Fidel Castro was born on Aug. 13, 1926 (some sources give 1927), on a farm in Mayari municipality in the province of Oriente. He attended good Catholic schools in Santiago de Cuba and Havana, where he took to the spartan regime at a Jesuit boarding school, Colegio de Belen. In 1945 he enrolled at the University of Havana, graduating in 1950 with a law degree. He married Mirta Diaz-Balart in 1948, but they were divorced in 1954. Their son, Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, born in 1949, has served as head of Cuba's atomic energy commission. A member of the social-democratic Ortodoxo party in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Castro was an early and vocal opponent of the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. On July 26, 1953, Castro led an attack on the Moncada army barracks that failed but brought him national prominence. At the time, his political ideas were nationalistic, antiimperialist, and reformist; he was not a member of the Communist party. Following the attack on Moncada, Castro was tried and sentenced to 15 years in prison but was amnestied in 1955. He then went into exile in Mexico, where he founded the 26th of July Movement, vowing to return to Cuba in order to fight against Batista. In December 1956, he and 81 others, including Che Guevara, returned to Cuba and made their way to the Sierra Maestra, from which they launched a successful guerrilla war. Castro proved himself a strong leader; he also demonstrated shrewd political skills, convinced that he had a historic duty to change the character of Cuban society. Seeing his army collapse, and unable to count on the support of the United States, Batista fled on Jan. 1, 1959, paving the way for Castro's rise to power. In its early phase, Castro's revolutionary regime included moderate politicians and democrats; gradually, however, its policies became radical and confrontational. Castro remained the unchallenged leader, and the masses--whose living conditions he improved--rallied behind him.

from cubagob.cu, geocities.com/CapitolHill/3240/castro.html

Born in 1987 in Siberia, MImagearia Sharapova moved to the Black Sea resort town of Sochi a year later. She was an only child in a family whose comfortable means allowed for playing tennis and skiing.

At age 6, Maria attended a tennis exhibition in Moscow where she met tennis great Martina Navratilova, who suggested that the young girl train professionally.

Her father Yuri took Maria to Bradenton, Florida, where she commenced training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, training ground for tennis greats Monica Seles, Andre Agassi, and Pete Sampras. The Academy was bought by talent agency IMG, which offered Maria a full scholarship. She soon was playing competitively against much older girls, and at age 13 she won a 16-and-under championship. Two years later she was the youngest player to reach the finals of the Australian Open Junior championship. By 2003, at 16, she won her first adult pro tournament, in Japan.

Then came Wimbledon 2004. The tournament marked the 8th grand slam final for two-time Wimbledon champ Serena Williams. It was the first final for 13th-seeded Maria, but she completely dominated, winning 6-1, 6-4. She took five straight games to capture the first set and came back from a 4-2 deficit to win the second set and the match.

Says Sharapova
(Reuters)
8 July 2006

LONDON — Positive thinking and the prospect of some retail therapy lifted Maria Sharapova’s spirits after her Wimbledon semifinal defeat by Amelie Mauresmo.
Sharapova, the 2004 champion, suffered her fifth Grand Slam semifinal defeat in succession when she lost 6-3 3-6 6-2 to the world number one on Centre Court but refused to be downcast.

“It’s definitely not a setback,” the 19-year-old said. “I take every loss as a new beginning. It teaches me a lot.

“I’m going to go back on the court and I’m going to work. I’m going to keep working until I get better at those things.

“Sometimes talk is cheap. It’s a matter of going out and doing it. In a few days I’ll be back on the practice courts and that’s what it’s all about.”

Sharapova was outplayed tactically by Mauresmo in the third set and unforced errors cost her dearly.

“I just made a lot of errors coming in,” said the Russian. ”She forced me to come in, forced me to hit a good approach shot, tried to make me hit a good volley.

“Obviously there’s a lot of things that I’m going to need to improve to beat the top players. It shows when you play against top players.”

Asked what she planned to do now she was out of the tournament, Sharapova’s eyes brightened. “I’m going to head out to (clothing retailer) Top Shop tomorrow,” she said. “I’m going to go on a shopping spree. I look forward to that every single year.”

Titles

Singles
2003: Tokyo & Quebec City
2004: Birmingham, Wimbledon, Seoul, Tokyo & WTA

Championships
2005: Tokyo, Doha & Birmingham
2006: Indian Wells


Doubles
2003: Tokyo, Luxembourg
2004: Birmingham

Highest Rankings
Singles: 1 (22/8/2005)
Doubles: 41 (14/6/2004)

Win/Loss Record - Singles: 21 - 4 (YTD); 195 - 50 (Career)
Win/Loss Record - Doubles: 0 - 0 (YTD); 23 - 16 (Career)

Overall record:

Career singles titles (10) -- 2003: Tokyo [Japan Open], Quebec City; 2004: Birmingham, Wimbledon, Seoul, Tokyo [Japan Open], Season-Ending Championships; 2005: Tokyo [Pan Pacific], Doha, Birmingham. Finalist (2): 2004: Zurich; 2005: Miami. Career win-loss record: 195-50

Few fun facts to file about Maria:

Off-court interests include: fashion, singing, dancing

Favorite movies: Mona Lisa Smile, Something’s Gotta Give, Love Actually

Education: Maria is home-schooled, with no plans to attend college after finishing high school. She doesn't think there is a point ot attending college when money is getting thrown at her now.

Boyfriends: Maria Sharapova has been secretly dating Andy Roddick for a year.


Philanthropy: In 2004, she gave some $56,000 to families affected by the hostage crisis in the Russian town of Beslan, where terrorists took schoolchildren hostage. The pledge equaled the value of the Porsche Cayenne she was awarded for winning the 2004 Season-Ending Championships. She also was awarded $1 million.

Awards: In 2003, she was named one of the “coolest girls” in America by YM magazine.

Modeling: She signed with IMG Models in 2003.

Favorite books: Sherlock Holmes, and the Pippi Longstocking series

Favorite foods: Thai and Russian. She also likes crepes with Nutella.

Favorite beverage: Orangina

Trivia: What tennis legend recommended that Maria move to the U.S.?
While Maria Sharapova was performing at a tennis clinic in Russia at 6 years old, Martina Navratilova was in the building and she was flabbergasted by the talent of the 6-year-old. Martina went to Maria's father, Yuri, and recommended that he take his daughter to the world-famous Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.

from mariasharapova.wetpaint.com, nettechno.net

Eva Longoria was born on March 15, 1975 in Corpus Christi, Texas to Enrique Longoria, Jr., and Ella Eva Mireles Longoria. She has three older sisters.
She went to Miller High School in Corpus Christi and attended Texas A&M University-Kingsville, graduating with a degree in Kinesiology.
In 1996, she won the Miss Texas A&M University-Kingsville pageant.
Her first professional acting experience came as a flight attendant on the TV show Beverly Hills 90125, then received the full time part of Isabella Braña Williams the following year in the daytime soap opera Young and the Restless. For her performance, she won the ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama.
In January 2002 she married Tyler Christopher the marriage ended three years later in divorce in July 2005.
Although she has appeared in other movies, television shows and theatre, her big break came in 2004 when she landed the role of Gabrielle Solis in the hit show Desperate Housewives. Herself and the cast of the show won the 2005 Screen Actor's Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared with Andrea Bowen, Ricardo Chavira, Marcia Cross, Steven Culp, Jamie Denton, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Cody Kasch, Jesse Metcalfe, Mark Moses, Nicollette Sheridan, and Brenda Strong)
In 2004 she also showed her acting talent on the big screen in Carlita's Secret, for which she was nominated for the DVDX Award for Best Actress.
Eva has been listed at the #1 spot in Maxim's Top 100 List for 2005. In 2005 she has also been signed as the L'Oreal image girl.
Besides modeling and her role on Desperate Housewives, this busy actress also stars in two movies being released next year, Harsh Times with Christian Bale and The Sentinel with Michael Douglas.
Other interests an hobbies: Salsa dancing and all types of sports.

Filmography :

*The Sentinel (2006)
When a plot to assassinate the President is discovered, a Secret Service agent who's having an affair with the First Lady becomes the main suspect.

* Foodfight! (2006)
When the lights are turned off and the doors are locked, chaos reigns supreme for the products in this grocery store.

*Harsh Times (2006)
A tough-minded drama about two friends in South Central Los Angeles and the violence the comes between them.

*Carlita's Secret (2004)
Eva Longoria (DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) stars as the title character in this steamy thriller. A young, beautiful, and talented woman, Carlita stands a good chance of fulfilling her ambition of being a Broadway star, until one fateful night in a Miami club when both her innocence and her dreams are shattered. Caught in the crossfire of a gunfight she had nothing to do with, Carlita is wrongly accused of murder and forced underground by both the police and the culprits. Changing her name and identity, she becomes the most popular entertainer in South Beach; she waits for the moment when she can clear her name without risking death or imprisonment. Playboy Playmate Alejandra Gutierrez also stars.

*Desperate Housewives (2004)

[TV-Series 2004-????]
Out of nowhere, suburban housewife Mary Alice Young takes her own life, then narrates the events that follow for us. The focus is on her four friends; there's man-hungry single mother Susan Mayer, ex-career woman and now mother of four Lynette Scarvo, Martha Stewart-on-steroids Bree Van De Kamp, and Gabrielle Solis, who has everything she's ever wanted but still can't find happiness. From her heavenly perch, Mary Alice sees all and offers her own twisted take on the weekly goings-on.

*Seסorita Justice (2003)
Anna Rios (Eva Longoria) took herself from a tough neighborhood to the life of a big-time attorney. After suffering a personal tragedy, however, she changed careers to become a member of the Miami police department---all in the name of revenge. Now, using her sex appeal and deadly feminine wiles, no crook is going to escape her clutches.

