Look up off in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Off or OFF may refer to:

• OFF! (band), American hardcore punk band
• OFF (acronym for Organization for Fun) pseudonym for German DJ and singer Sven Väth
• Off (album), an album by Ciwan Haco
• OFF!, an insect repellent
• Off side, one half of the cricket field
• Open Font Format
• Owner free filing system, a P2P-network which breaks up files into blocks
• Oil-for-Food Programme, the United Nations arrangement with Iraq from 1995 to 2003
• Our Favorite Family, a nickname for the eponymous family in the animated television series The Simpsons

See also[link]

• Offside

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

John Krasinski
Krasinski in March 2009
Born	John Burke Krasinski (1979-10-20) October 20, 1979 (age 32) Newton, Massachusetts, United States
Alma mater	Brown University
Occupation	Actor, Director
Years active	2000–present
Spouse	Emily Blunt (2010–present)
Parents	Dr. Ronald Krasinski Mary Clare Doyle

John Burke Krasinski (pronounced /krəˈzɪnski/; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office. He also has a film career appearing in several films including Away We Go, Leatherheads, License to Wed, Big Miracle, Something Borrowed, and It's Complicated.

Early life[link]

Krasinski was born in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of a Polish-American father, internist Dr. Ronald Krasinski,^[1] and an Irish-American mother, Mary Clare (née Doyle).^[2] He has two older brothers, Kevin and Paul, and was raised Roman Catholic.^[3]

Before entering college, Krasinski taught English in Costa Rica.^[4] From there, he went to Brown University, studying theatre arts with Lowry Marshall and John Emigh, and graduating in 2001 as a playwright with an honors thesis entitled "Contents Under Pressure".^[5] During his time at Brown, he was a member of the sketch comedy group Out of Bounds. In college, he also helped coach youth basketball at The Gordon School in East Providence, Rhode Island. He then attended the National Theater Institute in Waterford, Connecticut.^[6]

Career[link]

Television and feature films[link]

Besides training at the National Theater Institute, he also studied at The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England and The Actors Center in New York City. After graduating from Brown University, Krasinski went to New York City to pursue acting, appearing in commercials and guest spots on television shows, as well as doing readings of off-Broadway plays while working as a waiter.^[7] He starred in the play What the Eunuch Saw, which was written and directed by a former college classmate.^[8] In 2000, Krasinski was a script intern on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.^[9][10]

Krasinski filmed the footage of Scranton, Pennsylvania, for The Office, including the clips shown in the opening credits.^[11] Krasinski directed an episode of The Office, titled "Sabre", the fourteenth episode of The Office's sixth season. He has also directed the third episode of the show's eighth season, titled "Lotto".

Krasinski starred as Gideon in A New Wave, released in 2007. He also starred as Brevin in the Gregg Araki film Smiley Face, filmed in 2006. More recently, he had major roles in the films License to Wed, with Mandy Moore and Robin Williams, and Leatherheads with George Clooney and Renee Zellweger. From April to June 2008 he filmed Away We Go, directed by Sam Mendes and co-starring Maya Rudolph.^[12] He appeared with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in the Nancy Meyers romantic comedy It's Complicated, released in late 2009.^[13]

In 2006, Krasinski wrote and directed Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, an adaptation of David Foster Wallace's collection of short stories. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.^[14]

Krasinski's other television credits include Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Without A Trace, Ed,^[15] American Dad!,^[16] and an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. His feature film credits include Kinsey, Duane Hopwood, Jarhead, The Holiday and Shrek the Third. He also had minor roles in For Your Consideration and Dreamgirls.

