Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet

Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born October 5, 1975 in Reading, Berkshire, England) is an English actress most famous for her role as Rose DeWitt Bukater in the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic.

Her career began on television, with a co-starring role in the BBC children’s science-fiction serial Dark Season in 1991, followed by an appearance in an episode of the medical drama Casualty in 1993, also for the BBC.

Winslet’s film career took off in 1994 when she performed her first leading role as Juliet Hulme in Peter Jackson’s criticly acclaimed Heavenly Creatures. Since then she has acted in several films, such as Sense and Sensibility, Titanic, Iris, Finding Neverland, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, earning her four Oscar nominations and four Golden Globes.

Kate Winslet has also enjoyed a brief taste of success as a singer, with her single "What If" from the Christmas Carol: The Movie soundtrack. More recently her musical talents have been shown in her duet with "Weird Al" Yankovic on the Sandra Boynton CD "Dog Train."

On November 22, 1998 Winslet married director Jim Threapleton with whom she has a daughter named Mia Honey. After her divorce in 2001, she began a relationship with director Sam Mendes. Winslet married Mendes on May 24, 2003 on the island of Anguilla in the West Indies and their son Joe Alfie Winslet-Mendes was born on December 22, 2003.

On January 25, 2005 Winslet was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. She eventually lost to Hilary Swank. This tied her for the record for most Academy Award nominations for an actress before the age of 30. This nomination was preceded by nominations for Best Supporting Actress in Sense and Sensibility and Iris. Winslet was also nominated for Best Actress in Titanic, but lost to Helen Hunt. She was also nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress in that film and in Finding Neverland, but lost to Imelda Staunton.

Her home town of Reading has named a street – Winslet Place – in her honour, built on the site of a demolished cinema.

Winslet is famous for her curvaceous figure, and the media, in England in particular, have enthusiastically documented her weight fluctuations over the years. Winslet, a former anorexic, has been outspoken about her refusal to lose weight in order to conform to the Hollywood "ideal". In February 2003, the British edition of GQ magazine published photographs of Winslet which had been airbrushed to make her look dramatically thinner than she really was; Winslet issued a statement saying that the alterations were made without her consent.

 

Selected Filmography

2006 Holiday
2006 Flushed Away Rita (voice)
2006 Little Children Sarah Pierce
2006 All the King’s Men Anne Stanton
2005 Romance & Cigarettes Tula
2004 Finding Neverland Sylvia Llewelyn Davies
2004 Pride (TV) Suki (voice)
2004 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Clementine Kruczynski
2003 The Life of David Gale Bitsey Bloom
2001 Iris Young Iris Murdoch
2001 Christmas Carol: The Movie Belle (voice)
2001 Enigma Hester Wallace
2000 Quills Madeleine ‘Maddy’ LeClerc
1999 Holy Smoke Ruth Barron
1999 Faeries Brigid (voice)
1998 Hideous Kinky Julia
1997 Titanic Rose DeWitt Bukater
1996 Hamlet Ophelia
1996 Jude Sue Bridehead
1995 Sense and Sensibility Marianne Dashwood
1995 A Kid in King Arthur’s Court Princess Sarah
1994 Heavenly Creatures Juliet Hulme
1991 Dark Season (TV series) Reet

Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley (born March 26, 1985 in Teddington, London, England) is an English actress. She is the daughter of Sharman Macdonald, a Scottish playwright, and Will Knightley, an English actor. Knightley has lived most of her life in Richmond upon Thames.

Career

She started to follow in her parents’ footsteps at an early stage, making her film debut at the age of nine in A Village Affair (1994). Her first major theatrical appearance was as Sabé, Padmé Amidala’s decoy in the 1999 release Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Knightley was cast because of her close resemblance to Natalie Portman, who played Padmé. Her first major starring role was as the daughter of Robin Hood in a made-for-TV Walt Disney Productions feature, Princess of Thieves, first telecast in 2001.

Knightley is best known for her breakthrough roles in Bend It Like Beckham and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Bend It Like Beckham was especially physically demanding for Knightley in terms of the intense football training she underwent but opened the way for her into Hollywood. Her role in the blockbuster Pirates cemented her up-and-coming position in international cinema.

In 2004 Knightley appeared in the blockbuster King Arthur, which, although criticised for its numerous historical inaccuracies, was praised by critic Roger Ebert for "the considerable production qualities and the charisma of the actors, who bring more interest to the characters than they deserve", Knightley being described as looking "simultaneously sexy and muddy" fitting in with the current vogue for strong female action heroes (something which Knightley repeated in a modern setting in the 2005 film Domino).

Keira Knightley in King Arthur (2004).Knightley’s dedication to developing herself as an actress rather than a movie star was noted by Time magazine in a 2004 feature. In July 2004, Knightley was voted by readers of Hello! magazine as the movie industry’s most promising teen star. Additionally, Knightley was voted the sexiest movie star of all time by the readers of Empire magazine, leaving behind other stars such as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts, Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot.

In 2005 Knightley starred in the title role of Tony Scott’s film Domino inspired by the life of his friend Domino Harvey, a British born model-turned- L.A. bounty hunter who died in July 2005 of an overdose aged 35. Ebert commented that, although the movie is "fractured and maddening" it is also "alive", praising Knightley for her ability to play a diversity of roles. In contrast to Knightley’s role in the same year of the regency englishwoman Elizabeth Bennett in a film adaption of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with Donald Sutherland and Matthew Macfadyen. Recently opening at No.1 in the UK box office, it is her sixth film to do so in her career.

She is currently filming the sequels to the immensely popular Pirates of the Caribbean series, due for release in the summers of 2006 and 2007 respectively. She recently ended her relationship with Irish model Jamie Dornan. She has been awarded Personality Of The Year 2005 by Variety UK, and is widely tipped for either a Golden Globe or Academy Award nomination in 2006 for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice. Beside acting, Knightley is currently modelling for Asprey, a British luxury items company.

 

Filmography

2007 Pirates of the Caribbean 3 Elizabeth Swann Filming
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest Elizabeth Swann Filming
2005 Kingdom Hearts 2 Elizabeth Swann (voice) Video Game
2005 Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth Bennet Completed
2005 Domino Domino Harvey
2005 The Jacket Jackie
2004 King Arthur Guinevere
2003 Love Actually Juliet
2003 Gaijin Kate Short film, animated
2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Elizabeth Swann
2002 The Seasons Alter Helena Short film
2002 Doctor Zhivago Lara Antipova (née Guishar) Miniseries
2002 Pure Louise
2002 Thunderpants Music School Student
2002 Bend It Like Beckham Juliette ‘Jules’ Paxton
2002 New Year’s Eve Leah Short film
2001 Deflation Jogger Short film
2001 The Hole Frances ‘Frankie’ Almond-Smith
2001 Princess of Thieves Gwyn Hood Television movie
1999 Oliver Twist Rose Fleming Miniseries
1999 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Sabé
1998 Coming Home Young Judith Dunbar Television movie
1996 Treasure Seekers The Princess Television movie
1995 Innocent Lies Young Celia
1994 A Village Affair Natasha Jordan
1993 Royal Celebration Little Girl Television movie

Kiley Dean

Kiley Dean

Kiley Dean Bowlin (born July 12, 1982 in Alma, Arkansas), known professionaly as Kiley Dean, is an American female R&B singer.

