NASA Takes My Birthday Photo September 6 - Look closely under the cloud of Hurricane Dorian

Thanks NASA...

Happy Birthday to my favorite Brooklyn Girl - Marisa Tomei

On December 4, 1964, the world greeted a new star born Marisa Tomei whose subsequent career on Broadway, television and movies helped her become my favorite actress from Brooklyn, New York.

The daughter of an English teacher and trial lawyer, for the past three decades she earned her way into my heart as one of the great American actresses.  As a result, Marisa is now featured in a script I have written that is waiting for her to request it.

How could you not love a lady who has won an Oscar while competing against three English super stars, appeared on Broadway, and helped promote the Independent film industry.

Did I mention Marisa has not been involved in the typical Hollywood marriage disasters, she is still single?  Okay, she might have a boyfriend but there is still hope for us.

The depth and breadth of of her roles is stunning, and her willingness to take risks with new projects sets her apart from many other actresses.  The following is an A&E biography with highlights of her career.

So happy birthday Marisa, I'll be waiting for your call.

Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei has starred in a number of successful films, including My Cousin Vinny, In the Bedroom and The Wrestler.

Synopsis

Born in Brooklyn in 1964, Marisa Tomei got her start acting on TV in shows like As the World Turns and A Different World. She went on to become a highly successful film actress, starring in projects like My Cousin Vinny, for which she earned an Academy Award, In the Bedroom and The Wrestler.

Early Career

Actress Marisa Tomei was born on December 4, 1964 in Brooklyn, New York. While attending Boston University, Marisa Tomei was cast in the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns; she subsequently left school and played the teenager Marcy Thompson on the show from 1983 to 1985. She made her feature film debut in 1984 in The Flamingo Kid, starring Matt Dillon. After leaving As the World Turns, she appeared in Off-Broadway productions like Daughters (1985) before moving to Los Angeles.

In 1987, she landed a role as a roommate of Lisa Bonet's character during the first season of A Different World, a popular spinoff of The Cosby Show.

Oscar Win

After her next major film, Oscar (1991), starring Sylvester Stallone, bombed, Tomei gave what appeared to be a bona fide star-making performance in the 1992 comedy My Cousin Vinny, costarring Joe Pesci and The Karate Kid's Ralph Macchio. Critics agreed that Tomei's sharp comedic performance as Mona Lisa Vito, the wisecracking auto mechanic who falls in love with Pesci's Vinny, merited good reviews and even the Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress she received.

When the 27-year-old Marisa Tomei's name was read aloud on Oscar night as the winner, however (she beat out four well respected British actresses: Judy Davis, Joan Plowright, Miranda Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave), the shock was almost universal, and nasty rumors persisted that the award's presenter, the elderly Jack Palance, had read the wrong name.

Tomei's Oscar win failed to produce the kind of career boost usually expected, as she went on to star in a number of films that didn't do justice to her talents and barely made it onto the radar screen at the box office. She gave a good performance as the silent screen actress Mabel Normand in Chaplin (1992), starring Robert Downey Jr., but her first project as a romantic lead in the weepy romance Untamed Heart (1993), costarring Christian Slater, was a critical and commercial disappointment. Tomei next appeared opposite Michael Keaton in The Paper and reteamed with Robert Downey Jr. in Only You (both 1994).

Indie Films

After costarring with veteran actresses Anjelica Huston (1995's The Perez Family) and Gena Rowlands (1996's Unhook the Stars), she earned her best reviews since My Cousin Vinny for the eccentric comedy Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), in which she played the flaky cousin of the main character, a precocious teenage girl played by Natasha Lyonne. Also in 1998, Tomei returned to the small screen for the Showtime feature My Own Country (also featuring her younger brother Adam) and the CBS miniseries Erich Segal's Only Love, and made her first appearance on Broadway in a revival of Wait Until Dark, with the director and actor Quentin Tarantino.

Tomei's fortunes improved with a string of big-screen roles in 2000, beginning with the small independent film Happy Accidents, costarring Vincent D'Onofrio, which screened at Sundance in 2001. She also costarred opposite Keanu Reeves and James Spader in the more mainstream thriller The Watcher, and had a featured role in the hit comedy What Women Want, starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt.

In early 2001, she appeared as the sidekick of Ashley Judd's character in the romantic comedy Someone Like You. That same year, Tomei emerged as a serious dramatic actress with an acclaimed performance in In the Bedroom, playing a mother of two whose estranged husband kills her younger lover. Tomei's affecting supporting performance earned her rave reviews, and a second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Continued Success

The next several years saw Tomei in many lighthearted films, including a voiceover role in the children's animated feature The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002), and lead roles in The Guru (2002) and the Adam Sandler vehicle Anger Management (2003).

Tomei also proved her mettle in the film remake of the 1966 romantic comedy, Alfie (2004), as well as the indie feature Factotum (2005).

