MUSIC, BARBRA, CHER, BETTE, DIANA, VALERIE AND FRIENDS
BARBRA THE CONCERT
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
BARBRA STREISAND TO RECEIVE HONORARY DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE
Legendary American actress, director, singer, producer, composer, philanthropist and activist Barbra Streisand will receive an honorary doctor of philosophy degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The ceremony will take place today, June 17, during the 76th Hebrew University International Board of Governors Meeting.
The honorary doctorate will be presented to Ms. Streisand in recognition of her professional achievements, outstanding humanitarianism, leadership in the realm of human and civil rights, and dedication to Israel and the Jewish people.
Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, president of the Hebrew University, stated: "Barbra Streisand's transcendent talent is matched by her passionate concern for equality and opportunity for people of every gender and background. Equally important, her love of Israel and her Jewish heritage are reflected in so many aspects of her life and career. We are deeply proud to honor an individual who exemplifies these values which we at the Hebrew University share and uphold."
A proponent of education, Ms. Streisand established the Emanuel Streisand Building for Jewish Studies on the University's Mount Scopus campus in 1984. She dedicated the building in memory of her beloved father, Emanuel, whom she praised as "a teacher, scholar and religious man who devoted himself to education."
Referring to her 1983 award-winning movie, "Yentl," in which she played the role of a young woman who enters a yeshiva disguised as a man in order to study Talmud, Ms. Streisand said she was pleased that women could now "pursue Jewish studies without having to disguise themselves as men." The film, which she directed, produced, and co-wrote, had its Israeli premiere in 1984 under the sponsorship of the Israel Friends of The Hebrew University. Ms. Streisand visited Israel for the dedication and film premiere accompanied by a delegation from the West Coast chapter of American Friends of The Hebrew University (AFHU).
During 2011, Ms. Streisand appeared in a program on behalf of the welfare of soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces; the event raised 12 million dollars and brought attention to a vital cause.
Ms. Streisand's multi-dimensional career has kept her at the forefront of the entertainment industry for decades. Born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn in 1942, she lost her father when she was just a child. While still in her teens, the Erasmus High School honors student launched her career as a singer by initially winning a singing contest. At age 19, Ms. Streisand had her Broadway debut, and in 1962, made her debut album, which quickly became the top-selling record by a female vocalist in the United States.
By age 28, Ms. Streisand had already earned five of the entertainment industry's most prestigious awards: the Grammy, Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe, making her an icon of American culture and an international favorite. Among her myriad accolades, she received an Oscar for Best Actress (Funny Girl, 1968), and for composing the music for Best Original Song (Evergreen, 1976). During her career, she has been honored by the Directors Guild of America and received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton, the Peabody Award, the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement and Kennedy Center Honors. The internationally recognized artist received France's Legion of Honour from President Nicolas Sarkozy. Additionally, Ms. Streisand is an author and photographer known for her critically acclaimed book, "My Passion for Design."
Ms. Streisand has been long admired for her civic activism and philanthropic leadership. Her commitment is reflected in the work of The Streisand Foundation, which is dedicated to fostering women's equality and health, protecting human and civil rights, advancing the needs of at-risk children in society and preserving the environment. Often donating the proceeds from her performances on behalf of important causes, Ms. Streisand has been a leading spokesperson and fund-raiser for AIDS research and treatment; she received the 1992 Commitment to Life Award from the AIDS Project Los Angeles. In 1989, she established a chair in Environmental Science at the Environmental Defense Fund, with a focus on global climate change, and later funded the participation of the organization's top scientists at the Global Warming World Summit in Kyoto. She was also a leading contributor to the William Jefferson Clinton Climate Change Initiative. Ms. Streisand has been a driving force behind the Women's Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, which renamed the center in her honor, The Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center.
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Read more about Barbra Streisand Receives Honorary Doctorate from Hebrew University of Jerusalem Today by www.broadwayworld.com
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
STEPHANIE MCMILLAN, FILM SET DECORATOR REMEMBERED
Stephenie McMillan, Film Set Decorator, Dies at 71By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
Published: August 28, 2013
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Stephenie McMillan, a set decorator who created the look of all eight Harry Potter films and won an Oscar for the 1996 romance “The English Patient,” died on Aug. 19 at her home in England. She was 71.
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Stephenie McMillan in 2004.
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.The cause was cancer, Stuart Craig, who worked with her on the Potter films, wrote in an article in The Guardian.
Ms. McMillan created sets that were opulent and cluttered, like Hogwarts Academy, or spare, like the bedroom in the bombed-out monastery where the protagonist of “The English Patient” lives. Both she and Mr. Craig, a production designer, received Oscars for their art direction and set decoration on “The English Patient,” an adaptation of the Michael Ondaatje novel. The film earned nine Academy Awards altogether, including for best picture.
Ms. McMillan thought that even the most elaborate sets should not upstage the actors.
“The production designer has the vision,” she told the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in an interview in 2012, “and as set decorator, you have to bring this vision to life. Set decorating should never steal thunder from actors, nor should it ever be so showy that you’re looking at the furniture rather than the action.”
