name	Speed
director	Jan de Bont
producer	Mark GordonIan Bryce
writer	Graham YostJoss Whedon (uncredited)
starring	Keanu ReevesDennis HopperSandra BullockJeff DanielsJoe MortonAlan RuckGlenn Plummer
music	Mark Mancina
cinematography	Andrzej Bartkowiak
editing	John Wright
distributor	20th Century Fox
released
runtime	116 minutes
country
language	English
budget	estimated at $25 - 30 million
gross	$350,448,145
followed by	''Speed 2: Cruise Control'' }}

''Speed'' is a 1994 American action-thriller film directed by Jan de Bont, and set in Los Angeles. LAPD officer Jack Traven becomes the focus of a bomber and extortionist, retired Atlanta bomb squad sergeant, Howard Payne. After Payne escapes his first entanglement with Traven, he sets up a bomb on a city bus that Traven boards and must keep moving above 50 miles per hour or the bomb will explode. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock and Jeff Daniels. It won two Academy Awards for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects at the 67th Academy Awards in 1995.

Plot

Los Angeles SWAT members Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) and Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels) prevent the deaths of several civilians in a trapped elevator in a skyscraper, triggered by bombs set by Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper), an embittered retired bomb squad officer. Jack and Harry attempt to stop Payne's escape, but Payne takes Harry hostage. Jack shoots Harry in the leg, forcing Payne to retreat without him; Payne then sets off an explosion, apparently killing himself. Jack and Harry are given a heroes' ceremony, and Harry is promoted to Detective and given a desk job due to his injury.

The next day, Jack witnesses a commuter bus explode, killing the driver. Payne contacts him on a nearby payphone, and making another ransom demand, explaining that he has planted a bomb on another bus; the bomb will arm itself if the bus exceeds 50 miles per hour, and then detonate if the bus falls below that speed, and he will also detonate the bomb if they attempt to remove any of the passengers. Jack races to catch the bus on the busy freeways, but arrives too late to stop the bomb from arming. He daringly boards the bus to explain the situation to the driver Sam (Hawthorne James), but a paranoid passenger, believing Jack to be here for him, brandishes a gun and fires, wounding Sam. Annie Potter (Sandra Bullock) takes the wheel as Sam is cared for, and Jack explains the situation to the passengers. Jack arranges a deal with Payne to off-load Sam onto a police flatbed truck pacing the bus to tend to his wounds. Another passenger sees the opportunity to exit the bus, but on doing so, Payne ignites a smaller bomb under the bus stairs, sending the passenger under the bus.

Jack, Annie, and the police work to keep the roads clear and the bus above 50 miles per hour, eventually arriving on an empty freeway section under construction. Jack is able to describe the bomb, including a cheap-looking gold watch, to Harry, who recognizes it as a common retirement gift for police officers, and begins to try to identify Payne from this. The freeway contains a large uncompleted overpass, but Jack and Annie work together to successfully jump it, and drive on towards Los Angeles International Airport, where they will be able to drive indefinitely on the empty tarmac without oversight from news helicopters. Jack attempts to use a sled towed by a police vehicle ahead of the bus to disarm the bomb, but debris on the tarmac makes it impossible, and Jack is forced to use a service panel to get back into the bus safely, rupturing the gas tank while doing so.

Meanwhile, Harry has identified Payne's local home, and he and other SWAT members raid it, only to find it armed with a bomb, killing them all. Jack becomes violently angry after learning of this, but allows him to discover that Payne is monitoring the bus via an on-board camera. The police use the newscrews' equipment to create a looped signal to override the one sent by the camera to fool Payne, and arrange to move the passengers off the bus. Jack and Annie escape on a floor panel after sending the unmanned bus on its own, where it crashed into an empty air freighter and explodes; the two realize they have started to fall in love.

Jack, Annie, and the police regroup downtown to the ransom dropoff point, hoping to catch Payne. Payne discovers the deception, and posing as a police officer, abducts Annie and straps her into a vest covered with explosives set to go off with the pressure trigger he holds. Jack follows them into the subway system. Payne hijacks a subway train and speeds off, strapping Annie to the car's frame, but Jack catches up and boards on time. Jack and Payne start to fight, in and above the out-of-control subway train, with Jack eventually besting Payne by beheading him from one of the ceiling signal lights. After disarming Annie's bomb, he finds the train's brakes are inoperable, and instead speeds up the engine, hoping it will derail on a curved part of track instead of crashing into a dead end. Jack's plan works as the subway car flips over through a section under construction, and lands on Hollywood Boulevard. Scarred but alive, the two kiss again, affirming their new-found relationship.

