After you know your type, have gotten your head shots and have some training under your belt, you're ready for an agent. I don't believe that an actor, new to the profession, needs a business manager right from the start. What the actor needs is an agent or agents.

The agent's primary function is to provide an actor the opportunity for an audition. The actor then gets his own job. The agent never gets you the job; you do that on your own. Never forget that!

The agent markets the actor by talking to casting directors, production people and showing demo reels. They get a commission for every job that you book, usually 10% for union work and 15% for non-union work. So, as you can see, they need to book a lot of talent to make a living.

Make sure your agents have everything they need that will help market you. Keep in mind that you are the product they are selling. The better the product, the more money you both make. The best way to get an agent is to have a decent resume, a good head shot, proper training, beginning credits, student films, etc. You need to be very persistent, if you're not persistent, you're not going to get anywhere.

When you sign up with an agent ask how many actors do they represent that are your type. It may be best to join a small agency that can properly represent you and get you more jobs, then to be with a big agency that has a lot of actors your type.

You want to be on their call list; that way you don't have to be constantly bugging them about jobs. A lot of times, when the agency gets busy, they may not have time to talk to anybody. They're not being rude; they just don't have the time for you. Learn to respect that, and be patient. The more honest, professional and open you are with your agent, the better you're going to be in the long run. This relationship will, hopefully, last a long time.

Okay...you've got an agent and an opportunity for an audition. Here's some important information you need to have.

Type of job, Shoot date, Call backs, Union or non-union, Pay, Where to go, How to dress, Is there a script, and Who's casting?

The secret of getting organized and staying on top of things is to get a Holden Performer Logbook or ActorTrack 2.0. In the Performer Log book you keep track of:

With all the different satellite tv services for the PC it is always a good idea to take a look at a PC Satellite TV Review. So what's the big deal with watching television on your computer?

It's convenience is unrivaled and soon will take over the conventional satellite due to the advancing of computer technology.

All you need in order to run Satellite TV on your PC is software, which is provided when you purchase one of the various services. After you install you will have access to channels from dozens of different countries such as China, Hong Kong, Japan, Norway, Germany, France, England, Brazil, Mexico etc. This is a standard satellite service that is run by a service provider then streamed over the internet to you.

The advantage that an internet based Satellite service has over a home satellite dish is the amount of channels that you get. A dish at your home won't get channels from everyone due to range implications but an internet based service can because they will have larger satellites.

Setting up a Satellite TV system at your home can be a real hassle because you have to deal with all the various settings, decoders, where to put it for optimum signal output/input etc. When using online satellite all you have to do is double click the icon after you install.

How about the cost?

Well the PC Satellite TV has a one time fee of around 40-50 dollars whereas a standard satellite can cost you 40 dollars a month (not to mention a 200+ dollar set up fee).

Satellite TV on your laptop is great for people on the go. If you purchase a satellite card for your laptop with a provider such as Verizon you can access unlimited internet anywhere. If you would rather keep it in places that have internet provided you can save money. This is really the best option for people who like versatility with what they watch and when they watch it. You can be anywhere in the world and still watch your shows with Satellite TV for the PC

Eisenstein and Vertov, despite technical and intellectual brilliance, have never been able to force their way into the upper pantheon of my personal canon of great filmmakers: names like Bergman, Kurosawa and Forman hold pride-of-place; names like Tsai, Egoyan and Wong wait patiently by the door, hoping that with time they will be allowed in. But what do these filmmakers have that the Soviet giants do not? Humanity, or more correctly, they don't portray humanity, or at least, they don't portray it in the personal and intimate way that gets my juices flowing. Theirs is a world of impersonal concepts; mine is a world of humanism. Andrei Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev (1969), holds more in common with Ingmar Bergman's middle-ages-set films than with the films of his Soviet forebears.

Ostensibly the film is about the monk and religious icon painter, Andrei Rublev (Anatoli Solonitsyn), whom we follow through eight chapters of his life in 15th century Russia, in some of which he only figures peripherally. But, I think, the real subject is the relationship between art, faith and life, and the way that they jostle for prominence in our lives. Life in medieval Russia is hard: famine, plague and violent power struggles leave a path strewn with death and destruction. Faith in God, faith in one's fellow man, faith in one's artistic calling; all of these things are constantly tested. Jesters are beaten and tortured, pagans are persecuted by Christians, Christians are abused by pagans, massacres occur in churches. People need to believe in a higher power.

Visually, the film utterly stunning. Vadim Yusov's sumptuous Sovscope black and white photography beautifully captures the contrast between the ordered, spotless and decorative world of churches and cathedrals, and their gritty and earthy surroundings. The roaming, inquisitive camera almost becomes a character in itself, just managing to stay on the right side of the border between arresting and ostentatious (having said that, there is one crane-shot that appears to have escaped from a Brian De Palma movie.) The set-pieces are often quite breathtaking. The film opens with a man taking a hot-air balloon ride. We witness the incident from his point-of-view; the camera rises from the walls of a church and meanders over the surrounding countryside, before crashing to earth. It is a scene that transcends its subject matter; it is quite wonderful.

Another powerful set-piece revolves around a Tartar raid on the town of Vladimir, where Rublev is painting the church. The slaughter is merciless and is captured in great detail (animal lovers in particular may take offence at parts of this scene.) But there's no mistaking the scene's visceral power, and its perturbingly beautiful aftermath.

After so much destruction comes creation. The final episode revolves around the casting of a bell. Detailing the emotional and physical toil that come with creating a work of art, this scene both epitomises and is the epitome of Tarkovsky's masterpiece. Boriska (the excellent Nikolai Burlyayev), driven and tyrannical during its creation is, on its completion, completely drained. The bell gave him a reason to live, and now it's over. Why do we live? What do we live for? Art, beauty, love? I think that Tarkovsky's wordless, transcendent epilogue comes closest to answering these questions. The camera, now photographing in colour, explores Rublev's paintings to a climactic musical accompaniment; pain and suffering have given way to beauty. A stunningly beautiful masterpiece.

There are those that choose to intellectualise Vertov's silent Soviet documentary, including Vertov himself, (when he was alive, at least.) But of course, there are those that will choose to intellectualise a sunrise or a sunset (or a bowel movement, for that matter.) Millions of words have been written on Man with a Movie Camera, analysing how one shot relates to the next, and on what these relationships mean. I can just imagine bookish looking gentlemen in cardigans, armed with DVD remotes, notepads and pens, sitting inches away from a television set, bleary-eyed as they enter their 37th hour of watching this magical film, and they are not even half-way through yet. I contend that one does not need to understand every second of this film, that one does not need to analyse every frame. Just watch it. Just watch it as it was intended to be watched. Let your brain decode what it wants to, and just enjoy the lyrical beauty of what is in front of you.

