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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Shoulders of Fortune


There were plenty of opportunities to rub shoulders with celebs at Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's "Fabulous Night in Cannes" party on Friday—that is, if you could get past the pouffed shoulders. Kerry Washington, Dita Von Teese, and Peaches Geldof all wore Dolce & Gabbana dresses with exaggerated sleeves. They weren't quite the ear-scraping variety found on Rihanna's Met gala smoking jacket, but they came close. The designers themselves, who are in the news today facing (and vigorously denying) tax evasion charges, put on the most bella of figuras—both sporting tuxes and bow ties but going sockless. Fabulous, indeed.

— Nicole Phelps

Monday, May 25, 2009

Versace says no friction between Donatella and CEO

MILAN (Reuters) – Italian fashion house Versace on Monday denied news reports there was friction between design head Donatella Versace and Chief Executive Giancarlo Di Risio.

Newspapers have speculated about Di Risio possibly leaving the company. Daily Il Sole 24 Ore last week said he and design head Donatella Versace were "close to a divorce" because of disagreement over strategy.

"With regards to the recent news items and articles that have appeared in the press, the board unanimously and categorically denies the existence of friction between the CEO and the Creative Director Donatella Versace regarding the necessary policy of cutting costs," the fashion house said in a statement.

Di Risio was hired at Versace in 2004.

Versace's board also approved first-quarter results, which showed a fall in revenues of 13.4 percent compared with last year "but with a positive net result."

April and May have shown an improvement, it said. The board also approved a three-year plan, focused on measures to adapt to the financial crisis.

Versace is owned by Donatella, her brother Santo and her daughter Allegra. The company, known for its Medusa-head logo and penchant for gold, last year turned in an 8.2 percent rise in revenues to 336 million euros ($470.2 million).

($1=.7145 Euro)

(Editing by Leslie Adler)

Friday, May 22, 2009

Cindy Crawford



Name : Cindy Crawford

Real Name : Cindy Ann Crawford

Date Of Birth : February 20, 1966

Place Of Birth : De Kalb, Illinois, USA

Sign : Sun in Pisces, Moon in Pisces

Height : 5'9-1/2''

Hair : Light Brown

Eye : Dark Brown

Education : Northwestern University dropout

Occupation : Model, Actress

Husband : Rande Gerber (nightclub owner)
Richard Gere( Divorced)

Son : Presley Walker

Fan Mail : 132 S. Rodeo Drive -300
Beverly Hills, CA 90212-2403
USA



Trivia:

Son, with Rande Gerber, Presley Walker Gerber born 7/2/99.
Cindy has been on the cover of more than 600 magazines worldwide, including "Vogue", "W", "People", "Harper's Bazaar", "ELLE" and "Allure".
She spent a short time on welfare as a child.
First modern supermodel to pose for "Playboy".
She owns a piece of Planet Hollywood.
In 1995 was estimated to be worth $6.9 million.
Her production company, Crawdaddy Inc.. was estimated in 1998 to have a net worth of $37.7 million.
A 1997 "Shape" magazine survey of 4,000 picked her as the second (after Demi Moore) most beautiful woman in the world.
She dated Val Kilmer. [1997]
She ranked #5 on "Playboy"'s list of the 100 Sexiest Stars of the Century.
Cindy signed a three year exclusive developement deal with ABC in 1997.
Cindy and Richard Gere were married 12 December 1991 by Rev. Wes McPherson at the Little Church of the West, Las Vegas.
Daughter of John and Jennifer.
She lost her younger brother to leukemia.
Went to DeKalb High School and one academic quarter at Northwestern University.
Did TV commercials for Blockbuster Video from 1994.
She played Jon Bon Jovi's girlfriend in his "Please Come Home For Christmas" music video.
She appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song "Voices That Care."
She was the woman in the bathtub in George Michael's "Freedom" music video.
She named one of People's 50 Beautiful People [1993]
Was her high school's valedictorian. She also received a scholarship to study chemical engineering at Northwestern.
Injured when her husband swerved his Jeep to avoid hitting a horse. [6 December 1998]
Dated actor John Enos III
Started modeling at age 19.
Cindy is a gay rights supporter. Supports Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
She was nicknamed "Baby Gia" when she entered the modeling industry because of her resemblance to late supermodel, Gia Carangi.
Was one of the finalists of Elite Model's Management's Look of the Year in 1983.
Daughter Kaya Jordan Gerber born in Los Angeles on 9/3/01, weighing 7 lb. 10 oz.
Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.
Was the inspiration for Prince's song "Cindy C."
Measurements: 34B-22-34 (Source: her first modeling card), 34B-24-35 (in 1992), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
Wears size 9 1/2 shoe. (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
One of the five original supermodels. The others are Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista.
She and her boyfriend, Dekalb High's quarterback, were the prom king and queen at their senior prom. She chose to go to school close to home, but he was scouted by universities in Arizona.
Was invited to Buckingham Palace by the late Princess Diana, when Prince William Windsor had a secret crush on her.
Spokesperson for "Ripley" store in Chile, turning the line "Me fascina Ripley" into a classic among Chilean people.
Was ranked #3 in Channel 5's "World's greatest supermodel".
Was among the guests at Pamela Anderson's and Kid Rock's wedding
Posed for PETA's "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" campaign in 1994. Ten years later, she became a spokesmodel for Blackglama's fur line.
She appeared in a Mario Testino photo shoot for Vanity Fair magazine alongside supermodels Stephanie Seymour, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell. The pictorial covered pages 182 through 193. [September 2008]
She participated in the 3rd Munchkin's Project Pink annual breast cancer awareness campaign to raise money for breast cancer research. The project consists of the donation of celebrity-decorated and autographed bath ducks, put up for auction. [October 2008]
Cindy appeared on the premiere cover of then boyfriend 'John F. Kennedy Jr''s magazine "George" (September 1995). Crawford was dressed as US President George Washington.


Mini Biography:

Cindy had 3 siblings. She had a rough time as a kid when her brother Jeff died in Leukemia. She had good grades in school and graduated to DeKalb high as Valedictorian. She also attended to Northwestern University but never graduated.She got her first job as a spokesman for Pepsi. That was the beginning of her career success. Later she also hosted a MTV show called ''House of Style'', which, I think is the most popular MTV show. And, she has also made calendars as almost all models have done. Half of the money she earns (from calendars) goes to organizations which helps people with Leukemia. Nowadays she's the owner of about 10 million dollars. Her picture has been displayed at hundreds of covers to magazines and other kind of media.

She was married to actor Richard Gere in Dec '91 at the Little Church of the West in Las Vegas, by Rev. Wes McPherson. Cindy is frequently rumored to be bisexual, and having an affair with Christy Turlington. In '91 they were photographed while kissing behind the Roxy nightclub in New York. The rumors have intensified since Cindy appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair shaving k.d. lang, a confirmed lesbian. On May 6, 1994, the London Times published a full page advertisement in which Cindy and Richard Gere proclaimed: ''We are heterosexual and monogamous and take our commitment to each other very seriously''. It cost them $30,000.Cindy gets apartments in New York City and Bel Air, California. Has cottages in Westchester, New York and a beach house in Malibu. She lives in the same New York City building as Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Winona Ryder. Dividing her time between New York and Los Angeles, Cindy Crawford is hard at work building her career from coast to coast when she's not starring in major motion pictures.




Birth Name

Cynthia Ann Crawford


Nickname

Baby Gia


Height

5' 10" (1.78 m)


Spouse

Rande Gerber (29 May 1998 - present) 2 children
Richard Gere (12 December 1991 - 1 December 1995) (divorced)


Trade Mark

Mole above her lip.



Trivia
Son, with Rande Gerber, Presley Walker Gerber born 7/2/99.

Has been on the cover of more than 600 magazines worldwide, including "Vogue", "W", "People", "Harper's Bazaar", "ELLE" and "Allure".

Spent a short time on welfare as a child.

First modern supermodel to pose for "Playboy".

Owns a piece of Planet Hollywood.

In 1995 was estimated to be worth $6.9 million.

Her production company, Crawdaddy Inc.. was estimated in 1998 to have a net worth of $37.7 million.

A 1997 "Shape" magazine survey of 4,000 picked her as the second (after Demi Moore) most beautiful woman in the world.

Dated Val Kilmer. [1997]

Ranked #5 on "Playboy"'s list of the 100 Sexiest Stars of the Century.

Signed a three year exclusive developement deal with ABC in 1997.

Cindy and Richard Gere were married 12 December 1991 by Rev. Wes McPherson at the Little Church of the West, Las Vegas.

Daughter of John and Jennifer.

She lost her younger brother to leukemia.

Went to DeKalb High School and one academic quarter at Northwestern University.

Did TV commercials for Blockbuster Video from 1994.

She played Jon Bon Jovi's girlfriend in his "Please Come Home For Christmas" music video.

She appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song "Voices That Care."

She was the woman in the bathtub in George Michael's "Freedom" music video.

Named one of People's 50 Beautiful People [1993]

Was her high school's valedictorian. She also received a scholarship to study chemical engineering at Northwestern.