*The Young and the Restless (1973)

[TV-Series 1973-????]
Set in Genoa City, Wisconsin, The Young And The Restless is the thirty-year-old soap that centres on the saga between two wealthy families (the Newmans and the Abbotts) in the cosmetics industry. Head of the Newman clan is Victor Newman, the arrogant, cavorting billionaire and his wife Nikki; and running the Abbott show is Jack Abbott, the irresponsible, playboy CEO and his sister Ashley. Most of the show is centred on the competition between the two companies: Victor's Newman Enterprises and the Abbotts' Jabot.

popstarsplus.com, oceleb.com, westlord.com

Socialite Paris Hilton was born on February 17, 1981 in New York City into the Hilton family and, along with her three younger siblings, is heir-apparent to the vast Hilton hotel and real estate dynasty. Her childhood was spent in palatial dwellings in the priciest neighborhoods on both coasts and featured a brief flirtation with the educational system, including high schooling at the ultra-exclusive Dwight School, from which she dropped out and ultimately earned her high school GED.

Living the glitzy socialite life from a relatively early age, attending exclusive parties and being covered by the gossip press, Hilton apparently became hooked on obtaining celebrity status, which was perhaps furthered by the example of her mother, Kathy Richards, who had a brief acting career herself, mostly on TV. Hilton began a remarkable and well-financed campaign to put herself in the public eye, on screen, on television and in music. This effort has included a substantial amount of physical alteration. A naturally pleasant-looking girl, Hilton underwent extensive plastic surgery, hair coloring and tinted contact lenses in her attempt to reinvent herself as "hot". Sadly, money could not buy alteration of the physical attribute she most dislikes about herself: her exceptionally-large feet.

Some skeptics have guessed that the endless parade of inane inter-celebrity feuds centering around Hilton are, in fact, publicity stunts, another front in the campaign to keep her exposure level high. It has even been argued that the infamous home video of Hilton with then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, in which Hilton performs explicit romantic activities with Rick Salomon, was part of this campaign as well. If it was, it worked. For better or for worse, it made Hilton a household name overnight, and was even widely marketed as a video, 1 Night in Paris (2004) (V).

Eventually Hilton's efforts paid off and she got some modeling work, the designers presumably relying on her notoriety. She has been an increasing presence on-screen too, in TV commercials, on TV series and in the movies, at first bit parts in movies such as Zoolander (2001), Wonderland (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003) and guest-star roles on TV shows such as "The O.C." (2003) and "George Lopez" (2002), but later more substantial roles in horror flick House of Wax (2005), the direct-to-DVD _Bottom's Up (2006)_ and her own TV show, the fish-out-of-water reality series "The Simple Life" (2003).

Hilton also has plans to become a player in the music business, has recorded an album and even started her own music label, Heiress Records, in order to release it.

Hilton is widely scorned for what some see as her narcissism, shallow intellect and materialism and for other things besides, but she seems to be aware of the old adage that there's no such thing as bad publicity and it should be evident even to her detractors that she is ambitious and driven to achieve, rather than simply basking in her family's vast fortune, as do so many other socialites. In fact, performing is only part of her many activities and she has dabbled in designing, writing (one hastens to add, with a professional writer on the team), nightclub management and even marketing video games - all of which feature Paris Hilton, front and center.

Filmography :

# The Hottie and the Nottie (2008) (filming)
# Pledge This! (2006) (V) .... Victoria English
... aka National Lampoon's Pledge This! (USA: complete title)
# Bottoms Up (2006) .... Lisa Mancini
# House of Wax (2005) .... Paige Edwards
# "American Dreams" .... Barbara Eden (1 episode, 2005)
... aka Our Generation (Australia) (USA: working title)
- California Dreamin' (2005) TV Episode .... Barbara Eden
# "Veronica Mars" .... Catilin Ford (1 episode, 2004)
- Credit Where Credit's Due (2004) TV Episode .... Catilin Ford
# The Hillz (2004) .... Heather Smith
# Raising Helen (2004) .... Amber
# "The O.C." .... Kate (1 episode, 2004)
- The L.A. (2004) TV Episode .... Kate
# "George Lopez" .... Ashley (1 episode, 2004)
- Jason Tutors Max (2004) TV Episode .... Ashley
# "Las Vegas" .... Madison (1 episode, 2004)
- Things That Go Jump in the Night (2004) TV Episode .... Madison
# The Cat in the Hat (2003) .... Female Club-Goer
... aka Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (USA: complete title)
# Wonderland (2003) .... Barbie
# L.A. Knights (2003) .... Sadie
# QIK2JDG (2002) .... Strung-out Supermodel
# Nine Lives (2002) .... Jo
# Sweetie Pie (2000)
# Wishman (1991) .... Girl on Beach

from imdb.com

Brad Pitt was born on December 18, 1963 in Oklahoma and raised in Springfield, Missouri. His mother's name is Jane. His father, Bill, worked in management at a trucking firm in Springfield. At Kickapoo High School, Pitt was involved in sports, debating, student government and school musicals. Pitt attended the University of Missouri, where he majored in journalism with a focus on advertising. He occasionally acted in fraternity shows. He left college two credits short of graduating to move to California. Before he became successful at acting, Pitt supported himself by driving strippers in limos, moving refrigerators and dressing as a giant chicken while working for "el Pollo Loco."

One of the hottest men in Hollywood, this Oklahoma-born blond appeared in a handful of TV-movies and guest spots before becoming an overnight sensation with his sexy supporting turn as a robber in Thelma & Louise in 1991. Pitt graduated to leading roles in the Western Legends of the Fall and the bloodsucking blockbuster Interview with a Vampire, both in 1994, prompting People magazine to crown him the "Sexiest Man Alive" the next year. Fearing the label would limit his career, Pitt took on intense, often offbeat roles that proved he was more than just a pretty boy, such as a mentally unstable animal rights activist in 12 Monkeys (which earned him an Oscar nod) and the leader of an underground society in Fight Club. Pitt was again voted People's "sexiest man alive" in 2000. Finally ready to embrace his hunk status, Pitt played a suave, suit-clad criminal in Ocean's Eleven and a stunning shirtless warrior in Troy. He was more often in the spotlight thanks to his high-profile romances, including broken engagements to actresses Juliette Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow, and a seemingly perfect marriage to Jennifer Aniston that ended in 2005. She filed for divorce after rumors circulated that he had taken up with his Mr. & Mrs. Smith costar Angelina Jolie. In 2006, after months of tabloid coverage of "Brangelina" flying around the globe fighting for human rights and adopting children, the couple revealed that Jolie was pregnant with Pitt's child.

Filmography :

Actor
2007 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
2007 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2007 Ocean's Thirteen
2006 The Doctor, The Tornado & The Kentucky Kid
2006 Babel
2005 Mr. and Mrs. Smith
2005 Special Thanks to Roy London
2004 Ocean's Twelve
2004 Troy
2003 Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
2001 Ocean's Eleven
2001 Spy Game
2001 Growing Up Grizzly
2001 Celebrities: Caught On Camera
2001 The Mexican
2000 Snatch
1999 Fight Club
1998 Meet Joe Black
1998 Meet Joe Black
1997 The Devil's Own
1997 The Dark Side of the Sun
1997 Seven Years in Tibet
1996 Sleepers
1995 12 Monkeys
1995 Seven
1994 The Favor
1994 Legends of the Fall
1994 Filmmaking: Shadow Casting - The Making of "A River Runs Through It"
1994 Interview With the Vampire
1993 Kalifornia
1993 True Romance
1992 Johnny Suede
1992 A River Runs Through It
1992 Cool World
1992 Contact
1991 Thelma & Louise
1990 Too Young to Die?
1989 Across the Tracks
1989 The Image
1989 Cutting Class
1989 Happy Together
1988 A Stoning in Fulham County
Fighting for Freedom: Revolution & Civil War

Executive Producer
2005 God Grew Tired of Us

Producer
2008 Eat, Pray, Love
2007 A Mighty Heart
2007 Dirty Tricks
2007 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
2006 Running With Scissors
2006 The Departed

from imdb.com, starpulse.com, tvguide.com

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira -- or Ronaldinho Gaucho to nickname-happy Brazilians -- was born on March 21, 1980 in the southern city of Porto Alegre. Like most Brazilian soccer prodigies, he came from a poor family and was raised in the heart of the dirt road-laced settlements known as favelas. His name Ronaldinho, Portuguese for "little Ronaldo", was originally devised as a means of distinguishing between himself and fellow Brazilian football star Ronaldo, with the additional title Gaúcho being used when the current Ronaldo was also known as Ronaldinho. Among his many achievements and accolades, Ronaldinho has been awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice (2004, 2005), as well as the European Footballer of the Year award and the FIFPro World Player of the Year award (2005)

Ronaldinho's mother Miguelina is a former salesperson who later studied to become a nurse. His father João was a shipyard worker and footballer for Cruzeiro. The family moved to a more affluent home in Porto Alegre when Ronaldinho's older brother Roberto signed to play professional football for Grêmio. João died when Ronaldinho was eight, after suffering a heart attack while swimming in the family's pool. This house was given to Roberto Assis as a present from Gremio to convince him to stay at the club. At the time, Torino were interested in him. Injuries ended Roberto's career prematurely, and he now manages Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho's sister Deisi works as his press coordinator. Ronaldinho's son, named João after his father, was born on February 25, 2005. João's mother is Janaína Nattielle Viana Mendes, a former dancer on the Brazilian television show Domingão do Faustão.

Club career :

Grêmio
Ronaldinho's career began in the youth team at Porto Alegre club Grêmio, under head coach Celso Roth, who only played him due to immense pressure from the Gremio supporters. His first senior appearance came in the 1998 Libertadores Cup, and his penchant for goalscoring was quickly displayed, his career soon generating interest due to his phenomenal ball control and ability to score. This was followed by his introduction into the Brazilian national team in 1999.