Ms. McMillan also designed sets for the romances “Notting Hill” (1999) and “Chocolat” (2000), and for the John Cleese comedies “A Fish Called Wanda” (1988) and “Fierce Creatures” (1997). She and Mr. Craig were nominated for three Bafta Awards and four Academy Awards for their work on the Harry Potter films.
Stephenie Lesley Gardner was born on July 20, 1942, in Chigwell, a village near London. After she graduated from the Woodford County High School for Girls she was a secretary in the London office of the architects Stillman & Eastwick-Field.
She became a stylist with the photographer Michael Boys, arranging props for his shoots for interior design magazines, then designed sets for television commercials. Her first movie was the 1984 musical “Give My Regards to Broad Street,” starring Paul McCartney. Her last was the 2012 remake of “Gambit,” starring Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz and written by Joel and Ethan Coen. (Its United States release is scheduled for October.)
Ms. McMillan was married twice, to the writer Russell Miller and the filmmaker Ian McMillan. Both marriages ended in divorce.
She is survived by her partner, the writer Phil Hardy; two daughters from her first marriage, Sasha and Tamsin; a brother, Richard; and four grandchildren.
A version of this article appears in print on August 29, 2013, on page B19 of the New York edition with the headline: Stephenie McMillan, 71, Film Set Decorator ..
More than 70 marriage licenses were issued Tuesday to same-sex couples in Albuquerque.More than 100 people lined up outside the county clerk’s office in Albuquerque to get marriage licenses Tuesday morning, the day after a state district judge ruled that same-sex marriage was legal.
The crowd cheered as the first couple — Patricia Catlett, 61, a graphic designer, and her partner of 25 years, Karen Schmiege, 69, a retired librarian — received their license in Bernalillo County, according to The Associated Press. By noon, KRQE News 13 reported, a mass wedding was held in Albuquerque’s Civic Plaza.
First couple to be issued a marriage license today in Bernalillo County! http://t.co/pkgoaHK9FU
Monday, August 26, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
YOU MAKE ME FEEL BRAND NEW
My love,
I'll never find the words my love, to tell you how I feel my love.
Mere words, could not explain.
Precious love,
You held my life within your hands, created everything I am,
Taught me how to live again.
Only you,
Care when I needed a friend, believed in me through thick and thin,
This song is for you, filled with graditude and love...
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/the-stylistics-you-make-me-feel-brand-new-lyrics.html ]
(Chorus) God bless you, you make me feel brand new,
For God bless me with you, you make me feel brand new,
I sing this song 'cause you, make me feel brand new.
My love,
When ever I was insecure, you built me up and made me sure,
You gave, my pride, back to me.
Precious friend,
With you I'll always have a friend, your someone who I can depend,
To walk a path that sometimes bends.
Without you,
Life has no meaning or rhyme, like notes to a song out of time,
How can I repay, you for havin' faith in me...
(Chorus) God bless you, you make me feel brand new,
For God bless me with you, you make me feel brand new,
I sing this song for you.
SIDESHOW
Hurry, hurry, step right up
See the saddest show in town
For only fifty cents
Step right up, hurry, hurry
Before the show begins
My friends
Stand in line
Get your tickets
I hope you will attend
It'll only cost you
Fifty cents to see
What life has done to
Those like you and me
See the man with the broken heart
You'll see that he is sad
He hurts so bad (so bad, so bad)
See the girl who has lost
The only love she ever had
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/magic-blue-sideshow-lyrics.html ]
There's got to be
No sadder show to see
No doubt about it
Satisfaction's guaranteed
[CHORUS]
So let the sideshow begin
Hurry, hurry, step right on in
Can't afford to pass it by
Guaranteed to make you cry
Let the sideshow begin
Hurry, hurry, step right on in
Can't afford to pass it by
Guaranteed to make you cry
See the man who's been
Crying for a million years
So many tears, so many tears
See the girl who's collected
Broken hearts for souvenirs
It's more exciting
Than a one man band
The saddest little show
In all the land
[Repeat CHORUS 2x]
Let the sideshow begin...
BROTHER LOUIE
She was black as the night
Louie was whiter than white
There's a danger when you taste brown sugar
Louie fell in love overnight
Nothing bad, it was good
Louie had the best girl he could
When he took her home
To meet his mama and papa
Louie knew just where he stood
Louie Louie Louie, Louie
Louie Louie Lou-I
Louie Louie Louie
Louie Louie you're gonna cry
[Instrumental Interlude]
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/stories-brother-louie-lyrics.html ]
There he stood in the night
Knowing what's wrong from what's right
He took her home to meet his mama and papa
Man, they had a terrible fight
Louie nearly caused a scene
Wishin' it was a dream
Ain't no diff'rence if you're black or white
Brothers, you know what I mean
Louie Louie Louie, Louie
Louie Louie Lou-I
Louie Louie Louie
Louie Louie you're gonna cry
[Instrumental Interlude]
Louie Louie Louie, Louie
Louie Louie Lou-I
Louie Louie Louie
Louie Louie you're gonna cry
Louie Louie Louie, Louie
Louie Louie Louie Louie Lou-I
Louie Louie Louie
Louie Louie you're gonna cry
THE MORNING AFTER
There's got to be a morning after
If we can hold on through the night
We have a chance to find the sunshine
Let's keep on looking for the light
Oh, can't you see the morning after?
