Letterboxing is the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to standard-width video formats while preserving the film's original aspect ratio. The resulting videographic image has mattes (black bars) above and below it; these mattes are part of the image (i.e., of each frame of the video signal). ''LTBX'' is the identifying abbreviation for films and images so formatted. The term refers to the shape of a letter box, a slot in a wall or door through which mail is delivered, being rectangular and wider than it is high.

Description

Letterboxing is used as an alternative to a full-screen, pan-and-scan transfer of a widescreen film image to videotape or videodisc. In pan-and-scan transfers, the original image is cropped to the narrower aspect ratio of the destination format, usually the 1.33:1 (4:3) ratio of the standard television screen, whereas letterboxing preserves the film's original image composition as seen in the cinema. Letterboxing was developed for use in 4:3 television displays before widescreen television screens were available, but it is also necessary to represent on a 16:9 widescreen display the unaltered original composition of a film with a wider aspect ratio, such as Panavision's 2.35:1 ratio.

Letterbox mattes are usually symmetrical (both the top and bottom mattes are roughly similar in size), but in some instances the picture can be elevated so the bottom matte is much larger, usually for the purpose of placing "hard" subtitles within the matte to avoid overlapping of the image. This was often done for letterbox widescreen anime on VHS, though the practice of "hiding" subtitles within the lower matte also is done with symmetrical mattes, albeit with less space available. The placing of "soft" subtitles within the picture or matte varies according to the DVD player being used, though it appears to be dependent on the movie for Blu-ray disc.

An alternative to letterboxing is anamorphic widescreen presentation, which squeezes the picture horizontally to fit into a narrower aspect ratio. The player or receiver must correct this distortion by either stretching the image back to its original relative width, for display on widescreen televisions, or letterboxing it (during playback) for display on 4:3 video screens. This image transformation generally requires digital signal processing, so letterboxing was the only way in which films were presented in widescreen on home video prior to the DVD format (with a few exceptions outside the mass market, such as Squeeze LD). Anamorphic widescreen video recordings are sometimes called "anamorphically enhanced", in comparison to letterboxed versions. To represent a film wider than 16:9 (e.g., a 2.35:1 film) on a 16:9 display with no cropping, both anamorphic and letterbox techniques (or letterboxing alone) are required; using the anamorphic technique, the mattes will be smaller but still necessary.

Academy ratio (1.37:1) film or video is sometimes stretched to fill a widescreen (16:9) television display, resulting in distortion in which actors appear shorter and fatter. This horizontal stretching distortion can be avoided by pillar boxing the image, effected either in the television set or in the video player, e.g. a DVD player. Occasionally, video is shot in a widescreen format and encoded into 4:3 video incorporating letterboxing into the 4:3 image. This effect is common on personal video websites and old documentaries.

If a recording is said to be ''letterboxed'', that implies that the letterboxing was done prior to fixing the recording on the medium. There is a difference between a letterboxed ''recording'' (or other source) and a letterboxed ''picture'', as a letterboxed recording will appear letterboxed on ''every'' screen â€“ even one that has the same aspect ratio as the source content â€“ while a letterboxed ''picture'' may be produced from a ''non''-letterboxed ''source'', in which case it will appear full-screen on a suitably wide display. (The letterboxed source displayed on a wide screen will appear both letterboxed ''and'' pillarboxed, so the active picture will occupy a rectangle in the middle of the screen surrounded by mattes on all four sides.) Anamorphic widescreen recordings may be mislabeled as letterboxed, which technically they are not.

The term ''letterbox'' is sometimes used to emphasize that a widescreen motion picture or video has not been anamorphically encoded for 16:9 screens, thus not taking full advantage of the resolution provided by DVD, high-definition television (HDTV), or other media. Because the black mattes are part of the picture, they take up space in the signal that could be used for active picture information, forcing the picture to use less vertical space in the signal than if it were anamorphically encoded. This results in less vertical resolution in the letterboxed picture than in either an anamorphic or pan-and-scan version (which have the same vertical resolution). The reduced vertical resolution is the main disadvantage of letterboxing.

Early use of the letterbox format

The first use of letterbox appeared with the RCA videodisc (CED) format. Initially, letterboxing was limited to several key sequences of a film (e.g., opening and closing credits), but later it was used for the entire film. The first full letterboxed CED release was ''Amarcord'' in 1984, and several others followed. Each disc contained a label noting the use of "RCA's innovative wide-screen mastering technique."

In the cinema and home video

In NTSC areas of the world, videocassettes often contained only pan-and-scan versions (notable VHS releases in letterboxed format include ''Manhattan'', ''Last Tango in Paris'', ''Ghostbusters II'' (which was released in the incorrect aspect ratio on its initial home video release), ''The Terminator'', ''The Color Purple'', ''Lady and the Tramp'', and ''Basic Instinct: The Original Director's Cut''), but DVD releases tend to be offered in both versions. In PAL areas, which do not suffer so much from low vertical resolution with letterboxed images, letterboxing was more common on videocassettes and is almost ubiquitous on DVDs, with very few films being offered in pan-and-scan releases today.

Movies such as ''The Graduate'' and ''Woodstock'' that made use of the full width of the movie screen often have the sides cut off and look completely different in non-letterboxed copies from the original theatrical release. This is more apparent in pan-and-scanned movies that remain entirely on the center area of the film image.

The term "SmileBox" is a registered trademark used to describe a type of letterboxing for Cinerama films, such as on the Blu-ray release of ''How the West Was Won''. The image is produced with 3D mapping technology to approximate a curved screen.

