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
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Law & Order, Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30,2001, Criminal Intent focuses on the investigations of the Major Case Squad in a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department set in New York Citys One Police Plaza. In the style of the original Law & Order, episodes are often ripped from the headlines or loosely based on a crime that received media attention. The series aired on NBC for the first six seasons but was moved to the NBCUniversal-owned USA Network starting with the season to share costs. During its NBC run, each episode aired on USA the week after its original NBC airing, the series ended on June 26,2011, after 10 seasons comprising 195 episodes. The Major Case Squad investigates high-profile cases such as those involving VIPs, local government officials and employees, the industry. The series pays attention to the actions and motives of the criminals, rather than focusing exclusively on the police and prosecutions. A feature of each Criminal Intent episode is that the cold open always involves a series of cut-scenes that show events from the suspects and victims lives, clues to the crimes eventual solution can often be found in this teaser sequence. Unlike other Law & Order series, most Criminal Intent episodes end in confessions rather than continuing to the trial phase, seasons 1-4 and 10 focus on Detectives Robert Bobby Goren and Alexandra Eames as the primary detectives in every episode. After season 7, Mike Logan retired from the NYPD and was replaced with Detective Zack Nichols until season 10, the UK-aired version of Law & Order, Criminal Intent features the song Theres Only Me by Rob Dougan in the opening credits. Another Rob Dougan track, Im Not Driving Anymore, is used as the theme for Law & Order and Law & Order, from season 6 the UK-aired version theme is Urban Warfare by Paul Dinletir. Law & Order, Criminal Intent was created in 2001 by René Balcer, Balcer served as the shows executive producer, showrunner, and head writer for its first five seasons. The show dominated its time slot on Sundays at 9,00 p. m. for its first three seasons, and was often the highest-rated show of the night, with an average audience of 15.5 million viewers. The show aired Sundays on NBC, with each episode being repeated on USA Network the following Saturday. Beginning in Season 4, it faced new competition from ABCs night-time soap opera Desperate Housewives. Balcer left the show at the end of Season 5, and the show was handed off to Warren Leight, under Leights leadership, the show acquired a new, more melodramatic tone. The mystery aspect of the show was simplified in favor of personal stories involving the detectives. For example, Goren endured his mothers battle with cancer
29.
Val Kilmer
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Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, then the cult classic Real Genius, as well as the military action film Top Gun and the fantasy film Willow. Kilmer was born December 31,1959, in Los Angeles, the son of Gladys Swanette and Eugene Dorris Kilmer and his parents divorced in 1968 when he was 8 years old. In 1977 Kilmers younger brother Wesley drowned in a pool at age 15. Kilmers grandfather was a miner in New Mexico, near the border with Arizona. His mother was of Swedish descent and his fathers ancestry included English, Scots-Irish, French and German. Kilmer attended Berkeley Hall School, a Christian Science school in Los Angeles and he attended Chatsworth High School with Kevin Spacey and Mare Winningham, and also attended the Hollywood Professional School. He became the youngest person at the time to be accepted into the Juilliard Schools Drama Division, on May 5,2012, Kilmer was awarded an honorary doctorate of Fine Arts from William Woods University. In 1981, while at Juilliard, Kilmer co-authored and starred in the play How It All Began, Kilmer turned down a role in Francis Ford Coppolas 1983 film The Outsiders, as he had prior theatre commitments. In 1983 he appeared off Broadway in The Slab Boys with Kevin Bacon, also in 1983, Kilmer self-published a collection of his own poetry entitled My Edens After Burns, that included poems inspired by his time with Pfeiffer. The book of poems is difficult to obtain, and expensive, even second-hand copies fetch $300 and his big break came when he received top billing in the comedy spoof of spy movies Top Secret. Where he played an American rock and roll star, Kilmer sang all the songs in the film and released an album under the film characters name, Nick Rivers. While garnering more substantial roles and prestige, he gained a reputation as a ladies man, dating numerous women, some many years older, including Cher. During a brief hiatus, he backpacked throughout Europe before going on to play the character in the 1985 comedy Real Genius. He turned down a role in David Lynchs Blue Velvet before being cast as naval aviator Iceman in the action film Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise, Top Gun grossed a total of $344,700,000 worldwide and made Kilmer a major star. Kilmer starred in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival production of Hamlet]] in 1988, in 1989, Kilmer played the lead in both Kill Me Again, again opposite Whalley, and in TNTs Billy the Kid. After several delays, director Oliver Stone finally started production on the film The Doors, Kilmer spoke with Oliver Stone early on, concerned about what he might want to do with the story because Kilmer didnt believe in or want to promote substance abuse. Kilmer saw Morrison as having picked the wrong heroes, who had different issues, Kilmer saw Morrisons story as one that could be told a thousand different ways and didnt want to tell it by playing the role in the style of drugs, with which Oliver Stone agreed
30.
