Robert De Niro (Casino)

Casino is a 1995 crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese. Although not a follow-up, the movie is produced by Scorsese and Pileggi in the same vein as their previous gangster movie hit, Goodfellas, even using the same two main actors (De Niro and Pesci) in similar roles, and it is set roughly in the same time frame.

Robert De Niro stars as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a Jewish-American top gambling handicapper who is called by the Mob to oversee the day-to-day operations at the fictional Tangiers casino in Las Vegas. The story is based on Frank Rosenthal, who ran the Stardust, Fremont and the Hacienda casinos in Las Vegas for the Chicago Outfit from the 1970s until the early 1980s.

Joe Pesci plays Nicky Santoro, based on real-life mob enforcer Anthony Spilotro. Nicky is sent to Vegas to make sure that money from the Tangiers is skimmed off the top and that the mobsters in Vegas are kept in line. Sharon Stone plays Ginger, Ace's self-obsessed and devious wife, a role that earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

In 1983, Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro) exits a restaurant and gets into his car, which explodes when he starts the engine. The film then shifts back 10 years, and Sam narrates most of the story, with occasional scenes narrated by Nicky Santoro.

Ten years earlier, Sam, then a sports handicapper for the mob, is entrusted by organized crime bosses to run the Tangiers Casino, which is under their control through corrupt representatives of the Teamsters. (Although Sam's real-life counterpart worked for the Chicago Outfit, the film never specifically states Chicago as Sam's bosses' home base. Instead, throughout the film the characters refer to "back home" and "The Midwest bosses," with occasional references to Detroit and Kansas City.)

Sam is at first reluctant to manage the Tangiers due to his criminal record, but is able to do so through lax gaming laws which simply require employees to make an application for a casino license; and can work at the casino while awaiting a license hearing, which often take years due to a large backlog. Sam's expertise enables him to quickly double the casino's profits, which are skimmed by the mafia before the records are reported to income tax agencies. Impressed with Sam's work, the bosses send Sam's friend, enforcer Nicholas "Nicky" Santoro (Pesci), to protect Sam and the whole business. Nicky, however, begins to become more of a liability than an asset, as his brash attitude quickly gets him banned by the gaming board from every casino, and his name is placed in the black book. Nicky then gathers his own crew and begins his own businesses, such as a restaurant and a jewelry store, but also engages in burglary, which is not sanctioned by the bosses.

Sam, meanwhile, meets and falls in love with a hustler, Ginger McKenna (Stone). Despite Ginger's reluctance, they soon conceive a daughter, Amy, and marry. But their relationship slowly begins to fall apart when Ginger is caught by Sam and Nicky aiding her former boyfriend, a con man named Lester Diamond (James Woods). Sam also makes an enemy in Clark County Commissioner Pat Webb (L. Q. Jones) by firing Webb's brother-in-law Donald Ward (Joe Bob Briggs) from the casino for his incompetence and resisting pressure from Webb to reinstate him. Webb retaliates by pulling Sam's casino license application from the backlog, forcing Sam to have a license hearing, but secretly arranges for the gaming board and State Senator Harrison Roberts of the State of Nevada (Dick Smothers) to reject the license. Sam responds by appearing on television and openly accuses the city government of corruption. The bosses, unappreciative of Sam's publicity, ask him to return home, but he stubbornly blames Nicky's reckless lawbreaking for his mess. In a heated argument in the desert, Nicky chastises Sam to never "go over his head".

The bosses soon notice that the suitcases of money from the skim have decreasing amounts of money, meaning that the money counters have begun skimming some for themselves. They put Artie Piscano in charge of overseeing the skims, but he complains about the expensive costs. Despite the bosses warning Piscano not to keep financial records, he secretly starts writing down how much he spends in a ledger. Piscano's rants about the extra work and the costs are overheard by the FBI, who had earlier bugged his grocery store. (Sam mentions that ironically they were looking for evidence on an unrelated crime.) Sam finally reaches the end of his patience with Ginger after she and Lester are in Los Angeles with plans to run away to Europe with his daughter Amy. Sam talks Ginger into bringing Amy back, but her addictions anger Sam so much that he kicks her out of the house. She returns, on Sam's condition that she carry a beeper on her for Sam to contact her whenever he must. Ginger turns to Nicky for help in getting her share of her and Sam's money from the bank, and they begin a sexual affair, which according to mob rules, could get the two of them killed (as well as Nicky's crew for covering it up). Sam reaches his limit with Ginger when she ties Amy to her bedposts to have a night with Nicky. Sam confronts Ginger in the restaurant and disowns her. She turns to Nicky, but he has lost patience with her as well. The next morning, Ginger goes to Sam's house, creates a domestic disturbance, and uses the distraction to take the key to their bank deposit box. She takes some of the savings, but is then arrested by FBI agents.

