External links

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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission:_Impossible_%28film%29

Trivia

This article contains a trivia section.
Content in this section should be integrated into the body of the article or removed.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission:_Impossible_%28film%29

Reaction

The movie was the third highest grosser at the box-office for the year. Despite the large revenues, the film was criticised for being unfaithful to the original television series Mission: Impossible by focusing more on the star (and also producer) Tom Cruise's character Ethan Hunt rather than emphasizing teamwork. At the same time the film made the central character of the television series, Jim Phelps, a traitor in the CIA. The script was also criticized for being too complicated, a twist on the usual complaints that summer blockbusters are too lowbrow and simple. However some fans regard it as much more faithful than its immediate sequel Mission: Impossible II. The second sequel, Mission: Impossible III however, was praised for its use of teamwork in various missions; a trait very much in line with the original series.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission:_Impossible_%28film%29

Locations

Filming locations include:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission:_Impossible_%28film%29

Plot summary

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is an agent who serves as a point man on a squad of intelligence operatives known as IMF, which is headed by Jim Phelps (Jon Voight). The movie begins with the team assembling for a mission in Prague to stop a traitor from stealing the Non-official cover (NOC) list—a comprehensive list of all IMF agents in Eastern Europe which includes their call signs and their real names. The mission goes inexplicably wrong, apparently resulting in the assassinations of nearly the entire team, including Phelps, leaving Hunt the sole survivor.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission:_Impossible_%28film%29

See also

Historical incidents similar to those in the film's climax:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun_%28film%29

References in popular culture

The success of Top Gun has seen it have a cultural influence in society which has spawned many references, some of which lampoon the film:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun_%28film%29

Video games

Top Gun also spawned a number of video games for various platforms. The original game was released in 1987 under the same title as the film. It was released on five platforms in total; PC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) (with an equivalent version for Nintendo's "VS." arcade cabinets). In the game the player pilots an F-14 Tomcat fighter and has to complete four missions. A sequel, Top Gun: The Second Mission, was released for the NES three years later.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun_%28film%29

Awards and nominations

The film won the following awards:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun_%28film%29

Reception

The film opened in the United States in 1,028 theatres on May 16, 1986. On its first weekend it came in at number one with a $8,193,052 gross, and went on to a total domestic figure of $176,786,701. Internationally it was embraced, taking in $177,030,000 for a worldwide box office total of $353,816,701.[5] The film was praised for the action sequences but its dramatic side was criticized, as by Roger Ebert who makes light of the situation by saying that "The dogfights are absolutely the best since Clint Eastwood's electrifying aerial scenes in Firefox. But look out for the scenes where the people talk to one another".[6] New York Times critic Walter Goodman hailed its action ability saying that it "fires off as spectacular a show of state-of-the-art jet battle" but later writes that "The excitement is switched off on landing",[7] echoing the thoughts of reviews such as Ebert's.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun_%28film%29

Accident during filming

Renowned aerobatic pilot Art Scholl was hired to do in-flight camera work for the film. The original script called for an inverted flat spin which he was to perform and capture on an onboard camera. Scholl entered the spin, but was unable to recover from it and crashed his Pitts S-2 in to the Pacific Ocean off the Southern California coast. The cause of the accident remains unknown.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun_%28film%29

Music

The Top Gun soundtrack is one of the most popular soundtracks to date. Harold Faltermeyer, who previously worked with both Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson on the films Flashdance and Beverly Hills Cop was sent the script of Top Gun by Bruckheimer before filming even had even started. Kenny Loggins was present at one of the screenings for composers and singers. He picked a smaller scene, one that might not be too popular, thinking he would have a better chance of getting his material in the film. He chose the volleyball scene. Together with producer Peter Wolf, the two produced the song Playing with the Boys for the scene. Loggins, already doing Playing with the Boys, went on to complete Danger Zone as well.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun_%28film%29

Casting

Tom Cruise allegedly turned down the role in the film, and agreed to develop the script with the producers. However, he would in the end change his mind, and was cast in the lead as Maverick. Val Kilmer was initially uninterested as well, but Director Tony Scott persuaded him to join the cast.[4]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun_%28film%29

Writing

The primary inspiration for the film was discovered by one of the producers, finding an article in the May 1983 issue of California magazine which would form the basis of the film.[1] The article, Top Guns, was about the TOPGUN fighter pilots at the Miramar Naval Air Station, located in San Diego, self-nicknamed as "Fightertown USA". Numerous screenwriters allegedly turned down the project.[2] Bruckheimer and Simpson went on to hire Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr., to write the first draft. The research methods, by Epps, included an attendance at several declassified Top Gun classes at Miramar and gaining experience by being flown in an F-14. The first draft failed to capture the imagination of Bruckheimer and Simpson, and the first draft is considered to be very different from the final product in numerous ways.[2]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun_%28film%29

Plot

Tom Cruise plays Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a cocky young United States Navy F-14 Tomcat pilot with VF-1 Wolfpack flying off USS Enterprise. Maverick is the son of Duke Mitchell, a fighter pilot shot down during the Vietnam War and listed as missing in action with no details, a mystery which haunts Maverick. Former Top Gun instructor pilot (and later Member of Congress) (and current criminal) Randy “Duke” Cunningham claimed to have been the inspiration for Maverick, although the movie's producer denied this, saying that the character was not based on any specific aviator.[1]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun_%28film%29