Injured when her husband swerved his Jeep to avoid hitting a horse. [6 December 1998]

Dated actor John Enos III

Started modeling at age 19.


Is a gay rights supporter. Supports Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

Was nicknamed "Baby Gia" when she entered the modeling industry because of her resemblance to late supermodel, Gia Carangi.

Was one of the finalists of Elite Model's Management's Look of the Year in 1983.

Daughter Kaya Jordan Gerber born in Los Angeles on 9/3/01, weighing 7 lb. 10 oz.

Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.

Was the inspiration for Prince's song "Cindy C."

Measurements: 34B-22-34 (Source: her first modeling card), 34B-24-35 (in 1992), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

Wears size 9 1/2 shoe. (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

One of the five original supermodels. The others are Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista.

She and her boyfriend, Dekalb High's quarterback, were the prom king and queen at their senior prom. She chose to go to school close to home, but he was scouted by universities in Arizona.

Was invited to Buckingham Palace by the late Princess Diana, when Prince William Windsor had a secret crush on her.

Spokesperson for "Ripley" store in Chile, turning the line "Me fascina Ripley" into a classic among Chilean people.

Was ranked #3 in Channel 5's "World's greatest supermodel".

Was among the guests at Pamela Anderson's and Kid Rock's wedding

Posed for PETA's "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" campaign in 1994. Ten years later, she became a spokesmodel for Blackglama's fur line.

Appeared in a Mario Testino photo shoot for Vanity Fair magazine alongside supermodels Stephanie Seymour, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell. The pictorial covered pages 182 through 193. [September 2008]

Participated in the 3rd Munchkin's Project Pink annual breast cancer awareness campaign to raise money for breast cancer research. The project consists of the donation of celebrity-decorated and autographed bath ducks, put up for auction. [October 2008]

Appeared on the premiere cover of then-boyfriend John Kennedy Jr.'s magazine "George" (September 1995). Crawford was dressed as US President George Washington.



Personal Quotes

The thing I like about my body is that it's strong. I can move furniture around my apartment. I can ride my horse... I can play basketball. It's a well functioning machine.

I don't want to have to be beautiful all the time. I want to be able to look cruddy in my weekend sweats, with a pimple on my face and pimple cream on top of the pimple. The expectation to always be beautiful bothers me.

Fashion and style is just that. Fashion and style. It's not brain surgery.

When I did 'Playboy', I got letters from women who didn't consider it feminist to do nude photographs. I thought the whole POINT of being a feminist was that you got to make your own choices.

[in People magazine, 1/11/93] Even I don't look like Cindy Crawford in the morning.

Even in normal life, I'm not the skinniest model.

[on her return to the runway for Fashion Week in 2002] The other models looked at me with a little too much awe like, "Oh my God, I've been your biggest fan for over 20 years!" And I'm like, "How old are you? Shut up!"

The only annoying thing about being recognized is the whispering. You can hear, "Is that Cindy?" And then they follow me for blocks. I wish they'd just come up and say, "Hi".




Where Are They Now

(2006) Hostess of an infomercial for her "Meaningful Beauty" anti-aging skin cream.

(2007) Co-hostess, with Karyn Bryant, of an infomercial for Cindy's "Meaningful Beauty" anti-aging skin cream. Also appearing are Cindy's mother (Jennifer) and sisters (Danielle and Christine), Kelly Lang, Roselyn Sanchez, Mariel Hemingway, Lokelani McMichael, Dorothy Hamill and Valerie Bertinelli.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Calvin Klein Spring 2009

Spring 2009 Designer view

Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz



On a road trip to the desert, Cameron Diaz opens up to Robert Sullivan about being Hollywood's green queen, enduring heartbreaks, and taking on unexpected roles.

Photographed by Mario Testino.

The main thing you need to know about Cameron Diaz, should she pick you up at your hotel in Los Angeles and drive you to Palm Springs, is that Cameron Diaz is an excellent driver. Really. Top-notch. This is big news because, let's face it, you never know what to expect when you get in a car with a movie star; movie stars are, by definition, people who get driven around in cars, which means that there's a good chance their car-driving skills have atrophied, if they ever had them. This is not the case with Cameron Diaz. She has retained her driving skills. At the wheel of her Prius, she is not too fast, not too slow, but steady. If you want to turn on the light for a second to look around for a pen, that's OK. "You can leave it on," she says. "I'm fine."

In other words, you can relax when Cameron is at the wheel, as she drives through Hollywood, past Silver Lake, sneaking onto the freeway, the I-10. She has jumped in the car after a long day, but once her engine turns over, she is calm and collected. She learned to drive in Southern California, in her family's VW Camper van, a car that had been customized by her father. A friend confirms her driving prowess. "She's incredibly capable," her friend says. "You feel like nothing would happen even if she did drive you 300 miles an hour."

This feels true as Cameron merely crests the speed limit on the I-10, and don't forget: The way a person handles a car says a lot about a person. She's cool, car-wise, and if you tell her so—because how many headlines have you seen about celebrity driving that don't also involve a mug shot?—she thanks you.

"I appreciate that," Cameron says. She smiles and then adds, "I hope that you feel safe in my hands."

Wait, how does that sound? A little sinister? Especially coming from a person driving you-are-not-exactly-sure-where, since you, the reporter, didn't bother with directions; she was the one who said she'd get you there? Well, don't worry; after uttering these words, Cameron Diaz laughs. And, yes, she has a great laugh. If you mention to anyone you know that you just met Cameron Diaz, they are likely to ask if she's as nice as she seems, the centerpiece of her niceness being the laugh, which is an all-out laugh, a full-throttle, 70-mph-on-an-empty-highway-late-at-night laugh. Speaking of which, now that she is on the I-10, she notices a guy behind her, some jerk flaring halogen high beams and blinding the 36-year-old star of There's Something About Mary, The Mask, What Happens in Vegas, and the Shrek trilogy (which, as of next year, will be a quartet).

"He's getting closer!" she says.

Where many Americans on the road would be annoyed and act aggressively in response, Cameron Diaz just blinks, moves slowly right, and offers no insulting gestures as the guy cruises by. "How 'bout that, buddy?" she says, smiling. As the jerk moves on, she continues talking—a late-night conversation on the way to the desert. During which, at some point, we get a little lost, though it was my fault, really.

Cameron Diaz is having a short vacation, some time away. If you'd taken calls from her earlier that day, from a meeting that went late, stacked up on top of other meetings that had also gone late, you would feel exhausted just contemplating her schedule. You might have suspected that she wanted to call off the trip. But here she is, ready to go, grabbing an insulated mug of soup that she will sip while on the road. She's back at the box office, too, and probably destined for her usual big box-office numbers. Last year, What Happens in Vegas opened at number two, typical Diaz romantic-comedy gold, featuring Ashton Kutcher as a guy she accidentally marries and Dennis Miller as a judge who sentences the couple to a year of cohabitation.

When movie execs think of her, they naturally think green, and we're not talking about the ecologically sensitive kind of green. We're talking dough. When everyone else thinks of her, they are likely to think of the noncurrency kind. In her (hybrid electric) car, you recognize right away that she seems to think of herself as falling somewhere in between. Her recent MTV series, Trippin', was a travelogue that explored environmental concerns, a celebrity twist on the nature shows of the sixties, with Cameron taking the rapper DMX camping in Yellowstone, or Eva Mendes to explore Nepal. A New York Times critic praised Cameron for combining "school and recess" in the series: "She has learned to speak authoritatively about siltation and dynamite fishing and overpopulation, all in her surfer-girl vernacular." She wasn't using the show to make herself more of a star; she was using her celebrity to lure young people to the cause of conservation.

Which is something to note about Cameron Diaz early in the trip, before we get too far from L.A.: She's clearly not looking to be a poster girl for the environmental movement. She is there for the environment if it needs her, buying carbon offsets with no great fanfare, making ecologically sensitive shopping choices quietly and happily. She is trying hard not to preach or scold. Of her Prius she says, "It's just a car." She has had one for years, before they became (her dream come true) popular. "It's just a choice people can make."

She pauses to confirm one of her own choices—that is, she makes a call for directions. "Hey," she says. She's calling a friend she's meeting up with in Palm Springs. "Just checking," she says. "I'm taking the I-10 to 110, right?" Pause. "Cool," she says. "OK, perf! Great. Thanks."

What she is eager to talk about on the road is, quite naturally, her new film, out this month. It's called My Sister's Keeper, and if you were to describe it in a too-fast kind of way, you might say it is about the death of a child. But if you were to describe it in a more leisurely manner—in a far-right-lane kind of way—you could say it is about a family, and how that family deals with the death of a child, and with the painful machinations of the heart. "It's about falling in love," she says, eyes on the road. "It's about all different kinds of love. Parents falling in love with their children. Children falling in love with their parents. Falling in love for the first time. Falling in love with being a teenager. All of the things that you fall in love with, that our hearts give way to over a lifetime, and then the heartbreaks when those things get taken away."

