Name | W. |
---|---|
Director | Oliver Stone |
Producer | Moritz BormanJon KilikBill BlockPaul HansonEric Kopeloff |
Writer | Stanley Weiser |
Starring | Josh BrolinElizabeth BanksJames CromwellEllen BurstynRichard DreyfussToby JonesThandie NewtonJeffrey WrightScott GlennBruce McGillJennifer SipesNoah WyleIoan Gruffudd |
Music | Paul Cantelon |
Cinematography | Phedon Papamichael Jr. |
Editing | Julie MonroeJoe HutshingAlexis Chavez |
Studio | Global Entertainment GroupQED InternationalEmperor Motion PicturesMillbrook PicturesOnda Entertainment |
Distributor | Lionsgate |
Released | |
Runtime | 129 minutes |
Country | |
Language | English |
Budget | $25.1 million |
Gross | $29,506,464 }} |
In 1977, Bush announces he will run for Congress in Texas. At a barbecue, Bush meets Laura Welch (Elizabeth Banks), his future wife. During the congress debate, Bush is criticized by his opponent, Democrat Kent Hance (Paul Rae), who says that Bush is not a "real Texan" and has spent campaign contributions to throw an alcohol-fueled party for underage Texas Tech University students. Bush does poorly in the debate and loses the election, but with the highest number of votes for a Republican candidate in the state's history. Angered by the loss, he declares that he'll "never be out-Texas'd or out-Christianed again".
After turning 40 in 1986, Bush becomes a born again Christian, gives up alcohol, and somewhat mends his relationship with his father. The elder Bush invites him to assist with his successful 1988 presidential campaign, though the younger Bush suspects that he only was asked because his brother Jeb was busy. Bush's political advisor, Karl Rove (Toby Jones), tells him that he has the potential to make a name for himself, but has not yet done anything with his life. Bush becomes the owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team while his father oversees the victory of the 1991 Gulf War. Allied forces win the war in 100 hours, but the elder Bush decides not to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein. When Bush's father loses the 1992 election, Bush blames the loss on the decision not to depose Hussein.
Bush decides to run for Governor of Texas despite his parents' opposition. An election win prompts a successful presidential bid in 2000. Following the September 11 attacks, Bush plans a war with Iraq, and labels America's enemies — specifically Iraq, North Korea, and Iran — the "axis of evil". In 2002, Bush begins searching for evidence that Hussein was creating nuclear weapons, and has the army prepared. Bush's staff supports the president, with the exception of Secretary of State Colin Powell (Jeffrey Wright), who says that invading Iraq would destabilize the country. He is generally overruled by Vice President Dick Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss) and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (Scott Glenn), who insist that the war — deliberately waged without an exit strategy — would secure the U.S.' status as sole global superpower while spreading democracy throughout the Middle East.
In his 2003 State of the Union Address, Bush states that "Either you're with us, or you're with the terrorists." In March 2003, the U.S. invades Iraq and, at first, the war appears to be a success. Bush gives his infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech on an aircraft carrier. When it becomes clear that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Bush learns that the responsibility for finding them had been relegated far down the chain of command. Bush also discovers that Saddam Hussein gambled his regime and his life on the assumption that Bush was bluffing. Bush is asked in a press conference what mistakes he made as President, a question that leaves him flustered and speechless.
That night, Bush has a nightmare in which his father accuses him of ruining the Bush legacy, which he claims was intended for Jeb. Later, he dreams of playing center field in a baseball game. A pop fly is hit in his direction. As Bush attempts to catch the ball, it disappears.
Originally, the Hong Kong actress Gillian Chung (from the band Twins) also appeared in a cameo. However, since the Edison Chen photo scandal incident happened before it released on the theater, her acting scenes were completely removed.
''W'' was Oliver Stone's third film in a trilogy he made about the Presidency, set in the time from the 1960s to today: the set began with ''JFK'' and continued with ''Nixon''. Originally, he was attached to direct ''Pinkville'', a film about the Army's investigation of the My Lai Massacre, but development was canceled due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike and actor Bruce Willis pulling out of the film three weeks before shooting was set to start. As a result, United Artists shut the production down. Stone moved on to direct a film about the life and presidency of George W. Bush, shopping a script that had been written before the strike by Stanley Weiser, who had co-written ''Wall Street'' with Stone. Weiser and Stone read 17 books as part of their research for the script, and worked on the project for a year before venturing to film ''Pinkville''. Stone has admitted that he and Weiser had to speculate on some dialogue: "You take all the facts and take the spirit of the scene and make it accurate to what you think happened". ''W.'' was financed independently for Stone, with Hong Kong, German, and Australian funds: he tried to approach American studios for money, but got turned down. Lions Gate Entertainment distributed the film. Though Stone has criticized Bush for his administration's 2003 invasion of Iraq, the director said that he was not looking to make an "anti-Bush polemic." Stone compared his goal of the film to that of ''The Queen'', wanting to trace "seminal events in Bush's life." According to the director, "It's a behind-the-scenes approach, similar to ''Nixon'', to give a sense of what it's like to be in his skin. But if ''Nixon'' was a symphony, this is more like a chamber piece, and not as dark in tone." He described the structure of ''W.'' as a three-act film starting with Bush as a young man "with a missed life", followed by his transformation and "an assertion of will which was amazingly powerful" as he came out from his father's shadow, and finally his invasion of Iraq.
