1.
Drew Struzan
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Drew Struzan is an American artist known for his more than 150 movie posters, which include all the films in the Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, and Star Wars film series. He has also painted covers, collectibles, and book covers. Drew Struzan was born May 14,1947, in Oregon City, in 1965, at age 18, he enrolled at the Art Center College of Design, then in West Los Angeles, California. A counselor asked Struzan about his interests and told him he had a choice between fine art or illustration, the counselor described the two careers, telling Struzan that as a fine artist he could paint what he wanted, but as an illustrator he could paint for money. Struzan chose to be an illustrator, saying, I need to eat, in his first year, he married and became a father. Struzan worked his way through school by selling his artwork and accepting small commissions and he graduated in five years, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors. He also completed two years of studies, and eventually returned to the school in later years, after the campus relocated to Pasadena. About his career, Struzan has said, I was poor and hungry, I had nothing as a child. I drew on toilet paper with pencils – that was the paper around. Probably why I love drawing so much today is because it was just all I had at the time. After graduating from college, Struzan remained in Los Angeles, and a trip to an employment agency found him a job as a staff artist for Pacific Eye & Ear, a design studio. There he began designing album covers under the direction of Ernie Cefalu, among these, Struzan illustrated the album cover artwork for Alice Coopers Welcome to My Nightmare, which Rolling Stone would go on to vote one of the Top 100 Album Covers Of All Time. Despite the burgeoning demand for his talents, however, Struzan was still only earning $150 to $250 per album cover, along with a friend with a background in the movie industry, Struzan started a small company, Pencil Pushers, in a collaboration that would last eight years. It was during this time that he honed his distinctive style and first became proficient in the use of the airbrush. His first film poster works started appearing in 1975, although in early days Struzan mainly did artwork for B-movies, such as Empire of the Ants, Food of the Gods. While his talent steadily grew in demand, it was his work done for a major science-fiction movie that would establish Struzan, White, uncomfortable with portraiture, asked Struzan for his help on the project. As such, Struzan painted the characters in oil paints and White focused on the ships, Darth Vader, C-3PO. The unique poster design, popularly called the Circus poster, depicts what appears to be a torn posted bill on a construction site wall
2.
Kenny Ortega
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Kenneth John Kenny Ortega is an American producer, director, and choreographer. He is best known for directing Hocus Pocus, the High School Musical trilogy, Descendants, Ortega was born in Palo Alto, California, the son of Madeline, a waitress, and Octavio Tibby Ortega, a factory worker. Both of his parents were born in Palo Alto, though his paternal grandparents were Spanish immigrants. He attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California, where he was a cheerleader and he also worked with The Tubes on their stage shows and directed the video for Shes a Beauty. Ortega directed Billy Squiers Rock Me Tonite video, which is cited as the worst music promo clip ever made and has been blamed by Squier for killing his career. Together with Michael Jackson, he created and designed the Dangerous World Tour 1992-1993 and he has also choreographed events ranging from Super Bowl XXX, the 72nd Academy Awards, the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 2002 Winter Olympics. In addition, Ortega has directed and choreographed High School Musical, High School Musical 2, High School Musical 3, Senior Year, on January 30,2008, Ortega presented director-choreographer Adam Shankman with a Lifetime Achievement Award at The Carnival, Choreographers Ball 9th anniversary show. In May 2009, Ortega began work on the scheduled Michael Jackson 50-date This Is It concerts and he directed the concert film Michael Jacksons This Is It which was put together from rehearsal footage recorded at the Los Angeles Forum and the Staples Center. The film was released on October 28, Ortega directed the Michael Jackson Public Memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, which was broadcast live on several networks on July 7,2009. It reached an audience of 31 million in America, and more than 1 billion worldwide. He was set to direct the 2011 Footloose remake, but dropped out in October 2009, Ortega is now set to direct the upcoming movie adaptation of the Broadway musical In the Heights. On August 9,2011, it was announced that Ortega will direct a remake of Dirty Dancing, on May 12,2014, Ortega guest-judged on the 18th season of Dancing with the Stars during the semifinals. In 2014, Ortega signed with Disney to direct Descendants, a new Disney Channel Original Movie and it was released July 31,2015. Official website Kenny Ortega at the Internet Broadway Database Kenny Ortega at the Internet Movie Database Kenny Orgeta at MVDbase. com
3.
Mick Garris
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Mick Garris is an American filmmaker and screenwriter born in Santa Monica, California. Garris was born in Santa Monica, California, Garris won a 1986 Edgar Award for an episode he wrote for the Steven Spielberg-produced television series Amazing Stories. Garris directed the FEARnet web series Post Mortem and he hosted the double feature re-release of The People Under the Stairs and The Serpent and The Rainbow on 20 February 2010 in the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. He contributes to the web series Trailers From Hell, Garris was also the co-screenwriter and executive producer of Hocus Pocus. He has a role, as Himself in the Biography Horror film Digging Up the Marrow, as of 2015, he is also a member of the board of advisers for the Hollywood Horror Museum. Garris received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2006 New York City Horror Film Festival and he received the award in person after a screening of his Masters of Horror episode Valerie on the Stairs
4.
Bette Midler
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Bette Midler is an American singer, songwriter, actress, comedian, and film producer. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Midler began her career in several Off-Off-Broadway plays, prior to her engagements in Fiddler on the Roof. She came to prominence in 1970 when she began singing in the Continental Baths, since 1970, Midler has released 14 studio albums as a solo artist. In 2008, she signed a contract with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to perform a series of shows titled Bette Midler, The Showgirl Must Go On, Midler made her motion picture debut in 1979 with The Rose, which earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress. In the following years, she starred in a string of hit films, including, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Outrageous Fortune, Beaches, The First Wives Club, and The Stepford Wives. She starred in For the Boys and Gypsy, and won two additional Golden Globe awards for these films, in a career spanning almost half a century, Midler has won three Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a special Tony Award. She has sold over 35 million records worldwide, and has received four Gold, Midler is currently appearing on Broadway in a revival of Hello, Dolly. which began preview performances on March 15,2017, and will premiere at the Shubert Theatre on April 20th. It is her first leading role in a Broadway musical, Midler was born in Honolulu, where her family was one of the few Jewish families in a mostly Asian neighborhood. Her mother, Ruth, was a seamstress and housewife, and her father, Fred Midler, worked at a Navy base in Hawaii as a painter, and was also a housepainter. She was named after actress Bette Davis, though Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one, /ˈbɛt/ and she was raised in Aiea and attended Radford High School, in Honolulu. She was voted Most Talkative in the 1961 school Hoss Election, Midler majored in drama at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and was a sister of Delta Phi Epsilon international sorority, but left after three semesters. She earned money in the 1966 film Hawaii as an extra, Midler married artist Martin von Haselberg on December 16,1984, about six weeks after their first meeting. Their daughter, Sophie von Haselberg, who is also an actress, was born on November 14,1986, Midler relocated to New York City in the summer of 1965, using money from her work in the film Hawaii. She landed her first professional role in Tom Eyens Off-Off-Broadway plays in 1965, Miss Nefertiti Regrets and Cinderella Revisited, a childrens play by day. From 1966 to 1969, she played the role of Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway, after Fiddler, she joined the original cast of Salvation in 1969. She began singing in the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in the Ansonia Hotel, during this time, she became close to her piano accompanist, Barry Manilow, who produced her first album in 1972, The Divine Miss M. It was during her time at the Continental Baths that she built up a core following. In the late 1990s, during the release of her album Bathhouse Betty, Midler commented on her time performing there, Despite the way turned out
5.
Sarah Jessica Parker
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Sarah Jessica Parker is an American actress, producer, and designer. She is known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex. She won two Emmy Awards for the show, one for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2001 and another for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2004. For this role, she won four Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. She reprised the role in the films, Sex and the City and Sex, Parker made her Broadway debut at the age of 11 in the 1976 revival of The Innocents, before going on to star in the title role of the Broadway musical, Annie, in 1979. She appeared in the 1984 films Footloose and Firstborn, and returned to Broadway in the 1989 play, The Heidi Chronicles. Other film roles include, L. A. Story, Honeymoon in Vegas, Hocus Pocus, Ed Wood, The First Wives Club, The Family Stone, and Failure to Launch. In 2012, Parker returned to television for the first time since Sex and she is currently starring in the HBO series, Divorce. Sarah Jessica Parker was born in Nelsonville, Ohio, the daughter of Barbara Parker, a school operator and teacher, and Stephen Parker. She was one of a total of eight children from her parents marriage, after her parents divorce, her mother married Paul Forste, a truck driver and account executive who was a part of Parkers life from an early age. Parkers father, a native of Brooklyn, is Jewish, his familys surname was Bar-Kahn. Parkers mother is of German, and some English, descent, through her mother, Parker is descended from Esther Elwell, Parker has identified culturally with her fathers religion, Judaism, although she has had no religious training. She has said that even while her family lived in Cincinnati, as a young girl, Parker trained in singing and ballet, and was soon cast in the Broadway revival of William Archibalds The Innocents. Her family moved to Cincinnati and then to Dobbs Ferry, New York, near New York City, There, her mother and stepfather helped Parker develop her career as a child actress. In 1977, the moved to the newly opened planned community on Roosevelt Island. The family later moved to Englewood, New Jersey, where Parker attended Dwight Morrow High School, Parker and four siblings appeared in a production of The Sound of Music at the outdoor Municipal Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri. Parker held the role for a year, in 1982, Parker was cast as the co-lead of the CBS sitcom Square Pegs. The show lasted just one season, but Parkers performance, as a shy teen who showed hidden depths, was well received
6.
