Birthday Drawing of the Day: Johnny Galecki John Mark Galecki (born April 30, 1975)

Birthday Drawing of the Day:
Johnny Galecki

 

John Mark Galecki (born April 30, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for playing Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–present) and David Healy in the ABC sitcom Roseanne (1992–1997; 2018).

RIP Bella... 29APR19

2019 SC United Methodist Church Annual Conference Logo

John Oliver - Sketch 2, graphite on vellum bristol paper

John Oliver - Happy Birthday - April 23, 1977

John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977)^[3] is an English comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. Oliver started his career as a stand-up comedian, both in the United Kingdom and United States. He came to wider attention for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as its senior British correspondent from 2006 to 2013. Oliver won three Primetime Emmy Awards for his work as a writer on The Daily Show and was its guest host for an eight-week period in 2013. In addition to The Daily Show, Oliver co-hosted the satirical comedy podcast The Bugle (2007–2015) with Andy Zaltzman, with whom Oliver had previously co-hosted the radio series Political Animal, and hosted John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show on Comedy Central from 2010 to 2013. He has also acted on television, most notably in a recurring role as Ian Duncan on the NBC sitcom Community.

Since 2014, Oliver has been the host of the HBO series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He has received widespread critical and popular recognition for his work on the series, whose influence over US culture, legislation, and policymaking has been dubbed the "John Oliver effect".^[4][5] For his work on Last Week Tonight, Oliver has won six Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards and was included in the 2015 Time 100, being described as a "comedic agent of change...powerful because he isn't afraid to tackle important issues thoughtfully, without fear or apology."

April 22nd Birthday Sketch: Amber Heard

April 22nd 
Birthday Sketch: 
Amber Heard... 

Amber Laura Heard is an American actress. She made her film debut in 2004 in the sports drama Friday Night Lights. After small roles in North Country and Alpha Dog, Heard played her first leading role in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and appeared in The CW television show Hidden Palms. Wikipedia 
Born: April 22, 1986 (age 33 years), Austin, TX 
Height: 5′ 7″

Sketch of the day... Preston Foster.

Sketch of the day...
Preston Foster.

Preston Stratton Foster (August 24, 1900 – July 14, 1970), was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist.

Sketch of the day... W. C. Fields

Sketch of the day... 
W. C. Fields 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

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' comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist, who remained a sympathetic character despite his snarling contempt for dogs and children. 

His career in show business began in vaudeville, where he attained international success as a silent juggler. He gradually incorporated comedy into his act, and was a featured comedian in the Ziegfeld Follies for several years. He became a star in the Broadway musical comedy Poppy (1923), in which he played a colorful small-time con man. His subsequent stage and film roles were often similar scoundrels, or else henpecked everyman characters. 

Among his recognizable trademarks were his raspy drawl and grandiloquent vocabulary. The characterization he portrayed in films and on radio was so strong it was generally identified with Fields himself. It was maintained by the publicity departments at Fields' studios (Paramount and Universal) and was further established by Robert Lewis Taylor's biography, W.C. Fields, His Follies and Fortunes (1949). Beginning in 1973, with the publication of Fields' letters, photos, and personal notes in grandson Ronald Fields' book W.C. Fields by Himself, it was shown that Fields was married (and subsequently estranged from his wife), and financially supported their son and loved his grandchildren.

George Hosato Takei - SULU . Born April 20, 1937

George Hosato Takei (/təˈkeɪ/; born Hosato Takei, April 20, 1937) is an American actor, director, author, and activist. He is best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the television series Star Trek.^[1][2] He also portrayed the character in six Star Trek feature films and one episode of Star Trek: Voyager.

As of April 2018, his Facebook page has over 10 million followers since he joined in 2011, and the account frequently shares photos with original humorous commentary.^[3][4] Takei is a proponent of LGBT rights and is active in state and local politics. He has won several awards and accolades in his work on human rights and Japan–United States relations, including his work with the Japanese American National Museum.

