Thursday, December 10, 2015

Art Garfunkel, an American singer, poet and actor. He partnered in his earlier years with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel

Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, poet and actor. He partnered in his earlier years with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.
Highlights of his solo music career include a top 10 hit, three top 20 hits, six top 40 hits, 14 Adult Contemporary top 30 singles, five Adult Contemporary number ones, two UK number ones and a People's Choice Award. Through his solo and collaborative work, Garfunkel has earned six Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award.[1] In 1990, he and former musical partner Paul Simon were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Garfunkel was born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, the son of Rose (née Pearlman) and Jacob "Jack" Garfunkel, a traveling salesman. Art is a middle child with two brothers; the older named Jules and the younger named Jerome. Jacob's parents had originally immigrated to America at the turn of the century, and chose to settle in Manhattan. Before his career in sales, Jacob worked as an actor in Dayton, Ohio.[2][3][4][5] Garfunkel is Jewish;[6] his paternal grandparents emigrated from Iași in Romania. His maternal cousin is Lou Pearlman,[7][8][9] founder of 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.
According to the Across America DVD, Garfunkel's love for singing originated in the first grade. "When we were lined up in size order, and after everyone else had left, I'd stay behind and enjoy the echo sound of the stairwell tiles and sing 'Unchained Melody' and 'You'll Never Walk Alone', learning to love this goose-bumps song from the tender age of five." Later, Garfunkel's father bought him a wire recorder and from then on, Garfunkel spent his afternoons singing, recording, and playing it back, so he could listen for flaws and learn how to improve.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Joe Cocker, an English singer and musician. He was known for his gritty voice, spasmodic body movement in performance, and definitive versions of popular songs

John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer and musician. He was known for his gritty voice, spasmodic body movement in performance, and definitive versions of popular songs.
Cocker's cover of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" reached number one in the UK in 1968. He performed the song live at Woodstock in 1969, and at the Party at the Palace concert for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2002. His version also became the theme song for the TV series The Wonder Years. His 1974 cover of "You Are So Beautiful", reached number five in the US. Cocker was the recipient of several awards, including a 1983 Grammy Award for his US number one "Up Where We Belong", a duet with Jennifer Warnes.
In 1993 Cocker was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male, in 2007 was awarded a bronze Sheffield Legends plaque in his hometown, and in 2008 he received an OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music.[1][2] Cocker was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Mark Knopfler, a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Dire Straits

Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded with his younger brother, David Knopfler, in 1977.
Since Dire Straits d[1] He has composed and produced film scores for eight films, including Local Hero (1983), Cal (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), and Wag the Dog (1997).[2]
isbanded in 1995, Knopfler has recorded and produced eight solo albums, and, as with his previous band, produced many hit songs.
In addition to his work with Dire Straits and as a solo artist and composer, Knopfler has recorded and performed with many prominent musicians, including Chet Atkins, Chris Botti, John Anderson, the Chieftains, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Bryan Ferry, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Jools Holland, Sonny Landreth, Phil Lynott, Van Morrison, Steely Dan, Sting, and James Taylor, sometimes working as a session musician. He has produced albums for Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Randy Newman.
Knopfler is a fingerstyle guitarist and was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.[3] Knopfler and Dire Straits have sold in excess of 120 million albums to date.[4][5] A four-time Grammy Award winner, Knopfler is the recipient of the Edison Award, the Steiger Award and the Ivor Novello Award, as well as holding three honorary doctorate degrees in music from universities in the United Kingdom.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Zinedine Zidane, nicknamed "Zizou", is a retired French footballer. Renowned for his elegance, vision, ball control and technique, Zidane was named the best European footballer of the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. He is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game

