eCheat.com RSS Feedhttps://www.echeat.com/ biography of psquare. Nigeria most popular superstars The story of P-Square began in St. Murumba secondary school, a small Catholic school in Jos, Nigeria. Identical twins Peter and Paul joined their school music and drama club where they began singing, dancing, and miming songs by MC Hammer, Bobby Brown and Michael Jackson. They later formed an a cappella quartet called "MMMPP" (M Clef a.k.a. Itemoh, Michael, Melvin, Peter and Paul). Drawing inspiration from their music idol Michael Jackson, they began break dancing, formed the group called "Smooth Criminals" in 1997. They droped M Clef from the group "MMMPP" which later was changed to "MMPP". Their artistic talent and precise dance routine soon made them household names in the city of Jos, where they performed at school functions and other occasions. Later in 1999, Peter and Paul returned to music school to develop their skills on keyboard, drums, bass and rhythm guitar. Their work includes the soundtracks for a number of films like Tobi, Mama Sunday, Moment of Bitterness and Evas River. Later in 1999, they applied to the University of Abuja to study Business Administration. The Smooth Criminals disbanded when its members left to various other universities. Subsequently Peter and Paul formed their own group, variously called "Double P", "P&P", and "Da Pees", until they eventually settled on "P Square". They are managed by Bayo Odusami aka Howie T, a seasoned concert promoter and the CEO of Adrot Nigeria Limited. In 2001, "P-Square" won the "Grab Da Mic" competition, and hence Benson & Hedges sponsored their debut album, titled Last Nite, which was released under Timbuk2 music label. P-Square was also nominated as "Most Promising African Group" in the Kora Awards three months after the release of their debut album. They eventually won the 2003 Amen Award for "Best R&B Group". In 2005, P Square released their second album, Get Squared under their own label, Square Records. This album was marketed nationwide by TJoe Enterprises, although they were still managed by Howie T of Adrot Nigeria Limited. The video for the second album held the #1 position on the MTV Base chart for four straight weeks. They have an ever growing fan base across South Africa with a particular stronghold of die-hard fans in Cape Town. The group has performed alongside the following international artists like Ginuwine, Sean Paul, Akon and Busola Keshiro. The members of P Square are now located in Lagos. Late in 2007, they released their best selling album so far, Game 2012-07-11T06:30:50.993-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/biography-of-psquare_-Nigeria-most-popular-superstars-34597.aspx Su www.fantabid.com si punta con l'asta al ribasso. È <B>www.fantabid.com</B> , qui si gioca con le <a href=http://www.fantabid.com><B>aste al ribasso</B> </a> , il nuovo portale delle vendite all’incanto sulla rete Su eBay si gioca al rialzo, su <B>www.fantabid.com</B> si punta con l'<a href=http://www.fantabid.com><B>asta al ribasso</B> </a> . <IMG>http://www.fantabid.com/img/logo.jpg</IMG> Funziona così: vince chi fa l'offerta più bassa, a patto che sia l'unico ad aver proposto tale cifra.L’<a href=http://www.fantabid.com><B>asta al ribasso</B> </a> è a tempo. Dalla pagina “Aste Aperte”, s’individua l’oggetto preferito e si punta una somma di 2009-03-06T00:13:22-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Su-www_fantabid_com-si-punta-con-l-asta-al-ribasso_-33996.aspx Biography of Marilyn Monroe: A Hollywood Beauty Biography of Marilyn Monroe: A Hollywood Beauty Marilyn Monroe made a definite impact on today’s society. For some it was good, for others, bad. She set high standards for herself and was an inspiration to many young people. Many are expected to be like her, some are forced unwillingly and others force themselves. Marilyn Monroe changed Hollywood’s outlook on women forever. Her image, body, smile, and personality are what is looked for in a young actress or any new models today. Now, because of Marilyn’s high standards, it is much more complicated for women to make it big as an actress or model. She was more than just a superstar or glamour queen, Marilyn Monroe was a global sensation in her lifetime. On June 1st, 1926 a star was born. Norma Jeane Mortenson, later known as Marilyn Monroe, was born in Los Angelas, California on that beautiful summer day. After she was born, her mother changed Norma Jeane’s last name to her own Baker. Norma Jeane did not know much of her family. She had her mother, Gladys Baker, for a little while in her life, until she was committed to a mental institution early in 1932. Until 1937, when Norma Jeane moved in with her mother’s friend, Grace McKee Goddard and her husband, she was in many foster homes and orphanages. Most of her elementary school education came from the orphanage and foster homes, but her high school education was received while staying with Grace. She had a wonderful life living with Grace. Grace would buy her things and teach her how to put on make-up. Until in 1942, when Grace’s husband, who was enlisted in the army, was transferred to the East Coast. Grace could not afford to take Norma Jeane with them. So Grace planned on an arranged marriage for Norma Jeane to their young neighbor boy, Jimmy Dougherty. On June 19, 1942, right after Norma Jeane’s sixteenth birthday, Norma Jeane was married, and became Norma Jeane Dougherty. (http://www.geocities.com 1-2) Norma Jeane and Jimmy had a very happy and healthy marriage. Norma Jeane was working for Radio Plane Munitions, on the assembly line in Burbank, California. After Jimmy also got transferred to the East Coast Norma Jeane got lonely. She started to become more interested in the other men. Eventually she had slept with a few men, other than her husband, in the factory. (http:www.marilynmonroe.com 1) 2007-04-18T02:14:53-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Biography-of-Marilyn-Monroe-A-Hollywood-Beauty-32958.aspx The Accomplishments of Guitarist Trey Anastasio The Accomplishments of Guitarist Trey Anastasio The Muse Award should be given to one who goes about something in different and original ways. This award is for one who expresses them self individually, as creativity is the way an individual solves a problem or creates something. It isn’t an innate ability, but the truly creative are those drawn to their field by a drive that naturally pushes them deeper and beyond. Creativeness plays a very big role in the arts. Creativity must