Joe's Apartment
''Joe's Apartment'' is a 1996 American musical black comedy film written and directed by John Payson (in his feature directorial debut), based on his 1992 short film of the same name, and starring Jerry O'Connell and Megan Ward. It was the first MTV Films production. It was also the first film Blue Sky Studios was involved in. It is also the only MTV Films production that does not feature the involvement of Paramount Pictures. The main focus of the story is the fact that, unbeknownst to many humans, cockroaches can talk, but prefer not to, as humans "smush first and ask questions later". They also sing and even have their own public-access television cable TV channel. Actors providing the roaches' voices included Billy West (in his feature film debut), Jim Turner, Rick Aviles (in his final film role before his death), Tim Blake Nelson, BD Wong, and Dave Chappelle. The film received generally negative reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, nearly grossing over $4 milli ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jerry O'Connell
Jeremiah O'Connell (born February 17, 1974) is an American actor and TV show host. He is known for his roles as Quinn Mallory in the television series '' Sliders'', Andrew Clements in '' My Secret Identity'', Vern Tessio in the film '' Stand by Me'' (1986), Joe in '' Joe's Apartment'' (1996), Frank Cushman in ''Jerry Maguire'' (1996), Derek in ''Scream 2'' (1997), Michael in '' Tomcats'' (2001), Charlie Carbone in '' Kangaroo Jack'' (2003), and Detective Woody Hoyt on the NBC drama ''Crossing Jordan''. He starred as Pete Kaczmarek in the single 2010–2011 season of '' The Defenders''. He also had a starring role in the comedy horror film ''Piranha 3D'' (2010). Recently, he voiced Commander Jack Ransom on the animated series '' Star Trek: Lower Decks'' and hosted a version of '' Pictionary'' syndicated on Fox stations. Early life O'Connell was born in New York City, the eldest son of Linda, a Special Education teacher in New Jersey, and Michael O'Connell, an advertising agency ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rick Aviles
Rick Aviles (October 14, 1952 – March 17, 1995) was an American stand-up comedian and actor of Puerto Rican descent, best remembered for his role as Willie Lopez in the film ''Ghost''. Career Born in Manhattan, Aviles worked as a street performer and stand-up comedian on the Greenwich Village night-club circuit in New York in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1978, a ''Variety'' reviewer called him "a comic with a future". He was frequently seen in the NYC subways, doing his act for the riders. He made his film debut as Mad Dog in 1981's ''The Cannonball Run''. He went on to work in several other films, including minor parts in '' Street Smart'' and '' The Secret of My Success'', both released in 1987. That same year he became the host of ''It's Showtime at the Apollo'', which he continued as host until 1991. A ''Variety'' review of his stand-up act in 1990 noted, "Utilizing masterful ethnic impersonations and a remarkably rubbery face, Puerto Rican comic Rick Aviles comes off as one of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vincent Pastore
Vincent Pastore (; born July 14, 1946) is an Italian American actor. Often cast as a mafioso, he is best known for his portrayal of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. He also made notable appearances in the HBO film '' Gotti'' (1996), ''Shark Tale'' (2004) and ''Revolver'' (2005). Early life Pastore was born on July 14, 1946, to an Italian-American family in the Bronx, New York City, and grew up in New Rochelle, New York. Following his graduation from high school, he enlisted as a sailor in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and then attended Pace University for three years, before eventually going into the acting industry after befriending Matt and Kevin Dillon. On June 3, 2015, during an appearance on '' Good Day New York'', Pastore said he was in the club business for close to 30 years, and got into acting in his 40s. Career Acting Pastore has made a career of portraying Italian-American gangsters in film and television. He began with ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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David Huddleston
David William Huddleston (September 17, 1930 – August 2, 2016) was an American actor. An Emmy Awards, Emmy Award nominee, Huddleston had a prolific television career, and appeared in many films, including'' Rio Lobo'', ''Blazing Saddles'', ''Crime Busters'', ''Santa Claus: The Movie'', and ''The Big Lebowski''. Early life Huddleston was born in Vinton, Virginia, the son of Ismay Hope (Maiden and married names, née Dooley) and Lewis Melvin Huddleston. Huddleston attended Fork Union Military Academy for high school (postgraduate class of 1949), where he listed Villamont, Virginia, as his hometown, and he is listed among the school's prominent alumni. He was briefly an officer in the United States Air Force before beginning his formal education in acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Career Known mainly as a character actor, Huddleston starred in the title role of 1985's big-budget film ''Santa Claus: The Movie'', which featured a top-billed Dudley Moore as an elf. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Don Ho
Donald Tai Loy Ho (; August 13, 1930 – April 14, 2007) was a Hawaiian traditional pop musician, singer, and entertainer. He is best known for the song "Tiny Bubbles" from the 1966 album of the same name. Early life, family and education Ho was a singer of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, and German descent. He was born in the small Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako to Emily (Honey) Leimaile Silva and James Ah You Puao Ho, but he grew up in Kāneohe on the windward side of the island of Oahu. He was a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools in 1949 and he attended Springfield College on a football scholarship in 1950, but he returned home to earn a Bachelor's degree in sociology at University of Hawaiʻi in 1953. Career In 1954, Ho entered the U.S. Air Force, doing his primary training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi and spent time flying C-97s with the Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive United ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robert Vaughn
