Stefania Fernandez biography

Birth name: Stefanía Fernández Krupij
Birthdate: September 4, 1990 (1990-09-04) (age 18)
Birth location: Mérida, Mérida State, Venezuela
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Brown

Stefania Fernandez Biography and Personal Profile:
Stefanía Fernández Krupij is Miss Universe 2009, from Mérida, Venezuela; she represented her country, Venezuela, in the Miss Universe 2009 pageant in the Bahamas.

She was born September 4, 1990.Stefania Fernandez age is 18 years old. Fernández won the Miss Venezuela 2008 title in a pageant held in Caracas, Venezuela on September 10, 2008. She was crowned by the outgoing titleholder, Dayana Mendoza, Miss Venezuela 2007 and Miss Universe 2008. Fernández also won the “Miss Elegance”, “Best Body” and “Best Face”, titles.

She became the second Miss Trujillo to win that title since the Miss Venezuela pageant first began in 1952. The first was Bárbara Palacios, Miss Venezuela 1986 and Miss Universe 1986. Stefanía is of Spanish Galician, Russian, Ukrainian, and Polish origin; she practices tennis and swim. Her mother is Nadia Krupij Holojad and her father is Carlos Fernández, who was kidnapped in 2005 in Barinas, Venezuela, for five days.

Mary Travers

With her long, flowing, blonde hair and crystal-clear soprano vocals, Mary Travers was a major influence on the folk music of the 1960s and '70s. A founding member of Peter, Paul And Mary, Travers, not only became one of the most commercially successful folk performers, but, used her position to become an inspirational political spokesperson. Together with Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey, Travers performed at Civil Rights rallies with Dr. Martin Luther King, in Birmingham, Alabama and Washington, D.C., and, at numerous anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, fund-raisers and teach-ins. During the 1980s, Travers helped to call attention to the struggles of Latin America.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Travers grew up in New York's Greenwich Village. As a youngster, she became enchanted with the American folk songs played by The Weavers, Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie. While in high school, Travers became a regular performer at the Sunday afternoon folk music sessions at Washington Square Park. Together with a teenage group, The Songswappers, Travers appeared twice at

-Carnegie Hall and recorded with Pete Seeger. After singing in the chorus of a short-lived Broadway show, Travers balanced work in the literary and advertising field with appearances in New York clubs at night and weekends. After meeting humorist, folksinger and guitarist Stookey and folk music producer Milt Okun, Travers helped to form Peter, Paul And Mary. The trio performed its debut show at the Bitter End in 1961 and began a decade-long series of concerts and recordings. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1962 became a major hit, remaining in the top ten for ten months and the top twenty for two years. Their single, "If I Had A Hammer" became an anthem of the Civil Rights movement. Over the next decade, Travers and the trio helped to popularize the songs of Bob Dylan, John Denver and Gordon Lightfoot. Travers' lead vocals helped to make the trio's rendition of Denver's "Leaving On A Jet Plane," a major hit in 1970.

Shortly after releasing a "greatest hits" album, "Ten Years Together," in May, 1970, the trio announced their separation. The mother of two daughters-Erika, born in 1960, and Alicia, born in 1966 -- Travers remained active as a soloist, releasing five albums and performing in college and clubs throughout the United States. In addition, Travers lectured at colleges on "Society And Its Effect On Music", hosted a music and interview show on Radio Pacifica (KPFK) in Los Angeles and produced, wrote and starred in a television series for the BBC.

Travers reunited with Stookey and Yarrow in 1978 for a benefit concert, Survival Sunday, that Yarrow organized and produced at the Hollywood Bowl. Their performance was so encouraging that they agreed to resume their partnership. In the two decades since, Travers has continued to record and perform approximately forty-five concerts each year with the trio.

Patrick Swayze

Full Name: Patrick Wayne Swayze
Born: Patrick Wayne Swayze on August 18, 1952 in Houston, Texas, USA
Job Titles: Actor, Dancer, Singer, Songwriter, Carpenter, Professional skater, Restaurateur.

Patrick Swayze was a Texas-born Hollywood movie actor whose background in ballet and gymnastics ironically gave him a physique well-suited for his roles as hunky love interest or macho action film hero.

He never surpassed the popularity of his earnest, romantic blockbusters “Dirty Dancing” (1987) and “Ghost” (1990), but after suffering bouts of alcoholism, and removing himself from Hollywood altogether, he seemed to regain new perspective that would raise the bar for his acting future. And if nothing else, his utterance of the line, “Nobody puts Baby in the corner,” from “Dirty Dancing,” virtually guaranteed big screen immortality.

Patrick Wayne Swayze was born on Aug. 18, 1952, in Houston, TX. His father, Jesse Wayne, had been a champion rodeo cowboy and Mom, “Patsy” Yvonne Swayze, was a dancer and choreographer who owned the Houston Jazz and Ballet Company. His parents were not the only performers in the family – Swayze was also a distant relation of actors William Holden and Tom Hulce. Swayze began dance training with his hard-driving mother at an early age, focusing on a ballet career even before thoughts of acting. But high school was tough for a teenage boy in a leotard, so for several years, Swayze also developed his sporting side, participating in gymnastics, swimming and football at Waltrip High School in Houston. Consequently, the physical overachiever was offered scholarships for both dance and athletics, opting for the gymnastics program at San Jacinto College in Houston. To add to his impressive skills roster, he had also become an accomplished figure skater. Two years later, he got his first break into show business when he was offered a role as Prince Charming in the “Disney on Parade” touring ice show.
In 1972, Swayze decided to re-focus on his original love of ballet, so he headed for the bright lights and abundant career opportunities of New York City. He got right to work, studying at the Harkness and Joffrey Ballet Companies and getting hired as the principal dancer at the Eliot Feld Ballet Company. Several years into his New York run, his hometown girlfriend, Lisa Niemi, a fellow dancer whom he had met at his mother’s studio, joined him in New York. The two were married not long after. When a high school football knee injury reappeared and cut his career with Feld short, Swayze made a lateral move to theater. His rugged looks, winning smile, and studied movements helped him land roles on Broadway’s “Goodtime Charley,” “West Side Story” and “Grease.”
Swayze’s high-profile turn as Danny Zuko onstage in “Grease” suddenly brought Hollywood knocking, and he and Lisa answered by packing up and moving West. He began landing parts, appearing as a bad boy on wheels in the big screen roller-skating flop, “Skatetown USA” (1979) and as a leukemia patient on an episode of “M*A*S*H” (CBS, 1972-1983). Swayze’s big film breakout came in 1983 when he was cast as eldest greaser Darrel Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola’s period teen melodrama, “The Outsiders” – a movie which also launched the careers of Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Tom Cruise. Hollywood quickly saw Swayze’s leading man potential, giving him the starring role as a young Confederate soldier in the miniseries, “North and South” (ABC, 1985) and as one of the local militants fighting the Russians in the laughable teens vs. Communists action flick, “Red Dawn” (1984).
Everything changed in 1987 when he became an overnight sensation with his starring role in “Dirty Dancing” opposite Jennifer Grey. It may have been the part he had been preparing for his whole life – rakish dance teacher Johnny Castle, who enjoyed tight pants, Cuban heels, and had an eye for the young ladies. He earned a Golden Globe nomination for the film, and also contributed an original song – “She’s Like the Wind” – to the soundtrack. The song hit #3 on the pop charts and the film soundtrack became one of the top-selling soundtracks in history. Also immortalized: “Nobody puts Baby in the corner,” uttered by Swayze to Jennifer Grey’s father, Jerry Orbach, during the film’s dance-off finale, which in subsequent years, became one of the most beloved and often repeated lines in film history.
The actor’s next two titles were action films, but in Swayze-style action, he whirled through fight scenes like a West Side Jet in “Road House” (1989) and leapt into a mob-revenge melee like a gymnast in “Next of Kin” (1989). Only three years after securing leading man status in “Dirty Dancing,” Swayze lived up to the hype by turning in another iconic performance in the blockbuster romance, “Ghost” (1990). Setting the ladies’ hearts afire with his sensitive portrayal of the dead lover who can never tell his girl he loves her while alive, “Ghost,” was a monster hit. Coming seemingly out of nowhere, the film featured Swayze as the slain lover of Demi Moore, who continues to communicate with and protect her in the afterlife. With this role, Swayze showed a range heretofore unseen – most especially witnessed in comic scenes with quack psychic, Whoopi Goldberg and in his tearful, earnest attempts to contact Moore from the great beyond. And much like “Dirty Dancing,” Swayze offered up another quotable quote – “Ditto” – to say nothing of another famous film scene in which Swayze and Moore erotically sculpt clay to the Righteous Brothers’ ballad, “Unchained Melody.” For his work, Swayze received a second Golden Globe nomination and People magazine included him in their “Sexiest Man Alive” issue the following year. Without a doubt, Swayze’s impossibly perfect abs and pecs being on full display while sculpting clay shirtless had something to do with his placement that year.
After appearing in two of the most popular films in history, there was no place else to go but down. Inevitably, the actor’s next string of films did not fare as well at the box office. It was not surprising when he was overlooked at the Golden Globes for playing a surfing bank robber in “Point Break” (1991) – a film high on machismo, but laughable on plot. Four years later, he surprised audiences who were used to his romantic dramas and gut-punching action movies, when he starred in the quirky, cross-country drag-queen romp, “To Wong Foo, Thanks for everything! Julie Newmar” (1995).