be unique and original, while to society, art has to be relevant to the time and culture. The usual and predictable cannot be considered art in a given culture and the outrageous will not be accepted either. Furthermore, the arts themselves involve the act of creation, which itself takes a creative mind. A truly creative mind can find a fine line between these and create a new way to approach and create. In music there is a big distinction between the rules of composing and the art of breaking the rules of theory to make something great. In jazz, the great ones succeed by bending and breaking these rules to bring their sound to a different level, whereas rock and roll is judged on sound and simplicity. Phish’s Trey Anastasio deserves the Muse Award for the way he has developed and changed music with creativity unlike few musicians before him. He presents jazz guitar in a very friendly fashion, that isn’t jazz or rock. He has incorporated several other genres of music into his guitar playing as well, and in a manner that exemplifies true creativity. Also, one of the most creative song writers ever, writing deeply mythical lyrics, Anastasio has captured a cult across America since the late 80s. Anastasio grew up in New Jersey, where he began to teach himself how to play the guitar while listening to his favorite records. His mom was a children’s writer and he occasionally would help her. This had much influence on his music. He went to the University of Vermont where he started Phish and then transferred to Goddard College, also in Vermont. Here, he studied music composition under Vermont composer Ernie Stires, while still playing with Phish (Mocking Bird Foundation, The). For his senior project, Anastasio wrote a musical production called “The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday.” It is more commonly known as Gamehendge. He wrote it as a 2007-02-19T22:22:47-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Accomplishments-of-Guitarist-Trey-Anastasio-32672.aspx Bob Dylan Biography Bob Dylan Biography Bob Dylan is the pre-eminent poet, lyricist, and songwriter of his time. He re-energized the folk music genre; brought new lyrical depth to rock and roll and when he went electric he combined the worlds of rock and roll and country. His lyrics captured and defined the mood of a generation. Bob Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman on May 24th, 1941, in Minnesota. He learned to play the harmonica and piano by the age of ten and taught himself to play the guitar. Influenced by rock and roll Dylan form bands with other youths. When only 19 Dylan moved to New York City and started off in village coffeehouses. After playing harmonica on a session for folk singer Carolyn Hester, Dylan impresses the producer at Columbia records he is signed to a 5-year contract. His first album, which featured only two originals and an assortment of blues and traditional songs, sold very poorly. At the beginning of his career Dylan was heavily booed. Fortunately his second album, which was almost entirely self-composed, sold quite well. Over all Bob Dylan has wrote hundreds of songs, more than 500 and counting, forty three albums, and more than 57 million copies sold. Bob Dylan has also made it through hardships as a devastating motorcycle accident, which made him drop out of sight for a year and a half. However during that time he continued to make music at his home studio. Also in 1997 Dylan is diagnosed with Histoplasmosis, a potentially fatal fungal infection. Only one month out of the hospital he continued to tour North America. Two months out of the hospital Dylan performed at the World Eucharist Congress and meets Pope John Paul II face to face. He has contributed his talent and music to many causes including anti-war songs, civil rights rallies, memorial for Woody Guthrie, who was a folk singer that Dylan considered his mentor, a benefit for Bangla Desh, a benefit for the Friends of Chile, he visited Hurricane Carter who inspired Dylan to write the song Hurricane and to perform 2 benefits for Carter’s defense fund, an AIDs benefit, a Martin Luther king birthday celebration, a benefit for handicapped children, Bill Clinton’s first inauguration, Frank Sinatra’s birthday tribute, a tribute to Frank Sinatra, a crossroads benefit, and recorded 2006-12-19T16:04:10-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Bob-Dylan-Biography-32073.aspx Kim Novak Biography Kim Novak Biography Kim Novak was originally Marilyn Pauline Novak, born in Chicago on February 13, 1933. She was the daughter of a Slavic railroad worker and a former teacher. Novak’s first job after high school was modeling teen fashions for a local department store. Before going into films, she worked as an elevator operator, dental assistant, store clerk, and toured the country as “Miss Deepfreeze,” a refrigerator spokes-model. In the early 1950s, Novak moved to Los Angeles to pursue modeling and acting. Her first film was a small part in The French Line (1954) with Jayne Mansfield. After a talent agent arranged for a screen test with Columbia Pictures, she was awarded a six month contract. Columbia studio chief Harry Cohn worked to groom the icy blond Novak into a sex symbol in the league of Rita Hayworth, whose career was in decline, and as a competitor to another blonde, Marilyn Monroe, whose career was on the rise. Fiercely protective of his new hot property, Cohn objected to Novak’s serious romance with black star Sammy Davis Jr., and allegedly threatened Davis with physical harm if he did not break off the relationship. Cohn also paid $15,000 to prevent scandalous photographs of Novak from appearing in the media. By 1956, Novak was the number one female box office attraction due to her performances in such films as Phffft! (1954) with Jack Lemmon and Judy Holliday, The Man With the Golden Arm (1955) with Frank Sinatra, Picnic (1956), and The Eddie Duchin Story (1956). She crossed paths with Sinatra again in Pal Joey (1957), and turned in one of her best-known performances in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958). Novak’s alleged romantic liasons with Davis, Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Cary Grant, and Aly Khan made regular gossip column news and added to her appeal with the public. She acted in a number of films in the 1960s, including Pepe (1960), Of Human Bondage (1964), and The Great Bank Robbery (1969), but did not maintain the popularity that she enjoyed in the 1950s. She retired from the screen in the late 1970s to raise horses and breed llamas, but ventured into a few film and television roles in the 1980s. In 1986-87 she played the role of Kit Marlowe in the night time television soap opera Falcon Crest. Novak married twice, first to British actor Richard Johnson (1965-66), then in 2006-07-31T18:55:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Kim-Novak-Biography-30901.aspx Steve Irwin ‘ My fingers clamped around the croc’s thick neck and my chin slammed into its bony head as my chest landed on its back and my legs wrapped around the base of the tail. With eyes wide open I was being thrashed around in the muddy water. I saw pulses of light as I rolled over and over. There’s no way I was letting go and I hung on for grim death.’ The glowing afternoon sun had already dropped below the horizon, leaving the rugged landscape of the outback under a heavy veil of darkness. When most people would venture back to their houses in preparation for dinner, nine-year-old Steve Irwin was out under the mercy of the cruel Australian outback, attempting his first crocodile capture. Rarely seen without dirt under his fingernails or dressed in anything apart from his famous khaki uniform, Irwin's 'Aussie' boyish good looks, larger-than-life personality and unique ability to capture the oldest prehistoric dinosaur of our time, has ultimately earned him the legendry title 'The Crocodile Hunter' amongst loyal fans around the world. The extraordinary life of crocodile legend Steve Irwin has expertly been captured within his one hundred and forty-four page autobiography, appropriately entitled ‘The Crocodile Hunter’. Throughout the book, Steve recounts his most memorable moments growing up surrounded by wildlife, which have ultimately contributed to the dedication he possesses towards wildlife today, from receiving his first python at six years of age, to playing cops and robbers with his best friends, a pet emu, brolga and curlew, Born in Essendon, on February 22, 1962 to keen naturalists and herpetologists, Bob and Lyn Irwin, Steve began to demonstrate such personal traits of passion and dedication towards wildlife and environmental conservation from an early age. The majority of Steve’s childhood was filled with numerous adventures and countless animal encounters, from spotting and capturing, to basically living and breathing the outback. Through years of watching his father efficiently work through the process of capturing one of the most dangerous animals in Australia, almost as routinely as if he were about to sit down for a cup of coffee, Steve’s fascination and knowledge developed, and soon he found his dad teaching him the Irwin technique of catching a crocodile he would grow up to know so well. Whilst recounting his childhood, Steve chooses to portray himself as a naive adolescent, which he ultimately achieves by including such self-discourses 2006-07-30T03:22:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Steve-Irwin--30803.aspx Biography of Guitar Player Randall Rhoads Biography of Guitar Player Randall Rhoads Randall William Rhoads was born on December 6, 1956 at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California. With one brother (Doug) and one sister (Kathy), Randy was the youngest of three. When Randy was 17 months old his father, William Arthur Rhoads, a public school music teacher, left and all three children were raised by their mother, Delores Rhoads. William Rhoads would later remarry, producing Dan and Paul,... "half" brothers to Randy. Randy started taking guitar lessons around the age of 6 or 7 at a music school in North Hollywood called Musonia, which was owned by his mother. His first guitar was a Gibson (acoustic) that belonged to Delores Rhoads’ father. Randy and his sister (Kathy) both began folk guitar lessons at the same time with Randy later taking piano lessons (at his mother’s request) so that he could learn to read music. Randy’s piano lessons did not last very long. At the age of 12, Randy became interested in rock guitar. His mother, Delores, had an old semi-acoustic Harmony Rocket, that at that time was "almost larger than he was". For almost a year Randy took lessons from Scott Shelly, a guitar teacher at his mother’s school. Scott Shelly eventually went to Randy’s mother explaining that he could not teach him anymore as Randy knew everything that he (Scott Shelly) knew. When Randy was about 14, he was in his first band,Violet Fox, named after his mothers middle name, Violet. With Randy playing rhythm guitar and his brother Doug playing drums, Violet Fox were together about 4 to 5 months. Randy was in various other bands, such as "The Katzenjammer Kids" and "Mildred Pierce", playing parties in the Burbank area before he formed Quiet Riot in 1976 with longtime friend and bassist Kelly Garni. Randy Rhoads and Kelly Garni (whom Randy taught to play bass guitar) met Kevin DuBrow through a mutual friend from Hollywood. How they actually got together is a different story with many variations: A.) The two contacted Kevin DuBrow, went to his house to "audition" him but originally weren’t interested in having him as a vocalist. Kevin kept calling Randy and Kelly until they eventually decided to try him out as a vocalist. B.) Randy and Kelly Garni auditioned Kevin DuBrow in Delores Rhoads’ kitchen. Kevin sang for them, then said something to the point of, "well 2006-07-27T08:09:46-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Biography-of-Guitar-Player-Randall-Rhoads-30698.aspx Lucille Desiree Ball Lucille Desiree Ball Television comedienne, actress, producer...these words all describe her. Lucille Desiree Ball was born on August 6, 1911, in the small town of Celeron, just outside of Jamestown, New York. At age 15, Ball enrolled in the John Murray Anderson Drama School in New York City. However, after only twelve months of going there (with Bette Davis as a classmate) the acting coach informed Lucy that she was not talented and should go into a different field, because she'd never make it in acting! She then was a soda fountain clerk at Walgreens Drug Store and also sold hotdogs at the Celeron amusement park. There, she liked to act up for the customers and be silly, but her boss didn't appreciate her antics. She repeatedly auditioned, unsuccessfully, for Broadway chorus lines before turning to modeling. Using the name Diane Belmont, Ball became a model in fashion designer Hattie Carnegie’s studio and won national exposure as the Chesterfield Cigarette Girl in 1933. A bad thing happened to Lucy's family