Zinedine Yazid Zidane, nicknamed "Zizou", is a retired French footballer and current coach of Real Madrid Castilla. He played as an attacking midfielder for the France national team, Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid. Renowned for his elegance, vision, ball control and technique, Zidane was named the best European footballer of the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll.[6] He is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
At club level, Zidane won the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, two Serie A league championships with Juventus and an Intercontinental Cup and a UEFA Super Cup each with both aforementioned teams. His 2001 transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid set a world record fee of an equivalent €75 million. His left-foot volleyed winner in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final is considered to be one of the greatest goals in the competition's history. On the international stage with France, Zidane won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, scoring twice in the final, and UEFA Euro 2000 where he was named Player of the Tournament. The World Cup triumph made him a national hero in France, and he received the Légion d'honneur in 1998.
Zidane has won the FIFA World Player of the Year three times, a feat achieved only by Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,[10] and the Ballon d'Or once. He was Ligue 1 Player of the Year in 1996, Serie A Footballer of the Year in 2001 and La Liga Best Foreign Player in 2002. Zidane received the Golden Ball for player of the tournament at the 2006 World Cup, and in the final against Italy was infamously sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest. Prior to the World Cup, he announced he would retire at the end of the tournament.
After retirement, Zidane became assistant coach at Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti for the 2013-14 season. After a successful year in which the club won the UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey, Zidane became the coach of Real Madrid's B team, Real Madrid Castilla.[11] In 2010, Zidane was an ambassador for Qatar's successful bid to stage the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the first Arab country to host the tournament.[12]

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Sharleen Spiteri, a Scottish recording artist and songwriter, and the lead singer of the rock band Texas

Sharleen Eugene Spiteri[1] (born 7 November 1967) is a Scottish recording artist and songwriter, and the lead singer of the rock band Texas. In 2013, Texas's worldwide album sales were counted at 35 million.[2]
Her debut solo album Melody was released in 2008, and her second solo album The Movie Songbook was released in March 2010.
Spiteri's musical influences include the Clash (the main reason she plays a black Fender Telecaster), Blondie, Marvin Gaye and Prince. She is also a dedicated Diana Ross fan. Spiteri co-founded the band while working at the Irvine Rusk salon as a hairdresser in Glasgow with band mates Johnny McElhone (bass guitar) and Ally McErlaine (lead guitar). The band, composed of Spiteri, McElhone, McErlaine, Tony McGovern, Eddie Campbell, Michael Bannister and Neil Payne, first released an EP titled Everyday Now before releasing their debut album Southside in July 1989. The band gained international success with their debut single "I Don't Want a Lover" which at No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart, and No. 77 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts. Later singles released from Southside were not as successful, "Thrill Has Gone" which charted at No. 60 on the UK Singles Chart, "Everyday Now" at No. 44 and "Prayer For You" at #73. Only four singles were released from Southside before going on a tour and return to the studio to start work on their second album Mothers Heaven. Texas's second studio album Mothers Heaven was released soon after the band released an extended play to help promote the album; Extracts from Mothers Heaven was released in 1991. The album was released on 8 October 1991 and was not as successful as Southside. The album charted at a low and unexpected No. 32 on the UK Album Charts and two singles "Why Believe In You" which charted at No. 66 in the UK, "In My Heart" which charted at No. 74 in the United Kingdom were not as successful, but the album's third and final single "Alone With You" which charted at No. 32 on the UK Singles Chart. Promotion had stopped for Mothers Heaven and again the band returned to the studio to work on their third album Ricks Road.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Norman Wisdom, an English actor, comedian, and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin

Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom,[1] OBE[2] (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin.[3] Wisdom gained celebrity status in lands as far apart as South America, Iran and many Eastern Bloc countries, particularly in Albania where his films were the only ones by Western actors permitted byEnver Hoxha to be shown.[4] Charlie Chaplin once referred to Wisdom as his "favourite clown".[5]
dictator
Wisdom later forged a career on Broadway in New York and as a television actor, winning critical acclaim for his dramatic role of a dying cancer patient in the television play Going Gently in 1981. He toured Australia and South Africa.[3] After the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, a hospice was named in his honour.[4] In 1995 he was given the Freedom of the City of London and of Tirana.[4] The same year he received an OBE.[4]
Wisdom was knighted in 2000 and spent much of his later life on the Isle of Man. His later appearances included roles in Last of the Summer Wine and Coronation Street,[4] and he retired from acting at the age of 90 after his health deteriorated.

