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L.A. Confidential
''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy and the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"— Steve Erickson. Plot The story follows several Los Angeles Police Department officers in the early 1950s who become embroiled in a mix of sex, corruption, and murder following a massacre at the Nite Owl coffee shop. The story eventually encompasses organized crime, political corruption, heroin trafficking, pornography, prostitution, and Hollywood. The title refers to the scandal magazine '' Confidential'', which is fictionalized as ''Hush-Hush''. It also deals with the real " Bloody Christmas" scandal. The three protagonists are LAPD officers. Edmund Exley, the son of prestigious detective Preston Exley, is a "straight arrow" who informs on other officers in a police brutality scandal. He is first and foremost a politician and a ladder climber. This earns the e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Ellroy
Lee Earle "James" Ellroy (born March 4, 1948) is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a telegrammatic prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels ''The Black Dahlia'' (1987), ''The Big Nowhere'' (1988), ''L.A. Confidential'' (1990), ''White Jazz'' (1992), ''American Tabloid'' (1995), ''The Cold Six Thousand'' (2001), and ''Blood's a Rover'' (2009). Life Early life Lee Earle "James" Ellroy was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Geneva Odelia (née Hilliker), was a nurse. His father, Armand, was an accountant and a onetime business manager of Rita Hayworth. His parents divorced in 1954, after which Ellroy and his mother moved to El Monte, California. At the age of 7, Ellroy saw his mother naked and began to sexually fantasize about her. He struggled in youth with this obsession, as he held a psycho-sexual relationship with h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bloody Christmas (1951)
Bloody Christmas was the severe beating of seven civilians by members of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on December 25, 1951. The attacks left five Mexican American and two white young men with broken bones and ruptured organs, and were properly investigated only after lobbying from the Mexican American community. The internal inquiry by Los Angeles Chief of Police William H. Parker resulted in eight police officers being indicted for the assaults, 54 being transferred, and 39 suspended. The event was fictionalized in the 1990 novel '' L.A. Confidential'' by James Ellroy, which was made into a film of the same name in 1997. Background In 1938, reforms of the LAPD were started by Mayor Frank Shaw. Throughout the 1940s, this led to the firing of corrupt officers, the raising of entrance standards, the creation of rigorous training programs, and better pay for officers. Police autonomy was already guaranteed in Section 202 of the Los Angeles city charter since 193 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolades for his performances on stage and screen including two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, two Laurence Olivier Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He received nominations for a Grammy Award as well as twelve Primetime Emmy Awards. Spacey received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999, and was named an honorary Commander and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2010 and 2015, respectively. His first film roles were Mike Nichols's ''Heartburn'' (1986) and ''Working Girl'' (1988). He continued to act in independent films such as '' Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1992) and ''Swimming with Sharks'' (1994). Spacey gained prominence for his villainous roles in 1995 crime thriller films ''Seven'' and ''The Usual Suspects'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Webber (actor)
Mark Allen Webber (born July 19, 1980) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director known for his roles in the films '' Snow Day'', ''Weapons'', ''The Laramie Project'', and '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World''. Early life Webber was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he spent the first nine years of his life. His mother, Cheri Lynn Honkala, is a noted advocate for the homeless in Philadelphia, and was the vice-presidential nominee of the Green Party in the 2012 presidential election. In 1989, he and his single mother moved to Philadelphia, where they spent time homeless, living in cars and abandoned buildings, and struggling to survive during the harsh winters. Career Webber began his acting career in 1998. He favors "offbeat independent productions and challenging roles that involve intense characterization." In March 2019, Webber was cast as Grey McConnell in the ABC crime drama series '' Stumptown'' which was written by Jason Richman. After the series was ordered, Web ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Josh Hopkins
William Joshua Hopkins (born September 12, 1970) is an American actor. Some of his best known roles include Raymond Millbury on '' Ally McBeal'' (2001–2002), Grayson Ellis on ''Cougar Town'' (2009–2015), and Liam O'Connor on '' Quantico'' (2015–2016). Early life He was born to Larry J. Hopkins and Carolyn Pennebaker on September 12, 1970. He has two sisters. Career Hopkins joined the fourth and last season, of ''New York Undercover'' in 1998. In 1999 Hopkins appeared in Alanis Morissette's "Unsent" music video. Hopkins portrayed Paul Allen in the 1999 film ''Pirates of Silicon Valley'' and Raymond Milbury on the television series '' Ally McBeal'' (2001 to 2002). He portrayed womanizer Charlie Babcock on the television series ''Pepper Dennis'' (2006). He later worked with his former ''Ally McBeal'' co-star Calista Flockhart when he had a recurring role on '' Brothers & Sisters''. He also