It's waiting right outside the storm
Why don't we cross the bridge together
And find a place that's safe and warm?
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/maureen-mcgovern-the-morning-after-lyrics.html ]
It's not too late, we should be giving
Only with love can we climb
It's not too late, not while we're living
Let's put our hands out in time
There's got to be a morning after
We're moving closer to the shore
I know we'll be there by tomorrow
And we'll escape the darkness
We won't be searching anymore
There's got to be a morning after
(There's got to be a morning after)
There's got to be a morning after
(There's got to be a morning after)
There's got to be a morning after
(There's got to be a morning after)
TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING
Touch me in the morning
Then just walk away
We don't have tomorrow
But we had yesterday
(Hey! )
Wasn't it me who said that
Nothing goods gonna last forever?
And wasn't it me who said
Let's just be glad for the time together?
It must've been hard to tell me
That you've given all you had to give
I can understand you're feeling that way
Everybody's got their life to live.
Well, I can say goodbye in the cold morning light
But I can't watch love die in the warmth of the night
If I've got to be strong
Don't you know I need to have tonight when you're gone?
Till you go I need to lie here and think about
The last time that you'll touch me in the morning
Then just close the door
Leave me as you found me, empty like before.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/diana-ross-touch-me-in-the-morning-lyrics.html ]
(Hey! )
Wasn't it yesterday
We used to laugh at the wind behind us?
Didn't we run away and hope
That time wouldn't try to find us (didn't we run)
Didn't we take each other
To a place where no one's ever been?
Yeah, I really need you near me tonight
Cause you'll never take me there again.
Let me watch you go
With the sun in my eyes
We've seen how love can grow
Now we'll see how it dies.
If I've got to be strong
Don't you know I need to have tonight when you're gone?
Till you go I need to hold you until the time
Your hands reach out and touch me in the morning.
(Mornings were blue and gold and we could feel one another living)
Then just walk away
(We walked with a dream to hold and we could take what the world was giving)
We don't have tomorrow,
(There's no tomorrow here, there's only love and the time to chase it)
But we had yesterday
(But yesterday's gone my love, there's only now and it's time to face it)
Touch me in the morning.
Touch Me In The Morning lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Saturday, August 24, 2013
JULIE HARRIS REMEMBERED
Julie Harris, one of Broadway's most honored performers, whose roles ranged from the flamboyant Sally Bowles in "I Am a Camera" to the reclusive Emily Dickinson in "The Belle of Amherst," died Saturday. She was 87.
Harris died at her West Chatham, Mass., home of congestive heart failure, actress and family friend Francesca James said.
Harris won a record five Tony Awards for best actress in a play, displaying a virtuosity that enabled her to portray an astonishing gallery of women during a theater career that spanned almost 60 years and included such plays as "The Member of the Wedding" (1950), "The Lark" (1955), "Forty Carats" (1968) and "The Last of Mrs. Lincoln" (1972).
She was honored again with a sixth Tony, a special lifetime achievement award in 2002. Only Angela Lansbury has neared her record, winning four Tonys in the best actress-musical category and one for best supporting actress in a play.
Harris had suffered a stroke in 2001 while she was in Chicago appearing in a production of Claudia Allen's "Fossils." She suffered another stroke in 2010, James said.
"I'm still in sort of a place of shock," said James, who appeared in daytime soap operas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live."
"She was, really, the greatest influence in my life," said James, who had known Harris for about 50 years.
Television viewers knew Harris as the free-spirited Lilimae Clements on the prime-time soap opera "Knots Landing." In the movies, she was James Dean's romantic co-star in "East of Eden" (1955), and had rolls in such films as "Requiem for a Heavyweight" (1962), "The Haunting" (1963) and "Reflections in a Golden Eye" (1967).
Yet Harris' biggest successes and most satisfying moments have been on stage. "The theater has been my church," the actress once said. "I don't hesitate to say that I found God in the theater."
The 5-foot-4 Harris, blue-eyed with delicate features and reddish-gold hair, made her Broadway debut in 1945 in a short-lived play called "It's a Gift." Five years later, at the age of 24, Harris was cast as Frankie, a lonely 12-year-old tomboy on the brink of adolescence, in "The Member of the Wedding," Carson McCullers' stage version of her wistful novel.
The critics raved about Harris, with Brooks Atkinson in The New York Times calling her performance "extraordinary — vibrant, full of anguish and elation."
Friday, August 23, 2013
LINDA RONSTADT HAS PARKINSON'S DISEASE
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Grammy-winning singer Linda Ronstadt is suffering from Parkinson's disease and says she can no longer "sing a note," the group AARP said on Friday.