The dance scene in popular culture

The movie, Risky Business, was filmed in Diana Levy's house on Linden Ave. in Highland Park, IL The scene of Tom Cruise dancing in his underwear to Bob Seger has become a popular culture touchpoint, and is often shown in parody:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risky_Business

External links

Hard Eight • Boogie Nights • Magnolia • Punch-Drunk Love • There Will Be Blood

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_%28film%29

Awards

2000 Academy Awards

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_%28film%29

Documentary

The Magnolia DVD includes a lengthy behind-the-scenes documentary, That Moment. It uses a fly-on-the-wall approach to cover nearly every aspect of production, from production management and scheduling to music direction to special effects. As Magnolia is arguably Paul Thomas Anderson's most ambitious work to date, the behind-the-scenes documentary is also an in-depth look into his motivation and directing style. Pre-production included a screening of the film Network, as well as Ordinary People. Several scenes showed Anderson at odds with the child actors and labor laws that restrict their work time. The character of Dixon has further scenes filmed but, from Anderson's reactions, appear not to be working. These scenes were cut completely and have never been shown on DVD.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_%28film%29

Music and soundtracks

Paul Thomas Anderson has stated that the screenplay was written largely around the songs of Aimee Mann.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_%28film%29

Script vs. final cut

A published version of the shooting script (Newmarket Press, 2001, ISBN 1-55704-406-6) indicates that there was substantial additional material to be incorporated into the film which did not make the final cut. In particular, the character of Dixon, the boy Jim Kurring met while investigating the shots in the first act, returns in a scene in the diner near where Donnie and Jim return the money, with his father (the Worm) in an extended dialogue exchange which indicates that Worm's father is abusive toward both Dixon and himself.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_%28film%29

Themes

Magnolia is a thematically rich film. Many essays and other writings have been composed on it. Some themes that are often associated with the film include:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_%28film%29

Raining Frogs & Exodus 8:2

The movie has an underlying theme of Fortean unexplained events, taken from the 1920s and 1930s works of American intellectual Charles Fort. Fortean author Loren Coleman has written a chapter about this motion picture, entitled "The Teleporting Animals and Magnolia," in one of his recent books. [2]The film has many hidden Fortean themes. The fall of frogs is merely one of them. One of Charles Fort's books is visible on the table in the library and there is an end credit thanking Charles Fort. [ISBN 1-416527-36-2 Mysterious America']

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_%28film%29

Overview

Magnolia starts with an introduction describing three events that set the mood for the movie by urging the audience to think about supposed coincidences which occur "all the time." The events, which are well-known urban legends, are:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_%28film%29

Origin

Born on the Fourth of July was written in Santa Monica, California during the fall of 1974 in exactly one month, three weeks and two days.[1] It tells the story of Kovic's life growing up in Massapequa, New York, joining the Marines going to Vietnam, getting shot, finding himself wheelchair bound, and eventually starting a new life as an anti-war activist.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_on_the_Fourth_of_July

Scientific criticism of Scientology's beliefs

A 1971 ruling of the United States District Court, District of Columbia (333 F. Supp. 357), specifically stated, "the E-meter has no proven usefulness in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of any disease, nor is it medically or scientifically capable of improving any bodily function."[157]. Scientology publishes the following disclaimer in its books and publications: "The e-meter is an electronic instrument that measures mental state and change of state in individuals and assists the precision and speed of auditing. The E-Meter is not intended or effective for any diagnosis, treatment or prevention of any disease"[158] and that it is used specifically for spiritual purposes.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Scientology versus the Internet

In the 1990s Scientology representatives began extensive operations on the Internet to deal with growing allegations against Scientology on the Internet. The organization states that it is taking actions to prevent distribution of copyrighted Scientology documents and publications online by people whom it has called "copyright terrorists."[154] Critics say that the organisation's true motive is to attempt to suppress the free speech of its critics.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Scientology and psychiatry

The Church of Scientology is one of a number of groups involved in the anti-psychiatry movement, and one of the few organizations that publicly oppose the study and application of psychology in addition to psychiatry.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Scientology as a commercial venture

The Church of Scientology and its many related organizations have amassed considerable real estate holdings worldwide, likely in the hundreds of millions of dollars, as well as a large amount of other funds from the practice of auditing.[78] Hubbard was accused in his lifetime of adopting a religious façade for Scientology to allow the organization to maintain tax-exempt status and to avoid prosecution for false medical claims.[140] There have been numerous accounts from Hubbard's fellow science-fiction authors and researchers, notably Harlan Ellison, Neison Himmel, Sam Merwin, Sam Moskowitz, Theodore Sturgeon, Lloyd Arthur Eshbach, and Lyle Stuart,[128] of Hubbard stating on various occasions that the way to get rich was to start a religion.[141] This is referenced, among other places, in a May 1980 Reader's Digest article, which quotes Hubbard, "If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion."[142] The Church says that "One individual once claimed L. Ron Hubbard made such a comment during a lecture in 1948. The only two people who could be found who attended that very lecture in 1948 denied that Mr. Hubbard ever made this statement" and that therefore it is an "unfounded rumor." The Church's statement does not address any of the other individuals who have stated that they personally heard Hubbard make such a statement, some saying that he said it on multiple occasions. The Church also suggests that the origin of the "rumor" was a quote by George Orwell which had been "misattributed" to Hubbard. However, Robert Vaughn Young, who left the Church in 1989 after twenty years, said that he had discovered the Orwell quote, and suggested that reports of Hubbard making such a statement could be explained as a misattribution of Orwell, despite having encountered three of Hubbard's associates from his science fiction days who remembered Hubbard making statements of that sort in person.[74]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Scientology as a cult