On television

Digital broadcasting allows 1.78:1 (16:9) widescreen format transmissions without losing resolution, and thus widescreen is becoming the television norm. Most television programming in the United States, Britain and France is in standard-definition 16:9 and is transmitted in anamorphic format on digital platforms. When using a 4:3 television, it is possible to display such programming in either a letterbox format or in a 4:3 centre-cut format (where the edges of the picture are lost).

A letterboxed 14:9 compromise ratio is often broadcast in analogue transmissions in European countries making the transition from 4:3 to 16:9, for example on BBC One or ITV1 in the United Kingdom. In addition, recent years have seen an increase of "fake" 2.35:1 letterbox mattes on television to give the impression of a cinema film, often seen in adverts, trailers or television programmes such as ''Top Gear''.

Current high-definition television (HDTV) systems use video displays with a wider aspect ratio than older television sets, making it easier to accurately display widescreen films. In addition to films produced for the cinema, some television programming is produced in high definition and therefore widescreen.

On a widescreen television set, a 1.78:1 image fills the screen, however, 2.39:1 aspect ratio films are letterboxed with narrow mattes. Because the 1.85:1 aspect ratio does not match the 1.78:1 (16:9) aspect ratio of widescreen DVDs and high-definition video, slight letterboxing occurs. Usually, such matting of 1.85:1 film is eliminated to match the 1.78:1 aspect ratio in the DVD and HD image transference.

Letterbox mattes are not necessarily black. IBM has used blue mattes for many of their TV ads, yellow mattes in their "I am Superman" Lotus ads, and green mattes in ads about efficiency & environmental sustainability. Others uses of colored mattes appear in ads from Allstate, Aleve, and Kodak among others, and in music videos such as Zebrahead's Playmate of the Year. In other instances mattes are animated, such as in the music video for Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy), and even parodied such as the final scene of the Crazy Frog Axel F music video in which Crazy Frog peeks over the matte on the lower edge of the screen with part of his hands overlapping the matte. Similar to breaking the border of a comic's panel, it is a form of breaking the fourth wall.

The table below shows which TV lines will contain picture information when letterbox pictures are displayed on either 4:3 or 16:9 screens.

align="center" align="center" align="center" align="center" align="center" align="center" align="center"

Aspect Ratio on 4:3 screen !! colspan="2" align="center"	625 Line System !! !! align="center"	Aspect Ratio on 16:9 screen !! colspan="2" align="center"| 525 Line System !!colspan="2" align="center"| 625 Line System !!colspan="2" align="center"| 1080 HD Line System
! Full Screen (1.33:1)	align="center"	21-263	284-525	23-310 ||	336-623
14:9 (1.56:1)	align="center"	40-245	302-508	44-289 ||	357-602
16:9 (1.78:1)	align="center"	52-232	315-495	59-282 ||	372-587		Full Screen (1.78:1)	21-263	284-525	23-310	336-623	21-560	584-1123
1.85:1	align="center"	56-229	320-491	64-270 ||	376-582		1.85:1	26-257	289-520	29-304	342-617	31-549	594-1112
2.35:1	align="center"	73-209	336-472	85-248 ||	398-561		2.35:1	50-231	313-495	58-275	371-588	86-494	649-1057

Pillarboxing and windowboxing

Pillarboxing (reversed letterboxing) is the display of an image within a wider image frame by adding lateral mattes (vertical bars at the sides); for example, a 1.33:1 image has lateral mattes when displayed on a 16:9 aspect ratio television screen.

An alternative to pillarboxing is "tilt-and-scan" (reversed pan and scan), horizontally matting the original 1.33:1 television images to the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, which at any given moment crops part of the top and/or bottom of the frame, hence the need for the "tilt" component. A tilt is a camera move in which the camera tilts up or down.

Windowboxing occurs when an image appears centered in a television screen, with blank space on all four sides of the image, such as when a widescreen image that has been previously letterboxed to fit 1.33:1 is then pillarboxed to fit 16:9. It is also called "matchbox", "gutterbox", and "postage stamp" display. This occurs on the DVD editions of the ''Star Trek'' films on a 4:3 television when the included widescreen documentaries show footage from the original television series. It is also seen in ''The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course'', which displays widescreen pillarboxing with 1.85:1 scenes in a 2.40:1 frame that is subsequently letterboxed. It is common to see windowboxed commercials on HD television networks, because many commercials are shot in 16:9 but distributed to networks in SD, letterboxed to fit 1.33:1.

Many 1980s 8-bit home computers feature gutterboxing display mode, because the TV screens normally used as monitors at that time tended to distort the image near the border of the screen, to such an extent that text displayed in that area became illegible. Moreover, due to the overscanned nature of television video, the precise edges of the visible area of the screen varied from television set to television set, so characters near the expected border of the active screen area might be behind the bezel or off the edge of the screen. The Commodore 64, VIC-20, and Commodore 128 (in 40-column mode) featured coloured gutterboxing of the main text window, while the Atari 8-bit family featured a blue text window with a black border. The original IBM PC CGA display adapter was the same, and the monochrome MDA, the predecessor of the CGA, as well as the later EGA and VGA, also featured gutterboxing; this is also called ''underscanned'' video. The Fisher-Price PXL-2000 camcorder of the late 1980s recorded a windowboxed image to compensate partially for low resolution.

Occasionally, an image is deliberately windowboxed for stylistic effect; for example, the documentary-style sequence of the film ''Rent'' suggest an older-format camera representing the 4:3 aspect ratio, and the opening sequence of the Oliver Stone film ''JFK'' features pillar boxing to represent the 1960s era 4:3 television footage. The film ''Sneakers'' uses a windowboxing effect in a scene for dramatic effect.

