Scarface (1983): Tony Montana, prin ochii lui Al Pacino

Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana. Based on Howard Hawks' original 1932 film of the same name, the film tells the story of Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee who comes to Miami in 1980 as a result of the Mariel Boatlift, and becomes a drug cartel kingpin during the cocaine boom of the 1980s. The movie chronicles his rise to the top of Miami's cocaine empire.

The film is dedicated to Howard Hawks and Ben Hecht, the director and screenwriter of the original 1932 film, respectively.

The initial critical response to Scarface was mixed, with the film receiving criticism for its violence and graphic language. The film was widely criticized by the Cuban community in Miami, who objected to various aspects of the film, and the fact Cubans in it were compared with criminals and drug traffickers.

The film has since gathered a cult following and has become an important cultural icon (particularly in the hip-hop community), inspiring posters, clothing, and many other references. The film's grainy black and white poster is a popular decoration and is still in production; as a result of its popularity it has been parodied many times.

Tony Montana (Al Pacino), a ruthlessly violent Cuban refugee, arrives in Miami, Florida during the 1980 Mariel boatlift. He and his best friend, Manny Ribera (Steven Bauer), are sent to a refugee camp, but wealthy drug dealer Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia) arranges for them to obtain green cards in return for the assassination of a former Cuban government official. After the assassination is completed, they agree to carry out a job for Frank's henchman Omar Suarez (F. Murray Abraham), to buy cocaine from Colombian dealers. Tony, Manny, and associates Angel (Pepe Serna) and Chi Chi (Ángel Salazar) drive to the deal, which quickly goes bad. The Colombians dismember Angel with a chainsaw and are about to do the same to Tony when Manny and Chi Chi storm the apartment and kill the Colombians. Suspecting a set-up and distrusting Omar, Tony takes the money and cocaine to Frank personally. Frank likes Tony's style and hires Tony and Manny to work for him. This is when Tony first meets and develops a romantic interest in Frank's girlfriend, Elvira Hancock (Michelle Pfeiffer).

Months later, Tony visits his mother, Georgina (Míriam Colón), and younger sister, Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), of whom he is fiercely protective. Gina is excited to see him again, but his mother is disgusted by his life of crime and throws him out after refusing his money. When Tony rejoins Manny, who is waiting in the car, Manny makes an offhand comment about Gina's attractiveness, but Tony warns him to steer clear.

Tony and Omar go to Bolivia to talk with cocaine kingpin Alejandro Sosa (Paul Shenar). The tension between Tony and Omar peaks when Tony tries to negotiate unauthorized terms with Sosa. Omar leaves, but Sosa asks Tony to stay. As Tony and Sosa discuss business, Sosa discloses to Tony that Omar is a police informant. Tony then witnesses Sosa's henchmen hang Omar from a helicopter. Tony goes on record stating he never liked or trusted Omar, but vouches for Frank. As Sosa and Tony part ways with a business understanding, Sosa warns Tony never to betray him. Upon returning to Miami, Tony breaks the news about Omar to Frank, who is infuriated. Frank also is angered by Tony's unauthorized deals, which cause the end of their business relationship. Tony establishes his own operations and pursues Elvira more aggressively, eventually asking her to marry him.

At a nightclub, Tony is shaken down by a Miami detective, Mel Bernstein (Harris Yulin). He proposes to "tax" Tony on his transactions in return for police protection and information. That same night, Tony sees Gina dancing with a drug dealer. He follows the two to a restroom stall where he roughly throws the man out the bathroom and slaps Gina after she confronts him. Manny, sympathizing with Gina takes her home. On the way home Gina reveals her attraction to Manny, but he wards her off, fearful of Tony's wrath should he catch them together.

Meanwhile, back at the club, Tony is attacked and wounded by two gunmen but manages to escape, killing both of them in the process. Suspecting Frank sent Bernstein and the hitmen, Tony decides to pay Frank a visit. He asks Nick 'The Pig' to call Frank at exactly 3:00 and to inform him that the hit failed. Tony and Manny find Frank with Bernstein. The phone rings as planned, with Frank confirming his involvement by playing the call off as Elvira checking on when he'll be home. Frank begs for his life and Tony's forgiveness before Manny shoots him dead on Tony's order. Tony then shoots Bernstein killing him. Tony, having consolidated power, takes over Frank's empire, marries Elvira, and becomes incredibly wealthy, with Manny as his second-in-command. Over time, cracks in Tony's operation begin to form, as both he and Elvira become addicted to cocaine and drift apart, and Tony's increasing paranoia begins to take a toll on his friendship with Manny.

Tony is eventually charged with money laundering and tax evasion after police stage a sting operation in his house. Tony is arrested, but makes bail. Tony's lawyer lets him know there will be a huge fine and jail time. Learning of the sting, Sosa offers Tony a quid pro quo: Sosa will use his government connections to keep Tony out of jail, but Tony must fly to New York City with Sosa's henchmen Alberto to help assassinate a Bolivian journalist intent on exposing Sosa during a speech to the United Nations.

Tony arrives in NYC with Chi-chi, Ernie, and Alberto. They stake out the journalist's apartment and Alberto wires the journalists' car with a remote bomb. The next morning, upon seeing the journalist accompanied in the car by his wife and children, Tony tries to call off the operation, horrified by the idea of killing innocent bystanders. Alberto states that Sosa's explicit instructions are to tail the journalist and blow up his car in front of the United Nations building, and refuses to call off the hit. Before Alberto can detonate the bomb, Tony shoots him in the head. Furious, Sosa calls Tony later that evening, and after a heated exchange, Sosa reminds Tony of their first conversation.