Cast

Keanu Reeves as Police Officer III Jack Traven

Dennis Hopper as Howard Payne

Sandra Bullock as Annie Porter

Jeff Daniels as Police Officer III / Detective II Harry Temple

Joe Morton as Lieutenant II "Mac" McMahon

Richard Lineback as Sergeant II Norwood

Alan Ruck as Doug Stephens

Margaret Medina as Police Officer III Robin Barnette

Hawthorne James as Sam

Beth Grant as Helen

Glenn Plummer as "Tuneman" (Jaguar Owner) (later named "Maurice" in ''Speed 2: Cruise Control'')

Production

Inspiration

Screenwriter Graham Yost was told by his father, television host Elwy, about a film called ''Runaway Train'' starring Jon Voight, about a train that speeds out of control. The film was based on an idea by Akira Kurosawa. Elwy mistakenly believed that the train's situation was due to a bomb on board. Such a theme had in fact been used in the 1975 Japanese movie ''The Bullet Train''. After seeing the Voight movie, Graham decided that it would have been better if there had been a bomb on board a bus with the bus being forced to travel at 20 mph to prevent an actual explosion. A friend suggested that this be increased to 50 mph.

Casting

Stephen Baldwin, the first choice for the role of Jack Traven, felt the character (as written in the earlier version of the script) was too much like the John McClane character from ''Die Hard''. Director Jan de Bont then cast Keanu Reeves as Jack Traven after seeing him in ''Point Break''. He felt that the actor was "vulnerable on the screen. He's not threatening to men because he's not that bulky, and he looks great to women". Reeves did not like how the character of Jack Traven came across in Graham Yost's original screenplay. He felt that there were "situations set up for one-liners and I felt it was forced — ''Die Hard'' mixed with some kind of screwball comedy". Jan de Bont brought in Joss Whedon a week before principal photography started to work on the script. With Reeves' input, Whedon changed Traven from being "a maverick hotshot" to "the polite guy trying not to get anybody killed", and removed the character's glib dialogue and made him more earnest. Reeves had dealt with the LAPD before on ''Point Break'', and learned about their concern for human life, which he incorporated into Traven. One of Whedon's significant contributions was changing the character of Doug Stephens (Alan Ruck) from a lawyer, "a bad guy and he died", according to the writer, to a tourist, "just a nice, totally out-of-his-depth guy". Whedon worked predominantly on the dialogue, but also created a few significant plot points, like the killing of Harry Temple. Sandra Bullock came to read for ''Speed'' with Reeves to make sure there was the right chemistry between the two actors. Originally, Bullock's character "Annie" was intended to be a comical sidekick to Jack. Instead, Annie became both Jack's sidekick and later love interest. She recalls that they had to do "all these really physical scenes together, rolling around on the floor and stuff". The director did not want Traven to have long hair and wanted the character "to look strong and in control of himself". To that end, Reeves shaved his head almost completely. The director remembers, "everyone at the studio was scared shitless when they first saw it. There was only like a millimeter. What you see in the movie is actually grown in". Reeves also spent two months at Gold's Gym in Los Angeles to get in shape for the role.

Principal photography

De Bont used an 80-foot model of a 50-story elevator shaft for the opening sequence. While ''Speed'' was in production, actor and close friend to Reeves, River Phoenix died. Immediately after Phoenix died, de Bont changed the shooting schedule to work around Reeves and give him scenes that were easier to do. "It got to him emotionally. He became very quiet, and it took him quite a while to work it out by himself and calm down. It scared the hell out of him", de Bont recalls. Initially, Reeves was nervous about the film's many action sequences but as the shooting progressed he became more involved. He wanted to do the stunt where Traven jumps from a Jaguar onto the bus himself. Jan de Bont did not want him to do it, but Reeves rehearsed it in secret. On the day of the sequence, the actor did the stunt himself and de Bont remembers, "I almost had a heart attack".

Eleven GM New Look buses and one Flxible Metro bus were used in the filming of the movie. Two of them were blown up, one was used for the high-speed scenes, one had the front cut off for inside shots, and one was used solely for the "under bus" shots. Another bus was used for the bus jump scene, which was done in one take.

Many of the freeway scenes in the movie were filmed on California's Interstate 105 and Interstate 110, which was not officially open at the time of filming. While scouting this location, De Bont noticed big sections of road missing and told screenwriter Graham Yost to add the bus jump over the unfinished freeway to the script. The jump was filmed on the fifth-level HOV lane ramp of the massive stack interchange. In the scene where the bus must jump across a gap in an uncompleted elevated freeway-to-freeway ramp while still under construction, a ramp was used to give the bus the necessary lift off so that it could jump the full fifty feet. The bus used in the jump was empty except for the driver, who wore a shock-absorbing harness that suspended him mid-air above the seat, so he could handle the jolt on landing, and avoid spinal injury (as was the case for many stuntmen in previous years that were handling similar stunts). The highway section the bus jumped over was a regular highway, with the gap added in the editing process using computer-generated imagery.

