Ilie Balaci, fost jucător de fotbal din România și actual antrenor. Supranumit și „Minunea blondă”, Balaci este unul dintre cei mai mari jucători români de fotbal

Ilie Balaci (n. 13 septembrie 1956, Bistreț, județul Dolj), este un fost jucător de fotbal din România și actual antrenor. Supranumit și „Minunea blondă”, Balaci este unul dintre cei mai mari jucători români de fotbal. Cariera sa de fotbalist se leagă de marile succese obținute de Universitatea Craiova la începutul anilor 1980. 

Din păcate, a avut un final prematur de carieră, din cauza deselor accidentări. 

Cea mai gravă dintre ele, care practic a pus punct carierei de fotbalist a lui Balaci, a fost provocată de fundașul băimărean Vasile Arezanov, într-un meci de campionat, jucat la Baia Mare, la 21 februarie 1984.

Ca antrenor, deși nu a avut aceleași succese ca și jucător, a avut totuși performanțe notabile cu echipe din Africa de nord și zona țărilor arabe.

Performanțe

Ca jucător

• Campion național: 3 titluri, în 1974, 1980 și 1981
• Cupa României: 4 victorii, în 1977, 1978, 1981 și 1983
• Fotbalistul nr.1 în România: 2 titluri, în 1981 și 1982
• 347 prezențe în Divizia A, 84 de goluri
• Debut în Divizia A: 12 august 1973: Jiul Petroșani - Universitatea 1-1
• 69 prezențe în echipa națională, 8 goluri
• 38 prezențe în cupele europene, 7 goluri
• Debut în echipa națională: 23 martie 1974, Franța - România 1-0 (este cel mai tânăr debutant în echipa națională; avea numai 17 ani și 6 luni!)

Ca antrenor

• 

• Cupa Campionilor Africii, în 1992, cu Club Africain Tunis (Tunisia)
• Cupa Cupelor țărilor arabe, în 1993 și 1994, cu Olimpique Casablanca (Maroc)
• Cupa Campionilor Golfului, în 1997, cu Al Nassr Riad, și 1998, cu Al Hilal (ambele din Arabia Saudită)
• Cupa Cupelor țărilor arabe, în 2000, cu Al Ain (Emiratele Arabe Unite)
• Supercupa Asiei, în 2000, cu Al Ain
• Cupa Cupelor țărilor arabe, în 2000, cu Al Sadd (Qatar)

Ilie Balaci ( born 13 September 1956 in Bistreţ, Dolj County) is a retired Romanian football midfielder.

He is considered one of the greatest Romanian footballers of all time, along with Gheorghe Hagi, Nicolae Dobrin, Gica Popescu and Florea Dumitrache.

Balaci is a product of Universitatea Craiova's youth system. He made his first team debut in 1973, at the age of 16, and won the league titlein his first season. He soon managed to become one of the youngest players ever to score in the Romanian League. Balaci went on to play twelve seasons with Craiova, helping them to win two consecutive league titles in 1980 and 1981. He also won the Romanian Cup four times, in the years 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1983. He became an integral part of the team helping them reach the 1982–83 UEFA Cup semi-finals, before moving to Olt Scorniceşti in the winter of 1984. In December 1982, he signed a pre-contract with Italian side AC Milan, but the transfer did not materialize because of the communist regime in Romania.

In the 1986–87 season, he jointed Bucharest rivals Dinamo Bucureşti together with Craiova teammate Rodion Cămătaru. He spent two seasons at the club, under the leadership of Mircea Lucescu. However, Balaci did not win any major trophies whilst he was playing for them.

Balaci made his full international debut on 23 March 1974 in a friendly match against France at the age of 17. He earned 65 caps and scored 8 goals for the Romanian national team between 1974 and 1986.

He also became captain of the national team during the UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying campaign, but he was unable to play for Romania atUEFA Euro 84 due to an injury.