In the late 1990s, Swayze experienced several career setbacks including a broken leg suffered while filming “Letters from a Killer” and increasing problems with alcoholism. His father had died of the disease in 1982, and Swayze admitted to lapsing in and out of periods of heavy drinking. His sister had committed suicide in 1994, and it contributed to the tailspin that landed Swayze in rehab. After his release, he and Niemi decided to get away from the Hollywood atmosphere and relocate to a ranch in Texas, even turning down a $6 million dollar offer to do a “Dirty Dancing” sequel. After a time, Swayze returned to work, appearing in some of the more critically-acclaimed films of his career, including the Sundance nominee “The Green Dragon” (2001) and the cult-classic “Donnie Darko” (2001). Back onstage, he played the tap-dancing Billy Flynn in “Chicago” on Broadway, and “Guys and Dolls” at the Piccadilly Theater in London. In 2006, he appeared alongside Kristin-Scott Thomas and Rowan Atkinson in the independent British film, “Keeping Mum,” where he received positive nods for his tongue-in-cheek role as an aging ladies man.
Due to his high-profile roles in fluffy blockbusters of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Swayze became a bit of a cult icon for the succeeding generation of pop culture hipsters. “Swayze” was transformed into a bona fide adjective in the hip hop world, with “I’m Swayze” meaning “disappeared” or “gone” like his character in “Ghost.” Film parodists “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (Sci-Fi Channel, 1988-1999) included an original song called “Patrick Swayze Christmas” in one of their holiday episodes, with the puppet hosts wishing their viewers “the Swayziest Christmas of them all.” Indie rockers Kane Hodder even cut a song called “I think Patrick Swayze is Sexy,” while, at the same time, The Petition Site.com received signatures of dozens of people who believe “No More Patrick Swayze Movies Should be Made.” Love him or hate him, no one could claim the dancer-turned-actor did not inspire great passion from both his fans and his detractors.
It was precisely this passion which led fans and even those ambivalent toward the actor to express their deepest sympathies when the National Enquirer broke the news in March 2008 that Swayze only had five weeks to live, due to terminal pancreatic cancer. The news shocked the masses, leading to a forced rebuttal from Swayze’s physician, Dr. George Fisher, who did confirm the cancer, but not the tabloid’s prognosis, stating “Patrick has a very limited amount of the disease and he appears to be responding well to the treatment.” An outpouring of affection from both fans and former co-stars began pouring in, leading the family to release the statement: “We appreciate the love that’s coming back to Patrick from all his fans.” The actor had just shot a pilot for A&E, “The Beast,” which, despite the news, the network confirmed was a major contender to go to series and that they believed Swayze would be able to continue his role once his cancer treatment was finished.

Family
* Brother: Don Swayze. Born in 1958
* Brother: Sean Kyle Swayze. Born in 1962
* Father: Jesse Swayze. Died in 1982
* Mother: Patsy Swayze. Choreographed films, Urban Cowboy (1980) and Liar s Moon (1982); also owned a ballet school
* Sister: Bambi Swayze.
* Sister: Vicky Swayze. Committed suicide c. 1994

Education
* Waltrip High School, Houston, TX

Milestones
* 1975 Broadway debut as dancer in Goodtime Charley
* 1979 Film debut, Skatetown USA
* 1983 Returned to features films with roles in The Outsiders and Uncommon Valor
* 1983 TV series debut, Renegades
* 1984 Played first feature lead in the war drama, Red Dawn ; first film with Jennifer Grey
* 1985 First success TV mini-series, North and South set during the Civil War
* 1986 Co-starred with Rob Lowe and Keanu Reeves in the hockey-themed feature, Youngblood
* 1987 Breakthrough role as dance instructor, Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing co-starring Jennifer Grey; earned a Golden Globe nomination for the role; also sang one of the songs on the soundtrack, She s Like the Wind
* 1989 Starred in Road House as a bouncer at a seedy roadside bar
* 1990 Became co-owner (with Bobby Ochs) of Mulholland Drive Cafe; restaurant closed in 1996
* 1990 Co-starred with Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg in the successful romantic fantasy-thriller, Ghost
* 1991 Re-teamed with actor Keanu Reeves in the action hit, Point Break
* 1995 With Ochs, opened second restaurant, Bobby O s City Bites
* 1997 Broke right leg and fractured left leg in riding accident during filming of Letters From a Killer
* 1997 Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (August 18)
* 2001 Acted in the Vietnam-set The Green Dragon ; screened at Sundance
* 2001 Co-starred in Without a Word a film co-written and directed by Lisa Niemi
* 2002 Co-starred in Waking Up in Reno with Billy Bob Thornton and Charlize Theron
* 2003 Appeared on Broadway as slick lawyer Billy Flynn in the Tony Award winning musical Chicago
* 2004 Had a cameo appearance as a dance instructor in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
* 2004 Played a choreographer in the NBC sitcom Whoopi
* 2006 Made London stage debut in the musical Guys and Dolls as Nathan Detroit
* 2006 Played Kristin Scott-Thomas golf teacher in the British comedy “Keeping Mum”
* 2009 Co-starred as an aging rock star, opposite younger brother Don, in the film Powder Blue (released straight to DVD)
* 2009 Played FBI Agent Charles Barker in the A&E drama, The Beast
* Began career as dancer, touring as Prince Charming in Disney on Parade
* Co-founded, with Lisa Niemi, Troph productions
* Danced as a guest artist with Buffalo Ballet Company before studying with the Harkness Ballet
* Performed as skater at Galleria Ice Skating Pavilion in Houston
* Performed briefly as a principal dancer with the Feld Ballet; left because of aggravated knee injury from high school football
* Performed with and wrote material for six bands

Zivanna Letisha Siregar Biography

Zivanna Letisha Siregar (Born: February 16, 1989 at Jakarta; aka: Zizi) is Miss Indonesia 2008. She competed in the Miss Universe 2009 beauty pageant held at Atlantis Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas on August 23, 2009.

Before the event in the Puteri Indonesia, Zizi recorded at the University of Indonesia Department of Economic Sciences was also successfully won the election event held by the Elite Model Look in 2006.

Personal Biography
Schooling
Zizi did her schooling at SMA Al-Izhar Jakarta and graduated in 2007. She studied at the University of Indonesia at the Department of Economic Science in 2007.
Professional Biography
Ranking / Recognition / Awards / Applause / Postive comments

* Juara Elite Model Look 2006 Champion Elite Model Look 2006
* Puteri Indonesia 2008

Qory Sandioriva

Representatives from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Qory Sandioriva named Puteri Indonesia 2009 in elections conducted in the Land Theater Fatherland Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Jakarta, Friday (9 / 10).

Qory able to put two competitors who entered the three major Zukhriatul Hafizah (West Sumatra) which eventually had to settle for being runner-up, as well as Ayu Isti Pratiwi (North Maluku) became Runner-Up II.

Before the big three memsuki round, first ten finalists chosen selection of Puteri Indonesia (PPI) in 2009. Of the ten finalists, will be filtered again five finalists for the fight gelar Puteri Indonesia 2009 through the interview process.

The big 10 finalists who had set aside the other 28 finalists from 33 provinces in the country that is Qory Sandioriva (Aceh), Zukhriatul Hafizah (West Sumatra), Sarinah Princess Aria (South Sumatra), Natalia Hermanto (DKI Jakarta 4) , Coreana Agashi (DKI Jakarta 6), Audrie Adriana Sanova (Banten), Maya Nita (West Java), Nadia Zahara (East Java), Isti Ayu Pratiwi (North Maluku), and Tien Arisoi Virginia (West Papua).

The jury members who provide an assessment on the night grand final is Director of Education Department of Education Equity Triyadi Indonesia Dr., Director General of Marketing Department of Culture & Tourism Dr. Sapta Nirwandar, Deputy Improving Quality of Life The Women's Ministry Setiawati Dra MSc, Sutanto Kusumadewi beautician , Miss Indonesia 2005 Nadine Chandrawinata, Director of the Taman Sari Royal Heritage Spa Baskoro Annie Savitri, Garuda Indonesia President Director Emirsyah Satar, and Chairman of Graduate Studies Program Management Sciences, University of Indonesia Dr. Zakaria Afiff Adi MBA. election event was also attended by Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez from Venezuela.

Biography
Born | Jakarta, 17-08-1991
Age | 18
Education Last | Semester 1 UI Department of French Literature
Jobs | Student
Hobi | --
Achievements | Champion of Vocal & Band Al-Azhar Indonesia
1 Fighting Champion Pencak Silat
Achievements | now become PRINCESS INDONESIA 2009

Brittany Murphy Biography

Born: November 10, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Died: 20 December 2009 (heart failure)
Job Titles: Actor, Singer

Family
Father: Angelo Bertolotti. An Italian American racketeering criminal; has had little contact with her father since her parents divorced
Mother: Sharon Murphy. Irish American and Eastern European descent; divorced Brittany s father when she was a baby



On December 20, 2009, Murphy died suddenly after going into cardiac arrest. At the time of her death, she had several films in post-production, yet to be released.

Actress Brittany Murphy made a Hollywood specialty of playing rough-around-the-edges chums and lovers. After guest starring roles in TV series like Blossom and Party of Five, she made her feature film debut in Clueless (1995) as Tai, the low-rent ugly duckling befriended by Alicia Silverstone's sleek Cher. Murphy won good reviews as Daisy, Winona Ryder's suicidal fellow mental patient in Girl, Interrupted (1999). She followed that with supporting roles in a string of "chick flicks" including Sidewalks of New York (2001) and Riding In Cars With Boys (2002, with Drew Barrymore). Murphy gradually remade herself from dowdy brunette to slim and sultry blonde: she played Eminem's fame-hungry girlfriend in 8 Mile, the 2002 film inspired by the rapper's life, the waitress Shellie in the violent comic book drama Sin City (2005, with Bruce Willis) and the noodle-master-in-training of The Ramen Girl (2008). Murphy also provided the voice of Luanne in the long-running animated series King of the Hill.
Murphy married screenwriter Simon Monjack in May 2007. She had been engaged to film crew electrician Joe Macaluso in December of 2005; they had split in August of 2006. She had previously been engaged to Jeff Kwatinetz, CEO of the talent management company The Firm... She provided vocals on Paul Oakenfold's single Faster Kill Pussycat, a dance club hit in 2006.

