Celery
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Apiales
Family:	Apiaceae
Genus:	Apium
Species:	A. graveolens
Binomial name
Apium graveolens L.

Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery (var. dulce) or celeriac (var. rapaceum), depending on whether the petioles (stalks) or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall. The leaves are pinnate to bipinnate leaves with rhombic leaflets 3–6 cm long and 2–4 cm broad. The flowers are creamy-white, 2–3 mm diameter, produced in dense compound umbels. The seeds are broad ovoid to globose, 1.5–2 mm long and wide.

Etymology[link]

Apium graveolens, leaf cellery

First attested in English 1664, the word "celery" derives from the French céleri, in turn from Italian seleri, the plural of selero, which comes from Late Latin selinon,^[1] the latinisation of the Greek σέλινον (selinon), "parsley".^[2][3] The earliest attested form of the word is the Mycenaean Greek se-ri-no, written in Linear B syllabic script.^[4]

Taxonomy[link]

Celery was described by Carl von Linné in Volume One of his Species Plantarum in 1753.^[5]

The closely related Apium bermejoi from the island of Minorca is one of the rarest plants in Europe, with fewer than 100 individuals left.^[6]

Cultivation[link]

Head of celery, sold as a vegetable. Usually only the stalks are eaten.

Celery root, or celeriac, is also used as a vegetable.

In North America, commercial production of celery is dominated by the varieties called Pascal celery.^[7] Gardeners can grow a range of cultivars, many of which differ little from the wild species, mainly in having stouter leaf stems. They are ranged under two classes, white and red; the white cultivars being generally the best flavoured, and the most crisp and tender. The stalks grow in tight, straight, parallel bunches, and are typically marketed fresh that way, without roots and just a little green leaf remaining.

The wild form of celery is known as "smallage". It has a furrowed stalk with wedge-shaped leaves, the whole plant having a coarse, earthy taste, and a distinctive smell. The stalks are not usually eaten (except in soups or stews in French cuisine), but the leaves may be used in salads, and its seeds are those sold as a spice.^[8] With cultivation and blanching, the stalks lose their acidic qualities and assume the mild, sweetish, aromatic taste particular to celery as a salad plant.

The plants are raised from seed, sown either in a hot bed or in the open garden according to the season of the year, and after one or two thinnings and transplantings, they are, on attaining a height of 15–20 cm, planted out in deep trenches for convenience of blanching, which is effected by earthing up to exclude light from the stems.

In the past, celery was grown as a vegetable for winter and early spring; it was perceived as a cleansing tonic, welcomed to counter the salt-sickness of a winter diet. By the 19th century, the season for celery had been extended, to last from the beginning of September to late in April.^[9]

Harvesting and storage[link]

Cross-section of a Pascal celery rib

Harvesting occurs when the average size of celery in a field is marketable; due to extremely uniform crop growth, fields are harvested only once. The petioles and leaves are removed and harvested; celery is packed by size and quality (determined by colour, shape, straightness and thickness of petiole, stalk and midrib length and absence of disease, cracks, splits, insect damage and rot). Under optimal conditions, celery can be stored for up to seven weeks between 0 to 2 °C (32 to 36 °F). Inner stalks may continue growing if kept at temperatures above 0 °C (32 °F). Freshly cut petioles of celery are prone to decay, which can be prevented or reduced through the use of sharp blades during processing, gentle handling, and proper sanitation.^[10]

Cut pieces of celery last only a few hours before they turn brown, and few American restaurants include it in green salads because it cannot be prepared far enough ahead of time. In the past, restaurants used to store it in a container of water with powdered vegetable preservative; however, the sulfites in the preservative caused allergic reactions in some people.^[11] In 1986, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of sulfites on fruits and vegetables intended to be eaten raw.^[12]

Uses[link]

Apium graveolens is used around the world as a vegetable, either for the crisp petiole (leaf stalk) or the fleshy toproot.

