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Tom Stern (filmmaker)
Tom Stern is an American actor, director, writer, and producer. Education Stern grew up in Pleasantville, New York and attended Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York, and then went to film school at Tisch School of the Arts New York University (NYU) from 1983–87, where he met Alex Winter. The two collaborated on a number of short films including ''Squeal of Death'', which was noticed by an executive at Columbia Pictures in 1986. After graduating the pair went to Hollywood and directed IMPACT video magazine, which feature artists and performers such as Bill Hicks, Survival Research Labs, Public Enemy, Robert Williams, Jane's Addiction, and another short film with Butthole Surfers. Hollywood In 1987 Stern and Winter drove to Hollywood and sent a copy of ''Squeal of Death'' to Sam Raimi, whose film Evil Dead 2 was an inspiration to them. Raimi responded enthusiastically. He and his partner Rob Tapert optioned an anthology comedy feature film script from Stern and Winter. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is also in free association with three Pacific Island sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. It is the world's third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in the Americas and the third most populous in the world. The national capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. and its most populous city and principal financial center is New York City. Paleo-Americ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Hicks
William Melvin Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material—encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy—was controversial and often steeped in dark comedy. At the age of 16, while still in high school, Hicks began performing at the Comedy Workshop in Houston, Texas. During the 1980s, he toured the U.S. extensively and made a number of high-profile television appearances, but it was in the UK that he amassed a significant fan base, filling large venues during his 1991 tour. He also achieved some recognition as a guitarist and songwriter. Hicks died of pancreatic cancer on February 26, 1994, at the age of 32. In subsequent years, his work gained significant acclaim in creative circles—particularly after a series of posthumous album releases—and he developed a substantial cult following. In 2007, he was No. 6 on Channel 4's list of the "10 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). He had his breakthrough role in the science fiction comedy ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989), and he reprised his role in its sequels. He gained praise for playing a hustler in the independent drama ''My Own Private Idaho'' (1991) and established himself as an action hero with leading roles in ''Point Break'' (1991) and ''Speed'' (1994). Following several box office failures, Reeves's performance in the horror film '' The Devil's Advocate'' (1997) was well received. Greater stardom came for playing Neo in the science fiction series ''The Matrix'', beginning in 1999. He played John Constantine in ''Constantine'' (2005) and starred in the romantic drama '' The Lake House'' (2006), the science fiction thriller ''The Day the Earth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Randy Quaid
Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy. He was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in ''The Last Detail'' in 1973. In 1978 he co-starred as a prisoner in '' Midnight Express''. Quaid also won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of U.S. President Lyndon Johnson in '' LBJ: The Early Years'' (1987). He also received Emmy nominations for his roles in ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (1984) and ''Elvis'' (2005). Quaid is also known for his roles of Cousin Eddie in the ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' movies and Russell Casse in '' Independence Day'' (1996). He voiced Alameda Slim in the animated feature ''Home on the Range'' (2004). Early years and education Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, to Juanita Bonniedale "Nita" ( née Jordan), a real estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid (November 21, 1923 – February 8, 1987 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freaked
''Freaked'' is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Tom Stern and Alex Winter, both of whom wrote the screenplay with Tim Burns. Winter also starred in the lead role. Both were involved in the short-lived MTV sketch comedy show '' The Idiot Box'', and ''Freaked'' retains the same brand of surrealistic and absurdist humor as seen in the show. ''Freaked'' was Alex Winter's last feature film before he shifted to cameo and television films for many years until 2013's ''Grand Piano''. Originally conceived as a low-budget horror film featuring the band Butthole Surfers, ''Freaked'' went through a number of rewrites, eventually developing into a black comedy set within a sideshow, which was picked up by 20th Century Fox for a feature film. After several poor test screenings and a change in studio executives who then found the film too "weird", the film was pulled from a wide distribution (except for Australia and Japan) and only played on two screens in the United States. Plot Sky ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States. The publication has won more than 40 Pulitzer Prizes. It is owned by Patrick Soon-Shiong and published by the Times Mirror Company. The newspaper’s coverage emphasizes California and especially Southern California stories. In the 19th century, the paper developed a reputation for civic boosterism and opposition to labor unions, the latter of which led to the bombing of its headquarters in 1910. The paper's profile grew substantially in the 1960s under publisher Otis Chandler, who adopted a more national focus. In recent decades the paper's readership has declined, and it has been beset by a series of ownership changes, staff reductions, and other controversies. In January 2018, the paper's staff voted to unionize and final ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Idiot Box (MTV)