Robert Francis Vaughn (November 22, 1932 – November 11, 2016) was an American actor and political activist, whose career in film, television and theater spanned nearly six decades and who was best known for his role as secret agent Napoleon Solo on '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1964–68). He was a Primetime Emmy Award winner, and was nominated for the Academy Award, the BAFTA Award, two Laurel Awards, and four times for the Golden Globe Award. Vaughn also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Vaughn had his breakthrough role as disabled, drunken war veteran Chester A. Gwynn in '' The Young Philadelphians'', earning him a 1960 Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He subsequently appeared in scores of films, notably as gunman Lee in ''The Magnificent Seven'' (1960), Walter Chalmers in ''Bullitt,'' Major Paul Krueger in ''The Bridge at Remagen'' (1969), the voice of Proteus IV in '' Demon Seed'' (1977) and Ross Webster in '' Superman III'' (1983). To televis ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sandra Denton
Sandra Jacqueline Denton (born 9 November 1964 or 1969), better known by her stage name Pepa or Pep, is a Jamaican-American rapper, best known for her work as a member of the female rap trio Salt-N-Pepa. Denton starred in '' The Salt-N-Pepa Show'', a reality TV series focusing on reforming the group which aired on the VH1 network in 2008. Since January 2016, Denton has appeared as a supporting cast member on the music reality television show '' Growing Up Hip Hop'' which airs on We TV. Early life Sandra Jacqueline Denton was born in Kingston, Jamaica to Charles and Enid Denton (née Hyacinth), the youngest of eight children. Denton lived on a farm in Jamaica with her grandmother until she was six years old. Denton's family moved to Queens, New York, when she was three; and she later joined them. Denton has been a performer since childhood. Denton was molested as a child. Denton released a book about her life in 2008 entitled ''Let's Talk About Pep'' in which she talked about be ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Enlightened Self-interest
Enlightened self-interest is a philosophy in ethics which states that persons who act to further the interests of others (or the interests of the group or groups to which they belong) ultimately serve their own self-interest. It has often been simply expressed by the belief that an individual, group, or even a commercial entity will "do well by doing good". The term ''enlightened self-interest'' has been criticized as a mere ideological or semantic device of neoclassical economic theory to justify this type of behavior. It has been considered at best a variant of self-interest that is unsuitable for the establishment of personal and public relations because - like the definition of self-interest in the standard rational-choice model - it fails to characterise human behaviour ethically, psychologically, and cognitively. Related and contrasting concepts Unenlightened self-interest In contrast to ''enlightened'' self-interest is simple greed, or the concept of "''unenlightened'' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Landlord Harassment
Landlord harassment is the willing creation, by a landlord or their agents, of conditions that are uncomfortable for one or more tenants in order to induce willing abandonment of a rental contract. This is illegal in many jurisdictions, either under general harassment laws or specific protections, as well as under the terms of rental contracts or tenancy agreements. This kind of activity can be more common in regions where rent control laws apply to tenancies, with rent-controlled prices not extending to the subsequent tenancy, thus allowing landlords to set higher prices when the current tenant leaves. Harassment of tenants may include practices such as withholding maintenance, assault, verbal harassment, or written harassment. One example is sexual harassment, also known as "sex for rent". This practice involves landlords letting properties, rooms, or other accommodations to people in return for sexual favours. This issue has been raised by both UK media and MPs, with the then ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rent-controlled
Rent regulation is a system of laws for the rental market of dwellings, with controversial effects on affordability of housing and tenancies. Generally, a system of rent regulation involves: *Price controls, limits on the rent that a landlord may charge, typically called rent control or rent stabilization *Eviction controls: codified standards by which a landlord may terminate a tenancy *Obligations on the landlord or tenant regarding adequate maintenance of the property *A system of oversight and enforcement by an independent regulator and ombudsman The loose term "rent control" covers a spectrum of regulation which can vary from setting the absolute amount of rent that can be charged, with no allowed increases, to placing different limits on the amount that rent can increase; these restrictions may continue between tenancies, or may be applied only within the duration of a tenancy. As of 2016, at least 14 of the 36 OECD countries have some form of rent control in effect, inc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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University Of Iowa
The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 colleges offering more than 200 areas of study and 7 professional degrees. On an urban 1,880-acre campus on the banks of the Iowa River, the University of Iowa is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". In fiscal year 2021, research expenditures at Iowa totaled $818 million. The university was the original developer of the Master of Fine Arts degree, and it operates the Iowa Writers' Workshop, whose alumni include 17 of the university's 46 Pulitzer Prize winners. Iowa is a member of the Association of American Universities and the Universities Research Association. Among public universities in the United States, UI was the first to beco ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Box-office Bomb
A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has technically "bombed", the term is more frequently used for major studio releases that were highly anticipated, extensively marketed, and expensive to produce, but nevertheless failed commercially. Originally, a "bomb" had the opposite meaning, referring instead to a successful film that "exploded" at the box office. The term continued to be used this way in the United Kingdom into the 1970s. Causes Negative word of mouth With the advent of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in the 2000s, word of mouth regarding new films is easily spread and has had a marked effect on box office performance. A film's ability or failure to attract positive or negative commentary can strongly impact its performance at the box office, espe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |