1.
Netflix
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Netflix is an American entertainment company founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph on August 29,1997, in Scotts Valley, California. It specializes in and provides streaming media and video-on-demand online and DVD by mail, in 2013, Netflix expanded into film and television production, as well as online distribution. As of 2017 the company has its headquarters in Los Gatos, Netflixs initial business model included DVD sales and rental, although Hastings jettisoned DVD sales about a year after Netflixs founding to focus on the DVD rental by mail business. In 2007, Netflix expanded its business with the introduction of streaming media, while retaining the DVD, Netflix entered the content-production industry in 2013, debuting its first series, House of Cards. It has greatly expanded the production of film and television series since then, offering Netflix Original content through its online library of films. Netflix released an estimated 126 original series or films in 2016, in January 2017, Netflix reported having over 93 million subscribers worldwide, including more than 49 million in the United States. Netflix was founded on August 29,1997, in Scotts Valley, California, by Marc Randolph, Randolph worked as marketing director for Hastings company, Pure Atria Corporation. Randolph was a co-founder of MicroWarehouse, a mail order company. Hastings, a computer scientist and mathematician, sold Pure Atria to Rational Software Corporation in 1997 for $700 million in what was then the richest acquisition in Silicon Valley history. Hastings, Randolphs mother and Integrity QA founder Steve Kahn invested $2.5 million in cash for Netflix. Randolph admired the fledgling e-commerce company Amazon and wanted to find a category of portable items to sell over the internet using a similar model. He and Hastings considered and rejected VHS tapes as too expensive to stock and too delicate to ship. When they heard about DVDs, which were available in only a few markets in 1997, when the disc arrived intact, they decided to take on the $16 billion home video sales and rental industry. Netflix introduced the monthly subscription concept in September 1999, and then dropped the model in early 2000. Since that time, the company has built its reputation on the model of flat-fee unlimited rentals without due dates, late fees, shipping and handling fees. In 2000, Netflix offered to be acquired by Blockbuster for $50 million, Netflix initiated an initial public offering on May 29,2002, selling 5.5 million shares of common stock at the price of US$15.00 per share. On June 14,2002, the company sold an additional 825,000 shares of stock at the same price. After incurring substantial losses during its first few years, Netflix posted its first profit during fiscal year 2003, in 2005,35,000 different films were available, and Netflix shipped 1 million DVDs out every day
2.
Yahoo!
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Yahoo Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Yahoo was founded by Jerry Yang and David Filo in January 1994 and was incorporated on March 2,1995, Yahoo was one of the pioneers of the early internet era in the 1990s. Marissa Mayer, a former Google executive, Google Employee number 20 and it is globally known for its Web portal, search engine Yahoo. Search, and related services, including Yahoo, answers, advertising, online mapping, video sharing, fantasy sports, and its social media website. It is one of the most popular sites in the United States, according to news sources, roughly 700 million people visit Yahoo websites every month. Yahoo itself claims it attracts more than half a billion consumers every month in more than 30 languages, in January 1994 Yang and Filo were electrical engineering graduate students at Stanford University, when they created a website named Jerry and Davids guide to the World Wide Web. The site was a directory of websites, organized in a hierarchy. In March 1994, Jerry and Davids Guide to the World Wide Web was renamed Yahoo, the yahoo. com domain was created on January 18,1995. The word yahoo is a backronym for Yet Another Hierarchically Organized Oracle or Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle, the term hierarchical described how the Yahoo database was arranged in layers of subcategories. However, Filo and Yang insist they mainly selected the name because they liked the definition of a yahoo, rude, unsophisticated. This meaning derives from the Yahoo race of beings from Gullivers Travels. Yahoo grew rapidly throughout the 1990s, like many search engines and web directories, Yahoo added a web portal. By 1998, Yahoo was the most popular starting point for web users and it also made many high-profile acquisitions. Its stock price skyrocketed during the bubble, Yahoo stocks closing at an all-time high of $118.75 a share on January 3,2000. However, after the bubble burst, it reached a post-bubble low of $8.11 on September 26,2001. Yahoo began using Google for search in 2000, over the next four years, it developed its own search technologies, which it began using in 2004. In response to Googles Gmail, Yahoo began to offer unlimited email storage in 2007, the company struggled through 2008, with several large layoffs. In February 2008, Microsoft Corporation made a bid to acquire Yahoo for $44.6 billion
3.
