|
A Diva's Christmas Carol
''A Diva's Christmas Carol'' is a 2000 American Christmas musical comedy television film written and directed by Richard Schenkman and starring Vanessa L. Williams, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, Brian McNamara and Kathy Griffin. The film is based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novel ''A Christmas Carol'', and features an ego-driven popular singer who gets a reality check by three Christmas spirits. The film premiered on VH1 on December 13, 2000. Plot Ebony Scrooge is one of the world's most successful pop stars. However, with her cold-hearted soul and nasty attitude, she lacks a great deal of holiday cheer and makes her underpaid manager Bob Cratchett and her band anything but happy. In addition, she also neglects her niece Olivia, which makes her husband unhappy. While in New York for a charity concert, Ebony (who was once part of the 1980s trio "Desire") is visited by the ghost of one of her former singing partners, Marli Jacob, who died in a car crash in 1990. She informs Ebony ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comedy Film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the oldest genres in film, and it is derived from classical comedy in theatre. Some of the earliest silent films were slapstick comedies, which often relied on visual depictions, such as sight gags and pratfalls, so they could be enjoyed without requiring sound. To provide drama and excitement to silent movies, live music was played in sync with the action on the screen, on pianos, organs, and other instruments. When sound films became more prevalent during the 1920s, comedy films grew in popularity, as laughter could result from both burlesque situations but also from humorous dialogue. Comedy, compared with other film genres, places more focus on individual star actors, with many former stand-up comics transitioning to the film industry ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghost Of Christmas Past
The Ghost of Christmas Past is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits that appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption. Following a visit from the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, Scrooge receives nocturnal visits from three Ghosts of Christmas, each representing a different period in Scrooge's life. The Ghost of Christmas Past is concerned with the Christmases from Scrooge's past. Appearing to be both young and old, the spirit carries a large cap in the shape of a candle extinguisher under its arm. From the top of its head shines a bright light that illuminates Scrooge's memories. Background By early 1843, Dickens had been affected by the treatment of the poor and, in particular, the treatment of the children of the poor after witnessing children working in appalling conditions in a tin mine and following a visit to a ragged school. Indeed, Dickens e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephanie Biddle
Stephanie Andrea Biddle (born 23 August 1963) is a Canadian jazz singer and actress. Career Biddle was born in Quebec to jazz bassist Charlie Biddle and a French-Canadian mother. During part of her childhood she lived in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts. When she was 15, she moved to Montreal and began modeling. From 1987–1989, she sang traditional pop and jazz standards at clubs and weddings with the band Living Proof.Brownstein, Bill. "Biddles springing up all over Montreal entertainment scene", ''Montreal Gazette'', 1988-03-05, p. D4. Aided by a record producer in Paris, she recorded the hit single "Dis-moi" (1991) which peaked at No. 11 on the French pop chart. For the next few years she sang in Le Gosier, Guadeloupe.Perusse, B. "Stephanie Biddle carries the torch", ''Montreal Gazette'', 2003-03-30, p. B1. Biddle appeared in the films ''Crunch'' (1979), '' The Moderns'' (1988), '' The Whole Nine Yards'' (2000), ''One Eyed King'' (2001), and in the television movie ''A Diva's Chri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amanda Brugel
Amanda Brugel (born March 24, 1978) is a Canadian actress. Born and raised in Pointe-Claire (a suburb of Montreal), Quebec, she made her acting debut in the drama film '' Vendetta'' (1999). This was followed by roles in the comedy film ''A Diva's Christmas Carol'' (2000), the slasher horror film ''Jason X'' (2001), the comedy film ''Sex After Kids'' (2013), for which she won an ACTRA Award for Best Female Performance, the satirical drama film '' Maps to the Stars'' (2014), the independent drama film ''Room'' (2015), the superhero film ''Suicide Squad'' (2016), the drama film ''Kodachrome'' (2017), and the action thriller film '' Becky'' (2020). Brugel starred as Lynnie Jordan in the Showcase soap opera ''Paradise Falls'' (2008), Michelle Krasnoff in the Citytv comedy series ''Seed'' (2013–2014), Marci Coates in the Space science fiction series ''Orphan Black'' (2015), Nina Gomez in the CBC comedy series ''Kim's Convenience'' (2016–2021), and Rita Blue in the Hulu dystopian dra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Taylor (bass Guitarist)
Nigel John Taylor (born 20 June 1960) is a British musician who is best known as the bass guitarist for new wave band Duran Duran, of which he was a founding member. Duran Duran was one of the most popular bands in the world during the 1980s due in part to their music videos which played in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV. Taylor played with Duran Duran from its founding in 1978 until 1997, when he left to pursue a solo recording and film career. He recorded a dozen solo releases (albums, EPs, and video projects) through his private record label B5 Records over the next four years, had a lead role in the movie '' Sugar Town'', and made appearances in a half dozen other film projects. He rejoined Duran Duran for a reunion of the original five members in 2001 and has remained with the group since. Taylor was also a member of two supergroups: the Power Station and Neurotic Outsiders. Early life Born in Solihull, which was then in Warwickshire, John Taylor grew up in n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanessa Morgan
