My Movie Collection:TAXI DRIVER

"Some day a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets."

Robert DeNiro's performance in Taxi Driver as Travis is one of the best I have ever seen. DeNiro does every pause, smirk, and stare in exactly the right time. He transformed a despicable and psychotic character into a lonely and desperate man, who the audience can relate and understand. His scenes talking to himself in the mirror is entertaining, at the same time, terrifying.
-Johnpaulz(IMDB.com)

The great aspect I like in this movie is the touching storyline about a mentally unstable youth(Robert De Niro) called by name Travis a taxi driver who as been noted for his disgusting and unruly behaviour.

Intially Travis falls in love with a beautiful gal Betsy but soon there relationship broke up as Betsy mistook Travis in one occasion and ignored him, but Travis could'nt resist himself without Betsy and was totally heart broken.
Once on his way home he met a 12 year old gal (Jodi Foster) abducted and subjected to prostitution illegaly thus this incident makes travis to go violent towards pimps and thus he finds the way to rescue her.....as of climax everybody, including media makes Travis as a National figure for rescuing a gal from such scum and making Betsy brokenhearted.

If u get a chance dont miss it ,especially the scene with Betsy at the end is excellent.

You can make a difference!

The more friends you tell, the bigger the difference you can make without spending a penny

just login into http://friends.unicefusa.org/

A voluntarily funded agency, UNICEF relies on contributions from governments and private donors. Its programmes emphasize developing community-level services to promote the health and well-being of children.

UNICEF is currently focused on 5 primary priorities:

• Child Survival and Development
• Basic Education and Gender Equality (including girls' education]),
• Child protection from violence, exploitation and abuse,
• HIV/AIDS and Policy advocacy,
• Partnerships for children’s rights.

When we work to end childhood hunger, we are giving our love to kids who need it so much they will never ask for it.-- Beau Bridges

Beslan Massacre

At 09:30 local time on September 1, a Chechen terrorist group of approximately thirty-two armed attackers arrived at a school in Beslan Russia, wearing black ski masks and in some cases wearing explosive belts. At first, some mistook the attackers for Russian forces practicing a security drill. However, the attackers soon demonstrated that they were serious and started to shoot in the air and forced everybody into the school. During the initial chaos, about fifty people managed to flee to safety and alert authorities.

The attackers herded the hostages into the school gymnasium, and stripped the hostages of any means of outside communication. One of the female terrorists threatened the hostages that if she found a single mobile phone on anyone, that person and three more people near him or her would be killed. Immediately after having gathered all the hostages in the gym, the attackers set about killing about twenty of the adult male hostages, reportedly the strongest in the group.The attackers forced other hostages to throw their bodies out of the building and set some children to wash the blood off the floor.

The attackers mined the gymnasium and the rest of the building with improvised explosive devices, and surrounded it with tripwires . In a further bid to deter rescue attempts, they threatened to kill fifty hostages for every one of their own members killed by the police, and to kill twenty hostages for every gunman injured. They also threatened to blow up the school if government forces attacked.

The Russian government initially said that it would not use force to rescue the hostages, and negotiations towards a peaceful resolution took place on the first and second days, led by Leonid Roshal, a pediatrician whom the hostage takers had reportedly asked for by name; for Roshal had helped negotiate the release of children in the 2002 Moscow Theatre Siege.
Nearly 30 hours into the siege, survivors say the terrorists were popping pills to stay awake, and they were starting to crack.

Day 2
On September 2, 2004, negotiations between Roshal and the hostage-takers proved unsuccessful, and they refused to allow food, water, and medicines to be taken in for the hostages or for the bodies of the dead to be removed from in front of the school.

On day two,many of the young children started to succumb to being denied food and water and being forced to stand up for long periods in the tightly packed and hot gym. Many fainted and the parents feared they would start to die. Occasionally, the terrorists took out some of the unconscious children, and poured water on their heads before returning them to the gym. Reportedly, some resorted to drinking their own urine and extracting water from plants. Later in the day, women and men also started to faint from fatigue and thirst. When the bombs started to go off, many of the surviving children were so fatigued they were barely able to flee from the carnage.

In the afternoon, the gunmen agreed to release 26 nursing women and their infants following their negotiations with former Ingushetia President Ruslan Aushev, to whom they also handed a nursing infant whose mother refused to leave the school because of her other children. About a dozen of those mothers released were allowed by the terrorists to take only one child and forced to leave behind other children (a number of which were killed).

At around 15:30, two rocket propelled grenade (RPGs) were fired by the hostage-takers at security forces outside the school, approximately ten minutes apart;[16] one set a police car ablaze. As the day and night wore on, the combination of stress and sleep deprivation—and possibly drug withdrawal made the terrorists increasingly hysterical and unpredictable. The crying of the children irritated them, and on several occasions children and their mothers were threatened that if they didn't stop crying they'd be shot.