Tony then sets out to find Gina, who has been missing since he left. Eventually after locating a house which Tony's mother had instructed them of the address. Tony finds Manny and Gina together, Tony kills Manny in a fit of rage, only for Gina to tell him the two had just married. Tony and his men take an extremely upset Gina back to Tony's mansion. As Tony sits in his office, snorting a huge pile of cocaine, Sosa's men surround the mansion, armed to the teeth and quietly killing Tony's guards along the way. At this point, a heavily-drugged Gina enters Tony's office and accuses Tony of wanting her for himself, before shooting him in the leg. At this point, one of Sosa's gunmen enters the room and kills Gina. Tony kills the gunman and upon seeing Gina's corpse, loses control and apologises for killing Manny, saying he loved them both. In a cocaine-fueled rage, Tony makes his last stand, using an M16 that is equipped with a grenade launcher, opens fire and kills many of Sosa's men before being finally shot in the back by the Skull, Sosa's personal assassin. His body falls off the staircase and into the fountain, floating by the statue bearing the slogan "The World is Yours".

Pavel Nedved aka "Furia Cieca". The "Blind Fury" of Juventus. Recipient of the prestigious Ballon d'Or in 2003

Pavel Nedvěd is a retired Czech football midfielder. He is one of the most successful Czech players to emerge from the newly formed Czech Republic, winning numerous accolades with Lazio and Juventus, inlcuding the last ever Cup Winners' Cup. Widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders of the modern era, he was the recipient of the prestigious Ballon d'Or in 2003, only the second Czech player to receive this honour, and the first since the break up of Czechoslovakia. Nedved was also the recipient of the 2nd Golden Foot award in 2004. Nedved was also a key member of the Czech Republic team which reached the final of Euro '96, during which he garnered much international attention. He was also later given the international captaincy. Well known for his energy and tireless runs, as well as his goal scoring ability, Nedved was nicknamed Furia Ceca ("The Czech Fury", an Italian wordplay on the phrase Furia Cieca, meaning "Blind Fury") by Juventus fans.

Nedvěd retired after the 2008–09 season after 19 years as a professional. He played 664 club games, scoring 146 goals, and was capped 91 times for the Czech Republic, scoring 18 times.

Born in the town of Cheb and raised in the nearby town Skalná, Nedvěd began his football career in his native Czechoslovakia. A football fanatic from a young age, Nedved began playing for his home team, Tatran Skalna, in 1977, aged just 5. He then moved on to Ruda Hvozda Cheb in 1985, playing just one season there, before playing for 5 years with Skoda Plzen. In 1990, Nedved arrived in Prague, his nation's capital. Nedved initially signed for Dukla Prague, but played only one season with the outfit before being snapped up by the more prestigious Sparta Prague. With Sparta, Nedved won one Czechoslovak first league and two Gambrinus liga titles, as well as one Czech Republic Football Cup. Nedved's performances at Euro 1996, including a goal in the group stage match against Italy, gained him some notoriety; despite apparently having a verbal agreement with PSV, Nedved made the move from Sparta Prague to Serie A outfit Lazio in 1996.

Having spent 5 seasons with Lazio, Nedved moved to Juventus in 2001 for a fee of €41 million as a replacement for Zinedine Zidane, who had transferred to Spain's Real Madrid the same summer. He proved to be one of the few midfielders capable of assuming the playmaking role of his French predecessor. Nedvěd played frequently in Juventus' Scudetto-winning teams of 2001–02 and 2002–03.

Nedvěd was instrumental in leading Juventus into the 2003 Champions League final against Milan, but he was forced to sit out the final because of accumulation of yellow cards, after being booked in the semi-final for tackling Real Madrid midfielder Steve McManaman. At the end of the year, he won the European Footballer of the Year award.

Following the 2005–06 season, and Juventus's relegation from Serie A due to the Calciopoli scandal, Nedvěd's future as a Juventus player was heavily discussed. After the World Cup, he dispelled those rumors by restating his desire to help Juventus regain promotion to the Serie A. However, the season was somewhat tumultuous for the Czech international. With only a one-year contract, he hinted he might retire from football altogether at the end of the season. He repeated this threat after a 5-game ban stemming from a red card on 1 December. Nevertheless, he remained with the club until the end of the season. Together fellow veterans David Trézéguet and captain Alessandro Del Piero, the three of them scored 47 of the 83 goals Juve scored in Serie B as they won promotion at the first time of asking.

During the 2007–08 season, Nedvěd played frequently for the Bianconeri, providing contributions while being Juve's first-choice left winger. However, he has not been free from controversy. Nedvěd came under negative spotlight recently for his tackle on Internazionale midfielder Luís Figo, which resulted in a broken fibula for the Portuguese player.

Nedvěd had a fair season during Juve's return, but only scored twice. During Serie A 2007–08, Nedvěd acquired a slight concussion that kept him off of the pitch for about a month. He was linked with a move to Japanese side Jubilo Iwata during the 2008–09 summer transfer window, but the rumours were quickly scotched when he committed his future to Juventus for another year after signing a new one year contract extension which would secure his services until June 2009.

Nedvěd debuted for the newly reformed Czech national team in June 1994 in a 3–1 win over the Republic of Ireland. His big break came at the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament, where he was the driving force behind the Czechs' run to the final. He continued to be a regular in midfield and captained the Czech Republic from 2000 onwards. He initially retired from the national team in 2004 following the semifinal defeat to Greece at the Euro 2004 but, after much persuasion from coach Karel Brückner and the team-mates, decided to come out of international retirement just in time for the qualification playoffs against Norway. In Nedvěd and his country's first ever World Cup match since the break-up of Czechoslovakia the Czechs impressively won 3-0 in their opening game against the United States, but suffered injuries to key players and lost their next two group matches against Ghana and eventual winners Italy, finishing third in their group. Nedvěd had several attempts at goal against Italy but they were saved by Juventus team-mate Gianluigi Buffon. Nedvěd announced his retirement permanently after the tournament and refused to reverse his decision despite calls from team-mates and former coach Karel Brückner prior to the Euro 2008.

Succes 2011: Maria Paula Silva aka "Magic Paula", one of the greatest basketball players. Member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Maria Paula Gonçalves da Silva, also known as Magic Paula (reference to Magic Johnson) (born March 11, 1962 in Osvaldo Cruz, São Paulo), is a retired Brazilian basketball player.