Towards the end of his career at Grêmio, in 2001, many clubs from all over the world, particularly Premiership teams in England such as Arsenal who tried but failed, were eager to sign him as an attempt to attain a player who was both a "big name" and was also performing well. Despite several generous bids from Premiership teams (who would not have been able to sign him due to work permit restrictions) and several requests from Grêmio (they offered £ 7000-a-week), Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain FC, to which he moved at the beginning of the following season.

Paris Saint-Germain
In 2001 Ronaldinho left Grêmio to play European football. Despite bids from much larger clubs,[citation needed] he opted to play for PSG. During his time at PSG, the manager, Luis Fernandez, claimed that Ronaldinho was too focused on the Parisian nightlife rather than on his football, and complained that his holidays in Brazil would always drag on and never end at the scheduled times.

After the 2002 World Cup, having shown his worth on the international scene, there was no shortage of interest from bigger clubs. In 2003, Ronaldinho made it clear he wanted to leave PSG after they failed to qualify for any European competitions. Ronaldinho's desire to leave set off a bidding war among the top European clubs (Manchester United and FC Barcelona the notable examples) for his services. The club that ended up winning the battle for his services was FC Barcelona. Arsenal Football Club also wanted him, but he rejected it.

Barcelona
On July 19, 2003, FC Barcelona acquired Ronaldinho for £20 million. Originally, Barcelona chairman Joan Laporta had promised to bring David Beckham to the club, but following his transfer to Real Madrid, Barcelona entered the running for Ronaldinho and beat Manchester United to his signature. It was thought that a failure on the part of the English and French clubs to agree on a fee was the reason Manchester United's deal fell through. Ronaldinho is also said to have signed with Barcelona instead of Manchester United because of his friendship with former Nike executive in Brazil and Barcelona's then vice-president in charge of sports, Sandro Rosell. Ronaldinho's signing with Barcelona follows in the footsteps of a number of illustrious fellow countrymen who enjoyed successful careers with the club, including Romário, Ronaldo and Rivaldo.

National team

Ronaldinho made his first ever appearance for Brazil playing against Scotland (On the 7th of March 1995.) in an under 15s match, Brazil lost the game 1-0. After being a part of the Brazil youth squad that won the 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship, Ronaldinho debuted for the Brazilian national team on June 26, 1999 against Latvia. In his first tournament participation he scored on an individual play against Venezuela in the 1999 Copa América, a game that the Brazilian team won. On that same year he was both top player and scorer in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored a hat-trick against Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals to give Brazil a 8-2 win. Although Brazil lost to Mexico 4-3 in the final.

2002 World Cup

Ronaldinho played a part in Brazil's successful 2002 campaign to win the World Cup, forming the famed "3 R's" with Ronaldo and Rivaldo. One of the highlights of the tournament was an unconventional 30-yard free kick he scored against England in the quarter-finals in Shizuoka. The ball lobbed over the English keeper David Seaman, who was out of position as he expected a pass into the penalty area. He was sent off soon after for a foul on Danny Mills. Following the sending-off, he was suspended for the semifinal, but returned to Brazil's starting line-up for the 2-0 victory over Germany in the final.

2005 Confederations Cup

On June 29, 2005, he played a pivotal role as the captain of the Brazilian squad that won its second FIFA Confederations Cup title, and was named Man of the Match in a 4–1 victory over Argentina in the final.

2006 World Cup

In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldinho was a starting player for all of Brazil's five matches, but his performances were considered disappointing by both fans and commentators. He scored no goals and made only one assist (for Gilberto's goal in a 4-1 victory over Japan). When Brazil were eliminated by France 1-0 in the quarterfinal, he failed to make an impression.

Immediately after the World Cup disappointment, the team was criticized by many Brazilians, and vandals immolated and destroyed a 7.5-meter (23-foot) tall fiberglass and resin statue of Ronaldinho in the Brazilian city of Chapecó. The statue had been erected in 2004 to celebrate his first election as FIFA World Player of the Year.

Two days after the loss, Ronaldinho, joined by Adriano, returned to Barcelona and held a party at his home, which was continued into the early morning hours at a nightclub. This increased the feeling of Brazilian fans that they were betrayed by the lack of effort from their national team. This reaction contrasted with other players such as Rogerio Ceni, who was ashamed of the game and said "some defeats are marked by struggle, but we lost in an infelicitous way, that wasn't what we had hoped for"and Zé Roberto, who cried and said that "the unity that we had outside the pitch, lacked inside it".

After the World Cup

After the World Cup, he has played in three of five official matches under Dunga's command (one start and two substitute appearances). After coming off the bench against Ecuador, Ronaldinho excelled, creating the winning goal for Kaká and hitting the post twice.

from en.wikipedia.org

Pamela Denise Anderson was born July 1, 1967 in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada. Shortly after she was born, her parents, a furnace repairman and a waitress, moved to Comox, British Columbia, about 285 miles north of Vancouver. It was there one day in a library that Pamela's modeling career would start. Pamela was sitting listening to a story with a group of other children when a photographer captured a picture of her that won the hearts of all that viewed it. It was quickly copyrighted and placed in all the libraries in British Columbia.

Pamela's teen years weren't anything out of the ordinary, she had braces and she was small chested. She excelled in virtually every sport she played, earning the nick-name "Rubber-Band" for her flexibility. Upon graduating from Highland Secondary School in 1985, her yearbook entry stated that her aspiration in life was "To be a California Beach Bum". Pamela moved to Vancouver when she was 21, to get a taste of the big city and get on with her life. She was working as a fitness instructor when her direction in life changed.

It was the summer of 1989 when close friends of Pamela invited her to go to a Canadian Football League game with them. One of her friends was a representative for Labatt's breweries. A cameraman was roaming the crowd looking for someone to put up on the big screen, when he found Pamela. When he put her bright smiling face up on the screen, the place erupted! Labatt's noticed the response this woman generated, and the fact that she was wearing a Labatt's T- shirt her friend had given her. Labatt's offered Pam a job modeling as the "Blue Girl" for their products, and Pamela's posters were all over walls in bars and restaurants in Canada.

Ken Honey, a freelance photographer, took a few pictures of Pamela and talked her into submitting them to Playboy. Playboy seized the opportunity, and Pamela was off to Los Angeles to do the cover for their October '89 issue. The Playboy spread launched Pamela's career, yielding small parts on various TV shows. Then, in 1991, stared in the role of "Lisa", the "Tool-Time-Girl" on ABC Television's "Home Improvement". David Hasslehoff was a fan of the show and when he saw Pamela in the role of "Lisa", he knew he'd found a new lifeguard for his new series "Baywatch". C.J. Parker, Pamela's character name on Baywatch, was born. Pamela immediately jumped at the opportunity of Baywatch and she says that the character of C.J. and herself are very similar. Pamela's grandfather Herman, a native of Finland taught Pamela to believe in "New Age Thinking", crystals, meditation and dream interpretation. Pamela's character C.J. on Baywatch, portrays many of the same views.

Pamela has starred in several other roles outside of Baywatch, including an uncredited role in the 1992 flop, "The Taking of Beverly Hills". After that, she went on to star as "Felicity" in the thriller "Snapdragon". This one is highly recommended if you're a Pam fanatic. In 1994, she played the part of "Sarah" in the HBO movie "Raw Justice" with David Keith. Mickey Spillane's detective series, "Mike Hammer" came calling later that year and Pamela found herself playing the very beautiful "Velda". In 1995, Pamela played a quirky artist in the TV movie, "The Evolution of Mr. E.", adapted from the H.G. Wells book of the same name.

On New Year's Eve in 1994, Pamela was attending a party in New York, where she met Motley Crue drummer, Tommy Lee. He came right up to her and licked her face! They talked off and on, and after he begged her several times for her phone number, she finally gave in and let him have it. Tommy called Pamela over and over again for the next few weeks trying to arrange a date and in the first week of February 1995, he succeeded, only to be canceled on at the last moment. Pam had been called away to Cancun, Mexico to do a photo shoot for her sun-tan lotion product line.

Tommy determined to win over Pamela at any cost, and followed her to Cancun. After four days of courting and endless parties, the two were married on a beach. Pamela wearing a white bikini and Tommy wearing a set of shorts. After returning to L.A., they had wedding rings tattooed on their fingers inscribed with each others name.

Going against the advice of Nick Stevens, her personal manager, Pamela accepted the role to play futuristic bounty hunter "Barb Wire" for Dark Horse Comics and Gramercy Pictures. He thought it would be a tremendous mistake, but Pamela thought otherwise.

In May 1996, "Barb Wire" opened, with the soundtrack featuring a song Tommy wrote called "Planet Boom". While filming "Barb Wire", Pamela suffered a miscarriage, both Pam and Tommy were devastated. There wasn't really anyone or anything to blame other than the fact that Pamela, being the hard worker that she is, was simply overworked. Stress played it's toll on Pamela, filming Baywatch ten hours in the sun, and then filming some more at the set of "Barb Wire". Pamela has gone on to star in her own series, "V.I.P.", have a baby, have more tattoos, breast augmentations, and has now become one of the most photographed and widely admired women in the World.