On a commentary track on the region 1 DVD, De Bont reports that the bus jump stunt did not go as planned. To do the jump the bus had everything possible removed to make it lighter. On the first try the stunt driver missed the ramp and crashed the bus, making it unusable. This failure was not reported to the studio at the time. A second bus was prepared and two days later a second attempt was successful. But, again, things did not go as intended. Advised that the bus would only go about 20 feet, the director placed one of his multiple cameras in a position that was supposed to capture the bus landing. However, the bus traveled much farther airborne than anyone had thought possible. It crashed down on top of the camera and destroyed it. Luckily, another camera placed about 90 feet from the jump ramp recorded the event.

Filming of the final scenes occurred at Mojave Airport, which doubled for Los Angeles International Airport. The shots of the LACMTA Metro Red Line through the construction zone were shot using an 1/8 scale model of the Metro Red Line, except for the jump when it derailed.

''Speed'' began filming on September 7, 1993 and completed filming on December 23, 1993.

Reception

''Speed'' was released on June 10, 1994 in 2,138 theaters and debuted at the number one position, grossing $14.5 million on its opening weekend. It went on to gross $121.3 million domestically and $229.2 million internationally for a worldwide total of $350.5 million.

''Speed'' was a critical and a commercial success. On the review website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 41 reviews, and an average rating of 7.6/10. Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars and wrote, "Films like ''Speed'' belong to the genre I call Bruised Forearm Movies, because you're always grabbing the arm of the person sitting next to you. Done wrong, they seem like tired replays of old chase cliches. Done well, they're fun. Done as well as ''Speed'', they generate a kind of manic exhilaration". In his review for ''Rolling Stone'', Peter Travers wrote, "Action flicks are usually written off as a debased genre, unless, of course, they work. And ''Speed'' works like a charm. It's a reminder of how much movie escapism can still stir us when it's dished out with this kind of dazzle". Hal Hinson, in his review for ''The Washington Post'', praised Sandra Bullock's performance: "The only performer to stand out is Sandra Bullock as Annie ... If it weren't for the smart-funny twist she gives to her lines — they're the best in the film — the air on that bus would have been stifling ... she emerges as a slightly softer version of the Linda Hamilton-Sigourney Weaver heroines: capable, independent, but still irresistibly vulnerable". In her review for ''The New York Times'', Janet Maslin wrote, "Mr. Hopper finds nice new ways to convey crazy menace with each new role. Certainly he's the most colorful figure in a film that wastes no time on character development or personality". ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the film an "A" rating and Owen Gleiberman wrote, "It's a pleasure to be in the hands of an action filmmaker who respects the audience. De Bont's craftsmanship is so supple that even the triple ending feels justified, like the cataclysmic final stage of a Sega death match". ''Time'' magazine's Richard Schickel wrote, "The movie has two virtues essential to good pop thrillers. First, it plugs uncomplicatedly into lurking anxieties -- in this case the ones we brush aside when we daily surrender ourselves to mass transit in a world where the loonies are everywhere".

''Entertainment Weekly'' magazine's Owen Gleiberman ranked ''Speed'' as the eighth best film of 1994. The magazine also ranked the film eighth on their "The Best Rock-'em, Sock-'em Movies of the Past 25 Years" list. ''Speed'' also ranks 451 on ''Empire'' magazine's 2008 list of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time". The film was also placed at #99 on the American Film Institute's ''100 Years...100 Thrills'' list, detailing the 100 "most heart-pounding" American movies of all time.

Home media

In November 1994, Fox Video released ''Speed'' on VHS and laserdisc formats for the very first time. Rental and video sales did very well and helped the film's domestic gross. The original VHS cassette was only available in standard format at the time and in 1996 Fox Video re-released a VHS version of the film in widescreen allowing the viewer to see the film in a similar format to its theatrical release. In 1998, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released ''Speed'' on DVD for the very first time. The DVD was in a widescreen format but other than the film's theatrical trailer the DVD contained no extras aside from the film. In 2002, Fox released a special collector's edition of the film with many extras and a remastered format of the film. Fox re-released this edition several times throughout the years with different covering and finally in November 2006 ''Speed'' was released on a Blu-ray Disc format with over five hours of special features.

Awards

In 1995, the film was nominated for 3 Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing, winning the latter two. Also Sandra Bullock won Saturn Award for Best Actress and nominated for 3 MTV Movie Awards, winning two.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack album featuring "songs from and inspired by" the film was released on 28 June 1994 with the following tracks

In addition to the above release, a separate album featuring 40 minutes of Mark Mancina's score from the film was released on 30 August 1994. It should be noted that the CD track order was not released in the chronological order of the events in the film.

''Speed: Original Motion Picture Score''

Track Number !! Track Name !! Chronological Order
1	Main Title	1
2	The Rescue
3	Entering Airport
4	Rush Hour
5	Helen Dies
6	The Gap
7	Choppers
8	Pershing Square
9	Elevator Peril
10	Fight on Train
11	Dangling Feet
12	City Streets
13	Wildcat
14	The Dolly
15	Move
16	Pop Quiz
17	Freight Elevator
18	Elevator Stall
19	End Title

Sequel

In 1997, a sequel, ''Speed 2: Cruise Control'', was released. Sandra Bullock agreed to star again as Annie, for financial backing for another project, but Keanu Reeves declined the offer to return as Jack. As a result, Jason Patric was written into the story as Alex Shaw, Annie's new boyfriend, with her and Jack having broken up due to her worry about Jack's dangerous lifestyle. Willem Dafoe starred as the villain John Geiger. The film is considered one of the worst sequels of all time, barely reaching 2% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sandra Bullock herself mocked this movie's performance and has admitted to regretting being a part of it.