She is considered one of the greatest players in her country, along with Hortência Marcari and Janeth Arcain. For Brazil women's national basketball team, Paula is the second biggest scorer with 723 points (behind Hortência) and holds the record for caps with 45 games, being in two Olympic Games and six World Championships.
In 2006, Paula became a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
Paula begun playing basketball at the age of ten, and in 1974, was invited to join Assis Tênis Clube. One year and a half later, the team folded and Paula went to Jundiaí to play for Colégio Divino Salvador, and a few months later, was drafted for the first time by the national team despite being only fourteen. In 1988, Paula went to play in Spain, but an injured knee and difficulties of adaptation brought her back to Brazil in 1991.
In 1979, she helped her team to a fourth place at the Pan American Games, held in Puerto Rico. In 1983, Paula and the national team improved their previous Pan American performance by winning a bronze medal at the Venezuela games, and, in 1987, went yet one more step further by winning a silver medal at the 1987 Indianapolis Pan Americans.

In 1991, Paula and the Brazilian women's national basketball team won the gold medal at that year's Pan American tournament, held in Cuba, being the player which most impressed Cuban president Fidel Castro.

In 1992, Paula helped her team qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time. Brazil arrived in seventh place at the Barcelona Olympics.
In 1993, Paula went to Associação Atlética Ponte Preta, where she played along with Hortência and won the World Championship for clubs. After discussions with Hortência, Paula returned to Piracicaba.

In 1994, Paula won the women's world basketball championship in Australia, making Brazil only country other than the Soviet Union or the United States to win the title (Australia became the fourth in 2006). In 1996, she won a silver medal at the Atlanta Olympics, and retired from the national team after winning the 1997 FIBA Americas Championship for Women. She still played for clubs before retiring in 2000.

After retirement, Paula became an entrepreneur, director of the Centro Olímpico do Ibirapuera, and worked for a while in the Brazilian Ministry of Sports.

Succes 2011: François Hollande, politician cotat cu mari şanse de a deveni viitorul preşedinte al Franţei

François Hollande (born 12 August 1954) is a French politician. From 1997 to 2008, he was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party. He is also a deputy from the département of Corrèze and the mayor of Tulle.

He was born in in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, and is a graduate of HEC, Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) and ENA, and his former profession was as councillor in the Court of Accounts.

In 2004, he took the position of 'yes' on the French referendum on the European Constitution, thus opposing number two of the party, Laurent Fabius. Hollande organised an internal vote on the party's position on December 1, in which representatives voted with 59% margin for 'yes', but the constitution was eventually defeated by the French public in May 2005.

His partner was former French presidential candidate Ségolène Royal, with whom he has four children - Thomas (1984), Clémence (1985), Julien (1987) and Flora (1992). In June 2007, just a month after the French presidential election of 2007, the couple announced that they were separating.

Shortly after his split from Ségolène Royal was announced, the French website lepolitique.com published details of a relationship between Hollande and a French journalist, Valérie Trieweiler. Many considered this to be a breach of France's strict stance on politicians' personal privacy. In November 2007, Valérie Trieweiler discussed openly her relationship with Hollande in an interview with French weekly Télé 7 Jours.

He is seen as a leading contender for the socialist nomination as candidate for the 2012 presidential election.

Political careeer

Electoral mandates European Parliament

* Member of European Parliament : 1999-2002 (Resignation, reelected member of the National Assembly of France in 2002).

National Assembly of France

* Member of the National Assembly of France for Corrèze : 1988-1993 / 1997-1999 (Became member of European Parliament 1999) / And since 2002. Elected in 1988, reelected in 1997, 2002, 2007.

Regional Council

* Vice-president of the Regional Council of Limousin (region) : 1998-2001 (Resignation).
* Regional councillor of Limousin (region) : 1998-2001 (Resignation).

General Council

* President of the General Council of Corrèze : Since 2008.
* General councillor of Corrèze : Since 2008.

Municipal Council

* Mayor of Tulle : 2001-2008 (Resignation).
* Deputy-mayor of Tulle : 1989-1995.
* Municipal councillor of Tulle : 1989-2008 (Resignation). Reelected in 1995, 2001.
* Municipal councillor of Ussel, Corrèze : 1983-1989.

Political functions

* First Secretary (leader) of the Socialist Party (France) : 1997-2008. Reelected in 2000, 2003, 2005.

Succes 2011: Bernard Cribbins, english character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian. Wilfred Mott, companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who

Bernard Cribbins, OBE (born 29 December 1928) is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active performer.

He is particularly known to British audiences as the story-telling voice in The Wombles, a children's programme running which ran for 40 episodes between 1973 and 1975. He also recorded several hit novelty records in the early 1960s and was a regular and prolific performer on Jackanory on BBC TV between 1966 and 1991. Cribbins' most recent prominent role has been as Wilfred Mott, companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who.

Cribbins appeared in films from the early 1950s, mainly in comedies. His credits include Two Way Stretch (1960) and The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963) with Peter Sellers, Crooks in Cloisters (1964) and three Carry On films - Carry On Jack (1963), Carry On Spying (1964) and Carry On Columbus (1992). Other appearances include the second Doctor Who film Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966), Mr Albert Perks, the station porter, in The Railway Children (1970) and Felix Forsythe in Alfred Hitchcock's distubring thriller Frenzy (1972). Later films include Dangerous Davies - The Last Detective (1981) and Blackball (2003).

Other television appearances have included The Avengers (1968), Fawlty Towers (1975), as the spoon salesman Mr. Hutchinson (mistaken by Basil Fawlty for a hotel inspector), Worzel Gummidge (1980), Shillingbury Tales (1980) and its spin-off Cuffy (1983). Later television appearances have included Dalziel and Pascoe (1999), Last of the Summer Wine (2003), the role of Wally Bannister in Coronation Street (2003) and Down to Earth (2005).

In January 2007 he guest starred as glam rock promoter Arnold Korns in the Doctor Who radio play Horror of Glam Rock for BBC Radio 7. In December he appeared as Wilfred Mott in the Doctor Who Christmas television special, "Voyage of the Damned"; he then reappeared as the same character throughout the 2008 series, as the grandfather of companion Donna Noble[5] He attained 'companion' status himself in "The End of Time", the two-part Christmas 2009 special that saw the end of David Tennant in the role of the Doctor.


