a to z world stars pictures: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

kanye west american rapper

Kanye Omari West born June 8, 1977 is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally used pitched-up vocal samples from soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent productions saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences encompassing '70s R&B, baroque pop, trip hop, arena rock, folk, alternative, electronica, synth-pop, and classical music.
West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008, and his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. His five albums, all of which have gone platinum, have received numerous awards, including a cumulative fourteen Grammys, and critical acclaim. All have been very commercially successful, with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy becoming his fourth consecutive #1 album in the U.S. upon release.West also runs his own record label GOOD Music, home to artists such as John Legend, Common and Kid Cudi.West's mascot and trademark is "Dropout Bear," a teddy bear which has appeared on the covers of three of his five albums as well as various single covers and musicvideos.About.com ranked Kanye West #8 on their "Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers" list.On May 16, 2008, Kanye West was crowned by MTV as the year's #1 "Hottest MC in the Game." 17 December 2010, Kanye West was voted as the MTV Man of the Year by MTV.
Contents
* 1 Early life
* 2 Music career
o 2.1 Early career (1996–2003)
o 2.2 The College Dropout (2004)
o 2.3 Late Registration (2005)
o 2.4 Graduation (2007)
o 2.5 Glow in the Dark Tour, 808s & Heartbreak (2008–09)
o 2.6 My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Watch the Throne (2010–present)
* 3 Personal life
o 3.1 Relationships
o 3.2 Mother's death
* 4 Musical style and influences
* 5 Other ventures
o 5.1 Business ventures
o 5.2 Philanthropy
* 6 Controversies
o 6.1 Media
+ 6.1.1 Award shows
o 6.2 Legal issues
* 7 Discography
* 8 Awards and nominations
* 9 References
* 10 External links
Early life
Kanye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, where he lived with his parents. When he was three years old, his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. father was Ray West, a former Black Panther who was one of the first black photojournalists at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and is now a Christian counselor. West's mother, Dr. Donda West, was a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as West's manager. He was raised in a middle-class background, attending Polaris High School in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago. asked about his grades in high school, West replied, "I got A's and B's. And I'm not even frontin'".
West attended art classes at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and also enrolled at Chicago State University, but dropped out to focus on his music career. While attending school, West produced for local artists. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip hop/R&B artists, including Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Cam'ron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, John Legend among others. He also "ghost-produced" for his mentor Deric Angelettie, according to his song "Last Call" and the credits of Nas' "Poppa Was a Playa".
Music career
Early career (1996–2003)
Kanye West's first career productions came on Chicago rapper Grav's 1996 debut album Down to Earth. West produced eight tracks on the album. While the album did not attract much attention and would be the only album released by Grav, West would soon be producing for higher profile artists. In 1998-1999 he produced for well known artists such as Jermaine Dupri, Foxy Brown, Goodie Mob, and the group Harlem World.
West got his big break in the year 2000 however when he began to produce for artists on Roc-a-Fella Records. He produced the well received Jay-Z song "This Can't Be Life" off of the album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. West would later state that to create the beat for "This Can't Be Life" he sped up the drum beat from Dr. Dre's song "Xxplosive".
After producing for Jay-Z earlier, West’s sound was featured heavily on Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint, released on September 11, 2001. His work was featured on the lead single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" and a diss track against Nas and Mobb Deep named "Takeover"; West has worked with Mobb Deep and Nas since the track's release

