Hollywood Macho and celebrities

SELF 7 Foods that Speed Weight Loss

2010-12-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

Leftover Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner, holiday sweets—with so much delicious food floating around this time of year, who wants to think about dieting? Not me! Trouble is, this is exactly the time of year we undo all that hard work we did to get fit last spring and summer: Americans gain (on average) a pound during the holidays each year, according to the National Institutes of Health—which may not seem like a lot, except we also tend to hang on to those yearly pounds, and they can add up (10 pounds in a decade!). Here's the good news: Enjoying more of certain foods and drinks can actually help speed weight loss by boosting metabolism! And we're not just talking about celery and carrots (although those are good). Cheese, at least in small doses, could help fend off holiday heaviness—not to mention make your taste buds very happy. Try adding a few of these satisfying fat-burning snacks and sips to your daily intake and enjoy season's eatings without the stubborn pounds!

Weight loss food: cheese

Women who ate an ounce of full-fat cheese (picture a wedge about the size of your thumb) daily gained fewer pounds over time than their less-cheesy peers, a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows. Whole dairy contains conjugated linoleic acid, which may stoke your metabolism. One low-cal wonder: full-fat ricotta. It weighs in at a scant 49 calories and 4 g fat (2 g saturated) per ounce and has the lowest amount of sodium of any cheese out there. For a decadent-tasting dish, toss ricotta with pasta and fresh herbs or stir it into jarred tomato sauce for a flavor upgrade.

These immune system boosters will keep your body in peak condition while burning off the pounds.

Weight loss food: almonds

These are my favorite go-to snack—I carry almonds with me almost everywhere I go (car, purse) in case of a hunger emergency. I rely on them so much to tide me over between meals, so it's a good thing they have built-in fat-burning power: Dieters who ate 3 ounces of these nuts every day—that's about 12 almonds—reduced their weight and body-mass index by a solid 18 percent compared with an 11 percent drop in the no-nut group, a study in the International Journal of Obesity finds. You eat less bread at the lunch table when you're not famished, and almonds are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can actually speed the metabolism of fats.

Check out these delicious and healthy lunch ideas for kids.

Weight loss food: coffee

The caffeine in 1 cup of joe temporarily revs metabolism by up to 15 percent, torching an extra 15 to 25 calories on average, says Paul Arciero, Ph.D., associate professor of exercise science at Skidmore College. Researchers don't know whether drinking more delivers a bigger boon (for those of us who drink plenty all day, there may be even more reasons to love our java!), but for the most benefit, order yours black; sugar and milk reverse the fat-scorching effects.

Weight loss food: peppers

A compound in chile peppers called capsaicin—the stuff that gives peppers their kick—could help you burn up to 100 extra calories a day, according to research presented at the Experimental Biology meeting in Anaheim, California. Experts suspect that capsaicin binds to nerve receptors and sends fat-burning signals to the brain. Don't like super spicy peppers such as habaneros or jalapeos? Go for a milder version like poblanos; research suggests you don't have to embrace hot-spicy cuisine to get capsaicin's metabolism-boosting benefits.

Weight loss food: green tea

Sipping three cups of green tea a day may kick up your metabolism enough to erase 30 calories daily, a study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise shows. Experts attribute the benefit to a compound called ECGC, and that extra burn can help you shed about 3 pounds a year! Not everyone loves the flavor of green tea, so if you find it too bitter, try a brew that's naturally sweetened, such as The Republic of Tea's Honey Ginseng or Ginger Peach Green Tea.

Weight loss food: eggs

The amino acids in egg whites help build lean muscle that may in turn help rev metabolism. Scramble up a few for breakfast and top with shredded cheese—remember, it's a fat-burner, too! Another good reason to have eggs first thing: Consuming a high-fat morning meal was shown to help mice burn more fat than those that ate a carb-rich breakfast, a study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham finds. The researchers say that eating a little fat early may shift your circadian clock to help you burn more body fat all day long.

Weight loss food: portobello mushrooms

These 'shrooms deliver copper and pantothenic acid, which help keep your metabolism humming. Bonus: Portobellos are also high in potassium, a mineral shown to help shuttle salt out of your body to beat belly bloat. Throw a mushroom kabob on the grill (or make them into a true veggie burger), or whip up this healthy take on classic eggs Benedict for a yummy fat-burning brunch dish.

Grilled Portobello Benedict

Serves 4

Vegetable oil cooking spray

4 portobello mushroom caps (about 4 oz each)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt (plus more to taste)

4 slices Canadian bacon

4 large whole eggs

4 large egg whites

Freshly ground black pepper

4 tsp prepared basil pesto

8 fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons

4 tsp freshly grated Parmesan

Coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray. With a spoon, gently scrape out the dark inside of each mushroom cap, being careful not to break cap. Brush both sides of caps with oil and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Grill mushrooms over medium-high heat until juices begin to release, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer each mushroom to a plate, top side down. On same grill or grill pan, cook bacon over medium-high heat until warm, about 30 seconds per side. Place 1 slice bacon onto each mushroom cap. Whisk eggs, egg whites and 2 tbsp water until well combined in a bowl. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat. Add eggs and scramble until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide eggs among mushroom caps. Drizzle 1 tsp pesto over each; top with basil and 1 tsp Parmesan.

THE DISH 240 calories per serving, 14 g fat (3.5 saturated), 7 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 20 g protein

source:http://health.yahoo.net/experts/healthieryou/7-foods-speed-weight-loss

Michael Jackson News

2009-07-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson
Heal The Kids
Carnegie Hall
New York City, New York
February 14, 2001

When ABC wanted to make a miniseries about the Jackson family's life in 1992, Michael Jackson had one major requirement before he would give his blessing: Someone beautiful had to play his mother.

The pop superstar adored Katherine Jackson, who ended up being portrayed by Angela Bassett in the miniseries. Jackson's will designates her as the guardian of his three children, and she, along with his kids and children's charities, inherit his family trust, according to a source who requested anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about the matter.

Katherine Jackson had sought to retain control of Jackson's assets, but a judge ruled Monday that attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain had been designated in Jackson's 2002 will as the people he wanted to administer his estate.

Jackson died June 25, deeply in debt. But a court filing estimates his estate will be worth more than $500 million.

He had a fractious relationship at times with various family members and other confidants, but friends say Jackson saw his mother as the one flawless, angelic constant in his life.

A Jehovah's Witness, Katherine Jackson, 79, is universally described as a gentle, loving matriarch who has doted on her family and fought to keep them united through tough times.

Born Katherine Scruse, she was reared in Chicago and overcame polio as a child (she still walks with a slight limp). She married Joe Jackson at age 19, and they had 10 children (Marlon Jackson had a twin who died shortly after birth) in nearby Gary, Ind.