Cribbins was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to drama.

R.I.P. Peter Falk. Lieutenant Columbo has left the building

Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo. He appeared in numerous films and television guest roles, and has been nominated for an Academy Award twice (for 1960's Murder, Inc. and 1961's Pocketful of Miracles), and won the Emmy Award on five occasions (four for Columbo) and the Golden Globe award once. Director William Friedkin, when discussing Falk's role in his 1978 film The Brink's Job said that "Peter has a great range from comedy to drama. He could break your heart or he could make you laugh."

In 1968 he starred with Gene Barry in a ninety-minute TV pilot about a highly-skilled, laid-back detective. Columbo eventually became part of an anthology series entitled, The NBC Mystery Movie, along with McCloud and McMillan And Wife. The detective series stayed on NBC from 1971–1978, took a respite, and returned occasionally on ABC from 1989–2003. He was "everyone's favorite rumpled television detective", writes historian David Fantle. Describing his role, Variety columnist Howard Prouty writes, "The joy of all this is watching Columbo dissemble the fiendishly clever cover stories of the loathsome rats who consider themselves his better."

Despite his stage success, a theatrical agent advised Falk not to expect much film work because of his glass eye. He failed a screen test at Columbia Pictures and was told by studio boss Harry Cohn that "for the same price I can get an actor with two eyes." He also failed to get a role in the film Marjorie Morningstar despite a promising interview for the second lead. His first film performances were in small roles in Wind Across the Everglades (1958), The Bloody Brood (1959) and Pretty Boy Floyd (1960).

Falk's performance in Murder, Inc. (1960) was a turning point in his career. He was cast in the supporting role of killer Abe Reles, in a film based on the real-life murder gang of that name, which terrorized New York in the 1930s. New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther, while dismissing the movie as "an average gangster film", singled out Falk's "amusingly vicious performance."

The film turned out to be Falk's breakout role. In his 2006 autobiography, Just One More Thing, Falk said that his selection for the film from thousands of other Off Broadway actors was a "miracle" that "made my career", and that without it he would not have gotten the other significant movie roles that he later played. Falk, who played Reles again in the 1960 TV series The Witness, was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance in the film.

Pocketful of Miracles (1961)

In 1961 multiple Academy Award winning director Frank Capra cast Falk in the comedy Pocketful of Miracles. The film was Capra's last feature, and although it was not the commercial success he hoped it would be, he "gushed about Falk's performance."[6]:217 Falk was nominated for an Oscar for his role. In his autobiography Capra writes about Falk:

"The entire production was agony . . . except for Peter Falk. He was my joy, my anchor to reality. Introducing that remarkable talent to the techniques of comedy made me forget pains, tired blood, and maniacal hankerings to murder Glenn Ford (the film's star). Thank you Peter Falk."

For his part, Falk says that he "never worked with a director who showed greater enjoyment of actors and the acting craft." Falk says, "There is nothing more important to an actor than to know that the one person who represents the audience to you, the director, is responding well to what you are trying to do." Falk recalled one time that Capra reshot a scene even though he yelled "Cut and Print", indicating the scene finalized. When Falk asked him why he wanted it reshot, "he laughed and said that he loved the scene so much he just wanted to see us do it again. How's that for support!"

For the remainder of the 1960s Falk had mainly small movie roles and TV guest-starring appearances. He had one of the larger roles in the epic 1963 comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, a star-studded adventure that saw him playing a cop-hating cab driver who gets caught up in the hilarity. Other roles included a comical crook in the 1964 Rat Pack film, Robin and the 7 Hoods, and the 1965 spoof The Great Race, with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis.

Although Falk appeared in numerous other television roles in the 1960s and 1970s, he is best known as the star of the TV series Columbo, "everyone's favorite rumpled television detective", writes historian David Fantle. His character was a shabby and ostensibly absent-minded police detective lieutenant, who had first appeared in the 1968 film Prescription: Murder. Falk described his role to Fantle:


"Columbo has a genuine mistiness about him. It seems to hang in the air . . . [and] he's capable of being distracted. . . . Columbo is an ass-backwards Sherlock Holmes. Holmes had a long neck, Columbo has no neck; Holmes smoked a pipe, Columbo chews up six cigars a day."

Television critic Ben Falk adds that Falk "created an iconic cop . . . who always got his man (or woman) after a tortuous cat-and-mouse investigation." He notes also that the idea for the character was "apparently inspired by Dostoyevsky's dogged police inspector, Porfiry Petrovich, in the novel Crime and Punishment.

Falk tries to analyze the character and notes the correlation between his own personality and Columbo's:

"I'm a Virgo Jew, and that means I have an obsessive thoroughness. It's not enough to get most of the details, it's necessary to get them all. I've been accused of perfectionism. When Lew Wasserman (head of Universal Studios) said that Falk is a perfectionist, I don't know whether it was out of affection or because he felt I was a monumental pain in the ass."

With "general amazement", Falk notes that "the show is all over the world". He added, "I've been to little villages in Africa with maybe one TV set, and little kids will run up to me shouting, 'Columbo, Columbo!'" Singer Johnny Cash recalled acting in one episode, and although he was not an experienced actor, he writes in his autobiography, "Peter Falk was good to me. I wasn't at all confident about handling a dramatic role, and every day he helped me in all kinds of little ways.

The debut episode in 1971 was directed by 25-year-old Steven Spielberg in one of his earliest directing roles. Falk recalled the episode to Spielberg biographer Joseph McBride:

"Let's face it, we had some good fortune at the beginning. Our debut episode, in 1971, was directed by this young kid named Steven Spielberg. I told the producers, Link and Levinson, This guy is too good for Columbo. . . . Steven was shooting me with a long lens from across the street. That wasn't common twenty years ago. The comfort level it gave me as an actor, besides its great look artistically—well, it told you that this wasn't any ordinary director."