References

External links

Category:1994 films Category:American films Category:English-language films Category:20th Century Fox films Category:1990s action films Category:American action thriller films Category:Directorial debut films Category:Films directed by Jan De Bont Category:Films set in Los Angeles, California Category:Films shot anamorphically Category:Films that won the Best Sound Mixing Academy Award Category:Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department Category:Road movies

ar:Speed (film) bs:Brzina (film) de:Speed (1994) es:Speed (película) fr:Speed (film, 1994) hr:Brzina (1994) id:Speed (film) it:Speed (film 1994) he:ספיד (סרט) lt:Greitis (filmas) hu:Féktelenül nl:Speed (film) ja:スピード (映画) no:Speed nds:Speed (Film) pl:Speed: Niebezpieczna szybkość pt:Speed (filme) ru:Скорость (фильм, 1994) simple:Speed (movie) sr:Брзина (филм) sh:Speed (1994 film) fi:Speed – Kuoleman kyydissä sv:Speed (film, 1994) th:เร็วกว่านรก tr:Hız Tuzağı uk:Швидкість (фільм) zh:生死时速

name	Kenny Bernstein
birth date	September 06, 1944
birth place	Clovis, New Mexico
death date
resting place coordinates
ethnicity	Jewish
citizenship	United States
known for	Drag racing; first driver to break 300 miles per hour in the standing-start quarter mile
alma mater	University of Texas at Arlington
religion	Judaism
children	Brandon Bernstein (son)
footnotes	}}

Kenny Bernstein (born September 6, 1944) is an American drag racer and former NASCAR and IndyCar team owner. He is nicknamed the "Bud King" for his success in the Budweiser King dragster, he has also been nicknamed "The King of Speed," because he was the first driver to break 300 miles per hour in the standing-start quarter mile. Bernstein fields the Copart/Lucas Oil dragster for his son Brandon Bernstein in Top Fuel.

Early life

Bernstein attended Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas; he played on the high school's football team. Bernstein was attending the Arlington State College (now University of Texas at Arlington) in 1966 for business administration when he decided to quit to become a drag racer. He did not have enough money, so he became a traveling salesman for Whistle Stop (a clothing line for teenage girls). He drove throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee in a Cadillac.

Drag racing career

Bernstein first became a full-time professional Funny Car driver in 1979, although he had participated in a few events in preceding years. The following year, he acquired a sponsorship deal from Anheuser-Busch (which, as noted above, is with its Budweiser brand), which lasted for thirty years until the new owner of Anheuser-Busch, InBev, elected not to renew his contract. Bernstein won his first Funny Car championship in 1985, and successfully defended his title over the next three seasons.

In 1990, following a change in NHRA rules, Bernstein began to drive in the Top Fuel Dragster class. Two years later, Bernstein became the first driver in any class to exceed 300 MPH in competition, and won his first Top Fuel championship in 1996, becoming the first driver in NHRA history to win a championship in both of the nitro classes, however, Bernstein states that his 1996 championship was "''somewhat tainted''", due to the loss of driver Blaine Johnson. At the awards banquet that year, Bernstein gave up his championship trophy to Blaine's brother, and life long crew chief Alan, who has gone on to win eight more championship trophies himself, as crew chief for both Gary Scelzi, and Tony Schumacher. Bernstein reclaimed the title in 2001, and is the only driver to have achieved multiple championships in both nitro categories.

Bernstein retired in 2002, handing driving duties of the "Budweiser King" to his son Brandon. However, he was pressed back into action as a substitute driver after Brandon Bernstein broke his back in June. Although he only raced in 15 events, Bernstein picked up right where he had left off, winning four straight Top Fuel events to close out the season, placing him sixth in season points. He returned to running his team after the season, but rumors began to persist that a comeback was in the works.

In September 2006, Bernstein announced that he would return to racing in the Funny Car division the following season, fielding the Monster Energy Dodge Charger for his own team. His return to active competition was not a good one to start, as he failed to qualify for the opening two events in the 2007 season, earning the minimum 10 points each driver gets for making at least one qualifying run. Following those events, Bernstein fired his crew chief Ray Alley and replaced him with Jimmy Walsh, former crew chief for Top Fuel driver J.R. Todd.

Bernstein's results gradually improved over the season, but he did not make the inaugural Countdown to the Championship. He returned to retirement following the season and hired Tommy Johnson, Jr. to drive the Monster Energy Charger for 2008. Bernstein discontinued the team following that season.

