Thursday, July 28, 2011

Who is Dana White?

Who is Dana White?  The entertainment and MMA world knows him as the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.

Biography

White was born July 28, 1969 in Manchester, Connecticut on July 28, 1969,[2] White grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada and Levant, Maine. White is a passionate Boston Red Sox fan. During his youth, he bounced back and forth between Boston and Maine. He attended the University of Massachusetts Boston but did not finish; however, while there he did launch a boxing program for inner-city youth.[3]
White has a background as an aerobics instructor. In 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in Las Vegas. He conducted aerobics classes at three gyms[4] in the Las Vegas area and began managing MMA fighters Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.
While working as a manager, White learned that Semaphore Entertainment Group, the parent company of the UFC, was looking for a buyer for the UFC. White contacted childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta, an executive at Station Casinos, and a former commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Within a month, Lorenzo and his older brother Frank bought the UFC, with White installed as its president.[5] White currently owns 9% of Zuffa, LLC, the entity the Fertitta brothers created to own and manage the UFC.[3]

Controversy

Loretta Hunt

On April 1, 2009, White was videotaped in a verbal tirade against Loretta Hunt, a sportswriter for Sherdog, in response to an article she wrote. In the video posted on his YouTube account, White used derogatory language in an obscenity-laced rant. The video was pulled from his official UFC YouTube page but has been widely republished across the internet and come under fire, including by GLAAD for his use of anti-gay slurs.[6][7][8] White would later apologize for his slurs. He specifically did not include Hunt in the apology.[9] Hunt responded by saying "I stand by the story. It's accurate."

Charity

In December 2010 White donated $50,000 for a life-saving surgery for the 7-month-old daughter of a popular Thai MMA trainer at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand.[10] In a similar act of charity in 2010, White donated approximately $8,000 to help pay for the brain tumor treatment of two-year-old British girl, Ruby Owen. The young girl's family had described themselves as being "shocked and over the moon". Ruby Owen's uncle, being a UFC fan had contacted White via email and asked if he could help by donating to the Ruby Owen fund raising website. White and Owen have never officially met.[11] In an act of compassion towards a fan, he gave $300 dollars to one man without hesitation who said that he "just received a speeding ticket while racing across town to meet him".[12] Shortly after being named 2009 Nevada Sportsman of The Year, White added $100,000 from his pocket to the $250,000 total raised for the fund raising marathon sponsored by ESPN Radio 1100 for Las Vegas. [13]

Feud with M-1 Global

After signing negotiations with M-1 Global Russian Heavyweight MMA fighter Fedor Emelianenko fell through in 2009,[14] White and the UFC became the subject of debate and criticism from fans and experts alike. On several occasions, White referred to Emelianenko as "a fake, a phony and a farce.[15] [16]
On June 26th, 2010 following Emelianenko's first legitimate defeat of his career to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Fabricio Werdum, White shared a simple ":)" via Twitter.[17] The same symbol was expressed by White following Emelianenko's 2nd round doctor stoppage loss to Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in the opening round of the 2011 Strikeforce GP.[18] White followed this with an insult to Fedor's manager and M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelstein.[19] This began a war of words on the social networking site. M-1 Global’s director of operations, Evgeni Kogan, stood up for Finkelstein and invited White to repeat his words to Finkelstein in person. When fans attempted to reason with White, they were met with similar contempt and insults[20]
Fedor Emelianenko and White have never officially met,[21] although White has claimed to have met Emelianenko on a "crazy island in the middle of nowhere".[22] In 2011, Emelianenko denied that this encounter ever took place.[23]

Accomplishments

 

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Who is Gwyneth Kate Paltrow?

