Demián Bichir

Demián Bichir Nájera (Spanish pronunciation: [deˈmjam biˈtʃir ˈnaxeɾa]; born August 1, 1963) is a Mexican actor, from a well-known family of Mexican actors, the Bichir family, which include his parents Alejandro Bichir and Maricruz Nájera and his brothers Odiseo Bichir and Bruno Bichir. He began his acting career starring in many Mexican telenovelas and films before achieving fame for his roles in Mexican films such as the record-breaking Sexo, pudor y lágrimas and Sin noticias de Dios. In the U.S., he is best known for his role as Detective Marco Ruiz in the FX drama television series The Bridge. He has also been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for A Better Life (2011). He played Bob in Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight.

Early life

Bichir was born at Torreon, Mexico, the son of actors Alejandro Bichir (Alejandro Bichir Batres) and Maricruz Nájera (María de la Cruz Nájera Botello). Demian began his career in the theater. He became a member of the National Theater Company at 13 years old, performing Shakespeare, Valle-Inclan, O'Neill, Dostoyevsky, Simon, and Shaffer, among others. His mastery of the greats at a young age garnered him several awards from the Mexican Association of Theater Critics. The following year he obtained a role in his first movie, the American production Choices of the Heart. He got his first starring character in the Telenovela El Rincon de los Prodigios where he acts as a stranger who performs miracles in front of the people confronting the corrupt authorities and the church.

Jorge Ramos

Jorge Ramos may refer to:

A Better Life

A Better Life is a 2011 American drama film directed by Chris Weitz. The screenplay, originally known as The Gardener, was written by Eric Eason based on a story by Roger L. Simon. Demián Bichir was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Plot

Carlos Galindo (Demián Bichir) works as a gardener with Blasco Martinez (Joaquín Cosio) in Los Angeles, California. Blasco wants to return to Mexico and continually tries to persuade Carlos to purchase his business from him, which includes the work truck and gardening tools. Carlos's son Luis (José Julián) is in high school and is dating Ruthie Valdez (Chelsea Rendon), the niece of a local gang leader. Luis regularly goes to her house after school where gang members congregate. Luis is embarrassed by his father and, although he does not wish to follow in his footsteps, has a hard time committing himself to his education. However, his relationship with Ruthie and his friendship with Facundo (Bobby Soto) pushes him toward becoming a gang member.

Better Life

"Better Life" is a song co-written and recorded by Australian country music artist Keith Urban. It was released in July 2005 as the fourth single from Urban's album Be Here. It became his seventh number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and spent six weeks at that position. The song also went to number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was written by Urban and Richard Marx.

Content

The mid-to-uptempo song is driven by a chugging banjo part set against a distinctive drum pattern. The message of an optimistic future prevailing over current struggles pervades the lyrics, summarized by the chorus. Urban's electric guitar playing further decorates the song, especially in its outro.

Music video

The music video for "Better Life" directed by Chris Hicky portrayed Urban and his band playing the song in a Los Angeles culvert, intercut with scenes of a struggling young pair of lovers having their ups and downs, and finally ending up in the culvert to watch Urban. In April 2006 Urban won the CMT Music Awards Video of the Year for it. Urban closed that awards show with a live performance of the song, featuring a long interpolation of Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising" and backing vocals from a large choir consisting of displaced persons from the previous summer's Hurricane Katrina.

Red carpet

A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events.

History

The earliest known reference to walking a red carpet in literature is in the play Agamemnon by Aeschylus, written in 458 BC. When the title character returns from Troy, he is greeted by his vengeful wife Clytemnestra who offers him a red path to walk upon:

Agamemnon, knowing that only gods walk on such luxury, responds with trepidation:

Oriental carpets in Renaissance painting often show rugs and carpets, patterned but with red often the main background colour, laid on the steps to a throne, or on a dais where rulers or sacred figures are placed.

A red carpet was rolled out to a river to welcome the arrival of United States president James Monroe in 1821. In 1902, The New York Central Railroad used plush crimson carpets to direct people as they boarded their 20th Century Limited passenger train. This is believed to be the origin of the phrase "red-carpet treatment". Film premieres are often laid down with red carpets.