House of Cards (U.S. TV series)
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House of Cards is an American political drama web television series created by Beau Willimon. It is an adaptation of the BBCs mini-series of the name and is based on the novel by Michael Dobbs. The thirteen episode first season premiered on February 1,2013, thirteen episode seasons followed on February 14,2014, February 27,2015 and March 4,2016. Netflix announced a season due for release on May 30,2017. Willimon has stated plans for the shows future are decided after each season. House of Cards is the story of Frank Underwood, a Democrat from South Carolinas 5th congressional district and House Majority Whip. After being passed over for appointment as Secretary of State, he initiates a plan to get himself into a position of greater power, aided by his wife. The series deals primarily with themes of pragmatism, manipulation. House of Cards has received reviews and several award nominations. It is the first original online-only web television series to receive major Emmy nominations, the show also earned eight Golden Globe Award nominations, with Wright winning for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 2014 and Spacey winning for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 2015. However, Underwood soon learns that he is no longer being considered for the position, Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez tells Underwood that the president wants him to promote his agenda in Congress and will not honor their agreement. Inwardly seething, Underwood quickly gains control of his anger and hides his disappointment to present himself as a lieutenant to the president. In reality, Underwood begins a plan behind the presidents back. Franks wife Claire runs an NGO, the Clean Water Initiative, using the charity to cultivate her own power and influence, yet its ultimate purpose remains unknown. Despite the success of the operation, Claire seeks to expand its scope to the international stage and they both work with Remy Danton, a corporate lobbyist and former Underwood staffer, to secure funds for their operations and further their influence. Underwood begins a highly intricate plan to obtain a cabinet position, meanwhile, he manipulates Peter Russo, a troubled alcoholic and congressman from Pennsylvania, into helping him undermine Walkers pick for Secretary of State, Senator Michael Kern. Underwood eventually has Kern replaced with his own choice, Senator Catherine Durant, Underwood also uses Russo in a plot to end a teachers strike and pass an education bill, which improves Underwoods standing with President Walker. Because the new Vice President is the governor of Pennsylvania
4.
Tony Goldwyn
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Anthony Howard Tony Goldwyn is an American actor, producer, director and political activist. He portrayed Carl Bruner in Ghost, Colonel Bagley in The Last Samurai, and he stars in the ABC drama Scandal, as Fitzgerald Grant III, President of the United States. His maternal grandparents were playwright Sidney Howard and actress Clare Eames, one of his maternal great-great-grandfathers was Maryland Governor and Senator William Thomas Hamilton. Goldwyn attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, following his departure from drama school, Goldwyn began acting in guest star roles in the mid-1980s. Goldwyn is well known for his portrayal of Carl Bruner, friend-turned-betrayer of Patrick Swayzes character Sam Wheat in Ghost, in the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, Goldwyn played astronaut Neil Armstrong, commander of Apollo 11. He had a role on the NBC-Universal drama Law & Order, Criminal Intent as Frank Goren, brother of lead character Robert Goren. He also had acting and directing duties for the first season of Dexter for Showtime, as a stage actor, Goldwyn has appeared twice in Off-Broadway shows at Second Stage Theatre and on Broadway at Circle in the Square Theatre. At Second Stage he appeared in Theresa Rebecks Spike Heels alongside Kevin Bacon, most recently, in the summer of 2006 at Second Stage Theatre he starred opposite Kate Burton in another Rebeck play, The Waters Edge. Goldwyn played J. D. Sheldrake, the business executive, in the Broadway musical Promises, Promises starring Sean Hayes. The cast recording was released on June 23,2010, with Goldwyn in three tracks, Goldwyn played Captain von Trapp in a concert performance of The Sound of Music at Carnegie Hall on April 25,2012. The benefit included opera singer Stephanie Blythe as the Mother Abbess, Brooke Shields as Baroness Schraeder, as a director, Goldwyn has directed four feature films, A Walk On The Moon, Someone Like You, The Last Kiss, and Conviction. He has also directed episodes of television series such as Without a Trace, The L Word, Dexter, Law & Order, Criminal Intent, Greys Anatomy. In 2014, he directed the episode of the WE tv series, The Divide. Since 2012, he has appeared as President Fitzgerald Grant III in ABC television series Scandal, in 2013, Goldwyn was cast in new Lifetime movie, Outlaw Prophet, as Warren Jeffs. In 2014, he appeared in Divergent as Andrew Prior, Caleb, in 2015 he signed on to star in James Gunns horror thriller film The Belko Experiment. A former President of the Creative Coalition, Goldwyn is also involved with arts advocacy. He is also a spokesperson of the AmeriCares Foundation, Goldwyn has been married to production designer Jane Michelle Musky since 1987. Additionally, Goldwyns brother John is an executive of Paramount Pictures
5.
