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A feature film is a film that runs for 40 minutes or longer, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, American Film Institute, and British Film Institute, though the Screen Actors Guild states that it is 80 minutes or longer.

The majority of feature films are between 90 and 210 minutes long. The Story of the Kelly Gang was the first feature film based on length, and was released in 1906. The first feature-length adaptation was Les Misérables which was released in 1909.

Feature films for children are usually between 60 and 120 minutes. Other early feature films include a version of Oliver Twist (1912), Richard III (1912) and From the Manger to the Cross (1912).

Many feature films tend to be adaptations of literary works. Notable feature length adaptations include The Godfather, Gone With the Wind, Dracula, Forrest Gump and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Description[link]

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,^[1] the American Film Institute,^[2] and the British Film Institute^[3] all define a feature as a film with a running time of 40 minutes or longer. The Centre National de la Cinématographie in France defines it as a 35 mm film longer than 1,600 metres, which is exactly 58 minutes and 29 seconds for sound films, and the Screen Actors Guild gives a minimum running time of at least 80 minutes.^[4] Today, a feature film is usually between 80 and 210 minutes^{[citation needed]}; a children's film is usually between 60 and 120 minutes^{[citation needed]}. An anthology film is a fixed sequence of short subjects with a common theme, combined into a feature film.

History[link]

The term feature film came into use to refer to the main film to be presented in a cinema, and the one which was promoted or advertised. The term was used to distinguish the main film from the short films (referred to as shorts) typically presented before the main film, such as newsreels, serials, animated cartoons and live-action comedies and documentaries. These types of short films would precede the featured presentation - the film given the most prominent billing and running multiple reels. There was no sudden jump in the running times of films to the present-day definitions of feature-length; the "featured" film on a film program in the early 1910s gradually expanded from two to three to four reels.

Early proto-features had been produced in America and France, but were released in individual scenes, leaving the exhibitor the option of running them together. The American company S. Lubin released a Passion Play in January 1903 in 31 parts, totaling about 60 minutes.^[5] The French company Pathé Frères released a different Passion Play, La Vie et la passion de Jésus Christ, in May 1903 in 32 parts running about 44 minutes. There were also full-length records of boxing matches, such as The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight (1897).^[6]

Defined by length, the first dramatic feature film was the Australian 70-minute film The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906).^[7] Similarly, the first European feature was the 90-minute film L'Enfant prodigue (France, 1907), although that was an unmodified record of a stage play; Europe's first feature adapted directly for the screen, Les Misérables, came from France in 1909.^[7] The first Russian feature was Defence of Sevastopol in 1911.^[8] The first UK features were the documentary With Our King and Queen Through India (1912), filmed in Kinemacolor,^[9] and Oliver Twist (1912).^[7] The first American features were a different production of Oliver Twist (1912), From the Manger to the Cross (1912), and Richard III (1912), the latter starring actor Frederick Warde.^[10] The first Asian feature was Japan's The Life Story of Tasuke Shiobara (1912),^[11] the first Indian feature was Raja Harishchandra (1913),^[12] the first South American feature was Brazil's O Crime dos Banhados (1913),^[11] and the first African feature was South Africa's Die Voortrekkers (1916).^[11] 1913 also saw China's first feature film, Zhang Shichuan's Nan Fu Nan Qi.

By 1915 over 600 features were produced annually in the United States.^[13] The most prolific year of U.S. feature production was 1921, with 682 releases; the lowest number of releases was in 1963, with 213.^[13] Between 1922 and 1970, the U.S. and Japan alternated as leaders in the quantity of feature film production. Since 1971, the country with the highest feature output has been India,^[14] which produces a thousand films in more than twelve Indian languages each year.^[15]

References[link]

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Thomas Richard Christy Jr (born April 1, 1974) is an American musician and radio personality who currently works on The Howard Stern Show. Christy began to work on the show after winning the "Get John's Job" contest on July 1, 2004.^[1] He is known for his prank calls, song parodies, personality, and stunts performed on the radio show. He is also a stand-up comic and an actor, appearing in and directing several independent films.

Christy is a professional drummer, and a former member of metal bands Death and Iced Earth. He is currently working in his own project, Charred Walls of the Damned.