Filmography :

# Blonde and Blonder (2007) (filming) .... Dee

# "Stacked" .... Skyler Dayton (20 episodes, 2005-2006)
- Poker (2006) TV Episode .... Skyler Dayton
- Romancing the Stones (2006) TV Episode .... Skyler Dayton
- After Party (2006) TV Episode .... Skyler Dayton
- You're Getting Sleepy (2006) TV Episode .... Skyler Dayton
- Goodwizzle Hunting (2005) TV Episode .... Skyler Dayton
(15 more)
# "8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter" .... Cheryl (2 episodes, 2005)
... aka 8 Simple Rules (USA: new title)
- Torn Between Two Lovers (2005) TV Episode .... Cheryl
- C.J.'s Temptation (2005) TV Episode .... Cheryl
# "Stripperella" .... Stripperella (Erotica Jones) (13 episodes, 2003-2004)
... aka Stan Lee's Stripperella (USA: complete title)
- The Curse of the WereBeaver (2004) TV Episode (voice) .... Stripperella (Erotica Jones)
- The Return of the Queen (2004) TV Episode (voice) .... Stripperella (Erotica Jones)
- Cheapo by the Dozen (2004) TV Episode (voice) .... Stripperella (Erotica Jones)
- The Evil Magicians (2004) TV Episode (voice) .... Stripperella (Erotica Jones)
- Eruption Junction, What's Your Function? (2004) TV Episode (voice) .... Stripperella (Erotica Jones)
(8 more)
# "Less Than Perfect" .... Vicki Devorski (1 episode, 2003)
- All About Claude (2003) TV Episode .... Vicki Devorski
# Scary Movie 3 (2003) .... Becca
... aka Scary Movie 3.5 (USA: DVD box title)
# Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003) (TV) .... C.J. Parker
# "King of the Hill" .... Cyndi (1 episode, 2002)
- The Fat and the Furious (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Cyndi
# V.I.P. (2001) (VG) (voice) .... Vallery Irons

# "Futurama" .... Dixie (1 episode, 1999)
- Fry and the Slurm Factory (1999) TV Episode (voice) .... Dixie
# "V.I.P." (1998) TV Series .... Vallery Irons (unknown episodes)
... aka V.I.P. - Die Bodyguards (Germany)
# "Home Improvement" .... Lisa (49 episodes, 1991-1997)
- The Kiss & the Kiss-Off (1997) TV Episode (as Pamela Lee) .... Lisa
- Tool Time After Dark: Part 1 (1995) TV Episode .... Lisa
- The Great Race (1993) TV Episode .... Lisa
- Birth of a Hot Rod (1993) TV Episode .... Lisa
- To Build or Not to Build (1993) TV Episode .... Lisa
(44 more)
# "Baywatch" .... Casey Jean 'C.J.' Parker / ... (16 episodes, 1992-1997)
... aka Baywatch Hawaii (USA: new title)
- Nevermore (1997) TV Episode .... Casey Jean 'C.J.' Parker
- Short Sighted (1994) TV Episode .... Casey Jean 'C.J.' Parker
- Tower of Power (1993) TV Episode .... Casey Jean 'C.J.' Parker
- Ironman Buchannon (1993) TV Episode .... Casey Jean 'C.J.' Parker
- Submersion (1993) TV Episode .... Casey Jean 'C.J.' Parker
(11 more)
# "The Nanny" .... Heather Biblow-Imperiali (2 episodes, 1997)
- The Heather Biblow Story (1997) TV Episode (as Pamela Lee) .... Heather Biblow-Imperiali
- Danny's Dead and Who's Got the Will? (1997) TV Episode .... Heather Biblow-Imperiali
# "Saturday Night Live" .... Host (1 episode, 1997)
... aka SNL (USA: informal title)
... aka SNL 25 (USA: alternative title)
- Episode #22.18 (1997) TV Episode (as Pamela Lee) .... Host
# Barb Wire (1996) (as Pamela Anderson Lee) .... Barbara 'Barb Wire' Kopetski
# Baywatch: Forbidden Paradise (1995) (V) .... C.J. Parker
# Naked Souls (1995) .... Britt
# Come Die with Me: A Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mystery (1994) (TV) .... Velda
# Raw Justice (1994) .... Sarah
... aka Good Cop Bad Cop (UK)
... aka Skip-Tracer
# Snapdragon (1993) .... Felicity
# "Days of Our Lives" (1965) TV Series .... Cindy (unknown episodes, 1992)
... aka Cruise of Deception: Days of Our Lives (USA: summer title)
... aka DOOL (USA: informal short title)
... aka Days (USA: short title)
# The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991) (uncredited) .... Cheerleader
... aka Boomer: The Taking of Beverly Hills
# "Married with Children" .... Cashew / ... (2 episodes, 1990-1991)
- Route 666: Part 2 (1991) TV Episode .... Cashew
- Al... with Kelly (1990) TV Episode .... Yvette
# "Top of the Heap" .... Romona (1 episode, 1991)
- Behind the Eight Ball (1991) TV Episode .... Romona
# "Married People" .... Dancer #1 (1 episode, 1991)
- The Nanny (1991) TV Episode .... Dancer #1
# "Charles in Charge" .... Chris (1 episode, 1990)
- Teacher's Pest (1990) TV Episode .... Chris

from celebritysun.com, imdb.com

Rupert Murdoch was born in Melbourne, Australia on March 11, 1931. In 1937 he moved to Britain where he was raised and eventually attended Oxford University. He is a major shareholder and managing director of News Corporation, one of the world’s largest and most influential media corporations, and owner of some of Australia, America and Britain’s most popular media and news publications.

His father Sir Keith Murdoch became Australia's most influential newspaper executive, directing the Melbourne-based Herald and Weekly Times Ltd. After his father’s death in 1952, Rupert returned to Australia to take over the running of his business and to inherit a considerable fortune but was left with a relatively modest inheritance.

During the next few years he established himself in the media arena while expanding his holdings acquiring newspapers including the Sydney afternoon paper, The Daily Mirror and also a small Sydney based recording company called Festival Records. In 1964 Murdoch started The Australian, Australia's first national daily newspaper, which renewed Murdoch’s name as a quality newspaper publisher.

Murdoch moved to Britain in the mid 1960s and soon turned himself into a major media force after acquiring the News of the World, The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times. At this time Murdoch was also able to acquire leading newspapers and magazines in London and New York, as well as many other media holdings.

In 1972 he acquired the Sydney Daily Telegraph making him one of the big three Australian newspaper proprietors. In 1987 he bought The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd in Australia, the very company his father once managed. By 1991 News Corporation had amassed huge debts which resulted in Murdoch selling many of his American magazines.

In 1995 News Corporation with the backing of Telstra launched the Foxtel pay TV network in Australia, and then a year later Foxtel launched the Fox News Channel, a 24 hour news channel which reflected Murdoch's conservative views. Fox News has consistently taken ratings from CNN and is now considered the most watched cable news channel.

In 1999 Murdoch extended his music interests in Australia by acquiring Mushroom Records which he merged with his Festival Records company as Festival Mushroom Records (FMR). In recent years Rupert Murdoch’s son Lachlan Murdoch has started to take over management of News Corporation and will eventually take over his father’s role.

Murdoch’s personal life has suffered 2 failed marriages with his first marriage ending after only a few years. His second marriage was to journalist Anna Murdoch one of his employee’s to whom he had 3 children. However they were divorced in 1998 after Murdoch had an affair with another employee, Wendi Deng who was 40 years his junior, they married soon afterwards. Rupert Murdoch’s net worth is estimated at 6.9 billion.

studies :

Murdoch-watching has become a minor industry. Among the more entertaining products are the batch from News executives, including Full Disclosure (London: Macmillan 1996) by former Economist and Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil; Good Times, Bad Times (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson 1983) by former editor Harold Evans and the less splenetic Sundry Times (London: John Murray 1986) by former editor Harold Giles.

There is a more positive account in Dennis Hamilton's Editor-in-Chief: Fleet Street Memoirs (London: Hamish Hamilton 1989), Chance Governs All (London: Macmillan 2001) by Marmaduke Hussey and The Pearl of Days: An Intimate Memoir of The Sunday Times 1822-1972 (London: Hamish Hamilton 1972) by Harold Hobson, Phillip Knightley & Leonard Russell.

Among journalistic bios we have read but don't recommend Thomas Kiernan's bracing Citizen Murdoch (New York: Dodd Mead 1986), the superficial Murdoch (London: Piatkus 1989) by Jerome Tuccille and the doom-&-gloom Murdoch: The Decline of An Empire (London: Macdonald 1991) by Richard Belfield, Christopher Hird & Sharon Kelly: the show isn't over until the fat lady (or corporate receiver) sings.

Barefaced Cheek: Rupert Murdoch (London: Hodder & Stoughton 1983) is a glib effort by Michael Leapman, better known for his more interesting Treachery: The Power Struggle at TV AM (Unwin Hyman, London 1989), an account of gameplaying by David Frost, Murdoch, Bruce Gyngell and others. Rupert Murdoch: A Business Biography (London: Angus & Robertson 1976) by Simon Regan has an in-house flavour midway through Murdoch's colonisation of the UK.

Tabloid Baby: An Uncensored Account of Revolution That Gave Birth to 21st Century Television News Broadcasting (New York: Celebrity Books 1999) by Burt Kearns is a tabloid-flavoured expose of the birth of the Fox television network, now the fourth member of the 'Big Three' national networks in the US.

It replaces Alex Block's Outfoxed: Marvin Davis, Rupert Murdoch, Joan Rivers & the Inside Story of America's 4th Television Network (New York: St Martins 1990). That was news but is now heading, like most tabloids, to fish & chip wrapper status. Matthew Horsman's Sky High (London: Orion 1998) is a more positive account of BSkyB, the Murdoch-dominated satellite broadcaster, than Dished! The Rise and Fall of the British Satellite Broadcasting (London: Simon & Schuster 1991) by Peter Chippindale & Suzanne Franks.

Stuart Crainer's Business the Rupert Murdoch Way: 10 Secrets of the World's Greatest Dealmaker (Oxford: Capstone 1999) is disappointing, consistent with others in the series such as Business the Bill Gates Way (one secret of Bill = "Be True To Yourself").

Save your money and buy Jock Given's The Death of Broadcasting (Sydney: Uni of NSW Press 1999). Trevor Barr's thoughtful Newmedia.com.au: The Changing Face of Australia's Media and Communications (St Leonards: Allen & Unwin 2000) is essential reading in understanding the interaction between politicians, bureaucrats, business, consumers and technology.

