A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law & Order. Most crime drama focus on crime investigation and does not feature the court room.

It is widely believed by most practicing lawyers that legal dramas result in the general public having misconceptions about the legal process. Many of these misconceptions result from the desire to create an interesting story. For example, conflict between parties make for an interesting story, which is why legal dramas emphasize the trial and ignore the fact that the vast majority of civil and criminal cases in the United States are settled out of court. Legal dramas also focus on situations where there is an obvious injustice or ones in which either the plaintiff or defendant is very interesting and unusual. As a result, things such as the insanity defense occur far more often in legal drama than in real life. Finally, legal dramas often focus on areas of the legal process which can be portrayed dramatically, such as oral arguments, and ignore areas which are less easily portrayed, such as researching a written legal brief.

Subgenres

Crime comics

Crime fiction

Detective fiction

List of police television dramas

Police procedural

Trial movies

Whodunit

Television legal dramas

There have been successful legal dramas both serious and comedic. Notable examples of serious legal dramas that deal with the difficulties and the dark side of the law are The Practice and Law & Order. These shows often deal with the morals of dealing with people such as murderers, rapists, con artists, amoral lawyers, insane people, etc. and the difficulty of defending innocents found in situations where spectators and the public find the person to be dishonorable and cruel but in actuality were innocent people who were in the wrong situation at the wrong time. While there are comedic legal dramas that usually deal less with murder cases and more on cases that deal with issues such as divorce, sex, cheating and accidents portrayed in a comedic fashion. Notable examples of this type of legal drama are Ally McBeal and Boston Legal.

See also

Television shows that fall into this category

Films that fall into this category

Further reading

Bergman, Paul; Asimow, Michael. (2006) Reel justice: the courtroom goes to the movies (Kansas City : Andrews and McMeel). ISBN 0740754602; ISBN 978-0740754609; ISBN 0836210352; ISBN 978-0836210354.

Machura, Stefan and Robson, Peter, eds. Law and Film: Representing Law in Movies (Cambridge: Blackwell Publishing, 2001). ISBN 0631228160, ISBN 9780631228165 176 pages.

* * Category:Film genres Category:Drama genres Drama Category:Television genres

Name	Sidney Lumet
Caption	Lumet at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
Birth date	June 25, 1924
Birth place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Years active	1939–present
Spouse	Rita Gam (1949–1954) Gloria Vanderbilt (1956–1963) Gail Jones (1963–1978) Mary Gimbel (1980–)

Sidney Lumet (, loo-MET; born June 25, 1924) is an American film director, with over 50 films to his name, including 12 Angry Men (1957), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and The Verdict (1982), all of which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director.

According to The Encyclopedia of Hollywood, Lumet is one of the most prolific directors of the modern era making more than one movie per year on average since his directorial debut in 1957. He is especially noted for his ability to draw major actors to his projects, "because of his visual economy, strong direction of actors, vigorous storytelling and use of the camera to accent themes," notes Turner Classic Movies. "Lumet produced a body of work that could only be defined as extraordinary."

Personal life

His first wife was actress Rita Gam (Gam was also a good friend of Grace Kelly) (1949–54); his second, was socialite Gloria Vanderbilt (1956–63); his third, Gail Jones (1963–78), was the daughter of singer-actress Lena Horne; and his fourth marriage was to Mary Gimbel (1980–present). His marriage to Gail Jones produced two daughters, Amy, who was married briefly (1990–1993) to P. J. O'Rourke, and actress/screenwriter Jenny who had a leading role in his film Q & A. She also wrote the screenplay for the 2008 film Rachel Getting Married. Because the quality of many of the television dramas was so impressive, several of them were later adapted as motion pictures.

with Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb (1957)]] His first movie, 12 Angry Men, was typical of his best work, writes film historian Stephen Bowles, and was an auspicious beginning for Lumet. It was a critical success and established Lumet as a director skilled at adapting theatrical properties to motion pictures. For Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, seeing the film became a "pivotal moment" in her life, as she was at that time considering a career in law. "It sold me that I was on the right path," she said. He divided his energies among other idealistic problem pictures, adaptations of plays and novels, big stylish pictures, tense melodramas, and New York-based black comedies dealing with society and American culture. A controversial TV show he directed in 1960 gained him notoriety: The Sacco-Vanzetti Story on NBC; According to the NY Times, "the drama drew flack from the state of Massachusetts (where Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were tried and executed) because it was thought to postulate that the condemned murderers were, in fact, wholly innocent. But the brouhaha actually did Lumet more good than harm, sending several prestigious film assignments his way." According to film historians Gerald Mast and Bruce Kawin, Lumet’s "sensitivity to actors and to the rhythms of the city have made him America’s longest-lived descendant of the 1950s Neorealist tradition and its urgent commitment to ethical responsibility." His debut film, Twelve Angry Men, was an acclaimed picture in its day: it was a model for liberal reason and fellowship in the Eisenhower era; or maybe it was an alarming example of how easily any jury could be swayed.” The film and its director were nominated for Academy Awards. Lumet was nominated for the Director’s Guild Award and the film was widely praised by critics.

The Encyclopedia of World Biography states that his films often feature actors who studied "Method acting", "characterized by an earthy, introspective style. A leading example of such "Method" actors would be Al Pacino, who, early in his career, studied under Method acting guru Lee Strasberg. Lumet also prefers the appearance of spontaneity in both his actors and settings, an "improvisational look achieved by shooting much of his work on location." He was able to prepare and execute a production in rapid order, allowing him to consistently stay within a modest budget. When filming Prince of the City, for example, although there were over 130 speaking roles and 135 different locations, he was able to coordinate the entire shoot in fifty-two days. As a result, write historians Charles Harpole and Thomas Schatz, performers were eager to work with him as they considered him to be an "outstanding director of actors." And they note that "whereas many directors disliked rehearsals or advising actors on how to build their character, Lumet excelled at both." As a result, he was able to give his performers a cinematic showcase for their abilities and help them deepen their acting contribution.