With Ginger's arrest and the FBI's discovery of Piscano's records, which are then matched with the skimming operation, the casino empire crumbles and the bosses are arrested. During a meeting, they decide to eliminate anyone involved in order to keep them from testifying. The slain include Andy Stone, the head of the Teamsters Pension Fund; John Nance, the money courier; and three casino executives. Ginger, who runs away from Sam to Los Angeles, sinks deeper into drug and alcohol addiction and dies almost penniless of a drug overdose. During the voiceover Sam comments that he had a second autopsy done on Ginger, and she died from "...a hot dose..." implying that she was also deliberately killed.

Nicky and his brother, Dominick, arrange a clandestine meeting in a cornfield, but are suddenly turned on and severely beaten with baseball bats by their own crew. Nicky is restrained while Dominick is beaten unconscious, then he is next. The brothers are stripped and buried in a freshly dug grave while still breathing. Sam narrates that the bosses ordered the hit on account of being fed up with Nicky's hotheadedness and disregard for order, and apparently granted Nicky's crew clemency in exchange for it.

Returning to the film's opening scene, Sam survives the car bomb, but knows that the bosses were not responsible for it. With the mob now out of power, the old casinos are purchased by big corporations and demolished to make way for much gaudier gambling attractions financed by junk bonds. Sam laments that this new "family friendly" Las Vegas lacks the same kind of catering to the players than the older and, to his perception, classier Vegas he saw when he ran the Tangiers. In the final scene, an older Sam is shown living in San Diego, once again as a sports handicapper for the mob, or in his words, "...right back where I started".

Succes 2011: Ulrich Walter, astronaut german

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hans Walter is a German physicist/engineer and a former DFVLR astronaut.

Walter was born in Iserlohn, Germany. After finishing secondary school there and two years in the Bundeswehr, he studied physics at the University of Cologne. In 1980, he was awarded a diploma degree, and five years later a doctorate, both in the field of solid state physics.

After two post-doc positions at the Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago, Illinois, and the University of California at Berkeley, California, he was selected in 1987 to join the German astronaut team. From 1988 to 1990, he completed basic training at the German German Aerospace Center, and was then nominated to be in the prime crew for the second German Spacelab mission.

In 1993, he flew on board the Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS-55 (Spacelab D-2) as a Payload Specialist. He spent 9 days, 23 hours, and 40 minutes in space.

After his spaceflight. he worked for another four years at DLR, managing a space imaging database project. When the German astronaut team was merged into a European Space Agency, he did not transfer, but resigned to work at IBM Germany.

Since 2003, he has been a full professor at the Technische Universität München (Munich, Germany), holding the chair for spacefare technology at the University's faculty of mechanical engineering.

He is author of several books, and also does work as presenter of a popular science magazine show on Bavarian TV.

Succes 2011: Prem Joshua, pioneer of World Fusion Music. Multi-instrumentalist and composer. Sitar expert

Prem Joshua (Hindi: प्रेम जोशुआ) is a German musician, active since 1991.

Born in Germany, Joshua learned the flute at the age of five and played the flute and the saxophone for various local bands. At the age of 18, he traveled overland to India studying the indigenous folk music of countries along the way. Joshua was the name his parents gave him, he later added Prem to it, dropping the family name, to remind him of the essence of love (Prem literally means love in Hindi).

On reaching India, Joshua learned to play the sitar from Ustad Usman Khan and Osho. Osho inspired him and his music. His website states that "In the presence of this man with a long white beard, eyes as deep as the ocean and a strong sense of humor, he came in touch with the art of the “inner music” - Silence. This was really coming home!"