Bernstein is the current president of the Professional Racers Organisation (PRO), a group of NHRA drivers, mechanics, and team owners, which has helped influence safety and prize money. In light of the crash that took the life of Eric Medlen, Bernstein has been influential in adjusting safety standards on NHRA race cars and safety restraints.

In 2008, as a direct result of the death of Funny Car Driver Scott Kalitta, Bernstein, along with help from 14 time Funny Car Champion John Force, six time Top Fuel Champion Tony Schumacher, and NHRA's Track Safety Committee, developed a sensor that monitors the engines of Top Fuel dragsters, and Funny Cars. Should the engine backfire at any time, the fuel pump will automatically shut off, and the parachutes will instantly deploy. This measure is intended to reduce, if not completely eliminate the kinds of circumstances that contributed to Kalitta's death.

Owner

Bernstein owned King Racing, a NASCAR team that operated from 1986 to 1995. At the same he operated the IndyCar team, King Motorsports. Bernstein is the only team owner to record victories in all three categories.

Awards

Named sixth on the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951–2000

Kenny is the second race car driver to be elected into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. (2006) Jody Scheckter was elected in 1983.

Bernstein was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009.

Trivia

Bernstein and former crew chief Dale Armstrong are often credited with making aerodynamics a key part of Funny Car design, with a series of Ford Tempos used during the 1984–86 seasons and a design loosely based on a Buick LeSabre, known as "the Batmobile", during the 1987 season.

Bernstein was the first driver to win Championships in both Funny Car, and Top Fuel, a feat recently duplicated by Gary Scelzi.

Bernstein's relationship with Budweiser is the longest sponsor relationship in motorsports history with 30 years (either him or his son), that started in 1979.

At the end of the 1996 season, during the awards banquet, Kenny gave his Top Fuel Championship trophy to Alan Johnson, the crew chief, and brother to deceased Top Fuel competitor Blaine Johnson, who had died during qualifying that year, at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Johnson had been leading the Top Fuel points at the time of his death and was the favorite to clinch the Top Fuel title in 1996. Though Blaine did not get to compete in the last quarter of the season, he had amassed enough points to finish fifth in the season ending points standings.

See also

List of select Jewish racing drivers

References

External links

Bernstein Racing

NHRA profile

Category:1944 births Category:American racecar drivers Category:Dragster drivers Category:Jewish American sportspeople Category:Living people Category:NASCAR owners

Name	Mark Mancina
Background	non_performing_personnel
Birth name	Mark Alan Mancina
Born	March 09, 1957Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Married	Jill Meyer 1999 Present
Occupation	Composer
Instrument	Guitar
Genre	Film score
Years active	1988–present
Website	MarkMancina.com }}

Mark Alan Mancina (born March 9, 1957 in Santa Monica, California) is a U.S. composer, primarily for Hollywood soundtracks, such as his collaboration with Trevor Rabin on the soundtrack for ''Con Air''. He arranged many of the songs behind Disney's ''The Lion King'' (while Hans Zimmer wrote the orchestral score with Lebo M for the African chants) including the Broadway musical. He also notably composed the score for the thriller ''Twister'' (1996) as well as the blockbuster action films ''Speed'' (1994) and ''Bad Boys (1995).

Trained as a classical guitarist, he is an avid guitar and rare instrument collector.

Mancina collaborated with John Van Tongeren to write the theme to the 1995 revival of ''The Outer Limits''. They both scored ten episodes for the first season of the show.

He also collaborated with Phil Collins on two feature animated films for Disney, ''Tarzan'' and ''Brother Bear''.

Mancina has also been associated with a number of progressive rock projects. He toured with Rabin in support of Trevor Rabin's ''Can't Look Away'' album and then went on to produce tracks on the Yes album ''Union''. He has also worked with Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

He is known to be influenced by The Beatles, favoring their early years.

Mancina also composed the music for the popular 2005-2006 anime TV series ''BLOOD+'', which had music produced by Hans Zimmer.

Notable film scores

''Space Mutiny'' (1988)

''Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World'' (1992)

''Speed'' (1994)

''Monkey Trouble'' (1994)

''Bad Boys'' (1995)

''Assassins'' (1995)

''Money Train'' (1995)

''Moll Flanders'' (1996)

''Twister'' (1996)

''Speed 2: Cruise Control'' (1997)

''Con Air'' (1997)

''Tarzan'' (1999)

''Training Day'' (2001)

''The Haunted Mansion'' (2003)

''Brother Bear'' (2003)

''Asylum'' (2005)

''Criminal Minds'' (2005)

''Camille'' (2007)

''August Rush'' (2007)

''Shooter'' (2007)

''Imagine That'' (2009)

Notable anime scores

''Blood+'' (2005, produced by Hans Zimmer)

References

External links

The Music of Mark Mancina (official website)