Ethan Hawke
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Ethan Green Hawke is an American actor, writer, and director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards and a Tony Award, Hawke has directed two feature films, three Off-Broadway plays, and a documentary, and written the novels The Hottest State, Ash Wednesday, and Rules for a Knight. He made his debut in 1985 with the science fiction feature Explorers. He then appeared in films before taking a role in the 1994 Generation X drama Reality Bites. Hawke was further honored with SAG Award nominations for films, along with BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for the latter. Hawke was born in Austin, Texas, to Leslie, a charity worker, and James Hawke, Hawkes parents were high school sweethearts in Fort Worth, Texas, and married young, when Hawkes mother was 17. Hawke was born a year later, Hawkes parents were students at the University of Texas at Austin at the time of his birth, and separated and later divorced in 1974. After the separation, Hawke was then raised by his mother, the two relocated several times, before settling in New York City, where Hawke attended the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn Heights. Hawkes mother remarried when he was 10 and the moved to West Windsor Township, New Jersey. He later transferred to the Hun School of Princeton, a boarding school. In high school, Hawke aspired to be a writer, and he twice enrolled in New York Universitys English program, but dropped out both times to pursue acting roles. Hawke obtained his mothers permission to attend his first casting call at age 14 and he secured his first film role in 1985s Explorers, in which he played an alien-obsessed schoolboy alongside River Phoenix. The film received favorable reviews but had poor box office revenues, Hawke later described the disappointment as difficult to bear at such a young age, adding I would never recommend that a kid act. His next film appearance was not until 1989s comedy drama Dad, in 1989, Hawke made his breakthrough appearance, playing a shy student opposite Robin Williamss inspirational English teacher in Dead Poets Society. The film was critically well-received, the Variety reviewer noted Hawke, with revenue of US$235 million worldwide, the film remains Hawkes most commercially successful picture to date. Hawke later described the opportunities he was offered as a result of the success as critical to his decision to continue acting, I didnt want to be an actor. But then the success was so monumental that I was getting offers to be in such interesting movies and be in such interesting places, Hawkes next film, 1991s White Fang, brought his first leading role. The film, an adaptation of Jack Londons novel of the name, featured Hawke as Jack Conroy
31.