in 1927, when Lucy was 16. They were having a birthday party for her brother, Fred, and Lucy's Grandpa Hunt allowed a girl who had never used a gun before to fire one. When she did, she accidentally hit a neighborhood boy, who ended up paralyzed below the neck. The boy died five years later. They went to court, but the judge in the case ruled the shooting an accident, but still ordered the Ball family to pay all the medical bills. They had to sell their home. From then on, Lucy remained terrified of guns. From the early 1930s through the late 1940s, Ball appeared in over 60 films. She was under contract to the Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO) studio for seven years, playing leading roles in a number of low-budget movies. Often typecast as the plucky sidekick, her talent was largely wasted in these films. Some of her more notable films included Stage Door (1937), with Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers; The Affairs of Annabel (1938); Five Came Back (1939); Dance, Girl, Dance (1940); The Big Street (1942); The Dark Corner (1946); and Sorrowful Jones (1949), co-starring Bob Hope. From 1947 to 1951, Ball played a wacky wife of a straight-laced banker on the popular CBS radio program, My Favorite Husband, which "I Love Lucy" was later based on. When CBS approached her about 2006-07-22T12:36:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Lucille-Desiree-Ball--30442.aspx The Life of Bill Cosby The Life of Bill Cosby Bill Cosby came from a poor neighborhood as a child. He grew up with a lot of humor. He did not know that he would make a career of it as a child. As he later grew up he tried stand up comedy and succeeded. in the 1960’s “I Spy” came out and broke the racial barrier by featuring Cosby, the first ever black man to lead a weekly dramatic series. So he started a television show called “The Bill Cosby Show.” The Show brought NBC from last place in the ratings to first. His show was a great success. His goals included succeeding in life as a comedian. He did that and did it very well. His success in entertainment was complemented by his involvement with a host of charity organizations and making generous gifts in support of education. While Cosby was younger he saw little of his father. His mom on the other hand was very supportive. His mom was a major influence and his first audience member. It didn’t take long for him to start gigs on her and practicing routines on her. She always encouraged his inventive performances of everyday household happenings. A couple of his friends that he knew from elementary school including: Fat Albert, Old Weird Harold, Dumb Donald, and Weasel was an influence on him and later immortalized in his comedy routines. Family and Friends helped Bill Cosby get a great start in his entertainment career. As a child Cosby loved to joke around all the time with his friends after school while playing in the playground. They loved playing gags on each other in their free time. Bill Cosby was always loved by neighbors and friends of family. He would always be in a good mood no matter what the situation. When Bill walked in a room he always brought humor with him and made people laugh. This is pretty much how he figured he could be a comedian when he grew up. He had to leave the tenth grade to join the Navy, but he finished school by means of a correspondence course while in the service. Later when he was discharged he enrolled at Temple University in Philadelphia, hoping to become a physical education teacher. To support himself he started to perform at a nightclub that really enjoyed his 2006-07-18T12:34:53-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Life-of-Bill-Cosby-30339.aspx Biography of Oprah Winfrey Biography of Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey has always been an achiever. As a child she was a victim of sexual abuse. As a teenager she became Miss Black Nashville. Now, as an adult she is the world’s black millionaire in a white, male-dominated world. Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her name was believed to be Orpah from the Book of Ruth; however, the midwife got mixed up and so she wound up being Oprah on her birth certificate. (Adler 1) When Oprah was five years old she wished that she were white. She would sleep with a clothespin on her nose and two cotton balls seeking for it to turn up. She prayed for Shirley Temple curls every day. Oprah wanted to be white because white kids didn’t get whippings. She got beatings all the time from her grandmother. “Old people raised kids like this. My grandmother would whip me for days and not get tired. It would be called child abuse now.” When she turned six years old she went to Milwaukee to live with her mother, Verna Lee, who was on welfare and worked as a cleaning woman. A month later Oprah started school as a Kindergarten student. She wrote her teacher a letter that expressed her thoughts. Oprah thought that she did not belong in this grade and asked the teacher to help her. Her teacher decided that Oprah was right and moved her up a grade. She was now in first grade. One day she was going to get beat up by six white kids. To get out of this mess she told them what happened to the people who tried to stone Jesus of Nazareth. Afterwards, she was called the preacher and her peers did their best to try and stay away from her. As a result of a test that was given to her at the near the end of first grade she was being elevated to the third grade as soon as the semester began in September. However she went to live with her father and her stepmother as soon as she concluded the first grade. Her stepmother realized that Oprah was going to begin in third grade but she didn’t know how to multiply or divide. So she spent the summer learning the multiplication table. (Adler 3-8, Mercy 6-8) Oprah moved back 2006-07-16T20:58:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Biography-of-Oprah-Winfrey--30260.aspx Biography and Career of Mariah Carey Biography and Career of Mariah Carey Mariah Carey was born and raised in New York by her mother. She began singing at the age of four. By the time she was in junior high, she had begun to write songs. After her high school graduation, she got her fist big break, singing backup for Brenda K. Starr, a break that led to her signing with Columbia Records. Mariah always knew that she would be a singing star. Mariah's father was black and Venezuelan. Her mother, the daughter of Irish immigrants, was an opera singer. Mariah took after her