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Robert De Niro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Birth name Robert Mario De Niro, Jr.
Born August 17, 1943 (1943-08-17) (age 64)
New York City, New York, USA
Spouse(s) Diahnne Abbott (1976-1988)
Grace Hightower (1997-)
[show]Awards
Academy Awards
Best Actor
1980 Raging Bull
Best Supporting Actor
1974 The Godfather Part II
Golden Globe Awards
Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
1980 Raging Bull
Other Awards
NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor
1973 Bang the Drum Slowly
NYFCC Award for Best Actor
1976 Taxi Driver
1980 Raging Bull
1990 Goodfellas ; Awakenings

Robert Mario De Niro Jr., credited professionally as Robert De Niro (born August 17, 1943), is a two-time Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning American film actor, director, and producer.

He is noted for his method acting and portrayal of conflicted, troubled characters, for his enduring collaboration with director Martin Scorsese and for his early work with director Brian De Palma. He is also best known for his roles in The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino.




Biography

Early life

De Niro was born in New York City, to Robert De Niro, Sr., an abstract expressionist painter and sculptor, and Virginia Admiral, a painter.[1] De Niro's father was Catholic and of Irish and Italian descent and his mother a Presbyterian-raised atheist of French, Dutch, and German descent.[2][3] His Italian great-grandparents, Mario and Sofia De Niro, had emigrated from Ferrazzano, in the province of Campobasso, Molise[4] in the early 20th century.[citation needed] His parents, who had met at the painting classes of Hans Hofmann in Provincetown, Massachusetts, divorced when he was two years old. De Niro grew up in the Little Italy area of Manhattan. His childhood nickname was "Bobby Milk" due to his pale complexion.

De Niro first attended the Little Red School House and was then enrolled by his mother at the High School of Music and Art in New York. He dropped out at the age of 13 and joined a Little Italy street gang. He then had a falling-out with his father, though they were eventually reconciled when, at 18, he flew to Paris to bring home his father, who had been suffering from depression.[citation needed]

De Niro attended the Stella Adler Conservatory, as well as Lee Strasberg's Actor's Studio (though De Niro conflicted with Strasberg's methods, and used his membership there mostly as a professional advantage). At the age of 16 he toured in Chekhov's The Bear.


Early film career

At the age of 20, in 1963, came De Niro's first film role and collaboration with Brian De Palma, when he appeared in The Wedding Party; it was not released until 1969, however. He spent much of the 1960s working in theater workshops and off-Broadway productions. He was an extra in the French film Three Rooms in Manhattan (1965), and made his official film debut after he reunited with De Palma in Greetings (1968) and later reprised his Greetings role in Hi, Mom (1970).

He gained popular attention with his role as a dying Major League baseball player in Bang the Drum Slowly (1973). The same year he began his fruitful collaboration with Scorsese when he played his memorable role as the smalltime Mafia hood "Johnny Boy" alongside Harvey Keitel's "Charlie" in Mean Streets (1973). In 1974, De Niro played a pivotal role in Francis Coppola's The Godfather Part II playing young Don Vito Corleone. His performance earned him his first Academy Award of Best Supporting Actor.

After working with him in Mean Streets he had a very successful working relationship with Scorcese in films such as Taxi Driver (1976), New York, New York (1977), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), and Casino (1995).

In these films, De Niro has primarily played charming sociopaths. Taxi Driver is particularly important to De Niro's career; his iconic performance as Travis Bickle shot him to stardom and forever linked De Niro's name with Bickle's famous "You talkin' to me?" monologue, which De Niro improvised himself. (Although there's always been talk of De Niro learning the "You talkin' to me?" line from Bruce Springsteen's Bottom Line, New York '75 benefit concert which De Niro and Martin Scorcese both attended).


"You talkin' to me?" Alone in his apartment, De Niro as Travis postures and practices his moves in front of the mirrorIn 1976, De Niro appeared, along with Gerard Depardieu, in Bernardo Bertolucci's epic biographical exploration of life during World War II, Novecento (1900), seen through the eyes of two Italian childhood friends at the opposite sides of society's hierarchy. The film was notable for its dual masturbation scene in which a prostitute, sandwiched in bed by De Niro and Depadieu, milks the fully exposed penises of each actor.

In 1978, De Niro played "Michael Vronsky" in the acclaimed Vietnam War film The Deer Hunter, for which he was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He was offered role of Cowboy in director Walter Hill's The Warriors (1979) but turned it down. The role went instead to Tom McKitterick.[5]


Later film career

Praised for his commitment to roles (stemming from his background in Method acting), De Niro gained 50 pounds (27 kg) and learned how to box for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, ground his teeth for Cape Fear, lived in Sicily for The Godfather Part II, worked as a cab driver for three months for Taxi Driver, and learned to play the saxophone for New York, New York. He also put on weight and shaved his hairline to play Al Capone in The Untouchables.

