Saturday, June 4, 2011

Who is Ryan Rodney Reynolds?

Who is Ryan Rodney Reynolds? The entertainment and acting world knows him as Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles in National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal and Buried, as well as Wade Wilson/Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. His television roles include Michael "Berg" Bergen on Two Guys and a Girl. Reynolds also stars in the upcoming DC superhero film Green Lantern alongside Blake Lively and Mark Strong.

Early life

Reynolds was born October 23, 1976 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His father, Jim, is a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer who later became a food wholesaler, and his mother, Tammy, is a retail salesperson.[1] He is of Irish ancestry and was raised Roman Catholic.[2] The youngest of four brothers,[3] he graduated from Kitsilano Secondary School in Vancouver in 1994. He then attended Kwantlen College, also in Vancouver, until dropping out.[4]

Career

Reynolds' career began in 1990 when he starred as Billy the botsman in the Canadian-produced teen soap Hillside, distributed in the United States by Nickelodeon as Fifteen. As an adult, Reynolds starred in the National Lampoon movie Van Wilder and the American television series Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place, playing medical student Michael "Berg" Bergen. He also cameoed in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle as a nurse, appeared in The In-Laws with Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks, as well as the Canadian production Foolproof. In 2005 he played a waiter named Monty in Waiting..., and as music executive Chris Brander in the romantic comedy Just Friends alongside Amy Smart and Anna Faris. Reynolds played the protagonist in the 2008 film Definitely, Maybe. He has also appeared in the second season finale of the television series Scrubs, where he played Spence, a college friend of J.D. and Turk. In 2007, Reynolds guest-starred as Brendan's friend Hams in the episode "Douchebag in the City" of the TBS sitcom My Boys. In 2009, he portrayed Andrew Paxton, starring opposite Sandra Bullock, in the romantic comedy The Proposal, and park's repairs technician Mike Connell in Adventureland.
Although he has performed primarily in comedies, Reynolds underwent intense physical training to play an action role as the character of Hannibal King in the 2004 film Blade: Trinity, which also starred Wesley Snipes and Jessica Biel. Reynolds played the dark character George Lutz in the 2005 remake of the 1979 horror film The Amityville Horror. He also played an FBI agent alongside Ray Liotta in the 2006 crime action film Smokin' Aces.
In a March 2005 interview, Reynolds spoke of his interest and involvement in a possible film adaptation of Deadpool with screenwriter David S. Goyer,[5] as well as the possibility of playing the incarnation of The Flash known as Wally West in an adaption of the popular DC Comics character in the upcoming movie project. Reynolds portrayed Deadpool in the X-Men spinoff X-Men Origins: Wolverine and will portray him again in a recently announced spin-off called Deadpool.[6] Reynolds will portray superhero Hal Jordan/Green Lantern in Warner Bros.' upcoming film Green Lantern to be released June 17, 2011 in 3D, making him one of the few actors to headline in movies based on both Marvel and DC characters.[7] Reynolds greeted fans and recited the Green Lantern oath at Comic-Con in 2010.[8] Reynolds starred also in the Spanish/Australian thriller film and Sundance favourite Buried, which was directed by Rodrigo Cortes.[9]
He will portray Nick Cruz in the Universal Pictures film adaptation of the Dark Horse Comics Rest in Peace Department, which is planned for 2011.[10]

Personal life

In 2002, Reynolds began dating Canadian singer Alanis Morissette. The two announced their engagement in June 2004.[11] In February 2007, representatives for Morissette and Reynolds announced that they had mutually decided to end their engagement.[12] Morissette's album Flavors of Entanglement was created out of her grief after the breakup.[13]
Soon after the end of his relationship with Morissette, Reynolds began dating actress Scarlett Johansson in 2007[14] and the couple announced their engagement on May 5, 2008.[15] They married on September 27, 2008, in a quiet ceremony near Tofino, British Columbia.[16] On December 14, 2010, Reynolds and Johansson announced that they had separated.[17] Reynolds filed for divorce on December 23, 2010 in Los Angeles. Johansson filed her divorce response simultaneously.[18]
In October 2008, Reynolds wrote for The Huffington Post regarding his plan to run the New York City Marathon for his father, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease.[19]
Reynolds was named one of People magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2008,[20] 2009,[21][22] and 2010.[23]

