|
The Secret Policeman's Ball
''The Secret Policeman's Ball'' is a series of benefit shows staged initially in the United Kingdom to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. The shows started in 1976 featuring popular British comedians but later included leading musicians and actors. The ''Secret Policeman's Ball'' shows are credited by many prominent entertainers with having galvanised them to become involved with Amnesty and other social and political causes in succeeding years. Co-founded by Monty Python member John Cleese, campaigner Peter Luff (Assistant Director Amnesty International 1974–1978), and entertainment industry executive Martin Lewis, there have been four distinct eras of the Amnesty benefit shows. The shows of the first era (1976–1981), featuring five members of Monty Python and newcomers such as Rowan Atkinson, yielded films, television specials, home-videos, and albums that have since been widely seen and heard internationally. The three subsequent e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the island containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and southeast of the Cayman Islands (a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory). With million people, Jamaica is the third most populous English-speaking world, Anglophone country in the Americas and the fourth most populous country in the Caribbean. Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston is the country's capital and largest city. The indigenous Taíno peoples of the island gradually came under Spanish Empire, Spanish rule after the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Many of the indigenous people either were killed or died of diseases, after which the Spanish brought large numbers of Africans to Jamaica as slaves. The island remained a possession of Spain, under the name Colo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof (; born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, who achieved popularity as part of the punk rock movement. The band had UK number one hits with his co-compositions " Rat Trap" and " I Don't Like Mondays". Geldof starred as Pink in Pink Floyd's 1982 film ''Pink Floyd – The Wall''. As a fundraiser, Geldof organised the charity supergroup Band Aid and the concerts Live Aid and Live 8, and co-wrote " Do They Know It's Christmas?", one of the best-selling singles to date. Geldof is widely recognised for his activism, especially his anti-poverty efforts concerning Africa. In 1984, he and Midge Ure founded the charity supergroup Band Aid to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. They went on to organise the charity super-concert Live Aid the following year and the Live 8 concerts in 2005. Geldof currently serves ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. His aggressive playing style, poetic songwriting techniques and authorship of two rock operas with the Who, as well as other projects, have earned him critical acclaim. Townshend has written more than 100 songs for 12 of the Who's studio albums. These include concept albums, the rock operas ''Tommy (The Who album), Tommy'' (1969) and ''Quadrophenia'' (1973), plus popular rock radio staples such as ''Who's Next'' (1971); as well as dozens more that appeared as non-album singles, bonus tracks on reissues, and tracks on rarities compilation albums such as ''Odds & Sods'' (1974). He has also written more than 100 songs that have appeared on his solo albums, as well as radio jingles and Theme music, television theme songs. While known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sting (musician)
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner (born 2 October 1951), known as Sting, is an English musician, activist, and actor. He was the frontman, principal songwriter and bassist for New wave music, new wave band the Police from 1977 until their breakup in 1986. He launched a solo career in 1985 and has included elements of rock, jazz, reggae, classical, New-age music, new-age, and worldbeat in his music. Sting has sold a combined total of more than 100 million records as a solo artist and as a member of the Police. He has received three Brit Awards, including Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist, Best British Male Artist in 1994 and Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2002; a Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe; an Emmy Award, Emmy; and four Academy Awards, Academy Award nominations. As a solo musician and as a member of the Police, Sting has received 17 Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known for his blend of slapstick humor and sharp wit, Stiller rose to fame through comedies such as ''There's Something About Mary'' (1998), ''Zoolander'' (2001), and ''Tropic Thunder'' (2008). Stiller is also known for his work in franchises such as the Meet the Parents (film series), ''Meet the Parents'' films (2000–2010), the Madagascar (franchise), ''Madagascar'' franchise (2005–2012), and the Night at the Museum (franchise), ''Night at the Museum'' films (2006–2014). Ben Stiller filmography, His films have grossed more than $2.6 billion in Canada and the United States, with an average of $79 million per film. List of awards and nominations received by Ben Stiller, His awards and honors include an Emmy Award, a Directors Guild of America Awards, Directors Guild of America Award, a Britannia Awards, Britannia Award and a Teen Choice Awards, Teen Choice Award. Stiller i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Kate Silverman (born December 1, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She first rose to prominence for her brief stint as a writer and cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' during its 19th season, between 1993 and 1994. She then starred in and produced '' The Sarah Silverman Program'', which ran from 2007 to 2010 on Comedy Central. For her work on the program, Silverman was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She has also acted in television projects such as '' Mr. Show'' and '' V.I.P.'' and starred in films, including '' Who's the Caboose?'' (1997), ''School of Rock'' (2003), '' Take This Waltz'' (2011), '' A Million Ways to Die in the West'' (2014), and '' Battle