In temperate countries, celery is also grown for its seeds. Actually very small fruit, these "seeds" yield a valuable volatile oil used in the perfume and pharmaceutical industries. They also contain an organic compound called apiol. Celery seeds can be used as flavouring or spice, either as whole seeds or ground and mixed with salt, as celery salt. Celery salt can also be made from an extract of the roots. Celery salt is used as a seasoning, in cocktails (notably to enhance the flavour of Bloody Mary cocktails), on the Chicago-style hot dog, and in Old Bay Seasoning.

Celery, onions, and bell peppers are the holy trinity of Louisiana Creole and Cajun cuisine. Celery, onions, and carrots make up the French mirepoix, often used as a base for sauces and soups. Celery is a staple in many soups, such as chicken noodle soup.

Medicine[link]

Celery seeds

The use of celery seed in pills for relieving pain was described by Aulus Cornelius Celsus around 30 AD.^[13] Celery seeds contain a compound, 3-n-butylphthalide, that has been demonstrated to lower blood pressure in rats.^[14]

Bergapten in the seeds can increase photosensitivity, so the use of essential oil externally in bright sunshine should be avoided. The oil and large doses of seeds should be avoided during pregnancy, as they can act as a uterine stimulant. Seeds intended for cultivation are not suitable for eating as they are often treated with fungicides.

Nutrition[link]

Celery is used in weight-loss diets, where it provides low-calorie dietary fibre bulk. Celery is often purported to be a "negative calorie food" based on the assumption that it contains fewer calories than it takes to digest; however, this statement has no scientific merit.^[15]

Allergies[link]

Celery is among a small group of foods (headed by peanuts) that appear to provoke the most severe allergic reactions; for people with celery allergy, exposure can cause potentially fatal anaphylactic shock.^[16] The allergen does not appear to be destroyed at cooking temperatures. Celery root—commonly eaten as celeriac, or put into drinks—is known to contain more allergen than the stalk. Seeds contain the highest levels of allergen content. Exercise-induced anaphylaxis may be exacerbated. An allergic reaction also may be triggered by eating foods that have been processed with machines that have previously processed celery, making avoiding such foods difficult. In contrast with peanut allergy being most prevalent in the US, celery allergy is most prevalent in Central Europe.^[17] In the European Union, foods that contain or may contain celery, even in trace amounts, must be clearly marked as such.^{[citation needed]}

Chemistry[link]

Polyacetylenes can be found in Apiaceae vegetables like celery where they show cytotoxic activities.^[18]

History[link]

Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf^[19] note that celery leaves and inflorescences were part of the garlands found in the tomb of pharaoh Tutankhamun (died 1323 BC), and celery mericarps dated to the seventh century BC were recovered in the Heraion of Samos. However, they note "since A. graveolens grows wild in these areas, it is hard to decide whether these remains represent wild or cultivated forms." Only by classical times is it certain that celery was cultivated.

M. Fragiska mentions an archeological find of celery dating to the 9th century BC, at Kastanas; however, the literary evidence for ancient Greece is far more abundant. In Homer's Iliad, the horses of the Myrmidons graze on wild celery that grows in the marshes of Troy, and in Odyssey, there is mention of the meadows of violet and wild celery surrounding the cave of Calypso.^[20]

Cultural depictions[link]

Selinunte didrachm coin bearing a selinon (celery) leaf, circa 515-470 BC.

Apium illustration from Barbarus Apuleius' Herbarium, circa 1400.

A chthonian symbol among the ancient Greeks, celery was said to have sprouted from the blood of Kadmilos, father of the Cabeiri, chthonian divinities celebrated in Samothrace, Lemnos and Thebes. The spicy odour and dark leaf colour encouraged this association with the cult of death. In classical Greece, celery leaves were used as garlands for the dead, and the wreaths of the winners at the Isthmian Games were first made of celery before being replaced by crowns made of pine. According to Pliny the Elder^[21] in Achaea, the garland worn by the winners of the sacred Nemean Games was also made of celery.^[20] The Ancient Greek colony of Selinous (Greek: Σελινοῦς, Selinoūs), on Sicily, was named after wild parsley that grew abundantly there; Selinountian coins depicted a parsley leaf as the symbol of the city.