AFR journalist Mark Westfield offers a blow by blow account of Foxtel and News' local pay television adventures in The Gatekeepers: The Global Media Battle to control Australia's Pay TV (Annandale: Pluto Press 2000). There's a dry account of Foxtel in Cento Veljanovski's 72 page IPA paper (PDF) on Pay TV in Australia: Markets & Mergers. Both should be read in conjunction with Vertical Integration in Cable Television (Cambridge: MIT Press 1997) by David Waterman & Andrew Weiss.

Murdoch will remain of significance as the catalyst for restructuring Fleet Street (with just a little help from his friends Margaret Thatcher and the electricians union). As a starting point consult Timothy Marjoribank's News Corporation, Technology & the Workplace: Global Strategies, Local Change (Cambridge: Cambridge Uni Press 2000).

Charles Wintour's The Rise & Fall of Fleet Street (Hutchinson: London 1989) and The Market For Glory (London: Faber 1986) by Simon Jenkins offer perspectives on 'old media' in the UK, further explored in the Fleet Street page.

For the Sun see Stick It Up Your Punter: The Uncut Story of the Sun Newspaper (London: Simon & Schuster 1999) by Peter Chippindale & Chris Horrie. There is an elegant account of the TLS in Critical Times: The History of the Times Literary Supplement (New York: HarperCollins 2001) by Derwent May. For the New York Post ('headless body in topless bar'), the Star and trash-tv show Hard Copy see Jeannette Walls' Dish: How Gossip became the News and the News became just another Show (New York: Perennial 2000), discussed here.

Andrew Harris' Selling Hitler (London: Faber 1987), about the 'Hitler Diaries' fiasco, is a romp. All in all, Murdoch comes out of that hoax looking quite astute, which is more than can be said for patricians and experts such as Hugh Trevor-Roper and William Rees-Mogg.

For HarperCollins see Eugene Exman's The Brothers Harper: a unique publishing partnership and its impact upon the cultural life of America from 1817 to 1853 (New York: Harper & Row 1965), David Keir's The House of Collins (London: Collins 1952) and works such as John Tebbel's four volume A History of Book Publishing In America (New York: Oxford Uni Press 1972-81) or Thomas Whiteside's The Blockbuster Complex: Conglomerates, Show Business & Book Publishing (Middletown: Wesleyan Uni Press 1981).

For Ansett see Ansett: The Collapse (South Melbourne: Lothian 2002) by Geoff Easdown & Peter Wilms. Media Mayhem: Playing with the Big Boys in Media (Melbourne: Brolga 2005) by former H&WT chief executive John D'Arcy offers insights on the Herald & Weekly Times takeover.


from investingvalue.com, ketupa.net

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Through his military exploits and his ruthless efficiency, Napoleon rose from obscurity to become Napoleon I, Empereur des Francais (Emperor of the French). He is both a historical figure and a legend—and it is sometimes difficult to separate the two. The events of his life fired the imaginations of great writers, film makers, and playwrights whose works have done much to create the Napoleonic legend.

Napoleon decided on a military career when he was a child, winning a scholarship to a French military academy. His meteoric rise shocked not only France but all of Europe, and his military conquests threatened the stability of the world.

Napoleon was one of the greatest military commanders in history. He has also been portrayed as a power hungry conqueror. Napoleon denied being such a conqueror. He argued that he was building a federation of free peoples in a Europe united under a liberal government. But if this was his goal, he intended to achieve it by taking power in his own hands. However, in the states he created, Napoleon granted constitutions, introduced law codes, abolished feudalism, created efficient governments and fostered education, science, literature and the arts.

Emperor Napoleon proved to be an excellent civil administrator. One of his greatest achievements was his supervision of the revision and collection of French law into codes. The new law codes—seven in number—incorporated some of the freedoms gained by the people of France during the French revolution, including religious toleration and the abolition of serfdom. The most famous of the codes, the Code Napoleon or Code Civil, still forms the basis of French civil law. Napoleon also centralized France's government by appointing prefects to administer regions called departments, into which France was divided.

While Napoleon believed in government "for" the people, he rejected government "by" the people. His France was a police state with a vast network of secret police and spies. The police shut down plays containing any hint of disagreement or criticism of the government. The press was controlled by the state. It was impossible to express an opinion without Napoleon's approval.

Napoleon's own opinion of his career is best stated in the following quotation:

I closed the gulf of anarchy and brought order out of chaos. I rewarded merit regardless of birth or wealth, wherever I found it. I abolished feudalism and restored equality to all regardless of religion and before the law. I fought the decrepit monarchies of the Old Regime because the alternative was the destruction of all this. I purified the Revolution.

from lucidcafe.com

Shilpa Shetty was born on June 8, 1975, to Surendra Shetty and Sunanda Shetty. Not many people are aware that Shilpa's parents were models in their time. Her mother had modelled for Forhans, Bournvita and her father for Yera glasses. So after tenth standard (grade), when Shilpa had some free time, she went up to a photographer opposite her building and asked him to take her pictures. She gave her photographs to various ad agencies and work started coming in.

At that time, Shilpa was only 15 and wanted to become a ramp model but she didn't get in because she was only 5'7" and not as skinny and tall as other models. She was heart broken when they rejected her. But Shilpa became couple of inches taller later.

Shilpa had no background in acting, but at the age of 17, she was offered the leading role in her first film Gaata Rahe Mera Dil opposite Rahul Roy. But sadly the film never got completed and was stalled. But the offer didn't stop there, the next film she was offered was Baazigar, opposite Shahrukh Khan and Kajol. Which became a super hit and Shilpa earned a Filmfare nomination for Best New Comer.

Next, Shilpa signed two films with Govinda and both flopped and things seem to get worse. But it was her one song 'Churake Dil Mera' in Main Khiladi Tu Anari opposite her ex-boyfriend Akshay Kumar, which completely gave Shilpa a new image in Bollywood. She became the hottest thing ever to happen in Bollywood and she recieved more praise for her (5'10") body than her performances. Her films flopped one after the another and at one point, she thought of quiting.

By that time, Shilpa had already worked in couple of films in Telugu and Tamil. Then she signed Pardesi Babu opposite Govinda and Raveena Tandon. The film flopped but Shilpa won the 'Best Supporting Actress' award at the Zee Gold Bollywood Award.

Again, another two films Jaanwar and Lal Baadshah flopped. By then the industry had written off Shilpa until her special appearance song 'Main Aayi Hoon U.P. Bihar Lootne' brought her back. The film Shool became a hit and Shilpa's song spreaded like a wild fire.

In 2000, Shilpa starred opposite Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty in director Dharmesh Darshan's Dhadkan. The film that redefined Shilpa Shetty. Shilpa was finally noticed for her acting abilities. Shilpa earned a IIFA (International Indian Film Awards) award in the 'Best Actress' category. The film itself became an average at the box office.

Than followed some hit films like Kushi (Tamil), Preethsod Thappa (Kannada), and Indian (Hindi).

In 2002, Shilpa had five films ready for release. Badhaai Ho Badhaai, Chor Machaaye Shor, Hathyar, Karz, and Rishtey. Sadly all the films flopped and even worst, Karz and Rishtey released on the same day. But not everything was sad in 2002. In Hathyar, Shilpa bagged more praise for her role than her co-star Sanjay Dutt. And in Rishtey, Shilpa was reported as the only good thing about the film. She recieved two nominations in the 'Best Comedian' category, one by the Screen Awards and the other by Sansui Viewers Choice Movie Awards. And Filfare nominated her in the Best Supporting Actress category.

Shilpa recieved mixed reviews in 2003 for her role in Darna Mana Hai and her film with Ravichandran Ondagona Baa (Kannada) became a hit.

Shilpa's first release in 2004 was director Punit Issar Garv, opposite her close friend Salman Khan. Shilpa only had songs in the film, but the film managed to became a hit. Then came director Revathy's Phir Milenge opposite Abhishek Bachchan and Salman Khan. Phir Milenge dealt with HIV/AIDS issue where Shilpa played the victim (Tamanna) of an HIV positive. Phir Milenge changed every critics image of Shilpa. She recieved great reviews for her performance. She was awarded by the Giant International Award for Phir Milenge. Indo-Pak's Young Achiever also awarded Shilpa.

In 2004, Shilpa was nominated in the 'Best Actress' category at every award ceramony, including Filmfare, IIFA, and Screen Awards to name a few. But in a film industry where the 'popular' people rules, Shilpa was ignored yet again by every single award ceramonies.

In 2005, AAHOA awarded Shilpa for her role in Phir Milenge. Shilpa appeared in director Deepak Tijori's Khamosh where she played a call-girl. Shilpa was cast opposite her sister Shamita Shetty in Fareb alongside Manoj Bajpai. Also directed by Deepak Tijori. Shilpa also appeared in the multi-starrer Dus. Directed by Anubhav Sinha. Shilpa managed to over shadow the guys in Dus with her actions, especially the high kick. Recently Shilpa's film Auto Shankar opposite Upendra released and now confirmed to be doing great at the box office.

