Hello all,
My apologies for the questions not being posted until this morning. I had assigned another student who was not able to participate in the group blogging assignment to pick from your questions and post them up here by 10pm on Friday. Needless to say, this did not happen, and I was hoping to have that rectified by this point. Sadly, it wasn't, so I have read through your blog posts and made my own questions for you. Sorry they aren't the ones you produced yourself, but I will most definitely still be counting the ones you designed. (I just don't have them!) Because of the delay, you will have until your class period on Wednesday to turn in your questions. For the Tuesday/Thursday groups, I believe you still have ample time to read through the questions, but if you need until Wednesday morning I will accept them at that time as long as you make the effort to get them to me.
Here are your questions, you can type them up or hand-write them neatly:
1. What is MGM's most popular cartoon show?
2. What city was Battle of Angels produced in?
3. What was the name of the first theater in the Haymarket?
4. Who designed the Chicago Civic Theater?
5. What was Katherine Hepburn's nickname?
6. What company did Lana Turner work with before MGM?
7. Summarize Hamlet's plot in 3 sentences.
8. What was the main influence for music in the 1940's?
9. What role did Laurette Taylor play in The Glass Menagerie?
10. What disease did Helen Hayes' daughter die from?
11. What award did Jessica Tandy receive from People's magazine?
12. What did Katherine Hepburn's father do?
13. What happened on New Year's Day during the Battle of the Bulge?
14. What are 3 types of realism?
15. What was Jessica Tandy's first American film?
16. What did Aeschylus bring to the evolution of theater?
17. What is the name of Gaughin's book?
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
New York Red Sox Block 2
MGM was founded in 1924 when Marcus Loew gained control over Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation, and Louis B. Mayer Pictures. He then named his Company Metro Goldwyn Mayer combining all three names. Loew created the company to produce a steady stream of movies for his movie theater chain, Loews Theaters. MGM was the first film studio to [Photo]experiment with filming in Technicolor. They created several films using this
technique. In 1930 MGM purchased the rights to distribute a series of cartoons that starred a character named Flip the Frog. MGM's most popular cartoon show was Tom and Jerry. As World War II approached it became increasingly harder to get people to watch their films. In 1967 MGM was sold to the Canadian investor Edgar Bronfman Sr., whos son, Edgar Jr. would later buy Universal Studios. Edgar owned the company for two years and then MGM was bought by Kirk Kerkorian, a millionaire from Nevada. Through the 1970's studio output of films decreased considerably. In 1985, Ted Turner bought MGM and changed the name to MGM/UA. The lettering of the logo was changed to reflect both companies. In 1986 the company was sold back to Kirk Kerkorian for $780 million. Turner got to keep the MGM film library and began colorizing all the old black and white films and airing them through his Turner Network Television. Up until 2001 MGM distributed its films internationally through UIP (United International Pictures. In January 2001, MGM broke with UIP and began distributing films internationally through 20th Century Fox. In 2007 MGM announced their films would be available through the iTunes music store. In October the same year, the began filming movies in HD.References
Battle Of Angels
The play Battle of Angels is by Tennessee Williams. It is actually one of his earlier plays and was followed by The Glass Menagerie. It is about a man named Val whose car breaks down. He ends up in a dressmaker's shop and is the center of attention. Val is given a job by Myra, who works at the dressmaker's shop. Myra is married to Jabe, who is dying. Myra starts to fall in love with Val, which leads Val to attempting to convince Myra to kill her husband. What follows is a story of love, tension, doubt, and romance.
Battle of Angels was produced in Boston in 1940. It ended up as a flop and was unsuccessful. This is partly due to the fact that it talked about female sexuality. This was new for the time and was not immediately received openly. However, Tennessee Williams has learned from this experience and has said that he is happy it was a flop. H
e later went on to make such plays as The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. This play has quite a bit of significance. It was Tennessee Williams' first play widely released in theaters. Not only that, but it has also eventually been "remade" into the updated Orpheus Descending. It was produced by the Theater Guild. Had it been a success, Tennessee Williams believes it would have made him think he knew everything about making plays.
Battle of Angels' failure had made Tennessee Williams more humble and willing to learn. This led to his successful career as a playwright and has given us great pieces of literature."I'm glad now that the play was not a success," Williams said later. "If it had been, it would have gone to my head and I would have thought I knew all there was to know about play writing."
RESOURCES
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/
London Haymarket Theatre
There’s been a theatre in a part of the Haymarket since 1720. The first one was called The Little Theatre in the Haymarket. The present theatre was designed by John Nash and opened in 1821. It was designed so that the front Corinthian portico could be seen from St James Square. The auditorium was rebuilt twice. The first time it was rebuilt was in 1979 (reopened on January 31, 1880). The interior then was completely reconstructed 15 years later (reopened on January 2, 1905) and the 1905 theatre is the one that is seen today. More alterations were made between 1939 to 1941 which included; the construction of the large bar area under the stalls seating area. In 1994 about 1.3 million dollars was spent in a major reconstruction of the theatre. 
ich so incensed the government of the day that censorship of plays by the Lord Chamberlain was introduced in 1737 - the act was not repealed until September 1968.
