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Holmes investigation


Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine they laid down for the night, and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend.

"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."

Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars."

"What does that tell you?"

Watson pondered for a minute.

"Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?"

Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. "It tells me that someone has stolen our tent."

Thank you once again, Bob. Loved Holmes laconic deduction as well as the good elementary doctor's. Incidentally, buddy, "My Buddy", a lovely song, got squeezed in between your bio's.

Until our Raggedy arrives, I will continue with music to salute our veterans.

The Navy Hymn.

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep,
Its own appointed limits keep.

Oh hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea! Amen.

Oh Trinity of love and pow'r,
Our brethren shield in danger's hour,
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them where so e'er they go.

Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea! Amen

Good Afternoon.

Bio photo gallery:

F. Van Wyck Mason; Howard Fast; Stubby Kaye; Jonathan Winters; Demi Moore and Leonardo DiCaprio

Thank you, Raggedy. I have been a bit swept away today because of the salute to the veterans. It's a passion that I feel and cannot allay. Once again you have done a magnificient collage, PA

I need to re read Bob's bio on F. Van Wyck Mason, however.

Without a doubt, Jonathan Winters is one of the funniest men I have ever watched on film. My friend Bob, a WWII veteran himself, met him. It is interesting to know that he is still alive after all these years.

Demi Moore is a lovely woman, but not one of my favorite actresses. Trying to watch her in the remake of The Scarlet Letter, was awful. Then I found that she had never read the novel.

Recently saw Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond. It was excellent.

Stubby Kaye was hilarious in Guys and Dolls, folks. This song by him is tongue in cheek of course, and a mite long but I think all of us will enjoy it.

NICELY-NICELY:
I dreamed last night I got on the boat to Heaven
And by some chance I had brought my dice along,
And there I stood, and I hollered,
"Someone fade me,"
But the passengers they knew right from wrong
For the people all said,
"Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat."

People all said,
"Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat."
"And the devil will drag you under
By the sharp lapel of your checkered coat;
Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down
Sit down you're rocking the boat."

I sailed
Away on that little boat to Heaven
And by some chance found a bottle in my fist,
And there I stood,
Nicely passin' out the whiskey,
But the passengers were bound to resist

For the people all beware
You're on a heavenly trip."
People all said, "beware!"
"Beware you'll scuttle the ship;

And the devil will drag you under
By the fancy tie 'round your wicked throat;
Sit down,
Sit down, sit down, sit down,
Sit down you're rockin' the boat."


I laughed at those passengers to Heaven
Ah, ah, ah, ah!
A great big wave came and washed me overboard,
And as I sank, and I hollered,
"Someone save me,"
That's the moment I woke up, thank the Lord!


"Sit down you're rocking the boat."
Said to myself, "Sit down"
Said to himself, "Sit down"
"Sit down you're rocking the boat
And the devil will drag you under
With a soul so heavy you'd never float,
Sit down
Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down,
Sit down you're rockin' the boat-
Sit down you're rockin'
Rockin' the boat
Sit down you're rockin'
Rockin' the boat
Sit down you're rockin'
Rockin' the boat
Sit down you're rockin'
Rockin' the boat...
Sit down, you Sit down you're the boat!"

I know where I'm going, and I know who's going with me
I know who I love , and I know who I will marry
I need no robes of silk, nor shoes of fine green leather
As long as she is with me, when we stroll across the heather

Feather beds are soft and painted rooms are bonny
But I know she'd leave them all, for her loving winsom Johnny
All her wit and grace, like a starry cluster shine
Giving light and beauty to this simple soul of mine

I know where I'm going, and I know who's going with me
And I know who I love and the Dear knows who I'll marry

Harry Belafonte
I know Where I'm Going

More synchronicity, edgar. I just read about your experience in Nam. I really had no idea about you or your brothers.

Thanks, for the song by Harry, Texas. Love the line "..as long as she is with me when we stroll across the heather..." I still have a lovely heather plant right in my den.

If we may continue with the salute to Veteran's Day, folks.

First, a bit of history behind the song.