''BroadwayWorld.com'' interview with Mark Mancina, November 26, 2007

Category:Living people Category:1957 births Category:People from Santa Monica, California Category:American film score composers Category:American television composers Category:Grammy Award winners

ca:Mark Mancina de:Mark Mancina es:Mark Mancina fr:Mark Mancina nl:Mark Mancina ja:マーク・マンシーナ no:Mark Mancina pl:Mark Mancina pt:Mark Mancina ru:Манчина, Марк fi:Mark Mancina

name	Billy Idol
background	solo_singer
birth name	William Michael Albert Broad
alias	B.I.
born	November 30, 1955Stanmore, Middlesex, England, UK
instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar
genre	Punk rock, New Wave,
occupation	Musician, actor, songwriter, performer
years active	1972–present
label	Chrysalis, EMI, Sanctuary
associated acts	Generation X, Digital Underground, Mister Pusha
website	BillyIdol.net }}

William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. He first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X. He then embarked on a successful solo career, aided by a series of stylish music videos, making him one of the first MTV stars. Idol continues to tour with guitarist Steve Stevens and has a worldwide fan base.

Life and career

Early life and Generation X

Idol was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, the son of a salesman. He attended Tideway School in Newhaven, East Sussex. The name ''Billy Idol'' was inspired by a schoolteacher's description of Broad as "idle".

In 1958, when Idol was two years old, his parents moved to Patchogue, New York, on Long Island. The family returned to England four years later with Idol and a younger child Jane (who had been born in the US), settling in Dorking, Surrey. In 1971 the family moved to Bromley, where Idol attended Ravensbourne School for Boys. Idol (rather William Broad) also attended Worthing High School for Boys (later becoming Worthing College). In October 1975, Idol went to Sussex University to pursue an English degree and lived on campus (East Slope) but left after year one (1976). He then went on to join the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans. Idol first joined the punk rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees (before the band had decided on that name) in 1976, but soon quit and joined Chelsea in 1977 as a guitarist. However, he and Chelsea bandmate Tony James soon quit that group and co-founded Generation X, with Idol switching from guitarist to lead singer. Generation X signed to Chrysalis Records and released three albums and performed in the 1980 film, ''D.O.A.'', before disbanding. Idol moved to New York in 1981 and began working as a solo artist working with Steve Stevens, Phil Feit and Steve Missal, for Idol's debut solo album, "Billy Idol", which was released in July 1982.

Early solo success

Idol's solo career began with the EP titled ''Don't Stop'', which included the Generation X song "Dancing with Myself", originally recorded for their last album ''Kiss Me Deadly'', and a cover of Tommy James & The Shondells' song "Mony Mony". Both songs became his first singles and remain part of his classic live setlists as of 2010. In 1982 Idol instantly became an MTV staple with "White Wedding" and "Dancing with Myself". In 1983, in an effort to introduce Idol to American audiences not yet as familiar with him as those in England, Idol's label released "Dancing with Myself" in the US in conjunction with a music video (directed by Tobe Hooper, produced by Jeffrey Abelson, and conceptualised by Keith Williams) that played in heavy rotation on MTV for six months. That video sparked a new era of feature film directors trying their hand at music videos. Along with "White Wedding", the "Dancing with Myself" and "Eyes Without a Face" videos helped make Idol a household name in America.

''Rebel Yell'' and superstar years

Idol's second LP, ''Rebel Yell'' (1983) was a major success and established Idol's superstar status in the United States with hits like "Eyes Without a Face," "Flesh For Fantasy", and the title cut. Idol also became very popular in Europe thanks to this album and its singles, particularly in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and later in the UK. Tracks from the album featured in the 1988 Hollywood comedy film ''Big'', which starred Tom Hanks.

Idol released ''Whiplash Smile'' in 1986, which sold very well. The album included the hits "To Be a Lover," "Don't Need a Gun" and the country-flavoured "Sweet Sixteen". Idol filmed a video featuring "Sweet Sixteen" (which he also wrote) in Florida's Coral Castle. The song was inspired by the story of Edward Leedskalnin's former love, Agnes Scuffs, who was the main reason Leedskalnin built the structure over a period of decades, starting years after she jilted him the day before their scheduled wedding in their native Latvia. Stevens parted ways with Idol after ''Whiplash Smile''. In 1986, Stevens appeared with Harold Faltermeyer on the ''Top Gun'' soundtrack. Their contribution was the Grammy winning instrumental, "Top Gun Anthem." Stevens decided to go solo, creating his own band, Steve Stevens and the Atomic Playboys. A remix album was released in 1987 called, ''Vital Idol''. The album featured a live rendition of his cover of Tommy James' "Mony Mony" ; as a single it topped the US charts in 1987.

In 1989, Idol appeared on stage with The Who as Cousin Kevin as part of the live version of ''Tommy'', which would be aired as an HBO special and released on home video and later as a DVD. In later years, Idol also stood in as a guest performer with The Who on Bell Boy, a hit from their rock opera album ''Quadrophenia'', and provided the lead vocals that were originally sung by the band's late drummer Keith Moon. On these brief appearances, Idol would dress in a full bell boy's uniform to reflect upon Moon's eccentricity on stage.