Takei's work on the Broadway show Allegiance, as well as his own internment in a US-run internment camp during World War II, has given him a platform to speak out against government rhetoric about immigrants and immigration policies.^[5][6]

Happy Birthday, James Franco. Born April 19, 1978

James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor, filmmaker, and college instructor. For his role in 127 Hours (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in live-action films, such as Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007); Milk (2008); Pineapple Express (2008); Eat, Pray, Love (2010); Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011); Spring Breakers (2012); Oz the Great and Powerful (2013); This Is the End (2013); and The Disaster Artist(2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. He is known for his collaborations with fellow actor Seth Rogen, having appeared in eight films and one television series with him.

Franco is also known for his work on television; his first prominent acting role was the character Daniel Desario on the short-lived ensemble comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), which developed a cult following. He portrayed the title characterin the television biographical film James Dean (2001), for which he won a Golden Globe Award. Franco had a recurring role on the daytime soap opera General Hospital (2009–2012) and starred in the limited series 11.22.63 (2016). He currently stars in the David Simon-created HBO drama The Deuce (2017–present).

Franco volunteers for the Art of Elysium charity, and has taught film classes at New York University, the University of Southern California, UCLA, Studio 4, Palo Alto High School, and Playhouse West.

Happy Birthday, John Cena

John Felix Anthony Cena Jr. (/ˈsiːnə/; born April 23, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and rapper. He is signed to WWE, where he appears for both the Raw and SmackDown brands.

Cena was born and raised in West Newbury, Massachusetts. He moved to California in 1998, where he pursued a career as a bodybuilder before transitioning into professional wrestling in 1999 when he debuted for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW). Cena soon signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 2000, and was initially assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).

In WWE, Cena gained industry fame after adopting a persona of a trash-talking rapper,^[10][11] and won his first singles title, the United States Championship, in 2004. The next year, Cena would win the WWE Championship for the first time. Following that, Cena's character transitioned into a "Superman-like" heroic figure,^[12] and subsequently led the company as its franchise player^[13] and public face for the next decade.^[14] Cena has headlined several major WWE pay-per-view events, closing the company's flagship annual event, WrestleMania, five times.

He has also won several championships in his career, being a five-time United States Champion, a four-time world tag team champion, and a WWE record sixteen-time world champion.^[a] He is also a two-time Royal Rumble match winner, and a Money in the Bank ladder matchwinner. Although he is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time by his peers,^[16][17] Cena was regularly met with mixed critical and fan reception during his career, thus making him one of the most polarizing professional wrestlers ever.^[18]

Outside of wrestling, Cena has attained success as a musician, actor, and philanthropist. He released the rap album You Can't See Me in 2005, which gained platinum certification in the United States. He has had leading film roles in The Marine (2006), 12 Rounds (2009), Trainwreck(2015), Ferdinand (2017), Blockers (2018), and Bumblebee (2018).^[19] He is also known for his involvement in numerous charitable causes, namely the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he has granted over 600 wishes, the most in company history.^[20][21]

Clint - Wednesday, April 17th, 2019

Ode To Spaghetti Westerns

Remembering Notre Dame 4-15-19

Charlie Chaplin

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin KBE (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, "The Tramp", and is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the film industry.^[1] His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977, and encompassed both adulation and controversy.

Chaplin's childhood in London was one of poverty and hardship, as his father was absent and his mother struggled financially, and he was sent to a workhouse twice before the age of nine. When he was 14, his mother was committed to a mental asylum. Chaplin began performing at an early age, touring music halls and later working as a stage actor and comedian. At 19, he was signed to the prestigious Fred Karno company, which took him to America. He was scouted for the film industry and began appearing in 1914 for Keystone Studios. He soon developed the Tramp persona and formed a large fan base. He directed his own films and continued to hone his craft as he moved to the Essanay, Mutual, and First National corporations. By 1918, he was one of the best-known figures in the world.

In 1919, Chaplin co-founded the distribution company United Artists which gave him complete control over his films. His first feature-length film was The Kid (1921), followed by A Woman of Paris (1923), The Gold Rush (1925), and The Circus (1928). He refused to move to sound films in the 1930s, instead producing City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936) without dialogue. He became increasingly political, and his next film The Great Dictator (1940) satirized Adolf Hitler. The 1940s were a decade marked with controversy for Chaplin, and his popularity declined rapidly. He was accused of communist sympathies, while he created scandal through his involvement in a paternity suit and his marriages to much younger women. An FBI investigation was opened, and Chaplin was forced to leave the United States and settle in Switzerland. He abandoned the Tramp in his later films, which include Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Limelight (1952), A King in New York (1957), and A Countess from Hong Kong (1967).

Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, edited, starred in, and composed the music for most of his films. He was a perfectionist, and his financial independence enabled him to spend years on the development and production of a picture. His films are characterized by slapstick combined with pathos, typified in the Tramp's struggles against adversity. Many contain social and political themes, as well as autobiographical elements. He received an Honorary Academy Award for "the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century" in 1972, as part of a renewed appreciation for his work. He continues to be held in high regard, with The Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator often ranked on lists of the greatest films of all time.

Sketch of the Day... Sean Bean Born April 17, 1959

Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959), credited professionally as Sean Bean (/ˈʃɔːn ˈbiːn/), is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire accent, he first found mainstream success for his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe. Bean subsequently gained further recognition for his performance as Ned Stark in the HBO epic fantasy series Game of Thrones, and won both a BAFTA and an International Emmy, both for Best Actor.^[1] He has also been nominated for a Saturn Award.^[2] One of his most prominent film roles was Boromir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003).
Other roles include Alec Trevelyan in the James Bond film GoldenEye (1995) and Odysseus in Troy (2004), as well as roles in Patriot Games (1992), Ronin (1998), Equilibrium (2002), National Treasure (2004), North Country (2005), The Island (2005), Silent Hill (2006), Black Death (2010), Jupiter Ascending (2015) and The Martian (2015). Other TV roles include the BBC anthology series Accused and the ITV historical drama series Henry VIII. As a voice actor, Bean has been featured in the video games The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Sid Meier's Civilization VI, and the drama The Canterbury Tales, among several others.

Emma Thompson - Born... April 15th, 1959

Dame Emma Thompson DBE^[2] (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress, screenwriter, activist, author, and comedian. One of the UK's most acclaimed actresses, she is known for her portrayals of enigmatic women, often in period dramas and literary adaptations, and playing matronly characters with a sense of wit. She is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, three BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards.
Born in London to English actor Eric Thompson and Scottish actress Phyllida Law, Thompson was educated at Newnham College, University of Cambridge, where she became a member of the Footlights troupe. After appearing in several comedy programmes, she first came to prominence in 1987 in two BBC TV series, Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War, winning the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her work in both series. Her first film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy, and in the early 1990s, she frequently collaborated with her then husband, actor and director Kenneth Branagh. The pair became popular in the British media and co-starred in several films, including Dead Again (1991) and Much Ado About Nothing (1993).
In 1992, Thompson won an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress for the period drama Howards End. In 1993, she garnered dual Academy Award nominations for her roles in The Remains of the Day as the housekeeper of a grand household and In the Name of the Father as a lawyer. Thompson scripted and starred in Sense and Sensibility (1995), which earned her numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, which makes her the only person to receive Academy Awards for both acting and writing, and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress. Other notable film and television credits include the Harry Potter film series, Wit (2001), Love Actually (2003), Angels in America (2003), Nanny McPhee (2005), Stranger than Fiction (2006), Last Chance Harvey (2008), Men in Black 3 (2012), Brave (2012), and Beauty and the Beast (2017). In 2013, she received acclaim and several award nominations for her portrayal of P. L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks.
Thompson is married to actor Greg Wise, with whom she lives in London. They have one daughter and one son. She is an activist in the areas of human rights and environmentalism and has received criticism for her outspokenness. She has written two books adapted from The Tale of Peter Rabbit. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours by Elizabeth II for her services to drama.

Adrien Brody (born April 14, 1973)

Adrien Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor and producer. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring in Roman Polanski's The Pianist (2002), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at age twenty-nine, making him the youngest actor to win in that category. Brody is also the only male American actor to receive the César Award for Best Actor.

Other successful films that Brody has starred in are The Thin Red Line (1998), The Village (2004), King Kong (2005), and Predators (2010). He is a frequent collaborator of Wes Anderson's, having starred in three of Anderson's films, The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).

