Booth Tarkington (1869-1946)


Booth Tarkington (1869-1946)

Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels The Magnificent Ambersons and Alice Adams. He is one of only three novelists (the others being William Faulkner and John Updike) to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once.


Quotes·Quotations by Booth Tarkington

Automobile

¶ I'm not sure about automobiles. With all their speed forward, they may be a step backward in civilization.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booth_Tarkington

Bruce Banner


Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner / Hulk

A genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a monster when enraged or excited. Ruffalo was cast after negotiations between Marvel and Edward Norton broke down. About replacing Norton, Ruffalo said, "I'm a friend of Ed's, and yeah, that wasn't a great way for all that to go down. But the way I see it is that Ed has bequeathed this part to me. I look at it as my generation's Hamlet." About the character, he said, "He's a guy struggling with two sides of himself—the dark and the light—and everything he does in his life is filtered through issues of control. I grew up on the Bill Bixby TV series, which I thought was a really nuanced and real human way to look at the Hulk. I like that the part has those qualities". Regarding the Hulk's place on the team, Ruffalo said, "He's like the teammate none of them are sure they want on their team. He's a loose cannon. It's like, 'Just throw a grenade in the middle of the group and let's hope it turns out well!" This is the first production in which the actor playing Banner also plays the Hulk. Ruffalo told New York magazine, "I'm really excited. No one's ever played the Hulk exactly; they've always done CGI. They're going to do the Avatar stop-action, stop-motion capture. So I'll actually play the Hulk. That'll be fun". The 3D model used to create the Hulk's body was modeled after Long Island bodybuilder and male stripper Steve Romm, while the Hulk's face was modeled after Ruffalo. To create the Hulk's voice, Ruffalo's voice was blended with those of Lou Ferrigno and others; however, the Hulk's only speaking line ("Puny god.") was provided solely by Ruffalo.


Quotes·Quotations by Bruce Banner

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner from Avengers (2012)

¶ I don't get always what I want.

¶ Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. [Avengers (2012)]

Bridget O'Donnell


Bridget O'Donnell


Quotes·Quotation

Advice

¶ Your luck is how you treat people.

Brianna Brown (1979- )


Brianna Brown (1979- )

Brianna Lynn Brown (born October 2, 1979) is an American actress.


Brianna Brown as Megan Kane from Criminal Minds (2009)

@ You're the first man I ever met who didn't let me down.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brianna_Brown

Brian Wilson (1942- )


Brian Wilson (1942- )

Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group. Besides being the primary composer in The Beach Boys, he also functioned as the band's main producer and arranger. After signing with Capitol Records in mid-1962, Wilson wrote or co-wrote more than two dozen Top 40 hits including "Surfin' Safari", "Surfin' USA", "Shut Down", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Be True to Your School", "In My Room", "Fun, Fun, Fun", "I Get Around", "Dance Dance Dance", "Help Me Rhonda", "California Girls" and "Good Vibrations". These songs and their accompanying albums were internationally popular, making The Beach Boys one of the biggest acts of their time.

In the mid-60's Wilson used his increasingly creative ambitions to compose and produce Pet Sounds, considered one of the greatest albums of all time. At this point his music was considered to rival that of Lennon–McCartney. The intended follow up to Pet Sounds, Smile, was cancelled for various reasons, including Wilson's deteriorating mental health. Wilson's contributions to The Beach Boys diminished as the years went by, and his erratic behavior led to tensions with the band. After years of treatment and recuperation, he began a solo career in 1988 with Brian Wilson, the same year that he and The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since then he has toured for the first time in decades with a new band and released acclaimed albums such as a reworked version of Smile in 2004, for which Wilson won a Grammy Award for "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow (Fire)" as Best Rock Instrumental, That Lucky Old Sun, and Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin.

In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine published a list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", and ranked Wilson number 52. He is an occasional actor and voice actor, having appeared in television shows, films, and other artists' music videos. On December 16, 2011, a 50th Anniversary Reunion was announced and Brian returned to The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson remains a member of the Beach Boys corporation, Brother Records Incorporated.


