Bret Michaels

Bret Michaels (born Bret Michael Sychak, March 15, 1963) is an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the glam metal band Poison. Besides his career as lead singer, he has several solo albums to his credit, as well as one chart single. He has also starred in the VH1 reality show Rock of Love with Bret Michaels and its sequels, and as a judge on the talent show Nashville Star. He is a contestant on NBC's reality show Celebrity Apprentice 3


Early life

Michaels was born Bret Michael Sychak, to Wally and Marjorie Sychak, in Butler, Pennsylvania. He has two sisters, Michelle and Nicole. At the age of six he fell ill, and during a three-week stay in the hospital, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Music career

Michaels began playing the guitar as a teenager. With drummer Rikki Rockett, base player Bobby Dall and guitarist Matt Smith, he formed the band Paris, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1983. After playing the Pennsylvania bar circuit, in early 1984 they moved to Los Angeles to seek fame on the Sunset Boulevard scene, eventually changing their name to Poison, and moved to Los Angeles. That same year he met 16-year-old Tracy Lewis, who would become both his girlfriend, and the muse for one of his most memorable songs. Eventually Matt Smith tired of the band's struggle to find fame, and returned home. He was replaced with C.C. DeVille, who would become both Michaels' friend and a source of conflict.
Local publicity about the band eventually led to a record deal with Enigma Records, and their first album, Look What the Cat Dragged In. It did not see great success until 1987, when Michaels convinced the band to film a video for their song, "Talk Dirty to Me", despite the fact that use of videos as a marketing tool was not as widespread a practice at the time. As a result, the album went platinum, and the band became famous. In March of that year, however, Michaels collapsed onstage due to his diabetes. Responding to rumors that he was a drug addict, he announced publicly that he was a diabetic.
1987 also saw the dissolution of his relationship with Lewis, who felt that fame had changed him. Though Michaels contends that Lewis was unfaithful to him, Lewis (now Lewis Crosby) insists that it was Michaels who was unfaithful. Michaels was inspired by the breakup to write "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", explaining that the rose represented his fame and success, whereas the loss of his relationship represented the thorn. The song was released as a power ballad single in December 1988, and is regarded as "the ultimate 80s anthem about heartbreak." The song is also cited as a contributing factor to the eventual end of Michaels' friendship with DeVille, who disliked the song. It is also cited by singer Dee Snider as a contributing cause of the end of the glam rock scene.
Throughout the early 1990s, Poison became one of the biggest glam metal bands in the world, recording other hit albums, such as the multi-platinum selling, Open Up and Say...Ahh!. However, their lives were characterized by the escalating tension between Michaels and DeVille that derived from their mutual drug use, which came to a head during their 1990 "Flesh and Blood" tour. Also cited is the spectacle of DeVille's behavior during the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. After getting into a fistfight with Michaels, DeVille left the band, and descended further into addiction, as did Michaels, who, one night after partying, crashed his Ferrari into a telephone pole, incurring serious injury, including broken ribs, a disfigured nose, and lost teeth.
Michaels recorded his first solo album in 1998 A Letter from Death Row, the soundtrack to the same-titled movie he directed, wrote, and starred in. In 2003, he released the studio album Songs of Life which featured the singles "Raine" and "Bittersweet". Michaels also served as a judge during the 2005 season of reality television singing competition Nashville Star and released a country rock album in the same year called Freedom of Sound which featured the singles "Right Now, Right Here", "Open Road" and the hit single "All I Ever Needed" (featuring Jessica Andrews). Michaels released a best of album called Rock My World in June 2008 which featured music from his reality television series Rock of Love including the new singles "Go That Far" (Rock of Love theme), "Fallen" and "Start Again", the first 2 also featuring music videos with clips from the series and the album charted at #40 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on the Independent Albums. In December 2008 Bret released a single version of "Driven" (rock mix) which also featured a music video with preview clips for Rock of Love Bus and he also re released the "Fallen" single with acoustic, piano and demo versions included.
Michaels released a 30-minute DVD from (Time Life) in 2008 called Hard & Heavy Confidential featuring Bret Michaels which included acoustic versions of "All I Ever Needed", "Driven", "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and "Something to Believe In", it also included in depth interviews.[8] The DVD was included in the Hard & Heavy cd/dvd collection from (Time Life) advertised on TV by Bret Michaels. The same 4 acoustic performances were also released on CD which was titled "Bret Michaels Acoustic Sessions."
In 2010, Michaels released a new single called "Nothing to Lose" from his upcoming new studio album titled "Custom Built". The song featured the guest vocals of Miley Cyrus.
Rock of Love

In February 2007, the cable TV network VH1 announced that Michaels would star as the bachelor in the reality television dating competition series Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. Jes Rickleff was the winner of the first season of the series. However, she announced during the reunion show that she and Michaels were not right for each other and told runner-up Heather he was all hers and that he should have chosen Heather. The first season was released on DVD in early 2008.
Michaels went on to star in the second season of Rock of Love, which premiered on January 13, 2008. On April 13, 2008, Michaels selected Ambre Lake as his "Rock of Love".
A third season, Rock of Love Bus premiered on January 4, 2009. When asked about a fourth season of Rock of Love, Michaels said "Now they want me to come back for a fourth 'Rock of Love.' I feel that it should be something that changes up, but I still want that fun element. What you see is what you get with me."[13]





Bret Michaels singing "Talk Dirty to Me" in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
Michaels and actor Charlie Sheen established a film production company, Sheen/Michaels Entertainment, which produced the movie A Letter from Death Row (1998), which Michaels wrote, directed and starred in, and for which he released a soundtrack album. They also produced No Code of Conduct that same year, which Bret Michaels also directed and acted in. Their company also produced the feature film Free Money, starring Marlon Brando and Mira Sorvino, and the surfer movie In God's Hands in which Bret also had a small acting role.
Michaels appeared in the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear, Season 1, Episode 6, titled Greg's Big Day, first aired 6 November 2000.
On May 1, 2008, Michaels appeared on a special celebrity edition of Don't Forget the Lyrics!, on which he raised $200,000 to donate to charity.
In 2010, Michaels currently appears as a contestant on the NBC reality television series Celebrity Apprentice 3 on NBC.


In other media

Michaels was portrayed in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, which features him singing "Go That Far" and Poison's "Talk Dirty to Me".



Charity work

Michaels and his band visited troops at Al Asad Air Base on October 6, 2007, while on a tour of U.S. bases in Iraq in support of Armed Forces Entertainment.[
The $140,000 he has earned as task manager on Celebrity Apprentice 3 goes to the charity he supports, the American Diabetes Association.




Personal life

Michaels was involved with Pamela Anderson. An abridged version of an explicit sex tape the couple made appeared on the Internet in 1988 and was released on DVD on September 7, 2005, by Metro Studios.
Michaels has two daughters with Kristi Lynn Gibson. Raine Elizabeth Sychak was born in May 2000, and Jorja Bleu Sychak was born in May 2005. They live in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Michaels is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League and the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League. He has a personalized guitar bearing the Steelers' logo, and played the national anthem at Three Rivers Stadium. His favorite player was Jack Lambert, and Michaels has been a member of fan club "Lambert's Lunatics."
On April 12, 2010, Michaels was rushed to the hospital after suffering intense stomach pains, and an emergency appendectomy was performed. On April 21 or April 22, 2010, (sources differ), Michaels was again rushed to the hospital, this time with an "excruciating" headache. Doctors discovered that he had suffered a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage. He was in critical condition, and while some reports suggested that his condition had stabilized, others later stated that this was premature. On April 28, Michael's representatives reported that he was conscious and speaking, albeit slowly, for the first time since he was hospitalized.
In a news conference on May 5, 2010, Dr. Joseph Zabramski said Michaels has been released from the hospital and that "He's just one of those lucky people" and that "he'll make a complete recovery".
Since being released from the hospital Michaels has stated that he is contemplating marriage with the mother of his two children with whom he has recently reconciled. In a May 5, 2010, interview he stated:
As painful as this experience has been, I was given a second chance, right? I don't want to sit around every night worrying this is going to happen again. What I want to do is make a positive bucket list and say, 'I'm just gonna go for it.' There's just so much more I want to do and experience.
[Getting married], for sure, is something I have never done. Kristi's such a great person. We'll see if that happens. But yes, that may be one of the big things on the list. My first goal is to get back (to) 100 per cent. I want to continue to rock the world, and I want to continue to love my family and be a good father.
More recent developments (May 20, 2010) according to his website,
Bret Michaels was readmitted to the hospital this week after suffering numbness on the left side of his body, predominately his face and hands which doctors described as a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) or warning stroke. While MRI and CT scan tests were being conducted, Michaels also received a Doppler Ultrasound of his legs and lower abdomen looking for blood clots and most importantly an Ultrasound Bubble Test of his heart was conducted which proved positive for a Patent Forum Ovale (PFO), a hole in the heart. Dr. Zabramski (Bretís neurosurgeon), Dr. Becker (who ordered the test), Dr. Cook (who conducted the test) and Dr. Frey (Director, Outpatient Stroke Program) all confirmed the results.
Dr. Zabramski states "There is no doubt that the positive Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) is devastating news to Bret and his family. The good news is that it is operable and treatable and we think we may have diagnosed the problem that caused the Transient Ischemic Attach (TIA) or warning stroke; however we feel it is highly unlikely this is connected to the brain hemorrhage he suffered just a few weeks earlier. Once again it is great that he quickly reacted to the severe numbness and got to the hospital immediately."