Sundance Film Festival
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The Sundance Film Festival, a program of the Sundance Institute, is an American film festival that takes place annually in Park City, Utah. With 46,660 attendees in 2016, it is the largest independent film festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the 2017 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 to January 29,2017. Sundance began in Salt Lake City in August 1978, as the Utah/US Film Festival in an effort to more filmmakers to Utah. It was founded by Sterling Van Wagenen, John Earle, the 1978 festival featured films such as Deliverance, A Streetcar Named Desire, Midnight Cowboy, Mean Streets, and The Sweet Smell of Success. The festival also highlighted the work of filmmakers who worked outside the Hollywood system. The jury of the 1978 festival was headed by Gary Allison, and included Verna Fields, Linwood G. Dunn, Katharine Ross, Charles E. Sellier Jr. Mark Rydell, and Anthea Sylbert. More than 60 films were screened at the festival that year, also that year, the first Frank Capra Award went to Jimmy Stewart. The festival also made a profit for the first time, in 1980, Catania left the festival to pursue a production career in Hollywood. Several factors helped propel the growth of Utah/US Film Festival, first was the involvement of actor and Utah resident Robert Redford, who became the festivals inaugural chairman. By having Redfords name associated with the festival, it received great attention, secondly, the country was hungry for more venues that would celebrate American-made films as the only other festival doing so at the time was the USA Film Festival in Dallas. Response in Hollywood was unprecedented as major studios did all they could to contribute their resources, in 1981, the festival moved to Park City, Utah, and changed the dates from September to January. It was called the US Film and Video Festival, in 1984, the now well-established Sundance Institute, headed by Sterling Van Wagenen, took over management of the US Film Festival. The branding and marketing transition from the US Film Festival to the Sundance Film Festival was managed under the direction of Colleen Allen, Allen Advertising Inc. by appointment of Robert Redford. In 1991 the festival was renamed the Sundance Film Festival, after Redfords character The Sundance Kid from the film Butch Cassidy. The majority of the screenings, including the festivals premieres. The 2013 Sundance London Festival was held April 25–28,2013, Sundance London 2014 took place on April 25–27,2014 at the O2 arena. The Sundance London 2015 Festival was cancelled in an announcement on January 16,2015, Sundance London will return to London in 2016 from June 10–12 at Picturehouse Cinema in Londons West End
32.
Carla Gugino
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Carla Gugino is an American actress. Her feature film work includes starring roles in Son in Law, Sin City, Night at the Museum, Mr. Poppers Penguins, Gugino has had lead roles in the TV series Political Animals, Wayward Pines, and Roadies. Gugino was born in Sarasota, Florida, to Carl Gugino, an orthodontist of Italian descent, and she has said of her upbringing, I lived in a tepee in Northern California and a van in Big Sur. With my dad, I lived in a house with a swimming pool. So I feel like I lived two childhoods and she worked as a teenage fashion model, and took acting classes at the suggestion of her aunt, former Lets Make a Deal spokesmodel Carol Merrill. She eventually came to herself, and with her parents support, was legally emancipated by the time she was 16. Guginos television work during the late 1980s and early 1990s included appearances on Saved by the Bell, the Wonder Years and a recurring role on Falcon Crest. In film, Gugino appeared in the Shelley Long film Troop Beverly Hills and she later appeared in the video to Bon Jovis 1994 song Always. In 1995, Gugino appeared as Nan St. George in the BBC miniseries The Buccaneers an adaptation of Edith Whartons last novel and she appeared as Dr. Gina Simon during the 1999–2000 final season of Chicago Hope. In 2001, she appeared as family matriarch Ingrid Cortez in the first Spy Kids film and that same year she appeared as Jet Lis love interest in the martial arts action thriller The One. She starred in two short-lived TV series, ABCs Elmore Leonard crime drama Karen Sisco in 2003, and CBSs science fiction series Threshold in 2005 and that same year, Gugino appeared as Lucille in the feature film adaptation of Frank Millers graphic novel, Sin City. The following year, she appeared in the movie Night at the Museum, Gugino appeared in the Roundabout Theatre Company play After the Fall opposite Six Feet Unders Peter Krause. In late 2006, she appeared in an Off-Broadway production of Tennessee Williams Suddenly Last Summer opposite Blythe Danner, Gugino appeared as Amanda, Vincent Chases agent, in a dozen episodes of the cable television series Entourage. Gugino appeared nude in the May 2007 issue of Allure and that same year she appeared in the action-horror film Rise, Blood Hunter and the feature film American Gangster. The following year, she played the lead in the thriller Righteous Kill, opposite Robert De Niro. Gugino starred in Chicagos Goodman Theater production of Eugene ONeills Desire Under the Elms from January 17 to February 17,2009 and that April, she received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Actress In a Play for her performance in Desire Under the Elms. Later in November of that year, she appeared as an actress in the comedy film Women in Trouble. In 2011, Gugino appeared as Madame Vera Gorsky in Zack Snyders action-fantasy film Sucker Punch alongside Abbie Cornish, Gugino sang a duet with co-star Oscar Isaac, which appeared in the end credits and in the films soundtrack
33.