Who is Gwyneth Kate Paltrow?  The entertainment and acting world knows Gwyneth Paltrow as  is an American actress and singer.[3][4] She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en (1995) and Emma (1996) (in which she played the title role). Following the films, Sliding Doors (1998) and A Perfect Murder (1998), Paltrow garnered worldwide recognition through her performance in Shakespeare in Love (1998), for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, for Outstanding Lead Actress and as a member of the Outstanding Cast.
Since then, Paltrow has portrayed supporting as well as lead roles in films such as The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Shallow Hal (2001), and Proof (2005), for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress in Motion Picture Drama. In 2008, she appeared in the highest grossing movie of her career, the superhero film Iron Man (2008), and then reprised her role as Pepper Potts in its sequel, Iron Man 2 (2010). Paltrow also appeared in the television series, Glee, and has been the face of Estée Lauder's Pleasures perfume since 2005. She is married to Chris Martin, the lead vocalist of Coldplay. They have two children together, Apple and Moses.

Early life

Paltrow was born September 27, 1972 in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Blythe Danner, an actress, and Bruce Paltrow, a film and television director and producer. Paltrow's father was of Ashkenazi Russian Jewish descent; her mother is a Quaker of Pennsylvania Dutch and more distant white Barbadian ancestry.[5][6][7][8][9][10] Paltrow's paternal great-great-grandfather, whose surname was "Paltrowicz", was a rabbi in Nowogród, Poland.[11] Paltrow has a younger brother, Jake Paltrow, and is a half-cousin of actress Katherine Moennig, and a second cousin of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-08).[12]
Paltrow was raised in Santa Monica, where she attended Crossroads School, before moving and enrolling in The Spence School, a private girls' school in New York City.[13] Later, she briefly studied art history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, before dropping out to act.[14] She is an "adopted daughter" of Talavera de la Reina (Spain), where at 15 she spent a year as an exchange student and learned to speak Spanish.

Career

Early work, 1990–1996

After spending several summers watching her mother perform at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, Paltrow made her professional stage debut there in 1990.[14] Her film debut followed next year with Shout (1991), starring John Travolta, she was cast by Steven Spielberg in his film, Hook (1991), as the young Wendy Darling.[14] Paltrow then had minor roles in Malice (1993) and Flesh and Bone (1993). She was next cast in a supporting role in Se7en (1995) alongside Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, which earned her a Satellite Award nomination. In 1996, she played the title character in Emma to critical acclaim.

 Worldwide recognition, 1998–2003

Paltrow appeared in several films throughout 1998, including Sliding Doors and the leading role in the film adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel, Great Expectations with Ethan Hawke, Robert De Niro, Anne Bancroft and Chris Cooper. Also in 1998 Paltrow appeared in two thrillers, Hush opposite Jessica Lange and A Perfect Murder inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, Dial M for Murder. Paltrow appeared opposite Michael Douglas as Emily Taylor, based on Grace Kelly's character from the original film, though the film was met with mixed reviews.[17]
In 1998, Paltrow starred in Shakespeare in Love, portraying the fictional lover of William Shakespeare, played by Joseph Fiennes. The film earned more than US$100 million in box office receipts in the United States and Paltrow gained critical acclaim for her portrayal. Entertainment Weekly commented, "Best of all is Gwyneth Paltrow, who, at long last, has a movie to star in that's as radiant as she is."[18] The New York Times summed up her turn as Viola as such: "Gwyneth Paltrow, in her first great, fully realized starring performance, makes a heroine so breathtaking that she seems utterly plausible as the playwright's guiding light."[19] The award-winning Shakespeare in Love[20][21] earned Paltrow the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role from the Screen Actors Guild,[22] the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress[22] and the Academy Award for Best Actress, among other honors.[21] Her Pink Ralph Lauren dress worn at the 71st Academy Awards in collecting her Oscar was extremely popular and was credited for bringing pink back into fashion.[23]
In 1999, Paltrow co-starred in The Talented Mr. Ripley alongside Jude Law, Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett which earned $80 million domestically and received positive reviews.[24] She showcased her singing ability in 2000's Duets, which was directed by her father and co-starred singer Huey Lewis. The same year, Paltrow co-starred with Ben Affleck in the romantic drama Bounce as Abby Janello. She was part of an ensemble cast, as Margot Tenenbaum, in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). Also in 2001, she starred with Jack Black in the comedy Shallow Hal, where she had to wear a specially designed 25 pound fatsuit and heavy make-up. The film was released to mixed reviews.