It sounds like too much for one film, but the director, Nick Cassavetes, has taken what might be a melodramatic courtroom drama and fashioned a rich portrait of a family as it responds to a child with cancer. Abigail Breslin plays Anna, the dying girl's sister, who narrates the film. Anna is eleven and has endured years of medical procedures to prolong her sister's life. Anna was conceived as a genetically engineered child, a bone-marrow-donor match (something that is in fact medically possible today). As the film opens, she questions her role as her sister's life-support system. Cameron plays her mother, a fierce attorney who has given up her practice to concentrate exclusively on Kate, her older daughter, who is dying of leukemia.

"It was very cut-and-dried for me, as far as the mother's motivation," Cameron says. "This is a woman who does not waver." Cameron saw the mother as a relentless fighter. "I mean, that's not something you want to accept about anybody you love—particularly if you are a mother," she says. "That's what I held on to as I was telling her story. You are a parent. You fight to keep your child alive, no matter what it takes." She moves slowly to pass a truck. "I've seen what parents will do just for, you know, a frickin' autograph." A burst of full-throttle laughter.

One of the people she talked to as she researched the role was the director; Cassavetes has dealt with some of the issues in the film, which he also co-wrote, based on the novel by Jodi Picoult. "I have a sick kid of my own," he says, "and I really fell in love with the notion of telling the story of how a family deals with the illness and death of a child." Asked about casting Cameron, he describes a certain counterintuitiveness. "You know," Cassavetes says, "I don't believe she'd ever played a mother, but there's something so innately human about her, and—I mean this in the best way—there's something so vulnerable about her. And when your kid gets sick, you realize how powerless you are. And Cameron reminded me of that fragility, even though she's a dynamo. In this movie, she's the type of mother that I would want to have if I got sick."

For her part, Cameron says she was really conjuring up Cassavetes, a dad who would never give up. "I am really playing Nick in the movie," she says. "I am playing a six-foot-seven, tattooed, mean mad dog. He understood it intimately, because it's his experience."

"Put it this way," Cassavetes says. "When your kid is sick, the time for being polite has passed; it's time to get people well. But do you know what? Cameron gets pigeonholed that the thing she does well is make people laugh, and, as with all actors, people like to think that you are your character. And they picture Cameron as kind of dippy and airy and fun and beautiful. But she's a very successful woman who finds time to work not only at her profession but for global causes and for her family.

"I'll tell you something about Cameron," he goes on. "If you were going to build a female movie star as a bionic robo actress, you would build her. She's beautiful. She's athletic. The camera loves her. She's free and easy. She understands the process. The crew loves her, and she's a hard worker."

With My Sister's Keeper, she appears to have gone above and beyond the call: During filming Cameron's father, Emilio, died. He was young, just 58, when he died suddenly of pneumonia. The film shut down for a short time, and then she returned to work. "I think," Cameron says, "emotionally.…" She pauses as she dwells on the psychological impact the film had on her. "It definitely took its toll. Definitely."

"I mean, I remember when some of my own family died," says Cassavetes, still impressed that Cameron returned to work. "It's like, What are you going to do? When somebody dies, you're just left with you."

Cameron later told her friends that it was comforting to return to the cast and crew, after having grown to care for them.

"It's the human experience," she says of death as we finally leave the L.A. traffic behind. "You know, that's what the heart does. Things are given to us, and things are taken away. And I think the heart becomes stronger, more capable."

What do you talk about on an hours-long road trip late at night with a movie star? You talk about other trips, of course. In Cameron's case, she remembers her first trips as a kid, on a plane, with her sister, to Tampa, to visit her father's parents in the old Cuban neighborhood. "Spending a month in Tampa with your Cuban grandmother is like—well, we weren't allowed to go outside, because you would either get kidnapped or break an arm." More C.D. laughter. "So you spent a lot of time inside, playing cards, eating steak and rice and beans and drinking RC Cola and watching soap operas. It was a bit of a void for a few weeks, and then we would end up at an island in the Gulf that we'd go to, and we would be there for a week and a half, and that was just glorious."

She talks about taking a cross-country train after filming There's Something About Mary. "I just had this urge to see what was in between the takeoff and the landing," she says. "I was all by myself, and I had my camera and my books, and I read and wrote and took a bunch of photographs out the window and sat in the dining car and talked to people." Staring into fewer and fewer taillights, she reminisces about being a model in Japan when she was sixteen, when the look was Courteney Cox in Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" video, and biker boots, jeans, and T-shirts; about filming in Paris in the early nineties ("It was big hair, lots of lips, lots of eyeliner"); about wearing those corduroy O.P. shorts as a kid while camping with her pop in the VW van. "We used to drive up north to Sequoia when I was a kid," she says. "We used to camp a lot."

She recalls filming What Happens in Vegas in New York City, and thinking, That's it—I have to live here. Now she splits her time between New York and L.A., having recently bought a place in Manhattan—which prompts a fashion aside, regarding layers and the difference between dressing for L.A. and New York. "The underlayer would be what you would wear in L.A. without the overlayer," she says. "But the shoes are always so important in New York, aren't they? I mean, it's just important to be wearing comfortable shoes in New York because all you do is walk."

Speaking of environmentally friendly travel, I ask: Isn't that a great thing about New York?

"It's the best thing ever!" Cameron replies, but she does not stop. "New York is the best city in the world, no doubt about it. No other city possesses what New York possesses."

It could be considered to possess a logistical convenience to England, the country her boyfriend is from. The British press has lately reported that she and Paul Sculfor, a model, are shopping for a country house close to his parents in Upminster, Essex. There were even rumors that they might be scouting potential wedding spots. But on this trip, they remain rumors—the paparazzi-scarred actress (she has successfully sued the National Enquirer and The Sun and had a famous altercation with paparazzi while dating Justin Timberlake) deftly keeps the talk to larger love affairs. "I was just really thinking, I can't be away from New York. I'm having a major love affair with it right now."

Then she pulls off the interstate and onto state route 111. After a while, we hit the strip in Palm Springs, the old downtown. A woman is singing "Lady Marmalade" at an outdoor restaurant called Café 285. "Palm Springs is really a spa situation," Cameron says. "You come up here with your mom and your sister and some girlfriends for, like, a little girl getaway. It's nice and relaxing. Get some sun, hang out. I haven't done it in a long time, and you just reminded me that I needed to do that."

We pass places she has known since she was a teenager. "You used to be able to buy a T-shirt that said I LOVE PS on it," she says. Then: "I came down here in junior high for spring break—and in that parking lot over there.…" More trademark Cameron Diaz laughter. "I won't tell you."

This prompts a few annoying questions from me about high school, junior high school, and her vacationless life at the moment, and then more musings from her. "Right now, making a movie would be a vacation for me!" she says.

And there—I've done it. I've distracted her. We stop at a gas station on the outskirts of town, me inside asking a guy at the counter how far I've caused her to overshoot the spa, her checking the air pressure in her tires (one is a little low). You see? I wasn't kidding about feeling safe. I apologize for distracting her. "It's OK," she says. A few minutes later, she pulls up to the place, the Parker Palm Springs. "Wow!" she says. "This looks amazing."

You wake up in the desert under a startlingly beautiful clear sky, and you look up at the mountains, which are dusted with snow and surrounded by palm and cactus green, and eventually you look out to a peak and see Cameron Diaz posing for the camera—because, OK, it's not all play on a trip to Palm Springs with Cameron Diaz. There are a few photos to be taken, and though it is work to be photographed in Palm Springs, Cameron Diaz makes it look easy. Among her friends on hand is the makeup artist Gucci Westman, whom the fashion familiar know as the wife of David Neville, fashion director of Rag & Bone. Gucci is also the global artistic director of Revlon. She and Cameron became friends, ironically, around the time that Westman was intentionally making Cameron look drab in the Spike Jonze film Being John Malkovich. This involved thickened eyebrows, prosthetic teeth, dingy hair color, et cetera. They became friends on account of chemistry. "She's a Virgo; I'm a Libra," says Westman. "We have a funny relationship—when we are working together, she will try to tell me what to do, but I don't listen to her. She's the kind of a person who will do dishes in a hotel."

Westman says she is often amazed by her friend. "She's incredibly capable, and she's very good at multitasking. If there's something she doesn't know how to do, she will make it her project to learn it and learn it really well. Like, she learned how to snowboard in a weekend. Now she could basically compete. Same thing with anything she picks up. She just pushes herself and doesn't believe anything can stop her." And yet, Westman says, Cameron's conscientiousness does not take away from her overall fun-lovingness. "She's a total girl's girl. And she's the person who's fine, doesn't complain, and doesn't talk about herself. She's the person who's conscious of being present and listening to other people. And she's probably the person, of all my friends, whom I would call first if something went wrong. She is reliable to a fault. Just incredibly reliable, and loyal, and just a super, superaware friend."

At this moment, Cameron is also the person on the rocks in the desert sun in a Stella McCartney bikini, a caravan of photo people trailing down the mountain behind her. She is the one in the Phillip Lim silk dress (made in an environmentally sensitive manner), surrounded by bougainvillea. Base camp for the photo shoot is a beautiful mid-century house in the cliffs, and as the sun sets and she prepares to leave, Cameron meets the owners, who ask her to draw a picture for charity, a heart. Her hand makes a large arc—her heart is bigger than the small canvas. "My heart's too big," she says, apologetically, though this seems impossible.