Throughout his career, he has experimented with various forms of music, creating a blend of the East and the West. He has also worked extensively with other producers, making remixes of his own songs and infusing traditional Hindustani acoustic instruments with lounge and trance beats. His music has immensely contributed to the Asian Underground and fusion scene.

In 1991, Joshua launched his first project, “Terra Incognita”, with Kora player, Ravi, and British Sarod player, Chinmaya Dunster, with which he released two albums. He subsequently released four solo albums and formed the band, “Hamsafar”, with which he released one album. Following this, Joshua began to experiment with genres like drum and bass, lounge, and trance, while still focusing on traditional Hindustani music.

Despite this breaking of boundaries, Prem Joshua’s ‘World of Fusion’ nevertheless retains a deep reverence towards its musical roots. One hears Indian temple chants with reminiscences of urban jazz; sufi poems set to reggae rhythms; unfettered and complex Indian classical music on sitar and tabla… and soaring melodies on the bamboo flute over driving trance loops sending the listener effortlessly spinning into dervish-like heights of ecstasy.

For his timely interpretation of the music traditions of the East, Prem Joshua has been especially honored in India. His music seems to touch the “mood of the moment” and one hears his music everywhere - from the Himalayas in the north, down to Delhi and Bombay, then south to the beaches of Goa and Kerala. The foremost Indian newspaper - the Times of India - has even lauded him as the 'New Guru of World Fusion Music’.

In 2005 his band played live on 'MTV Asia'.
In 2006 he and his band gave a private performance for the President of Malaysia.
In 2007 Joshua received the award "Best Film Music on Indian TV" at the Indian TV Awards in Mumbai. And more recently his band performed for the President of India, the Prime Minister of India, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and legendary Indian singers, Asha Bhonsle and Lata Mangeshkar.

Today he is the number one best-selling World Music artist in India. However, his music is not only appreciated in the East. It has also ‘come West’. Most notably, in 2007 his band gave a private concert for the UK’s Prince Edward at the Royal Palace in London - and the 'BBC' nominated him for their ‘World music listeners award.’

Always a passionate live performer, Joshua tours the globe with his band for almost 10 months each year and is as much at home on the stages of Bombay and Dubai as in the clubs of New York and Paris. For the last 15 years he has shared the stage with internationally acclaimed musicians from East and West, and has performed in India, the Middle East, South East Asia, USA, Japan, Israel and all over Europe.

Succes 2011: Jim Bagnola, coach motivaţional al NASA. Expert aflat în topul mondial al celor mai bine cotaţi speakeri în materie de leadership

Jim Bagnola este Senior Partner la The Leadership Group, activand ca expert motivational din 1974. Cu peste 30 de experienta el este un coach authentic si unul din cei mai cunoscuti speaker internationali, ocupand locul 26 la nivel mondial conform Leadership Gurus, topul celor mai bine cotati speakeri in materie de leadership.

În Romania, Jim Bagnola a fost apreciat de peste 30 de companii lider de piata printre care Administratia Prezidentiala, Alliantz Tiriac, GFK, Lafarge, Leaders Romania, McCann Erickson, OMV, Solectron, ASE. In mediul international a ajutat multinationale ca Shell Oil Company, Kroger Company, Siemens, dar si organizatii ca NASA, NATO si Departamentul de Stat al SUA.

Cele doua evenimente se adreseaza Middle si Top managementului, manageri de comunicare si PR, companiilor mici si medii, antreprenorilor si persoanelor care aspira la o pozitie de conducere. Organizatorii acestui eveniment sunt HPDI (Human Performance Development International) si LEADERS Romania. Photo: jimbagnola.ro

Jim Bagnola’s expertise and passion is in the field of leadership and body-mind management with emphasis on the influence of thinking patterns on health, happiness, success, and the capacity to lead.

He has been speaking and educating worldwide—on six continents, as well as across the United States for over twenty-five years.

Jim’s workshop topics include Leadership, Stress Management, Customer Service, Coaching Skills, and Change—all in relation to “The Secrets of the Mind-Body Connection.” He inspires listeners to turn within and awaken to the reality of their own greatness. Jim’s goal is simple: to build Professional Human Beings.