Recent work, 2004–present

Since the Oscar for Shakespeare in Love, Paltrow's film success has been less noteworthy.[25] She said she was unequipped for the pressure, leading to several bad movie choices,[26] agreeing with peers who believe the win is, in some ways, a curse.[27] During this time, Paltrow took a career hiatus to raise her family rarely appearing in films.[13] In The Guardian, she said she divided her career into movies for love and films for money: The Royal Tenenbaums, Proof, and Sylvia fell into the former category, while she did View from the Top and Shallow Hal for the latter.[7] In 2004, she appeared in the science-fiction film, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow opposite Jude Law. The same year, she was recognized as an outstanding woman in entertainment by Women in Film Los Angeles with the Crystal Award.[28] In 2005, she appeared in the film Proof as the depressed daughter of a brilliant, eccentric mathematician. The movie is based on the play of the same name, in which Paltrow also played the same character at London's Donmar Warehouse in 2002. For her performance Paltrow earned her second Golden Globe nomination Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. In 2006, she had small roles in Running With Scissors and Infamous, in which she sang Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love?"
In 2008, she appeared in the superhero film Iron Man as Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's closest friend, budding love interest, and business partner.[29] Iron Man man is Paltrow's highest-grossing film to date, earning more than $585,000,000 worldwide.[30] Paltrow said she was hesitant to appear in a big-budget project but she was won over by Robert Downey Jr., the film's lead, and director Jon Favreau. She recalled a conversation with Downey, saying:[31]


In 2010, Paltrow reprised her role in the sequel to Iron Man, Iron Man 2. Later in 2010, she appeared in the musical, Country Strong, where she also recorded the song Country Strong for the films' soundtrack.[32] The song was released to country radio in August 2010.[33] At the 83rd Academy Awards, Paltrow performed the song "Coming Home" from the film which was nominated for Best Original Song.[34] She also appeared in Fox's Glee, as substitute teacher, Holly Holliday who fills in for Matthew Morrison's character when he falls ill. She sang "Nowadays" from the musical Chicago with Lea Michele, Cee Lo Green's "Forget You" and Gary Glitter's "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)", plus a mash-up of "Singin' In the Rain" and Rihanna's "Umbrella" with Morrison, Mark Salling and Chris Colfer in the episode.[35] She later performed "Forget You" with Cee-Lo Green himself and The Muppets at the 2011 Grammy Awards. She reprised her role later that season performing "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" by Gary Glitter, an acoustic version of "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac and "Kiss" by Prince. Paltrow's upcoming film is the Steven Soderbergh thriller, Contagion, in which she is part of an ensemble cast including Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard and her The Talented Mr. Ripley co-stars, Matt Damon and Jude Law.[36]

Other projects

Paltrow is a Save the Children artist ambassador, raising awareness about World Pneumonia Day.[37] She is on the board of the Robin Hood Foundation, a charitable organization that works to alleviate poverty in New York City. In February 2009, Paltrow received a Grammy nomination for her reading of the classic bear books of author Bill Martin, Jr.[38]
Paltrow had her singing debut in the 2000 film Duets, in which she performed a cover version of Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'". The song was released as a single. The song went to number one in Australia, while Paltrow's rendition of the Kim Carnes classic "Bette Davis Eyes" reached number three.[citation needed] In the 2006 film Infamous, she sang "What Is This Thing Called Love". On September 27, 2006, Paltrow sang with rapper Jay-Z during his concert at Royal Albert Hall. She sang the chorus for "Song Cry", from the rapper's album Blueprint.[39] In an interview, she said she would be at the concert but not that she would perform. She was quoted as saying "I'm a Jay-Z fan. He's my best friend."[40]
In May 2005, Paltrow became the face of Estée Lauder's Pleasures perfume. She appeared in Chicago on 17 August 2007, to sign bottles of the perfume, and on 8 July 2008, she promoted Lauder's Sensuous perfume in New York with the company's three other models.[41] Estée Lauder donates a minimum of $500,000 of sales of items from the 'Pleasures Gwyneth Paltrow' collection to breast cancer research.[42] In 2006, she became the face for Bean Pole International, a Korean fashion brand.
In October 2007, she signed for a PBS television series Spain... on the road Again with Mario Batali that showcases the food and culture of Spain.[43] In September 2008, she launched a weekly lifestyle newsletter, Goop, encouraging readers to 'nourish the inner aspect'. The website's title is derived from the initials of her first and last names.[44] Each week, the newsletter focuses on an action: Make, Go, Get, Do, Be, and See. It has been ridiculed by E-Online,[45] Vanity Fair,[46] The Independent,[47] and the UK's Daily Mirror.[48]