Biography
Brittany Murphy first came to the attention of film audiences as Tai, one of Alicia Silverstone's airhead friends, in the 1995 comedy Clueless. Though convincing as a dim-bulb character, Murphy cuts dramatically against this grain off-camera, as a ferociously intelligent and ambitious young performer who had acting in her blood from early childhood. As a teenager and young adult, she gave expression to the scope of her talent and versatility with a series of engaging film and television roles.

Born in Atlanta on November 10, 1977, Murphy was raised by her single mother in Edison, New Jersey; she later indicated, in interviews, that her mom struggled financially - that they were forced to eat spaghetti night after night, and that on certain occasions, she had to beg her mother to buy clothes at KMart; this would later account for Murphy's marked social investment in homeless causes, as discussed in a February 2003 Glamour article.

A precocious child who began putting on shows when she was a toddler, Murphy was acting in regional theatre productions by the age of nine. Work in various commercials followed, and in 1990 she landed her first television appearance at the age of twelve, on the sitcom Blossom. She also secured a supporting role as Brenda Drexell, the fourteen-year-old daughter of Dabney Coleman's fifth grade teacher Otis Drexell, on the (mercifully) short-lived 1991 FOX sitcom Drexell's Class. The following year, Murphy took her first cinematic bow in the dysfunctional family drama Family Prayers.

Murphy's talent for portraying, dramatically, all degrees on the spectrum of behavioral dysfunction further came to light in three successive projects through 1999: the blackly comic Reese Witherspoon trailer trash odyssey Freeway (1996) (as a disfigured lesbian who befriends Witherspoon's Vanessa); a mental patient in Lloyd Kramer's made-for-TV David and Lisa (1998), and James Mangold's Girl, Interrupted (1999) (as yet another resident at a mental institution).

Meanwhile, on a less ambitious (albeit more whimsical) note, Murphy also became a fixtureon King of the Hill, Mike Judge's long-running contemporary cartoon of suburban life in the southern U.S., as Luanne Platter, the hair stylist niece who comes to live with Hank Hill's family. Murphy kept a full plate as the millennium wrapped. In addition to her work for Mangold in 1999,

she also explored the collective insanity of the beauty pageant world in Drop Dead Gorgeous, while on the small screen, she covered much darker thematic ground with the well-received Holocaust drama The Devil's Arithmetic (also 1999). In 2001, Murphy appeared in the Michael Douglas thriller Don't Say a Word, and alongside Drew Barrymore in Riding in Cars With Boys.

Cast opposite Eminem in director Curtis Hanson's 2002 drama 8 Mile, Murphy performed compellingly as an aspiring rap star's unapologetic muse; in 2004, Murphy headlined Nick Hurran's thoroughly disappointing rom-com Little Black Book. She also made a splash in Robert Rodriguez's innovative graphic novel adaptation Sin City, as the arrogant waitress who becomes the prize in a heated rivalry between Benicio del Toro and Clive Owen.

Murphy made appearances in four features in 2006. In Alex Keshishian's progressive romantic comedy Love and Other Disasters, she played a London-based American expatriate, employed at Vogue, who tries to fix up her gay roommate; in Ed Burns's sixth directorial outing, the Big Chill-like romantic comedy The Groomsmen, she played the expectant girlfriend of Burns's Paulie. She also portrayed a member of the ensemble in Karen Moncrieff's murder mystery The Dead Girl, about a group of seemingly disconnected individuals whose lives intersect as a girl's murderer comes to light, and one of the lead voices in George "Babe" Miller's Happy Feet, an animated penguin tale.

Murphy's appearance alongside Ashton Kutcher in Just Married was - to some degree - a case of art imitating life: offscreen, Murphy and Kutcher began to date as well (and became a hot tabloid item), though unlike their onscreen counterparts, they never wed. Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

Manny Pacquiao Biography

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao (pronounced /ˈpækjaʊ/; born December 17, 1978), known as Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao is a Filipino professional boxer, part-time actor and recording artist. He is the former WBC Lightweight world champion, WBC Super Featherweight world champion, IBF Super Bantamweight world champion, and WBC Flyweight world champion. He has also held the Ring Magazine titles for Featherweight, Super Featherweight, and Light Welterweight divisions.

For his achievements, he became the first Filipino and Asian boxer to win five world titles in five different weight divisions. He is currently the IBO and Ring Magazine Light Welterweight champion and is rated by the Ring Magazine as the #1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world. He is also the first boxer to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes.

Personal life
Pacquiao was born in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Mindanao and currently resides in his home town General Santos City, South Cotabato, Philippines. He is married to Jinkee Pacquiao and they have four children.


Early career
Pacquiao started his professional boxing career at the age of 16 at 106 lbs (Light Flyweight). His early fights took place in small local venues and were shown on Vintage Sports' Blow by Blow, an evening boxing show. His professional debut was a 4-round bout against Edmund "Enting" Ignacio on January 22, 1995, which Pacquiao won via decision, becoming an instant star of the program. Close friend Mark Penaflorida's death in 1994 spurred the young Pacquiao to pursue a professional boxing career.

His weight increased from 106 to 113 lbs before losing in his 12th bout against Rustico Torrecampo via a third-round knockout (KO). Pacquiao had not made the weight. So he was forced to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, thereby putting Pacquiao at a disadvantage.

Shortly after the Torrecampo fight, Pacquiao settled at 112 lbs, winning the WBC Flyweight title over Chatchai Sasakul in the eighth round only to lose it in his second defense against Medgoen Singsurat, also known as Medgoen 3K Battery, via a third-round knockout on a bout held at Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Technically, Pacquiao lost the belt at the scales as he surpassed the weight limit of 112 lbs (51 kg).

Following his loss to Singsurat, Pacquiao gained weight anew. This time, Pacquiao went to the Super Bantamweight division of 122 lbs (55 kg), where he picked up the WBC International Super Bantamweight title. He defended the title five times before his chance for a world title fight came.

Pacquiao's big break came on June 23, 2001, against IBF Super Bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Pacquiao stepped into the fight as a late replacement and won the fight by technical knockout to become the IBF Super Bantamweight champion on a bout held at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. He defended this title five times and fought to a sixth-round draw against Agapito Sánchez in a bout that was stopped early after Pacquiao received 2 headbutts.

Pacquiao's rise

1st fight with Barrera
Pacquiao went on to defend his title four times with expert training from Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym, improving his hand speed and mental preparation before the match that many consider to have defined his career, a bout against Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao, moving up in weight and in his first fight ever in the Featherweight division, brought his power with him and defeated Barrera via a TKO in the 11th round at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas. Although this fight was not recognized as a title fight by any sanctioning bodies, Pacquiao was recognized as world champion by Ring Magazine after his victory, and he held that title until relinquishing it in 2005.

1st fight with Márquez
Only 6 months removed from his win over Barrera, Pacquiao went on to challenge another respected Mexican counterpuncher, Juan Manuel Márquez, then holder of the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight titles. The fight held at the MGM Grand ended in a controversial draw after he knocked down Márquez three times in the first round but lost most of the latter rounds. One of the judges later admitted to making an error in the scorecards because he scored the first round as "10-7" in favor of Pacquiao instead of the standard "10-6" for a three-knockdown round.

1st fight with Morales
Pacquiao once again moved up another division from 126 to 130 lbs to fight another Mexican legend, three-time division champion Érik Morales on March 19, 2005, at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. However, this time around, at his first fight in the Super Featherweight division, Pacquiao lost the 12-round match by a unanimous decision from the judges.

WBC International Super Featherweight title
On September 10, 2005, Manny Pacquiao fought Héctor Velázquez at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. He knocked Velázquez out in 6 rounds to capture the WBC International Super Featherweight title. On the same day, his rival, Erik Morales, fought against Zahir Raheem. However, Morales fought a lackluster performance, losing to Raheem via unanimous decision.

2nd bout with Morales
The much-anticipated rematch between Pacquiao and Morales happened on January 21, 2006 at Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. In that fight, Morales escaped being knocked down twice, one during the 2nd round by holding on to the ropes and the other on the 6th round by falling on the referee's body. Pacquiao eventually knocked Morales out in the 10th round, dealing him the first knockout loss in his boxing career.

Oscar Larios
On July 2, 2006, Pacquiao defeated Óscar Larios, a two-time Super Bantamweight champion who had moved up two weight divisions in order to face Pacquiao. Despite his camp's big promise of an early knockout, the fight went until the final round, with Pacquiao knocking down Larios two times during the 12-round bout for the WBC International Super Featherweight title held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines.

Final bout with Morales
Pacquiao fighting Érik Morales in their third match.Pacquiao and Morales fought for a third time (with the series tied 1-all) on November 18, 2006. Witnessed by a near-record crowd of 18,276, the match saw Pacquiao defeating Morales via a third-round knockout at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

After the Pacquiao-Morales rematch, Bob Arum, Pacquiao's main promoter, announced that Manny returned his signing bonus check back to Golden Boy Promotions, signaling intentions to stay with Top Rank. This resulted in GBP's decision to sue Pacquiao over contractual breaches.

At the end of 2006, he was named by both HBO and Ring Magazine as the "Fighter of the Year", with HBO also naming him as the most exciting fighter of the year.

