Thursday, 18 August 2011

Jackie Chan

Nickname

Y'uen Lo
Sing Lung
Pao Pao

Height

5' 8½" (1.74 m)

Mini Biography

Apprenticed to the China Drama Academy (or "opera school") by his parents at the age of 6, Jackie Chan was rigorously trained in music, dance, and traditional martial arts. A visiting filmmaker offered Chan his first (tiny) role as a stunt player. Chan took the part, and soon left the Opera to pursue the world of film. Fellow Opera students Biao Yuen and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo would also have careers in film, and the three would star in several films together in the following years. Chan's talent and enthusiasm soon saw him taking larger and more important roles, graduating first to stunt coordinator, and then to director.

Following the death of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, the search was on for an actor who could inspire audiences to the same degree; every young martial artist was given a chance. Chan decided that rather than emulating Lee (and thus living forever in his shadow), he would develop his own style of filmmaking. His directorial debut The Young Master (1980) was a milestone in martial arts films, being one of the first to effectively combine comedy with action. This set the tone for many of his future films, which combined slapstick humor with high-energy martial arts action. A self-confessed fan of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, Chan performs all his own stunts, quite often at his own peril. His later films include outtakes of his on-set injuries run under the closing credits. He is understandably number one on the insurance blacklist.

Mini Biography By:

Mini Biography

Hong Kong's cheeky, lovable and best known film star endured many years of long, hard work and multiple injuries to establish international success via his early beginnings in Hong Kong's manic martial arts cinema industry.

Jackie Chan was born "Kong-sang Chan" on Hong Kong's famous Victoria Peak on April 7th, 1954 to Charles & Lee-Lee Chan, and the family emigrated to Canberra, Australia in early 1960. The young Jackie Chan was less than successful scholastically, so his father sent him back to Hong Kong to attend the rigorous China Drama Academy, one of the Peking Opera Schools. Chan excelled at acrobatics, singing and martial arts and eventually became a member of the "Seven Little Fortunes" performing troupe and began life long friendships with fellow martial artists / actors Sammo Hung Kam-Bo and Biao Yuen. Chan journeyed back and forth to visit his parents and work in Canberra, but eventually he made his way back to Hong Kong as his permanent home.

In the early 1970s Chan commenced his movie career and interestingly he appeared in very minor roles in two films starring then rising martial arts superstar Bruce Lee, Fist of Fury (1972) aka "Fist of Fury" aka "The Chinese Connection" and the Warner Bros. production Enter the Dragon (1973). Not long after Lee's untimely death, Chan was often cast in films cashing in on the success of Bruce Lee by utilizing words like "fist", "fury" or "dragon" in their US release titles.

Chan's own film career was off and running and he swiftly appeared in many low budget martial arts films that were churned out at a rapid fire pace by Hong Kong studios eager to satisfy the early 1970's boom in martial arts cinema.

He starred in Shao Lin mu ren xiang (1976) aka "Shaolin Wooden Men", Jian hua yan yu Jiang Nan (1977) aka "To Kill With Intrigue", Dian zhi gong fu gan chian chan (1980) aka "Half A Loaf of Kung Fu" and Fei du juan yun shan (1978) aka "Magnificent Bodyguards" which all fared reasonably well at the cinemas. However, he scored a major breakthrough with the hit Drunken Master (1978) aka "Drunken Master" which has become a cult favorite amongst martial arts film fans. Not too long after this, Jackie Chan made his directorial debut with The Young Master (1980) aka "The Young Master" and then Enter the Dragon (1973) producer Robert Clouse lured Jackie to the US for a film planned to break Jackie into the lucrative US market. The Big Brawl(1980) aka "Battle Creek Brawl" featured Jackie competing in a "toughest street fighter" style contest set in 1940s Texas, however Jackie was unhappy with the end result, and it failed to fire with US audiences. In a further attempt to get his name known in the USA, Jackie was cast alongside 'Burt Reynolds', Roger Moore and Dean Martin in the Hal Needham directed car chase flick _Cannonball Run, The (1981). Regrettably, Jackie was cast as a Japanese race driver and his martial arts skills are only shown in one small sequence near the films conclusion. Stateside success was still a few years away for Jackie Chan!

