Cyndi Lauper

Source: http://www.cyndilauper.com/biography.php
1953: June 22nd
Cyndi Lauper (full name: Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton), is born in Brooklyn-New York on June 22nd 1953 (note that a lot of biogaphies are wrong at this purpose: this is the correct date). Her father is named Fred Lauper, her mother Catrine Dominique (present in several videos), her sister Elen Lauper (She is now an accupuncturist in Southern California) and her brother Fred (nicknamed as Butch).
Cyndi took up playing the guitar and writing lyrics at the age of twelve. The first song she learnt to play was "Greensleeves".

She went to 4 high schools. The one that gave her the honorary high school diploma was Richmond Hill High School in Richmond Hill, NY.


1977
In the mid-seventies she performed as a vocalist with various cover bands in the New York metropolitan area. She sang some songs of Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, and some top 40 covers... The names of the cover bands were "Doc West", "Flyer", ... In 1977, Cyndi extensively damaged her vocal cords, leaving her virtually voiceless.

1980
After a full year of therapy with voice coach Katie Agestra, Cyndi's voice was back and soon Cyndi and multi-instrumentalist John Turi formed a new band, 'Blue Angel', which released its self-titled debut album in 1980. This album included Maybe He'll Know and Lauper's soaring rendition of Gene Pitney's I'm Gonna Be Strong.

1983
Cyndi Lauper signed with Portrait Records as a solo artist in the spring of 1983. Her first solo album, She's So Unusual, was released at the end of the year and went on to sell more than 4,5 million copies in the United States alone. Moreover the album was the first of a female artist to score four Top Five singles from a debut album: Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Time After Time, She Bop and All Through The Night.
Recognition soon followed:

American Music Awards for Favorite Female Vocalist Pop/Rock
American Music Awards for Favorite Female Vocalist Video Pop/Rock
a Grammy award for Best New Artist
"Rolling Stone" Best New Artist and Best Female Video Artist
MTV Best Female Video Artist
... and many others

1984
In 1984, Cyndi worked 350 days and neared her 300th concert mark. She performed or promoted her records in 150 cities. But she also found time to sit down and design all the T-shirts sold at her concerts.

1985
In 1985, Cyndi contributed her writing and singing talents to the movie, The Goonies. She provided the Goonies theme song entitled (The Goonies 'R') Good Enough. It became a top 10 hit.

1986
In '86 True Colors was launched, the cast of this album including notables such as Billy Joel, Nile Rodgers, Rick Derringer, Aimee Mann and The Bangles. Cyndi received a Grammy nomination for the single True Colors. Cyndi co-produced this album.

1988
In October 1988, Cyndi travelled to the Soviet Union as one of a group of American songwriters collaborating with Soviet counterparts. The outcome is a great song: Cold Sky found on the album Music Speaks Louder Than Words. Also in 1988, Cyndi made her motion picture debut in the movies, Vibes. She co-starred with Jeff Goldblum and they both played psychics. Even though most fans love this movie, it was panned by the critics.

1989
In 1989, Cyndi recorded the album A Night To Remember of which some songs were re-released on a single in January 1990. She again received a Grammy nomination for the single I Drove All Night.
Hit records, performances during mega-events as The Wall, award-winning videos, sold-out concert tours and very positive media acclaim; the rest, to use Lauper's expression, is "herstory".


1990
Cyndi filmed her second movie entitled Off and Running. She met her husband David Thornton on the set.

1991
She got married to actor David Thornton on November 24th 1991 at the Friends Meeting House in New York. Little Richard led the couple in the recitation of their non-traditional vows, and Patti Labelle sang the wedding theme "Come What May".
Cyndi's fourth album is Hat Full Of Stars. It's maybe the most critically acclaimed to date:

The Village Voice said: "Hat Full Of Stars is startingly wonderful. The singing is stellar, the arrangements are happening".
Rolling Stone gave the album 3 1/2 stars and said: "Her multi- octave voice has never sounded better".
The New York Times said: "... Her new songs are strong, the new Cyndi Lauper still embraces the old one".
The Los Angeles Times called Hat Full Of Stars: " ... her most consistently tuneful and ambitious album".
When talking about this album Cyndi says: "I wanted to make the album I always needed to make. I had to say the things I never could." In addition to co-producing and co-writing this album, Cyndi is also directing three videos from it, making her one of the few artist/directors in the pop world today.

1994
In 1994, Cyndi released Twelve Deadly Cyns... And Then Some. This album contains a lot of the singles hits. Although this album has been released worldwide in 1994, it is only released in July 1995 in US.