Sources:
http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/londontheatre/westendvenues/haymarket.htm
http://www.trh.co.uk/history_page1.php
http://www.theatre-royal-haymarket.com/
Chicago Civic Theater
The Chicago Civic Theater, or better know as the Chicago civic opera, is a 45-story Theater and office house overlooking the Chicago River at N Wacker drive. Construction of the Chicago Opera Hose ended on November 4, 1929. Built by the construction firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White under it's designer Samuel Insull. Upon completion the opera house could seat up to 3563 people, making it one the largest theaters in North America. The theater's Art Deco styling had served for inspiration of a theater of a similar type in Orson Williams' film Citizen Kane,Which featured a theater in the film. Another interesting aspect of this building's architecture is it's shape, the opera house is shaped like a giant chair, aptly nicknamed “Insull's Throne”. Insull had designed the building in this manner for his wife to “sit” in because she was rejected by New York Metropolitan Opera, Whereas the “back” of the chair faces east towards New York City. Since construction the building has gone under renovations in 1993 and is home base for Lyric Opera, one of the world's premier opera companies which was founded in 1954 by Carol j. Fox. Today, tickets range from $32 to $197. The Theater has housed several productions over the years including Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, The Tempest, ad many other classics. The Theater is now under management of William Manson.
Team Ace
Resources:
http://www.chicagotraveler.com/attractions/lyric-opera-of-chicago.html
http://chicago-architecture-jyoti.blogspot.com/2009/01/civic-opera-building.html
Wikipedia
Katharine Hepburn
Katherine Houghton Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907 in Hartford CT. Having 4 siblings, Katherine credited her family for sense of adventure and independence. She went to Bryn Mawr and participated in theatrical productions. In Her senior year she appeared in in two productions in Baltimore.Then graduated in 1928, with a degree of history Philosophy. That same year she made he debut on Broadway, and married Ludlow Ogden Smith. Six years late Katherine got a divorce from Smith saying "I don't believe in marriage, it's bloody impractical to love, honor, and obey." Katherine first Broadway production was The Big Pond. She soon became a regular in Broadway even though she was fired from the show after one night. In 1932 Katherine appeared in the critical success, The Warrior's Husband, which lead to several screen tests for many new plays. In the film, A Bill of Divorcement,which was her first film, she received excellent notices for her performance in this film. In Hepburn third film,in the 1930s, she received her first Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1933 Hepburn stared in the Broadway production of The Lake, which turned out to be a failure. Katharine was named ''box office poison'' in 1938. In 1939 Hepburn stared on Broadway in The Philadelphia story, which turned out to be a tremendous success. Katharine had a love affair with Spencer Tracy for 27 years. They appeared in many films together like Woman of the Year, which was h
er first pairing with Spencer Tracy.Katharine was linked to a lot of men through her life, she had an relationship with Hollywood agent Leland Hayward and multimillionaire Howard Hughes in 1930s.Katharine was Catholic and because she was already married she couldn't divorce her husband. Katharine Hepburn was in 40 films, 16 plays, received 12 Academy Award nominations, and, won 2 Oscars for Best Actress. They called Katharine, "The angle in a red dress". Hepburn last film work was Love Affair, in 1994. In the last years of katharine life her health was decreasing, so she had to same home. She died in her home, on June 29, 2003, at age 96. Here's a link to a video of Katharine acting in "Little Women" http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2643656985/Our Resources
Art Realism
Topic Issue:Art Realism
Broadly defined as "the faithful representation of reality" or "verisimilitude," realism is a literary technique practiced by many schools of writing. Although strictly speaking, realism is a technique, it also denotes a particular kind of subject matter, especially the representation of middle-class life. A reaction against romanticism, an interest in scientific method, the systematizing of the study of documentary history, and the influence of rational philosophy all affected the rise of realism. According to William Harmon and Hugh Holman, "Where romanticists transcend the immediate to find the ideal, and naturalists plumb the actual or superficial to find the scientific laws that control its actions, realists center their attention to a remarkable degree on the immediate, the here and now, the specific action, and the verifiable consequence" (A Handbook to Literature 428).
Characteristics
(from Richard Chase, The American Novel and Its Tradition)
Renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail. Selective presentation of reality with an emphasis on verisimilitude, even at the expense of a well-made plot
Character is more important than action and plot; complex ethical choices are often the subject.
Characters appear in their real complexity of temperament and motive; they are in explicable relation to nature, to each other, to their social class, to their own past.
Class is important; the novel has traditionally served the interests and aspirations of an insurgent middle class. (See Ian Watt, The Rise of the Novel)
Events will usually be plausible. Realistic novels avoid the sensational, dramatic elements of naturalistic novels and romances.
Diction is natural vernacular, not heightened or poetic; tone may be comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact.
Objectivity in presentation becomes increasingly important: overt authorial comments or intrusions diminish as the century progresses.
Interior or psychological realism a variant form.
In Black and White Strangers, Kenneth Warren suggests that a basic difference between realism and sentimentalism is that in realism, "the redemption of the individual lay within the social world," but in sentimental fiction, "the redemption of the social world lay with the individual" (75-76).