Krasinski played the role of Ethan in a film adaptation of the novel Something Borrowed. He also signed on to star with Drew Barrymore in Big Miracle.^[17] Krasinski will also play the lead in an indie movie called Nobody Walks.^[18] He will appear in and also serve as executive producer alongside Aaron Sorkin on an HBO miniseries about the Chateau Marmont Hotel.^[19] Krasinski co-wrote Promised Land with Matt Damon and will also appear in the film, set to begin production in April 2012.^[20][21]

Other work[link]

Beginning in March 2006, Krasinski narrated a series of commercials for Ask.com.^{[citation needed]} He has also narrated commercials for Apple TV, Verizon Wireless, Allstate Insurance, Esurance,^[22] BlackBerry Storm,^[23] My Coke Rewards,^[24] and Carnival Cruise Lines,^[25] and has appeared in print advertisements for Gap.^[26]

In April 2011, he starred in a New Era/Major League Baseball ad campaign with Alec Baldwin, playing off the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.^[27]

Personal life[link]

This section requires expansion.

Krasinski's first stage experience was starring as Daddy Warbucks in a 6th-grade school production of Annie. His next role was in a satirical play written and cast by his Office co-star B.J. Novak when they were high school seniors. The two graduated from Newton South High School in 1997.^[28][29]

He received publicity for donating money to a prospective college student from San Francisco through the organization ScholarMatch.^[30]

In November 2008, Krasinski began dating British actress Emily Blunt, although, despite reports to the contrary, they were not set up by Emily's friend Anne Hathaway^[31] The couple married on July 10, 2010, in Italy with the accompaniment of celebrity friends George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel, Stanley Tucci, David Schwimmer, and Meryl Streep. ^[32]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Krasinski at the 2008 Emmy Awards

Television[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Krasinski

• John Krasinski at the Internet Movie Database
• John Krasinski interview for License to Wed and The Office at TheCinemaSource.com
• John Krasinski Interview at AMCtv.com

Lana Del Rey
Del Rey at a promotional event in Seattle
Background information
Birth name	Elizabeth Woolridge Grant
Also known as	Lizzy Grant Lana Rey Del Mar May Jailer
Born	(1986-06-21) June 21, 1986 (age 26)[1] New York City, New York, United States
Origin	Lake Placid, New York, United States
Genres	Indie pop,[2] adult alternative,[2] chamber pop,[3] sadcore[4]
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, fashion model
Instruments	Vocals, guitar[5]
Years active	2007–present
Labels	Interscope, Polydor, Stranger
Website	lanadelrey.com

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant^[6] (born June 21, 1986), better known by her stage name Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Raised in upstate New York, Del Rey moved to New York City at age eighteen, where she attended college and began writing music and performing in clubs.

In 2008, Del Rey contracted with an independent label and recorded a self-titled debut album which was briefly available on iTunes in 2010; Del Rey ultimately bought back the rights to the album and it was withdrawn soon after.

In June 2011, she released the song "Video Games" on the Internet, accompanied by a self-made music video that went viral in the following months. The song was later released as a single in October, leading up to Del Rey's major-label debut album, Born to Die, which was released on January 31, 2012 through Interscope Records. Born to Die debuted at number one in seven countries, including the United Kingdom^[7] and Australia. The album has spawned two worldwide top 10 hits: "Video Games" and "Born to Die".

Del Rey's music has been noted for its cinematic sound and its references to various aspects of pop culture, particularly that of 1950s and '60s Americana.^[8] Del Rey has been described as a "self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra",^[9] and cites Britney Spears,^[10][11][12] Eminem,^[13][10] and Antony and the Johnsons amongst her musical influences.^[10]

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Del Rey was born Elizabeth Grant in New York City and grew up in Lake Placid, New York.^[14][15] When she was 14, she attended Kent School, a boarding school in Connecticut.^[16][17] She has Scottish ancestry, and is the daughter of domain investor Rob Grant, who supported her in her early career as a singer.^{[18][19][20][21]} Del Rey attended Fordham University in New York City, studying philosophy.^[22]

At age 18, her uncle taught her how to play guitar, beginning with basic chords: "It was G, C, A, D minor, A minor and some diminished chord as well. Some trick, some shortcut," Del Rey recalled. "I realized I could probably write a million songs with those six chords, so I moved to New York and I took a couple of years to just write whatever I wanted."^[5] She began performing in clubs while living in the city.

