1.
66th Venice International Film Festival
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The 66th annual Venice Film Festival held in Venice, Italy, was opened on 2 September 2009 by Baarìa - La porta del vento. International competition jury, led by Ang Lee, awarded Leone dOro to Lebanon, the festival was closed on 12 September 2009, with Maria Grazia Cucinotta serving as the festivals hostess. The following 25 films competed for the Leone doro, official website 66th Venice Film Festival 2009
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Orlando, Florida
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Orlando is a city in the U. S. state of Florida and the county seat of Orange County. Located in Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 4,000,002, according to U. S. As of 2015, Orlando had an estimated population of 270,934, making it the 73rd-largest city in the United States, the fourth-largest city in Florida. The City of Orlando is nicknamed The City Beautiful, and its symbol is the fountain at Lake Eola, Orlando is also known as The Theme Park Capital of the World and in 2014 its tourist attractions and events drew more than 62 million visitors. The Orlando International Airport is the thirteenth-busiest airport in the United States, with the exception of Walt Disney World, most major attractions are located along International Drive. The city is one of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions. Orlando is home to the University of Central Florida, which is the largest university campus in the United States in terms of enrollment as of 2015, in 2010, Orlando was listed as a Gamma− level of world-city in the World Cities Study Groups inventory. Orlando ranks as the fourth-most popular American city based on where people want to live according to a 2009 Pew Research Center study. Fort Gatlin, as the Orlando area was known, was established at what is now just south of the city limits by the 4th U. S. Artillery under the command of Ltc, alexander C. W. Fanning on November 9,1838 during the construction of a series of fortified encampments across Florida during the Second Seminole War. The fort and surrounding area were named for Dr. John S. Gatlin, king Phillip and Coacoochee frequented this area and the tree was alleged to be the place where the previous 1835 ambush that had killed over 100 soldiers had been planned. When the U. S. military abandoned the fort in 1839 the surrounding community was built up by settlers, prior to being known by its current name, Orlando was once known as Jernigan. Aarron Jernigan became Orange Countys first State Representative in 1845 but his pleas for military protection went unanswered. Fort Gatlin was briefly reoccupied by the military for a few weeks during October and November 1849, a historical marker indicates that by 1850 the Jernigan homestead served as the nucleus of a village named Jernigan. One of the countys first records, a grand jurys report, mentions a stockade where it states homesteaders were driven from their homes, Aaron Jernigan led a local volunteer militia during 1852. Jernigan appears on an 1855 map of Florida and by 1856 the area had become the county seat of Orange County and it is known for certain that the area was renamed Orlando in 1857. The move is believed to be sparked, in part, by Aaron Jernigans fall from grace after he was relieved of his command by military officials in 1856. His behavior was so notorious that Secretary of War Jefferson Davis wrote, in 1859, Jernigan and his sons were accused of committing a murder at the towns post office
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Actor
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An actor is a person who portrays a character in a performance. Simplistically speaking, the person denominated actor or actress is someone beautiful who plays important characters, the actor performs in the flesh in the traditional medium of the theatre, or in modern mediums such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is ὑποκριτής, literally one who answers, the actors interpretation of their role pertains to the role played, whether based on a real person or fictional character. Interpretation occurs even when the actor is playing themselves, as in forms of experimental performance art, or, more commonly, to act, is to create. Formerly, in societies, only men could become actors. When used for the stage, women played the roles of prepubescent boys. The etymology is a derivation from actor with ess added. However, when referring to more than one performer, of both sexes, actor is preferred as a term for male performers. Actor is also used before the name of a performer as a gender-specific term. Within the profession, the re-adoption of the term dates to the 1950–1960s. As Whoopi Goldberg put it in an interview with the paper, Im an actor – I can play anything. The U. K. performers union Equity has no policy on the use of actor or actress, an Equity spokesperson said that the union does not believe that there is a consensus on the matter and stated that the. subject divides the profession. In 2009, the Los Angeles Times stated that Actress remains the term used in major acting awards given to female recipients. However, player remains in use in the theatre, often incorporated into the name of a group or company, such as the American Players. Also, actors in improvisational theatre may be referred to as players, prior to Thespis act, Grecian stories were only expressed in song, dance, and in third person narrative. In honor of Thespis, actors are commonly called Thespians, the exclusively male actors in the theatre of ancient Greece performed in three types of drama, tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play. Western theatre developed and expanded considerably under the Romans, as the Western Roman Empire fell into decay through the 4th and 5th centuries, the seat of Roman power shifted to Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire. Records show that mime, pantomime, scenes or recitations from tragedies and comedies, dances, from the 5th century, Western Europe was plunged into a period of general disorder
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Martial arts
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Although the term martial art has become associated with the fighting arts of eastern Asia, it originally referred to the combat systems of Europe as early as the 1550s. The term is derived from Latin, and means arts of Mars, Martial arts may be categorized along a variety of criteria, including, Traditional or historical arts vs. contemporary styles of folk wrestling and modern hybrid martial arts. Such traditions include eskrima, silat, kalaripayat, kobudo, and historical European martial arts, Many Chinese martial arts also feature weapons as part of their curriculum. Similarly, modern Western martial arts and sports include fencing, stick-fighting systems like canne de combat or singlestick. Combat-oriented Health-oriented Many martial arts, especially those from Asia, also teach side disciplines which pertain to medicinal practices and this is particularly prevalent in traditional Asian martial arts which may teach bone-setting, herbalism, and other aspects of traditional medicine. Spirituality-oriented Martial arts can also be linked with religion and spirituality, numerous systems are reputed to have been founded, disseminated, or practiced by monks or nuns. Throughout Asia, meditation may be incorporated as part of training, in those countries influenced by Hindu-Buddhist philosophy, the art itself may be used as an aid to attaining enlightenment. Japanese styles, when concerning non-physical qualities of the combat, are strongly influenced by Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. Concepts like empty mind and beginners mind are recurrent, aikido, for instance, can have a strong philosophical belief of the flow of energy and peace fostering, as idealised by its founder Morihei Ueshiba. Traditional Korean martial arts place emphasis on the development of the spiritual and philosophical development. A common theme in most Korean styles, such as taekkyeon and taekwondo, is the value of peace in a practitioner. The Koreans believe that the use of force is only justified through defense. Many such martial arts incorporate music, especially strong percussive rhythms, the oldest works of art depicting scenes of battle are cave paintings from Spain dated between 10,000 and 6,000 BCE that show organized groups fighting with bows and arrows. Chinese martial arts originated during the Xia Dynasty more than 4000 years ago and it is said the Yellow Emperor Huangdi introduced the earliest fighting systems to China. The Yellow Emperor is described as a general who, before becoming Chinas leader, wrote lengthy treatises on medicine, astrology. One of his opponents was Chi You who was credited as the creator of jiao di. The foundation of modern Asian martial arts is likely a blend of early Chinese, during the Warring States period of Chinese history extensive development in martial philosophy and strategy emerged, as described by Sun Tzu in The Art of War. Legendary accounts link the origin of Shaolinquan to the spread of Buddhism from India during the early 5th century AD, with the figure of Bodhidharma, to China
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Author
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An author is narrowly defined as the originator of any written work and can thus also be described as a writer. More broadly defined, an author is the person who originated or gave existence to anything, in the copyright laws of various jurisdictions, there is a necessity for little flexibility regarding what constitutes authorship. The United States Copyright Office, for example, defines copyright as a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to authors of works of authorship. After a fixed amount of time, the copyright expires on intellectual work and it enters the public domain, however, copyright is merely the legal reassurance that one owns his/her work. Technically, someone owns their work from the time its created, an interesting aspect of authorship emerges with copyright in that, in many jurisdictions, it can be passed down to another upon ones death. The person who inherits the copyright is not the author, questions arise as to the application of copyright law. How does it, for example, apply to the issue of fan fiction. If the media responsible for the authorized production allows material from fans, what is the limit before legal constraints from actors, music. Additionally, how does copyright apply to fan-generated stories for books, what powers do the original authors, as well as the publishers, have in regulating or even stopping the fan fiction. In literary theory, critics find complications in the term author beyond what constitutes authorship in a legal setting, in the wake of postmodern literature, critics such as Roland Barthes and Michel Foucault have examined the role and relevance of authorship to the meaning or interpretation of a text. Barthes challenges the idea that a text can be attributed to any single author and he writes, in his essay Death of the Author, that it is language which speaks, not the author. The words and language of a text itself determine and expose meaning for Barthes, with this, the perspective of the author is removed from the text, and the limits formerly imposed by the idea of one authorial voice, one ultimate and universal meaning, are destroyed. The psyche, culture, fanaticism of an author can be disregarded when interpreting a text, because the words are rich enough themselves with all of the traditions of language. To expose meanings in a work without appealing to the celebrity of an author, their tastes, passions, vices, is, to Barthes, to allow language to speak. Michel Foucault argues in his essay What is an author and that all authors are writers, but not all writers are authors. He states that a letter may have a signatory—it does not have an author. For a reader to assign the title of author upon any written work is to certain standards upon the text which. Foucaults author function is the idea that an author exists only as a function of a work, a part of its structure
6.
Mo' Better Blues
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Mo Better Blues is a 1990 musical drama film starring Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Spike Lee, who also directed. It follows a period in the life of jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam as a series of bad decisions result in his jeopardizing both his relationships and his playing career. The film focuses on themes of friendship, loyalty, honesty, cause-and-effect and it features the music of the Branford Marsalis quartet and Terence Blanchard on trumpet. The film was released five months after the death of Robin Harris and is dedicated to his memory, the film begins with a scene set in Brooklyn, New York in 1969. A group of four boys walk up to Bleek Gilliams brownstone and ask him to come out, Bleeks mother insists that he continue his trumpet lesson, to his chagrin. His father becomes concerned that Bleek will grow up to be a sissy, in the end, Bleek continues playing his trumpet, and his friends go away. The next scene brings us to the present, with an adult Bleek performing on the trumpet at a nightclub with his jazz band. Giant, is waiting in the wings, and advises him to stop allowing his saxophone player Shadow Henderson to grandstand with long solos, the next morning Bleek wakes up with his girlfriend, Indigo Downes. Later in the day while he is practicing his trumpet, another woman named Clarke Bentancourt visits him and she suggests he fire Giant as his manager, he suggests that they make love. She bites his lip and he becomes upset about it, saying, I make my living with my lips, Giant is with his bookie, betting on baseball. Then he goes to the nightclub and argues with the doormen about what time to let the patrons into the club. He meets Bleek inside with the rest of the band, except for the pianist, Left Hand Lacey, who arrives late with his French girlfriend and is scolded by Giant. Later Giant goes to the club office, points out how busy the club has been since Bleek and his band began playing there. Giant meets his bookie the next morning, who is concerned that Giant is going too deep into debt, Giant shrugs it off, and places several new bets. He then stops off at Shadows home to drop off a record, Shadow confides in him that he is cheating on his girlfriend. This leads to the scene where Bleek is in bed with Clarke. Bleek and Giant are fending off requests from the members of the band, especially Shadow. Bleek goes to the owners to see about more money
7.