At its basic level, realism was grounded in the faithful reporting of all facets of everyday American life. According to William Dean Howells, "Realism is nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material" (Carter, 36). The reading public's preference for realism parallels the changes that were occurring at the end of the 19th and into the 20th century. For example, the modern scientific revolution advocated that truth and knowledge be based on empirical data. Reinforcing that notion, the industrial revolution proclaimed that a better civil society could be built upon machinery and factory labor. Given this atmosphere, several developments occurred around the same time The growth of investigative journalism,the rise of muckrakers and the establishment of a new-found fascination with the camera as a means of capturing the realities of a single instant, unvarnished by sentimentality.
Plot and Character
· Character is more important than action and plot complex ethical choices are often the subject.
· Characters appear in the real complexity of temperament and motive; they are in explicable relation to nature, to each other, to their social class, to their own past.
· Humans control their destinies characters act on their environment rather than reacting to it.
· Realistic novels avoid the sensational, dramatic elements of naturalistic novels and romances.
Class is important; the novel has traditionally served the interests and aspirations of an insurgent middle class.
Interpretation and Analysis
· Realism is viewed as a realization of democracy.
· The morality of Realism is intrinsic, integral, relativistic – relations between people and society are explored.
Characteristics
(from Richard Chase, The American Novel and Its Tradition)
Renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail. Selective presentation of reality with an emphasis on verisimilitude, even at the expense of a well-made plot
Character is more important than action and plot; complex ethical choices are often the subject.
Characters appear in their real complexity of temperament and motive; they are in explicable relation to nature, to each other, to their social class, to their own past.
Class is important; the novel has traditionally served the interests and aspirations of an insurgent middle class. (See Ian Watt, The Rise of the Novel)
Events will usually be plausible. Realistic novels avoid the sensational, dramatic elements of naturalistic novels and romances.
Diction is natural vernacular, not heightened or poetic; tone may be comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact.
Objectivity in presentation becomes increasingly important: overt authorial comments or intrusions diminish as the century progresses.
Interior or psychological realism a variant form.
In Black and White Strangers, Kenneth Warren suggests that a basic difference between realism and sentimentalism is that in realism, "the redemption of the individual lay within the social world," but in sentimental fiction, "the redemption of the social world lay with the individual" (75-76).
At its basic level, realism was grounded in the faithful reporting of all facets of everyday American life. According to William Dean Howells, "Realism is nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material" (Carter, 36). The reading public's preference for realism parallels the changes that were occurring at the end of the 19th and into the 20th century. For example, the modern scientific revolution advocated that truth and knowledge be based on empirical data. Reinforcing that notion, the industrial revolution proclaimed that a better civil society could be built upon machinery and factory labor. Given this atmosphere, several developments occurred around the same time The growth of investigative journalism,the rise of muckrakers and the establishment of a new-found fascination with the camera as a means of capturing the realities of a single instant, unvarnished by sentimentality.
Plot and Character
· Character is more important than action and plot complex ethical choices are often the subject.
· Characters appear in the real complexity of temperament and motive; they are in explicable relation to nature, to each other, to their social class, to their own past.
· Humans control their destinies characters act on their environment rather than reacting to it.
· Realistic novels avoid the sensational, dramatic elements of naturalistic novels and romances.
Class is important; the novel has traditionally served the interests and aspirations of an insurgent middle class.
Interpretation and Analysis
· Realism is viewed as a realization of democracy.
· The morality of Realism is intrinsic, integral, relativistic – relations between people and society are explored.
Structure of Prose
· The use of symbolism is controlled and limited; the realists depend more on the use of images.
· Objectivity in presentation becomes increasingly important: overt authorial comments or intrusions diminish as the century progresses.
Other Important Aspects
· Interior or psychological realism is a variant form.
Realism of James and Twain critically acclaimed in the twentieth century; Howellsian realism fell into disfavor as part of an early twentieth century rebellion against the "genteel tradition."
Realism in the last half of the 19th-century began as an experiment to make theater more useful to society. The mainstream theatre from 1859 to 1900 was still bound up in melodramas, spectacle plays (disasters, etc.), comic operas, and vaudevilles.
But political events—including attempts to reform some political systems—led to some different ways of thinking. Revolutions in Europe in 1848 showed that there was a desire for political, social, and economic reform. The many governments were frightened into promising change, but most didn’t implement changes after the violence ended.
Technological advances were also encouraged by industry and trade, leading to an increased belief that science could solve human problems. But the working classes still had to fight for every increase in rights: unionization and strikes became the principal weapons workers would use after the 1860s—but success came only from costly work stoppages and violence. In other words there seems to be rejection of Romantic idealism; pragmatism reigned instead. The common man seemed to feel that he needed to be recognized, and people asserted themselves through action.
Sources:
http://novaonline.nv.cc.va.us/eli/spd130et/realism.htm
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/realism/
http://www.ncteamericancollection.org/amer_realism.htm
· The use of symbolism is controlled and limited; the realists depend more on the use of images.
· Objectivity in presentation becomes increasingly important: overt authorial comments or intrusions diminish as the century progresses.
Other Important Aspects
· Interior or psychological realism is a variant form.
Realism of James and Twain critically acclaimed in the twentieth century; Howellsian realism fell into disfavor as part of an early twentieth century rebellion against the "genteel tradition."