Katherine and Joe Jackson are still married and recently marked their 60th anniversary. But their relationship has long been difficult and they have not lived together for years, according to a close friend of the singer who did not want to be identified because the person was not authorized to discuss the family.

Though it was Joe Jackson who managed Michael Jackson and his brothers to early stardom, Michael credited his mother with giving him his vocal gifts. He described her as a pianist and singer in her own right who was the first to identify and encourage her children's musical talents.

"Every child thinks their mother is the greatest mother in the world, but we Jacksons never lost that feeling," Jackson wrote in "Moonwalk," his 1988 autobiography. "Because of Katherine's gentleness, warmth and attention, I can't imagine what it's like to grow up without a mother's love."

Michael Jackson's three children have not had their biological mothers in their lives. But people close to the Jacksons say Katherine Jackson has an incredibly close relationship with her grandchildren, perhaps more than anyone else in her late son's life.

"She was never out of favor (with Michael), so she was able to spend a lot more time with the kids than anybody else," said J. Randy Taraborrelli, a friend of Jackson and author of the biography "The Magic and the Madness."

Katherine Jackson was by her son's side through some of his greatest triumphs and tragedies, from his stunning "Thriller" success to his 2005 acquittal of child molestation charges.

"They just loved each other unconditionally," said Taraborrelli. "Even when he was illogical in some of his decisions ... she didn't care, she just defended him and supported him without reservation his entire life."

Michael Jackson lived with his mother, along with siblings Joe, Janet and LaToya, at the family's Encino, Calif., compound until he was almost 30. After he moved to his vast Neverland estate, his mother remained part of his inner circle.

L. Londell McMillan, who is part of the legal team representing Katherine Jackson in her bid to control Jackson's estate, said Jackson trusted his mother completely and wanted to make sure she was always well provided.

"Michael would often say to those of us in his life, 'Please make sure you help me to protect and take care of my children and my mother Katherine,'" McMillan said.

Rob Goldstone, a former Jackson publicist who spent time on the road with him during his 1989 "Bad" tour, described him as "a momma's boy. He loved his mom."

"The one thing that was very apparent that everywhere we went, he would want to go shopping and buy something, and his mom was the one he wanted to buy something special for," he recalled.

Jackson's relationship with his mother was the opposite of what he had with his father, who managed Michael and his children's careers until they reached adulthood and business ties were severed.

Michael Jackson had a complicated relationship with Joe Jackson. He had described his father as physically and emotionally abusive. Even the sight of Joe Jackson would sometimes make Michael so nervous he would vomit, the son had said.

Joe Jackson was the parental figure who spent the most time with Jackson during his formative years. Katherine Jackson didn't go out on the road with the Jackson 5, staying at home to raise LaToya, Janet and Randy.

But the mild-mannered mother would stand up to her husband and defend their children when she thought things were getting out of control, Taraborrelli said.

"She's very strong, and a very powerful woman who would stand up to Joe," he said. "That's the only reason why it worked. ... She had the tenacity to defy him when it really mattered."

Though the pair do not live together, their lives are still intertwined. Ten years ago, they filed for bankruptcy, listing nearly $24 million in debts that included court judgments, auto loans and credit cards. Court records show the only valuable asset listed was a house in Las Vegas then valued at $290,000.

Now that Katherine Jackson has been granted temporary guardianship of her grandchildren, some wonder what influence Joe Jackson might play in the grandchildren's lives. A person with knowledge of the situation, who asked not to be identified because the person was not authorized to talk about the relationship, said the children have a loving relationship with their grandfather, but said that Katherine Jackson would be their primary caregiver.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said she has already assumed that role, shopping for clothes for her grandchildren over the weekend.

"She's doing very well," he said Sunday. "She is the matriarch of this family. She is so deep in her religion. She has a real insulation, not an isolation, kind of a spiritual, so she sees her family in the broader sense and all of them kind of gravitating a certain way to mom as they were."

____

AP video journalist Mark D. Carlson contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

sexy jessica alba

2009-03-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

Jessica Alba Haircut in 2009

Jessica Alba Haircut in 2009

It remains to be seen how the New Year 2009 pans out as far as Jessica Alba’ hair, haircuts and hairstyles are concerned. It is expected that Hollywood’ hottest girl, Jessica Alba might come out with wispy bangs, bang-heavy hairdo, cute upstyle and many other captivating looks in 2009. However, it is certain that Jessica Alba would not dare to experiment with her hair like several other celebrities who have completely changed their looks by short haircut styles.

Marcia macross

2009-02-04T17:08:00.000-08:00

Marcia Anne Cross is an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated American actress, currently starring as Bree Hodge on the hit TV show Desperate Housewives. She is also well-known for her role as Dr. Kimberly Shaw on the prime-time soap opera Melrose Place.

Cross graduated from the Juilliard School in New York, and earned master's degree in psychology at LA's Antioch University. She began her television career in 1984 on the soap opera The Edge of Night. She then moved from New York to Los Angeles, and soon landed roles in television movies such as The Last Days of Frank and Jessie James, co-starring with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. In 1986 she joined the cast of the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, where she played Kate Sanders, until 1987.

In 1991, Cross guest-starred on the 13th season of Knots Landing as the mysterious wife of Pierce Lawton (Bruce Greenwood). Ironically, she spent most of her screen-time on the show confronting Paige Matheson, played by her future Desperate Housewives co-star Nicollette Sheridan.

In 1992, Cross was cast as Dr. Kimberly Shaw on the FOX drama series Melrose Place. Initially cast for one season, she so impressed the producers that they kept bringing her back for more episodes, although she curiously didn't become a full-fledged cast member in the opening credits until the fourth season. Cross' character started off as a love interest for the character of Dr. Michael Mancini, but gradually became more and more mentally unbalanced, providing some of the show's most memorable moments, which included blowing up the apartment building, trying to kill Michael, and stealing her neighbor Jo's baby. Her character's increasingly outrageous and disturbing behaviour made her a firm fan favorite and one Melrose Place website listed her as the most popular character on the show. She left the show in 1997, after five seasons.

Cross was born in Marlborough, Massachusetts and is of English descent. She was the long time companion of Richard Jordan. Jordan died from a brain tumor on August 30, 1993.

In early 2005, the Internet and tabloids swirled with rumors that Cross was gay and in a long-term relationship with another woman, and planning to come out of the closet. Cross actually appeared on the television show The View to deny the reports, but stated that she was very supportive of the gay community.

In August 2005, Cross's publicist also told the American celebrity newsmagazine Us Weekly that Cross had accepted the proposal of Tom Mahoney, a stock broker whom she had been dating for six months, and that the couple were engaged to be married. The couple got married on June 24, 2006, in front of 200 guests at the Church of Our Savior Episcopal Parish in San Gabriel, California. "It was a beautiful ceremony," a representative for Cross told People.