New Jack City
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New Jack City is a 1991 American crime film based upon an original story and screenplay by Thomas Lee Wright, and directed by Mario Van Peebles in his directorial debut, who also co-stars in the film. The film stars Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne, Chris Rock, Mario Van Peebles, the film was released in the United States on March 8,1991. Wesley Snipes plays Nino Brown, a drug dealer and crime lord in New York City during the crack epidemic. Ice-T plays Scotty Appleton, a detective who vows to stop Ninos criminal activity by going undercover to work for Ninos gang. The story begins in Harlem,1986, and Nino Brown and his gang and his gang consists of his best friend, Gee Money, enforcer Duh Duh Duh Man, gun moll Keisha, Ninos girlfriend, Selina, and her tech-savvy cousin, Kareem. Nino converts the Carter, an apartment complex, into a crack house, Gee Money and Keisha kill rival Fat Smitty, the CMB throws out the tenants, and Nino forces the landlord out onto the streets naked. Meanwhile, Undercover detective Scotty Appleton attempts to make a deal with stick-up kid Pookie, Scotty chases Pookie and shoots him in the leg, but the police let him go. Ninos gang successfully run the streets of Harlem over the three years. Stone comes under pressure, Scotty volunteers to infiltrate Ninos gang and is partnered with loose-cannon Nick Peretti, elsewhere, mobster Frankie Needles attempts to collect taxes from Nino, who refuses to pay. While Scotty and Nick spy on Nino and his gang as they hand out Thanksgiving turkeys to the poor, Scotty spots Pookie, now a crack addict, instead of arresting him, Scotty puts Pookie in rehab, and, later, Pookie offers to help bring down Nino. Against his better judgment and the disapproval of Stone and Peretti, when Pookie relapses, Gee Money realizes that he is wired, and he orders the Carter destroyed. The cops find Pookies bloody corpse, but it is booby-trapped, angry, Nino warns Gee Money not to make such a costly mistake again. After Pookies funeral and no longer needed by Stone, Scotty, after bribing Frankie Needles, Scotty infiltrates the CMB due in part to Gee Moneys increasing ambition and drug use. Though Nino distrusts them, he agrees to do business, after relating an anecdote about his own violent initiation into a gang, Nino warns that he will kill both Scotty and Gee Money if there are any problems. Scotty gains Ninos trust when he reveals information about Gee Moneys side deal, when Nino uses a child as a shield, Scotty attempts to shoot Nino behind his back. Keisha is gunned down as she sprays bullets into the van as they escape. Later, Selina condemns Nino for his murderous activities, and Nino throws her out, Nino later kills Don Ameteo and his crew from a speeding motorcycle in retaliation for the wedding shootout. Stone, Scotty, and Nick arrange a sting operation to nab Nino, Kareem, who knows that Scotty and Pookie are connected, blows Scottys cover, and a shootout ensues
8.
White Men Can't Jump
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White Men Cant Jump is a 1992 American sports comedy film written and directed by Ron Shelton, starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as streetball hustlers. The film was released in the United States on March 27,1992, Billy Hoyle is a former college basketball player who makes his living by hustling streetballers that assume he cannot play well because he is white. Billy never degrades his race when joining on pickup games, he allows his African American opponents to falsely believe they have a natural advantage over him. Such a player is Sidney Dean, a talented but arrogant player who is beaten twice by Billy, once in a court team game. Billy and his Hispanic girlfriend Gloria Clemente are on the run from outbid mobsters because of a gambling debt, a voracious reader, making note of obscure facts, Glorias goal in life is to be a contestant on the television show Jeopardy. and make a fortune. Sidney wants to buy a house for his family outside the rough Baldwin Village and he talks Billy into a partnership and they hustle other players. When they unexpectedly lose a game, it out that Sidney has double-crossed Billy by deliberately playing badly alongside him. Gloria is incensed at Billy for blowing his money again and is suspicious of how it happened. They go to Sidneys apartment and appeal to his wife Rhonda for fairness, while they bicker incessantly, Sidney and Billy win the grand prize of $5,000, largely due to Billys ability to disrupt his opponents concentration. Billys most notable claim is that he is in the zone, Sidney is pleased with the outcome, yet he cannot help mocking Billy about his inability to slam dunk. White men cant jump, he notes, Billy insists that he can indeed dunk, and after Sidney clearly disagrees, Billy offers to bet his share of the $5,000 on his ability to dunk. When he tells Gloria, she leaves him, Sidney reveals that he has a friend who works as a security guard at the TV studio that produces Jeopardy. The friend, Robert, agrees to use his connections to get her on the show if Billy can sink a hook shot from beyond the half-court line, which he does. Gloria initially stumbles over sports questions, but makes a comeback with a pet topic and she wins $14,100 on her first episode. Billy sings Gloria a song he has composed and wins her back, as Billys life comes together, this time it is Sidney who needs Billys help, his home is burglarized and his winnings stolen, so he and Rhonda become desperate for money. Gloria expects Billy to get a job and settle down. Gloria warns that if Billy gambles with her money they are through, Billy feels he must honor the obligation he owes Sidney for getting Gloria on Jeopardy. in the first place. They play a game against two hoops legends of the L. A. scene, The King and Duck
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Demolition Man (film)
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Demolition Man is a 1993 American science fiction action film directed by Marco Brambilla in his directorial debut. The film stars Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes, the film was released in the United States on October 8,1993. The film tells the story of two men, a crime lord and a risk-taking police officer. Cryogenically frozen in 1996, they are restored to life in the year 2032 to find mainstream society changed, Some aspects of the film allude to Aldous Huxleys dystopian novel, Brave New World. In 1996, psychopathic career criminal Simon Phoenix kidnaps a number of hostages and takes refuge with his gang in an abandoned building, john Spartan uses a thermal scan of the building and finds no trace of the hostages, and leads an unauthorized assault to capture Phoenix. When he is captured, Phoenix sets off a series of explosives that bring down the building, the corpses of the hostages are found in the rubble, leading to the arrest of Spartan for manslaughter. He is incarcerated along with Phoenix in the citys new California Cryo-Penitentiary, during their incarceration, the Great Earthquake of 2010 leads the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara to merge into a single metropolis under the name San Angeles. The city becomes a utopia run under the pseudo-pacifist guidance and control of the evangelistic Dr. Raymond Cocteau, in 2032, Phoenix is thawed for a parole hearing. He inexplicably knows and uses the codes to the security systems. The police, having not dealt with violent crime for many years, are unable to handle Phoenix, lt. Lenina Huxley suggests that Spartan - the police officer who caught Phoenix - be revived and reinstated to the force to help them stop him again. Phoenix escapes and encounters Dr. Cocteau but finds he is unable to shoot Cocteau and they also discover information directing Phoenix towards Friendly, and go off to warn him. At the Scraps underground base, Spartan convinces Friendly of the threat, Spartan and the Scraps ward off an attack by Phoenixs gang, leading to a car chase between Spartan and Phoenix. Phoenix taunts Spartan by revealing that he had killed the hostages before Spartan had arrived in 1996, Phoenix escapes, and Spartan arms himself with help from the Scraps as they emerge in force to get food. Phoenix returns to Dr. Cocteau with his gang, and as the rehabilitation programming prevents him from killing Cocteau and they go back to the CryoPrison and begin to thaw out the most dangerous convicts. Spartan enters the prison alone to fight Phoenix, heavily damaging the facility in the process, Spartan escapes the prison before it explodes and regroups with the police and the Scraps. He then kisses Huxley and the two go off together, lori Petty was originally cast as Lenina Huxley but was replaced by Sandra Bullock after two days of filming due to what producer Joel Silver described as creative differences. The character was named after Aldous Huxley, the author of Brave New World, and Lenina Crowne, originally Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal were offered lead roles in the film. The role of Simon Phoenix was also offered to Jackie Chan, general Motors provided the production team with 18 concept vehicles, including the Ultralite concept vehicle
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Marvel Comics
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Marvel Comics is the common name and primary imprint of Marvel Worldwide Inc. formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, an American publisher of comic books and related media. In 2009, The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Worldwides parent company, Marvel started in 1939 as Timely Publications, and by the early 1950s had generally become known as Atlas Comics. Marvels modern incarnation dates from 1961, the year that the company launched The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and many others. Most of Marvels fictional characters operate in a reality known as the Marvel Universe. Martin Goodman founded the later known as Marvel Comics under the name Timely Publications in 1939. Martin Goodman, a magazine publisher who had started with a Western pulp in 1933, was expanding into the emerging—and by then already highly popular—new medium of comic books. The issue was a success, with it and a second printing the following month selling, combined. While its contents came from an outside packager, Funnies, Inc, Timely had its own staff in place by the following year. It, too, proved a hit, with sales of one million. Goodman formed Timely Comics, Inc. beginning with comics cover-dated April 1941 or Spring 1941, Goodman hired his wifes cousin, Stanley Lieber, as a general office assistant in 1939. Lee wrote extensively for Timely, contributing to a number of different titles, Goodmans business strategy involved having his various magazines and comic books published by a number of corporations all operating out of the same office and with the same staff. One of these companies through which Timely Comics was published was named Marvel Comics by at least Marvel Mystery Comics #55. As well, some covers, such as All Surprise Comics #12, were labeled A Marvel Magazine many years before Goodman would formally adopt the name in 1961. The post-war American comic market saw superheroes falling out of fashion and this globe branding united a line put out by the same publisher, staff and freelancers through 59 shell companies, from Animirth Comics to Zenith Publications. Atlas also published a plethora of childrens and teen humor titles, including Dan DeCarlos Homer the Happy Ghost, Atlas unsuccessfully attempted to revive superheroes from late 1953 to mid-1954, with the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and Captain America. Atlas did not achieve any hits and, according to Stan Lee, Atlas survived chiefly because it produced work quickly, cheaply. During this time, the Comic Code Authority made its debut in September 1954, Wertham published the book Seduction of the Innocent in order to force people to see that comics were impacting American youth. He believed violent comics were causing children to be reckless and were turning them into delinquents, in September 1954, comic book publishers got together to set up their own self-censorship organization—the Comics Magazine Association of America—in order to appease audiences
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Blade (comics)
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Blade is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character, the character went on to star and co-star in several comic book series as well as a Blade film series and television series. Actor Wesley Snipes portrayed the vampire hunter in the Blade film series while Kirk Sticky Fingaz Jones took on the role for the television series, Blade was introduced as a supporting character in Marvel Comics The Tomb of Dracula #10, written by Marv Wolfman and penciled by Gene Colan. The artist recalled in 2003, Marv told me Blade was a man, and we talked about how he should dress. The bandolier of blades – that was Marvs idea, I put the leather jacket on him and so on. Colan based the features on a composite of black actors including NFL football star-turned-actor Jim Brown. He initially sported 1970s style afro hair and wielded teak bladed knives, Blade appeared in most issues #10–21, with additional appearances in #24 and 28. Wolfman recalled in 2009, I knew if I let him, Blade would eclipse the other characters so I pulled him back and let original supporting characters Rachel, Frank and Quincy shine. I also wasnt happy with my Blade dialogue, so I pulled him out of the book for awhlle — I think almost a year —, the early Blade dialogue was cliche Marvel Black dialogue. Later on, I tried to make him more real, but it took growing up as a writer. Outside Tomb of Dracula, he fought the scientifically created vampire Morbius in the series in Adventure into Fear #24, in a story written by Steve Gerber. Blades first solo story came in Marvels black-and-white horror-comics magazine Vampire Tales #8, in an 11-page story by Wolfman and this feature continued in the following issue, with Wolfman and Chris Claremont co-scripting. Blade then appeared in a 56-page solo story in the black-and-white showcase magazine Marvel Preview #3, written by Claremont, a six-page backup story by Wolfman and Colan followed in Marvel Preview #8. Blade co-starred in the 18-issue Nightstalkers, and appeared with that team in a story in the anthology Midnight Sons Unlimited #1 and he appeared in two solo stories, in Midnight Sons Unlimited #2 and 7. Following the cancellation of Nightstalkers, Blade debuted in his first color-comics series, Blade, The Vampire Hunter #1–10, written by Ian Edginton, Blade next appeared in a 12-page inventory story in issue #1 of the short-lived black-and-white anthology series Marvel, Shadows and Light. Marvel next announced a miniseries, Blade by writer Don McGregor and penciller Brian Hagen. Marvel published a different six-issue miniseries later that year, Blade, Vampire Hunter, written and, the next ongoing series, Blade vol. 2, by writer Christopher Hinz and artist Steve Pugh, ran six issues,3, by writer Marc Guggenheim and penciller-inker Howard Chaykin, ran 12 issues
12.