Growing up in Orlando, Florida, Kiley made early footsetps into music business. In 1998 she landed an audition for Britney Spears and was hired as background singer. After touring all over the world, she was justly signed to Timbaland’s Beat Club Records. With the assistance of R&B/Soul producer Robert Smith both created a whole new album called "Simple Girl", resting upon her southern roots and jazzy R&B tracks.

But, as with all fairy tales there is a glitch – the solo album Simple Girl was never released. Kiley Dean sat on the label for two years while everyone tried making her something she wasn’t. But in retrospect, the experience was a blessing for Kiley. “I thank God for everything that has happened to me,” she declares, speaking of the heartache, pain, and insecurities this business has given her over the last two years. “I feel so lucky because as hard as it’s been, it made me dig real deep and find out who I am.”

Now, Kiley has a new management team and a new album deal with Bungalo/Universal that will allow her the creative freedom she is looking for. “The new record is so special to me. There was so much going on in my head and every song just captures the moment.” Brimming with sensual grooves, edgy rock guitars and laced with a sexy, sassy stance, CHANGES is an explosion of passionate singing, hot beats, incredible melodies and meaningful lyrics that will make you want to push the repeat button over and over again. Boasting songs co-written by Kiley and production by Bryan Michael Cox (Usher) and Big Bert (J-Lo), CHANGES shimmers with an honest vibrancy that’s hard to resist. “I just think that this album is so real and personal. Over the last few years I’ve experienced so much in my life. I was able to let it out on this record. It talks about the things everyone can relate to.”

 

Discography

Albums

Simple Girl (2003 (unreleased / digital only)
Changes (2005)

Singles

From Simple Girl:

"Make Me A Song" (2003)
"Who Will I Run To / Kiss Me Like That" (2004)
From Changes:

"Looking 4 Love" (2005)

Misc.

From Deliverance:

"Nowhere" (with Bubba Sparxxx) (2004)
From Unity:

"By Your Side" (with Utada) (2004)

Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Caroline Dunst (born April 30, 1982, in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, to Klaus and Inez Dunst) is an American actress of German and Swedish descent. Her first name is pronounced "KEER-sten."

 

Career

Dunst began acting at the age of three in television commercials. In a 1988 episode of Saturday Night Live, she played the role of President George H.W. Bush’s granddaughter, in a sketch in which Dana Carvey acted as President Bush. Years later, Dunst hosted Saturday Night Live as an adult and brought this to light.

In 1993, Dunst also had a small cameo appereance in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Hedril/Kestra (Troi’s sister).

Dunst made the transition to the big screen in New York Stories in 1989. Soon after, she landed a small part playing the daughter of Tom Hanks’s character in The Bonfire of the Vanities.

Dunst’s breakthrough role was in Interview with the Vampire, a 1994 film based on Anne Rice’s novel of the same name and directed by Neil Jordan. This movie features a somewhat controversial scene in which Dunst, then aged eleven, had to kiss Brad Pitt, who was 29. Her most well-known performances to date have been in The Virgin Suicides, the cult hit Bring It On, and as Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2.

Dunst won the 2002 Best Actress Silver Ombú at the Mar de Plata Film Festival for her performance as Marion Davies in Peter Bogdanovich’s The Cat’s Meow.

Dunst made her singing debut in the 2001 film, Get Over It, performing two songs written by Marc Shaiman. She also lent her musical voice to the end credits of The Cat’s Meow by singing the old standard, "After You’ve Gone."

More recently, Dunst has played the role of doomed 18th-century royal, Queen Marie Antoinette. The forthcoming motion picture, titled Marie-Antoinette, is scheduled for release in Autumn 2006. It is the third film directed by Sofia Coppola and is based on British historian Lady Antonia Fraser’s biography of Marie-Antoinette.

 

Filmography

Marie Antoinette (2006) (filming)
Elizabethtown (2005)
Wimbledon (2004)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
Kaena: The Prophecy (2003) (voice)
Levity (2003)
Spider-Man (2002)
The Cat’s Meow (2001)
Crazy/Beautiful (2001)
Get Over It (2001)
Deeply (2000)
Bring It On (2000)
Luckytown (2000)
The Crow: Salvation (2000)
All Forgotten (2000)
Dick (1999)
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
The Virgin Suicides (1999)
The Devil’s Arithmetic (1999)
Fifteen and Pregnant (1998)
The Hairy Bird (1998)
Small Soldiers (1998)
Wag the Dog (1997)
Anastasia (1997) (voice)
Tower of Terror (1997)
True Heart (1997)
Mother Night (1996)
Jumanji (1995)
Little Women (1994)
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Greedy (1994)
High Strung (1994)
The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) (voice in 1998 English dubbed version)
New York Stories (1989)

Personal Life

Kirsten’s parents separated several years ago. Her father, Klaus Dunst, a German medical services executive, stayed in New Jersey. Her mother, Inez Dunst, a Swedish former art gallery owner, moved to California. Kirsten has a younger brother, Christian, born in 1986.

Kirsten graduated from Notre Dame High School, a private Catholic high school in Los Angeles, in 2000. She is currently working on her own production company with her mother, called Wooden Spoon Productions.

Kirsten started dating fellow actor Jake Gyllenhaal in September 2002, after meeting him through his sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal (her co-star in Mona Lisa Smile.) They broke up in July 2004, but there are rumours that they’re back together.

Lucy Lawless

Lucy Lawless

Lucy Lawless (born Lucille Frances Ryan on March 29, 1968 in Auckland, New Zealand), is a Kiwi actress and singer best known for her role as Xena on the television series Xena: Warrior Princess from 1995 to 2001.

Lucy was born the fifth child of Frank and Julie Ryan. She discovered an enjoyment of acting in high school. At Auckland University, she studied foreign languages for a year. She then left for Europe with her boyfriend to travel around Germany and Switzerland. They went back and landed a job with a mining company in Australia. In 1988, Lucy and Garth Lawless were married. They returned to New Zealand and had a daughter, Daisy.

She had a guest role in 1990 on New Zealand TV series Shark in the Park, around the same time compatriot Karl Urban appeared.

Vanessa Angel was supposed to play a new character, the villainess Xena, in an en episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but became sick and was unable to travel to New Zealand. Lucy had previously played two different characters in Hercules, so the directors chose her as a replacement (though Lucy’s hair had to be dyed to distinquish her from the previous, unrelated characters). Under the 5′10 1/2" Lucy, Xena’s character became popular, so she started to redeem herself and got her own her series, Xena: Warrior Princess. The show was a hit, lasting six seasons.