Undeterred, Jackie returned to the Orient to do what he did best....make jaw dropping action films laden with amazing stunt work. Chan and his legendary stunt team were unparalleled in their ability to execute the most incredible fight scenes and action sequences and the next decade would see some of their best work.

Chan paired with the dynamic Sammo Hung Kam-Bo to star in Qi mou miao ji: Wu fu xing (1983) aka "Winners & Sinners", Project A (1983) aka "Project "A", Wheels on Meals (1984) aka "Wheels On Meals", Fuk sing go jiu (1985) aka "Winners & Sinners 2", Xia ri fu xing (1985) aka "My Lucky Stars 2" aka "Winners & Sinners 3". Chan then journeyed back to the United States for another shot at the US market starring alongside Danny Aiello in The Protector (1985) filmed in Hong Kong and New York. However, as with previous attempts Jackie felt the US director James Glickenhaus failed to understand his audience appeal and the film played to luke warm reviews and box office receipts. Jackie did however decide to "harden" up his on screen image somewhat and his next film Police Story (1985) aka "Police Story" was a definite departure from previously light hearted martial arts fare, and his fans loved the final product ! This was quickly followed up with the "Indiana Jones" influenced Long xiong hu di (1987) aka "The Armour of God" during which at the time of filming, Jackie mistimed a leap from a wall to a tree in Yugoslavia and fell many metres onto his head, causing a skull fracture. It was another injury in a long line of injuries that Chan has suffered as a result of doing his own stunt work, and he was soon back in front of the cameras.

Project A 2 (1987) aka "Project A: Part 2", Police Story 2 (1988) aka "Police Story 2", Ji ji (1989) aka "Mr Canton and Lady Rose", Operation Condor (1991) aka "Armour of God 2" and Supercop (1992) aka "Police Story 3" were all sizable hits for Jackie escalating his star status to phenomenal heights in Asia, and to his loyal fan base around the globe. US success was now just around the corner for the the hard working Jackie Chan and it arrived in the form of the action film Rumble in the Bronx (1995) aka "Rumble In The Bronx" - actually filmed in Canada - that successfully blended humor and action to make a winning formula in US theaters. Jackie did not waste any time and went to work on Jackie Chan's First Strike (1996) aka "Police Story 4", Mr. Nice Guy (1997) aka "Mr Nice Guy", Jackie Chan's Who Am I? (1998) aka "Who Am I", which all met with positive results at the international box office. Jackie then went to work in the largest US film production in which he had been involved, starring alongside fast talking comedian Chris Tucker in the action / comedy Rush Hour (1998). The film was a bigger hit than "Rumble In the Bronx" and firmly established Jackie Chan as a bona fide star in the United States. Jackie then paired up with rising talent Owen Wilsonto star in Shanghai Noon (2000) and its sequel Shanghai Knights (2003), plus he returned with Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 2 (2001), as well as starring in The Tuxedo (2002), The Medallion (2003) and the delightful Around the World in 80 Days (2004).

Not one to forget his loyal fan base, Jackie returned to more gritty & traditional fare with New Police Story (2004) aka "New Police Story" andThe Myth (2005) aka "The Myth". The multi-talented Jackie Chan (he's also a major recording star in Asia) shows no sign of slowing down and has long since moved out of the shadow of Bruce Lee to which he was usually compared early in his career. Chan is truly one of the international film industries true maverick actor / director / stuntman / producer combinations - he has done it the hard way, and always his way to achieve his dreams and goals to be an international cinematic star.

Off screen, he has been directly involved in many philanthropic ventures involving financial assistance to schools & universities around the world, he is a UNICEF GoodWill Ambassador, plus he has campaigned against animal abuse & pollution and assisted with disaster relief efforts to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami victims.