Realism in the last half of the 19th-century began as an experiment to make theater more useful to society. The mainstream theatre from 1859 to 1900 was still bound up in melodramas, spectacle plays (disasters, etc.), comic operas, and vaudevilles.
But political events—including attempts to reform some political systems—led to some different ways of thinking. Revolutions in Europe in 1848 showed that there was a desire for political, social, and economic reform. The many governments were frightened into promising change, but most didn’t implement changes after the violence ended.
Technological advances were also encouraged by industry and trade, leading to an increased belief that science could solve human problems. But the working classes still had to fight for every increase in rights: unionization and strikes became the principal weapons workers would use after the 1860s—but success came only from costly work stoppages and violence. In other words there seems to be rejection of Romantic idealism; pragmatism reigned instead. The common man seemed to feel that he needed to be recognized, and people asserted themselves through action.
Sources:
http://novaonline.nv.cc.va.us/eli/spd130et/realism.htm
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/realism/
http://www.ncteamericancollection.org/amer_realism.htm
Lana Turner
LANA TURNERFEBRUARY 8, 1921-JUNE 29, 1995
Block 3 Mon/wed/Fri
THE HAWKS
Lana Turner, or Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner was born in Wallace, Idaho to John and Mildred Turner February 8th 1921. Lana grew up without a father, he had won a big card game one night then was robbed and killed in 1929, later she heard that he had been bragging about using the money he won to buy her the tricycle she had been begging him for. He worked in the mines and his card skills helped the family throughout tough times. Lana had also never met her grandmother who had died giving birth to Mildred Turner, from a disease that destroyed Lana's chances from having anymore children after her daughter Cheryl was born. Lana was married eight times to a variety of men.
Lana had loved going to the movies, saving 5 cents each weekday from lunch to go to a movie every weekend for 25 cents. This pretty much shows you that she loved movies very much. Everything then changed, Lana and her mother moved to California to find better jobs. At this time Lana had been 15 and was noticed by a Hollywood Reporter W.R Wilkerson. He then introduced Lana to a movie director named Mervyn LeRoy. Then at the age of 17 Lana entered the movie biz. After the first couple of movies she was immediately noticed. Being in movies wasn't really her dream, it was was to become a fashion designer. Lana still stood strong and brought attention to the audience with her beauty.
Lana had started out making $50 a week then LeRoy left Warner Bros and signed onto MGM so her salary increased to $100 a week. With all of that money Lana earned she bought a house for her and her mother to live in. Her salary began to increase more and by the age of 20 she was making $1,500 a week. When the U.S. entered WWII Lana started to travel with railroad tours that sold bonds. In her own words she said,
"I'm told I increased the defense budget by several million dollars."Not only did that increase but her salary did when she signed another contract with MGM in 1945 which gave her an addition of $4000 a week. I 1948 Lana filmed "The Three Musketeers" her first colored movie. Lana began to start filming more and more movies like Imitation of life(1959), Portrait in Black(1960), and The Bad and the Beautiful which won 5 Academy Awards. On October 25, 1981 the National Film society awarded Lana with Artistry in an Cinema Award. Her movie Lifestyle then Ended on June 29th, 1995 from throat cancer. Lana Turner had been cremated and then given to her daughter.
Sources: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001805/bio
http://www.cmgww.com/stars/turner/
http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9542242
Shakespeare: Hamlet
Shakespeare: Hamlet
The Falcones
"To be or not to be" one of the famous quote and poem from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Hamlet is one of the many famous plays William Shakespeare wrote. William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a successful middle-class glove-maker in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He attended grammar school were then he married Anne Hathaway. Around 1590 he left his family behind to work as an actor and playwright. One of his many plays is called Hamlet. a brief version of hamlet would go something like this, Hamlet's father, the king, has died and his uncle, Claudius, has married Hamlet's widowed mother, Gertrude, and taken over the throne. One night Hamlet's father's ghost is spotted and talks to Hamlet and tells him that Claudius killed him. Hamlet is to revenge his murder. He eventually does, but Hamlet dies and so does his mother (who drinks poison intended for Hamlet). during the play some drama, hatred, jealousy is aware. Hamlet and Laertes are two good friends who have several things in common such as they both wanted to return to the countries where they had been living and they both are sons of murdered fathers who feel duty-bound to seek revenge. Prince Hamlet mourns both his father's death and his mother, Queen Gertrude's remarriage to Claudius. Hamlet's father died quickly and suddenly before he had the chance to 'cleanse his soul' with prayer. The ghost of Hamlet's father presumes that Hamlet, after avenging his own father's death, will at some point in life pray for forgiveness of ALL of his sins given the opportunity, thus saving Hamlet from enduring endless suffering in the 'fires'. The ghost of Hamlet's father appears to him and tells him that Claudius has poisoned him. Hamlet swears
revenge. He arranges an old play whose story has a parallel to that of Claudius. Hamlet's behaviour is considered mad. He kills the eavesdropping Polonius, the court chamberlain, by thrusting his sword through a curtain. Polonius's son Laertes returns to Denmark to avenge his father's death. Polonius's daughter Ophelia loves the Prince but his brutal behaviour drives her to madness. Ophelia dies by drowning. A duel takes place and ends with the death of Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, and Hamlet. the themes of this plot include indecision, seeking revenge and retribution, deception, ambition, and loyalty. Some famous quotes "To be, or not to be: that is the question" "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" "This above all: to thine own self be true"."Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't.". "The lady doth protest too much, methinks". "In my mind's eye". "The play 's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king".