Born in Canton, Ohio, and now residing in Austin, Texas, Jim has traveled to more than 70 countries for both adventure and work. He is an avid sports fan, health enthusiast, and lifelong reader.

He was educated in political science and communications at the University of Akron and has been a certified stress-management instructor since 1975. He is also an executive coach to Fortune 500 company leaders.

He has had varied professions throughout his life: He owned his own business, held corporate VP positions, served on university administrations, and managed world-famous magician, Doug Henning.

Jim is a member of the National Speakers Association and has earned the designation of Certified Speaking Professional, which qualifies him as one of North America’s top-rated speakers. Fewer than five hundred professional speakers worldwide have been awarded this designation.

He is also currently a senior partner with the consulting firm, The Leadership Group, and is a visiting faculty member of Western Management Development Center in Denver. He sits on the board of advisors for Leaders Romania and gives much of his time as a frequent lecturer for AIESEC, an international educational foundation based in Rotterdam. He is also a member of the board of trustees of Olive Branch Foundation in Ohio.

Jim highly values his on-going opportunity of influencing and interacting meaningfully with thousands of people in both private- and public-sector organizations, including Shell Oil Company, Kroger Company, U.S. Department of State, Department of the Air Force, NASA, NATO, and United Nations.

The Curious Case of Brad Pitt. A sex-symbol waiting for an Oscar

William Bradley „Brad” Pitt (n. 18 decembrie 1963) este un actor american, producător de film și activist social. A devenit celebru la mijlocul anilor 1990 după ce a interpretat rolurile principale din filmele Interviu cu un vampir în 1994 și Seven în 1995. Pitt a fost nominalizat la Premiile Oscar pentru rolul său din filmul Twelve Monkeys din 1996 și pentru rolul din Strania poveste a lui Benjamin Button din 2009. El a fost etichetat ca fiind unul dintre cei mai atrăgători bărbați din industria filmului.

În timp ce se chinuia să se stabilească în Los Angeles, Pitt a luat lecții de actorie de la actorul Roy London. A avut diverse profesii ocazionale, fiind pentru o perioadă șofer și purtând costumul cocoșului "EL Pollo Loco" pentru a-și plăti lecțiile. Cariera pe ecran a lui Pitt a început în 1987 cu roluri minore în filmele No Way Out, No Man's Land și Less Than Zero. Debutul său la televiziune a fost în noiembrie, același an, cu apariția specială în sitcomul Growing Pains, de pe ABC.

A apărut în patru episoade din serialul Dallas, de pe CBS, între Decembrie 1987 și Februarie 1988, cu rolul lui Randy, iubitul lui Charlie Wade (interpretat de Shalane McCall). Pitt și-a descris caracterul ca fiind un iubit idiot care este prins în faptă. Discutând despre scenele sale cu McCall, Pitt a spus mai târziu că era cam sălbatic, pentru că eu nu aș fi întâlnit-o vreodată înainte. Mai târziu în 1988, Pitt a avut un rol surpziă în drama 21 Jump Street, de pe canalul Fox. În același an, co-producția Iugoslavia-US The Dark Side of the Sun, 1988, i-a dat lui Pitt primul său rol principal într-un film, interpretând un tânăr american dus de familia sa la Marea Adriatică, pentru a-i trata boala de piele. Totuși, filmul a fost pus deoparte datorită Războiului de Independență Croat și a fost lansat tocmai în 1997.