Filmography

Film
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1993 Ordinary Magic Ganesh/Jeffrey
1994 My Name Is Kate Kevin Bannister TV Film
1995 Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story Andy TV Film
1996 When Friendship Kills Ben Colson TV Film
1996 Sabrina the Teenage Witch Seth TV Film
1996 In Cold Blood Bobby Rupp TV Film
1997 The Alarmist Howard Ancona
1998 Tourist Trap Wade Early TV Film
1999 Coming Soon Henry Lipschitz
1999 Dick Chip
2000 Boltneck (Big Monster On Campus) Carl
2001 Finder's Fee Quigley
2002 National Lampoon's Van Wilder Van Wilder
2002 Buying the Cow Mike Hanson Direct-to-Video
2003 The In-Laws Mark Tobias
2003 Foolproof Kevin
2004 Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle Male nurse Cameo
2004 Blade: Trinity Hannibal King
2005 School of Life Michael "Mr. D" D'Angelo TV Film
2005 The Amityville Horror George Lutz
2005 Waiting... Monty
2005 Just Friends Chris Brander
2006 Smokin' Aces Richard Messner
2007 The Nines Gary/Gavin/Gabriel
2007 Chaos Theory Frank Allen
2008 Definitely, Maybe Will Hayes
2008 Fireflies in the Garden Michael Taylor
2009 Adventureland Mike Connell
2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine Wade Wilson / Deadpool Shared role with Scott Adkins
2009 The Proposal Andrew Paxton
2009 Paper Man Captain Excellent
2010 Secret Origin: Story Of DC Comics Narrator
2010 Buried Paul Conroy
2011 Green Lantern Hal Jordan / Green Lantern Post-production
2011 The Change-Up Mitch Post-production
2012 Safe House Matt Weston Filming
2013 The Croods Guy Post-production
Television
Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1991–1993 Fifteen Billy Simpson Also known as Hillside. 65 Episodes
1993–
1994
The Odyssey Macro Recurring role, 14 episodes
1995 The Outer Limits Derek Tillman Season 1, Episode 20: "If These Walls Could Talk"
1995 The Marshal Rick Season 2, Episode 3: "The Heartbreak Kid"
1995 Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years Griffin Season 1, Episode 9: "Redemption"
1996 The X-Files Jay "Boom" DeBoom Season 3, Episode 13: "Syzygy"
1996 The John Larroquette Show Tony Hemingway Season 4, episode 7: "Napping to Success"
1997 The Outer Limits Paul Nodel Season 3, Episode 12: "Double Helix"
1998 The Outer Limits Paul Nodel Season 4, Episode 23: "The Origin of Species"
1998–
2001
Two Guys and a Girl Michael "Berg" Bergen Main role, 81 episodes
2003 Scrubs Spence Season 2, Episode 22: "My Dream Job"
2004–
2005
Zeroman Ty Cheese Recurring role, 14 Episodes
2007 My Boys Hams Season 1, Episode 19: Douchebag in the City
2009 Saturday Night Live Host Season 35, Episode 660

Awards and nominations

Goya Awards
MTV Movie Awards
  • Nominated – "Best Comedic Performance" – The Proposal (2010)
  • Nominated – "Best Fight" – X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Shared with Hugh Jackman, Liev Schrieber (2010)
  • Nominated – "Best Kiss" – The Proposal – Shared with Sandra Bullock (2010)
  • Nominated – "Best Scared-As-S**t Performance" – Buried (2011)
People's Choice Awards
Saturn Awards
  • Nominated – "Best Actor" – Buried (2010)
Scream Awards
  • Won – "Best Supporting Actor" – X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
  • Nominated – "Breakthrough Male Performance" – National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2003)
Young Hollywood Awards
  • WonNext Generation – Male (2003)
Young Artist Award
  • Nominated – "Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Cable Series" – Fifteen (1993)

 




 


















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Friday, June 3, 2011

Who is Katherine Mathilda Swinton?

Who is Katherine Mathilda Swinton ? The entertainment and acting world knows her as Tilda Swinton. Swinton is a British actress known for both arthouse and mainstream films. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Michael Clayton.


Early life

Swinton was born 5 November 1960 in London, England.[1] Her father, Major-General Sir John Swinton, KCVO, OBE, DL, who was Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire (1989–2000), is Scottish, and her mother, Judith Balfour, Lady Swinton (née Killen), was Australian.[2][3][4][5][6] The Swinton family is an ancient Anglo-Scots family that can trace its lineage to the High Middle Ages.[6]
Swinton attended two independent schools, the West Heath Girls' School (the same class as Diana, Princess of Wales), and also Fettes College for a brief period. In 1983, she graduated from New Hall (now known as Murray Edwards College) at Cambridge with a degree in Social and Political Sciences. While at Cambridge she joined the Communist Party of Great Britain.[7] She has two Honorary Doctorates: one from Napier University in Edinburgh, received in August 2006 and one from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) in Glasgow, received July 2006. She was a contributing editor to the literary magazine Zembla.