That night in Palm Springs, Cameron goes out with some friends for Mexican food down on the strip. It's a regular place, with an excellent eighties-cover band. People are dancing. Cameron and Gucci are laughing and ordering chips. Among friends, anyway, she is relaxed about her movie career. "It's been fifteen years now, and I really feel like I'm just understanding it," she says. "You know, the toolbox is just taking shape. And I like that because, if you are lucky, life's a long journey, and I love the learning process. There are so many movies that I still want to make, so many different kinds."

At this point, she seems especially happy to have taken on a role that's unexpected, as in My Sister's Keeper. "People who put labels on themselves limit themselves," she says. "If you are a woman who's been labeled as a sex symbol, for instance—I mean, I am not saying that's the label people would apply to me. But if you see yourself that way, inevitably you get to a point when you are no longer a sex symbol. And if you can't move past that, you're putting a limit on yourself; you're arresting your development. And that's where I think a lot of women get in trouble.

"It's a journey," she adds in a mock-heavy stoner accent. "It's a total journey." After the laughter subsides, she goes on. "But it's also true. I mean, I'm not 25 years old anymore, nor do I want to be. I wouldn't even want to go back to being 30. You know what I mean? That journey—I've done it already. I don't want to do it again. It's a lot of work to get through it, and I am excited about moving forward. I think that people get caught up in getting back to some place that they already passed. Or to a place where you cannot stay."

If you pull Cameron's girlfriend aside later and ask her the ultimate question—"Is Cameron Diaz happy?"—Westman doesn't blink. "Yeah," she says. "She has this inner sort of joy. She can crack herself up. And she likes to have a good time. I think her father's passing away has brought a kind of awareness to life. And I think she realized that life is short and you'd better make the best of it."

And Cameron seems happy at the Mexican restaurant—she eats and laughs, and you have to fight her for the salsa—and when everyone heads back to the spa, we walk around the back, smelling jasmine in the garden. In the light of the torches, you can see the little plants blooming in the springtime of the desert. "See what I mean," she says. "They're beautiful!"

We also gaze at the stars in the dark desert sky, a lot of them. Turns out, if you spot a constellation, Cameron knows it—like Orion. "And there's where his sword is raised," she says. Can I just say how nice that is? Yes, it's a good thing when a movie star knows how to drive well, especially if she's driving you to the desert. But it's even better when a star knows the stars. It's hope for the universe—or for Hollywood, at least.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Kate winslet



Date of Birth
5 October 1975, Reading, Berkshire, England, UK


Birth Name

Kate Elizabeth Winslet


Nickname

English Rose
Corset Kate


Height

5' 6½" (1.69 m)


Mini Biography

Ask Kate Winslet what she liked about any of her characters, and the word "ballsy" is bound to pop up at least once. The British actress has made a point of eschewing straightforward pretty-girl parts in favor of more devilish damsels; as a result, she's built an eclectic resume; that runs the gamut from Shakespearean tragedy to modern-day mysticism and erotica.

Born into a family of thespians -- parents Roger Winslet and Sally Bridges-Winslet were both stage actors, maternal grandparents Oliver and Linda Bridges ran the Reading Repertory Theatre, and uncle Robert Bridges was a fixture in London's West End theatre district -- Kate came into her talent at an early age. She scored her first professional gig at 11, dancing opposite the Honey Monster in a commercial for a kids' cereal. She started acting lessons around the same time, which led to formal training at a performing arts high school. Over the next few years she appeared on stage regularly and landed a few bit parts in sitcoms. Her first big break came at age 17, when she was cast as an obsessive adolescent in Heavenly Creatures (1994). The film, based on the true story of two fantasy-gripped girls who commit a brutal murder, received modest distribution but was roundly praised by critics.


Still a relative unknown, Winslet attended a cattle call audition the next year for Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility (1995). She made an immediate impression on the film's star, Emma Thompson, and beat out more than a hundred other hopefuls for the part of plucky Marianne Dashwood. Her efforts were rewarded with both a British Academy Award and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Winslet followed up with two more period pieces, playing the rebellious heroine in Jude (1996) and Ophelia in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996).

The role that transformed Winslet from art house attraction to international star was Rose DeWitt Bukater, the passionate, rosy-cheeked aristocrat in James Cameron's Titanic (1997). Young girls the world over both idolized and identified with Winslet, swooning over all that face time opposite heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio and noting her refreshingly healthy, un-emaciated physique. Winslet's performance also garnered a Best Actress nomination, making her the youngest actress to ever receive two Academy nods.

After the swell of unexpected attention surrounding Titanic (1997), Winslet was eager to retreat into independent projects. Rumor has it that she turned down the lead roles in both Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Anna and the King (1999) in order to play adventurous soul searchers in Hideous Kinky (1998) and Holy Smoke (1999). The former cast her as a young single mother traveling through 1960s Morocco with her daughters in tow; the latter, as a zealous follower of a guru tricked into a "deprogramming" session in the Australian outback. The next year found her back in period dress as the Marquis de Sade's chambermaid and accomplice in Quills (2000). Kate holds the distinction of being the youngest actor ever honored with four Academy Award nominations (she received her fourth at age 29.)

Off camera, Winslet is known for her mischievous pranks and familial devotion. She has two sisters, Anna Winslet and Beth Winslet (both actresses), and a brother, Joss. In 1998, she married Jim Threapleton, whom she met on the set of Hideous Kinky (1998); the pair had a daughter, Mia, in October of 2000. They divorced in 2001. She later married director Sam Mendes in 2003 and has since given birth to their son Joe.

Spouse

Sam Mendes (24 May 2003 - present) 1 child
Jim Threapleton (22 November 1998 - 13 December 2001) (divorced) 1 child


Trivia

Daughter Mia Honey Threapleton was born (in England) on the 12th October 2000, weighing in at 8 pounds 9 ounces.

Kate met husband Jim Threapleton on the set of her movie Hideous Kinky (1998), where he was working as an assistant director.

Won Best Spoken Word Album for Children, Grammy Awards, shared with Graham Greene. [2000]

Turned down the Gwyneth Paltrow role in Shakespeare in Love (1998) and the Jodie Foster role in Anna and the King (1999).

Has very large feet and wears size 11 shoes.

At age 11, she began attending the acting school Redroofs in Maidenhead, England, UK.

Dated Rufus Sewell.

Sister of Anna Winslet, Joss Winslet and Beth Winslet. Kate is the second child.

The youngest actress ever to be nominated for two Academy Awards (for Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Titanic (1997)) (Aged 20 and 22 respectively). [1998]

Dated Stephen Tredre. [1991-1995]

Her first acting job was dancing with the Honey Monster in a commercial for Sugar Puffs cereal.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Manchester Evening News Award for her theatre role in "What the Butler Saw" as Geraldine Barclay. [1994]

Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. [1996]

She has a younger brother, Joss.

Parents: Roger Winslet (actor) and Sally Bridges-Winslet.

After her first success in the film Heavenly Creatures (1994), a reviewer predicted that she would always be associated with that character and would never be a big star.

Recorded a song for the soundtrack for the movie Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001). Producers were so impressed at her efforts they have decided to release the ballad - called "What If?" - as a single. It reached the top ten in the UK, peaking at number six. [June 2001]

Announced that she and husband Jim Threapleton are splitting up. [3 September 2001]

[November 2001] Confirms that she is dating director Sam Mendes.

Purchased a $3 million (US) home in London with boyfriend (later husband) Sam Mendes. They also bought a home in New York City.

She holds a unique position in Academy Awards history: Only twice have two actresses been nominated for playing the same character in the same film. The first two were Gloria Stuart and Kate in Titanic (1997). The second two were Judi Dench and Kate in Iris (2001/I).

Married director Sam Mendes in a private ceremony whilst on holiday in the West Indies in May, 2003.

Daughter Mia's name is Italian for "my".

Has sung in 5 of her films.

Prefers to wear boots rather than ordinary shoes because it makes her feel that her feet are "firmly on the ground."

Missed the premiere of Titanic (1997) because she was attending the funeral of close friend and former boyfriend, Stephen Tredre.


Son, Joe Alfie Winslet Mendes, was born on December 22, 2003, in New York, and weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces.

Resides in both London, England, and New York City, America. Her main home, however, is in Cotswolds, England.

Has a nephew, George. His mother is Beth Winslet.

Sprained her ankle on the set of Romance & Cigarettes (2005) in May 2004.

She sold her North London home in Belsize Park to Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin.

Was considered for the role of Bridget in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) but it was then decided she was too young to portray the role.

On the day she had to film the straitjacket scene in Hamlet (1996), she learned she had won the role of Rose in Titanic (1997).

While serving as host of "Saturday Night Live" (1975) one week after Ashlee Simpson-Wentz's "recorded song malfunction," she opened the show by singing and dancing live.

Bust size 1996 - 34C.