In some instances, former members have claimed the Church used information obtained in auditing sessions against them.[124][125][126] While such a claim would be actionable as extortion, blackmail or harassment within most legal jurisdictions, no such claim has to date been legally confirmed against Scientology based solely upon use or revelation of auditing records.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Scientology as a state-recognized religion

The Church pursues an extensive public relations campaign for recognition of Scientology as a bona fide religion.[98] The organization cites numerous scholarly sources supporting its position, many of which can be found on a website the Church has established for this purpose.[99] Different countries have taken markedly different approaches to Scientology. Scientology is considered a legitimate religion in Thailand[citation needed], Taiwan [100], and Australia, and thus enjoys and regularly cites the constitutional protections afforded in these nations to religious practice.[101] Scientology is also regarded as a religious charitable organization in Holland, Hungary, Portugal, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, India, Albania, South Africa, Slovenia, Croatia, Japan, Sweden, Austria, New Zealand and France.[102] Some countries, mostly in Europe, have regarded Scientology as a potentially dangerous cult, or at least have not considered local branches of the Church of Scientology to meet the legal criteria for being considered religion-supporting organizations.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Scientology and other religions

Scientology teaches that it is fully compatible with all existing major world religions and that it does not conflict with other religions or other religious practices;[89] and some ministers from other churches have adopted Scientology practices.[90] However Scientology has been questioned by other religious groups:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Controversy and criticism

Of the many new religious movements to appear during the 20th century, the Church of Scientology has, from its inception, been one of the most controversial. The organization has come into conflict with the governments and police forces of several countries (including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany) numerous times over the years, though supporters note that many major world religions have found themselves in conflict with civil government in their early years.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Scientology and celebrities

The Church of Scientology has consistently attracted artists and entertainers, particularly Hollywood celebrities. L. Ron Hubbard saw to the formation of a special Church of Scientology which would cater to artists, politicians, leaders of industry, sports figures and anyone with the power and vision "to create a better world"[68]. There are eight of what are referred to as Celebrity Centers across the world, though Hollywood is the largest and most important.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Scientology splinter groups

Although "Scientology" is most often used as shorthand for the Church of Scientology, a number of groups practice Scientology and Dianetics outside of the official Church. Such groups are invariably breakaways from the original Church. The Church takes an extremely hard line on breakaway groups, labeling them "apostates" (or "squirrels" in Scientology jargon) and often subjecting them to considerable legal and social pressure. Breakaway groups avoid the name "Scientology" so as to keep from being sued, instead referring to themselves collectively as the Free Zone or Ron's Org.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

The Church of Scientology

The Church of Scientology has said that it had as many as 10 million members as of 2006,[55] though actual membership figures it has released indicate a far smaller total. Third party estimates of Scientology's worldwide membership range from less than 100,000[56] to approximately 500,000.[57] According to a 2001 survey published by the City University of New York, 55,000 people in the United States would, if asked to identify their religion, have said Scientology.[58]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Meaning of the word 'Scientology'

Although today associated almost exclusively with Hubbard's work, the word "scientology" predates Hubbard's creation by several decades. Philologist Allen Upward used the word "scientology" in his 1901 book The New Word as a synonym for "pseudoscience",[47] and this is sometimes cited as the first coining of the word.[48] In 1934, the Argentine-German writer Anastasius Nordenholz published a book using the word positively: Scientologie, Wissenschaft von der Beschaffenheit und der Tauglichkeit des Wissens ("Scientology, Science of the Constitution and Usefulness of Knowledge").[49] Nordenholz's book is a study of consciousness, and its usage of the word is not greatly different from Hubbard's definition, "knowing how to know".[50] However, it is not clear to what extent Hubbard was aware of these earlier uses. The word itself is a pairing of the Latin word scientia ("knowledge", "skill"), which comes from the verb scire ("to know"), and the Greek λογος lógos ("reason" or "inward thought" or "logic" or "an account of").