mother in the pursuit of developing her vocal talents. Mariah Carey is the biggest-selling female recording artist of the 1990's. Mariah has co-written all but one of her number one hits, and has co-produced almost all of her chart-topping singles. Mariah's range of songs includes pop, soul, R&B, hip-hop and gospel. She is the only artist to have had a number one single for every year of the 1990's. The last decade to have an artist hit number one every single year was in 1920's . Mariah has hit number one with the debut single from every one of her albums. Mariah Carey has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide, 84 RIAA gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications for her singles and holds a record-setting four consecutive number one singles. "Heartbreaker," the first single from her album "Rainbow", made music history on September 29, 1999, when it became her 14th number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, something only accomplished by the Beatles and Elvis Presley. When "Heartbreaker" entered its second week at number one, Mariah spent her 60th week at number one breaking the long-standing 59-week record established by the Beatles as the artist with the most weeks at number one in the 41-year history of the Hot 100. Mariah has racked in numerous awards in her time. She received Grammy’s for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Female in 1990. The same year, Mariah picked up three Soul Train Awards: Best New Artist, Best Album and Best Single. At the American Music Awards, Mariah won Favorite Female Artist/R&B in 1992; Favorite Female Artist, Pop/Rock and Favorite Album, Adult Contemporary in 1993; Favorite Female Artist, Pop/Rock in 1995: and Favorite Female Artist, Pop/Rock and Favorite Female Artist, Soul/R&B in 1996. Mariah picked up 2006-07-03T13:41:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Biography-and-Career-of-Mariah-Carey-29927.aspx Following the Career of Jeff Atkins aka Ja-Rule Following the Career of Jeff Atkins aka Ja-Rule A native of Hollis, Queens, 21-year-old Ja-Rule, otherwise known as Jeff Atkins began his career guesting on Mic Geronimo's "Time To Build," the b-side to "Masta I.C." in 1995. From that Blunt/TVT Records appearance, the gravel-voiced MC was able to land a deal for his group, the Cash Money Click, on the same label. Unfortunately, the trio, which also featured MCs Nemesis and Chris Black, only dropped one single, "4 My Click/Get The Fortune," before Chris Black was incarcerated. After 2006-06-20T17:54:52-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Following-the-Career-of-Jeff-Atkins-aka-Ja-Rule-29731.aspx Story of Jim Lovell the Astronaut Story of Jim Lovell the Astronaut Jim Lovell was born in Cleveland, Ohio on March 25, 1928. Even as a child he was interested in rockets. During high school with the help of friends and his chemistry professor, he built a rocket that flew 80 feet into the air, wobbled, turned and 'exploded in a splendid suicide'. This was the start of Jim Lovell's lifelong fascination with projectiles. Upon entering college Jim was interested in continuing his study of rocketry and flight. Since there were no universities that offered a program in rocket science, and he was determined to achieve his goals, Jim decided that the military was the only place where flying was being pursued as a science and decided to enter. He applied to the Naval Academy and was placed on an alternate list. Jim began his Navy career at Moffet Field in Moutain View, California in 2006-06-13T19:02:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Story-of-Jim-Lovell-the-Astronaut-29460.aspx Billie Holiday's Path to become a Legendary Jazz Singer Billie Holiday's Path to become a Legendary Jazz Singer Billie Holiday was one of the most famous jazz singers of the 20th century. Billie Holiday’s innovative phrasing about her life experiences in her music makes her one of the most influential jazz lyricists of the 20th century. The emotional intensity that she brought into the words she sang was always very memorable and sometimes almost scary; she often lived the words she sang. Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Harris in Baltimore, Maryland on April 7, 1915. She did not have a stable life. Her father Clarence Holiday played the guitar with Fletcher Henderson and later abandoned his family. Sadie (Billie’s mother) was not a very good role model either. Nonetheless, Billie grew up alone, feeling unloved and gaining a lifelong inferiority complex that led to her taking risks with her personal life becoming self-destructive. Before and while Billie was famous, she had two role models that would help her achieve her goal of becoming a great recording artist. These important people were Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. Billie would always tell people: “I always wanted Bessie’s big sound and Pops’ feeling.” (Gourse, 25) Bessie Smith was called the “Empress of Blues”. She had a magnificent voice, sense of drama, clarity of phrasing, and unique time, which set her apart from the competition. Louis Armstrong was said to be the greatest jazz performer ever. He had a raspy voice, and a rich sound in his trumpet. “He ultimately became a jazz pioneer by taking the spirit of blues and, improvising on his horn, turning it into something revolutionary.” (Kliment, 44) Billie did something quite similar except with singing. She was never a blues singer in her mind. In fact, she hated to be labeled as one. She always said, “If they have to give me a label, call me a jazz singer.” (Kliment, 57) Because of Billie’s unique blues-inspired jazz singing, she was in the spotlight before she knew it. When John Hammond discovered Billie singing in one of the Harlem clubs, it was the start of Billie’s career. He arranged for her to record a couple of titles with Benny Goodman in1933. Benny Goodman was a clarinetist and bandleader. He was most famous for popularizing swing-style jazz music. During the years of 1934-1942 Billie would make some of the finest recordings of her career. These recordings included, “Billie’s Blues,” “I’m Gonna Lock 2006-06-11T19:12:44-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Billie-Holiday-s-Path-to-become-a-Legendary-Jazz-Singer-29208.aspx Reinventing Britney Spears in the Pepsi Ad Campaign Reinventing Britney Spears in the Pepsi Ad Campaign Historian Stuart Ewen proposes his idea that history of style in his essay, “The Marriage between Art and Commerce”, is the crucial