Childhood and early music career[link]

Christy was born in Fort Scott, Kansas in 1974 and grew up in the nearby city of Redfield, a small town with a population of 140, according to the 2000 census. His father is a Vietnam veteran.

Christy was inspired to play drums after hearing Alex Van Halen's drumming in the Van Halen song "Hot for Teacher".^[2] When Christy turned 10 years old, he began to play drums in the Uniontown, Kansas elementary school band. He played snare drum for a year until his parents bought him a 3-piece Gretsch drum set from an antiques dealer in Arcadia, Kansas. After school, Christy would practice to Van Halen, Twisted Sister, Kiss and Quiet Riot records.

While living in Florida, Christy continued to work as an electrician for Phillips Electrical Contracting in Orlando.^[3]

Later music career[link]

In recent years, Christy has played drums for Caninus, and he announced after signing a record deal in May 2009 that he planned to re-enter the heavy metal scene, forming a new band called "Charred Walls of the Damned". Their first single, Ghost Town was premiered on The Howard Stern Show in November 2009 and is currently in rotation on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.^[4]

[edit] The Howard Stern Show

Christy first appeared on The Howard Stern Show in October 1999, where Stern would play voice mail messages that Christy had recorded about co-host Robin Quivers. His debut message was featured on the Labor Day Weekend special in 2006. Christy would continue sending in messages but it was not until April 24, 2003, when the show would broadcast from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, where Christy made his debut appearance. Christy unsuccessfully played a round of blackjack to win a date with a porn star.

In 2004, John Melendez (then known as "Stuttering John") left the radio show to become the announcer for The Tonight Show. Stern announced a "Get John's Job" contest which pitted ten Stern fans and contributors against each other in competition for Melendez's vacated position. Each contestant was given a week to display any talents they could bring to the show, after which the listeners cast votes for their favorite over the Internet. On July 1, Stern announced Christy had won with 30% of the listener vote, with Sal Governale being runner-up with 24%; both Christy and Governale joined the show by September.^[5]

When Stern moved to Sirius XM Radio in January 2006, he gave Christy his own show that would air semi-regularly throughout the year. On May 15, 2006, porn star Hillary Scott was the first guest on Inside the Porn Actors Studio on Howard 101, an hour-long program which parodied the television series Inside the Actors Studio, with Christy filling the role of James Lipton.

Between 2005 and the tour's demise in late 2009, Christy also performed in The Killers of Comedy Tour with fellow Stern castmembers across the United States and Canada.

In 2006, Christy hosted a program on Sirius XM channel Hard Attack called "Richard Christy's Heavy Metal Hoedown".

After the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday, Christy returned to the show suffering from swelling and severe pain in his foot. It was later diagnosed as gout, which is extremely rare in someone as young as Christy. The pain and swelling quickly receded after treatment, and he announced on December 17, 2009 that because of his fame and his frank on-air discussions about the disease, a gout awareness organization had requested that he become a spokesperson for the disease, and he had agreed.

On the December 17, 2009 Howard Stern Show, Christy announced that not only had he showered the previous day, but that he also became engaged to his long time girlfriend, known on the show only as "Kristen the Intern".^{[citation needed]}

Prank calls[link]

Richard makes several of the show's popular prank calls, often working in conjunction with Sal Governale. Many of the calls involve the use of soundclips, though Richard also calls as characters that he voices, including:

• "Rusty Rivers" - Rusty often makes perverse sexual comments, and often prattles endlessly about the weather, regardless of the theme of the show that he is calling.
• "Nervous Mark" - Nervous Mark calls in to talk shows, claiming to be nervous about being on the air. He can never get his point across because he is always stuttering and stammering. The character's full name is Mark Dell'Stevenson, as mentioned during a prank call to Joe Franklin.
• "Rod Stiffington" - Rod is the co-host of the fictional "Jack 'N' Rod Show," where Sal acts as his co-host, Jack Mayhoffer. On the Jack 'N' Rod Show, unwitting guests debate members of the Wack Pack, talking to soundboard clips, or are interrupted over and over by various noises (station jingles, drums, etc.). Jack 'N' Rod have also made calls where they entice their victim to participate in demeaning contests in order to win non-existent prizes.
• "Ethel Mertz" - Ethel is a befuddled grandmother who gets into long-winded stories about her grandson, quilts, and the game of chess.
• "Norma Stitz" - Norma is much like "Ethel Mertz", only her name is a comedic play on large female mammary glands.
• "Simon Buckingham" - An English gentleman, originating as a deliberately unconvincing impersonation of Simon Cowell (to tease Eric the Midget), who frequently uses English phrases such as "tea and crumpets" and "smoking fags."
• "Head Fag at the Playgirl Mansion" - A young man in great interest of Stern staffer KC Armstrong, Christy's earliest character to emerge on the Stern Show through messages left on their voicemail.