Resources
http://www.bookrags.com/notes/ham/
http://www.william-shakespeare.info/shakespeare-play-hamlet.htm
http://www.enotes.com/hamlet/q-and-a/what-characteristics-do-hamlet-laertes-have-common-68907
Music of the 1940's
1940's music was mainly defined by world war II. This era of music reflected the hurt and effects people were going through but still remained up tempo. The music style of the 1940's were a combined mix of what comes to known as rock n roll, jazz and blues. Some artists who made their marks on music in the 1940's were Bling Crosby who wrote and sung "White Christmas".There was also singers who had big bands,Frank Sinatra who had a strong sexual charge, Perry Como were along these lines too. Singers sang the blues from way back in the early years of blues and jazz in the 40s to develop the 'soul' thing that is everywhere today. One way the world war II influenced the music in 1940's, was how it affected the women. All of the men went overseas and then the women were lonely. Most of the songs were about coming home, loved ones, the war, romance, or things along these lines. 1940's music also influenced dances like the Jitterbug, and lindy Hop.
Sources:
Laurette Taylor
Laurette Taylor was born née Loretta Cooney on April 1, 1884, in New York City. Charles A. Taylor was her first husband and he wrote a play in 1903 at Boston called The Child Wife which became her first major production.
In New York City later that year she became Flossie Cooper in From Rags to Riches. In 1910, she was successfull for the first time by playing Rose Lane in Alias Jimmy Valentine then played the part of Luana in The Bird of Paradise in 1912. That same year, she married J. Hartley Manners, a dramatist. She was applauded for preforming the title role in his play Peg O' My Heart also the same year, which was shown in New York City as well as other cities. Out There (1917), Happiness (1918), and One Night in Rome (1919) were the plays she and her husband worked on together as actress and dramatist.
Laurette Taylor first performed mainly as a sentimental comedienne. During the 1920s she played the title role in Sweet Nell of Old Drury (1923) and Rose in Trelawny of the Wells (1925). She made an appearance in the Chicago production of The Comedienne (1927) and returned to Broadway with The Furies (1928). Her husband died in 1928 and caused her to leave the theatre for a few years, and only performed occasionally for a decade after the incident. At last, in 1945, she appeared as Amanda in the New York City production of The Glass Menagerie, in which she won commendation for her outstanding performance. Laurette Taylor died december 7, 1946. Her stage career lasted over 30 years 
Helen Hayes
Ying Yang Yo Block 4Helen Hayes was a very successful American actress. She was born on October 10, 1900, Washingt
on D.C. Helen’s mother Catherine Estelle was an aspiring actress and her father Frank Van Arnum Brown. Her grandparents immigrated form Ireland during the Irish potato famine. Helen married Charles Mac Arther and had children Mary Mac Arther who died at 19 from polio. Hayes adopted son was named James Mac Arther who became an actor. Hayes started to perform at a young age. She participated in many films such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jack the Giant Killer, The Lord Fauntleroy, and much more. Hayes also received several awards for her talent such as an Emmy, A Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. This woman was loved for her role play as the queen in Victoria Regina, and for being down to earth as a Broadway actress. Helen Hayes died March 17, 1993 in Nyack, New York.
on D.C. Helen’s mother Catherine Estelle was an aspiring actress and her father Frank Van Arnum Brown. Her grandparents immigrated form Ireland during the Irish potato famine. Helen married Charles Mac Arther and had children Mary Mac Arther who died at 19 from polio. Hayes adopted son was named James Mac Arther who became an actor. Hayes started to perform at a young age. She participated in many films such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jack the Giant Killer, The Lord Fauntleroy, and much more. Hayes also received several awards for her talent such as an Emmy, A Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. This woman was loved for her role play as the queen in Victoria Regina, and for being down to earth as a Broadway actress. Helen Hayes died March 17, 1993 in Nyack, New York.Sources
Jessica Tandy
Jessica Tandy
Born in London England, Jessica Alice Tandy is known for being one of the most outstanding actresses. She was born on June 7th, 1909. Jessica started at a young age interested in acting. Her parents enrolled her in Ben Greet acting academy at the age of 16. From there her life success had come. At 16, she performed in her first play "The Manderson Girls". In 1932, Jessica married British actor Jack Hawkens. After she had a child named Susan. Only 8 years into the marriage they decided it wasn't working out. Then Jessica started on Broadway, which she got her first Tony award performing in the show "A Streetcar Named Desire". Within her whole life she played in 11 Broadway productions. In 1942 she married Hume Cronye an actor/producer/director. Throughout Jessica's life she performed in a lot of movies and won many awards. Some of her most famous performances are The Birds, Fried Green Tomatoes, Driving Miss Daisy. Jessica won Oscars, Saturn Award, BAFTA Film Award, Emmy's, and Golden Globes. This is just a few to list. Her last award to be received was a Academy award in 1989 for best actress in a leading role, this was from the movie Driving Miss Daisy. Some last interesting facts are that Jessica earned a law degree in 1974. Also she was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. Died September 11,1994 in Easton, Ct. She passed away after fighting 4 years of Ovarian cancer.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001788/