Following on from the likes of Berlin, Symphony of a City (1927), Vertov's documentary paints a picture of a day in the life of the Soviet Union. The film begins and ends in a cinema with people watching the same film that we are watching. People stream into the cinema and take their seats. The projectionist loads the projector. The film starts. A city is awakening. We are greeted with people beginning their day: they wash and dress and leave for work, busses leave the station, cars, carts and trams jostle for space on the busy streets, performers perform, workers work, and machines grind. Communism lives.

We are given neither inter-titles nor time to dwell on the images; the cutting is fast. Form seems to be more important than content. We are shown a portrait of a city, yet the experience is more musical, more abstract. Often the imagery is more akin to the abstract work of Norman McLaren than to a traditional documentary. Occasionally some of the effects are a little jarring. The man with the movie camera appearing from within a pint of beer is perhaps a little cutesy; in fact, most of the manufactured, altered shots are a little distracting, and I could happily have lived without them.

Documentaries, even avant-garde ones, gain in importance and appeal with each passing year. A Visit to Peek Frean and Co.'s Biscuit Works (1906), a commercial film, which at the time of its production would have been of little value to anyone, is, over 100 years later, absolutely fascinating. To witness people who look just like us, who have long since left this mortal coil, going about their lives, their heads filled with long forgotten worries and dreams, holds a fascination that transcends the intentions of any artist. Vertov's film is no different. With that in mind, the part of the film that lives longest in my mind, is a scene in which a group of children, faces glowing with excitement, watch a Chinese street magician performing tricks. The looks on these children's faces hold far more profound value than a million intellectualised cross-cuts.

So you want Satellite TV for PC but don't know what to do? There are many different Satellite TV for PC services out there and luckily there are reviews on the net that help you choose which one to go with. I will discuss some things you should consider when deciding.

So why should I go with Satellite TV for PC?

Well it is very convenient to be able to sit down at your computer, do work, while watching literally whatever station in the world you want to watch. Say there is a Laker's game on at 6. Search in the box for the local channel and there you have it. So i'd have to say a big reason to go with Satellite TV for PC would be its convenience.

Price is another cool part about having satellite for PC. The services run a one time fee as opposed to the real satellite service providers that charge you sometimes 40 dollars a month.

Watching on your PC is the simplest way to watch television. All you have to have is an internet connection and basic computer knowledge such as how to open an application (I know - rocket science right?).

When you have Satellite TV for PC you not only have advantages over standard cable television but also over standard Satellite Television. Image you are in a nasty thunderstorm. Chances are your internet will be working most the time and your satellite will be working hardly ever. So I see this as the way of the future. Soon everyone will be watching television directly from their computers.

I have included below a site that compares the two of the best Satellite TV for PC services. I hope this article has helped you decide which path you want to take for your TV watching experience and I encourage you to visit my page below.

There have been dozens of fantasy movies produced since 1998. Many of them have done very well at the box office, and some of them have even won awards. Fantasy is a broad genre, and fantasy movies need not involve elves, dragons, wizards, and far-flung kingdoms.

I have sorted through all the fantasy movies produced within the past decade and have rated them all. From those ratings, I have compiled a list of the top 10 fantasy movies released between 1998 and 2007.

10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

This was the best of all the Harry Potter movies. None of them have really lived up to the books, though they all tried to stay in line with the story.

9. Shrek 2

The second installment of the green ogre's trilogy was the funniest of them all. The first Shrek was good also, but the last one was a big disappointment.

8. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Johnny Depp was nominated for an academy award for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow. The special effects in this movie were stupendous. The next two "Pirate" installments never lived up.

7. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

This movie had wonderful special effects and the child stars displayed excellent acting skills. And the battle sequences were magnificent.

6. Enchanted

I was surprised this movie was so good. Disney took a classic theme and turned it upside down. And to my delight, they actually did it right.

5. Cars

Even though there wasn't any magic in this flick, I had to classify it as fantasy. What else can you call a world full of talking cars? Good story for kids and adults with great animation.

4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Were this movie about fifteen minutes shorter, I would have probably ranked it higher. I thought it dragged on a bit longer than it needed. But it was still a great movie.

3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Peter Jackson did an excellent job with the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The Two Towers had a great ending and great acting from large cast.

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The opening sequence of The Fellowship was enough to make it one of the best movies ever. It had all the action and chemistry of the two sequels. But the opening made me give it the second highest spot.

1. The Green Mile

You might be surprised by this choice, but there's no reason to be. The Green Mile had excellent acting from Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. It was really a beautiful story and well deserving of the top spot as the best fantasy movie released in the past ten years.

Monsterquest is an exciting new program on the History Channel that examines the fascinating world of Cryptozoology. This is the scientific study of hidden and unknown animals. There are a surprising number of sightings of these legendary beasts all over the world, some seem to be genuine others mere fakes. It is the Monsterquest team's job to investigate these sightings and if possible capture the creature on tape for themselves. Each show features one of these legendary beasts. It is a very popular show.

Several noteworthy creatures have been investigated by Monsterquest with varying results. One of them is the famed Loch Ness Monster or "Lochie" as it is called by the locals. This dinosaur like creature supposedly lives in a large deep lake in Scotland called Loch Ness. It is one of the deepest lakes in the country and dates back to Prehistoric times. It is thought to be some sort of Sea Serpent of quite large proportions. One of the fun parts of the mystery of the Loch Ness monster is how a creature that is so large can sustain itself in the Lake. Another question is just how it got there.

A similar creature has been sighted in LakeOkanagan, in British Columbia Canada. It is called the Ogopogo. It supposedly has several humps rather than a long neck like the Loch Ness Monster. Another creature, which is quite similar to these two, has been sighted in Lake Champion USA. It is known by the locals as "Champ." This phenomenon has also been investigated by Monsterquest, in an effort to find out whether the sightings are true and what exactly the creature could be. Again its origins are a mystery but it seems to be an ancient form of life.

Recently Monsterquest did an episode on the Chupacabra. A sinister creature called the Chupacabra, or Chubacabra, meaning "goat sucker" in Spanish, was initially seen in 1995 in Puerto Rico. It preyed on a number of farm animals, sucking their blood and causing their deaths. Supposed witnesses of the beast describe it as a two legged reptile with sharp claws and fangs. A predator of this nature was also seen in Texas in 2007. However the creature did not seem to look the same. Monsterquest investigated both Texas and Puerto Rico to dig for the truth.