Blade (film series)
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The Blade films are based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name, portrayed by Wesley Snipes. They were written by David S. Goyer, based on the comics by Marv Wolfman, the three films were directed by Stephen Norrington, Guillermo del Toro and Goyer respectively, and distributed by New Line Cinema. The character was created in 1973 for Marvel Comics by writer Marv Wolfman, in the comic, Blades mother was bitten by a vampire while she was in labor with Blade. Blade grows up to become a hunter, swearing vengeance on the creatures that killed his mother. He teams up with a man called Whistler, a vampire hunter. Meanwhile, in the underworld, a feud is started between pure-blood vampires and those who had been human, but were turned. Blade becomes aware of this and investigates further, uncovering a plot to raise the blood god La Magra, a rare mutation has occurred within the vampire community. Reapers are vampires so consumed with an insatiable bloodlust that they prey on vampires as well as humans, now their quickly expanding population threatens the existence of vampires, and soon there wont be enough humans in the world to satisfy their bloodlust. Blade, Whistler and an armory expert named Scud are curiously summoned by the Shadow Council, the council reluctantly admits that they are in a dire situation and they require Blades assistance. Blade then tenuously enters into an alliance with The Bloodpack, an team of vampires who were trained in all modes of combat to defeat Blade. Theyll use their skills instead to wipe out the Reaper threat. Blades team and the Bloodpack are the line of defense which can prevent the Reaper population from wiping out the vampire. The vampires succeed in framing Blade for the killing of a human, Blade, now in the publics eye and wanted by the FBI, has to join forces with the Nightstalkers, a human clan of vampire hunters. Blade, Hannibal King, and Abigail Whistler go after Danica Talos, who has succeeded in locating and resurrecting Drake, also known as Dracula, the first vampire and by far the most powerful. In order to him, Blade has to release a virus that will wipe out all vampires. By August 2012, the rights to Blade had reverted to Marvel Studios. In May 2013, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Marvel had a script for Blade. At San Diego Comic Con 2015, Snipes told IGN that both he and Marvel are now in talks about bringing Blade back to theaters
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Dan (rank)
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The dan ranking system is used by many Japanese organizations and Korean martial arts to indicate the level of ones ability within a certain subject matter. As a ranking system, it was used at a go school during the Edo period. It is now used in modern fine arts and martial arts. The system was applied to arts in Japan by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, in 1883. In the modern Japanese martial arts, holders of dan ranks often wear a black belt, those of higher rank may also wear red-and-white and red belts. Dan ranks are given for strategic board games such as go, Japanese chess, and renju, as well as for cultural arts such as flower arrangement, Japanese calligraphy and tea ceremony. The Chinese character for the word dan literally means step or stage in Japanese. In Chinese pinyin, however, the character is spelled duàn. Dan is often used together with the word kyū in certain ranking systems, with dan being used for the higher ranks, the dan ranking system in go was devised by Honinbō Dōsaku, a professional go player in the Edo period. Prior to the invention, top-to-bottom ranking was evaluated by comparison of handicap, dosaku valued the then highest title holder, Meijin at 9 Dan. He was likely inspired by an ancient Chinese go ranking system, Dan ranks were transferred to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo. Kanō started the modern system in 1883 when he awarded shodan to two of his senior students. Prior to this, martial arts schools awarded progress with less frequent menkyo licenses or secret scrolls, there was still no external differentiation between yūdansha and mudansha. Different athletic departments within the Japanese school system were already using markers of rank, most notably in swimming, kano adopted the custom of having his yūdansha wear black obi in 1886. At that time, these obi were not the belts that karateka and jūdōka wear today and they wore the wide obi still worn with formal kimono. In 1907, Kanō invented the modern keikogi, and belts in white for mudansha, traditionally, the level of go players has been defined using kyū and dan ranks. Kyu ranks are considered student ranks, whilst dan ranks are considered master ranks, especially in amateur play, these ranks facilitate the handicapping system, with a difference of one rank roughly corresponding to one free move at the beginning of the game. With the ready availability of calculators and computers, rating systems have been introduced, in such systems, a rating is rigorously calculated on the basis of game results. Dan ranks are for advanced players, although many organizations let players choose their own kyū rank to a certain extent, dan ranks are often regulated
14.
Black belt (martial arts)
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In East Asian martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioners level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence and it is often associated with a teaching grade though frequently not the highest grade or the expert of public perception. It is also a recent invention rather than an ancient custom. Previously, Japanese Koryu instructors tended to provide certificates, initially the wide obi was used, as practitioners trained in kimono, only white and black obi were used. It was not until the early 1900s, after the introduction of the judogi, other martial arts later adopted the custom or a variation of it to denote rank. This includes martial arts that traditionally did not have a rank structure. This kind of ranking is less common in arts that do not claim a far eastern origin, Rank and belts are not equivalent between arts, styles, or even within some organizations. In some arts, a belt is expected in three years, while in others ten years may be common. Testing for black belt is commonly more rigorous and more centralized than for lower grades, in contrast to the black belt as master stereotype, a black belt commonly indicates the wearer is competent in a styles basic technique and principles. In this analogy a graduate degree would represent advancement past the first degree, the shodan black belt is not the end of training but rather as a beginning to advanced learning, the individual now knows how to walk and may thus begin the journey. Some schools place profit ahead of ability when using these tactics and are referred to as McDojos or belt factories. In some Japanese schools, after obtaining a black belt the student also begins to instruct, in Japanese martial arts the further subdivisions of black belt ranks may be linked to dan grades and indicated by stripes on the belt. Yūdansha is often used to describe those who hold a black belt rank, while the belt remains black, stripes or other insignia may be added to denote seniority, in some arts, very senior grades will wear differently colored belts. In judo and some forms of karate, a sixth dan will wear a red, the red and white belt is often reserved only for ceremonial occasions, and a regular black belt is still worn during training. At 9th or 10th dan some schools award red, in some schools of Jujutsu, the Shihan rank and higher wear purple belts. These other colors are still referred to collectively as black belts. Kyū Rank in Judo Brazilian jiu-jitsu ranking system Origins of the Karate Rank System
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Shotokan
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Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi. Funakoshi had many students at the university clubs and outside dojos, as the most widely practiced style, Shotokan is considered a traditional and influential form of karate do. Shotokan was the name of the first official dojo built by Gichin Funakoshi, in 1936 at Mejiro, shoto, meaning pine-waves, was Funakoshis pen-name, which he used in his poetic and philosophical writings and messages to his students. The Japanese kan means house or hall, in honour of their sensei, Funakoshis students created a sign reading shōtō-kan, which they placed above the entrance of the hall where Funakoshi taught. Gichin Funakoshi never gave his system a name, just calling it karate, Shotokan training is usually divided into three parts, kihon, kata, and kumite. Techniques in kihon and kata are characterised by deep, long stances that provide stability, enable powerful movements, Shotokan is regarded as a dynamic martial art as it develops anaerobic, powerful techniques as well as developing speed. Initially strength and power are demonstrated instead of slower, more flowing motions, kumite techniques are practised in the kihon and kata and developed from basic to advanced levels with an opponent. Gichin Funakoshi laid out the Twenty Precepts of Karate, which form the foundations of the art, within these twenty principles, based heavily on Bushido and Zen, lies the philosophy of Shotokan. The principles allude to notions of humility, respect, compassion, patience and it was Funakoshis belief that through karate practice and observation of these 20 principles, the karateka would improve their person. The Dojo kun lists five philosophical rules for training in the dojo, seek perfection of character, be faithful, endeavor to excel, respect others and these rules are called the Five Maxims of Karate. The Dojo kun is usually posted on a wall in the dojo, and some shotokan clubs recite the Dojo kun at the beginning and/or end of class to provide motivation. Funakoshi also wrote, The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, many terms used in karate stem from Japanese culture. While many are names, others are exclusive to martial arts, many terms are seldom used in daily life, such as zenkutsu dachi, while others appear routinely, such as rei. The Japanese form is retained in schools outside Japan to preserve the Okinawan culture. However, many schools of JKA affiliated Shotokan Karate used the full terminology on a daily basis, for example, the KUI, utilises the full and proper Japanese name for each move and kata in training, grading and competition. Rank is used in karate to indicate experience, expertise, and to a lesser degree, as with many martial arts, Shotokan uses a system of coloured belts to indicate rank. Most Shotokan schools use the kyū / dan system but have added other belt colours, the order of colours varies widely from school to school, but kyu belts are denoted with colours that in some schools become darker as a student approaches shodan. Dan level belts are black, with some schools using stripes to denote various ranks of black belt
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Hapkido
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Hapkido is a highly eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, and throwing techniques similar to those of martial arts, as well as kicks, punches. Hapkido emphasizes circular motion, redirection of force, and control of the opponent, practitioners seek to gain advantage over their opponents through footwork and body positioning to incorporate the use of leverage, avoiding the use of brute strength against brute strength. The art was adapted from Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu as it was taught by Choi Yong-Sool when he returned to Korea after World War II after having lived in Japan for 30 years. Hapkido is rendered 합기도 in the native Korean writing system known as hangul, the arts name can also however be written 合氣道 utilizing the same traditional Chinese characters which would have been used to refer to the Japanese martial art of aikido in the pre-1946 period. The current preference in Japan is for the use of a simplified second character, substituting 気 for the earlier. The character 合 hap means coordinated or joining, 氣 ki describes internal energy, spirit, strength, or power and it is most often translated as the way of coordinating energy, the way of coordinated power or the way of harmony. Although Japanese aikido and Korean hapkido share common origins, in time they have become separate. They differ significantly in philosophy, range of responses and manner of executing techniques, Choi Yong-Sool s training in martial arts is a subject of contention. It is known that Choi was sent to Japan as a boy and returned to Korea with techniques characteristic of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu. In the interview with Chin Il Chang, Choi is claimed to have adopted by Takeda Sōkaku when he was 11 years old and was given the Japanese name. He claims to have taken to Takedas home and dojo in Akita on Shin Shu mountain where he lived and trained with the master for 30 years. This is contradicted by other claims asserting that Choi was simply a worker in the home of Takeda, the meticulous enrollment and fee records of Tokimune Takeda, Takedas eldest son and Daitō-ryūs successor, do not seem to include Chois name among them. Therefore, except for claims made by Choi himself, there is evidence that Choi was the adopted son of Takeda. Stanley Pranin, then of Aiki News and now editor of the Aikidojournal, at the height of dispute, it is claimed by hapkido practitioners that Koreans were excluded from listing, though this is contradicted by Takedas records which contain other Korean names. While some commentators claim hapkido has a Japanese lineage, others state that its origins lay with indigenous Korean martial arts. Choi Yong-Sools first student, and the man whom some claim helped him develop the art of hapkido was Seo Bok-Seob, a Korean judo black belt when they met. A direct student of Choi, Chin Il Chang inherited the title of Doju in Chois personal and complete system of Hapkido on January 15,1985, on April 5,1985 Choi personally awarded Chang the only existing 10th Dan certificate in Hapkido history
17.
Teaching assistant
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A teaching assistant or teachers aide or education assistant is an individual who assists a teacher with instructional responsibilities. By definition, TAs assist with classes, but many graduate students serve as the instructor for one or more classes each semester as a teaching fellow or graduate student instructor. Teaching assistants often help the teacher by managing students with learning disabilities, such as ADHD, or even physical disabilities. Graduate teaching assistants are graduate students employed on a contract by a department at a college or university in teaching-related responsibilities. In New Zealand, Australian, and some Canadian universities, graduate TAs are known as tutors, professors may also use their teaching assistants to help teach discussions during regular class. This gives the graduate student opportunity to use their teaching skills, some graduate students assist in distance education courses by meeting with the students as professors are not able to. Graduate TAs should not be confused with teaching fellows or graduate student instructors, however, at some universities the TF and TA titles are used interchangeably. The equivalent of this kind of tutor in the United States, UTAs or JTAs usually serve as true assistants to a class, they typically have taken the course with which they are assisting, often with the same professor, and have performed well in it. This case is less common for GTAs, since many would have been undergraduates at other institutions, unlike professors and GTAs, UTAs generally do not have a fixed salary but instead are paid by the hour, earn credit hours, or volunteer their time. The term teaching assistant is used in the school and middle school setting for students or adults that assist a teacher with one or more classes. The responsibilities, situations, and conditions of these individuals involvement differ from those in higher education, a less formal position, a TA job in secondary education is generally determined by the supervising teacher. Common tasks include assisting students with their work, and taking attendance, most of the responsibilities of Teaching Assistants do not require the academic expertise of the professor in charge. Some teaching assistants at this level may teach portions of the class lessons, many TAs work one-on-one with special needs students, these TAs shadow their student and assist with classwork, organization, and behavior management. In some parts of the United States it is customary or even required that each classroom have one certified teacher, students attending high school and middle schools can take a course, usually an elective, and perform tasks such as grade and record scores on homework or tests. The work done by the assistant in the role is not tedious, an elementary school teaching assistant is an adult who is hired to help a teacher with class-related duties, which are similar to those encountered in middle and high school settings. They are sometimes referred to as paraprofessionals or teachers aides, elementary school teaching assistants are generally hired on a contract that lasts the entire academic year. Teaching assistants aide with multiple duties within schools, and can be hired in special education as well, Tutor Research assistant Tutor expertise in adult education The Art of TAing What are TA, RA and GA. National Career Service profile of a Teaching Assistant Teaching Assistant Resource for Jobs and Courses Changing career to a Teaching Assistant
18.