Born in the same year and on the same day as Parminder Nagra.

Was born in the same hospital as her husband, Sam Mendes.

Filmed her 2005 American Express commercial in Camden Town, London, England.

First screen kiss was with Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures (1994).

Her performance as Clementine Kruczynski in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) is ranked #81 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

Her daughter Mia had to be delivered by Cesarean section, which made Kate feel she hadn't given birth properly. She admitted to it only after giving birth to her son Joe (who had been delivered naturally).

Was offered the role of Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002).

Offered the role of Tessa in The Constant Gardener (2005) but turned it down to do Finding Neverland (2004).

Kate married Sam Mendes, who was a childhood friend of Tom Hollander, with whom he went to Cambridge University and whom he directed in several plays. Tom and Kate were both in the film Enigma (2001).

Very close friends with actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Premiere Magazine for Sense and Sensibility (1995)). [1995]

Won Best Film Actress, Smash Hits Magazine. [1998]

Won Sexiest Actress, Entertainment Insider Awards. [1998]

Won Film Actress of the Year, Variety Club of Great Britain. [1999]

Nominated for Best Actress, Roughcut.com Internet Movie Award for Holy Smoke (1999). [2000]

When interviewed on "Good Morning America" (1975) to promote her film The Holiday (2006), they surprised her by showing a clip which was supposedly Winslet on the Sugar Puff Commercial in 1987. However, the girl in the clip shown was not her. Winslet did not point out the error because she did not want to embarrass the researcher and get the person fired. She was then praised by the media for her caring and consideration of other people. [2006]

Her performance in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) is her personal favorite.

Along with Vanessa Redgrave (for Julia (1977)) and Mare Winningham (for Georgia (1995)), she is the only performer to be nominated for an Supporting Oscar (for Iris (2000)) for playing the title role in a movie. As of 2006, Redgrave is the only one to win.

As of January 2009, she is the youngest actress to rack up 6 Oscar nominations.

Won Best Actress, Toronto Film Festival for Heavenly Creatures (1994), shared with Melanie Lynskey. [1995]

Runner-Up for Best Actress, New York Film Critics Circle for Holy Smoke (1999). [1999]

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Rec.Arts.Movies.* Critics Circle for Quills (2000). [2000]

Runner-Up for Best Actress, National Society of Film Critics for Holy Smoke (1999). [2000]

Runner-Up for Best Actress, New York Film Critics Circle for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). [2004]

Chris Tookey, of the British newspaper "Daily Mail," chose her as Best Actress of the Year for her roles in The Holiday (2006) and Little Children (2006). [2006]

Is a fan of Rufus Wainwright's CD, "Poses" (mentioned in one of her ads for AmEx).

Nominated for Best Actress in a Dramatic Performance, Excellent Dynamic Activism (EDA) Awards/The Alliance of Women Journalists for Little Children (2006). [2006]

In an interview for the London Evening Standard, she revealed she has taken a year off (from April 2006 to April 2007) from her career, to spend more time with her family. [2007]

Official Celebrity Spokesperson for Lancôme. [2007]

Her children refer to close friend Leonardo DiCaprio as "Uncle Leo".

Was named one of '50 Most Beautiful' by People Magazine in 2005.

Auditioned for the role of "Elizabeth" in Kenneth Branagh's Frankenstein (1994). Helena Bonham Carter got the role, but Branagh was so impressed by Winslet that he offered her the part of "Ophelia" in Hamlet (1996).

Involved, along with Sherilyn Fenn, Rufus Sewell, Miranda Richardson and Paul McGann in the 1998 film project "Johnny Hit and Run Pauline". The film was to be executive produced by Emma Thompson, and written and directed by Fay Efrosini Lellios. The shooting was set to start in June 1998 in New Hampshire. The film was canceled due to financial withdrawal. [1998]

Lives in New York City. She also owns a home in Gloucestershire, England.

Placed third equal (with Anne Hathaway) for Best Actress, New York Film Critics Circle for Revolutionary Road (2008). [2008]

The Holiday (2006) was the first movie that Kate used her own accent and didn't develop a special voice for her character.

Sister-in-law of Edmund Harcourt.

Only the third person in history to win two acting Golden Globes in the same year (Best Actress, Drama for Revolutionary Road (2008) and Best Supporting Actress for The Reader (2008)).

As of 2009, she is only one of six performers who won a Golden Globe Award as Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Motion Picture Drama without being nominated for an Oscar for that same role (hers for Revolutionary Road (2008)). The others are Spencer Tracy in The Actress (1953), Anthony Franciosa in Career (1959), Omar Sharif in Doctor Zhivago (1965), 'Shirley Maclaine' in Madame Sousatzka (1988), Jim Carrey in The Truman Show (1998).

The producers of the The Reader (2008) tried to promote Winslet as Supporting Actress during the Oscar race 2009 in order to enhance her chances to get nominated twice (for Best Supporting Actress for The Reader (2008) and Best Actress for her role in Revolutionary Road (2008)). The Academy overthrew this plan by nominating Winslet for Best Actress for her performance in The Reader (2008), leaving aside her performance in Revolutionary Road (2008), although she won several other award nominations in both categories for the respective movies.

Is one of six actresses to have won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance. The others in chronological order are Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich (2000), Renée Zellweger for Cold Mountain (2003), Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line (2005), Helen Mirren for The Queen (2006) and Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006).

Was originally cast as Nola Rice in Woody Allen's Match Point (2005), but dropped out at the last minute, so she could spend her time with her child. The role went to Scarlett Johansson .

Leonardo Dicaprio bought her an inscribed gold ring, after filming Revolutionary Road together. The inscription however Winslet keeps a secret.



Personal Quotes

[talking about her screen debut in Heavenly Creatures (1994)]: "I was reading the script in the back of the car and I turned to my dad and yelled, 'I've GOT to get this!' And he replied, 'Then you will.' And I thought, 'Yep, that's it. I'm bloody well going to.' And that was it. I was so determined. It was something crucial to my life. I just so communicated with her, the story and their relationship. And when I found out, I just couldn't believe it. I was so happy, I cried. I remember I was working part-time at a deli at the time because I didn't have any money and was in the middle of making a sandwich when they phoned and said I'd got the job. I burst into tears and had to leave work because I couldn't control myself. It was absolutely brilliant."


In 2002 she had this to say about doing nude scenes: "I like exposing myself. There's not an awful lot that embarrasses me. I'm the kind of actress that absolutely believes in exposing myself."

I'd rather do theatre and British films than move to L.A. in hopes of getting small roles in American films.

It's very important for me to make the statement that I am English and just because I've done one really big film, it doesn't mean that I don't want to keep a finger in the fantastic British film industry and do films like this.

About her spur-of-the-moment marriage to Sam Mendes - "We hadn't been planning to do it but we thought it was rather a good idea, so we just did it."

After Titanic (1997) it would have been completely foolish for me to go and try and top that. I'm an English girl, I've always loved England, I've never felt the desire to leave it for any particular reason. And whilst I'm ambitious and care very much about what I do, I'm not competitive. I also don't want to act every day of my life. ... So it was important to me after Titanic (1997) to just remind myself of why it was that I was acting in the first place, which is of course because I love it.

Since I was 13 or 14, I've always felt older than I actually am.

I was on the tube just before Christmas. and this girl turned round to me and said, 'Are you Kate Winslet?'. And I said, 'Well, yes. I am actually'. And she said, 'And you're getting the tube?' And I said, 'Yes'. And she said, 'Don't you have a big car that drives you around?' And I said, 'No'. And she was absolutely stunned that I wasn't being driven round in some flash car all the time. It was ludicrous.

People say to me, 'You seem to have made this conscious decision to do independent films'. In reality, I haven't. After each movie, I always think, how different can I possibly be?... Is this going to challenge me, is this going to inspire me, and is this going to make me love my job more than I already do?

There is no way we are going to move out of England. Some might think that we want to live in Hollywood but that is not what we want at all. We will go and live in New York when it is necessary because of work but we prefer to be in England. I'm proud to be English - we both are. It's very important to me to retain that. I am an English girl and I love England. I have never felt the desire to leave. I am still ambitious and I will have to travel and live elsewhere because of that but England is always home.

On a scene from the movie Holy Smoke (1999),: "It was a difficult scene. When I read the script and I saw this scene was there, I laughed hysterically. I just couldn't believe it. When it came to shooting it, I had been sort of putting it off, and pretending it wasn't going to happen. And suddenly, I am there naked, peeing and thinking "Oh no!" It was really hard to do, but I've always loved the fact that it was there, and it's such a sort of turning point for the character I play in the movie that I've always felt sort of good, that it should be there."

On receiving her 4th Oscar nomination: "I can't believe it. I am ecstatic! This nomination means so much to me. To be remembered for a film that was released a while ago, I am unbelievably honoured and completely overwhelmed."

There's more to life than cheek bones.

Mum and dad were very much friends, and up to life. There was no anxiety for anything when I was growing up, they just taught me to be me.

Life is short, and it is here to be lived.

Loving someone is setting them free, letting them go.