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Jaime King

2009-02-04T17:02:00.000-08:00

Jaime King is an American film actress and model. In her modeling career and early film roles, she went by the names Jamie King and James King, which was a childhood nickname given to King by her parents,[1] because her agency already represented another Jaime — the older, then-more famous model Jaime Rishar.King, because of the latter name, is sometimes referred to as the "Model with a man's name".

Called by Complex magazine "one of the original model-turned-actresses",King appeared in Vogue, Mademoiselle, and Harper's Bazaar, among other fashion magazines. Afterwards, she began taking small film roles. Her first larger role was in Pearl Harbor (2001). Jaime's first starring movie role in Bulletproof Monk (2003). She has gone on to appear as a lead in various other films, gaining more note after Sin City (2005), a role which she will perform in its sequel Sin City 2 (2009).

King was born in the suburbs of Omaha, Nebraska, the daughter of Nancy King, a beauty queen, and Robert King. She has an older sister, Sandra, and a younger brother, Barry.King was named after Lindsay Wagner's character, Jaime Sommers, of the 1970s television series The Bionic Woman.King's parents separated in 1994,eventually divorcing amicably in 1995. The two continue to work together in Omaha where they rent out low-income apartments. King had attended the modeling school Nancy Bounds's Studios and later dropped out of Westside High School in 1995 to pursue a modeling career in New York, afterwards enrolling in a home-study program run by the University of Nebraska.

She was discovered in November 1993, at the age of fourteen, while attending Nancy Bounds' Studios, a school for modeling. After being spotted at her graduation fashion show by New York model agent Michael Flutie, King was invited to New York to begin modeling professionally. She joined with Company Management, who already represented Jaime Rishar, a more established model at the time. To avoid confusion, King opted to go by her childhood nickname, James, for the duration of her modeling career and later, the beginning of her film career. In March 1994 she traveled to New York for test pictures and received enthusiastic responses, however, she did not return to New York until July 1994, after gaining a successful advertisement for Abercrombie & Fitch. Much of fall and spring 1994 were spent commuting between Omaha and New York.

King had a successful early career as a fashion model, and by age fifteen she had been featured in the fasion magazines Vogue, Mademoiselle, Allure, and Seventeen. At sixteen, King had graced the pages of Glamour and Harper's Bazaar. She was featured in the cover story of the New York Times Magazine published on February 4, 1996 and had walked the runway for Chanel and Christian Dior. In 1998, she began co-hosting MTV's fashion series, House of Style, with fellow model turned actress Rebecca Romijn. Despite her success, King noted that she "remember the times where I was so alone" and thought she was "never gonna be able to be a kid.She, along with Kate Moss, had been often cited as those who helped popularize the idea of heroin chic in the 1990s.

In 2004, King, along with Halle Berry, Julianne Moore, and Eva Mendes were chosen as spokesmodels for a high profile ad campaign for Revlon. The advertisements were featured in print, television, theatrical, outdoor and Internet venues,banking on their spokeswomen's "collective star power" to sell the cosmetics products. In 2006, King was chosen by Rocawear CEO Jay-Z to become the new face of the line; her advertisements were featured for the winter 2006 season.

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Geri Halliwell

2009-02-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

Geri Halliwell (born 6 August 1972, Watford, Hertfordshire) is an English pop singer-songwriter, children's author, actress and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund. Halliwell first became famous in the late 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, which became one of the most successful girl groups of all time, selling in excess of 55 million records worldwide.[1] As a solo artist, she has received four Brit Award nominations, released four number-one singles in the UK and sold around 4 million albums as a solo artist worldwide.

Halliwell was born to Laurence Francis Halliwell, who was of English/Swedish descent, and his wife Ana Maria, who was of Spanish descent from Huesca, Spain and who grew up in Watford, Hertfordshire.For a brief time, Halliwell's mother tried to bring her up as a Jehovah's Witness. Halliwell took her A-Levels at Camden School for Girls having taken her GCSEs at Watford Girls Grammar School. Before starting her music career, Halliwell had worked as a nightclub dancer in Majorca (Spain),a model and presenter on the Turkish version of Let's Make a Deal and as a glamour model.Following her rise to fame with the Spice Girls, nude photos of Halliwell were re-published in a number of top-shelf magazines in the UK. During the documentary Spice Girls: Giving You Everything broadcast on UK television on 31 December 2007, Halliwell repeated her claim to have only done 'harmless, topless shots', despite extensive evidence to the contrary, including pictures in her own autobiography.

Geri first found fame as one of the five members of the girl group the Spice Girls, and was dubbed Ginger Spice for her "liveliness, zest and flaming red hair".She wore many over-the-top outfits, the most recognized being for her famous Union Jack dress that she wore for the 1997 Brit Awards.

Halliwell became renowned for her independent and feminist attitude. The group joined the most successful musical artists of the 1990s, selling over thirty-five million albums with the studio releases Spice and Spiceworld.Their debut single "Wannabe" became the first of a string of number-ones in the United Kingdom and reached the top position in 41 countries around the globe, including Australia, Canada and the United States. Other successful releases followed, including "Say You'll Be There" and "2 Become 1" from Spice, and "Spice Up Your Life", "Too Much" and "Stop" from Spiceworld.As a songwriter, Geri - as part of the Spice Girls - set the record for the shortest time to achieve 6 no. 1 UK singles, taking 1 year 5 months from Wannabe's first week at no. 1 to the ascent of Too Much. This outpaced Lennon/McCartney, who took 1 year 6 months (From Me to You through I Feel Fine).

In 1999 Halliwell launched her solo career and released her debut solo album Schizophonic, with lead single "Look at Me", produced by co-writers and old friends, Absolute. The single reached number two in the UK, just 700 copies behind Boyzone's "You Needed Me". The single would go on to sell over 1 million copies worldwide. Further singles from the album, "Mi Chico Latino" and "Lift Me Up", became UK number ones with the latter outselling Halliwell's former bandmate Emma Bunton. The fourth single, "Bag It Up", also reached number one. Geri set another two records for shortest time for a female songwriter to achieve her ninth and tenth no. 1 UK singles. "Lift Me Up" hit no. 1 3 years, 3 months, and 3 weeks after Wannabe's first week at no. 1, and Bag It Up hit 4 months later. Melanie C, in contrast, took seven more months to achieve her tenth no. 1 single as a songwriter, with I Turn To You. All-time leaders Lennon/McCartney took 3 years, 1 month, 3 weeks between From Me To You and their tenth no. 1 UK hit Paperback Writer.

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US TV Emmy Awards

2009-01-31T02:45:00.000-08:00

TV chat show host Oprah Winfrey at the Emmy awards.