The music to the hymn is believed to have originated in the comic opera Geneviéve de Brabant composed by the French composer Jacques Offenbach. Originally written as a two-act opera in 1859, Offenbach revised the work, expanding it to three acts in 1867. This revised version included the song "Couplets des Deux Hommes d'Armes" and is the musical source of The Marines' Hymn.

The author of the words to the hymn is unknown. One tradition suggested that an unknown Marine wrote the words in 1847. This would have been 20 years before the music was written by Offenbach and is not likely. The first two lines of the first verse were taken from words inscribed on the Colors of the Corps.

After the war with the Barbary pirates in 1805 the Colors were inscribed with the words "To the Shores of Tripoli." After Marines participated in the capture of Mexico City and the Castle of Chapultepec (also known as the Halls of Montezuma) in 1847, the words on the Colors were changed to read "From the shores of Tripoli to the Halls of Montezuma." The unknown author of the first verse of the hymn reversed this order to read "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli."

For the leathernecks.

THE MARINES' HYMN

From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land and sea.

First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title of
United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
from dawn to setting sun.
We have fought in every clime and place,
where we could take a gun.

In the snow of far off northern lands
and in sunny tropic scenes,
You will find us always on the job,
The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps
which we are proud to serve.
In many a strife we've fought for life
and never lost our nerve.

If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scenes,
they will find the streets are guarded by
United States Marines.

Somehow, I missed this. Hank's song, The Wild Side of Life, is a favorite of mine.

Country Singer Hank Thompson Dies at 82
By MATT CURRY Associated Press Writer
Nov 7th, 2007 | DALLAS -- Hank Thompson, who mixed honky-tonk and Western swing on such hits as "A Six Pack to Go" and "The Wild Side of Life," has died. The country singer and bandleader was 82.

Thompson died of lung cancer late Tuesday at his home in the Fort Worth suburb of Keller, said spokesman Tracy Pitcox, who is also president of Heart of Texas Records. He died just days after canceling his tour and announcing his retirement.

"He was battling aggressive lung cancer," Pitcox said Wednesday in a statement. "He remained conscious until the last couple of hours and passed away peacefully at about 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday night surrounded by his friends and family."

The last show Thompson played was Oct. 8 in his native Waco. That day was declared "Hank Thompson Day" by Gov. Rick Perry and Waco Mayor Virginia DuPuy.

Fans loved Thompson's distinctive voice and his musical style, which drew on the Western swing first developed in the 1930s by fellow Texan Bob Wills. Thompson was named to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989.

His first hit record was "Whoa, Sailor" in 1946. That year, he started a band called the Brazos Valley Boys, which won Billboard magazine's touring band of the year award 14 consecutive times.

Thompson had 29 hits reach the top 10 between 1948 and 1975. Some of his most famous songs include "Humpty Dumpty Heart" and "A Six Pack to Go." Among others: "Waiting in the Lobby of Your Heart," "Broken Heart and a Glass of Beer"; and "Cat Has Nine Lives." He wrote many of the songs himself, including "Whoa, Sailor."

His "The Wild Side of Life," which reached No. 1 in 1952, inspired a famous "answer song" written by J.D. Miller, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels." Recorded by Kitty Wells, the song was the first No. 1 hit by a woman soloist on the country music charts and made Wells a star.

Thompson's song was about a guy who'd lost his wife when she left him "and went back to the wild side of life." The song says, "I didn't know God made honky-tonk angels."

"It wasn't God who made honky-tonk angels, as you said in the words of your song," sang Wells, who worked with Thompson for many years. "Too many times married men think they're still single, that has caused many a good girl to go wrong."

Wells, 88, said Wednesday she never took Thompson's tune personally and didn't record the response for personal reasons.

"It was just a song," she said from her Nashville home.

The two hits were both on the charts at the same time.

"I think mine kind of helped his record, and his helped mine," she said.

Thompson's death was the country music world's second big loss in as many weeks. Porter Wagoner, the Grand Ole Opry star who helped launch the career of Dolly Parton, died Oct. 28 at age 80.

Thompson grew up a fan of Gene Autry, which fueled his love of the guitar. By the time he finished high school, he was playing on a local radio show in Waco, where he was featured as "Hank the Hired Hand."