Kathy Najimy
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Kathy Ann Najimy is an American actress and comedian. Prior to her work, Najimy was best known for two Off-Broadway shows with Mo Gaffney working as the duo Kathy and Mo. One of the shows became an HBO comedy special and garnered Najimy her first nationwide fan base, Najimy was born on February 6,1957 in San Diego, California, the daughter of Lebanese American parents Samia and Fred Najimy, a postal worker. She was raised Roman Catholic and attended Crawford High School, najimys film career began in the early 1990s, with a number of off-beat minor roles, but her first major role was in the 1992 comedy Sister Act, in the role of Sister Mary Patrick. She reprised this role in 1993 in Sister Act 2 and she also starred in Hocus Pocus with Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker as the Sanderson sisters. In 1997, she lent her voice to Warner Bros, in 1998, she made a cameo in Bride of Chucky as the maid who discovers Diane and Russ bodies. In 1999, she played the Stepmother in CinderElmo a primetime special for Sesame Street, in 2001, she co-starred in the hit comedy film Rat Race alongside John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Cuba Gooding, Jr. Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Lovitz and Seth Green. She guest starred in Thats So Raven and she has made four movies with Goldberg. From film, Najimy expanded into television roles, including a recurring role on Chicago Hope. Najimy was part of the cast of Veronicas Closet from 1997 to 2000 and she co-created and starred in the hit Off-Broadway show and HBO specials Kathy & Mo, with friend and actress Mo Gaffney. She appeared as Mae West in the Broadway hit Dirty Blonde and she also portrayed Dr. Mildred Finch on Numb3rs. Najimy also provided the voice of the teacher, Miss Thespius, in the 1998 Disney show Hercules. In 2003, Najimy provided the voice of Margalo in Stuart Little, The Animated Series, taking over from Melanie Griffith. She is the co-creator and director of the musical revue Back to Bacharach and David, which ran in New York City in 1992 and 1993, and she also appeared in Drop Dead Diva. In October 2009, Najimy played a police investigating an attack on Wisteria Lane on an episode of Desperate Housewives. In March 2010, she appeared in the Ugly Betty episode Million Dollar Smile, portraying Bettys new orthodontist, in July 2011, Najimy appeared in TNTs Franklin and Bash episode Bangover, playing a judge. Premiering in August 2015, Najimy appeared in Disneys Descendants as the Evil Queen, in the movie, she makes references to her previous role as Mary Sanderson in Hocus Pocus. Najimy, an outspoken feminist, is noted as an activist for human rights
7.
Thora Birch
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Thora Birch is an American actress. She had early roles in the short-lived sitcom Day by Day and in Purple People Eater and she also starred in other films, such as All I Want for Christmas, Patriot Games, Hocus Pocus, Monkey Trouble, Now and Then and Alaska. Her breakthrough role came in 1999 with the Academy Award winning film American Beauty and her performance was well received by both critics and audiences and brought Birch to international recognition. She later played the role in Ghost World for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. She appeared in independent films, such as Dark Corners, Train, Birch was born in Los Angeles, the eldest child of Jack Birch and Carol Connors. Her parents, who have been her business managers throughout her career, are former adult film actors. Birch is of German Jewish, Scandinavian and Italian ancestry, the familys original surname was Biersch. Her name, Thora, is derived from the name of the Norse god of thunder and lightning, Thor, Birch appeared in commercials in the late 1980s for Burger King, California Raisins, Quaker Oats and Vlasic Pickles. Also in 1988, she guest-starred in an episode of Doogie Howser, M. D. and was cast as Molly in the NBC television series Day By Day, the show aired for two seasons on NBC and earned her two Young Artist Award nominations. In 1990, Birch had one of the roles in the sitcom Parenthood. It aired on NBC and was cancalled after one season, in the next year, she starred in the drama Paradise, with Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith and Elijah Wood. She won her role more than 4,000 other young hopefuls who auditioned for it. Roger Ebert felt she played her part with strong, simple charm, for the rest of the 1990s, Birch continued to find steady recognition as a child and teen actress through leading parts in numerous comedy and family feature films. She starred in the romantic comedy All I Want for Christmas, as a girl who plans to get her parents back together for Christmas. The film received reviews and moderate attention from audiences upon its theatrical premiere. In 1992, she played the daughter of Jack Ryan in the spy thriller Patriot Games, Birch appeared in the fantasy comedy Hocus Pocus, opposite Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker. The film saw her play the younger sister of a boy who inadvertently ressurects a villainous trio of witches. Hocus Pocus rated average with reviewers and made a modest US$39 million in the US, in the 1994 comedy Monkey Trouble, Birch portrayed a girl who adopts a Capuchin monkey trained to pick pockets and burglarize houses
8.
John Debney
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Debney is an American film composer and conductor. He received an Academy Award nomination for his score for Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ and he also composed the score for Cutthroat Island, which has been celebrated by music critics as a notable example of swashbuckling film music. The son of Disney Studios producer Louis Debney, John was born and raised in nearby Glendale, California, Debney earned his B. A. degree in Music Composition from the California Institute of Arts in 1979. Two weeks after graduating from CalArts, he got a job at copying department at Disney, one day, Buddy Baker saw him and had him arrange music that would later be used for different pavilions and rides at EPCOT Center. After three years at Disney, he freelanced for television composer Mike Post, Debney furthered his hands-on training by working with Hanna-Barbera composer Hoyt Curtin. In the early 1990s, Debney began to score indie films, in 1991, Debney composed the music for Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris and SpectroMagic at Magic Kingdom. In 1993, he scored his first studio feature, the Disney comedy Hocus Pocus starring Bette Midler, Debney has also composed scores for the video games Lair and The Sims Medieval. In 2010, he composed the music for the Nickelodeon television series Supah Ninjas. John Debney at the Internet Movie Database John Debneys official website John Debney Tribute at Filmtracks. com
9.
Hiro Narita
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Hiro Narita is a Japanese-American cinematographer. Narita was born in 1941, in Seoul, Korea to Japanese parents, in 1945, he and his family moved to Nara, Japan, and later to Tokyo. Following his fathers death and his mothers remarriage to a Japanese American, he immigrated in 1957 to Honolulu. He went on to the San Francisco Art Institute where he received a BFA in Graphic Design in 1964 and he quickly landed a good position at a prominent local design firm, but the job lasted barely six months before he was drafted into the U. S. Army. For two years, he served as a designer and photographer at the Pentagon, an avid movie fan since childhood, Narita decided to go into filmmaking rather than go back into graphic design upon his return to San Francisco in the mid-sixties. In 1976, he was one of the operators on Martin Scorseses documentary The Last Waltz about the last concert of The Band. Later, he worked on projects like Apocalypse Now, More American Graffiti, for his cinematography on the movie Never Cry Wolf he won the Boston Society of Film Critics Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award in 1983. In 1989, he photographed the Visual Effects in the Steven Spielberg film Always, in the following years, he was the Director of Photography on successful films like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Star Trek VI, The Undiscovered Country, Dirty Pictures, and The Rocketeer. Narita served as Director of Photography on the 1997 Live Action Short Film Academy Award winning Visas and he also directed the 1997 hour-long documentary film, Isamu Noguchi, Stones and Paper. He has taught at San Francisco Art Institute, lectured, and he is a member of American Society of Cinematographers and Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. Hiro Narita at the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers Hiro Narita at the Internet Movie Database
10.
Walt Disney Pictures
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Walt Disney Pictures, Inc. is an American film production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The subsidiary is based at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California and it took on its current name in 1983. Today, in conjunction with the units of Walt Disney Studios. Animated films such as those by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios are released under this brand. Pirates of the Caribbean series is the corporations most successful franchise, the studios predecessor was founded as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, by filmmaker Walt Disney and his business partner and brother, Roy, in 1923. The creation of Mickey Mouse and subsequent short films and merchandise generated revenue for the studio which was renamed as The Walt Disney Studio at the Hyperion Studio in 1926, in 1929, it was renamed again to Walt Disney Productions. With the profits from Snow White, Walt relocated to a studio in Burbank. In the 1940s, Disney began experimenting with full-length live-action films, with the introduction of hybrid live action-animated films such as The Reluctant Dragon and Song of the South. By 1953, the company ended their agreements with such third-party distributors as RKO Radio Pictures and United Artists and formed their own distribution company, Buena Vista Distribution. The Walt Disney Productions in April 1983 incorporated its film division as Walt Disney Pictures, Inc. Touchstone Films banner was used by then new Disney CEO Michael Eisner in the 1984–85 television season with the short lived western, Wildside. The next TV season, Touchstone produced a hit with The Golden Girls, David Hoberman was promoted to president of production, Walt Disney Pictures in April 1988. In April 1994, Hoberman was promoted to president of motion pictures at Walt Disney Studios and was replaced as Disney President by David Vogel. Vogel added the position of Hollywood Pictures in 1997, then was promoted in 1998 to head up all live action motion picture units as president of Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group, Pirates of the Caribbean launched a film series and made the ride into a franchise. After four Pirates sequels, the franchise took in more than $5.4 billion worldwide, so, the corporation was looking for addition of the ride adaptations. In 2010, Disney released Alice in Wonderland, an adaptation of the 1951 animated film of the name that became the second $1 billion-grossing film in the studios history. The film began a trend of fantasy genre films being green-lit. With sister units Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm successfully targeting the male market, with the success of Maleficent and Cinderella, the studio announced a whole series of live-action adaptations of animated films as being in early stages. The Jungle Book cemented this trend with a global near billion-dollar box office, some adaptations are sequels to existing adaptations, origin stories and prequels
11.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor owned by The Walt Disney Company. The division took on its current name in late 2007, which before that had been Buena Vista Pictures Distribution since 1987, before 1953, Walt Disneys productions were distributed by Columbia Pictures, United Artists and RKO Radio Pictures. The name Buena Vista came from the street in Burbank, California, Buena Vistas first release was the Academy Award–winning live-action feature The Living Desert on November 10,1953 along with Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, Buena Vistas first animated release. Notable subsequent releases include the film, Yang Kwei Fei, released in US theaters in September 1956, The Missouri Traveler in March 1958. In April 1960, the company dropped Film from its name, in 1961, Disney incorporated Buena Vista International, distributing its first PG rated film, Take Down, in January 1979. The low-budget movie was not produced by the Disney studios and was acquired from an independent studio, in July 1987, Buena Vista changed its name to Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. Late in the 1980s, Disney purchased a stake in one of Pacific Theatres chain leading to Disneys Buena Vista Theaters and Pacific to renovate the El Capitan Theatre. The Crest was finished first while El Capitan opened with the premiere of The Rocketeer film on June 19,1991, the corporation purchased a 12. 8% share in Cinergi with its initial public offering in 1994. Soon, BVPD signed a 25 picture distribution deal with Cinergi, the Gaumont Film Company and Walt Disney formed Gaumont Buena Vista International, their joint venture French distribution company, in 1993. In August 1996, Disney and Tokuma Shoten Publishing agreed that Disney would distribute internationally Studio Ghibli animated films, in September 1996, following Disneys acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. was merged into ABC, Inc. the parent company of that group. In July 1998, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution purchased the Hollywood Masonic Temple building to continue using it as a promotional venue, by 1997, BVPDs share in Cinergi dropped to 5%.4 million and other loans. In 2002, Disney signed a four animated film deal with Vanguard Animation, however, since 2004, BVI and Gaumont dissolved their French distribution joint venture, Gaumont Buena Vista International. Buena Vista International agreed to a deal with MegaStar Joint Venture Company Limited in April 2006 for the Vietnam market. In April 2007, Disney discontinued using the Buena Vista brand in its distribution branding, the distribution deal ended in 2016, after DreamWorks and Disney decided to not renew their agreement in December 2015, with Universal replacing Disney as DreamWorks distributor. By the end of the deal, Disney had distributed 14 of DreamWorks original 30-picture agreement, Disney took complete ownership of the DreamWorks II film library in exchange for loans made to that company. In addition, Disney is the first of three studios that have released at least two billion-dollar films in the same year. Furthermore, Disney is the studio that has achieved this four times, in 2010,2013,2015, and 2016—that latter year of which included four $1 billion releases. Four of the top five highest-grossing animated films have been released by Disney, in addition, four of the top-five opening weekends were Disney releases
12.