Among the most frequent victims of Christy's calls are shows on the public access Manhattan Neighborhood Network.

Another of Richard's Pranks is to call in to radio swap shop programs called Tradio. Listeners of Tradio can call in and buy sell or trade items over the radio. Richard along with Sal call in and tag team the tradio hosts with onslaught prank calls. Most often calling traido with fake names like "Dick Bukkake" etc. and placing false items for sale like a "robin quivers colonic kit" "BlumpkinPie" or "a cup of Milton Berle's urine" causing the host of the call in show to become offended and hang up only to them call back 10 seconds later.

Notable radio stunts[link]

• On June 8, 2006, during the Artie Lange roast, Sal Governale and Christy had their temperatures taken rectally by Robin Quivers. Governale and Christy held hands during the "examination" and then chased each other around the studio with their soiled thermometers (which are now rumored to be taped to the door to their office).^[6][7]
• On April 6, 2009 It was reported that Richard would perform fellatio on a man if it would mean Seth MacFarlane would come on the show as a guest. Although Richard denied this claim, he reluctantly agreed to Howard's offer that he allow porn star Nick Manning to ejaculate on his back for the chance to meet MacFarlane. Later on in the show, Richard asked that Sal be the one to do the stunt instead, to which Howard agreed but Sal did not.^[8]

Movie and television career[link]

Christy has said he once dreamed of a movie career after he saw Brad Pitt, from nearby Springfield, Missouri, in the film Interview With the Vampire. He even hung up posters of Pitt in his New York apartment, and worked at a computer store owned by Pitt's parents.^[9]

Christy made his directorial debut in 1995 with "Evil Ned 3 - The Return of Evil Ned 2 - Electric Boogaloo". The film was a low budget horror-comedy shot for only $250.^[10] His next movie, Leaving Grunion County, is about a small town mechanic who ventures to the big-city to pursue his dream of becoming a country-western singer. Recently, he has completed his latest feature, "Majestic Loincloth", which is set in the time of Vikings.

Along with Governale, Christy starred in, co-wrote, and co-directed the 2006 short film Supertwink. Supertwink premiered on Howard Stern On Demand, and was reviewed by Richard Roeper, who panned it.^[11] Christy also appeared in Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay playing the role of a Ku Klux Klansman.^[12]

In July 2007, Richard was cast in his first television role. He will play "really creepy guy at end of bar" on Rescue Me.^[13] Richard has also announced that he recorded voiceover work for the Adult Swim show Metalocalypse.^[14]

Christy has been attached to the movie Body Farm, a Pittsburgh based film by Bridge City Films set to begin production in November 2008.

Christy and Governale are both characters in the 2009 horror novel, Castaways, written by award-winning horror and crime novelist Brian Keene.^[15]

In 2009, he appeared as Caleb in the Redneck Slasher Albino Farm and presented his movie at Fangoria Trinity of Terrors.^[16]

Discography[link]

With Acheron

• Anti-God, Anti-Christ (1996)
• Necromanteion Communion/Raise the Dead (1998)

With Death

• The Sound of Perseverance (1998)
• Live in Eindhoven (1998)
• Live in L.A. (Death & Raw) (1999)

With Control Denied

• The Fragile Art of Existence (1999)

With Burning Inside

• The Eve of the Entities (2000)
• Apparition (2001)

With Iced Earth

• Horror Show (2001)
• Tribute to the Gods (2002)
• The Glorious Burden (2004)

With Leash Law

• Dogface (2003)
• Cunninglinguistics (2007)

With Charred Walls of the Damned

• Charred Walls of the Damned (2010)
• Cold Winds On Timeless Days (2011)