He served in the Navy, and studied electrical engineering at Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas and Princeton.

Thompson considered a career in engineering, but remained in show business. He caught the attention of Tex Ritter, who helped him get a contract with Capitol Records.

Pitcox said Thompson requested that no funeral be held.

A "celebration of life," open to fans and friends, will be held Nov. 14 at Billy Bob's Texas, a Fort Worth honky-tonk.

Survivors include his wife, Ann. He had no children.

Great background on Hank, edgar. Wow! he studied engineering? and I also noted that he served in the navy.



Here's one that I love by Hank.


Many months have come and gone since I wandered from my home
In those Oklahoma Hills where I was born
Many a page of life has turned many a lesson I have learned
Yet I feel like in those hills I still belong

Way down yonder in the Indian nation I rode my pony on the reservation
In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born
A-way down yonder in the Indian nation a cowboy's life is my occupation
In the Oklahoma Hills where I born

But as I sit here today many miles I am away
From the place I rode my pony through the draw
Where the Oak and Blackjack trees kiss the playful prairie breeze
In those Oklahoma Hills where I was born.

Way down yonder in the Indian nation I rode my pony on the reservation
[these lyrics are found on http://www.songlyrics.com]
In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born
A-way down yonder in the Indian nation a cowboy's life is my occupation
In the Oklahoma Hills where I born

As I turn life a page to the land of the great Osage
To those Oklahoma Hills where I was born
Where the black oil rolls and flows and the snow-white cotton grows
In those Oklahoma Hills where I was born.

Way down yonder in the Indian nation I rode my pony on the reservation
In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born
A-way down yonder in the Indian nation a cowboy's life is my occupation
In the Oklahoma Hills where I born

The time has come to say goodnight. It's been a long but satisfying day.

NIGHTFALL

Let me sleep. The day is past,
And the folded shadows keep
Weary mortals safe and fast.
Let me sleep.

I am all too tired to weep
For the sunlight of the Past
Sunk within the drowning deep.

Treasured vanities I cast
In an unregarded heap.
Time has given rest at last.
Let me sleep.

R.F. Murray

Goodnight, my friends
From Letty with love

Someone to care,
Someone to share,
Lonely hours
And moments of despair,

To be loved, to be loved!
Oh, what a feeling,
To be loved!

Someone to kiss,
Someone to miss,
When you're away
To hear from each day.

To be loved, to be loved!
Oh, what a feeling,
To be loved!

Some wish to be a king or a queen,
Some wish for fortune and fame,
But to be truly, truly, truly loved
Is more than all of these things!

Someone to kiss,
Someone to miss,
When you're away
To hear from each day.

To be loved, to be loved
Oh, what a feeling,
To be loved

Jackie Wilson

Good morning, WA2K listeners and contributors.

edgar, Jackie knows what is important, right?

Thinking of a Latin lover today. (not you, soccer George. )

From Linda to Antonio.

Desperado

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now.
Oh you're a hard one,
But I know that you've got your reasons,
These things that are pleasin' you,
Can hurt you somehow.

Don't you draw the queen of diamonds boy,
She'll beat you if she's able,
The queen of hearts is always your best bet,
Now it seems to me some fine things
Have been laid upon you table,
But you only want the ones that you can't get.

Desperado, oh you ain't gettin' no younger,
Your pain and your hunger they're drivin' you home,
And freedom, well that's just some people talkin',
Your prison is walkin' through this world all alone.

Don't your feet get cold in the wintertime?
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine,
It's hard to tell the nighttime from the day.
You're losing all your highs and lows,
Ain't it funny how the feelin' goes away?

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate.
It may be rainin',
But there's a rainbow above you,
You gotta let somebody love you, (Let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you,
Before it's too late.

Alexander Borodin

Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (Russian: Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, Aleksandr Porfir'evič Borodin) (31 October/12 November 1833 - 15 February/27 February 1887) was a Russian composer of Georgian parentage who made his living as a notable chemist. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five (or "The Mighty Handful"), who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music[1] [2] [3]. He is best known for his symphonies, his opera Prince Igor, and for later providing the musical inspiration for the musical Kismet.