Career

Arthouse work

Swinton worked with the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, starring in Mann ist Mann by Manfred Karge,[8] and the Royal Shakespeare Company, before embarking on a career in film in the mid-1980s. She appeared as Julia in the 1986 television mini-series Zastrozzi: A Romance based on the Gothic novel by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her early film work included several film roles for director Derek Jarman, notably War Requiem (1989) playing a nurse opposite Sir Laurence Olivier as an old soldier. In 1991, Swinton won the Volpi Cup Best Actress award for her role in the postmodern film Edward II. Swinton also played the title role in Orlando, Sally Potter's film version of the novel by Virginia Woolf.
In 1995, with producer and friend Joanna Scanlan, Swinton developed a performance/installation live art piece in the Serpentine Gallery, London, where she was on display to the public for a week, asleep or apparently so, in a glass case, as a piece of performance art. The piece is sometimes credited to Cornelia Parker, whom Swinton invited to collaborate for the installation in London. The following year, the performance, entitled The Maybe, was repeated at the Museo Barracco in Rome. She also appeared in the music video for Orbital's "The Box". She has collaborated with the fashion designers Viktor & Rolf. She was the focus of their 'One Woman Show' 2003, in which they made all the models look like copies of Swinton, and she read a poem (of her own) that included the line, "There is only one you. Only one".[9]

Mainstream films

Recent years have seen Swinton move towards more mainstream projects, including the leading role in the American film The Deep End (2001), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. She appeared as a supporting character in films such as The Beach (2000), featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Vanilla Sky (2001) with Tom Cruise and, as the archangel Gabriel in Constantine (2005) with Keanu Reeves. Swinton has also appeared in the British films The Statement (2003) and Young Adam (2003), and sat on the jury of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2005, Swinton performed as the White Witch Jadis, in the film version of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and as Audrey Cobb in the Mike Mills film adaptation of the novel Thumbsucker. Swinton later had cameos in Narnia's sequels,The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
In 2007, Swinton's performance as Karen Crowder in Michael Clayton earned her both a BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actress as well as the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2008 80th Academy Awards, the film's sole win.[10][11][12] Swinton next appeared in the 2008 Coen Brothers film, Burn After Reading. Swinton said of the film, in which she plays opposite George Clooney, "I don’t know if it will make anybody else laugh, but it really made us laugh while making it."[13] She was cast for the role of Elizabeth Abbott in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, alongside Burn After Reading co-star Brad Pitt. She had a starring role as the irresponsible eponymous character in Erick Zonca's Julia, which premiered at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival and later saw a limited U.S. release in May 2009. Several critics praised her performance and some claimed it should have won her an Academy Award.[14][15][16]
She stars in the new film adaptation of We Need to Talk About Kevin due for release in September 2011.[17]

Other projects

In 1988, she was a member of the jury at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival.[18]
In August 2006, she opened the new Screen Academy Scotland production centre in Edinburgh.[19]
In July 2008, she founded the film festival Ballerina Ballroom Cinema Of Dreams.[20] The event took place in a ballroom in Nairn in the Scottish Highlands in August.
Swinton has collaborated with artist Patrick Wolf on his 2009 album The Bachelor, contributing four spoken word pieces.[21]
Swinton appeared at the 2009 81st Academy Awards helping to present the 2009 Best Supporting Actress Awards.
In 2009, Swinton and Mark Cousins embarked on a project where they would mount a 33.5-tonne portable cinema on a large truck, hauling it manually through the Scottish Highlands, creating a travelling independent film festival. The festival was repeated again in 2011.[22][23][24]

Personal life

Swinton lives in Nairn, in the Highland region of Scotland, near Scottish painter John Byrne and their twin children: a son, Xavier, and a daughter, Honor. She travels with her partner Sandro Kopp, a German/New Zealand painter.[25] She has been with Kopp since 2004 and the relationship has Byrne's blessing.[26] In an interview, Swinton commented on her domestic situation: "It’s the way we have been for nearly four years. I’m very fortunate. It takes some extraordinary men to make a situation like that work."[27]

Filmography

Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes
1986 Egomania – Insel ohne Hoffnung Sally
1986 Zastrozzi: A Romance Julia Mini TV series
1986 Caravaggio Lena
1987 Aria Young Girl
1987 Friendship's Death Friendship
1988 The Last of England

1988 Das Andere Ende der Welt

1988 Degrees of Blindness

1988 L' Ispirazione

1989 Play Me Something Hairdresser TV
1989 War Requiem Nurse
1990 Your Cheatin' Heart Cissie Crouch TV series
1990 The Garden Madonna
1991 Edward II Isabella Volpi Cup
1991 The Party: Nature Morte Queenie
1992 Shakespeare: The Animated Tales Ophelia Mini TV series; voice
1992 Orlando Orlando Seattle International Film Festival Award for Best Actress
Thessaloniki Film Festival Award for Best Actress
Nominated–European Film Award for Best Actress
1992 Man to Man Ella/Max Gericke
1993 Blue
Voice
1993 Das Offene Universum Carla TV
1993 Wittgenstein Lady Ottoline Morrell
1994 Remembrance of Things Fast: True Stories Visual Lies

1994 Visions of Heaven and Hell Narrator TV
1996 Female Perversions Eve Stephens
1997 Conceiving Ada Ada Augusta Byron King
1998 Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon Muriel Belcher
1998 The Protagonists

1999 The War Zone Mum
2000 Possible Worlds Joyce Nominated–Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
2000 The Beach Sal
2001 Vanilla Sky Rebecca Dearborn
2001 The Deep End Margaret Hall Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated–Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated–Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress
Nominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated–Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female
Nominated–Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated–Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated–Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
2002 Adaptation Valerie Thomas Nominated–Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
Nominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2002 Teknolust Rosetta/Ruby/Marinne/Olive
2003 The Statement Annemarie Livi
2003 Young Adam Ella Gault BAFTA Scotland for Best Actress in a Scottish Film
Nominated–British Independent Film Award for Best Actress
Nominated–London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year
2005 Constantine Angel Gabriel
2005 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Jadis, the White Witch Nominated–London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated–Saturn Award for Best Actress
2005 Broken Flowers Penny
2005 Thumbsucker Audrey Cobb Gijón International Film Festival Award for Best Actress
2006 Stephanie Daley Lydie Crane Nominated–Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
2006 Galápagos Narrator BBC Documentary
2007 Sleepwalkers Violinist
2007 Strange Culture Hope Kurtz
2007 The Man from London Camélia
2007 Michael Clayton Karen Crowder Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated–Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated–Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
Nominated–London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated–Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated–Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
Nominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
2008 Julia Julia Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress
International Cinephile Society Award for Best Actress[28]
Village Voice Film Poll - Best Actress
Nominated–César Award for Best Actress
Nominated–London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year
Nominated–Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
2008 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Jadis, the White Witch Cameo
2008 Burn After Reading Katie Cox Nominated–BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
2008 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Elizabeth Abbott London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress[29]
Nominated–Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Nominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2009 The Limits of Control Blonde
2009 I Am Love Emma Recchi Dublin Film Critics Award for Best Female Performance
European Silver Ribbon
Nominated–London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year
Nominated–San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated–Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
2010 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Jadis, the White Witch Cameo
2011 We Need to Talk About Kevin Eva Completed, due for release September 2011
2011 Die Blutgräfin (The Bloody Countess) Elizabeth Báthory In Post-production
2012 Moonrise Kingdom TBA







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Who is Callista Louise Gingrich?

Who is Callista Louise Gingrich? The Political world knows her as Callista Gingrich. She is  is married to former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Newt Gingrich.[4] Gingrich is the President of Gingrich Productions, a performance and production company focused on audio, video, and photographic production.[3]

Early life, education and early career

Callista Louise Bisek was (born March 4, 1966 to Alphonse Emil Bisek and Bernita (Krause) Bisek.[1] She graduated from Whitehall Memorial High School in Whitehall, Wisconsin in 1984 and from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa in 1988.[3]
Prior to leading Gingrich Productions, from 1988 until 2006, Gingrich worked as a staffer in the United States House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., on the House Committee on Agriculture and in the Office of Congressman Steve Gunderson (R-WI).[3]

Multimedia productions

Gingrich and her husband host and produce historical and public policy documentary videos. Recent films include A City Upon a Hill,[5] America at Risk, Nine Days that Changed the World, Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny, Rediscovering God in America, Rediscovering God in America II: Our Heritage, and We Have the Power.[6]
Gingrich is the voice for several audio books, including To Save America; Valley Forge; 5 Principles for a Successful Life; Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less; The Art of Transformation; Real Change; Contract with the Earth; and Rediscovering God in America.[7] She is also the voice for American Solutions for Winning the Future, a "tripartisan"[8] organization for political and governmental change.[3]
Gingrich's photography has been published in The New York Times and Washington Post. It is featured in a photobook honoring the life of Ronald Reagan, Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny, which she co-authored with Newt Gingrich and Dave Bossie.[9] Her photography is also featured in Rediscovering God in America and is regularly displayed on Newt.org and Gingrich Productions.com.[3]

Charitable work and other activities

Gingrich is the president of the Gingrich Foundation, a charitable nonprofit corporation. Among its charitable contributions, the Gingrich Foundation has established the Newt L. and Callista L. Gingrich Scholarship at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, which provides annual scholarships for instrumental music majors.[10] She is a long-time member of the choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.[11] Gingrich also plays French horn with the City of Fairfax Band in Fairfax, Virginia.[12]

 

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Who is Luigi "Geno" Auriemma?

W ho is  Luigi   " Geno "   Auriemma? The college basketball world recognizes him as the most successfull division 1  college bas...