See also

Active Format Description

List of film formats

Motion picture terminology

References

External links

The Widescreen and Letterbox Advocacy Page

Why Widescreen?

Category:Film and video technology

de:Anamorphe Bildaufzeichnung es:Letterbox eo:PoÅ?tkesto fr:Letterbox it:Letterbox nl:Letterbox ja:レターボックス (映åƒ?技術) pl:Letterbox zh:黑邊

name	Steven Seagal
birth name	Steven Frederic Seagal
birth date	April 10, 1952
birth place	Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
other names	Chungdrag Dorje, Takeshigemichi
occupation	Actor, film producer, martial artist, musician, writer, reserve deputy sheriff
years active	1987–present
style	Aikido
rank	''7th degree black belt in Aikido''
website	http://www.stevenseagal.com
spouse	Miyako Fujitani (1975–1986) Adrienne La Russa (1984–1987) Kelly LeBrock (1987–1996) Erdenetuya Seagal (neé Batsukh) (2009–present) }}

Steven Frederic Seagal (born April 10, 1952) is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and a reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan. He became the first foreigner to operate an Aikido Dojo in Japan.

He later moved to the Los Angeles, California, area where he made his film debut in 1988 in ''Above the Law''. By 1991, he had starred in three successful films, and would go on to achieve greater fame in ''Under Siege'' (1992), where he played Navy SEALs counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback. However, his image became tarnished when both ''On Deadly Ground'' (1994, which he directed) and ''Under Siege 2: Dark Territory'' (1995) did poorly in theaters. During the later half of the 90s, he starred in three more theatrical films and a direct-to-video ''The Patriot''. Aside from ''Exit Wounds'' (2001) and ''Half Past Dead'' (2002), his career shifted almost entirely to direct-to-video films (often low budget productions and shot in Europe or Asia). Between 1998 to 2009, he appeared in a total of 22 of these. At the age of 59, he finally returned to the big screen as Torrez in the 2010 film ''Machete''. As of 2011, he's currently busy with the third season of his reality show ''Steven Seagal: Lawman''.

Seagal is also a recording artist and guitarist and the founder of Steven Seagal Enterprises. In addition to his professional achievements, he is also known as an environmentalist, an animal rights activist and a supporter of the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, and the Tibetan independence movement.

Early life

Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan, where he lived until he was five years old. His mother, Patricia (1930–2003), was a medical technician, and his father, Samuel Steven Seagal (1928–1991), was a high school math teacher. His mother was Irish American and his father was Jewish. The family relocated to Fullerton, California, where Seagal attended Buena Park High School in Buena Park.

Aikido

Seagal, currently a 7th dan degree and Shihan in aikido, moved to Japan in his late teens and became the first foreigner to operate an aikido dojo in Japan. He was trained by Harry Ishisaka and received 1st dan degree or Shodan under the direction of Koichi Tohei. He continued to train in aikido as a student of Seiseki Abe, Koichi Tohei (to whose aikido organization, Ki Society, Seagal refused to join in favor of staying with the Aikikai), Kisaburo Osawa, Hiroshi Isoyama and the second doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba.

When Miyako's father retired from his job as an instructor, Seagal became the new head of the organization known as Tenshin Aikido in Osaka (affiliated with the Aikikai). Seagal is known by his students as Take Sensei. Seagal left his dojo in Osaka and his wife, Miyako being the care-taker of the dojo up to the present day. Seagal initially returned to Taos, New Mexico, with his student—and later a film stuntman—Craig Dunn. There, they opened a dojo, but Seagal spent much of his time pursuing other ventures. After another period in Japan, Seagal returned to the U.S. in 1983 with senior student Haruo Matsuoka. They opened an aikido dojo, initially in Burbank, California, but later moved it to the city of West Hollywood. Seagal left Matsuoka in charge of the dojo, which he ran until the two parted ways in 1997. He currently trains three students: Craig Dunn, Elliot Freeman, and Jorge Angulo.

Initially, he worked as the martial arts coordinator for the films ''The Challenge'' (1982) starring Scott Glenn and Toshirô Mifune, and ''Never Say Never Again'' (1983) starring Sean Connery and ''A View to a Kill''.

He has helped train Brazilian mixed martial artists Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida. Silva, who is the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion, credited Seagal with teaching him the kick that knocked out Vitor Belfort in their fight at ''UFC 126'' in February 2011, and Machida also credited him for helping him perfect the crane kick that he used to knock out Randy Couture at ''UFC 129'' in May 2011.

On May 5, 2011, Seagal appeared on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “It’s Time� show with Bruce Buffer and spoke about his relationship with Silva and Machida as well his training methods. He explained: "''Anderson had originally sent me a little postcard saying, 'Please teach me your lethal stuff'. Because a lot of my students know that a lot of the stuff I have is punishing or effective, shall we say. They left a number, and the number was Jorge Guimaraes, the manager of those guys in Black House. He said, ‘Yeah, man, the guys all want to learn from you.’ I went over there and began''". In regards to his teaching of the kicks he said: "''With Lyoto, I came in probably five days before the (Couture) fight, something like that, started working on different kinds of elbows, different kinds of punching, different kinds of feetwork... but particularly the kick. I think against a lot of the guys who have spent a lot of their energy on wrestling, they’re not exactly what I would call great strikers. The kick can be very effective. This kick is different. This kick, the thing that's deceptive about it is that, the normal (technique) where you lift up your knee and you kick, this one I'm kind of trying to teach the guys to lead with the foot. I don’t want to say too much about it because I don't want to give it away completely to the world. It's different and it’s hard to see. It's very difficult to see coming, and that's how my guys have been successful with that''."