Joanna Rapf, writing about the filming of The Verdict, states that Lumet gives a lot of personal attention to his actors, "listening to them, touching them." She describes how Lumet and star Paul Newman sat on a bench secluded from the main set, where Newman had taken his shoes off, in order to privately discuss an important scene about to be shot. . . . The actors walk through their scenes before the camera rolls. Lumet likes to shoot a scene in one take, two at the most. "I call him Speedy Gonzales, the only man I know who'll double-park in front of a whorehouse," kids Paul Newman privately. "He's arrogant about not shooting more than he has to. He doesn't give himself any protection. I know I would," Newman adds.

Actor Christopher Reeve, who co-starred in Deathtrap, said that Lumet "knows how to talk technical language—if you want to work that way—he knows how to talk Method, he knows how to improvise, and he does it all equally well."

Character development

According to biographer Joanna Rapf, Lumet has always been an "independent director," and liked to make films about "men who summon courage to challenge the system, about the little guy against the system." This also includes the women characters in his films, such as Garbo Talks. "Anne Bancroft embodies the kind of character to whom Lumet is attracted: a committed activist for all kinds of causes, who stands up for the rights of the oppressed, who is lively, outspoken, courageous, who refuses to conform for the sake of convenience, and whose understanding of life allows her to die with dignity.... Garbo Talks in many ways is a valentine to New York."

Throughout a 2006 interview, he reiterated that "he is fascinated by the human cost involved in following passions and commitments, and the cost those passions and commitments inflict on others." This theme is at the "core" of most of his movies, notes Rapf, "including his stories of corruption in the New York police department and family dramas such as in Daniel.

Psychodramas

According to film historian Stephen Bowles, he has proven himself "most comfortable and effective as a director of serious psychodramas and was most vulnerable when attempting light entertainments. His Academy Award nominations, for example, have all been for character studies of men in crisis, from his first film, Twelve Angry Men, to The Verdict. Lumet was, literally, a child of the drama." He notes that "nearly all the characters in Lumet's gallery are driven by obsessions or passions that range from the pursuit of justice, honesty, and truth to the clutches of jealousy, memory, or guilt. It is not so much the object of their fixations but the obsessive condition itself that intrigues Lumet." Lumet in his autobiography described the film Serpico as "a portrait of a real rebel with a cause."

Issues of social justice

According to Turner Classic Movies, "it was the social realism which permeated his greatest work that truly defined Lumet — the themes of youthful idealism beaten down by corruption and the hopelessness of inept social institutions allowed him to produce several trenchant and potent films that no other director could have made." Serpico (1973), was the first of four "seminal" films he made in the 1970s that marked him as "one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation." It was the story of power and betrayal in the New York City police force, and was coupled with the "idea that innocence is lost in the face of corruption." The movie became a blueprint that Lumet would use to portray the inner world of cops, lawyers and street criminals, with only an "idealistic lone wolf battling seemingly impossible odds."

"As a child of the Depression," writes Joanna Rapf, "growing up poor in New York City with poverty and corruption all around him, Lumet became concerned with the importance of justice to a democracy. He says he likes questioning things, people, institutions, what is considered by society as 'right' and 'wrong.'" He admits, however, that he does not believe that art itself has the power to change anything. "There is, as he says, a lot of 'shit' to deal with in the entertainment industry, but the secret of good work is to maintain your honesty and your passion."

Film historian David Thomson writes "He has steady themes: the fragility of justice, and the police and their corruption.". He adds, "Lumet quickly became esteemed…[and he] got a habit for big issues – Fail-Safe, The Pawnbroker, The Hill, – and seemed torn between dullness and pathos. … Network …was the closest he had come to a successful comedy. He was that rarity of the 1970s, a director happy to serve his material—yet seemingly not touched or changed by it."

He used New York time and again as the backdrop—if not the symbol—of his "preoccupation with America’s decline," according to film historians Scott and Barbara Siegel.

In a 2007 interview with New York Magazine, he was asked, "Almost all of your films—from The Pawnbroker to your latest—have an intense level of that famous New York grit. Is being streetwise really such a difference between us and Hollywood?" Lumet replied: "In L.A., there’s no streets! No sense of a neighborhood! They talk about us not knowing who lives in the same apartment complex as us—bullshit! I know who lives in my building. In L.A., how much can you really find out about anybody else? ... Really, it’s just about human contact. It seems to me that our greatest problems today are coming out of the increasing isolation of people, everywhere."

Partly because he has been willing and able to take on so many significant social issues and problems, "he can deliver powerhouse performances from lead actors, and fine work from character actors," writes film historian Thomson. He is "one of the stalwart figures of New York moviemaking. He abides by good scripts, when he gets them."

According to Katz's Film Encyclopedia, “Although critical evaluation of Lumet’s work wavered widely from film to film, on the whole the director’s body of work has been held in high esteem. Critical opinion has generally viewed him as a sensitive and intelligent director who possesses considerable good taste, the courage to experiment with a variety of techniques and styles, and an uncommon gift for handling actors."

In a quote from his book, Lumet emphasized the logistics of directing:

:"Someone once asked me what making a movie was like. I said it was like making a mosaic. Each setup is like a tiny tile (a setup, the basic component of a film’s production, consists of one camera position and its associated lighting). You color it, shape it, polish it as best you can. You’ll do six or seven hundred of these, maybe a thousand. (There can easily be that many setups in a movie.) Then you literally paste them together and hope it’s what you set out to do."