Vanessa Morgan Mziray (born March 23, 1992) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Beatrix "Bird" Castro in the MTV teen drama series '' Finding Carter'', as Amanda Pierce in the Family teen comedy series ''The Latest Buzz'', and as Sarah in the Disney Channel / Teletoon film ''My Babysitter's a Vampire'' and the television series of the same name. From 2017 to 2023, she played Toni Topaz in the CW teen drama series '' Riverdale''. Early life Morgan was born in Ottawa, Ontario. Her mother, Catherine, is Scottish and her father, Loyar, is Tanzanian. Morgan is the youngest of three children. She has two older siblings: an older sister and an older brother. Morgan began singing at the age of six. She sang at community events and telethons, performed for Childhelp, and was a regular guest entertainer for the College of the Desert scholarship foundation. She was spotted by a Hollywood agent in 1999 and earned a scholarship at a Hollywood acting academy. In 1999, Morgan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sleigh Ride
"Sleigh Ride" is a Light music, light orchestra Standard (music), standard composed by Leroy Anderson. He formed the idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and finished it in February 1948. Its first performance was by the Boston Pops Orchestra, with Arthur Fiedler conducting, on May 4, 1948. Anderson also made arrangements for Concert band, wind band and piano. The original recordings were instrumental versions: it was first recorded in 1949 by Fiedler and the Boston Pops. As a 45 rpm version issued on red vinyl, "Sleigh Ride" was a hit record on RCA Red Seal Records, RCA Victor Red Seal and has become one of the orchestra's best-known works. The Pops have recorded the piece numerous times, with Fiedler as well as John Williams, their conductor from 1979 to 1995, and Keith Lockhart, their current conductor. The lyrics, about riding in a sled, sleigh and other wintertime activities, were written by Mitchell Parish in 1950. The Ronettes recorded a cover of "Sleigh R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Johannes Puck (born July 8, 1949) is an Austrian chef and restaurateur. Early life Puck was born in Sankt Veit an der Glan, Austria. He learned cooking from his mother, who was a pastry chef. He took the surname of his stepfather, Josef Puck, after his mother's remarriage. The marriage produced two younger sisters and a younger brother for Wolfgang. Career Puck trained as an apprentice under Raymond Thuilier at L'Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux-de-Provence, at Hôtel de Paris in Monaco, and at Maxim's Paris before moving to the United States in 1973 at age 24. After two years at La Tour in Indianapolis, Puck moved to Los Angeles to become chef and part owner of Ma Maison restaurant. Following the 1981 publication of his first cookbook, ''Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen'', which was based on his Ma Maison recipes, Puck opened the restaurant Spago on the Sunset Strip in 1982. Fifteen years later, in 1997, Puck and Barbara Lazaroff, his then-wife an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian McKnight
Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An Contemporary R&B, R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong head voice, high belting range, and melisma. His first hit song, "Love Is (Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight song), Love Is" (with Vanessa Williams) was recorded for the ''Music of Beverly Hills, 90210, Beverly Hills, 90210'' soundtrack in 1993, and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100. That same year, his single "One Last Cry" peaked at number 13 on the chart and spawned from his Brian McKnight (album), eponymous debut studio album (1992), which was released by Mercury Records the year prior and received RIAA certification, platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His 1997 single, "You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)" (featuring Mase) peaked within the to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Behind The Music
''Behind the Music'' is an American documentary television series that initially aired on VH1 from 1997 to 2014. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group, examining career beginnings, roads to success and any resultant hardships. Premise Each show focuses on a musician or musical group, documenting both the successes of the musicians and the problems they faced during their careers. Except for the first two episodes (which focused on Milli Vanilli and M.C. Hammer), all programs are narrated by Jim Forbes. Forbes was later used to narrate the Milli Vanilli episode when it was modified to include the death of Rob Pilatus. The UK airings of the episodes focusing on Thin Lizzy, Aerosmith and Genesis were narrated by Mary Anne Hobbs while Forbes narrated the US airings. VH1's criterion for choosing the musicians who appear on the show is, in many cases, to profile those who are no longer in the music industry, or were moderately significant in rock ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghost Of Christmas Future
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is the last of the three spirits that appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of Redemption (theology), redemption, foretold by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. Following a visit from the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, Scrooge receives nocturnal visits from three Ghosts of Christmas, each representing a different period in Scrooge's life. The shrouded, ominous, and silent Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is Scrooge's last visitor and shows him a vision of a Christmas Day soon after his death. Background By early 1843, Dickens had been affected by the treatment of the poor, and in particular the treatment of the children of the poor after witnessing Child labour, children working in appalling conditions in a tin mine and following a visit to a ragged school. Indeed, Dickens experienced pover ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Embezzling
Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking advantage of their position to steal funds or assets, most commonly over a period of time. Versus larceny Embezzlement is not always a form of theft or an act of stealing ''per se'', since those definitions specifically deal with taking something that does not belong to the perpetrators. Instead, embezzlement is, more generically, an act of deceitfully secreting assets by one or more persons that have been ''entrusted'' with such assets. The persons entrusted with such assets may or may not have an ownership stake in such assets. Embezzlement differs from larceny in three ways. First, in embezzlement, an actual ''conversion'' must occur; second, the original taking must not be trespassory, and third, in penalties. To say that the takin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