Cyndi also made her first appearance on the sitcom, Mad About You. She was even nominated for an Emmy award, however, she did not win.

1995
Cyndi made her second appearance on the sitcom, Mad About You. Again, she was nominated for an Emmy award. This time, she won.

1996
In 1996, Sisters Of Avalon, the best album so far is released in Japan. For the first time, Cyndi took part in the writing of every song. Jan Pulsford, the keyboardist co-wrote 11 songs. They are now "Sisters Of Avalon".

1997
The album Sisters Of Avalon is released worldwide.
Cyndi is pregnant with her first child, a boy. She announced it for the first time during 'Fox After Breakfast' on April 28th. She said: "I'm in my eleventh week and I know I'm having a football player or model. I feel like this kid should be in college by now, it's taking so long."
While pregnant, Cyndi tours in US as special guest of Tina Turner for her "Wildest Dreams" tour for 3 months.
Declyn Wallace Thornton Lauper is born on November 19th 1997.

1998
Cyndi worked on her sitcom which unfortunately won't never be broadcasted...
Then in October, she released her Christmas album. This album was the last one with Sony.

1999
Cyndi continued to work on her sitcom, appeared twice in Mad About You and did a US Tour as a Cher's special guest.
Disco Inferno was a hit in the US clubs during summer.
She is still looking for a new label.

Cyndi also filmed a movie, The Opportunists, with Christopher Walken. It was Cyndi's first dramatic role in a movie.

2000
The Opportunists was released in limited release. Cyndi got good reviews.

2001
Cyndi's new album, Shine, was supposed to be released by Edel, but the label went under and the 12 track Shine album never saw the light of day... that is, until it was leaked onto the internet.

2002
Once again, Cyndi joined Cher on tour and got excellent reviews. Cyndi also released a 5 track EP containing some of the Shine songs. It was a success. Cyndi also did several in-store signings.

2003
Cyndi hopes to release a full album later in 2003. She is also continuing a solo tour.

Jaws II

This reporter feels it has been a great dereliction of duty to provide a warning about the imminence of shark attack without providing any clues as to the defense against it. In order to correct this oversight, during which at least seventeen people have fallen prey to the world's greatest predator (only the Mossad comes close to sharks in their efficiency at killing), this reporter offers the following self-defense techniques against such attacks, along with their benefits and detriments, so that the reader can choose (if calm enough in the moment to make such decisions) among the various techniques:

1. If a shark is spotted while you are swimming in water deeper than your own height, immediately drop beneath the surface, fill your lungs with water, and sink to the bottom of the body of water you happen to be in. Hold the water in your lungs until all bodily movement stops due to unconscious. Sharks will not attack and eat a perfectly still animal, and many fish -- bottom feeders mostly -- avoid attack with this technique.

Advantages: Avoidance of the pain of shark bite and rent flesh.

Disadvantages: Drowning.

2. If a shark is spotted coming toward you in water of any depth, punch the shark squarely on the tip of the nose. This will cause the shark to get mad, and anger momentarily disrupts its single-minded attempt to feed. This may give you the necessary amount of time to leave the water, or at least for most of you to leave the water.

Advantages: You get to punch a shark and show it who's boss, if only for a moment.

Disadvantages: Permanent loss of limbs,usually the legs. Heavy bleeding.

3. If a shark is spotted in your vicinity, beat the water furiously and scream at the top of your lungs, or perhaps sing off-key heavy metal songs of the two-chord variety. This may serve to cause the shark to think that it has confronted an enemy too powerful for it, or to think that it has confronted a victim of white trash origins, which sharks find particularly unsavory.

Advantages: Possible, though not probable, escape.

Disadvantages: You will be heard by other humans, shunned and ridiculed for your liking of heavy metal music and your inclination to sing it in public, gain a reputation as a white trash individual, and in all probability the shark will attack you anyway. Sharks hate heavy metal and are in most cases attracted, not repelled, by splashing. This may be your least effective tactic.

4. A shark is spotted near you but is circling only, not immediately attacking. Use your cell phone to call the shore patrol to come out in a really big boat and either chase the shark away or blow it up with a vast quantity of C-4.

Advantages: Survival.

Disadvantages: Possible inclusion in the C-4 blast, as well as the fact that there is only the slimmest of chances that you will have a cell phone while in the water, or that your coverage will extend even one foot off shore. Most plans do not consider the sea to be viable territory for cell phone coverage. Consult your carrier for more information.

5. A shark is coming straight towards you in any depth of water with the obvious intent of attacking you. Close your eyes, turn around three times and click your heels, saying "There's no place like home, there's no place like home."