A testament to the popularity of Xena: Warrior Princess is that Lawless is a universally recognized celebrity even though she has not had a single great success outside of it. She was even immortalized as a character on The Simpsons (playing a super-powered, flying version of herself).

She would later be named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by People magazine in 1997.

She has since appeared in the Vagina Monologues, on the first two episodes of the ninth season of The X-Files, and in the short-lived (eight episodes) television series Tarzan. She has had brief appearances in the movies Eurotrip, Spider-Man, and the horror film Boogeyman. Her next role was on TV battling bugs in her new TV-movie Locusts!.

Lucy Lawless as fleet reporter D’anna Biers on Battlestar Galactica.Recently, Lawless has taken on a recurring role on the Battlestar Galactica television series. She plays a D’anna Biers, a reporter with a secret agenda who works on a critical documentary about the crew of the Galactica (and who in secret is actually a Cylon humanoid robot that has infiltrated the ship to help bring about its destruction).

Lucy and Garth were divorced in 1995. She married the executive producer of Xena, Robert G. Tapert, in 1998. The couple had a son in 1999 named Julius Robert Bay Tapert. Lucy gave birth to her son in New Zealand. Her third child, and second with Robert Tapert, was born 2002 in New Zealand, and named Judah Miro Tapert.

Due to her character Xena’s ambiguous sexuality, Lucy Lawless gained a large cult following in the lesbian community. A new term, dykon, was coined to describe her status as a gay icon. Although she is heterosexual, Lucy Lawless has enhanced this reputation by appearing at gay pride events such as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Mandy Moore

Mandy Moore

Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American pop music singer and actress. She was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, but grew up in Seminole County, Florida, outside of Orlando. In between releasing albums, she attended Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs. She is of English, Irish and Cherokee Indian descent.

 

Biography

Music career

So Real album coverOn December 7, 1999, fifteen-year old Moore released her debut album So Real on Sony’s Epic Records, reaching a peak of #31 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. At the time when she burst out onto the music scene, Moore was considered only as the latest installment in a quickly-growing line of heavily-marketed ‘pop princesses’ that included Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson. As the last (and youngest) of the four to reach mainstream radio, her success didn’t match that of her peers. Still, So Real managed to be certified platinum in the US by early 2000, while her debut single, the gold-selling "Candy" just missed the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, peaking at #19. A follow-up single entitled "Walk Me Home" was later released, though it failed to achieve much success.

Moore released a re-worked version of her debut album entitled I Wanna Be With You on May 9, 2000, only six months after So Real hit stores. The album included several new songs, along with tracks from So Real, as well as a couple of remixed songs. I Wanna Be With You reached a peak of #21 on the Billboard 200 and was later certified gold in the US for selling over 500,000 copies. The title track was featured as the lead single, reaching a peak of #17 on the Hot 100 and becoming Moore’s biggest hit to date. The song was also featured in the movie Center Stage.

After the endeavors of her first two albums, Moore confessed that the music style and dance routines that had so heavily affected her success were ‘not hers’, and that she no longer felt comfortable performing them. So, in an attempt to become more artistically ‘in control’ of her music and image, Moore released the self-titled Mandy Moore on June 19, 2001. Critics hailed the album as an "attempt to stake her own space", and remarked that it was one of the most real and fulfilling pop albums on the market at the time. However, this critical success unfortunately did not lead to commercial success, as the LP debuted at a disappointing #35 on the Billboard 200. It has since went on to be certified gold in the US. The lead single, "In My Pocket", was tinged with a unique Middle-Eastern sound, along with a stunning, colorful video; it failed to make a dent in the charts, however, missing the Billboard Hot 100 completely. The follow-up single, "Crush", suffered the same fate, although it received considerable airtime on MTV. The final single, "Cry", was released in early 2002 and tied-in with Moore’s movie A Walk to Remember. It also failed to perform well on the charts. The album sold well in Eastern Asia, however, and the songs "17" and "Saturate Me" were both released as singles overseas.

Coverage album coverOn October 21, 2003, Moore released her fourth album, Coverage. The record consisted entirely of cover songs from the 1970s and ’80s that Moore was influenced by as a child, as well as songs she recently discovered. The album peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200 (her highest ranking to date), though the only released single entitled "Have A Little Faith In Me" failed to perform well on the charts. A video was made for the song "Drop The Pilot", though it was not released as a single in the US.

In early 2004, after Moore was dropped from Sony’s Epic Records, she signed with Warner Brothers Records. However, before she was done with Sony, they released the album Best Of on November 16, 2004, which included all of Moore’s biggest hits from the past five years. However, due to absolutely no promotion, the album peaked at an abysmal #148 on the Billboard 200.

It has been reported that Moore has been working on a new album since June 2005, and that recording will finally end in November 2005.

Film career

In 2001, Moore ventured into Hollywood when she appeared in a small part as the mean, blonde, popular cheerleader Lana Thomas opposite Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews in the film The Princess Diaries. In the movie, Moore performs with friends Anna and Fontana. The song "Stupid Cupid" can also be found on the movie’s soundtrack. Up until this point, her acting had only included the straight-to-video children’s movie Magic Al and the Mind Factory and a voiceover role in Dr. Dolittle 2. In 2001, Mandy also had a small part in the Good Charlotte music video for "Little Things" in which she played a snobby mean girl, much like the character she played in The Princess Diaries.

In 2002, Moore portrayed Jamie Sullivan in her first starring role opposite Shane West in A Walk to Remember. The movie, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, revolves around the developing romance between social outcast and devout Christian, Jamie, and West as bad boy Landon Carter. The movie was considered a moderate success, bringing in $41 million and cementing Moore’s status as a genuine actress. That same year, she played the role of Aeris in the Playstation 2 role-playing game, Kingdom Hearts.

Moore and her A Walk to Remember co-star, Shane WestThe soundtrack featured four songs by Moore ("Cry", "Someday We’ll Know", "It’s Gonna Be Love" and "Only Hope"). Awards also began rolling in for Moore, as she took home Breakthrough Female Performance at that Summer’s MTV Movie Awards, as well as Choice Female Breakout Performance and Choice Chemistry (with Shane West) at the Teen Choice Awards.

In 2003, Moore starred as Halley Martin in How to Deal. Allison Janney, Peter Gallagher, Alexandra Holden, and Trent Ford also starred. Halley is a troubled teen who decides to abandon love after witnessing her parents’ (Janney and Gallagher as Lydia and Len) divorce, her best friend’s (Holden as Scarlett) unexpected incident, and her sister’s rocky engagement. Macon (Ford) comes along and restores Halley’s faith in finding happiness when in love. The movie failed to draw in the teenage crowds in the US, and grossed a total of just $14 million.

Later in 2003, Moore appeared on Punk’d, after being tricked by Ashton Kutcher for destroying someone else’s home.