The film, originally titled ''Bush'', was re-titled ''W.'' Filming began on May 12, 2008 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and completed filming on July 11, 2008. On May 13, 2008 the ''New York Post'' published excerpts from an early draft of the script. The column, written by Cindy Adams, stated “Pro-Bushies will hate it, antis will love it.”
The film was released on October 17, 2008, before the presidential election. ''W.'' 's producers reportedly ran television spots for the film opposite Republican Party presidential nominee John McCain's ads in the fall of 2008.
Giving the film four stars in his review, Roger Ebert wrote that it was "fascinating" and praised all the actors, noting that Richard Dreyfuss, in particular, was "not so much a double as an embodiment" of Dick Cheney. In contrast, Ann Hornaday of ''The Washington Post'' called the film "a rushed, wildly uneven, tonally jumbled caricature." Film critic James Berardinelli negatively compared the film with ''Saturday Night Live'' skits, saying of the actors that "None of them are as dead-on as Tina Fey as Sarah Palin."
''The Monthly'' film critic Luke Davies spoke highly of Josh Brolin's performance but criticized Oliver Stone's portrayal of the story, writing "The unexamined life is not worth living; in Stone's interpretation, Bush's life has been worthless. And this makes it hard to get a grip on the film's central character. The fault lies not with Brolin but with the material he's been given. There's no interior exploration. The point, no doubt, is that Stone believes there's nothing to explore; certainly, Bush has learned nothing by the end of the film. But audiences want more, especially in biopics that are critical of their subjects." Davies observed that "when weighed against Stone's body of work, the film comes across as decidedly placid, as if, aware of the contentious subject matter, Stone wanted to make a movie where he couldn't, for once, be accused of generating leftist hysteria." Davies grasped that "the film portrays a man who had no real sense of what government might be: that glorious dream of fairness imagined, for all its flaws, by the founding fathers" but that this is lost in the film's entirety, describing Stone's "canvas [as] too broad, and W is like the highlights reel of one man's powerful life."
The Bush administration never officially commented on the film. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who is portrayed in the film, called the sibling rivalry portrayed in the film "high-grade, unadulterated hooey" and said that Stone's exploration of the family dynamic could have benefited from actual conversations with the Bush family. ''Slate Magazine''s Timothy Noah, however, noted that "most [of] the film's more ludicrous details" are actually directly taken from non-fiction sources, and argued that the film was too kind to Bush in omitting certain historically recorded dramatic events, most notably Bush's alleged mocking of murderer Karla Faye Tucker, a woman put to death during his tenure of the Texan governorship, to interviewer Tucker Carlson. However, the incident is disputed by Bush himself, and as such is also unconfirmed. In a March 2010 "Screen Test" interview with ''The New York Times'' Lynne Hirschberg, Josh Brolin claims Bush did in fact watch the film. Brolin said Oliver Stone met with Bill Clinton in China and Clinton told Stone he'd lent his copy of ''W.'' to Bush. Apparently, Bush "liked it very much" and "thought there were sad moments."
The film appeared on some critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Joe Neumaier of the ''New York Daily News'' named it the eighth best film of 2008, and Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' named it on his top 20 list (he did not assign rankings).
The film opened #4 behind ''The Secret Life of Bees'', ''Beverly Hills Chihuahua'', and ''Max Payne'', respectively with $10,505,668 from 2,030 theaters with a $5,175 average. The film had a budget of $25.1 million and grossed $25,534,493 in North America, and $3,401,242 internationally.
Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:American political drama films Category:Films about elections Category:Films set in Washington, D.C. Category:Films directed by Oliver Stone Category:Films set in the 1960s Category:Films set in the 1970s Category:Films set in the 1980s Category:Films set in the 1990s Category:2000s drama films Category:Films set in Texas Category:English-language films Category:2008 films Category:American biographical films Category:George W. Bush in fiction Category:Baby boomers in fiction Category:Films about George W. Bush Category:Films shot in Louisiana Category:Films about fraternities and sororities Category:Lions Gate Entertainment films Category:Films about Presidents of the United States
da:W. (film) de:W. – Ein missverstandenes Leben es:W. (película) fa:دبلیو (فیلم) fr:W. : L'Improbable Président it:W. he:W. mr:डब्ल्यु. (चित्रपट) nl:W. (film) ja:ブッシュ (映画) pl:W. pt:W. (filme) ru:Буш-младший (фильм) fi:W. sv:W. (film) uk:Дабл ю (фільм) zh:殊不簡單This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
name | Stephan Weidner |
---|---|
background | solo_singer |
alias | Der W |
born | May 29, 1963 Alsfeld, Hesse |
instrument | E-Bass, Vocals |
genre | Hard rock |
occupation | Singer, Songwriter, Bass player, Producer |
years active | 1980- |
label | Rule23 Recordings |
associated acts | Böhse OnkelzNordend Antistars |
website | der-w.de |
notable instruments | }} |
Stephan Weidner (born 29 May 1963 in Alsfeld, Hesse), often called "Der W," is a musician and music producer. From 25 November 1980 until 18 June 2005 he was the bassist, songwriter and leader of the German hard-rock band Böhse Onkelz. Weidner was also a singer with Nordend Antistars, a collaboration with Sub7even singer Daniel Wirtz. In April 2008 Weidner's first solo album ''Schneller, Höher, Weidner'' was released.
Weidner was married and has one son. He currently lives in Dublin and Ibiza.
In 1983 Weidner married and struggled to find work. The first commercial releases of Böhse Onkelz earned little money. Their first Album "Der nette Mann" was embargoed. For the album "Böse Menschen - Böse Lieder" the band never received any money. Meanwhile, the band continued to break way from the Skinhead movement due to the increasingly restrictive dress codes and regulations associated with those movements, particularly as those trends conflicted with the sense of freedom embraced by the punk movement.
Weidner's lyrics continued to grow musically. In the song "Erinnerung" he expressed his feelings about his earlier life. Nonetheless, his reputation as a "right-wing skinhead rocker" remained. Weidner remained faithful to his influences both musically and in his lifestyle, as expressed in his writings and interviews with the press. This attitude often led to conflicts with the press. Weidner's refusal to rename the band was seen as a sign that Böhse Onkelz had not done enough to clearly distance itself enough from the Skinhead movement. This conflict with the media culminated in songs such as "Meister der Lügen" ''(Master of lies)'' or "Danke für nichts" ''(Thanks for nothing)''. Weidner's refusal to give interviews outside of the music press at that time is part of the "mythos Onkelz".
In 1993 at MTV's "Free your mind" event, Weidner and Campino (of the band Die Toten Hosen) discussed the influence of xenophobia on their music and their fans. Though the public was skeptical of Weidner's reform, his success continued to increase. After a gig with the Rolling Stones at Hanover in 2003 Weidner stated that he wouldn't spend his old age on the stage. In 2005 Böhse Onkelz split up.
Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:People from Alsfeld Category:German composers Category:German record producers Category:Rock singer-songwriters Category:German rock bass guitarists
de:Stephan Weidner it:Stephan Weidner pt:Stephan WeidnerThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Name | Chris Botti |
---|---|
Background | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
Born | October 12, 1962 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
Instrument | Trumpet |
Label | Columbia Records |
Genre | JazzSmooth Jazz |
Occupation | TrumpeterRadio presenter |
Website | }} |
Christopher Stephen "Chris" Botti (pronounced ; born October 12, 1962), is an American trumpeter and composer. In 2007, Botti was nominated for two Grammy Awards including Best Pop Instrumental Album. On December 4, 2009, he was nominated for 3 more Grammy Awards including Best Pop Instrumental Album and Best Long Form Music Video. Three of his albums have reached the #1 position on the ''Billboard'' jazz albums chart.
Coming to prominence with the 2001 recording of his "Night Sessions" CD, Botti established a reputation as a versatile musician in both jazz and pop music for his ability to fuse both styles together.
He started playing the trumpet at 9-years-old and committed to the instrument at age 12, when he heard Miles Davis play "My Funny Valentine."
In 1983, he was selected as a member of McDonalds’ All American High School Jazz band which marked his first Carnegie Hall performance.
At the age of 17, he ended up at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon by convincing his high school to allow him to fulfill his remaining senior year credits there. Botti constructed the scenario so that he could also play at Portland clubs in the evening. Mount Hood's program was headed by Larry McVey, whose band had come to be a proving ground and regular stop for Stan Kenton and Mel Tormé when they were looking for new players. It was here Botti played alongside his friend, trombonist and future Academy Award nominated filmmaker, Todd Field. After graduating from high school, Botti studied under jazz educator David Baker and trumpet professor Bill Adam at Indiana University. Botti was also the recipient of two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts which allowed him to study with trumpeter Woody Shaw and saxophonist George Coleman during two consecutive summer breaks.
In 1990, he began a decade long touring and recording relationship with Paul Simon which broadened his exposure to other singers. During that period, he also performed/recorded with Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant, Scritti Politti, Roger Daltrey and others.