The name "celery" retraces the plant's route of successive adoption in European cooking, as the English "celery" (1664) is derived from the French céleri coming from the Lombard term, seleri, from the Latin selinon, borrowed from Greek.^[22] Celery's Mediterranean origins are still commemorated in the French expression céleri d'Italie.

Celery's surprisingly late arrival in the English kitchen is an end-product of the long tradition of seed selection needed to reduce the sap's bitterness and increase its sugars. By 1699, John Evelyn could recommend it in his Acetaria. A Discourse of Sallets: "Sellery, apium Italicum, (and of the Petroseline Family) was formerly a stranger with us (nor very long since in Italy) is an hot and more generous sort of Macedonian Persley or Smallage...and for its high and grateful Taste is ever plac'd in the middle of the Grand Sallet, at our Great Men's tables, and Praetors feasts, as the Grace of the whole Board".

Celery has made a surprising appearance in football folklore. Supporters of English Premier League team Chelsea and Football League team Gillingham regularly sing songs about the vegetable and are famed for throwing celery during matches. This has also given rise to the "Chelsea Cocktail", a pint of Guinness garnished with a stick of celery.

The Fifth incarnation of Doctor Who, Peter Davison, was noted for wearing a stalk of celery on his lapel, claiming it at one point to be an excellent restorative, though the human olfactory sense was comparatively weak.

See also[link]

• List of culinary vegetables
• Vallisneria americana - wild celery
• Apium virus Y
• Celery mosaic virus
• Umami

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Celery

• Barbagallo, Tricia (June 1, 2005). "Black Beach: The Mucklands of Canastota, New York" (PDF). http://www.archives.nysed.gov/apt/magazine/MagSummer05FeatureArticle_000.pdf. Retrieved 2008-06-04. 
• on Apium graveolens
• Quality standards (in PDF format), from the USDA website

v t e Bartending Occupations Barback Bartender Beer sommelier Cocktail waitress Sommelier Tools Bar spoon Beer engine Blender Chinoise Cocktail shaker Cocktail strainer Corkscrew Ice cube Jigger Juicer Lemon zester Margarita machine Melon ball Muddler Muddling spoon Nutmeg grater Peg Swizzle stick Whisk Garnishes Edible Celery Cocktail onion Cocktail Olive Maraschino cherry Salt Twist Citrus wedge Inedible Cocktail stick Cocktail umbrella Drinking straw Swizzle stick Terminology Body shot Dry Flair bartending Happy hour Ladies' night and Gay night Last call Six o'clock swill Straight up

Paul Rudd
Rudd at Hollywood Life magazine's 8th Annual Breakthrough Awards, December 2007
Born	Paul Stephen Rudd (1969-04-06) April 6, 1969 (age 43) Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, screenwriter, producer
Years active	1992–present
Spouse	Julie Yaeger (m. 2003) «start: (2003)»"Marriage: Julie Yaeger to Paul Rudd" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Paul_Rudd)

Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My Affection, Role Models, I Love You, Man, and Our Idiot Brother. In television, he appeared on the NBC sitcom Friends, playing Mike Hannigan, Phoebe Buffay's boyfriend and later husband, and is commonly featured on the Tim and Eric show.

Early life[link]

Rudd was born in Passaic, New Jersey.^[1] His parents, both natives of London (England), were Jewish, and were descended from immigrants from Russia and Poland;^[2][3] the family's original surname, "Rudnitzky", was changed by his grandfather to "Rudd".^[4][5] Rudd had a bar mitzvah.^[6] His father, Michael, was a historical tour guide who was formerly the vice president of World Airways, while his mother, Gloria, was a sales manager at the television station KSMO-TV.^[7][8] When he was ten, Rudd's family moved to Overland Park, Kansas, where he was raised; his family also spent three years living in Anaheim, California, because of his father's occupation.^[9][10][11] He attended high school at Shawnee Mission West and college at the University of Kansas,^[12] where he was a member of the Nu Chapter of Sigma Nu.^[13] He spent three months studying Jacobean drama at the British American Drama Academy based in Oxford, U.K.^[14][15]