In an interview with AARP to be published next week, Ronstadt, 67, said the Parkinson's diagnosis she received eight months ago had given her an answer to why she couldn't sing.
"No one can sing with Parkinson's disease," she is quoted as saying in her interview with the lobbying group for older Americans. "No matter how hard you try."
AARP said she has poles to help her walk on uneven ground and uses a wheelchair when traveling.
"Parkinson's is very hard to diagnose, so when I finally went to a neurologist and he said, 'Oh, you have Parkinson's disease,' I was completely shocked. I wouldn't have suspected that in a million, billion years," she says in the interview.
Ronstadt has won nearly a dozen Grammy awards and sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, according to Simon & Schuster, which is due to publish her memoir this year.
The Arizona-born singer's 1974 record, "Heart Like a Wheel," yielded hits including "You're No Good," "When Will I Be Loved" and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore."
The soft rock album soared to No. 1, selling more than 2 million copies, according to the AllMusic reference website.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Pear Green Salad
2 heads Romaine – or other leafy types of lettuce
2 heads Mixed Greens
½ lb. Bacon (fried and crumbled)
4-5 Ripe pears, chopped
½ C. Slivered almonds toasted
1 pkg. Craisins (approx. 1 C.)
4 oz. Gorgonzola Cheese or Blue Cheese
Dressing: (Only ½ is really needed for the amount of salad above)
2 C. Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Poppyseed
½ C. Oil
2 tsp Dry Mustard
1 C. Red Wine Vinegar
Scientists: Meteorite Beads Oldest Example of Metalwork
New study confirms that ancient Egyptians used meteoric iron to make beads..
Three iron beads from Gerzeh, Egypt, are the oldest known example of metalworking.
Photograph by Gianluca Miniaci, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
.Jaclyn Skurie
National Geographic
Published August 22, 2013
After a century of uncertainty, researchers have confirmed that the iron used to weld 5,000-year-old Egyptian beads fell from the sky—in the form of a meteorite, that is.
The nine small beads were excavated in 1911 from a tomb in Gerzeh, an ancient cemetery in northern Egypt. Early chemical testing showed traces of nickel, leading scientists to believe they were made from meteoric iron.
The beads were prized as exotic artifacts, strung together on a necklace with precious minerals like gold and carnelian. (Related: "Oldest North American Rock Art May Be 14,800 Years Old.")
Fast forward a few decades to the 1980s, when a fragment from the beads was retested to determine its composition using newer technology called an electron microprobe. The results revealed concentrations of nickel that were too low to confirm whether the iron came from a meteorite.
Still, some scientists remained unconvinced that the beads were entirely man-made, which was an alternative explanation.
Thilo Rehren, a professor at University College London's Institute of Archaeology campus in Qatar, released a study in the Journal of Archaeological Science on Tuesday that says germanium levels—a chemical element not highly concentrated in man-made iron—prove the metal is meteoric.
Using noninvasive neutron and x-ray methods, Rehren and his team tested the inner core of the beads where the original metal was before it corroded. In the 1980 study that found low levels of nickel, scientists only were able to test the bead's outer layer, which had crusted into pure iron rust over time. (Related: "Giant Maya Carvings Found in Guatemala.")
"The label for these beads said: 'Meteoric Iron, question mark,' but with this new research we could say, 'Meteoric Iron, exclamation mark!'" Rehren said.
A Sign of Ancient Welding
In addition to being the oldest discovered artifacts made from meteoric iron, these beads provide novel insight into Egyptian civilization that predates the Iron Age by 2,000 years.
Rehren says the beads are the earliest known sign of metalwork, suggesting that people at that time had already mastered the art of blacksmithing. (See: "Egypt Mummy Pictures: Scans Show Ancient Heart Disease.")
The beads were created from rolling a very thin sheet of metal into a tub
Because meteoric iron is as tough as stainless steel, the process is precise. The brittle iron must be cooled extremely slowly to make sure it does not crack. Once the beads are heated, they are hammered into their nugget-like form.
"You don't always need to have Indiana Jones go out and dig up a new palace or temple," Rehren said.
"It is fascinating to see what museum collections still yield in terms of new information and discoveries
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to honor actor George Takei on Miami Beach
MIAMI HERALD STAFF
Actor and author, George Takei, will be honored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in November on Miami Beach. (Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images) Suhaimi Abdullah / Getty Images
Photo By MIAMI HERALD STAFF
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announced Wednesday actor George Takei will receive the group’s 2013 National Leadership Award at its Annual Miami Recognition Dinner in November at the Fontainebleau hotel on Miami Beach.
The annual fundraising event honors individuals for their outstanding contributions to “the social, cultural, political and humanitarian needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.”
Takei has appeared in more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television guest-starring roles. He is best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the famed television series Star Trek.
An outspoken advocate for civil rights, Takei has used his unmistakable baritone in several satiric PSAs, including one in response to Tennessee’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill that encourages viewers to say, "It’s OK to be Takei."
“I am deeply honored to be recognized by this wonderful organization that has been fighting for LGBT equality for the past four decades,” said Takei said. “It is a privilege to be part of an event like the 17th Annual Miami Recognition Dinner that raises money for multiple organizations serving our community.”