On August 15, 1991, Botti performed with Paul Simon in New York’s Central Park as part of the The Rhythm of the Saints tour. The performance was commercially released as the ''Concert in the Park'' CD. While on tour with Simon, he met saxophonist Michael Brecker, which led to Botti producing the Brecker Brothers’ ''Out of the Loop''. The album won a 1995 Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance.
Botti was also a member of Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, a more experimental, jazz fusion-oriented group. He composed the score and recorded a soundtrack for the 1996 film ''Caught''.
In 1999, Botti was invited to tour with Sting as a featured soloist in the ''Brand New Day'' tour. The two-year run culminated in ''All This Time'', a CD/DVD-taping and webcast performance from Sting’s estate in Tuscany on September 11, 2001. Botti attributes his relationship with Sting as having changed the course of his career.
A ''Thousand Kisses Deep'', was released in 2003 and contained a group of originals and covers that accent Botti’s crossover appeal as both a jazz and pop musician.
''When I Fall In Love'' followed in 2004, which featured a more traditional sound than its predecessor.
''To Love Again: The Duets'', released in 2005, continued where the previous album left off with more lush orchestral jazz via the London Session Orchestra, this time showcasing guest vocalists — as well as a handful of instrumental tracks.
In May 2005, Botti was invited to perform at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball weekend honoring her African American heroines. In 2006, Billy Childs, Gil Goldstein & Heitor Pereira won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" (Chris Botti & Sting) from Botti's album ''To Love Again - The Duets''. 2006 also marked his first PBS collaboration, ''Chris Botti Live: With Orchestra and Special Guests'', released in early 2006. The CD and platinum-certified DVD included duets with Sting, Burt Bacharach, Gladys Knight, Jill Scott and Renee Olstead.
On September 25, 2007, Botti released an album entitled ''Italia''. The album places focus on Botti's Italian roots through such songs as "Ave Maria", "Venice", "Estatè", and the title track "Italia", on which he partnered with Andrea Bocelli. In December 2007, the album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Botti also performed the song with Bocelli during the 2007 edition of the Teatro del Silenzio, which was released on ''DVD'' titled ''Vivere Live in Tuscany'', in 2008.
Early in 2009, Botti released his second CD/DVD PBS project, ''Chris Botti in Boston''. Performing with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Botti shared the stage with Yo Yo Ma, Steven Tyler, Josh Groban, Katharine McPhee, John Mayer, Sting and others.
By June 2009, Chris Botti had released twelve solo albums. His first few releases are often classified as smooth jazz, though critic Alex Henderson argues that Botti's music was a cut above much of the genre; reviewing his 1999 album, ''Slowing Down the World'', Henderson writes "it would be a major mistake to lump it in with the outright elevator muzak that Kenny G, Dave Koz, Najee, and Richard Elliot were known for ... Botti is capable of a lot more."
For several years, Botti also hosted a radio show called ''Chill with Chris Botti'', that focused mainly on "chill" music, which is described as "smooth jazz with a touch of cool jazz." In 2007, saxophonist Mindi Abair took over the hosting duties, and the show, using the same format as before, is now called ''Chill with Mindi Abair''. With the success of ''To Love Again'', Botti hosted a special concert at the Wilshire Theatre in Los Angeles in December 2005 with many of the guest artists from the CD. It was recorded for airing on PBS in Spring 2006 as ''Chris Botti: Live with Orchestra and Special Guests'', which also was released as a DVD.
Category:American radio personalities Category:American jazz trumpeters Category:Smooth jazz musicians Category:American jazz musicians of Italian descent Category:Musicians from Oregon Category:People from Corvallis, Oregon Category:Indiana University alumni Category:1962 births Category:Living people
de:Chris Botti fr:Chris Botti id:Chris Botti it:Chris Botti ja:クリス・ボッティ pl:Chris Botti pt:Chris Botti ru:Ботти, Крис sv:Chris BottiThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
In 2004, Micarelli released her first album ''Music From A Farther Room'', executive produced by Groban. It is a blend of classical pieces and familiar pop songs, including Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", David Bowie's "Lady Grinning Soul" and David Foster's "To Love You More". In May 2005, Micarelli opened for West End singer Michael Ball. In October and November 2005 and most of 2006, she toured the United States with Jethro Tull. In 2007, Micarelli toured with Josh Groban again to promote his album ''Awake'', and completed her second album, titled ''Interlude.''
In 2008, Micarelli toured with trumpeter Chris Botti. While on tour with Botti in July 2009, Micarelli injured her left hand badly enough to affect her ability to play.
Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:People from New York City Category:American violinists Category:American people of Korean descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American jazz violinists Category:American rock violinists Category:American television actors Category:American musicians of Asian descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent
fr:Lucia Micarelli nl:Lucia Micarelli pl:Lucia Micarelli
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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