http://www.picsearch.com/pictures/actors/academy%20awards%20winners/best%20actress/jessica%20tandy.html
http://www.shoestring.org/mmi_revs/jessica-tandy.html
Born in London England, Jessica Alice Tandy is known for being one of the most outstanding actresses. She was born on June 7th, 1909. Jessica started at a young age interested in acting. Her parents enrolled her in Ben Greet acting academy at the age of 16. From there her life success had come. At 16, she performed in her first play "The Manderson Girls". In 1932, Jessica married British actor Jack Hawkens. After she had a child named Susan. Only 8 years into the marriage they decided it wasn't working out. Then Jessica started on Broadway, which she got her first Tony award performing in the show "A Streetcar Named Desire". Within her whole life she played in 11 Broadway productions. In 1942 she married Hume Cronye an actor/producer/director. Throughout Jessica's life she performed in a lot of movies and won many awards. Some of her most famous performances are The Birds, Fried Green Tomatoes, Driving Miss Daisy. Jessica won Oscars, Saturn Award, BAFTA Film Award, Emmy's, and Golden Globes. This is just a few to list. Her last award to be received was a Academy award in 1989 for best actress in a leading role, this was from the movie Driving Miss Daisy. Some last interesting facts are that Jessica earned a law degree in 1974. Also she was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. Died September 11,1994 in Easton, Ct. She passed away after fighting 4 years of Ovarian cancer.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001788/
http://www.picsearch.com/pictures/actors/academy%20awards%20winners/best%20actress/jessica%20tandy.html
http://www.shoestring.org/mmi_revs/jessica-tandy.html
The Life and Times of Katherine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907 in Hartford, CT. Her parents were Thomas Norval Hepburn (a doctor) and Katharine Martha Houghton (a suffragette). Katharine had 5 siblings, Tom, Robert, Richard, Marion, and Margaret. It was in 1921 when Katharine found her brother Tom hung from the wood shafts in their aunt's attic. It is unknown if this was suicide or just a stunt gone awry, but nonetheless, this caused Katharine to go into a depression. She even tended to use Tom's birthday as her own.
Katharine Hepburn attended Bryn Mawr College, graduating in 1928. This is also when she met and married Ludlow Ogden Smith, who she later divorced 6 years later in 1934. After graduating, she moved to New York, hoping to get a start on her acting career. She got off to a rocky start, with a few successful plays, but mostly flops. Between 1935 and 1938, Katharine gained the nickname "Box Office Poison".
It was in 1940 when she starred in A Philadelphia Story, a film that became a box office hit and rid her of the nickname given to her. Katharine then appeared in Woman of the Year in 1942, co-starring with Spencer Tracy. Their relationship lasted for about 25 years, or eight more films.
In the 1950's, Katharine's roles changed to "middle aged spinster" roles. It was in the 1970's that she started acting in "made for T.V." films, one of which was The Glass Menagerie. During her career which lasted over 50 years, she was awarded 4 Oscars, 21 other awards from the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and even a place on the Walk of Fame, as well as 27 nominations. Katharine Houghton Hepburn died at the age of 96 in Old Saybrook, CT on June 29, 2003.
Here is a video on Youtube that shows two scenes from the film A Philadelphia Story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH2DKZ-2m74
Katharine Hepburn attended Bryn Mawr College, graduating in 1928. This is also when she met and married Ludlow Ogden Smith, who she later divorced 6 years later in 1934. After graduating, she moved to New York, hoping to get a start on her acting career. She got off to a rocky start, with a few successful plays, but mostly flops. Between 1935 and 1938, Katharine gained the nickname "Box Office Poison".
It was in 1940 when she starred in A Philadelphia Story, a film that became a box office hit and rid her of the nickname given to her. Katharine then appeared in Woman of the Year in 1942, co-starring with Spencer Tracy. Their relationship lasted for about 25 years, or eight more films.
In the 1950's, Katharine's roles changed to "middle aged spinster" roles. It was in the 1970's that she started acting in "made for T.V." films, one of which was The Glass Menagerie. During her career which lasted over 50 years, she was awarded 4 Oscars, 21 other awards from the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and even a place on the Walk of Fame, as well as 27 nominations. Katharine Houghton Hepburn died at the age of 96 in Old Saybrook, CT on June 29, 2003.
Here is a video on Youtube that shows two scenes from the film A Philadelphia Story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH2DKZ-2m74
Sources:
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000031/bio
- http://movies.msn.com/celebrities/celebrity-biography/katharine-hepburn/
- http://www-scf.usc.edu/~kristena/bio.html
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000031/awards
This blog was posted by Robert Edwards of the English Hawks, period 2 English class. Other members of the group are Shamelle, Tish, Edward, and Nelson.