Personal life


In her early 20s, Paltrow was engaged for six months to, whom she dated from December 1994 to May 1997.[49] The engagement was called off, according to Paltrow, because she wasn't ready for marriage and later felt responsible for hurting Pitt since she was "such a mess" during that time in her life.[50] Paltrow has since said that as this was her first high-profile relationship with another celebrity, it taught her the need for public discretion about her romantic life; she told Biography magazine, "I said things about being in a relationship [with Brad Pitt] that felt wrong to me even as I was saying them."[51]
Paltrow had an on-off three year relationship with Ben Affleck from 1997 to late 2000. They first dated from November 1997 to January 1999.[52] Soon after their breakup, Paltrow convinced Affleck to work in the film Bounce with her;[53] during the making of the film, which was shot in mid 1999, the couple started dating again and eventually broke up in October 2000.[52] Paltrow has said that she stopped reading celebrity magazines in 1999.[54]
In October 2002, Paltrow met Chris Martin of the British rock group Coldplay backstage three weeks after the death of her father Bruce Paltrow. They married on December 5, 2003 in a ceremony at a hotel in Southern California.[55] On 14 May 2004, the couple had their first child, a girl named Apple Blythe Alison Martin. Paltrow explained the unusual first name on Oprah, saying: "It sounded so sweet and it conjured such a lovely picture for me – you know, apples are so sweet and they're wholesome and it's biblical – and I just thought it sounded so lovely and … clean! And I just thought, 'Perfect!'"[56] The child's godfathers are Simon Pegg and Martin's bandmate, Jonny Buckland.[57]
Her second child, a boy named Moses Bruce Anthony Martin, was born on 8 April 2006, in New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital.[58] Her son's first name was explained as the song, entitled "Moses", that her husband wrote for her before their wedding.[58] Paltrow has stated that she cut down on work after becoming a mother.[59] She has also said that she suffered from postpartum depression after the death of her father and after the birth of her second child.[60]

Controversial statements

In December 2006, Paltrow was reported on the Internet to have told Notícias Sábado, the weekend magazine supplement of Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias, that she thought British people were more civilized and intelligent than Americans.[61] Paltrow denied making the statements attributed to her and told People magazine that she never gave an interview to a Portuguese publication, but instead had tried to say in Spanish, during a press conference, that Europe was an "older culture" and Americans "live to work".[62] Diário de Notícias said in their 6 December 2006 edition that it had obtained the quotes from English-language articles that are still referenced online,[7][63] though Paltrow has insisted that she was misquoted, declaring in 2007: "I love America, and I'm an American through and through."[31]

