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Virtuosity Podcast
''Virtuosity'' is a 1995 American science fiction action film directed by Brett Leonard and starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Howard W. Koch Jr. served as an executive producer for the film. The film was released in the United States on August 4, 1995. ''Virtuosity'' had an estimated budget of $30 million and grossed $37 million worldwide. Plot In Los Angeles, Lt. Parker Barnes and John Donovan are testing a virtual reality system that is going to be used for training police officers. The two are tracking down a serial killer named SID 6.7 at a restaurant in virtual reality. SID (short for Sadistic, Intelligent, Dangerous, a VR amalgam of the most violent serial killers throughout history) causes Donovan to go into shock, killing him. The director overseeing the project, before Commissioner Elizabeth Deane and her associate, William Wallace, orders the programmer in charge of creating SID, Dr. Darrel Lindenmeyer, to shut down the project. Barnes is a former police o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brett Leonard
Brett Leonard (born May 14, 1959) is an American film director, producer and music video director specializing in the science fiction and horror genres. A few of his films such as ''The Lawnmower Man'' (1992) and ''Virtuosity'' (1995) feature groundbreaking computer animation and visual effects. ''The Lawnmower Man'' is considered the first, seminal film to feature "virtual reality" as a cautionary tale becoming the number one commercially successful independent film of 1992, budgeted at just under $6 million and eventually earning over $150 million worldwide. Career Leonard's work with the IMAX 3D process set him apart from most directors having gained early experience with this cutting-edge presentation medium directing '' T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous'' in IMAX 3D. The film became the first number-one hit 3D movie to gross over $100 million worldwide (on IMAX screens alone). He created a sensation when he took his Swarm Cam-Fusion Station onto ''The Tonight ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world's most populous megacities. Los Angeles is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With a population of roughly 3.9 million residents within the city limits , Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic and cultural diversity, being the home of the Hollywood film industry, and its sprawling metropolitan area. The city of Los Angeles lies in a basin in Southern California adjacent to the Pacific Ocean in the west and extending through the Santa Monica Mountains and north into the San Fernando Valley, with the city bordering the San Gabriel Valley to it's east. It covers about , and is the county seat of Los Angeles County, which is the most populous county in the United States with an estim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Buffer
Michael Buffer (born November 2, 1944) is an American ring announcer (or " MC") for boxing, professional wrestling, and National Football League matches. He is known for his trademarked catchphrase: "Let's get ready to rumble!" Early life Buffer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 2, 1944. His father was enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II. Buffer's parents divorced when he was 11 months of age, and he was then raised by foster parents, a school bus driver and housewife, in Roslyn, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the United States Army during the Vietnam War at age 20 and served until age 23. He held various jobs including a car salesman, then began a modeling career at age 32 before becoming a ring announcer at age 38. Career Boxing In 1982, Buffer began his career as a ring announcer. By 1983, he was announcing all boxing matches promoted by Bob Arum's Top Rank on ESPN, which gave him a national identity at a time when ring announcers were str ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Traci Lords
Traci Lords (born Nora Louise Kuzma; May 7, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She entered the adult film industry using a fake birth certificate to conceal that she was two years under the legal age of eighteen. Lords starred in adult films and was one of the most sought-after actresses in that industry during her career. When the FBI acted on an anonymous tip that Lords was a minor during her time in the industry, and that pornographers were distributing and selling these illegal images and videotapes, the resulting fallout led to prosecution of those responsible for creating and distributing the tapes. In addition, all but the last of her adult films were banned as child pornography. After leaving the pornography industry two days after turning the legal age of eighteen, Lords enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute, where she studied method acting with the intention of becoming a mainstream actress. She made her mainstream screen debut at age nineteen in a lea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heidi Schanz
Linda Heidi Schanz (born ) is an American retired actress and model who appeared in several films and television shows from 1995 to 2001. She is known for her female lead role in '' Universal Soldier: The Return'' (1999). Filmography Film Television References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schanz, Heidi American film actresses American television actresses Living people 1971 births 21st-century American women ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mari Morrow
Mari Eulanda Morrow (born July 21, 1968) is an American film and television actress, model and realtor. Morrow is best known for her roles as Rachel Gannon on the ABC daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live'' (1994–96), Oneisha Savoy on the ABC/CBS sitcom ''Family Matters'' (1992–97), and Desiree "Des" Littlejohn on the UPN sitcom The Parkers (1999). Morrow also starred in featured films such as ''Def Jam's How to Be a Player'' (1997), '' Uninvited Guest'' (2000) and ''Traci Townsend'' (2006). Biography Early life and education Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Morrow is of Barbadian and African-American descent. Morrow began acting as a child in theater productions to help raise funds for low-income college students. Morrow attended North Miami Senior High School, graduating in 1986. After high school, Morrow attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where she majored in dance and theater. Career Morrow made her television debut appearance in 1992 as Wendy Mal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Murray (actor)