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Anthony Hopkins, a Welsh actor of film, stage, and television, and a composer and painter. Considered to be one of the greatest living actors, he is well known for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor

Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, CBE (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor of film, stage, and television, and a composer and painter. After graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 1957, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and was then spotted by Laurence Olivier who invited him to join the Royal National Theatre. In 1968, he got his break in film in The Lion in Winter, playing Richard I.
Considered to be one of the greatest living actors,[1][2][3] HoHannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, its sequel Hannibal, and the prequel Red Dragon. Other notable films include The Mask of Zorro, The Bounty, Meet Joe Black, The Elephant Man, Magic, 84 Charing Cross Road, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Legends of the Fall, Thor, The Remains of the Day, Amistad, Nixon, The World's Fastest Indian, Instinct, and Fracture.
pkins is well known for his portrayal of
Along with his Academy Award, Hopkins has also won three BAFTA Awards, two Emmys and the Cecil B. DeMille Award. In 1993, Hopkins was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts.[4] He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003, and was made a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2008.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Roberto Baggio, an Italian former professional footballer who played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder. In 1993, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players

Roberto Baggio (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto ˈbaddʒo]; born 18 February 1967) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder. He is the former President of the technical sector ofItalian Football Federation. A technically gifted, creative playmaker and a set piece specialist renowned for his curling free kicks and goalscoring, Baggio is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.[2][3][4][5][6][7] In 1999 he came fourth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll, and was chosen on the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002.[8][9] In 1993, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.[10]
the
Baggio played for Italy in 56 matches, scoring 27 goals, and is the fourth highest goalscorer for his national team. He starred in the Italian team that finished third in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, scoring twice. At the 1994 FIFA World Cup he led Italy to the final, scoring five goals, received the World Cup Silver Ball and was named in the World Cup All-Star Team. Although he was the star performer for Italy at the 1994 World Cup, he is largely remembered for missing the decisive penalty in the shootout of the Final against Brazil.[3] At the 1998 FIFA World Cup he scored twice, before Italy were eliminated to eventual champions France in the quarter-finals. Baggio is the only Italian to score in three World Cups, and with nine goals holds the record for most goals scored in World Cup tournaments for Italy, along with Paolo Rossi and Christian Vieri.[11]
At club level, Baggio is one of the top ten scoring Italians in all competitions.[12][13] In 2002, he became the first Italian player in over 50 years to score more than 300 career goals; he is currently the fourth-highest scoring Italian in all competitions with 318 goals.[14] In 2004, during the final season of his career, Baggio became the first player in over 30 years to score 200 goals in Serie A, and is currently the 7th highest goalscorer of all time in Serie A, with 205 goals.[15] In 1990, he moved from Fiorentina to Juventus for a world record transfer fee.[16] Baggio has won two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and a UEFA Cup, playing for seven different teams during his career.
Baggio is known as Il Divin Codino (The Divine Ponytail), for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career, for his talent, and for his Buddhist beliefs.[17] In 2002, Baggio was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In 2003, he was the inaugural winner of the "Golden Foot" award. In recognition of his human rights activism, he received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in 2010. He was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Andrei Pleșu, a Romanian philosopher, essayist, journalist, literary and art critic

Andrei Gabriel Pleșu is a Romanian philosopher, essayist, journalist, literary and art critic. He has been intermittently involved in politics assuming the roles of Minister of Culture (1989-91), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1997-99) and presidential counsellor for external affairs (2004-05).

Born in Bucharest, the son of Radu Pleșu, a surgeon and Zoe Pleșu (born Rădulescu), he spent much of his early youth in the country side. He started school in Sinaia, but attended the village school in Pârscov, in the Nehoiu Valley from 1955 to 1957, and often returned to the mountains during school holidays.[1] Pleșu attended the Spiru Haret Lyceum in Bucharest majoring in humanities, where he graduated at the top of his class.