Nia Long
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Nitara Carlynn Nia Long is an American actress. And the sequels to the three films. Long was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Talita, a teacher and printmaker, and Doughtry Doc Long and her family is of Trinidadian, Grenadian, and Bajan descent. She has an older half-sister, the actress and comedian known as Sommore, Long was two years old when her parents divorced. She accompanied her mother when she moved to Iowa City, Iowa and her mother moved to South Los Angeles when Long was seven years old, as she planned to marry there. She and her fiance called off the wedding, but Talita chose to stay in Los Angeles, longs father resides in Trenton, New Jersey. Long attended the Roman Catholic school St. Marys Academy in Inglewood and she was bused from South Los Angeles to Paseo Del Rey Elementary School in Playa Del Rey from 3rd grade through 6th grade. In addition to her classes, she studied ballet, tap, jazz, gymnastics, guitar. She graduated from Westchester High School in Los Angeles in 1989, longs acting coach was Betty Bridges, better known as the mother of Diffrent Strokes star Todd Bridges. Her earliest role was in the Disney television movie, The B. R. A. T, patrol alongside Sean Astin, Tim Thomerson and Brian Keith. Her first notable role on television was a contract role as Kathryn Kat Speakes on the soap opera Guiding Light. Long portrayed Kat from 1991 to 1994, Long played Brandi in Boyz n the Hood. The film excited Long, who was doing her first real movie role and it helped Long build her confidence as an actress. It introduced me to the world in a way that it was okay for me to be who I am and still find success, I didn’t have to conform to anything. From 1994 –1995, she played Will Smiths girlfriend and fiancée Beulah Lisa Wilkes on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, jada Pinkett Smith was originally supposed to play Lisa, but was too short for the role, thus leaving Nia to take the part. In 2000, Long was offered the role of Alex Munday in Charlies Angels, but she turned it down, in 2003, she joined the cast of the drama Third Watch, where she played NYPD Officer Sasha Monroe, continuing until the series finale in 2005. In 2005 and 2006, Long appeared on Everwood, and appeared on Boston Legal during its 2006–2007 season, Long also starred in Big Shots from 2007–2008 alongside Michael Vartan and Dylan McDermott. In 2016, Long was cast in a role for the TV series Empire
6.
Marin Ireland
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Marin Yvonne Ireland is an American stage, film and television actress. She won the 2009 Theatre World Award and was nominated for a 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in reasons to be pretty. She also appeared in the play during its run in the American Repertory Theatre New Stages presentation at the Hasty Pudding Theatre, Cambridge and her off-Broadway work includes Caryl Churchills Far Away at the New York Theatre Workshop. She played the role in Sabina by Willy Holtzman at Primary Stages. She was featured in the 2008 stage adaptation of The Beebo Brinker Chronicles and she appeared in the New Group revival of A Lie of the Mind in February and March 2010. She starred in the Lincoln Center Theatre production of Abe Kooglers Kill Floor in 2015 and she made her Broadway theatre debut in reasons to be pretty. For this performance, she received a Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actress in a play and she then appeared in After Miss Julie in a Roundabout Theatre Company presentation of a Donmar Warehouse production at the American Airlines Theatre in September through December 2009. In November 2012, she starred in the role of Marie Antoinette in the world premiere at the Yale Repertory Theatre. Marin Ireland at the Internet Movie Database Marin Ireland at the Internet Broadway Database Marin Ireland at the Internet Off-Broadway Database Del Signore, John
7.