Her stage name was discussed in a Vogue interview, in which she said, "I wanted a name I could shape the music towards [...] I was going to Miami quite a lot at the time, speaking a lot of Spanish with my friends from Cuba – Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamour of the seaside. It sounded gorgeous coming off the tip of the tongue."^[23] The name is reportedly an amalgam of the actress Lana Turner, and the 1980's automobile Ford Del Rey. ^[24]

"I wanted to be part of a high-class scene of musicians. It was half-inspired because I didn't have many friends, and I was hoping that I would meet people and fall in love and start a community around me, the way they used to do in the '60s."^[25]

Del Rey first released a three-track EP titled Kill Kill in October 2008 under the name Lizzy Grant, featuring the tracks "Kill Kill", "Yayo" and "Gramma (Blue Ribbon Sparkler Trailer Heaven)".^[26]

[edit] 2010: Lana Del Ray A.K.A. Lizzy Grant

Del Rey later released her first full-length studio album titled Lana Del Ray A.K.A. Lizzy Grant [sic] in January 2010.^[27] It was the singer's first professionally produced album, released under Lizzy Grant on an independent label with producer David Kahne.^[28] Del Rey stated that "David asked to work with me only a day after he got my demo. He is known as a producer with a lot of integrity and who had an interest in making music that wasn't just pop."^[29] Her father, Robert Grant, helped with the marketing of the album,^[30] which was available for purchase on iTunes for a brief period before being withdrawn. According to David Kahne, who produced Grant, Grant bought the rights back from her label, 5 Points, as she wanted it out of circulation to "…stifle future opportunities to distribute it – an echo of rumors that the action was part of a calculated strategy."^[31]

[edit] 2011–present: Born to Die

Lana Del Rey performing at Paradiso, Amsterdam.

Later in June 2011, Del Rey was signed with Stranger Records,^[32] to release her debut single "Video Games";^[32] in October 2011, she signed a joint deal with Interscope Records and Polydor.^{[5][33][34][35]} In October 2011, she won the Q award for "Next Big Thing". Del Rey's song "Video Games" was featured for the first time on The CW's TV-Series Ringer on September 27, 2011.^[36] Del Rey also promoted the album in a number of live appearances, including a show at the Bowery Ballroom, where, according to Eliot Glazer of New York, "the polarizing indie hipstress brought her 'gangsta Nancy Sinatra' swagu."^[37] Rolling Stone commented that, despite Del Rey being nervous and anxious while performing her songs live, she "sang with considerable confidence", although they noted that "her transitions ...could be rather jarring."^[38] Del Rey also performed "Video Games" on Dutch television program De Wereld Draait Door,^[39] on British music television show Later... with Jools Holland,^[40] and on an intimate show at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, California.^[41]

Born to Die was released on January 27, 2012 in Ireland,^[42] January 30, 2012, in the UK, and on January 31, 2012 worldwide.^[43]

Del Rey performed two songs on Saturday Night Live on January 14, 2012 to a warm reception from the audience, but mixed reviews from critics and the general public. NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams called Del Rey's performance "one of the worst outings in SNL history". Del Rey's performance was defended by the evening's program guest host, actor Daniel Radcliffe, despite not having seen her performance.^[44] He said in part: "It was unfortunate that people seemed to turn on her so quickly [...] I don't think [the performance] warranted anywhere near that reaction." Del Rey had earlier defended her spot on the program, saying: "I'm a good musician [...] I have been singing for a long time, and I think that [SNL creator] Lorne Michaels knows that [...] it's not a fluke decision."^[45] On February 4, 2012, Kristen Wiig appeared on the Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live parodying Del Rey and poking fun at the backlash.

The second single and title track "Born to Die" was released on December 3, 2011.^[46] The music video for it leaked on December 14, 2011,^[47] and was based on a concept created by the singer, while being directed by Yoann Lemoine.^[48]

In January 2012, Del Rey revealed that she recently bought back the rights to her 2010 album Lana Del Ray A.K.A. Lizzy Grant and will re-release it in the summer of 2012 under Interscope Records and Polydor.^[49] Contrary to Grant's press statement, her previous label (5 Point Records), and producer David Kahne have both stated that she bought the rights to the album when she and the label parted company, due to the offer of a new deal, in April 2010.^[50][51] On January 4, 2012, it was reported she had signed a deal with NEXT Model Management agency.^[52] In May 2012, Del Rey confirmed the song "National Anthem" as the fourth single from her album Born to Die. ^{[53] [54]} On May 30th, 2012, Del Rey's supposed debut album "Sirens" was leaked online under the name "May Jailer". The 15 track album includes the previously leaked song "A Star for Nick."