Comedy horror
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Comedy horror is a literary and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types, black comedy, parody and spoof, the genre almost inevitably crosses over with the black comedy genre. Comedy horror will often use satire on horror cliches as its source of humour or take a story in a different perspective, such as The Cabin in the Woods. Author Bruce G. Hallenbeck cites the short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving as the first great comedy horror story, the story made readers laugh one moment and scream the next, and its premise was based on mischief typically found during the holiday Halloween. Horror and comedy have been associated with each other since the days of horror novels. Shortly after the publication of Frankenstein, comedic parodies appeared, edgar Allan Poe put humor and horror on the same continuum, and many nineteenth century authors used black humor in their horror stories. Contemporary author Robert Bloch called them opposite sides of the same coin, in comedy horror film, gallows humor is a common element. In the era of silent film, the material for early comedy horror films came from stage performances instead of literature. One example, The Ghost Breaker, was based on a 1909 play, in the United States following the trauma of World War I, film audiences sought to see horror on screen but tempered with humor. The pioneering comedy horror film was One Exciting Night, written, directed, and produced by D. W. Griffith, while the film included blackface performances, Griffith also included footage of a hurricane for a climactic storm. As an early experiment, the genres were not well-balanced with horror and comedy. Charles Bramesco of Vulture. com identifies Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein as the first commercially successful horror film. Its success legitimized the genre and established it as commercially viable, List of comedy-horror films List of genres Zombie comedy – a subgenre involving zombies Hallenbeck, Bruce G. Comedy-Horror Films, A Chronological History, 1914–2008. Jefferson, NC, McFarland & Company, Inc, transnational Horror Across Visual Media, Fragmented Bodies. Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies
13.
Fantasy film
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Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction films and horror films, Fantasy films often have an element of magic, myth, wonder, escapism, and the extraordinary. Several sub-categories of fantasy films can be identified, although the delineations between these subgenres, much as in literature, are somewhat fluid. The most common fantasy subgenres depicted in movies are High Fantasy and Sword, both categories typically employ quasi-medieval settings, wizards, magical creatures and other elements commonly associated with fantasy stories. High Fantasy films tend to feature a more richly developed fantasy world, often, they feature a hero of humble origins and a clear distinction between good and evil set against each other in an epic struggle. Many scholars cite J. R. R, to some, the term Sword and Sandal has pejorative connotations, designating a film with a low-quality script, bad acting and poor production values. Another important subgenre of films that has become more popular in recent years is contemporary fantasy. Such films feature magical effects or supernatural occurrences happening in the world of today. Fantasy films set in the afterlife, called Bangsian Fantasy, are less common, other uncommon subgenres include Historical Fantasy and Romantic Fantasy, although 2003s Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl successfully incorporated elements of both. As noted above, superhero movies and fairy tale films might each be considered subgenres of fantasy films, as a cinematic genre, fantasy has traditionally not been regarded as highly as the related genre of science fiction film. Since the late 1990s, however, the genre has gained new respectability in a way, tolkiens The Lord of the Rings and J. K. Jacksons The Lord of the Rings trilogy is due to its ambitious scope, serious tone. These pictures achieved phenomenal commercial and critical success, and the installment of the trilogy became the first fantasy film ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The Harry Potter series has been a financial success, has achieved critical acclaim. Following the success of ventures, Hollywood studios have greenlighted additional big-budget productions in the genre. These have included adaptations of the first, second, and third books in C. S and this is in contrast to science fiction films, which are often released during the northern hemisphere summer. The huge commercial success of these pictures may indicate a change in Hollywoods approach to fantasy film releases. Fantasy films have a history almost as old as the medium itself, however, fantasy films were relatively few and far between until the 1980s, when high-tech filmmaking techniques and increased audience interest caused the genre to flourish
14.
Witchcraft
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Witchcraft broadly means the practice of, and belief in, magical skills and abilities that are able to be exercised by individuals and certain social groups. Witchcraft often occupies a religious, divinatory or medicinal role, and is present within societies. The concept of witchcraft and the belief in its existence have existed throughout recorded history and it posits a theosophical conflict between good and evil, where witchcraft was generally evil and often associated with the Devil and Devil worship. Christian views in the day are diverse and cover the gamut of views from intense belief and opposition to non-belief. From the mid-20th century, witchcraft – sometimes called contemporary witchcraft to clearly distinguish it from older beliefs – became the name of a branch of modern paganism and it is most notably practiced in the Wiccan and modern witchcraft traditions, and no longer practices in secrecy. The Western mainstream Christian view is far from the only societal perspective about witchcraft, Beliefs related to witchcraft and magic in these cultures were at times influenced by the prevailing Western concepts. Suspicion of modern medicine due to beliefs about illness being due to witchcraft also continues in countries to this day. HIV/AIDS and Ebola virus disease are two examples of infectious disease epidemics whose medical care and containment has been severely hampered by regional beliefs in witchcraft. Other severe medical conditions whose treatment is hampered in this way include tuberculosis, leprosy, epilepsy, the word witchcraft derives from the Old English wiccecræft, a compound of wicce and cræft. This definition was pioneered in a study of central African magical beliefs by E. E. Evans-Pritchard, European witchcraft is seen by historians and anthropologists as an ideology for explaining misfortune, however, this ideology has manifested in diverse ways, as described below. Some modern commentators believe the malefic nature of witchcraft is a Christian projection, many examples appear in early texts, such as those from ancient Egypt and Babylonia. Malicious magic users can become a cause for disease, sickness in animals, bad luck, sudden death, impotence. Witchcraft of a benign and socially acceptable sort may then be employed to turn the malevolence aside. The folk magic used to identify or protect against malicious magic users is often indistinguishable from that used by the witches themselves, there has also existed in popular belief the concept of white witches and white witchcraft, which is strictly benevolent. Many neopagan witches strongly identify with this concept, and profess ethical codes that prevent them from performing magic on a person without their request. Probably the most obvious characteristic of a witch was the ability to cast a spell, spell being the word used to signify the means employed to carry out a magical action. A spell could consist of a set of words, a formula or verse, or a ritual action, or any combination of these. Strictly speaking, necromancy is the practice of conjuring the spirits of the dead for divination or prophecy – although the term has also applied to raising the dead for other purposes
15.
Salem, Massachusetts
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Salem is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, located on Massachusetts North Shore. It is a New England bedrock of history and is considered one of the most significant seaports in Puritan American history, the citys reported population was 41,340 at the 2010 census. Salem and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County, though the county government was abolished in 1999, much of the citys cultural identity reflects its role as the location of the Salem witch trials of 1692, as featured in Arthur Millers The Crucible. Tourists know Salem as a mix of important historical sites and a vibrant downtown that has more than 60 restaurants, cafes, in 2012, the Retailers Association of Massachusetts chose Salem for their inaugural Best Shopping District award. President Barack Obama signed executive order HR1339 on January 10,2013, more than one million tourists from all around the world visit Salem annually, bringing in at least $100 million in tourism spending each year. More than 250,000 visited Salem over Halloween weekend in 2016, Salem is located at the mouth of the Naumkeag river at the site of an ancient American Indian village and trading center. It was first settled by Europeans in 1626, when a company of fishermen arrived from Cape Ann, led by Roger Conant. Conants leadership provided the stability to survive the first two years, but he was replaced by John Endecott, one of the new arrivals, Conant graciously stepped aside and was granted 200 acres of land in compensation. These New Planters and the Old Planters agreed to cooperate, in part due to the diplomacy of Conant. In 1628, Endecott ordered that the Great House be moved from Cape Ann, when Higginson arrived in Salem, he wrote that we found a faire house newly built for the Governor which was remarkable for being two stories high. A year later, the Massachusetts Bay Charter was issued creating the Massachusetts Bay Colony with Matthew Craddock as its governor in London, John Winthrop was elected Governor in late 1629, and arrived with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630, beginning the Great Migration. In 1639, Endecotts was one of the signatures on the contract for enlarging the meeting house in Town House Square for the First Church in Salem. This document remains part of the records at City Hall. He was active in the affairs of the town throughout his life, Samuel Skelton was the first pastor of the First Church of Salem, which is the original Puritan church in North America. Endecott already had a relationship with Skelton, having been converted by him. Roger Conant died in 1679 at the age of 87, a statue commemorating him stands overlooking Salem Common. Salem originally included much of the North Shore, including Marblehead, most of the accused in the Salem witch trials lived in nearby Salem Village, now known as Danvers, although a few lived on the outskirts of Salem. Salem Village also included Peabody and parts of present-day Beverly, Middleton, Topsfield, Wenham, and Manchester-by-the-Sea were once parts of Salem
16.
Cult film
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A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, a subculture that engage in repeated viewings, quoting dialogue. Inclusive definitions allow for major productions, especially box office bombs, while exclusive definitions focus more on obscure. The difficulty in defining the term and subjectivity of what qualifies as a cult film mirror classificatory disputes about art, Cult films trace their origin back to controversial and suppressed films kept alive by dedicated fans. In some cases, reclaimed or rediscovered films have acquired cult followings decades after their original release, Other cult films have since become well-respected or reassessed as classics, there is debate as to whether these popular and accepted films are still cult films. After failing in the cinema, some films have become regular fixtures on cable television or profitable sellers on home video. Others have inspired their own film festivals, Cult films can both appeal to specific subcultures and form their own subcultures. Other media that reference cult films can easily identify which demographics they desire to attract, Cult films frequently break cultural taboos, and many feature excessive displays of violence, gore, sexuality, profanity, or combinations thereof. This can lead to controversy, censorship, and outright bans, films that fail to attract requisite amounts of controversy may face resistance when labeled as cult films. Fans who like the films for the reasons, such as perceived elements that represent mainstream appeal and marketing. Likewise, fans who stray from accepted subcultural scripts may experience similar rejection, since the late 1970s, cult films have become increasingly popular. Films that once would have limited to obscure cult followings are now capable of breaking into the mainstream. Films are frequently stated to be an instant cult classic now, fickle fans on the Internet have latched on to unreleased films only to abandon them later on release. At the same time, other films have acquired massive, quick cult followings, easy access to cult films via video on demand and peer-to-peer file sharing has led some critics to pronounce the death of cult films. A cult film is any film that has a following, although the term is not easily defined. Cult films are defined by audience reaction as much as they are content and this may take the form of elaborate and ritualized audience participation, film festivals, or cosplay. Over time, the definition has become more vague and inclusive as it drifts away from earlier, stricter views, academic Mark Shiel has criticized the term itself as being a weak concept, reliant on subjectivity, different groups can interpret films in their own terms. Academic Mike Chopra‑Gant says that cult films become decontextualized when studied as a group, in 2008, Cineaste asked a range of academics for their definition of a cult film
17.