Moore’s next attempt at a box-office hit was 2004’s Chasing Liberty, which only grossed a disappointing $12 million. Later that summer, she co-starred in a supporting role in the low-budget, religious satire Saved! as Hilary Faye, the popular "good girl" at a Christian school. Although the film never received wide-release, it was critically successful and she received many positive reviews for her role.

In 2005, Moore lent her voice to the movie Racing Stripes. Upcoming films include Romance & Cigarettes, which is slated for an August 2005 release, as well as Personal Shopping.

She is gearing up for a supporting role with Dennis Quaid, William Dafoe, Hugh Grant, Seth Meyers, Jennifer Coolidge, Chris Klein and recently-added Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden for American Dreamz. Shooting completed recently, and Mandy Moore is already back to work with a supporting role in Southland Tales. Mandy has also guest-starred on Entourage in a fictional role of herself quite a few times this season. She is portrayed in the HBO series as a co-star with Vincent Chase in the film adaptation of Aquaman, which in the series is fictionally directed by guest-star James Cameron, who portrays himself.

She will also star in boyfriend Zach Braff’s comedy Scrubs later this year (2005).

She also has been cast to play Diane Keaton’s daughter in Because I Said So. Keaton will portray a meddling mother who tries to keep her daughter (Moore) from following in her own footsteps. One tactic she uses is to try to set her up with the perfect man. Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson wrote the script.

 

Embarassing Moment

Mandy Moore was at the 2002 MTV Video music Awards fo Asia. Apparently Mandy was suffering from throat problems. When it was time to perform her single Cry (single) Mandy voice kept cracking. Luckily her back up singer aided her through the performance.

 

Personal Life

Mandy Moore with brown hairMandy’s father is an airline pilot, her mother is an former radio journalist. She has two brothers.
Moore has had a relationship with Scrubs actor Zach Braff since February 2005. They met at a fundraising event for the Democratic party during election time November 2004.
Moore dated actor Wilmer Valderrama (That ’70s Show) for almost two years (2000-2002). Soon after she broke up with Wilmer, Mandy started dating tennisstar Andy Roddick. Andy and Mandy were together for only 16 months, Roddick ended the relationship March 2004.
During Moore’s stint as an opening act for the Backstreet Boys in their 1999 tour, many female fans in attendance booed and jeered impolitely, due to the rumors that she was dating BSB member Nick Carter (in truth, he was dating supermodel/tv host/pop singer Willa Ford, who was also nicknamed "Mandy").

Discography

Albums

1999: So Real #31 US (Platinum)
2000: I Wanna Be With You #21 US (Platinum)
2001: Mandy Moore #35 US (Platinum)
2003: Coverage #14 US (Gold)
2004: Best Of #148 US
2006: Once Moore (Post-Production)

Singles

From So Real
1999: Candy; #41 US, #6 UK, #2 AU
2000: So Real; #21 AU
2000: Walk Me Home
From I Wanna Be With You
2000: I Wanna Be With You (single); #17 US, #21 UK, #13 AU
From Mandy Moore
2001: In My Pocket; #11 AU
2001: Crush (single); #25 AU
2002: Cry (single)
From Coverage
2003: "Have A Little Faith In Me"
Other songs
2000: "Feel Me"
2001: "On The Line" featuring Backstreet Boys, Mandy Moore and others
2002: "Only Hope" from soundtrack ‘A Walk to Remember’
2004: "God Only Knows" duet with Michael Stipe
2004: "Hey!" demo written by James Randle (Sire Records)

Filmography

2001: Magic Al and the Mind Factory
2001: Dr. Dolittle 2 (voice)
2001: The Princess Diaries
2002: A Walk to Remember
2002: Kingdom Hearts (voice)
2002: Try Seventeen (a.k.a. All I Want)
2003: How to Deal (filmed in Toronto, June-July-August 2002, released July 2003)
2004: Chasing Liberty (filmed in LA and Europe, May-June-July 2003, released January 2004)
2004: Saved! (filmed in August-September 2003, released April 2004)
2005: Racing Stripes (voice)
2005: Romance & Cigarettes (supporting role, filmed in New York area March-April-May 2004, completed June 2004, currently unreleased)
2006: American Dreamz (supporting role, filmed in June-August 2005, post-production)
2006: Southland Tales (supporting role, filmed in September 2005, post-production)
2006: Brother Bear 2(Voice) (filming)
2006: Personal Shopping (pre-production)
2006: Because I Said So (filming begins November 2005)

Trivia

Her favorite actress is Bette Midler.
Her favorite movie is Beaches.
Her favorite artists are Elton John, Janet Jackson, Madonna and Bette Midler.
Her favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
In 2000, Play Along Toys released a Mandy Moore Doll.
In March 2002, Moore was featured in Elton John’s video for "Original Sin". She was criticized for wearing a bikini top and hot pants in the video.
She recorded Elton’s song "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" for Coverage.
In 2002 she gave a voice to beloved Final Fantasy VII character Aerith Gainsborough in the Square Enix-Disney crossover video game Kingdom Hearts. Coincidentally, Maaya Sakamoto, Aerith’s seiyuu in the original Japanese version of the game is also a singer.
In 2003, Moore frequently appeared in episodes of the MTV reality show The Osbournes as she became friends of short duration with Jack Osbourne. Jack accompanied her to a tattoo shop where Moore got a tattoo on her toe.
She hosted a short-lived MTV talk show.
She’s made a list with things to do or achieve before she turns 30. Number 10: learning how to cook.
Early in her career, it was reported in British newspapers that she was a relative of the British actor Ian Lavender, who played Private Pike in the sitcom Dad’s Army.
Moore was a Neutrogena spokesperson, appearing in commercials as well as print ads for the product.
In 2005, Moore designed a few tee-shirts with Mblem for charity.
Models for Coach handbags in Japan.
Models for clothing brand Penshoppe in the Philippines.
In August 2005, she dyed her hair blonde and got hair extensions for her roles in both American Dreamz and Southland Tales.

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970 in Huntington, New York) is an American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Making her debut in 1990, she became the most successful and best-selling artist of the decade, according to Billboard magazine and the World Music Awards. In 2000, the World Music Awards show named her the best-selling female recording artist of all time.

Noted for her distinctive singing style, Carey possesses a five-octave vocal range, and her vocals make frequent use of melismas and other ornamentation. During the 1990s, she released fifteen U.S. number-one hits on Columbia Records, run by then-husband Tommy Mottola, several of which broke chart records. By the turn of the millennium, Carey’s popularity with critics and the public had entered decline, and she was dropped from her new record label following a highly-publicised physical breakdown and an unsuccessful foray into film. In 2005, Carey returned to the forefront of R&B music with her multi-platinum album The Emancipation of Mimi, which spawned her sixteenth number-one single, "We Belong Together".