''The Idiot Box'' was an American sketch comedy television series created by Alex Winter, Tom Stern (director), Tom Stern and Tim Burns (writer), Tim Burns, which ran on MTV in 1991. After the success of ''Bill & Ted'', MTV hired Winter, Stern, and Burns to develop a half-hour sketch comedy show for the network. As the channel was still strictly music-oriented at the time, ''The Idiot Box'' was mainly a showcase for popular music videos, but with a series of sketches, fake commercials, and parodies shown in between. Therefore, although an episode ran 30 minutes, there were only 7 to 11 minutes' worth of sketches. Inspired heavily by the likes of ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' magazine and ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'', the humor in ''The Idiot Box'' was rooted in absurdity and violent slapstick, often in the form of television and movie parodies and commercials for fake television shows (such as ''"Mumford the Yodeling Mutt"'' and ''"Who's A Total Idiot? with Tony Danza"''). Each epi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produced at home in a freezer with an ice tray or in an automated ice-making accessory. They may also be produced industrially and sold commercially. Origin of production American physician and inventor John Gorrie built a refrigerator in 1844 with the purpose of producing ice to cool air. His refrigerator produced ice which hung from the ceiling in a basin to lower the ambient room temperature. During his time, bad air quality was thought to cause disease. Therefore, in order to help prevent and treat sickness, he pushed for the draining of swamps and the cooling of sickrooms. Production Trays and bags Ice cube trays are designed to be filled with water, then placed in a freezer until the water freezes into ice, producing ice cube ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk, punk rock, hard rock, Hip hop music, hip hop, and psychedelic rock. Their eclectic range has influenced genres such as funk metal, rap metal, rap rock, and nu metal."With their unique fusion of funk with hard rock and their shirtless macho posturing, the Chili Peppers laid the groundwork for today's nu-metal and rap metal." 08/2002 — ''Guitar World'' With over 120 million records sold worldwide, Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling bands of all time. They hold the records for most number-one singles (14), most cumulative weeks at number one (85) and most top-ten songs (25) on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs chart. They have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rob Tapert
Robert Gerard Tapert (born May 14, 1955) is an American film and television producer, writer and director, best known for co-creating the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. He is also one of the founding partners of the film production companies Renaissance Pictures and Ghost House Pictures. Personal life Tapert has two sisters, Dorothy and Mary Beth Tapert. He also has a younger brother, Jeff Tapert. He has been married to actress Lucy Lawless since 28 March 1998; the couple has two sons. Lawless played the title character in ''Xena: Warrior Princess''. Film Tapert first became involved with filmmaking while attending Michigan State University where he was studying economics. Through his friend and roommate Ivan Raimi, Tapert would meet future longstanding filmmaking partners Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Tapert and director Sam Raimi experimented on several short films before endeavoring on their first feature-length picture, a graphic horror film titled ''The Ev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evil Dead 2
''Evil Dead II'' (also known in publicity materials as ''Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn'') is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi. It is considered both a remake and sequel (or "re-quel") to the 1981 film ''The Evil Dead'', and was written by Raimi and Scott Spiegel and produced by Robert Tapert. The film stars Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, who vacations with his girlfriend to a remote cabin in the woods. He discovers an audio tape of recitations from a book of ancient texts, and when the recording is played, it unleashes a number of demons which possess and torment him. After the critical and commercial failure of ''Crimewave'' (1985), Raimi, Tapert, and Campbell began work on a sequel to ''The Evil Dead'' at the insistence of their publicist Irvin Shapiro. Having endorsed the original film, author Stephen King brought the project to the attention of producer Dino De Laurentiis, with whom he had been making his directorial debut ''Maximum Overdrive'' (1986). De ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sam Raimi
Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the Spider-Man (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007) and the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present). He also directed the 1990 superhero film ''Darkman'', the 1995 revisionist western ''The Quick and the Dead (1995 film), The Quick and the Dead'', the 1998 neo-noir crime-thriller ''A Simple Plan (film), A Simple Plan'', the 2000 supernatural thriller film ''The Gift (2000 film), The Gift'', the 2009 supernatural horror film ''Drag Me to Hell'', and the 2013 The Walt Disney Company, Disney fantasy film ''Oz the Great and Powerful''. His films are known for their highly-dynamic visual style, inspired by comic books and slapstick comedy. Raimi has also produced several successful television series, including ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and its spin-off ''Xena: Warrior Princess''. He founded the production company Renaissance Pictures in 1979 and Ghost Ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