At last year’s annual dinner, more than 35 sponsors and approximately 800 guests contributed to another record-breaking year. In total, the dinner event grossed well over $500,000—making it the most successful Miami Recognition Dinner in Task Force history.
Over the years — through the Dinner and its sister event the Winter Party Festival—the Task Force has contributed approximately $1.65 million to South Florida grassroots LGBT organizations through the Miami Foundation GLBT Community Projects Fund.
Tickets to the 17th annual Nov. 8th dinner sponsored by Wells Fargo are $250 for general admission and $350 for VIP tickets. They are available online at www.miamirecognitiondinner.org and by phone at 305-571-1924.
1Read more Miami-Dade stories from the Miami Herald
Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1937) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notable for jazz, soul, R&B, and folk music. Flack may be best known for her Hot 100 #1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and "Feel Like Makin' Love", as well as "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", two of her many duets with Donny Hathaway. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" won the 1973 Grammy Record of the Year and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" won the same award at the Grammy Awards of 1974. She and U2 are the only artists to win the award in consecutive years.
Cher (/ˈʃɛər/,[1] born Cherilyn Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer and actress. Recognized for having brought the sense of female autonomy and self-actualization into the entertainment industry, she is known for her distinctive contralto singing voice and for having worked in various areas of entertainment, as well as for continuously reinventing both her music and image which has led to her being called the Goddess of Pop.
Cher became prominent in 1965 as one-half of the folk rock husband–wife duo Sonny & Cher, who popularized a particular smooth sound that successfully competed with the dominant British Invasion and Motown sounds of the era. From 1965, she had established herself as a successful solo artist with million-selling singles such as "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed", and "Dark Lady", songs that deal with subjects rarely addressed in American popular music. Goldmine magazine's Phill Marder described her as the leader of an effort in the 1960s to "advance feminine rebellion in the rock world [and] the prototype of the female rock star, setting the standard for appearance [and] attitude".[2] After the duo's drug-free lifestyle had lost its popular appeal in the United States owing to the drug culture of the 1960s, she returned to stardom in the 1970s as a television personality with her shows The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and Cher, both of which attained immense popularity. She became a fashion trendsetter with her daring outfits. After Cher and Sonny divorced in 1975, Cher experimented with various musical styles, including disco and new wave, before becoming a top-earning live act in Las Vegas.
In the early 1980s, Cher made her Broadway debut and starred in the film Silkwood, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1983. In the following years, she starred in films such as Mask, The Witches of Eastwick, and Moonstruck, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1988. At the same time, she established herself as a "serious rock and roller" by releasing platinum albums such as Heart of Stone (1989) and successful singles such as "I Found Someone" and "If I Could Turn Back Time".[3] In the 1990s, she made her directing debut in the film If These Walls Could Talk and released the biggest-selling single of her career, "Believe", which featured the pioneering use of Auto-Tune, also known as the "Cher effect".[4] In the 2000s, she embarked on the successful Living Proof: The Farewell Tour and signed a $60 million per-year deal to headline the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for three years.
Cher has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, among several other honors. Her other ventures have included fashion designing, writing books and managing the film production company Isis. Recognized as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, she has sold more than 100 million solo albums and over 40 million records as Sonny & Cher worldwide. She is the only artist to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in each of the past six decades.
He made the revelation in a letter declining an invitation to a film festival in Russia.
(Photo: Jon Kopaloff, FilmMagic)
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Prison Break star Wentworth Miller has declined an invitation to the St. Petersburg International Film Festival saying that as a gay man he disapproves of the Russian government's crackdown on homosexuals.
Miller had been invited to appear as a guest of honor at the festival. "As a gay man, I must decline, he said.
The actor, 41, whose sexual orientation has been the subject of speculation in the past, came out in a letter he sent on Wednesday to festival organizers.
Wentworth's letter, which is posted on GLAAD's website, thanks festival organizers for an invitation but states "I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government."
"Wentworth's bold show of support sends a powerful message to LGBT Russians, who are facing extreme violence and persecution: you are not alone," said a statement from GLAAD representative Wilson Cruz, who is also an actor (My So-Called Life).
Miller's announcement comes amid international condemnation of Russia's recent crackdown on homosexuals. Stringent new laws prescribe fines for people accused of spreading "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to minors. Gay pride rallies are banned, as is the adoption of Russian-born children by same-sex couples. And foreign visitors suspected of being gay can now be detained for up to 15 days, which has raised concerns worldwide as Russia prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.