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Origins

Scientology's doctrines were established by Hubbard over a period of about 34 years, beginning in 1952 and continuing until his death in January 1986. Most of the basic principles were set out during the 1950s and 1960s. Now described as an "applied religious philosophy," Scientology was at first secular; Hubbard began to characterize Scientology's beliefs and practices as a religion in 1953, and by 1960 he had redefined it as a "religion by its basic tenets."[41]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Funeral service

At a Scientology funeral service, the minister speaks directly to the thetan (the individual as a spirit) and grants forgiveness for anything the deceased has done so he can begin life anew.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Church ceremonies

Scientology, as practiced by members of the Church of Scientology, includes the social ceremonies for marriage, birth, and death, that are a part of most religions. The ceremonies are performed in front of the congregation by an ordained Scientology minister.[37] Most, if not all, of the actual ceremonies used were written by L. Ron Hubbard and are collected in the book, Ceremonies of the Church of Scientology.[38][39]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Silent birth and infant care

Hubbard stated that the delivery room should be as silent as possible during birth.[31] This stems from his belief that birth is a trauma that may induce engrams into the baby. Hubbard asserted that words in particular should be avoided because any words used during birth might be reassociated by an adult later on in life with their earlier traumatic birth experience. Hubbard also wrote that the mother should use "as little anesthetic as possible."[32]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Xenu and Body Thetans

Among these advanced teachings, one episode revealed to those who reach OT level III is the story of Xenu and his Galactic Confederacy.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

The upper levels of Scientology

Scientologists who have achieved the State of Clear may continue onto the Upper or OT (Operating Thetan) Levels. These courses are available by Church invitation only after a review of the candidate's character, ethics and contribution to the Aims of Scientology.[26] The contents of these advanced courses are held in strict confidence within the Church and individuals who have read these materials may neither discuss nor disclose what they contain without jeopardizing their standing in the Church.[citation needed] Presently, there are eight such levels, OT I to VIII. Church management has promised to release a ninth OT level once certain expansion goals are met.[27] The highest level released to date, OT VIII, is only granted at sea, on the Scientology ship, the Freewinds, which was established to provide a "safe, aesthetic, distraction-free environment" where this OT level could be delivered.[28]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Past lives

In Dianetics, Hubbard proposed that the cause of "aberrations" in a human mind was an accumulation of pain and unconscious memories of traumatic incidents, some of which predated the life of the human. He extended this view further in Scientology, declaring that thetans have existed for tens of trillions of years (several orders of magnitude greater than what mainstream science generally estimates the age of the universe to be). During that time, Hubbard explains, they have been exposed to a vast number of traumatic incidents, and have made a great many decisions that influence their present state. Hubbard's 1958 book Have You Lived Before This Life contains descriptions of past lives given by individual Scientologists during auditing sessions. According to an early lecture of Hubbard's, it is, as a practical matter, both impossible and undesirable to recall each and every such event from such vast stretches of time.[23] As a result, Hubbard's three decade development of Scientology focused on streamlining the process to address only key factors. Hubbard stated that Scientology materials as described in books, tapes, and research notes include a record of everything that was found in the course of his research.[citation needed]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Tone scale

The tone scale is a characterization of human mood and behavior by various positions on a scale. The scale ranges from −40 ("Total Failure") to +40 ("Serenity of Being"). Positions on the tone scale are usually designated by an emotion, but Hubbard also described many other things that can be indicated by the tone scale levels, such as aspects of a human's health, mating behavior, survival potential, or ability to deal with truth. The tone scale is frequently used by Scientologists to evaluate humans. According to Scientology, the lower the individual is on the tone scale, the more complex and convoluted one's problems tend to be, and the more care and judgment should be exercised regarding communication and interaction with that individual.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

KRC triangle

Analogous to the ARC Triangle is a second triangle called the KRC Triangle. KRC stands for Knowledge, Responsibility and Control. Scientologists believe that an area can be made to go more and more right by increasing Knowledge, Responsibility and Control within that area. Many auditing processes and auditor training routines are aimed at increasing an individual's willingness and ability to non-compulsively gain Knowledge of, take Responsibility for and effectively exert Control over elements of his or her environment.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

ARC triangle

Another basic tenet of Scientology is the three related (and intrinsically spiritual) components that make up successful "livingness" and are the basis of understanding: affinity (emotional responses), reality (an agreement on what is real) and communication (the exchange of ideas). Hubbard called this the "ARC Triangle," noting that all three points are linked to each other. Scientologists utilize ARC as a central principle in their own lives, primarily based upon the belief that improving one aspect of the triangle increases the level of the other two.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Auditing

The central practice of Scientology is "auditing" (from the Latin word audire, "to listen"), which is a one-on-one communication with a trained Scientology counselor or "auditor." Most auditing uses an E-meter, a device that measures very small changes in electrical resistance through the human body when a person is holding onto metal cans and a small current is passed through them.[14]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Beliefs and practices

The Church of Scientology says that Scientology is concerned with "the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life."[11] By contrast, Dianetics is more narrowly focused on getting rid of the reactive mind, the "bank" of traumatic memories known as engrams which are said to inhibit one's success and happiness.[12] Scientology also covers topics such as ethics and morality (The Way to Happiness), drug and chemical residues as they relate to spiritual wellbeing (the Purification Rundown), communication, marriage, raising children, work-related problems, education (Study Technology), and the very nature of life (The Dynamics).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Special Awards

These awards are voted on by special committees, rather than by the Academy membership as a whole, but the actor/actress voted to recieve the special award can turn down the offer.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

Proposed Awards

The Board of Governors meets each year and considers other new categories. To date, the following proposed awards have not been approved:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

Newest Awards

The newest awards to be added to the list of available awards from the Academy are the awards for:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

Retired Awards

In the first year of the awards, the Best Director category was split into separate Drama and Comedy categories. At times, the Best Original Score category has been split into separate Drama and Comedy/Musical categories. Today, the Best Original Score category is one category. From the 1930s through the 1960s, the Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costume Design awards were split into separate categories for black and white and color films.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