In 2017, he appeared in the fourth series of the BBC historical drama Peaky Blinders.

Ron Perlman - April 13, 1950

Ronald Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor and voice actor. He played the role of Vincent on the television series Beauty and the Beast (1987–1990), for which he won a Golden Globe Award, the comic book character Hellboy in both Hellboy (2004) and its sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), and Clay Morrow on the television series Sons of Anarchy (2008–2013).
Perlman is known as a collaborator of Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro, having roles in the del Toro films Cronos (1993), Blade II (2002), and Pacific Rim (2013). He is also known for his voice-over work as the narrator of the post-apocalyptic game series Fallout, Clayface in the DC Animated Universe, Slade on the animated series Teen Titans, The Lich on Adventure Time, and The Stabbington Brothers in Disney's animated film Tangled (2010).

Chuck Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992)

Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor, writer and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have played both Major League Baseball (Chicago Cubs, 1951) and in the National Basketball Association (Boston Celtics 1947–48). With a 40-year film and television career, he is best known for his five-year role as Lucas McCain in the highly rated ABC series The Rifleman (1958–63).^[1]

Steven Seagal - Born April 10, 1952

Steven Frederic Seagal (/sɪˈɡɑːl/; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician who holds American, Serbian, and Russian citizenship.
Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan,^[1] becoming the first foreigner to operate an aikido dojo in the country.^[2] He later moved to Los Angeles, California, where he had the same profession. In 1988, Seagal made his acting debut in Above the Law. By 1991, he had starred in four successful films. In 1992, he played Navy SEAL counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback in Under Siege. During the latter half of the 1990s, Seagal starred in three more feature films and the direct-to-video film The Patriot. Subsequently, his career shifted to mostly direct-to-video productions. He has since appeared in films and reality shows, including Steven Seagal: Lawman, which depicted Seagal performing his duties as a reserve deputy sheriff.
Seagal is a guitarist and has released two studio albums, Songs from the Crystal Cave and Mojo Priest, and performed on the scores of several of his films. He has worked with Stevie Wonder and Tony Rebel, who both performed on his debut album. He has also been involved in a line of "therapeutic oil" products and energy drinks. In addition, Seagal is a known environmentalist,^[3] animal rights activist, and supporter of 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso.^[4][5] He is known for his outspoken political views and support of Vladimir Putin, to whom he once referred as "one of the great living world leaders".^[6] He was granted Russian citizenship in 2016.^[7] In 2018, he was appointed Russia's special envoy to the U.S.^[8]
From 1996 to 2018, multiple women accused Seagal of sexual harassment or assault

RIP Fritz Hollings... 1922-2019

Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005. A Democrat, he was also the Governor of South Carolina and the 77th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina. Wikipedia
Born: January 1, 1922, Charleston, SC
Died: April 6, 2019, Isle of Palms, SC

James Garner - Born April 7, 1928

James Garner was an American actor, producer, and voice artist. He starred in several television series over more than five decades, including such popular roles as Bret Maverick in the 1950s western ... Wikipedia

Born: April 7, 1928, Norman, OK

Sketch of the Day... Merle Haggard - Born April 6, 1937

Sketch of the Day...
Merle Haggard - Born April 6, 1937

Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003)

Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor. He was one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s. Peck received five Academy Award for Best Actor nominations and won once for his performance as Atticus Finch in the 1962 drama film To Kill a Mockingbird.
Peck also received Oscar nominations for his roles in The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), The Yearling (1946), Gentleman's Agreement (1947) and Twelve O'Clock High (1949). Other notable films in which he appeared include Spellbound (1945), The Gunfighter (1950), Roman Holiday (1953), Moby Dick (1956, and its 1998 miniseries), The Big Country (1958), The Bravados (1958), Pork Chop Hill (1959), The Guns of Navarone (1961), Cape Fear (1962, and its 1991 remake), How the West Was Won (1962), The Omen (1976) and The Boys from Brazil (1978).
U.S. President Lyndon Johnson honored Peck with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 for his lifetime humanitarian efforts. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck among Greatest Male Stars of Classic Hollywood cinema, ranking him at No. 12.