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Wednesday, August 21, 2013
MUSIC AWARDS 1973
BEST POP PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Cher, Half-Breed
Roberta Flack, Killing Me Softly With His Song
Vicki Lawrence, The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia
Maureen McGovern, The Morning After (Song from The Poseidon Adventure)
Diana Ross, Touch Me In The Morning
The Winner: Roberta Flack
BEST POP PERFORMANCE, MALE
Jim Croce, I Got A Name
Elton John, Daniel
Billy Preston, Will It Go Round In Circles
Charlie Rich, Behind Closed Doors
Stevie Wonder, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
The Winner: Stevie Wonder
BEST POP PERFORMANCE, GROUP OR DUO
The Carpenters, Yesterday Once More
Chicago, Just You 'N Me
Gladys Knight And The Pips, Midnight Train To Georgia
O'Jays, Love Train
Rolling Stones, Angie
The Winner: Gladys Knight And The Pips
BEST COUNTRY PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Lynn Anderson, Top Of The World
Anne Murray, Danny's Song
Olivia Newton-John, Let Me Be There
Tanya Tucker, What's Your Mama's Name
Dottie West, Country Sunshine
The Winner: Anne Murray
BEST COUNTRY PERFORMANCE, MALE
Charlie Daniels, Uneasy Rider
Kris Kristofferson, Why Me
Charlie Rich, Behind Closed Doors
Jim Stafford, Spiders & Snakes
Conway Twitty, You've Never Been This Far Before
The Winner: Charlie Rich
BEST COUNTRY PERFORMANCE, GROUP OR DUO
America, Don't Cross The River
Blue Ridge Rangers, Hearts Of Stone
Allman Brothers Band, Ramblin' Man
Eagles, Tequila Sunrise
Kris Kristofferson And Rita Coolidge, A Song I'd Like To Sing
The Winner: Eagles
BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Cher, Half-Breed
Maureen McGovern, The Morning After
Bette Midler, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Helen Reddy, Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)
Diana Ross, Touch Me In The Morning
The Winner: Bette Midler
BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE, MALE
Jim Croce, Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
Marvin Gaye, Let's Get It On
Paul Simon, Loves Me Like A Rock
Barry White, Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up
Stevie Wonder, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
The Winner: Stevie Wonder
BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE, GROUP OR DUO
Four Tops, Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)
Gladys Knight And The Pips, Midnight Train To Georgia
O'Jays, Love Train
Spinners, One Of A Kind (Love Affair)
Stories, Brother Louie
The Winner: O'Jays
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Cher, Half-Breed
Carole King, Corazon
Bette Midler, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Ann Peebles, I Can't Stand The Rain
Helen Reddy, Delta Dawn
The Winner: Carole King
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE, MALE
David Essex, Rock On
Elton John, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
Lou Reed, Walk On The Wild Side
Todd Rundgren, Hello It's Me
Ringo Starr, Photograph
The Winner: Elton John
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE, GROUP OR DUO
Beach Boys, Sail On Sailor
Doobie Brothers, China Grove
Paul MCCartney And Wings, Live And Let Die
Rolling Stones, Angie
Ike And Tina Turner, Nutbush City Limits
The Winner: Doobie Brothers
BEST R&B/SOUL PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Cher, Half-Breed
Roberta Flack, Killing Me Softly With His Song
Aretha Franklin, Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)
Bette Midler, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Diana Ross, Touch Me In The Morning
The Winner: Aretha Franklin
BEST R&B/SOUL PERFORMANCE, MALE
Marvin Gaye, Let's Get It On
Al Green, Here I Am (Come And Take Me)
Billy Preston, Will It Go Round In Circles
Barry White, Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up
Stevie Wonder, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
The Winner: Stevie Wonder
BEST R&B/SOUL PERFORMANCE, GROUP OR DUO
Four Tops, Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)
Gladys Knight And The Pips, Midnight Train To Georgia
O'Jays, Love Train
Spinners, One Of A Kind (Love Affair)
Stylistics, Rockin' Roll Baby
The Winner: Gladys Knight And The Pips
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Roberta Flack
Anne Murray
Helen Reddy
Diana Ross
Barbra Streisand
The Winner: Diana Ross
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Elton John
Charlie Rich
Paul Simon
Barry White
Stevie Wonder
The Winner: Elton John
GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
The Carpenters
Gladys Knight And The Pips
Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando
O'Jays
Stylistics
The Winner: The Carpenters
In Edwardian London, Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), an arrogant, irascible, misogynistic teacher of elocution, believes that the accent and tone of one's voice determines a person's prospects in society. He boasts to a new acquaintance, Colonel Hugh Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White), himself an expert in phonetics, that he could teach any woman to speak so "properly" that he could pass her off as a duchess at an embassy ball, citing, as an example, a young flower seller from the slums, Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn), who has a strong Cockney accent.
Eliza goes to Higgins seeking speech lessons. Her great ambition is to work in a flower shop, but her thick accent makes her unsuitable for such a position. All she can afford to pay is a shilling per lesson, whereas Higgins is used to training wealthier members of society.[3] Pickering, who is staying with Higgins, is intrigued by the idea of passing a common flower girl off as a duchess and bets Higgins he cannot make good his boast, offering to pay for the lessons himself.