Artistry[link]

Music

She has been described as a "self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra",^[9] Del Rey is known to write and produce most of her own material and covers genres from Hip-Hop and Indie. Having first been discovered from posting viral videos of herself singing on the internet she quickly grew a significant fan base. She has been noted for using her allure to the celebrity lifestyle as an inspiration in itself, whilst at the same time maintaining an aura of mystique, this has reflected in the melodies and vocals she produces. Her sound as well as her videography has been described as eccentric, over the top and at times wild. However Noah Levy, senior news editor at In Touch Weekly magazine noted that her dedication and talent is undeniable, quoted as saying "I think she cares about the art that she is creating. I don't think that is fake at all."^[55]

Voice

Del Rey possesses a wide^[56] contralto vocal range,^{[57][58][59][60]} which has been described as unique, captivating and highly emotive,^[60] being able to transcend from sounding high and girlish in her timbre, down to a low and jazzy sound with great ease, although both these areas of the voice can be conflicting in their sound and polarise opinion.^[57]

When recording in the studio Del Rey is known for vocal multi layering, double tracking and overlays which has it has been noted is difficult for her to replicate within a live setting, especially with the lack of backing singers to fill out the original vocal style.^[59].

Influences

Del Rey cites Britney Spears,^[11][12] Elvis Presley, Antony and the Johnsons, Frank Sinatra ^[13] and Eminem amongst her musical influences. "[I really] just like the masters of every genre", she told BBC journalist Jo Whiley.^[61]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Lana Del Ray A.K.A. Lizzy Grant (2010)
• Born To Die (2012)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lana Del Rey

• Official website
• Lana Del Rey at the Internet Movie Database
• Lana Del Rey talks influences with BEAT

Mila Kunis
Kunis on a Family Guy panel at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2009
Born	Milena Markovna Kunis/Milena Markivna Kunis[1][2] (1983-08-14) August 14, 1983 (age 28) Chernivtsi, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Alma mater	Loyola Marymount University
Occupation	Actress, voice artist
Years active	1994–present
Home town	Los Angeles, California
Partner	Macaulay Culkin (2002–2010)

Milena "Mila" Kunis (Russian: Милена "Mилa" Кунис; Ukrainian: Мілена "Miлa" Куніс;^[1] born August 14, 1983;  /ˈmiːlə ˈkuːnɪs/) is an American actress. At the age of seven, she moved from Ukraine to Los Angeles, California with her family. After being enrolled in acting classes to help learn English, she was soon discovered by an agent. She appeared in TV shows and commercials, before her first significant role, playing Jackie Burkhart on the TV series That '70s Show. A year later, she was cast as the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy.

Her breakout film role came in 2008, playing Rachel Jansen in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Subsequent film roles included Mona Sax in Max Payne, Solara in The Book of Eli, and Jamie in Friends with Benefits. Her performance as Lily in Black Swan gained her worldwide accolades, including receiving the Premio Marcello Mastroianni for Best Young Actor or Actress at the 67th Venice International Film Festival, and nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.

She has received substantial media attention for her beauty, including often landing on the "Hot 100" lists for publications such as Maxim or FHM and routinely appearing on the cover of national magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar and GQ magazine. Her star status was further enhanced when she signed on to be the face of the Christian Dior Spring fashion campaign. At the age of 18, she began a relationship with actor Macaulay Culkin that lasted eight years.^[3]

Early life[link]

Kunis was born in Chernivtsi in the Ukrainian SSR.^[4][5] She is the daughter of Elvira, a physics teacher and drug store manager, and Mark, a mechanical engineer and cab company executive. Kunis has an older brother, Michael.^[6] In 1991, when she was seven years old, her family moved to Los Angeles, California. Kunis is Jewish and has cited antisemitism in the former Soviet Union as one of several reasons for her family's move to the U.S.^[5][7][8] She has stated that her parents "raised [her] Jewish as much as they could", though religion was suppressed in the Soviet Union.^[5]