Chris Klein (actor)
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Frederick Christopher Chris Klein is an American actor who is best known for playing Chris Oz Ostreicher in the American Pie comedy teen films. Klein was raised in Brookfield, Illinois and he is of German, Irish, and English descent. His mother, Terese, is a teacher, and his father. Klein was the second of three children and his older sister, Debbie, was born in 1978 and his younger brother, Timothy, was born in 1982. As a child, Klein had his first on stage experience by singing This Little Light of Mine in a community theater at the Sheraton Convention Center in Chicago and he lived in the town for thirteen years before his family moved to Omaha, Nebraska. At Millard West High School in Omaha, Klein acted in his high performance of West Side Story, played cornerback and linebacker for the football team. In his senior year, Klein was offered his first professional acting job by director Alexander Payne and he attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. After auditioning for Election, Payne chose Klein and they began filming, the film was released in April 1999 to positive reviews. Soon after, Klein found an amount of work in the film industry while briefly attending TCU. He was next seen in American Pie, acting as Christopher Russell Ostreicher, which opened on July 9,1999, the following year Klein starred in Here on Earth alongside LeeLee Sobieski and Josh Hartnett. Klein reprised his American Pie role in American Pie 2 and American Reunion, in 2002, Klein had a role in the Mel Gibson Vietnam War film We Were Soldiers. Klein starred in the 2002 remake of the film Rollerball, Klein has also appeared in several teen movies, including Just Friends, American Dreamz. In 2014, Klein was cast as an American pilot in the Damien Lay film The Uberkanone and he co-starred in the 2014 comedy indie film Authors Anonymous with Kaley Cuoco. In January 2000, Klein and actress Katie Holmes began dating, the couple became engaged around Christmas of 2003. The couple called off the engagement and ended their relationship in March 2005, Klein met Laina Rose Thyfault, a travel agent, in 2011 at a mutual friends wedding. They got engaged in December 2014 after three years of dating and married eight months later on August 9,2015 in Montana, in March 2016, Klein announced in a tweet that he and his wife were expecting their first child together. His son, Frederick Easton Klein, was born on July 23,2016, Klein was arrested for drunk driving on February 5,2005 in San Diego County. And again in Los Angeles, California on June 16,2010, on June 21,2010, it was announced that Klein had checked into the Cirque Lodge to begin a 30-day alcohol addiction program
34.
Freddie Prinze Jr.
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Freddie James Prinze Jr. is an American actor. He starred in films, such as I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Shes All That, Scooby-Doo. He is currently the voice of Kanan Jarrus in the Disney XD series Star Wars Rebels and he is the husband of Sarah Michelle Gellar and worked for WWE as a producer and director. Prinze was born in Los Angeles, California and he is the only child of actor-comedian Freddie Prinze and real estate agent Katherine Elaine Barber. On January 29,1977, Prinzes father died due to a gunshot wound. Prinze grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and he was raised Roman Catholic, embraces his Hispanic heritage, and speaks Spanish. After graduating from school in 1994, Prinze moved to Los Angeles to audition for television roles. Prinze was cast in a guest role on the ABC TV series Family Matters in 1995 and he then appeared in a few programs and made-for-TV movies, before making his motion picture debut in To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday in 1996. In subsequent years, Prinze experienced success with appearances in youth-oriented movies, I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, made him well-known among teenage audiences. In his first leading role, the romantic comedy Shes All That, the film grossed $63 million in the United States. He guest starred on the popular NBC show, Friends, as a male nanny named Sandy on the series 200th episode. He also appeared as Donny Crane, a character believed to be Denny Cranes son in the ABC legal drama-comedy Boston Legal, Prinze starred in his own television sitcom, titled Freddie. The sitcom is said to some actual events from his life. He guest starred on George Lopez for a crossover with Freddie, in 2004, Prinze accepted a special award from TV Land on behalf of his late father. He thanked his fathers former co-star, Della Reese, for her continued advice, in 2006, he lent his voice to the character of Pi in the computer-animated film Shark Bait. Also in 2007, he lent his voice to the character of Rick in Happily NEver After along with his wife Gellar, Wallace Shawn, Andy Dick, George Carlin, and Sigourney Weaver. In 2008, he auditioned for Jigsaw in Punisher, War Zone and he later voice titular character in animation movie Delgo. In 2010, Prinze guest starred on Psych as Dennis, a school friend of Shawn Spencer
35.