Quotes·Quotation

Food·Dieting

¶ Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; lick it once and you'll suck forever.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Douglas_Wilson

Joshua Brand


Joshua Brand

Joshua Brand (born 1950) is an American television writer, director, and producer who created St. Elsewhere, I'll Fly Away and Northern Exposure with his writing-and-producing partner John Falsey.[1]

Brand graduated magna cum laude from City College of New York, after which he was given a fellowship to Columbia University, where he received a Master of Arts degree with honors in English Literature. His play Babyface was produced in Los Angeles in 1978 and was selected as a semi-finalist in the Great American Play Contest sponsored by the Louisville Actors Theater. Another play, Grunts, was given stage readings at the American Conservatory Theater in New York City.[2]

Brand's early television career was spent writing scripts for The White Shadow. He wrote and produced Amazing Stories and A Year in the Life before joining forces with Falsey to develop their three successful series. He later went on to create the short-lived series Going to Extremes. He has been nominated for eleven Emmy Awards and won three, as well as the Humanitas Prize, the Producers Guild of America Award, and the Environmental Media Award for Ongoing Commitment.

Brand's directing credits include the feature film A Pyromaniac's Love Story, the television movies Wall to Wall Records and Homeward Bound, and episodes of thirtysomething and Joan of Arcadia.


Quotes·Quotations by Joshua Brand

Love

¶ Gravity. It keeps you rooted to the ground. In space, there's not any gravity. You just kind of leave your feet and go floating around. Is that what being in love is like?
[Northern Exposure, The Pilot, 1990]


References

[1]^ The New York Times
[2]^ Joshua Brand at Comcast.net


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Brand

Brandon De Wilde (1942-1972)


Brandon De Wilde (1942-1972)

Andre Brandon deWilde (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an American theatre and film actor. He was born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn. Debuting on Broadway at the age of 7, deWilde became a national phenomenon by the time he completed his 492 performances for The Member of the Wedding and was considered a child prodigy.

Before the age of 12 he had become the first child actor awarded the Donaldson Award, filmed his role in The Member of the Wedding, starred in his most memorable film role as Joey Starrett in the film Shane (1953), been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, starred in his own sitcom television series Jamie on ABC and became a household name making numerous radio and TV appearances before being featured on the cover of Life magazine on March 10, 1952, for his second Broadway outing Mrs. McThing.

Into adulthood, additional plays, movies and TV appearances followed before his death at age 30 in a motor vehicle accident in Colorado, on July 6, 1972.


Quotes·Quotations by Brandon De Wilde

Brandon De Wilde as Joey Starrett from Shane (1942)

Shane. Shane. Come back!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_De_Wilde

Brandon Routh (1979- )


Brandon Routh (1979- )

Brandon James Routh (born October 9, 1979) is an American actor and former fashion model. He grew up in Iowa before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, and subsequently appeared on multiple television series throughout the early 2000s. In 2006, he gained greater recognition for his role as the titular hero of the 2006 film Superman Returns. He also had a recurring role in the TV series Chuck, as Daniel Shaw. Following this, he has had several supporting roles in television and film. In 2011, he portrayed the eponymous protagonist of another comic book film, Dylan Dog: Dead of Night.


Quotes·Quotation by Brandon Routh

Brandon Routh as Superman from Superman Returns (2006)

¶ You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but I hear them crying for one everyday.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Routh

Brad Pitt (1963- )


Brad Pitt (1963- )

William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received four Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one Golden Globe. He has been described as one of the world's most attractive men, a label for which he has received substantial media attention.[1][2]

Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the road movie Thelma & Louise (1991). His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with A River Runs Through It (1992), Interview with the Vampire (1994), and Legends of the Fall (1994). In 1995, he gave critically acclaimed performances in the crime thriller Seven and the science fiction film 12 Monkeys, the latter earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination. Four years later, Pitt starred in the cult hit Fight Club. He then starred in the major international hit Ocean's Eleven (2001) and its sequels, Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). His greatest commercial successes have been Troy (2004) and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). Pitt received his second and third Academy Award nominations for his leading performances in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Moneyball (2011). In addition, Pitt owns a production company, Plan B Entertainment, whose productions include The Departed (2006), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Moneyball, which garnered a Best Picture nomination.