 

Biography and music career

Early life and discovery

Carey is the third and youngest child of Patricia Hickey, an opera singer and voice coach of Irish-American-Catholic ethnicity, and Alfred Roy Carey (né Núñez), an aeronautical engineer of Afro-Venezuelan descent. She was named after the song "And They Call the Wind Maria", from the musical Paint Your Wagon. Carey’s maternal grandparents disowned Mariah’s mother for having married a non-white man. Mariah’s siblings include her older sister Alison, and her older brother Morgan. As a multiracial family, the Carey household was met with racial slurs, hostility, and sometimes violence, causing the family to move frequently around the New York area. The strain on the family led to the divorce of Carey’s parents when she was three years old. Carey had little contact with her father, and her mother worked several jobs to support the family.

Spending much of her time at home alone, Carey turned to music as an outlet. She began singing at the age of four, and first performed in public at the age of six. She began writing songs while in grade school, and her mother and the members of her opera company were impressed with her talents when Carey hit a cue note that her mother had missed. Carey attended and graduated from Oldfield Middle School and Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York, although she was frequently absent due to efforts to break into the music business. After moving to New York City, she eventually landed a role as a backup singer for singer Brenda K. Starr.

In 1988, Carey met Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola at a party, where Starr gave him a demo tape. Mottola played the tape while leaving the party and was very impressed by what he heard. He returned to the party to find Carey, but she was already gone. Nevertheless, Mottola tracked her down and signed her to a recording contract. This Cinderella-like story became part of the standard publicity surrounding Carey’s entrance into the industry.

 

1990–1992: Early commercial success

Carey’s professional music career began with the release of her eponymous debut album, Mariah Carey, in 1990. Carey co-wrote all of the compositions on her debut album with songwriter-producers such as Ric Wake and Rhett Lawrence, and would continue to co-write nearly all of her material for the rest of her career. The album debuted low on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, but ascended to number one a year after its release, where it remained for eleven weeks. It produced four number-one singles, making Carey a star in the United States. The album’s international success, however, was limited. In 1991, Carey won two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her debut single "Vision of Love".

Carey performing on MTV Unplugged, her first widely-seen concert appearance.Emotions, Carey’s second album, was released in the fall of 1991 to critical and commercial success. Its first single, the title track "Emotions", was another U.S. number-one hit giving Carey the distinction of being the only recording act in history to have their first five singles reach number-one on the Hot 100 chart. Carey had been fighting for the ability to produce her own songs, and beginning with Emotions, would co-produce most of her material. She would also begin writing and producing for other artists, such as Trey Lorenz and Daryl Hall, within the coming year.

For the first two years of her career, Carey did not embark on any major public tours. Her first widely-seen concert performance was her appearance on MTV Unplugged in May 1992, and her performance proved that her vocal abilities were not, as some believed, simulated using studio techniques. Carey premiered a cover of The Jackson 5’s "I’ll Be There", performed as a duet with Trey Lorenz, on the special; released as a single, it became Carey’s sixth number-one hit in the U.S. Carey’s critically acclaimed performance was later released by Columbia on album as the MTV Unplugged EP.

 

1993–1996: Worldwide success

Carey, then 23, and Tommy Mottola, 43, had become romantically involved, and in June 1993 they were married in an Episcopalian ceremony in Manhattan. Her next studio album, Music Box, was released later that year, and became her most successful album worldwide. Lead single "Dreamlover" was her longest stayer yet at the number-one spot (eight weeks), "Hero" became her first Christmas number-one single in the U.S., and "Without You" (a remake of the Harry Nillson song) went to number-one in the UK. However, Carey’s attempt at a mellower work than her previous efforts raised eyebrows with some critics; Ron Wynn said Carey "blended into the background and let the tracks guide her, instead of pushing and exploding through them", and Stephen Holden criticised "Carey’s lyrics, which are made up entirely of pop and soul clichés".

Carey and Boyz II Men recording "One Sweet Day" (1995), one of Carey’s most successful singles.Following a popular duet with Luther Vandross of Diana Ross’ "Endless Love", Carey released the album Merry Christmas in late 1994. In addition to covers of traditional Christmas songs, it contained a very successful original holiday song, "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which became her first number-one single in Japan and was described as "a well-crafted Phil Spector tribute" by Roch Parisien, who dismissed the album as an "otherwise vanilla set".

In 1995, Carey released Daydream, which combined the pop sensibilities of her previous album with modern R&B/hip-hop influences, and became her largest-selling LP in the U.S., receiving Diamond RIAA status. Its singles achieved similar success: "Fantasy" became only the second single to debut at number-one, "One Sweet Day" (a duet with Boyz II Men) spent a still-record sixteen weeks at number-one, and "Always Be My Baby" topped the Hot 100 year-end airplay charts in 1996. Critics such as Stephen Thomas Erlewine and Bill Lamb embraced Daydream as her finest album yet at the time, and it was named one of the best albums of the year by publications such as the New York Times and TIME magazine. Carey was the recipient of several awards following the success of the album, including a World Music Award for World’s Best-Selling Pop Artist of the Year, and she also received six Grammy nominations, but lost in all categories.

 

1997–2000: Independence and a new image

Carey and Mottola separated in 1997; although she had often projected the image of a happy marriage to the public, in reality she had felt emotionally and psychologically abused by Mottola, whom she often described as possessive. Their divorce became final the following year.

The album Butterfly (1997) and its lead single "Honey" (above) presented a more overtly sexual image of Carey than had been previously seen.Carey’s 1997 album, Butterfly, saw her continuing to move in an R&B/hip-hop direction, while lead single "Honey" displayed a much more sexual Carey than before in both its lyrics and music video. "My All", another single from the album, became her thirteenth number-one hit, an unprecedented feat for a female artist. J.R. Reynolds said Butterfly "pushes the envelope", a move that he thought "may prove disconcerting to more conservative fans", but Reynolds still praised the album as "a welcome change". Another reviewer felt Butterfly illustrated "that Carey is continuing to improve and refine her music, which makes her a rarity among her ’90s peers". 1997 also marked the year that Carey became a major songwriter and producer for other artists, contributing to the debut albums of Allure, 7 Mile and Blaque. She also wrote songs for the soundtracks to the films Men in Black (1997) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), and began to develop her own film/soundtrack project, All That Glitters. Towards the turn of the millenium, Carey became a prominent figure in hip-hop music, and collaborated with both new and established rappers, including Jay-Z.

During 1998, Carey had a romance with New York Yankees baseball player Derek Jeter, who was also biracial. She would state later that while the timing was not right for their relationship, it did teach her that multiracial families could function well. That year, the album #1’s, a collection of her U.S. number-one singles up to that point, was released. It included four new songs, one of which was "When You Believe", a duet with Whitney Houston recorded for the soundtrack to The Prince of Egypt that won an Academy Award for Best Song. The album sold well, but critic Amy Linden said "while these may be the tracks that sold the most and charted the highest, these aren’t necessarily Mariah’s best songs". Also that year, she appeared on the first televised VH1 Divas program, a joint benefit concert appearance with singers such as Aretha Franklin and Shania Twain, though Carey’s alleged prima donna behavior had already led many to consider her a diva. By the following year, she had begun a relationship with singer Luis Miguel.