Career[link]

Rudd made his breakout performance in the 1995 film Clueless, which turned him into a minor teen idol. Additional early-career credits include Wet Hot American Summer, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The Cider House Rules, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, and The Object of My Affection. He also garnered recognition with a recurring role on the television sitcom Friends as Mike Hannigan, who married Phoebe Buffay. Rudd's Broadway acting credits include The Last Night of Ballyhoo (1997), Twelfth Night (1998), and Three Days of Rain (2006). He guest-starred as a has-been 1990s rock star, Desmond Fellows, on the television series, Veronica Mars, in an episode titled "Debasement Tapes". He voiced the audiobook recordings of John Hodgman's books The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require. In 2006, he appeared in several episodes of Reno 911! as "Guy Gerricault" (pronounced "jericho"), the coach of a lamaze class, and portrayed a drug lord in the film Reno 911!: Miami. In 2012 he signed to appear on three episodes of NBC's Parks and Recreation as Bobby Newport, a candidate for City Council and a rival of Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope.

Rudd became a full-fledged comedy star with his roles in Judd Apatow pictures The 40-Year-Old Virgin (directed by Apatow) and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (produced by Apatow). In 2007, he starred as frustrated husband Pete in Knocked Up, his third collaboration with Apatow and Seth Rogen. That year he also starred in both The Oh in Ohio and The Ten, which reunited him with David Wain and Michael Showalter. The former film was a box-office and critical disappointment as was his next starring vehicle, Over Her Dead Body with Eva Longoria. He bounced back with a memorable supporting role as Kunu (Hawaiian for "Chuck"), the drug-addled surf instructor in Nicholas Stoller's Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The film was a hit, as was his next comedy Role Models, where he and co-star Seann William Scott portrayed energy-drink salesmen forced to perform community service in a child mentoring program. Rudd also made cameo appearances in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Year One and Night at the Museum.

Rudd (right) with I Love You, Man co-stars Jason Segel and Rashida Jones at the premiere in March 2009

In 2009, Rudd again appeared with Jason Segel in I Love You Man. He lent his voice to the Dreamworks computer-animated hit movie Monsters Vs. Aliens. In 2010, he reunited with Steve Carell for the first time since Knocked Up for the Jay Roach-directed comedy Dinner for Schmucks.

Rudd has become one of the most popular and marketable stars of Apatow films and the like, often starring with other regulars like Seth Rogen (four films), Jonah Hill (three films), Leslie Mann (three films), Kristen Wiig (three films), Jason Segel (three films), Steve Carell (four films), Elizabeth Banks (five films), and Joe Lo Truglio (seven films).

Running gags on television[link]

As part of a running gag during his appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and Conan, Rudd has brought a clip from the film Mac and Me, where the wheelchair-using Eric (Jade Calegory) flies off a cliff while Mac watches on, instead of showing clips from the actual film he is there to promote.^[16][17] He also has appeared on stage for Conan O'Brien's live tour.

Rudd also has a running gag on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in which Rudd and Jimmy Fallon appear to be setting up a clip from a film Rudd is appearing in. The clip that follows, however, is a clip from Late Show with David Letterman in which Rudd, in an earlier appearance, and David Letterman set up the clip verbatim to how Rudd and Fallon appeared to set up the clip.

Personal life[link]

In 2003, Rudd married his girlfriend of five^{[citation needed]} years, Julie Yaeger; they have a son, Jack Sullivan (b. 2006), and a daughter, Darby. Rudd frequently travels to Overland Park, Kansas, where he attended high school.^[18] He is a fan of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals and National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, for whom he narrated the 2007 HBO special Hard Knocks. He also frequents University of Kansas basketball games and is a big fan of the Jayhawks.