Pleșu studied art history at the University of Bucharest and graduated with his bachelor's in 1971. That year, he accepted a post as a researcher at the Institute of Art History of the Romanian Academy. In 1972 he married Catrinel Maria Petrulian. While a student, he became a member of the Communist Party, from which he was expelled in May 1982 due to his involvement in the so-called "Transcendental Meditation Affair". For 1975–1977 he received the first of his Alexander von Humboldt Foundation graduate scholarships to study in Bonn and Heidelberg. From 1978 through 1982, along with Gabriel Liiceanu, he attended Constantin Noica's informal and semi-clandestine lectures in Păltiniș. In 1980 he became a faculty lecturer in the Art department at the University of Bucharest. However in 1982 he was barred from further university teaching for "political reasons", and took a job as a consultant for the Artists Union. He received his second Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for 1983–1984, and upon his return again worked at the Institute of Art History.
In April 1989, Pleșu lost his job at the Institute of Art History due to his open support of Mircea Dinescu, objected to by the communist regime. This resulted in his "exile" to Tescani, a village in Berești-Tazlău commune, Bacău County, and he was forbidden from publishing. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989 he was one of the founders of the "New Europe College" an institute of advanced studies, and of the cultural magazine Dilema (now Dilema Veche). He worked as a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest and is now a professor at the University of Bucharest, where he teaches art history and philosophy of religion. He continues to be successful as a writer, and his books have all been well received by critics and readers.
He also became involved in politics, serving as Romania's Minister of Culture from 1990 to 1991, and foreign minister from 1997 to 1999. Between 2000 and 2004, Pleșu was a member of the National College for the Study of the Securitate Archives; he resigned the latter office in protest against political pressures on the committee. After the 2004 elections brought Traian Băsescu to the office of President of Romania, he became presidential counsellor for external affairs, a position he held until June 2005, when he resigned invoking health issues.
Two volumes were published in 2009, honoring Pleșu, both edited by Mihail Neamțu and Bogdan Tătaru-Cazaban. The first was O filozofie a intervalului: In Honorem Andrei Pleșu (A Philosophy of the Interval: In Honor of Andrei Plesu) entirely in Romanian, and the second was an international Festschrift in honor of Pleșu's sixtieth birthday, with essays exploring the themes of his life in the current context.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner aka Sting, an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, activist, actor, and philanthropist. He was the principal songwriter, lead singer, and bassist for the new wave rock band the Police from 1977 to 1983, before launching a solo career

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner CBE (born 2 October 1951), known professionally by his stage name Sting, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, activist, actor, and philanthropist. He was the principal songwriter, lead singer, and bassist for the new wave rock band the Police from 1977 to 1983, before launching a solo caree. He has included elements of rock, jazz, reggae, classical, new-age and worldbeat in his music.[1] As a solo musician and a member of the Police, he has received 16 Grammy Awards (his first in the category of best rock instrumental in 1980, for "Regatta de Blanc"), three Brit Awards, including Best British Male in 1994 and Outstanding Contribution in 2002,[2] a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and three Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Police in 2003. In 2000, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording. In 2003, Sting received a CBE from Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for services to music, and was made a Kennedy Center Honoree at the White House in 2014.
With the Police, Sting became one of the world's best-selling music artists. Solo and with the Police combined, he has sold over 100 million records.[3] In 2006, Paste ranked him 62nd of the 100 best living songwriters.[4] He was 63rd of VH1's 100 greatest artists of rock,[5] and 80th of Q magazine's 100 greatest musical stars of 20th century.[6] He has collaborated with other musicians, including "Rise & Fall" with Craig David, "All for Love", with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, and introduced the North African music genre raï to Western audiences by his international hit "Desert Rose" with Cheb Mami.