Criticism

The Academy Awards have also often been criticized for being overly conservative. Critics have noted that many Best Picture Academy Award winners in the past have not stood the test of time. Several of these films, such as Around the World in 80 Days, Grand Hotel and Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth are often considered to have aged poorly and to have little of the impact they had on their initial release.[15][16][17] Several films that currently have wide critical approval were not named Best Picture.[18] The most obvious example is Citizen Kane, which received glowing critical reviews and was nominated for nine Oscars but winner of only one (Best Original Screenplay). This film has since come to be regarded by many as one of the greatest American films of all time.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

Venues

The 1st Academy Awards were presented at a banquet dinner at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood. Subsequent banquet ceremonies in the 1930s and early 40s were held in Los Angeles at either The Ambassador Hotel or the Biltmore Hotel.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

Awards night

The major awards are given out at a live televised ceremony, most commonly in February or March following the relevant calendar year, and six weeks after the announcement of the nominees. This is an elaborate extravaganza, with the invited guests walking up the red carpet in the creations of the most prominent fashion designers of the day. Black tie dress is normally required for men, although fashion may dictate not wearing a bowtie, and musical performers typically do not adhere to this (nominees for Best Original Song quite often perform those songs live at the awards ceremony, and the fact that they are performing is often used to promote the television broadcast). The Academy has for several years claimed that the award show has a billion viewers internationally, but this has so far not been confirmed by any independent sources. Neither has the Academy explained how it has reached this figure.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

Nominations

Today, according to Rules 2 and 3 of the official Academy Awards Rules, a film must open in the previous calendar year, from midnight at the start of January 1 to midnight at the end of December 31, in Los Angeles County, California, to qualify.[8] Rule 2 states that a film must be "feature-length", defined as a minimum of 40 minutes, except for short subject awards and it must exist either on a 35 mm or 70 mm film print or on 24 fps or 48 fps progressive scan digital film print with native resolution not less than 1280x720.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

Academy membership

All members must be invited to join. Invitation comes from the Board of Governors, on behalf of Academy Branch Executive Committees. Membership eligibility may be achieved by a competitive nomination or a member may submit a name based on other significant contribution to the field of motion pictures. Though winning an Academy Award usually results in an invitation to join, membership is not automatic.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

Ownership of Oscar statuettes

Since 1950, the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for $1. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. Academy Awards not protected by this agreement have been sold in public auctions and private deals for six-figure sums (Levy 2003).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

The Oscar

The official name of the Oscar statuette is the Academy Award of Merit. Made of gold-plated britannium on a black metal base, it is 13.5 in (34 cm), weighs 8.5 lb (3.85 kg) depicting a knight rendered in Art Deco style holding a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes each represent the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers and Technicians.[3] MGM’s art director Cedric Gibbons, one of the original Academy members, supervised the design of the award trophy by printing the design on scroll.[4] Then sculptor George Stanley sculpted Gibbons' design in clay, and Alex Smith cast the statue in tin and copper and then gold-plated it over a composition of 92.5 percent tin and 7.5 percent copper. The only addition to the Oscar since it was created is a minor streamlining of the base. Approximately 40 Oscars are made each year in Chicago, Illinois by the manufacturer, R.S. Owens. If they fail to meet strict quality control standards, the statuettes are cut in half and melted down.[5]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

External links

Palisades Highlands · Pacific Palisades · Palms · Playa del Rey · Playa Vista · Rancho Park · Rustic Canyon · Sawtelle · South Robertson · Venice · West Los Angeles · Westchester · Westdale · Westside Village · Westwood

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

Education

Students who live in Hollywood are zoned to schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 167,664 people in the Hollywood district. The racial makeup of the neighborhood is 42.82% White (non-Hispanic), 4.48% African American, 0.68% Native American, 8.98% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 22.23% from other races, and 6.76% from two or more races. 39.43% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The income per capita was estimated at $26,119, putting it ahead of Burbank, California, and about the same as Arcadia, California.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

Hollywood neighborhoods & communities

See also:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

Revitalization

After many years of serious decline, Hollywood is now undergoing rapid gentrification and revitalization with the goal of urban density in mind. Many new developments have been completed, and many more are planned, and several are centered on Hollywood Boulevard itself. In particular, the Hollywood & Highland complex, which is also the site of the Kodak Theater, has been a major catalyst for the redevelopment of the area. In addition, numerous trendy bars, clubs, and retail businesses have opened on or surrounding the boulevard, allowing it to become one of the main nighttime spots in all of Los Angeles. Many older buildings have also been converted to lofts and condominiums, and a W Hotel is planned at the famous intersection of Hollywood and Vine, which will serve to even further revitalize the area.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

Runaways

One feature for Hollywood since the 1960s has been its attractiveness for desperate runaways. Every year, hundreds of runaway adolescents leave their homes across North America and flock to Hollywood hoping to become movie stars, as portrayed by the lyrics of the 1960s Burt Bacharach song "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" whose lyrics include the words: "All the stars / That never were / Are parking cars / And pumping gas." Such individuals soon discover that they have extremely slim chances of competing against professionally trained actors. Many of them end up sinking into homelessness, which is a problem in Hollywood for adults as well as youth.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