2007 Toronto International Film Festival
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The 2007 Toronto International Film Festival was a 32nd annual film festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It ran from September 6,2007 to September 15,2007, the lineup consisted of 349 films from 55 countries, selected from 4156 submissions. The selection included 275 mid- to feature-length films, of which 234 were premieres, the festival was attended by members of the industry, press and general public. It opened with the premiere of Jeremy Podeswas Fugitive Pieces, a film based on the international bestselling novel by Anne Michaels. Peter Howell of the Toronto Star named Sidney Lumets Before the Devil Knows Youre Dead a major Oscar contender, the audience favourite, David Cronenbergs Eastern Promises, won the top prize at the festival. The New York Times pointed out that two previous winners had gone on to win Best Picture Oscars. Highly discussed but divisive films among the public and critics include comedies Juno and Margot at the Wedding, the Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Across the Universe both won their share of supporters despite previous reports of shooting delays and director-studio clashes. The award was presented at a screening of Jean Renoirs Grand Illusion which Bogdanovich selected to illustrate the importance of film restoration, programme features first or second time Canadian film directors and established Canadian filmmakers who have not previously appeared in the festival. Eight films were selected to appear in the festival, stéphane Lafleurs directorial debut Continental, a Film Without Guns won the Citytv Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film and a CDN$15000 bursary. Quebec-based filmmaker Francis Mankiewiczs Good Riddance was selected, the film has previously won eight Genie Awards and appeared on every Canadas Ten Best film survey. Good Riddance directed by Francis Mankiewicz The Canadian Retrospective programme features a section of films representing an aspect of the history of Canadian cinema and it was the seventh year the festival has held the retrospective. Influential Québécois filmmaker Michel Brault was spotlighted through nine films he directed or shot and he has been credited for his visual style and creating some of the most important films to come from Quebec. In conjunction, the Toronto International Film Festival Group published a book on Brault, Cinema as History, Michel Brault and it included premieres and prize-winning films from other festivals. Sixty-two films were selected, including eight from Canada, eight films were selected between nine filmmakers and artists. Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmáns feature debut Cochochi won the DIESEL Discovery Award, the International Federation of Film Critics returned to the festival for the 16th year and awarded Rodrigo Plás La Zona the FIPRESCI Prize. Clips from their new and upcoming documentaries are screened, the series was opened to the public for the first time. Topics included biography films, Michel Brault, war and democracy, with Nick Fraser The Future Projections programme features non-theatrical installations in various mediums. This marked the inaugural run
36.