Life and profession

Borodin was born in Saint Petersburg, the illegitimate son of a Georgian noble (Saeklesio Aznauri, Baron-Vidam), Luka Simonis dze Gedevanishvili, who had him registered instead as the son of one of his serfs, Porfiry Borodin. As a boy he received a good education, including piano lessons, but he was eventually to earn a doctorate in medicine at the Medico-Surgical Academy, the later home to Ivan Pavlov, and to pursue a career in chemistry (just as his comrade César Cui would do in the field of military fortifications). As a result of his work in chemistry and difficulties in his home-life, Borodin was not as prolific in writing music as many of his contemporaries were - hence his own description of himself as a "Sunday composer." He died during a festive ball, where he was participating with much vigor; he suddenly collapsed from heart failure. He was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, in St. Petersburg, Russia.


Chemical career

In his chemical profession Borodin gained great respect, being particularly noted for his work on aldehydes[4]. Between 1859 and 1862 Borodin held a postdoctorate in Heidelberg. He worked in the laboratory of Emil Erlenmeyer working on benzene derivatives. He also spent time in Pisa, working on organic halogens. One experiment published in 1862 described the first nucleophilic displacement of chlorine by fluorine in benzoyl chloride[5]. A related reaction known to the west as the Hunsdiecker reaction published in 1939 by the Hunsdieckers was promoted by the Soviet Union as the Borodin reaction. In 1862 he returned to the Medico-Surgical Academy. There he worked on the selfcondensation of small aldehydes with publications in 1864 and 1869 and in this field he found himself competing with August Kekulé.

Borodin is also credited with the discovery of the Aldol reaction together with Charles-Adolphe Wurtz. In 1872 he announced to the Russian Chemical Society the discovery of a new by-product in aldehyde reactions with properties like that of an alcohol and he noted similarities with compounds already discussed in publications by Wurtz from the same year.

He published his last full article in 1875 on reactions of amides and his last publication concerned a method for the identification of urea in animal urine.

His son-in-law and successor was fellow chemist A. P. Dianin.


Musical avocation

As regards the significant factors of his avocational life in music, Borodin met Mily Balakirev in 1862, when under his tutelage in composition he began his Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major, which was first performed in 1869, with Balakirev conducting. In that same year Borodin started on his Symphony No. 2 in B Minor, which was not particularly successful at its premiere in 1877 under Eduard Nápravník), but with some minor re-orchestration received a successful performance in 1879 by the Free Music School under Rimsky-Korsakov's direction.

In 1869, Borodin became distracted from initial work on the second symphony by preoccupation with the opera Prince Igor, which is seen by some to be his most significant work and one of the most important historical Russian operas. It contains the Polovetsian Dances, which are often performed as a stand-alone concert work as probably Borodin's best known composition. Unfortunately Borodin left the opera (and a few other works) incomplete at his death. Prince Igor was completed posthumously by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov.

Other well-known compositions by Borodin include the popular symphonic poem In the Steppes of Central Asia and the second of two string quartets (in D Major), in which the composer's strong lyricism is represented in the popular "Nocturne" movement.

In 1882, Borodin began composing a third symphony, but left it unfinished at his death; two movements of it were later completed and orchestrated by Glazunov. Among Borodin's other works there are several art songs, piano pieces (notably the Petite Suite), and other chamber music (notably a cello sonata based on a theme from Bach's Sonata No.1 in G minor, BWV 1001).


Musical legacy

Borodin's fame outside the Russian Empire was made possible during his lifetime by Franz Liszt, who arranged a performance of the Symphony No. 1 in Germany in 1880, and by Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau in Belgium and France. His music is noted for its strong lyricism and rich harmonies. Along with some influences from Western composers, as a member of the The Five his music exudes also an undeniably Russian flavor. His passionate music and unusual harmonies proved to have a lasting influence on the younger French composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel (in homage, the latter composed in 1913 a piano piece entitled "À la manière de Borodine").