Legacy

According to film historian Bowles, Lumet has succeeded in becoming a leading drama filmmaker partly because "his most important criterion [when directing] is not whether the actions of his protagonists are right or wrong, but whether their actions are genuine." And where those actions are "justified by the individual's conscience, this gives his heroes uncommon strength and courage to endure the pressures, abuses, and injustices of others." His films have thereby continually given us the "quintessential hero acting in defiance of peer group authority and asserting his own code of moral values."

Lumet's published memoir about his life in film, Making Movies (1996), is "extremely lighthearted and infectious in its enthusiasm for the craft of moviemaking itself," writes Bowles, "and is in marked contrast to the tone and style of most of his films. Perhaps Lumet's signature as a director is his work with actors—and his exceptional ability to draw high-quality, sometimes extraordinary performances from even the most unexpected quarters" Jake Coyle, Associated Press writer, agrees: "While Lumet has for years gone relatively underappreciated, actors have consistently turned in some of their most memorable performances under his stewardship. From Katharine Hepburn to Faye Dunaway, Henry Fonda to Paul Newman, Lumet was known as an actor's director,"

;Quotes by others

"Would that there were more true heroes willing to stand up to the absurd received thinking in Hollywood regarding scripts, casting and storytelling." -- Craig Lucas (Screenwriter)

"What amazes me about Lumet is his enduring intellectual vigor. While most of the other lions of the '70s were taking paychecks for commercial flotsam in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Lumet was still making movies with social ambition: Prince of the City, The Verdict, Running on Empty, Q&A;, Night Falls on Manhattan... he never stopped looking for stories about flaws in the human condition. Few have mastered the medium as well as Lumet, and here’s the best part: he ain’t done yet." -- Jack Mathews (Film critic, New York Daily News)

"Lumet has brought you so completely into the world and point-of-view of the main characters that you understand and accept it all. He's one of the few directors who can blur the line between the everyday insanity we encounter and the over-the-top possibilities of drama, showing that there's not always a difference. Gregg Goldstein (Journalist, The Hollywood Reporter)

"Though he’s made films in Europe and Hollywood, Sidney Lumet is the heart and soul of New York City filmmaking. ... I greatly respect that he’s almost always made movies for audiences, not for the critics. Lou Lumenick (Chief film critic, New York Post)

"...the thing that is the most special about Lumet is his taste. He finds the most extraordinary writing and then gets actors who will be challenged to do career-best work in it—really image-changing work from Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Treat Williams, Nick Nolte, Faye Dunaway, Bill Holden, Ned Beatty, Rod Steiger, Dustin Hoffman, Vin Diesel, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei and many others. And that doesn't touch the simply amazing performances and ensemble work in films of real substance that he has chosen to make." -- David Poland (Editor, Movie City News)

"... I doubt that anyone else will soon supplant him. He is the master of cinematic pressure-cooking; in 12 Angry Men, Failsafe, The Hill, Murder on the Orient Express, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Equus, and on and on, he takes his characters hostage, placing a group of particular people under duress in a confined space as the clock ticks—always with a surprisingly cathartic result. And the man is still working. Amazing! Lee, TheReeler - NY City Cinema

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; height:100px;" cellpadding="5" |- style="background:#B0C4DE;" ! style="width:10%;"| Year ! style="width:25%;"| Film title ! style="width:55%;"| Leading cast ! style="width:10%;"| Watch clips |- | 1957 || 12 Angry Men ||Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb || trailer |- | 1958 || Stage Struck ||Henry Fonda, Susan Strasberg || |- | 1959 || That Kind of Woman ||Sophia Loren, Tab Hunter || |- |1959 || The Fugitive Kind|| Marlon Brando, Joanne Woodward, Anna Magnani|| scene |- | 1961 || A View from the Bridge ||Raf Vallone, Jean Sorel || |- | 1962 || Long Day's Journey Into Night ||Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards || scene |- | 1964 || The Pawnbroker ||Rod Steiger, Geraldine Fitzgerald ||scene |- | 1964 || Fail-Safe ||Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau || scene |- | 1965 || The Hill ||Sean Connery, Harry Andrews || trailer |- | 1966 || The Group ||Candice Bergen, Joan Hackett || |- | 1967 || The Deadly Affair ||James Mason, Harry Andrews || scene |- | 1968 || Bye Bye Braverman ||George Segal, Jack Warden || |- | 1968 || The Sea Gull ||Vanessa Redgrave, Simone Signoret || |- | 1969 || The Appointment ||Omar Sharif, Anouk Aimée || |- | 1970 || ||Paul Newman (narration), Joanne Woodward (narration) || |- | 1970 || Last of the Mobile Hot Shots ||Lynn Redgrave, James Coburn || |- | 1971 || The Anderson Tapes ||Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam || trailer |- | 1972 || Child's Play ||James Mason, Robert Preston || |- | 1972 || The Offence ||Sean Connery, Ian Bannen, Trevor Howard || trailer |- | 1973 || Serpico ||Al Pacino || trailer |- | 1974 || Lovin' Molly ||Anthony Perkins, Beau Bridges || |- | 1974 || Murder on the Orient Express ||Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman || scene |- | 1975 || Dog Day Afternoon ||Al Pacino, John Cazale || trailer |- | 1976 || Network || Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, William Holden,Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty || scene 1scene 2 |- | 1977 || Equus ||Richard Burton || trailer |- | 1978 || The Wiz ||Diana Ross, Michael Jackson || tribute |- | 1980 || Just Tell Me What You Want||Alan King, Ali MacGraw || |- | 1981 || Prince of the City ||Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach || trailerscenes |- | 1982 || Deathtrap||Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve,Dyan Cannon || |- | 1982 || The Verdict||Paul Newman, Jack Warden ||trailerscene |- | 1983 || Daniel ||Timothy Hutton, Mandy Patinkin || scenes |- | 1984 || Garbo Talks ||Anne Bancroft, Ron Silver || scene |- | 1986 || Power ||Richard Gere, Julie Christie, Gene Hackman || |- | 1986 || The Morning After||Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges || |- | 1988 || Running on Empty ||River Phoenix, Judd Hirsch || trailer |- | 1989 || Family Business ||Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman ||scene |- | 1990 || Q & A ||Timothy Hutton, Nick Nolte, Armand Assante || scenetrailer |- | 1992 || A Stranger Among Us||Melanie Griffith, John Pankow ||Scene |- | 1993 || Guilty as Sin ||Don Johnson, Rebecca De Mornay || trailer |- | 1997 || Night Falls on Manhattan ||Andy García, Ian Holm,Lena Olin, Richard Dreyfuss || trailer |- | 1997 || Critical Care||James Spader, Kyra Sedgwick || |- | 1999 || Gloria ||Sharon Stone, George C. Scott || scene |- | 2004 || Strip Search ||Glenn Close, Maggie Gyllenhaal || |- | 2006 || Find Me Guilty ||Vin Diesel, Alex Rocco || trailer |- | 2007 || Before the Devil Knows You're Dead ||Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney || trailer |}