Day 3

Around 13:04 on September 3, 2004, the hostage-takers agreed to allow Emergency Ministry servicemen to remove bodies from the school grounds. However, when the servicemen approached the school, the hostage-takers opened fire, and explosions were heard from the gymnasium. Two of the servicemen were killed, while the rest took cover. Part of the gymnasium wall was demolished by the explosions, allowing a group of about thirty hostages to escape, though a number were killed when the hostage-takers fired at them and as a result of crossfire from the hostage-takers and army.

It was at this point that Russian Special Forces fired the Shmel RPO flamethrowers at the school's roof; a total of nine empty disposable tubes were later found on the rooftops of the nearby apartment blocks. A chaotic battle broke out as the Special Forces sought to enter the school and cover the escape of the hostages. The task force members blew further holes in walls to allow hostages to escape.
In addition to the Special Forces, army and Interior Ministry troops engaged, there were Mi-24 Hind and Mi-8 Hip gunships, and at least one tank , as well as several BTR armoured personnel carriers.

Many local civilians also joined in the battle, having brought along their own weapons. Afterwards, the Russian government defended the use of tanks and other heavy weaponry, arguing that it was used after surviving hostages escaped from the school. However, this contradicts the eyewitness accounts, as many hostages were seriously wounded and could not possibly escape by themselves.

The attack was followed by two or more large explosions, totally destroying the gym and setting much of the building on fire.

By 15:00, two hours after the assault began, Russian troops claimed control of most of the school. However, fighting was still continuing in the grounds as evening fell, and three hostage-takers were still located in the basement along with a number of hostages. They were eventually killed, along with the hostages they were holding.

An estimated 344 civilians, mostly hostages, were killed during the crisis; at least 19 Russian servicemen were killed as well, including eleven OSNAZ fighters.
Shortly after September 3, 2004, Russian official sources stated that the attackers were part of an international group led by Chechen terrorist Shamil Basayev and included a number of Arabs with contact to al-Qaeda.

“Man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn”
-Robert Bruns

Elvis is more icon than artist.

NO one could in this world could argue with the fact that he was the musician most responsible for popularizing rock & roll on an international level.

Elvis Presley may be the single most important figure in American 20th century popular music.
Dozens upon dozens of international smashes from the mid-'50s to the mid-'70s, as well as the steady sales of his catalog and reissues since his death in 1977, may make him the single highest-selling performer in history.

:::::::::::::::::EARLIER CHILDHOOD DAYS :::::::::::::::::::

Born to a poor Mississippi family in the heart of Depression, Elvis had moved to Memphis by his teens, After graduating from high school, he became a truck driver, rarely if ever singing in public. In mid-1954 A Music recording company by name "SUN" looked for a white singer with a black feel, teamed Presley with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black. Almost by accident, apparently,"That's All Right Mama," that became Elvis' first single.In a newspaper interview Elvis himself was open about the close relationship to his mother. "She was the number-one girl in his life, and he was dedicating his career to her.

Elvis' five Sun singles pioneered the blend of R&B and C&W that would characterize rockabilly music. For quite a few scholars, they remain not only Elvis' best singles, but the best rock & roll ever recorded. Claiming that Elvis made blues acceptable for the white market is not the whole picture.Elvis' aspirations were too big to be limited to records and live appearances.
By late 1956, his first Hollywood movie, Love Me Tender.Presley's recording and movie careers were interrupted by his induction into the Army in early 1958. When he re-entered civilian life in 1960, his popularity, remarkably, was at just as high a level as when he left. While there were some quality efforts on Presley's early-'60s albums, his discography was soon dominated by forgettable soundtracks, mostly featuring material that was dispensable or ridiculous.

The Beatles, all big Elvis fans, displaced Presley as the biggest rock act in the world in 1964. What's more, they did so by writing their own material and playing their own instruments; something Elvis had never been capable of, or particularly aspired to. They, and the British and American groups the Beatles influenced, were not shy about expressing their opinions, experimenting musically, and taking the reins of their artistic direction into their own hands.

As Presley was a very popular star, the FBI had files on him of more than 600 pages.The FBI was interested in death threats made against the singer, the likelihood of Elvis being the victim of blackmail and particularly a "major extortion attempt" while he was in the Army inGermany.

http://www.elvisinfonet.com/conspiracy.html

Elvis' final years have been the subject of instable. His weight fluctuated wildly; his marriage broke up; he became dependent upon a variety of prescription drugs.By the time of his death, he'd become more a symbol of gross Americana than of cultural innovation.As Presley was a very popular star, the FBI had files on him of more than 600 pages.The FBI was interested in death threats made against the singer, the likelihood of Elvis being the victim of blackmail and particularly a "major extortion attempt" while he was in the Army in Germany.

On August 16, 1977, Presley was found dead in Graceland. The cause of death remains a subject of widespread speculation, although it seems likely that drugs played a part.Even today thousands of die-hard Elvis fans travel to Graceland every year in order to celebrate the anniversary of Presley's death.From 1971 to his death in 1977 Presley employed the Stamps Quartet, a gospel group, for his backup vocals. He recorded several gospel albums, earning three Grammy Awards for his gospel music.Twenty-four years after his death, the Gospel Music Association inducted him into its Gospel Music Hall of Fame(2001).

According to the American Demographics magazine,

84% of the US people say that their lives have been touched by Elvis Presley in some way,

70% have watched a movie starring Presley,

44% have danced to one of his songs,

31% have bought an Elvis record, CD or video,

10% have visited Graceland,

9% have bought Elvis memorabilia,

9% have read a book about Presley, and

5% have seen the singer in concert.

NOTE: Not all of these people are Presley fans.

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #3 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time

Steven Spielberg produced his first film at age 12

Spielberg ranks among the most successful filmmakers in history, in terms of both critical acclaim and popular success even though his films are sometimes portrayed as the archetype of modern Hollywood blockbuster film-making (commercialism over artistic purposes) by critics.

Steven Spielberg produced his first film at age 12, financed with the profits from his tree-planting business. At 13, he won a prize for his Escape to Nowhere, a 40-minute war movie, and at 16, his feature length sci-fi film Firelight was shown in a movie theater in Phoenix, where he grew up. In college at Cal State, a short film he made called Amblin' was shown at the Atlanta Film Festival, which resulted in a seven-year television directing contract with Universal.
After working on a few TV shows and making his first feature film, Spielberg was given the opportunity to direct Jaws. The $8.6 million film proved incredibly successful, grossing $260 million. Two years later he was nominated for an Academy Award for directing of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. After Close Encounters, Spielberg hit a low point with the flop 1941, but soon rebounded with Raiders of the Lost Ark, a collaborative effort with Star Wars director George Lucas. He followed up the success of Raiders with 1982's E.T., also a blockbuster hit.

Directing the film adaptation of Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple in 1985 represented a departure for Spielberg; the film was seen as a direct response to criticism that he could only produce action and science fiction movies. The film received 11 Oscar nominations, but the nomination for Best Director was conspicuously absent. Nine years later, after directing such blockbusters as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Jurassic Park, he again attempted a serious subject: the Holocaust. Schindler's List, the story of Nazi Party member Oskar Schindler, who helped save hundreds of European Jews bound for concentration camps, won Spielberg his first Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture.

Trivia

• While the films that Steven Spielberg directed have won numerous awards, no actor or actress has won an Academy Award for a performance given in one of his films, although several have been nominated. Spielberg had a cameo role as the Cook County assessor in the last minutes of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.

• In 2005, Empire magazine ranked Spielberg number one on a list of the greatest film directors of all time.

FAN SITE : http://www.spielbergfilms.com/

• The Star Wars character Senator Grebleips was inspired by Steven Spielberg, hence his name is "spielberg" spelled backwards.

• In the 2006 edition of Forbes' "400 Richest People in America" Spielberg is the 80th richest American. His net worth is estimated at 2.9 billion dollars, an increase from $2.7 billion in 2005. He, and good friend George Lucas (net worth: $3.9 billion, up from 3.5 billion, current position 55) are the only filmmakers on the list.

Oracle CEO - College dropout

Larry Ellison, founder of software developer Oracle, was abandoned by his parents at birth and was raised by his great aunt and uncle. As a child, neighbors remember Larry as a "laundernaut," climbing into dryers in the nearby laundromat in order to spin. He was never one for academics and dropped out of college in favor of driving to cross-country California, where he discovered Silicon Valley - and pot. (Ellison has made it clear to the public that he himself did inhale on occasion.)

Despite an altered state at times, Ellison paved his road to riches smartly. Until 1977 he was a programmer at various computer companies. It was then that he and his friend Robert Miner started Software Development Laboratories, which later became Oracle. The 1980s were good years for the company, largely due to Ellison's extremely tough sales tactics. But it almost went bankrupt in 1990, as people found out that Oracle's salespeople had been reporting sales before they were really in.

After reinstating a clear policy of honesty, Ellison was able to bring Oracle back to the forefront of the business, but to this day his attitude is ruthlessly competitive. According to Time magazine, Ellison always uses very harsh language when discussing business. "He'll say, 'This is the quarter we put a knife in their chest,' or, 'The life will be choked out of them.'" Ellison's killer instinct clearly serves him well, as his company's market value is now greater than Time Warner's - but he doesn't want to stop there. His ultimate goal is to surpass Microsoft as the biggest and most recognized computer company in the world. According to Ellison, his motivation for such success is more theoretical than personal: "I'm more interested in beating Microsoft than I am in beating Bill Gates," he says. "I obsess on the personal computer and the industry, and I would love to see the age of proprietary computers end."