After a stint on the small screen in Dennis Leary's firefighter drama, Rescue Me, and the comedy The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud, Tomei returned to feature films. Her role opposite Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler (2008) earned her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. Then in 2010, Tomei starred in the indie comedy Cyrus, with co-stars John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill. The film received a positive response from critics.

'Core and Curves'

In 2010, Tomei released a fitness DVD program—Marisa Tomei: Core and Curves. She has also continued her film work with roles in dramas like The Lincoln Lawyer and The Ides of March, both from 2011, and comedies like Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) and Parental Guidance (2012), the latter film starring icons Bette Midler and Billy Crystal.

Since 2008 Tomei has been linked to actor Logan Marshall-Green.

"Marisa Tomei." Bio. AE Television Networks, 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

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Spirits in the Sky - August 16, 1977 - The King is Dead!

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Born: January 8, 1935, Tupelo, MS

Died: August 16, 1977, Memphis, TN

Only in America could a country kid from Tupelo, Mississippi grow up to become King, sell over 600 million records, and become one of the greatest icons in American history.

While amassing 14 Grammy nominations and winning three, Elvis was awarded a Grammy lifetime achievement award at the ripe old age of just 36.

Single handed Elvis brought life and controversy to the fledgling rock and roll movement in the 1950's and by the end of the decade it was the dominate music genre in the world.  Every rock and roll success story since his time was because of what he did.

Elvis used television and movies like no other star at the time to make the public aware of him but it was probably the military that helped make Elvis.

Why do I say this?  Back in the mid-1950's when Elvis was starting out rock and roll did not exist. He was known locally and some of those early fans were in the military and would take copies of his records to Germany and other bases where they would share them with fellow soldiers from other parts of the country.



One of my closest friends had a brother in the army who was stationed in Germany and when he came home he brought his brother and thus me copies of the early Elvis records.  
  

The Elvis and Priscilla love story remains one of the greatest in rock history as he asked her father, an officer in Germany when Elvis was serving in the military, if he could take his 14 year old daughter under his protection until they were old enough to marry.  It was seven years before they were married.  

His one child, named Lisa-Marie, went on to become wife to Michael Jackson thus merging two families of the most revered singers in the world.

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Elvis was also friends with my favorite 20th century icon Marilyn Monroe thus insuring him a permanent place in my mind.



During his life he reinvented his career several times, had a manager whose love for money made Elvis a fortune but may have cost him a lifetime of unhappiness, and he became addicted to prescription drugs.



Both Elvis and Michael Jackson would die prematurely from an overdose of prescription drugs.  Still, he remains one of the greatest icons of the 20th century.  Happy birthday Elvis.
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Happy Birthday to my favorite Brooklyn Girl - Marisa Tomei

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On December 4, 1964, the world greeted a new star born Marisa Tomei whose subsequent career on Broadway, television and movies helped her become my favorite actress from Brooklyn, New York.

The daughter of an English teacher and trial lawyer, for the past three decades she earned her way into my heart as one of the great American actresses.  As a result, Marisa is now featured in a script I have written that is waiting for her to request it.

How could you not love a lady who has won an Oscar while competing against three English super stars, appeared on Broadway, and helped promote the Independent film industry.

Did I mention Marisa has not been involved in the typical Hollywood marriage disasters, she is still single?  Okay, she might have a boyfriend but there is still hope for us.

The depth and breadth of of her roles is stunning, and her willingness to take risks with new projects sets her apart from many other actresses.  The following is an A&E biography with highlights of her career.

So happy birthday Marisa, I'll be waiting for your call.

Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei has starred in a number of successful films, including My Cousin Vinny, In the Bedroom and The Wrestler.

Synopsis

Born in Brooklyn in 1964, Marisa Tomei got her start acting on TV in shows like As the World Turns and A Different World. She went on to become a highly successful film actress, starring in projects like My Cousin Vinny, for which she earned an Academy Award, In the Bedroom and The Wrestler.

Early Career

Actress Marisa Tomei was born on December 4, 1964 in Brooklyn, New York. While attending Boston University, Marisa Tomei was cast in the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns; she subsequently left school and played the teenager Marcy Thompson on the show from 1983 to 1985. She made her feature film debut in 1984 in The Flamingo Kid, starring Matt Dillon. After leaving As the World Turns, she appeared in Off-Broadway productions like Daughters (1985) before moving to Los Angeles.

In 1987, she landed a role as a roommate of Lisa Bonet's character during the first season of A Different World, a popular spinoff of The Cosby Show.

Oscar Win

After her next major film, Oscar (1991), starring Sylvester Stallone, bombed, Tomei gave what appeared to be a bona fide star-making performance in the 1992 comedy My Cousin Vinny, costarring Joe Pesci and The Karate Kid's Ralph Macchio. Critics agreed that Tomei's sharp comedic performance as Mona Lisa Vito, the wisecracking auto mechanic who falls in love with Pesci's Vinny, merited good reviews and even the Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress she received.