Filmography :

1993 Baazigar
1994 Aag
1994 Haathkadi
1994 Main Khiladi Tu Anari
1995 Aao Pyaar Karen
1995 Gambler
1996 Chhote Sarkar
1996 Himmat
1997 Saagar Kanya (Hindi)
1997 Auzaar
1997 Insaaf
1997 Mr. Romeo
1997 Prithvi
1997 Veedeva Dani Babu (Telegu)
1997 Zameer
1998 Aakrosh
1998 Pardesi Babu
1999 Jaanwar
1999 Lal Baadshah
1999 Shool
2000 Azad (Telugu)
2000 Dhadkan
2000 Jung
2000 Kushi (Tamil)
2000 Tarkieb
00/01 Preethsod Thappa (Kannada)
2001 Bhalevadevi Basu (Telugu)
2001 Indian
2002 Badhaai Ho Badhaai
2002 Chor Machaaye Shor
2002 Hathyar
2002 Karz - The Burden of Truth
2002 Rishtey
2003 Darna Mana Hai
2003 Ondagona Baa (Kannada)
2004 Garv - Pride & Honour
2004 Phir Milenge
2005 Khamosh
2005 Fareb
2005 Dus
2005 Auto Shankar (Kannada)

Award Nominations:

1993
- Best debut for Baazigar - Filmfare Awards

1998
- Best supporting actress for Pardesi Babu - Zee Gold Bollywood Awards

2000
- Best actress for Dhadkan - IIFA Awards

2002
- Best supporting actress for Rishtey - Filmfare Awards
- Best comedian for Rishtey - Screen Awards
- Best comedian for Rishtey - Sansui Viewers Choice Movie Awards

2004
- Best Actress for Phir Milenge - Screen Awards
- Best Actress for Phir Milenge - Sports World Film Awards
- Best Actress for Phir Milenge - Filmfare Awards
- Best Actress for Phir Milenge - Zee Cine Awards
- Best Actress for Phir Milenge - IIFA Awards
- Best Actress for Phir Milenge - Bollywood Awards
- Best Actress for Phir Milenge - Sansui Viewers Choice Movie Awards

Award(s) Won:
1998
- Best Supporting Actress for Pardesi Babu - Zee Gold Bollywood Awards

Special Award Won:
2004
- Giant International Awards for Phir Milenge
- Indo-Pak's Young Achiever Awards for Phir Milenge

2005
- AAHOA awards for Phir Milenge

from shilpa-shetty.com

Lindsay Dee Lohan was born in New York City, on 2 July 1986, to Dina Lohan and Michael Lohan. She began her career at age three as a Ford model, and also made appearances in over sixty television commercials, including spots for The Gap, Pizza Hut, Wendy's, and Jell-O (opposite Bill Cosby). Lohan made her acting debut in 1996 as the third actress to play Ali Fowler in the television drama "Another World" (1964). Shortly afterward, she was hand-picked by Oscar-nominated writer Nancy Meyers as estranged twin sisters in an adaptation by Walt Disney Pictures of a novel by Erich Kästner, which marked Meyers' directorial debut. Lohan's first feature film, The Parent Trap (1998), a remake of The Parent Trap (1961), was a modest commercial success, earning her widespread critical acclaim, and a Young Artist award for Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film, as well as Blockbuster Entertainment and YoungStar award nominations.

After signing a three-movie contract with Disney, she returned to the small screen to star in the made-for-TV movies Life-Size (2000) (TV) (opposite Tyra Banks) and Get a Clue (2002) (TV) (opposite Bug Hall). She also appeared as Rose in the pilot episode of the short-lived comedy series "Bette" (2000), which starred Bette Midler.

In June 2001, Lohan took a brief hiatus from acting. Her music career was launched over a year later, when Estefan Enterprises made a five-album production deal with her in September 2002, and she signed a recording contract with the reactivated Casablanca Records.

But Lohan was not turning her back on her blossoming acting career. Just over a month previously, she had been cast opposite Jamie Lee Curtis for another Disney adaptation of a novel, this time of a fantasy comedy by Mary Rodgers. Freaky Friday (2003), a remake of Freaky Friday (1976), was a huge hit (generating over US$160 million in worldwide box office receipts), and critics were spellbound by delightful performances from Lohan and Curtis (who went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for her work). In addition, Lohan won the 2004 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Female, as well as a Saturn award nomination and another Young Artist award nomination.

Lohan relocated permanently to Los Angeles, California, between projects, and moved into an apartment with fellow actress Raven. She also dated pop star Aaron Carter for a short time.

Lohan's next acting role was the title character in the comedy Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), a Disney adaptation of the novel by Dyan Sheldon. The film received scathing reviews upon its release and died a quick death at the box office, but even the harshest of critics were impressed by Lohan's charming turn as aspiring actress Lola.

Lohan's next project, Mean Girls (2004) saw her reunite with Freaky Friday (2003) director Mark Waters. Inspired by a non-fiction book by Rosalind Wiseman and written by "Saturday Night Live" (1975) scribe Tina Fey, the high-school comedy-drama opened to glowing reviews, and grossed $86 million in the US. This earned her status as a bankable actress, and a salary of $7.5 million for the Donald Petrie romantic comedy _Just My Luck (2005)_ .

One of the most sought-after young actresses in the industry, she is staring in _Bobby (2006)_ (opposite Nick Cannon), _Fashionistas (2005)_ (based on the novel by Lynn Messina), the high school dramas _Dramarama (2006)_ , _Gossip Girl (2006)_ (based on the novel by Cecily von Ziegesar), and the Disney fantasy adventure _Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)_ (a pseudo-sequel to The Love Bug (1968)). On top of a thriving film career, Lohan released her debut album, called "Speak," which hit shelves in December 2004.

In her spare time, Lohan enjoys swimming, basketball, shopping, singing, reading, writing, gymnastics, collecting Beanie Babies, roller-blading, and playing with her siblings Ali Lohan, Dakota and Michael Lohan.

Filmography

# The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2008) (pre-production) .... Fisher Willow
# The Best Time of Our Lives (2008) (pre-production) .... Caitlin
# Speechless (2007) (pre-production) .... Sara
# A Woman of No Importance (2007) (pre-production)
# I Know Who Killed Me (2008) (filming) .... Aubrey
# Georgia Rule (2007) (completed) .... Rachel

# Chapter 27 (2007) .... Jude
# Bobby (2006) .... Diane
# Just My Luck (2006) .... Ashley Albright
# "Saturday Night Live" .... Host (2 episodes, 2004-2006)
... aka SNL (USA: informal title)
... aka SNL 25 (USA)
- Episode #31.17 (2006) TV Episode .... Host
- Episode #29.18 (2004) TV Episode .... Host
# Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards '06 (2006) (TV)
# A Prairie Home Companion (2006) .... Lola Johnson
# Herbie Fully Loaded (2005) .... Maggie Peyton
# "That '70s Show" .... Danielle (1 episode, 2004)
- Mother's Little Helper (2004) TV Episode .... Danielle
# "King of the Hill" .... Jenny Medina (1 episode, 2004)
- Talking Shop (2004) TV Episode (voice) .... Jenny Medina
# Mean Girls (2004) .... Cady Heron
# Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004) .... Mary Elizabeth Cep/Lola
# Freaky Friday (2003) .... Anna Coleman
# Get a Clue (2002) (TV) .... Lexy Gold
# "Bette" (2000) TV Series .... Rose #1 (unknown episodes, 2000)
# Life-Size (2000) (TV) .... Casey Stuart

# The Parent Trap (1998) .... Hallie Parker/Annie James
... aka Disney's The Parent Trap (USA: complete title)
# "Late Night with David Letterman" .... Trick-or-Treater Dressed as Garbage (1 episode, 1992)
- Episode dated 29 October 1992 (1992) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Trick-or-Treater Dressed as Garbage


from imdb.com

Pablo Picasso was born on October 25, 1881, in Málaga, Spain.
The son of an academic painter, José Ruiz Blanco, he began to draw at an early age.
In 1895, the family moved to Barcelona, and Picasso studied there at La Lonja, the academy of fine arts.
His visit to Horta de Ebro from 1898 to 1899 and his association with the group at the café Els Quatre Gats about 1899 were crucial to his early artistic development.
In 1900, Picasso’s first exhibition took place in Barcelona, and that fall he went to Paris for the first of several stays during the early years of the century.
Picasso settled in Paris in April 1904, and soon his circle of friends included Guillaume Apollinaire, Max Jacob, Gertrude and Leo Stein, as well as two dealers, Ambroise Vollard and Berthe Weill.

His style developed from the Blue Period (1901–04) to the Rose Period (1905) to the pivotal work Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), and the subsequent evolution of Cubism [more] from an Analytic phase (ca. 1908–11), through its Synthetic phase (beginning in 1912–13).
Picasso’s collaboration on ballet and theatrical productions began in 1916. Soon thereafter, his work was characterized by neoclassicism and a renewed interest in drawing and figural representation.
In the 1920s, the artist and his wife, Olga (whom he had married in 1918), continued to live in Paris, to travel frequently, and to spend their summers at the beach.
From 1925 into the 1930s, Picasso was involved to a certain degree with the Surrealists, and from the fall of 1931 he was especially interested in making sculpture.
In 1932, with large exhibitions at the Galeries Georges Petit, Paris, and the Kunsthaus Zürich, and the publication of the first volume of Christian Zervos’s catalogue raisonné, Picasso’s fame increased markedly.

By 1936, the Spanish Civil War had profoundly affected Picasso, the expression of which culminated in his painting Guernica (1937, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid).
Picasso’s association with the Communist Party began in 1944.
From the late 1940s, he lived in the South of France.
Among the enormous number of Picasso exhibitions that were held during the artist’s lifetime, those at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1939 and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, in 1955 were most significant.
In 1961, the artist married Jacqueline Roque, and they moved to Mougins.
There Picasso continued his prolific work in painting, drawing, prints, ceramics, and sculpture until his death April 8, 1973.