Big Foot or Sasquatch, as it is sometimes called, is a large ape like creature, covered with hair and has been sighted in remote parts of the USA. This is one of the creatures that Monsterquest has investigated. It has received widespread notoriety in the States giving rise to all sorts of speculations and even some fake pictures and evidence. The American Indians have many stories about this "hairy man" and also claim that there is evidence of such a creature in the cave paintings. As well as photos of the supposed beast there are also huge footprints, some of which are obvious fakes, but others could be true.

I can remember in the 80s and most of the 90s TV been the most important thing in my life. I would get home from school and I would watch Rainbow and He man. Then I would change the channel to the BBC and see what was on there. The Kids TV Shows they were so good back then, and hardly ever was there one that you did not like. Nowadays I wonder if the kids born in the 2000s would feel like me when they grow up. Would they want to see the old kids TV shows from their childhood when they have grown up? I very much doubt it. Now it is all about putting people in costumes and singing and dancing around. There just doesn't seem to be any creativity in many of the Kids TV Shows today. It is "let us sing a song about the alphabet" etc and that is good enough.

The only program I can remember been really good at this was Sesame street. This had great characters with humour and learning at the same time. I just cant say the same for Teletubbies and the Tweenies just to name a few of these shows. Can you see a kid later in their mid to late 20s wanting to see these shows again? I can't. However, when I was watching Kids TV in the late 80s and most of the 90s, there were shows back then what you could not wait to come back on again. Knightmare - it looks so crappy now, but for its time it was genius. I mean you would actually join in and go "no don't send him that way you idiots." A lot of the shows had interactivity or great story lines like The Mysterious cities of Gold. How many shows nowadays in the Kids TV area have half of what these shows had back then? Perhaps I am biased towards the era I grew up in. Maybe not. I don't know it is just that I can't see the Kids TV Shows what come on now. Will they be remembered like the shows come and gone in the 80s and 90s? Perhaps a few will but I think not many.

Soap operas have been a success on TV for quite some time. As a matter of fact, many of them we have grown up with and our parents have grown up with. This makes them a very unique part of an individual's day. This is because they follow the lives of the characters from the very beginning. You have your primary characters and then you have secondary characters that are in and out throughout the life of the show. You may even notice that new characters are introduced from time-to-time. With this is the soap opera awards.

The soap opera awards present awards to the top soap stars for their unprecedented performances. These awards are presented to newcomers and even the oldies for some kind of memorable performance that they have presented the world with. This can be for the best villain or an individual who has made some sort of outstanding achievement in the show.

The history

When you think about it, the soap opera awards have come a long way. At one time the awards were called "soapies," which was a bit of an embarrassing name. As of 1977 the "soapies" were the only awards that were voted on by the fans rather than a committee of some kind. They did not have a glitzy presentation at first, but over time they developed into something huge.

They came with 25 categories in all and had their own show dedicated to them. Before, other television shows such as the Dinah Shore show would present the awards, but things had changed. The soap opera awards then stood on their own as a televised award show.

To this day the soap opera awards remain popular as people vote and watch their favorite characters receive awards for various reasons. Nothing excites a soap opera addict more than seeing their favorite shows win. Various networks have covered the soap opera awards throughout the years, but the fan base doesn't die down. Even when the awards went exclusively online in 2001, it is no wonder that the awards had to return to television.

Not to miss

So if you're a soap fan, you may not want to miss the soap opera awards. You can see your favorite stars dressed in their finest and watch them take the soap opera awards by storm. Besides, they provide us with great stories every single day, so it is only right that we support them by watching the soap opera awards. You are what keeps the soap opera awards on the air and you are the reason why your favorite soap stars are where they are today.

"No Country for Old Men" is the story of what happens when money consumes the lives of two men, portrayed oppositely as good and evil. The movie becomes an action-packed movie of evil chasing after good, and in the process, and through interactions and views of other characters, we learn a lot about the motivations behind the main characters actions. We are slowly drawn into the story, making it no longer an action movie and continuous "chase", but instead a drama of how one action can change the lives of so many people.

In "No Country for Old Men", Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is out hunting when he comes across the remains of a drug deal gone wrong. While there, he finds two millions dollars (the buy money) and decides to take it for himself. Knowing that the drug bosses will eventually come looking for the money, he sends his wife to her mother's house and begins to run, hoping to either cause the drug bosses to quit following him or to lure them out and stop them from following him once and for all.

When the drug bosses realize the money is missing, they send Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) after Llewelyn. Chigurh has very little of a conscience (if any) and is willing to kill anyone who keeps him from his money. This starts a chase that takes the characters all over Texas, each character trying to stay one step ahead of the other.

One of the best parts of "No Country for Old Men" is the character development of the town Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). He comes across the remains of the drug deal after Llewelyn has stolen the money, and begins to investigate it. As he does, he begins to understand just how much the world has changed over the years since he was young, and begins to lose faith in both himself and humanity, thus leading to the title of the movie.

While these important plot points take time to develop, the action of the movie keeps you thoroughly entertained. Chigurh uses a modified gun created from compressed air, so as not to leave evidence behind. This is not only something unique, but the sheer force Chigurh puts behind his actions helps create for the viewer the sociopath he truly is.

Although I have heard many reviewers and critics question to the final ending of the movie (not giving too much away here), I for the most part disagree. I feel that there is enough evidence given in the end of the movie for the viewer to be able to assume as to what has happened. Although I agree with the critics that one important scene should've been shown instead of skipped past, there is enough evidence given to fill in the blanks. The missing scene was not needed for informative purposes, but would've been nice for other purposes.

The one flaw in the movie goes back to Sheriff Ed Tom Bell's character. Although the epiphany he comes to is so important for the theme of the movie, the way it is come upon seems a little drawn out. There are many scenes in which the Sheriff is talking to characters we as viewers have never met before, and proceeds to talk to them for a long period of time. These scenes put a pause on the action we are enjoying, and we have to make certain assumptions as to the characters relationships in order to fully grasp the importance of these conversations.

Other than that though, "No Country for Old Men" is an excellent modern day Western film. It is an action-packed, emotionally driven movie, whose story ends up telling more about the few specific characters in the movie, but instead about humanity as a whole.

The world has become a global market enabling people to work in other countries while still catching the local news from their home country online. As a result of this movement broadcast companies have recognized the demand for International Satellite TV Channels and have rapidly begun to make available online. As more people move away from their country a solution needs to be available to fill the growing need. This article will uncover how online users can watch international satellite TV channels, where to find them and the benefits for watching TV online.

If you have recently done a search for international satellite TV channels we were probably ready to pull your hair out trying to find what you were looking for. That is because the Internet over the past several years has been flooded with satellite TV channels from all around the world. So how can you find these channels with out all the pain and time wasted searching...Satellite TV Tuner Software. This software is downloaded onto your computer and turns your computer into a satellite receive giving your unlimited access to thousands of satellite TV channels including international. Satellite TV Software is readily available online and is easy to download and install.