Jorge Solis
After a failed promotional negotiation with Marco Antonio Barrera's camp, Bob Arum chose Jorge Solís as Pacquiao's next opponent among several fighters that Arum offered him to fight as a replacement. The bout was held in San Antonio, Texas on April 14, 2007. In the sixth round of the bout, an accidental headbutt occurred, giving Pacquiao a cut under his left eyebrow. The fight ended in the eighth round when Pacquiao knocked Solis down twice; with Solis barely beating the count after the second knockdown, the referee (who was also a doctor) was prompted to stop the fight. The victory raised Pacquiao's win-loss-draw record to 44-3-2, with 34 knockouts.

Second bout with Barrera
On June 29, 2007, it was announced that Top Rank and GBP agreed to settle their lawsuit, meaning the long-awaited rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera will occur despite being the #1 contender for the Super Featherweight title of Juan Manuel Márquez.

Since Bob Arum was out on a vacation, GBP's chief executive Richard Schaefer politely declined to discuss Pacquiao’s purse from the October 6, 2007 rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera (at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas). However, Pacquiao was likely to get a purse of $5 million, plus possibly a share of the pay-per-view rights. Pacquiao defeated Barrera in their rematch via an easy unanimous decision. In the 11th round, Pacquiao's punch caused a deep cut under Barrera's right eye. Barrera retaliated with an illegal punch on the break that dazed Pacquiao but also caused the referee to deduct a point from Barrera. Two judges scored the bout 118-109, whereas the third scored it 115-112.


Other events
In The Ring Magazine, Pacquiao (45-3-2) remained at the top of the Junior Lightweight division (130 lbs). He had been in the ratings for 108 weeks. Pacquiao was also at No. 2 in the pound-for-pound category behind former Welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

On November 13, 2007, he was honored by the WBC as Champ Emeritus during its 45th Annual World Convention held at the Manila Hotel.

On November 20, 2007, José Nuñez, manager of WBO Super Featherweight champion Joan Guzmán, accused Pacquiao's handler Bob Arum of evading a match between the two boxers to protect Pacquiao. Guzmán went as far as to directly call out Pacquiao at the postfight press conference of the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch in front of a stunned crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center's media room in Las Vegas.

The 240-member House of Representatives of the Philippines, on August 7, 2008, issued a Resolution, sponsored by South Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio, which recognized Pacquiao as “a people’s champ” - “for his achievements and in appreciation of the honor and inspiration he has been bringing ... to the Filipino people.” He received a plaque from Speaker Prospero Nograles.

On July, 2008, it was announced that Pacquiao would be the flag bearer of the Philippines at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He became the first Filipino Olympic non-participant to be Team Philippines’ flag-bearer during the August 8 opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics at the Beijing National Stadium. Swimmer Miguel Molina, 2005 Southeast Asian Games’ Best Male Athlete, yielded the honor to Pacquiao, upon Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's request to national sports officials on the Philippines at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Rematch with Márquez
Pacquiao fighting Juan Manuel Márquez in their second bout.On March 15, 2008, in a rematch against Juan Manuel Márquez called "Unfinished Business", Pacquiao won via a disputed split decision in a close, hard fought battle in which Pacquiao knocked Márquez down in round 3. Pacquiao won the WBC and The Ring Super Featherweight belts, making him the first Filipino to win three world titles in three different weight divisions (Pacquiao was a former WBC Flyweight champion and former IBF Super Bantamweight champion).

During the postfight interview, Márquez’s camp called for an immediate rematch. Richard Schaefer, GBP CEO, offered a $6-million guarantee to Pacquiao for a rematch. Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, still stinging from the less-than-stellar revenue from Kelly Pavlik’s immediate rematch with Jermain Taylor, said the fight will probably happen but only after there is time to “put a little air under it.” Pacquiao, for his part, said "I don't think so, this business is over" because he planned to move to lightweight (135 lbs) to challenge David Díaz, the reigning WBC Lightweight champion at that time. Díaz won the majority decision over Ramón Montano that night as an undercard of the "Unfinished Business" fight.

WBC Lightweight title
On June 28, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Pacquiao defeated David Díaz via ninth-round knockout to become the WBC Lightweight champion. With the victory, Pacquiao became the only Filipino and Asian boxer to win four major titles in four weight classes and also became the first Filipino fighter to ever win a world title at Lightweight. The fight ended at 2:23 of the ninth round and was viewed by 8,362 spectators. Bob Arum announced that Pacquiao is most likely to fight November 15 versus 130-lb Venezuelan champion Edwin Valero or Humberto Soto in Planet Hollywood, and he also mentioned the name of WBA, WBO, and IBF Lightweight champion Nate Campbell. "I can fight in November," Pacquiao stated, "Who I fight is the job of my promoter (Bob Arum)." Díaz had his best payday, $850,000, and Pacquiao earned at least $3 million.

Bob Arum reported that the Pacquiao-David Díaz fight which made $ 12.5-M (250,000 pay-per-view subscriptions at $ 49.95 each), paled in comparison to the 400,000 in the Márquez showdown. The sales reached over $20 million. Pacquiao’s 3 classic fights with Érik Morales earned a combined sales of 1 million pay-per-view hits. After HBO and Top Rank get their share, Pacquiao and Díaz will get theirs based on the contract, that is, in addition to the $ 3 million contract pay. Official records revealed an attendance of only 8,362 tickets of the seating capacity of 12,000.

Meanwhile, WBC president Don José Sulaimán clarified that Pacquiao is not a 5-division but 4-division world champion, because the November 2003 Barrera fight was a non-title bout.

Holding both the WBC Super Featherweight and Lightweight titles following the win, Pacquiao decided to vacate his Super Featherweight title in July 2008 in order to defend his Lightweight crown.

Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya
On December 6, 2008, Pacquiao faced Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a fight called Dream Match. Pacquiao asserted himself over De La Hoya from the first round till the eighth round. De La Hoya's corner threw in the towel before the start of the 9th round. Pacquiao won via technical knockout.

Presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, Inc., the bout was scheduled as a 12-round, non-title fight contested at the 147-pound Welterweight limit. Although Pacquiao went into the fight widely recognized as the leading pound-for-pound boxer in the world, some boxing pundits had speculated that 147 pounds could be too far above his natural weight against the larger De La Hoya.

Pacquiao received $15 to 30 million (share of the pay-per-view), plus a guaranteed amount.

Tickets reportedly sold out just hours after they went on sale. The total gate revenues were said to be nearly $17 million dollars. That amount apparently gave the bout the second largest gate revenue in boxing history.

Pacquiao vs. Hatton
On May 2, 2009, Pacquiao fought Ricky Hatton for the IBO and Ring Magazine Light Welterweight titles at MGM Grand Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The fight was originally placed in jeopardy due to disputes with both camps over the fight purse money. Eventually, the money issue was settled and the fight went on as scheduled. HBO aired the contest.

Pacquiao started the fight strong, knocking down a sluggish Hatton twice in the first round. At the bell, Hatton seemed to have re-grouped, only to get knocked down for the third time 2:59 into the second round, awarding Pacquiao the win by KO.


Pacquiao vs. Cotto
On November 14, Pacquiao is slated to face WBO welterweight champion Miguel Ángel Cotto of Puerto Rico, at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Even before Ricky Hatton's fight against Paulie Malignaggi last year, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum stated his desire for Pacquiao to fight Cotto. Pacquiao then gave Arum the go signal to arrange the fight after Cotto won a hard-fought decision against Joshua Clottey at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Meanwhile, current WBA welterweight champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley tried to lure Pacquiao to fight him. Mosley even offered Pacquiao for a fight at junior welterweight (140 pounds), Pacquiao's weight class as of the moment. However, after unsuccessful attempts, Mosley shifted his focus to a fight against WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto.

Among the details that were agreed upon for the Pacquiao-Cotto fight were the weight (both camps agreed to the 145-pound catchweight) and the purse (Pacquiao will get the 60% share of PPV buys, as compared to Cotto's 35% share). As of the moment, it is still not clear whether Cotto's WBO welterweight belt will be at stake, although WBO has ranked Pacquiao as the #1 contender for Cotto's welterweight belt.

Politics
Pacquiao ran for a congressional seat to represent the 1st district of South Cotabato, but he was defeated by Darlene Antonino-Custodio. Custodio had 139,061 votes, whereas Pacquiao received 75,908 votes.

Pacquiao has said he will enter politics after he ends his boxing career. He quietly visited the Philippine Commission on Elections, escorted by Arnold "Ali" Atienza (son of then-Manila Mayor Lito Atienza), to transfer his residence from General Santos City to Manila. This fueled speculations that he may seek an elective post in the nation's capital, which even gave him the title "Adopted Son" after he won his earlier bouts.

His name was once mentioned as a possible vice-mayoralty candidate to the younger Atienza when the latter sought the city's highest post in the 2007 elections, but this did not pan out after Sen. Panfilo Lacson, then the leading candidate for Manila mayor, backed out for contentions regarding Lacson's residency issues (in which Pacquiao also had such issues).

Being known as an Arroyo supporter, his name is also being floated as a candidate of the Lakas-CMD party for the mayoralty race of General Santos City against incumbent Mayor Pedro Acharon. Instead, he was recently sworn-in as a member of the Liberal Party under the Atienza wing, thus further fueling his political ambition.

On February 12, 2007, the famed boxer announced that he was running for congress representing South Cotabato. His decision however easily turned off both his fans and the general public. Election experts stressed that as Pacquiao insists on participating in his next professional boxing match, he will immerse himself into a legal conflict regarding campaign exposure, especially since the match will be televised nationwide. Aside from that, COMELEC commissioner Benjamin Abalos mentioned a possible legal entanglement could ruin Pacquiao's candidacy because he already registered himself as a Manila resident months before.

