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Archive for the 'Film and Television' Category

October 20, 2008

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is no doubt one of the best movie directors of all time. Premiere magazine hailed him as the most prominent icon in the movie industry. Spielberg is often a household name as his movies are quite popular. His award-winning movies include E.T.. the Extraterrestrial, Indiana Jones series, Schindler’s List, Jaws, and Saving Private Ryan.

Born and raised in Ohio to a Jewish parents, Spielberg had showed promise in film making in his childhood. He made amateur movies and won awards for it. At present he has won the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the Emmy Awards, and the BAFTA Award for Best Film to name a few. He also co-founded the Starlight Children’s Foudation, a non-profit organization helping children with chronic illnesses.


October 6, 2008

Sesame Street

Sesame Street and its lovable muppets created by Jim Henson will forever be remembered by every American child. In 1969, the television series created for children pioneered in entertainment-based learning. The program educate the kids through its fun-filled episodes. The child’s fantasy world is alive through the use of muppets (marionette/puppet) and animated clips. Live actors act as role models in the community like teaching kids how to safely cross the road.

Sesame Street became the longest running show for children in the US. Founded by Joan Ganz Cooney and Ralph Rogers, the show was produced by the Sesame Workshop, known before as the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW). The show has received 109 Emmy Awards and has been produced into other language adaptations all through out the world.


October 4, 2008

Fay Wray

Fray Wray will always be remembered as the gorgeous blond heroine in the 1930’s adventure flick King Kong. But in real life, Vina Fay Wray, was a brunette. Wray was born on September 15, 1907. The Canadian-American actress who made significant contributions to the motion picture industry, having filmed over a hundred of movies, has a five-pointed star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1988, her autobiography On the Other Hand was put to print. Wray died on August 8, 2004. She has a park named after her.



September 13, 2008

Paris Hilton

Paris Whitney Hilton or more known as Paris Hilton is an American socialite, movie and television personality, singer, model and businesswoman. She became known on her appearance of her hit television series, The Simple life which also starred friend Nicole Richie. Following the success of her reality TV show, she did several minor roles in films, published a tongue-in-cheek autobiography, modeled and endorsed for several designers and products, released a recording album and was involved in a video tape scandal with former boyfriend. Paris is the oldest of four siblings, born in New York City by Richard and Kathy Hilton. At 19 she signed a modeling contract under Donald Trump’s modeling agency. In 2001, Paris began to develop and identity as a socialite and a reputation as “New York’s leading It Girl”.


September 8, 2008

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Gail Winfrey or simply referred to as Oprah, is an American television host, magazine publisher, book critic and philanthropist and media mogul. Her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show has earned her multiple Emmy Awards and is the highest rated talk show in the history of television. She has been tagged as the richest African-American of all time and according to some assessments, the most influential woman in the world. Aside from her talk show, she also publishes 2 other magazines : O, The Oprah Magazine and O at Home. Winfrey’s company also runs Oprah.com, a website that provide resources and interactive content relating to her shows, charity, magazines and book club. In the site, she initiated the “Oprah’s Child Predator Watch List”, to help track down accused child molesters. Oprah also starred in Steven Spielberg’s epic film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple and in other movies as well.

Oprah was born to a teenage single mother in rural Mississippi and at age 9 was raped and gave birth at the age of fourteen, his son died later on from infancy. She first landed a job in radio and was later on transferred to the daytime talk show arena after boosting a third-rated local Chicago talk show to first place, after she launched her own production company she eventually became an international success.


September 6, 2008

Friends (TV Series)

Friends is an American sitcom about a circle of friends; Rachel, Monica, Pheobe, Joey, Chandler and Ross, living in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan, New York. It was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, produced by Kevin S. Bright together with it’s creators. It was broadcast from 1994 to 2004 and is shown in more than 100 countries and still continues to attract good ratings for its episodes in syndication. The show ran for 10 years and won 6 Emmys, a Golden Globe, 2 SAG Awards and 56 other various awards. The show’s final episode was viewed by an estimate US audience of 51.1 million.

The show’s casts incude Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Mathew Perry and David Schwimmer.


September 1, 2008

Morgan Freeman

American actor, film director and film narrator, Morgan Freeman was born in June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee. Freeman is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor noted for his authoritative narrative speaking voice,reserved demeanor and critically acclaimed roles. He is one of Hollywood’s respected and honored actors.

He first served the United State Airforce for four years and during the 1960’s he transferred to New York to pursue an acting career. He honed his acting skills through minor stage plays and television soap opera appreances, later on he bagged his breakthrough role as a Pimp in Street Smart which earned him a best supporting actor award. After several nominations for an Oscar best supporting actor, he finally bagged the award for his role in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby in 2004. Bopha! was the first film that he directed.


August 25, 2008

Humphrey Bogart

Academy Award-winning film star and actor, Humphrey DeForest Bogart was born in December 25,1899 in New York City and died January 14,1957 in his Holmby Hills, California home. He was known for his great success in gangster and tough-guy roles. He typically played the smart, playful, brave and reckless characters who lived in an environment that was corrupt anchored by a hidden moral code. He was named, in 1999, by the American Film Institute as the Greatest Male Star of All Time. He appeared in 75 feature films which includes: The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Big Sleep, The African Queen and many more. Bogart had a scar and developed a characteristic lisp that became his trademark.


August 16, 2008

Russel Ira Crowe

Russel Ira Crowe is a New Zealand-Australian actor praised for his role in Gladiator. Crowe won the Academy Best Actor award for that film and won several other recognitions such as the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild to name a few. He was already a success in Australia and later on became one of Hollywood’s sought after actor. Crowe under the name ‘Res le Roq’ recorded the tune ‘I Want To Be Like Marlon Brando’ during the 1980’s. Crowe, a sport enthusiast, co-owns South Sydney Rabbitohs a National Rugby League team. He also stars in the critic acclaimed film A Beautiful Mind. Crowe is married to Australian actress Danielle Spencer and resides mostly in his Sydney home.


August 15, 2008

Judy Garland

Born Frances Ethel Gumm, Judy Garland was a famous American actress and singer who gained international stardom as a musical and dramatic actress. A well respected versatile actress, she was a recipient of an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award to name a few. She is the star of The Wizard of Oz, A Star is Born and the critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall concert. She was hailed part of the ten greatest female stars in the history of American cinema by the American Film Institute. The actress is noted as a gay icon since she always had a large fan base in the gay community.

Garland, despite her professional triumphs, battled through personal problems throughout her life. She died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of forty-seven.