Rainbow, Carey’s sixth studio album, was released in 1999. Like Butterfly, it was comprised of pop and more R&B/hip hop oriented songs; Carey intended them to express her feelings about her divorce two years previously. Lead single "Heartbreaker" (featuring Jay-Z) was another number-one success for Carey, but despite several other collaborations with artists such as Joe, 98 Degrees and Snoop Dogg, the album was her lowest seller up to that point. There were also complaints in reviews that Carey was suffering a case of repetition; words such as "formulaic" and "predictable" came up from several critics. Although the recipient of several awards in recognition of her decade-spanning career, including Billboard’s Artist of the Decade Award and the World Music Award for the world’s Best-Selling Female Artist of the Millennium, a further sign of decline appeared when her final release from Rainbow, the double A-side "Crybaby"/"Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme)", became her first song not to make the U.S. top twenty. Carey (via her website) publicly accused Sony of mishandling the release of the single.

2001–2004: Personal and career struggles

Following a successful decade in music, Carey finally ended her contract with Sony and signed a five-album contract with EMI’s Virgin Records worth a reported US$80 million; however, things took a sudden downward turn for her. Just a few months later, in July 2001, it was widely reported that Carey had suffered a physical and emotional breakdown. She had left voicemail messages on her website (which were quickly removed) to her fans complaining of being overworked, and her relationship with Luis Miguel was ending. Carey made a notorious appearance on MTV’s Total Request Live, where she handed out popsicles to the teen-aged audience and began a strip tease. By the month’s end, Carey had checked into a psychiatric hospital, and her publicist announced that she would be taking a break from public appearances.

A scene from Carey’s poorly-received star vehicle Glitter (2001).Her delayed semi-autobiographical film Glitter was panned by most critics upon its release and became a box office failure (see below). Carey was unable to do much promotion for the soundtrack album Glitter due to her ill health; it peaked in the U.S. at number-seven (her weakest showing to date). Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone noted that while the album was "a big step forward in terms of maturity", it had "zero melodic or emotional punch", while E! thought that even the most serious tracks on the album were "as glossy as her latest publicity shot". Lead single "Loverboy" reached number two on the Hot 100 thanks to a price cut, but the album’s follow-up singles all failed to chart.

Shortly after the disastrous release of Glitter, Sony released a second compilation album, the 2-CD Greatest Hits, just before Christmas. In early 2002, EMI decided to part ways with Carey and they bought out her contract for $28 million, as an addition to the $21 million paid the previous year when singing, giving her another round of bad publicity. Later that year, she signed a three-album contract with Island Records’ Def Jam. To add further to Carey’s emotional burdens, her father died of cancer that same year.

Following a well-received supporting role in the independent film WiseGirls (see below), Carey released a new album, Charmbracelet, in which she expressed an interest in writing music that is more profoundly meaningful to her and her fans. Charmbracelet sold poorly, and the quality of Carey’s vocals, which had previously been perceived as the singer’s strong point, came under severe criticism. "Mariah’s voice is shot, sounding in tatters" declared one review, "and there’s not a moment where it sounds strong or inviting". "Carey’s once glorious voice is all over the place" said another, while Barry Walters commented, "Carey’s lead vocals blend into choruses of overdubbed Mariahs cooing overlapping phrases". Singles such as "Through the Rain" failed both on the charts and with pop radio, whose playlists had become less open to maturing "diva" stylists such as Carey, Whitney Houston and Céline Dion.

Her 2003 duet with Busta Rhymes, "I Know What You Want", fared considerably better, reaching the top five in the U.S.; Columbia Records later included it on the double CD The Remixes. That year, Carey was awarded the "Diamond Award" by the World Music Awards show in honour of selling over 150 million albums worldwide. She was featured on rapper Jadakiss’ single "U Make Me Wanna" in 2004, which reached the top ten on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and the top thirty of the Hot 100.

 

2005–the present: Return of the Voice

Carey’s fourteenth album, The Emancipation of Mimi, was released in 2005, and was advertised as "The Return of the Voice", though Carey maintained that the voice has always been there. Todd Burns called Mimi "easily the strongest album that she’s made in this millennium", and Caroline Sullivan said the album contained "the first Mariah Carey tunes in years I wouldn’t have to be paid to listen to again". It debuted at number one in the U.S. with the highest first week sales of Carey’s career, and remained in the top five of the Billboard 200 album chart for twenty-one weeks. The single "It’s Like That", which preceded the album, reached the top twenty, while "We Belong Together" (Carey’s first U.S. number-one single in five years) became her biggest hit, reaching number one in several countries and being named the world’s most-played single of the year by the World Music Awards. Another single, "Shake It Off", reached the U.S. top five, and "Don’t Forget About Us" the top twenty.

Carey continues to collaborate with hip-hop artists, and is a featured artist on singles by Damizza, N.O.R.E. and Da Brat.

 

Acting career

Carey, who had participated in theatre workshops as a child, made her big screen debut as an opera singer and one of the ex-girlfriends of Jimmie (Chris O’Donnell) in The Bachelor (1999), a romantic comedy starring O’Donnell and Renée Zellweger. Critical response to Carey’s cameo appearance, which reportedly took over thirty takes to film, was lukewarm: Paul Tatara from CNN derisively said Carey’s casting as a talentless diva was "letter-perfect", and Tony Lee simply stated "no, she can’t act".

Carey’s first starring role was in Glitter, a 2001 film that had been in development as a vehicle for Carey since 1997. In it, she played Billie Frank, a struggling singer and songwriter who breaks into the music industry after she meets DJ Julian Dice (Max Beesley). Reviews were scathing; while Roger Ebert gave mild praise for Carey’s performance, saying, "Her acting ranges from dutiful flirtatiousness to intense sincerity", most other critics panned it: Stephanie Zacharek called Carey "numbingly bland" in her role, and Michael Atkinson observed, "when she tries for an emotion—any emotion—she looks as if she’s lost her car keys". Glitter was a box office failure, and Carey, who "won" a Worst Actress Razzie Award for her role, has since referred to the film as "a diva moment".

Carey, with Melora Walters and Mira Sorvino, in WiseGirls (2002).Carey next appeared co-starring with Mira Sorvino and Melora Walters as a tough-talking waitress in the independent film WiseGirls, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2002. Critics who saw the film lauded Carey for her efforts: Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter predicted "Those scathing notices for Glitter will be a forgotten memory for the singer once people warm up to Raychel", and Roger Freidman, referring to her as "a Thelma Ritter for the new millennium", said "her line delivery is sharp and she manages to get the right laughs". WiseGirls producer Anthony Esposito cast Carey in another film, The Sweet Science, about an unknown but talented boxer who is recruited by a determined female boxing manager. However, the project later fell into development hell, while WiseGirls was not given a theatrical release and went straight-to-cable in the United States. Subsequent cameo appearances in the Damon Dash films Death of a Dynasty (2003) and State Property 2 (2005) went largely unnoticed by the ticket-buying public.