had a semi regular role as Peter Manning on the Fox drama '' Vanished'' (2006). In 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the epic historical film '' Gladiator'' (2000), for which he won an Academy Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, Empire Award, and London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Leading Actor, along with 10 other nominations in the same category. Crowe's other award-winning performances include tobacco firm whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand in the drama film '' The Insider'' (1999) and mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. in the biopic '' A Beautiful Mind'' (2001). He has also starred in films such as the drama ''Romper Stomper'' (1992), the mystery-detective thriller ''L.A. Confidential'' (1997), the epic war film '' Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'' (2003), the biographical boxing drama '' Cindere ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian J
Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meaning "high" or "noble". For example, the element ''bre'' means "hill"; which could be transferred to mean "eminence" or "exalted one". The name is quite popular in Ireland, on account of Brian Boru, a 10th-century High King of Ireland. The name was also quite popular in East Anglia during the Middle Ages. This is because the name was introduced to England by Bretons following the Norman Conquest. Bretons also settled in Ireland along with the Normans in the 12th century, and 'their' name was mingled with the 'Irish' version. Also, in the north-west of England, the 'Irish' name was introduced by Scandinavian settlers from Ireland. Within the Gaelic speaking areas of Scotland, the name was at first only used by professional families of Irish or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Conrad
David Conrad (born August 17, 1967) is an American actor. From 2005 to 2010, he starred in the television series ''Ghost Whisperer'' alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt. Early life Conrad is the youngest of three sons born to James Watson Conrad, an engineer, and Margaret Clement Conrad, a librarian. He is a great-grandson of electrical engineer Frank Conrad, a grand-nephew of Martin Withington Clement, who was president of the Pennsylvania Railroad 1935-1948, and a grand-nephew of Maj. General Charles M. Clement, commander of the 28th Division. Conrad is a native of Swissvale, Pennsylvania, and grew up on the border of Edgewood, both suburbs of Pittsburgh. In the early 1980s, he transferred as a sophomore from Swissvale High School to The Kiski School, an all-boys preparatory school in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, on a scholarship. Conrad graduated from The Kiski School in 1985. He studied history at Brown University, and began acting while he was there. He left Brown in 1990 and worked ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guy Pearce
Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. Born in Ely, Cambridgeshire in England, and raised in Geelong, Victoria (Australia), Victoria in Australia, he started his career portraying Mike Young (Neighbours), Mike Young in the Australian television series ''Neighbours''. He received international attention for his breakout role in ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' (1994) and subsequently took starring roles in Curtis Hanson's ''L.A. Confidential (film), L.A. Confidential'' (1997), Christopher Nolan's ''Memento (film), Memento'' (2000) and Simon Wells's ''The Time Machine (2002 film), The Time Machine'' (2002). Pearce is known for his performances in the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's ''The Road (2009 film), The Road'' (2009), Kathryn Bigelow's war drama ''The Hurt Locker'' (2009) and Tom Hooper's historical drama ''The King's Speech'' (2010). He has appeared in Ridley Scott's ''Prometheus (2012 film), Prometheus'' (2012), the Marvel C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid digital subscribers. It also is a producer of popular podcasts such as '' The Daily''. Founded in 1851 by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones, it was initially published by Raymond, Jones & Company. The ''Times'' has won 132 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any newspaper, and has long been regarded as a national " newspaper of record". For print it is ranked 18th in the world by circulation and 3rd in the U.S. The paper is owned by the New York Times Company, which is publicly traded. It has been governed by the Sulzberger family since 1896, through a dual-class share structure after its shares became publicly traded. A. G. Sulzberger, the paper's publisher and the company's chairman, is the fifth generation of the family to head the pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers' literature. ''Kirkus Reviews'', published on the first and 15th of each month; previews books before their publication. ''Kirkus'' reviews over 10,000 titles per year. History Virginia Kirkus was hired by Harper & Brothers to establish a children's book department in 1926. The department was eliminated as an economic measure in 1932 (for about a year), so Kirkus left and soon established her own book review service. Initially, she arranged to get galley proofs of "20 or so" books in advance of their publication; almost 80 years later, the service was receiving hundreds of books weekly and reviewing about 100. Initially titled ''Bulletin'' by Kirkus' Bookshop Service from 1933 to 1954, the title was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Los Angeles Times
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with pronouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of pronoun ''thee'') when followed by a v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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