Numerous sports personalities and analysts around the Philippines expressed that Pacquiao should think seriously and deeply about his sports career, which could potentially be destroyed by the dirty world of politics. On February 24, 2007, in Cebu City, Pacquiao was booed by thousands of spectators as his presence was acknowledged by the organizers of The Battle of Cebu, a WBO-sanctioned boxing festival. The embarrassment later led to confusing statements made by then-Manila Mayor Lito Atienza that the famed fighter would withdraw. The negative sentiment among Cebuanos over Pacquiao's political aspiration was felt even before the "The Battle of Cebu" was held because at least one citizen's comment got published by local newspaper Sun Star.

In relation to the Pacquiao's April 14 fight with Jorge Solis, the political opposition stated that they would not press for a ban on the broadcasting of the match despite its potential to violate election campaign rules. Although he won over Solis, Pacquiao's appeal diminished most likely due to his political ambition. His last fight attracted noticeably smaller audiences, and his performance was considered by many as disappointing. Some election candidates even turned the Pacquiao-Solis match into campaign gigs. Over at General Santos City, Diocese of Marbel spokesman Fr. Angel Buenavides considered President Arroyo's endorsement of Pacquiao as a "curse" because constituents in the area have strong anti-Arroyo sentiments.

On May 17, 2007, Pacquiao suffered a lopsided election defeat to incumbent representative Darlene Antonino-Custodio, with a deficit of approximately 37,000 votes according to the NAMFREL tally. Meanwhile, WBC head José Sulaimán stated that Pacquiao "doesn’t appear to be having the same dynamic impact at the ballot box, as he does in the ringed square." The defeat became a depressing matter for the boxer himself because he lost a huge sum of money when his supporters allegedly funneled campaign funds to their own pockets. Pacquiao's personal money was part of the campaign budget.[64] Ironically, Pacquiao's fans rejoiced over his defeat. Some even declared his loss as a "victory" for boxing. On May 20, 2007, Manny Pacquiao formally conceded to congresswoman Antonino-Custodio, vowing to return to boxing and spend more time with his family.

In August 2007, Pacquiao filed a P30-million libel suit against four journalists of the Manila Bulletin due to an article which stated that he "is reported to be a compulsive gambler and is known to bet hundreds of thousand in casinos, cockfighting, and billiards." The case was later dismissed via "affidavit of desistance", and Pacquiao stated that pursuing the case would only cause inconvenience to him and his family.

On September 1, 2008, Pacquiao was sworn by Secretary Ronaldo Puno, as member of Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi). Pacquiao officially announced that he is retiring in August 2009, and will be running again in the Philippine general election, 2010.


In popular culture
A film based on Pacquiao's life, Pacquiao: The Movie, was released on June 21, 2006, featuring Filipino actor Jericho Rosales as Manny Pacquiao and was directed by Joel Lamangan. The film flopped at the box office, grossing a total of only P4,812,191 (approximately US$99,322), as confirmed by Lamangan. In 2008, Pacquiao starred with Ara Mina and Valerie Concepcion in his latest action movie titled "Anak ng Kumander". The movie was not a commercial success and was panned by critics.

Pacquiao is featured in the boxing video games Fight Night Round 2, Fight Night Round 3 and Fight Night Round 4. EA Sports released a limited edition demo of Fight Night Round 4, featuring Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton prior to their May 2 fight.

He became the first Filipino athlete to appear on a postage stamp.

With his popularity, various business sectors have solicited Manny Pacquiao's help in endorsing their products through commercial advertisements in print and in broadcast media. These include detergents, medicines, foods, garments, telecommunications, and even a political ad for Chavit Singson during the May 14, 2007 elections. His most acclaimed commercials yet were for Nike's "Fast Forward" campaign (along side Kobe Bryant, Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Liu Xiang) and for San Miguel Beer with Jet Li and Érik Morales.

On April 12, 2007, the COMELEC canceled his commercial appearances in accordance with existing Philippine election laws. Airing of the commercials resumed after the elections.

Upon the expiration of his contract with ABS-CBN, he signed up with GMA Network as an actor on September 2007. On December 17, 2007, after finishing a movie, Pacquiao went to the GMA Network to tape his first episode of Pinoy Records.

Pacquiao briefly starred for the TV series by GMA, Carlo J. Caparas' Totoy Bato, alongside fellow actors Robin Padilla and Regine Velasquez. It was first aired in February 2009.

Pacquiao and American actor Sylvester Stallone are in plans of doing a movie. Stallone has stated interest in doing a movie with Pacquiao, who he said will be his co-star in the movie. Stallone, being a Pacquiao fan, showed interest. If the script passes and both sides agree, the film will be Pacquiao's big break to the American audience and American main stream. Plans were only confirmed and interest, thus the script is in works and confirmation as well of both sides agreements of the plot and characters are still not confirmed.

Pacquiao was also mentioned by World Wrestling Entertainment's ECW on Syfy color commentator Matt Striker in reference to Christian's tag team match with Tommy Dreamer vs. Jack Swagger and Mark Henry. Striker compares Christian's left and right punches like the speed of Pacquiao's fists.

Pacquiao has been included by Time Magazine as one of the world's most influential people for the year 2009, for his exploits in boxing and his influence among the Filipino people. Pacquiao was also included by Forbes Magazine in its annual Celebrity 100 list for the year 2009, joining Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie and fellow athletes Tiger Woods and Bryant. Forbes also listed Pacquiao as world's 6th highest-paid athlete, with a total of $40 million from second half of 2008 to first half of 2009. The athletes who ranked ahead of Pacquiao were Woods at number 1 spot ($110 million); Bryant, basketball legend Michael Jordan, and Formula One star Kimi Räikkönen sharing the number 2 rank ($45 million each); and football superstar David Beckham at number 5 ($42 million). Pacquiao had also won the 2009 ESPY Awards for the Best Fighter category, beating fellow boxer Shane Mosley and Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter Lyoto Machida.

Kaiane Aldorino Biography

Kaiane Aldorino: Miss World 2009 in Johannesburg.
Kaiane Aldorino profile and Biography - Kaiane Aldorino belongs to Gibraltar country and her age is 22. Aldorinois HR Clerk by profession and the winner of Miss World title of year 2009.Aldorino loves her home country too much beacuse she fells Gibraltar has safe environment and natural beauty. Her main hobbies are to dance, travel and to spend time with her loved ones. Her main ambition in life prior to winning the crown was to further her career and to be successful in her life. She is a very outgoing person who loves to enjoy a sunny day in the outdoors with her loved ones that include her family and friends.
Kaiane Aldorino profile and brief biography Full name : Kaiane Aldorino Age : 23 Height : 174 Star sign : Cancer Hair color : Brown Eyes color: Brown Language : English & Spanish

Billy Corgan Biography

William Patrick "Billy Corgan, Jr. (born March 17, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A) is an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter best known for his work in the the now-disbanded alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. The Pumpkins were one of alternative rock's biggest acts, known for their complex layered sound, Corgan's scathing guitar and self-described whiny vocals, and making use of elaborate and evocative fantasy imagery.

The Smashing Pumpkins produced five major albums, including the widely-acclaimed and commercially successful albums Siamese Dream (1993) and the follow-up double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995).

Early years
Corgan moved from Chicago to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1985 with his first major band, The Marked, named for the noticeable birthmarks of Billy and Ron Roesing, the drummer. The band lasted for around nine months and disbanded, with Billy returning to Chicago to live with his father.

While working at a record store there, he met up with guitarist James Iha through a friend. He then met bassist D'Arcy Wretzky at a local show and soon formed The Smashing Pumpkins. The trio began to play together at local clubs with only a drum machine for percussion. The band tried to book a show at the Cabaret Metro, a notable Chicago venue. Metro owner Joe Shanahan refused to let the band play until they found a live drummer. The band was introduced to jazz fusion drummer Jimmy Chamberlin by a mutual friend. Chamberlain didn't align with the band at first, but thought they had potential--thus he joined the group. The Metro show on April 10, 1988 was the band's first show with the full lineup. The Pumpkins continued to have a close relationship with the venue, playing new tracks there frequently and playing the band's final show at the Metro more than a decade later. The new band fused diverse threads such as psychedelic rock and heavy metal into a distinctive sound on their inaugural album, Gish (1991).

Popular success
The Pumpkins signed to major-label subsidized Caroline Records to record Siamese Dream. The Pumpkins became known for their elaborate production techniques, layering dozens of different tracks over one another with a wide variety of effects. Siamese Dream's "Soma" uses over 40 guitar tracks alone. The band became known for internal drama during this period, with Corgan frequently characterized in the music press as a control freak who reportedly went so far as to unilaterally erase other band members' studio tracks and rerecord his own performances over them. The reality of the situation was Corgan had developed a deep depression and worked overtime for both Gish and Siamese Dream, recording some of the guitar and bass tracks for the former and almost all for the latter. Guitarist Iha and bassist Wretzky were losing interest in the band during that time period due to a messy break-up. Corgan even went on record saying if Siamese Dream didn't sell well, he would break up the band. The album was well received by critics, and the songs "Today" and "Disarm" became smash hits, with the accompanying music videos receiving heavy airplay on MTV.