The evocative characteristics of Borodin's music made possible the adaptation of his compositions in the 1953 musical Kismet, by Robert Wright and George Forrest, perhaps most notably in the song, Stranger In Paradise. In 1954, Borodin was posthumously awarded a Tony Award for this show. It will be produced in June/July 07 in London for the first time in nearly 50 years by English National Opera at the London Coliseum.


Related information

The Borodin String Quartet was named in his honour.
The chemist Alexander Shulgin uses the name "Alexander Borodin" as a fictional persona in the books PiHKAL and TiHKAL.

Kim Hunter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Birth name Janet Cole
Born November 12, 1922(1922-11-12)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died September 11, 2002 (aged 79)
New York, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s) William Baldwin (1944-1946)
Robert Emmett (1951-2000)
[show]Awards
Academy Awards
Best Supporting Actress
1951 A Streetcar Named Desire
Golden Globe Awards
Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
1952 A Streetcar Named Desire

Kim Hunter (November 12, 1922 - September 11, 2002) was an Academy Award-winning American film and stage actress.





Early life

Hunter was born Janet Cole in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Donald Cole and Grace Lind. She attended Miami Beach High School.


Career

Hunter performed in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), playing the role of Stella Kowalski. She appeared in the 1951 film, for which she won both the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture.

She appeared opposite Mickey Rooney in the 1957 live broadcast of The Comedian, a harrowing drama written by Rod Serling and directed by John Frankenheimer.

She was blacklisted from film and television during the Hollywood communism paranoia created by McCarthyism.


Kim Hunter playing the ape scientist Zira in Planet of the ApesHer other major film roles include David Niven's love interest in the classic film A Matter of Life and Death (1946), and Zira the chimpanzee scientist in the first three of the Planet of the Apes series. She also appeared in several soap operas, most notably as Nola Madison on The Edge of Night, for which she received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 1980 as Best Actress. She also starred in several episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater in the mid seventies.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Kim Hunter has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1617 Vine Street and a second star at 1715 Vine Street.


Death

In 2002, Kim Hunter died of cardiac arrest in New York City at the age of 79.

Anne Hathaway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Birth name Anne Jacqueline Hathaway[1]
Born November 12, 1982 (1982-11-12) (age 25)
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Other name(s) Anne Whitney Hathaway
[show]Awards
NBR Award for Best Cast
2002 Nicholas Nickleby

Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American film and stage actress. Hathaway made her acting debut in the 1999 television series Get Real, but her first prominent role was in Disney's family comedy The Princess Diaries (2001), which established her career. She continued to appear in Disney films in the next three years, and she had the lead roles in Ella Enchanted and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (both 2004). Hathaway took more creative control over her career in 2005 and co-starred in the adult-themed Havoc and Brokeback Mountain, both requiring extensive nude scenes, as well as The Devil Wears Prada (2006), in which she starred opposite Meryl Streep. That film has become the highest-grossing film of her career. Becoming Jane, in which she stars as Jane Austen, was released in 2007.

Hathaway's acting style has been compared to that of Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn,[2] and she cites Hepburn as her favorite actress[3] and Streep as her idol.[4] People magazine named her one of 2001's breakthrough stars[5] and in 2006 she was listed as one of the world's 50 Most Beautiful People.[6]





Biography

Early life & career

Hathaway was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Gerald Hathaway, a lawyer, and Kate McCauley, an actress who inspired Hathaway to follow in her footsteps.[7] She was named after the wife of playwright William Shakespeare. She has an older brother, Michael, and a younger brother, Thomas. Hathaway has mainly Irish and French ancestry, with more distant German and Native American roots.[8] She was raised in the Catholic religion with what she considers "really strong values",[7] and wanted to be a nun during her childhood.[9] However, at fifteen, she decided not to become a nun after learning that her brother Michael was gay.[9] Although she was raised as a Catholic, she felt that she could not be part of a religion that disapproved of her brother's sexual orientation.[9]

Hathaway was raised in Millburn, New Jersey and graduated from Millburn High School where she was in many school plays. She spent several semesters studying at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York before transferring to New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study.[10] She referred to her college enrollment as one of her best decisions because she enjoyed being with others who were trying to successfully "grow up".[11] Hathaway was a member of the Barrow Group Theater Company's acting program and the first teenager admitted.[12] She is a trained stage actress and has stated that she prefers appearing on stage to film roles.[7]

Hathaway, a soprano, performed twice in 1998 with the All Eastern U.S. High School Honors Chorus at Carnegie Hall and has performed in plays at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange. Three days after performing at Carnegie Hall, she was cast in the short-lived 1999 television series Get Real.