De Niro's brand of Method acting includes employing whatever extreme tactic he feels is necessary to elicit the best performance from those he is acting with. During the filming of The King of Comedy, De Niro directed a slew of anti-Semitic epithets at co-star Jerry Lewis. An enraged Lewis claims he was "going for Bobby's throat".[6]

Fearing he had become typecast in mob roles ?- another of which was Jewish gangster David "Noodles" Aaronson in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America (1984) ?- De Niro from the mid-1980s began expanding into occasional comedic roles, and has had much success there as well with such films as Brazil (1985), in which he had a small role; the hit action-comedy Midnight Run (1988), Showtime (film) (2002) opposite Eddie Murphy; and the film-and-sequel pairs Analyze This (1999) and Analyze That (2002), and Meet the Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004).

Other films include Falling in Love (1984), The Mission (1986), The Untouchables (1987) "Angel Heart (1987)" Heat (1995), Wag the Dog (1997) and Ronin (1998). In 1997, he reteamed with Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta, along with Sylvester Stallone, in the crime drama Cop Land. De Niro proved he was able to play a supporting role taking a back seat to Stallone, Keitel and Liotta.

De Niro is considered[citation needed] a skilled observer of physical and trivial details, from the way a cigarette is held by a mobster in GoodFellas to the kind of shirt-jacket the character needed to wear in Raging Bull. In 1995 De Niro starred in Michael Mann's Heat, along with fellow actor Al Pacino. The duo drew much attention from fans as both have generally been compared throughout their careers. Though both Pacino and De Niro starred in The Godfather Part II, they shared no screen time. On 18 May 2007 Variety.com brought the news that De Niro and Pacino will pair up again. The stars have signed up to play police investigators hunting a serial killer in thriller Righteous Kill.[7]

In 2004, De Niro read for the voice of Don Lino, the antagonist in Shark Tale, opposite Will Smith. This was De Niro's first experience with voice acting. When interviewed about his role in Shark Tale, De Niro said that participating in an animated cartoon was one of the most fun aspects of his Hollywood career. He also reprised his role as Jack Byrnes in Meet the Fockers. Both films were very successful at the Box Office, but received mixed reviews.

De Niro had to turn down a role in The Departed (Martin Sheen taking the role instead) due to commitments preparing The Good Shepherd. He said "I wanted to. I wish I could've been able to, but I was preparing The Good Shepherd so much that I couldn't take the time to. I was trying to figure a way to do it while I was preparing. It just didn't seem possible."[8]


In De Niro's next project, he directed and co-starred in The Good Shepherd (2006), also starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. The movie also reunited him onscreen with Joe Pesci, with whom De Niro had starred in Raging Bull, Once Upon A Time in America, GoodFellas and Casino.

On June 7, 2006, it was announced that De Niro donated his film archive, including scripts, costumes, and props, to the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin. De Niro has said that he is working with Martin Scorsese on a new project. "I'm trying to actually work..Eric Roth (screenwriter) and myself and Marty are working on a script now, trying to get it done."[8]

De Niro has won two Academy Awards: Best Actor for his role in Raging Bull; and Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II.

De Niro and Marlon Brando are the only actors who won Academy Awards for portraying the same character: Brando won for playing the elderly Don Vito Corleone (though he declined the award) in The Godfather while De Niro later won the award for playing the young Vito in The Godfather Part II. Brando and De Niro did not work together on screen until The Score (2001). De Niro actually auditioned for the role of Sonny in the first Godfather[9] but the role was given to James Caan. When The Godfather Part II was in preproduction, the director, Francis Ford Coppola, remembered De Niro's audition, and cast him to play the young Vito Corleone. De Niro's performance is one of only four to win an Academy Award for working in a foreign language, as he primarily spoke Italian, with very few phrases in English ("I didn't come here to fight with you" and "I make him an offer he can't refuse").


Personal life

De Niro has been married twice. He has a stepdaughter, Drena and son Raphael with first wife Dianne Abbott, as well as twin sons Julian Henry and Aaron Kendrick (conceived by in vitro fertilization) from a long-term live-in relationship with former model Toukie Smith. Raphael, a former actor, now works in New York real estate.

Since 1989, De Niro has been investing in the TriBeCa neighborhood in lower Manhattan. His capital ventures have included co-founding the film studio TriBeCa Productions, the hugely popular TriBeCa Film Festival, and finally the TriBeCa Grill, Nobu, and Layla restaurants that usually need advance reservations.

In February 1998, during a film shoot in France, he was taken in for questioning for nine hours by French police and questioned by a magistrate, over a prostitution ring. De Niro denied any involvement saying that he had never paid for sex, "and even if I had, it wouldn't have been a crime".[10] The magistrate wanted to speak to him after his name was mentioned by one of the call girls. In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, he said, "I will never return to France. I will advise my friends against going to France", and he would "send your Legion of Honour back to the ambassador, as soon as possible". French judicial sources say that the actor is regarded as a potential witness, not a suspect. In 2003, Robert De Niro, with film director Woody Allen, jazz musician Wynton Marsalis and writer George Plimpton joined a pro-French tourism campaign as a direct response to anti-French sentiment in the US related to the Iraq invasion.