In addition to these bands, Christy has performed live shows with Dream Theater,^[17] Tiwanaku, Rick Renstrom, Syzygy, Bung Dizee, Incantation, Public Assassin, Wykked Wytch and Demons and Wizards.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Howard Stern official website
• Richard Christy at the Yahoo! Directory
• Howard Stern Wikia A Howard Stern Wikia Project – "Hey"

Kalup Linzy (born July 23, 1977) is an American video and performance artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Early Life and Work[link]

Linzy grew up in a small rural community in Florida called Stuckey. He had a large, close-knit extended family, and was raised by his Aunt and Grandmother. His has described his childhood and place of upbringing has thematically influential for his well-known video and performance work.^[1] For example, Linzy has produced a series of soap opera video works, and has described soap operas as having been a key social component for his family and community. He has said that shows such as Guiding Light were a part of daily life when he was growing up, and he often includes soap opera stereotypes in the characters and plot of his videos. ^[2] His soap opera videos can be characterized by their low-tech quality, themes of community, socializing, family, the church, sexuality and homosexuality. Linzy pushes the boundaries of gender in his work through dressing himself and other characters in drag, using pre-recorded voices or manipulating voice through video editing, and playing with different dialects. He also uses friends with little or no acting experience for some parts. In addition to video work Linzy performs on stage, writes songs, and collaborates with other artists. ^[2]

Education[link]

Born in Clermont, Florida, Linzy graduated from the MFA program at the University of South Florida in 2003.^[3] He also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture video art workshop, and in 2005 received a grant from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation. Linzy was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2007. On July 13, 2010, with an invitation from James Franco, he made his debut appearance on the daytime television soap opera General Hospital. Linzy's work has been reviewed in The New York Times,^[4] Art in America, and Artforum.

Exhibitions[link]

Solo[link]

• Le Petit Versailles, East Village, NY (2004)
• Kalup Linzy and Charles Nelson, Romo Gallery, Atlanta, GA (2005)
• All My Churen, LAXART, Los Angeles, CA (2006)
• Kalup Linzy, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York (2006)
• Taxter & Spengemann, New York (2006)

Group[link]

• Sunday in the Arts, Scarfone/Hartley Gallery, Tampa, FL (2002).
• All Together Now, Rush Arts Gallery, New York, NY (2003)
• Faith, Champion Fine Art, Culver City, CA (2004)
• Mommy! I'm! Not! An! Animal!, Capsule Gallery, New York, NY (2004)
• African Queen, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY (2005)
• Frequency, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY (2005)
• Do You Think I'm Disco, Longwood Art Gallery, Bronx, NY (2006)
• Masquerade: Representation and the Self in Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia (2006)
• Black Alphabet, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland (2006)
• Empathetic, Temple Gallery, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA (2006)
• AFI FEST 2006, Los Angeles, CA
• Vocal Verbal, Studentski Center, Zegreb, Croatia (2007)
• Uncertain States of America - American Video Art in the 3rd Millennium, Moscow Biennial, Moscow, Russia (2007)
• Spotlight Film and Video Series, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, Wisconsin (2007)
• Prospect.1 New Orleans (2008)

Videography[link]

• Julietta Calls Ramone (2002)
• Ramone Calls Julietta Again: Booty Call (2002)
• Ride to da Club (2002)
• Conversations wit de Churen II: All My Churen (2005)
• Conversations wit de Churen III: Da Young & Da Mess (2005)
• Conversations wit de Churen IV: Play Wit De Churen (2005)
• KK Queens Survey (2005)
• Conversations wit de Churen V: As da Art World Might Turn (2006)
• Lollypop (2006)
• Melody Set Me Free (2007)
• Pursuit of Gay (Happyness) (2007)
• That's Wassup (2007)
• Keys to Our Heart (2008)
• SweetBerry Sonnet (Remixed) (2008)

References[link]

External links[link]

• www.kaluplinzy.net
• YouTube channel
• WPS1 Variety Show Archived 5 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine (from the Museum of Modern Art)
• [1] - Orlando Sentinel
• Conversations ... with Kalup Linzy - NYFA Interactive
• Kalup Linzy Archived 3 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine - Temple University Empathetic (arts publication)
• Art News
• EAI: Kalup Linzy Biography
• Audio companion to PS1 show^{[dead link]} - exclusive to Time Out New York