Hollywood career

1990s

In 1987, Seagal began work on his first film, ''Above the Law'' (titled ''Nico'' in Europe), with director Andrew Davis and reportedly as a favor to a former aikido student, the agent Michael Ovitz, who believed he could make anyone a star. Following its success, Seagal made three more movies – ''Hard to Kill'', ''Marked for Death'', and ''Out for Justice'' – that were box office hits, making him an action hero. Later, he achieved wider, mainstream success in 1992 with the release of ''Under Siege'' (1992). That film reunited Seagal with director Andrew Davis, and was a blockbuster in the U.S. and abroad, grossing $156.4 million worldwide.

Seagal then directed ''On Deadly Ground'' (1994). This film, in which he also starred, emphasized environmental and spiritual themes, signaling a break with his previous persona as a genre-ready inner-city cop. The film featured Michael Caine as well as R. Lee Ermey and Billy Bob Thornton in minor supporting roles.

Following the general critical disappointment of ''On Deadly Ground'', Seagal filmed a sequel to one of his most successful films, ''Under Siege'', titled ''Under Siege 2: Dark Territory'' (1995), and cop drama ''The Glimmer Man'' (1996). In 1996, he had role in the Kurt Russell film ''Executive Decision'', in which he played a special ops soldier who only appears in the film's first 45 minutes. He subsequently made another environmentally conscious film, ''Fire Down Below'' (1997), wherein he was an EPA agent fighting industrialists dumping toxic waste in the Kentucky hills, but the movie was commercially unsuccessful. This film ended his original multi-picture contract with Warner Bros.

Direct-to-video work

The next year, Seagal made ''The Patriot'', another environmental thriller which was his first direct-to-video release in the United States (though it was released theatrically in most of the world). Seagal produced this film with his own money, and the film was shot on-location on and near his farm in Montana.

After producing ''Prince of Central Park'', Seagal returned to cinema screens with the release of ''Exit Wounds'' in March 2001. The film had fewer martial arts scenes than Seagal's previous films, but it was a commercial success, taking almost $80 million worldwide. However, he was unable to capitalize on this success and his next two projects were both critical and commercial failures. ''Ticker'' co-starring Tom Sizemore and Dennis Hopper, and filmed in San Francisco before ''Exit Wounds'', went straight to DVD while ''Half Past Dead'', starring rap star Ja Rule, made less than $20 million worldwide.

All of the films Seagal has made since the latter half of 2001 have been released direct-to-video (DTV) in North America, with some theatrical releases to other countries around the world. Seagal is credited as a producer and sometimes a writer on many of these DTV movies, which include ''Black Dawn'', ''Belly of the Beast'', ''Out of Reach'', ''Submerged'', ''Kill Switch'', ''Urban Justice'', ''Pistol Whipped'', ''Against the Dark'', ''Driven to Kill'', ''A Dangerous Man'', ''Born to Raise Hell''and ''The Keeper'', a movie released in Japan fifteen weeks earlier than the United States.

Return to the big screen and television work

In 2009, A&E; Network premiered the reality television series; ''Steven Seagal: Lawman'', focusing on Seagal as a deputy in Louisiana. In 2010, Seagal appeared in his first theatrically released film in nearly a decade, as the main villain in Robert Rodriguez' ''Machete''. In 2011, Steven Seagal produced and starred in a 13 episode television series entitled ''True Justice''.

Other ventures

Music

In addition to acting and aikido, Seagal also plays the guitar, and his songs have been featured in several of his movies (such as ''Fire Down Below'' and ''Ticker''). In 2005, he released his first album, ''Songs from the Crystal Cave'', which has a mix of pop, world, country and blues music. It features duets with Tony Rebel, Lt. Stichie, Lady Saw, and Stevie Wonder. The soundtrack to Seagal's 2005 film ''Into the Sun'' features several songs from the album. One of his album tracks, "Girl It's Alright", was also released as a single in parts of the world alongside an accompanying music video created for it.

Seagal's second album, titled ''Mojo Priest'', was released in April 2006. Subsequently, he spent summer 2006 touring the United States and Europe with his band, Thunderbox, in support of the album.

Law enforcement work

Seagal is currently a Reserve Deputy Chief of the Sheriff's Office in the community of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Seagal has a second home in Louisiana, and spends several months a year there. He graduated from a police academy in California over twenty years ago and has a certificate from Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST), an organization that accredits California police officers. In November 2008, A&E; announced that they had begun taping ''Steven Seagal: Lawman'', which follows his work in the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. The series premiered on A&E; on December 2, 2009. Seagal stated that "I’ve decided to work with A&E; on this series now because I believe it’s important to show the nation all the positive work being accomplished here in Louisiana—to see the passion and commitment that comes from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in this post-Katrina environment." The series premiere drew 3.6 million viewers, ranking as best season opener for any original A&E; series ever.

On April 14, 2010, the series was suspended by Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Sheriff Newell Normand due to the sexual trafficking lawsuit filed against Seagal, a case later dropped. A & E resumed the show for the second season which began on October 6, 2010.

Business ventures

Seagal Enterprises markets an energy drink known as Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt, as well as an homeopathic oil product line. Seagal personally endorses this drink, saying, "I have traveled the world creating this drink; there is none better that I know." He also has his own aftershave called Scent of Action.