Disney Channel
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Disney Channels programming consists of original first-run television series, theatrically-released and original made-for-cable movies and select other third-party programming. Disney Channel – which formerly operated as a premium service – originally marketed its programs towards families during the 1980s, most of Disney Channels original programming is aimed at kids ages 9–16, while its Disney Junior programs are targeted at children 8 years and under. As of January 2016, Disney Channel is available to approximately 93.9 million pay television households in the United States. The Disney Sunday Movie, a version of the Walt Disney anthology television series, began on the channel in 1986 concurrent with ABCs version until 1988 and NBCs The Magical World of Disney. Disney Channel Original Movies series of made for television movies started on August 23,1997 with Northern Lights supplanting the previous Disney Channel Premiere Films banner.2 million viewers. The Cheetah Girls films were also successful in terms of merchiandise. The first film in 2003 was the first made-for-TV movie musical in Disney Channels history, and had a worldwide audience of over 84 million viewers. The second movie was the most successful of the series, bringing in 8.1 million viewers in the U. S. Disney Junior – Disney Junior is a block that features shows targeted at children aged 3–9. Which debuted on February 14,2011, it airs Monday through Fridays from 8,00 a. m. –2,00 p. m. and weekends from 6,00 to 9,00 a. m. Disney Junior carries one of the few programs on Disney Channel that feature classic Disney characters as of 2013, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Other programs currently seen in this block include Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Sheriff Callies Wild West, Sofia the First, Miles from Tomorrowland, The Lion Guard and Doc McStuffins. C. Saturdays from 8, 00-11,00 p. m. and Sundays from 7, Saturday nights feature repeats of recent episodes of the channels original series or an occasional film telecast. Encores of the respective nights programs typically air between 11,00 p. m. and 2,30 a. m, Eastern/Pacific each night during that weekend. Out of This World Weekend – a weekend of shows having space themed episodes, Weekend – a weekend of shows having mystery themed episodes. This was the first special weekend, Summer Adventure Weekend – a weekend of shows with vacation themed episodes. Flash Forward Weekend – a weekend of shows related to time travel, freaky Freakend – a weekend of shows featuring paranormal themed episodes. April Fuel Week – a week of shows featuring special episodes, Weekend – a weekend of shows featuring guest stars from other Disney Channel shows, occurs mostly in April. Programming seen during Disney Nighttime included older feature films, along with original concert specials, variety specials, mystery Night – ran each Tuesday evening starting at 9,00 p. m. Eastern/Pacific from 1990 to 1993, focused on mystery films from the 1930s to the 1960s
18.
Freeform (TV channel)
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Freeform is an American basic cable and satellite television channel that is owned by the Disney–ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. Its programming includes contemporary off-network syndicated reruns and original series, feature films and made-for-TV original movies, in 1997, IFE and The Family Channel were acquired by a joint venture between News Corporation and Saban Entertainment, resulting in its re-branding as the Fox Family Channel. The new owners sought to re-position the network towards younger viewers as a companion for their popular Fox Kids programming block, on October 6,2015, Disney–ABC Television Group announced that the network would rebrand as Freeform, officially adopting that name on January 12,2016. The channel traces its origins to the launch of the CBN Satellite Service, by this point, its carriage grew to 10.9 million homes with a cable television subscription. On August 1,1988, the word Family was incorporated into the name to better reflect its programming format. By 1990, the network had grown too profitable to remain under the Christian Broadcasting Network umbrella without endangering the ministrys non-profit status, on January 8 of that year, CBN spun out the network into a new, for-profit corporation known as International Family Entertainment. Managed by Pat Robertsons eldest son Timothy, IFE was co-owned by the Robertsons, with a minority interest held by Liberty Media, following the spin-off, the channels name was officially shortened to The Family Channel on September 15,1990. The Family Channel started airing programs aired at preschool children, pre-teens, as a stipulation included as part of the spin-out from CBN to International Family Entertainment, The Family Channel was required to continue its daily airings of CBNs flagship program, The 700 Club. During this time, from 1994 to 1997, The Family Channel sponsored NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver Ted Musgrave in the #16 Ford Thunderbird for Roush Racing. In 1997, after International Family Entertainment put The Family Channel up for sale, News Corporation then entered into discussions to purchase a stake in the channel with IFE as a partner. After competing bids were submitted by Nickelodeon parent Viacom and The Walt Disney Company to acquire IFE as a whole, on June 11,1997, International Family Entertainment was acquired by the Fox/Saban consortium, Fox Kids Worldwide, for $1.9 billion. The Family Channel was officially renamed Fox Family Channel on August 15,1998, when Fox Family Worldwide bought the channel, the management team assigned to the network sought to re-program it towards a new dual audience – kids in daytime, families at night. Notable programs aired during this era included S Club 7 in Miami—a sitcom serving as a vehicle for the eponymous British pop group. The New York Times classified both series as being among a wave of television programming catered towards the demographic of children aged 9 through 14—also referred to as tweens. Airings of The 700 Club were scaled back to two per day, however, Fox Familys youth-oriented programming strategy alienated the networks core demographic of older viewers. The channel experienced a decline in viewership, falling in the Nielsen ratings from 10th to 17th place in cable network viewership. In 1999, Fox spun off two digital channels from Fox Family, the Boyz Channel and the Girlz Channel, which both contained programming content targeted at the respective genders. Both networks shut down one year of operation due to a lack of demand by cable providers
19.
Immortality
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Immortality is eternal life, the ability to live forever. At least one species has potential biological immortality, Turritopsis dohrnii, other advocates believe that life extension is a more achievable goal in the short term, with immortality awaiting further research breakthroughs. The absence of aging would provide humans with biological immortality, but not invulnerability to death by physical trauma, whether the process of internal endoimmortality is delivered within the upcoming years depends chiefly on research in the former view and perhaps is an awaited goal in the latter case. In religious contexts, immortality is often stated to be one of the promises of God to human beings who show goodness or else follow divine law, Life extension technologies promise a path to complete rejuvenation. Cryonics holds out the hope that the dead can be revived in the future, while, as shown with creatures such as hydra and planarian worms, it is indeed possible for a creature to be biologically immortal, it is not known if it is possible for humans. Mind uploading is the transference of brain states from a brain to an alternative medium providing similar functionality. Assuming the process to be possible and repeatable, this would provide immortality to the computation of the original brain, the soul itself has different meanings and is not used in the same way in different religions and different denominations of a religion. For example, various branches of Christianity have disagreeing views on the souls immortality, physical immortality is a state of life that allows a person to avoid death and maintain conscious thought. It can mean the unending existence of a person from a source other than organic life. There are three causes of death, aging, disease and physical trauma. Such issues can be resolved with the provided in research to any end providing such alternate theories at present that require unification. Eliminating aging would require finding a solution to each of these causes, there is also a huge body of knowledge indicating that change is characterized by the loss of molecular fidelity. Disease is theoretically surmountable via technology, in short, it is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism, something the body shouldnt typically have to deal with its natural make up. Human understanding of genetics is leading to cures and treatments for previously incurable diseases. The mechanisms by which other diseases do their damage are becoming better understood, sophisticated methods of detecting diseases early are being developed. Preventative medicine is becoming better understood, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinsons and Alzheimers may soon be curable with the use of stem cells. Breakthroughs in cell biology and telomere research are leading to treatments for cancer, vaccines are being researched for AIDS and tuberculosis. Genes associated with type 1 diabetes and certain types of cancer have been discovered, artificial devices attached directly to the nervous system may restore sight to the blind
20.
Black cat
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A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed. The Cat Fanciers Association recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with black coats. The Bombay breed is exclusively black, all-black fur pigmentation is slightly more prevalent in male cats than female cats. Their high melanin pigment content causes most black cats to have yellow eyes, any cat whose fur is a single color, including black, is known as a solid or self. A solid black cat may be black, grayish black. Most solid-colored cats result from a gene that suppresses the tabby pattern. Sometimes the tabby pattern is not completely suppressed, faint markings may appear in certain lights, a cat having black fur with white roots is known as a black smoke. Black cats can also rust in sunlight, the coat turning a lighter brownish shade, in addition to the Bombay, the Cat Fanciers Association allows solid black as a color option in 21 other breeds. The color description for those breeds is, Black, dense coal black, free from any tinge of rust on the tips. The exceptions are, Oriental – Ebony, dense coal black, free from any tinge of rust on tips or smoke undercoat. One level tone from nose to tip of tail, the folklore surrounding black cats varies from culture to culture. The Scots believe that a strange black cats arrival to the home signifies prosperity, in Celtic mythology, a fairy known as the Cat Sìth takes the form of a black cat. Black cats are considered good luck in the rest of Britain. Furthermore, it is believed that a lady who owns a cat will have many suitors. In Western history, black cats have often looked upon as a symbol of evil omens, specifically being suspected of being the familiars of witches. Most of Europe considers the cat a symbol of bad luck, particularly if one walks across the path in front of a person. In Germany, some believe that black cats crossing a path from right to left, is a bad omen. But from left to right, the cat is granting favorable times, in the United Kingdom it is commonly considered that a black cat crossing a persons path is a good omen
21.