The character of Columbo had previously been played by Bert Freed in a single TV episode and by Thomas Mitchell on Broadway. Falk first played Columbo in Prescription: Murder, a 1968 TV-movie, and from 1971 to 1978 Columbo aired regularly on NBC as part of the umbrella series NBC Mystery Movie. All episodes were of TV-movie length, in a 90 or 120 minutes slot including commercials. The show returned on ABC in the form of a less frequent series of TV-movies, still starring Falk, from 1989 until 2003.

Falk was a close friend of independent film director John Cassavetes and appeared in Cassavetes' films Husbands, A Woman Under the Influence, and, in a cameo, at the end of Opening Night. Cassavetes, in turn, guest-starred in the Columbo episode "Étude in Black" in 1972. Falk describes his experiences working with Cassavetes, and specifically remembers his directing strategies such as "shooting an actor when he might be unaware the camera was running."

"You never knew when the camera might be going. And it was never: 'Stop. Cut. Start again.' John would walk in the middle of a scene and talk, and though you didn't realize it, the camera kept going. So I never knew what the hell he was doing. [Laughs] But he ultimately made me, and I think every actor, less self-conscious, less aware of the camera than anybody I've ever worked with."

In 1978, he appeared on the comedy TV show, Dean Martin Celebrity Roast where Frank Sinatra was the evening's victim.

Falk continued to work in films, including his performance as a questionable ex-CIA agent of dubious sanity in the comedy The In-Laws. Director Arthur Hiller said during an interview that the "film started out because Alan Arkin and Peter Falk wanted to work together. They went to Warner's and said, 'We'd like to do a picture,' and Warner's said fine . . . and out came The In-laws. . . . of all the films I've done, The In-laws is the one I get the most comments on." Movie critic Roger Ebert compared the film with a later remake:

"Peter Falk and Alan Arkin in the earlier film, versus Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks this time. . . . yet the chemistry is better in the earlier film. Falk goes into his deadpan lecturer mode, slowly and patiently explaining things that sound like utter nonsense. Arkin develops good reasons for suspecting he is in the hands of a madman."

He also appeared in The Princess Bride, and (as himself) in Wim Wenders' 1987 film Wings of Desire and its 1993 sequel, Faraway, So Close!. In 1998, Falk returned to the New York stage to star in an Off Broadway production of Arthur Miller's Mr. Peters' Connections. His previous stage work included shady real estate salesman Shelley "the Machine" Levine in a Boston/Los Angeles production of David Mamet's prizewinning Glengarry Glen Ross.

Falk also starred in such holiday television movies as A Town Without Christmas (2001), Finding John Christmas (2003) and When Angels Come to Town (2004). In 2005 he starred in The Thing About My Folks. Although movie critic Roger Ebert was not impressed with most of the other actors, he writes in his review, ". . . we discover once again what a warm and engaging actor Peter Falk is. I can't recommend the movie, but I can be grateful that I saw it, for Falk." In 2007, Falk appeared with Nicolas Cage in the thriller Next.
Falk married Alyce Mayo, whom he met when they were both students at Syracuse University, on April 17, 1960. They adopted two daughters, Catherine (who is a private investigator) and Jackie. They divorced in 1976. On December 7, 1977, Falk married actress Shera Danese, who guest-starred on the Columbo series on numerous occasions.

Falk was an accomplished artist. For many years he took classes at the Art Students League of New York. Examples of his sketches can be seen on his official website.

Falk was also a chess aficionado. As one example, Falk was a spectator at the American Open in Santa Monica, California, in November 1972 and at the U.S. Open in Pasadena, California, in August 1983.

He wrote his memoir, Just One More Thing, published by Carroll & Graf.

At a two day conservatorship trial in Los Angeles in June 2009, one of Falk's personal physicians, Dr. Stephen Read, reported Falk rapidly slipped into dementia after a series of dental operations in 2007. Dr. Read said it was unclear whether Falk's condition worsened as a result of anesthesia or some other reaction to the operations, he went on to add that Falk's condition was so bad he could no longer remember the character of Columbo. Shera Danese Falk was appointed as her husband's conservator and requested the media to respect his privacy.

Falk died at his Beverly Hills home on June 23, 2011. According to his daughter, Catherine Falk, the actor had been suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Succes 2011: Campioni mondiali la fotbal. Sepp Maier, "Die Katze von Anzing"

Josef Dieter "Sepp" Maier (born 28 February 1944) is a German former professional football goalkeeper.His nickname was "Die Katze von Anzing" ("the cat from Anzing") for his fast reflexes.

Bayern Munich

Born in Metten, Bavaria, Maier has spent his entire professional career at Bayern Munich. He began playing for Bayern's youth sides in 1958.[2] During the 1970s, he was part of the legendary Bayern team which included the likes of Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller and won three European Cups in a row, a German record. Between 1966 and 1979 he played in 442 consecutive Bundesliga matches, still a German national record. His playing career came to an abrupt end in 1979 when he sustained serious injuries in a car accident (caused by DWI).

International

Maier was selected in the West Germany squad for four consecutive World Cups. In 1966 in England, he was a non-playing deputy to Hans Tilkowski. At the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, he was the undisputed starter and played all games (including the legendary 3–4 semifinal loss to Italy after extra time) except the third-place match.

In the 1974 FIFA World Cup on home soil, at the top of his footballing abilities, he reached the peak of his international career as the Germans went all the way to the final with a legendary team that included the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Berti Vogts and Gerd Müller. The greatest triumph came when the hosts defeated a Johan Cruyff-inspired Netherlands team 2–1 in the final in Maier's own hometown Munich.

Four years later at the World Cup in Argentina, slightly past his peak but still formidable, Maier delivered a strong performance but could not prevent his side's failing to advance past the second round. Maier also won the 1972 European Championship with West Germany and reached the final in 1976, losing to Czechoslovakia on penalty kicks. In all, he earned 95 caps for his country.

Succes 2011: Billie Jean King, tennis living legend. Winner of "The Battle of the Sexes"

Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society. She won "The Battle of the Sexes" in 1973, in which she defeated Bobby Riggs, a former Wimbledon men's singles champion.