Discography

For a discography as a member of Poison, see Poison discography.
Albums
Year Album details Peak chart
positions
US US
Rock US
Indie
1998 A Letter from Death Row
Release date: August 25, 1998
Label: Ugl Records
— — —
2001 Ballads, Blues & Stories
Release date: 2001
Label: Poor Boy Records
— — —
2003 Songs of Life
Release date: April 22, 2003
Label: Poor Boy Records
— — —
2005 Freedom of Sound
Release date: January 1, 2005
Label: Poor Boy Records
— — —
2008 Rock My World
Release date: June 3, 2008
Label: VH1 Classics Records
40 16 4
2010 Custom Built
To be released
Label: Poor Boy Records
To be released
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
EPs
Year Album
2000 Country Demos
2008 Bret Michaels: Acoustic Sessions
Singles
Year Single Peak positions Album
US Country
1998 "Party Rock Band" (with C.C. DeVille) — A Letter from Death Row
2003 "Raine" — Songs of Life
"Bittersweet" —
2004 "All I Ever Needed" (with Jessica Andrews) 45 Freedom of Sound
"Right Now, Right Here" —
2005 "Open Road" —
2007 "Go That Far" — Rock My World
"Fallen" —
2008 "Start Again" —
"Driven" (rock mix) —
2010 "Nothing to Lose" (with Miley Cyrus) — Custom Built
"Lie to Me" —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
Filmography

Year Title Notes
1994 Burke's Law 1 episode
1994 In God's Hands
1998 A Letter from Death Row
1998 The World's Greatest Magic 5
1998 No Code of Conduct
1999 Martial Law 1 Episode
1999 Poison: VH1 Behind the Music
2003 Yes, Dear TV Series
2005 Nashville Star TV Series, Season 3
2007 Rock of Love with Bret Michaels TV Series (season one)
2008 Rock of Love 2 TV Series (season two)
2008 Don't Forget The Lyrics Fox TV
2008 Ellen-Fox Shows February 14, 2008
2008 Saturday Night Live
2009 Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels TV Series (Season 3)
2008 VH1's "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" Host (5-part special; December 2008 - January 2009)
2009 E True Hollywood Story: Bret Michaels
2009 The Penguins of Madagascar Singing "Wheels of Thunder" in Little Zoo Coupe
2009 Behind the Music: Bret Michaels
2009 American Pie Presents: The Book of Love as himself
2010 Celebrity Apprentice 3 as himself
Source:wikipedia

Sissy Spacek

Sissy Spacek (born Mary Elizabeth Spacek on December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Carrie White in Brian de Palma's 1976 horror film Carrie, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress.
In 1980, she won the Best Actress Oscar for her role as country star Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter. She has been nominated a total of six times. Spacek is known mainly as a dramatic actress, but also has made comedies. The films that Spacek has starred in have earned more than $700 million world wide.




Early life

Spacek was born on December 25, 1949, in Quitman, Texas, the daughter of Virginia Frances (née Spilman) and Edwin Arnold Spacek, Sr., a county agricultural agent. Her paternal grandparents, Mary Červenka and Arnold A. Špaček (who served as Mayor of Granger, Texas in Williamson County), were of Moravian/Czech/Bohemian descent.Spacek's mother was from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Spacek was given the nickname Sissy by her older brothers. She was greatly affected by the death of her 18-year old brother, Robbie, in 1967. Spacek moved to New York City hoping to become a singer. There she lived with her cousin, actor Rip Torn, and his wife, actress Geraldine Page.




Career

Spacek started out as a singer by recording one single ("John, You've Gone Too Far This Time") about John Lennon,an expression of her shock over the Two Virgins cover under the name 'Rainbo.' With the help of her cousin, actor Rip Torn, she was able to enroll in Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio and then the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City.



1970s
Her first credited role was in the 1970 cult classic Prime Cut, in which she played Poppy, a young girl sold into sexual slavery. This role led to TV work, which included a small role in The Waltons, in which she uttered the well-known line, "When are you going to stop being John Boy and start being John Man?" But, her landmark role of this period and the role that brought her international attention came in 1973 in Terrence Malick's Badlands, as Holly, the 15-year old girlfriend of mass-murderer Kit (played by Martin Sheen). Spacek described Badlands as the "most incredible" experience of her career. It was on the set of Badlands that Spacek met art director Jack Fisk, whom she soon married.
Spacek's iconic and career-defining role came in 1976 with Brian De Palma's Carrie, in which she played Carietta "Carrie" White, a shy high school senior and troubled teen-ager with telekinetic powers. Spacek had to work hard to persuade director de Palma to engage her for the role, set as he was on an alternative actress, whose identity, to this day, remains shrouded in mystery. Rubbing Vaseline into her hair, and donning an old sailor dress her mother made for her as a child, Spacek turned up at the audition with the odds stacked against her, but blew her competition out of the water. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in the film. (Veteran actress Piper Laurie, who played Carrie's religious. maniacal mother Margaret White, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.)
After Carrie, Spacek played the small role of topless housekeeper Linda Murray in Alan Rudolph's ensemble piece Welcome to LA (1976), but cemented her reputation in independent cinema with her performance as Pinky Rose in Robert Altman's 1977 classic 3 Women. Altman himself was deeply impressed by her performance and stated: 'She's remarkable, one of the top actresses I've ever worked with. Her resources are like a deep well.' Meanwhile, de Palma now enthused: 'Sissy's a phantom. She has this mysterious way of slipping into a part, letting it take over her. She's got a wider range than any young actress I know.' Spacek also helped finance then-brother-in-law David Lynch's directorial debut, Eraserhead (1976) and is thanked in the credits of the film.
In the 1979 film Heart Beat, Spacek played Carolyn Cassady, who slipped (under the influence of John Heard's Jack Kerouac and Nick Nolte's Neal Cassady) into a frustrating combination of drudgery and debauchery.



1980s
Spacek began the decade with an Oscar in 1980 for Coal Miner's Daughter, in which she played country music star Loretta Lynn. Film critic Roger Ebert credited the movie's success to the performance by Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn. With the same sort of magical chemistry she's shown before, when she played the high school kid in Carrie, Spacek at 29 has the ability to appear to be almost any age on screen. Here, she ages from about 14 to somewhere in her 30s, always looks the age, and never seems to be wearing makeup."