Aircraft maintenance
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Aircraft maintenance is the overhaul, repair, inspection or modification of an aircraft or aircraft component. Maintenance may include such tasks as ensuring compliance with Airworthiness Directives or Service Bulletins, the maintenance of aircraft is highly regulated, in order to ensure safe and correct functioning during flight. National regulations are coordinated under international standards, maintained by such as the International Civil Aviation Organization. The maintenance tasks, personnel and inspections are all tightly regulated, the Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul Market was US$135.1 Billion in 2015, three quarters of the $180.3 B aircraft production market. Of this, 60% is for civil aviation, air transport 48%, business and general aviation 9%, rotorcraft 3%, and military aviation is 40%, fixed wing 27% and rotary 13%. Of the $64.3 Billion air transport MRO market, 40% is for engines, 22% for components, 17% for line, 14% for airframe and its is projected to grow at 4. 1% per annum till 2025 to $96B. Aircraft maintenance is highly regulated, because the smallest slip can lead to an aircraft crashing with consequent loss of life, the International Civil Aviation Organization sets global standards which are then implemented by national and regional bodies around the world. Each Contracting State is expected to use in its own regulations the one it prefers, thus, aircraft maintenance technicians, engineers and mechanics all perform essentially the same role. However different countries use terms in different ways to define their individual levels of qualification. Recognised licenses for aircraft maintenance personnel include, Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, Aircraft Maintenance Technician, in the USA also called an Aviation Maintenance Technician or colloquially Airframes and Powerplants. Aircraft maintenance personnel in Europe must comply with Acceptable Means of Compliance Part 66, Certifying Staff, AMC Part 66 is based on Joint Aviation Regulations promulgated by the Joint Aviation Authorities and on Air Transport Association Specification 104. Aircraft maintenance checks are inspections that have to be done on all commercial/civil aircraft after a certain amount of time or usage. In the case of an aircraft this may be an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer or Aircraft Maintenance Technician. Automated aircraft inspection systems have the potential to make aircraft maintenance safer, various solutions are currently developed, a collaborative mobile robot named Air-Cobot, and drones
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The Bronx
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The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City, within the U. S. state of New York. Since 1914, the Bronx has had the boundaries as Bronx County, a county of New York. The Bronx is divided by the Bronx River into a section in the west, closer to Manhattan. East and west street addresses are divided by Jerome Avenue—the continuation of Manhattans Fifth Avenue, the West Bronx was annexed to New York City in 1874, and the areas east of the Bronx River in 1895. Bronx County was separated from New York County in 1914, about a quarter of the Bronxs area is open space, including Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Cortlandt Park, Pelham Bay Park, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Bronx Zoo in the boroughs north and center. These open spaces are situated primarily on land reserved in the late 19th century as urban development progressed north. The name Bronx originated with Jonas Bronck, who established the first settlement in the area as part of the New Netherland colony in 1639, the native Lenape were displaced after 1643 by settlers. This cultural mix has made the Bronx a wellspring of both Latin music and hip hop. The Bronx, particularly the South Bronx, saw a decline in population, livable housing, and the quality of life in the late 1960s. Since then the communities have shown significant redevelopment starting in the late 1980s before picking up pace from the 1990s until today, the Bronx was called Rananchqua by the native Siwanoy band of Lenape, while other Native Americans knew the Bronx as Keskeskeck. It was divided by the Aquahung River, the origin of Jonas Bronck is contested. Some sources claim he was a Swedish born emigrant from Komstad, Norra Ljunga parish in Småland, Sweden, who arrived in New Netherland during the spring of 1639. Bronck became the first recorded European settler in the now known as the Bronx and built a farm named Emmanus close to what today is the corner of Willis Avenue. He leased land from the Dutch West India Company on the neck of the mainland north of the Dutch settlement in Harlem. He eventually accumulated 500 acres between the Harlem River and the Aquahung, which known as Broncks River or the Bronx. Dutch and English settlers referred to the area as Broncks Land, the American poet William Bronk was a descendant of Pieter Bronck, either Jonas Broncks son or his younger brother. More recent research indicates that Pieter was probably Jonas nephew or cousin, the Bronx is referred to with the definite article as The Bronx, both legally and colloquially. The region was named after the Bronx River and first appeared in the Annexed District of The Bronx created in 1874 out of part of Westchester County
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New York (state)
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New York is a state in the northeastern United States, and is the 27th-most extensive, fourth-most populous, and seventh-most densely populated U. S. state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont to the east. With an estimated population of 8.55 million in 2015, New York City is the most populous city in the United States, the New York Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. New York City makes up over 40% of the population of New York State, two-thirds of the states population lives in the New York City Metropolitan Area, and nearly 40% lives on Long Island. Both the state and New York City were named for the 17th-century Duke of York, the next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse, while the state capital is Albany. New York has a diverse geography and these more mountainous regions are bisected by two major river valleys—the north-south Hudson River Valley and the east-west Mohawk River Valley, which forms the core of the Erie Canal. Western New York is considered part of the Great Lakes Region and straddles Lake Ontario, between the two lakes lies Niagara Falls. The central part of the state is dominated by the Finger Lakes, New York had been inhabited by tribes of Algonquian and Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans for several hundred years by the time the earliest Europeans came to New York. The first Europeans to arrive were French colonists and Jesuit missionaries who arrived southward from settlements at Montreal for trade, the British annexed the colony from the Dutch in 1664. The borders of the British colony, the Province of New York, were similar to those of the present-day state, New York is home to the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and its ideals of freedom, democracy, and opportunity. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. On April 17,1524 Verrazanno entered New York Bay, by way of the now called the Narrows into the northern bay which he named Santa Margherita. Verrazzano described it as a vast coastline with a delta in which every kind of ship could pass and he adds. This vast sheet of water swarmed with native boats and he landed on the tip of Manhattan and possibly on the furthest point of Long Island. Verrazannos stay was interrupted by a storm which pushed him north towards Marthas Vineyard, in 1540 French traders from New France built a chateau on Castle Island, within present-day Albany, due to flooding, it was abandoned the next year. In 1614, the Dutch under the command of Hendrick Corstiaensen, rebuilt the French chateau, Fort Nassau was the first Dutch settlement in North America, and was located along the Hudson River, also within present-day Albany. The small fort served as a trading post and warehouse, located on the Hudson River flood plain, the rudimentary fort was washed away by flooding in 1617, and abandoned for good after Fort Orange was built nearby in 1623. Henry Hudsons 1609 voyage marked the beginning of European involvement with the area, sailing for the Dutch East India Company and looking for a passage to Asia, he entered the Upper New York Bay on September 11 of that year
21.
High School of Performing Arts
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The school, informally known as PA, was established in 1947 and first occupied its own building the following year. In 1961, the school was merged with another alternative arts school, plans for establishing a joint building for the merged schools took many years to be realized. There was opposition to loss of PAs individual identity, both student bodies eventually moved into a shared building in 1984. Many well-known performers were trained at the school, such as Liza Minnelli, Jennifer Aniston, Ving Rhames, Lorraine Toussaint, the 1980 film Fame was set in the High School of Performing Arts, though the building was not used in filming. Under Kellers stewardship, it offered music and theater programs in addition to the traditional trade skills. In 1948, the school occupied a disused 1894 public school building on West 46th Street in the Times Square area, the new school offered programs in music, dance, drama, and, for a time, photography. There were many professionals on staff, including the young Sidney Lumet in the drama department and his production that year was The Young & Fair. Beginning in the mid-1950s, the New York City administration regularly announced plans to move PA out of its ancient building and these plans included joining the PA student population with another student body from another school in a newly constructed building. A site in the Lincoln Square area was chosen, but was superseded by a location within the newly developed Lincoln Center complex, a groundbreaking ceremony at the second Lincoln Center complex occurred in 1958, with Mayor Robert F. Wagner attending. The Mayor and City Council made promises to alumni, students and these, and all other previous announcements, failed to reach beyond the planning stages. The new school would include students from PAs sister school, the High School of Music & Art, Performing Arts High School and The High School Of Music & Art were known as sister schools because in 1961 they were merged on paper into one school. This combined institution became known as Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, the school received one single funding allocation, with two separate student bodies and faculty split in two different locations. PA continued to audition, educate and graduate hundreds of students during these decades of uncertainty, ground was broken for a new building at the Lincoln Center in 1973, but New York Citys budget crisis caused all work to stop. Construction resumed in the early 1980s, finally, in September 1984, the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts welcomed students from both schools into their new building. In 1978, Alumni Nick Gordon and Carol Gordon, members of the parents association, the Alumni Association met opposition, however, from the Board of Educations Chancellor Frank J. Macchiarola and other school administrators. Macchiarola had overseen the marriage into one single Fiorello La Guardia house of sister schools PA, mr. Gordons next attempt to preserve PA was to enlist the help of an architect, Sheldon Licht, in beginning the process to declare the school building a New York City Landmark. In 1982 the building was declared a NYC Landmark but it was too late to preserve PA as a separate institution. In June 1984 the last graduating class from the old building departed, in September of that year, students moved to the Music & Art site and the two sister schools were finally united in one building
22.
Florida
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Florida /ˈflɒrᵻdə/ is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U. S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States, the Miami metropolitan area is Floridas most populous urban area. The city of Tallahassee is the state capital, much of the state is at or near sea level and is characterized by sedimentary soil. The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south, the American alligator, American crocodile, Florida panther, and manatee can be found in the Everglades National Park. It was a location of the Seminole Wars against the Native Americans. Today, Florida is distinctive for its large Cuban expatriate community and high population growth, the states economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation, which developed in the late 19th century. Florida is also renowned for amusement parks, orange crops, the Kennedy Space Center, Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for golf, tennis, auto racing, by the 16th century, the earliest time for which there is a historical record, major Native American groups included the Apalachee, the Timucua, the Ais, the Tocobaga, the Calusa and the Tequesta. Florida was the first part of the continental United States to be visited and settled by Europeans, the earliest known European explorers came with the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León. Ponce de León spotted and landed on the peninsula on April 2,1513 and he named the region La Florida. The story that he was searching for the Fountain of Youth is a myth, in May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de Soto skirted the coast of Florida, searching for a deep harbor to land. He described seeing a wall of red mangroves spread mile after mile, some reaching as high as 70 feet. Very soon, many smokes appeared along the whole coast, billowing against the sky, the Spanish introduced Christianity, cattle, horses, sheep, the Spanish language, and more to Florida. Both the Spanish and French established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success, in 1559, Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano established a settlement at present-day Pensacola, making it the first attempted settlement in Florida, but it was abandoned by 1561. Spain maintained tenuous control over the region by converting the tribes to Christianity. The area of Spanish Florida diminished with the establishment of English settlements to the north, the English attacked St. Augustine, burning the city and its cathedral to the ground several times. Florida attracted numerous Africans and African-Americans from adjacent British colonies who sought freedom from slavery, in 1738, Governor Manuel de Montiano established Fort Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose near St
23.