After retiring as a footballer, Balaci went on to coach lower league sides Pandurii Târgu Jiu and Drobeta-Turnu Severin. In 1991, he coached clubs in North Africa and the Arab world, he become one of the most successful managers there having won over 22 major trophies domestic and international.^[

He took charge of Tunisia’s Club Africain and Moroccan club Olympique Casablanca in the early 1990s. He then managed UAE, Qatari and Saudi Arabian clubs Al Shabab, Al Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al Ain and Al Sadd. In June 2003, he was appointed manager of Al Ahli until January 2005. He then went on to join Qatari side Al-Arabi in the 2005–06 season, before moving to the United Arab Emirates club Al Shabab for a second spell. In August 2007, Balaci was hired as general manager of Universitatea Craiova whom he also coached in two periods, and remained there for two seasons. On 22 July 2009, Balaci was named head coach of Kuwait club Kazma. He had an impressive start with the Kuwaiti side at the 2010 AFC Cup.

On 11 July 2011, he returned to Morocco signing for Raja Casablanca but was sacked in September after just two months. Raja appointedBertrand Marchand as his replacement.

On 4 June 2013, Balaci signed a contract with newly promoted Saudi Premier League side Al-Nahda.In September 2013, he resigned his contract with the club.

Success 2014: Linda Evans, an American actress known primarily for her roles on television. She became famous for the role of Krystle Carrington in the 1980s Dynasty

Linda Evans (born on November 18, 1942) is an American actress known primarily for her roles on television. In the 1960s, she first gained fame after playing Audra Barkley in the Western television series, The Big Valley (1965–1969). However Krystle Carrington in the 1980s ABC prime time soap opera Dynasty, a role she played from 1981 to 1989.
She is most prominently known for the role of Evans' first guest-starring role was on a 1960 episode of Bachelor Father, which starred her future screen husband, John Forsythe. She would co-star with him twenty years later on Dynasty. After several guest roles in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet between 1960–62, and guest appearances on television series such as Wagon Train and Outlaws, Evans gained her first regular role in 1965 in The Big Valley. Playing Audra Barkley, daughter of Victoria Barkley (played by Barbara Stanwyck), Evans was credited in the series until it ended in 1969, though she was only a semi-regular castmember during the last two seasons.
On December 31, 1967, John Derek recruited his wife to operate one of his cameras after he had been commissioned by daredevil Evel Knievel to film his motorcycle jump of the fountains at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. It was Evans who captured the iconic images of Knievel's devastating crash as the jump failed.^[1]
Throughout the 1970s, Evans continued to appear on television largely in guest roles. She appeared in a slew of detective shows such as The Rockford Files, Mannix, Harry O, Banacek, McCloud and McMillan & Wife. In 1976, she starred with James Franciscus in the espionage drama series Hunter, though the show lasted for only 13 episodes.
In 1980, Evans was cast as John Forsythe's wife, Krystle Carrington, in Aaron Spelling's opulent new primetime soap opera, Dynasty. Intended as ABC Television's answer to the hit CBS series Dallas, the show first aired in January 1981. Although initially sluggish in the ratings, audience figures improved after the show was revamped and British actress Joan Collins was brought in to play opposite Evans and Forsythe as the evil Alexis Carrington. By the 1984-85 season, Dynasty was the number one show on American television, even outranking Dallas. Audiences became enthralled by the onscreen rivalry and infamous catfights between Krystle and Alexis, and Evans and Collins became two of the most celebrated television stars of the decade. Evans was nominated five times for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a TV Drama series (every year from 1982 to 1986), winning in 1982 in a tie with Barbara Bel Geddes of rival soap Dallas. Evans also won five People's Choice Awards as Favorite Actress in a Drama Series in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1986, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead actress in a Drama Series in 1983. Due to her character's name on Dynasty, Evans appeared in an ad campaign for Crystal Light beverages, starting in 1984.
After she left Dynasty in 1989 (only months before the series came to an end), Evans semi-retired from acting and made only occasional television appearances. Instead, she devoted her time to fitness issues and set up a small chain of fitness centers. In the 1990s, Evans hosted infomercials for Rejuvenique, a mask for toning facial muscles. She had previously written the "Linda Evans Beauty and Exercise" book in 1983.
In 1991, she returned to the role of Krystle Carrington for the television miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion. Following this, she appeared in three made-for-TV movies in the 1990s, but then retired from screen acting altogether in 1997.
In 2005, actress Melora Hardin portrayed Evans in Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure, a fictionalized television movie based on the creation and behind the scenes production of Dynasty.
In 2006, Evans reunited with her Dynasty castmates for the non-fiction reunion special Dynasty: Catfights and Caviar. She then starred in the stage play Legends opposite her former Dynasty rival Collins. In 2009, Evans appeared in and won the British TV program Hell's Kitchen, working under Michelin-starred chef Marco Pierre White.
Evans has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Success 2014: Lorella Cuccarini, an Italian dancer, singer, television host and actress