Among the pictures

Le Moulin de la Galette, autumn 1900
Woman Ironing, 1904
Fernande with a Black Mantilla, 1905–06
Carafe, Jug, and Fruit Bowl, summer 1909
Accordionist, Céret, summer 1911
Landscape at Céret, summer 1911
The Poet, August 1911
Pipe, Glass, Bottle of Vieux Marc, spring 1914
Mandolin and Guitar, 1924
The Studio, 1928
Woman with Yellow Hair, December 1931
On the Beach, February 12, 1937
Two Doves with Wings Spread, March 16–19, 1960
Lobster and Cat, January 11, 1965


from guggenheim.org

Kate Elizabeth Winslet was born on October 5th, 1975, in Reading, England, to father Roger and mother Sally Bridges-Winslet. She has two sisters, Anna and Beth, and a brother named Joss. Acting was in the family. Two of her father's forebears - twins - appeared in vaudeville. Her mother's parents, Oliver and Linda, had run the Reading Repertory Theatre, and her uncle Robert Bridges had appeared in many productions, most notably as Mr Bumble in the original West End version of Oliver! Her father, too, was a thespian by trade (Anna and Beth have also followed this path), performing mostly onstage, but also appearing on a couple of episodes of Casualty, a show that provided one of Kate's earliest appearances.
With her heart set on an acting career, the precocious, focused and absurdly mature Kate was not to be denied. Stage school was what she wanted so, when her father expressed reservations while on family holiday on a Norfolk beach, she pinned him to the sand (with her not inconsiderable bulk) until he let her have her way. So it was that, at age 11, she auditioned for and was enrolled at Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead. Here she would appear onstage in a host of productions, including Peter Pan and Adrian Mole, but she found it a strange and difficult place. She's described it as "very competitive, very unreal" and her background made her an outsider, with many of her classmates hailing from rich families and often popping off for a few weeks in Barbados. Her weight set her further apart. This was where she earned the nickname Blubber and found herself mercilessly teased and occasionally locked in the art-room cupboard. from tiscali.co.uk
Currently, Kate has the starring role (she beats out Leonardo in my mind) in James Cameron's amazing, heart-wrenching, wonderful Titanic, as Rose Dewitt Bukater, the 17-year old wild beauty trapped in the heart of Philidelphia high society. Kate got a second Oscar nomination for her part as Rose (also a Golden Globe nomination, which, unfourtunately, went to Judi Densch, who is also an incredible actress, but still...) Kate also recieved a nomination for best actress from the Screen Actors Guild Awards. If you haven't yet seen Titanic, run, don't walk, to you're nearest movie theatre. You won't be sorry!Kate's future projects include a movie called Hideous Kinky, which is set to be released in June, 1998. The film has yet to be picked up by a North American production company, but hopefully that will change! It is based on the novel of the same title by Anna Freud (grandaughter of the famous Sigmund). Kate stars as a young British mother of two in the 1960's who is travelling around Morroco with her two young daughters. She also slated to do a new film with director Jane Campion called Holy Smoke. from starglimpse.com

Filmography

The Holiday (2006)
Flushed Away (voice) (2006)
Little Children (2006)
All the King's Men (2006)
Deep Sea 3-D (narrator) (2006)
Extras (TV series, one episode) (2005)
Romance And Cigarettes (2005)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Pride (TV, voice) (2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Inside The Actors' Studio (TV series, one episode) (2004)
Nefertiti Revealed (TV, narrator) (2003)
Plunge: The Movie (2003)
The Life of David Gale (2003)
Iris (2002)
War Game (short, voice) (2001)
Christmas Carol: The Movie (voice) (2001)
Enigma (2001)
Comic Relief: Short Pants (TV, as herself) (2001)
Quills (2000)
Faeries (voice) (1999)
Holy Smoke (1999)
Ready, Steady, Cook (TV series, one episode) (1998)
Titanic: Breaking New Ground (TV) (1998)
Hideous Kinky (1998)
Titanic (1997)
Hamlet (1996)
Jude (1996)
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
A Kid In King Arthur's Court (1995)
Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Get Back (TV series) (1992)
Anglo-Saxon Attitudes (TV) (1991)
Dark Season (TV series) (1991)
Casualty (TV, one episode) (1989)
Shrinks (TV) (1988)

He was born Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio on the 11th of November, 1974, in Hollywood, to Italian-American comic distributor George DiCaprio and his German-American wife Irmalin, a legal secretary who'd go on to become Leonardo's manager. The boy's unusual name was chosen when he kicked his pregnant mother from the inside while she was viewing a Da Vinci in the Uffizi, the Wilhelm coming from a German relative - and not some dubious tribute to the Kaiser.
DiCaprio acted in his first real play and began doing commercials, educational films, and the occasional stint on the Saturday morning show The New Lassie. In 1990, after securing his first full-time agent at the age of 15, DiCaprio landed a role as a teenage alcoholic on the daytime drama Santa Barbara. He also continued to appear on other TV shows, such as The Outsiders and Parenthood, and made his film debut in the 1991 horror film Critters 3. The actor got the first of many big breaks with a recurring role on the weekly sitcom Growing Pains. His portrayal of a homeless boy won him sufficient notice to get him an audition for Michael Caton-Jones' upcoming screen adaptation of Tobias Wolff's This Boy's Life. DiCaprio won the film's title role after beating out 400 other young actors and it proved to be his career breakthrough. The 1993 film, and DiCaprio's performance, won raves and the actor further increased the adulation surrounding him when, later that year, he played Johnny Depp's mentally retarded younger brother in Lasse Hallström's What's Eating Gilbert Grape. DiCaprio won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance, and at the tender age of 19, found himself being hailed as an actor to watch.

Filmography

Blood Diamond (2006)
The Departed (2006)
The Aviator (2004)
Catch Me If You Can (2003)
Gangs Of New York (2003)
Concert For New York City (TV, as himself) (2001)
Don's Plum (2001)
The Beach (2000)
Celebrity (1998)
The Man In The Iron Mask (1998)
Titanic (1997)
David Blaine: Street Magic (TV, as himself) (1996)
Marvin's Room (1996)
Romeo And Juliet (1996)
Total Eclipse (1995)
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
The Quick And The Dead (1995)
The Hundred And One Nights Of Simon Cinema (1995)
The Foot Shooting Party (short) (1994)
What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)
This Boy's Life (1993)
Poison Ivy (1992)
Growing Pains (TV series) (1991-1992)
Critters 3 (1991)
Roseanne (TV series, one episode) (1991)
Parenthood (TV series) (1990)
The Outsiders (TV series, one episode) (1990)
The New Lassie (TV series, one episode) (1989)
Santa Barbara (TV series) (1989)

tiscali.co.uk, movies.aol.com

David Robert Joseph Beckham was born on the 2nd of May 1975, in Leytonstone, London, England, and if this was a movie commercial, I guess it would say: "He was born to be a soccer player!" - Because that is what he always wanted to be.

His talent was obvious at an early age, but talent alone is not enough, because the world is full of talented people who didn't become anything. But his father would make sure David's talent wasn't wasted, as he was doing a lot of practicing with his son, especially passing and crossing the ball - the very trademark of Beckham today: the pinpoint accurate crosses.

All this training was soon to pay off. In 1986, aged 11, David Beckham won a Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills Award. The trophy was presented at Old Trafford; a place that would later become like another home to David. Also included in the prize for winning the Soccer Skills Award was a trip to FC Barcelona to train with them for two weeks under Terry Venables, Barcelona’s coach at that time.

The Dream Comes True
Naturally, Beckham's talent didn't go unnoticed for long and he was invited to have trials with Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur's School of Excellence, but it was Manchester United that was the lucky winner in securing the signing of David Beckham as a trainee in 1991. Well, actually it wasn't because of luck, because David had always wanted to be a United player. And it wasn't just David who wanted United; United also wanted David; not least Alex Ferguson himself, who thought David was a special talent.

And actually, Alex Ferguson was the main reason for David choosing Manchester United instead of Tottenham, because when David came to United, the first thing that happened was that Alex Ferguson came over to him and said "hello David".

That made a big impression on David, that the manager himself came to welcome him and showed his interest in the boy. That didn't happen at the other clubs, where he was just meeting representatives for the junior department. That made the decision easy for David Beckham: "I want to play for Manchester United!” he decided.

So, aged 16, David Beckham moved to Manchester, where he was part of Manchester United's famous youth team which won the FA Youth Cup in 1992. Other noticeable players in that youth team were Ryan Giggs, Garry and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Lee Sharpe; a whole bunch of very talented players that would go on to win the Premier League not long after. But although Beckham was reckoned as maybe the most gifted of those youngsters, he didn't seem to develop as quickly as some of the other players of that team.

The Youngster
But nobody really doubted that Beckham would make it in to United's first team sooner or later. And Beckham himself knew fully well that in order to make it as a professional soccer player, you'll have to work hard. And that is what David has never been afraid to do: working.

In order to toughen him up a bit and give him more experience, Beckham was loaned out to Preston North End in division 3 for a few weeks in March 1995 where he played 5 matches and scored 2 goals.

He returned to Manchester United in April, and now Alex Ferguson thought David Beckam was ready for the Premier League. David made his Premier League debut in the match against Leeds on April 2, 1995. The match ended in a 0-0 draw. He also played in a few of the remaining matches that season. But Beckham had played for the senior team before that though, just not in the Premier League. He was only 17 when he debuted for the senior team on September 23, 1992 in a league cup match away to Brighton & Howe Albion, where he came on for Andrei Kanchelskis late in the second half.

In January of 1993 David Beckham signed as a professional for Manchester United.

The first time Beckham was in the starting lineup for the senior team was on September 21, 1994. This was in a league cup match against Port Vale.

In the mid-nineties, English teams were not allowed to use too many players in the Champions League, which were not English. This forced Alex Ferguson to use many young and inexperienced players. Among those was David Beckham. And he repaid the trust placed in him, by scoring a goal in the 4-0 victory over Galatassaray at Old Trafford on November 1994. This was Beckham's first goal for the senior team. Despite United's emphatic victory, they were knocked out of the competition because of bad results earlier in the competition.

Makes his Mark
It was in the 1995/96 season Beckham developed into a regular for Manchester United. Andrei Kanchelskis had played on United's right hand side, but he had now gone to Everton and this made room for David. The first game of the season was against Aston Villa. United were heavily beaten, 3-1. David came off the bench to play for the second half and he made his contribution by scoring United's only goal. Many of the players in United's team that day were those who had played in that famous youth team which won the FA Youth Cup in 1992.

After the game, former Liverpool player, Alan Hansen said those now so famous words: “You can't win anything with kids!”