Academy Awards

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; height:100px;" cellpadding="5" |- ! style="width:10%;"| Year ! style="width:80%;"| Film ! style="width:5%;"| Oscar Nominations ! style="width:5%;"| Oscar Wins |- | 1957 | 12 Angry Men | align="center"|3 | align="center"| |- | 1962 | Long Day's Journey into Night | align="center"|1 | align="center"| |- | 1965 | The Pawnbroker | align="center"|1 | align="center"| |- | 1970 | | align="center"|1 | align="center"| |- | 1973 | Serpico | align="center"|2 | align="center"| |- | 1974 | Murder on the Orient Express | align="center"|6 | align="center"|1 |- | 1975 | Dog Day Afternoon | align="center"|6 | align="center"|1 |- | 1976 | Network | align="center"|10 | align="center"|4 |- | 1977 | Equus | align="center"|3 | |- | 1978 | The Wiz | align="center"|4 | |- | 1981 | Prince of the City | align="center"|1 | |- | 1982 | The Verdict | align="center"|5 | |- | 1986 | The Morning After | align="center"|1 | |- | 1988 | Running on Empty | align="center"|2 | |- |}

Other awards

Berlin International Film Festival

1966 The Group nominated for Competing Film

1964 Pawnbroker nominated for Competing Film

1959 That Kind of Woman nominated for Competing Film

1957 12 Angry Men nominated for Best Film

1957 12 Angry Men nominated for Best Short Film

1957 12 Angry Men nominated for Competing Film

British Academy Film Awards

1977 Network nominated for Best Film

1975 Dog Day Afternoon nominated for Best Film

1974 Murder on the Orient Express nominated for Best Film

1967 Deadly Affair nominated for Best British Film

1965 The Hill nominated for Best British Film

1965 The Hill nominated for Best Film - Any Source

1957 12 Angry Men nominated for Best Film - Both Any Source and British

Cannes Film Festival

1992 nominated for In Competition

1962 Long Day's Journey into Night nominated for Competing Film

New York Film Critics Circle Award

1981 Prince of the City won for Best Direction

1981 Prince of the City nominated for Best Film

1981 Prince of the City nominated for Best Screenplay

1976 Network nominated for Best Direction

1976 Network nominated for Best Film

1968 Sea Gull nominated for Best Film

1965 Pawnbrokernominated for Best Direction

1965 Pawnbroker nominated for Best Film

1964 Fail-Safe nominated for Best Direction

1957 12 Angry Men nominated for Best Direction

1957 12 Angry Men nominated for Best Film

Venice Film Festival

1981 Prince of the City nominated for Competing Film

Notes

External links

Archive of American Television, TV Legends interview, 1999 video, 6-parts, 3 hours

Making of "Dog Day Afternoon" video, 10 min.

TV interview about "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" video, 5 min.

Lumet discussing replacement of film with digital production, 2007 video, 4 min.

FilmForce profile

A serious voice in American Cinema

FilmStew interview

On the digital revolution NYFF07

Fresh Air interview from 2006 (audio)

DGA Quarterly interview

sidneylumet.tv New site for fans and experts to upload reviews and essays, launched Nov 2010

Category:1924 births Category:Living people Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients Category:American film directors Category:American Jews Category:Best Director Golden Globe winners Category:Jewish actors Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Yiddish theatre performers Category:American writers Category:Columbia University alumni Category:American film actors Category:American film producers Category:American screenwriters Category:Writers from New York

Caption	The German premiere of The Bucket List, 2008
Birth name	Robert Norman Reiner
Birth date	March 06, 1947
Birth place	Bronx, New York, United States
Years active	1959–present
Occupation	Actor, director, producer, writer, political activist
Spouse	Penny Marshall (1971–1981) Michele Singer (1989–present)

Robert Norman "Rob" Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.

As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's (played by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton, respectively) son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s. As a director, Reiner was recognized by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) with nominations for Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally..., and A Few Good Men. He was trained at the UCLA Film School.

Early life

Reiner was born to a Jewish family in The Bronx, New York, and is the son of Estelle Reiner (née Lebost), an actress, and Carl Reiner, a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director. As a child, Reiner lived in New Rochelle, New York, where his family lived at 48 Bonnie Meadow Road. This is similar to 148 Bonnie Meadow Road, the fictional address of the Petries on The Dick Van Dyke Show, the 1960s CBS sitcom created by his father. Also, his latest film Flipped takes place at the corner of Bonnie Meadow Lane and Renfrew Street.

At the age of 13, Rob relocated with his family to the Los Angeles area, where he attended Beverly Hills High School with Richard Dreyfuss, Bonnie Franklin and Albert Brooks. He went on to enroll at the University of California, Los Angeles. He also has a sister, Sylvia Anne (Annie) Reiner (born 1957), who is a poet, playwright, and author; and a brother, Lucas Reiner (born 1962), a painter, actor, and director.