Lorella Cuccarini (born August 10, 1965) is an Italian dancer, singer, television host and actress.

Born in Rome, at nine years old Cuccarini started to attend the dance school of Enzo Paolo Turchi^(it) (coreographer and husband of Carmen Russo). After some experiences as a a chorus girl, Cuccarini made her television debut at twenty years old alongside Pippo Baudo in the sixth edition of Fantastico, then she worked for RAI and Mediaset in many successful variety shows, including Festivalbar, seven editions of Paperissima and of Trenta ore per la vita, three editions of Buona Domenica

Cuccarini is also a singer, with several top-ten charting singles and albums; in 1995 she entered the competition at the Sanremo Music Festival (she had hosted two years earlier), ranking tenth.

Discography

Albums

• Lorel (1987)
• Voci (1993)
• Voglia di fare (1995)
• Le più belle canzoni (2002)

Singles

• "Sugar Sugar" (1985)
• "Kangarù" (1986)
• "Tutto matto" (1987)
• "L'amore è" (1987; with Alessandra Martines)
• "Io ballerò" (1987)
• "La notte vola" (1988)
• "Magic" (1990; English version of "La notte vola")
• "Ascolta il cuore" (1991)
• "Liberi liberi" (1991)
• "Un altro amore no" (1995)
• "Uno di noi" (2002)
• "Un'onda d'amore" (2008)

Success 2014: Frank Roeder, Master of Wine

Frank  Roeder, Master of Wine, is founder and chief executive of VIF Weinhandel, a wine distribution company based in Saar, Germany, and since 2004, the sole distributor of Cortes de Cima wines in Germany. VIF have 8 franchise partners spread throughout Germany, as well as their own Online shop. However running VIF is only a spare time hobby for Frank. His main job is as a long distant air pilot captain for Lufthansa!

What is a Master of Wine

Master of Wine is recognized as the highest achievement in the global wine community and equips those that have attained the qualification with a unique understanding and set of skills for dealing with all aspects of the business of wine. For more than 50 years the Institute of Masters of Wine has been promoting professional excellence and the highest educational standards in the art, science and business of wine: leading to the qualification of Master of Wine. 

Success 2014: Jane Masters, Master of Wine

 Jane Masters, MW is a fresh face with a different perspective on wine. A graduate of Bordeaux’s famous Institut d’Oenologie, Jane Masters was elected to the Institute of Masters of Wine in 1997. In the United Kingdom, Jane worked for Marks & Spencer, with responsibility for the technical management of wine supply and quality assurance. Having almost single-handedly managed a purchasing budget equal to that of most of the Liquor Boards, Jane knows about pressure.

Jane is currently the Deputy Vice Chair of the Council of the Institute of Masters of Wine; she regularly speaks at industry seminars and finds time to be a Panel Chair for the International Wine Challenge, all of which she fits seamlessly into her busy social life living close to London and in the south of France.

What is a Master of Wine

Master of Wine is recognized as the highest achievement in the global wine community and equips those that have attained the qualification with a unique understanding and set of skills for dealing with all aspects of the business of wine. For more than 50 years the Institute of Masters of Wine has been promoting professional excellence and the highest educational standards in the art, science and business of wine: leading to the qualification of Master of Wine. 

source: opim.ca 

There are currently 314 MWs in the world.