Clarke Peters
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More recently, Peters has portrayed Alonzo Quinn on the CBS crime drama Person of Interest and Isaiah Page on The Divide. Peters was born Peter Clarke, as the second of four sons, in New York City, at the age of 12, he had his first theater experience, in a school production of My Fair Lady. He began to have ambitions to work in the theater at the age of 14. He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in 1970, shortly before he left the United States, he was arrested for obstructing police lines after an anti-Vietnam war demonstration, but was cleared. He later said of this experience, It made me more angry than anything else, because what I experienced was how impotent you could be as an American citizen. In 1971, Peters elder brother enabled him to work as a designer for a production of the musical Hair in Paris. While there, he received a letter from the FBI that accused him of draft evasion, when he went to New Jersey to contest his charge, he said if the enemy comes to America, Ill be there, but I dont know the Vietnamese. If you put me in the army, Im not going there, in 1973, he moved to London, and changed his name to Clarke Peters because Equity already had a few namesake members. While in London, he formed a band, The Majestics, and worked as a backup singer on such hits as Love and Affection by Joan Armatrading, Boogie Nights by Heatwave. However, music was not Peters main ambition, and he preferred to work in the theater and his first West End theatre musical roles, which he received with assistance from his friend Ned Sherrin, were I Gotta Shoe and Bubbling Brown Sugar. Other West End credits include Blues in the Night, Porgy and Bess, The Witches of Eastwick, Chicago, in 1981, Peters starred in the Sean Connery space Western Outland as the treacherous Sgt. Ballard, and had an almost wordless role as Anderson, a pimp in Neil Jordans Mona Lisa in 1986. After writing several revues with Sherrin, In 1990 Peters wrote the revue Five Guys Named Moe and he followed this up with Unforgettable, a musical about Nat King Cole, which received scathing reviews. He also starred in the 2010 UK production of Five Guys Named Moe, as an actor, he has appeared on Broadway in The Iceman Cometh, which won him the Theatre World Award, and as shady lawyer Billy Flynn in the revival of Chicago in 2000 and 2003. In regional theatre he has appeared in Driving Miss Daisy, The Wiz, Bubbling Brown Sugar, Ma Raineys Black Bottom, Carmen Jones, Peters is familiar to television viewers as Detective Lester Freamon in the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire. Peters also starred in the HBO mini-series The Corner, portraying a drug addict named Fat Curt, both The Wire and The Corner were created by writer and former Baltimore Sun journalist David Simon. Peters also stars in Simons HBO series Treme, in the role of Mardi Gras Indian chief Albert Lambreaux and he also appeared in the UK show Holby City, as Derek Newman, the father of nurse Donna Jackson. He voiced a part in the Doctor Who animated episode Dreamland and he played Nelson Mandela in the 2009 film Endgame, and Bishop Enoch in Spike Lees 2012 film, Red Hook Summer
8.