Their 1995 followup effort, the massive 2 disc set Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, was even more wildly successful, spawning a string of hit singles and eventually a box set (The Aeroplane Flies High, 1996) of songs recorded during the Mellon Collie sessions which were cut from the album. The album was nominated for seven Grammy awards that year and would eventually sell several million copies, making it the best selling double album of all time. With the expanded resources now at their disposal, production values became even more elaborate, and the band branched out beyond their hard rock roots, featuring, for example, dense orchestral accompaniment on "Tonight, Tonight", ethereal pieces leaning towards rock-electronica ("1979"), and a soft piano intro track. The album also included a number of more traditional metal-driven guitar-based tracks, such as the first single, "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", and "Zero".

During the album's tour, the band was plagued by Chamberlin's heroin addiction. On July 12, 1996, Chamberlin and touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin overdosed in a hotel room. Chamberlin survived, but Melvoin did not. The Pumpkins were forced to fire their disgraced drummer. They completed the tour with Filter drummer Matt Walker and Frogs keyboardist Dennis Flemion, but the band missed the intense energy that Chamberlin's drumming provided.

Later works
Their next effort, 1998's Adore, was undertaken with drum machines and studio drummers in place of Chamberlin, and consisted mostly of subdued material. Corgan's mother Martha passed away from cancer during the making of the record, and in the absence of Chamberlin—Corgan's longtime creative foil—the proceedings took on a halting, confused tone. Adore earned high praise from some critics, but other critics and most fans thought the band strayed too far from its strengths.

Chamberlin was reunited with the band in 1999, bolstering its confidence but not returning it to commercial prominence. 2000 saw MACHINA/The Machines of God, a concept album on which the band deliberately played to their public image; critics were again divided. An accompanying bonus album, MACHINA II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music, was distributed among fans and released for free in MP3 format on the Internet. After the recording of MACHINA, bassist D'Arcy quit the band and was replaced by former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur. The Smashing Pumpkins split up later in 2000 and played their last show on December 2 of that year at the Metro in Chicago.

In 2001, Corgan formed Zwan with Chamberlin and guitarists Matt Sweeney and David Pajo, with former A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin joining in 2002. Zwan's focus on sunny, melodic pop-rock surprised fans and critics, and its album Mary Star of the Sea (written in and inspired by Key West, Florida), garnered generally positive reviews. In March 2003, Corgan and Chamberlin performed with Jazz vocalist Kurt Elling at "The Waltz", an annual benefit for homeless and abused teenagers. Together, they performed a version of Jimi Hendrix's "Freedom". During an interview with WGN-9 on September 15 that same year, Corgan announced that Zwan had officially disbanded.

On February 17, 2004, Corgan posted a bitter message on his blog in which he blamed guitarist James Iha for the sudden breakup of The Smashing Pumpkins four years prior. He also referred to bassist D'arcy Wretzky as "a mean spirited drug addict." In another recent post, Corgan insulted his former Zwan bandmates, claiming they had been obnoxiously self-conscious about their "indie cred" to the point of hurting those around them. Poking fun at their indie stance, he called them "poseurs". Sounding both enraged and hurt, he declared them to be "filthy", opportunistic, and selfish.

Even through two band break-ups, Corgan and Chamberlin remain very good friends to this day. Corgan has made a guest appearance on Chamberlin's solo album Life Begins Again under the name The Jimmy Chamberlin Complex.

Corgan published Blinking with Fists, a book of poetry, in late 2004. Blinking with Fists debuted on the New York Times' Best Seller list. It was also the best-selling poetry book in the United States in its first week of release. Corgan is currently pursuing a solo career and is to have his first solo album "TheFutureEmbrace" released on 20th June 2005 internationally and a day later in the US.

In addition to performing, Corgan has produced albums for Ric Ocasek, Hole, The Frogs, and Catherine. He wrote the song "Eye" for the movie Lost Highway (1997) and has produced three soundtracks for the movies Ransom (1996), Stigmata (1999) and Spun (2002). He has performed vocals and guitar for New Order and Marianne Faithfull. Billy was also featured on Blindside's 2004 album About a Burning Fire, in the song Hooray, It's LA.

Nick Jonas Biography

Nick Jonas was born Nicholas Jerry Jonas on September 16, 1992. He's a singer, songwriter, and actor - one of the three brothers in the Jonas Brothers pop rock boy band. The Jonas Brothers group started as a singing career for Nick, but producers signed all three of them when they heard them. Kevin Jonas, Joseph Jonas and Nick Jonas are the stars of the Disney series Jonas where they play themselves.

Born in Dallas Texas, Nick Jonas was originally discovered by singing in a barber shop where his mom was getting a haircut. He was referred to a show business manager, and began singing on Broadway at the age of 7. Nick acted in several Broadway plays at a tender age.

Nick was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 13 and wears an insulin pump to help him keep a normal blood sugar level. He has partnered with four different charities to raise awareness and funds for diabetes.

In Summer 2007, Nick Jonas and brothers Kevin and Joe guest starred in an episode of Hannah Montana. Close to 11 million people watched the episode, breaking cable records. The Jonas Brothers filmed a movie, Camp Rock, where they played characters in a band - a real stretch we know.

By May 2008, Nick Jonas, Kevin Jonas, and Joe Jonas were starring in their own Disney reality series Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream. It documented the lives of the Jonas Brothers during their tour Look Me in the Eyes. They are now starring in the Disney series called Jonas, where they play the Lucases, a family pop band that is trying to live a normal life. Sounds a bit like Hannah Montana.

Their second album Jonas Brothers was released in Summer 2007 and sold over three million copies. The Jonas Brothers' third album, A Little Bit Longer was released in August 2008. It sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Is Jonas Music taking over the world?

Nick Jonas Fast Facts:
Discovered as a child while singing at a hair salon.
Performed in his first Broadway show, A Christmas Carol: The Musical, at age 8.
Signed as a solo act with Columbia Records at age 11.
Drew inspiration from his struggles with Type 1 diabetes when writing the song "A Little Bit Longer."
Wears a purity ring symbolizing abstinence until marriage.

Nick Jonas Relationships:
Denise Jonas - Mother
Frankie Jonas - Brother
Joe Jonas - Brother
Kevin Jonas - Brother
Kevin Jonas Sr. - Father
Miley Cyrus - Ex-significant Other
Selena Gomez - Ex-significant Other

Sandra Bullock Biography

Name: Sandra Bullock
Born: 26 July 1964 (Age: 45)
Where: Arlington, Virginia, USA
Height: 5' 7"
Awards: 4 Golden Globe nominations


Strangely, for someone whose screen persona is usually so open and simple, it's difficult to accurately describe Sandra Bullock. Sure, she's often feted for her Meg Ryan-like girl-next-door appeal. But then, like Julia Roberts, she's also an unconventional beauty and talented comedienne. And let's not forget that her breakthrough came when she stole the show in an all-out action movie. On top of this, though deservedly famous for an irrepressibly bubbling personality, she was a student of The Method under Sanford Meisner and started off (to rave reviews) on the New York stage. Hard to pin down, is Sandra. Harder still when you know her unusually exotic background.

She was born Sandra Annette Bullock on the 26th of July, 1964, in Arlington, Virginia. Her mother, Helga, the daughter of a German rocket scientist, initially studied to be an opera singer in Nuremberg. To support her studies, she worked as a clerk, one day being called to the town's Palace of Justice (where the notorious post-WW2 trials took place). Here she was to takes letters for the new head honcho, one John Bullock. Bullock, originally from Birmingham, Alabama, was a Juilliard scholar who'd joined the Army as a runner and risen to become the boss of the military Postal Exchange for the whole of Europe.

To begin with, there was no romance between the pair. But over a three year period, with John singing at recitals (he was also a part-time voice coach), and Helga gaining renown as a dramatic soprano, they grew close and, while still in Germany, were married. John's organisational talents drew him into the Army Material Command and it was due to this work that he'd eventually become a contractor for the Pentagon, moving to Arlington and also buying a mountain property just north-west of Charlottesville. The family grew - three years after Sandra came another daughter, Gesine.

Right from the start, Sandra was a wilful and contrary child. She now recalls an incident when, at age three, with the family moving into a new home, she was directly instructed not to touch a light-bulb lying there. Her response was to karate-chop it and slice her hand horribly. It would not be the last physical injury she'd suffer as a youngster.

For an all-American girl-next-door, Sandra's formative years were thoroughly inappropriate. Much of her time was spent in Salzburg and in Nuremberg, where she lived with her aunt and grandma, attending a local school (she's fluent in German) and studying English with a tutor in the afternoons. During the opera season, she'd attend her mother's performances, sometimes appearing herself as the ubiquitous "gypsy child", or singing in the children's chorus. Also studying ballet, she quickly proved herself to be a natural performer.

At age 10, she was brought back to Arlington and attended the town's Washington-Lee High School, alma mater of both Shirley MacLaine and her younger brother Warren Beatty. She immediately had a hard time. Coming from Europe, she was different. "I was still in green velvet bell-bottoms," she explained later "when everyone else was wearing straight legs. I always had these stupid barrettes holding my hair back. I was just a couple of beats off". Of course, she was teased, and teased some more for her - if you can believe it - ugliness. Indeed, so badly hurt was she by the abuse that she vowed to never treat anyone that way. She kept it, too, her reputation for down-to-Earth decency being unparalleled in Hollywood.

There was another lesson learned, in far more dramatic circumstances. One day, out on the property near Charlottesville, sitting in the same bulldozer where, when she was 10, he gave Sandra her first beer, and close to the creek she fell into and received the scar she still carries over her right eye, John's knee slipped and hit the gear-shift. He tumbled from the 'dozer and rolled downhill, closely followed by the giant machine which ran over him, breaking his legs and several vertebrae and near-severing his left arm. For 24 hours he lay there, doing vocal exercises and yelling for help in order to keep his blood circulating, until he was discovered by a group of his students.