Pitt a avut două roluri în 1989: primul, într-un rol din comedia Happy Together; al doilea, un rol în filmul horror Cutting Class, primul dintre filmele în care a jucat Pitt și care a fost jucat pe scena teatrelor. A mai avut roluril în serialele TV Head of the Class, Freddy's Nightmares, Thirthysomething și, pentru a doua oară, Growing Pains. Pitt a jucat rolul lui Billy Canton, un dependent de droguri care profită de o tânără fugară, jucată de Juliette Lewis, în 1990, în filmul TV de pe NBC, Too Young to Die?, povestea unui adolescent abuzat, condamnat la moarte pentru crimă. Ken Tucker, recenzor pentru Enterainment Weekly, a scris: Pitt este, în rolul iubitului ei, un gunoi magnific; arătând și sunând ca un pizmaș John Cougar Mellencamp, e chiar înfricoșător. În același an, Pitt a jucat în șase episoade în scurt-metrajul de pe canalul Fox, drama Glory Days și a luat în sprijinire rolul în filmul The Image, de pe HBO. Următoarea sa apariție a fost în 1991, în filmul Across the Tracks; Pitt l-a impersonat pe Joe MAloney, un director de liceu cu un frate criminal, interpretat de Ricky Schroder. După ani de roluri ajutătoare în filme și apariții surpriză în seriale TV, publicul de peste graniță l-a recunoscut pe Pitt cu rolul său în filmul din 1991, Thelma & Louise. El a avut rolul lui J.D., un hoț mărunt care o ocrotea pe Thelma (Geena Davis). Scena în care el făcea dragoste cu Davis a fost citat ca fiind momentul în care Brad Pitt a fost văzut ca un sex-simbol.

După Thelma & Louise, Pitt a apărut în rol principal în filmul din 1991 Johny Suede, un film cu buget redus despre un star rock ce aspiră la faimă, și în filmul din 1992, Cold World, deși niciunul dintre acestea nu i-au furnizat lui Pitt succes necesar carierei acestuia, datorită recenziilor negative primite la box office. Pitt a obținut rolul lui Paul Maclean, în filmul biografic din 1992, A River Runs Through It, regizat de Robert Redford. Portretizarea caracterului a fost descrisă ca fiind una făcătoare de carieră, în sensul de a-l ajuta în ascensiunea sa ca actor, demonstrând că Pitt poate fi mai mult decât un cow-boy urât de toți, deși el a recunoscut că a fost sub presiune atunci când a făcut filmul.

Pitt a mai adăugat că a fost una dintre cele mai slabe performanțe ale sale și este ciudat că a fost singurul rol pentru care i-a fost acordată atâta atenție. Pitt a crezut că a avut de câștigat de pe urma colaborării cu o echipă atât de talentată, mergând până la a-l compara pe Redford tenis, spunând când joci cu cineva mai bun decât tine, stilul tău de a juca se îmbunătățește. În 1993, Pitt s-a reunit cu Juliette Lewis, co-star din Too Young to Die?, pentru filmul Kalifornia. El a avut rolul lui Early Grace, un criminal în serie și iubitul personajului Lewisei, cu o performanță pe care Peter Travers, jurnalist la Rolling Stone, a descris-o ca fiind "extraordinară, tot șarmul băiețesc, pentru ca apoi acesta să devină amenințare pură". Pitt a atras de asemenea atenția printr-o scurtă apariție în True Romance, cu rolul unui pietrar pe nume Floyd, aducând mult căutatul umor pentru filmul de acțiune, echilibrând astfel acțiunea filmului. A atins topul în anul respectiv prin câștigarea premiului ShoWest Award for Male Star of Tomorrow.

În 1995, a primit critici de succes pentru thrillerul Seven și SF-ul Twelve Monkeys, mai târziu aducându-i Globul de Aur pentru Best Supporting Actor și nominalizarea la Academy Award. In acelasi an a jucat alaturi de Anthony Hopkins in "Legendele toamnei" Patru ani mai târziu, în 1999, Pitt a jucat în filmul de succes Fight Club. In 1998 primeste rolul lui Joe Black din filmul "Meet Joe Black", jucand din nou alaturi de Anthony Hopkins.

Brad Pitt a avut 2 roluri principale în 2004 începand cu Ahile din filmul Troia și continuându-și succesul cu rolul Rusty Ryan în continuarea filmului Ocean's Twelve. El a petrecut 6 luni numai ca să se antreneze cu sabia, special pentru rolul din Troia. Cu un câștig de 497 de milioane de dolari în toată lumea, Troia rămâne cel mai mare succes comercial a lui Pitt. Filmul a reușit să câstige 133 milioane de dolari în Statele Unite și 364 milioane de dolari în restul lumii. Stephen Hunter a specificat că Pitt a reușit să se ridice la așteptări într-un rol așa de solicitant.