Joe Anderson (actor)
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Anderson attended Richmond upon Thames College and later the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He has been acting professionally since childhood and his skills include photography, guitar and gymnastics. His father is actor Miles Anderson, his mother is talent agent Lesley Duff and he was diagnosed with dyslexia and attributes his move into acting to this. Anderson has worked in film, television and on stage at the Chichester Festival Theatre, earlier in his career he appeared in Copying Beethoven, playing Ludwig van Beethovens nephew Karl. He then starred as Max Carrigan, a young American man, after that, he appeared in period film Becoming Jane as Henry Austen, Jane Austens older brother, then as bassist Peter Hook of the band Joy Division in Anton Corbijns 2007 film Control. In 2008, he played Elliot in The 27 Club and a German tourist in The Ruins, in 2009, he starred in High Life as Donnie and in Love Happens as the musician boyfriend of Jennifer Anistons character. He was also seen in Amelia, the biopic of Amelia Earhart and he appeared in 2010s The Crazies, a remake of the 1973 horror film of the same name. He and his castmates from Control were featured in The Killers music video for their version of the Joy Division song Shadowplay, in an interview with Pure Movies, he said that talking about himself made him uncomfortable and feel self indulgent and that he really struggled with it. In 2012, he starred as Lincoln Cole in the television series The River, Anderson co-starred alongside Dwayne Johnson in Hercules. In December 2014, it was announced that Anderson would be replacing Michael Pitt in the role of Mason Verger in the season of the TV series Hannibal. Anderson received the Rising Star Award at the California Independent Film Festival in 2008 and he was named Best Actor Drama at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival 2008 for his performance in The 27 Club. Anderson appeared in music related films in which he also performed musical pieces. In Across the Universe, he sang covers of Beatles songs, all of these recordings were released on the corresponding soundtrack album. In Control, as bassist Peter Hook of the group Joy Division, he and his cast mates performed Transmission, Leaders of Men and these three performances were shown in their entirety in the special features under the extended performance scenes section of the DVD. Transmission was the recording by the cast released on the soundtrack album. In The 27 Club, Anderson played the bassist of a music duo called Finn. He and cast/bandmate James Forgey penned the song for the film. A studio version and a version of the song were made available on the film’s official website
9.
Chris Bauer
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Mark Christopher Chris Bauer is an American film and television actor. Bauers work includes roles in 8mm, The Devils Advocate, Face/Off, The Conspirator, Bauer has also starred in television shows The Wire, Third Watch, True Blood, and the Starz series Survivors Remorse. Bauer was born in Los Angeles, California and is of Irish and he attended high school at Miramonte High School in Orinda, California and played on the Miramonte football team in his senior year,1984, the year the team won the state championship. Later, he attended the University of San Diego, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Bauer has starred in numerous television series including The Wire as port-union boss Frank Sobotka. He also starred in Billy Crystals 2001 film 61*, as New York Yankees player Bob Cerv, in 2004 he played Lee Nickel on the ESPN series Tilt. He appears on the episode The No-Brainer of the television series Fringe as Brian Dempsey and he also appeared in multiple episodes of Numb3rs as Dr. Raymond Ray Galuski and in Criminal Minds in season one as the antagonist. Andy Bellefleur on the TV-series True Blood, in 2014, Bauer guest starred in an episode of NBCs Parks and Recreation. In October 2014 Bauer started a role on the Starz comedy Survivors Remorse. He plays Jimmy Flaherty, the owner of a fictitious Atlanta professional basketball team, the show is written by Mike OMalley, who is also an executive producer along with NBA star LeBron James, and stars Jessie T. Usher. Survivors Remorse started its season on September 22,2015. Tom Lange in the FX limited series American Crime Story, bauers first film appearance was in Snow White, A Tale of Terror, with Sigourney Weaver, Sam Neill, and Monica Keena. Soon after, Bauer played schoolteacher/pedophile Lloyd Gettys in the 1997 film The Devils Advocate and he played prisoner NB9674932-65 Ivan Dubov in the 1998 action film Face/Off, where he met Nicolas Cage. He then appeared as the masked character Machine in the 1999 film 8mm also starring Cage and he starred as fetish photographer Irving Klaw in the 2005 Bettie Page biopic The Notorious Bettie Page, and as famous author Ken Kesey in a 2007 Neal Cassady biopic. Bauer played a role in the 2005 Jim Jarmusch film. He was featured in the movie The Conspirator, as an officer following Abraham Lincolns assassination. In 2015, Bauer played the role of Pa in Disneys Tomorrowland, Chris Bauer at the Internet Movie Database