Actor Jorge Garcia arrives at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre on September 21, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Heidi Klum on stage at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held on September 21, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.

Presenter Ricky Gervais on stage at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards.

The cast from US TV show Desperate Housewives present at the Emmy Awards.

Christina Applegate and Christian Slater on stage at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held on September 21, 2008.
Alec Baldwin on stage at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held on September 21, 2008.

Hollywood Macho Man and the Theme of Masculinity within His Biblical (and Other) Cinema

2009-01-25T17:14:00.000-08:00

Cecil B. DeMille, the legendary co-founder of Hollywood, progenitor of Paramount studios and unsung auteur was a macho man and master of the American cinema whose indelible biblical epics strongly exuded the resonance of masculinity. Not only were many of his sacred characters scripturally correct, but they frequently reflected DeMille’s own virile persona-cum-ethos. Utilizing textually based, humanist film analysis as the guiding methodological lens, the critical film, religion and DeMille literature was reviewed and his biblical (and other) cinema selectively scanned to reveal the theme of masculinity engineered therein. It was concluded that DeMille’s trademark aesthetic style and phenomenal box office successes were firmly rooted in his personal courage ethic, directorial control needs and manly idiosyncrasies. Further research into gender studies, masculinity studies, DeMille studies and the emerging interdisciplinary field of religion-and-film was warranted, highly recommended and is already long overdue.

Introduction: The Master of the American Biblical Epic

Producer-director1 Cecil B. DeMille2 (1881-1959), affectionately known as “C.B.” (to close friends), “Generalissimo” (to commentators) and “Mr. DeMille” (to everyone else), was a seminal co-founder of Hollywood and a progenitor of Paramount studio who helped turn an obscure Californian orange grove into an international movie center that became the synonym for commercial filmmaking worldwide (Birchard, 2004; DeMille & Hayne, 1960; Edwards, 1988; Essoe & Lee, 1970; Higashi, 1985, 1994; Higham, 1973; Koury, 1959; Louvish, 2008; Noerdlinger, 1956; Orrison, 1999; Ringgold & Bodeen, 1969). Not only was DeMille a legitimate if frequently unsung auteur, but in Gore Vidal’s (1995, p. 303) estimation, he was the “auteur of auteurs,” and according to film historian Sumiko Higashi (1994, p. 5), he had “left enormous traces of his authorship long before Francois Truffaut and Andrew Sarris made the term auteur fashionable in cinema studies.”
DeMille was a confirmed Episcopalian Christian3 and a self-confessed pop culture professional (DeMille & Hayne, 1960, p. 195) who grew to become the undisputed master of the American biblical epic with such indelible classics as The Ten Commandments (1923), The King of Kings (1927), Samson and Delilah (1949) and

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The Ten Commandments (1956). As Jon Solomon (2001, p. 175) noted: “DeMille’s parting of the Red Sea in 1956 and his Samsonian destruction of the temple of Dagon [in 1949]…will be remembered as the most representative and iconographical Old Testament depictions of the twentieth century.” Not surprisingly, DeMille was variously tagged “high priest of the religious genre” (Holloway, 1977, p. 26), a “prophet in celluloid” (Billy Graham quoted in Andersen, 1970, p. 279), and the “arch apostle of spectacle” (Clapham, 1974, p. 21), amongst many other honorific titles, artistic hosannas and industry accolades (see Essoe & Lee, 1970, pp. 245-247). Indeed, one Protestant church leader proudly proclaimed that: “The first century had its Apostle Paul, the thirteenth century had St. Francis, the sixteenth had Martin Luther and the twentieth has Cecil B. DeMille” (Manfull, 1970, p. 357).
Despite all this professional praise, and having successfully achieved one of his life’s ambitions, namely: “my ministry was making religious movies and getting more people to read the Bible than anyone else ever has” (Orrison, 1999, p. 108), DeMille’s accomplishments were frequently ignored, dismissed or disdained by academia, the cognoscenti, literati and aesthete. For example, film commentator Barry Norman (1985, p. 182) claimed that Samson and Delilah “was certainly the worst and most absurd of all his films in that genre,” and that DeMille “was a man who thought big—not often deeply, but big” (p. 160). Biographer David Thomson (1995, p. 182) considered DeMille to be “silliest in his biblical and Roman films,” auteur advocate Andrew Sarris (1968) had excluded DeMille from his list of pantheon directors whilst film historians Giannetti and Eyman (1996, p. 40) argued that: “It is no longer fashionable to admire DeMille.”
Even Art Arthur’s (1970, p. 283) decades old claim still rings annoyingly true today, namely: “Cecil B. DeMille was Hollywood’s best known unknown” despite having been an active filmmaker from 1913 to 1959, a filmmaking pioneer, and an industry legend with over seventy feature films to his directorial credit (52 silent, 18 sound). Not long after his 1959 death, many professionals were still ignorant of DeMille’s filmic output, let alone his numerous industry advancements and artistic accomplishments. For example, in 1967, the Museum of Modern Art critic, Kirk Bond opined: “DeMille does really seem a major filmmaker…Perhaps in another few years…we can—with, let us hope, more films to go by—begin to have some real idea of what DeMille actually did” (Card, 1979, p. 119). Regrettably, the academic community and the general public is still waiting for this to happen, with only a few tantalizing dribs-and-drabs arising in the meantime. For example, DeMille’s directorial peer George Cukor recently confessed:

Determinants of male physical attractiveness

2008-10-21T18:06:00.000-07:00

Research has found that male physiques with slim waists are rated as being attractive, particularly by females. Participants also identified physiques with relatively broad shoulders as being attractive. In addition, chest muscularity resulted in slightly higher attractiveness ratings. Preference can also emerge for muscularity, though research has shown that Western men have a tendency to overestimate the amount of muscle considered ideal by women by as much as thirty pounds, whereas Asian men collectively do not exhibit such a misconception. A normal level of the hormone testosterone is a possible indicator of good sexual health. In the absence of normal testosterone levels, a man may exhibit physical symptoms of less muscle development and physical height reduction.

A near-universal sexually attractive feature of a man is a v-shaped torso: a relatively narrow waist offset with broad shoulders. While some cultures prefer their males huskier and others leaner, the rule of a v-shaped torso generally holds true. Consistently, men with a waist-to-shoulder ratio of 0.75 or lower are viewed as considerably more attractive than men with more even waists and shoulders.

