Year: 2024

Turning 78 Today: Steven Spielberg. Happy Birthday

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Born
December 18, 1946 · Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Birth name
Steven Allan Spielberg

Spouses
Kate Capshaw (October 12, 1991 – present) (5 children)

Amy Irving (November 27, 1985 – February 2, 1989) (divorced, 1 child)

QUOTES:

[on winning the Best Director Oscar for Saving Private Ryan (1998)]: Am I allowed to say I really wanted this?

Before I go off and direct a movie I always look at 4 films. They tend to be: Seven Samurai (1954), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and The Searchers (1956).

[on friend Joan Crawford]: She is five feet four, but she looks six feet on the screen. In a two-shot with anyone, even Gable, (Clark Gable), your eyes fix on her. She is imperious, yet with a childlike sparkle. She is haughty, yet tender. She has no great range as an actress, yet within the range she can perform better than any of her contemporaries.
I have made almost as many films in England as I have in America. I will come back to England again and again.
I would love to see the British film industry get back on its feet again.

I don’t drink coffee. I’ve never had a cup of coffee in my entire life. That’s something you probably don’t know about me. I’ve hated the taste since I was a kid.

I dream for a living.

I’d rather direct than produce. Any day. And twice on Sunday.

Ray Liotta (1954-2022) – Happy Birthday

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Born
December 18, 1954 · Newark, New Jersey, USA

Died
May 26, 2022 · Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (heart and respiratory complications)

Birth name
Raymond Allen Liotta

QUOTES:

Something Wild (1986) was my first movie. I was in an acting class and on a soap opera for three-and-a-half years in New York – I moved to L.A. at 25 and nothing was really going on for like a five-year period. I was still in acting class, I was in class all through Goodfellas (1990) actually, and I talked to some of the guys and they said, “Are you up for this movie, Something Wild?” and I said, “No.” But I decided I really wanted to be up for it even though [Jonathan] Demme had already narrowed it down to three people. I’d been to college with Melanie Griffith’s then-husband Steven Bauer and I called her up and said, “y’know, can you get me in and I felt weird about it, but here I am, thirty years old and I haven’t done anything yet and I’d read the script and felt like I could do that as well as anyone out there so why not me?” She got me in, she insisted that Jonathan see me, and it just worked out with me.

“Nothing. It’s just make-believe. I don’t think it’s good to personalize it. If you do, it’s limiting. The actors that do personalize it are the ones that always seem the same in every movie they do. I don’t really look at it in any kind of deep psychological way that I learn something about myself. Aside from taking up the acting challenges, I’m really glad I took on the challenge of playing Sinatra, as scary as it was. I learned somewhat about myself – that I could do it and I knew what was bothering me – the fears that I had.” – On what he learns about himself through the characters he plays.

I wasn’t crazy about the way things were going. I wanted to be a little more proactive with my career instead of waiting for something to come to me, so I formed a production company with my wife [Michelle Grace] and a partner, Diane Nabatoff, and changed agents – I really just wanted to clean house and start fresh. The first script I got was Narc (2002) and I really responded to it; it reminded me of a 70s type movie, I really liked the characters, I didn’t anticipate the ending. I wanted to go that way and really get proactive with my career – take some control in it and redirect it in a direction that I liked.

Turning 44 Today: Christina Aguilera. Happy Birthday

festreviews Happy Birthday

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Born
December 18, 1980 · Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA

Birth name
Christina Maria Aguilera

Spouse
Jordan Bratman (November 19, 2005 – April 15, 2011) (divorced, 1 child)

QUOTES:

[on Eminem’s lyrics in “The Real Slim Shady” which contained sexual references about her] It’s disgusting and offensive and above all it’s not true.

[on singing the remake of “Lady Marmalade” with P!nk, Mya and Lil’ Kim] It’s the closest I ever got to being in a girl group.

I like to be edgy, I like to be different. I’m a little bit of rebel.

[After winning an MTV Award for the video, “Lady Marmalade”, shared with singers Mya, P!nk and Lil’ Kim] The big hair paid off!

It’s funny how society places such strict standards upon young blonde females. We’re supposed to play the clean-cut view the public wants of us. But I am not your little cookie-cutter virgin.

It’s human nature to have a sexual side.

I think that whatever size or shape body you have, it’s important to embrace it and get down! The female body is something that’s so beautiful. I wish women would be proud of their bodies and not dis other women for being proud of theirs!

You can take it or leave it, but I’m not going to change, not for anyone.

Turning 46 Today: Katie Holmes. Happy Birthday

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Born
December 18, 1978 · Toledo, Ohio, USA

Birth name
Kate Noelle Holmes

Spouse
Tom Cruise (November 18, 2006 – August 20, 2012) (divorced, 1 child)

QUOTES:

It’s important to try to be creative. I paint, and my mom is going to teach me how to make clothes. I think people should have passions.

My family always keeps me in check. I have three older sisters, and they work their butts off. They’re all very supportive of my career, but I know what’s really important is kids and family.