I don't know if it's a skill, but I have been really lucky. I've always got on with every actor I've had to work opposite. I just always try and be as accepting of that person as I possibly can, and remain non-judgmental about their process, because every actor works in a different way.

I was a wayward child, very passionate and very determined. If I made up my mind to do something, there was no stopping me.

On going to the 1996 Oscars: Emma Thompson said to me 'Listen, it's honestly just like going to see a fantastic show', and actually it really is, because there are so many people to look at and all those fabulous frocks and it's really fascinating. But mum and dad and I did kind of amble through it a bit, a bit like the Beverly Hillbillies, getting out the car, my mum stepping on my dress and I'm going 'Mum, mum!'

I'm really proud of being English, because I learned my job in England, in English films with English actors. But I never dared dream of such a success... it's more than a dream. I realize it's extraordinary for a British actress. I feel good, but guilty at the same time, cause I wish I could share this emotion with all my British actors' friends... I play the main character in the most expensive and probably successful film, but that's not a good reason to leave England and become a superstar. Not at all.

It seems daft that I'm famous and I've not really got to grips with that.

On taking chances in Hollywood: If you're not still learning and growing as an actor, then you have no backbone and no career. - Interview, November 2000

My skin still crawls if you call me a movie star. I get embarrassed. I think, don't be ridiculous. Maybe it's because I'm British. To me, Julia Roberts that's a movie star. But when people do call me one, that, I think, is an enormous compliment but, my God, is that a responsibility!

It feels unbelievable to be mentioned in the same breath as fellow actress Meryl Streep. It's inconceivable to me that this would even happen in my lifetime at all. It's such a dream. (About being nominated in the same category as superstar Meryl Streep)




Salary

Finding Neverland (2004) £ 6,000,000
Enigma (2001) £ 300,000
Quills (2000) £ 450,000
Holy Smoke (1999) £ 360,000
Titanic (1997) $2,000,000

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Jessica alba Mysterious Glamour




Date of Birth
28 April 1981, Pomona, California, USA


Birth Name
Jessica Marie Alba


Nickname

Sky Angel
Albz


Height


Monday, May 11, 2009

Rihanna



Date of Birth

20 February 1988, St. Michael, Barbados



Birth Name
Robyn Rihanna Fenty


Nickname

RiRi
Caribbean Queen
The Barbados Babe
The New Princess of Pop
Thunder Thighs
Queen Of The R&B



Height

5' 8" (1.73 m)


Mini Biography

Rihanna was born on February 20, 1988, in a county in Barbados called St. Michael. She lived the life of a normal island girl going to Combermere, a top sixth form school, similar to grammar schools in the UK. Rihanna won a beauty pageant and performed Mariah Carey's "Hero" in a school talent show. Her life changed forever when one of her friends introduced her to Evan Rodgers, a producer from New York who was in Barbados for vacation with his wife, who is a native. Rodgers arranged for her to go to New York to meet Jay-Z, CEO of Def Jam Records. He heard her sing and knew she was going to be big and for more than just one song. She was 16 when she was signed to Def Jam. Rihnanna's debut album is out now. It's called "Music of the Sun".


Trivia

Was signed to Def Jam Records

Her musical inspirations include Alicia Keys, Beyoncé Knowles, and Mariah Carey.

Attended Combermere which is a sixth form school similar to technical school in America.

Performed Mariah Carey's "Hero" at her school's talent show.

Won a beauty pageant at her school.

Born to a black Barbadian father Ronald Fenty and a black Guyanese mother Monica Fenty.

She has two younger brothers Rorrey and Rajad.

Stated in an interview that her friend and former Island Def Jam record label artist Fefe Dobson was someone that she admired and looked up to. Having a fellow black artist writing, singing, and performing the music she truly loves.


Ranked #8 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2007 list.

Sampled "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' " by Michael Jackson from his " Thriller" album in her song "Please Don't Stop the Music".

Ranked #15 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Jennifer Lopez - Hot Shoot




Date of Birth
24 July 1969, The Bronx, New York, USA


Birth Name

Jennifer Lynn Lopez










Nickname
J. Lo

Tom cruise


Date of Birth
3 July 1962, Syracuse, New York, USA


Birth Name

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV


Height

5' 7" (1.70 m)


Mini Biography

In 1976, if you had told 14 year old Franciscan seminary student Thomas Cruise Mapother IV that one day in the not too distant future he would be considered one of the top 100 movie stars of all time, he would have probably grinned and told you that his ambition was to become a priest. Nonetheless, this sensitive, deeply religious youngster who was born in 1962 in Syracuse, New York, was destined to become Tom Cruise, one of the highest paid and most sought after actors in screen history. The only son (among four children) of nomadic parents young Tom spent his boyhood eternally on the move and by the time he was 14 he had attended 15 different schools in the US and Canada. He finally settled in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, with his mother and her new husband. While in high school, he developed an interest in acting and abandoned his plans of becoming a priest, dropped out of school, and at age 18 headed for New York and a possible acting career. The next 15 years of his life are the stuff of legends. He made his film debut with a small part in Endless Love (1981) and from the outset exhibited an undeniable box office appeal to both male and female audiences.

Though below average height and not particularly handsome in the traditional sense, within 5 years Tom Cruise was starring in some of the top grossing films of the 1980s including Top Gun (1986); The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). By the 1990s he was one of the highest paid actors in the world earning an average 15 million dollars a picture in such blockbuster hits as Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996) and Jerry Maguire (1996) - for which he received an Academy Award Nomination for best actor. In 1990 he renounced his devout Catholic beliefs and embraced The Church Of Scientology claiming that Scientology teachings had cured him of the dyslexia that had plagued him all of his life. A kind and thoughful man well known for his compassion and generosity, Tom Cruise is one of the best liked members of the movie community. He was married to actress Nicole Kidman until 2001. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV has indeed come a long way from the lonely wanderings of his youth.

Spouse
Katie Holmes (18 November 2006 - present) 1 child
Nicole Kidman (24 December 1990 - 8 August 2001) (divorced) 2 (adopted) children
Mimi Rogers (9 May 1987 - 4 February 1990) (divorced)


Trivia

Cousin of actor William Mapother and Amy Mapother.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#41) (1995).

Ranked #3 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list (October 1997).

Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world (1997).

Voted Best Dressed Male Movie Star (1997).

Stopped to help a hit and run victim and paid her hospital bills. The victim was aspiring Brazilian actress Heloisa Vinhas (1996).

Caused a stir in the medical community when he claimed, in an interview, that Scientology cured him of his dyslexia (1992).

While he was working with Paul Newman in the The Color of Money (1986), he engaged in much conversation with the politically active actor. The resulting conscious raising changed him from an actor who ignored the jingoistic tone of Top Gun (1986) to a performer who chose a film with a strong anti-war tone, Born on the Fourth of July (1989) to counter his contribution to the former film.

Has three sisters: Marian, Lee Anne De Vette and Cass. Lee Anne became his publicist in 2004 after he left Pat Kingsley.

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world (1991).

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world (1990).

Graduated from Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey (June 1980).

At age 14, he enrolled in a seminary to become a priest. He dropped out after one year.

He took up acting after losing his place on a high school wrestling team due to a knee injury.

He has two adopted children with Nicole Kidman: Isabella Jane Cruise (born December 22, 1992) Connor Antony Cruise (Connor Cruise) (born January 17, 1995).

Is right handed when writing, but does most things left handed.

Mission: Impossible (1996) gave him a total of $70 million with percentage of gross included.

Enjoys skydiving, scuba diving, and piloting his Pitts Special S-2B stunt plane

Recently restored an older home in the township of Biltmore Forest, a town within the city limits of Asheville, North Carolina (2000).

Chosen "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine (1990).

Received the John Huston Award for Artists Rights in 1998.

Was considered for the lead in The Matrix (1999).

Cruise earned roughly $75 million for Mission: Impossible II (2000). He did this by turning down any upfront salary, for instead taking a back-end deal that landed him 30% of the film's gross for both his producing and acting duties.

Attended Packanack School in Wayne, New Jersey from first through third grade.

Filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Michael Davis, a man who allegedly offered to sell videotapes of himself having sex with the actor. The lawsuit accuses Davis of making the statements "in order to hurt the plaintiff and gain widespread publicity for himself." (May 2001).

Lived together with Vanilla Sky (2001) co-star Penélope Cruz from 2001 to 2004.

Instead of his affair with Penélope Cruz damaging both their careers, it only boosted it.

Suffers from dyslexia.

Earned his pilot's license in Toronto, Canada in 1994.

He didn't stay for the remainder of the 2002 Academy Awards after opening them because it was his turn to look after his and ex-wife Nicole Kidman's children. He reportedly left the Kodak Theatre by a back door after opening proceedings and dashed home to watch the rest of the event on TV with his adopted kids Conor and Isabella.

For 1988, he became the first actor to have the distinction of starring in both the year's Oscar winner for Best Picture, Rain Man (1988) and the year's Razzie "winner" for Worst Picture, Cocktail (1988).

Ranked #14 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #16 in 2002.