Advantages: Fond childhood memories of the Wizard of Oz may replace the fear of imminent death.

Disadvantages: Imminent death.

This reporter hopes that these tips will help any water lovers when confronted with the terrifying reality of shark attack. Of course, they are not guaranteed, and this reporter makes no claims as to their efficacy. As in all things, exercise extreme caution at all times.

Jaws

(FN: This report was filed in June of 2007, and while perhaps not timely, the advice and information contained herein should be kept in mind at all times.)

Well, it's that time of year again, when Oregonians are drawn by heat and habit to the great watery places in the state. But be careful, as there is a danger in our rivers, pools, and oceans that goes unnoticed and ignored -- the danger of shark attack. Yes, every year at least 14,000 Oregonians from all over the state suffer from molestation by these frightful and vicious creatures, and in every case, it goes unreported or is buried so deep in the official reports that the ordinary citizen never sees and remains dangerously ignorant of this extremely important information. But through years of research and determined digging through official records (mostly unlabeled, often "lost," and usually stored in inconvenient locations), this reporter has managed to uncover the truth about Oregon's biggest dirty little secret. This reporter wants no accolades, no rewards, no journalistic recognition or prize -- just knowing he may have saved a life is compensation enough for the countless hours of painstaking work that went into this report.

First, the reader should be aware of certain facts about sharks which the American Oceanographic Institute (now a division of Dow Chemical, and sharing funding with the Food and Drug Administration) has collected over the years without publishing its findings in fear that the revenue lost to coastal towns and the state and federal governments which tax them will come out of their own bloated and inefficient budget. And not only coastal towns, as you will see, but any town with a water source. To wit:

1. A shark of any size is able to swim in up to three inches of water, and will attack a human standing on the very edge of the water line at the shore. Couples deep in the trance of romantic beach walks are particularly susceptible to attack, as the heady mixture of pheromones exuded by said couples at such times can carry through water and attract a shark from as far as ten miles out to sea. An incident discovered by this reporter from eleven years ago at the Oregon coast near Newport involved a twenty-five foot, three-ton Great White shark swimming at approximately seventeen knots launching itself onto shore from a shallow spot on the coast in low tide to fully consume an elderly couple, a Mr. and Mrs. Jack Handly of Boring, OR, in one massive gulp. The couple were consumed whole as the shark flew straight into the air, performed a full gainer, and landed mouth downward on top of the shocked and immobile couple. After consuming them whole, swallowing them without even bothering to chew, the Great White slid innocuously back into the ocean, never to be found by the very clandestine search conducted by three crab fisherman over the course of twelve minutes in a shallow cove seven miles south of where the incident occurred.

2. Sharks can swim from salt water into fresh water without any effect to their oxygenating process. Last year, a group of three Mako sharks, each a full twelve feet and one-half ton, swam as far as the Deschutes river and attacked a group of Slovakian tourists on a day trip down the placid parts of that stretch of water. A river guide not connected with the incident reports hearing screaming somewhere up river, then saw the severed hand, still wearing his Russian-manufacture watch and reportedly also still holding his camera, which has since been "lost," floating past his raft full of drunken tourists from The Dalles. The tourists reported seeing nothing, and the guide is no longer employed by the rafting company, Safety First Water Adventure Fun Time Rafting Co., and when asked about his present whereabouts, this reported was treated rather surlily and asked to remove his person from their shop before his person was removed for him. Later that month, the incident was reported on Slovakian television, but viewers in the states who manage to get overseas broadcasts through satellite networks were treated to a five-minute black-out of news during the state-run nightly news show. A visual graphic of a vaguely Soviet-era farmer looking at a smoking tractor and scratching his head was shown on the screen with the legend (in Slovakian) written underneath: "We are experiencing technical difficulties." When the news program returned, the viewer found himself in the middle of a seven-hour talk show/diatribe about the legislative mistakes made during the Milosevic era, interspersed with live footage from the country's annual "Enroll Your Children in the Army" celebration. The "technical difficulties" were never explained, and, due perhaps to problems in translation, this reported could gather no information about that curious and somewhat sinister incident, which leads him to believe that the problem was not on the Slovakian side, but the American side.