In 2003, De Niro was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The prognosis for De Niro, who was 60 at the time, was good, according to his publicist, Stan Rosenfield.

"Doctors say the condition was detected at an early stage because of regular checkups," Rosenfield says. "Because of the early detection and his excellent physical condition, doctors project a full recovery." Rosenfield declined to give further details about the actor's condition or course of treatment. De Niro's father, painter Robert De Niro Sr., died of cancer in 1993 at age 71.

De Niro is among a number of celebrities who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. They include Yankees manager Joe Torre, former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani, comedian Jerry Lewis, former senator Bob Dole and retired general Norman Schwarzkopf. Rosenfield credited the early discovery of De Niro's cancer to the actor's "proactive personal health-care program".

In 1997, De Niro married his second wife, Grace Hightower, a former flight attendant, at their estate near Marbletown in upstate New York (De Niro also has residences on the east and west sides of Manhattan). Their son Elliot was born in 1998 and the couple filed for divorce shortly after his birth, although the action was never officially finalized.


De Niro, whose paternal great-grandparents emigrated from Ferrazzano, in the region of Molise, Italy, was due to be bestowed with honorary Italian citizenship at the Venice Film Festival in September 2004. However, the Sons of Italy lodged a protest with Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, claiming De Niro had damaged the image of Italians and Italian-Americans by frequently portraying them in criminal roles. Culture Minister Giuliano Urbani dismissed the objections and the ceremony was rescheduled to go forward in Rome in October. Controversy flared again when De Niro failed to show for two media appearances in Italy that month, which De Niro blamed on "serious communication problems" that weren't "handled properly" on his end, and stating, "The last thing I would want to do is offend anyone. I love Italy." The citizenship was conferred to De Niro on October 21, 2006, during the Rome Film Festival finale.

De Niro is a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party, and vocally supported Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election. Filmmaker Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 includes a clip of De Niro standing next to Gore at a rally; Moore identifies him as "that Taxi Driver guy". De Niro publicly supported John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. In 1998, he lobbied Congress against impeaching President Bill Clinton,[11] and in August 2004 announced he would not collect his honorary Italian citizenship in person so as to avoid discouraging Italians living in America from voting for Kerry, following controversy over the earlier citizenship protest. (See above.) De Niro also narrated a documentary about the September 11, 2001 attacks, shown on CBS and centering on video footage made by Jules Naudet and Gedeon Naudet, which focused on the role of firefighters following the attacks. De Niro was a supporter of the 2003 invasion of Iraq but hasn't made any comments about it since then. While promoting his movie The Good Shepherd with co-star Matt Damon on the December 8, 2006 episode of Hardball with Chris Matthews, De Niro was asked who he would like to see as president of the United States. De Niro responded, "Well, I think of two people: Hillary Clinton and Obama".[12]

Sean Penn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Birth name Sean Justin Penn
Born August 17, 1960 (1960-08-17) (age 47)
Santa Monica, California
Spouse(s) Madonna Ciccone (1985-1989)
Robin Wright Penn (1996-present)
[show]Awards
Academy Awards
Best Actor
2003 Mystic River
Golden Globe Awards
Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
2004 Mystic River

Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American film actor and director.




Biography

Early life

Penn was born in Santa Monica, California, to Leo Penn, an actor and director, and Eileen Ryan (née Annucci), an actress. Penn's father was the son of Elizabeth Melincoff and Maurice Daniel Penn, Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Russia, respectively, and the grandson of Rabbis.[1][2] The Penn surname was originally Piñon, but was changed when Penn's grandfather immigrated to the United States. Penn's mother is a Roman Catholic of Italian and Irish descent.[3] Penn was raised in a secular home[1] and is an Agnostic.[4] He has one living brother, musician Michael Penn. Another brother, Chris, died of a drug overdose in 2006.

Penn attended Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California.


Career

Penn launched his career with the 1981 film Taps, followed a year later with the comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High in the role of Jeff Spicoli (his only successful comedic role) and has since starred in over 40 movies. He was awarded an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in Mystic River. Penn has also been nominated for three other Academy Awards in recognition of his roles in I Am Sam, Sweet and Lowdown and Dead Man Walking.

In 1985, Penn gave a memorable performance in the role of Andrew Daulton Lee in The Falcon and the Snowman. Lee was a former drug dealer by trade, who was convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union and was originally sentenced to life in prison. Lee was paroled in 1998. According to a April 8, 2005 interview in The Guardian, Penn later hired Lee as his personal assistant, partly because he wanted to reward Lee for allowing him to play Lee in the film, and also because he was a firm believer in rehabilitation and thought Andrew Lee should be reintegrated into society now that he is a free man again.[5]

In 1991, Penn made his directorial debut with The Indian Runner, a film based on Bruce Springsteen's song "Highway Patrolman" from the Nebraska album. He has since directed two more films: The Crossing Guard in 1995, and The Pledge in 2001. Both of these films starred Jack Nicholson. Another of his directed films, Into the Wild, is due for release in Sep 2007. He also directed Shania Twain's music video "Dance with the One That Brought You" in 1993 and Peter Gabriel's music video "The Barry Williams Show" in 2002. He also appeared on an episode of Viva La Bam in 2004 with his son Hopper.