Ranked #4 in Star TV's Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s (2003)

Born to Thomas Mapother III (15 October 1934 - January 1984), an electrical engineer, and his wife Mary Lee Pfeiffer, a special education teacher.

Has two dogs called Basil and Murray and a cat called Harvey.

First actor in history to star in five consecutive films that grossed $100 million in the USA: A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm (1993), Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), Jerry Maguire (1996).

Briefly attended St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky and was a paperboy for the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Wore braces on his flashy, million-dollar smile in 2002 to correct a misaligned bite.

Announced that his relationship with Penélope Cruz had ended in January 2004. [March 2004]

Has appeared in films opposite four directors who have also directed his films. Sydney Pollack, who directed The Firm (1993), appeared in Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed Magnolia (1999), appeared as an extra in Minority Report (2002). Minority Report (2002) director Steven Spielberg appeared in Vanilla Sky (2001) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). Cameron Crowe, who directed Jerry Maguire (1996) and Vanilla Sky (2001), appeared in Minority Report (2002).

Will not allow his likeness to be used in video games or for action figures.

While filming Days of Thunder (1990) at Daytona International Speedway, he drove one of the Hendricks Motorsports R&D cars around the track. The best time recorded was a lap at 205 MPH.

He was voted the 31st Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Lives with his sister Cass and her three children in Los Angeles (September 2004).

Spoke at his niece's, Lee Anne De Vette's daughter, graduation from the Delphian School.

Ranked #18 on VH1's 100 Hottest Hotties

Lost out to actor Peter Barton for the lead role in "The Powers of Matthew Star" (1982).

Renée Zellweger thanked him in her Oscar acceptance speech when she won 'Best Actress in a Supporting Role' for Cold Mountain (2003).

Attended the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City.

Channel 4's 'Ultimate Film' show states that, in terms of UK cinema audience rather than revenue, Cruise's most successful film in the UK was Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).

While a student at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre, he studied one of his courses under legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner.

Studied drama at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse, in conjunction with the Actors Studio, New School University, New York.

Was named the #1 top money-making star at the box office in Quigley Publications annual poll of movie exhibitors a record seven times between 1986 and 2005. Being crowned the top box office champ in 2005 put Cruise one title ahead of Tom Hanks, who has been named #1 at the B.O. six times. Bing Crosby and Burt Reynolds both were named #1 for five consecutive years, and Clint Eastwood also has been #1 five times, but non-consecutively.

He has been named to the Top 10 Poll of Money-Making Stars 18 times, as ranked by Quigley Publications' annual poll of movie exhibitors. With his 18th appearance on the B.O. list, he moved out of a tie for 4th place tie with Paul Newman (17 appearances on the list) into a tie for #3 with Gary Cooper. John Wayne is #1 on the all-time list, with 25 appearances in the Top 10, followed by Clint Eastwood with 21 appearances on the list. Gary Cooper rounds out the top three. Due to his young age and continued popularity, it is conceivable that within 10 years, he will exceed Wayne as the #1 box office champ ever.

Has donated to charities such as The Ashley Flint Fund, The Tsunami Relief Fund, Themoms.biz Diabetes Fund, Hillary Rodham Clinton's Campaign and The Church of Scientology.

Premiere Magazine ranked him as the #3 Greatest Movie Star of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature (2005).

Studied with renowned acting coach Phil Gushee at Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, New York.

His character Lt. Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men (1992) was based on real life U.S. Navy JAG Corp Donald Marcari, who now works as an attorney with Marcari, Russotto, and Spencer P.C. in Cheaspeake, Virginia.

The name Mapother is pronounced like "MAY bother", only with a P.

Time magazine once described him as a "baby-faced Christopher Reeve".

Ranked #14 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List. He is the highest ranked actor on the list.

Engaged to actress Katie Holmes (17 June 2005).

Proposed to Katie Holmes at the Eiffel Tower in Paris

Was the original choice for the role of Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).

Emilio Estevez served as best man at his wedding to Mimi Rogers.

Celebrated his 43rd birthday atop the holiday box office with War of the Worlds (2005).

His May 2005 appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (1986) was named the #1 "Celebrity Meltdown Ever" by TV Guide Magazine.

Owns and operates "Montana Miss" a WWII P-51 Mustang.

He and his former girlfriend Penélope Cruz appeared together in Vanilla Sky (2001)

He and ex-wife Nicole Kidman made 3 movies together: Days of Thunder (1990), Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Far and Away (1992). They met on the set of Days of Thunder (1990)

While attending the London premiere of War of the Worlds (2005), he was squirted in the face with water during a prank interview. His reaction on camera was stern but not livid. The culprit was charged with assault.

He was in two different movies featuring the song "Iko Iko" on its soundtrack - Rain Man (1988) by The Belle Stars and Mission: Impossible II (2000) by Zap Mama.

He is a big fan of British singer Joss Stone.

Has played a soldier in six different movies. Taps (1981), Top Gun (1986), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), A Few Good Men (1992), The Last Samurai (2003) and Valkyrie (2008).

Has worked with an impressive list of master filmmakers: Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, Francis Ford Coppola, Oliver Stone, Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg.

Is a vegetarian.

Tom and Katie Holmes became the parents of Suri Cruise, who was born on April 18, 2006 in Los Angeles. "Suri" weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. and was 20 inches.

In the past twenty years since his first hundred million dollar grosser (Top Gun (1986)), only six of his films have failed to reach that status.

Was originally to star in Enemy of the State (1998), but scheduling conflicts with Eyes Wide Shut (1999) forced him to miss out on the film. His part went to Will Smith.

Wears a mask on six different movies. In all of the three "Mission: Impossible" movies and in Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Vanilla Sky (2001) and Minority Report (2002), where the injection that makes his face disfigured can be considered as a futuristic mask.

Topped Forbes magazine's "100 Top Celebrities" list in 2006 ahead of The Rolling Stones and Oprah Winfrey (June 2006).

Ranked #14 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Had ranked #14 in 2005 as well. He is the highest-ranked actor on the list.

Stepfather of his children Isabella and Connor is Keith Urban

Is talked about in the song "Though the Wire" by Kanye West.

Was ranked # 1 in Forbes Celebrity 100 Who Made Bank (2006).

On August 22, 2006, Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone announced through the "Wall Street Journal" that Viacom' Paramount subsidiary was terminating its development dealt with Cruise after 14 years. Redstone said the firm terminated its deal with Cruise due to the under-performance of Mission: Impossible III (2006) (which had been expected to gross $100-150 million more than it did), which he attributed to Cruise's "bad behavior". Movie pundits were somewhat surprised by the announcement, as Cruise remains the top B.O. draw in North America and was Paramount's cash cow. Cruise's films reportedly have accounted for 32% of Paramount Pictures' revenues in the last six years, and he was named the Top Box Office draw for a record 7th time by Quigley Publications for the year 2005. As part of its machinations before severing its connections with Cruise, Paramount leaked to the press the information that the deal was worth $10 million annually; however, the development deal actually was for $3 million per annum. At the time of the announcement, Cruise and his advisers were considering Paramount's new offer of $2 million per year in development money when Redstone dropped his bombshell. The news gave rise to speculation that Paramount has run out of cash as it reportedly has told other development partners with which it has deals to use their own cash for the rest of the year, with the proviso they will be reimbursed come 2007.

In September of 2006, he visited actress Brooke Shields at her home and personally apologized to her for criticizing her in 2005 about her use of prescription medication to overcome her post partum depression. Touched by the gesture, Brooke accepted his apology.

He once shared a record with Tom Hanks as the actor to star in the most consecutive $100 million-grossing movies (7). Both were surpassed by Will Smith who reached eight in 2008.

Resurrected United Artists together with MGM executives to produce and star in some of the company's projects (November 2006).

The years of birth of his wives are 11 years apart: Mimi Rogers was born in 1956, Nicole Kidman in 1967 and Katie Holmes in 1978.

Although they officialized their marriage in Los Angeles prior, he and Katie Holmes celebrated their wedding in the Odescalchi castle in Bracciano, Italy. The ceremony was performed by a Scientology minister in front of more than 150 relatives and friends including Hollywood superstars such as Jim Carrey, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Richard Gere, Brooke Shields, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Kirstie Alley. Italian pop opera purveyor Andrea Bocelli serenaded the newlyweds (18 November 2006).

He and Katie Holmes both wore Armani at their wedding.

He and Katie Holmes honeymooned in the Maldives.

Best Man at his wedding to Katie Holmes was his best friend David Miscavige.

Once lived in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada & attended the same high school as Bryan Adams.

Donated to Hillary Rodham Clinton's electoral campaign for the U.S. Senate together with his then wife Nicole Kidman (2000).

Considered for the role, in Crimson Tide (1995), that went to Denzel Washington.

Mentioned in the song 'High School Never Ends' by 'Bowling For Soup'.

Was offered for the lead of Reign Over Me (2007).

According to Forbes, for each dollar he got paid, Cruise's movies averaged $11 of gross income (December 2007).