Salman & Katrina Still togather

We are still very good friends: Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif comes clean on Salman Khan, catfights, politics and more...

Excerpts of the interview...

In Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, you look like a chirpier version of your character in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara...
I will have to say there is absolutely no similarity between the two. In MBKD, I had to completely let my hair down because my role is a lot quirkier.

She is completely mad at times. In fact, it took me a while to completely feel the madness, but I guess that's the challenge.

Imran Khan says this is your best performance ever.
I have to confess that Imran and I come from completely different schools of thought. I never thought he had a great opinion on anything. But, I think we learnt to appreciate each other's eccentricities.

You are working with Salman after four years in Ek Tha Tiger. Are you nervous about spending so much more time with him?
Well, it's been a while since we've worked together apart from a few cameos now and then. I can't deny my equation with him has changed. It does with everyone. But we are still very good friends and that's not changed.

How do you manage to maintain a friendship despite so much being written about the two of you?
You can't really be bothered by everything people write. When you are at a stage in life where you are doing well, I guess a lot will be written. Salman is at a place where he is working that much harder, so there is little time to think about much else.

Is it true that you switch off your phone and cut-off from the world every time you have to shoot with Salman?
Not at all! I have a life beyond this. I wake up, go to work, come back and hang out with friends. That won't change irrespective of whom I am working with.

Why are you a part of catfights with everyone from Anushka to Kareena?
I know scandals sell, but not at the cost of someone's work or reputation. I would be lying if I say these stories don't affect me. But I speak for myself when I say that I'm not agitated by competition. I don't know about the rest, but I know how to handle it.

So you will be comfortable working with Anushka in your next film with SRK?
Of course I will. Plus, Anushka is doing a great job and it would be great to work with her.

You will be working with SRK for the first time too. Do you know him personally?
We've met at a few award functions. That's all.

A political party wanted you to endorse their work sometime back. Would you ever think of getting into politics?
I will get involved in social work, but never in politics.

Ooma VOIP service is down

Ooma is a consumer telecommunications company based in Palo Alto, California, in the United States that allows its users to make free phone calls anywhere in the United States with no monthly service Fees.^[1] Customers only pay applicable government taxes and access fees, around $3.50 a month. The company was founded in 2004 by Andrew Frame and released to the public in July 2007. Part of the executive team was actor/producer Ashton Kutcher, who started with Ooma as its Creative Director. However, in the summer of 2008, Ooma revamped its sales and marketing strategy with a new management team,^[2]replacing Kutcher with Rich Buchanan, formerly of Sling Media, as their Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).^[3] Ooma's initial product was a "VoIP in a box" device which used peer-to-peer VoIP technology to let users make phone calls over other Ooma users' landline services.^[4] In January 2008, Ooma terminated the use of peer-to-peer technology, allowing users to completely eliminate their current POTS telephone service.^[5] This service is restricted to "residential use only", which is defined as non-commercial usage and under 5000 minutes of outgoing calls per month.^[6] Consumers simply purchase an answering-machine-like device, called Ooma Hub, or Ooma Telo which currently retails for $249.99.^[7]^[8]

The service, launched in September 2007, is different from other VoIP services in that it is paid for up front through purchase of the Ooma Hub or Telo rather than through monthly fees or a term contract.^[9] So far, Ooma has raised $61 million in venture capital, and its product is sold by over 5,000 prominent retailers.^[10] After the initial purchase, there are no monthly fees besides the government taxes.

On Friday, August 13, 2010, former CMO Buchanan, who left the company in February 2010, died due to health complications, just days after having a 4-hour open-heart surgery.^[11]

ooma Servoce is down

By TechCrunch.com, Updated: Wednesday, August 17, 8:30 PM

Reports are trickling into to our tipline that Ooma, a popular VOIP service, is currently experiencing major network issues. Currently, Ooma’s phone service seems offline nationwide, and their website and support forums are working sporadically if at all.