Height

Female's sexual attraction towards a male can be partly determined by the height of the man. Women seem more receptive to an erect posture than men, though both prefer it as an element of beauty; this fact appears correlated to the preference for males who demonstrate confidence, physical strength, and a powerful bearing. This preference can be explained by evolutionary psychology as the fact that ancestral women who were attracted to tall, physically powerful men benefited from better protection and therefore gained evolutionary fitness. Additionally, height in men is associated with status in many cultures, which is beneficial to women romantically involved with them. This preference was passed on genetically. As a corollary, short men are viewed as unattractive for both casual and intended long-term relationships. Studies of women's personal ads support the existence of this preference; in one study of ads requesting height in a mate, 80 percent requested a height of 6 feet or taller. However, this percentage only was of ads specifying height in the first place, and therefore possibly self-selected and/or biased by a third factor such as female height.

Recent research has found that women are statistically more likely to be attracted to men of average height when looking for long-term commitment, while the opposite is true when a short-term relationship is intended.[9] Cosmopolitan Magazine published an article stating that women are most attracted to men who are 1.1 times their own height. In addition, it was found that women have these different preferences for height depending on the phase of their menstrual cycle at the time. While women usually desire men that are at least the same height as themselves or taller, other factors also determine male attractiveness.

Variability in preferences

It has been shown that women prefer more masculine men during the fertile period of the menstrual cycle and more feminine men during other parts of the cycle. This distinction supports the sexy son hypothesis, which posits that it is evolutionarily advantageous for women to select potential fathers who are traditionally masculine rather than the best caregivers. Masculine facial features are characterized by a strong brow, a strong nose, a high forehead[citation needed] and a broad jaw whereas feminine features are less pronounced.

Determinants of female physical attractiveness

Features such as a symmetrical face, full lips, and low waist-hip ratio are commonly considered physically attractive when part of a female, because they are thought to indicate physical health and high fertility to a potential mate. The determinants of female physical attractiveness include those aspects that display health and fitness for reproduction and sustenance. These include correlates of fertility such as youth, waist-hip ratio, mid upper arm circumference, body mass proportion and facial symmetry.

Signals of youth

Because female fecundity typically declines after the late twenties, youth is an important aspect of physical attractiveness . One study across 37 cultures showed men desire, on average, a woman 2.5 years younger than themselves for a wife, with men in Nigeria and Zambia at the far extreme, desiring their wives to be 6.5 to 7.5 years younger. As men age, they also desire a larger age gap from their mates. The reasons for this preference are currently debated.

This preference for youth has also led to a preference of neotenic and youthful-appearing features. Full lips, clear, smooth skin, clear eyes, lustrous hair, and good muscle tone are all viewed as attractive in women.

Breast size

Large breasts have also been shown to be attractive to men in Western societies, with the explanation that larger breasts will more explicitly show the aging process, hence an "honest" indicator of fertility. Another explanation is that large breasts increase the size of the chest, and thus decrease the relative size of the waist; to an observer, a woman’s waist looks thinner if she has large breasts.

The sexual selection based on breast size is one of the many reasons for the growing average breasts volume over the generations, together with changing nutrition habits and increased hormone levels.

Proportion of body mass to body structure

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is another important universal determinant to the perception of beauty. The BMI refers to the proportion of the body mass to the body structure. However, the optimal body proportion is interpreted differently in various cultures. The Western ideal considers a slim and slender body mass as optimal while many historic cultures consider an embonpoint or plump body-mass as appealing. Men don't seem to have evolved to hold a particular build as more attractive, but rather to be drawn to whichever build associates with social status.

However, it should be noted that, in the United States, women overestimate men's preferences for thinness in a mate. In one study, American women were asked to choose what their ideal build was and what they thought the build most attractive to men was. Women chose slimmer than average figures for both choices, though when American men were independently asked to choose the female build most attractive to them, they (the men) chose figures of average build, indicating that women may be misled as to how thin men prefer women to be.

The attraction for a proportionate body also influences an appeal for erect posture.

Waist-hip ratio

Main article: waist-hip ratio

Notwithstanding wide cultural differences in preferences for female build, scientists have discovered that the waist-hip ratio (WHR) of any build is very strongly correlated to attractiveness across all cultures. Women with a 0.7 WHR (waist circumference that is 70% of the hip circumference) are usually rated as more attractive by men from European cultures. Such diverse beauty icons as Jessica Alba[25], Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, and the Venus de Milo all have ratios around 0.7.[26] In other cultures, preferences vary,[27] ranging from 0.6 in China,[28] to 0.8 or 0.9 in parts of South America and Africa, and divergent preferences based on ethnicity, rather than nationality, have also been noted.

Height

Most males exhibit a preference for females of shorter physical stature than themselves, and studies indicate that women of below average height have greater reproductive success. An advantage to smaller size may be that it is seen as more youthful, and males find pedomorphic characteristics in females attractive. Another possible (but unproven) explanation is that shorter females may reach sexual maturity earlier than their taller counterparts.[34]It can also be argued that a shorter, and often generally smaller, female is more attractive to males by bringing out the traditional instincts of protection.

Prototypicality as beauty

Besides biology and culture, there are other factors determining physical attractiveness. The more common features a face bears, the more highly it is usually judged to be attractive. This may be a result of the familiarity of common facial features, an example of the mere exposure effect. When many faces are combined into a composite image (through computer morphing), people usually view the resulting image as more familiar, attractive, and beautiful than the faces that were combined to make the composite.[36] One interpretation is that this shows an inherent human preference for prototypicality. That is, the resultant face emerges with the salient features shared by most faces, and hence becomes the prototype. The prototypical face and features is therefore perceived as symmetrical and familiar. This may reveal an "underlying preference for the familiar and safe over the unfamiliar and potentially dangerous."[16] However, critics of this interpretation point out that compositing computer images also has the effect of removing skin blemishes such as scars, and generally softens sharp facial features.

Classical conceptions of beauty are essentially a celebration of this "prototypicality." This may show the importance of prototypicality in the judgment of beauty, and also explain the emergence of similarity of the perception of attractiveness within a community or society, which shares a gene pool.

Skin tone

In his foreword to Peter Frost's 2005 Fair Women, Dark Men, U. of Washington sociologist Pierre L. van den Berghe summarizes:

"Although virtually all cultures express a marked preference for fair female skin, even those with little or no exposure to European imperialism, and even those whose members are heavily pigmented, many are indifferent to male pigmentation or even prefer men to be darker."[37] A consequence of this is that, since higher-ranking men get to marry the more attractive women, the upper classes of a society generally tend to develop a lighter complexion than the lower classes by sexual selection (see also Fisherian runaway).