turning point of what shapes our culture and every day life. Ewen’s concept of style in the 19th - 20th century is a combination of modern art and a business device. He describes the uses of symbolic forms of art, as to mainly sustain and promote consumption in the interests of the corporations when he states, “styling and style obsolescence come to the forefront as methods designed to stimulate markets, and keep them stimulated” (211). Ewen’s perception of style carries on to this day, as big companies during the super ball break on television, challenge the advertising industry. Pepsi-Cola is an example of such an Industry that invested in a two million dollar spot for a 30 second creative commercial flick. This year Pepsi is promoting the stylish pop star Britney Spears, mainly to target the desire of their beverages in the youth’s minds and define their trademark for all generations. Ewen introduces a different aspect of style when he specified that, “Advertising not only sought to inform people about the availability and appeal of industrially produced goods, it is also contributed to a reconstructed perception of the resources and alternatives available to people in every day lives.(204)” It is evident that in Ewens mind, a “…reconstructed perception” is recreating a misleading image to recognize these basic mass produced goods as separate identities with voluptuous themes. These themes are supposedly used by the corporate businesses to deceit the mentality of the buyer into believing that stylish looks are the main credentials of the goods they buy. This aspect of Style thrives on constantly new up to date ideas that come and go in a snap of an eye blink. It has been beneficial to the industries and markets at the expanse of the consumers, who are cheated into buying unnecessary products just for an up to date look. Therefore it is visible that Ewen is old fashioned and is fumed with this new vision of style that has absorbed in are culture in the 1900’s. Pepsi-Cola demonstrates their advertisements in a reconstructed theme, with a time clip of Britney Spears traveling through Pepsi’s generations. They use Britney Spears, to modernize an up to date Pepsi image 2006-06-11T02:45:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Reinventing-Britney-Spears-in-the-Pepsi-Ad-Campaign-29186.aspx Rene Levesque's journey to stardom Rene Levesque's journey to stardom By November 1976, Rene Levesque was already a mythic figure in Quebec. A full-blown star for twenty years, first as a television host and then as the most outspoken member of the Liberal cabinet of Jean Lesage from 1960 to 1966, he projected a personality that seemed transparently honest, impulsive, mischievous, modest, outspoken, and provocative. His foibles - a chain-smoking sloppy dresser, he was a notorious night owl, working and then relaxing until the early hours - were as endearing as his strengths. A study of Levesque is, in large part, a study of language, gesture, and culture - for, in a homogeneous society with a strong oral tradition, Levesque was a cultural force as much as a politician. An artist. A performer. A star. In 1964, the novelist and filmmaker Jacques Godbout called Levesque "Quebec's first lay teacher", and compared him to Quebec's symbolic hero, Maurice Richard. It was a telling comparison, for Maurice Richard, the dark, explosive hockey legend with the smouldering eyes, is a symbol of both pride and humiliation, remembered for his scoring triumphs, his martyred rage, and his bitterness against the NHL and Les Canadiens management. (Richard is the only hockey player whose suspension provoked a nationalist riot.) Levesque's career had been a torrent of words: a seemingly unending exhortation to Quebecers, emerging in a stream of prose that has been described as "an original mixture of joual, popular phrases, freshly coined words, American or English expressions that have been more or less gallicized, all expressed in long sentences plaited with an incredible association of ideas." At his best, Levesque personified simplicity and action: in place of the vanity and rhetoric of traditional politics in Quebec, he brought a new energy and openness. He spoke in provocative, firecracker phrases, constantly surprising, exciting, challenging his audiences. As a public figure, he seemed rumpled, casual, informal, and accessible. Levesque was a constant smoker; cigarettes seemed part of his restlessness, together with his squint, his twitches, his shrugs; they filled his spaces, just as the rhythms of the smoke seemed to shape his looping sentence structure. Politically, Levesque would adopt labels and self-definitions - and then thrust them away impatiently. Ultimately, he lived his ideological commitment in an intensely personal way, forging his political decisions out of events rather than ideas. Long after he might have been isolated by his own celebrity, he remained intellectually curious, questioning ordinary people 2006-06-11T01:24:55-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Rene-Levesque-s-journey-to-stardom-29148.aspx The Life Story of the Music and Culture of Bob Marley The Life Story of the Music and Culture of Bob Marley Jamaica has produced an artist who has touched all categories, classes, and creeds through innate modesty and profound wisdom. Bob Marley, the Natural Mystic who introduced reggae to European and American fans still may prove to be the most significant musical artist of the twentieth century. Bob Marley gave the world brilliant music and established reggae as major forces in music that is comparable with the blues and rock&rolls. His work stretched across nearly two decades and still remains timeless. Bob Marley & the Wailers worked their way into all of our lives. "He's taken his place with James Brown and Sly Stone as pervasive influence on r&b", said Timothy White, author of the Bob Marley biography "Catch A Fire". It is important to think of the roots of this legend: the first superstar from the Third World, Bob Marley was one of the most charismatic and challenging performers of his time. His music reflects only one source: the street culture of Jamaica. Later, in 1930, Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia. Tafari claimed to be the 225th ruler in a line that went back to Menelik, the son of Solomon. The Garvey followers in Jamaica, who consulted their New Testaments for a sign, believed that Haile Selassie was the black king that Garvey had said would deliver the black race. It was the start of a new