The Battle of the Bulge
American tanker troops advance in Belgium
The battle, so named for the ‘bulge’ created in Allied lines by German forces, was fought in December of 1944, as German infantry and tank divisions made a major offensive into the Ardennes in northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, during the Allied push through France following D-Day. Due to heavy overcast weather, and surprise in a ‘quiet’ sector of the line, German forces, led by generals Sepp Dietrich, Hasso von Mantueffel, Erich Brandenberger, and Gustav-Adolf von Zangen were able to make a major breakthrough in American and British lines. This was due to extensive radio silence to prevent Allied radio operators from intercepting plans, low visibility in the harsh winter weather, and the use of English-speaking German soldiers, dressed in American and British uniforms with dog tags taken from POWs and corpses. These special units were used to misdirect traffic, sabotage supplies, capture bridges and river crossings, and generally cause all kinds of havoc for Allied supply and troop movements.
All these measures were due to the increasing sense of desperation among German commanders as the Eastern Front rapidly fell to the Soviets after the turnaround at Stalingrad, while the American-led Allied forces were recapturing much of France and Belgium after the D-Day landings in June. The German offensive was meant to be a ways for Hitler to stabilize the Western Front to secure a peace favoring the Axis powers. Should this be accomplished, he could divert all his forces to stop the Red Army juggernaut from running roughshod over Poland, East Prussia, and Germany itself.
On December 16th, at 5:30 AM, with a massive artillery barrage from Dietrich’s 6th SS Panzer division, the German attack began in earnest. By 8:00, the remaining armies attacked through the gap at the Ardennes. Dietrich’s attacks were stalled by fierce snowstorms covering the area, grounding Allied air and reconnaissance as desired, but also slowing the German advance. Towards the center of the line, the Fifth Panzer Army surrounded the overspread American 28th and 106th divisions and forced the surrender of two of their regiments (the 422nd and the 423rd); as many as 8000 men may have been lost. The American 101st Airborne, backed up by the 9th and 10th Armored divisions, managed to defend the crucial town of Bastogne, with its critical rail and road lines.
General Eisenhower, supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe, realized along with his generals that by December 17 this was no regional counterattack and sent necessary reinforcements. The 82nd Airborne division, along with and additional 250,000 troops, was sent to halt the German advance. In the early morning of December 17, over 1300 German paratroops jumped to capture the town and of Malmedy and hold it until relieved by the 12th SS Panzers. However, the heavy snow, low cloud over, and high winds drove many planes off course, and caused many paratroops to drift off-course; some landed as far as 12 kilometers off course. While the drop failed to do what was anticipated, the wide dispersal of troops cause the Allies to redivert forces away from the main thrust to counter what they thought was a division-sized attack.
The Germans continued to advance up to St. Vith, but after the failed siege of Bastogne, a corridor was opened up for Allied reinforcement. The Germans then made their farthest westward advance, to within 10 miles of the Meuse River on Christmas Eve. By then, however, the Allied commanders had already begun their main counterattack.
The British XXX Corps were holding the main bridges on the Meuse, and Patton’s Third Army reached and relieved the defenders of Bastogne. The Luftwaffe, the German air force, made a heavy bombing run on Allied airfields, scoring over 450 aircraft damaged. However, a further 250 Luftwaffe planes were downed, due to heavier-than-expected Allied flak batteries and friendly fire from fellow German guns. This loss, while taking a short time for the Allies to recover from, took the Luftwaffe much longer, due to rising pressure from the Soviets in the east and dwindling fuel and raw materials throughout.
On New Year’s Day, German Army Groups G and Upper Rhine launched a desperate counterattack against the thinly stretched American Seventh Army, scoring over 11,000 deaths on the American side of the line, some of the highest casualty percentages of the entire battle. On January 21, 7th Army was forced to withdraw to defensive positions across the Moder River. The Germans were stopped on January 25th, their last advance of the war. Patton and Montgomery planned to counterattack on January 1st and meet up to trap a large portion of German forces between their respective armies, but sub-zero conditions forced Montgomery to wait until January 3, giving the Germans enough time to withdraw most of their infantry, but, due to massive fuel shortages, leaving a good portion of their heavy equipment, such as tanks and artillery pieces, behind. Excluding the two Army groups attacking Seventh Army, Hitler and his generals agreed to withdraw all troops on January 7, thus ending the German offensive operations and the battle proper; The Battle of the Bulge itself did not officially end, however, until January 25th, when the 501st Airborne met up and relieved the 101st Aiborne.
On January 12th, possibly encouraged by weakening German resolve after the Battle, Soviet forces attacked at the Vistula in Poland and East Prussia. America suffered 81,000 killed or injured at the Battle, the greatest of any single engagement in American history. Germany suffered 84,000 casualties, Britain only 1,400. In 1965, a somewhat dramatized movie of the same name about the battle starring Henry Fonda was released by Ken Annakin, to warm critical review and two Golden Globe nominations.
Map of the troop movements in the Bulge. Note the narrow corridor of German advance.
Posted by Sam McAdoo from The Game, period 2.
Sources:
http://www.army.mil/botb/index.html
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_the_bulge.htm
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10006178
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1753.html
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Realism by the LOLcats
Some people may wonder what realism actually is. Dictionary.com states that realism:
Is a theory of writing in which the ordinary, familiar, or mundane aspects of life are represented in a straight forward or matter-of-factly that is presumed to reflect life as it actually is.