Another feature is skin color on the spectrum of dark to light. As with many determinants of attractiveness, there are cultural differences: lighter tones are preferred by some cultures, while in others, tanned or darker skin is preferred.[citation needed] For some time after the Victorian era, lighter skin was preferred, as it was considered a marker of a more "cultured" individual or "gentlewoman" who did not have to engage in outdoor labor.[citation needed] In the 20th and 21st centuries Western world, tanned skin has often been considered highly attractive for both men and women. Here, the tan has come to carry with it connotations of having an active outdoor lifestyle or frequent vacations in the sun, thus better (implied) physical health or wealth

In eastern parts of Asia, including Southeast Asia, this preference for lighter skin remains prevalent. In East Asia in particular, fair skin is associated with youth, since skin darkens with exposure to the sun and aging. This conflation of youth and beauty is not exclusive to East Asia, and can be linked to the phenomenon of neoteny. Thus, sales of skin whitening cosmetic products are popular in East Asia. A preference for fair skin however is not a recent development, and in China, for example, can be traced back to ancient drawings depicting women and goddesses with fair skin tones.

JOHNNY DEPP

2008-10-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

A Kentucky-born, Florida-bred, teen-aged Johnny Depp and his band, The Flame, were popular in local nightclubs. And after renaming themselves The Kids, they toured with and opened for Iggy Pop. Sparse gigs and odd jobs in Los Angeles led to acting – Depp's now ex-wife Lori Anne Allison (1983-85), a makeup artist, introduced her husband to actor Nicholas Cage, who, in turn, shared his agent.

It wasn't long before Depp landed his first major acting job in Nightmare on Elm Street. He went on to earn roles in several other films including Slow Burn and the Academy Award-winning Platoon. Depp then won the role that would prove to be his breakthrough, as undercover detective Tom Hanson on the popular Fox television show 21 Jump Street. He starred on the series for four seasons before segueing to the big screen in the lead role of John Waters' affectionate homage to the 1950's, Cry Baby. After starring as Hunter S. Thompson's alter ego in Terry Gilliam's trippy adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Depp tried his hand at sci-fi horror with The Astronaut's Wife in 1999.

The same year, he again collaborated with Burton on Sleepy Hollow, starring as Ichabod Crane in the remake of Washington Irving's classic tale. Appearing the following year in the romantic drama Chocolat, Depp jumped back into the big time with his role as real-life cocaine kingpin George Jung in Blow, before gearing up for roles in the thriller From Hell & Once Upon a Time in Mexico. He's set to play Willy Wonka in Tim Burton's remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory due for release in July 2005.

He has had romantic involvements with several female celebrities including Winona Ryder, Sherilyn Fenn, Jennifer Grey and Kate Moss. In 1999 he fathered a daughter, Lily -Rose Melody with French singer/actress Vanessa Paradis. And in 2002 he had a son, Jack, also with Vanessa. They have been dating since June 1998, and they are currently living together in France.

2007 HOLLYWOOD AWARDS® GALA CEREMONY

2008-10-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

2007 HOLLYWOOD AWARDS® GALA CEREMONY

2006 HOLLYWOOD AWARDS® GALA CEREMONY

2004 HOLLYWOOD AWARDS® GALA CEREMONY

2003 HOLLYWOOD AWARDS® GALA CEREMONY

2003 HOLLYWOOD AWARDS® GALA CEREMON

2001 & 2002 HOLLYWOOD AWARDS® GALA CEREMONY

Ram Charan Tej film in regular shooting

2008-10-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

The regular shooting of the debut film of Ram Charan Tej, son of Mega Star, Padma Bhushan, Dr Chiranjeevi, under the direction of versatile director Puri Jagannath and produced by C Aswinidutt on the banner of Vyjayanti Movies with Delhi model Neha in the female lead was launched at Bangkok from March 17.

The current schedule would continue for 45 days in which all the main events, two songs and two fights would be shot.

The remaining part would be shot in Hyderabad. Manisharma is providing music for this youthful entertainer.

It was planned to release the film in October.

Courtesy : Indiaglitz.com

A R Rahman - One Love [2007] 320KBPS VBR

2008-10-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

Album: One Love
Artist: A R Rahman
Singers: A R Rahman, Karthik & Naresh Iyer
Lyrics: Raqeeb & A R Rahman

Tracklists :

No. Of Tracks: 6

01. One Love - Ek Mohabbat (Hindi)
02. One Love - Kaadal Onru Allava (Tamil)
03. One Love - Pranayam Onnu Allo (Malyalam)
04. One Love - Prema Okkatega (Telugu)
05. One Love - remavu Illi Onde (Kannada)
06. One Love - Bhalobasha Ek Hoye (Bengali)

About :

Just recently, Taj Mahal was voted as one of the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World. To commemorate the beauty of Taj and the eternal love it represents, A.R. Rahman has composed a track 'One Love'. It is a unique experience in itself since the song has been made in 6 different languages - Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali. People behind each of the songs are same though. Rahman has composed as well as co-written the song with Raqeeb while Karthik and Naresh Iyer have joined him behind the mike.

Class of the master is visible from the first note itself as Rahman begins this soft number with an orchestra that matches international standards. While Indian feel is quite apparent in the melody that has been woven for 'Ek Mohabbat', the song is such that it could even woo the West due to it's sheer simplicity coupled with class.

The song revolves around the theme of pure love beating all odds and surpassing the lust for power and wealth. Chorus effect further adds value to this beautiful track that is mesmerizing as well as haunting. Listen it in isolation with no disturbance whatsoever and the experience is of the kind that can only be relished!

Now this is what one calls the power of music and some effective rendition. In spite of 'One Love' appearing in regional languages hereafter, one doesn't feel out of place at all and thoroughly enjoys each of the versions that follows. Whether it is Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada or the Bengali version, the arrangements and style of rendition remain just the same hence making it a beautiful experience. It is almost like putting the song in a repeat mode and cherishing the melody that flows from thereon.

Rahman had recently come with a single 'Pray For Me Brother' that was yet another astonishing piece of music from him. The song had crossed shores and made a mark internationally. One hopes that 'One Love' is also marketed appropriately and much more aggressively so that the album reaches a much bigger segment of audience that it could be doing today.

Now that would be a true tribute to Taj. And even Rahman!

Hrithik Roshan

2008-10-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, Hollywood actor Brad Pitt's management firm of over 20 years, has now signed Hrithik Roshan.

Hrithik's new International manager, Jai Khanna from Brillstein-Grey confirms, "We are thrilled to be working with such an international star. Hrithik has a strong, authentic, and cool personality. As an icon of masculinity and powerful character, he truly embodies the star quality of cinema's great leading men."

Jai further comments on Hrithik's star power, "Audiences have repeatedly flocked to his films throughout India, Asia and a number of other countries. We are excited to now introduce Hrithik to the US, thus giving his unique talents a much larger platform."