State University of New York at Purchase
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State University of New York at Purchase also known as Purchase College, State University of New York is a public four-year college located in Purchase, New York, United States. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York system, Purchase College was ranked 9 in U. S. News & World Reports 2016 listing of top public liberal arts colleges. The college was listed as one of Kiplingers 100 Best Public College Values in 2016 and it was also listed in that publications 2014 list of Best Values in Small Colleges. The Princeton Review included Purchase College in its 2015 list of The Best 379 Colleges. Purchase College confers the degrees, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts. Similarly, the BFA and MusB studies culminate in an exhibition, film. Masters degree programs culminate in a thesis and the MFA and MM culminate in an exhibition, recital, the land that would become Purchase College was first settled by the Thomas family in 1734. John Thomas served as an assemblyman in colonial New York from 1743-1776 and he served as a judge for the Court of Common Pleas in Westchester and a Muster-Master. Judge Thomas was a supporter of American independence. On March 22,1777, Thomas was imprisoned by the British, John Thomas sons, John Thomas, Jr. and Thomas Thomas, also fought for American independence. Thomas Thomas was later appointed a General and he is buried at the Thomas family graveyard, which is located behind the Neuberger Museum of Art on the campus of Purchase College. A tall, white stone obelisk commemorates General Thomas and his family, as of 2016, Purchase College had 4,188 undergraduate students with freshman enrollment of 694. 56% of Purchases student body is female, 15% of the colleges students come from outside of New York state and 2. 5% of its students are international. Purchase has a rate of 41% and a student-teacher ratio of 15,1. 62% of Purchase students receive need-based financial aid and the college has an endowment of $63.9 million, Purchase College was ranked the ninth-best public liberal-arts college in U. S. News & World Reports 2016 college rankings. Kiplinger ranked the school as the 76th Best Value in Public Colleges in 2016 and it was also listed as one of the 100 Best Value Public Colleges for the years 2013 and 2014 by the Princeton Review. The Princeton Review rated the schools theatre as the twelfth best, Purchase was also listed as one of the Princeton Reviews top 380 colleges for 2016. Newsweek ranked the student body as the thirteenth most liberal in 2012
24.
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
25.
California
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California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. Located on the western coast of the U. S, California is bordered by the other U. S. states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California. Los Angeles is Californias most populous city, and the second largest after New York City. The Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nations second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, California also has the nations most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The Central Valley, an agricultural area, dominates the states center. What is now California was first settled by various Native American tribes before being explored by a number of European expeditions during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish Empire then claimed it as part of Alta California in their New Spain colony. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821 following its war for independence. The western portion of Alta California then was organized as the State of California, the California Gold Rush starting in 1848 led to dramatic social and demographic changes, with large-scale emigration from the east and abroad with an accompanying economic boom. If it were a country, California would be the 6th largest economy in the world, fifty-eight percent of the states economy is centered on finance, government, real estate services, technology, and professional, scientific and technical business services. Although it accounts for only 1.5 percent of the states economy, the story of Calafia is recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián, written as a sequel to Amadis de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Calafia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts. This conventional wisdom that California was an island, with maps drawn to reflect this belief, shortened forms of the states name include CA, Cal. Calif. and US-CA. Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, various estimates of the native population range from 100,000 to 300,000. The Indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct groups of Native Americans, ranging from large, settled populations living on the coast to groups in the interior. California groups also were diverse in their organization with bands, tribes, villages. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups, the first European effort to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River was a Spanish sailing expedition, led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in 1542. Some 37 years later English explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed a portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila galleons on their trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565
26.
San Diego Comic-Con
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San Diego Comic-Con International is a multi-genre entertainment and comic convention held annually in San Diego, California. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International, San Diego and it is a four-day event held during the summer at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego. On the Wednesday evening prior to the opening of the event, there is a preview for professionals, exhibitors. Comic-Con International also produces two other conventions, WonderCon, held in Los Angeles, and the Alternative Press Expo and it is also the home of the Will Eisner Awards. In 2010, it filled the San Diego Convention Center to capacity with more than 130,000 attendees, the convention was founded in 1970 by Shel Dorf, Richard Alf, Ken Krueger, Mike Towry, Barry Alfonso, Bob Sourk, and Greg Bear. Detroit, Michigan-born, comics fan Shel Dorf, had, in the mid-1960s, mounted the Detroit Triple-Fan Fairs, one of the first commercial comics-fan conventions. When he moved to San Diego, California, in 1970, he organized a convention on March 21,1970. Dorf went on to be associated with the convention as president or manager, variously, Alf co-chaired the first convention with Krueger and became chairman in 1971. Following the initial gathering, Dorfs first three-day San Diego comics convention, other locations in the conventions early years included the El Cortez Hotel, the University of California, San Diego, and Golden Hall, before being moved to the San Diego Convention Center in 1991. I was quietly walking the floor stunned and in awe of just how much bigger it really was, the convention is organized by a panel of 13 board members,16 to 20 full-time and part-time workers, and 80 volunteers who assist via committees. Comic Con International is an organization, and proceeds of the event go to funding it, as well as the Alternative Press Expo. The convention logo was designed by Richard Bruning and Josh Beatman in 1995, in September 2010, the convention announced that it would stay in San Diego through 2015. In 2015, working with Lionsgate, a channel was created to host Comic-Con related content. According to the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, the convention has a regional economic impact of $162.8 million. Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, there are previews of upcoming feature films, like most comic-book conventions, Comic-Con features a large floorspace for exhibitors. These include media companies such as studios and TV networks, as well as comic-book dealers. And like most comics conventions, Comic-Con includes an area, as well as the Artists Alley where comics artists can sign autographs. Despite the name, artists alleys can include writers and even models, academics and comic industry professionals annually hold the Comics Arts Conference at Comic-Con, presenting scholarly studies on comics as a medium
27.
Goldie Hawn
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Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, director, producer, and occasional singer, who rose to fame on televisions Rowan & Martins Laugh-In. She is the mother of actors Oliver Hudson, Kate Hudson and Wyatt Russell and she founded The Hawn Foundation in 2003. Hawn was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role in the 1980 film Private Benjamin. She is set to star in her first film in 15 years with a role in Snatched. Hawn was born in Washington, D. C. the daughter of Laura, a jewelry shop/dance school owner, and Edward Rutledge Hawn and she was named after her mothers aunt. Her father was a Presbyterian of German and English descent, her mother was Jewish, the daughter of immigrants from Hungary, and Hawn was raised Jewish. Hawn has often said to descend from Edward Rutledge, the youngest signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Hawn began taking ballet and tap dance lessons at the age of three, and danced in the corps de ballet of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo production of The Nutcracker in 1955. She made her debut in 1961, playing Juliet in a Virginia Shakespeare Festival production of Romeo. By 1964, she ran and taught in a ballet school, in 1964, Hawn made her professional dancing debut in a production of Can-Can at the Texas Pavilion of the New York Worlds Fair. She began working as a professional dancer a year later and appeared as a dancer in New York City. Her next role, which brought her to international attention, was as one of the regular cast members on the 1968–1973 sketch comedy show, Rowan & Martins Laugh-In. On the show, she would break out into high-pitched giggles in the middle of a joke. Noted equally for her attitude as for her bikini and painted body. Her Laugh-In persona was parlayed into three film appearances in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Cactus Flower, Theres a Girl in My Soup. After Hawns Academy Award win, her career took off. She starred in a string of average and successful comedies starting with Theres a Girl in My Soup, $. She continued proving herself in the league with the 1974 satirical dramas The Girl from Petrovka and The Sugarland Express
28.
Wildcats (film)
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Wildcats is a 1986 American sports comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie starring Goldie Hawn, James Keach and Swoosie Kurtz, and is also the film debut of Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. Molly McGrath is the daughter of a football coach who is dying to head her own team. At first the new coach’s idealism and optimism are suffocated with racial and gender prejudice, at the same time, she must also struggle to win a battle for the custody of her two young daughters. The real test for Molly comes when her Central High team faces Prescott in the city championship, the film was met with a mostly negative response from critics. The film debuted at No.4, white savior narrative in film Wildcats at the Internet Movie Database Wildcats at Rotten Tomatoes
29.
Miami Vice
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Miami Vice was an American television crime drama series created by Anthony Yerkovich and executive produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson as James Sonny Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Rico Tubbs, the series ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984 to 1989. The USA Network began airing reruns in 1988, and broadcast an originally unaired episode during its run of the series on January 25,1990. Unlike standard police procedurals, the show drew heavily upon 1980s New Wave culture, the show became noted for its integration of music and visual effects. It has been called one of the Top 50 TV Shows, people magazine stated that Miami Vice was the first show to look really new and different since color TV was invented. In 2016, television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked Miami Vice as the 51st greatest American television show of all time, Michael Mann directed a film adaptation of the series, which was released on July 28,2006. The initial idea was for a movie about a pair of cops in Miami. Yerkovich then turned out a script for a pilot, titled Gold Coast. Yerkovich was immediately drawn to South Florida as a setting for his new-style police show, Miami Vice was one of the first American network television programs to be broadcast in stereophonic sound. It was mixed in stereo for its run, but not actually broadcast in stereo until 1985. In keeping with the namesake, most episodes focused on combating drug trafficking. Episodes often ended in a gun battle, claiming the lives of several criminals before they could be apprehended. An undercurrent of cynicism and futility underlies the entire series, the detectives repeatedly reference the Whac-A-Mole nature of drug interdiction, with its parade of drug cartels quickly replacing those that are apprehended. Co-executive producer Yerkovich explained, The choice of music and cinematography borrowed heavily from the emerging New Wave culture of the 1980s, as such, segments of Miami Vice would sometimes use music-based stanzas, a technique later featured in Baywatch. As Lee H. Katzin, one of the directors, remarked, The show is written for an MTV audience. These elements made the series into an instant hit, and in its first season saw an unprecedented fifteen Emmy Award nominations, while the first few episodes contained elements of a standard police procedural, the producers soon abandoned them in favor of a more distinctive style. Influenced by an Art Deco revival, no earth tones were allowed to be used in the production, mickey Rourke was also considered for the role, but he turned down the offer. Larry Wilcox, of CHiPs, was also a candidate for the role of Crockett, after dozens of candidates and a twice-delayed pilot shooting, Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas were chosen as the vice cops
30.
Michael Jackson
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Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, and philanthropist. Called the King of Pop, his contributions to music, dance, the eighth child of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5. He began his career in 1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music, the popularity of these videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame. Jacksons 1987 album Bad spawned the U. S and he continued to innovate with videos such as Black or White and Scream throughout the 1990s, and forged a reputation as a touring solo artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and his distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous artists of various music genres. Thriller is the album of all time, with estimated sales of 65 million copies worldwide. Jacksons other albums, including Off the Wall, Bad, Dangerous and he is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by Guinness World Records. Jackson won hundreds of awards, making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades when Love Never Felt So Good reached number nine on May 21,2014. Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring his humanitarianism, and, in 2000, aspects of Jacksons personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of sexual abuse, but the civil case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of child sexual abuse allegations. While preparing for his concert series, This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25,2009. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician, Jacksons death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and a live broadcast of his public memorial service was viewed around the world. Forbes ranks Jackson as the dead celebrity with earnings of $825 million in 2016. Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958 and his mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovahs Witness. She played clarinet and piano and once aspired to be a country-and-western performer, michaels father, Joseph Walter Joe Jackson, a former boxer, was a steelworker at U. S. Steel
31.
Martin Scorsese
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Martin Charles Scorsese is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and film historian, whose career spans more than 50 years. Scorseses body of work addresses such themes as Sicilian-American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, faith, machismo, modern crime, many of his films are also known for their depiction of violence and liberal use of profanity. Part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking, he is regarded as one of the most significant. In 1990, he founded The Film Foundation, an organization dedicated to film preservation. Their third film together, The Departed, won Scorsese the Academy Award for Best Director in addition to the winning the award for Best Picture. Their collaborations have resulted in numerous Academy Award nominations for both as well as winning several other prestigious awards. His work in television includes the episode of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire and Vinyl. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the crime drama The Departed, with eight Best Director nominations, he is the most nominated living director and is tied with Billy Wilder for the second most nominations overall. Scorsese was born in Queens, New York and his family moved to Little Italy, Manhattan before he started school. His father, Charles Scorsese, and mother, Catherine Scorsese and his father was a clothes presser and an actor, and his mother was a seamstress and an actress. His fathers parents emigrated from Polizzi Generosa, in the province of Palermo, Sicily, Scorsese was raised in a devoutly Catholic environment. As a teenager in the Bronx, Scorsese frequently rented Powell, Scorsese was one of only two people who regularly rented that reel. The other was future Night Of The Living Dead director George A. Romero, Scorsese has cited Sabu and Victor Mature as his favorite actors during his youth. He has also spoken of the influence of the 1947 Powell and Pressburger film Black Narcissus, whose innovative techniques later impacted his filmmaking. Enamored of historical epics in his adolescence, at least two films of the genre, Land of the Pharaohs and El Cid, appear to have had a deep, Scorsese also developed an admiration for neorealist cinema at this time. He acknowledges owing a debt to the French New Wave and has stated that the French New Wave has influenced all filmmakers who have worked since. He has also cited filmmakers including Satyajit Ray, Ingmar Bergman, Michelangelo Antonioni and he went on to earn his M. F. A. from NYUs School of the Arts in 1966, a year after the school was founded. Scorsese attended New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts making the short films Whats a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This. and Its Not Just You, Murray
32.