King is the founder of the Women's Tennis Association, the Women's Sports Foundation, and owner of World Team Tennis, which was founded by her former husband, Lawrence King, Dennis Murphy, Frank Barman, and Jordan Kaiser.

King learned to play tennis on the public courts of Long Beach, California. and was coached by Clyde Walker, a fine tennis teacher. She furthered her tennis career at the Los Angeles Tennis Club (LATC) under the jurisdiction of Perry T. Jones, President of the Southern California Tennis Association. At age 17, The Long Beach Tennis Patrons, through the efforts of Harold Guiver of USC, raised $2000 to send her to Wimbledon, where she won the Doubles with Karen Hantze.[18] She was an aggressive, hard-hitting net-rusher, with excellent speed. Chris Evert, however, said about King, "Her weakness is her impatience."

Concerning her motivations in life and tennis, King said,

Any time you're satisfied with mediocrity, any time you take away incentive from human beings, you've blown it. I'm a perfectionist much more than I'm a super competitor, and there's a big difference there.... I've been painted as a person who only competes. ... But most of all, I get off on hitting a shot correctly. ... Any woman who wants to achieve anything has to be aggressive and tough, but the press never sees us as multidimensional. They don't see the emotions, the downs....


King once said, "Victory is fleeting. Losing is forever."

In a May 19, 1975, Sports Illustrated article about King, Frank Deford noted that she had become something of a sex symbol and said, "Billie Jean cackles when the matter of her being a sex symbol is raised. 'Hysterical! Hysterical! Me, with these little short legs!' But she is practical enough to realize that a guy who buys a ticket to look at the girls has bought a ticket as sure as the guy who buys a ticket to look at the girls' forehands. ... Billie Jean herself not only thinks that sex is a dandy thing to have lurking around sports, but she also employs sex as sort of the ultimate gauge of equality between women's and men's athletics. This may be described as the Get-It Quotient.... 'There's a lot of ugly fellas among the male athletes, but just because they're athletes they get it all the time, don't they? Now, never mind prize money and publicity and all that. When we reach the point where all the women athletes are getting it, too, regardless of their looks, just like the fellas, then we've really arrived.'"

Grand Slam singles tournaments

King's triumph at the French Open in 1972 made her only the fifth woman in tennis history to win the singles titles at all four Grand Slam events, a "career Grand Slam." (Four additional women have completed a career Grand Slam since King.) King also won a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles. In women's doubles, only the Australian Open eluded her.

King won a record 20 career titles at Wimbledon – 6 singles, 10 women's doubles, and 4 mixed doubles. (Martina Navratilova also has 20 career titles at Wimbledon.)

King played 51 Grand Slam singles events from 1959 through 1983 (197–39 .835 win–loss record): 21 at Wimbledon (96–15 win–loss record), 18 at the U.S. Championships/Open (63–14 win–loss record), 7 at the French Championships/Open (22–6 win–loss record), and 5 at the Australian Championships/Open (16–4 win–loss record). King reached at least the semifinals in 27 and at least the quarterfinals in 40 out of her 51 attempts.

King was the runner-up in 6 Grand Slam singles events.

An indicator of King's mental toughness at crunch time in Grand Slam singles tournaments was her 11–2 career record in deuce third sets, i.e., third sets that were tied 5–5 before being resolved.

Margaret Court, who won more Grand Slam titles than anyone, has said that King was "the greatest competitor I’ve ever known".

Chris Evert, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, has said, "She's the wisest human being that I've ever met and has vision people can only dream about. Billie Jean King is my mentor and has given me advice about my tennis and my boyfriends. On dealing with my parents and even how to raise children. And she doesn't have any."

King was the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1967.

In 1972, King became the first tennis player to be named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. She was also the first female athlete ever to receive that honor.

Friends with singer Elton John, the 1975 song "Philadelphia Freedom" is a tribute to King. On a PBS program, John talked about how he brought a demo copy of the record to play for her right after he had recorded it.

In 1975, Seventeen magazine found that King was the most admired woman in the world from a poll of its readers. Golda Meir, who had been Israel's prime minister until the previous year, finished second.

In 1979, several top players were asked who they would pick to help them recover from a hypothetical deficit of 1–5 (15–40) in the third set of a match on Wimbledon's Centre Court. Martina Navratilova, Rosemary Casals, and Françoise Durr all picked King. Navratilova said, "I would have to pick Billie Jean at her best. Consistently, Chris is hardest to beat but for one big occasion, one big match, one crucial point, yes, it would have to be Billie Jean." Casals said, "No matter how far down you got her, you never could be sure of beating her."

King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

Life magazine in 1990 named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century."

King was the recipient of the 1999 Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

In 2000, King received an award from the GLAAD, an organization devoted to reducing discrimination against gays, lesbians and bisexuals, for "furthering the visibility and inclusion of the community in her work." The award noted her involvement in production and the free distribution of educational films, as well as serving on the boards of several AIDS charities.

In 2006, the Women's Sports Foundation began to sponsor the Billie Awards, which are named after and hosted by King.
The USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was rededicated as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

On August 28, 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was rededicated as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. John McEnroe, Venus Williams, Jimmy Connors, and Chris Evert were among the speakers during the rededication ceremony.

On December 6, 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver inducted King into the California Hall of Fame located at The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts.

On October 18, 2007, the Public Justice Foundation presented King with its highest award, the Champion of Justice Award.

On November 20, 2007, King was presented with the 2007 Sunday Times Sports Women of the Year Lifetime Achievement award for her contribution to sport both on and off the court.

Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, was an admirer and close friend. Schulz referred to King several times in Peanuts over the years. In one strip, Peppermint Patty tells Marcie, "Has anyone ever told you that when you're mad, you look just like Billie Jean King?"

She was honored by the Office of the Manhattan Borough President in March 2008 and was included in a map of historical sites related or dedicated to important women.

King was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Succes 2011: Alexander Gerst, European Space Agency astronaut

Alexander Gerst (born May 3, 1976 in Künzelsau, Baden-Württemberg) is an European Space Agency astronaut having been selected in 2009 to undergo training.

Gerst studied at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, where he received a university degree in physics. He also studied Earth Science at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, where he was awarded a Master of Science.