Sting married actress Frances Tomelty from Northern Ireland, on 1 May 1976. Before they divorced in 1984, they had two children: Joseph (born 23 November 1976) and Fuchsia Katherine ("Kate", born 17 April 1982). In 1980, Sting became a tax exile[100][101][102] in Galway in Ireland. In 1982, after the birth of his second child, he separated from Tomelty and began living with actress and film producer Trudie Styler. The couple married on 22 August 1992 in an 11th-century chapel in Wiltshire, south-west England.[103] Sting and Styler have four children: Brigitte Michael ("Mickey", born 19 January 1984), Jake (born 24 May 1985), Eliot Pauline (nicknamed Coco", born 30 July 1990), and Giacomo Luke (born 17 December 1995). Coco is singer and founder of the London group I Blame Coco. Giacomo Luke is the inspiration behind the name of Kentucky Derby-winning horse Giacomo.[104]
Sting said his children will not inherit his £180m fortune, fearing his riches are "albatrosses round their necks", that "there won't be much money left because we are spending it."[105] The Sunday Times Rich List of 2011 estimated Sting to be one of the 10 wealthiest people in British music.[106]
Both of Sting's parents died from cancer in the 1980s (his mother in 1986 and his father in 1987). He did not attend either funeral, saying the media would be disrespectful to his parents.[107]
In 1995, Sting prepared for a court appearance against his former accountant who had misappropriated several million pounds of his money.[108] Sting owns several homes worldwide, including Lake House and its 60 acre estate near Salisbury, Wiltshire; a cottage in the Lake District; a New York City flat; a beach house in Malibu; a 600-acre (2.4 km2) estate in Tuscany, Italy;[109] and a flat on the Mall, and an 18th-century terrace house in Highgate.[110]

Friday, October 2, 2015

Rivaldo, a Brazilian former professional footballer and the current president of Mogi Mirim Esporte Clube in Brazil. He was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 1998 and 2002

Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira (born 19 April 1972), known as Rivaldo (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁiˈvawdu]), is a Brazilian former professional footballer and the current president of Mogi Mirim Esporte Clube in Brazil. He played mainly as a attacking midfielder but also as a second striker. Although primarily left footed, he was capable of playing on either flank, and was on occasion deployed as a wide midfielder or as a winger, also due to his pace, technique, vision, and crossing ability.[1][2]
He spent five years with Spanish club Barcelona, where he formed a successful partnership with Patrick Kluivert, and won the 1998 and 1999 Spanish La Liga championship and the 1998 Copa del Rey.
From 1993 and 2003, Rivaldo played 74 matches and scored 35 goals for Brazil and is the seventh highest goalscorer.[3] He helped Brazil reach the final of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and won the 1999 Copa América where he was named player of the tournament. Rivaldo starred alongside Ronaldo and Ronaldinho in the 2002 FIFA World Cup winning team. He was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 1998 and 2002.
One of the most skillful and creative players of his generation, Rivaldo was renowned for his bending free kicks, overhead kicks, ball striking from distance, dribbling, passing and close ball control.[1][2] In 1999 he won the Ballon d'Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year.[4] In 2004 he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.[5] He is an inductee to the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame. In March 2014, Rivaldo announced his retirement from professional football,[6] however since June 2015 he made appearances for Mogi Mirim.[7] On August 14, 2015, he however announced that the comeback was over and that he was retiring once again; this due to persistant injuries.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Suzanne Vega, an American singer-songwriter known for her eclectic folk-inspired music

Suzanne Nadine Vega (born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.
Two of Vega's songs (both from her second album Solitude Standing, 1987) reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner". The latter was originally an a cappella version on Vega's album, which was then remade in 1990 as a dance track produced by the British dance production team DNA.
Vega has released eight studio albums to date, the latest of which is Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles, released in 2014.

Vega's song "Tom's Diner" was used as the reference track in an early trial of the MP3 compression system, thus earning her the distinction of being named "The Mother of the MP3".[26] Because it is an a cappella vocal with relatively little reverberation, it was used as the model for Karlheinz Brandenburg's sound compression algorithm.[27] Brandenburg heard "Tom's Diner" on a radio playing the song and was excited and at first convinced it would be "nearly impossible to compress this warm a cappella voice."[28]
"Tom's Diner" takes place in Tom's Restaurant at 112th Street and Broadway in New York City. Exterior shots of the same restaurant appear in the television sitcom Seinfeld as Monk's, which is the eatery where Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer hang out. The DNA remix of the track was so popular that it inspired many cover versions—the best of which were eventually collected by Vega on an album titled Tom's Album.[27] The remixed version of "Tom's Diner" was later sampled by hip hop artist Nikki D in her single "Daddy's Little Girl". Rapper Tupac Shakur sampled the track in "Dopefiend's Diner".