Idol was involved in a serious motorcycle accident which nearly cost him a leg in February 1990 in Hollywood. He was hit by a car while driving home from the studio one night when he ran a stop sign, requiring a steel rod to be placed in his leg. Shortly prior to this, film director James Cameron had chosen Idol to play the T-1000 character in ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' and had drawn storyboards to resemble him, but the accident prevented Idol from accepting.

The new release, ''Charmed Life'', was due for release and a video for the single, "Cradle of Love" had to be shot. The song had been featured in the Andrew Dice Clay film, ''The Adventures of Ford Fairlane''. Since Idol was unable to walk, he was shot from the waist up. The video would feature video footage of him singing in large frames throughout an apartment while Betsy Lynn George was trying to seduce a businessman. The video was a hit and was placed in heavy rotation on MTV. Idol and Betsy Lynn George recreated the opening of the video for the 1991 American Music Awards. Against his doctors' advice, he also managed to make appearances to promote ''Charmed Life''.

Idol made a cameo appearance in the 1998 film "The Wedding Singer" with Adam Sandler, in which Idol ultimately saved the relationship between characters Robbie Hart (Sandler) and Julia Sullivan (played by Drew Barrymore). Idol also had a small part in the movie ''The Doors'', directed by Oliver Stone. Idol played Jim Morrison's drinking buddy, Cat. Idol also performed at Roger Waters' live concert The Wall Live in Berlin in 1990.

Crisis and resurgence

In 1993, Idol released ''Cyberpunk'', which was largely ignored. Music had changed and many of the bands that were popular in the '80s were being pushed aside. Regarded as experimental, it was recorded in a home studio using a Macintosh computer, which was a fairly new concept at the time. Idol recorded the album with Younger-Smith and producer Robin Hancock. Special editions of the album were issued with a floppy disc which contained a screensaver. It was the first album which listed the e-mail address of the artist (idol@well.sf.ca.us, which is now inactive) in its booklet. The album has become something of a cult favourite today. In 1996, Idol appeared in a live version of The Who's ''Quadrophenia''. He returned to the public eye in 1998, when he played himself in ''The Wedding Singer'', in which "White Wedding" was also the title track. The film was a smash hit worldwide. He was also considered for the role of the villain, Jacob Kell in Highlander: Endgame. Ultimately Bruce Payne was cast. Idol also released three new tracks on Internet - a move which elicited much concern from the RIAA.. He also shared the stage with the band Third Eye Blind.

VH1 aired ''Billy Idol - Behind the Music'' on 16 April 2001. The ''Behind the Music'' series was very popular at the time, and each band or artist that was featured on that program usually gained a resurgence of interest after the show had aired. Idol and Stevens were no exceptions, taking part in a ''VH1 Storytellers'' show three days later. The reunited duo set out to play a series of acoustic/storytellers shows before recording the VH1 special. The acoustic tour was a big success, and Idol eventually started adding new material into the show. Another ''Greatest Hits'' CD was issued in 2001, with Keith Forsey's "Don't You (Forget About Me)" appearing on the compilation. Forsey had originally written it with Idol in mind, but the singer turned it down and eventually the song was given to Simple Minds, who made it a worldwide hit in 1985. The album also includes a live acoustic version of "Rebel Yell" taken from a performance at Los Angeles station KROQ's 1993 Acoustic Christmas concert. The compilation sold about 4,000,000 copies worldwide.

In 2000, Idol was invited to be a guest vocalist on Tony Iommi's album. His contribution was on the song "Into The Night", which he also co-wrote. That year he voice acted the role of Odin, a mysterious alien character, in the animated fantasy film ''Heavy Metal 2000''. In the 2002 NRL Grand Final in Sydney, Idol entered the playing field for the post-match entertainment on a hovercraft-type stage to the intro of White Wedding, when he managed to sing only two words before a power failure ended the performance. "White Wedding" appeared on popular video game ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', playing on fictional Classic rock radio station, K-DST.

''Devil's Playground'' and beyond

''Devil's Playground'', which came out in March 2005, was Idol's first new studio album in nearly 12 years. It reached #46 on the Billboard 200. The album included a cover of "Plastic Jesus". Idol played a handful of dates on the 2005 Vans Warped Tour and also appeared at the UK's Download Festival at Donington Park and the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans. In 2006, as his only UK live date, he appeared headlining the Sunday night of GuilFest. That same year he made an appearance on ''Viva La Bam'' where he helped Bam Margera succeed in "creating" a sunroof for his $250,000 Lamborghini Gallardo and performed live for April Margera for her birthday. In 2006, Idol guested on his keyboardist Derek Sherinian's solo album ''Blood of the Snake'', covering the 1970 Mungo Jerry hit "In the Summertime". A video was made featuring Idol and guitarist Slash. In November 2006, Idol released a Christmas album called ''Happy Holidays''.