On her second day in Los Angeles, Kunis was enrolled at Rosewood Elementary School not knowing a word of English. "I blocked out second grade completely. I have no recollection of it. I always talk to my mom and my grandma about it. It was because I cried every day. I didn't understand the culture. I didn't understand the people. I didn't understand the language. My first sentence of my essay to get into college was like, 'Imagine being blind and deaf at age seven.' And that's kind of what it felt like moving to the States."^[9]

Education[link]

In Los Angeles, she attended Hubert Howe Bancroft Middle School.^[10] She was mostly taught by an on-set tutor for her high school years while filming That '70s Show.^[11] When not on the set, she attended Fairfax High School, where she graduated in 2001.^[7] She briefly attended UCLA and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.^[6][12]

Career[link]

Television[link]

At age nine, Kunis' father enrolled her in acting classes after school at the Beverly Hills Studios, where she met Susan Curtis, who would become her manager.^[13][14] Her first TV role was in 1994 as the young Hope Williams on an episode of the popular soap opera Days of our Lives.^[15] She had a minor role on 7th Heaven^[11] and supporting roles in Santa with Muscles, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, and the Angelina Jolie film Gia, as the young Gia Carangi.^[6]

In 1998, Kunis was cast as Jackie Burkhart in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show. All who auditioned were required to be at least 18 years old; Kunis, who was 14 at the time, told the casting directors she would be 18 but did not say when. Though they eventually figured it out, the producers still thought Kunis was the best fit for the role.^[5][14] That '70s Show ran for eight seasons.^[16]

In 1999, Kunis replaced Lacey Chabert in the role of Meg Griffin on the animated sitcom Family Guy,^[17] created by Seth MacFarlane for Fox. Kunis won the role after auditions and a slight rewrite of the character, in part due to her performance on That '70s Show.^[18] MacFarlane called Kunis back after her first audition, instructing her to speak slower, and then told her to come back another time and enunciate more. Once she claimed that she had it under control, MacFarlane hired her.^[18] MacFarlane added: "What Mila Kunis brought to it was in a lot of ways, I thought, almost more right for the character. I say that Lacey did a phenomenal job, but there was something about Mila – something very natural about Mila. She was 15 when she started, so you were listening to a 15-year-old. Which oftentimes with animation they'll have adult actors doing the voices of teenagers and they always sound like Saturday morning voices. They sound, oftentimes, very forced. She had a very natural quality to Meg that really made what we did with that character kind of really work."^[19] Kunis was nominated for an Annie Award in the category of Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production in 2007.^[20] She also voiced Meg in the Family Guy Video Game!. Kunis described her character as "the scapegoat."^[21]

Film work, 2001–2008[link]

In 2001, she appeared in Get Over It opposite Kirsten Dunst. She followed that up in 2002, by starring in the straight-to-DVD horror film American Psycho 2 alongside William Shatner, a sequel to the 2000 film American Psycho. American Psycho 2 was panned by critics,^[22] and later, Kunis herself expressed embarrassment over the film.^[23] In 2004, Kunis starred in the film adaptation Tony n' Tina's Wedding. Although the film was shot in 2004, it did not have a theatrical release until 2007.^[24] Most critics did not like the film, which mustered a 25% approval from Rotten Tomatoes.^[25] DVD talk concluded that "fans would be much better off pretending the movie never happened in the first place".^[26]

In 2005, Kunis co-starred with Jon Heder in Moving McAllister, which was not released theatrically until 2007.^[27] The film received generally poor reviews and had a limited two week run in theaters.^[28][29] She followed up with After Sex starring alongside Zoe Saldana, who had also appeared in Get Over It.^[30] In October 2006, she began filming Boot Camp (originally titled Straight Edge).^[31] Although the film did not have a theatrical release in the United States, it was released on DVD on August 25, 2009.^[32]