Well, guess what? It was exactly what these kids did. Yes, at the end of the season, it was these kids that were on top of the table and were crowned Premier League Champions. And not only that, because they also won the F. A. Cup that same season. Beckham himself scored 8 goals during the season.

Hmm… you can't win anything with kids, eh? Poor Alan Hansen though, because I can't imagine how often he has been reminded of those not so well chosen words… :-)

The next season, 1996/1997, Beckham made sure that he meant business already in the first match of the season, when he scored against Wimbledon from the half way line. That goal was shown in television over and over again, and David Beckham was now a household name in England. Manchester United again won the Premier League that season.

Joins the National Team – World Cup '98
Also Glenn Hoddle, national team coach, had spotted David Beckham's talent - not that it was really hard – and he was selected to play for England against Moldova in a World Cup qualifier for France '98. And Hoddle was satisfied, because David started in all the qualifying games for the World Cup in France 1998. And England did qualify.

Now, the World Cup itself turned out to be a real testing of Beckham's character.

Surprisingly, David did not play in England's opening match against Tunisia, which England won 2-0. In England second match, against Romania, David came on after 33 minutes. But in England's final group match, which they had to win against Columbia, David was finally among the starting 11. And that was not a bad decision, as David struck a spectacular free kick from 25 meters and planted the ball in the top left corner of the goal. – Beckham vintage! This was David Beckham's first goal for England. England won the game 2-0 and qualified for the next round where they would meet Argentina.

Becomes the Villain…
England and especially David Beckham were on a high, but the Argentina game was soon going to change that. From being one of the most popular players in England, Beckham was about to become one of the most hated… all because of a red card. Or was it because of the red card? Or was it maybe just because England lost and they had to blame someone?

Well, here's what happened: England was, as mentioned, playing Argentina in second round of the World Cup '98. The game, a very good and exciting one by the way, stood at 2-2. Right after the halftime, Argentine player Simeone had fouled Beckham, and lying on the ground, Beckham truck out at Simeone in frustration.

It wasn't a dangerous kick, there was no power in it, but very unsporting, Simeone made a meal of it and acted as if he was badly hurt. All this happened right in front of the referee, and although was in no danger of being injured, the referee probably had no other option but to show Beckham the red card.

Reduced to 10 men, England was not able to score the winning goal. The match was decided with penalties with Argentina coming out as the winner.

England was out of the World cup… and they needed a scapegoat. – Beckham was chosen!

The English newspapers were furious and wrote some of the nastiest headlines they could think of. Headlines like: “why this man's a national liability”, “10 heroic lions – one stupid boy”, “Beckham wrecked it to us”, “Beckham the suicide blow”, “moment of lunacy that cost cup hopes”, “he cost us and he cost us dear” and “when will this flawed genius ever learn?”.

In the streets some people had hung a Beckham-doll and burned it. It was really nasty stuff.

Does any soccer player deserve that? Surely not!

But why did David Beckham become such an interesting object for the tabloids? Well, that's probably a combination of several factors.

One is that his girlfriend was Victoria Adams (Posh Spice) from the Spice Girls. So, a soccer star + a pop star = surely something that can sell magazines and newspapers. Another thing was that when Lady Diana had died in 1997, the tabloids needed a new front-page favorite. Beckham was a good looking soccer star living like a celebrity and involved with a female pop star. Does it become sexier than that? He was the tabloid's perfect front page!

However, if there is anything the English press likes to do, then it is to build people up and then knock them down again. And David Beckham had reached that stage after the World Cup.

And it wasn't only the tabloids that were after Beckham. Wherever he played, the opposing team's supporters booed at him.

Stood the Test
These were testing times for him and critics wondered if Beckham's career would go down to this or if he would move abroad. But Beckham was to prove them all wrong. They couldn't break him and he came out of the “crisis” as a stronger and better player.

Both Beckham and the rest of the Manchester United team produced some spectacular soccer that season, and in late May 1999, United had won the treble: The Premier League, the F.A. Cup and the Champions League. And Beckham had been one of the very best players.

He also became father to his first son in March 1999 and married Victoria Adams (Posh Spice) in July.

In 2000 Beckham was named as captain of the English national team.

From Villain to Hero Again
If England was to qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan, they needed a draw in their last game against Greece at Old Trafford. But things didn't go according to England's plan and they found themselves behind 2-1 when 90 minutes of the game were played. Bit then, in injury time, England was awarded a free kick. And up stepped Captain Beckham to take it. And he wasn't to let the English crowd down as he struck one of his trademarked free kicks, bent it over the wall and in to the corner of the net. And England had qualified for the World Cup finals in 2002.

And David Beckham was instantly the most loved person in England again and the '98 World Cup and the things that followed were all forgotten. The villain had become their hero again!

But shortly before the World Cup, Beckham broke a bone in his foot in a Champions League match against Deportivo la Coruna. Was Beckham going to miss the world cup finals? Or would the bone have time to heal before? The media followed the progress intently and there were, more or less, news bulletins about it every 30 minutes, 24/7… well, maybe not quite … as the nation anxiously awaited any for a positive outcome.

However, the bone did heal in time, and David Beckham was ready for the World Cup (although maybe not 100% fit).

And yet again England was to meet the Argentines, this time in the group stage. And the media once again tried to spearhead a clash between Beckham and Simeone, but that didn't really happen.

But in a kind of a way, Beckham got his revenge for the sending of in the 1998 world cup, as it was his penalty that secured England a 1-0 victory, and with this result, England would get trough to the next round, if they managed a draw against Nigeria in their final group game, and that's exactly what they did. The game ended 0-0. This also meant that Argentina had to beat Sweden in their last group match, but that match ended 1-1 and therefore the Argentines were out of the world cup 2002.

England then played Denmark in the second round and comfortable beat them 3-0 and then played Brazil in the quarterfinals. This was the end station for England, as they lost 2-1 to a better team. Well, not only a better team, but the best team, as Brazil went on to win the world cup 2002. This was their 5th world cup title.

Shortly after the World Cup, on September 1 to be precise, David and Victoria had their second child, a boy named Romeo.

Beckham and United Part
David Beckham and Manchester United won another Premier League title in 2003, but this was to be Beckham's final year as a United player. For much of the season the press had speculated in some differences between Beckham and Alex Ferguson. It was said that Ferguson wasn't too happy about Beckham's celebrity lifestyle, because he thought it affected his performance for United. Whether this is true or not, I don't know, but it's no secret that Ferguson does have a conservative mind and he doesn't like too much hullabaloo about his players that is not directly connected to soccer.

Relations between Beckham and Ferguson hit an all time low, when Ferguson accidentally kicked a soccer boot which hit Beckham in the head. United had lost 2-0 to Arsenal in the 5th round of the F.A Cup and Ferguson was furious. In the dressing room he freaked out and lashed out at a boot lying on the floor and it went like a missile straight to Beckham´s head and cut him right above his right eye.

The day after, pictures of David Beckham with a wound over his right eye made it evident for everybody what had gone on in the dressing room.

“Time heals all wounds”, they say, and maybe the wound over Beckham's eye did heal, but the relationship between Beckham and Ferguson seemed to be beyond repair, even if the involving parties stated that there were problems between them.

Speculation were growing that Beckham was to leave Manchester United. And when Beckham after United's last home match of the season was playing soccer with his son all alone in an empty Old Trafford, it was clear to everybody that this was Beckham's farewell to Old Trafford.

Next Stop: Real Madrid
And in June, Beckham confirmed that he and Manchester United had parted company. He had signed a 4 year contract with Real Madrid. Beckham was no longer a Manchester United player. This was not the way things were suppose to happen… But life must go on…

Beckham's time in Madrid hasn't brought too much success on the field so far. With names like Ronaldo, Raul, Zinedine Zidane, Louis Figo and Roberto Carlos and, off course, David Beckham, Real Madrid was expected to clinch a few titles. But that has just not happened as many of these star players have underperformed.

In the 2003/2004 season Real Madrid ended the season on 4th spot in the Primera Liga, 7 points behind champions Valencia. In the Champions League they were ousted by AS Monaco in the quarter finals.

The 2004/2005 season hasn't brought any silverware to the Club either. They were knocked out by Juventus in the round between the last 16.

At the moment of writing, Real Madrid is in second spot in the Primera Liga, 6 points adrift of Barcelona, which don't seem to be slipping up.

But if life in Madrid has been quiet for Beckham on pitch, then life off pitch has been the exact opposite.

The Scandal
In March 2004, Rebecca Loos, a former personal assistant to David Beckham, suddenly made headlines around the world when she claimed that she had had an affair with David Beckham. David denied all accusations and called them ludicrous. The women, Miss Loos, reportedly got a LOT of money from newspapers and television for her “revelations”. And apparently, her story was contagious, because over the next few days, a whole herd of women were claiming how they had also had an affair with him… all of them hoping to become wealthy of their story, just like Miss Loose…

Child no. 3
On a happier note, David and Victoria Beckham could celebrate the berth of their third child in February 2005. Again it was a boy, their third, and they have given him the name Cruz.

original article : www.soccerandequipment.com

She was born in the Castle Hill area of New York's Bronx on the 24th of July, 1970, growing up on Blackrock Avenue. Her father, David, was a computer technician, eventually working for Guardian Insurance.
Mother Guadalupe (nee Rodriguez) was a kindergarten teacher working up in Westchester County.
The couple both hailed from Ponce (though David's maternal great-parents were European), the second largest city in Puerto Rico, but had met in America, where they were both brought as children.
Jennifer and her two sisters, Leslie (now a housewife and opera singer) and Lynda (a DJ, VJ and entertainment reporter), grew up in a small apartment which was "cold in the winter, hot in the summer".
But "Hey", Jennifer later recalled "there was always rice and beans".
And there was music. To keep the kids off the streets, Guadalupe would encourage the