Hanging
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Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck. Hanging has been a method of capital punishment since medieval times. The first account of execution by hanging was in Homers Odyssey, in this specialised meaning of the common word hang, the past and past participle is hanged instead of hung. Hanging is also a method of suicide in which a person applies a ligature to the neck and brings about unconsciousness. There are four ways of performing a judicial hanging, suspension hanging, the drop, the standard drop. A mechanised form of hanging, the upright jerker, was experimented with in the 18th century. Suspension, like the drop, causes death by using the weight of the body to tighten the noose around the trachea. Prisoners are reported to have little or no struggle before they go limp because their jugular vein and carotid arteries are blocked and blood flow to the brain is reduced. The short drop is performed by placing the condemned prisoner on the back of a cart, horse, or other vehicle, the object is then moved away, leaving the person dangling from the rope. A ladder was also used with the condemned being forced to ascend, after which the noose was tied. Another method involves using a stool, which the condemned is required to stand on, the executioner stands on a stepped platform approximately 4 feet high beside the condemned, and guides the head downward with his hand simultaneous to the efforts of his assistants. Nazi war criminal Karl Hermann Frank was also executed in this manner in 1946 in Prague and its use rapidly spread to English-speaking countries and those where judicial systems had an English origin. It was considered an improvement on the short drop because it was intended to be enough to break the persons neck, causing immediate paralysis. This method was used to execute condemned Nazis under United States jurisdiction after the Nuremberg Trials including Joachim von Ribbentrop and Ernst Kaltenbrunner. In the execution of Ribbentrop, historian Giles MacDonogh records that, The hangman botched the execution, a Life magazine report on the execution merely says, The trap fell open and with a sound midway between a rumble and a crash, Ribbentrop disappeared. The rope quivered for a time, then stood tautly straight and this process, also known as the measured drop, was introduced to Britain in 1872 by William Marwood as a scientific advance on the standard drop. The careful placement of the eye or knot of the noose contributed to breaking the neck, between 1892 and 1913, the length of the drop was shortened to avoid decapitation. After 1913, other factors were taken into account
22.
Curse
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A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity, one or more persons, a place, or an object. In many belief systems, the curse itself is considered to have some force in the result. To reverse or eliminate a curse is sometimes called removal or breaking, the study of the forms of curses comprise a significant proportion of the study of both folk religion and folklore. The deliberate attempt to levy curses is often part of the practice of magic, in Hindu culture the Sage or Rishi is believed to have the power to bless and curse. Examples include the curse placed by Rishi Bhrigu on king Nahusha, middle Eastern and Mediterranean culture is the source of the belief in the evil eye, which may be the result of envy but, more rarely, is said to be the result of a deliberate curse. In order to be protected from the eye, a protection item is made from dark blue circular glass, with a circle of white around the black dot in the middle. The size of the protective eye item may vary, german people, including the Pennsylvania Dutch speak in terms of hexing, and a common hex in days past was that laid by a stable-witch who caused milk cows to go dry and horses to go lame. Tecumsehs curse was reputed to cause the deaths in office of Presidents of the United States elected in years divisible by 20 and this alleged curse appears to have fallen dormant, since Ronald Reagan, survived an assassination attempt and George W. Bush survived his eight-year presidency. Curses have also used as a plot device in literature. When used as a device they involve one character placing a curse or hex over another character. This is distinguished from adverse spells and premonitions and other such plot devices, examples of the curse as a plot device are the following, Rigoletto -- Count Monterone places a curse on Rigoletto. Rigoletto blames the death of his daughter on the curse. Romeo & Juliet -- A dying Mercutio curses the Montagues and Capulets with A plague o both your houses, Sleeping Beauty -- Maleficent places a curse on Princess Aurora to die on her 16th birthday. Beauty and the Beast -- Enchantress transforms prince to beast, arguably, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast represent spells, rather than curses. By contrast an adverse spell involves a character with some magical ability or power causing a harm to another character. A number of curses are used to explain the failures or misfortunes of specific teams, players. For example, No first-time winner of the World Snooker Championship has successfully defended his title since the event was first held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 1977 and this has been widely attributed to a Crucible Curse. There was a curse called the Curse of the Bambino on the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team
23.
Resurrection
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Resurrection is the concept of a living being coming back to life after death. In a number of ancient religions, a god is a deity which dies. The death and resurrection of Jesus, an example of resurrection, is the focus of Christianity. The resurrection of the dead is a standard eschatological belief in the Abrahamic religions, some believe the soul is the actual vehicle by which people are resurrected. While most Christians believe Jesus resurrection from the dead and ascension to Heaven was in a material body, the concept of resurrection is found in the writings of some ancient non-Abrahamic religions in the Middle East. A few extant Egyptian and Canaanite writings allude to dying and rising gods such as Osiris, sir James Frazer in his book The Golden Bough relates to these dying and rising gods, but many of his examples, according to various scholars, distort the sources. In ancient Greek religion a number of men and women were made physically immortal as they were resurrected from the dead, asclepius was killed by Zeus, only to be resurrected and transformed into a major deity. Memnon, who was killed by Achilles, seems to have received a similar fate, alcmene, Castor, Heracles, and Melicertes, were also among the figures sometimes considered to have been resurrected to physical immortality. According to Herodotuss Histories, the seventh century BC sage Aristeas of Proconnesus was first found dead, later he found not only to have been resurrected but to have gained immortality. Indeed, in Greek religion, immortality originally always included a union of body. The philosophical idea of a soul was a later invention. This traditional religious belief in immortality was generally denied by the Greek philosophers. Plutarch openly scorned such beliefs held in traditional ancient Greek religion, writing, many such improbabilities do your fabulous writers relate, the parallel between these traditional beliefs and the later resurrection of Jesus was not lost on the early Christians, as Justin Martyr argued, when we say. Jesus Christ, our teacher, was crucified and died, and rose again, the notion of a general resurrection of the dead was therefore apparently quite preposterous to the Greeks. This is made clear in Pauls Areopagus discourse, now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, We shall hear you again concerning this. Some churches distinguish between raising the dead and a resurrection, Christians regard the resurrection of Jesus as the central doctrine in Christianity. Others take the Incarnation of Jesus to be central, however, it is the miracles –. According to Paul, the entire Christian faith hinges upon the centrality of the resurrection of Jesus, the Apostle Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians, If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men
24.
Halloween
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It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs, and all the faithful departed. Some academics, however, support the view that Halloween began independently as a solely Christian holiday. Some Christians historically abstained from meat on All Hallows Eve, a reflected in the eating of certain foods on this vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes. The word Halloween or Halloween dates to about 1745 and is of Christian origin, the word Halloween means hallowed evening or holy evening. It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows Eve, in Scots, the word eve is even, and this is contracted to een or een. Over time, Hallow Een evolved into Halloween, although the phrase All Hallows is found in Old English All Hallows Eve is itself not seen until 1556. Todays Halloween customs are thought to have influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries. Samhain was the first and most important of the four days in the medieval Gaelic calendar and was celebrated on 31 October–1 November in Ireland, Scotland. A kindred festival was held at the time of year by the Brittonic Celts, called Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Kalan Gwav in Cornwall and Kalan Goañv in Brittany. For the Celts, the day ended and began at sunset, Samhain and Calan Gaeaf are mentioned in some of the earliest Irish and Welsh literature. The names have been used by historians to refer to Celtic Halloween customs up until the 19th century, samhain/Calan Gaeaf marked the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the darker half of the year. Like Beltane/Calan Mai, it was seen as a liminal time and this meant the Aos Sí, the spirits or fairies, could more easily come into our world and were particularly active. Most scholars see the Aos Sí as degraded versions of ancient gods whose power remained active in the minds even after they had been officially replaced by later religious beliefs. The Aos Sí were both respected and feared, with individuals often invoking the protection of God when approaching their dwellings, at Samhain, it was believed that the Aos Sí needed to be propitiated to ensure that the people and their livestock survived the winter. Offerings of food and drink, or portions of the crops, were left outside for the Aos Sí, the souls of the dead were also said to revisit their homes seeking hospitality. Places were set at the table and by the fire to welcome them. The belief that the souls of the return home on one night of the year. In 19th century Ireland, candles would be lit and prayers offered for the souls of the dead
25.
Museum
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Most large museums are located in major cities throughout the world and more local ones exist in smaller cities, towns and even the countryside. Museums have varying aims, ranging from serving researchers and specialists to serving the general public, the goal of serving researchers is increasingly shifting to serving the general public. There are many types of museums, including art museums, natural history museums, science museums, war museums, the city with the largest number of museums is Mexico City with over 128 museums. According to The World Museum Community, there are more than 55,000 museums in 202 countries, the English museum comes from the Latin word, and is pluralized as museums. The first museum/library is considered to be the one of Plato in Athens, however, Pausanias gives another place called Museum, namely a small hill in Classical Athens opposite to the Akropolis. The hill was called Mouseion after Mousaious, a man who used to sing on the hill, the purpose of modern museums is to collect, preserve, interpret, and display items of artistic, cultural, or scientific significance for the education of the public. The purpose can also depend on ones point of view, to a family looking for entertainment on a Sunday afternoon, a trip to a local history museum or large city art museum could be a fun, and enlightening way to spend the day. To city leaders, a healthy museum community can be seen as a gauge of the health of a city. To a museum professional, a museum might be seen as a way to educate the public about the museums mission, Museums are, above all, storehouses of knowledge. In 1829, James Smithsons bequest, that would fund the Smithsonian Institution, stated he wanted to establish an institution for the increase, Museums of natural history in the late 19th century exemplified the Victorian desire for consumption and for order. Gathering all examples of classification of a field of knowledge for research. As American colleges grew in the 19th century, they developed their own natural history collections for the use of their students, while many large museums, such as the Smithsonian Institution, are still respected as research centers, research is no longer a main purpose of most museums. While there is a debate about the purposes of interpretation of a museums collection, there has been a consistent mission to protect. Much care, expertise, and expense is invested in efforts to retard decomposition in aging documents, artifacts, artworks. All museums display objects that are important to a culture, as historian Steven Conn writes, To see the thing itself, with ones own eyes and in a public place, surrounded by other people having some version of the same experience can be enchanting. Museum purposes vary from institution to institution, some favor education over conservation, or vice versa. For example, in the 1970s, the Canada Science and Technology Museum favored education over preservation of their objects and they displayed objects as well as their functions. One exhibit featured a printing press that a staff member used for visitors to create museum memorabilia
26.