In 2004, Penn was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[6]


Personal life

Penn's personal life began to attract media attention when he married pop star Madonna in 1985. The relationship was marred by violent outbursts against the press, including one incident for which he was arrested for beating a photographer. Madonna dedicated her third studio album True Blue to Sean Penn, referring to him in the liner notes as "the coolest guy in the universe." Later in the marriage, Penn was charged with felony domestic assault, a charge for which he pleaded to a misdemeanor. After a divorce in 1989, Penn started a relationship with Robin Wright, with whom he had two children, daughter Dylan Frances (1991) and son Hopper Jack (1993), before they married in 1996. They live in Ross, California. (On The Daily Show for January 18, 2007, Robin said she and Sean had been together "almost 20 years".)

On April 10, 2003, Penn's 1987 Buick Grand National was stolen in Berkeley, California with two firearms in the trunk. Sean also has a 1968 Chevrolet El Camino.

Along with Johnny Depp and Mick Hucknall, Penn is a part-owner of the Parisian restaurant-bar Man Ray.

His younger brother, Chris, famous for playing Nice Guy Eddie in Reservoir Dogs, was found dead in his Santa Monica condominium on January 24, 2006.


Political/social causes

On October 18, 2002, Penn placed a $56,000 advertisement in the Washington Post asking President George W. Bush to end a cycle of violence. It was written as an open letter and referred to the planned attack on Iraq and the War on Terror. In the letter, Penn also criticized the Bush administration for its "deconstruction of civil liberties" and its "simplistic and inflammatory view of good and evil." Penn visited Iraq briefly in December 2002.

This advertisement was cited as a primary reason for the development of his friendship with Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. Hugo Chávez has also used and read aloud an open letter Sean Penn wrote to President Bush in one of his recent televised speeches. The letter condemned the Iraq War, called for President Bush to be impeached, and also called President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "villainously and criminally obscene people".[7] Chávez also said in the same televised speech "Welcome to Venezuela, Mr. Penn. What drives him is consciousness, the search for new paths," and also "He's one of the greatest opponents of the Iraq invasion".[8]

On August 3, 2007, Penn met with Hugo Chávez in Caracas for two hours. Chávez praised his bravery in urging Americans to impeach President Bush. Penn applauded portions of Chávez's speech, including his characterization of the invasion of Iraq as genocide. Penn's visit led to condemnation from Venezuelan exiles, who describe Chávez as a totalitarian leader trying to control Venezuelan society.[9]

On June 10, 2005, Penn made a visit to Iran. Acting as a journalist on an assignment for the San Francisco Chronicle, he attended a Friday prayer at Tehran University.[10]

In September 2005, Penn traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana to aid Hurricane Katrina victims. He was physically involved in rescuing[11] many people. One man was 73-year-old John Brown, who had told his sister over the phone: "Guess who come and got me out of the house? Sean Penn, the actor. The boys were really nice."[citation needed] The actor then gave some rescuees an unspecified amount of money to tide them over, and then took those who were in need of medical attention to the hospital. He was and is supported by best-selling author Douglas Brinkley, a professor of history at Tulane University and archival historian for the city. The two were seen on CNN coverage Friday, September 2, as Penn, filthy, soaked, and exhausted, gave an impromptu interview about what he was seeing and doing, and obviously critical of the response until that time, stating that at that time he felt there was only "about one-fifth" the assistance and resources there that needed to be.

On January 7, 2006, Penn was a special guest at a forum hosted by the Progressive Democrats of America. He was joined by author and media critic Normon Solomon, Democratic congressional candidate Charles Brown, and activist Cindy Sheehan. The "Out of Iraq Forum" was attended by 200 individuals and took place in Sacramento, California. The program was moderated by Bill Dursten, President of the Sacramento Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility. The forum was held at a SEIU union hall and was organized to promote the anti-war movement calling for an end to the War in Iraq. Progressive activists, Democratic Party leaders, and other individuals gathered to demonstrate their impatience and frustration with U.S. involvement in Iraq.

On December 18, 2006, Penn received the Christopher Reeve First Amendment Award from the The Creative Coalition.[12] On January 24, 2007, Penn was one of the speakers at the anti-war protest in Washington, DC. In an interview at the peace rally, he questioned, "If the United States has nuclear weapons, then why can't Iran have nuclear weapons?"

On March 24, 2007, Penn publicly criticized President Bush and his handling of the war in Iraq. Penn blatantly questioned whether President Bush's twin daughters supported the war in Iraq. Penn made a controversial statement on this day saying "Let's show them we can fire this president and put him in ******* jail".[citation needed]

On April 19, 2007, Penn appeared on The Colbert Report and had a "Meta-Free-Phor-All" versus Stephen Colbert that was judged by Robert Pinsky. This stemmed from some of Penn's criticisms of President Bush. His exact quote was "We cower as you point your fingers telling us to support our troops. You and the smarmy pundits in your pocket ?- those who bathe in the moisture of your soiled and blood-soaked underwear ?- can take that noise and shove it." He won the contest 10,000,000, to Stephen Colbert's 1.