Filmography[link]

Rudd at the SUNDANCE 2011: Inside The Cosmopolitan Lounge at The Sundance Channel HQ House

Film[link]

Television[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Paul Rudd

• Paul Rudd at the Internet Movie Database
• Paul Rudd at the Internet Broadway Database
• Paul Rudd on National Public Radio

Wilbur Schwictenberg (July 12, 1912 – July 15, 1989) was an American trombonist and bandleader who also performed under the name Will Bradley. He was known for swing and sweet dance music, as well as boogie woogie songs, many of which were written by Don Raye.

Born in Newton, New Jersey, Schwictenberg was one of the premier trombonists on the New York swing scene, and he often participated in jam sessions broadcast on The CBS Saturday Night Swing Club. In 1939 he and drummer Ray McKinley formed a big band, with Schwictenberg taking the professional name of Will Bradley. The Bradley band became well known for boogie-woogie, particularly its hit record, "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar," with Freddie Slack on piano.^[1] This record, along with another big-band boogie woogie number, "Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat," and the original version of the classic, "Down the Road a Piece", were all three in the top 10 on the Billboard popular music charts at the same time, in late-1940. "Down the Road a Piece" was recorded with a pared-down trio called the "Will Bradley Trio," made up of McKinley, Doc Goldberg, and Freddie Slack, with guest vocals by songwriter Don Raye.

Will Bradley was one of the first bandleaders who appeared in Soundies, three-minute musical films made for coin-operated "movie jukeboxes." Bradley's films, made in late 1940, were widely distributed and gave the Bradley band valuable exposure. Drummer Ray McKinley did most of the vocals.

In 1942 McKinley left to form his own band and a few months after joined the United States Air Force, where he played in the Glenn Miller Air Force band. Bradley tried to maintain his band, but problems caused by the war forced Bradley to disband. Bradley became a studio musician, and played for many years in the Tonight Show band during the Johnny Carson era.

References[link]

This United States musical biography article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Tim Burton
Burton at the 64th Venice Film Festival in 2007
Born	Timothy Walter Burton (1958-08-25) August 25, 1958 (age 53) Burbank, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Burbank High School
Alma mater	California Institute of the Arts
Occupation	Film director, film producer, writer, artist
Years active	1982–present
Notable work(s)	The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Corpse Bride, Dark Shadows (film), Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (film)
Influenced by	Edgar Allan Poe, Stanley Kubrick, Christopher Lee, Wes Craven, Vincent Price, Ray Harryhausen, Roger Corman, Alan Moore, Ed Wood, Stephen King, John Carpenter, Alfred Hitchcock, Charles Addams, Steven Spielberg
Influenced	Shane Acker, Zack Snyder, Len Wiseman, Daniel Knauf, David Slade, Joss Whedon, Rob Zombie, James Wan
Spouse	Lena Gieseke (1989–1993)
Partner	Lisa Marie (1993–2001) Helena Bonham Carter (2001–present)
Children	Billy Ray Burton (2003–) Nell Burton (2007–)
Awards	See below
Website
timburton.com

Timothy Walter "Tim" Burton^[1] (born August 25, 1958) is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Dark Shadows and for blockbusters such as Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Batman, Batman Returns, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Alice in Wonderland, which was the second highest-grossing film of 2010, and the tenth highest-grossing film of all time.^[2]

Burton is known for using recurring collaborators on his works; among them are Johnny Depp, who has become a close friend of Burton since their first film together; musician Danny Elfman, who has composed for all but five of the films Burton has directed or produced; and domestic partner Helena Bonham Carter. He also wrote and illustrated the poetry book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, published in 1997, and a compilation of his drawings, entitled The Art of Tim Burton, was released in 2009. Burton has directed 16 films and produced 12, as of 2012. His latest films are an adaptation of the soap opera Dark Shadows, released on May 10, 2012,^[3] and a remake of his 1984 short, Frankenweenie, scheduled to be released on October 5, 2012.^[4]

Early life[link]