Batman

2008-10-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

Personal life

Keaton, the youngest of seven children, was born in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, and lived in Robinson Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. His father worked as a civil engineer and surveyor[1][2] and his mother, Leona, a homemaker, came from a Scots-Irish community in Pennsylvania.[3] Keaton was raised in a large Catholic family[4] and attended Montour High School in Pennsylvania. He studied speech for two years at Kent State, before dropping out and moving to Pittsburgh. Keaton was married to actress Caroline McWilliams from 1982 until 1990. They have one son, Sean Douglas (b. 1983). He also had a six-year relationship with actress Courteney Cox.

[edit] 1970s and 1980s

An unsuccessful attempt at stand-up comedy led Keaton to working as a TV cameraman at public television station WQED (TV) in Pittsburgh. Keaton first appeared on TV in the Pittsburgh-based public television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1975), as one of the "Flying Zucchini Brothers."[5] He also served as a full-time production assistant on the show.[6] (In 2003, following Rogers' death, Keaton hosted the PBS memorial tribute program, Fred Rogers: Everybody's Favorite Neighbor.)

Keaton left Pittsburgh and moved to Los Angeles to begin auditioning for various TV parts. He cropped up in various popular TV shows including Maude (1977) and The Mary Tyler Moore Hour (1979). Around this time Keaton decided to use an alternative surname to remove confusion with well known actor Michael Douglas, as well as satisfying SAG rules, and after reading an article on actress Diane Keaton, he decided on "Michael Keaton".

His next key break was scoring a co-lead alongside James Belushi in the short-lived comedy series Working Stiffs (1979), which showcased his comedic talent and got him into the casting for the co-lead in Night Shift (1982). His role as the hilariously fast-talking schemer Bill "Blaze" Blazejowski alongside nerdish morgue attendant Henry Winkler earned Keaton some critical acclaim, and he scored leads in the subsequent comedy hits Mr. Mom (1983), Johnny Dangerously (1984), and Gung Ho (1986).

His role as the title character in the 1988 Tim Burton horror-comedy Beetlejuice, which starred Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara, and Winona Ryder, earned Keaton widespread acclaim and boosted him to the A-list. That same year, Keaton also gave an acclaimed dramatic performance as a drug addicted businessman in Clean and Sober. Newsweek featured him in a story during this time.

Batman
Batman (1989 film) and Batman Returns

Michael Keaton as Batman.

Keaton's career was given another major boost when he was again cast by Tim Burton, this time as the superhero Batman in the 1989 film Batman. Burton cast him because he thought that Keaton was the only actor who could believably portray someone who has the kind of darkly obsessive personality that the character demands.[citation needed] After the Keaton casting, Warner Bros. received thousands of letters of complaint by fans commenting that the comedic Keaton was the wrong choice for Gotham City's creature of the night, given his prior work in comedies and the fact that he lacked the suave, handsome features and tall, muscular physicality often attributed to the character in the comic books.[citation needed] However, Keaton earned critical acclaim for his sophisticated and landmark performance, making Batman the highest-grossing film of the year.

According to Keaton, he was astounded when he was first considered as Batman since he was only familiar with the 1960s Batman television series starring Adam West, but it wasn't until Burton introduced Keaton to Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns that Keaton really understood the dark and brooding side of Batman that he portrayed to much fan approval. Keaton returned to wear the black cape and cowl again in 1992's Batman Returns which was another critical and financial success, though also received controversy for being darker than the original.

He was prepared to return for 1995's Batman Forever, even going so far as to show up for costume fitting. However, when Burton was dropped by Warner Bros. (slated to co-producer), Keaton left the series after being dissatisfied with the screenplay the new director, Joel Schumacher, approved, which Keaton considered to be lighter in tone in comparison to the past two Batman movies. According to the A&E Biography episode on Michael Keaton, after he had refused the first time (due to analysis of the script and meetings with Schumacher), Warner Brothers then offered him $35,000,000 (one of the highest salaries offered to an actor at the time), but Keaton steadfastly refused. Keaton was subsequently succeeded by Val Kilmer. In marked contrast to their initial reaction, many fans complaining about the following two Batman films (including 1997's Batman & Robin, starring George Clooney as Batman) often demanded not only that Tim Burton be rehired as director but that Keaton be hired as well.[citation needed]

1990s

Keaton remained in demand during the 1990s, appearing in a wide range of films including Pacific Heights (1990), One Good Cop (1991), the star-studded Shakespearian Much Ado About Nothing (1993), another Ron Howard comedy The Paper (1994), with Andie MacDowell in Multiplicity (1996), as Elmore Leonard character Agent Ray Nicolette in Jackie Brown (1997) and Out of Sight (1998), Jack Frost (1998) and in the thriller Desperate Measures (1998).

2000s

Since 2000, Keaton has appeared in several productions with mixed success including Live From Baghdad (2002), White Noise (2005), First Daughter (2004), and Herbie: Fully Loaded with Lindsay Lohan (2005). While he continues to receive good notices from the critics (particularly for Jackie Brown), with the exception of Cars, in which he played the part of Chick Hicks, he has not been able to approach the box-office success of the Batman film series. On New Years Day of 2004, he hosted the PBS TV special Mr. Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor. It was released by Triumph Marketing LLC on DVD September 28 that year.

In 2006, Keaton starred in an independent film called Game 6, a semi-thriller based around the infamous 1986 World Series bid by the Boston Red Sox. Also in 2006, Keaton made a cameo in the Tenacious D short film, Time Fixers, an iTunes exclusive. The 9-minute film was released to coincide with Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny (2006). Keaton has also just been announced to be the lead in Media 8 Entertainment's upcoming film Reaper, a supernatural thriller, expected for a 2008 release. He has also recently agreed to star as John Target in the Matt Evans scripted No Rule To Make Target. He is directing the drama movie The Merry Gentleman. Keaton was also cast as Dr. Jack Shephard in the series Lost, understanding that the role of Jack would have been small. On finding that it would be a long-running role, Keaton withdrew the offer and it was later given to actor Matthew Fox.[8][9] Keaton also starred in the 2007 TV mini-series The Company, set during the Cold War, in which he portrayed the real-life CIA counterintelligence chief James Jesus Angleton. The role garnered Keaton a 2008 SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries. He is slated to join the Toy Story cast for the upcoming Toy Story 3, where he will provide the voice of Ken, Barbie's friend.