He has been working as a researcher since 2005. In his spare time, he enjoys mountaineering, diving, climbing and skydiving.

He was selected as astronaut in 2009 by the European Space Agency.

Succes 2011: Hans Schlegel, astronaut and veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions

Hans Wilhelm Schlegel (Überlingen, 3 August 1951) is a German physicist, an ESA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions.
From 1995 to 1997, he trained as the backup crew member for the German-Russian Mir'97 mission, and afterwards received additional training in Russia to become qualified as a second board engineer for the Mir space station. In 1998, he became a member of the European Astronaut Corps.

Schlegel was a Mission Specialist on the STS-122 Space Shuttle mission. The mission was charged with the responsibility of putting the Columbus laboratory in orbit, in addition to its connection to the International Space Station.

Hans was to perform a spacewalk on the first EVA (EVA1) of STS-122, on Sunday, 10 February 2008, in preparation for attaching the Columbus laboratory to the ISS. The EVA was postponed until Monday 11 February 2008 due to an undisclosed medical issue allegedly affecting Schlegel. Stanley G. Love performed the spacewalk instead of Schlegel. However, Schlegel did perform the second EVA on Wednesday 13 February 2008. During the spacewalk, he completed the replacement of the Nitrogen Tank Assembly on the P1 truss of the International Space Station, and installed trunnion covers on the Columbus module.

Succes 2011: Jackie Collins, english novelist and former actress. Her books have so ld over 400 million copies and have been translated into 40 languages

Jacqueline Jill "Jackie" Collins (born 4 October 1937) is an English novelist and former actress. She is the younger sister of actress Joan Collins. To date, she has written 27 novels, all of which have appeared on the New York Times bestsellers list. In total, her books have sold over 400 million copies and have been translated into 40 languages. To date, eight of her novels have been adapted for the screen, either as films or television mini-series.

Collins' first novel, The World Is Full of Married Men, was published in 1968. Romance writer Barbara Cartland called it "nasty, filthy and disgusting". It was banned in Australia and South Africa,[4] but the scandal bolstered sales in the USA and the UK. Collins' second novel, The Stud, was published in 1969 and followed the sexually charged affairs of married Fontaine Khaled, who owns a fashionable London nightclub. It also made the bestseller lists.

Collins' third novel, Sunday Simmons & Charlie Brick, (first published under the title The Hollywood Zoo in the UK and then retitled Sinners worldwide in 1984) was published in 1971 and again made the bestseller lists. This was Collins' first novel to be set in the United States.

Lovehead followed in 1974 (retitled as The Love Killers in 1989). This novel was Collins' first foray into the world of organized crime — a genre that would later prove to be extremely successful for her. The plot concerned the organised murder of women's rights activist and feminist Margaret Lawrence Brown. Three women - two of whom are Margaret's half sisters and one whom she saved from a life of working in the porn industry - plan revenge on the mobster responsible, Enzio Bassalino.

Following this, Collins published The World Is Full Of Divorced Women (unrelated to her first novel) in 1975, and then her longest novel, Lovers & Gamblers, in 1977 which told the story of rock/soul superstar Al King.

In the late 1970s, Collins made a foray into writing for the screen. In 1978, she co-wrote the screenplay for the film version of her 1969 novel The Stud, which starred her older sister Joan as the gold-digging adulteress Fontaine Khaled. Following this, Collins wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of her first novel The World Is Full Of Married Men, which was released in 1979. She also released her seventh novel, The Bitch, a sequel to The Stud, which was also made into a successful film the same year, with Joan Collins reprising the role. The film version of The Bitch was written and directed by Gerry O'Hara, based on Collins' source novel. Also in 1979, Collins wrote an original screenplay (not based on any of her novels) for the film Yesterday's Hero.

1980s

In the 1980s, Collins and her family moved to Los Angeles on a full time basis. Her next novel was Chances, published in 1981 and which she described as her first "Harold Robbins-type" novel. It was also the first novel to introduce her character, Lucky Santangelo, the "dangerously beautiful" daughter of a one-time gangster Gino Santangelo.

While living in the hills above Sunset Boulevard, Collins collected the knowledge and experience to write her most successful novel, Hollywood Wives, which was published in 1983. The novel hit the New York Times bestseller list at number one, and went on to sell fifteen million copies worldwide.[citation needed] Marketed as a "scandalous exposé", the novel placed Collins in a powerful position and made her a celebrity of almost equal status to sister Joan, whose own career had taken an upwards direction with her role in the hit television drama Dynasty. In 1985, Hollywood Wives was also made into a hugely successful television mini-series, produced by Aaron Spelling and starring Candice Bergen, Stefanie Powers, Angie Dickinson, Anthony Hopkins, Suzanne Somers and Rod Steiger. Although credited as "Creative Consultant", Collins later stated that she was never consulted during production and that she did not agree with some of the casting choices.

She then went on to write the sequel to Chances entitled Lucky (published in 1985), followed by Hollywood Husbands (1986), and Rock Star (1988).

1990s

In 1990, Collins published her third Lucky Santangelo novel, Lady Boss. Also in 1990, she wrote and co-produced the television mini-series Lucky Chances, which combined her first two Lucky Santangelo novels and starred Nicolette Sheridan in the lead role and Sandra Bullock.

In 1992, Collins was widowed when her husband of 26 years, Oscar Lerman, died of cancer. Around this time, she also wrote and produced another mini-series based on her third Lucky Santangelo novel Lady Boss (with Kim Delaney now playing the lead role).

Collins went on to pen several more bestsellers; American Star (1993), Hollywood Kids (1994) and the fourth Santangelo novel, Vendetta: Lucky's Revenge (1996).

In 1998, Collins made a foray into talk-show television with the series Jackie Collins' Hollywood, but this was unsuccessful. She then released a new novel, Thrill (1998), and also wrote a four-part series of mini-novels to be released in a newspaper every six weeks called L.A. Connections, introducing a new heroine in the form of investigative journalist Madison Castelli. The fifth Lucky Santangelo novel, Dangerous Kiss, was published in 1999.