So where does one find Satellite TV Software? That is easy...just do a search online and you will find a handful of products to choose from. Most software has a one-time fee that gives you unlimited access, free software updates and technical support. If you run across a website the charges a monthly fee or for software updates don't waste your time or money on them. It is not hard to find a good satellite TV software program offering international satellite TV channels if you spend a little time researching online. I know four of the top of my head the provide over a thousand quality international TV channels and offer one of the best benefits a money back guarantees!

Speaking of benefits, a good quality satellite TV tuner will provide many benefits. Here is a list of just a few that is worth listing.

* Pay only a one-time fee and never pay another dime...no monthly subscription fees

* Quick and Easy Download and Installation

* Watch Over 3000 Satellite TV Channels

* Watch Satellite TV from Over 78 Countries

* Works from anywhere around the world

* Free Software updates and support

* Money back guarantee

As you have learned watching international satellite TV channels is available and ready online. Satellite TV Tuner Software makes watching TV online a breeze by putting you in control to watch TV when and where you like from anywhere around the world.

"American Beauty" is one of those rare films that comes along that not only has all the perfect ingredients: great script, stellar cast, spot-on direction and beautiful images, but it also manages to carry an "X" factor which manages to elevate it beyond the normal film and in to something quite special. In many ways, this is the mainstream version of "Fight Club"; a subversive look at the underbelly of the suburban psyche. At times it's hilarious, at times it's tragic, and at times it's moving. But all the while, you get the message that you only have one life to live and you better not waste it, otherwise... you'll end up like one of the characters in this film.

Lester Bernham, played brilliantly by Kevin Spacey, has lost his lot in life. He's just not sure why he "feels so sedated". Everything started off well but after twenty years of a slow downward spiral in to monotony and discontent with life he now feels jaded, cynical and unhappy with how his life has turned out. It's a message that will hit home for many people (and possibly is an indicator to the massive success of this film), but as Lester points it, "it's never too late to get it back!". He gets it back by standing up to his OCD, domineering wife, blackmailing his boss for a year's pay and going to work in a fast food restaurant where he won't have any pressure, makes friends with the local drug dealer Ricky and starts smoking pot, fantasizes about his daughter's sexy high-school friend, getting the car he always wanted and in general starting to try things in his life that he always wanted to do but never did before.

The film is at times extremely funny. In one confrontation between Lester and his wife Carolyn, played to perfection by Annette Bening who by all accounts lived this role during the filming, Carolyn catches Lester "choking the carrot" which she finds disgusting but to which Lester replies, "well excuse me, but some of us have blood flowing through our veins and you're obviously not going to help me out in that department!". Another sequence where their two gay neighbours introduce themselves to the new red-neck, all blooded American who has just moved in is fabulous. "You guys said you were partners, so, what's your business?" - "He is a tax attorney, and he is an anaestheseoligist." Lester's lust for his daughter's high school friend leads him to start behaving like a school kid, especially when she starts leading him on. In one telling scene, Lester is watching the performance of his daughter's cheerleading squad when he notices her friend amongst the dancers. He goes in to a trance-like state and enters a fantasy world. This scene sets the pace for the rest of the film with all of Lester's interactions with her.

There are some haunting, moving scenes in the film as well. When Ricky befriends Lester's daughter, he shows her video tape of a shopping bag floating around in the world. He says it was one of those perfect days, where he just watched this bag dance around in the wind. It was then that he realised that there was so much beauty behind things... The scene is beautiful and underscores the film's main message that there is so much more to life than the petty bickerings that most people get caught up in and are demonstrated so well by the characters.

Perhaps the best aspect of this film is the characters are so well drawn. A lot of these people are pathetic individuals, yet you not only sympathize with them, you realize that they are really just victims of this suburban lifestyle. The red-neck neighbour who is traditional to the bone turns out to be gay when he makes a pass at Lester. Carolyn has become neurotic to the point of being obsessive-compulsive by trying to control everything in her life so there's no chance that anything will go wrong, but as Lester points out, there was a time when she didn't care about these things. Lester's daughter's friend, despite having model looks, is a stuck-up little princess who ends up revealing her true beauty to Lester when she's confronted by her friend and told how ugly she really is. All of these moments, and many more, make the film truly special, and allow each of us to recognize either ourselves or someone we know in each of these characters, and that with a few exceptions, most people have redeemable qualities if they are allowed to show them.

"American Beauty" won 5 Oscars in 2001 and deservedly so. This is a great film and will make you think twice about your life.

If I had to pick one word to sum up The Dark Knight, it would be intense. This movie grabs you and does not let go for 2.5 hours.

The Dark Knight delivers on so many levels that it makes me want to destroy all of the other Batman movies in my DVD collection (except Batman Begins).

Writer/Director, Christopher Nolan, has done an amazing job here, making a sequel even better than the original, and turning a comic book into a crime thriller on par with films like Heat and The Departed.

Fair warning, though. This is not Iron Man or Spider-Man. The Dark Knight is, well, dark. The Joker is the most disturbing comic book villain ever, and the way that he is brought to life on screen is brilliant!

All of the praise for Heath Ledger as the Joker is deserved and not hype. I don't even think that I can watch Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's Batman without cringing.

Christian Bale continues to shine as both Bruce Wayne and Batman, but, he really needs to work on his Batman voice a bit. There are moments when he comes across very nasally and I could barely understand what he was saying as Batman.

Aaron Eckhart is perfectly cast as Harvey Dent, Gotham's "White Knight" district attorney, and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes makes us forget about Katie Holmes in Batman Begins.

Gary Oldman really gets to shine as Detective Jim Gordon, and the always fun to watch, Morgan Freeman, delivers as always.

The Dark Knight will likely be the #1 movie of the summer, and professional critics are already talking numerous Oscar noms, including Best Picture.

So, don't wait to see this one. Beat the heat outside and prepare to see one of the best comic book movies ever and the best movie of 2008!

Hellboy II: The Golden Army surpasses the original Hellboy (2004) in many important ways. It has more heart, more character, and a story conflict that isn't easily resolved with nothing but violence. There are lots of fighting, make up art and cool special effects, but that's not the essence this time around.