Zombie
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A zombie is a fictional undead being created through the reanimation of a human corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works, the term comes from Haitian folklore, where a zombie is a dead body reanimated through various methods, most commonly magic. Modern depictions of zombies do not necessarily involve magic but often invoke science fictional methods such as carriers, radiation, mental diseases, vectors, viruses, scientific accidents, etc. The English word zombie is first recorded in 1819, in a history of Brazil by the poet Robert Southey, the Oxford English Dictionary gives the origin of the word as West African, and compares it to the Kongo words nzambi and zumbi. One of the first books to expose Western culture to the concept of the zombie was The Magic Island by W. B. This is the account of a narrator who encounters voodoo cults in Haiti. Time claimed that the book introduced zombi into U. S. speech, Zombies have a complex literary heritage, with antecedents ranging from Richard Matheson and H. P. Lovecraft to Mary Shelleys Frankenstein drawing on European folklore of the undead. In 1932, Victor Halperin directed White Zombie, a film starring Bela Lugosi. Here zombies are depicted as mindless, unthinking henchmen under the spell of an evil magician, a new version of the zombie, distinct from that described in Haitian folklore, has also emerged in popular culture during the latter half of the twentieth century. This zombie is taken largely from George A. Romeros seminal film Night of the Living Dead, the word zombie is not used in Night of the Living Dead but was applied later by fans. The zombie apocalypse concept, in which the world is brought low by a global zombie infestation. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the origin of the word as West African, in Haitian folklore, a zombie is an animated corpse raised by magical means, such as witchcraft. The concept has been associated with the religion of voodoo. How the creatures in contemporary zombie films came to be called zombies is not fully clear, the film Night of the Living Dead made no spoken reference to its undead antagonists as zombies, describing them instead as ghouls. Although George Romero used the term ghoul in his original scripts, the word zombie is used exclusively by Romero in his 1978 script for his sequel Dawn of the Dead, including once in dialog. According to George Romero, film critics were influential in associating the term zombie to his creatures and he eventually accepted this linkage even though he remained convinced at the time that zombies corresponded to the undead slaves of Haitian voodoo as depicted in Bela Lugosis White Zombie. Zombies are featured widely in Haitian rural folklore as dead persons physically revived by the act of necromancy of a bokor, the bokor is opposed by the houngan or priest and the mambo or priestess of the formal voodoo religion. A zombie remains under the control of the bokor as a personal slave, the Haitian tradition also includes an incorporeal type of zombie, the zombie astral, which is a part of the human soul
27.
Sunrise
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Sunrise or sun up is the instant at which the upper edge of the Sun appears over the horizon in the morning. The term can refer to the entire process of the Sun crossing the horizon. Although the Sun appears to rise from the horizon, it is actually the Earths motion that causes the Sun to appear, architect Buckminster Fuller proposed the terms sunsight and sunclipse to better represent the heliocentric model, though the terms have not entered into common language. Astronomically, sunrise occurs for only an instant, the moment at which the limb of the Sun appears tangent to the horizon. However, the term commonly refers to periods of time both before and after this point, Twilight, the period in the morning during which the sky is light. The beginning of morning twilight is called dawn, the period after the Sun rises during which striking colors and atmospheric effects are still seen. Sunrise occurs before the Sun actually reaches the horizon because the Suns image is refracted by the Earths atmosphere, at the horizon, the average amount of refraction is 34 arcminutes, though this amount varies based on atmospheric conditions. Also, unlike most other measurements, sunrise occurs when the Suns upper limb, rather than its center. The apparent radius of the Sun at the horizon is 16 arcminutes and these two angles combine to define sunrise to occur when the Suns center is 50 arcminutes below the horizon, or 90. 83° from the zenith. The timing of sunrise varies throughout the year and is affected by the viewers longitude and latitude, altitude. The analemma can be used to make predictions of the time of sunrise. In late winter and spring, sunrise as seen from temperate latitudes occurs earlier each day, reaching its earliest time near the summer solstice, after this point, the time of sunrise gets later each day, reaching its latest sometime around the winter solstice. Variations in atmospheric refraction can alter the time of sunrise by changing its apparent position, near the poles, the time-of-day variation is exaggerated, since the Sun crosses the horizon at a very shallow angle and thus rises more slowly. Accounting for atmospheric refraction and measuring from the leading edge slightly increases the duration of day relative to night. Sunrises occur approximately due east on the March and September equinoxes for all viewers on Earth, exact calculations of the azimuths of sunrise on other dates are complex, but they can be estimated with reasonable accuracy by using the analemma. Air molecules and airborne particles scatter white sunlight as it passes through the Earths atmosphere and this is done by a combination of Rayleigh scattering and Mie scattering. Because the shorter wavelength components, such as blue and green, scatter more strongly, the remaining reddened sunlight can then be scattered by cloud droplets and other relatively large particles to light up the horizon red and orange. The removal of the wavelengths of light is due to Rayleigh scattering by air molecules and particles much smaller than the wavelength of visible light
28.
Kiln
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A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay into pottery, tiles, various industries use rotary kilns for pyroprocessing—to calcinate ores, to calcinate limestone to lime for cement, and to transform many other materials. The word kiln descends from the Old English cylene (/ˈkylene/, which was adapted from the Latin culīna kitchen, cooking-stove, burning-place. During the Middle English Period, the n was not pronounced, as evidenced by kiln having frequently been spelled without the n, Another word, miln, a place where wheat is ground, also had a silent n. Whereas the spelling of miln was changed to mill to match its pronunciation, kiln maintained its spelling, which most likely led to a common mispronunciation, however, there are small bastions where the original pronunciation has endured. Kiln, Mississippi, a town known for its wood drying kilns that once served the timber industry, is still referred to as the Kill by locals. Unwittingly adding the n sound at the end of kiln is due to people being introduced to the word through the language before ever hearing the actual pronunciation. Phonetically, the ln in kiln is categorized as a digraph, from English Words as Spoken and Written for Upper Grades by James A. Bowen 1900, The digraph ln, n silent, occurs in kiln. A fall down the kiln can kill you, Bowen was pointing out the humorous fact that kill and kiln are homophones. A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning, the earliest known kiln dates to around 6000 BC, and was found at the Yarim Tepe site in modern Iraq. Neolithic kilns were able to produce greater than 900 °C. Ceramics require heat at high temperatures so chemical and physical reactions will occur to permanently alter the unfired body, in the case of pottery, clay materials are shaped, dried and then fired in a kiln. The final characteristics are determined by the composition and preparation of the clay body, after a first firing glazes may be used and the ware is fired a second time to fuse the glaze into the body. A third firing at a lower temperature may be required to fix overglaze decoration, modern kilns often have sophisticated electrical control systems to firing regime, although pyrometric devices are often also used. Clay consists of fine-grained particles, that are weak and porous. Clay is combined with other minerals to create a clay body. Part of the process includes sintering. This heats the clay until the particles partially melt and flow together, creating a strong, single mass, composed of a glassy phase interspersed with pores, through firing, the pores are reduced in size, causing the material to shrink slightly
29.
Siren (mythology)
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In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on small islands called Sirenum scopuli. All such locations were surrounded by cliffs and rocks, although a Sophocles fragment makes Phorcys their father, when Sirens are named, they are usually as daughters of the river god Achelous, with Terpsichore, Melpomene, Sterope, or Chthon. In Euripides play, Helen, Helen in her anguish calls upon Winged maidens, although they lured mariners, the Greeks portrayed the Sirens in their meadow starred with flowers and not as sea deities. Roman writers linked the Sirens more closely to the sea, as daughters of Phorcys, Sirens are found in many Greek stories, notably in Homers Odyssey. Their number is reported as from two to five. In the Odyssey, Homer says nothing of their origin or names, according to Ovid, the Sirens were the companions of young Persephone. They were given wings by Demeter to search for Persephone when she was abducted, however, the Fabulae of Hyginus has Demeter cursing the Sirens for failing to intervene in the abduction of Persephone. Their song is continually calling on Persephone, the term siren song refers to an appeal that is hard to resist but that, if heeded, will lead to a bad conclusion. As Jane Ellen Harrison notes of The Ker as siren, It is strange and beautiful that Homer should make the Sirens appeal to the spirit, not to the flesh. The siren song is a promise to Odysseus of mantic truths, with a promise that he will live to tell them, they sing, Once he hears to his hearts content, sails on. We know all the pains that the Greeks and Trojans once endured on the plain of Troy when the gods willed it so— all that comes to pass on the fertile earth. They are mantic creatures like the Sphinx with whom they have much in common and their song takes effect at midday, in a windless calm. The end of song is death. That the sailors flesh is rotting away, suggests it has not been eaten and it has been suggested that, with their feathers stolen, their divine nature kept them alive, but unable to provide food for their visitors, who starved to death by refusing to leave. According to Hyginus, sirens were fated to live only until the mortals who heard their songs were able to pass by them, Sirens were believed to combine women and birds in various ways. In early Greek art, Sirens were represented as birds with womens heads, bird feathers. Later, they were represented as female figures with the legs of birds, with or without wings, playing a variety of musical instruments, especially harps
30.
Daylight saving time
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Daylight saving time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that evening daylight lasts an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions that use Daylight Savings Time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring, American inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin proposed a form of daylight time in 1784. New Zealander George Hudson proposed the idea of saving in 1895. The German Empire and Austria-Hungary organized the first nationwide implementation, starting on April 30,1916, many countries have used it at various times since then, particularly since the energy crisis of the 1970s. The practice has both advocates and critics, DST clock shifts sometimes complicate timekeeping and can disrupt travel, billing, record keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Computer software often adjusts clocks automatically, but policy changes by various jurisdictions of DST dates, industrialized societies generally follow a clock-based schedule for daily activities that do not change throughout the course of the year. The time of day that individuals begin and end work or school, North and south of the tropics daylight lasts longer in summer and shorter in winter, with the effect becoming greater as one moves away from the tropics. However, they will have one hour of daylight at the start of each day. Supporters have also argued that DST decreases energy consumption by reducing the need for lighting and heating, DST is also of little use for locations near the equator, because these regions see only a small variation in daylight in the course of the year. After ancient times, equal-length civil hours eventually supplanted unequal, so civil time no longer varies by season, unequal hours are still used in a few traditional settings, such as some monasteries of Mount Athos and all Jewish ceremonies. This 1784 satire proposed taxing window shutters, rationing candles, and waking the public by ringing church bells, despite common misconception, Franklin did not actually propose DST, 18th-century Europe did not even keep precise schedules. However, this changed as rail transport and communication networks came to require a standardization of time unknown in Franklins day. Modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist George Hudson, whose shift work job gave him time to collect insects. An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk and his solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later. The proposal was taken up by the Liberal Member of Parliament Robert Pearce, a select committee was set up to examine the issue, but Pearces bill did not become law, and several other bills failed in the following years. Willett lobbied for the proposal in the UK until his death in 1915, william Sword Frost, mayor of Orillia, Ontario, introduced daylight saving time in the municipality during his tenure from 1911 to 1912. Starting on April 30,1916, the German Empire and its World War I ally Austria-Hungary were the first to use DST as a way to conserve coal during wartime, Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the year
31.