In hospital, he was told that his legs would have to be amputated. In fact, they weren't. After a year's tough rehabilitation, interrupted by a cardiac arrest, he was walking again. But young Sandra was marked by this near-catastrophe, becoming very protective of her family. Though Helga would die in 2000, John would remain as Sandra's semi-manager, while Gesine, who'd study to be a lawyer, would, like John, be Vice President of Sandra's production company, Fortis.

As time passed, and her body changed, Sandra's high school career became more enjoyable. She became a cheerleader and excelled at drama, though not without a fight. With her drama teacher, Mrs Filpi, she conducted a fraught relationship, often ignoring her coach and following her own path. Graduating in 1982, she'd be named Class Clown. It was also said later that she was voted Most Likely To Brighten Your Day but, as this was not the case, that was most likely just an effort to package her as everyone's favourite girl-next-door.

From Washington-Lee, Sandra moved on to East Carolina University at Greenville, majoring in Drama and supporting herself by competing successfully in dance competitions. Having stood out in a production of Three Sisters, she decided to try her luck in New York and, packing her gear and her dog into her Honda Accord, she left Greenville three credits short of a degree. In the city (where she was once held-up at gun-point), she was accepted at the renowned Neighbourhood Playhouse, studying under Meisner and bringing in the money with bar-work at a rough-house "crack den" on 43rd and Broadway (a job she obtained by falsely claiming she had plenty of experience).

Attending many an audition, she made her screen debut in the ultra-violent Hangmen, concerning feisty veterans battling with a renegade terror team within the CIA. But her first real break came the following year, 1988, with an off-Broadway performance as a sassy Southern belle in No Time Flat. For this, though the play itself was panned, she received a review glowing enough to secure her an agent. TV came immediately. First there was an appearance in the short-lived sit-com Starting From Scratch, starring Bill Dailly and Connie Stevens and boasting the tag-line "The more she gets to him, the funnier it is for you".

Next came her first major role, and an introduction to action flicks, with Bionic Showdown. This, as you may have guessed, involved Six Million Dollar Man Steve Austin uniting with Bionic Woman Jaimie Somers and some young bionic friends to track down a bionic spy. Sandra made a real go of it as a bionic girl, sending adolescent pulses racing when track-running in a leotard.

This was a fairly busy time for Sandra. 1989 also brought a small part in The Preppie Murder, the true life tale of the murder of Jennifer Levin in Central Park, where cop Danny Aiello tracked down bad boy graduate William Baldwin. Then there was Who Shot Patakango?, a story of racial tensions and teens coming of age in '50s Brooklyn. And then there was Religion Inc, where Sandra played the sceptical girlfriend of an ad-man who promotes a new cult based on greed.

It was looking good - great, actually - as 1990 brought her first starring role, in the TV series Working Girl, based on the Melanie Griffith movie. Here Sandra, replacing TV vet Nancy McKeon, took Griffith's role as Tess McGill, an ambitious secretary who gets into terrible scrapes while trying to bluff her way to the top. Sadly, the show didn't last, Sandra later describing it as her "quickest flop". Her next role would not be so juicy. Jackie Collins' Chances and Lucky were turned into a miniseries following Gino Santangelo's building of a casino empire in Las Vegas, and the efforts of his daughter Lucky (played by Nicolette Sheridan) to keep it going. Miniseries queen Stephanie Beacham was part of the family, too, with Sandra appearing briefly as Maria, wife of Gino and Lucky's mother.

1990 also brought the first great love of her life, when she began filming Love Potion #9. Here Tate Donovan played a geeky biochemist who's a flop with the ladies till gypsy Anne Bancroft presents him with, yes, a love potion. Sharing it with his dumpy research scientist buddy (Sandra), the pair engage in a "scientific evaluation" of the formula. The movie would not be released for two years, and would then flop.

On-set, Sandra fell for Donovan, to the surprise of the crew. Believing her to be genuinely sweet and a genuine actress, they were shocked when she went for a guy who was "more interested in his close-ups". Nevertheless, she followed Donovan to Los Angeles and stayed with him for over three years. "The person who needed me most was always the person I was attracted to," she later explained. "My priorities were him first, me second".

In Los Angeles, work came slowly, Sandra being forced to take odd jobs to get by (she is, in fact, very handy around a bit of DIY). Eventually, though, some small parts did come. There was Who Do I Gotta Kill?, where a writer, obsessed with conspiracy theories, loses his agent, then his girlfriend (Sandra, who dumps him during sex because he can't think of a reason she should stay with him),and finally ends up working for the Mob. Then there was When The Party's Over, a drama concerning friendship, sex and success in the Nineties. Here Sandra played a young painter who shares a house with two girls and a gay fellow. All is well till infidelity invites terminal jealousy.

By 1993, things were rapidly changing. Sandra won a short but vital role in a remake of The Vanishing, where she played a girl whose kidnapping by psycho Jeff Bridges provokes boyfriend Keifer Sutherland into years of painful searching. Then there were two roles she won in an incredible two hour period. In Peter Bogdanovich's The Thing Called Love she was wannabe country singer Linda Lue Linden, seeking fame in Nashville along with Samantha Mathis, Dermot Mulroney and River Phoenix. For her part, she would write and perform the song Heaven Knocking On The Door. More problematically, she'd also break her nose (something she'd also done years earlier when Gesine accidentally elbowed her when opening the garage door). For a week, she'd be filmed only from the back and side.

Things were worse with poor River Phoenix, though. Now with drug trouble he was fading fast, and this would be his final completed film before his death outside LA's Viper Rooms. His girlfriend, Mathis, would naturally be devastated and Sandra would comfort her, the pair becoming fast friends.

The other part was in Wrestling Ernest Hemingway, a tale of fading machismo and undying dreams of love and happiness, where Robert Duvall and Richard Harris played two lonely oldsters in a Florida retirement home, struggling with the passing of time. Sandra played a waitress who lets the shy Duvall flirt with her. Also involved was fellow Washington-Lee alumnus, Shirley MacLaine.

1993 also saw the release of another, lesser picture - the Roger Corman-produced Fire On The Amazon - where she was involved with activists and Indians, fighting deforestation in the Amazon Basin. Deeply unhappy with sex scenes, Sandra was called upon to make out with co-star Craig Sheffer. He'd later reveal that, in order to get through the scene, they drank tequila, Sandra occasionally going outside to vomit, before returning to the shoot. Sandra was particularly reluctant to appear nude onscreen. In fact, she made the production company sign a contract stating which parts of her could not be shown, and even stuck duct tape over her nipples to ensure they would not be seen. Eventually, she would attempt to block the film's release - though this was perhaps an effort at quality control.

But that year did bring a far happier (and more important) experience. An executive at Warner Brothers had noted her efforts in The Vanishing and recommended her to producer Joel Silver, then desperately seeking an actress to step into Demolition Man - Lori Petty having been discharged after just a few days. So, suddenly Sandra was there next to Sylvester Stallone, playing his new partner once he's been brought out of cryo-freeze to battle his former nemesis, arch-villain Wesley Snipes. Also involved were Benjamin Bratt, as a fellow cop, and MTV comic Denis Leary. Later, Leary would reveal that, though he didn't know Sandra, one day she knocked on his trailer door to say there were some guys in her trailer who'd really like to meet him. On arrival, he found that it was Motley Crue. Sandra, having no idea who they were, was busy making them peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches.

Though essentially a special effects super-blast, Demolition Man did reveal Sandra's own comedic talents. And vitally her performance so impressed Silver that he in turn recommended her to director Jan De Bont, then casting for his debut feature, to be called Speed. Here maverick cop Keanu Reeves had to save a bus-load of innocents from Dennis Hopper, a criminal maniac who's put a bomb onboard, a bomb that will blow if the bus drops below 50mph - and Sandra's driving. Everyone told Sandra not to do it, she'd just be "the girl". The producers were most unhappy with an unknown in the part, especially an unknown who wasn't blonde with big breasts, but Jan De Bont insisted. The result was a searing mega-hit. Sandra was made.

Joel Schumacher was now very keen to get Sandra involved in his Batman Forever, but she'd already signed up for her first lead role, in While You Were Sleeping, Demi Moore having dropped out after a dispute over her fee. It wasn't going to be easy. The role called for relentless good humour, and Sandra was badly damaged by a split with Tate Donovan (who'd himself later be dumped by Jennifer Aniston). Still, she pushed herself and it came off. In the movie, she played a ticket seller on the Chicago tube who falls for a commuter (Peter Gallagher) she sees every day. When he falls onto the rails, she saves him and, while he's in a brief coma, his family become convinced that she's his fiancee. All the family, that is, apart from suspicious brother Bill Pullman - and there's no one better at being suspicious than Pullman. Then, of course, Gallagher awakes.

The movie was a big smash, grossing over $200 million. And Sandra once again charmed the cast and crew. At one point during filming, director John Turtelaub noticed that sweets were disappearing from his own personal drawer. He asked a prop-guy to put a lock on it, but the treats kept going. Sandra, he discovered, had buddied up to the workman and obtained her own key.

Next came another hit with The Net. Here she played Angela Bennett, a computer geek who, having stumbled upon some rather sensitive information, finds that all of her records have been erased and replaced with those of a criminal. Someone, quite clearly, is trying to get her - but who? It was another strong role, and one she won with sheer personality. Director Irwin Winkler later recalled her first coming to his office "wearing overalls, the chunkiest shoes you ever saw, and a baseball cap turned backwards. Most actresses would wear the highest heels, the shortest skirt and lowest blouse to meet the director, but that's not the way she is".