Hellboy II is the fourth superhero movie of the summer, and the second best in my opinion. This is how I would line them up:

1. Iron Man (9)

2. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (8)

3. The Incredible Hulk (7)

4. Hancock (4)

Centuries ago, so a tale goes told by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt), humans were at war with elves, trolls and goblins. The elves devised an invincible and indestructible army of 4900 machines made of gold. When Balor, the king of the elves (Roy Dotrice) realizes that they were massacring the rest of the world, he felt great shame, and decided to stop the fighting by taking away the control panel, which was his crown, divide it into three parts, and hide the army of 4900 somewhere underground, only to be unified again when the very existence of the elven species was at risk. Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) didn't agree with his father's decision and decided to leave his brethren until the time would come when they needed him to lead them in battle against the humans again.

In New York City, at the present time, Prince Nuada has decided to come back, since human beings are on the verge of destroying planet Earth, have forgotten the contract made between man and elves, and have become apathetic to anything wondrous in the world. The prince wants to bring back the golden army and annihilate all humans. His father and his sister, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton), don't agree for some reason, and the prince is sentenced to death by his father. So the prince rebels against his father, kills him and steals the crown, and now with only one piece missing from the crown (the other he had stolen from an auction), he goes after his sister, who's hiding the last piece.

Now, back to the auction. Prince Nuada left behind a path of death and destruction, so the agents at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, at the order of the bureau's president, the self-interested and political Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor) go to investigate. A few human agents, which are actually more like monster fodder, go along with Hellboy (Ron Perlman), Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and Abraham Sapien (Doug Jones). They manage to discover what's going on by clues and monsters Prince Nuada left behind. There are thousands of little monsters called tooth fairies, that are so named since when they attack a prey, the start by going after their teeth.

After a battle that became too public for the taste of control in Washington, Manning is replaced by Jonathan Krauss (Seth MacFarlane) who can probably best been described as a phantom menace. You get the reference when you see it. Krauss manages to bring one of the little monsters to live, after Hellboy and his team have killed it, to retrieve important information about what's going on.

And that's basically the setup, but it has more. There is more depth in the relationship between the characters than ever before, and you sense their friendship and love between each other, and get to understand what it is that keeps them going in a world that doesn't want them or believes they are needed. How wrong we are, the puny humans. Even though the themes are of death, despair and destruction, the main characters have a lively sense of humor, with Hellboy muttering "Oh, crap" and excelling at one-liners every now and then.

Hellboy is different from any other superhero movie in the sense that it embraces a world of ancient fantasy in modern times, and attempts to find place for those creatures of myth amongst us, in a very creative way, since most of the monsters and creatures are original creations by Guillermo del Toro, who is really letting himself lose with his fantastic imagination, and steady hand at directing. If the directing is going to be in this caliber when his version of The Hobbit starts coming out in 2011 and 2012, we are in for a treat.

The motivation of the villains is basically the same as in the awful The Happening that came out earlier this summer, but the difference is that this story doesn't preach and it's entertaining as hell, with a hero who's actually supposed to be Satan's own son, but who took catholic faith after being raised by a catholic priest. Talk about nature vs. nurture!

Trivia from IMDB:

Revolution Studios was originally set to produce this sequel but had to pull out once Sony decided they no longer wanted to fund Revolution Studios. Sony put the rights up for sale since they felt Hellboy wasn't a profitable franchise for them. Universal felt differently and bought the rights to make the sequel immediately.

Quote:

Prince Nuada: You have more in common with us than them, demon.

Hellboy: Excuse me?

Questions:

1. Are we close to destroying Earth?

2. Those legends of old, are they of no value in modern times, or will history repeat themselves so that they will become meaningful again?

3. Does the Earth have any means to protect other life on the planet against human violence?

4. Are human beings truly the masters of the Earth, or are we Earth's slaves?

5. If humans are the ones to rule the Earth, how well are we doing?

6. Will there be a Hellboy III?

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Creator: Mike Mignola

With the passage of time, much has changed in this world. The way we dress, the technology around us, the way machines work, the way we communicate and almost everything else that is involved in our everyday lives. But one factor which has pretty much remained a constant over the years is the movie industry. No matter how many years have passed by, films still remain the largest and most effective method of mass communication.

Earlier, people used to go to theatres to watch movies. But now with the concept of home entertainment and of course the lack of time being faced by almost everyone, the concept of a trailer came up. A movie trailers is basically a short slip that encompasses the best shots of the movie. It is usually produced such that it gets the largest crowds on the opening weekends, regardless of the quality of the actual movie.

Now then, People shifted from going to the theatre, to home theatre systems and then to various other formats. The earlier versions included VHS tapes, which then evolved to CDs and DVDs. But now, most people watch all their favorite movies and the trailers online, which is of course the best source for any kind of media.

With the rise of the internet over the past decade, movies have certainly caught up with times and have made their presence felt in the internet world. There are various options to watch movies using the internet. Most people download their favorite movies from international servers while others prefer to watch it streaming online. Though the latter might prove to be a bit irritating sometimes, it certainly is the way to go, especially for those on the move.

Though this does escalate the seriousness of other problems like video piracy and also availability of inappropriate content to minors and other young viewers, it hasn't stopped growing popularity. There are lots of sites on the net where you can watch all the latest releases and even better, their trailers, if you are running low on time. If you still find yourself doubtful about the online movie experience, all you have to do is give it a shot. Head to one of the many movie sties on the internet and select the movie that you want to watch. And what's better, the entire process is absolutely free and the movies are all brand new!

One of the most delightful movies about weddings is the 1991 hit Father of the Bride starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, and Martin Short in the unforgettable role of Franck the wedding planner. It was actually a remake of a classic Spencer Tracey comedy, but I found the more recent version to be even funnier than the original. The movie tells the tale of a loving dad who nearly loses his mind during the planning of his daughter's wedding.

There are many parts of Father of the Bride that real-life dads will relate to. The wave of nostalgia that hits Steve Martin when he realizes that his little girl is all grown up is very touching, and is a sentiment shared by many fathers of the bride. Most dads will also relate to the sticker shock experienced by Martin's character, George Banks.

The sweetness of the father-daughter relationship is balanced by the hilarity of the actual wedding planning process. Franck the wedding planner is definitely the funniest and most memorable part of the movie. From his insistence on swans, the scene over the navy blue tuxedo, and all of the other costly "must-haves" that he arranges, he is an absolute gem.

One of the best known scenes in Father of the Bride is when Annie's fiance gives her a blender. He thinks that it is a thoughtful gift (Annie likes milkshakes); she thinks that it is a symbol of his intention to turn her into a 1950s housewife after the wedding. Naturally, Annie's father steps in and smooths things over. The blender fiasco is a perfect example of how people can go a little crazy during the stress of planning a wedding!