Dust
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Dust is fine particles of matter. It generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from sources such as soil, dust lifted by weather, volcanic eruptions. House dust mites are present indoors wherever humans live, positive tests for dust mite allergies are extremely common among people with asthma. Dust mites are microscopic arachnids whose primary food is dead skin cells. They and their feces and other allergens they produce are major constituents of house dust and they are generally found on the floor and other surfaces until disturbed. It could take somewhere between twenty minutes and two hours for dust mites to settle back down out of the air, Dust mites are a nesting species that prefers a dark, warm, and humid climate. They flourish in mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture, and carpets and their feces include enzymes that are released upon contact with a moist surface, which can happen when a person inhales, and these enzymes can kill cells within the human body. House dust mites did not become a problem until humans began to use textiles, such as western style blankets and clothing. Atmospheric or wind-borne dust, also known as aeolian dust, comes from arid and dry regions where high velocity winds are able to remove mostly silt-sized material, Dust in the atmosphere is produced by saltation and sandblasting of sand-sized grains, and it is transported through the troposphere. This airborne dust is considered an aerosol and once in the atmosphere, saharan dust in particular can be transported and deposited as far as the Caribbean and the Amazon basin, and may affect air temperatures, cause ocean cooling, and alter rainfall amounts. Dust in the Middle East has been a historic phenomenon, recently, because of climate change and the escalating process of desertification, the problem has worsened dramatically. As a multi-factor phenomenon, there is not yet a consensus on the sources or potential solutions to the problem. In Iran, the dust is already affecting more than 5 million people directly, in the province of Khuzestan it has led to the severe reduction of air quality. The amount of pollutants in the air has surpassed more than 50 times the normal level several times in a year, recently, initiatives such as Project-Dust have been established to directly study the Middle Eastern dust. Dust kicked up by vehicles traveling on roads may make up 33% of air pollution, road dust consists of deposits of vehicle exhausts and industrial exhausts, particles from tire and brake wear, dust from paved roads or potholes, and dust from construction sites. Road dust is a significant source contributing to the generation and release of particulate matter into the atmosphere. Control of road dust is a significant challenge in urban areas, road dust may be suppressed by mechanical methods like street sweeper vehicles equipped with vacuum cleaners, vegetable oil sprays, or with water sprayers. Improvements in automotive engineering have reduced the amount of PM10s produced by road traffic, coal dust is responsible for the lung disease known as pneumoconiosis, including black lung disease that occurs among coal miners
32.
Los Angeles
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Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L. A. is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. With a census-estimated 2015 population of 3,971,883, it is the second-most populous city in the United States, Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the United States. The citys inhabitants are referred to as Angelenos, historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was founded on September 4,1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence, in 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4,1850, the discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid growth to the city. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, delivering water from Eastern California, nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, and sprawling metropolis. Los Angeles also has an economy in culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine. A global city, it has been ranked 6th in the Global Cities Index, the city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area has a gross metropolitan product of $831 billion, making it the third-largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. The city has hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984 and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and thus become the second city after London to have hosted the Games three times. The Los Angeles area also hosted the 1994 FIFA mens World Cup final match as well as the 1999 FIFA womens World Cup final match, the mens event was watched on television by over 700 million people worldwide. The Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva, a Gabrielino settlement in the area was called iyáangẚ, meaning poison oak place. Gaspar de Portolà and Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2,1769, in 1771, Franciscan friar Junípero Serra directed the building of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the first mission in the area. The Queen of the Angels is an honorific of the Virgin Mary, two-thirds of the settlers were mestizo or mulatto with a mixture of African, indigenous and European ancestry. The settlement remained a small town for decades, but by 1820. Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the district of Los Angeles Pueblo Plaza and Olvera Street. New Spain achieved its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, during Mexican rule, Governor Pío Pico made Los Angeles Alta Californias regional capital
33.
Trick-or-treating
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Trick-or-treating is a Halloween custom for children in many countries. Children in costumes travel from house to house asking for such as candy with the phrase Trick or treat. The trick is a threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given to them and it typically happens during the evening of October 31. Some homeowners signal that they are willing to hand out treats, others might simply leave treats on their porch. In North America, trick-or-treating has been a Halloween tradition since the late 1920s, in Britain and Ireland the tradition of going house-to-house collecting food at Halloween goes back at least as far as the 16th century, as had the tradition of people wearing costumes at Halloween. The Scottish Halloween custom of guising – children disguised in costume going from house to house for food or money – is first recorded in North America in 1911. While going house-to-house in costume has remained popular among Scots and Irish, the activity is prevalent in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Puerto Rico, and northwestern and central Mexico. In the latter, this practice is called calaverita, and instead of trick or treat, where a calaverita is a small skull made of sugar or chocolate. Since the Middle Ages there has been a tradition of mumming on a certain holiday and it involved going door-to-door in costume, performing short scenes or parts of plays in exchange for food or drink. The custom of trick-or-treating when it is Halloween may come from the belief that supernatural beings, or the souls of the dead, roamed the earth at this time and needed to be appeased. It may otherwise have originated in a Celtic festival, held on 31 October–1 November and it was Samhain in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, and Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. The festival is believed to have pre-Christian roots, in the 9th century, the Catholic Church made 1 November All Saints Day. Among Celtic-speaking peoples, it was seen as a time, when the spirits or fairies. Similar beliefs and customs were found in parts of Europe. It is suggested that trick-or-treating evolved from a tradition whereby people impersonated the spirits, or the souls of the dead, peddle suggests they personify the old spirits of the winter, who demanded reward in exchange for good fortune. Impersonating these spirits or souls was also believed to protect oneself from them, at least as far back as the 15th century, among Catholics, there had been a custom of sharing soul cakes at Allhallowtide. People would visit houses and take soul cakes, either as representatives of the dead, or in return for praying for their souls. Later, people went from parish to parish at Halloween, begging soul-cakes by singing under the windows some such verse as this, Soul, souls, for a soul-cake, Pray you good mistress and they typically asked for mercy on all Christian souls for a soul cake
34.
Sean Murray (actor)
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Sean Harland Murray is an American actor who first gained fame after the role of Thackery Binx in Disneys Halloween film Hocus Pocus and also Danny Walden in the military drama series JAG. In recent years, Murray has gained recognition for his role as NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee on the highly popular American TV drama NCIS. Murrays mother is Vivienne Bellisario, fourth wife of American television producer and screenwriter Donald P. Bellisario and he has one brother, Chad W. Murray, and seven stepsiblings, including Pretty Little Liars actress Troian Bellisario. Lloyd Bridges also starred in the series, the program was set on a dude ranch in Nevada. Murray also appeared in episodes of JAG and was later cast as Timothy McGee in the shows spin-off. McGees sister is played by Troian Bellisario, his real-life stepsister, Murray has made several television guest appearances, including on ER. In addition, Murray has appeared in feature films including Hocus Pocus, his first motion picture film appearance. While this is one of his most well-known roles, his voice in the film was dubbed by Jason Marsden and his other film appearances include This Boys Life, and in Todd Fields Too Romantic. Murray married Carrie James on November 26,2005 and they had their first child, a daughter named Caitlyn, in 2007. The couples second child, a son named River, so named after holidaying in Loxton, Sean Murray at the Internet Movie Database Sean Murray at TVGuide. com Sean Murray at Twitter
35.
Jason Marsden
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Jason Christopher Marsden is an American actor, voice actor, director and producer who has appeared in numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series and video games. He played Alan Quartermaine, Jr. in the American daytime serial General Hospital and he continued this role for two years, while still attending elementary school. This was followed soon afterwards by the role of Eddie Munster in the TV series remake of The Munsters titled The Munsters Today, Marsden continued his career with many guest star appearances on prime time sitcoms. In 1990, he was the voice of Peter Pan in Peter Pan and the Pirates and he lent his voice to Thackery Binx as a black cat in Disneys Hocus Pocus and reprised the role in the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular. His next roles included voicing Goofys son Max Goof in Disneys A Goofy Movie, as well as in the sequel An Extremely Goofy Movie and also had a role in White Squall. Some other on-camera roles were that of Rich Halke in Step by Step, which was from 1995 until the cancellation in 1998. On Boy Meets World he played a character where he used his name and was the best friend of Eric Matthews. He played the young Burt Ward/Robin in the 2002 television movie Return to the Batcave, The Misadventures of Adam, in 1999, he starred in Walt Disney Animation Studios Tarzan as a member of gorilla family. Since Step by Step, Marsden has provided voices for animated television shows. He appeared in a film, as the voice of Kovu in The Lion King II, Simbas Pride. He was the voice of Haku in the American dub of Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi and he has also provided the voice of Richie Foley/Gear in the television series Static Shock. In Baldurs Gate II, Shadows of Amn, he voiced characters, most notably Lilarcor the talking sword. His first foray into directing was an episode of the Nickelodeon series The Journey of Allen Strange and he also directed, wrote, produced, and edited The Greatest Short Film Ever. in 2004. He has done voice work on the various DC Warner Bros. More recently, he played Impulse and The Atom in Young Justice and he also voiced for Tak in the game Tak and the Power of Juju along with Tak 2, The Staff of Dreams and Tak, The Great Juju Challenge. From late summer 2004 to early spring 2007, Marsden was the announcer for Toon Disney. He appeared in the film Fun with Dick and Jane as the cashier at the gas station, in 2013, he did the voice of Aye-Aye in The Legend of Korra. Marsden has been married to his wife Christy Hicks since October 2004, together they have a son and they currently live in Nashville, Tennessee
36.