The handprints of Sissy Spacek in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
Spacek also was nominated for a Grammy Award for her singing on the film's soundtrack album. She followed this with her own country album, Hangin' Up My Heart, in 1983; the album spawned one hit single, "Lonely But Only For You," a song written by K.T. Oslin, which reached #15 on the Billboard Country chart.
The 1980s were a solid decade for Spacek. She consolidated her position as one of Hollywood's leading actresses. She starred alongside Jack Lemmon in Costa-Gavras's political thriller Missing (1982), Mel Gibson in the rural drama The River (1984), and Diane Keaton and Jessica Lange in 1986's Crimes of the Heart. She was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for all of these roles. Other notable performances of the decade included poignant star turns in husband Jack Fisk's directorial debut Raggedy Man (1981) and opposite Anne Bancroft in the suicide drama 'Night Mother (1986). She also showed her lighter side by agreeing to play the voice of the brain in the Steve Martin comedy The Man with Two Brains (1983). By the end of 1986, Spacek had retired to her farm in Virginia to raise her children and did not appear in another film until 1990.[9]




1990s
The 1990s saw Spacek slowly come back to Hollywood after her self-imposed hiatus. She had a supporting role as Kevin Costner's wife in Oliver Stone's JFK (1991), and she made a number of comedies, TV movies and the occasional film. Most notable were her turn as the villainous Verena Talbo in the 1995 ensemble piece The Grass Harp, (which reunited her with both Piper Laurie and Jack Lemmon), supporting performance (opposite Nick Nolte again) as the waitress Margie Fogg in Paul Schrader's father-son psychodrama Affliction (1997), and as Rose Straight in David Lynch's The Straight Story(1999).



2000s
Spacek has excelled in a number of film roles in the current decade. In 2001, she was nominated again for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Todd Field's In the Bedroom. New York Times film critic Stephen Holden said of her work in the film:
Ms. Spacek's performance is as devastating as it is unflashy. With the slight tightening of her neck muscles and a downward twitch of her mouth, she conveys her character's relentlessness, then balances it with enough sweetness to make Ruth seem entirely human. It is one of Ms. Spacek's greatest performances.

Her portrayal of a grieving mother consumed by revenge, Ruth Fowler, won extraordinary praise and garnered the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics awards for Best Actress.
Other notable performances of this decade include unfaithful wife Ruth in Rodrigo Garcia's Nine Lives (2005) and a recent turn as a woman suffering from Alzheimer's in the television movie Pictures of Hollis Woods (2007). In 2008, Spacek had a supporting part in the Christmas movie Four Christmases (2008) and a lead role in the independent drama, Lake City (2008).
Spacek joined the HBO drama Big Love for a multi-episode arc as a powerful Washington, D.C., lobbyist.


Personal life

Spacek married production designer Jack Fisk in 1974. Fisk directed her in the films Raggedy Man and Violets Are Blue and was Oscar nominated for his production design in 2007's There Will Be Blood. They have two daughters, Schuyler Fisk and Madison Fisk. Schuyler has appeared in several film roles and is pursuing a career as a singer. Spacek and her family live on a horse ranch near Charlottesville, Virginia. She also is an ardent crusader for women's rights.



Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1970 Trash Girl extra at bar uncredited
1972 Prime Cut Poppy
1973 The Girls of Huntington House Sara TV film
Badlands Holly Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer
1974 Ginger in the Morning Ginger TV film
The Migrants Wanda Trimpin
1975 Katherine Katherine Alman TV film (also known as The Radical)
1976 Carrie Carrie White National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Welcome to L.A. Linda Murray
1977 3 Women Pinky Rose New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
1978 Verna: U.S.O. Girl Verna Vane TV film
1980 Coal Miner's Daughter Loretta Lynn Academy Award for Best Actress
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
National Board of Review Award for Best Actress
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Heart Beat Carolyn Cassady
1981 Raggedy Man Nita Longley Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1982 Missing Beth Horman Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1983 The Man with Two Brains Anne Uumellmahaye voice (uncredited)
1984 The River Mae Garvey Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Terror in the Aisles archival footage
1985 Marie Marie Ragghianti
1986 Violets Are Blue Augusta 'Gussie' Sawyer
'night, Mother Jessie Cates
Crimes of the Heart Rebeca 'Babe'/'Becky' Magrath Botrelle Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
1990 The Long Walk Home Miriam Thompson
1991 Hard Promises Christine Ann Coalter
JFK Liz Garrison
1992 A Private Matter Sherri Finkbine TV film
1994 A Place for Annie Susan Lansing Hallmark Hall of Fame TV film
Trading Mom Mrs. Mommy Martin; Mama, Snappy French;
Mom, the Nature-Hiker; Natasha, the Circus Performer aka e Mommy Market
1995 The Good Old Boys Spring Renfro Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
The Grass Harp Verena Talbo
Streets of Laredo Lorena Parker TV mini-series
1996 Beyond the Call Pam O'Brien TV film
If These Walls Could Talk Barbara Barrows (segment "1974") TV film
1997 Affliction Margie Fogg
1999 Blast from the Past Helen Thomas Webber Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Straight Story Rose 'Rosie' Straight Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
2000 Songs in Ordinary Time Marie Fermoyle TV film
2001 In the Bedroom Ruth Fowler AFI Actress of the Year
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Midwives Sibyl Danforth Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2002 Last Call Zelda Fitzgerald Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
Tuck Everlasting Mae Tuck Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
2004 A Home at the End of the World Alice Glover
2005 Nine Lives Ruth Locarno International Film Festival Award for Best Actress Ensemble
The Ring Two Evelyn
North Country Alice Aimes
2006 An American Haunting Lucy Bell
Summer Running: The Race to Cure Breast Cancer Mrs. Flora Good
2007 Gray Matters Sydney
Hot Rod Marie Powell
Pictures of Hollis Woods Josie Cahill Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
2008 Lake City Maggie
Four Christmases Paula (Brad's Mom)
2009 Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People Narrator TV mini-series
Get Low For People
2010-present Big Love Marilyn Densham 5 episodes


Discography

Albums
Year Album US Country Label
1983 Hangin' Up My Heart 17 Atlantic


Singles
Year Single Chart Positions Album
US Country US CAN Country
1980 "Coal Miner's Daughter" 24 — 7 Coal Miner's Daughter (Soundtrack)
"Back in Baby's Arms" — — 71
1983 "Lonely But Only for You" 15 110 13 Hangin' Up My Heart
1984 "If I Can Just Get Through the Night" 57 — 41
"If You Could Only See Me Now" 79 — —
Source:wikipedia

Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Michelle Seyfried, (pronounced /ˈsaɪfrɪd/ SYE-frid; born December 3, 1985) is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was eleven and when she was fifteen she began her career as an actress; starting off with an uncredited role and going on to have a recurring role on a television series, which expanded into her having a successful television career.
In 2004, Seyfried made her film debut in Mean Girls playing Karen Smith, the ditziest of the so called 'plastics'. She then went on to other films including Nine Lives (2005) and Alpha Dog (2007). In 2008, after landing a lead role on HBO's popular television series, Big Love, in 2006, Seyfried appeared as Sophie Sheridan in the musical feature film Mamma Mia!. Other recent notable appearances include lead roles in Jennifer's Body and Chloe in 2009, and one of the two lead roles in Dear John the following year. She currently has three films in production.





Early life

Seyfried was born Amanda Michelle Seyfried in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States on December 3, 1985.Seyfried's mother, Ann (née Sander), was an occupational therapist, and her father, Jack, was a pharmacist. Seyfried has one older sister, Jennifer Seyfried, who is a musician in the Philadelphia organ-driven rock band Love City. Amanda graduated in 2003 from Allentown's William Allen High School.



Career history

Early Work
I was naturally skinny and had braces, so I wasn't a cute model. I never felt pretty but it was fun and I got a cool pay check to buy sweets with.
“”
Seyfried on her modeling career.[3]
In 1995, Seyfried began her acting career at the age of nine.[1][5] In Allentown, she took classes at Civic Theatre of Allentown, and eventually signed with Image International Agency (IIA) in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where she lived at the time, before switching over to work at Bethlehem's Pro Model Agency and eventually signing with Wilhelmina agency in New York City, New York.[5] Seyfried's modeling career ended when she was seventeen.During her modeling career she appeared in print ads for clothing companies; including Limited Too with Leighton Meester.
While modeling, Seyfried took voice lessons from eleven to seventeen She trained with a Broadway voice coach for nearly five years.From there she began acting as an extra in the daytime drama television series Guiding Light; her role on the show was uncredited. In 2000, she originated the role of Lucinda Marie "Lucy" Montgomery #2 on the television show As the World Turns; appearing on the show as a recurring character, her role on the show lasted until 2001. After appearing in twenty-seven episodes, Seyfried left the show as a result of creative conflicts. From 2002 to 2003, Seyfried played the recurring role of Joni Stafford on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) broadcasted show, All My Children.
In 2003, Seyfried auditioned to play the mean-girl role of Regina George in the Mean Girls; the role eventually went to Rachel McAdams, but the producers of the film picked Seyfried to play one of Regina's two dim-witted "plastic" friends and sidekicks, Karen. The film, in which Seyfried co-starred alongside McAdams and Lindsay Lohan, centered on Cady trying to 'take down' the "plastics" at her high school. Mean Girls was a block-buster box-office success, making over $129 million in its theatrical run. Seyfried's performance in the film earned her, along with Lohan and McAdams, an MTV Movie Award in the category of "Best On-Screen Team." Mean Girls was Seyfried's feature film debut.