 

Other activities

Carey is a philanthropist who has donated both time and millions of dollars to organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the National Adoption Center, VH1’s Save the Music Foundation, and the Fresh Air Fund among many others. Carey is well-known nationally for her work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation in granting the wishes of the terminally ill Caleb Boulter, who called her "a very real person who overflows with compassion and love for others". As part of her involvement with the Fresh Air Fund, she is the co-founder of a camp located in Fishkill, New York that enables inner-city youth to embrace the arts, be introduced to career opportunities, and build self-esteem. The camp was named Camp Mariah in honour of Carey’s work with the Fresh Air Fund, and she received a Congressional Award titled the Horizon Award for her charity work on behalf of children.

Carey performed as part of the America: A Tribute to Heroes nationally televised fundraiser in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and in December 2001 she performed before U.S. peacekeeping troops in Kosovo. She hosted the CBS television special At Home for the Holidays with Mariah Carey, which documented real-life stories of adopted children and foster families. In July 2005, Carey performed for Live 8 at the Live 8 concert, London with the African Children’s Choir. She was also a participant in relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina’s damage to the U.S. Gulf Coast later that year, performing on the Shelter from the Storm telethon and collaborating with Michael Jackson and other artists on an upcoming hurricane-relief single titled "From the Bottom of My Heart".

Carey, who considered writing her autobiography with David Ritz, has instead chosen to fictionalize her life story and adapt it into a series of illustrated children’s books titled Automatic Princess, about an orphaned young girl who is biracial. Also forthcoming is a clothing and accessories line known as Automatic Princess, as well as a lingerie line, Kiss Kiss, which will be available for women in all sizes. However, Carey’s fashion sense has itself often been criticized for being overly exposing or just poorly put together.

 

Voice

Carey is credited as having a five-octave vocal range; she can cover all the notes from the alto range leading to those of a coloratura soprano , and her vocal trademark is her ability to sing in the whistle register. She has often been incorrectly credited as having a six or even seven-octave vocal range. It has been suggested that Carey’s publicists falsely claimed this at the start of her career, although it may also be a misstatement of the fact that Carey frequently accesses the notes situated in the seventh octave, her highest so far being a G#7, hit in two live performances of "Emotions" in 1991.

Carey’s voice has come under minor scrutiny from some critics who believe that she does not effectively communicate the message of her songs. Rolling Stone, in a negative review of the album Emotions, wrote "Carey has a remarkable vocal gift, but to date, unfortunately, her singing has been far more impressive than expressive…at full speed her range is so superhuman that each excessive note erodes the believability of the lyric she is singing" , while others have referred to her high notes as "dog whistles". In comparison, criticisms were levelled at what Carey herself described as "breathy" vocals in some of her later songs on albums such as Charmbracelet. Said Carey, "Some people are of the opinion that if you have a big voice you should use it all the time…[but] I don’t want to hear someone scream at me all the time".

Carey’s voice, which is a continual subject of both positive and negative debate, was voted as the greatest voice in music in MTV and Blender Magazine’s countdown of "The 22 Greatest Voices In Music", and is believed to have influenced singers such as Christina Aguilera and Kelly Clarkson. In Cove Magazine’s poll of the "100 Outstanding Pop Vocalists", she placed second behind Aguilera.

 

Discography

Albums

Mariah Carey (1990) · Emotions (1991) · MTV Unplugged (1992) · Music Box (1993) · Merry Christmas (1994) · Daydream (1995) · Butterfly (1997) · #1’s (1998) · Rainbow (1999) · Glitter (2001) · Greatest Hits (2001) · Charmbracelet (2002) · The Remixes (2003) · The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)

Number-one singles

"Vision of Love" (1990)
"Love Takes Time" (1990)
"Someday" (1991)
"I Don’t Wanna Cry" (1991)
"Emotions" (1991)
"I’ll Be There" (1992)
(featuring Trey Lorenz)
"Dreamlover" (1993)
"Hero" (1993)
"Without You" (1994)
"Fantasy" (1995)
"One Sweet Day" (1995)
(Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men)
"Always Be My Baby" (1996)
"Honey" (1997)
"My All" (1998)
"Heartbreaker" (1999)
(featuring Jay-Z)
"Thank God I Found You" (2000)
(featuring Joe and 98 Degrees)
"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (2000)
(Mariah Carey & Westlife)
"We Belong Together" (2005)

Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan (née Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra, November 19, 1961 in Fairfield, Connecticut) is an American actress who specializes in romantic comedies, but has worked in other film genres as well.

Ryan studied journalism at New York University. She went into acting to earn extra money while in school. After her first role in a feature film, Ryan (now using her screen name) played Betsy on the daytime drama As the World Turns from 1982 to 1984. Directors for this show especially liked working with her because she could cry on cue.

After several TV film and smaller movie roles, her first full blown hit in a leading role was the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally. The movie was favorably received and typecast Ryan as a bubbly, charming, feisty but incurable romantic. She made several attempts to break away from this stereotype, and garnered some critical acclaim for her work in When a Man Loves a Woman (where she played an alcoholic) and Courage Under Fire (where she played a military officer killed in combat). Many of her films of the 1990s were hits not only in North America, but also abroad. She had a very popular onscreen pairing with Tom Hanks; some compared their chemistry to Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. They costarred in three films together, and their last (1998’s You’ve Got Mail) was Ryan’s last major box office success for some years to come.

Ryan married actor Dennis Quaid on Valentine’s Day in 1991 after co-starring in two films with him. Quaid and Ryan had one child together, Jack Henry, born April 24, 1992; Meg has been estranged from her own mother, Susan Jordan, for many years. The couple divorced on July 16, 2001 after she had an indiscreet affair with actor Russell Crowe, with whom she was working on a movie. When the film (Proof of Life) failed, director Taylor Hackford blamed Crowe and Ryan’s affair and the ensuing negative publicity it garnered. Some believed this affair, along with Ryan ageing beyond the "cute" persona of her onscreen characters, hurt her popularity with the American public. She has not had a major box office success since knowledge of the affair became public.

In 2003, she broke away from her usual roles, and starred in In the Cut, an erotic crime/thriller/mystery which was popular with neither critics nor the public.

Asteroid 8353 Megryan was named in her honor.

