Alan W. Pollack is a musicologist. He is best known for having musically analysed every Beatles song released. He started the task in 1989 and finished in 2000, with 187 original songs and 25 cover songs. The analyses have come to be known as the "Notes on..." Series, as each is entitled "Notes on Love Me Do", "Notes on Help!" and so on. The notes were released weekly, usually on Wednesdays, on the rec.music.beatles usenet group.^[1]

Pollack holds a B.A. in Music from Brooklyn College and both an M.A. and PhD from University of Pennsylvania in Music Theory and Composition. He was an instructor of music theory and composition at Yale University from 1975 - 1977. Since 1979 he has pursued a career in software engineering.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Pollack's "Notes On" Series
• Alan W. Pollack's musicological journey through the Beatles' songs by Ger Tillekens

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Julian Waterfall Pollack (born June 28, 1988) is an American pianist, composer, and singer-songwriter associated with jazz, post-bop, and pop music. He has performed at jazz festivals in the US and abroad, including the Umbria Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival,^[1] and appeared on the prestigious Marian McPartland Piano Jazz radio show aired on NPR.^[2]

Biography[link]

Pollack began piano lessons at the early age of five with his mother, Susan Waterfall, and was called a child prodigy, able to play difficult pieces of classical music well beyond his years. He attended The Crowden School in Berkeley, California, for his middle school years, where he received training in orchestral playing, chamber music, harmony, and counterpoint, as well as a courses in the liberal arts. For his high school years he attended Berkeley High School where he developed his love for jazz, playing as principal pianist for four years in their award-winning Jazz ensemble. During his four years of High School, he released two recordings, Goin' For It (Jazzschool Records) and Alive Again (Independent). Goin' For It received much critical acclaim in the Bay Area and finally won national recognition by being featured on Jazziz Magazine's monthly CD.^[1]

In 2006, Pollack left the Bay Area to attend New York University in New York City. Shortly after his arrival, he was invited to be featured on NPR's prestigious radio show Piano Jazz, hosted by Marian McPartland.^[2] He also met singer Grace Weber at New York University with whom he formed the band Grace and Julian. In 2007 they released their debut album, Grace and Julian, which showcases their original material, on their newly-formed record label Junebeat Records. In August of 2007, Pollack released his first solo piano CD, Solitude, on Junebeat Records.

Discography[link]

• Alive Again (Independent Release, 2004)
• Goin’ For It (Jazzschool Records, 2006) (Trio release with Darrell Green and David Ewell)
• Grace and Julian (Junebeat Records, 2007) (with Grace Weber)
• Solitude (Junebeat Records, 2007)
• 94 & 95 (Junebeat Records, 2008)
• Infinite Playground (Junebeat Records, 2010)

Source: Jazzserver database

References[link]

• Scheinin, Richard (August 3, 2006). "Bay Area pianist, 17, records solid jazz CD.". San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, CA). http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-16257305_ITM. Retrieved 2009-01-11. 

External links[link]

• Julian Waterfall Pollack official website
• Grace and Julian official website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2011)

Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón at the Mexico premiere of Children of Men, 2006
Born	Alfonso Cuarón Orozco (1961-11-28) November 28, 1961 (age 50) Mexico City, Mexico
Years active	1983 – present
Spouse	Mariana Elizondo (1980–1993) Annalisa Bugliani (2001–2008)

Alfonso Cuarón Orozco (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈfonso kwaˈɾon]; born 28 November 1961) is a Mexican film director, screenwriter and film producer, best known for his films Children of Men, Y tu mamá también, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and A Little Princess.

Early life[link]

Alfonso Cuarón was born in México City and is the son of Alfredo Cuarón, a nuclear physicist who worked for the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency for many years.

Cuarón studied Philosophy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and filmmaking at CUEC (Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos), a faculty of the same University. There, he met director Carlos Marcovich and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, and they made what would be his first short film, Vengeance is mine. The controversy caused by the fact that the film was shot in English was the reason he was expelled from the film school.

Career[link]

Cuarón began working in television in Mexico, first as a technician and then as a director. His television work led to assignments as an assistant director for several Latin American film productions including Gaby: A True Story and Romero, and in 1991, he landed his first big-screen directorial assignment.