In 2008, "Rebel Yell" appeared as a playable track on the video game ''Guitar Hero World Tour'' and "White Wedding" on ''Rock Band 2'', the Rock Band 2 platform later gaining "Mony Mony" and "Rebel Yell" as downloadable tracks. On 24 June 2008 Idol released a new greatest hits album, ''The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself''. The compilation featured two previously unreleased tracks, "John Wayne" and "New Future Weapon". A third track, "Fractured", was available for download on iTunes. He embarked on a successful tour across the world, co-headlining with Def Leppard. In May 2009 Idol donated his time for Music Education in schools by playing along Steve Stevens & Stephen McGrath and the band Venice as backup band and vocals. They were accompanied by a large String & Brass section and chorale group of Santa Monica High School students. The whole event was hosted by AFTA, Artists for the Arts foundation, (aftafoundation.org). The entire event was shot by Touring Video and Post by On the WAVE Productions. Harry Rabin from "On the WAVE" produced the video, which can be seen on billyidol.net and the audio was mixed and Mastered by Steve Miles and Harry Rabin.

In July 2009, Idol performed at the Congress Theater, Chicago for the US TV series ''Soundstage''. This performance was recorded and was released on DVD as ''In Super Overdrive Live'', on 17 November 2009.

Recent events

On 16 February 2010, Idol was announced as one of the acts to play the Download Festival in Donington Park. He was quoted: ''"With all of these great heavyweight and cool bands playing Download this year, I'm going to have to come armed with my punk rock attitude, Steve Stevens, and all of my classic songs plus a couple of way out covers. Should be fun!"'' In March 2010, Idol added Camp Freddy guitarist Billy Morrison and drummer Jeremy Colson to his touring line-up.

In 2010 Billy was working on a new album entitled, "Keep Out of Reach of Children." Billy started debuting new songs like "Kings and Queen of the Underground" "Love Is Strange" "Don't Shoot The Messager" "Cry" and "Scarred For Life" in concert.

Live band

''Billy Idol's current band consists of:''

Steve Stevens - lead guitar(1981–1986, 2001–present)

Stephen McGrath - bass guitar(2001–present)

Derek Sherinian - keyboards(2002–present)

Billy Morrison - rhythm guitar(2010–present)

Jeremy Colson - drums, percussion(2010–present)

Former members

Gregg Gerson - Drums, Percussion(1981–1983)

Steve Missal - Drums, Percussion(1981)

Phil Feit - Bass Guitar(1981–1983)

Thommy Price - Drums, Percussion(1983–1988)

Steve Webster - Bass Guitar(1983–1985)

Judi Dozier - Keyboards(1982–1985)

Kenny Aaronson - Bass Guitar(1986–1988)

Mark Younger-Smith - Lead Guitar(1990–1996)

Mark Schulman - Drums, Percussion(1993–2001)

Brian Tichy - Drums, Percussion(2001–2009)

Tal Bergman - Drums, Percussion(1990–1993)

Danny Sadownik - Drums, Percussion(1993)

Zane Fix - Bass Guitar(1980s)

Jennifer Blakeman - Keyboards(1993)

Julie Greaux - Keyboards(1993)

Discography

''Don't Stop (EP)'' (1981)

''Billy Idol'' (1982)

''Rebel Yell'' (1983)

''Vital Idol'' (1985)

''Whiplash Smile'' (1986)

''Idol Songs: 11 of the Best'' (1988)

''Charmed Life'' (1990)

''Cyberpunk'' (1993)

''Greatest Hits'' (2001)

''VH1 Storytellers'' (2002)

''Devil's Playground'' (2005)

''Happy Holidays'' (2006)

''The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself'' (2008)

List of Billy Idol awards and nominations

Grammys

|- | align="center"| ||"Rebel Yell"|| Best Male Rock Vocal Performance|| |- | align="center"| ||"To Be A Lover" || Best Male Rock Vocal Performance || |- | align="center"| ||"Cradle of Love" || Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ||

MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1984 by MTV.

|- | align="center"| ||"Dancing With Myself" || Best Art Direction || |- | align="center"| ||"Dancing With Myself" || Best Special Effects || |- | align="center"| ||"Eyes Without a Face" || Best Cinematography || |- | align="center"| ||"Eyes Without a Face" || Best Editing || |- | align="center"| || "Cradle of Love" || Best Video from a Film || |- | align="center"| ||"Cradle of Love" || Best Male Video || |- | align="center"| ||"Cradle of Love" || Best Special Effects || |- | align="center"| ||"Shock To The System" || Best Special Effects || |- | align="center"| ||"Shock To The System" || Best Editing || |-

BRIT Awards

The BRIT Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. |- | || Billy Idol || Best British Video || |-

See also

Coral Castle, a stone structure where Idol got his inspiration for his song "Sweet Sixteen".

Bromley Contingent

References

External links

Official Site

Billy Idol MySpace page

Interview @ Legends

Billy Idol at ''Rolling Stone''

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