Penn is supporting Ohio Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich for U.S. President in 2008.[citation needed]

Donnie Wahlberg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Birth name Donald Edmond Wahlberg
Born August 17, 1969 (1969-08-17) (age 38)
Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA
Spouse(s) Kim Fey (1999 - present) 2 children

Donald Edmond Wahlberg, Jr. (born August 17, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He was a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block and is the older brother of fellow actor Mark Wahlberg. With a background that includes music, feature films, and television, Wahlberg is now working as a producer.





Biography

Early life

Wahlberg was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, as the eighth of nine children, with older siblings Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert, and Tracey, Michelle, Debbie, and younger sibling Mark. His father, Donald Edward Wahlberg, was a delivery driver, and his mother, Alma Elaine Donnelly, was a nurse and bank employee;[1] the two divorced in 1982.[2] His paternal grandfather was of Swedish descent, while the majority of his other ancestry is Irish.[3]

Wahlberg began performing in plays as early as the first grade. In high school, he attended a fledgling arts program and became involved in theatre, acting, writing, and directing plays, although all of his teachers agreed his acting talent was miniscule. In April 1991 he was charged and arrested with first degree arson. He apparently was trying to set a hotel on fire with a molotov cocktail fire bomb. These charges were later reduced then dropped because he agreed to do public service commercials.


Career

At age fifteen, Wahlberg joined New Kids on the Block and in a few years they went from playing at high school parties to becoming the pop music sensation. Donnie was known as the "bad boy" of the group and was known to curse during live performances on awards shows. In 1990, Wahlberg scored a hit on the Top 100 with "The Right Combination", a duet with Japanese pop star Seiko Matsuda who was attempting to cross over to North America from the Japanese market. Following the group's disbanding in 1994, Wahlberg made a decision to go in another direction, focusing on writing and producing for his younger brother, Mark Wahlberg. He was later offered the chance to reunite with his bandmates for a VH1 television show, but like a majority of the group, he declined, citing his desire to focus on his acting career.


In 1994, Wahlberg was a special guest celebrity at WrestleMania X, acting as special guest ring announcer for the main event, as well as joining Bret Hart, along with other wrestlers, in celebrating his World Championship win.

As an actor, Wahlberg's first film appearance was in the 1996 film Bullet with Mickey Rourke, a project that lit a spark in him, motivating him to continue to work on his craft. Also in 1996, he appeared as a kidnapper in over his head in Ransom with Mel Gibson. Wahlberg received attention for his role in the 1999 film The Sixth Sense, playing the distraught patient of Bruce Willis's character in the opening sequence. This role was originally intended for a 13-year-old boy until Wahlberg met with writer and director M. Night Shyamalan to inquire about obtaining the rights for a theatre production and ended up getting this pivotal role.


In 2001, Wahlberg co-starred as 2nd Lieutenant C. Carwood Lipton in the Emmy Award-winning television miniseries Band of Brothers. Wahlberg also starred in the 2002-2003 NBC drama series Boomtown as Joel Stevens, an intense Los Angeles police detective struggling to keep his troubled home life private while remaining dedicated to facing the challenges of his daily work life. Graham Yost, executive producer and writer of Boomtown, had worked with Wahlberg in Band of Brothers and was so impressed by his performance that he wrote the role of Joel Stevens specifically for him.


2003 was also the year that Wahlberg starred along side Timothy Olyphant and Jason Lee as the mentally challenged Duddits in William Goldman and Lawrence Kasdan's adaptation of the Stephen King alien-invasion thriller, Dreamcatcher. In 2005, Wahlberg starred as Detective Eric Matthews in the second installment of the Saw series. He reprised the role for Saw III.

In early 2006, Wahlberg played the significant role of Lt. Burton in the military slash boxing drama, Annapolis. In September 2006, he had the lead role of the short-lived television drama Runaway on The CW. The show was cancelled in October 2006, as it had very poor ratings and failed to make an impact. In 2007, he starred alongside Jason Gedrick, Ricardo Chaivera, and Nadine Velasquez in the television movie Kings of South Beach on A&E.

Recently, Wahlberg said he was going to be in Saw 4 reprising as Detective Eric Matthews. He also stated that he was going to be in The Righteus Kill in which also are starring Robert de Niro and Al Pacino.

"It's just my goal is not to be a superstar" Wahlberg says of his career, "my goal is to be super at what I do."[4]


Personal life

Wahlberg is a body art enthusiast; he has had his left ear pierced four times, as well as piercings in his left nostril and his left nipple. He also has a tattoo of his family crest on his left arm. Wahlberg lives in Los Angeles with his wife Kim, and sons Xavier and Elijah.