Career

Reiner began his career writing for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968 and 1969. After a short break, Reiner became famous playing Michael "Meathead" Stivic, Archie Bunker's liberal son-in-law, on Norman Lear's 1970s sitcom All in the Family, which was the most-watched television program for five years (1971–1976) in the United States.

The nickname "Meathead," referring to Reiner's character Mike Stivic in All in the Family, became a pop culture reference. Indeed, Reiner has stated, "I could win the Nobel Prize and they'd write 'Meathead wins the Nobel Prize'." O'Connor coined the name "Meathead" after arriving at the studio one day with a bag of ten subs from a nearby deli. In just ten minutes, O'Connor realized that Reiner had eaten four whole subs and was on his fifth. At that point O'Connor remarked, "Indeed, you are the Meathead if I ever saw one! Save some for the rest of us!" Co-star Jean Stapleton turned to Producer Norman Lear and said, "Carroll just gave Mike Stivic a name that will live in infamy!"

Reiner was parodied in Butt Out, a South Park episode which revolved around the theme of smoking and anti-tobacco activism. He is portrayed as selfish, bad-tempered and obese, and never without food in his hand/mouth. This is a running joke in the episode; as he rants about the evils and health hazards of smoking, he eats more rapidly still and begins sweating and shaking, as if on the verge of a stroke or heart attack. Reiner has not commented on his 'appearance' in the episode.

In a 2004 interview on A&E; Biography, Reiner said that he enjoyed working with Carroll O'Connor on-screen, as well as becoming best friends and for having a second father-in-law, off-screen. Reiner was a loyal friend to him until O'Connor's death on June 21, 2001. At the time, he, alongside Sally Struthers and Danielle Brisebois, attended O'Connor's funeral.

From the 1980s to present day, Reiner has been known as a director of successful Hollywood films. Some of these films—The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, and This Is Spinal Tap— have achieved cult status. Reiner has stated that the film which will go down as his masterpiece is Stand by Me. The film is also his favorite film of his own work. He often collaborates with film editor Robert Leighton, whom he also shares with fellow director-thespian Christopher Guest as their go-to editor.

Reiner has gone on to direct other critically and commercially successful films with his own company, Castle Rock Entertainment, such as When Harry Met Sally..., Misery, and his most commercially successful work A Few Good Men.

Reiner's latest film, The Bucket List, was released in December 2007 and starred Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two terminally ill men who escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of tasks to accomplish before they die. Although the film was popular with audiences, film critic Roger Ebert, a thyroid cancer sufferer, was especially off-put by treatment of the disease in the film: "'The Bucket List' thinks dying of cancer is a laugh riot followed by a dime-store epiphany."

Reiner has made cameos in a number of movies, including Throw Momma from the Train, Sleepless in Seattle, Bullets Over Broadway, The First Wives Club, Primary Colors, , and 30 Rock.

Reiner's upcoming film, Flipped, is scheduled for release in 2010.It was released September, 2010.

Personal life

rally on Oct. 29, 2003]] Rob Reiner is the son of Carl Reiner and Estelle Reiner. He was married to actress-director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981 and adopted Marshall's daughter from a previous marriage, actress Tracy Reiner. Reiner and Marshall divorced in 1981.

Reiner married photographer Michele Singer in 1989. They have three children. In 1997, Reiner and wife Michele founded the "I Am Your Child Foundation," now "Parents' Action for Children," a non-profit organization promoting early childhood development by producing and distributing celebrity-hosted educational videos for parents.

Reiner has devoted considerable time and energy to liberal activism in recent years.

Reiner is a co-founder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights which initiated the defense team against California's passing of prop 8 which banned same sex marriage in the state.

In 1998, Reiner chaired the campaign to pass Prop 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, which created First 5 California, a program of early childhood development services, funded by a tax on tobacco products. He served as the first chairman of First 5 California, from 1999 to 2006. Reiner came under criticism for campaigning for a ballot measure (Prop 82) to fund state-run preschools while still chair of the First Five Commission, causing him to resign from his position on March 29, 2006. An audit was conducted, and it concluded that the state commission did not violate state law and that it had clear legal authority to conduct its public advertising campaigns related to preschool. In the end, Prop 82 failed to win approval, garnering only 39.1% support.

Reiner was mentioned as a possible candidate to run against California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 but decided not to run for personal reasons. He campaigned extensively for Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore in 2000, and he campaigned in Iowa for Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean just before the 2004 Iowa caucuses. He endorsed Hillary Clinton for president for the 2008 election cycle.

Reiner is a member of the Social Responsibility Task Force, an organization advocating moderation where social issues (such as violence and tobacco use) and the entertainment industry meet.

Reiner is also active in environmental issues, and he successfully led the effort to establish California's Ahmanson Ranch as a state park and wildlife refuge rather than as a commercial real estate development. He introduced Spinal Tap at the London Live Earth concert in July 2007.