kanye west

Sunday, February 27, 2011

christian slater box office success

Christian Michael Leonard Slater born August 18, 1969 is an American actor and voice over artist. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean. He then played a monk's apprentice alongside Sean Connery in The Name of the Rose before gaining much recognition for his role in the cult film Heathers which is considered his breakthrough.
In the 1990s Slater featured in many big budget films including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Broken Arrow and Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles. Since 2000 Slater has combined work in the film business with television, including appearances in The West Wing and Alias.
Slater was married to Ryan Haddon in 2000 before separating in 2005, they had two children together. Slater has also had widely publicised brushes with the law, including being sentenced to three months in jail for assault in 1997.
Contents
* 1 Early life
* 2 Early career
* 3 Box office success
* 4 Since 2000
* 5 Personal life
o 5.1 Charity work
* 6 Awards
* 7 Filmography
o 7.1 Television
* 8 References
* 9 External links
Early life
Slater was born in New York City. The son of Mary Jo Slater (née Lawton), an acting agent turned casting executive and producer, and Michael Hawkins (né Thomas Knight Slater), an actor who is also known as Michael Gainsborough. Slater has a maternal half-brother, Ryan Slater, who is also an actor. Slater attended the Dalton School, the Professional Children's School and the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
Early career
Following a run on the ABC soap opera Ryan's Hope, Slater made his Broadway debut as the lisping Winthrop Paroo opposite Dick Van Dyke in the 1980 revival of The Music Man.Additional Broadway credits include Copperfield, Merlin, Macbeth, Side Man, and The Glass Menagerie. In addition he has performed in London's West End in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Swimming With Sharks.
Slater made his big screen debut in 1985's The Legend of Billie Jean playing Billie Jean’s brother Binx. His first significant role came in The Name of the Rose in 1986 alongside Sean Connery. Slater played Connery's apprentice monk while they investigated a series of murders at a Benedictine abbey. Slater followed this by playing Junior Tucker in Francis Ford Coppola's Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), Gleaming the Cube (1989) and Beyond the Stars (1989).
Slaters career improved when he played the dark character J.D. in the 1989 film Heathers alongside Winona Ryder. Heathers was billed as the teen film of the late '80s, and Slater's performance drew comparison with a young Jack Nicholson.[4] After Heathers, Slater had offers to play more troubled youths, including as a rebellious teen in Pump Up the Volume (1990) and a wild gunman in Young Guns II (1990), in which Slater acted alongside Emilio Estevez and Kiefer Sutherland.
Box office success
In 1991 Slater was cast as Will Scarlett in the Hollywood big budget remake of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves alongside Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman and Alan Rickman. The film was a commercial success, taking US$390 million worldwide. With Slater being a big Star Trek fan, he accepted a minor role in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, shortly after playing Charlie Luciano in the crime drama Mobsters.
In 1993, Slater tried to expand his film genre, playing opposite Marisa Tomei in Untamed Heart and playing Clarence Worley in True Romance, which was written by Quentin Tarantino. In review of True Romance Roger Ebert awarded the movie 3 stars out of 5 and commented, 'the energy and style of the movie are exhilarating. Christian Slater has the kind of cocky recklessness the movie needs.'
The part as the interviewer in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) came about after his friend River Phoenix, who originally had the role, died. Slater subsequently donated his earnings from the film to Phoenix's favorite charities. Slater played Riley Hale in the big budget John Woo film Broken Arrow (1996), which also starred John Travolta, before appearing in the big budget flop Hard Rain.
Since 2000
Since 2000 Slater has mixed TV work with film, appearing in the successful The West Wing and Alias TV productions, but also being part of Hollywood films including Bobby and 3000 Miles to Graceland. He has also worked as a voice over artist in productions, including the character of 'Pips' in the successful Australian animated film FernGully: The Last Rainforest, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and TV documentaries including Prehistoric Planet and Dinosaur Planet. Slater also voiced the character John Watson a.k.a. "Wonko the Sane" in BBC Radio 4's production of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Slater has signed on to join The Forgotten, ABC's new crime drama from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The show premiered on Tuesday, September 22 (leading out of the Dancing with the Stars results show). The Forgotten revolves around the Forgotten Network, a team of amateur sleuths who work on cases involving unidentified victims.
He is set to star in the action films Soldiers of Fortune, with Sean Bean, and The River Sorrow, with Ray Liotta. Both films co-star Slater with Ving Rhames.

christian slater

Saturday, February 26, 2011

jamie oliver life and career

James Trevor "Jamie" Oliver MBE born 27 May 1975 sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools. He strives to improve unhealthy diets and poor cooking habits in the United Kingdom and the United States. Jamie Oliver's speciality is Italian cuisine, although he has a broad international repertoire.
Content
* 1 Life and career
* 2 Personal life
* 3 Notable career milestones
* 4 Charity and campaigning
* 5 Advertising
* 6 Television shows
* 7 Other television appearances
* 8 Live shows
* 9 Controversy and criticism
* 10 Scarlet Division
* 11 Pop culture
* 12 Books
* 13 References
* 14 Further reading
* 15 External links
Life and care
Jamie Oliver was brought up in Clavering, Essex, England. His parents ran a pub, "The Cricketers", where he used to practise in the kitchen. He was educated at Newport Free Grammar School. He left school at 16 without any qualifications to attend Westminster Catering College. His first job was as a pastry chef at Antonio Carluccio's Neal's Yard restaurant, where he first gained experience of Italian cuisine. Oliver then moved to The River Café, Fulham, as a sous chef, where he was noticed by the BBC in 1999. That year, his show The Naked Chef debuted and his cookbook became a number one best-seller in the UK. That same year, Oliver was invited to prepare lunch for then Prime Minister Tony Blair at No. 10 Downing Street.
Personal life
In July 2000, Oliver married former model Juliette Norton.The couple met in 1993 and have four children: Poppy Honey Rosie Oliver (born 18 March 2002), Daisy Boo Pamela Oliver (born 10 April 2003), Petal Blossom Rainbow Oliver (born 3 April 2009) and Buddy Bear Maurice Oliver (born 15 September 2010). Oliver announced the births of the two youngest children on Twitter. The family live in Clavering, Essex. is of partial Sudanese ancestry.
Notable career milestones
In 2000, Oliver became the face of UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's through an endorsement deal worth £2 million a year.
Putting up his house as collateral without telling his wife, Oliver created the Fifteen Foundation in 2002. Each year, 15 young adults who have a disadvantaged background, criminal record or history of drug abuse, are trained in the restaurant business.
In 2003, he was awarded an MBE.
In 2005, he initiated a campaign called "Feed me Better" in order to move British schoolchildren towards eating healthy foods and cutting junk food. As a result, the British government also pledged to address the issue. Delving into politics to push for changes in nutrition resulted in people voting him as the "Most Inspiring Political Figure of 2005," according to a Channel 4 News annual viewer poll.
His emphasis on cooking healthily continued as he created Jamie's Ministry of Food, a television series where Oliver travelled to inspire everyday people in Rotherham, Yorkshire to cook healthy meals. His latest television series is "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" (2009), where he travels to Huntington, West Virginia to change the way Americans eat and address their dependence on fast food.
Oliver's holding company, Sweet As Candy, has made enough profit for Jamie to have been listed on The Sunday Times list of richest Britons under 30.
It was reported in October 2009 that Oliver is in the process of raising $22 million to help fund 30 of his Italian restaurants in Asia.
In December 2009, Oliver received the 2010 TED Prize.

jamie oliver

Friday, February 25, 2011

henry cavill british actor

Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill born 5 May 1983 is a British actor. He has appeared in the films The Count of Monte Cristo and Stardust, and played the role of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, on the Showtime series The Tudors, from 2007 until 2010. He has been cast to play Superman in the 2012 film Superman: Man of Steel.
Contents
* 1 Early life
* 2 Career
* 3 Filmography
* 4 References
* 5 External links
Early life
Cavill was born on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands, the fourth of five boys. His mother, Marianne, worked in a bank, and his father, Colin Cavill, was a stockbroker. He was educated at St. Michael's Preparatory School in Saint Saviour, Jersey before attending Stowe School, a boarding school in Buckinghamshire, England. He began acting in school plays during prep school, has said that if he hadn't become an actor, he would have joined the armyor gone to university to study ancient history or Egyptology.
Career
Cavill had his first film role in Kevin Reynolds' 2002 adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. He went on to star in Laguna (2001), and afterwards appeared in BBC’s The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2002), the TV movie Goodbye Mr. Chips (2002), and the TV series Midsomer Murders (2003). In 2003 he had a supporting role in I Capture the Castle, followed by Red Riding Hood (2004), Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005), and Tristan & Isolde (2006). He had a minor role alongside Sienna Miller and Ben Barnes in Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of Stardust (2007).
From 2007 to 2010, Cavill had a leading role in Showtime's television series The Tudors as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. The series was well-received: it was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2007 and won an Emmy in 2008. Cavill credits the show to bolstering his career: "It’s done the most for me to date. [. . .] Now that there's an audience somewhere in America that’s aware of who I am, I have more sell-ability, because of The Tudors."Entertainment Weekly named him the "Most Dashing Duke" and praised his work on The Tudors for displaying "charm, depth and a killer bod".
Cavill had been set to star as Superman in director McG’s 2004 film Superman: Flyby. However, McG pulled out of the project and direction was taken over by director Bryan Singer, who recast Brandon Routh as the lead. Cavill was also the cause of a write-in effort of fans to see him cast as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). The role eventually went to Robert Pattinson. Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series, was outspokenly in favor of Cavill playing the character of Edward Cullen in the Twilight film, calling him her "perfect Edward". By the time production of the movie began, however, Cavill was too old to play the character, and again the role went to Robert Pattinson. In 2005, Cavill was a final contender for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale.The producers and director Martin Campbell were torn between him and Daniel Craig; reportedly Campbell supported Cavill but the producers preferred an older Bond. Craig landed the role. In their December 2005 issue, Empire magazine dubbed Cavill the "Unluckiest Man in Hollywood" for this series of near-misses. reports that he was a contender for Batman in Batman Begins, Cavill confirmed that he never auditioned for nor was offered the role.
In early 2008, Cavill became a model/spokesperson for Dunhill fragrances. The television ad featured a suited-up Cavill walking through the Union Jack flag, before mounting a helicopter. A second television ad featured Cavill driving a car through a deserted London at night, and meeting with a young woman. He starred in director Joel Schumacher's horror film Blood Creek (2008) and in 2009 he had a minor role in Woody Allen’s comedy film Whatever Works.
Director Tarsem Singh cast Cavill in the lead role of Theseus in his mythological, big-budget special effects film Immortals, to be released November 11, 2011.In 2011 Cavill will star alongside Bruce Willis in The Cold Light of Day. On January 30, 2011, it was announced that Cavill had been cast in the role of Clark Kent/Superman in director Zack Snyder's Superman: Man of Steel. Snyder called Cavill "the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield."
Filmography
Film
Year Film Role Notes
2001 Laguna Thomas Aprea Main Role
2002 The Count of Monte Cristo Albert Mondego Main Role
2003 I Capture the Castle Stephen Colley Main Role
2004 Red Riding Hood Hunter Main Role
2005 Hellraiser: Hellworld Mike Main Role
2006 Tristan + Isolde Melot Main Role
2007 Stardust Humphrey Minor Role
2009 Blood Creek Evan Marshall Main Role
Whatever Works Randy James Minor Role
2011 Immortals Theseus Main Role
The Cold Light of Day Will Main Role
2012 Superman: Man of Steel Clark Kent / Superman Main Role

henry cavill

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Ashton Kutcher twitter presence

Christopher Ashton Kutcher born February 7, 1978, best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show. He also created, produced and hosted Punk'd, and played lead roles in the Hollywood films Dude, Where's My Car?, Just Married, The Butterfly Effect, The Guardian, and What Happens in Vegas. He is also the producer and co-creator of the supernatural TV show Room 401 and the reality TV show Beauty and the Geek.
Contents
* 1 Early life
* 2 Career
* 3 Personal life
o 3.1 Twitter presence
* 4 Filmography
o 4.1 As a producer
* 5 Awards
* 6 References
* 7 External links
Early life
Kutcher was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Larry Kutcher, a factory worker, and Diane (née Finnegan), a Procter & Gamble employee. He is of part Irish ancestry on his mother's side. was raised in a conservative Roman Catholic family, an older sister, Tausha, and a fraternal twin, Michael, who had a heart transplant when the brothers were young children. Kutcher attended Washington High School in Cedar Rapids for his freshman year before his family moved to Homestead, Iowa, where he attended Clear Creek Amana High School. In a 2010 interview on Late Night with David Letterman, Kutcher claimed to be an all-state linebacker who averaged 15 tackles per game in high school. According to a former coach, however, Kutcher played sparingly as a wide receiver on a team that won only two games in his entire high school football career. Kutcher also appeared in school plays.
Kutcher's brother suffering from cardiomyopathy caused his home life to become increasingly stressful. He has stated that "I didn't want to come home and find more bad news about my brother" and "kept myself so busy that I didn't allow myself to feel". admitted that during adolescence, he contemplated committing suicide. At thirteen, he attempted to jump from a Cedar Rapids hospital balcony, with his father intervening in the incident. Kutcher's home life worsened as his parents divorced when he was sixteen. During his senior year, he broke into his high school at midnight with his cousin in an attempt to steal money; he was arrested leaving the scene. Kutcher was convicted of third-degree burglary and sentenced to three years' probation and 180 hours of community service. Kutcher stated that although the experience "straightened him out", he lost his girlfriend and anticipated college scholarships, and he was ostracized at school and in his community.
Kutcher enrolled at the University of Iowa in August 1996, where his planned major was biochemical engineering, motivated by the desire to find a cure for his brother's heart ailment. At college, Kutcher was kicked out of his apartment for being too "noisy" and "wild". Kutcher stated, "I thought I knew everything but I didn't have a clue. I was partying, and I woke up many mornings not knowing what I had done the night before. I played way too hard. I am amazed I am not dead." To earn money for his tuition, Kutcher worked as a college summer hire in the cereal department for the General Mills plant in Cedar Rapids, and sometimes donated blood for money. During his time at UI he was approached by a scout at a bar called "The Airliner" in Iowa City and was recruited to enter the "Fresh Faces of Iowa" modeling competition. After placing first, he dropped out of college and won a trip to New York City to the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) Convention. Following his stay in New York City, Kutcher returned to Cedar Rapids before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.
Career
After participating as a modeling contestant in an IMTA competition (losing to Josh Duhamel) in 1998, Kutcher signed with the Next modeling agency in New York, appeared in ads for Calvin Klein, modeled in Paris and Milan, and appeared in a Pizza Hut commercial.[citation needed]
After some success in modeling, Kutcher moved to Los Angeles and, after his first audition, was cast as Michael Kelso in the television series That '70s Show, which debuted in 1998 and ended in 2006. Kutcher was cast in a series of film roles; although he auditioned but was not cast for the role of Danny Walker in Pearl Harbor (2001),[12] he starred in several comedy films, including Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), Just Married (2003), and Guess Who (2005). He briefly appeared in the 2003 family film, Cheaper By The Dozen, playing a self-obsessed actor. His 2004 film The Butterfly Effect was an unusually dramatic role for Kutcher, playing a conflicted young man who fell in love with a girl called Kayleigh; the film received mixed to negative reviews, but was a box-office success.
In 2003, Kutcher produced and starred in his own series on MTV's Punk'd as the host. The series involved various hidden camera tricks performed on celebrities. Kutcher is also an executive producer of the reality television shows Beauty and the Geek, Adventures in Hollyhood (based around the rap group Three 6 Mafia), and The Real Wedding Crashers and the game show Opportunity Knocks. Many of his production credits, including Punk'd, come through Katalyst Films, a production company he runs with partner Jason Goldberg
Because of scheduling conflicts with the filming of The Guardian, Ashton was forced not to renew his contract for the eighth and final season of That 70s Show, although he did appear in the first four episodes of it (credited as a special guest star) and returned for the show's series finale.
Kutcher was part of the management team for Ooma, a tech start-up launched in September 2007. Ooma is in the Voice over Internet Protocol business and Ashton's role was as Creative Director. He was spearheading a marketing campaign and producing viral videos to promote this service. Kutcher has also created an interactive arm of Katalyst called Katalyst Media with his partner from Katalyst Films, Jason Goldberg. Their first site is the animated cartoon Blah Girls. Ooma revamped its sales and marketing strategy with a new management team in the summer of 2008, replacing Ashton Kutcher as their creative director. Rich Buchanan, from Sling Media, became Ooma's Chief Marketing Officer.
Kutcher produced and starred in the 2010 action comedy, Killers, in which he played a hitman.
Kutcher guest hosted WWE Monday Night Raw on May 31, 2010. There was controversy over the event due to Kutcher only being seen on screen and not in person by many in attendance.
He currently advertises for Nikon cameras.
Personal life
Kutcher and Moore, September 2008
In 2003, Kutcher began dating Demi Moore. Moore and Kutcher married on September 24, 2005, in a private ceremony conducted by a Rabbi of the Kabbalah Center; the wedding was attended by about 150 close friends and family of the couple, including Bruce Willis, Moore's ex-husband. In October 2010, Kutcher and Moore met with co-director of the Kabbalah Center Rabbi Yehuda Berg in Israel.
Kutcher has invested in an Italian restaurant, Dolce (other owners include Danny Masterson and Wilmer Valderrama) and a Japanese-themed restaurant named Geisha House located in Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York.
Kutcher is a self described fiscal conservative and social liberal.He is a student of Kabbalah; his co-star, Natalie Portman, stated in 2011 that Kutcher "has taught me more about Judaism than I think I have ever learned from anyone else".
On September 17, 2008, Kutcher was named the assistant coach for the freshman football team at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. However, he was unable to return in 2009 because he was filming Spread.
Twitter presence
On April 16, 2009, Kutcher ("aplusk") became the first user of Twitter to have more than 1,000,000 followers, beating CNN in the "Million followers contest". Kutcher announced via Twitter that he would be donating $100,000 to a charity to fight malaria. However, there have been several reports that Twitter manipulated the contest's results by preventing users from "unfollowing" Kutcher or CNN.

Ashton Kutcher