Bad (Michael Jackson song)
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Bad is a song by an American artist Michael Jackson. Bad was released by Epic Records on September 7,1987, as the single from Jacksons third major-label. The song was written and composed by Jackson and co-produced by Quincy Jones, Jackson stated that the song was influenced by a real-life story he had read about. Bad was well received by music critics, with some critics noting that Bad helped Jacksons image become edgier during the Bad-era. The song also peaked at one on the Netherlands and European charts. The video portrays Michael Jackson and various backup dancers shown performing choreography in a subway station. Bad has been covered and parodied by many different artists since its release and has become a song used frequently in tributes to Jackson after his death in June 2009, the song is featured in the 2010 animated film Megamind. It is also featured in the first theatrical trailer for the 2016 animated film The Angry Birds Movie, Jackson plays a teenager named Darryl, who has just completed a term at an expensive private school. He returns to the city and takes the back to his neglected neighborhood. Darryl finds his home is empty where he is greeted by his old friends, the leader of the group is Mini Max. At first, relations are friendly but slightly awkward, then, the situation begins deteriorate as the gang starts to realize how much Darryl has changed. They especially notice how uncomfortable he has become with their criminal activities, Darryl takes the gang to the subway station In an attempt to show his friends he is still bad by robbing an elderly man. He has a change of heart at the last minute and Mini Max chastises him telling Darryl hes no longer bad, after more disrespect from Mini Max, the video cuts to Darryl and a group of street kids dancing while Jackson sings Bad. Darryl insists that Max is headed for a fall which is nearly Darryls undoing, eventually, Mini Max accepts that and after a final handshake, leaves Darryl in peace. At the end of the video Darryl is left alone watching his gang leave, Bad is a song that was written and recorded by Michael Jackson in January 1987 for his seventh studio album of the same name and produced by Quincy Jones. Bad was originally intended to be a duet between Jackson and musician Prince, although the plans were not fruitful, in Jacksons 1988 autobiography Moonwalk, Jackson discussed the concept of Bad, elaborating that, Bad is a song about the street. Its about this kid from a bad neighborhood who gets to go away to a private school and he comes back to the old neighborhood when hes on a break from school and the kids from the neighborhood start giving him trouble. He sings, Im bad, youre bad, whos bad, hes saying when youre strong and good, then youre bad
33.
Streets of Gold (film)
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Streets of Gold is a 1986 American dramatic film directed by Joe Roth starring Klaus Maria Brandauer, Wesley Snipes and Adrian Pasdar. Alik is an immigrant from the Soviet Union, but is not allowed on the Soviet national team because he is Jewish, one day he meets two young amateur boxers named Roland Jenkins and Timmi Boyle and begins to coach them. 20th Century Fox nor Lionsgate has yet to announce any plans to release the film onto DVD nor rights, streets of Gold at the Internet Movie Database
34.
Geordi La Forge
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Portrayed by LeVar Burton, he served as helmsman of the USS Enterprise-D in the first season, then occupied the role of the chief engineer for the rest of the series and in the films. La Forge has been blind since birth and uses devices that allow him to see - a VISOR in the series. Gene Roddenberry created the character in honor of George La Forge, a fan of the original Star Trek series. LeVar Burton auditioned for the role in 1986 and he had previously appeared in Roots and other major network shows. He stated that years ago I was doing a TV movie called Emergency Room, but there was a producer on that show, a man named Bob Justman. And I said was Gene Roddenberry involved, and I said I’ll be right there. Roddenberry was very pleased with Burton at his first audition, throughout the series, Burton was equipped with Geordi La Forges trademark VISOR, which he found extremely unpleasant to wear, It’s pretty much a living hell. 85 to 90% of my vision is taken away when the VISOR goes on, I bumped into everything the first season–Light stands, overhead microphones, cables at my feet–I tripped over it all. So it’s a sort of conundrum – the blind man, who puts on the VISOR and sees more than everyone else around him. So I had a headache for about six years. During the series, Burtons character was Chief Engineering Officer, Burton commented how hard it sometimes was to straight-facedly deliver the Treknobabble used by La Forge in these scenes, Technobabble brings with it its own challenge. I’m not an engineer, I just played one on TV, the methodology that I found most successful was to really spit it out as fast as I possibly could. Giving the illusion that I knew what I was talking about when, in fact, I think the holodeck was a very cool concept, you know. You can create a three dimensional reality, I mean, how cool is that. Following the end of the series, Burton has stated how much he profited from The Next Generation, When I got married my best man was Brent and my groomsmen were Michael and Jonathan, no matter what, we will always be family to each other. There have been times when there have been feuds within the family, in the Star Trek fictional universe, a VISOR is a device used by the blind to artificially provide them with a sense of sight. The sensors are located on the side, that covers the eyes and attaches at small input jacks implanted in the temples. The only VISOR seen on screen was used by Geordi La Forge, VISOR is an acronym for Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement, though the complete term appeared only in novelizations and other written tie-in products, and never in the series
35.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
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Star Trek, The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry that ran between 1987 and 1994. Roddenberry, Maurice Hurley, Rick Berman, Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor served as producers at different times throughout its production. The series involves a starship named Enterprise and is set in the regions of the Milky Way galaxy. The first episode takes place in the year 2364,100 years after the start of the mission described in the original series. It features a new cast and a new starship Enterprise, the fifth to bear the name within the franchises storyline and these are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission, to strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations. TNG premiered the week of September 28,1987, drawing 27 million viewers, in total,176 episodes were made, ending with the two-hour finale All Good Things. The week of May 23,1994, the series was broadcast in first-run syndication with dates and times varying among individual television stations. Three additional Star Trek spin-offs followed The Next Generation, Star Trek, Deep Space Nine, Star Trek, Voyager, and Star Trek, Enterprise. The series formed the basis for the seventh through to the tenth of the Star Trek films, and is also the setting of novels, comic books. In its seventh season, Star Trek, The Next Generation became the first, the series received a number of accolades including 19 Emmy Awards, two Hugo Awards, five Saturn Awards, and a Peabody Award. The series follows the adventures of a crew on board the starship USS Enterprise, the fifth Federation vessel to bear the name and registry. The series is set about 70 years after the mission of the original Enterprise crew under the command of James T. Kirk. Beverly Crusher, conn officer Lieutenant Geordi La Forge, and junior officer Lieutenant Worf, the death of Lieutenant Yar in the series first season prompts an internal shuffle of personnel, making Worf official chief of security. Geordi La Forge is promoted to engineer at the beginning of season 2. The series begins with the crew of the Enterprise-D put on trial by a nefarious, the god-like entity threatens the extinction of mankind for being a race of savages, forcing them to solve a mystery at nearby Farpoint Station to prove their worthiness to be spared. After successfully solving the mystery and avoiding disaster, the crew departs on its mission to explore strange new worlds. Subsequent stories focus on the discovery of new life and sociological and political relationships with alien cultures, several new species are introduced as recurring antagonists, including the Ferengi, the Cardassian, and the Borg
36.
LeVar Burton
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Levardis Robert Martyn LeVar Burton Jr. is an American actor, presenter, director, and author. He has also directed a number of episodes for various iterations of Star Trek. Burton was born to American parents at the U. S. Army Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in West Germany and his mother, Erma Gene, was a social worker, administrator, and educator. His father, Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, was a photographer for the U. S. Army Signal Corps at the time he was stationed at Landstuhl, Burton and his two sisters were raised by his mother in Sacramento, California. Burton was raised Roman Catholic and, at the age of thirteen, entered St. Pius X seminary in Galt, California, Burton attended St. Pius X Seminary in Galt and graduated in the class of 1974. While in seminary, he works by the philosophers Lao-Tzu, Nietzsche. At seventeen, Burton left the seminary to enroll at the University of Southern California with a drama scholarship, while at the University of Southern California, Burton was a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Californias School of Theatre, LeVar Burton made his acting debut in 1977 when he played Kunta Kinte in the ABC award-winning drama series Roots, based on the novel by Alex Haley. Burtons audition for the role of Kinte was the first of his professional career, as a result of his performance, he was nominated for the Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama Series. Burton reprised the role of Kunta Kinte in the 1988 television film Roots, when asked about the societal impacts of Roots, Burton is quoted as saying, It expanded the consciousness of people. Blacks and whites began to see each other as human beings, and if you throw a pebble into the pond, youre going to get ripples. I think the constant is change, and its always slow. Anything that happens overnight is lacking in foundation, Roots is part of a changing trend, and its still being played out. In 1986, he appeared in the video for the song Word Up. by the funk/R&B group Cameo. Burton accepted an invitation to host Rebop, a series designed for young people ages 9–15. Burton was the host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow starting in 1983 for PBS, the series ran for 23 seasons, making it one of the longest-running childrens programs on the network. Furthermore, the series garnered over 200 broadcast awards over its run, Burton himself won 12 Emmy awards as host and producer of the show. After Reading Rainbow went off the air in 2006, Burton and his business partner, Mark Wolfe, acquired the rights to the brand and formed RRKIDZ
37.
Spike Lee
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Shelton Jackson Spike Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company,40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983, Lee has acted in ten of his own films. Lees movies have examined race relations, colorism in the community, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty. Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Jacqueline Carroll, a teacher of arts and black literature, and William James Edward Lee III, a jazz musician and composer. Lee also had three younger siblings Joie, David, and Cinqué, who all worked in different positions in Lees films. Director Malcolm D. Lee is his cousin, when he was a child, the family moved to Brooklyn, New York. His mother nicknamed him Spike during his childhood and he attended John Dewey High School in Brooklyns Gravesend neighborhood. Lee enrolled in Morehouse College, a black college, where he made his first student film. He took film courses at Clark Atlanta University and graduated with a B. A. in mass communication from Morehouse and he did graduate work at New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in film & television. In 1991, Lee taught a course at Harvard about filmmaking and it was there that he received his Master of Fine Arts and was appointed Artistic Director in 2002. Lees independent film, Joes Bed-Stuy Barbershop, We Cut Heads, was the first student film to be showcased in Lincoln Centers New Directors/New Films Festival, in 1985, Lee began work on his first feature film, Shes Gotta Have It. With a budget of $175,000, he shot the film in two weeks, when the film was released in 1986, it grossed over $7,000,000 at the U. S. box office. Lees 1989 film Do the Right Thing was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1989, many people, including Hollywoods Kim Basinger, believed that Do the Right Thing also deserved a Best Picture nomination. Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture that year, after the 1990 release of Mo Better Blues, Lee was accused of antisemitism by the Anti-Defamation League and several film critics. They criticized the characters of the club owners Josh and Moe Flatbush, Lee denied the charge, explaining that he wrote those characters in order to depict how black artists struggled against exploitation. Lee said that Lew Wasserman, Sidney Sheinberg or Tom Pollock and he said he could not make an antisemitic film because Jews run Hollywood, and thats a fact. His 1997 documentary 4 Little Girls, about the killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham. On May 2,2007, the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival honored Spike Lee with the San Francisco Film Societys Directing Award and he received the 2008 Wexner Prize
38.