Now there are 3 types of realism: Philosophy, Fine arts, and Literature. Each type has a different definition for realism, but we are going to use Literature since it pertains more to what our project is about. In a Literature point of view, realism affects life by giving authors a way to write their books, it also gives artists a style for their paintings. Realism affects the way people see everything, because realism is basically how things are seen and viewed. This is a rather repetitive thought but that is what realism is. the picture used above shows a painter painting a picture of other painters and so on. this shows how one person is interpreting the life and art of others. This shows realism.
Is a theory of writing in which the ordinary, familiar, or mundane aspects of life are represented in a straight forward or matter-of-factly that is presumed to reflect life as it actually is.
Now there are 3 types of realism: Philosophy, Fine arts, and Literature. Each type has a different definition for realism, but we are going to use Literature since it pertains more to what our project is about. In a Literature point of view, realism affects life by giving authors a way to write their books, it also gives artists a style for their paintings. Realism affects the way people see everything, because realism is basically how things are seen and viewed. This is a rather repetitive thought but that is what realism is. the picture used above shows a painter painting a picture of other painters and so on. this shows how one person is interpreting the life and art of others. This shows realism.
References:
The Great and Amazing Life of Jessie Tandy
Jessie Alice "Jessica" Tandy was born in London, England, June 7, 1909. She was born to Jessie Helen and Harry Tandy. Sadly, she died on September 11, 1994 tragically of ovarian cancer. In Jessie’s lifetime she had two marriages. Her first marriage was to Jack Hawkins on September 27, 1932. This marriage didn’t work out so she divorced him in 1940.She had one daughter from him, Susan Hawkins. In 1942, Jessie went for it again and married Hume Cronyn. Fortunately, this marriage worked out and she stayed with him until she made him a widower when she died of cancer. From Hume, Jessie had 2 children, daughter Tandy and son Christopher.
Jessica got to live her dream on stage as an actress. Studying at the Ben Greet Academy, her first appearance under the lights was on the London stage in 1926 at the age of 16, playing Katherine in King Lear. When her first marriage ended, she relocated to New York. Here she met her second husband. In 1944, Jessica stared in her first American film, “The Seventh Cross”. Acting in American films was probably the best thing for her 67 year career. In her prosperous acting career, she won four Tony Awards, including the 1993 Special Tony Award lifetime achievement award. Her amazing work in Foxfire won her an Emmy Award in 1987. In 1989, she won an Oscar for her vibrant presentation in Driving Miss Daisy. In order to be in showbiz, you have to have the look. In 1990, Jessie was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world! Not only did she have the looks and talent for the camera, she had the brains. In 1974, Jessie earned her law degree. After a long and prosperous career, it finally came to an end with her last performance in Camilla, at the ripe old age of 84.
Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Tandy
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001788/
- http://www.starpulse.com/Actresses/Tandy,_Jessica/Biography/
- http://www.picsearch.com/pictures/actors/academy%20awards%20winners/best%20actress/jessica%20tandy.html
Video of Jessie recieving her Tony Life Time Achivement Award:
TEAM CASTP-8
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was known as the “Father of Tragedy”. He was born in 525 B.C in Eleusis, which was the city that primarily worshiped Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture. He wrote many books, some including: The Suppliants, The Oresteia, Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides, and Prometheus Bound. Aeschylus' writing was inspired by the task that was given to him as a child by Dionysus during a dream when he was sent to watch grapes ripening in the coutryside; to write tradgedies. He continued to write until he died. According to the story told, his death was caused by an eagle who mistook his head for a stone and dropped a tortoise on it to break its’ shell.
Around the time that Aeschylu's started writing, the theatre had just begun to evolve. Aeschylus introduced the second actor. He also attempted to add the chorus in the plays he directed. Some of the plays that he directed were said to be so realistic that women who were watching had miscarraiges.
Some of his quotes are:
Resources:
theatredatabase.com
imagi-nation.com
quotationspage.com
Links:
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin
Da Gangztaz Block 8
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a Post-Impressionist painter born in Paris, France. As a child, Paul always had a love of painting. Paul was originally inspired to start painting full-time when he went to an Impressionist’s first exhibit in 1874. He started painting full-time in 1885, after he returned from Denmark, where he left his family. He spent 9 weeks in 1888 with Vincent Van Gogh, both learning from each other, but typically at odds against each other. He had his big break with Impressionists when he painted “Visions after the Sermon,” where he attempted to depict his subject’s inner feelings. Gauguin felt that Impressionism lacked symbolic depth and he turned to other cultures, such as Japan or Africa.
In 1891, Gauguin sailed away from Europe because the lack of recognition and felt that he needed to escape from civilization. He moved to various locations, one of which was Mataiea Village in Tahitian,
where he painted various depictions of Tahitian life, such as “Fatata te Miti,” meaning “By the Sea.” He moved again, this time to Punaauia in 1897. His works from that time are exoticized views of the inhabitants. He often sided with the native people against the colonial authorities and the Catholic Church. During this time, he wrote a book, Avant et aprènes (before and after), which consisted of fragmented memories of observations about Polynesian life, his life, and comments on literature and paintings. In, 1903, he was about to be sent to prison due to problems with the church and local government, when he died of syphilis.
Resources
- http://www.paul-gauguin.net/
- http://www.ricci-art.com/en/Paul-Gauguin.htm
- http://www.theartwolf.com/gauguin_tropics.htm
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