Annie's bridal ensemble was very traditional. She wore a long sleeved gown with a lace illusion neckline. It was an elegant and lovely dress, which she completed with a full veil and blusher. With such a high neckline, the bride did not wear a necklace, but she did choose pearl bridal jewelry for earrings. Annie's pearl bridal jewelry was dangle earrings, which are a nice choice when there is no necklace being worn. She completed the look with a pair of sneakers from her father's sneaker company hidden under her full skirt.

Father of the Bride shows why it is not less expensive to have your wedding at home. Between the renovations, the gardening, and the fancy birds, it would have been more affordable to have the wedding in a club. This is often the case with weddings at home, because not only will you have all of the costs associated with renting everything from forks to a tent, but you will surely see a hundred ways that your home must be spruced up to look perfect for your wedding.

Anyone planning a wedding should take the time to sit down and watch Father of the Bride. It is an adorable, lighthearted movie that will provide a relaxing break during the hectic days of planning your own wedding. And in case you are wondering what happens after the wedding, rent Father of the Bride II (I'll give you one hint: babies!).

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo in Italian) - 4 Stars (Excellent)

After enjoying unexpected commercial success with "A Fistful of Dollars" and "For a Few Dollars More", Italian Director Sergio Leone ends his trilogy of "Spaghetti Westerns" with "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly".

Amazingly, even at this point in his masterful direction of western movies made in Spain, Leone would not enjoy a nickel's worth of adulation from the critics as only the Laurel Awards would give a single award to Clint Eastwood for Action Performance, and that was as runner-up.

Hollywood and its stars ignored Sergio Leone just as they have Johnny Depp. They refuse to recognize that even westerns or pirate pictures can be artfully done and have unique acting performances. Clint Eastwood is The Man With No Name, and Johnny Depp is the perfect pirate as Captain Jack Sparrow. There will never be another equal of either in these roles.

At least one film director, screenwriter and actor-Quentin Tarantino-has identified Leone's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as "the best-directed film of all time." It was Tarantino who gave moviegoers "Reservoir Dogs". "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill (Vol. 1 and Vol.2)" among others.

But back to Leone, who helped write the screenplay with mostly Luciano Vincenzoni. It was Vincenzoni who came up with the premise for the film-three rogues looking for some treasure at the time of the America's Civil War-and its title.

The triangle of rogues included The Good (Clint Eastwood, a professional gunfighter referred to as "Blondie" in this film who would become The Man With No Name in subsequent western films spun off of his character), The Bad (Lee Van Cleef, a self-centered hit man referred to as "Angel Eyes") and The Ugly (Eli Wallach, a self-centered outlaw referred to as "Tuco").

Long story short, the plot involves first establishing the three rogues as bona fide killers. Blondie then becomes a pseudo bounty hunter in partnership with Tuco, turning him in for the bounty, rescuing him before he is hanged, and repeating the process until Blondie leaves Tuco in the desert to die. Tuco survives, and lives to find Blondie and return the favor.

As Blondie is about to die while being forced to walk across the desert by Tuco, they are interrupted by an out-of-control, driverless carriage loaded with dead bodies. Except one body, Bill Carson, lives long enough to tell Tuco where $200,000 in gold is buried in exchange for water. While Tuco goes for water, Carson tells Blondie the exact grave in a cemetery where the gold can be found. Suddenly they have a compelling reason to become partners again.

Dressed in the Confederate uniforms of the dead men, Tuco takes Blondie, who is near death, to a local Catholic mission run by Tuco's brother, a priest. Blondie's recovery goes well, but Tuco's reconciliation with his brother does not.

Blondie and Tuco leave the mission and end up being captured by Union soldiers, and taken to a prison camp where Angel Eyes (now a Union sergeant) takes personal charge of torturing the captives. Angle Eyes is aware of the gold, has his enforcer beat Tuco senseless, and learns the name of the cemetery. He then turns Tuco in for the bounty, frees Blondie (who knows the exact location) and he and his gang of 5 thugs head for the cemetery with Blondie.

Tuco manages to escape on the way to his hanging, turns up in a town the Union forces have bombed silly, and runs smack into Blondie, Angel Eyes and his band of 5. Blondie and Tuco manage to kill all 5 thugs as Angel Eyes escapes, and now all three are headed for the cemetery.

On their way to the cemetery, Blondie and Tuco run into a full blown Civil War battle over a bridge crossing a river to the cemetery. They witness the continual carnage, blow up the bridge, and then the soldiers from both sides-as well as Blondie and Tuco-move on.

Once in the cemetery, it is inevitable that the three rogues face off in one of the greatest western showdowns ever filmed. The confrontation is full of Leone's masterful panoramic shots, extreme close-ups and clever sequence of final events. If you have not seen this film, you must, it may be the greatest western film ever made. If you have seen it, you should see it again to better appreciate Sergio Leone's masterful direction.

There are many great moments in this film. Two of my favorites involved Tuco. In the first, while Tuco is in the bombed-out town, he manages to find a bathtub and take a bath. While doing so, a bounty hunter (remember than Tuco still has a price on his head) confronts him buck naked in the tub.

At the start of the film, the bounty hunter is one of three gunmen who confront Tuco and Tuco shoots all three. The one that confronts Tuco lost his right arm but lived and now shoots with his left arm. He reminds Tuco of his distress and, while doing so, Tuco kills him with his gun that is hidden beneath the bubble bath water. Tuco then utters this memorable line: "When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk."

The other scene I love is when Tuco walks miles and miles out of the desert and into a town with a gun shop in front of him. After dousing himself in a water trough, he confronts the proprietor, remakes a pistol out of parts from three other pistols, and then steps outside to test the weapon.

He hits three standing figures downrange, turning them sideways, and then fires three shots to cut each in half. Two figures fall immediately and the third remains standing. Tuco takes a mouthful of whiskey, and then jumps and as he lands, the third target falls. This is a guy film, and you really need to be a guy to fully appreciate what I am sharing here. Tuco's role in this scene helped invent the word cool.

Moviegoers watching this film at the time were not aware that Eli Wallach (Tuco) was nearly killed three times while playing his part.

He was almost poisoned on the set after drinking acid used to burn the bags filled with gold coin so they would rip open easier when struck with a spade. A film technician had poured the acid into a lemon soda bottle and Wallach didn't know it. He drank a lot of milk and finished the scene with a mouth full of sores.

In another scene where Wallach was about to be hanged while on a horse, the rope was severed by a pistol shot but the frightened horse galloped for almost a mile with Wallach's hands tied behind him and the noose still taut around his neck.

In a third scene, in order to cut off his handcuffs from his captor, Wallach places his captor on the railroad tracks and waits for a train to come by and break the chain attached to the cuffs. He was within a foot of track and ducks his head to the ground as the train rolls by. The entire film crew and Wallach were unaware that heavy iron steps jutted out from each box car and any of the numerous box cars with iron steps would have decapitated Wallach had he lifted up his head.