Filmography

Film
Title↓ Year↓ Role↓ Notes
Shout 1991 Rebecca
Hook 1991 Young Wendy Darling
Deadly Relations 1993 Carol Ann Fagot
Malice 1993 Paula Bell
Flesh and Bone 1993 Ginny
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle 1994 Paula Hunt
Higher Learning 1995 Student Uncredited
Jefferson in Paris 1995 Patsy Jefferson
Se7en 1995 Tracy Mills Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Moonlight and Valentino 1995 Lucy Trager
Hard Eight 1996 Clementine
The Pallbearer 1996 Julie DeMarco
Emma 1996 Emma Woodhouse Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Out of the Past 1998 Sarah Orne Jewett Voice
Sliding Doors 1998 Helen Quilley Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (also for Shakespeare in Love)
Russian Guild of Film Critics – Best Foreign Actress
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress (also for Shakespeare in Love)
Great Expectations 1998 Estella
Hush 1998 Helen Baring
A Perfect Murder 1998 Emily Bradford Taylor Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress
Shakespeare in Love 1998 Viola De Lesseps Academy Award for Best Actress
Empire Award for Best Actress
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (also for Sliding Doors)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Joseph Fiennes)
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress (also for Sliding Doors)
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role – Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Sexiest Love Scene (shared with Joseph Fiennes)
The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999 Marge Sherwood Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress
The Intern 2000 Herself Uncredited
Duets 2000 Liv
Bounce 2000 Abby Janello Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Ben Affleck)
The Anniversary Party 2001 Skye Davidson
The Royal Tenenbaums 2001 Margot Tenenbaum Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Shallow Hal 2001 Rosemary Shanahan Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress
Searching for Debra Winger 2002 Herself Documentary
Austin Powers in Goldmember 2002 Gwyneth Paltrow as Dixie Normous in 'Austinpussy'
Possession 2002 Maud Bailey
View from the Top 2003 Donna Jensen
Sylvia 2003 Sylvia Plath
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow 2004 Polly Perkins Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Jude Law)
Proof 2005 Catherine Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Infamous 2006 Kitty Dean
Love and Other Disasters 2006 Hollywood Jacks Cameo appearance
Running with Scissors 2006 Hope Finch
The Good Night 2007 Dora
Iron Man 2008 Virginia "Pepper" Potts Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress
Two Lovers 2008 Michelle Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female
Iron Man 2 2010 Virginia "Pepper" Potts Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Science Fiction Actress
Nominated—Scream Award for Best Science Fiction Actress
Country Strong 2010 Kelly Canter
Contagion 2011 Beth Emhoff Post-production
The Avengers 2012 Virginia "Pepper" Potts Cameo Appearence
Television
Title↓ Year↓ Role↓ Notes
Saturday Night Live 1999 Host Hosted episodes in 1999, 2001, and 2011
Spain... on the road Again 2008 Herself
The Marriage Ref 2010 Herself
Glee 2010–2011 Holly Holliday Season 2 Episode 7 "The Substitute"
Season 2 Episode 15 "Sexy"
Season 2 Episode 17 "A Night Of Neglect"
Who Do You Think You Are? 2011 Herself Season 2 Episode 6 "Gwyneth Paltrow"

 Discography

Singles

Single Year Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
Album
US
[64]
US AC
[65]
US
Country

[66]
AUS
[67]
NZ
[68]
UK
[69]
"Cruisin'" (with Huey Lewis) 2000 1 1 1 Duets
"Bette Davis Eyes" 3
"Country Strong" 2010 81 30
Country Strong
"Me and Tennessee" (with Tim McGraw) 2011 34 63
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Featured singles

Single Year Peak chart positions Album
US
[71][72]
[73]
AUS
[74][75]
CAN
[76][77]
[78]
IRL
[79]
UK
[80][81]
[82]
"Forget You" (with Glee Cast) 2010 11 24 12 20 31 Glee: The Music, Volume 4
"Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag" (with Glee Cast)[83] Non-album singles
"Singing in the Rain / Umbrella" (with Glee Cast) 18 23 20 10 22
"Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" (with Glee Cast) 2011 57 63 95 Glee: The Music, Volume 5
"Kiss" (with Glee Cast) 83 98 80
"Landslide" (with Glee Cast) 23 38 35 36 52
"Turning Tables" (with Glee Cast) 66 66 75 Glee: The Music, Volume 6
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Album appearances

Song Year Album
"Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" (with Babyface) 2000 Duets
"Shake That Thing" 2010 Country Strong
"Coming Home"
"A Fighter"
"Travis"
"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" (with Matthew Morrison) 2011 Matthew Morrison

 Music videos

Video↓ Year↓ Director↓
"Country Strong" 2010 Kristin Barlowe, Christoper Sims
"Me and Tennessee" (with Tim McGraw)
2011 Roger Pistole




 



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