[edit] Sólo con tu pareja

Sólo con tu pareja was a sex comedy about a womanizing businessman (played by Daniel Giménez Cacho), who after spurning an attractive nurse, is fooled into believing he's contracted HIV. In addition to writing, producing, and directing, Cuarón co-edited the film with Luis Patlán. It is somewhat unusual for directors to be credited co-editors, although the Coen Brothers and Robert Rodriguez have both directed and edited nearly all of their films. Cuarón continued this close involvement in editing on several of his later films.

The film, which also starred cabaret singer Astrid Hadad and model/actress Claudia Ramírez — with whom Cuarón was linked between 1989 and 1993 — was a big hit in Mexico. After this success, director Sydney Pollack hired Cuarón to direct an episode of Fallen Angels, a series of neo-noir stories produced for the Showtime premium cable network in 1993; other directors who worked on the series included Steven Soderbergh, Jonathan Kaplan, Peter Bogdanovich, and Tom Hanks.

International success[link]

In 1995, Cuarón released his first feature film produced in the United States, A Little Princess, an adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic novel. Cuarón's next feature was also a literary adaptation, a modernized version of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Robert De Niro.

Cuarón's next project found him returning to Mexico with a Spanish-speaking cast to film Y tu mamá también, starring Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna. It was a provocative and controversial road comedy about two sexually obsessed teenagers who take an extended road trip with an attractive married woman in her late twenties. The film's open portrayal of sexuality and frequent rude humor, as well as the politically and socially relevant asides, made the film an international hit and a major success with critics. Cuarón shared an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay with co-writer and brother Carlos Cuarón.

In 2003, Cuarón directed the third film in the successful Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Cuarón faced criticism from some of the more purist Potter fans for his approach to the film. At the time of the movie's release, however, author J. K. Rowling said that it was her personal favorite from the series so far.^[1] Critically, the film was also better received than the first two instalments, with some critics remarking that it was the first Potter film to truly capture the essence of the novels. During the middle of the film, Cuarón can be seen making a cameo appearance as a wizard in The Three Broomsticks.

Cuarón's feature, Children of Men, an adaptation of the P. D. James novel starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine, received wide critical acclaim, including three Academy Award nominations. Cuarón himself received two nominations for his work on the film in both Editing (with Alex Rodríguez) and Adapted Screenplay (with several collaborators).

He created the production and distribution company Esperanto Films, which has credits on the films Duck Season and Pan's Labyrinth.

Cuarón also directed the controversial public service announcement "I Am Autism" for Autism Speaks that was sharply criticized by disability rights groups for its negative portrayal of autism.^[2]

In 2010, Cuarón began to develop a science fiction film named Gravity, which he is set to direct. He is joined by his old Potter colleague David Heyman, who will produce the film. The film will be released in 2012.

Awards and nominations[link]

Academy Awards:

• 2003: Best Screenplay - Original (Y tu mamá también, nominated)
• 2007: Best Screenplay - Adapted (Children of Men, nominated)
• 2007: Best Editing (Children of Men, nominated)

BAFTA Awards:

• 2003: Best Film Not in the English Language (Y tu mamá también, nominated)
• 2003: Best Screenplay - Original (Y tu mamá también, nominated)
• 2004: BAFTA Children's Award - Best Feature Film (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, won)
• 2005: Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, nominated)
• 2007: Best Film Not in the English Language (Pan's Labyrinth, won)
• 2011: BAFTA Children's Award - First Light Awards - Kids' Vote for Film of the Decade (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, won)
• 2011: Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema (Harry Potter series, joined by J. K. Rowling, David Heyman, David Barron, David Yates and Mike Newell, shared with Harry Potter cast and crew)

Independent Spirit Awards:

• 2003: Best Foreign Film (Y tu mamá también, won)
• 2007: Best Feature (Pan's Labyrinth, nominated)

Venice Film Festival:

• 2001: Golden Lion (Y tu mamá también, nominated)
• 2001: Best Screenplay (Y tu mamá también, won)
• 2006: Golden Lion (Children of Men, nominated)
• 2006: Laterna Magica Prize (Children of Men, won)

Saturn Awards:

• 2005: Best Director (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, nominated)
• 2005: Best Director (Children of Men, nominated)

Filmography[link]

Short films[link]

• Who's He Anyway (1983)
• Vengeance Is Mine (1983) Co-director
• Cuarteto para el fin del tiempo (1983)
• Paris, je t'aime (2006) (segment "Parc Monceau")
• The Shock Doctrine (2007) Co-writer and Producer (a short film directed by his son Jonás Cuarón, different than book with same time)^[3]