Vacancy (film)
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Vacancy is a 2007 American horror film directed by Nimród Antal and starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson. It was released April 20,2007, by the distributor Screen Gems, early in the films development, it was thought Sarah Jessica Parker would star, but, in September 2006, The Hollywood Reporter announced Kate Beckinsale had been signed instead. On their way home from a party, David and Amy Fox. Oddly, when they arrive, there are no cars in the parking lot, at the Office, they hear piercing screams coming from the back room. The motel manager, Mason, appears and explains that the noises are coming from the television, then they book a room only for the night. In their room, the couple hear loud and insistent banging on their door and they also receive anonymous phone calls, despite being told by Mason they are the only people staying there. David notifies Mason of the situation, and he says hell take care of it, back in the room, David looks for recreation & takes a peek at the video tapes left on top of their rooms tv. At first, they appear to be movies, but, after careful observation. David then searches the room, finding hidden security cameras, in the bathroom, the couple is amazed to find the apple Amy left in the car. They flee the room and head for the woods, but two men dressed in blue and wearing masks stop them, so return to the room. David runs to the payphone and dials 9-1-1, but Mason answers. Soon within seconds, David escapes the phone booth with shock just before the men crash their car into it, back in the room, David and Amy hear a truck pull into the parking lot. From the window, they attract the attention, but Mason and the men in masks appear behind him. David and Amy discover a tunnel from a trapdoor in the bathroom and they follow it to the managers office, where they find video monitors taping the entire motel. Amy then gets the cops, but suddenly gets interrupted by Mason before she can give the Dispatcher any useful information, leaving the phone with a lack of help to track them down. Followed by two of the men, the couple sneak back into the tunnel and take a different route underground. They hold the trapdoor down with heavy items, meanwhile, a Sheriffs Deputy responding to Amys call arrives. Mason offers to show the officer around, but he leaves to fetch a different set of keys while the officer continues to search and he finds tapes in one of the rooms and, realizing the nature of the hotel, flees
37.
Luke Wilson
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Luke Cunningham Wilson is an American actor known for his roles in films such as Idiocracy, Old School, Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, Blue Streak, Bongwater, and Legally Blonde. He is the brother of actors Andrew and Owen Wilson and he was a member of the cast of the HBO television series Enlightened. Wilson was born in Dallas, Texas, a son of Robert Andrew Wilson, an executive and previously an executive at KERA, a public television station, and Laura Wilson. His family, originally from Massachusetts, is of Irish Catholic descent and he is the younger brother of actors Andrew Wilson and Owen Wilson. According to his brother Owen, Luke was voted class president the first year he attended St. Marks, wilsons acting career began with the lead role in the short film Bottle Rocket in 1994, which was co-written by his older brother Owen Wilson and director Wes Anderson. It was remade as a film in 1996. After moving to Hollywood with his two brothers, he was cast opposite Calista Flockhart in Telling Lies in America and made a appearance in the film-within-the-film of Scream 2. He played the physician beau of a schoolteacher in Rushmore, also directed by Anderson, in 1999, Blue Streak was released featuring Wilson as detective Carlson. He later starred opposite Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde, Wilson also had a role on That 70s Show, as Michael Kelsos older brother Casey Kelso, appearing sporadically from 2002 through 2005. In 2006, Wilson starred in Idiocracy, Mike Judges first film since 1999s Office Space and he portrayed an ordinary serviceman chosen for a cryogenics project. He awakens after hundreds of years in an America which is less intelligent. In early 2007, Wilson starred opposite Kate Beckinsale in the thriller Vacancy, in July 2007, he worked on Henry Poole is Here in La Mirada, California, which was released in 2008. He starred in the film Tenure in 2009, in 2010, he appeared in films Death at a Funeral and Middle Men. From 2011 to 2013 he starred in the HBO TV series Enlightened, Wilson and brother Owen have co-written a Wright Brothers biopic, in which they also plan to star. Marks School of Texas Luke Wilson at the Internet Movie Database
38.