Eliza's father, Alfred P. Doolittle (Stanley Holloway), a dustman, shows up three days later, ostensibly to protect his daughter's virtue, but in reality simply to extract some money from Higgins, and is bought off with £5. Higgins is impressed by the man's honesty, his natural gift for language, and especially his brazen lack of morals - "Can't afford 'em!" claims Doolittle. Higgins recommends Doolittle to a wealthy American who is interested in morality. Eliza goes through many forms of speech training, such as speaking with marbles in her mouth, enduring Higgins' harsh approach to teaching and his treatment of her personally. She makes little progress, but just as she, Higgins, and Pickering are about to give up, Eliza finally "gets it"; she instantly begins to speak with an impeccable upper class accent.
As a test, Higgins takes her to Ascot Racecourse, where she makes a good impression with her stilted, but genteel manners, only to shock everyone by a sudden and vulgar lapse into Cockney while encouraging a horse to win a race: "C'mon Dover, move your bloomin' arse!" Higgins, who dislikes the pretentiousness of the upper class, partly conceals a grin behind his hand. Eliza poses as a mysterious lady at an embassy ball and even dances with a foreign prince. At the ball is Zoltan Karpathy (Theodore Bikel), a Hungarian phonetics expert trained by Higgins. After a brief conversation with Eliza, he certifies that she is not only Hungarian, but of royal blood. This makes Higgins' evening, since he has always looked upon Karpathy as a bounder and a crook.
After all the effort she has put in however, Eliza is given hardly any credit, all the praise going to Higgins. This, and his callous treatment towards her afterwards, especially his indifference to her future, causes her to walk out on him, leaving him mystified by her ingratitude. Accompanied by Freddy Eynsford-Hill (Jeremy Brett), a young man she met at Ascot and who has strongly become romantically infatuated and charmed by her, Eliza returns to her old stomping ground at Covent Garden, but finds that she no longer fits in as she is a polite lady now. She meets her father, who has been left a large fortune by the wealthy American Higgins had sent him to and is resigned to marrying Eliza's stepmother. Alfred feels that Higgins has ruined him, since he is now bound by morals and responsibility. Eventually, Eliza ends up visiting Higgins' mother, who is incensed at her son's behavior.
Higgins finds Eliza the next day and attempts to talk her into coming back to him. During a testy exchange, Higgins becomes incensed when Eliza announces that she is going to marry Freddy and become Karpathy's assistant. Higgins explodes and Eliza is satisfied that she has had her "own back." Higgins has to admit that rather than being "a millstone around my neck... now you're a tower of strength, a consort battleship. I like you this way." Eliza leaves, saying they will never meet again. After an argument with his mother—in which he asserts that he does not need Eliza or anyone else — Higgins makes his way home, stubbornly predicting that Eliza will come crawling back. However, he comes to the horrified realization that he has "grown accustomed to her face." Then, to his surprise, Eliza reappears in Higgins' study: she knows now that he really deeply cares for her after all.
Cast[edit source | editbeta]
The French Connection is a 1971 American dramatic thriller film directed by William Friedkin, produced by Philip D'Antoni with music by Don Ellis. It starred Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey and Roy Scheider. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore. It tells the story of New York Police Department detectives named "Popeye" Doyle and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo, whose real-life counterparts were Narcotics Detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso. Egan and Grosso also appear in the film, as characters other than themselves.
It was the first R-rated movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture since the introduction of the MPAA film rating system. It also won Academy Awards for Best Actor (Gene Hackman), Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ernest Tidyman). It was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Roy Scheider), Best Cinematography and Best Sound. Tidyman also received a Golden Globe Award, a Writers Guild of America Award and an Edgar Award for his screenplay. It has since been labeled as one of the greatest American films by the American Film Institute.[3]
In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Contents [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
3.1 Casting
3.2 Comparison to actual people
3.3 Car chase
3.4 Filming locations
4 Awards and nominations
5 Home video
6 Sequels and adaptations
7 References
8 External links
Plot[edit source | editbeta]In Marseilles, an undercover detective is following Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), a wealthy French criminal who runs the largest heroin-smuggling syndicate in the world. The policeman is assassinated by Charnier's henchman, Pierre Nicoli (Marcel Bozzuffi). Charnier plans to smuggle $32 million worth of heroin into the United States by hiding it in the car of his unsuspecting friend, French television personality Henri Devereaux (Frédéric de Pasquale).
In New York City, detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider) are conducting an undercover stakeout in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. After seeing a drug transaction take place in a bar, Cloudy goes in to make an arrest, but the suspect makes a break for it, cutting Cloudy on the arm with a knife. After catching up with their suspect and severely beating him, the detectives interrogate the man who reveals his drug connection.
Later, Popeye and Cloudy go out for drinks at the Copacabana, where Popeye notices Salvatore "Sal" Boca (Tony Lo Bianco) and his young wife Angie (Arlene Farber) entertaining mob members involved in narcotics. They decide to tail the couple, and soon learn that the Bocas, who run a modest newsstand luncheonette, have criminal records: Sal for armed robbery and murder, and Angie for shoplifting. The detectives suspect that the Bocas, who frequent several nightclubs and drive expensive cars, are involved in some criminal operation. They soon establish a link between the Bocas and lawyer Joel Weinstock (Harold Gary), who has connections in the narcotics underworld.