3. Sharks of any size are also able to swim into fresh-water rivers running through major metropolitan areas, and, due to the incredible malleability of their bodies, are able to infiltrate water systems, no matter how secure the grills are that separate the pipe entrance from the water supply, which gives them access to any body of water connected by pipe to the city water supply outlets. This means that a shark of any size has access to any public or private pool, hot tub, jacuzzi, or toilet in the greater metropolitan area. This reporter urges extreme caution when using said facilities, as one is rarely cautious when swimming or going to the bathroom. Constant vigilance, as well as a particular hovering stance over any public or private toilet, may help to save your life. Of particular note is this incident: a small Estacada boy of twelve years old, whose name cannot be mentioned due to his status as a minor, was washing his hands before bed when the head of a nurse shark squeezed through the tap nozzle and bit off four of the fingers on his left hand. When the hospital made its report, it listed "virulent reaction to Lava soap" as the reason for the dedigitation. Lava soap, in a lawsuit, caused the report to be amended to "Extreme carelessness in the use of particularly strong pressure techniques while squeezing soapy fingers, which in no way implicates the soap manufacturer or any of its subsidiaries or parent corporations, and makes them immune to any damages resulting from the improper use of a product proven safe by the Food and Drug Administration [who, the attentive reader will recall, is sharing budgetary funds with the American Oceanographic Institute]." The doctor who filed the report is now working in Africa with a government-sponsored volunteer group called "Doctors Impressed into Medical Service," or DIMS.

4. Sharks are drawn particularly to white, shiny objects, and tend to inhabit the coastal and inland waters of Oregon especially during the summer months as thousands of pasty, sun-deprived Oregonians rush to the beaches to get any sun they can during the two months of the year when this is a possibility. Note: salon tanning will not be particularly helpful in alleviating this danger, as sharks are also attracted to the smell of cooked meat, which pheromone is very similar to the one given off by humans with sunburn or those who have recently spent time in the high-density ultraviolet atmosphere of the tanning salon.

These are merely a few of the dangers associated with sharks in the waters in and around the state. Please exercise extreme caution this summer when attending any water-related activity. This reporter cannot stress enough the dangers present in the briny deep (and not-so-deep) awaiting unsuspecting bathers, swimmers, and vacationers.

Johnny Knoxville: The Coolest Actor EVER

Philip John Clapp (better known as Johnny Knoxville), the 32 year old 6'1" host of MTV' Jackass, was born on March 11, 1971 and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. From an early age he was an atheletic daredevil, throwing himself from his crib, according to his parents, Phil and Lemoyne. At the age of 7, PJ decided to take a stick to a hornet's nest near his home. At 13, the straight-A student produced a phony report card with failing grades which was left out for his parents to find. Then there was that time he jumped from a second-story hotel room into a pool... However, Johnny admits that he got his odd sense of humor from his father, who ran Clapp's Tire Store. He recalls some practical jokes his father played while he was growing up: Staging a gunfight at the Christmas party; Giving Ex-Lax milkshakes to friends. Plus during PJ's senior year at South Young high school Phil helped his son create letters supposedly from a VD clinic which were sent to several friends on the football team. Fellow classmates have said Johnny was always very outgoing and loved to be the center of attention. Once he got up in front of the whole school during a pep rally and lip sang the song from Ferris Bueler's Day Off. He also played Danny Zucho in a chorus production of "Grease".

After graduating from high school at the age of 18, Johnny moved to California to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasedena on a scholoarship. However, he dropped out within weeks. When he met his neighbor, a Texan named Melanie, they quickly fell in love. In 1995 they decided to elope to Las Vegas, Nevada to get married. But when they got there, Johnny ended up gambling away all their money and they were forced to marry in a smaller church. Johnny and Melanie are still married and in 1996 they had a daughter, Madison, whose name is tattooed on left side of Johnny's chest. Early in his marriage, Johnny supported his family by appearing in commercials (for Taco Bell, Coors Light, and Mountain Dew) and worked on a novel (which he never finished) in his free time. He also wrote occasional articles for Blunt, Bikini, and Big Brother Magazines. Once he even spent the night in a field with 10,000 hippies during the Rainbow Gathering for a story.

In 1996 Johnny had the idea to shoot himself with pepper spray, a taser, a stun gun, .38, and then write an article about the experience. He pitched the idea to a couple of magazines that turned it down. Finally in 1997 he told Jeff Tremaine (editor at Big Brother Magazine) about his idea. Jeff hired him as journalist and convinced him to videotape this idea and other stunts (getting hit by car, poo poo platter, etc.) for stories. Eventually these became part of the Big Brother videos Boob and Number Two. Johnny quickly became a cult hit and soon there was a bidding war between MTV and Comedy Central to land him a TV show. He was offered a spot on Saturday Night Live, but turned it down. That's when Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine, and Spike Jonze pitched the idea of Jackass to MTV...it would combine part of the Big Brother Crew with the East Coast CKY crew (skateboarding pranksters Bam Margera, Brandon DiCamillo, and Ryan Dunn) and would allow the three producers creative control. MTV jumped at this unique idea. Alongside Johnny, Tremaine, and Jonze on the show were Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Ryan Dunn, Brandon DiCamillo, Jason 'Wee Man' Acuna, Dave England, Ehren McGhegan, Steve-O, and Preston Lacy. Jackass quickly became one of cable's highest rated shows and eventually sparked many recent movie deals for Johnny Knoxville including a big screen version of Jackass. In addition to his father, Johnny names Slim Pickens, Strother Martin, George C. Scott, Paul Lynde, Charles Nelson Reilly, Ron Palillo, Dave Letterman, Super Dave Osborne, and Candid Camera as many of his influences. Johnny currently has several films that have been released, as well as many others in production.