I felt so proud to be having a baby and so excited. And I felt closer to other women – to my sisters, to my mom. I felt empowered, like, ‘I’ve given birth. I did it! There’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ve really enjoyed this time that I have taken to be with Suri as well as the challenges of the first couple of months: feeding and pumping, learning to decipher what each cry means – is she hungry? Is she tired? Does she need a fresh diaper? – and figuring out how to really help her.

We all keep dreaming, and luckily, dreams really do come true.

Turning 45 Today: Emily Swallow. Happy Birthday

festreviews Happy Birthday

Watch the best of films now by signing up for the FREE 7 Day trial. New Festival Daily: https://www.wildsound.ca/todays-film-festival/

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 13: (L-R) Emily Swallow and Chad Kimball arrive at the premiere of Lucasfilm’s first-ever, live-action series, “The Mandalorian,” at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. on November 13, 2019. “The Mandalorian” streams exclusively on Disney+. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

Born
December 18, 1979 · Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Birth name
Emily Rebecca Swallow

Spouse
Chad Kimball(August 26, 2018 – present)

She has experience with British accents from her theater work. This came in handy when she was auditioning for the role of the Armorer in The Mandalorian (2019), because she was asked to perform with that accent. After she landed the part, she combined elements of British and Mid-Atlantic accents into her performance. Her accent turned out so convincing that many believed that she was from Britain.

Watch Today’s Festival: RecoverED: A Documentary Film About Eating Disorder Recovery

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Watch Film Festival HERE: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/watch-recovered

Go to the Daily Film Festival Platform http://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 7 day trial to watch a new and original festival every single day.

Go to the festival page directly and watch dozens of films:
https://www.wildsound.ca/todays-film-festival/

RecoverED: A Documentary Film About Eating Disorder Recovery, 50min., Canada
Directed by Tyler Anderson
RecoverED is a compelling documentary that explores the journey of recovery from disordered eating through powerful personal stories of resilience. The film highlights the vital role of community support and the transformative power of hope in healing. It delves into the physical, emotional, and psychological challenges faced by individuals battling eating disorders, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of recovery. RecoverED aims to inspire those struggling and to raise awareness about the recovery process, underscoring that with the right support, perseverance, and resources, recovery is possible.

http://www.bridgepointcenter.ca/recovered
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566675153019
https://x.com/RecoverEDfilm
https://www.instagram.com/recoveredfilm

Watch the Audience Feedback:
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-recovered

Today’s Short Story Deadline: MAGICAL REALISM Festival

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Submit your MAGICAL REALISM Short Story to the Festival and we will automatically have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video for yourself.

Submit your story on the festival page: https://fantasyscififestival.com/magical-realism-short-story-festival/

Accept only stories that fit into the MAGICAL REALISM genre.Magical realism stories feature fantastical elements that seem ordinary and blend into the story.The focus is on what the magical elements mean for the characters, rather than the elements themselves.

Today’s Screenplay Festival: PARANORMAL Festival

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Submit your screenplay that’s a paranormal genre and/or plot line to the festival.

Submit on the submission page: https://fantasyscififestival.com/paranormal-screenplay-festival/

A paranormal story is a work of fiction that explores phenomena and beings that are beyond the scope of scientific understanding. They include elements like ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches, and other entities that cannot be explained by the laws of nature. They can be set in the real world, but generally include elements that defy scientific explanation.

FULL FEEDBACK on your screenplay from our committee of professional screenwriters, production heads, and script consultants. Get your entire script performed at the writing festival.

SUBMIT your FEATURE, TV PILOT or SHORT SCREENPLAY./p>

Submissions take 3-5 weeks for evaluation. Looking for screenplays from all over the world.

This festival has a guaranteed 4-tier set up for each accepted script. (No matter what, all screenplays submitted receive FULL FEEDBACK on their work.)

1st Tier: FULL FEEDBACK on your screenplay (all submissions)

2nd Tier: Accepted scripts (25% on average of submitted entries) get a best scene of their screenplay performed by professional actors and made into a promotional video.

3rd Tier: We will send you a list of questions to answer for our blog interview that will promote you and your film.

4th Tier: Then we will set up a podcast interview on our popular ITunes show where will we will promote the winning writer and script.

(BONUS: 5th Tier. A winning screenwriter’s WhatsApp group has just been formed. Over 50 writers to date. Great way to share ideas and contacts with people in the industry.)

Today’s Novel Festival: LITERARY FICTION Festival

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LITERARY FICTION Novel Festival (3 options to submit) – Deadline Dec. 17th

Submit your Literary Fiction Book by the deadline.

Literary fiction is a category of novels that prioritize style, character, and theme over plot.It’s often considered to be more serious than genre fiction, which is commercial fiction written for entertainment.

Submit on the submission page: https://festivalfordrama.com/literary-fiction-novel-festival/

Get FULL FEEDBACK on either the 1st chapter or entire novel book from our committee of Professional Writers, and Writing Consultants. Get your novel performed by a professional actor at the festival.

NEW OPTION: Or, just submit for an actor performance reading transcript of your novel (any 5 pages of your book). Great way to promote the sales of your book if you’re already published. (see examples on the video playlist below)

SUBMIT your novel now (both your 1st chapter or full novel accepted) To be eligible for our Writing Festival Events. Submissions take 3-5 weeks for evaluation./span>

Submit a novel book and get it seen by the world.