Wahlberg is one of the "famous faces" [5]. due to being a regular player on the online poker website Hollywood Poker which is run in conjunction with Ongame Network.

A nickname by which Wahlberg has been known is "Dennis Cheese", and he is credited this way for the rap he performs on Tiffany's song "New Inside", the title track to her 1990 album.

Wahlberg is a Boston Celtics fan, as he can be seen attending the games and joining Tommy Heinsohn and Mike Gorman announcing the game as a special guest. His favorite book is The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier.

A gorgeous young redhead goes into the doctor's office and said that her body hurt wherever she touched it.
"Impossible! " says the doctor. "Show me."
The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left shoulder and screamed,
then she pushed her elbow and screamed even more. She pushed her knee and screamed;
likewise she pushed her ankle and screamed. Everywhere she touched made her scream.
The doctor said, "You're not really a redhead, are you?
"Well, no" she said, "I'm actually a blonde."
"I thought so," the doctor said. "Your finger is broken."

Good Morning WA2K.

That's a cute one, Bob.

Mae West; Georgia Gibbs; Maureen O'Hara (TCM ran Hunchback of Notre Dame with Maureen and Laughton this A.M., but I didn't watch it. It's too sad; loved her in How Green Was My Valley); Glenn Corbett; Robert DeNiro; Sean Penn; Donnie Wahlberg

Well, well, folks. The hawk and the puppy arrived at the same time today. Thanks, Bob, for the great bio's and to the pup a salute for the wonderful photo's. We all enjoy B.B.'s little funnies about blondes. Makes us smile. right listeners?

Raggedy, Maureen was Esmerelda? Wow! I would have loved to have seen that one, PA.

Here's a cute song from Mae West, queen of the double entendre.

That's All Brother, That's All"

I've the tiniest confession
I distinctly loath suppression
Since I only have one life
I want to live it
Well I've clowned around a lot
Well I've found what hits the spot
If I've something good to give
I want to give it
Now those censors say I'm naughty and no dice
But I've heard it said what's naughty can be nice
It's not what I say, it's the way that I say it
That's all brother, that's all
It's not what I play, it's the way that I play it
That's all brother, that's all
Now maybe they'd picture me as little Snow White
With seven dwarves to entertain
I should do all right
But should I ask to concentrate on one dwarf a night
That's all brother, that's all
It's not what I tell, it's the way that I tell it
That's all brother, that's all
It's not what I sell, it's the way that I sell it
That's all brother, that's all
They'd have me play that little girl all dressed in red
I'd make a good red riding hood somebody said
But should they find me with a wolf in my grandmother's bed
That's all brother, that's all
Now please don't misunderstand me
I take much of what they hand me
Though it cramps my style I'll never be defeated
Since I've always found response
Well, I know what the public wants
And just as long as there's a West
It won't be cheated
While my censor friends are turning both thumbs down
Just like many I'll still kick that guy around
It's not what I wear, it's the way that I wear it
That's all brother, that's all
It's not what I share, it's the way that I share it
That's all brother, that's all I like a love scene that's as hot as can be
So they said Cinderella played one something to see
But if they think a fairy prince can play games with me
That's all brother, that's all
It's not what I know, it's the way that I know it
That's all brother, that's all
It's not what I show, it's the way that I show it
That's all brother, that's all
They'd have me portray that maiden so sweet
That girlie with the mortgage due and little to eat
But if I call to the butcher boy to bring me some meat
That's all brother, that's all

Hooray for Mae.

Ditto that Hooray.




Did you know that Maureen played Lady Godiva?

Ah, Raggedy. The Hunchback of Notre Dame. What a lovely woman Maureen O'Hara is, and I did not know that she played Lady Godiva, PA.

Thanks again, puppy, for keeping us apprised of the film facts.

Speaking of little known items in movies, I just discovered that DeNiro's Raging Bull contained a song called "Stone Cold Dead in the Market." It's a calypso song, and I need to do more research to discover the lyrics and background.

In the interim, here's an oldie by Georgia Gibbs.

Seven lonely days make one lonely week
Seven lonely nights make one lonely me
Ever since the time you told me we were thru
Seven lonely days I cried and I cried for you

Oh, my darlin' you're cryin', boo-hoo-hoo-hoo
There's no use in denyin' I cried for you
It was your favorite pastime, makin' me blue
Last week was the last time I cried for you

Seven hankies blue I filled with my tears
Seven letters, too, I filled with my fears
Guess it never pays to make your lover blue
Seven lonely days I cried and I cried for you

Oh, my darlin you're cryin', boo-hoo-hoo-hoo
Now, there's no use in denyin' I cried for you
It was your favorite pastime, makin' me blue
Last week was the last time I cried for you
Last week was the last time I cried for you

Speaking of little known items in movies, I just discovered that DeNiro's Raging Bull contained a song called "Stone Cold Dead in the Market." It's a calypso song, and I need to do more research to discover the lyrics and background.


I have a recording of that song by Belafonte. I believe somebody like Louis Jordan had the original version.

edgar, you are funny. I couldn't access Ella's version of Stone Cold Dead, but it was Wilmoth Houdini who did the original. (whoever he is).

I didn't see Raging Bull so I was at somewhat of a disadvantage. Hope that you can find Harry's version, buddy, cause the only luck that I have had is this one.


He lies Stone Cold Dead In The Market
Stone Cold Dead in the Market he lies Cold Stone Dead In The Market
I killed nobody but me husband.

One night he went out drinking
When he came home he gave me a beating
So I cotched up the rollin' pin
And on his head
Went to work until I boshed it in.

I was speaking from memory. Louis Jordan did the song, perhaps not first, as I stated. I have a five CD set of Belafonte's earliest recordings, and that happens to be one of the songs on it.

Well, Texas, your words were so close to mine that I thought you were joking, honey.

Here is some background on Wilmoth, folks.

Born: Nov 25, 1895 in Port of Spain, Trinidad
Died: Aug 6, 1973 in New York, NY
Genre: World
Styles: Caribbean
Biography
Wilmoth Houdini earned his moniker as the Calypso King of New York in the 1930s and 1940s, due in part to the many calypso events he organized in the Big Apple, but his own personal history is a bit harder to pin down. Most sources claim he was born November 25, 1895 (some have placed the birth date a year later) in Port of Spain, Trinidad, although in a profile written by New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell in 1939, Houdini claims to have been born in 1902 in Brooklyn and states that his family didn't move to Trinidad until he was two years old. Even his birth name is somewhat unclear, although it appears to have been Frederick Wilmoth Hendricks, although Mitchell states in his New Yorker profile that the name on Houdini's passport read Edgar Leon Sinclair.

Here the rest of the story.

http://music.msn.com/artist/?artist=16101315&menu=bio

Here's a picture of Wilmoth



Well, folks, it seems that neither edgar nor I can locate the song by Louis Jordan nor Ella Fitzgerald, so here is another serendipity.

John wrote this for Jacques Ives Cousteau because his boat was called Calypso.

Calypso
John Denver

To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean,
to ride on the crest of a wild raging storm
To work in the service of life and living,
in search of the answers of questions unknown
To be part of the movement and part of the growing,
part of beginning to understand,

Aye Calypso the places you've been to,
the things that you've shown us,
the stories you tell
Aye Calypso, I sing to your spirit,
the men who have served you so long and so well

Hi dee ay-ee ooo doo-dle oh
oo do do do do do doo-dle ay yee
doo-dle ay ee

Like the dolphin who guides you, you bring us beside you
To light up the darkness and show us the way
For though we are strangers in your silent world
To live on the land we must learn from the sea
To be true as the tide and free as a wind swell
Joyful and loving in letting it be

Aye Calypso the places you've been to,
the things that you've shown us,
the stories you tell
Aye Calypso, I sing to your spirit,
the men who have served you so long and so well

Hi dee ay-ee ooo doo-dle oh
oo do do do do do doo-dle ay yee
doo-dle ay ee

he dee Ay-ee
Hi dee oh ooo
hi dee ayee
hi dee oh ooo

Of all thing, folks, a mangy dog found what neither edgar nor I could find.

Stone Cold Dead in the Market
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan

He's stone cold dead in the market
He's stone cold dead in the market
He's stone cold dead in the market
I killed nobody but me husband

Last night I went out drinking
When I came home I gave her a beating
So she catched up the rolling pin
And she worked on my head until she bashed it in

I lie cold dead in the market
Stone cold dead in the market
I lie cold dead in the market
She killed nobody but her husband

I licked him when he fought on the frying pan
I licked him when he fought on the frying pan
I licked him when he fought on the frying pan
Then if I killed him, he had it coming

He's stone cold dead in the market
Stone cold dead in the market
He's stone cold dead in the market
I killed nobody but me husband

My family they're swearing to kill her
My family they're swearing to kill her
His family they're swearing to kill me
And if I killed him, he had it coming

I lie cold dead in the market, child
Cold dead in the market, child
I lie cold dead in the market
She killed nobody but her husband

There is one thing that I am sure
He ain't going to beat me no more
So I tell you that I doesn't care
if I was to die in the electric chair

He's stone cold dead in the market
Stone cold dead in the market
He's stone cold dead in the market
I killed nobody but me husband

Hey child I'm coming back and bash you on your head one more time
No no mon you can't do that
Stone cold dead in the market, murder
Stone cold dead in the market,
Stone cold dead in the market
I killed nobody but me husband

Wilmoth Houdini earned his moniker as the Calypso King of New York in the 1930s and 1940s, due in part to the many calypso events he organized in the Big Apple, but his own personal history is a bit harder to pin down. Most sources claim he was born November 25, 1895 (some have placed the birth date a year later) in Port of Spain, Trinidad, although in a profile written by New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell in 1939, Houdini claims to have been born in 1902 in Brooklyn and states that his family didn't move to Trinidad until he was two years old. Even his birth name is somewhat unclear, although it appears to have been Frederick Wilmoth Hendricks, although Mitchell states in his New Yorker profile that the name on Houdini's passport read Edgar Leon Sinclair.