religion called Rastafari, which Bob was into heavily. Fifteen years after, in Nine Miles deep within Jamaica Robert Nesta Marley was born. His mother Cedella Booker was an eighteen-year-old black girl while his father was Captain Norval Marley, a 50-year-old white man working for the Jamaican Forestry Commission. The couple married in 1944 and Norval left Cedella to legitimize their unborn child. Then Bob was born on February 6, 1945. Norval's family applied constant pressure to Bob and, although he provided financial support, Norval seldom saw his son who grew up in St. Ann to the north of the island. Bob Marley, barely into his teens, moved to Kingston (Trench Town) in the late Fifties. His friends Were other street youths, also not happy with their place in society. One friend Neville O'Riley Livingston was known as Bunny, Bob met Bunny when his mom took work taking rooms behind a rum bar owned by Toddy Livingston Bunnys father. Bob took 2006-06-06T15:13:20-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Life-Story-of-the-Music-and-Culture-of-Bob-Marley-29079.aspx George Lucas’ Biography and Filmography George Lucas’ Biography and Filmography You wouldn't think he'd become what he now is from his early days. He was fascinated in comic books, especially "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordon." And though this might allude to the Star Wars movies he still didn't know what to do with his life by the time he became a teenager. Bored with the tedium and out-of-date teaching methods, he was a poor student and found excitement in car racing. Only a hint of this past is found in his movie's fast pace and constant energy as well as the use of jumpsuits (X-wing fighter uniforms). Lucas's hobby of car racing abruptly came to a halt when he was rammed broadside by another car off the race track. The other car was going so fast it plowed itself and George's car into a tree at 60 miles an hour. By a fortunate quirk of fate, his seatbelt was defective and he flew free of the car. Though he was injurred, if he had remained in the car the impact would have killed him. Instead of being able to attend his own high school graduation he lay in the hospital. It was at this time he came to the realization that he had to find a purpose in his life and fulfill it. Education and THX 1138 He attended the University of Southern California, majoring in film. He mistakenly enrolled in the university, thinking "film" meant "photography," but once he began to work in motion pictures he knew this was what he loved. He proved to be so good at it that he won a scholarship from Warner Brothers to study film making at the studio. He was where he met Francis Ford Coppola and became good friends despite their opposite personalities. Idealistic about creating new types of movies than the conventional studios were permitting, they founded American Zoetrope. This new type of studio encouraged young film makers and funded experimental films with the support of Warner Brothers. Unfortunately rough times were ahead for Lucas and Zoetrope. When Lucas released his first film, THX 1138, Warner Brothers was outraged. THX 1138 did not follow the standard narrative style, instead moving the story along with images rather than by extensive characters and dialogue. The images were startling, the sound rich and the ideas behind it compelling, but these were not the things that become blockbusters. Warner Brothers resented 2005-12-04T02:04:33-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/George-Lucas’-Biography-and-Filmography-28161.aspx B.B. King, Famous Blues Singer and Guitarist B.B. King, Famous Blues Singer and Guitarist King was a blues singer and guitarist. His full name is Riley B. King. He was born September 16, 1925, near Indianola, Mississippi. An important aspect in King's life was, of course, when he was first exposed to the blues. 'I guess the earliest sound of the blues that I can rremember was in the fields while people would be pickin' cotton or choppin' or somethin,' " he told Living Blues . " When I sing and play now I can hear those same sounds that I used to hear then as a kid." B.B. King's first musical influence came through religion. He was a member of the Church of God In Christ. He was forbidden to play blues at home. He sang in spiritual groups like the Elkhorn Singers and the Saint John's Gospel Singers. A relative who was a guitarist and a preacher showed King his first chords on the instrument. As a teenager he began playing streetcorners for coins, combining gospel songs with the blues. When he started making more money playing in one night then he would in a week on the farm, he decided to head to Memphis. After a few years, King went back to Indianola to work and repay some debts, eventually returning to Memphis to stay. King's trademark is the trilling vibrato he developed in an attempt to duplicate the stinging sound of the steel slide. With the help of the late Sonny Boy William- son he began singing radio commercials and became a disc jockey. Later he played in small clubs, and then in larger venues in the mid-1960's. He has toured extensively through- out the United States and around the world, appearing in concerts, at blues festivals, on television, and in films. How did Riley B. King receive the nickname B.B. King? Well, he was known as " the blues boy from Beale Street," later shortened to B.B. "Riley B. King is the world's preeminent blues guitarist. There is hardly a rock, pop, or blues player anywhere who doesn't owe him something." Frank Sinatra and Nat Cole are two who use the "B.B. King style of blues." Finally, I leave you with a quote. In a Rolling Stone interview King stated; " I was always afraid to say that I was a blues singer. Because it looked like people kind of looked down on 2005-07-26T05:10:47-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/B_B_-King,-Famous-Blues-Singer-and-Guitarist-27384.aspx BIOGRAPHY on Michael Jackson BIOGRAPHY on Michael Jackson The Bio History of Michael Joseph Jackson began when he was born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya Jackson Michael began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who formed in 1964. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine,Tito,Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days Michael would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then. In 1968 the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers discovered the Jackson five and from there they got an audition for Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. Their first 4 singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all made US No1 hits. The Jackson 5 recorded 14 albums and Michael recorded 4 solo albums with Motown. The Jackson 5 stayed with Motown until 1976, wanting more artistic freedom they felt they had to move on and signed up with Epic. The group name Jackson 5 had to be changed as it was owned by Motown, so they reverted to The Jacksons as they had be known in the early days. Brother Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter and stayed with Motown. Youngest brother Randy joined in his place. The Jacksons had a number of hit recordsand in total made 6 albums between the years of 1976 and 1984. In 1977 Michael made his first film debut when he starred in the musical 'The Wiz' playing Scarecrow with Diana Ross in the lead role of Dorothy. It was at this time Michael met Quincy Jones who was doing the score for the film. Michael teamed up with Quincey Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. The album titled "Off The Wall" was a big success around the world and the first ever album to release a record breaking 4 No1 singles in the US. In 1982 Michael Jackson released the world's largest selling album of all 2005-07-08T15:30:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/BIOGRAPHY-on-Michael-Jackson-27264.aspx The Game aka Jayceon Taylor's Biography The Game is from the birthplace of Gangsta’ Rap, Compton, CA. But this is a new, different Westside story, one that joins with the Eastside while paying respects to rap’s hardcore pioneers of the ‘80s, NWA. The Game, a former gangbanger who turned to rap after being shot five times and left for dead, is about peace not war. Working closely with Dr. Dre on his debut album; This Game is for real. The Game Vol. 1, (Aftermath/G Unit/Interscope), the debut album from The Game (a/k/a Jayceon Taylor), announces the arrival of the most significant West Coast gangsta rapper since Snoop Dogg more than a decade earlier. With guest spots from 50 Cent, Nate Dogg and several others, as well as producers from Dr. Dre to Kanye West to Just Blaze and tracks such as “Like Father Like Son,” “Church For Thugs,” “Dreams,” “Where I’m From” and “Westside Story,” The Game Vol. 1 resurrects the truth, spirit and hope of hardcore rap. “A lot of rap today is bubblegum bullshit that says nothing and means nothing to anybody living in the ‘hood,” says the 24-year-old with a tattoo of NWA’s Eazy-E on his right forearm. “I’m not knocking anybody’s hustle but I can’t feel what’s in hip-hop today. Everybody’s rapping but they’re not saying anything. NWA, Biggie, 2Pac, Snoop and Jay-Z all had something to say then Biggie, Pac and Eazy died and it was devastating. We almost let rap die until the Great White Hype (Eminem) saved hip-hop and 50 dropped the gangsta wake-up call. I feel like it’s my turn now and I can fill the shoes.” What all three have in common is the guiding hand of Dr. Dre, Compton’s own and one of the founding members of NWA. “The best moment I’ve had in rap was walking into his studio in 2002 and Dre saying he heard a mix tape of my freestyles and wanted to sign me,” says Game. “Trying to act cool? I was frozen. I’m still starstruck with Dre. He’s been almost 20 years at the top. That I get to soak up the game from a musical genius like him gives me a 20-year head start on everybody else. He’s like the father I never had. Everything about a father throwing a baseball to his son in the suburbs, that’s what NWA was to me. They were the only role models I 2005-07-08T15:13:03-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Game-aka-Jayceon-Taylor-s-Biography-27263.aspx EDDIE MURPHY - EXCELLENCE IN AN ENTERTAINER EDDIE MURPHY - EXCELLENCE IN AN ENTERTAINER Before you begin reading, I hope you will ask yourself what the word excellence means to you. Because excellence is what best describes Eddie Murphy. Eddie is by far one of the best entertainers of all time. Starting from when I was very little I have grown to love him and everything he has done to become what he is today. That is why I chose to read Eddie Murphy - Entertainer. This book is an excellent source for learning about Eddie's life and experiences. Deborah Wilburn, the author of this book seems to be very fond of Eddie Murphy, just like so many other people are including myself. She writes about black people and their achievements. This is a good thing because still to this day racism can sometimes hurt the talent of great people no matter what race they are. That is why I have great respect for this author and others like her. There is great detail about Eddie's life from past to present that she provided in this book and it is very organized. It was Eddie's laugh that always cracked me up the most. No matter how bad his put-downs were or how funny his gestures would be, his laugh would always top them off. This laugh was his way of reminding audiences that he was going for their laugh and he got it. Starting in 1976 when Eddie was in tenth grade he hosted a talent show for his school. It was at that time that he marked the beginning of his extremely talented career that would last for years, even decades to come. From the first moment after Eddie had finished hosting the show that night people thought he was simply hilarious. That is when he decided he would start his official career. He first started out at nightclubs doing standup every weekend. He did this to make a little money so that he could help his mom pay the bills. That is something that amazes me. At the age of fifteen he was doing standup comedy at local nightclubs making around three hundred dollars a week! This is usually a normal monthly earning for a working teen! After a few years of performing standup at nightclubs, the "big gig" had suddenly showed its face in Eddie's career. A spot was available in the Saturday Night Live cast. 2005-07-03T21:02:44-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/EDDIE-MURPHY-EXCELLENCE-IN-AN-ENTERTAINER-27228.aspx Life Of Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin grew up in the ghetto areas of London. He endured a bad childhood in orphanages that are only shown in movies, which influenced his character to be the best-known actor ever in silent comedy. However, the support given to him as a kid helped him go on using his dancing and singing skills stuck with him and it helped 2005-06-17T04:18:49-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Life-Of-Charlie-Chaplin--26888.aspx