Modern Hollywood

On January 22, 1947, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, KTLA, began operating in Hollywood. In December of that year, the first Hollywood movie production was made for TV, The Public Prosecutor. And in the 1950s, music recording studios and offices began moving into Hollywood. Other businesses, however, continued to migrate to different parts of the Los Angeles area, primarily to Burbank. Much of the movie industry remained in Hollywood, although the district's outward appearance changed.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

Hollywood and the motion picture industry

In early 1910, director D. W. Griffith was sent by the Biograph Company to the west coast with his acting troop consisting of actors Blanche Sweet, Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, and others. They started filming on a vacant lot near Georgia Street in Downtown Los Angeles. The Company decided to explore new territories and traveled several miles north to a little village that was friendly and enjoyed the movie company filming there. This place was called "Hollywood". Griffith then filmed the first movie ever shot in Hollywood called In Old California, a Biograph melodrama about Latino-Mexican occupied California in the 1800s. The movie company stayed there for months and made several films before returning to New York. After hearing about this wonderful place, in 1913 many movie-makers headed west. The first feature film made in Hollywood, in 1914, was called "The Squaw Man". All the films made in Los Angeles from 1908 to 1913 were short subjects. With this film, the Hollywood movie industry was "born". Through the First World War it became the movie capital of the world. The oldest company still existing in Hollywood today was founded by William Horsley of Gower Gulch-based Nestor and Centaur films, who went on to create the Hollywood Film Laboratory.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

History

In 1853, one adobe hut stood on the site that became Hollywood. By 1870, an agricultural community flourished in the area with thriving crops. In the 1880s, Harvey Henderson Wilcox of Kansas, who made a fortune in real estate even though he had lost the use of his legs due to typhoid fever, and his wife, Daeida who is originally from Hicksville, Ohio, moved to Los Angeles from Topeka. In 1886, Wilcox bought 160 acres (0.6 km²) of land in the countryside to the west of the city at the foothills and the Cahuenga Pass.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

Miscellaneous

In April 2005, Cruise began dating Katie Holmes. This very public love affair took a dramatic turn when Cruise and Holmes got engaged in Paris[71] while on a world publicity tour for their two most recent movies (War of the Worlds for Cruise; Batman Begins for Holmes). War of the Worlds director Steven Spielberg stated that he was frustrated by media coverage of Cruise's relationship during promotion of the film, though he believed it to be genuine.[72] On October 5, 2005, People magazine reported that Holmes was pregnant.[73] Cruise came under fire from various medical professionals after he allegedly bought a sonogram machine to monitor the fetus at home.[74] The American College of Radiology claims that overuse or misuse of the medical equipment is unnecessary and could be harmful to fetal health, and that it may be illegal to own: it apparently was still legal.[75] On May 4, 2006 the California Assembly passed a bill to ban distribution of ultrasound machines to non-licensed practitioners, though the law must still go through the Senate and could not be retroactive in effect.[76] On April 18, 2006 Holmes gave birth to a baby girl, which they named Suri. Suri is the first child for Holmes and the third child for Cruise who had adopted two children with Nicole Kidman:[2] Connor Antony (born January 17, 1995) and Isabella Jane (born December 22, 1992).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Publicist

Cruise's more open attitude to Scientology has been attributed to the departure of his publicist of 14 years, Pat Kingsley, in March 2004. He replaced her with his sister, fellow Scientologist Lee Anne DeVette, who served in that role until November 2005.[67] He then demoted his sister and replaced her with veteran publicist Paul Bloch, from the publicity firm Rogers and Cowan. Such restructuring is seen as a move to curtail publicity about his Scientology views, as well as the hard-sell of his relationship with Katie Holmes backfiring with the public.[68][69] DeVette explained that it was her decision to work on philanthropic projects rather than publicity.[70]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

<i>Trapped in the Closet</i>

In 2005, the television show South Park provoked controversy with "Trapped in the Closet", an episode that satirized Scientology and the long-standing rumors regarding Cruise being a closeted homosexual. In the episode, Cruise becomes depressed and locks himself in a closet, after Stan Marsh (one of the main child characters in the series) tells Cruise (who has been told that Stan is the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard) that he considers Jon Heder to be a better actor than Cruise. As Cruise hides in the closet, depressed at the thought that L. Ron Hubbard doesn't like his work as an actor, several characters make numerous "come out of the closet" jokes. The show also has Nicole Kidman (Cruise's ex-wife) attempt to get Tom to "come out of the closet", telling him that Katie Holmes won't think any less of him and that she doesn't think any worse of him either. Meanwhile John Travolta (also the subject of rumors regarding possible homosexuality) and R. Kelly (who had just recorded a series of music videos called "Trapped in the Closet", regarding a man hiding in the closet of a woman he had a one-night stand with) also join Cruise in the closet, to hide after Cruise tells the two how comfortable a hiding spot Stan's closet is.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Parodies

As noted, the scene has been parodied numerous times, including:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

<i>Trapped in the Closet</i>

In 2005, the television show South Park provoked controversy with "Trapped in the Closet", an episode that satirized Scientology and the long-standing rumors regarding Cruise being a closeted homosexual. In the episode, Cruise becomes depressed and locks himself in a closet, after Stan Marsh (one of the main child characters in the series) tells Cruise (who has been told that Stan is the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard) that he considers Jon Heder to be a better actor than Cruise. As Cruise hides in the closet, depressed at the thought that L. Ron Hubbard doesn't like his work as an actor, several characters make numerous "come out of the closet" jokes. The show also has Nicole Kidman (Cruise's ex-wife) attempt to get Tom to "come out of the closet", telling him that Katie Holmes won't think any less of him and that she doesn't think any worse of him either. Meanwhile John Travolta (also the subject of rumors regarding possible homosexuality) and R. Kelly (who had just recorded a series of music videos called "Trapped in the Closet", regarding a man hiding in the closet of a woman he had a one-night stand with) also join Cruise in the closet, to hide after Cruise tells the two how comfortable a hiding spot Stan's closet is.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Parodies

As noted, the scene has been parodied numerous times, including:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Jumping the couch

Cruise has made several expressions of his feelings for Holmes to the media, most notably the "couch incident" which took place on the popular talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show of May 23, 2005. In that instance, Cruise "jumped around the set, hopped onto a couch, fell rapturously to one knee and repeatedly professed his love for his new girlfriend."[54] This scene has been parodied in numerous venues in film (Scary Movie 4), on TV (Family Guy, Hannah Montana). The "couch incident" was voted #1 of 2005's "Most Surprising Television Moments" on a countdown on E!.[55]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Scientology

Study Tech · Auditing · Disconnection

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Katie Holmes

In April 2005, Cruise began dating Katie Holmes, before announcing on 17 June 2005 that he had proposed to her at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.[29] She accepted his proposal, and the couple married in Bracciano, Italy on November 18, 2006.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Penélope Cruz

Cruise was next romantically linked with Penélope Cruz, the lead actress in his film Vanilla Sky. In March 2004, he announced that their relationship had ended in January.[28]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Nicole Kidman

Cruise met Nicole Kidman on the set of their film Days of Thunder. The couple married on December 24, 1990 and divorced on August 8, 2001.[2] He and Kidman adopted two children, Isabella (born 1993) and Connor (born 1995).[2] They separated when Kidman was three months pregnant, just shy of their tenth wedding anniversary; she later miscarried.[27]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Mimi Rogers

Cruise was married to Mimi Rogers (married on May 9, 1987, divorced February 4, 1990).[2] Rogers is generally believed to be the one who introduced Cruise to Scientology.[26]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Popularity

In 1990, 1991 and 1997, People magazine rated him among the 50 most beautiful people in the world.[2] In 1995, Empire magazine ranked him among the 100 sexiest stars in film history.[2] Two years later, it ranked him among the top 5 movie stars of all time.[2] In 2002 and 2003, he was rated by Premiere among the top 20 in its annual Power 100 list.[2]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Management of United Artists

According to an Associated Press report on November 2, 2006, Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner announced that they will be in charge of the United Artists film studio.[22] Cruise will produce and star in films for United Artists, while Wagner will serve as UA's chief executive.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Jumping the couch

Cruise has made several expressions of his feelings for Holmes to the media, most notably the "couch incident" which took place on the popular talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show of May 23, 2005. In that instance, Cruise "jumped around the set, hopped onto a couch, fell rapturously to one knee and repeatedly professed his love for his new girlfriend."[54] This scene has been parodied in numerous venues in film (Scary Movie 4), on TV (Family Guy, Hannah Montana). The "couch incident" was voted #1 of 2005's "Most Surprising Television Moments" on a countdown on E!.[55]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Scientology

Study Tech · Auditing · Disconnection

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Katie Holmes

In April 2005, Cruise began dating Katie Holmes, before announcing on 17 June 2005 that he had proposed to her at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.[29] She accepted his proposal, and the couple married in Bracciano, Italy on November 18, 2006.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Penélope Cruz

Cruise was next romantically linked with Penélope Cruz, the lead actress in his film Vanilla Sky. In March 2004, he announced that their relationship had ended in January.[28]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Nicole Kidman

Cruise met Nicole Kidman on the set of their film Days of Thunder. The couple married on December 24, 1990 and divorced on August 8, 2001.[2] He and Kidman adopted two children, Isabella (born 1993) and Connor (born 1995).[2] They separated when Kidman was three months pregnant, just shy of their tenth wedding anniversary; she later miscarried.[27]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Mimi Rogers

Cruise was married to Mimi Rogers (married on May 9, 1987, divorced February 4, 1990).[2] Rogers is generally believed to be the one who introduced Cruise to Scientology.[26]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Popularity

In 1990, 1991 and 1997, People magazine rated him among the 50 most beautiful people in the world.[2] In 1995, Empire magazine ranked him among the 100 sexiest stars in film history.[2] Two years later, it ranked him among the top 5 movie stars of all time.[2] In 2002 and 2003, he was rated by Premiere among the top 20 in its annual Power 100 list.[2]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Management of United Artists

According to an Associated Press report on November 2, 2006, Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner announced that they will be in charge of the United Artists film studio.[22] Cruise will produce and star in films for United Artists, while Wagner will serve as UA's chief executive.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Breakup with Paramount