-From http://www.absolutjackass.net/bio.html

Pee Wee Herman: His Dramatic Life (well, not THAT dramatic)

Paul Reubens (born Paul Rubenfeld on August 27, 1952, in Peekskill, New York), is a Jewish-American actor, writer, and comedian, best known professionally for his character "Pee-wee Herman".

Born in Peekskill, New York, on August 27, 1952, Paul Reubenfeld grew up in Sarasota, Florida, where his parents owned a lamp store. During winters, The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus called Sarasota home, and young Paul counted such big-top families as the Wallendas and the Zacchinis among his neighbors. When he was 11-years-old, he joined the local Asolo Theater, and during the next six years, he appeared in a variety of plays. After graduating from Sarasota High School in 1970, he attended Boston University for one year before deciding to seek his fortune as Paul Reubens in Hollywood, where he enrolled as an acting major at the California Institute of the Arts and accepted a string of pay-the-rent jobs ranging from pizza chef to Fuller Brush salesman. In the 1970s, Reubens performed at local comedy clubs and made four guest appearances on The Gong Show. He soon joined the L.A.-based improvisational comedy team The Groundlings and remained a member for six years, working with Bob McClurg, John Paragon, Susan Barnes, and Phil Hartman. Hartman and Reubens became friends, often writing and working on material together. Reubens wrote sketches and developed his improvisational skills. He also forged a significant friendship and working relationship with Hartman, with whom he developed the "Pee-wee Herman" character. Pee-wee was an eccentric man-child in a too-small grey suit, red bow tie, short buzz cut, and a perpetually giddy disposition. His distinctive "Ha Ha" laugh became the character's catch phrase.

Reubens auditioned for Saturday Night Live prior to Eddie Murphy's first season, but wasn't accepted into the cast. Instead, he started a stage show with the Herman character. His stage show was immortalized by HBO when The Pee-wee Herman Show was aired in 1981. In 1980, Reubens landed a small role in the film The Blues Brothers. He also appeared in Cheech and Chong's Next Movie in 1980 and Nice Dreams in 1981, and Meatballs Part II in 1984 with Misty Rowe.

-By http://www.netglimse.com/celebs/pages/paul_reubens/index.shtml

Movie Review: Little Miss Sunshine

"Olive is a little girl with a dream: winning the Little Miss Sunshine contest. Her family wants her dream to come true, but they are so burdened with their own quirks, neuroses, and problems that they can barely make it through a day without some disaster befalling them. Olive's father Richard is a flop as a motivational speaker, and is barely on speaking terms with her mother. Olive's uncle Frank, a renowned Proust scholar, has attempted suicide following an unsuccessful romance with a male graduate student. Her brother Dwayne, a fanatical follower of Nietzsche, has taken a vow of silence, which allows him to escape somewhat from the family whose very presence torments him. And Olive's grandfather is a ne'er-do-well with a drug habit, but at least he enthusiastically coaches Olive in her contest talent routine. Circumstances conspire to put the entire family on the road together with the goal of getting Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine contest in far off California."

-Written by Jim Beaver on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449059/plotsummary. I can honestly say that he is not from this site, nor did I copy his words without putting his name on it.

Hey everyone, welcome to my blog. This is my first post. Hopefully, this site will become informative, because 7 new authors are hopefully on their way.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Sylvia, and I was born August 23, 1996, at 1:11 a.m. and I am a huge fan of The Beach Boys. My favorite song of theirs is Barbara Ann. 2nd is Wouldn't it be Nice.
I have moved houses 21 times in my life, though I'm still eleven. And all have been in Portland except one. You may be saying that that must be hard, but honestly, I don't know what it's like to not move.
My role in the oncoming 7 authors of this blog is to inform you about random things, like Evangelical Christians, Parenting, News about me and the authors, and things like that.
Well, I look forward to making this blog grow, and I will see you all in the future.

Until then,

-Sylvia