Seyfried at the premiere of her film Chloe at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2009.
Continuing her television career in 2004, Seyfried auditioned to play the title character on UPN's popular television show Veronica Mars.Although the role eventually went to Kristen Bell, Seyfried portrayed the title character's murdered best friend, Lilly Kane. Although her character was only shown in flashbacks, Lily was vital part of the first season's plot and made Seyfried one of the show's 'familiar faces'. Seyfried appeared in ten episodes from 2004–2005. In 2005, she played the lead character, Samantha, a role written specifically for Seyfried, in one of the nine parts in the film Nine Lives, comprising nine short films with different themes and an ensemble cast. For her performance in the film, Seyfried won an award from the Locarno International Film Festival, for Best Actress, which she shared with the film's other female leads. The same year she played supporting character Mouse in American Gun.In 2006 Seyfried appeared in five episodes on Wildfire as Rebecca and had lead role as Chrissy in Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves as well as a minor role as Julie Beckley in Alpha Dog. From 2004 to 2006, Seyfried made multiple guest appearances on television series, including House, M.D., Justice, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Career success

Seyfried's break-through role was in the HBO television series Big Love, which centers on a fictional fundamentalist Mormon, where Seyfried plays Sarah, Bill and Barb's first daughter who is struggling with her family's polygamous faith. Big Love premiered in the United States on March 12, 2006 and HBO confirmed that the show was renewed for a fourth season – which was filmed in August 2009, and premiered on January 10, 2010. As of March 2010, Seyfried has appeared in all thirty-five episodes of the show's three seasons. In December 2009, HBO confirmed that Seyfried would return for the show's fourth season, but that it would be her last, as Seyfried wished to focus on her film career and up-coming projects.
Following the success of Big Love, Seyfried had a supporting role as Zoe in the 2008 horror drama film Solstice. That year, Seyfried also co-starred alongside Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia!, a romantic comedy film adaptation of the 1999 musical of the same name. Mamma Mia! was Seyfried's first leading role as Sophie. With worldwide revenue of $609 million – compared to its $52 million budget, the film was the fifth highest grossing film of 2008 and, as of March 2010, is the 49th highest grossing film of all time.Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe commented that "what Seyfried lacks in emotional range is compensated for in luminousness" Her musical performance in Mamma Mia! was released on the film's soundtrack, for which she recorded five songs. As part of promotion for both the film and its soundtrack, Seyfried recorded a music video of the song, entitled "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". On February 22, 2009, Seyfried presented an award and performed alongside her boyfriend, Dominic Cooper, and actors Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron along with musicians Beyoncé Knowles and Vanessa Hudgens at the 2009 Annual 81st Academy Awards ceremony. In March 2008, Seyfried signed on to co-star alongside Megan Fox and Adam Brody in the black comedy horror film Jennifer's Body, written by Diablo Cody. In the film Seyfried was cast as Anita "Needy" Lesnicki, the title character's best friend. The film, which premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and was released to theaters on September 18, 2009, received mixed reviews from critics. In early March 2009, director Zack Snyder had tapped Seyfried to portray the lead role, "Baby Doll" in Sucker Punch. Seyfried was due to co-star alongside Vannessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish and Jena Malone; though, within the same month, she had to drop out of the film due to scheduling conflicts with Big Love. Emily Browning was later cast in the role.


Seyfried on September 10, 2009, at a screening of her film Jennifer's Body.
Seyfried co-starred alongside Channing Tatum in the film adaptation of the novel of the same name that was written by Nicholas Sparks, entitled Dear John.] The film was released on February 5, 2010, and received generally negative reviews. Seyfried has written and recorded a song titled "Little House", one of the official soundtracks of Dear John. Melissa Anderson of LA Weekly praised Seyfried and Tatum's on screen chemistry. Next, Seyfried appeared as the title character in the erotic thriller Chloe, theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics on March 26, 2010. Chloe, in which Seyfried co-starred alongside Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore, had originally premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2009. In the film, Seyfried played Chloe, a woman who was hired to 'test' a husband because his wife feels that she cannot trust his fidelity; negative consequences ensue after the beginning of the arrangement.
In September 2009, Seyfried became attached to Marmaduke, a film based on a popular comic strip and co-starring George Lopez and Fergie. The film will be a mix of live action and CG-animated creatures.Seyfried was cast as the voice of "Mazie". The movie was filmed in mid 2009 and is scheduled for release on June 4, 2010. Seyfried is also set to appear in the film Letters to Juliet, a film adaptation of the book by Lise and Ceil Friedman. The film centers on a couple (Seyfried and García) who discover a letter written to Juliet Capulet. The film is set to be released on May 7, 2010. In late January 2009, Seyfried became attached to appear in Myriad Pictures' adaptation of Oscar Wilde's comedy "A Woman of No Importance". The film, in which Seyfried co-stars alongside Annette Bening and Sean Bean, is set to be released in 2011. Seyfried will play the love interest to the womanizer Lord Illingworth at an "awfully posh upper-class party at the family's pile in the English countryside."



Personal life

In 2006, Seyfried began a relationship with actor and musician Jesse Marchant; the relationship ended after two years in 2008. In 2008, Seyfried began dating her Mamma Mia! co-star, Dominic Cooper. In 2008, Seyfried was ranked #65 on the list of "The Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Famous Faces From Around the World" and was also placed #5 in Moviefone's "25 Under 25: Hollywood's Hottest Young Stars". The following year the British Glamour.com (of Glamour magazine) ranked Seyfried at the #17 spot as one of the "30 Hottest and Sexiest Stars Under 30".In 2009, People Magazine ranked Seyfried #4 in the Most Beautiful 2009 - Beautiful at Every Age. She has a tattoo of her nickname, minge.





Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
2004 Mean Girls Karen Smith Supporting role; film debut
2005 Nine Lives Samantha Lead role
American Gun Mouse Supporting role
2006 Alpha Dog Julie Beckley Supporting role
Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves Chrissy Lead role; Short film
2008 Solstice Zoe Supporting role; direct to video
Mamma Mia! Sophie Sheridan Lead role
Official Selection Emily Minor role; short film
2009 Boogie Woogie Paige Prideaux Lead role
Jennifer's Body Anita "Needy" Lesnicki Lead role
2010 Dear John Savannah Lynn Curtis Lead role
Chloe Chloe Lead role
Letters to Juliet Sophie Lead role
2012 The Girl with the Red Riding Hood Valerie Lead Role



Television
Year Title Role Notes
2000–2001 As the World Turns Lucinda Marie "Lucy" Montgomery #2 Recurring role (27 episodes)
2002–2003 All My Children Joni Stafford Recurring role
2004 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Tandi McCain Episode: "Outcry"
2004–2005 Veronica Mars Lilly Kane Recurring role (10 episodes)
2005 House M.D. Pam Episode: "Detox"
2006 Justice Ann Diggs Episode: "Pretty Woman"
Wildfire Rebecca Episodes: "A Good Convict Is Hard to Find"
"Dangerous Liaisons"
"Family Matters"
"Nothing Takes the Past Away Like the Future"
"Taking Off"
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Lacey Finn Episode: "Rashomama"
2006–present Big Love Sarah Henrickson Lead role (35 episodes)
2008 American Dad! Amy Episode: "Escape from Pearl Bailey"



Songs

Year Title Notes
2008 "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" Mamma Mia!
2010 "Little House" Dear John
Source:wikipedia

Grace Padaca

Ma. Gracia Cielo "Grace" Magno Padaca (born October 25, 1963) has been the governor of the northern province of Isabela, Philippines since 2004. Among Filipino politicians, she is among the minority not from politically connected families. Her success has largely been attributed to her support from the Catholic Church and her fame as a radio commentator on radio station Bombo Radyo in Cauayan.
During her childhood, she suffered from polio, which has forced her to walk with crutches for most of her life.