Outside of his film work, Seagal has volunteered, lending his voice as a narrator for an activist film project, ''Medicine Lake Video,'' which seeks to protect sacred tribal ground near his ranch in Siskiyou County.

In 2002, Segal along with Global Village Champions Foundation and founder Yank Barry helped support Father Joe's orphanage for children with AIDS in Bangkok, Thailand.

Personal life

He owns a dude ranch in Colorado and a home in the Mandeville Canyon section of Brentwood, a wealthy neighbourhood in Los Angeles. He has adopted many animals from shelters. Seagal is a Buddhist.

Relationships and family

Seagal has seven children from four relationships:

In Japan Seagal married his first wife, Miyako Fujitani, the daughter of an aikido instructor. With Fujitani, he had a son, model and actor Kentaro Seagal, and a daughter, writer and actress, Ayako Fujitani. Seagal left Miyako Fujitani to go back to the United States.

In the United States he married former ''Days of our Lives'' actress Adrienne La Russa, despite his divorce to Fujitani not yet being finalized. During his marriage to La Russa he met actress/model Kelly LeBrock, with whom he began a relationship and who eventually became pregnant with his child. When news of this emerged, Seagal's marriage to La Russa was annulled and he then married LeBrock on 5 September 1987. His three children with LeBrock are daughters Annaliza and Arissa, and son Dominic. In 1994, LeBrock filed divorce papers citing "irreconcilable differences". During this time it emerged that Seagal was having an affair with Arissa Wolf, who was hired to be a nanny to Seagal and Lebrock's children. Seagal has a daughter with Arissa Wolf, Savannah.

Seagal is currently married to Erdenetuya Batsukh (mong. ЭрдÑ?нÑ?туÑ?а БатÑ?үх), better known as Elle, and with whom he has a son, Kunzang. Elle is from Mongolia. She trained as a dancer from her early age at the Children's Palace in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. After her graduation from high school and the Children's Palace, she pursued a career as a professional dancer. She won numerous dancing contests and she was considered as the top female dancer in Mongolia. She particularly excelled in ballroom dance. Erdenetuya first worked as Seagal's interpreter when he visited Mongolia in 2001.

In addition to his biological children he is the guardian to a Tibetan child, Yabshi Pan Rinzinwangmo. Rinzinwangmo, or "Renji", is the only child of the 10th Panchen Lama of Tibet. Renji studied in the United States at American University, and Seagal was her guardian and bodyguard.

An only son, Seagal has three sisters, one older and two younger.

2010 lawsuit

On April 12, 2010, 23-year-old Kayden Nguyen filed a lawsuit against Seagal in Los Angeles Country Superior Court claiming sexual harassment, illegal trafficking of females for sex, failure to prevent sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and false representation about employment, that specified damages exceeding one million dollars.

On April 13, 2010, the day after Nguyen made the claims, Seagal's attorney, Marty Singer, released this written statement to CBS news: "The lawsuit filed by Kayden Nguyen against Steven Seagal is a ridiculous and absurd claim by a disgruntled ex-employee who was fired for using illegal narcotics." Seagal personally denied the claims, yet he was forced to suspend his show, ''Steven Seagal: Lawman'', while his attorneys attempted to resolve the case privately.

On July 14, 2010, three months after Nguyen made her claims against Seagal, the case was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff without any public explanation.

2011 lawsuit

On August 30, 2011, Steven Seagal was threatened with a lawsuit over his part in a police raid that was taped for his A&E; reality show. Jesus Sanchez Llovera is seeking $100,000 in damages and wants a "formal written apology" from Seagal to his children for the death of their puppy, "a beloved family pet." Llovera says his 11-month-old puppy was shot and killed during the raid and that police also killed more than 100 of his roosters.

Activism

In 2003, Seagal wrote an open letter to the leadership of Thailand, urging them to enact law to prevent the torture of baby elephants. He has worked with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to discourage the fur trade, and has written to the Prime Minister of India to seek increased legal protection for cows. Seagal worked effectively towards saving dogs destined to drown in Taiwan.

Honors

In 1999, Seagal was awarded a PETA Humanitarian Award.

Filmography

Year !! Title !! Role
1988	Above the Law (film)>Above the Law''	Nico Toscani
rowspan="2"	1990	''Hard to Kill''
''Marked for Death''	John Hatcher
1991	''Out for Justice''
1992	''Under Siege''
1994	''On Deadly Ground''
1995	''Under Siege 2: Dark Territory''
rowspan="2"	1996	''Executive Decision''
''The Glimmer Man''	Lt. Jack Cole
1997	Fire Down Below (1997 film)>Fire Down Below''
1998	The Patriot (1998 film)>The Patriot''
1999	''Get Bruce''
rowspan="2"	2001	''Exit Wounds''
''Ticker (2001 film)	Ticker''	Frank Glass
2002	''Half Past Dead''
rowspan="3"	2003	The Foreigner (2003 film)>The Foreigner''
''Out for a Kill''	Prof. Robert Burns
''Belly of the Beast''	Jake Hopper
rowspan="2"	2004	Out of Reach (film)>Out of Reach''
''Clementine (film)	Clementine''	Jack Miller
rowspan="4"	2005	Into the Sun (2005 film)>Into the Sun''
''Submerged''	Chris Cody
''Today You Die''	Harlan Banks
''Black Dawn (film)	Black Dawn''	Jonathan Cold
rowspan="3"	2006	''Mercenary for Justice''
''Shadow Man (film)	Shadow Man''	Jack Foster
''Attack Force (film)	Attack Force''	Cmdr. Marshall Lawson
rowspan="2"	2007	''Flight of Fury''
''Urban Justice''	Simon Ballister
rowspan="3"	2008	''Pistol Whipped''
''The Onion Movie''	Cock Puncher
''Kill Switch (film)	Kill Switch''	Jacob
rowspan="3"	2009	''Against the Dark''
''Driven to Kill''	Ruslan
''The Keeper (2009 film)	The Keeper''	Roland Sallinger
2009–	''Steven Seagal: Lawman''	(himself)
rowspan="3"	2010	''A Dangerous Man''
''Machete (film)	Machete''	Torrez
''Born to Raise Hell (film)	Born to Raise Hell''	Samuel Axel
rowspan="2"	2011	''True Justice''
''Skin Trade (film)	Skin Trade''