2001-2004 career development

Hathaway made her film debut in the Garry Marshall-directed The Princess Diaries (2001). It was generally well received by critics.Hathaway starred in Get Real for one season, after which it was cancelled. Her first major film role was in The Other Side of Heaven (2001) opposite Christopher Gorham, but before production began in New Zealand, she auditioned for the lead role of Mia Thermopolis in the Garry Marshall-directed The Princess Diaries (2001). Marshall cast her immediately because she fell off her chair during the audition[3] and his granddaughters thought that she had nice hair.[3] Hathaway enjoyed filming The Princess Diaries and called it "really fun".[3] It was released before Heaven because of its comedic-oriented plot, which critics said was effective because of her casting;[3] a reviewer for BBC wrote that "Hathaway shines in the title role, and generates great chemistry".[13] Across the world, the film was a commercial success[14] and a sequel was planned shortly after. The Other Side of Heaven was received weakly by critics, but it performed well for a Christian-themed film.[15]

Hathaway continued appearing in comedy-oriented films and was known in the media as a children's role model.[16] The following year, she starred in Nicholas Nickleby (2002) opposite Charlie Hunnam and Jamie Bell, which opened to positive reviews; the Northwest Herald referred to it as "an unbelievably fun film"[17] and the Deseret News said that the cast was "Oscar-worthy".[18] Despite critical acclaim, the film never entered wide release and failed at the North American box office (totaling less than US$4 million).[19] Hathaway's next role was in Ella Enchanted (2004), the film adaptation of the award-winning[20] novel. It received indifferent reviews: the Chicago Tribune called it "shiny candy that tastes oddly familiar yet lacks sugary punch",[21] and the New York Times felt that it was "clichéd and forgetful".[22] However, the Dallas Morning News cited Tommy O'Haver's directing-style as "a Flintstones-like humor to the setting by melding modern with medieval culture".[23]

In 2004 Hathaway was to star opposite Gerard Butler in The Phantom of the Opera, but she rejected the role because of her conflicting contract with Disney, which she was unhappy about.[10] Disney began production on The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement in early 2004 and it was initially going to be filmed in Prague,[24] but the location was changed to Los Angeles, where the "kingdom"[24] of Genovia was built. The film opened to negative reviews and peaked higher at the box office than its predecessor, but ended with lower ticket sales.[25]


2005-present career transition

Hathaway's career moved in a more non-comedic direction with her role in Brokeback Mountain (2005).Hathaway began appearing in less comedic-oriented films after The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. She said that "anybody who was a role model for children needs a reprieve",[11] although she also noted that "it's lovely to think that my audience is growing up with me", a reference to her previous status as a children's actress.[16] She voiced a version of Little Red Riding Hood in Hoodwinked (2005), which received generally mixed reviews. That same year, Hathaway was cast in the mature-rated Havoc (2005), in which she played a spoiled socialite. In a surprise move, Hathaway was featured in several nude and sexual scenes throughout the film . She also appeared in the drama Brokeback Mountain (2005), opposite Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, appearing nude in the film as well. Havoc was not released in theatres in the United States (but was later released in other countries) because of its weak critical reception,[26] but Brokeback Mountain won rave reviews[27] for its depiction of a homosexual relationship in the 1960s, and received several Academy Award nominations, including "Best Picture".[28] Hathaway asserted that its content was more important than its award count.[29]


Hathaway's next film was The Devil Wears Prada (2006), in which she starred as an assistant to a powerful fashion magazine editor (Meryl Streep, whom she described as being "just divine").[7] Hathaway said that working on the film earned her respect in the fashion industry, but she claims that her personal style is something she "can't get right"[12] and instead prefers "doing the things she loves".[12].