Some users (mostly in California) are reporting that their service is returning, but right now, it would appear that a majority of subscribers are unable to make or receive phone calls. Another outage similar in scale to this one occurred in 2009, with service remaining offline for nearly 6 hours.

Concerned customers who attempted to reach out to Ooma’s main office were treated to a canned message stating that the office was closed, and the voice mailbox was soon filled. Rumors have begun to swirl that Ooma is in the process of shutting down, but we can confirm that this is not that case.A few calls to the Ooma customer service line yielded a brief conversation with a rep, who states that they are aware of the problem, and that service would we be restored within two hours. Apparently, once service is restored, the Ooma hub in customers’ homes will begin to work again without any input from the user. Affected customers should keep their eyes peeled for the tell-tale blue light on their hubs. This timetable will likely be little comfort to those affected, some of whom use Ooma as their business phone service. Updates are coming at a blistering pace, so all you Ooma users should stay tuned.

Julia Gillard

Prime Minister Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard was sworn in as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia on 24 June 2010 and re-sworn in as Prime Minister on 14 September 2010 following the 2010 Federal Election.

Ms Gillard was born in Barry, Wales in 1961. She is the daughter of a nurse and aged care worker. Her family migrated to Australia in 1966 and she grew up in Adelaide. Ms Gillard became an Australian citizen in 1974 along with the rest of her family, and renounced her British citizenship before entering Parliament.

Ms Gillard was educated at Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School in South Australia.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard started her Arts and Law degrees at the University of Adelaide. In 1983 she was elected national Education Vice-President of the Australian Union of Students (AUS) and moved to Melbourne to complete her degree at Melbourne University. Later that year, she was elected President of the AUS.

After graduating Ms Gillard began work as a solicitor in Melbourne with the law firm Slater and Gordon and became a Partner in 1990. Ms Gillard's work at the firm focused on employment law where she worked on securing fairer treatment for workers and fought for clothing trades outworkers who had been underpaid.

From 1996 to 1998 Ms Gillard served as Chief-of-Staff to the then Opposition Leader of the State of Victoria, John Brumby.

Julia Gillard first contested the Federal seat of Lalor for the Australian Labor Party in 1998 and was elected that year.

From 1998 to 2001 Ms Gillard served on the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Workplace Relations. In 2001 Ms Gillard was appointed Shadow Minister for Population and Immigration and subsequently took on responsibilities for Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs in 2003.

From 2003 to 2006 Ms Gillard served as Shadow Minister for Health. On 4 December 2006 Ms Gillard was appointed Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party and served as Shadow Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations and Social Inclusion.

Following the Australian Labor Party's victory at the 2007 Federal Election, Ms Gillard was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and Social Inclusion.

Julia Gillard lives at The Lodge in Canberra with her partner, Tim Mathieson.

(artical from:www.pm.gov.au/your-pm)

China Want to purchase iron from Australia

China is likely to buy vast quantities of iron ore and other natural resources as it invests in projects across Australia. Mining companies often work with China to meet the country’s demands. The Chinese usually produce the money up front to show that they are serious about investing in Australia’s resource rich states for the coming decades. The media suggests that China is always looking for more mines to invest in. This encourages the mining to explore the states for new mines.

Resource companies have negotiated an agreement which they consider will benefit them. Chinese companies are expected to continue to either merge with or acquire Australian ones to improve the efficiency of the industry. Business and political leaders in both countries claim that the deal will produce more and better quality resources in the near future. Experts predict that miners will likely find more iron than they thought existed. As more mines are discovered expectations increase that China’s interest will continue.

Studies suggest that strong growth in investment is due to China’s desire for a constant supply of raw materials. Business experts consider that China will determine the health of the global markets as it chooses what it needs. Australia’s largest mining companies all sell their raw materials to China as it is considered to be a great customer. The trend will continue as China gains economic and political power.

Article taken from :http://www.julia-gillard.org