2001 congressional elections

Grace Padaca ran for Congress in 2001. Her campaign struck a responsive chord among Isabela voters, and initial results showed her winning in most of the seven municipalities and one city of the congressional district. The final tally, though, had her losing to her opponent, Faustino "Bojie" Dy, by a margin of 1,285 votes (he got 50.7 percent of the vote to her 49.3 percent).
She protested the results of 151 ballot boxes. Dy countered, questioning the results not only of the 151 precincts but all 812 precincts. Padaca initiated what she called an "Adopt A Ballot Box" campaign, where a donor knew that each P1,000 donated would defray the cost of a ballot box revision. Her campaign was not limited to Isabelinos. She sent letters to people she had never met, but whom she believed to be persons of good will, asking for their help. The great majority responded--people like Enrique Zobel (who also hired her as an accountant in his hacienda in Calatagan, Batangas)--and she raised the required amount.
The revision of the ballots in 812 ballot boxes found definitively that not only were the questioned Angandanan CoC and SoV fraudulent, falsified, and padded, there was also evidence of post-election fraud in the form of genuine ballots being removed from the boxes, then replaced with spurious ones that had Dy's name in handwriting other than the voter's.
But after two and a half years, the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), in a decision promulgated on December 18, 2003, declared Dy the winner by 48 votes. Those who signed that decision were Supreme Court Associate Justices Leonardo A. Qusimbing, Angelina Sandoval Gutierrez, Representatives Douglas Cagas (Davao del Sur), Zenaida Ducut (Pampanga), Enrico Echiverri (Caloocan), and Joaquin Chipeco (Laguna).
A major point of disagreement was what to do with the ballots with "Grace" written on them. The majority of the HRET refused to count ballots with "Grace" written on them in favor of Grace Padaca. Their reason was that her real name was "Maria Gracia Cielo Padaca" and the nickname she gave when she filed her candidacy was "Bombo Grace". According to their logic, "Grace" was not the same as "Bombo Grace", and there was no reason to conclude that Grace derives from Gracia. Furthermore, it is not the dominant name in Maria Gracia Cielo, since "Maria" appears first.
Justice Vitug made no bones about what he thought of that reasoning, "The admission of 'Grace' only votes will not in any way violate the law," he opined. "No doubt the voters intended to vote for Protestant when they wrote 'Grace' only on the ballot, considering that the same is admittedly the name by which Protestant is popularly known. Additionally, there was no other candidate, whether national or local, who ran in the May 14, 2001 elections with the name or nickname of 'Grace.'"
Vitug also pointed out that the name "Maria GRACE Cielo Padaca" was listed in the certified list of candidates, in all the different copies of CoCs and SoVs and even in the ERs found inside the ballot boxes. He therefore concluded, there could be no doubt that the voters intended to vote for Padaca when they wrote "Grace" on their ballots.



2004 gubernatorial elections

Grace Padaca was victorious in the 2004 gubernatorial election in the northern province of Isabela with 55% of the vote. The physically challenged look to her, a polio victim, as proof that being handicapped is no barrier to success (valedictorian in elementary and high school and magna cum laude in college). Would-be public servants reluctant to enter the political race because they are honest and poor are inspired by her performance (what she lacked in financing, she got from volunteers). Ordinary people who felt helpless against dynasties and political machinery have been heartened. Grace has shown them that they can make a difference.
Of course, the feeling is not unanimous. The Dy family, whose 30-year grip on political power was broken in the 2004 elections, is not among her fans. Then there are Election Commissioners Rufino Javier and Virgilio Garcillano, whose rulings leave no doubt in anyone's minds as to whose side they are on. It was on their order that radio station Bombo Radyo was closed down on the eve of election day; and it was they who signed the temporary restraining order on Grace's proclamation, based on the charge that she should be disqualified because she used terrorist tactics to force people to vote for her.


2007 gubernatorial elections

She was reelected as governor in the 2007 election.
International Women of Courage Award

On December 5, 2007, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney personally conferred to Padaca the prestigious International Women of Courage Award, an award which was also conferred to former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. It was bestowed on Padaca for her continued development of Isabela following a colorful stint as a broadcast journalist.
Padaca, 44, on July 31, 2008 was among the 8 winners of the 2008 Ramon Magsaysay Award( Asia's version of the Nobel Prize), for Government Service for "empowering Isabela voters to reclaim their democratic right to elect leaders of their own choosing, and to contribute as full partners in their own development."



Governorship

Illegal logging task force
Padaca campaigned against illegal logging problems, which caused 30,000 "Bugador" (loggers) to lose jobs despite pleas for livelihood. i-Witness: The GMA Documentaries featured this controversy. Padaca reactivated the anti-illegal task force amid incessant complaints and reports from the province's concerned citizens, the Catholic Church (whose 7 priests staged hunger strikes) and various organizations against the resumption of illegal logging in government protected Sierra Madre biodiversity corridor - "Sierra Madre National Park." Isabela has 600,000 hectares of Cagayan Valley's 900,000 hectares of forest cover.



Kaya Natin
Padaca, Gov. Ed Panlilio (of Pampanga), (Naga City) Mayor Jesse Robredo, and Mayor Sonia Lorenzo of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, launched "Kaya Natin", a group that "seeks to recruit principled local government officials to change the country's deteriorating political situation." Their 'Islands of Hope' - university campus tour, a new movement for ethical leadership and good governance was launched on July 31, 2008, at the Ateneo de Manila University's Walter Hogan Conference Center in Quezon City. They also launched a website mainly to give Filipinos working abroad easier access, which can be reached at Kayanatin.com
Source;wikipedia

Susno Duadji

Susno Duadji (born 1 July 1954 in Pagar Alam, South Sumatra) was the head of Indonesian National Police's Crime Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) until his resignation on 5 November 2009. He had got promoted to his last position on October 2008 after serving as Chief of Police in West Java Province for less than a year. He has a rank of Police Commissioner General (Komjen Pol.) - equivalent Lieutenant General in the military. His experiences include Chief of Police in Malang, in Madiun, both are in East Java Province, as well as Chief of Police in North Maluku.

Controversies

In the recent days, Mr. Duadji became the headlines in the Indonesian National media due to his allegedly "involvement" in several high caliber corruption cases investigated by Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Once applauded for his anti corruption stance during his tenure as West Java Police Chief, he became increasingly hostile to the Commission. He was allegedly undermined anti corruption effort in Indonesia. In one occasion he met with Mr. Anggoro Widjojo in Singapore, while Mr. Widjojo was still wanted by Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for his involvement in a corruption case. This accusation has sparked rivalry between Indonesian National Police and Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission, that led to arrest of two leaders of the Commission. This arrest in turn has touched emotion among Indonesian people due to their concern about weakening corruption fight in Indonesia. Most Indonesians view Corruption Eradication Commission more credible than Indonesian National Police as well as Indonesian Attorney General Office in fighting corruption through several high caliber cases, including the sentencing of Aulia Pohan, in-law of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Source:wikipedia

Russell Crowe

Russell Ira Crowe, (born 7 April 1964) is a New Zealand-born, naturalized Australian actor and musician. His acting career began in the early 1990s with roles in Australian TV series such as Police Rescue and films such as Romper Stomper. In the late 1990s, he began appearing in US films such as the 1997 movie L.A. Confidential. He has been nominated for three Oscars, and in 2001, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his starring role in the film Gladiator. Crowe is also co-owner of National Rugby League team the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Early life

Crowe was born in Wellington, New Zealand, the son of Jocelyn Yvonne (née Wemyss) and John Alexander Crowe, both of whom were movie set caterers; his father also managed a hotel.  Crowe's maternal grandfather, Stan Wemyss, was a cinematographer who, according to Crowe, produced the first film by New Zealander Geoff Murphy,[6][dead link] and was also named an MBE for filming footage of World War II. Crowe's maternal great-great grandmother was Māori, and his paternal grandfather was from Wrexham, Wales;Crowe also has Scottish, Norwegian, English and Irish ancestry. Two of his cousins, Martin and Jeff Crowe, are former New Zealand national cricket captains.
When Crowe was four years old, his family moved to Australia, where his parents pursued a career in film set catering. The producer of the Australian TV series Spyforce was his mother's godfather, and Crowe at age five or six was hired for a line of dialogue in one episode, opposite series star Jack Thompson. (In 1994 Thompson played Crowe's father in The Sum of Us. He had been educated at the same school which Crowe was to attend for two years: Sydney Boys High School.) Crowe also appeared briefly in serial The Young Doctors.
From his youth to the present, Crowe has had a special love of horses. "They're just like people," he told CraveOnline, "there are some horses that you have a deeper connection with immediately, and you can work on that over time." He has also noted that he sometimes finds it difficult to part with his equine co-stars when a film wraps.
When he was 14, Crowe's family moved back to New Zealand, where he (along with his brother Terry) attended Auckland Grammar School with cousins Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe. He then continued his secondary education at Mount Roskill Grammar School, which he left at age 16 to chase his dreams of becoming a musician or actor. A classmate and friend from that time, John Maloney, remembers Crowe as a "sombre, misshapen" boy who was "frequently shirtless and even more frequently sans culottes".
In the mid-1980s Russell, under guidance from his good friend Tom Sharplin, performed as a rock 'n' roll revivalist, under the stage name Russ Le Roq, and had a New Zealand single with "I Just Want To Be Like Marlon Brando." In 1986 he was given his first professional role by director Daniel Abineri in a production of The Rocky Horror Show. He played the role of Eddie/Dr Scott. He repeated this performance in a further Australian production of the show. In the 1988 Australian production of Blood Brothers, Crowe played the role of Mickey. He was also cast again by Daniel Abineri in the role of Johnny in the stage musical of Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom in 1989.
Crowe returned to Australia at age 21, intending to apply to the National Institute of Dramatic Art. "I was working in a theatre show, and talked to a guy who was then the head of technical support at NIDA," Crowe recalled. "I asked him what he thought about me spending three years at NIDA. He told me it'd be a waste of time. He said, 'You already do the things you go there to learn, and you've been doing it for most of your life, so there's nothing to teach you but bad habits.'" In 1987 Crowe spent a six-month stint as a busker when he couldn't find other work.
After appearing in the TV series Neighbours and Living with the Law, Crowe was cast in his first film, The Crossing (1990), a small-town love triangle directed by George Ogilvie. Before production started, a film-student protégé of Ogilvie's, Steve Wallace, hired Crowe for the film Blood Oath (1990) (aka Prisoners of the Sun) which was released a month earlier than The Crossing, although actually filmed later. In 1992, Crowe starred in the first episode of the second series of Police Rescue. Also in 1992 Crowe starred in Romper Stomper, an Australian film which follows the exploits and downfall of a racist skinhead group in blue-collar suburban Melbourne, directed by Geoffrey Wright, for which Crowe won an Australian Film Institute (AFI) award for Best Actor, following up from his Best Supporting Actor award for Proof in 1991.



Hollywood

This section requires expansion.
After initial success in Australia, Crowe began acting in American films. He first co-starred with Denzel Washington in Virtuosity, and with Sharon Stone in The Quick and the Dead in 1995. He went on to become a three-time Oscar nominee, winning the Academy Award as Best Actor in 2001 for Gladiator. Crowe wore his grandfather Stan Wemyss's Member of the Order of the British Empire medal to the ceremony.
Crowe received three consecutive best actor Oscar nominations for The Insider, Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind. Crowe won the best actor award for A Beautiful Mind at the 2002 BAFTA award ceremony. However he failed to win the Oscar that year, losing to Denzel Washington. It has been suggested that his attack on television producer Malcolm Gerrie for cutting short his acceptance speech may have turned voters against him.


Crowe at the London premiere for State of Play in April 2009
All three films were also nominated for best picture, and both Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind won the award. Within the six year stretch from 1997–2003, he also starred in two other best picture nominees, L.A. Confidential and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, though he was nominated for neither. In 2005 he re-teamed with A Beautiful Mind director Ron Howard for Cinderella Man. In 2006 he re-teamed with Gladiator director Ridley Scott for A Good Year, the first of two consecutive collaborations (the second being American Gangster co-starring again with Denzel Washington, released in late 2007). While the light romantic comedy of A Good Year was not greatly received, Crowe seemed pleased with the film, telling STV in an interview that he thought it would be enjoyed by fans of his other films.
On 9 March 2005, Crowe revealed to GQ magazine that Federal Bureau of Investigation agents had approached him prior to the 73rd Academy Awards on 25 March 2001 and told him that the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda wanted to kidnap him. Crowe told the magazine that it was the first time he had ever heard of al-Qaeda (the 11 September attacks took place later that year) and was quoted as saying:
"You get this late-night call from the FBI when you arrive in Los Angeles, and they're, like, absolutely full-on. 'We’ve got to talk to you now before you do anything. We have to have a discussion with you, Mr Crowe.'" Crowe recalled that "it was something to do with some recording picked up by a French policewoman, I think, in either Libya or Algiers...it was about taking iconographic Americans out of the picture as a sort of cultural-destabilisation plan".
Crowe was guarded by Secret Service agents for the next few months, both while shooting films and at award ceremonies (Scotland Yard also guarded Crowe while he was promoting Proof of Life in London in February 2001). Crowe said that he "...never fully understood what the fuck was going on."
Crowe will appear in Robin Hood, an upcoming film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott, due for release on May 14, 2010.
Crowe is slated to appear in the Paul Haggis film The Next Three Days, an adaptation of the 2008 French film Pour Elle.


Charities

One of several tree donations by Russell Crowe, Centennial Park in Sydney
Crowe, who was in Toronto filming Cinderella Man with director Ron Howard, learned of a fire-bombing at a Jewish elementary school that took place in Montreal. Police said a note with anti-Semitic comments was found on the outside wall of the gutted library. He was so distraught that he offered (a reported $250,000 donation) to help rebuild the school's library. Montreal resident Shelley Paris says, "It was a huge morale boost for the school community. He said he was very upset about what had happened that a place of learning should be attacked that way. He wanted to make sure that our students knew that he was thinking about them and that he was very upset about the fire-bombing."
On another occasion, Crowe donated a large sum of money ($200,000) to a struggling primary school near his home in rural Australia. Crowe's sympathies were sparked when a pupil drowned at the nearby Coffs Harbour beach in 2001, and he believes the pool will help students become better swimmers and improve their knowledge of water safety. At the opening ceremony in characteristic Crowe style he dove into the pool fully clothed as soon as the venue was declared open. Nana Glen principal Laurie Renshall says, "The many things he does up here, people just don't know about. We've been trying to get a pool for 10 years."



Personal life

On 7 April 2003, his 39th birthday, Crowe married Australian singer and actress Danielle Spencer. Crowe met Spencer while filming The Crossing (1990). Crowe and Spencer have two sons: Charles "Charlie" Spencer (born 21 December 2003) and Tennyson Spencer (born 7 July 2006).
Prior to his marriage to Spencer, Crowe had a relationship with Meg Ryan during and after the filming of Proof of Life in 2000.
Most of the year, Crowe resides in Australia. He has a home in Sydney at the end of the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo and a 320-hectare rural property in Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.
Crowe also owns a house in the North Queensland city of Townsville: he purchased the $450,000 home in the suburb of Douglas on 3 May 2008. It's believed the home is for his niece, who is studying at James Cook University.
Crowe stated in November 2007 that he would like to be baptised, and feels that he has put it off for too long. "I do believe there are more important things than what is in the mind of a man," he says. "There is something much bigger that drives us all. I'm willing to take that leap of faith."
In the beginning of 2009, Crowe appeared in a series of special edition postage stamps called "Legends of the Screen", featuring Australian actors. He, Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett, and Nicole Kidman each appear twice in the series: once as themselves and once as their Academy Award-winning character.