In an interview with Us Weekly, Hathway spoke about her weight loss for the film. "I basically stuck with fruit, vegetables and fish (to slim down for the movie). I wouldn't recommend that. Emily Blunt and I would clutch at each other and cry because we were so hungry."





Hathaway was initially cast in the 2007 comedy Knocked Up but dropped out before filming began. Writer/director Judd Apatow stated in a May 2007 issue of The New York Times Magazine that Hathaway dropped out "because she didn't want to allow us to use real footage of a woman giving birth to create the illusion that she is giving birth." Katherine Heigl replaced Hathaway.[30] In an August 2007 interview with Marie Claire magazine, Hathaway commented on an unnamed film "I turned [it] down ... because it was going to show a vagina -- not mine, but somebody else's. And I didn't believe that it was actually necessary to the story."

Hathaway was then seen in Becoming Jane, in which she stars as English writer Jane Austen,[29] released in mid 2007.[29] She will also star as Agent 99[31] in the screen adaptation of the TV series Get Smart, which will premiere in 2008,[31] and has recently signed onto the Hoodwinked sequel, Hood vs. Evil.


She has been in talks with the producers of Wicked, in which she would play the role of Elphaba in the movie adaptation.


Personal life

Hathaway enjoys interior design and reading as pastimes,[7] and has stated that she is a non-denominational Christian.[9] She has cited Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead (1943) as her favorite novel.[32] Since 2004, Hathaway has been in a relationship with scandal ridden real estate developer Raffaello Follieri.[7] On September 26, 2007 The Wall Street Journal ran a front page feature about Mr. Follieri and his legal problems with former President Bill Clinton entitled "How Bill Clinton's Aide Facilitated a Messy Deal."

In regards to personal strife and subsequent media attention, Hathaway's self-subscribed mantra is a quote by Oscar Wilde: "the less said about life's sores the better."[33]

New officer efficiency


These are actual phrases from Officer Efficiency Reports (performance appraisal for the military officers).


"Not the sharpest knife in the drawer."

"Got into the gene pool while the lifeguard wasn't watching."

"A room temperature IQ."

"Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic thingy to hold it all together."

"A gross ignoramus---144 times worse than an ordinary ignoramus."

"A photographic memory but with the lens cover glued on."

"A prime candidate for natural deselection."

"Bright as Alaska in December."

"One-celled organisms outscore him in IQ tests."

"Donated his brain to science before he was done using it."

"Fell out of the family tree."

"Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming."

"Has two brains: one is lost and the other is out looking for it."

"He's so dense, light bends around him."

"If brains were taxed, he'd get a rebate."

"If he were any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week."

"If you give him a penny for his thoughts, you'd get change."

"If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean."

"Some drink from the fountain of knowledge; he only gargled."

"Takes him an hour and a half to watch 60 minutes."

"Was left on the Tilt-A-Whirl a bit too long as a baby."

"Wheel is turning, but the hamster is dead."

Thanks, Bob, for the great bio's. Well, that wheel is turning a little slowly today, Boston, but I do believe someone gave that hamster CPR and he's back with us. Thanks for the smile today.

I really love Borodin's music, but I had no idea that he was the inspiration for Kismet.

Until our Raggedy arrives, (this is one of those long weekends) let's listen to one of the lovely songs from that musical.

Take my hand
I'm a stranger in paradise
All lost in a wonderland
A stranger in paradise
If I stand starry-eyed
That's the danger in paradise
For mortals who stand beside an angel like you

I saw your face and I ascended
Out of the commonplace into the rare
Somewhere in space I hang suspended
Until I know there's a chance that you care

Won't you answer this fervent prayer
Of a stranger in paradise?
Don't send me in dark despair
>From all that I hunger for

But open your angel's arms
To this stranger in paradise
And tell him that he need be
A stranger no more

Good afternoon. Just got back from shopping. Hate shopping. Grocery shopping.
Love "And This Is My Beloved" from Kismet.

Here are "Stellaaaaaah"- Kim (that's Kim on the right on the second picture ; Grace and Anne: