Sunday, September 30, 2012

Ed Harris


Thursday, September 20, 2012

Monkey


Monday, September 17, 2012

Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros

often abbreviated as rhino, is a group of five extant species of knee-less, odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia.
Members of the rhinoceros family are characterized by their large size (they are some of the largest remaining megafauna, with all of the species able to reach one tonne or more in weight); as well as by a herbivorous diet; a thick protective skin, 1.5–5 cm thick, formed from layers of collagen positioned in a lattice structure; relatively small brains for mammals this size (400–600 g); and a large horn. They generally eat leafy material, although their ability to ferment food in their hindgut allows them to subsist on more fibrous plant matter, if necessary. Unlike other perissodactyls, the two African species of rhinoceros lack teeth at the front of their mouths, relying instead on their powerful premolar and molar teeth to grind up plant food.[1]
Rhinoceros are killed by humans for their horns, which are bought and sold on the black market, and which are used by some cultures for ornamental or (pseudo-scientific) medicinal purposes. The horns are made of keratin, the same type of protein that makes up hair and fingernails.[2] Both African species and the Sumatran rhinoceros have two horns, while the Indian and Javan rhinoceros have a single horn.
The IUCN Red List identifies three of the species as critically endangered.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

WC Fields

WC Fields 

William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880[1] – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer.[2] Fields was known for his comic persona as a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathetic character despite his snarling contempt for dogs, children and women.
The characterization he portrayed in films and on radio was so strong it became generally identified with Fields himself. It was maintained by the movie-studio publicity departments at Fields's studios (Paramount and Universal) and further established by Robert Lewis Taylor's 1949 biography W.C. Fields, His Follies and Fortunes. Beginning in 1973, with the publication of Fields's letters, photos, and personal notes in grandson Ronald Fields's book W.C. Fields by Himself, it has been shown that Fields was married (and subsequently estranged from his wife), and he financially supported their son and loved his grandchildren.
However, Madge Evans, a friend and actress, told a visitor in 1972 that Fields so deeply resented intrusions on his privacy by curious tourists walking up the driveway to his Los Angeles home that he would hide in the shrubs by his house and fire BB pellets at the trespassers' legs. Several years later Groucho Marx told a similar story on his live performance album, An Evening with Groucho.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg 

(January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He was the recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and another for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat".

Geni.com: Carl Sandburg is my 17th cousin thrice removed.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Sir Patrick Stewart



Sir Patrick Stewart
OBE (born 13 July 1940) is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career on stage and screen. He is most widely known for his television and film roles, such as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and its successor films, or Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film series.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Gary Oldman





Gary Leonard Oldman

(born 21 March 1958) is an English screen and stage actor, filmmaker and musician, noted for his chameleonic performances in diverse roles.[2] Oldman made his film acting debut in 1982 and rose to prominence with his portrayals of Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy(1986) and Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears (1987), receiving a Best Actor BAFTA Award nomination for that of Orton. Oldman's work in those films prompted pre-eminent US film critic Roger Ebert to hail him as "the best young British actor around."[3] Oldman increased his profile by playing a football firm leader in The Firm (1989) and an Irish-American gangster in State of Grace (1990), and gained international fame with two blockbuster roles: Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK (1991) and Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), with the latter bringing him the Saturn Award for Best Actor.
Oldman subsequently became a popular casting choice for villains,[2] starring as the antagonist of films such as True Romance (1993), Léon: The Professional (1994), The Fifth Element (1997), Air Force One (1997), and The Contender (2000), for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor; Norman Stansfield from Léon: The Professional has been named as one of cinema's greatest villains.[4] Meanwhile, he played Ludwig van Beethoven in Immortal Beloved (1994). During the 1990s, Oldman was spoofed on popular television shows, appeared in music videos and on magazine covers, and was dubbed by Empire as Hollywood's "psycho deluxe".[5] He later earned greater renown as heroic characters like Sirius Black in Harry Potter films Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Goblet of Fire (2005), Order of the Phoenix(2007) and Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011); James Gordon in the Dark Knight trilogy (2005-2012); and George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), which brought him BAFTA- and Academy Award nominations in the Best Actor category.
Aside from film acting, Oldman is a Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal Court Theatre alumnus who has appeared in many stage productions. He wrote and directed Nil by Mouth (1997), for which he won two BAFTA Awards (Best Original Screenplay and Best British Film) and was nominated for the Palme d'Or, and played an Emmy Award-nominated guest role in Friends in 2001. He has also performed on musical recordings alongside artists such as David Bowie and Glen Matlock. Oldman has garnered widespread critical, peer and audience respect throughout his career, and has been described as one of the greatest living actors.[5]

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Jason Statham

Jason Statham 

born 12 September 1967

An English actor and former diver, known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Revolver, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Statham appeared in supporting roles in several American
 films, such as The Italian Job, as well as playing the lead role in The Transporter, Death Race, Crank, The Bank Job and War (opposite martial arts star Jet Li). Statham also appeared alongside established action film actors Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren in The Expendables and The Expendables 2. He usually performs his own fight scenes and stunts.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Michael Clarke Duncan


Michael Clarke Duncan.... RIP (December 10, 1957 – September 3, 2012)

was an American actor, best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in The Green Mile, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. He is also recognized for his appearances in motion pictures such as Armageddon, The Whole Nine Yards, and Daredevil, as well as voice acting roles in works such as Brother Bear and Delgo.

"IKE"

"IKE"

"We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Granny

Irene Ryan

(October 17, 1902 - April 26, 1973) was an American actress, one of the few entertainers who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television and Broadway.

She is most widely known for her portrayal of "Granny" on the long-running TV series The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971), for which she was nominated for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1963 and 1964.