What is clear, however, is that he grew up mostly in Trinidad, eventually taking Houdini as a performing name. That was the name he was going by in 1916 when he became a chantwell (lead singer) for the African Millionaires, a 25-person street carnival group in Trinidad. In the mid-'20s he worked aboard ocean freighters, visiting North and South America, Europe, and Africa, finally landing in New York around 1927, where he seemingly immediately began recording calypso pieces with local jazz and string bands like Gerald Clark's Night Owls, including the interesting LP Harlem Seen Through Calypso Eyes, which was released by Decca Records in 1940.

Houdini was incredibly prolific, composing reportedly thousands of songs, many of them brilliant, spur-of-the-moment constructions, and he released well over a hundred different 78s between 1928 and 1940. A song Houdini had recorded in 1939, "He Had It Coming," was covered by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan as "Stone Cold Dead in the Market" in 1946 and shot to the top of the R&B charts, where it remained for five weeks, even crossing over to reach number seven on the pop charts. The success of the song brought Houdini a great deal of attention, and he used his high-profile situation to promote and organize a series of calypso concerts and festivals in the city, and he was greatly respected within New York's Caribbean community for his efforts (although in Trinidad he was often targeted in local calypso songs as an outsider -- leading to Houdini's 1934 retort called "Declaration of War").

Houdini died on August 6, 1977, in New York, and if it turns out he wasn't actually born in the city, he certainly spent most of his life there. Both Brunswick and Folklyric released roughly the same set of Houdini 78s recorded between 1928 and 1940 as an LP (called Songs of Trinidad by the former label and Calypso Classics from Trinidad by the latter), and the Folklyric set was reissued on LP in 1984 by Arhoolie Records, then re-released by Arhoolie on CD under the title Poor But Ambitious in 1993 with an additional eight tracks that Houdini recorded in the mid-'40s added. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

This Is It
Jim Reeves

Well, this is it, that day is here
The day I knew would come
When you would leave me dear

Well, here I sit, while teardrops fall
And wonder why I care
When you don't care at all

But I'm a fool that way
From a-way back when
A fool who'd take you back
If you'd come back again

But, this is it, you're gone, you're free
You'll find another love but this is it for me

Well, this is it, that day is here
It's no surprise and yet
I can't hold back the tears

Well, here I sit and try to guess
How such an empty room
So full of loneliness

Well, even the clock has stopped
Somehow I guess it knew
That time's run out of me
It's over it's all through

Yes, this is it, you're gone, you're free
You'll find another love
But this is it for me

JOHN WESLEY HARDING

Words and Music by Bob Dylan

John Wesley Harding
Was a friend to the poor,
He traveled with a gun in ev'ry hand.
All across the countryside,
He opened many a door,
But he was never known
To hurt an honest man.

'Twas down in Chaynee County,
A time they talk about,
With his lady by his side
He took a stand.
And soon the situation there
Was all but straightened out,
For he was always known
To lend a helping hand.

All across the telegraph
His name it did resound,
But no charge held against him
Could they prove.
And there was no man around
Who could track or chain him down,
For he was never known
To make a foolish move.

Fools Like Me

Everybody tells me love is blind maybe so cause I refuse to see
Everybody tells me things you do but I don't care cause I'm a fool for you
It doesn't really matter what you are it only matters what you are to me
Maybe I'm not wise enough to see but where would love be without fools like me
[ piano ]
Maybe lovin' you is not so smart cause maybe in the end you'll break my heart
I really shouldn't love you but I do and I can't stop cause I'm a fool for you
I only hope this kind of love is real cause I can't ever change the way I feel
Maybe baby I'm not wise enough to see but where would love be without fools like me

Jerry Lee Lewis

Good morning, WA2K listeners and contributors.

Bob, we truly appreciate your additional information on Wilmoth Houdini. It definitely adds to the special segments of our programming.

Our edgar has also delighted us with a trilogy of music by Jerry Lee, Bob, and Jim. Thanks, Texas.

Thinking about Peru today, folks, and this is a reminder of that far away place. We all pray for the people who have suffered such terrible losses as a result of the earthquake

Machu Picchu

Español:

Del lado de la montaña
como escalera de dios,
memorias de un tiempo pasado
de gloria y orgullo Inca.

En medio de las montañas,
Machu Picchu, ciudad de piedra,
canta una cancion
de gloria y orgullo Inca.

Estoy deseando volver
a un lugar donde no estuve.
Para tener memorias
de gloria y orgullo Inca.

English:

Lying on the mountainside
like stairways of the gods,
memories of a distant past
of glory and Inca pride.

Among the mountain peaks,
Machu Picchu, a city of stone,
sings a song
of glory and Inca pride.

I want to return to
a place I've never been.
I want to have memories
of glory and Inca pride.

© Jim T. Henriksen
September 16th, 2005

just now listening to Carmen McRae and slid into Cannonball Adderley. A nice seque.