South Sydney Rabbitohs
Crowe has been a supporter of the rugby league football team the South Sydney Rabbitohs since childhood. Since his rise to fame as an actor, he has continued appearing at home games, and supported the financially troubled club. Following the Super League war of the 1990s Crowe made an attempt to use his Hollywood connections to convince Ted Turner, rival of Super League's Rupert Murdoch, to save the Rabbitohs before they were forced from the National Rugby League competition for two years. In 1999 Crowe paid A$42,000 at auction for the brass bell used to open the inaugural rugby league match in Australia in 1908 at a fundraiser to assist Souths' legal battle for inclusion in the League. In 2005, he made the Rabbitohs the first club team in Australia to be sponsored by a film, when he negotiated a deal to advertise his movie Cinderella Man on their jerseys.
He is friends with many current and former players of the club, and currently employs former South Sydney forward Mark Carroll as a bodyguard and personal trainer. He has encouraged other actors to support the club, such as Tom Cruise and Burt Reynolds.
On 19 March 2006, the voting members of the South Sydney club voted (in a 75.8% majority) to allow Crowe and businessman Peter Holmes à Court to purchase 75% of the organisation, leaving 25% ownership with the members. It cost them A$3 million, and they received four of eight seats on the board of directors. A six part television miniseries entitled "South Side Story" depicting the takeover aired in Australia in 2007.
On 5 November 2006, Russell Crowe appeared on Tonight Show with Jay Leno to announce that Firepower International was sponsoring the South Sydney Rabbitohs for $3 million over three years. During a Tonight Show with Jay Leno appearance, watched by over 11 million viewers, Crowe showed viewers a Rabbitoh playing jersey with Firepower's name emblazoned on it.
Crowe helped to organise a rugby league game that took place in Jacksonville, Florida between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the English Super League champions Leeds Rhinos on 26 January 2008 (Australia Day). The game was played at the University of North Florida. Crowe told ITV Local Yorkshire the game wasn't a marketing exercise.
Crowe wrote a letter of apology to a Sydney newspaper following the sacking of South Sydney's coach Jason Taylor and one of their players David Fa'alogo after a drunken altercation between the two at the end of the 2009 NRL season.
Also in 2009 Crowe persuaded young England international forward Sam Burgess to sign with the Rabbitohs over other clubs that were competing for his signature, after inviting Burgess and his mother to the set of Robin Hood, which he was filming in England at the time.


Other sporting interests
In European soccer, Russell acknowledged to be a fan of FC Barcelona.
Crowe is a big cricket fan. He played cricket in school and his cousins Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe are former Black Caps Captains. Russell Crowe also captained the 'Australian' Team containing Steve Waugh against an English side in the 'Hollywood Ashes' Cricket Match.[34] On 17 July 2009, Crowe took to the commentary box for the British sports channel, Sky Sports, as the 'third man' during the second test of the 2009 Ashes series, between England and Australia.
He is also a fan of the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League[36] and a supporter of the Leeds Rhinos[citation needed] in the Super League.
Crowe is a big supporter of the University of Michigan Wolverines American football team, an interest that stems from his friendship with former Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr. Carr used Crowe's movie Cinderella Man to motivate his team in 2006 following a disappointing 7–5 season the previous year. Upon hearing of this, Crowe called Carr and invited him to Australia to address his Rugby league team the South Sydney Rabbitohs, an offer Carr took Crowe up on the following summer. In September 2007, after Carr came under fire following the Wolverines' 0–2 start, Crowe traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Wolverines' 15 September game against Notre Dame to show his support for Carr. He addressed the team before the game and watched from the sidelines as the Wolverines defeated the Irish 38–0.
Crowe is also a fan of the National Football League, and on 22 October 2007, appeared in the booth of a Monday Night game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is also a devout fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs which stems from his shooting of Cinderella Man at Maple Leaf Gardens.



Altercations

June 2005: Russell Crowe en route to his arraignment for the phone throwing incident
Crowe has been involved in a number of altercations in recent years which have given him a reputation for having a bad temper.
In 1999, Crowe was involved in a scuffle at the Plantation Hotel in Coffs Harbour, Australia, which was caught on security video. Two men were acquitted of using the video in an attempt to blackmail Crowe.[40]
When part of Crowe's appearance at the 2002 BAFTA awards was cut out to fit into the BBC's tape-delayed broadcast, Crowe used strong language during an argument with producer Malcolm Gerrie. The part cut was a poem in tribute to actor Richard Harris who was then terminally ill, and was cut for copyright reasons. Crowe later apologised, saying "What I said to him may have been a little bit more passionate than now, in the cold light of day, I would have liked it to have been." Later that year, Crowe was alleged to have been involved in a "brawl" inside a trendy Japanese restaurant in London.The fight was broken up by British television actor Ross Kemp.
In June 2005, Crowe was arrested and charged with second-degree assault by New York City police, after he threw a telephone at an employee of the Mercer Hotel who refused to help him place a call when the system did not work from his room, and was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon (the telephone). The employee, a concierge, was treated for a facial laceration. Crowe described the incident as "possibly the most shameful situation that I've ever gotten myself in... and I've done some pretty dumb things in my life". He was sentenced to conditional release. Prior to the plea bargain, Crowe settled a lawsuit filed by the concierge, Nestor Estrada.Terms of the settlement were not disclosed but amounts in the 6 figure range have been suggested.



Musician

Crowe at O'Reilly's Pub in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Crowe, going under the name of "Rus le Roq", recorded a 1980s tune titled "I Want To Be Like Marlon Brando". Crowe and a friend formed a band, "Roman Antix", which later evolved into the Australian pub rock band 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts (TOFOG). Crowe performed lead vocals and guitar for the band, which formed in 1992. The band had found neither critical nor popular success but had several releases including 1998's Gaslight, 2001's Bastard Life or Clarity and 2003's Other Ways of Speaking, plus various CD releases now out of print. The band's web site indicates that group has "dissolved/evolved" and states that Crowe's music would take a new direction.
He continued with a collaboration with Alan Doyle of the Canadian band Great Big Sea in early 2005, which also involved members of his previous band. A new single, Raewyn, was released in April 2005 and an album entitled My Hand, My Heart has been released for download on iTunes. The album includes a tribute song to actor Richard Harris, who became Crowe's friend during the making of Gladiator. In 2002, he directed the music video clip (which starred former child actor Duy Nguyen) for his wife Danielle Spencer's single 'Tickle Me' from her 'White Monkey' album. On 10 March 2006, Russell Crowe performed with his new band The Ordinary Fear of God on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Crowe landed a role in a musical, Grease, in 1983. From 1986–1988, Crowe performed in the touring production of The Rocky Horror Show. In Summer 2010, Crowe will work with Irish band size2shoes on their second album at his personal studio.


Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1990 Blood Oath Lt. Jack Corbett
The Crossing Johnny Ryan Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award – Best Actor in Lead Role
1991 Proof Andy Australian Film Institute Award – Best Supporting Actor
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actor – Male
1992 Spotswood Kim Barrett
Romper Stomper Hando Australian Film Institute Award – Best Actor in Lead Role
Seattle International Film Festival for Best Actor also for Hammers Over the Anvil
1993 Hammers Over the Anvil East Driscoll Seattle International Film Festival for Best Actor also for Romper Stomper
The Silver Brumby The Man (Egan)
For the Moment Lachlan Currie
1994 The Sum of Us Jeff Mitchell
1995 The Quick and the Dead Cort
No Way Back FBI Agent Zack Grant
Virtuosity SID 6.7
Rough Magic Alex Ross
1997 L.A. Confidential Officer Wendell "Bud" White Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Heaven's Burning Colin O'Brien
Breaking Up Steve
1999 Mystery, Alaska Sheriff John Biebe
The Insider Jeffrey Wigand Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for Gladiator
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
2000 Gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius Academy Award for Best Actor
Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor – Action
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Empire Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for The Insider
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Proof of Life Terry Thorne Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor – Suspense
2001 A Beautiful Mind John Nash BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—American Film Institute Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award – Best Actor in Lead Role
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2003 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Capt. Jack Aubrey Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
2005 Cinderella Man Jim Braddock Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award – Best International Actor
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
2006 A Good Year Max Skinner
2007 3:10 to Yuma Ben Wade Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
American Gangster Det. Richie Roberts Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award – Best International Actor
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2008 Tenderness Detective Cristofuoro
Body of Lies Ed Hoffman
2009 State of Play Cal McAffrey Australian Film Institute Award – Best International Actor
2010 Robin Hood Robin Hood
2011 The Next Three Days[53] Post-production
In Search Of Immortality / Amrit Kumbh[54] Announced, Indian film
Source:wikipedia

Paathshaala

Paathshaala (Hindi: पाठशाला) is a 2010 Bollywood film that stars Shahid Kapoor, Ayesha Takia, Ali Haji and Nana Patekar and is directed by Milind Ukey. The film revolves around kids set in a school campus. It comments on the Indian education system and its shortcomings. Kapoor plays an English and music teacher in the film. It is inspired by the Marathi movie Shaala also directed by Milind Ukey. The film opened on 16 April 2010 to mixed reviews.