Documentary films[link]

• The Possibility of Hope (2007) Short

TV[link]

• Hora Marcada (1986) (episodes "Ángel Pérez", "El taxi", "Zangamanga", "No estoy jugando", and "A veces regresa")
• Fallen Angels (1993) (episode "Murder, Obliquely")

See also[link]

• Cha Cha Cha Films

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alfonso Cuarón

External links[link]

• Alfonso Cuarón at the Internet Movie Database
• Alfonso Cuarón: A Life in Pictures, BAFTA webcast, 27 July 2007

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2010)

Matt Cavotta is an American artist and writer. His artwork is currently focused on the fantasy genre, with notable contributions to popular games such as Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.

Career[link]

He wrote a weekly column for MagicTheGathering.com called "Taste the Magic" from February 2005 to September 2007. The column focused on development of the world, art, characters, and other intellectual property for Magic, the first to do so comprehensively.^[1] He has also written and illustrated three unpublished children's books, and provided interior illustrations in Oriental Adventures, Manual of the Planes, and Deities and Demigods.

Matt is the second of three children born to his parents Mike ("Finn") and Maureen Cavotta, after his older brother Michael but before his younger sister Haley. Matt was raised in Moreland Hills, Ohio. He was educated at the Orange Schools in neighboring Pepper Pike, Ohio. He graduated from Orange High School in 1989. In his late high school days Matt played in several rock bands, mostly within the hard-rock and heavy metal genre.

Matt is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design^[2] with a focus on painting and illustration.

After an early art career that included freelance illustration and successful projects in toy development, Matt gained notoriety for his Magic card illustrations. A lifelong hobby game player, he worked at Wizards of the Coast as Magic creative lead from 2004 to 2006.

Matt's wife Kylie is also an Orange High School graduate and now teaches English at Orange High School. They reside together with their two children in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Magic: the Gathering - Cards illustrated by Matt Cavotta
• Official home page
• Pen & Paper listing for Matt Cavotta archive

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Joel Barry Pollak (born April 25, 1977) is an American politician and author. As of 2012, he is the editor-in-chief and in-house counsel for Breitbart.com.^[2] In 2010 he was the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress from Illinois's 9th congressional district,^[3] losing to Democrat Jan Schakowsky with only 31.1% of the votes in his favor.

Personal life[link]

Pollak was born in Johannesburg, South Africa but his parents emigrated to the United States shortly after his birth.^[4] He became a U.S. Citizen in 1987.^[4] He grew up in the Chicago suburbs, principally in Skokie. He attended Solomon Schechter Day School and Niles North High School,^[1] where he was the class valedictorian in 1995.^[4]

Pollak attended Harvard College and graduated magna cum laude in 1999 with a joint degree in Social Studies and Environmental Science & Public Policy (ESPP).^[4] He earned a master’s degree in Jewish Studies from the University of Cape Town in 2006. He then enrolled at Harvard Law School. He married Julia Inge Pollak (née Bertelsmann) in December 2009.^[5]

Career[link]

In 2010 Pollak was the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress from Illinois's 9th congressional district, challenging incumbent Democrat Jan Schakowsky. He lost, garnering 31.1% of the votes. Pollak was endorsed by the Chicago Tea Party and refers to himself as a Tea Party Republican.^[6]

After the election, Pollak was asked by Andrew Breitbart to become in-house counsel at his Breitbart.com websites, and Pollak moved to California. He also became editor-in-chief of the website.^[2][7]

Publications[link]

Pollak’s first book,^[8] The Kasrils Affair: Jews and Minority Politics in the New South Africa (Double Storey, 2009) is based on his master’s thesis and uses debates involving the Jewish community as a window onto minority politics in general in post-apartheid South Africa. His second book,^[9] Don’t Tell Me Words Don’t Matter: How Rhetoric Won the 2008 Presidential Election (HC Press, 2009) is self-published and describes the role played by speeches in Barack Obama’s victory over John McCain.

Pollak has written numerous op-eds and articles. While in law school, he wrote for the Harvard Law Record and alleged on his blog that Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat faked his blood donation for the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks.^[10]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Pollak For Congress Campaign Website
• Profile^{[dead link]} in the Harvard Law Record
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org