When the 27-year-old Marisa Tomei's name was read aloud on Oscar night as the winner, however (she beat out four well respected British actresses: Judy Davis, Joan Plowright, Miranda Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave), the shock was almost universal, and nasty rumors persisted that the award's presenter, the elderly Jack Palance, had read the wrong name.

Tomei's Oscar win failed to produce the kind of career boost usually expected, as she went on to star in a number of films that didn't do justice to her talents and barely made it onto the radar screen at the box office. She gave a good performance as the silent screen actress Mabel Normand in Chaplin (1992), starring Robert Downey Jr., but her first project as a romantic lead in the weepy romance Untamed Heart (1993), costarring Christian Slater, was a critical and commercial disappointment. Tomei next appeared opposite Michael Keaton in The Paper and reteamed with Robert Downey Jr. in Only You (both 1994).

Indie Films

After costarring with veteran actresses Anjelica Huston (1995's The Perez Family) and Gena Rowlands (1996's Unhook the Stars), she earned her best reviews since My Cousin Vinny for the eccentric comedy Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), in which she played the flaky cousin of the main character, a precocious teenage girl played by Natasha Lyonne. Also in 1998, Tomei returned to the small screen for the Showtime feature My Own Country (also featuring her younger brother Adam) and the CBS miniseries Erich Segal's Only Love, and made her first appearance on Broadway in a revival of Wait Until Dark, with the director and actor Quentin Tarantino.

Tomei's fortunes improved with a string of big-screen roles in 2000, beginning with the small independent film Happy Accidents, costarring Vincent D'Onofrio, which screened at Sundance in 2001. She also costarred opposite Keanu Reeves and James Spader in the more mainstream thriller The Watcher, and had a featured role in the hit comedy What Women Want, starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt.

In early 2001, she appeared as the sidekick of Ashley Judd's character in the romantic comedy Someone Like You. That same year, Tomei emerged as a serious dramatic actress with an acclaimed performance in In the Bedroom, playing a mother of two whose estranged husband kills her younger lover. Tomei's affecting supporting performance earned her rave reviews, and a second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Continued Success

The next several years saw Tomei in many lighthearted films, including a voiceover role in the children's animated feature The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002), and lead roles in The Guru (2002) and the Adam Sandler vehicle Anger Management (2003).

Tomei also proved her mettle in the film remake of the 1966 romantic comedy, Alfie (2004), as well as the indie feature Factotum (2005).

After a stint on the small screen in Dennis Leary's firefighter drama, Rescue Me, and the comedy The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud, Tomei returned to feature films. Her role opposite Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler (2008) earned her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. Then in 2010, Tomei starred in the indie comedy Cyrus, with co-stars John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill. The film received a positive response from critics.

'Core & Curves'

In 2010, Tomei released a fitness DVD program—Marisa Tomei: Core & Curves. She has also continued her film work with roles in dramas like The Lincoln Lawyer and The Ides of March, both from 2011, and comedies like Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) and Parental Guidance (2012), the latter film starring icons Bette Midler and Billy Crystal.

Since 2008 Tomei has been linked to actor Logan Marshall-Green.

"Marisa Tomei." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

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Obama Myths - Why do they persist? America's Most Famous Undocumented Worker?

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After two years of being president you would think people would stop believing he is not eligible to be president yet as recently as yesterday the first ever reading of the Constitution by the new House of Representatives was disrupted by protestors shouting out that Obama was not an American born president. Up to 25% of Americans still wonder if Obama was born in America.

Why in the world are there questions after two years in office?

First of all there is no doubt his mother was American and his father was not. The fact she was just 16 at the time he was born makes records difficult to assess. His father was from Kenya. Obama spent four years living in Indonesia. Still that does not disqualify him from being a naturalized US citizen.

What is confusing is that the State of Hawaii has been reluctant to make available his birth certificate. Why is that confusing to some? Because there is an alternate birth certificate from Kenya with allegedly official verification from the Kenya government circulating on the Internet.

In fact, there is far more unofficial verification that he was actually born in Kenya than records of being born in Hawaii yet the Hawaii birth certificate states he was born in Hawaii. It would seem the media, FBI or Congress would have investigated this matter thoroughly if there was any doubt as to his eligibility to be president but stranger things have happened recently.

This story presents are all the alleged documents I could find relating to this matter. Is there evidence that Obama was born in Kenya rather than Hawaii? Which birth certificate is right, the Kenya or Hawaii certificate? If these documents were reviewed by the government, media or any reliable body what was their final conclusion? Even if he really was born in Kenya does that make him ineligible to be president? Remember, his opponent John McCain was born in Panama to US military parents.

Once and for all this persistent myth should be debunked so it is not a background issue in the upcoming 2012 elections. We have more than enough valid issues facing us in the elections and should not be caught up in speculation. What do you think?
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Spirits in the Sky - John Lennon

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Today is the 70th birthday of John Lennon, born October 9, 1940. 







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