Attended St. Raphael The Archangel Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Although the shooting of Valkyrie (2008) caused controversy in Germany due to his Scientology membership, he was awarded at the Bambi Awards for "Courage", a category, newly created by the organizers to honor him for "tackling a story that had never been covered by Hollywood before". The decision was also heavily criticized by journalists and politicians (2 December 2007).

The Japan Memorial Day Association declared 10 October 2006 "Tom Cruise Day".

Due to his friendship to David Beckham, he became a supporter of Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

When attending a Franciscan seminary in Cincinatti, he aspired to become a priest.

Has German and English ancestry from his father's as well as German and Irish ancestry from his mother's family.

Was introduced to Scientology by his ex-wife Mimi Rogers.

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year to be $31 million.

Mentioned in song "Faudrait leur dire" by French rap band "3eme oeil".

Listed at Number 7 on "The Top 10 Box Office Moneymakers of 2007".

Is the only actor to ever work with all of the following directors; Oliver Stone in Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Martin Scorsese in The Color of Money (1986), Stanley Kubrick in Eyes Wide Shut (1999), and Steven Spielberg in Minority Report (2002).

Huge fan of professional wrestling.

Has married two actresses who played Batman's love interest. Nicole Kidman from Batman Forever (1995) and Katie Holmes from Batman Begins (2005).

Is reportedly a huge fan of The Simpsons. However, he has twice turned down guest roles; once for the part of "Tom," which was written specifically for him, in the episode "Brother From The Same Planet" (eventually voiced by regular Phil Hartman) and the other alongside his then-wife Nicole Kidman in the episode "When You Dish Upon A Star" (eventually voiced by then-couple Alec Baldwin and Kim Bassinger).

Considered for the role, in End of Days (1999), that went to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Was going to play as Tom Warshaw in House of D (2004) and opted to do War of the Worlds (2005) instead.

In 1974, when Cruise was 11, his parents divorced.

He is of German, English and Welsh descent.

Has "attended" Harvard Law School in 2 movies: A Few Good Men (1992) and The Firm (1993).

He once shared a record (with Tom Hanks and 'Will Smith) as the actor to star in the most consecutive $100 million-grossing movies (7). As of 2008, Smith holds the record alone with 8 movies.

Was considered for the role of Frank Roberts in The Indian Runner (1991).

Went to an audition for the part of Howard Keach in Harry & Son (1984). He didn't get the part, but the director, Paul Newman remembered him, and decided that he wanted Cruise for The Color of Money (1986).

His acting idol is Paul Newman. Much to the delight of Cruise, they became good friends during work on The Color of Money (1986). Newman got him into racing, and Cruise ultimately raced on his team.

He became good friends with Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton during the making of Taps (1981).

Nine actors so far have got an Oscar nomination for their role in a movie co-starring Tom Cruise. Paul Newman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, Holly Hunter, Cuba Gooding Jr, Ken Watanabe, Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.

From late January to early February 2009, he along with wife, Katie Holmes and daughter, Suri, spent several days in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil staying at the famous Copacabana Palace Hotel. They were in town for a vacation (which included a helicopter tour over Rio) as well as to promote his film Valkyrie.

Visited Moscow, Russia for the first time. He told the press that since he was a boy he had always dreamed of visiting the city. He stayed at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton which offered sweeping views of the Red Square, Bolshoi Theatre and the History Museum. [January 25, 2009]



Personal Quotes

The thing about filmmaking is I give it everything, that's why I work so hard. I always tell young actors to take charge. It's not that hard. Sign your own checks, be responsible.

[to Jay Leno regarding his topless Vanity Fair cover shoot] I don't drink but I had a beer that night and they only did one setup like that. I'm a cheap date. What can I say?

[about Eyes Wide Shut (1999)] We knew from the beginning the level of commitment needed. We felt honored to work with Stanley Kubrick. We were going to do what it took to do this picture, whatever time, because I felt - and Nic [Nicole Kidman] did, too - that this was going to be a really special time for us. We knew it would be difficult. But I would have absolutely kicked myself if I hadn't done this.

I have cooked turkeys in my day but when Mom's around I let her do it.

I was 18 when I saw Akira Kurosawa's Shichinin no samurai (1954). After about 30 seconds, I realized that this was not just a cultural thing, it was universal. Years later, I read Bushido. It talked about many things that I strive for in my own life: loyalty, compassion, responsibility, the idea of looking back on your life and taking responsibility for everything you've ever done. I'm fascinated by the samurai and the samurai code - it's one of the main reasons I wanted to make The Last Samurai (2003).

Awards are wonderful. I've been nominated many times and I've won many awards. But my journey is not towards that. If it happens it will be a blast. If it doesn't, it's still been a blast.

I believe in life. I know that life comes in at your heart and it doesn't matter if you're an actor, a filmmaker or a gentleman on the street, it comes at you. What Scientology gives me is the tools to deal with that, to better enjoy my life and to be able to contribute more.

[on his role as the hit man in Collateral (2004)] I've never played a character like this before. Vincent interested me because he is such an anti-social personality, bringing destruction and chaos with him wherever he goes. He's a force of nature.

I remember getting through high school and thinking, "Boy, I'm glad I got that behind me!" Then, when I was 19, I got Risky Business (1983), and I realized, "Ah, so this is life - it's a little bigger than I thought!"

As a young actor, people were trying to define who I was before I really knew that for myself. But I still remember thinking, "This is what I love doing, and I hope I'm going to be able to do it forever."

I've had a very interesting life. There are ways of handling the complexities. I'm willing to take on responsibilities as a father, as a producer, as an actor - and I enjoy that. I've always been changing and evolving and growing. There's no pinnacle of power where you can sit back and rest.

Because I grew up in so many different places, I was used to rumors [about me]. You know, I didn't have the right shoes, I didn't have the right clothes. I even had the wrong accent.

Nic [Nicole Kidman] and I don't talk publicly about custody but, definitely, both of us share the kids back and forth. They're amazing kids.

I would live with all of my sisters if I could. We've always been very close, my sisters and me.

The important thing with a child is that you love them, you protect them and you help them to grow and find out who they are. And as a parent, it's my responsibility to help them to become independent and get all the knowledge and a broad view of the world and life. I know that Nic [Nicole Kidman] absolutely agrees with that. And that's what's important: being there.

I'd like to be with a woman who goes [he switches into a woman's voice], "I've reviewed your schedule, and I'm going to set up this motorcycle trip for you, because you've been working really hard. And I'm going to go with you. We're going to go riding together. And I've already been working on it for a couple days so it can be special."

I don't really keep counsel with others. I'm the kind of person who will think about something, and if I know it's right I'm not going to ask anybody. I don't go, "Boy, what do you think about this?" I've made every decision for myself - in my career, in my life.

SAT (exam) scores have gone right down the toilet. The parents are blaming the teachers, the teachers are blaming the parents and the psychs are putting everyone on drugs.

[on the relationship with Katie Holmes, about other people thinking it's a publicity stunt] It's amusing at first. It's funny. But then you sit back and realize how sad it is that there are people who can't even imagine feeling like this. But my friends are happy for me. The people who know me are happy. My mom is happy. My family is happy.

I've never agreed with psychiatry, ever. Before I was a Scientologist, I never agreed with psychiatry. Here's the problem. You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do.

I'm passionate about learning. I'm passionate about life.

[on the invasion of Iraq] Personally, I don't have all the information President [George W. Bush] has. But I believe [Saddam Hussein] has committed many crimes against humanity and his own people.

Every single time I start to do a picture, without fail, I feel as if I don't know what I'm doing.

(On his father) He was a bully and a coward. He was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life - how he'd lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang! For me, it was like, 'There's something wrong with this guy. Don't trust him. Be careful around him.' There's that anxiety.

[On Born on the Fourth of July (1989)] When I made that film people said, 'This is going to ruin your career. Why are you doing this after you did Top Gun. Why not just do Top Gun 2?'. I wanted to challenge myself.



Salary

War of the Worlds (2005) (20% profit participation)
The Last Samurai (2003) $25,000,000 + % of profits
Minority Report (2002) $25,000,000+
Vanilla Sky (2001) $20,000,000 + 30% of Profits
Mission: Impossible II (2000) $75,000,000 (gross participation)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) $20,000,000
Jerry Maguire (1996) $20,000,000 against 15%
Mission: Impossible (1996) $70,000,000 (gross participation)
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) $15,000,000
A Few Good Men (1992) $12,500,000
Far and Away (1992) $13,000,000
Days of Thunder (1990) $7,000,000
Rain Man (1988) $3,000,000+% of gross
Cocktail (1988) $3,000,000
Top Gun (1986) $2,000,000
Legend (1985) $500,000
Risky Business (1983) $75,000
Taps (1981) $50,000


Where Are They Now

(January 2003) In New Zealand filming The Last Samurai (2003).

(December 2004) Filming Paramount's War of the Worlds (2005), due out Summer 2005.

(August 2005) Filming Mission: Impossible III (2006) in Los Angeles, USA.

(November 2005) Filming Mission: Impossible III (2006) in Shanghai, China.

(January 2008) Release of the book, "Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography" by Andrew Morton.
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