2000s

The 2000s turned out to be Collins' busiest time and she published eight bestsellers, more than any other decade in her career. In 2000, Collins brought back the character of Madison Castelli in a new novel, Lethal Seduction. In 2001 she published Hollywood Wives: The New Generation, which itself was later turned into a television movie starring Farrah Fawcett, Melissa Gilbert and Robin Givens (Collins was credited as Executive Producer).

A new Madison Castelli novel, Deadly Embrace, was published in 2002, and Hollywood Divorces was published in 2003. In 2004, Collins hosted a series of television specials, Jackie Collins Presents, for E! Entertainment Television.

In 2006, after being signed to publisher Simon & Schuster for twenty years, Collins signed with St. Martin's Press as her North American publisher though she remains with Simon & Schuster internationally.

Collins continued with Lovers & Players in 2006 and the sixth Lucky Santangelo novel, Drop Dead Beautiful, in 2007. Her most recent novels include Married Lovers (2008), about the affairs of a female personal trainer named Cameron Paradise. This was followed in 2009 by Poor Little Bitch Girl, which stemmed from an idea Collins had worked on for a television series about heiresses that was ultimately never made. It features Bobby Santangelo Stanislopoulos (son of Lucky Santangelo and Dimitri Stanislopoulos) as a major character, and has cameo appearances by Lucky Santangelo, although Lucky does not feature as a major character in this novel.
2010s

In 2010, Paris Connections, a direct-to-DVD movie adapted from Collins' L.A. Connections series of mini-novels was made by Amber Entertainment in association with the UK supermarket chain Tesco. The movie stars Charles Dance, Trudie Styler, and Nicole Steinwedell as Madison Castelli. Collins served as co-producer, and three more Connections movies with the Madison Castelli character are planned.

Although Collins initially said on her official website that there would probably be no more Lucky Santangelo novels after Drop Dead Beautiful, in 2011 she published the seventh book in the series, Goddess of Vengeance. Also according to her official website, she is currently writing a play entitled Jackie Collins' Hollywood Lies.

Daniele Dondé, the most collected Italian artist in the world. Inventor of "legal fakes" paintings

Daniele Dondé was born in Cremona, the birthplace of so many internationally famous artists, the greatest of whom being the violinmaker Antonio Stradivari.

Dondé, the son of renowned art collectors, learned to love art from an early age, in particular, the contemporary art in his family's art collection. This collection became famous following the death of his father, as Dondé was forced to sell it for financial reasons and in the midst of this crisis he learned that 50% of the works in this prestigious collection, bought from generations of hard work and sacrifices, were in fact fakes. Following this crippling disappointment, Dondé intended to make it the aim of his life to discover who could have tricked his family, by searching out those who had created these beautiful but deceptive fakes.

Once he had tracked down the forgers, he threatened to notify the authorities if they failed to accept his somewhat indecent proposal: they had to agree to work solely for him, not to cheat collectors but rather in order to make great art masterpieces available to all, at prices that the wider public could afford.

This was in 1983 and so he had realised a great dream and at the same time he had exacted revenge on dishonest gallery owners as he had denied them access to those who would create the fakes for them. He had legalised the work of the forgers, bringing it to the light of day and creating a worldwide respected artistic movement that aroused the interest of art collectors from all over the world.

In 1984 he became the undisputed leader of the idea that until that moment had been considered crazy and unachievable. Working constantly and with determination, he took his idea around the world, putting on exhibitions of "legal fakes", in major cities: Milan, Rome, Geneva, Zurich, Munich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona, Istanbul, Cyprus, Paris, London, New York, Moscow, Sydney, Tokyo, Kyoto, St Moritz, Gstaad, Monte Carlo, etc. In these cities and elsewhere he has organised temporary exhibitions that have attracted millions of art lovers and collectors. The copies on show are of works by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Modigliani, Sisley, Lautrec, Pissarro, in short all the most highly sought after and valuable masterpieces that have been made accessible to the general public and are no longer reserved for a few multi-millionaires. Dondé's motto is: "give everyone a masterpiece".

In 1990 at his exhibition in Manhattan a New York, Dondé was given the honorary title of Professor and Doctor of modern and contemporary art from the prestigious American University, an honour that few international artists have received.

In 1999 in Geneva he received recognition from another source, "Crystal Globe", which is only given to the most famous Italians in the world.

Dondé, appreciated by internationally famous VIP's like Frank Sinatra, Roger Moore, Sofia Loren, Harnold Swarzenneger, Sultan of Brunei, Albert of Monaco, Mohammed Al Fayed, Flavio Briatore, Gianluca Vialli, etc., is credited with having created the biggest and most popular art movement in the world, in which European, Asian, Australian and American artists have copied and followed the crazy idea that Dondé had and they have all continued to contribute to the diffusion of legalised fakes throughout the world.

His participation has led to this movement also starting in China, where they produce copies that are of poor quality artistically but have a high commercial value. Dondé therefore also has the responsibility or the merit of having suggested to the Chinese forgers that they make copies of great European works of art and so China lives and makes a living thanks to the extraordinary idea that came out of the dream of a young man from a small art town in the provinces, who, through taking revenge on those who wronged his family, accidentally spread the strangest idea ever dreamed all over the world. The world of contemporary art owes a great deal to Dondé.

Dondé now lives and works in his contemporary art studio, art of the future, art that many museums would already like to monopolize; Dondé is the name to invest in now, right now. For more than 25 years Dondé has been the modern world leader in contemporary art. Dondé is the most popular and most collected Italian of all the new artists that have appeared on the world scene; no other living artist has been so widely sought after by the media; over 10,000 interviews in 30 years, over 10,000 photographic sessions with the most important European, Asian, Australian, American and even Chinese media in the world.

Dondé is considered a legend in modern and contemporary art and his works are on show in the homes of the richest families in the world. Any millionaire, VIP or member of the jet set of any importance will boast of having in his collection a work that has been signed by Dondé, the most highly acclaimed and photographed of his VIP collectors.

Dondé currently lives and works between Italy and Switzerland in his studio show-room in Lugano.