Following a high-profile relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Pitt was married to actress Jennifer Aniston for five years. Pitt lives with actress Angelina Jolie in a relationship that has attracted wide publicity.[3] He and Jolie have six children—Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne. Since beginning his relationship with Jolie, he has become increasingly involved in social issues both in the United States and internationally.


Quotes·Quotations by Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden from Fight Club (1999)

¶ You have to consider the possibility that God does not like you, never wanted you, in all probability he hates you. It's not the worst thing that could happen.


References

[1]^ a b Brad Pitt 'sexiest man alive'. November 2, 2000 [cited November 15, 2008]. BBC News.
[2]^ Jeanna Bryner. Study: Men With 'Cavemen' Faces Most Attractive to Women. August 23, 2007 [cited January 1, 2008]. Fox News.
[3]^ a b The Brangelina fever. The Age (Australia). February 6, 2006 [cited September 8, 2008]. Reuters.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Pitt

Booker T. Washington (1858-1915)


Booker T. Washington (1858-1915)

Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1858 or 59 – November 14, 1915) was an African-American educator, author, orator, advisor to Republican presidents, and black political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915. Representative of the last generation of black American leaders born in slavery, he spoke on behalf of the large majority of blacks who lived in the South but had lost their ability to vote through disfranchisement by southern legislatures. While his opponents called his powerful network of supporters the "Tuskegee Machine," Washington maintained power because of his ability to gain support of numerous groups: influential whites; the black business, educational and religious communities nationwide; financial donations from philanthropists, and his accommodation to the political realities of the age of Jim Crow segregation.

Washington was born into slavery to Jane, an enslaved woman, and a white father. His father was a nearby planter, in a rural area of the southwestern Virginia Piedmont. After emancipation, his mother moved the family to rejoin her husband in West Virginia; there Washington worked in a variety of manual labor jobs before making his way to Hampton Roads seeking an education. He worked his way through Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University) and attended college at Wayland Seminary (now Virginia Union University). In 1876, Washington returned to live in Malden, West Virginia, teaching Sunday School at African Zion Baptist Church; he married his first wife, Fannie Smith, at the church in 1881. After returning to Hampton as a teacher, in 1881 he was named as the first leader of the new Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

Washington attained national prominence for his Atlanta Address of 1895, which attracted the attention of politicians and the public, making him a popular spokesperson for African-American citizens. He built a nationwide network of supporters in many black communities, with black ministers, educators and businessmen composing his core supporters. Washington played a dominant role in black politics, winning wide support in the black community and among more liberal whites (especially rich Northern whites). He gained access to top national leaders in politics, philanthropy and education. Washington's efforts included cooperating with white people and enlisting the support of wealthy philanthropists, helping to raise funds to establish and operate thousands of small community schools and institutions of higher education for the betterment of blacks throughout the South. This work continued for many years after his death. Washington argued that the surest way for blacks to gain equal social rights was to demonstrate "industry, thrift, intelligence and property."

Northern critics called Washington's followers the "Tuskegee Machine". After 1909, Washington was criticized by the leaders of the new NAACP, especially W. E. B. Du Bois, who demanded a stronger tone of protest for advancement of civil rights needs. Washington replied that confrontation would lead to disaster for the outnumbered blacks, and that cooperation with supportive whites was the only way to overcome pervasive racism in the long run. At the same time, he secretly funded litigation for civil rights cases, such as challenges to southern constitutions and laws that disfranchised blacks. Washington was on close terms with national republican leaders, and often was asked for political advice by presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.

In addition to his contributions in education, Washington wrote 14 books; his autobiography, Up From Slavery, first published in 1901, is still widely read today. During a difficult period of transition, he did much to improve the working relationship between the races. His work greatly helped blacks to achieve higher education, financial power and understanding of the U.S. legal system. This contributed to blacks' attaining the skills to create and support the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, leading to the passage of important federal civil rights laws.


Quotes·Quotations by Booker T. Washington

Happiness

¶ I began learning long ago that those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.

Responsibility

¶ Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_T._Washington