Discography

2005: ''Songs from the Crystal Cave''

2006: ''Mojo Priest''

See also

Carly Paradis

References

External links

Category:1952 births Category:American aikidoka Category:American judoka Category:American karateka Category:American kendoka Category:American blues musicians Category:American country singers Category:American deputy sheriffs Category:American environmentalists Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American guitarists Category:American male singers Category:American martial artists Category:Converts to Buddhism Category:American Buddhists Category:Tibetan Buddhists from the United States Category:Living people Category:People from Fullerton, California Category:People from Lansing, Michigan Category:People from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Category:Tulkus Category:American expatriates in Japan Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:Animal rights advocates

ar:ستيÙ?Ù† سيغال bs:Steven Seagal bg:Стивън Сегал ca:Steven Seagal cs:Steven Seagal da:Steven Seagal de:Steven Seagal es:Steven Seagal eo:Steven Seagal eu:Steven Seagal fa:استیون سیگال fo:Steven Seagal fr:Steven Seagal ga:Steven Seagal gd:Steven Seagal gl:Steven Seagal ko:스티ë¸? 시걸 hr:Steven Seagal io:Steven Seagal id:Steven Seagal it:Steven Seagal he:סטיבן סיגל ka:სტივენ სიგáƒ?ლი hu:Steven Seagal nl:Steven Seagal ja:スティーヴン・セガール no:Steven Seagal oc:Steven Seagal pl:Steven Seagal pt:Steven Seagal ro:Steven Seagal ru:Сигал, Стивен sq:Steven Seagal sk:Steven Seagal sr:Стивен Сегал fi:Steven Seagal sv:Steven Seagal te:à°¸à±?టీవెనà±? సీగలà±? th:สตีเว่น ซีà¸?ัล tr:Steven Seagal uk:Стівен Сіґал vi:Steven Seagal zh:å?²è’‚芬·席格

name	Rachel Portman
birth date	11 December 1960
birth place	Haslemere, England }}

Rachel Mary Berkeley Portman, OBE (born 11 December 1960) is a British composer, best known for her film work. She was the first female composer to win an Academy Award in the category of Best Original Score (for ''Emma'' in 1996). (Previously, female songwriters Barbra Streisand, in 1977, Buffy Sainte-Marie, in 1983, and Carly Simon, in 1989, each won Oscars, but in the category of Best Original Song).

Life and career

Portman was born on 11 December 1960 in Haslemere, England, the daughter of Penelope (née Mowat) and Berkeley Charles Portman. She was educated at Charterhouse School and Worcester College, Oxford.

Portman was nominated for an Academy Award for her scores for ''The Cider House Rules'' in 1999 and ''Chocolat'' in 2000. She has also composed the scores for dozens of other feature films, as well as an unused score for the film ''Dangerous Beauty'' (George Fenton replaced her, but some of her material still remains in the film). For television, she composed the score for all thirteen episodes of Jim Henson's ''The Storyteller'', and two episodes of ''The Jim Henson Hour'' ("Monster Maker" and "Living with Dinosaurs").

Her other works include a children's opera, ''The Little Prince'' (which was later adapted for television) and a musical based upon the Laura Ingalls Wilder books ''Little House on the Prairie'' (2008). Portman was commissioned to write a piece of choral music for the BBC Proms series in August 2007.

She married film producer Uberto Pasolini in 1995. They have three children: Anna, Giulia and Niky.

On May 19, 2010, Rachel Portman was honored at the BMI Film & TV Awards with the Richard Kirk Award, which is bestowed on composers who have made significant contributions to the realm of film and television music. Portman made BMI history as she became the first woman composer to receive the honor, joining an elite list that includes Christopher Young, George S. Clinton, Mark Mothersbaugh, Danny Elfman, Alan Menken, Mike Post, Lalo Schifrin, John Barry, and John Williams.

Portman was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.

Scores

''Privileged'' (1982)

''Reflections'' (1984)

''Last Day of Summer'' (1984)

''Four Days in July'' (1985)

''Sharma and Beyond'' (1986)

''Good as Gold'' (1986)

''A Little Princess'' (1986)

''1914 All Out'' (1987)

''The Short and Curlies'' (1987)

''The Falklands War: The Untold Story'' (1987)

''90 Degrees South'' (1987)

''The Storyteller'' (1988) TV Series

''Loving Hazel'' (1988)

''Sometime in August'' (1988)

''The Woman in Black'' (1989)

''Young Charlie Chaplin'' (1989)

''Monster Maker'' (1989)

''Living with Dinosaurs'' (1989)

''Precious Bane'' (1989) (TV)

''Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'' (1990)

''Shoot to Kill'' (1990)

''Life Is Sweet'' (1990)