Burton was born in 1958, in the city of Burbank, California, to Jean Burton (née Erickson), the owner of a cat-themed gift shop, and Bill Burton, a former minor league baseball player who would later work for the Burbank Park and Recreation Department.^[5][6] As a preteen, Burton would make short films in his backyard on Evergreen Street using crude stop motion animation techniques or shoot them on 8 mm film without sound. (One of his oldest known juvenile films is The Island of Doctor Agor, that he made when he was 13 years old.) Burton studied at Burbank High School, but he was not a particularly good student. He was a very introspective person, and found his pleasure in painting, drawing and watching films. His future work would be heavily influenced by the works of such childhood heroes as Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl,^[7] as well as Edgar Allan Poe and the horror and science fiction films he watched, such as Godzilla, and films made by Hammer Film Productions, the works of Ray Harryhausen and Vincent Price.

After graduating from Burbank High School with Jeff Riekenberg, Burton attended the California Institute of the Arts to study character animation. Some of his classmates were John Lasseter, Brad Bird, John Musker and Henry Selick. (In the future, Selick and Burton would work together in The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach.)

As a student in CalArts, Burton made the shorts Stalk of the Celery Monster and King and Octopus.^[8] They remain only in fragments today.

Early career: 1980s[link]

Burton graduated from CalArts in Santa Clarita, California in 1979. The success of his short film Stalk of the Celery Monster attracted the attention of Walt Disney Productions' animation studio, who offered young Burton an animator's apprenticeship at their studio. He worked as an animator, storyboard artist and concept artist on films such as The Fox and the Hound, The Black Cauldron and Tron. However, Burton's personal style clashed with Disney's standards, and he longed to work on solo projects.

While at Disney in 1982, Burton made his first short, Vincent, a six-minute black-and-white stop motion film based on a poem written by the filmmaker, and depicting a young boy who fantasizes that he is his (and Burton's) hero Vincent Price, with Price himself providing narration. The film was produced by Rick Heinrichs, whom Burton had befriended while working in the concept art department at Disney. The film was shown at the Chicago Film Festival and released, alongside the teen drama Tex, for two weeks in one Los Angeles cinema. This was followed by Burton's first live-action production Hansel and Gretel, a Japanese-themed adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale for the Disney Channel, which climaxes in a kung-fu fight between Hansel and Gretel and the witch. Having aired once at 10:30 pm on Halloween 1983 and promptly shelved, prints of the film are extremely difficult to locate, which contributes to the rumor that this project does not exist. (In 2009, the short went on display in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 2011 the short also played at the Tim Burton art exhibit at the LACMA).

Burton's next live-action short, Frankenweenie, was released in 1984. It tells the story of a young boy who tries to revive his dog after it is run over by a car. Filmed in black-and-white, it stars Barret Oliver, Shelley Duvall (with whom he would work again in 1986, directing an episode of her Faerie Tale Theatre) and Daniel Stern. After Frankenweenie was completed, Disney fired Burton, under the pretext of him spending the company's resources on doing a film that would be too dark and scary for children to see.

Pursuing then an opportunity to make a full-length film, he was approached by Griffin Dunne to direct the black comedy film After Hours. However, after Martin Scorsese's project The Last Temptation of Christ was cancelled (although it would later be completed and released in 1988), he showed an interest in directing it. Respectfully, Burton bowed out.

[edit] Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Not long after, actor Paul Reubens saw Frankenweenie and chose Burton to direct the cinematic spin-off of his popular character Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee Herman gained mainstream popularity with a successful stage show at The Groundlings and then the Roxy which was later turned into an HBO special. The film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), was made on a budget of $8 million and grossed more than $40 million at the box office. Burton, a fan of the eccentric musical group Oingo Boingo, asked songwriter Danny Elfman to provide the music for the film. Since then, Elfman has provided the score for all but five of the films Burton has directed and/or produced, those exceptions being Cabin Boy, Ed Wood, James and the Giant Peach and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

[edit] Beetlejuice