În 2005 Brad a început filmările pentru comedia Mr. & Mrs. Smith în care acțiunea principală se bazează pe o familie complet plictisitoare care era alcătuită din domnul Smith (Bradd Pit) și doamna Smith (Angelina Jolie).Amândoi descoperă În mod șocant că fiecare este un asasin plătit să îl omoare pe celălalt. Acest film a reușit să strângă 478 de milioane de dolari apropiindu-se de recordul deținut de rolul său din filmul Troia.

In 2006 Brad Pitt a fost repartizat în drama Babel. Filmul a fost lansat cu ocazia festivalului de film de la Cannes din 2006.

În 2007 el a fost distribuit în deja binecunoscutul rol Rusty Ryan în continuarea filmului Ocean's Thirteen.Apoi el și-a continuat cariera cinematografică în The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford adaptată după romanul lui Ron Hansen din 1983 cu același nume.

În 2008 el a avut rolul principal în filmul "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

Pitt deține o companie de producție numită Plan B Entertainment, care a produs filmul The Departed, în 2007, ce a câștigat premiul Academy Award pentru Best Picture și nominalizare pentru premiul BAFTA.

Sin City: Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro, Rosario Dawson, Clive Owen & Bruce Willis

Sin City is the title for a series of neo-noir comics by Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in "Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special" (April, 1991), and continued in Dark Horse Presents #51–62 from May 1991 to June 1992, under the title of Sin City, serialized in thirteen parts. Several other stories of variable lengths have followed. All stories take place in Basin City, with frequent recurring characters and intertwining stories.

A movie adaptation of Sin City, co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller with "special guest director" Quentin Tarantino, was released on April 1, 2005. A planned sequel was announced soon after, but has since been delayed indefinitely.

Basin City, almost universally referred to by the nickname Sin City, is a fictional town in the American west. The climate is hot and arid, although Sacred Oaks is characterized as being heavily wooded. A major river runs through the city, which has an extensive waterfront. Usually twice a year, a major downpour comes, and (in That Yellow Bastard) the city gets heavy snowfall in the winter. In the comics, Basin City has a surreal, Pan-American feel. Desert lizards and palm trees are common, while tar pits, desert areas, mountain ranges and flat farmland make up the landscape around the city.

The Basin City Police are more or less along the lines of paramilitary or SWAT, as they have to deal with incredibly high crime rates among criminals and civilians alike, which is why they have access to what most would consider "heavy weaponry" and full body armor. Those who make up the force have been described as commonly being lazy, cowardly and/or corrupt. Only a handful of the cops are honest, though frequently the wealthy of the city bribe the corrupt members of the police into performing their duty (usually as a result of some crime being committed (or threatened) against a member of their family).

During the California Gold Rush, the Roark family "imported" a large number of attractive women to keep the miners happy, making a fortune and turning a struggling mining camp into a thriving, bustling city. Over the years, as the Roark family migrated into other areas of business and power, these women ended up forming the district of Old Town, the prostitute quarter of the city where they rule with absolute authority. In addition, the people charged with governing the city, most of them from the Roark line, remained in power for generations, running it as they saw fit.

As the various yarns progress, the audience gradually becomes familiar with key locations in and around Basin City.

* The Projects, the run-down and poor side of Sin City, is a tangle of high-rise apartments where crime runs rampant. Its inhabitants have apparently evolved their own independent society with almost no legal contact with the outside world. Marv was born in the Projects and they make Dwight sick.
* The Docks, a collection of wharfs and warehouses that are local to the Projects. Hartigan and Roark Junior have their first confrontation here in That Yellow Bastard, and Marv drives a stolen police car off one of the piers at the beginning of The Hard Goodbye.
* Kadie's Club Pecos, a strip club/bar where Nancy Callahan and Shellie work, and Dwight McCarthy and Marv hang out. Though filled almost solely with drunk and violent men, Kadie's bar is one of the safest areas in Sin City. Marv, who possesses an extraordinarily high sense of chivalry, protects the female employees of Kadie's from any violence that makes its way inside.

* Roark Family Farm (a.k.a. "The Farm") is located at North Cross and Lennox and shows up in several stories, including The Hard Goodbye, That Yellow Bastard, The Babe Wore Red and Hell and Back. It was also home to Kevin, a serial killer with ties to the Roark family. Marv burns down one of the buildings, and the Farm is abandoned sometime after the initial Sin City storyline.
* Old Town is the red-light district and is off limits to the police, unless they're 'shopping'. This is where the city's population of prostitutes reside; it recently came under the control of the twins Goldie and Wendy. Though perfectly willing to engage in almost any sexual act for the right price, the women of Old Town show no mercy to those who "break the rules" and back up their independence with lethal force. The mob and pimps were thrown out after a period of fighting.
* Sacred Oaks, home to the rich and powerful of Basin City. This suburb lies beyond the city proper, a half an hour drive uphill. A university of some sort is also located there, and the entire area is patrolled by armed employees of its wealthy inhabitants.
* Basin City Central Train Station, which has a direct connection to Phoenix.
* The Santa Yolanda Tar Pits, an abandoned amusement park of sorts outside the city, where several tar pits are located and dinosaur bones were excavated at some time. After a 'big-budget dinosaur movie' (presumably a reference to Jurassic Park) caused a sensation, the county put up concrete statues of dinosaurs there to draw crowds. However, after an old lady fell through a railing into one of the pits and had a heart attack, the place was shut down indefinitely. They are frequently used as a place to dump things that people don't want found; high-schoolers also tend to sneak in there a lot. This is where Delia tells Phil to drive in Wrong Turn and where Dwight takes the corpses of Jackie Boy and his friends in The Big Fat Kill. Frank Miller has admitted the main reason the Tar Pits exist is as an excuse to draw the dinosaur statues.

Succes 2011: Marco Lazzara, contratenor italian

Marco Lazzara (born 1962) is an Italian countertenor who sings a wide-ranging repertoire from baroque composers to those of the 20th century and has performed in a number of notable premieres and revivals of rarely performed operas.He has recorded widely on the Bongiovanni, Ricordi, Nuova Era, Forlane, Opera Rara and Dynamic labels.

Lazzara received diplomas in piano, organ, harpsichord and singing, followed by studies at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, and made his professional debut in 1989. In the field of baroque music, Lazzara has sung as a leading soloist with the Alessandro Stradella Consort in a series of performances and world premiere recordings, including, Stradella's Il barcheggio, Moro per amore, and Esule dalle sfere and Nicola Porpora's Dorindo dormi ancor? on the Bongiovanni label. He also appears in the world premiere recording of Niccolò Piccinni's Salve Regina and Dixit Dominus on Bongiovanni. Lazzara was the first countertenor to sing the role of Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice in Italy with a series of 1996 performances in Mantua, Pisa and Ravenna. In 2001, he sang the title role of Antonio Cesti's Il Tito in its first modern revival since 1983. The production at the Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourg with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants premiered a newly edited score by music scholar Alan Curtis.

In the bel canto repertoire, Lazzara sang the role of Lurcanio in Simone Mayr's Ginevra di Scozia in a series of performances (and world premiere recording) in April 2001 at the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste to mark the bicentenary of the opera's premiere and its first performance in modern times. Lazzara has also recorded an album of arias and duets by Rossini with Annick Massis (Duo d'amore) on the Forlane label, and a solo album of arias and songs by Bellini on the Dynamic label. The latter contains the first recording of Francesco Florimo's "Tu che al pianger" based on a theme from Bellini's La straniera.

Lazzara's performances in 20th century works include the role of Edgar in the Italian premiere of Aribert Reimann's Lear at the Teatro Regio di Torino in October 2001; Manichino di Donna in the world premiere of Azio Corghi's Il Dissoluto Assolto at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Lisbon in March 2006 (reprised for its Italian premiere at La Scala the following September); Il delegato in the world premiere of Bruno de Franceschi's Il paradiso degli esuli (Pisa, 27 October 1994);[10] and Sesto Simbolo in the world premiere of Adriano Guarnieri's Pietra di diaspro at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma on 10 June 2007 (reprised for the Ravenna Festival later that year). Lazzara has also performed as a soloist in Giacomo Manzoni's Trame d'Ombre (Webs of Shadows) at Carnegie Hall (April 2000)and in the first Italian performance of Alfred Schnittke's cantata based on the Faust legend, Seid nüchtern und wachet. The latter performance was broadcast live by RAI Radio 3 on 22 April 2007.