Christopher Murray (born March 19, 1957) is an American actor. He is the son of actors Don Murray and Hope Lange, as well as the stepson of film director Alan J. Pakula, Lange's second husband. He appeared in a number of notable films, beginning with Pakula's 1976 film ''All the President's Men''. He appeared in two other films directed by Pakula, '' See You in the Morning'' (1989) and ''The Pelican Brief'' (1993). He has also appeared in the films ''I Am the Cheese'' (1983), '' And God Created Woman'' (1988), '' Just Cause'' and ''Virtuosity'' (both 1995) and ''Dante's Peak'' (1997). He has also guest starred in a number of notable television series that include, ''Knots Landing'', ''China Beach'', ''L.A. Law'', ''Murder, She Wrote'', '' JAG'', '' NCIS'', ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', ''The West Wing'', '' 24'', '' 7th Heaven'', ''Crossing Jordan'', ''Parks and Recreation'', '' Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction'' and ''Mad Men''. From 2005 to 2008, Murray had a recurring role as Dean ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Christine Cuoco ( ; born November 30, 1985) is an American actress. After a series of supporting film and television roles in the late 1990s, she landed her breakthrough role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom ''8 Simple Rules'' (2002–2005). Thereafter, Cuoco voiced Brandy Harrington on '' Brandy & Mr. Whiskers'' (2004–2006) and appeared as Billie Jenkins on the final season of the television series ''Charmed'' (2005–2006). She later starred as Penny on the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019), and received a Satellite Award, a Critics' Choice Award, and two People's Choice Awards for the role. Since 2020, Cuoco has starred in and served as executive producer for the HBO Max comedic thriller ''The Flight Attendant'', which received widespread critical acclaim. For this performance, she has received nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Critics' Choice Awards. Cuoco made her film deb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kevin J
Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicized from , an Irish diminutive form.''A Dictionary of First Names''. Oxford University Press (2007) s.v. "Kevin". The feminine version of the name is (anglicised as ''Keeva'' or ''Kweeva''). History Saint Kevin (d. 618) founded Glendalough abbey in the Kingdom of Leinster in 6th-century Ireland. Canonized in 1903, he is one of the patron saints of the Archdiocese of Dublin. Caomhán of Inisheer, the patron saint of Inisheer, Aran Islands, is properly anglicized ''Cavan'' or ''Kevan'', but often also referred to as "Kevin". The name was rarely given before the 20th century. In Ireland an early bearer of the anglicised name was Kevin Izod O'Doherty (1823–1905) a Young Irelander and politician; it gained popularity from the Gaelic revival of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Costas Mandylor
Costas Mandylor (born Konstantinos Theodosopoulos; 3 September 1965) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as Kenny in ''Picket Fences'' and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the ''Saw'' films. Early life Mandylor was born in Melbourne, the son of Greek immigrants from the Peloponnese region. Mandylor took a version of his mother's maiden name, citing his real name in Greek being too long. He grew up in St Kilda and South Melbourne. He moved to the United States in 1987 where he started taking acting lessons. He was initially unable to find any work acting and had to work any job available. Career Mandylor's first major role was in the 1989 film ''Triumph of the Spirit'' playing a European Jew, which was filmed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. He returned to Los Angeles meeting director Oliver Stone and auditioned and got the role of an Italian count in ''The Doors'' (1991). Mandylor landed a leading role in ''Mobsters'' playing Mafia boss Frank Cost ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Fichtner
William Edward Fichtner (born November 27, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on ''Invasion'', Alexander Mahone on ''Prison Break'', Carl Hickman on ''Crossing Lines'', and Adam Janikowski on '' Mom''. His film appearances include ''Heat'', ''Contact'', ''Armageddon'', '' The Perfect Storm'', '' Go'', ''Crash'', '' Black Hawk Down'', and ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''. Early life Fichtner was born on Mitchel Air Force Base on Long Island and raised in Cheektowaga, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. He is the son of Patricia A. (née Steitz) and William Frederick Fichtner. He has German ancestry. He graduated from Maryvale High School in 1974. After graduating from Farmingdale State College in 1976 with an associate degree in criminal justice, he attended the College at Brockport, State University of New York and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice in 1978. He then studied at the American Academy of Dramatic A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grand Olympic Auditorium
The Grand Olympic Auditorium is a former sports venue in southern Downtown Los Angeles, California. The venue was built in 1924 at 1801 South Grand Avenue, now just south of the Santa Monica Freeway. The grand opening of the Olympic Auditorium was on August 5, 1925, and was a major media event, attended by such celebrities as Jack Dempsey and Rudolph Valentino. One of the last major boxing and wrestling arenas still in existence, the venue now serves as a worship space for the Korean-American evangelical church, "Glory Church of Jesus Christ". History Throughout the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s it was home to some of the biggest boxing, wrestling, and roller derby events. 1932 Olympics The Auditorium was leased by the 1932 Summer Olympics Organizing Committee for a very nominal sum sufficient to cover expenses, for the purpose of conducting the training and competitions of the Boxing at the 1932 Summer Olympics, boxing (1932), Wrestling at the 1932 Summer Olympics, wrestling (1932) a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