Filmography

Film

Halls of Anger – Actor (1969)

Summertree – Actor (1971)

Fire Sale – Actor (1977)

This Is Spinal Tap – Actor, Director, Song-Writer (1984)

The Sure Thing – Director (1985)

Stand by Me – Director (1986)

The Princess Bride – Director (1987)

Throw Momma from the Train – Actor (1987)

When Harry Met Sally... – Director (1989)

Postcards from the Edge – Actor (1990)

Misery – Director (1990)

A Few Good Men – Director (1992)

Sleepless In Seattle – Actor (1993)

North – Director (1994)

Bullets Over Broadway – Actor (1994)

The American President – Director (1995)

Bye Bye Love – Actor (1995)

Ghosts of Mississippi – Director (1996)

The First Wives Club – Actor (1996)

Primary Colors – Actor (1998)

EDtv – Actor (1999)

The Story of Us – Director (1999)

Alex & Emma – Director (2003)

- Actor (2003)

Rumor Has It... - Director (2005)

Everyone's Hero - Voice Actor (2006)

The Bucket List – Director (2007)

Flipped – Director, Producer, Screenplay (2010)

Television

The Smothers Brothers – Writer (1967)

The Andy Griffith Show – Copyboy (1967)

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. – hippie (1969)

The Beverly Hillbillies - Jethro's College protester friend (1969)

The Partridge Family – Snake (1971)

The Rockford Files – Larry 'King' Sturtevant (1974)

All in the Family – Michael Stivic (1971–1978)

Saturday Night Live – Himself (1975)

The $10,000 Pyramid – Guest as himself on debut week (1973)

Happy Days – Cowrote the first episode (1974)

Likely Stories, Vol. 1 – Director (1981)

It's Garry Shandling's Show – Appeared several times as himself, helping Garry to 'advance the plot' (1986–1990)

Morton & Hayes – Narrator (1991)

The Larry Sanders Show – Cameo playing himself in several episodes including Doubt Of The Benefit

Curb Your Enthusiasm – Season 2, Episode 5 (as himself) (2001)

The Simpsons – Guest-starred as himself in Million Dollar Abie (2006)

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – Guest-starred as himself (2006)

Hannah Montana – Guest-starred as himself (2009)

Wizards of Waverly Place – Guest-starred as himself (2009)

30 Rock – Guest-starred as himself (2010)

References

External links

Rob Reiner's biography, awards, and milestones at Hollywood.com

Rob Reiner Archive of American Television Interview

American Foundation for Civil Rights at Wehoconfidential.com

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:Actors from New York City Category:American bloggers Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American film producers Category:American television actors Category:American Jews Category:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent Category:Activists from California Category:California Democrats Category:Early childhood education in the United States Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish comedians Category:People from Beverly Hills, California Category:People from the Bronx Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni

Name	Lindsay Lohan
Background	solo_singer
Img alt	A white female in a black coat and miniskirt
Born	July 02, 1986New York City, New York, U.S.
Genre	Pop rock
Occupation	Actress, singer, fashion designer, model
Years active	1989–present
Label	Casablanca, Universal Motown
Url	www.myspace.com/lindsaylohan

Lindsay Lohan (; is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11. Lohan gained further fame between 2003 and 2005 with leading roles in the films Freaky Friday, Mean Girls and , subsequently appearing in independent films including Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion and Emilio Estevez's Bobby.

Her career was interrupted in 2007 as two driving under the influence (DUI) incidents and three visits to drug rehabilitation facilities led to several lost movie deals. Resuming her career, she guest starred in the TV series Ugly Betty in 2008, starred in the 2009 comedy Labor Pains, and appeared in Robert Rodriguez's Machete in 2010. Lohan launched a second career in pop music in 2004 with the album Speak and followed up with A Little More Personal (Raw) in 2005. She has attracted significant publicity, particularly surrounding her personal life.

Life and career

Early life and education

Lohan was born on July 2, 1986, in New York City and grew up in Merrick and Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island, New York. Lindsay has three younger siblings, all of whom have been models or actors: Michael Jr. (who appeared with Lindsay in The Parent Trap), Aliana ("Ali"), and Dakota ("Cody"), the youngest Lohan child. Lohan is of Irish and Italian heritage and was raised as a Catholic. Her maternal family were "well known Irish Catholic stalwarts" and her great-grandfather, John L. Sullivan, was a co-founder of the Pro-life Party in Long Island. until grade 11 when she started homeschooling.

1989–2002: Early career and The Parent Trap

Lohan began her career as a child model with Ford Models at the age of three. By the age of 10, when Lohan played Alexandra "Alli" Fowler in the series Another World, Soap Opera Magazine said she was already considered a show-business veteran.

Lohan remained in the role for a year, before leaving to star in Disney's 1998 family comedy The Parent Trap, a remake of the 1961 movie. She played dual roles of estranged twin sisters who try to reunite their long-divorced parents, played by Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson. The film earned $92 million worldwide, and critic Kenneth Turan called Lohan "the soul of this film as much as Hayley Mills was of the original", going on to say that "she is more adept than her predecessor at creating two distinct personalities".

At the age of 14, Lohan played Bette Midler's daughter in the pilot episode of the short-lived series, Bette, but resigned her role when the production moved from New York to Los Angeles. Also in 2002, Lohan dated singer Aaron Carter. There were reports of a feud between her and Hilary Duff, who had also dated Carter, though Lohan later commented that "people just started selling stories ... it was easy to write about." as well as recording four songs for the Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen soundtrack. Producer Emilio Estefan, Jr. signed Lohan to a five-album production deal in 2002. Two years later, Lohan signed a recording contract with Casablanca Records, headed by Tommy Mottola.—earned a domestic box office total of $29 million, with Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo commenting that it was "well above expectations as it was strictly for young girls". The film overall, however, did not meet with critical acclaim. Lohan cowrote six of the twelve songs on the album. The album was praised by Linda McGee of RTÉ, who awarded it 4 out of 5 stars and commented that "Speak opens with all the raw emotion and teenage angst that you'd expect from an artist of Lohan's age" and that, "while her vocals are not sensational, their gritty edge keeps Lohan more than afloat throughout this album" as well as comparing the album to the early music of Avril Lavigne. The magazine also described how Lohan terminated the promotional tour and was de-emphasized on the movie poster due to "un-Disney-like behavior".