Do the Right Thing
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Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee, who also played the part of Mookie in the film. Other members of the cast include Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro and it is also notably the feature film debut of both Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez. The movie tells the story of a Brooklyn neighborhoods simmering racial tension and it is often listed among the greatest films of all time. Mookie is a 25-year-old black man living in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn with his sister and he and his girlfriend, Tina, have a son. Hes a pizza delivery man at the pizzeria, but lacks ambition. Sal, the pizzerias Italian-American owner, has been in the neighborhood for twenty-five years and his older son Pino intensely dislikes blacks, and does not get along with Mookie. Pino is at odds with his younger brother Vito, who is friendly with Mookie, while at Sals, Mookies trouble-making b-boyish friend, Buggin Out, questions Sal about his Wall of Fame, a wall decorated with photos of famous Italian-Americans. Buggin Out demands that Sal put up pictures of black celebrities since Sals pizzeria is in a black neighborhood, Sal replies that he doesnt need to feature anyone but Italians as it is his restaurant. Buggin Out attempts to start a protest over the Wall of Fame, only Radio Raheem and Smiley support him. During the day, the heat and tensions begin to rise, the local teenagers open a fire hydrant and douse the street, before police officers intervene. Mookie and Pino begin arguing over race, which leads to a series of scenes in which the characters spew racial insults into the camera, Pino and Sal talk about the neighborhood, with Pino expressing his hatred, and Sal insisting that he is not leaving. Sal almost fires Mookie, but Jade intervenes, before Mookie confronts her for being too close to Sal and that night, Buggin Out, Radio Raheem, and Smiley march into Sals and demand that Sal change the Wall of Fame. Raheems boombox is blaring and Sal demands that they turn the radio off, Buggin Out calls Sal and sons guineas while saying that theyre closing down the pizzeria for good until they change the Wall of Fame. Sal, in a fit of frustration, tells him he will tear his nigger ass, Raheem attacks Sal, leading to a huge violent fight that spills out into the street, attracting a crowd. While Radio Raheem is choking Sal, the police arrive and they break up the fight and apprehend Radio Raheem and Buggin Out. Despite the pleas of his officers and the onlookers, one officer refuses to release his chokehold on Raheem. Realizing that Raheem has been killed in front of onlookers, the place his body in the back of a squad car, and drive off, leaving Sal, Pino. The onlookers, enraged about Radio Raheems death, blame Sal, Mookie grabs a trash can and throws it through the window of Sals pizzeria, sparking the crowd to rush into the restaurant and destroy it, with Smiley finally setting it on fire
39.
Major League (film)
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Made for $11 million, Major League grossed nearly $50 million in domestic release. Major League deals with the exploits of a version of the Cleveland Indians baseball team. Former Las Vegas showgirl Rachel Phelps has inherited the Cleveland Indians baseball team from her deceased husband. Phelps has received a deal to move the team to Miami. To do this, she replaces their existing players with aging veterans and inexperienced rookies, Phelps hires Lou Brown, a former coach from the Toledo Mud Hens, to manage the team. The team starts the season on a losing streak, the team rallies, bringing the Indians higher in the division standings. Phelps tries to demoralize the team by taking away their luxuries such as a jet, but the team still holds strong. Meanwhile, Taylor finds that his ex-girlfriend Lynn is living in Cleveland, when Phelps original plan falls through, she decides that she will purposely void the contract, despite the financial penalty, and will move the team to Miami regardless. Her plan is to get rid of the bad players and Brown, once they reach dead last, donovan relays this to Brown, who informs the team that no matter how well they do, they will be fired after the season. So, they work hard and reach the American League Championship so Phelps cant move the team or throw them out, the team succeeds in tying the division with the New York Yankees, leading to a one-game playoff to determine the title. In the playoff in Cleveland, the Yankees take an early lead, in the top of the 9th, with the bases loaded, Vaughn manages to strike out the Yankees best hitter, sending the Indians up to bat. With the game tied and the Indians with two outs, the speedy Willie Mays Hayes manages a single to get on base, Taylor steps up, and after signalling to Brown, calls his shot to center field. With the Yankees prepared for the play, Taylor instead bunts, allowing Hayes to make it to home safely. As the team celebrates, Taylor sees Lynn in the stands, the two rush to hug each other as the city celebrates the victory. The theatrical releases ending includes Rachel Phelps, apparently unable to move the team because of increased attendance, angry, an alternate ending on the Wild Thing Edition DVD shows a very different characterization of Phelps. Lou tenders his resignation and tells Phelps that he cant in good work for her after she sought to sabotage the team for her own personal gain. Phelps then tells him that, in fact, she loves the Indians, however, when she inherited the club from her late husband, it was on the brink of bankruptcy. She tells Lou that she felt that he was the right manager to bring the ragtag group together
40.
Jungle Fever
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As Lees fifth feature-length film, the film explores an interracial relationship—its conception and downfall—against the urban backdrop of the streets of New York City in the 1990s. Flipper Purify, a successful and happily married architect from Harlem, is married to Drew —together the two have one daughter, Ming, at work, he discovers that an Italian-American woman named Angie Tucci has been hired as a temporary. Angie lives in Bensonhurst, with her father, Mike, Angie and her boyfriend Paulie have been dating since high school, and he runs a corner store. Flipper and Angie begin to spend nights in the office working late but one night. The sexual encounter begins the twos tumultuous relationship, afterwards Flipper somehow demands to be up for a promotion at work but when refused by the company for the position Flipper accuses them of colorism and abruptly quits his job. Afterwards, he admits his infidelity to his longtime friend Cyrus. Cyrus later criticizes Flipper for having an affair with a white woman, later Drew finds out about his affair and throws him out. Flipper in retaliation insults Cyruss wife and in doing so strains his friendship with Cyrus, Flipper moves in momentarily with his father The Good Reverend Doctor Purify and Mrs. Purify. Later, Angie comes home to a severe and brutal beating with a belt from her father after word gets out that she is dating a black man, Flipper and Angie decide to find a place and move in together. As a couple, the two encounter discrimination such as when being refused and ignored entirely by a waitress for dating a lady, police harassment. Things begin to turn worse for Flipper when his crack addicted brother Gator steals and sells his mothers TV for crack, Flipper searches all over Harlem for Gator, eventually finding him in a crack house. He finally gives up on his brother and tells him he is not giving him any more money and he collapses as Mrs. Purify weeps over Gators body. Another subject the films focuses on is Paulie who was the former fiancé of Angie and he asked a black woman, who is one of his customers, on a date and when hes goes out, hes assaulted brutally by his friends in his attempt at an interracial relationship. Angie later is accepted back into her fathers home and Flipper tries to mend his relationship with his wife but is unsuccessful, as he leaves his house, a young, crack-addicted prostitute propositions him, in response, he throws his arms around her and cries out in torment. Wesley Snipes as Flipper Purify Annabella Sciorra as Angie Tucci Spike Lee as Cyrus Ossie Davis as The Good Reverend Doctor Purify Ruby Dee as Mrs. Purify Samuel L and he uses both types of examples to make the audience aware of everyday instances of racism. According to the New York Daily News, the attack had more to do with race than romance, hence Lees reason for including the dedication, in the film, Flippers brother, Gator, is a crack addict. He is constantly pestering his family members for money and his father has disowned him but his mother and Flipper still occasionally give him money, when he asks. In an interview with Esquire, Jackson explains that he was able to play the crack addict Gator because he had just gotten out of rehab for his own crack addiction
41.
King of New York
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King of New York is a 1990 crime thriller film, starring Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, Victor Argo, and Giancarlo Esposito. It was directed by independent filmmaker Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John, Frank White, a drug lord, is riding into New York in a limousine after being released from Sing Sing. Emilio El Zapa, a Colombian drug dealer, is shot to death, zapas partner, King Tito, is in a hotel room with Jimmy Jump and Test Tube, who are negotiating the purchase of cocaine. Jimmy and Test Tube shoot Tito and his bodyguards and steal the cocaine, later, in a suite at the Plaza Hotel, Frank is greeted by Jimmy, Test Tube, and other members of his gang, who welcome him home. Frank leaves to meet two of his lawyers, Joey Dalesio and Jennifer, for dinner, Frank expresses his desire to be mayor and asks Dalesio to set up a meeting with Mafia boss Arty Clay. He and Jennifer leave to take a ride on the subway, confronted by muggers, Frank first brandishes his gun then gives them a wad of money, telling them to ask for him at the Plaza if they want work. Dalesio goes to Little Italy, to set up a meeting with Clay but the mafia don urinates on Dalesios shoes and tells him it is a message for his boss. On hearing this, Frank, Jump and other members of the go to Clays social club. When Clay insults him, Frank shoots the mafioso, as he leaves, Frank tells Clays men that they can all find employment at the Plaza. The next night, Frank is confronted by Detectives Bishop, Gilley and they drive him to an empty lot where they show him the body of El Zapa in the trunk. When Frank refuses to confess, Gilley and Flanigan beat him, Frank sends Dalesio to Chinatown to make contact with Triad leader Larry Wong, has $15 million worth of cocaine. Larry demands $3 million up front and another $500,000 after the drugs are sold, Frank counters that the two should team up, then split the profits evenly. Larry turns him down and demands that Frank decide immediately whether he wants to buy the drugs, Jimmy Jump and several of Franks lieutenants are arrested by Gilley and Flanigan, who reveal that one of Titos bodyguards is alive and willing to testify. When Frank learns of his mens arrest, he orders his lawyers to arrange their release and they head to Chinatown, where they kill Larry and his gang, and take the cocaine. Gilley, Flanigan and other officers pose as drug dealers and bribe Dalesio into leading them to the nightclub where Frank and they burst in shooting, slaying several members of Franks gang. Fleeing over the Queensboro Bridge, Frank and Jump trade shots with the police, killing all but Gilley, after evading their pursuers, the two men split up. Jump shoots Flanigan in the chest, puncturing his vest, Gilley kills Jump with a shot to the head. A few days later at Flanigans funeral, Frank kills Gilley, after his men kill Dalesio, Frank goes to Bishops apartment, telling him that he has placed a $250,000 bounty on every detective involved in the case
42.
Christopher Walken
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He was nominated for the same award and won BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance as Frank Abagnale Sr. in Catch Me If You Can. Walkens films have grossed more than $1 billion in the United States and he has also played the lead in the Shakespeare plays Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and Coriolanus. He is a popular guest-host of Saturday Night Live, having hosted seven times as of April 2008, Walken debuted as a film director and scriptwriter with the short film Popcorn Shrimp in 2001. He also wrote and acted the role in a play about his idol Elvis Presley, titled Him. Named after actor Ronald Colman, Walken was born Ronald Walken on March 31,1943 in Astoria, Queens, New York City. He is the son of Rosalie, a British emigrant from Glasgow, Scotland, and Paul Wälken and his father owned and operated Walkens Bakery in Astoria. Influenced by their mothers own dreams of stardom, he and his brothers, Kenneth, at age 15, when a girlfriend showed him a magazine photo of Elvis, Walken said, This guy looked like a Greek god. Then I saw him on television and he changed his hairstyle to imitate Elvis and hasnt changed it since. As a teenager, he worked as a lion tamer in a circus, Walken initially trained as a dancer in music theatre at the Washington Dance Studio before moving on to dramatic roles in theatre and then film. As a child, Walken appeared on screen as an extra in numerous anthology series, after appearing in a sketch with Martin and Lewis on The Colgate Comedy Hour, Walken decided to become an actor. He landed a role in the 1953 television show The Wonderful John Acton as the shows narrator. During this time, he was credited as Ronnie Walken, over the next two years, he appeared frequently on television and had a thriving career in theatre. From 1954 to 1956, Walken and his brother Glenn originated the role of Michael Bauer on the soap opera The Guiding Light, in 1963, he appeared as a character named Chris in an episode of Naked City, starring Paul Burke. In 1966, Walken played the role of King Philip of France in the Broadway premiere of The Lion in Winter, in 1969, Walken guest-starred in Hawaii Five-O as Navy SP Walt Kramer. He prefers to be known informally as Chris instead of Christopher, Walken made his feature film debut with a small role opposite Sean Connery in Sidney Lumets The Anderson Tapes. In 1972s The Mind Snatchers a. k. a, the Happiness Cage, Walken played his first starring role. In this science fiction film, which deals with control and normalization. Paul Mazurskys 1976 film Next Stop, Greenwich Village had Walken, under the name Chris Walken, playing fictional poet, in Woody Allens 1977 film Annie Hall, Walken played the homicidal and borderline crazy brother of Annie Hall
43.