Kate Beckinsale
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Kathrin Romary Kate Beckinsale is a British actress. After some minor roles, she made her film debut in Much Ado About Nothing while still a student at the University of Oxford. She then appeared in British costume dramas such as Prince of Jutland, Cold Comfort Farm, Emma and she followed those with appearances in The Aviator and Click. Since being cast as Selene in the Underworld film series, Beckinsale has become known primarily for her work in films, including Van Helsing, Whiteout, Contraband. She also continues to make appearances in smaller projects such as Snow Angels, Nothing but the Truth. In 2016, she appeared in Whit Stillmans Jane Austen comedy Love & Friendship, Beckinsale was born in Chiswick, London, England. She is the child of actor Richard Beckinsale and actress Judy Loe. She is the younger half-sister of Samantha Beckinsale and her father was of one-quarter Burmese descent. She made her first television appearance at the age of four, when she was five years old, her 31-year-old father died suddenly of a heart attack. Beckinsale was deeply traumatised by the loss and started expecting bad things to happen and her widowed mother moved in with director Roy Battersby when Beckinsale was nine and she was brought up alongside his four sons and daughter. She has a relationship with her step-father, who was a member of the Workers Revolutionary Party during her childhood. Beckinsale helped to sell The News Line, a Trotskyist newspaper, family friends included Ken Loach and Vanessa Redgrave. Beckinsale has a paternal half-sister, actress Samantha Beckinsale, but they have not had regular contact, Beckinsale was educated at Godolphin and Latymer School, an independent school for girls in Hammersmith, West London and was involved with the Orange Tree Youth Theatre. She was a winner of the WH Smith Young Writers Award for both fiction and poetry. She has described herself as a late bloomer, All of my friends were kissing boys, I found it really depressing that we werent making camp fires and everyone was doing grown-up stuff. She had a breakdown and developed anorexia at the age of 15. Beckinsale read French and Russian literature at New College, Oxford, and was described by a contemporary, journalist Victoria Coren Mitchell, as whip-clever, slightly nuts. She was involved with the Oxford University Dramatic Society, most notably being directed by fellow student Tom Hooper in a production of A View from the Bridge at the Oxford Playhouse
39.
Like Sunday, Like Rain
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Like Sunday, Like Rain is a 2014 American drama independent film written and directed by Frank Whaley, and starring Leighton Meester, Debra Messing, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Julian Shatkin. Like Sunday, Like Rain was shot in New York City and it was shot in 20 days and included filming in all five New York boroughs in summer 2013. The film premiered internationally on September 27,2014 at Raindance Film Festival in the United Kingdom, and premiered in the United States on October 6,2014 at the Mill Valley Film Festival. The film was given a release in early 2015. The film is a coming of age story, between a live-in babysitter with a 12-year-old skeptical prodigy, in Brooklyn, 23-year-old Eleanor breaks up with her failing and disloyal musician boyfriend, Dennis. She has to move out of Dennis apartment and crash at a friends place, unfortunately, Dennis refuses to let her go and confronts her at her work, Dennis tirade costs Eleanor her job. Eleanor tries to seek support, but her family isnt willing to help. She crashes at her friends one last time before seeking a temporary job. In the Upper West Side lives Reggie, a cellist and all-round genius whos bored and he lives a solitary life as his parents dont have time for him and relegates caretakers to watch after him. His most recent caretaker had to go back to Panama and Reggies mother, Barbara, posts an ad for a temporary sitter, despite being a genius, Reggie is treated like a child. He does his best to get around his mothers arrangements by bribing the people in his life to spread the idea that hes obedient, upon meeting him, Eleanor is touched to hear Reggies composition Like Sunday, Like Rain and the two strike an unlikely friendship. As summer camp approaches, Eleanor tries to get Reggie to go, in this time Dennis stalks Eleanor, wishing to talk and get back together. However, Eleanor makes it clear that they are broken up, Dennis promises to get back at her for breaking his guitar, later, while hanging at the park, Reggie becomes more fascinated with Eleanor. Eleanors father is ill and she has to go upstate to see him. Eleanor originally plans go away a few days, but Reggie suggests he go with her, back in her hometown Reggie gets to see Eleanors life and her dysfunctional family. Eleanors sister works at a bar, while her mother and uncle are care-free about Eleanors father. Looking after Reggies interest and unable to stand the situation at home, Eleanor takes him to a hotel to have some peace, there Eleanor tells Reggie how she met Dennis, the messy relations with her family, and that she nearly went to Juilliard to study the cornet. Reggie is intrigued that Eleanor can play — she explains she wanted to play the trumpet, before they go to sleep, Reggie promises to write a cornet piece to include Eleanor in his single