 

Filmography

Rich and Famous (1981)
Amityville 3-D (1983)
Top Gun (1986)
Armed and Dangerous (1986)
Promised Land (1987)
Innerspace (1987)
D.O.A. (1988)
The Presidio (1988)
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
The Doors (1991)
Prelude to a Kiss (1992)
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Flesh and Bone (1993)
A Century of Cinema (1994) (documentary)
When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)
I.Q. (1994)
French Kiss (1995) (also producer)
Restoration (1995)
Courage Under Fire (1996)
Addicted to Love (1997)
Anastasia (1997) (voice)
City of Angels (1998)
Hurlyburly (1998)
You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Hanging Up (2000)
Proof of Life (2000)
Kate & Leopold (2001)
Searching for Debra Winger (2002) (documentary)
In the Cut (2003)
Against the Ropes (2004)
In the Land of Women (2006) (in post-production)
The Women (2006) (in pre-production)
The Tortilla Curtain (2006) (in pre-production)

Melissa Hart

Melissa Hart

Melissa Joan Hart (born April 18, 1976) is an American actress who is best known for playing the title roles in two successful television series, Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

 

Personal history and family

Hart was born in Smithtown, New York, on Long Island, and grew up in Sayville, New York. Her full name is Melissa Joan Catherine Hart, Catherine being the name she chose for her confirmation in eighth grade.

Her immediate Irish-American family includes father William Hart and mother Paula Hart. Her stepfather is television executive Leslie Gilliams. She has eight sisters, three of whom are stepsisters, and one brother. Most of her siblings have acted, among them Elizabeth Hart, Brian Hart, Emily Hart, and Alexandra Hart-Gilliams. Sister Trisha Hart has worked as a producer.

In 2003, Hart married musician Mark Wilkerson, a member of the band Course of Nature. The preparations for the ceremony, which took place in Florence, Italy, were documented in a TV miniseries entitled Tying the Knot, produced by Hart’s production company, Hartbreak Films.

In June 2005, Hart announced that she and her husband are expecting their first child in January 2006.

 

Career

Hart’s career began early on. When she was still a baby, she made her first TV commercial for a bathtub toy called Splashy. From then on, she appeared regularly in commercials, making 25 of them before the age of five. Other early TV work included a small role in the miniseries Kane & Abel in 1985, a guest-starring role in an episode of The Equalizer in 1986, and a starring role alongside Katherine Helmond in the Emmy Award-winning TV movie Christmas Snow, also in 1986.

In 1989, she auditioned for a Broadway production of The Crucible starring Martin Sheen, becoming an understudy to three of the young girls in the play. This paved the way for her to land the title role in the TV show Clarissa Explains It All. The Nickelodeon series, a comedy about a teen girl in everyday situations, became a big hit and aired for five seasons. The show brought her four consecutive Young Artist Award nominations, of which she won three, and made her a household name among American teenagers.

Hart also recorded an album as Clarissa entitled This is What ‘Na Na’ Means. It was mostly a novelty product and did not sell well, receive critical attention, or place in any charts.

After the series was canceled, she attended New York University. She did not complete her degree as she resumed her acting career in 1994 when she got the lead role for the TV movie Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which eventually led to her also starring as Sabrina in a television series which lasted seven seasons. In between, she also worked on the series Touched by an Angel and starred in several TV movies.

In 1998, Melissa landed a small part in a movie named Can’t Hardly Wait, and then starred in Drive Me Crazy, a movie that includes "(You Drive Me) Crazy", a number-one hit by Britney Spears, on its soundtrack. Hart also appeared in the music video for this song. She has appeared in other movies since Drive Me Crazy, but none has brought her as much recognition.

 

Controversy

Hart appeared in lingerie in a series of photos featured in the October 1999 issue of the men’s magazine Maxim, as well as in similarly revealing pictorials in Bikini and Movieline magazines around the same time. This caused problems for both Hart and ABC (the network broadcasting Sabrina the Teenage Witch) since the copyright holder of the series, Archie Comics, regarded the series as a show for children and pre-teens, and believed that the Maxim photos and the accompanying article hurt the show’s wholesome image (Hart also discussed her sex life and Sabrina drinking games that could be played when watching the series at home). Michael Silberkleit, the chairman and co-publisher of Archie Comics, demanded that Hart either apologize or be fired from the series. She neither apologized nor was fired.

 

Filmography and TV work

Jesus, Mary and Joey (2003)
Rent Control (2002)
Hold On (2002)
Backflash (2001)
Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
The Voyage to Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) (TV)
The Specials (2000)
Sabrina, Down Under (1999)
Drive Me Crazy (1999)
Sabrina Goes to Rome (1998)
Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)
Silencing Mary (1998) (TV)
Two Came Back (1997) (TV)
The Right Connections (1997) (TV)
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1996) (TV)
Sabrina, the Animated Series (1999) (TV)
Twisted Desire (1996) (TV)
Clarissa (1995) (TV)
Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare (1995) (TV)
Clarissa Explains It All (1991) (TV)

Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer (born April 29, 1958) is an American actress and singer.

Born in Santa Ana, Orange County, California to Dick Pfeiffer and Donna Taverno, she has three siblings, an older brother and two younger sisters. She is of Dutch, German, Irish, Swedish and Swiss descent.

In 1981, she married actor Peter Horton, but they later divorced. In 1993, Pfeiffer adopted a girl, Claudia Rose Pfeiffer; later that year, she married producer David E. Kelley, the creator of the television series’ Chicago Hope and Ally McBeal; a biological son was born in 1994 to Kelley and Pfeiffer.

Her first starring role was in the 1982 musical Grease 2, which could hardly presage her illustrious career with wonderful performances in movies such as Married to the Mob, Batman Returns, Dangerous Minds and What Lies Beneath, among others. Her most recent work includes roles in the movies Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, What Lies Beneath, White Oleander, and I Am Sam.

As a singer, she became most widely known with her role in The Fabulous Baker Boys.

Her younger sister Dedee Pfeiffer is also an actress, but mostly on TV.

 

Filmography

Falling in Love Again (1980)
The Hollywood Knights (1980)
Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981)
Grease 2 (1982)
Scarface (1983)
Into the Night (1985)
Ladyhawke (1985)
Sweet Liberty (1986)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
Married to the Mob (1988)
Tequila Sunrise (1988)
Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
The Russia House (1990)
Frankie and Johnny (1991)
Batman Returns (1992)
Love Field (1992)
The Age of Innocence (1993)
Wolf (1994)
Dangerous Minds (1995)
Up Close & Personal (1996)
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (1996)
One Fine Day (1996) (also executive producer)
A Thousand Acres (1997) (also producer)
The Uttmost (1998) (documentary)
The Prince of Egypt (1998) (voice)
The Deep End of the Ocean (1999)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999)
The Story of Us (1999)
What Lies Beneath (2000)
I Am Sam (2001)
White Oleander (2002)
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) (voice)
Chasing Montana (2005) (currently in pre-production)
I Could Never Be Your Woman (2006) (currently in pre-production)

TV work

The Solitary Man (1979)
Delta House (1979) (canceled after 15 episodes)
B.A.D. Cats (1980) (canceled after 6 episodes)
Callie & Son (1981)
Splendor in the Grass (1981)
The Children Nobody Wanted (1981)
One Too Many (1983)
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson (1987)