Chris Nickson (born 1954) is a British novelist, music journalist, and biographer.

Nickson was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire but lived in the United States for some 30 years from the age of 21. He is a music journalist, specialising in world and roots music. For several years he wrote a regular column for Global Rhythm magazine, and wrote The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to World Music. He contributes interviews and reviews to several music magazines and websites. He has written biographies of celebrities including Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor and Christopher Reeve, and in 2010 he published his first novel, The Broken Token, set in Leeds in 1731. The next novel in the series, "Cold Cruel Winter" will be published in the UK in May 2011 (September in the US), with the third, "The Constant Lovers," due in 2012.^{[citation needed]} His biography of the late singer-songwriter John Martyn, "Solid Air," will be published as an ebook in June 2011.^{[citation needed]}

William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received four Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one Golden Globe. He has been described as one of the world's most attractive men, a label for which he has received substantial media attention.

Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the road movie Thelma & Louise (1991). His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with A River Runs Through It (1992), Interview with the Vampire (1994), and Legends of the Fall (1994). In 1995, he gave critically acclaimed performances in the crime thriller Seven and the science fiction film 12 Monkeys, the latter earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination. Four years later, Pitt starred in the cult hit Fight Club. He then starred in the major international hit Ocean's Eleven (2001) and its sequels, Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). His greatest commercial successes have been Troy (2004) and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). Pitt received his second and third Academy Award nominations for his leading performances in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Moneyball (2011). In addition, Pitt owns a production company, Plan B Entertainment, whose productions include The Departed (2006), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Moneyball, which garnered a Best Picture nomination.

Liam O'Flynn (Irish: Liam Ó Floinn, born 15 April 1945) is a master uilleann piper and prominent Irish folk musician. In addition to an impressive solo career and his work with the Irish traditional group Planxty, O'Flynn has recorded with many prominent international musical artists, including Mark Knopfler, the Everly Brothers, Enya, Mary Black, and Donal Lunny. O'Flynn is acknowledged as Ireland's foremost exponent of the uilleann pipes and has brought the music of the pipes to a worldwide audience. In 2007, O'Flynn was named Musician of the Year at the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Awards, considered to be the foremost recognition given to traditional Irish musicians.

Liam Ó Floinn was born 15 April 1945 in Kill, County Kildare to musical parents. His father was a teacher and fiddle player. His mother, who came from a family of famous musicians from Clare, played and taught piano. From an early age, Liam showed musical talent, and was encouraged to pursue his interest in the uilleann pipes by the piper Tom Armstrong. At the age of 11, he began taking master classes with Leo Rowsome. He was also influenced by Willie Clancy and Séamus Ennis. In the 1960s, Liam began to receive recognition of his talent, winning prizes at the Oireachtas Festival and the Fleadh Cheoil. During his early years, he was sometimes billed as Liam Óg Ó Floinn.