With Mean Girls, Lohan's public profile was raised significantly and paparazzi began following her. Lohan cowrote six of the twelve songs on the album. Slant Magazine called the album "contrived ... for all the so-called weighty subject matter, there's not much meat on these bones." The video was a dramatization of the pain Lohan says her family has suffered at the hands of her father. Lohan spoke in 2007 about her childhood: "I feel like a second parent in the sense that I helped raise my family...I was put between my mother and father a lot. Well, I would put myself between them to try and keep the peace, and I felt good doing that." In a letter that was made public, studio executive James G. Robinson called Lohan "irresponsible and unprofessional". He mentioned "various late arrivals and absences from the set" and that "we are well aware that your ongoing all night heavy partying is the real reason for your so-called 'exhaustion'."

On August 23, 2007, Lohan pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cocaine use and driving under the influence and was sentenced to one day imprisonment and 10 days' community service. She was also ordered to pay fines and complete an alcohol education program, and was given three years probation. Lohan released a statement in which she said "it is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs". Lohan made a cameo appearance in the drug themed music video for the May 2008 N*E*R*D song "Everyone Nose". after the birthdate of Marilyn Monroe (pictured)]] Lohan has a long-lasting fascination with Marilyn Monroe going back to when she saw Niagara during The Parent Trap shoot. The New York Times critic Ginia Bellafante found it disturbing, saying "the pictures ask viewers to engage in a kind of mock necrophilia. ... At 21 [Lohan] seems even older than Monroe, who was 36 in the originals ... [and] the photographs bear none of Monroe's fragility". In April 2009, following her break up with Ronson, Lohan appeared in a skit on the comedy website Funny or Die. The self-deprecating video is a spoof of the personal ads on dating website eHarmony. She was ordered to submit to random drug and alcohol screenings and attend psychotherapy and behavior therapy twice a week, as well as five 12-step sessions a week. The judge said that any failure to attend the sessions or to pass the drug tests could result in a 30-day jail sentence. A new hearing was scheduled for November 1, until which time Lohan was required to remain in Los Angeles.

Robert Rodriguez's action exploitation film Machete opened on September 3, 2010. Lohan filmed her scenes for the movie in August and September 2009. After a hearing on September 24, where the judge ordered a preliminary revocation of Lohan's probation, she was denied bail and sent back to jail. She was required to wear a SCRAM bracelet and "stay away from establishments that primarily sell alcohol." A few days later she voluntarily entered the Betty Ford Center, a drug and alcohol treatment center.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Films |- ! Year ! Film ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1998 | The Parent Trap | Hallie Parker / Annie James | Remake |- | 2000 | Life-Size | Casey Stuart | television film |- | 2002 | Get a Clue | Lexy Gold | Disney Channel Original Movie |- | 2003 | Freaky Friday | Anna Coleman | Remake |- | 2004 | Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen | Mary Elizabeth "Lola" Cep | |- | 2004 | Mean Girls | Cady Heron | |- | 2005 | | Maggie Peyton | |- | 2006 | Just My Luck | Ashley Albright | |- | 2006 | A Prairie Home Companion | Lola Johnson | |- | 2006 | The Holiday | Lindsay Lohan | Cameo |- | 2006 | Bobby | Diane Howser | |- | 2007 | Georgia Rule | Rachel Wilcox | |- | 2007 | I Know Who Killed Me | Aubrey Flemming / Dakota Moss | |- | 2008 | Chapter 27 | Jude Hanson | |- | 2009 | Labor Pains | Thea Clayhill | ABC Family Original Movie |- | 2010 | Machete | April Booth | |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Television |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1996 | Another World | Alli Fowler | Soap Opera |- | 2000 | Bette | Rose Midler | "Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1) |- | 2004 | King of the Hill | Jenny Medina | "Talking Shop" (Season 8, Episode 22) |- | 2005 | That '70s Show | Danielle | "Mother's Little Helper" (Season 7, Episode 7) |- | 2008 | Ugly Betty | Kimmie Keegan | "Jump" (Season 2, Episode 18, uncredited)"The Manhattan Project"(Season 3, Episode 1)"Granny Pants"(Season 3, Episode 5)"Ugly Berry"(Season 3, Episode 6) |- |}

Discography

Speak (2004)

A Little More Personal (Raw) (2005)

Awards

References

; General

; Specific

External links

Official website

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:2000s singers Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from New York Category:American actors of Italian descent Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American documentary filmmakers Category:American female models Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American pop singers Category:American soap opera actors Category:American television actors Category:Lindsay Lohan Category:Motown artists Category:Musicians from New York City Category:People convicted of alcohol-related driving offenses Category:People from Hempstead (town), New York Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People from Suffolk County, New York

, late 19th century ]]

Judas Iscariot (, Yehuda, ) was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus, and is best known for betraying Jesus into the hands of the chief priests.

According to the account given in the Gospel of John, Judas carried the disciples' money bag This problem was one of the points that caused C. S. Lewis, for example, to reject the view "that every statement in Scripture must be historical truth". yet woe is upon him, and he would have been better unborn (). The difficulty inherent in the saying is its paradoxicality - if Judas had not been born, the Son of Man will apparently no longer go "as it is written of him". The consequence of this apologetic approach is that Judas's actions come to be seen as necessary and unavoidable, yet leading to condemnation.

In December 2007, a New York Times op-ed article by April DeConick asserted that the National Geographic's translation is badly flawed: For example, in one instance the National Geographic transcription refers to Judas as a "daimon", which the society’s experts have translated as "spirit". However, the universally accepted word for "spirit" is "pneuma" — in Gnostic literature "daimon" is always taken to mean "demon". have also questioned the initial translation and interpretation of the Gospel of Judas by the National Geographic team of experts.