''The Storyteller: Greek Myths'' (1990)

''The Widowmaker'' (1990)

''Where Angels Fear to Tread'' (1991)

''Antonia and Jane'' (1991)

''Flea Bites'' (1991) (TV)

''Used People'' (1992)

''Mr. Wakefield's Crusade'' (1992) (TV)

''Rebecca's Daughters'' (1992)

''The Cloning of Joanna May'' (1992)

''Friends'' (1993)

''The Joy Luck Club'' (1993)

''Benny & Joon'' (1993)

''Ethan Frome'' (1993)

''Great Moments in Aviation'' (1993)

''The Road to Wellville'' (1994)

''Only You'' (1994)

''Sirens'' (1994)

''War of the Buttons'' (1994)

''To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar'' (1995)

''Palookaville'' (1995)

''Smoke'' (1995)

''A Pyromaniac's Love Story'' (1995)

''Marvin's Room'' (1996)

''Emma'' (1996)(Won the Academy Award for best original score)

''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1996)

''Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas'' (1997)

''Addicted to Love'' (1997)

''Beloved'' (1998)

''Home Fries'' (1998)

''The Cider House Rules'' (1999)

''Ratcatcher'' (1999)

''The Other Sister'' (1999)

''Chocolat'' (2000)

''The Legend of Bagger Vance'' (2000)

''The Closer You Get'' (2000)

''The Emperor's New Clothes'' (2001)

''Nicholas Nickleby'' (2002)

''The Truth About Charlie'' (2002)

''Hart's War'' (2002)

''Mona Lisa Smile'' (2003)

''The Human Stain'' (2003)

''The Manchurian Candidate'' (2004)

''Lard'' (2004)

''Oliver Twist'' (2005)

''Define Normal'' (2005)

''Because of Winn-Dixie'' (2005)

''Infamous'' (2006)

''The Lake House'' (2006)

''H2Hope: The Water Diviner's Tale (Musical, BBC Prom 57)'' (2007)

''Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)

''The Duchess'' (2008)

''Grey Gardens'' (2009)

''Never Let Me Go'' (2010)

''Snow Flower and the Secret Fan'' (2010)

''One Day'' (2011)

''Bel Ami'' (2011)

''I Don't Know How She Does It'' (2011)

''The Vow'' (2012)

References

External links

Rachel Portman Official Website

Rachel Portman at Chester Novello

Rachel Portman at The Danish Filmmusic Society (DFS)

Category:1960 births Category:21st-century classical composers Category:Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Category:English composers Category:English film score composers Category:Female film score composers Category:Living people Category:Old Carthusians Category:People from Haslemere Category:Opera composers Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire

ca:Rachel Portman cs:Rachel Portman de:Rachel Portman es:Rachel Portman fr:Rachel Portman it:Rachel Portman ja:レイ�ェル・�ートマン pl:Rachel Portman pt:Rachel Portman ru:Портман, Рейчел

image caption	Pavelec during his time with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
position	Goaltender
catches	Left
height ft	6
height in	3
weight lb	220
team	Winnipeg Jets
league	NHL
former teams	Atlanta Thrashers
ntl team	Czech Republic
birth date	August 31, 1987
birth place	Kladno, Czechoslovakia
career start	2007
draft	41st overall
draft year	2005
draft team	Atlanta Thrashers }}

Ondřej Pavelec (born August 31, 1987) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender, who plays for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Pavelec was drafted in the first round of the 2005 CHL Import Draft by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the (QMJHL). He played two seasons with the club and helped them to a semi-final finish in the 2006–2007 season. Pavelec, the Atlanta Thrashers second-round pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft (41st overall), was a first team All-Star in each of his two seasons with Cape Breton, and won the Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy for best goals-against average both years, making him only the fourth player to repeat as Jacques Plante Trophy winner and the first in 20 years to do so (Robert Desjardins was the last). As a rookie he took home the Raymond Lagacé Trophy and RDS Trophy, awarded to top defensive rookie and rookie of the year, respectively. His numbers were remarkably consistent over the two seasons, as he recorded GAAs of 2.51 in '05–06 and 2.52 last season, with save percentages of .929 and .908.

Pavelec signed a contract with the Thrashers in 2007. On May 18, 2007, Pavelec shut out the Toronto Marlies 5-0 in the American Hockey League's Western Conference Finals. Pavelec also helped Chicago Wolves win the Calder Cup in the 2007-08 season.

After starting nine games for the Chicago Wolves in the 2008-2009 season, he was recalled to the NHL due to an injury to Kari Lehtonen. He played in his first NHL game on October 20, 2007. He made his first NHL start and picked up his first NHL win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 3, 2007. Pavelec was playing with the Atlanta Thrashers since being called up on November 1, 2008 until he was reassigned to the Chicago Wolves on December 19, 2008. He later returned to the Thrashers.

On-ice collapse

On October 8, 2010, Pavelec collapsed and lost consciousness during a game against the Washington Capitals while there was a break in play at 2:25 into the first period. He was taken off the ice on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. He regained consciousness while at the hospital and was in stable condition, and apparently was concerned about the score in the game, which the Thrashers won 4-2. It was determined after testing by doctors that the cause of his collapse was neurocardiogenic syncope, a type of fainting spell, and that he received a concussion and lost consciousness after his head hit the ice. He was released from the hospital on October 11, 2010.

Awards and achievements

Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy (QMJHL's lowest GAA) - 2006, 2007

Raymond Lagacé Trophy (QMJHL's defensive rookie of the year) - 2006

RDS Cup (QMJHL's rookie of the year) - 2006

QMJHL First All-Star Team - 2006, 2007

QMJHL All-Rookie Team - 2006

AHL Calder Cup - 2007-2008 Chicago Wolves

October 2008 AHL Goalie of the Month

NHL 1st Star of the Week (Nov 21st - Nov 28th, 2010)

2011 Georgia’s Own Credit Union Three Stars of the Year Award

Career statistics

{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="0" ID="Table3" |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | ALIGN="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   | ALIGN="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   | ALIGN="center" colspan="14" | Regular Season | ALIGN="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   | ALIGN="center" colspan="4" | Playoffs |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | ALIGN="center" | Season | ALIGN="center" | Team | ALIGN="center" | League | ALIGN="center" | GP | ALIGN="center" | G | ALIGN="center" | A | ALIGN="center" | PIM | ALIGN="center" | MIN | ALIGN="center" | GA | ALIGN="center" | EN | ALIGN="center" | SO | ALIGN="center" | GAA | ALIGN="center" | W | ALIGN="center" | L | ALIGN="center" | T | ALIGN="center" | SVS | ALIGN="center" | PCT | ALIGN="center" | GP | ALIGN="center" | G | ALIGN="center" | A | ALIGN="center" | PIM |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2005–06 | ALIGN="center" | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | ALIGN="center" | QMJHL | ALIGN="center" | 47 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 2578 | ALIGN="center" | 108 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 2.51 | ALIGN="center" | 27 | ALIGN="center" | 18 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 1407 | ALIGN="center" | 0.929 | ALIGN="center" | 9 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 2 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2006–07 | ALIGN="center" | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | ALIGN="center" | QMJHL | ALIGN="center" | 56 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 2335 | ALIGN="center" | 98 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 2.52 | ALIGN="center" | 28 | ALIGN="center" | 22 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 966 | ALIGN="center" | 0.908 | ALIGN="center" | 16 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 0 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2007–08 | ALIGN="center" | Atlanta Thrashers | ALIGN="center" | NHL | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 347 | ALIGN="center" | 18 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 3.11 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 329 | ALIGN="center" | 0.905 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2007–08 | ALIGN="center" | Chicago Wolves | ALIGN="center" | AHL | ALIGN="center" | 52 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 3033 | ALIGN="center" | 140 | ALIGN="center" | 4 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 2.77 | ALIGN="center" | 33 | ALIGN="center" | 16 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 1428 | ALIGN="center" | 0.911 | ALIGN="center" | 23 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 0 |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2008–09 | ALIGN="center" | Atlanta Thrashers | ALIGN="center" | NHL | ALIGN="center" | 12 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 599 | ALIGN="center" | 36 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 3.60 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 265 | ALIGN="center" | 0.880 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2008–09 | ALIGN="center" | Chicago Wolves | ALIGN="center" | AHL | ALIGN="center" | 40 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 4 | ALIGN="center" | 2417 | ALIGN="center" | 104 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 2.58 | ALIGN="center" | 18 | ALIGN="center" | 20 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 1101 | ALIGN="center" | 0.914 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2009–10 | ALIGN="center" | Atlanta Thrashers | ALIGN="center" | NHL | ALIGN="center" | 42 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 2317 | ALIGN="center" | 127 | ALIGN="center" | 4 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 3.29 | ALIGN="center" | 14 | ALIGN="center" | 18 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | 1226 | ALIGN="center" | 0.906 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2010–11 | ALIGN="center" | Chicago Wolves | ALIGN="center" | AHL | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 58 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 3.10 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | 0.864 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2010–11 | ALIGN="center" | Atlanta Thrashers | ALIGN="center" | NHL | ALIGN="center" | 58 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 4 | ALIGN="center" | 3225 | ALIGN="center" | 147 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 4 | ALIGN="center" | 2.73 | ALIGN="center" | 21 | ALIGN="center" | 23 | ALIGN="center" | 9 | ALIGN="center" | 1705 | ALIGN="center" | 0.914 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | ALIGN="center" colspan="3" | NHL totals | ALIGN="center" | 119 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | 6489 | ALIGN="center" | 328 | ALIGN="center" | 15 | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | 3.03 | ALIGN="center" | 41 | ALIGN="center" | 51 | ALIGN="center" | 16 | ALIGN="center" | 3549 | ALIGN="center" | 0.908 | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | — | ALIGN="center" | —

|} ''GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; PIM = Penalties in minutes; MIN = Minutes on ice; GA = Goals allowed; EN = Empty net goals scored; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SVS = Saved shots; PCT = Save percentage''

International play

Pavelec led the Czech Republic Under-17 team to a second-place finish in the 2004 Junior World Cup, and the Under-18 squad to fourth place at the U-18 World Junior Cup. He was also the starting goalie for the Czech Republic U-20 team at the 2006 World Junior Hockey Championships.

Pavelec played for the Czech Republic in:

2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships

2010 World Championships (gold medal)

2010 Winter Olympics

2011 World Championships (Bronze medal)

External links

Ondřej Pavelec's homepage

References

Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:Atlanta Thrashers draft picks Category:Atlanta Thrashers players Category:Cape Breton Screaming Eagles alumni Category:Chicago Wolves players Category:Czech ice hockey players Category:Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic ice hockey players of the Czech Republic Category:People from Kladno

cs:Ondřej Pavelec de:Ondřej Pavelec fr:Ondřej Pavelec lv:Ondržejs Pavelecs fi:Ondřej Pavelec sv:Ondřej Pavelec uk:Ондржей Павелец