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Debra Messing
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Debra Lynn Messing is an American actress. She is known for her television roles, most notably her eight-year run playing Grace Adler on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace. Following her graduation from New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts, Messing had short lived tenures on the Fox sitcom Ned & Stacey and the ABC sci-fi Prey. She rose to prominence in her role as interior designer Grace Adler on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace and she has also received acclaim for her work as Molly Kagan in the cable series The Starter Wife. More recently she has played Julia Houston in the musical-drama series Smash and Detective Laura Diamond in the comedy The Mysteries of Laura, both on NBC. Messings film work includes A Walk in the Clouds, The Mothman Prophecies, Jesus, Hollywood Ending, Along Came Polly, The Wedding Date, Lucky You, The Women and she has also voiced roles in several animated films such as Garfield and Open Season. Throughout her career, she has received six Emmy Award nominations, winning one and she has also received eight Golden Globe Award nominations. Messing is Jewish, and had a Bat Mitzvah ceremony, her ancestors emigrated from Poland, when Messing was three, she moved with her parents and her older brother, Brett, to East Greenwich, Rhode Island. During her high school years, she acted and sang in a number of school productions at East Greenwich High School, including the starring roles in the musicals Annie. She took lessons in dance, singing, and acting, in 1986, she was Rhode Islands Junior Miss and competed in Mobile, Alabama, in the Americas Junior Miss scholarship program. While her parents encouraged her dream of becoming an actress, they urged her to complete a liberal arts education before deciding on acting as a career. Following their advice, she attended Brandeis University, where at her parents request, during her junior year, she studied theater at the prestigious London based British European Studio Group program, an experience that consolidated her desire to act. She earned a Master of Fine Arts after three years, in 1993, Messing won acclaim for her acting in the pre-Broadway workshop production of Tony Kushners play Angels in America, Perestroika. Subsequently, she appeared in episodes of the television series NYPD Blue during 1994 and 1995. In 1995, Messing made her debut in Alfonso Araus A Walk in the Clouds playing the unfaithful wife of main character Paul Sutton. This exposure led the Fox network to make her the co-star of the television sitcom, the series lasted for two seasons, from 1995 to 1997. Messing appeared as Jerry Seinfelds romantic interest in two episodes of the series Seinfeld, The Wait Out in 1996 and The Yada Yada in 1997. Messing turned down a role in another television sitcom to appear in Donald Marguliess two-character play Collected Stories
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Leighton Meester
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Leighton Marissa Meester is an American actress, singer-songwriter and model. She is mostly known for her role as Blair Waldorf in the drama series Gossip Girl. She has also appeared in the films Killer Movie, Country Strong, The Roommate, Monte Carlo, The Oranges, Meester made her Broadway debut in Of Mice and Men. In addition to acting, Meester has also ventured into music, in 2009, she featured on Cobra Starships Good Girls Go Bad which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, and released her first single Somebody to Love under Universal Republic. Her second single Your Loves a Drug was released in 2011, Meester has also recorded songs for various soundtracks. Her debut album, Heartstrings, was released in 2014. She has also modeled, having been the face of such as Jimmy Choo, Herbal Essences. Meester was born in Florida to Constance and Douglas Meester, and lived most of her life in New York City and her ancestry includes German, Dutch, English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh. Her father works for a company and her mother is a writer. At the time of her birth, her mother was serving time in a prison for her involvement in a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Jamaica to the United States. She has a brother, Alexander, who is eight years younger, in 2009, Meester joked, Look, I couldve turned out a lot worse. In 2011, Meester sued her mother for alleged financial misconduct, Meester grew up in Marco Island, Florida, where she participated in productions at a local playhouse. When she was 11 years old, Meester and her mother moved to New York City and she also booked commercials for Tamagotchi and Clearasil, and modelled for Limited Too alongside Amanda Seyfried. Meester made her acting debut as a murder victims friend on an episode of Law & Order. At 14, Meester moved to Los Angeles, wanting more stable work and she then transferred to a small private school and graduated a year early. She then appeared in Tarzan, which ran for eight episodes. Meester started to book guest roles in series such as Crossing Jordan,8 Simple Rules, 7th Heaven, Veronica Mars,24. In 2005, she was cast in a role on the series Surface as Savannah Barnett