Gospel of Barnabas

According to medieval copies of the Gospel of Barnabas, it was Judas, not Jesus, who was crucified on the cross. It is mentioned in this work that Judas's appearance was transformed to that of Jesus', when the former, out of betrayal, led the Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus who by then was ascended to the heaven. This transformation of appearance was so identical that the masses, followers of Christ, and even the Mother of Jesus, Mary, initially thought that the one arrested and crucified was Jesus himself. The Gospel then mentions that after three days since burial, Judas's body was stolen from his grave, and then the rumors spread of Jesus being risen from the dead. When Jesus was informed in the third heaven about what happened, he prayed to God to be sent back to the earth, and so he descended and gathered his mother, disciples, and followers and mentioned to them the truth of what happened, and having said this he ascended back to the heavens, and will come back at the end of times as a just king.

Representations and symbolism

The term Judas has entered many languages as a synonym for betrayer, and Judas has become the archetype of the traitor in Western art and literature. Judas is given some role in virtually all literature telling the Passion story, and appears in a number of modern novels and movies.

In the Eastern Orthodox hymns of Holy Wednesday (the Wednesday before Pascha), Judas is contrasted with the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume and washed his feet with her tears. According to the Gospel of John, Judas protested at this apparent extravagance, suggesting that the money spent on it should have been given to the poor. After this, Judas went to the chief priests and offered to betray Jesus for money. The hymns of Holy Wednesday contrast these two figures, encouraging believers to avoid the example of the fallen disciple and instead to imitate Mary's example of repentance. Also, Wednesday is observed as a day of fasting from meat, dairy products, and olive oil throughout the year in memory of the betrayal of Judas. The prayers of preparation for receiving the Eucharist also make mention of Judas's betrayal: "I will not reveal your mysteries to your enemies, neither like Judas will I betray you with a kiss, but like the thief on the cross I will confess you."

in a Spanish paso figure.]] Judas Iscariot is often represented with red hair in Spanish culture The practice is comparable to the Renaissance portrayal of Jews with red hair, which was then regarded as a negative trait and which may have been used to correlate Judas Iscariot with contemporary Jews.

Art and literature

Judas has become the archetype of the betrayer in Western culture, with some role in virtually all literature telling the Passion story.

In Dante's Inferno, he is condemned to the lowest circle of Hell, where he is one of three sinners deemed evil enough that they are doomed to be chewed for eternity in the mouths of the triple-headed Satan. (The others are Brutus and Cassius, who conspired against and assassinated Julius Caesar.)

Judas is the subject of one of the oldest surviving English ballads, dating from the 13th century, Judas, in which the blame for the betrayal of Christ is placed on his sister.

Edward Elgar's oratorio, The Apostles, depicts Judas as wanting to force Jesus to declare his divinity and establish the kingdom on earth. Eventually he succumbs to the sin of despair.

. Judas hangs himself]]

In Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita, Judas is paid by the high priest of Judaea to testify against Jesus, who had been inciting trouble among the people of Jerusalem. After authorizing the crucifixion, Pilate suffers an agony of regret and turns his anger on Judas, ordering him assassinated. The story-within-a-story appears as a counter-revolutionary novel in the context of Moscow in the 1920s-1930s.

Michael Moorcock's novel Behold the Man offers an alternative, sympathetic portrayal of Judas. In the book, Karl Glogauer, the time traveler from the 20th Century who takes on the role of Christ, asks a reluctant Judas to betray him in order to fulfill the biblical account of the crucifixion.

In C. K. Stead's novel My Name Was Judas, Judas, who was then known as Idas of Sidon, recounts the story of Jesus and recalled by him some forty years later. Judas recalls his childhood friendship with Jesus, their schooldays, their families, their journeys with the disciples and their dealings with the powers of Rome and the Temple.

Three Versions of Judas (original Spanish title: "Tres versiones de Judas") is a short story by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges. It was included in Borges' anthology, Ficciones, published in 1944. It is written in form of a scholarly article and appears on the surface to be a well researched critical analysis.

In Martin Scorsese's film The Last Temptation of Christ, based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, Judas Iscariot's only motivation in betraying Jesus to the Romans was to help him, as Jesus' closest friend, through doing what no other disciple could bring himself to do. It shows Judas obeying Jesus' covert request to help him fulfill his destiny to die on the cross, making Judas the catalyst for the event later interpreted as bringing about humanity's salvation. This view of Judas Iscariot is reflected in the recently discovered Gospel of Judas.

In Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Jesus Christ Superstar, Judas is portrayed as a tragic hero who believed that Jesus was not the son of God, but rather just a man. Since he feared that if Jesus' following grew too large then the Romans would attack and kill the Jews, he betrayed Jesus to Caiaphas and Annas to prevent a bloodbath.

In The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, a critically acclaimed play by Stephen Adly Guirgis, Judas is given a trial in Purgatory.

The Leon Rosselson song "Stand Up for Judas" presents Judas in a positive light, as a revolutionary who wanted justice in this world, not the next. Jesus, on the other hand, is presented as a "conjurer", working miracles and promising happiness in the next world, thus encouraging people to accept their lot in this world. The chorus of the song is "So stand up, stand up for Judas and the cause that Judas served/It was Jesus who betrayed the poor with his word."

In Trial of Christ in Seven Stages (1909) by John Brayshaw Kaye, the author did not accept the idea that Judas intended to betray Christ, and the poem is a defence of Judas, in which he adds his own vision to the biblical account of the story of the trial before the Sanhedrim and Caiaphas.

See also

Gospel of Judas

References

External links

The Prophecy of Judas in Psalm 41 Video

Judas Iscariot: Catholic Encyclopedia article published 1910

Jewish Encyclopedia: Judas Iscariot

"Death and Retribution: Medieval Visions of the End of Judas the Traitor" - 1997 lecture by Dr Otfried Lieberknecht

Gospel Truth

Category:Ancient people who committed suicide Category:Christianity and antisemitism Category:Twelve apostles Category:Religious people who committed suicide Category:1st-century deaths *Main Category:Biblical apostles