Doug Jones (actor)
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Doug Jones is an American actor and former contortionist known for roles in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres, often wearing heavy makeup to play nonhuman characters. He has appeared in such as Tank Girl, Hocus Pocus. He is currently a regular in Star Trek, Discovery. Jones was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, the youngest of four brothers and he graduated from Ball State University, where he parlayed his background as a mime into portraying the school mascot Charlie Cardinal. He describes himself as a dyed-in-wool Christian from the Midwest, to the point that he was apprehensive about his role in Hellboy. Jones has worked as a contortionist, saying, Youd be surprised how many times that comes into play in commercials, theyll want somebody to hold a box of Tide funny or something. I once squished into a box for a commercial for relaxed fit jeans and he performed as Abe Sapien in Hellboy, although the voice was performed by an uncredited David Hyde Pierce. In 2005, he renewed his association with Mexican director Guillermo del Toro and he also has a secondary role in the film as the Pale Man, a gruesome creature with a penchant for eating children. Working once more under heavy prosthetics in both roles, he was required to learn large amounts of dialogue in Spanish, though ultimately his voice was dubbed anyway. The year also brought success for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, in February 2007, Jones likeness was used for Nvidias Human Head tech demo. In June 2007, Jones appeared in Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer as the Silver Surfer. He reprised his role as Abe Sapien in Hellboy II, The Golden Army, once more under the direction of del Toro and he also played two other roles in the film, the Angel of Death and the Chamberlain, both under heavy prosthetics. In 2009, del Toro announced on BBC Radio that Jones would be playing the monster in his version of Frankenstein. Jones starred as himself in Sockbaby 4, the installment of the Internet martial arts comedy series Sockbaby. Jones appeared in the French-language film Gainsbourg, written and directed by French comic book author Joann Sfar, Jones played La Gueule, the grotesque fantasy muse and malicious doppelganger who teases, guides, and accompanies Serge Gainsbourg throughout his life. As in Pans Labyrinth, Jones performed his lines phonetically, this time speaking in French, his voice was redubbed by Éric Elmosnino, director Joann Sfar liked Jones speech patterns so much that he asked Elmosnino to mimic it when he performed the creatures lines. The film was released in France on January 20,2010, the book was due for publication in December 2011. Jones plays Dr. Henry Vataber in the web series Universal Dead, in late June 2010, it was announced that Universal Dead will be made into a feature film
37.
Charles Rocket
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Charles Adams Claverie —known by such stage names as Charlie Hamburger, Charlie Kennedy, and, most famously, Charles Rocket—was an American film and television actor. Rocket was born in Bangor, Maine, the son of Mary Aurelia, Rocket appeared from time to time with his friend Dan Gosch as superheroes Captain Packard and his faithful sidekick Lobo. In an RISD yearbook, the duo appeared in a photo at the Rhode Island State House with then-Governor Frank Licht. Rocket made several films and fronted his band, the Fabulous Motels. He later anchored the news at Channel 12 WPRI and at KOAA-TV in Pueblo, Colorado under his own name. He made his debut on Saturday Night Live in 1980. Rocket was cast for the 1980–81 season, which followed the departure of the members of the shows original cast. Singled out by new executive producer Jean Doumanian, he was promoted as a cross between Bill Murray and Chevy Chase, Rocket was tapped to anchor Weekend Update, and was featured in more sketches than any other male cast member that season with the exception of Joe Piscopo. Rocket portrayed recurring character Phil Lively, a show host who took his larger-than-life persona home. His celebrity impersonations on SNL included Ronald Reagan, David Rockefeller, Prince Charles, and Marlin Perkins. The Saturday Night Live episode of February 21,1981, hosted by Dallas star Charlene Tilton, featured a parody of the famed Who Shot J. R. story arc from the then-popular nighttime soap. During the show a line had Rocket and Tilton flirting while other cast members expressed jealousy. In the shows closing moments, as cast members gathered with the host to say good night, in character, Rocket improvised, Oh, man, its the first time Ive ever been shot in my life. Id like to know who the fuck did it, Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy were the only cast members to survive the axe, as new producer Dick Ebersol replaced Denny Dillon and Gail Matthius after one episode. A guest role in 2004 as a con man/murderer on Law & Order and he also lent his voice to the popular video games Star Wars, Starfighter, Star Wars, Jedi Starfighter, Descent 3, and Age of Mythology. His final film came in the 2003 movie Shade. Rocket married his girlfriend, Beth Crellin, on board the battleship USS Massachusetts anchored in Fall River, Massachusetts. The couple had a son, Zane, and remained married until his death, Rocket was found dead in a field near his Connecticut home on October 7,2005, his throat had been slit
38.
Kathleen Freeman
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Kathleen Freeman was an American film, television, voice actress, and stage actress. In a career spanned more than fifty years, she portrayed acerbic maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses. Freeman was born in Chicago, Illinois and she began her career as a child, dancing in her parents vaudeville act. After a stint studying music at University of California, Los Angeles, she went into acting full-time, working on the stage and she was a founding member, in 1946, of the Circle Players at The Circle Theatre, now known as El Centro Theatre. Freeman made her debut in Wild Harvest. Freemans most notable role was an uncredited part in the 1952 musical Singin in the Rain, as Jean Hagens diction coach. Beginning with the 1954 film 3 Ring Circus, Freeman became a foil of Jerry Lewis. These included most of Lewiss better known comedies, including The Disorderly Orderly as Nurse Higgins, The Errand Boy as the bosss wife. Over 30 years later, she made a cameo appearance in Nutty Professor II. In addition to teaching acting classes in Los Angeles, Freeman was a presence on television. In 1958-59, she appeared three times on Buckskin, a program set in a hotel in a fictitious Montana town. She appeared from the 1950s until her death in regular or recurring roles on sitcoms, including six episodes of The Bob Cummings Show, Topper. Later, she was cast on Hogans Heroes as Frau Gertrude Linkmeyer, General Burkhalters sister, in 1973 she had a co-starring role alongside Dom DeLuise in the sitcom Lotsa Luck. She appeared in episodes of Wagon Train, Funny Face, I Dream of Jeannie, the short-lived prehistoric sitcom Its About Time, and as the voice of Peg Bundys mom. She played a female arm wrestler on Mamas Family, the script was originally written to have Mrs. Gordon return to Lucky Elementary School, but Freeman died before the episode was finished. The script was then re-written and Mrs. Gordon died as well, the episode was dedicated in Freemans memory. The dedication came at the end of the episode after announcement that Elaine Gordon had died, the screen faded to black and In Memory of Kathleen Freeman was shown. Weakened by illness, Freeman was forced to leave the Full Monty cast, five days later, she died of lung cancer at age 82 at Lenox Hill Hospital
39.
Garry Marshall
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He provided the voice of Buck Cluck in Chicken Little. He was the brother of actress/director Penny Marshall and Ronny Marshall Hallin and his father was of Italian descent, his family having come from San Martino sulla Marrucina, Chieti, Abruzzo, and his mother was of German, English, and Scottish ancestry. His father changed his last name from Masciarelli to Marshall before Garry was born, Marshall was baptized Presbyterian and also raised Lutheran for a time. He attended De Witt Clinton High School and Northwestern University, where he wrote a column for The Daily Northwestern. Marshall began his career as a writer for such comedians as Joey Bishop and Phil Foster. In 1961, he moved to Hollywood, where he teamed up with Jerry Belson as a writer for television, the pair worked on The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Joey Bishop Show, The Danny Thomas Show, and The Lucy Show. Their first television series as creator-producers was Hey, Landlord, which lasted one season, then they adapted Neil Simons play The Odd Couple for television. On his own, Marshall created Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, and Mork & Mindy, which were produced by his associates Thomas L. Miller, Robert L. Boyett and he was also a co-creator of Makin It, which the three men also produced. In the early 1980s, he met Héctor Elizondo while playing basketball, Elizondo appeared in every film that Marshall directed, beginning with his first feature film Young Doctors in Love. Elizondo once noted that he is written all of Marshalls contracts whether he wanted to do the film or not. In the opening credits of Exit to Eden, Elizondo is credited As Usual, in 1984, Marshall had a film hit as the writer and director of The Flamingo Kid. A consummate producer, Marshall wore many hats during this period of his career, Most of his hit television series were created and his first producing assignment came with Hey, Landlord in 1966. He stepped up the next year, producing The Lucy Show. Then came successes in producing The Odd Couple, Laverne and Shirley, Blanskys Beauties, Mork & Mindy, Angie, Marshall also launched independent productions through his theater and in association with productions launched with talent he was grooming and working with for years. It starred Julie Paris and Bert Kramer, schulte later co-wrote with TV veteran writer and producer, Fred Fox, Jr. who penned and produced a number of Marshalls television series, including Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Marshall went on to focus on directing films, with a series of hits, such as Beaches, Pretty Woman, The Princess Diaries, Valentines Day. He also appeared in two episodes of Happy Days as a drummer and he portrayed the role of director on Burbanks Lights. Float in the 2014 Rose Parade and his son Scott Marshall is also a director
40.
Penny Marshall
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Carole Penny Marshall is an American actress, director, and producer. In 1975, after playing supporting roles on television, Marshall was cast as Laverne DeFazio for a guest appearance on the sitcom Happy Days. Her performance was received, prompting a spin-off sitcom, Laverne & Shirley. Marshall reprised the DeFazio role for the entire run from 1976 until 1983. She was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her three times. She produced Cinderella Man and Bewitched, as well as episodes of According to Jim and she is the sister of actor/director/TV producer Garry Marshall and Ronny Hallin, a television producer. Her birth name, Carole, was selected because her mothers favorite actress was Carole Lombard. Her middle name was selected because her sister, Ronny, wanting a horse in the Bronx, was saving her pennies. Religion played no role in the Marshall childrens lives, Garry Marshall was christened Episcopalian, Ronny was Lutheran, and Penny was confirmed in a Congregational Church, because other sent us anyplace that had a hall where she could put on a recital. If she hadnt needed performance space, we wouldnt have bothered and she grew up at 3235 Grand Concourse, the Bronx, a very long street that was also the childhood home of Neil Simon, Paddy Chayefsky, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren. She began her career as a tap dancer at age three, and later taught tap at her mothers dance school and she graduated from Walton High School and attended the University of New Mexico. In 1967, she moved to Los Angeles to join her older brother Garry Marshall, one of her first jobs was for a TV commercial for a beautifying shampoo. She was hired to play a girl with stringy, unattractive hair, as the crew was lighting the set, Marshalls stand-in wore a placard that read Homely Girl and Fawcetts stand-in wore a placard that said Pretty Girl. Farrah Fawcett, sensing Marshalls insecurity about her looks, crossed out Homely on the Marshall stand-in placard and she and another actress Billie Hayes were the only two auditioned for the role of Witchiepoo for H. R. Pufnstuf, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. Marshall thought that she wasnt right for the part, Marshall first gained prominence as a television actress with a recurring guest role of Myrna Turner on The Odd Couple. Before appearing on The Odd Couple, Marshall was considered to play the role of Gloria Bunker Stivic on All in the Family and she ultimately lost the part to Sally Struthers while her husband, Rob Reiner, was cast as Glorias husband, Michael Meathead Stivic. It aired on CBS-TV Saturday nights beginning September 14,1974, as part of the lineup of All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show. Despite good reviews and decent ratings, it was canceled mid-season, then Garry Marshall, creator/part-time writer for Happy Days, cast his sister, Penny, and Cindy Williams to guest on an episode of that show
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