Once again, she'd find love on-set, this time with grip Don Padilla. Sadly, it would not last, the relationship not withstanding the pressure once While You Were Sleeping and The Net made Sandra one of the biggest stars of 1995 (the former actually saw her Golden Globe nominated).

After The Net, she was back with Leary in Stolen Hearts. Here he played a petty crim who, doing that one last job, steals a Matisse and takes off for Nova Scotia, where he hopes to flog the merchandise and patch things up with his girlfriend, played by Sandra. The couple then try to impress their rich neighbours while avoiding both gangsters and the FBI. It wasn't great, but it did lead Sandra into a run of big roles and bigger pay-days. She was now paid well over $10 million per movie.

Next Joel Schumacher finally got his woman, signing Sandra up for A Time To Kill. Here Matthew McConaughey played a young lawyer in a KKK-riddled Southern town, who must defend Samuel L. Jackson, a man who's killed the men who raped and murdered his young daughter. Sandra played a rich Northerner who asks to help McConaughey for no pay and, when turned down, resourcefully turns up information that will help him fight smarmy prosecutor Kevin Spacey.

Another hit, and yet more fun to make. Aside from getting on brilliantly with McConaughey (there were constant rumours of romance), Sandra also bonded with Schumacher. Indeed, on Joel's birthday, shortly before shooting began, she had onset carpenters knock up a huge tiered cake. When it was presented to the director, she burst out of it, decked in balloons and a fluorescent bikini, and mooned at him, his age daubed on her buttocks.

Now came more Hemingway with Richard Attenborough's In Love And War, based on the author's WW1 experiences. Here Chris O'Donnell played Hemingway when he was a young ambulance driver, badly injured and falling for his nurse, Agnes von Kurowsky (Sandra, in her first romantic-dramatic lead). Then came Speed 2, with Sandra's character this time taking a cruise break with cop boyfriend Jason Patric. Unfortunately, evil computer genius Willem Dafoe begins to run the boat from his keyboard and the terror begins again.

As with the original Speed, everyone told Sandra not to do it. This time, perhaps she should have listened. Not only was it a flop, but she was almost killed while filming. Fatigued while in the water, only Patric's rapid actions saved her from being shredded.

Speed 2 was followed by Forest Whitaker's Hope Floats, where Sandra played a young mother who returns to her small Texas hometown after a bitter split from her husband. Trouble is, everyone knows her situation as her best friend has announced on national TV that she's been sleeping with Sandra's hubbie. Everyone treats her horribly, except Harry Connick Jr who's always held a torch for her - but can she bring herself to love him back?

As a properly trained actress, and being well aware of actresses' problems in Hollywood, Sandra had decided to take a hand in her own destiny by forming Fortis Films and producing her own movies. Hope Floats was the first of these. She also took a step into the unknown by writing and directing a 30-minute short called Making Sandwiches. Here she and McConaughey, well, made sandwiches while Eric Roberts presented the weather on their TV, dressed in drag and taking off his sister. Very strange, very funny, very Sandra.

It was time for more big-budget comedy, and now Sandra took on Practical Magic. Here she and Nicole Kidman played the Owens sisters, doomed by a family curse to have their lovers die young. Eventually, they must turn to witchy aunts Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest and learn some of that old family magic. It was boisterous fun, and led to another huge hit when Sandra provided the voice of Miriam in the animated biblical saga The Prince Of Egypt.

Next she turned to Forces Of Nature, the first of several projects with comedy writer Marc Lawrence. Here Ben Affleck is on his way to his wedding but, when the plane suffers a slight accident on take-off, he has to hitch a lift with an eccentric and ridiculously endearing Sandra. Sandra would see Affleck for a while, as she would Heath Ledger, singer Bob Schneider and TV host Johnny Knoxville.

This was followed by another of her own productions, an odd little number called Gun Shy. Here Liam Neeson played an undercover agent pursuing the Mob, who's so stressed by his job that he suffers from flatulence. Hence he visits a gastroenterologist (Sandra, as "the enema queen") whom he begins to date. It was a bizarre entertainment, and a drama-comedy much like Sandra's next outing, 28 Days, where she played a columnist who, drunk on her sister's wedding day, crashes her car and is sent into rehab. Here, refusing to accept she's got probs, she's helped to see more clearly by her fellow patients.

Now came another hit with the Lawrence-penned Miss Congeniality, where she was FBI agent Gracie Hart, who goes undercover at a beauty pageant to foil some nasty bombers. It was another superb comic performance (she was once more Golden Globe nominated), with Benjamin Bratt, as in Demolition Man, turning up as a fellow cop. After this came Murder By Numbers, where she and Ben Chaplin were homicide detectives chasing two smart-arsed and murderous young students (shades of The Preppie Murder here). Then there was Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood, where she played Siddalee Walker, a young novelist who feuds with her Southern mother (Ellen Burstyn) until her mum's old gang kidnap her and reveal mum's flamboyant past. Ashley Judd, who'd played Matthew McConaughey's wife in A Time To Kill, appeared as the young Burstyn.

Next there was more Lawrence with Two Weeks Notice, another rom-com with Sandra as a smart but neurotic lawyer, representing a charming but uncontrollable property developer Hugh Grant. She wants to save a beautiful old building, he wants to knock it down. She hates him but, in the grand old rom-com tradition, when she's replaced by Alicia Witt she realises that she really loves him. The movie, one of Bullock's own Fortis productions, was another feel-good hit.

Her personal life now was fairly complex. She'd split from actor Ryan Gosling, 15 years her junior, who'd she'd met on the set of Murder By Numbers. Then 2004 saw her dating the tattooed Jesse James, owner of the celebrity motorbike manufacturer West Coast Chopper and star of his own TV show. Most saw the relationship as a disaster waiting to happen, but Bullock's joie de vivre and James' daredevil nature made for a fine coupling and the pair would marry in July, 2005. Happiness beckoned, Bullock's situation being further improved by the end of a long-running court battle. In 1997 she'd contracted one Benny Daneshjou to build her a 10,000 square feet mansion at Lake Austin, Texas, but the work done had been extremely shoddy and Bullock had never been able to move in. Now she was awarded $7 million in damages. And, being Sandra, she near-immediately gave $1 million away to the Red Cross after the Asian tsunami disaster (she'd donated the same amount after 9/11), her generosity starting a flood of huge celebrity donations.

Onscreen, 2004 was a slow year, her only appearance being a brief showing in the Oscar-winning Crash, written and directed by Paul Haggis. This was an ensemble piece, intertwining several different stories, each concerning some aspect of racial relationships in the US. Bullock, playing the wife of DA Brendan Fraser, would slip into angry paranoia after the couple are car-jacked. Interestingly, Bullock had come close to starring in Haggis's previous piece, Million Dollar Baby. Set to star as the trailer-park girl seeking escape through boxing, for years she'd struggled to find finance for the project then, as she took Miss Congeniality 2, the producers handed it to Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank, who famously won an Oscar for her efforts.

2005 would see something of a comeback. First came Loverboy, directed by Kevin Bacon, in which she'd taken an uncredited and unpaid cameo (as had Matt Dillon, who'd just appeared with Sandra in Crash). This had Bacon's wife Kyra Sedgwick as a mother so badly neglected as a kid she smothers her own son. Sandra would pop up in flashback as a neighbourhood mum idealized by the young Sedgwick. Having pulled out of Prime due to script problems (the lead went instead to Uma Thurman), now she enjoyed success with that sequel to Miss Congeniality. Here, her Gracie Hart was now a media celebrity, concentrating on talk shows and book promotions rather than FBI work. When the winner of the original movie's beauty pageant and its compere (Heather Burns and William Shatner respectively) are kidnapped in Las Vegas, she wants to go undercover to save them but is hindered by her bosses who don't want to lose their new mascot and don't think she's up the the job anyway.

After this would come a long-anticipated reunion with Keanu Reeves in The Lake House, a remake of the 2000 South Korean movie Siworae. This would be a sweet romance where doctor Bullock would live in a glass house on stilts over a lake. Moving out, she leaves a note for the next occupier (architect Reeves) who in turn contacts her at the address supplied. He thinks there's been some kind of mistake. And there has - he thinks it's 2004, she thinks it's 2006. As these troubled souls continue to communicate via a magic mail-box, they gradually fall in love.

Following this would come Douglas McGrath's Infamous, a fascinating tale exploring Truman Capote's relationship with the killers when investigating the famous Clutter family murders for his renowned book In Cold Blood. Bullock would play Harper Lee, a childhood neighbour of Capote's from Alabama who would work on the case as his research assistant (this was 1959 - the next year she would release her own novel, To Kill A Mockingbird). Though based on a different book and enjoying both a higher budget and starrier cast-list, the movie would inevitably suffer from being beaten to the punch by the recent Capote which had seen Philip Seymour Hoffman take the Best Actor Oscar. Bullock would move on to Premonition, where her husband would die in a car crash only to appear alive again the next day. Believing herself to have been forewarned of tragedy, she must now stop the vision becoming a reality.

Having also produced George Lopez, a successful sit-com concerning a Chicano family, and in 2005 received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, Sandra was on the up-and-up. The $14 million she was offered for Miss Congeniality 2 hoisted her into Hollywood's upper female echelons, alongside Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz. But, hanging around her homes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Austin, Texas, she remains almost wholly untouched by fame, preferring instead to indulge her interests in friends, rock-climbing (she was once saved by boy scouts when her rope caught in a crevice) and extra crispy KFC. As she says herself: "I have no desire to maintain a lifestyle. I'm a horrible celebrity. If I go out in public I dress like a pig".

With equal popularity amongst men and women, and her production company running smoothly, we can expect Sandra Bullock to move towards the high drama in which she was schooled. But there will always be comedy - in that, she has few peers.