Soon after, Popeye learns from an informant that a major shipment of heroin will arrive in the New York area. The detectives convince their supervisor, Walt Simonson (Eddie Egan), to wiretap the Bocas' phones, and they use several ruses to obtain additional information. Popeye and Cloudy are joined in the investigation by a federal agent named Mulderig (Bill Hickman). Popeye and Mulderig dislike each other based on having worked together in the past, with Mulderig holding Popeye responsible for the death of a policeman.
After Devereaux's Lincoln Continental Mark III arrives in New York City, Weinstock's chemist (Pat McDermott) tests a sample of the heroin and declares it the purest he has ever seen, establishing that the shipment could make as much as $32 million on a half-million dollar investment. Boca is impatient to make the purchase—reflecting Charnier's desire to return to France as soon as possible—while Weinstock, with more experience in smuggling, urges patience, knowing Boca's phone is tapped and that they are being investigated.
Charnier soon "makes" Popeye and realizes he has been observed since his arrival in New York. Nicoli offers to kill Popeye, but Charnier objects, knowing that Popeye would be replaced by another policeman. Nicoli insists, however, saying they will be back in France before a replacement is assigned.
Soon after, Nicoli attempts to assassinate Popeye from the roof of Doyle's apartment complex but botches the job. Popeye chases after the fleeing killer, who boards an elevated train at the Bay 50th Street Station in Bensonhurst. Doyle commandeers a car and gives chase along Stillwell Avenue. On the train, Nicoli hijacks the train, holds the driver at gunpoint, and kills a policeman who tries to intervene. When the motorman passes out, the train reaches the end of the line and slams into another train, hurling the assassin against the glass window. Popeye arrives and sees the killer descending from the platform. When he sees Popeye, he turns to run but is shot dead by the weary detective.
After a lengthy stakeout, Popeye impounds Devereaux's Lincoln town car and takes it apart piece by piece, searching for the drugs. When Cloudy notes that the vehicle's shipping weight is 120 pounds over its listed manufacturer's weight, they realize the drugs must still be in the car. They remove the rocker panels and discover the drugs concealed in the body of the vehicle. The police restore the car to its old condition and return it to Devereaux, who delivers the car to Charnier.
Charnier drives to an old factory on Wards Island to meet Weinstock and make the transaction. After Charnier has the rocker panels removed, Weinstock's chemist tests one of the bags and confirms its quality. Charnier replaces the bags of drugs with the money, concealing it beneath the rocker panels of the Lincoln, which he will take back to France. With their transaction complete, Charnier and Sal drive off in the Lincoln, but soon they hit a roadblock with a large force of police led by Popeye, who playfully waves to Charnier. The police chase the Lincoln back to the old factory, where Sal is killed during a shootout with the police and most of the others surrender.
Charnier escapes into the old warehouse and Popeye follows after him, with Cloudy joining in the hunt. When Popeye sees a shadowy figure in the distance, he empties his revolver a split-second after shouting a warning. The man whom Popeye kills, however, is not Charnier but Mulderig. Undaunted, Popeye tells Cloudy that he will get Charnier. After reloading his gun, Popeye runs into another room, and a few seconds later, a single gunshot is heard.[Note 1]
Carrie is a 1976 American supernatural horror-drama film[2] based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The film was directed by Brian De Palma and written by Lawrence D. Cohen. Carrie was the first of King's novels to be adapted for film and television.
The plot revolves around Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), a socially outcast teenage girl who suffers frequent abuse from her religious mother Margaret (Piper Laurie) and classmates, especially Chris Hargensen (Nancy Allen). Carrie discovers early in the story that she possesses latent telekinetic powers that seem to manifest when she becomes angry or otherwise distressed. She is invited to prom by classmate Tommy Ross (William Katt) by request of another classmate Sue Snell (Amy Irving). At the prom Carrie falls victim to a prank by Chris and her boyfriend Billy (John Travolta), thereafter she uses her powers to exact revenge against the student body.
The film released in theaters on November 3, 1976 in the United States. Carrie was a critical and box office success, receiving a mostly positive response from critics and grossing $33.8 million on a budget of $1.8 million.[3][4] During a survey taken in October 2008, it was revealed that Carrie was considered one of the most popular movies teens watched on Halloween.[5] Spacek was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, while Laurie was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The film introduced young stars such as Katt and Travolta – who would shoot to worldwide fame – and revamped the career of Laurie, who had already made several films.
The film spawned a 1999 sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2, which did not involve De Palma.
Contents [hide]
MrRourke >Frank Booth • 13 hours ago• 6 upvotes −+
Flag as inappropriateIs it all the parents or is it society as a whole. Assuming you are referring to parents 20-30 years ago a lot has changed. The advent of social media alone brings new challenges to parents. A bad parent is a bad parent no matter what generation you are referring to. It is just a more complex situation than just blaming it on the parents. I would say it is certainly harder to be a parent today than it was 20, 10 or even 5 years ago. There are so many more people influencing your children now a days that one has to wonder how much influence has been taken from the parents and given to the people around the child...
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