Sugar Hill (1994 film)
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Sugar Hill is a 1994 American crime film starring Wesley Snipes and Michael Wright as brothers Roemello and Raynathan Skuggs. The film focuses on the two brothers, who are drug dealers in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. R. Skuggs (ultimately at the hands of the man they would later work for—Gus Molino, Roemello, as a teenager avenges his father’s shooting by shooting and killing Sal Marconi, a business partner of Gus’s. After contemplating for a while, Roemello decides to quit dealing and start a new life with his girlfriend, Melissa, to the disdain of Raynathan, however, Roemello learns that getting out is nowhere near as easy as getting in. The Skuggs brothers and their associates find Ricky’s burned body hanging from the side of an apartment building. They later go after and then kill Tony Adamo, one of the men responsible for Ricky Goggles’ death. Because of this, a street war starts off between The Skuggs crew and Lolly’s organization. Melissa becomes more hesitant of being involved with Roemello, because of his lifestyle, after an episode where Mark physically abused Melissa, she eventually returns to Roemello and they begin to make plans to leave New York City. Before Roemello and Melissa depart for North Carolina, they stop by to visit A. R, however, upon arriving at A. R. ’s apartment, they find him dead of a drug overdose. Raynathan gave A. R. the heroin that would kill him. Raynathan is found across the street, coming out of Gus’ restaurant, where he gunned down Gus, Lolly, Roemello tells Raynathan what happened to A. R. but Raynathan accepts responsibility of their father’s death. After seeing Melissa waiting for Roemello, Raynathan fires his gun at her, realizing this, Raynathan panics and shoots himself in the stomach, taking his own life. Wesley Snipes as Romello Skuggs Michael Wright as Raynathan Skuggs Clarence Williams III as Arthur Romello A. R, Skuggs Theresa Randle as Mellisa Abe Vigoda as Gus Molino Ernie Hudson as Lolly Jonas Steve Harris as Ricky Goggles O. L. Rotten Tomatoes, an aggregator, reports that 20% of ten surveyed critics gave the film a positive review. Todd McCarthy of Variety called it a self-indulgent drama that plays like a variation on New Jack City. Janet Maslin of The New York Times called it an ambitious, kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it sinks under the weight of excessive violence and a welter of overwrought plot contrivances. Sugar Hill at the Internet Movie Database Sugar Hill at AllMovie Sugar Hill at Rotten Tomatoes Sugar Hill at Box Office Mojo
44.
Passenger 57
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Passenger 57 is a 1992 American action film directed by Kevin Hooks. The film stars Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne and its success made Snipes a popular action hero icon. It also introduced Snipes famous line, Always bet on black, the FBI make plans to return Rane to Los Angeles aboard a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar passenger aircraft, for him to stand trial. After one class, Cutter is approached by an old friend, Sly Delvecchio, Cutter is reluctant, but Delvecchio and the companys president, Stuart Ramsey, convince him to accept the offer. Cutter boards as the 57th passenger on an Atlantic International flight to Los Angeles, Rane and his two FBI escorts are also aboard. After the flight takes off, several men in Ranes employ, posing as flight attendants and passengers, kill the FBI agents, release Rane, and secure the plane by also shooting the captain. Cutter, in the lavatory at the time, manages to use the planes on-board phone to warn Delvecchio of the situation, Cutter overpowers the agent and takes his weapon, he then uses the agent as a shield to confront Rane. Rane is indifferent and shows his ruthlessness by taking a passenger hostage, Rane also shoots his own agent in a further show of force. Cutter realizes he is outmatched and escapes with Marti to the cargo hold, dispatching another of Ranes men, Vincent. Cutter dumps the planes fuel, forcing Rane to order the pilots to land at a small Louisiana airfield. Cutter jumps from the plane as it lands, but Marti is caught by Rane, the local sheriff, Chief Leonard Biggs, arrests Cutter, thinking he is a terrorist, and takes him to the airport building. Rane contacts the fields tower and demands refueling, for which he promises half the passengers will be freed, for every five minutes of resistance or indecision, Rane will order one passenger executed. Rane also asserts that Cutter is one of his own men turned against him, Cutter recognizes the passenger release as a diversion, escapes from the sheriff, and chases Rane and his men into a local county fair. FBI agents arrive and confirm Cutters true identity to Biggs, Cutter is able to kill one of Ranes men and gets into a fight with Rane before police arrive and capture him. Back at the tower, Rane announces that if he not contact the plane and give flight clearance. The FBI agents arrange to return Rane to the plane, escorted by two agents, with plans to have a take down Rane and allow them to storm the plane to save the hostages. However, the sniper is Vincent, who kills the escorts, but is dead by Cutter. Rane orders the pilots to take off, while Cutter, with Biggss help, inside, Cutter deals with more of Ranes accomplices before getting into a fight with Rane
45.
Sylvester Stallone
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Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone is an American actor, filmmaker, and screenwriter. He wrote or co-wrote most of the 14 films in all three franchises, and directed many of the films, Stallones film Rocky was inducted into the National Film Registry as well as having its film props placed in the Smithsonian Museum. Stallones use of the front entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the Rocky series led the area to be nicknamed the Rocky Steps, Philadelphia has a statue of his Rocky character placed permanently near the museum. It was announced on December 7,2010 that Stallone was voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the non-participant category, in 1977, Stallone was nominated for two Academy Awards for Rocky, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor. He became the man in history to receive these two nominations for the same film, after Charles Chaplin and Orson Welles. He received critical raves, as well as his first Golden Globe Award win and third Academy Award nomination, Stallones father was born in Gioia del Colle, Apulia, Italy, and immigrated to the United States in the 1930s. Stallones mother is of half French and half Russian Jewish descent and his younger brother is actor and musician Frank Stallone. As a result, the left side of his face is paralyzed – including parts of his lip, tongue. Around the age of 4, Stallone was flat-footed and put in a tap dancing school by his mother and his father moved the family to Washington, D. C. in the early 1950s, where he opened a beauty school. His mother opened a gymnasium called Barbellas in 1954. Stallones parents divorced when Sylvester was nine, and he lived with his mother. When Stallone was 16, he scored poorly in school and his mother got him a job at her beauty salon. He attended Notre Dame Academy and Lincoln High School in Philadelphia, and Charlotte Hall Military Academy, prior to attending Miami Dade College, Stallone had his first starring role in the soft core pornography feature film The Party at Kitty and Studs. He was paid US$200 for two days work, Stallone later explained that he had done the film out of desperation after being evicted from his apartment and finding himself homeless for several days. He has also said that he slept three weeks in the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City prior to seeing a casting notice for the film. In the actors words, it was either do that movie or rob someone, the film was released several years later as Italian Stallion, in order to cash in on Stallones newfound fame. While he was in Switzerland, Stallone got his start in films, playing an extra eating in a restaurant near to stars Robert Redford and Camilla Sparv, in the sports drama, Downhill Racer. In 1970, Stallone appeared in the film No Place to Hide, which was re-cut and retitled Rebel, in the Lemmon film, Jack Lemmons character chases, tackles and mugs Stallone, thinking that Stallones character is a pickpocket
46.
Money Train
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Money Train is a 1995 American action film starring Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson and Jennifer Lopez as New York City transit cops and Robert Blake as their iron-fisted boss. After losing his job, Harrelsons character plots to hijack and then rob the train which hauls collected fare revenues for the New York City Subway from the systems stations. On Christmas, we meet foster brothers John and Charlie and they work as transit cops patrolling the New York City subway. When a mugging occurs, John and Charlie chase the mugger into a subway tunnel, but their harsh transit captain Donald Patterson, allows the money train to continue. John and Charlie avoid getting hit by the train, however, the mugger is revealed to be a young teenage boy, which triggers a brawl between John, Charlie, and the other transit officers. Patterson blames the two for causing his money train to arrive late, Charlie asks John to borrow $300 to buy a Christmas present, but Charlie instead uses the money to pay off some of his gambling debts to the sleazy night club owner Mr. Brown. Brown intends to have Charlie killed by throwing him off a building, Brown reveals to John that Charlie is $15,000 in debt, so John offers to have the money delivered in a few days. Brown accepts and lets Charlie live, during their night shift, John and Charlie are introduced to Grace Santiago, a decoy transit officer newly assigned to their unit. Both brothers immediately take a liking to her, during their patrol, a serial killer known as the Torch robs a token booth and sets it on fire. John and Charlie rescue the booth worker and put out the fire, at a local bar, Charlie reveals a plan to rob the money train in order to pay off their debts, but John, judging the caper impossible, rejects the idea. Later that night, the two brothers and Grace are assigned to patrol the money train, as Charlie discovers a grate in the floor and a ladder leading to Central Park, a brawl breaks out between John and another officer, quickly involving the entire squad. Patterson again blames the two for the incident and also accuses them of taking some money, but even after it is found that a collection agent miscounted. The plan involves entering the train through the metal grate when the train has stopped, driving it to the maintenance ladder, John remains reluctant to attempt the theft. John gives Charlie the $15,000 he needs to pay back Mr. Brown and he goes to Brown to explain but is brutally beaten by his men. When Charlie comes back home, he looks at Johns house from his window and he sees Grace, Charlie later tells John that hes happy for him, but hes clearly saddened by Graces rejection. To nab Torch, an ambush is arranged for which Grace is disguised as an attendant at a token booth. Torch notices this and, to distract the police, pushes a man in front of a moving train, Torch sprays gasoline on Grace, but before he can light it, Charlie alerts the other officers, who shoot at Torch. John pursues him into another station, where they fight, Torch is burned by the gasoline hes carrying and pushed under a moving train, killing him
47.
The Fan (1996 film)
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The Fan is a 1996 American sports thriller film directed by Tony Scott, and starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes. The film is based on the novel of the name by Peter Abrahams. The Fan is a thriller that revolves around the sport of baseball. Gil Curly Renard, a salesman, is a mentally unstable temperamental divorcé who has been neglecting both his young son and his job, which he is on the verge of losing due to poor sales. Gil has a fervent loyalty to his sport, baseball, and his favorite team. Gil is obsessed with the Giants newest player, San Francisco native Bobby Rayburn and he risks his job by attending the opening game of the season while he should be meeting a client. In an attempt to bond with his son, Gil takes him to the game, the extensively hyped Rayburn suffers a chest injury, causing his performance to decline. Fans criticize his inability to live up to their expectations, the frustrated Gil, who has finally been fired after he has threatened one of his would-be customers, begins to aggressively show his support, showing his anger to fans who jeer Rayburn. Gils ex-wife, Ellen, is disgusted by his irresponsibility and tries to him from seeing their son. Gil is issued a restraining order, with his job and family lost, Gil angrily confronts his former boss and vandalizes his car with a knife, leaving it in the hood. Gil once again turns to baseball, the thing he seems to have left. Gil witnesses Rayburn fighting with teammate Juan Primo in the restroom of a bar, Gil confronts Primo in a hotel sauna and, provoked by Primos dismissive attitude, stabs him to death. Rayburn is subsequently suspected of murdering Primo, despite feeling guilty for his teammates death, Rayburn starts playing well again and ends his slump. Gil, convinced that what he did was a service to Rayburn and he goes to Rayburns beach house and unexpectedly helps save the players son from drowning. After pretending to have only a passing interest in the sport, Rayburn says he stopped caring about the game after Primos death, because he felt there were more important things in life. He makes the mistake of telling Gil that he has lost respect for the fans, remarking on their fickle nature — when hes playing, they love him, gils temper rises as he almost hits Rayburn with a fast ball and launches into a diatribe. Rayburn is slightly disturbed, especially when Gil takes off his jacket to reveal Rayburns jersey underneath, Rayburn discovers to his horror that Gil has kidnapped his son Sean and has fled in his Hummer, as well as finding a piece of Primos branded shoulder in his freezer. Disillusioned with Rayburns disrespect towards the fans, Gil spirals further into insanity and he acts as though Sean is his own son
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