Hollywood

2008-10-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

Hollywood is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California, situated west-northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a metonym of cinema of the United States. Tinseltown is sometimes used as a sneering nickname. Today, much of the movie industry has dispersed into surrounding areas such as Burbank and the Los Angeles Westside but significant auxiliary industries, such as editing, effects, props, post-production and lighting companies, remain in Hollywood. Many historic Hollywood theaters are used as venues and concert stages to premiere major theatrical releases and host the Academy Awards. It is a popular destination for nightlife and tourism and home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Although it is not the typical practice of the city of Los Angeles to establish specific boundaries for districts or neighborhoods, Hollywood is a recent exception. On February 16, 2005, Assembly Members Goldberg and Koretz introduced a bill to require California to keep specific records on Hollywood as though it were independent. For this to be done, the boundaries were defined. This bill was unanimously supported by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the LA City Council. Assembly Bill 588 was approved by the Governor on August 28, 2006 and now the district of Hollywood has official borders. The border can be loosely described as the area east of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, south of Mulholland Drive, Laurel Canyon, Cahuenga Blvd. and Barham Blvd. and the cities of Burbank and Glendale, north of Melrose Avenue and west of the Golden State Freeway and Hyperion Avenue. Note that this includes all of Griffith Park and Los Feliz—two areas that were hitherto generally considered separate from Hollywood by most Angelenos. The population of the district, including Los Feliz, as of the 2000 census was 167,664 and the median household income was $33,409 in 1999. As a portion of the city of Los Angeles, Hollywood does not have its own municipal government, but does have an official, appointed by the [2] Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, who serves as "Honorary Mayor of Hollywood" for ceremonial purposes only. Johnny Grant held this position for decades, until his death on January 9, 2008.

Easy Rider

2008-10-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

Easy Rider, a 1969 American road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern. The film depicts two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South and experience its land and people. It stars Fonda, Hopper, and Jack Nicholson and was produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. Easy Rider helped spark the New Hollywood phase of filmmaking during the late sixties.

As a counterculture film, Easy Rider explores the societal landscape, issues, and tensions in the United States during the 1960s, such as the rise and fall of the hippie movement, drug use, and communal lifestyle.
The protagonists are two bikers named Wyatt, nicknamed 'Captain America' (Fonda), and Billy (Hopper). Wyatt dresses in American flag-adorned leather, while Billy dresses in Native American-style buckskin pants and shirts and a bushman hat.

After smuggling drugs from Mexico to Los Angeles, Wyatt and Billy sell it to a man (played by Phil Spector) in a Rolls-Royce, in exchange for a large amount of cash. With this money stuffed into the Stars&Stripes-clad fuel tank of Wyatt's California style chopper, and after a symbolic scene of Wyatt throwing away his watch, they ride eastward in an attempt to reach New Orleans, Louisiana in time for Mardi Gras.

During their trip they pick up a hitch-hiker (Luke Askew) and agree to take him to the commune he is living in. They stay for a few days. Life in the commune appears to be hard, with hippies from the city finding it difficult to grow their own crops (one of the children seen in the commune is played by Fonda's four-year-old daughter Bridget.) At one point the bikers witness a prayer for blessing of the new crop, as put by a communard: A chance "to make a stand", and to plant "simple food, for a simple taste." The commune is also host to a traveling theater group that "sings for its supper" (performs for food). The notion of "free love" appears to be practiced, with two women seemingly sharing the affections of the hitch-hiking communard, and who then turn their attention to Wyatt and Billy. As Wyatt and Billy leave, the hitch-hiker (known only as "Stranger on highway" in the credits) gives Wyatt some LSD for him to share with "the right people".

George Hanson (Jack Nicholson) with Wyatt (Peter Fonda)

While jokingly riding along with a parade in a small town, the pair are arrested by the local authorities for "parading without a permit." In jail, they befriend alcoholic ACLU lawyer George Hanson (played by Jack Nicholson). George helps them get out of jail and decides to travel with Wyatt and Billy. As they camp that night, Wyatt and Billy introduce George to marijuana. As an alcoholic and a square, George is reluctant to try the marijuana ("It leads to harder stuff"), but he quickly relents.

While attempting to eat in a Louisiana restaurant, the trio's appearance attracts the attention of the locals. The local high school girls in the restaurant want to meet the men and ride with them; the local men and police officer threaten and verbally abuse the riders. One of the men even states, "They won't even make the parish line". Wyatt, Billy and George leave without eating and make camp outside of town. The events of the day cause George to comment: "This used to be a hell of a good country. I can't understand what's gone wrong with it."

In the middle of the night, the local men return and brutally beat the trio while they sleep. Wyatt and Billy suffer minor injuries, but George is killed by a machete strike to the neck. Wyatt and Billy wrap George up in his sleeping bag, gather his belongings, and vow to return the items to his parents.
Wyatt (Peter Fonda), Mary (Toni Basil), Billy (Dennis Hopper) and Karen (Karen Black) [right] wandering the streets of a parade-filled New Orleans. This part of the film was shot in 16mm.
Wyatt (Peter Fonda), Mary (Toni Basil), Billy (Dennis Hopper) and Karen (Karen Black) [right] wandering the streets of a parade-filled New Orleans. This part of the film was shot in 16mm.

They continue to New Orleans and find the brothel which had been recommended by George. Taking two prostitutes, Karen (Karen Black) and Mary (Toni Basil), with them, Wyatt and Billy decide to go outside where the Mardi Gras is going on (see image at right). They wander the parade-filled streets of New Orleans. They end up in a cemetery, where all four ingest LSD. They all experience a psychedelic trip, represented through quick edits, sound effects and over-exposed film.

In the end, though Billy remains oblivious, Wyatt declares: "You know Billy, we blew it". Wyatt realizes that their search for freedom, while financially successful, was a spiritual failure. The next morning, the two are continuing their trip to Florida (where they hope to retire wealthy) when two locals in a pickup truck (who have a shotgun in their belongings) spot them, and decide to "give them a scare". As they pull alongside Billy and shout at him, he makes an obscene gesture at them. Incensed by this, one of the men takes the shotgun, and shoots at and hits Billy. Wyatt immediately turns around to see his friend crashed and bleeding on the side of the road. Wyatt hops on his bike, hoping to get help for his friend. By then, the men in the truck have turned around. When they see Wyatt speeding towards them on his bike, without a weapon, the redneck in the passenger seat aims at Wyatt and shoots. The shot hits the gas tank of Wyatt's bike, causing it to explode. The explosion not only kills Wyatt, but also destroys the money - which was what they had staked their life on. From the flaming bike on the side of the road, the camera ascends towards the sky, and the duo's journey "looking for America" ends once and for all. source

Jack Nicholson

2008-10-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American actor, internationally renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award 12 times, and has won three: two for Best Actor and one for Best Supporting Actor. He is tied with Walter Brennan for most acting wins by a male actor (three), and second to Katharine Hepburn for most acting wins overall (four). He is also one of only two actors nominated for an Academy Award for acting (either lead or supporting) in every decade since the 1960s; the other is Michael Caine. He has won seven Golden Globe Awards, and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2001. In 1994, he became one of the youngest actors to be awarded the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award. Notable films that he starred in include Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Passenger, The Shining, Terms of Endearment, Batman, A Few Good Men, As Good as It Gets, About Schmidt, Something's Gotta Give, and The Departed.