Wallach would later acknowledge and complain in his autobiography that safety on the set was not one of Leone's primary concerns in directing the picture.

For the record, Tuco's full name in the film script was Tuco Benedito Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez.

Because Sergio Leone spoke barely any English and Eli Wallach spoke barely any Italian, the two communicated in French. Because an international cast was employed, only Eastwood, Van Cleef and Wallach spoke in English, and were dubbed in Italian for the debut release in Rome. All other international cast members spoke mostly French or Spanish and were dubbed later. This accounts for the fact that none of the dialogue in the film was completely in sync.

Here are three interesting facts from the film for guys:

1) The cache of gold in the film was $200,000, which does not seem like a lot of money today. However, gold was $20+ an ounce in 1862 and was $628 an ounce in 2006, so the gold was really worth more than $6 million in today's money.

2) In the film, Blondie (Clint Eastwood) used a Colt 1851 cartridge conversion revolver with silver snake grips, and a Winchester 1866 "yellow boy" with ladder elevated sights. Angle Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) used a Remington 1858 Army percussion revolver. Tuco (Eli Wallach) used a Colt 1851 Navy percussion revolver with a lanyard. The soldiers used Gatling guns with drum magazines and Howitzer cannons.

3) Clint Eastwood wore the same poncho without replacement or cleaning during all three of Leone's spaghetti westerns. In the second film (For a Few Dollars More) you can visibly see that his poncho was mended after being pierced by 7 bullet holes from Ramon's Winchester in A Fistful of Dollars. The mended area, originally on the left breast, is worn over Eastwood's right shoulder blade in For a Few Dollars More.

From virtually no acclaim at the time, Sergio Leone's "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" is now regarded as a classic by many critics. It was part of Time's "100 Greatest Movies" of the last century, and it is one of the few films which enjoy a 100% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (rottentomatoes.com). The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is currently ranked no less than 5th among the Internet Movie Database Top 250, all of which is not too shabby for an Italian guy directing an American Western.

Even master movie critic Roger Exert gives Leone his just due as an excellent director, and acknowledges two other Sergio Leone films as unquestioned masterpieces-"Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968) and "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984).

Sergio Leone was born into the cinema. His father was Roberto Roberti (aka Vincenzo Leone), one of Italy's cinema pioneers, and his mother was actress Bice Valerian. Sergio Leone was born in Rome in 1929 and died in Rome in 1989 from a heart attack. He remains one of the great directors in film history.

Bring back Dolly and Dick, or even Nasty Nick! Is it just me, or are this years Big Brother contestants the most boring ever? There seem to be no 'real' characters, no one to even vaguely inspire a sense of viewing loyalty.

As a longstanding BB fan, I've defended it countless times to people who claim to hate it, but I'm forced to admit that the appeal has gone. The entertainment value in watching people speaking from inside cardboard boxes, taking part in ludicrous tasks or pinning hopes on a vote to 'Get Grace Out' seem long gone. I'm not claiming any sort of intellectual or cultural merit for the show, quite simply just that, until this year, it has always been entertaining, surreal and sometimes downright funny.

This year is different. I'm neither aware, nor care about any of the inmates. I watch it when I've nothing better to do, just to see if there is any action in the Elstree studio worth feigning interest in. None. Perhaps the nations obsession with reality TV is drawing to an end. Perhaps we've exhausted the bizarre pool of 'real' people who might be interesting to watch in an artificial environment?

Gone are the days when Friday at work always guaranteed a speculative conversation about who might go out in the eviction. This year, no one else really seems to care either. In fact the only conversations I've heard recently relate to previous years of glory: mostly trivia, or personal anecdotes about former housemates.

A friend once sat in a van with Pete Bennet, and said he whistled constantly. I have it on authority that the actual sound of his whistling is astonishingly similar to real birdsong... Someone else claimed to have left a club with Nikki Graham, but chose not to go any further than the bus stop with her because she didn't stop talking or complaining...

The best story I heard was of somebody using a price comparison website to work out how much home insurance for the Big Brother house would be. Apparently it's surprisingly low. This is due largely to the fact that security is excellent. With 24-hour security and constant CCTV coverage, the chances of a break in are minimal!

Reality TV is a bit like Marmite: you either love it or hate it. This years BB has got me to thinking that perhaps the genre has finally had it's day. Every second programme seems to involve 'real life' characters in one capacity or another. Perhaps, the current lack lustre Big Brother reflects the fact that we've reached saturation point. The majority of wannabe contestants now do little to hide their aspirations to seal a lucrative magazine deal when they leave the show. Is there really any more space in the world - not to mention the magazine shelves - for more E and F list 'celebrities'?

This does pose other questions though. If the appeal of reality TV is dwindling, what might replace it? Is that really something we want to think about?

We all have favorite celebrities and buy their merchandise. We join fan clubs, go to concerts and buy their movies and CD's, but what few people realize is that it can also be very profitable.

While we're buying all of this merchandise and spending our money on purchases, why not make some money at the same time? Collecting entertainment memorabilia is the way to do it and it won't leave you broke. Autographs, photos and posters are popular right now. You can also buy movie props and original costumes worn by movie stars. The list is endless. There is memorabilia out there that will bring top dollar, but you can find lots of items right now at affordable prices.

First is finding the memorabilia to collect. Estate sales, garage sales and flea markets are a great place to start. You can also find a huge selection online.

Once you find your treasure, do some research to get an idea of what it is worth. If it isn't worth much now, don't worry. In time it will be. The popularity of celebrities is always going up and down. A new blockbuster movie may come out, unfortunately there may be an untimely death, or a celebrity may do something totally outrageous (a few come to mind here.) So if you can't get the price that you want right now, just give it some time and it will become a wanted item sooner or later.

Collecting celebrity memorabilia is also fun. The hunt is just the beginning. It is such an amazing feeling when you get your hands on an authentic one of a kind item from your favorite celebrity and show it to your family and friends.

There have been rumors that he was only 5'6" tall, but the Duke was actually as big as the man he portrayed in his movies, standing at 6'4" tall and weighing 225 pounds and wearing a size 11 boot.

John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison on March 26, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa to Clyde L. Morrison and Mary Brown Morrison. His parents later changed his named to Marion Michael Morrison when they decided that they wanted to name their next son Robert. Clyde was a pharmacist who owned a drugstore and when young Marion was 6 years old, the family moved to Southern California where Clyde became a homesteader. Not long after that, the family moved to Glendale where Clyde again opened up a drugstore. When John was a boy, he wouldn't go anywhere without his Airedale Terrier dog named Duke. The locals started calling John "Little Duke" and the name stuck.