of the Sexes'' (2017). She also voiced Vanellope von Schweetz in ''Wreck-It Ralph'' (2012), and ''Ralph Breaks the Internet'' (2018). For her lead role in '' I Smile Back'' (2015) she was nominated for a Scre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer, and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with her best friend and comedy partner, Dawn French. With French, she co-wrote and starred in their eponymous sketch show, '' French and Saunders'', for which they jointly received a BAFTA Fellowship in 2009. Saunders later received acclaim in the 1990s for writing and playing her character Edina Monsoon in her sitcom '' Absolutely Fabulous''. Early life Jennifer Jane Saunders was born on 6 July 1958 in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England.Hannah Hamad. Jennifer Saunders' — screenonline.org. Retrieved 4 October 2007. Her mother, Barbara Jane (née Duminy), was a biology teacher, and her father, Robert Thomas Saunders, served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He reached the rank of group captain, and later worked ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Palin
Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. He received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, BAFTA Fellowship in 2013 and was knighthood, knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 New Year Honours, 2019. Palin started in television working on programmes including the ''Ken Dodd Show'', ''The Frost Report'', and ''Do Not Adjust Your Set''. He joined ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (1969–1974) alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman. He acted in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "Argument Clinic", "Dead Parrot sketch", "The Lumberjack Song", "The Spanish Inquisition (Monty Python), The Spanish Inquisition", "Bicycle Repair Man", and "The Fish-Slapping Dance". Palin continued to work with Jones away from Python, co-writing ''Ripping Yarns''. Palin co-wrote and starred in ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' (1975 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. He first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writer-performers in the comedy revue '' Beyond the Fringe'' from 1960 that created a boom in satirical comedy. With a member of that team, Peter Cook, Moore collaborated on the BBC television series '' Not Only... But Also''. In their popular double act, Moore's buffoonery contrasted with Cook's deadpan monologues. They jointly received the 1966 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance and worked together on other projects until the mid-1970s, by which time Moore had settled in Los Angeles, California, to concentrate on his film acting. Moore's career as a comedy film actor was marked by hit films, particularly '' Bedazzled'' (1967), set in Swinging Sixties London (in which he co-starred with Cook) and Hollywood productio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Mitchell (comedian)
David James Stuart Mitchell (born 14 July 1974) is a British comedian, actor, and writer. Mitchell rose to prominence alongside Robert Webb as part of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb. The duo starred in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Peep Show'', in which Mitchell plays Mark Corrigan. He won the British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy Performance in 2009 for his performance. Mitchell and Webb have written and starred in several sketch shows including '' Bruiser'', '' The Mitchell and Webb Situation'', '' That Mitchell and Webb Sound'', and '' That Mitchell and Webb Look''. They have also starred in the British version of Apple's " Get a Mac" ad campaign. Their first film, '' Magicians'', was released in 2007. They starred in the short-lived TV series ''Ambassadors'' in 2013, and in the Channel 4 comedy-drama ''Back'' from 2017 to 2021. Mitchell starred as Owen in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom '' Think the Unthinkable'', as Dr. James Vine in the BBC One sitcom '' Jam & Jerusalem' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seth Meyers
Seth Adam Meyers (born December 28, 1973) is an American comedian, television host, writer, actor, and producer. He hosts ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'', a late-night talk show on NBC. Prior to hosting Late Night, he was a cast member on NBC's sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2001 to 2014, and served as the host's head writer as well as an anchor of the show's news parody segment Weekend Update from 2006 until he left in 2014. Early life and education Meyers was born in Evanston, Illinois, and lived in Okemos, Michigan, between the ages of 4 and 10 years old. After that he grew up in Bedford, New Hampshire. Seth's mother, Hilary Claire (née Olson) was a French teacher and his father, Laurence (Larry) Meyers Jr., worked in finance. At one point, his mother and fellow ''Saturday Night Live'' co-star John Mulaney’s grandmother Carolyn Stanton performed together in a hospital benefit show in Marblehead, Massachusetts called Pills A-Poppin' directed by Tony Awa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, singer, musician and writer. He first gained professional recognition as a member of the English comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. Fry and Laurie acted together in a number of projects during the 1980s and 1990s, including the BBC sketch comedy series ''A Bit of Fry & Laurie'' and the P. G. Wodehouse adaptation ''Jeeves and Wooster''. From 1986 to 1989 he appeared in three series of the period comedy ''Blackadder'', first as a recurring guest star in the last two episodes of ''Blackadder II'', before joining the main cast in ''Blackadder the Third'', and going on to appear in ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' and many related specials. From 2004 to 2012, Laurie starred as Gregory House, Dr. Gregory House on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox medical drama series ''House (TV series), House''. He received two Golden Globe Awards and many other accolades for the role. He was listed in the 2011 ''G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