Plot

The story begins with a new English teacher Rahul Prakash Udyavar (Shahid Kapoor) joining Swaraswati Vidya Mandir school, situated in the Mumbai suburbs. He strikes instant rapport with students and teachers alike.
When Rahul Udyawar unifies the teachers (Ayesha Takia, Sushant Singh) against the atrocities of school management, the Principal Aditya Sahay (Nana Patekar) defends the management decision. This comes as a shocker to the teachers as Mr. Sahay is known for his dedication as an educator for the last 32 years which has built the school's high reputation. The situation becomes graver as school management becomes overambitious with its growth and involves media planners in the extracurricular activities. This demands the involvement of students in TV reality shows and many other media PR activities used for building up the school image in public which starts reflecting on the students' stress levels. The pressure on young minds increases incredibly, leading to unexpected and grim consequences.
Caught in the web of commercialization and internal rebellion, the school's situation becomes so explosive that it finally becomes a national issue.


Cast

Shahid Kapoor as Rahul Udyawar
Ayesha Takia as Anjali
Nana Patekar as Principle Aditya Sahay
Sushant Singh as Chauhan Sir
Saurabh Shukla as Sharma
Dwij Yadav
Master Ali Haji


Production

Most of the film was shot at Film City in Mumbai where the set of the Saraswati Vidya Mandir school was constructed.


]Music

The audio CD of the film was released in March 2010, and it contains 10 songs, including five original songs, four remixes, and one theme song.
"Aye Khuda" (Salim Merchant)
"Khushnuma" (Vishal Dadlani)
"Bekarar" (Lucky Ali)
"Mujhe Teri" (Tulsi Kumar, Hanif Sheikh, Akansha Lama)
"Teri Marzi Aye Khuda" (Kailash Kher)
"Aye Khuda - Remix" (Salim Merchant)
"Mujhe Teri - Remix" (Tulsi Kumar, Hanif Sheikh, Akansha Lama)
"Teri Marzi Aye Khuda - Remix" (Kailash Kher)
"Bekarar - Remix" (Lucky Ali)
"Paathshaala - Theme"


Critical reception

Paathshaala received mixed reviews from by top critics in India. It received 3.5/10 at ReviewGang . It has received 3 out of 5 from Indiatimes [4] The Times of India also gave the film 3 out of 5 saying, "Go for some serious viewing".. AOL India's Noyon Jyoti Parasara gave the film a mere 1.5 out of 5 and said, "Paathshaala’ does not have a screenplay. And it has bad dialogues made only worse by loud acting by most of the cast."  Indiafm's Taran Adarsh gave the film 2 out of 5 saying, "On the whole, PAATHSHAALA is a well-intentioned film, but lacks clarity thanks to an uninspiring screenplay".
[edit]Box office

The movie received a grand opening all over India. Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur started with 40–50 percent which went higher in subsequent shows. In Hyderabad, Punjab and Indore too it opened to 50-60 percent and is expected to go up show wise. In Mumbai Cinemax, Fun Republic and Fame Adlabs also received a good turnover on the opening day. Paathshaala grossed around 10 crore nett over its first week. The film started slow but managed to pick at places on Saturday and remained steady on the lower side over the weekdays. Although the film's second week was initially projected to earn more at the box office, earnings dropped 50% and the film was declared a "Below Average".
Source:wikipedia

Annette Bening

Annette Francine Bening, (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress. Her break-through role in The Grifters was followed with critically acclaimed roles in films such as Bugsy and American Beauty. In 1992, she married American actor and director Warren Beatty, with whom she has four children.


Early life

Bening was born in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Shirley, a church singer and soloist, and Grant Bening, a sales training consultant and insurance salesman.Her parents, natives of Iowa, were practicing Episcopalians and conservative Republicans. Her sister and two brothers are Jane Bening (born 1953), Bradley Bening (born 1955) and Byron Bening (born 1957). The family moved to Wichita, Kansas, in 1959, where she spent her early childhood. In 1965, her father took a job with a company in San Diego, California, and they moved there. She began acting in junior high school, playing the lead in The Sound of Music. She studied drama at Patrick Henry High School.
She then spent a year working as a cook on a charter boat taking fishing parties out on the Pacific Ocean, and scuba diving for recreation. She attended San Diego Mesa College, then completed an academic degree in theatre arts at San Francisco State University. Bening joined the acting company at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco while studying acting as part of the Advanced Theatre Training Program. During this time she established herself as a formidable acting talent in roles like Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth.



Career

Bening moved to New York City, where she debuted off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre (McGinn-Cazale Theatre) in the role of 'Holly Dancer' in Tina Howe's widely acclaimed Coastal Disturbances (1986) opposite Tim Daly, and for which she earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play. However, despite the praise and recognition, it took some time for that success to translate to her film career. Her television debut was with the made-for-TV movie Manhunt for Claude Dallas (1986). Her first major role in a theatrical feature was in The Great Outdoors (1988) playing 'Kate Craig' opposite Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. Her next role was as the Marquise de Merteuil in Valmont (1989) opposite Colin Firth.
Bening's next major feature, Stephen Frears's The Grifters (1990) starring Anjelica Huston and John Cusack, met with critical acclaim. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for The Grifters. She followed that with her appearance in Bugsy. Bening was offered the role as Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992), but after she became pregnant, the role went to Michelle Pfeiffer. In 1994 she played opposite 87-year old acting legend Katharine Hepburn in Love Affair. Bening was paid $3 million to play the role of 'Elise Kraft/Sharon Bridger' in The Siege (1998) co-starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis. Her next role, in the 1999 film American Beauty, would give her the highest-profile role of her career thus far. Bening played a real-estate agent in three different movies: Regarding Henry, American Beauty, and What Planet Are You From?. She has appeared in three different Mike Nichols' movies: Postcards from the Edge, Regarding Henry, and What Planet Are You From?
She was originally cast as the mother in Disney's Freaky Friday, but dropped out. She replaced Julianne Moore in Running with Scissors, playing Deirdre Burroughs in the film adaptation of the Augusten Burroughs book. On December 9, 2006, Bening hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guests Gwen Stefani and Akon.
Bening is a council member for the California Arts Council.



Personal life

In 1985, Bening and her first husband, choreographer J. Steven White, moved to Denver, Colorado, to work at the Shakespeare Festival[5] in Boulder, Colorado. They separated the following year.
She and Warren Beatty met on the set of Bugsy (1991), in which she played Virginia Hill, and the couple began a secret romance. They married in 1992. She and Beatty live in Los Angeles with their four children, Kathlyn Elizabeth Beatty (born January 8, 1992 in Los Angeles County, California), Benjamin MacLean Beatty (born August 23, 1994 in Los Angeles County, California), Isabel Ira Ashley Beatty (born January 11, 1997) and Ella Corinne Beatty (born April 8, 2000).
Bening is a supporter of the Democrats and was a political contributor to the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama in 2008.She is a student of Iyengar Yoga.



Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1988 The Great Outdoors Kate Craig
1989 Valmont Merteuil
1990 Postcards from the Edge Evelyn Ames
The Grifters Myra Langtry London Film Critics' Circle Award for Newcomer of the Year
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1991 Guilty by Suspicion Ruth Merrill
Regarding Henry Sarah Turner
Bugsy Virginia Hill Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1994 Love Affair Terry McKay
1995 Richard III Queen Elizabeth
The American President Sydney Ellen Wade Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1996 Mars Attacks! Barbara Land
1998 The Siege Elise Kraft/Sharon Bridger
1999 In Dreams Claire Cooper
American Beauty Carolyn Burnham BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated — Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
2000 What Planet Are You From? Susan Anderson
2003 Open Range Sue Barlow Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
2004 Being Julia Julia Lambert Bangkok International Film Festival Award for Best Actress
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
National Board of Review Award for Best Actress
Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated — London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
2005 Mrs. Harris Jean Harris Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2006 Running with Scissors Deirdre Burroughs Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2007 14 Women Narrator
2008 The Women Sylvie Fowler
2010 The Kids Are All Right Nic
Mother and Child Karen in post-production


Source:wikipedia