While John was in high school he worked several odd jobs including driving a truck and a fruit picker. He was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Southern California because of his athletic talents. In his second year of college, he broke his ankle and dropped out. While still in school he got a job as a scenery mover at Fox Films. John had bit parts in several movies while working as a prop man for 2 years but his first starring role was in the 1930 film, "The Big Trail". The director Raoul Walsh suggested giving him the stage name of "Anthony Wayne" after Revolutionary War general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. Fox Studios chief Winfield Sheehan didn't like the name so Walsh suggested "John Wayne". Sheehan agreed and the name was set without John even being present. In John Wayne's career he starred in over 200 films. His last film was in 1976 when he starred as John Bernard Books in "The Shootist".

John Wayne was married 3 times and fathered 7 children. In 1964 he was diagnosed with lung cancer and had his entire left lung and 4 ribs removed. Five years later he was declared cancer free. After this bout with cancer he starred in 20 more films.

John Wayne passed away on June 11, 1979 at the UCLA Medical Center from stomach cancer. He was 72 years old. He was interred in the Pacific View Memorial Park cemetery in Corona del Mar.

In 1999, the American Film Institute named Wayne 13th among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time.

Although not all of the people nowadays are familiar with the TV series, Science Fiction Theatre, it still has its own fan base that are very much into the series until now. In fact, there might be even children or grandchildren of people who were fond of this series in the past that know of this and even have collections of the series' episodes or are interested in getting copies of them.

Science Fiction Theatre was actually a syndicated anthology series based on science fiction. The producers of this US series are Maurice Ziv and Ivan Tors while its host was Truman Bradley. A former correspondent during war, Bradley was also a film actor during the 1940s. Each episode of the series presented stories which had pseudo-scientific or extrapolated importance and was based on authentic scientific data that was made available during the 1950s. The program's focus was more on such ideas as robots, flying saucers, space flight, time travel, telepathy and the extraterrestrials' alleged intervention in the affairs of humans.

The program which ran since 1955 until 1957 had 78 episodes all in all that ran for a half hour each. In its second run syndication in the 1960s, the program was also called Beyond the Limits and Science Fiction Theater, alternatively. In all actuality, Science Fiction Theatre was known to be the predecessor of such shows bearing the same genre and among these are The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone. The program was even mentioned in the Back to the Future film in 1985, which starred Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. Coincidentally, an actor named Michael Fox was also one of the most frequent actors that starred in the episodes of the program.

Looking back on the episodes of Science Fiction Theatre, it can be remembered by those who were fond of the science program that each episode had an introduction that consisted of a stirring fanfare of string, brass and woodwind. This musical score was played while the camera slowly panned over the infamous science laboratory of the program. Although he is not credited for it, it is believed that the introductory score of the program was a composition of Ray Bloch. After the intro, host Truman Bradley would the show a scientific experiment that could only be described as relatively simple but which has a connection to the topic of the show on a given week. Although the demonstrations presented by Bradley were mostly staged, the results that they yielded were really in harmony with the true experiments' outcome. Because of the intense scheduling of the production of the ZIV episodic shows for television and also because of budget constraints, the scientific apparatus and even those that were not that scientific that were used in the shows appeared time and time again as multi-function props.

James Dean was an American movie actor in the 1950s, who was tragically killed in a motor accident when he was rising to stardom in Hollywood. He had acted in only seven films among which only three have his name in title credits. He is the first actor to be nominated for Oscars after death. In fact, he was posthumously nominated twice for the Oscar awards. He became a somewhat cult figure in United States after his death mainly because of his sparkling performance in films like Giant and Rebel without a Cause. He had a public image almost as a rebel without a cause.

James Dean was born in Marion in the State of Indiana on 8 February 1931. Winton Dean, who was a farmer turned dental technician, was his father and Mildred Dean his mother. When he was five years old, his family shifted to Los Angeles. After some years, his mother died, and he returned to Indiana to live with his aunt and uncle in their farm. After dabbling unspectacularly with studies in school and college for some time, he enrolled in an acting workshop conducted by James Whitmore. Soon he was appearing on television commercials. He found himself in acting in some plays and even doing minor roles in films. In 1951, he moved to New York for searching greener pastures in movie industry. He acted in several TV serials, while working in a studio. His roles in TV serials got noticed because of his excellent realistic acting, especially for his emotive facial expressions.

After some small roles in some films, he got his break in the film East of Eden, directed by Elia Kazan. It was an adaptation of a famous novel with the same name, written by John Steinbeck. Dean gave a whole-hearted performance. It was for this film that he received the Oscar nomination for the best actor award posthumously, the first of its kind in Oscar history.

Soon James Dean received another role in a memorably titled film, Rebel without a Cause. The film is said to provide an accurate depiction of the restlessness of youth. Dean gave a stirring performance in the film, which led him to his third, and what proved to be the last, movie, Giant. In this film, he played supporting role to the major stars of the time, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor. The film was released only after his death. He won Oscar nomination posthumously for this film also.

Dean was very much interested and actively involved in car racing also. He bought a Porsche 356 Speedster and then a Porsche 550 Spyders and began to participate in some racing competitions. He even got some prizes. After the shooting of Giant, while he was going to participate in a racing competition, his car collided with another car on the highway and he died.

If you're looking for a movie database on the internet, then look to "IMDb". This site holds everything you want to know about the stars, television and movies. Information from this site includes birthdates of your favorite actors, the films top actors have worked on, who is dating who and photos of stars. While this site holds everything you could want, "IMDb" provides links to other sites about movies too. You can also have fun with trivia for each star, plus you can advance your own acting career with the list of casting companies on this site!

With over 57 million visitors, this "Amazon" company is the best movie and film database on the internet. Not only do they deal with movies and films, but also television. You can find recaps of shows and information on TV actors. Find information about a TV drama, television movie and more.

TV listings are also viewable at "IMDb" and will help you plan your night. If you are a fan of a certain show, then you can discuss what happened on the show last night or even the week before with other fans. IMDbTV can help anyone catch up with a new show they've missed or fill in missing information about those episodes they weren't able to watch.

This movie database offers many things for surfers to enjoy, like previews for upcoming movies and information on hot movies that have already made their way to the theater. Some movies have more than one preview to help you get the bigger picture before choosing which movie to see.

The toolbar on the top of the home page of "IMDb" offers links to move and TV news, what films have been released on DVD and more. Conducting a "six degrees of separation" project is easy because this internet database of movies is full of information. Also, you can find data regarding film festivals and box office hits, plus contact and publicity information about the stars.

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