On August 22, 2006, Paramount Pictures announced it was ending its 14-year relationship with Cruise/Wagner Productions. In the Wall Street Journal, chairman of Viacom (Paramount's parent company) Sumner Redstone cited the economic damage to Tom Cruise's value as an actor and producer from his controversial public behavior and views.[16][17] Cruise/Wagner Productions responded that Paramount's announcement was a face-saving move after the production company had successfully sought alternative financing from private equity firms.[18] Industry analysts such as Edward Jay Epstein commented that the real reason for the split was most likely Paramount's discontent over Cruise/Wagner's exceptionally large share of DVD sales from the Mission: Impossible franchise.[19][20] However, Radar has claimed that the "personal conduct" complained of by Redstone was an allegedly Cruise-inspired attempt to intimidate Brad Grey, CEO of Paramount. According to Radar, when Grey was walking to his car one night after tense negotiations with Cruise over Mission: Impossible 3, he was "surrounded by more than a dozen Scientologists, who pressured him to ease up on the actor ... Following a terse exchange, the visitors allowed Grey to get into his car and leave, but the message was clear." Grey reportedly stood his ground and convinced Cruise to accept a lower fee than the actor had initially demanded.[21]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Producing career

Cruise partnered with producer Paula Wagner to form Cruise/Wagner Productions which has co-produced several of Cruise's films,[13] the first being Mission: Impossible in 1996 which was also Cruise's first project as a producer. He won a Nova Award (shared with Paula Wagner) for Most Promising Producer in Theatrical Motion Pictures at the PGA Golden Laurel Awards in 1997 for his work as a producer for the film Mission: Impossible.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

2000s

In 2000, Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt in the second installment of the Mission Impossible films, releasing Mission: Impossible II. The film was directed by Hong Kong director John Woo and branded with his Gun fu Style, but it continued the series' blockbuster success at the box office, taking in US$545,902,562 in worldwide figures, like its predecessor, being the third highest grossing film of the year. The following year Cruise starred in the remake of the 1997 erotic thriller Abre Los Ojos, Vanilla Sky. In 2002, Cruise starred in the dystopian thriller, Minority Report which was directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the science fiction novel by Philip Dick; as well as The Last Samurai, which saw Cruise perform some of his own stunts.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

1990s

Cruise was welcomed with similar success the following year when he received Academy Award nominations for Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July, which was based on the best selling autobiography of Anti-Vietnam War hero Ron Kovic; for the first time the audience knew Tom could play complicated roles other than handsome boys. In 1990, Cruise starred as hot-shot race car driver "Cole Trickle" in Tony Scott's Days of Thunder. While filming Days of Thunder Cruise first met American born and Australian-raised actress Nicole Kidman, who was his co-star. Cruise's next film was Ron Howard's Far and Away where he again was starring with Nicole Kidman. Cruise next starred in the military thriller A Few Good Men with Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore. This film was very well received and earned Cruise Golden Globe and MTV nominations. The following year he starred in Sydney Pollack's The Firm along with Gene Hackman and Ed Harris, which was based on the best selling novel by John Grisham, won Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture at the People's Choice Awards.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

1980s

Cruise's first acting role came in 1981, when he had a small role in Endless Love, a drama/romance film starring Brooke Shields. Later that same year he had a more substantial role in the film Taps, appearing alongside George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn. The film about military cadets was moderately successful. In 1983, he was one of many teenaged stars to appear in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders. The cast for this film included Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, and Ralph Macchio, some of which were part of the Brat Pack. That same year Cruise appeared in the teen comedy Losin' It with Shelley Long. Also in 1983, Risky Business was released, widely thought to be the film that propelled Cruise to stardom. One sequence in the film, featuring Cruise lip-syncing Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" in his underwear, has become an iconic moment in film history. The film has been described as "A Generation-X classic, and a career-maker for Tom Cruise".[12] A fourth film that was released in 1983 was the high-school football drama, All the Right Moves.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise

Just Cruise - Tom Cruise Nike Commercial Spoof

Tom Cruise On Psychiatry

Tom Cruise On Psychiatry - film

Family and early life

Born in Syracuse, New York,[4] Cruise has German and Colonial English ancestry from his paternal great-grandparents, William Reibert and Charlotte Louise Voelker; and purportedly Welsh ancestry from his paternal great-great-grandfather, Dylan Henry Mapother, who emigrated from Flint, Wales to Louisville, Kentucky in 1850.[5][6] His great-great-grandmother Mary Cruise married twice. Her first husband was Dillon Henry Mapother, by whom she had six children. She remarried after Dillon's death, to Thomas O'Mara. Their son Thomas O'Mara, enumerated as such in the 1880 Census, was later known as "Thomas Cruise Mapother". The reason(s) for him changing his name are not entirely clear. Thus, from his and his wife Anna Stewart Bateman, he has Irish and Colonial English ancestry, respectively. His maternal ancestry is half Irish and half German (including Alsatian).[7] Anna Stewart Bateman's great-grandfather was a third cousin of President George Washington and descended seven times from King Jean de Brienne of Jerusalem, once from King Louis VIII of France, once from King Henry III of England, twice from King Edward I of England and three times from King Edward III of England.[8][9]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise