What a Girl Wants What a Girl Wants What's This? CBN.com - What a Girl Wants is a movie that is aimed at a specific audience. It occurred to me as I watched the film that I was not a part of that audience. Adolescents and teenage girls will find many things to like about this movie. If you aren't a part of that audience, all bets are off. Not that I would encourage betting. This movie is a sweet, romantic Cinderella story about Daphne Reynolds (played by Amanda Bynes), an American girl who goes to England to see her father whom she has never met. While this hardly original story calls to mind several other movies with similar plots that have been released over the years, it is in fact based on a 1956 play by William Douglas Home entitled "The Reluctant Debutante." Daphne's mother (Libby, played by Kelly Preston) is a wedding singer in New York. After graduating from high school, Daphne accompanies her mother to wedding parties and works as a waitress while her mom performs with the band. During the father-daughter dances at these weddings, Daphne yearns for meeting her own father, a British politician.

Eventually, Daphne decides to make an unannounced visit to her father, Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), who doesn't even know she exists. After meeting his daughter, Dashwood and his mother grow very fond of their new-found relation. Dashwood's snooty fiance and step-daughter-to-be resent her and attempt to make her stay very uncomfortable. Dashwood's political advisers, who ran Daphne's mother off seventeen years before, try their best to get Daphne away from Dashwood before the scandal can damage his political career. The movie is quite funny in parts and consistently cute throughout. Perhaps too cute for some of us who are not part of the intended audience. There are a good number of jokes aimed at snooty members of the British upper crust. The usual scenes of the typical American teen struggling to fit in with British nobility abound, as they do in other movies of this type. Perhaps, I would have found them humorous had I not seen them before in several other movies. However, at the heart of this movie is a very good message. It places a high value on fatherhood and family. Daphne realizes how important it is to her to have a father in her life.

In fact, throughout her entire childhood she repeatedly wished for her father to enter her life. And in the end, her father realizes how important it is for him to be a part of his daughter's life. The movie also communicates that family is more important than career. It could damage Dashwood's political career to admit that he had a family in America that he never even knew he had. He has to decide between fulfilling his responsibilities as a father and pursuing further political success. In the end, he makes the right choice. The movie is very well-acted. Bynes, star of "The Amanda Show" on Nickelodeon, carries the lead role well. She is helped along by a cast of veteran actors who turn in performances that are as good as they can be with the material they are working with (in addition to Firth and Preston: Eileen Atkins, Jonathan Price, and Anna Chancellor). If you are looking for a movie for the whole family, this would be an excellent choice. There is very little that is objectionable about this PG-rated movie. Perhaps the most objectionable thing would be the fact that Dashwood and Libby had a baby out of wedlock. Maybe. See, they were sort of married at the time...

Nevermind, it is too hard to explain. Perhaps they were married all along. It is hard to tell. But this modern-day fairy tale is for the most part squeaky clean. CBN IS HERE FOR YOU! Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting? Are you facing a difficult situation? Colin Firth in American Girl US video/DVD release: Aug 5, 2003 Release dates: Australia/NZ (4/3); UK (8/8); Portugal (8/22). For others, check here All galleries reorganized, with new pics and captures Fascinating, behind-the-scenes interview with director Dennie Gordon about the marketing of the film and Colin's appeal here Colin let's rip (from icCoventry.co.uk) There's a scene in the teen comedy What A Girl Wants which actor Colin Firth is hardly likely to forget. And it's a safe bet that the audience will find it rather memorable too. Colin plays Lord Henry Dashwood, a man who has become weighed down by the responsibilities of an aristocratic family tradition and the expectations of a blossoming political career.

He's forgotten how to have fun, but the sudden arrival of the teenage daughter he never knew he had turns his world upside down. Recalling his days as a motorbike rider, back-packing musician and his romance with the liberated Libby, he dons leather trousers and performs air guitar in front of a mirror. Mention it and a huge smile breaks out on this 43 year old actor's instantly recognisable face. "Yes, all the dancing with leather trousers, I did wonder if there's a good chance it could kill my career," he laughs. "I very rarely get asked to do the self mockery thing on a big scale, I very rarely get asked to do it in front of a mirror! And I spent most of my youth doing exactly that, I mean that was me. That was far more me than the guy in the suit that I'm sort of known for playing. I mean, it was a bit physically painful at my age but it was fun to let rip and I'd do it more often if I was allowed to." Q Dennie Gordon, director of What A Girl Wants, said that she came over to England before filming to convince you to take the part. What happened?

She did say that it was to the exclusion to anyone else, which is quite a seductive thing to hear I must say, it really is, you can't ignore it. I didn't take an interest in this initially. I didn't have any negative feelings about it. I just had my eyes scanning the horizon for something and it didn't strike me as the one initially. Q How did you find playing Lord Henry Dashwood? Well, it's fairy tale stuff and for me I was always slightly split about the whole issue of fantasy, fairytale escapism versus keeping a foot in reality just for that to work. I think fairy tales don't have to be untruthful things but I think if they get too saccharine I get worried. And I actually found Henry strangely believable and despite the trappings of this character and the trappings of this film, it didn't feel like some of the characters I've played before. He's not Mark Darcy. To me he absolutely isn't. Q It is a modern day fairy tale. And presumably you saw a lot in the messageï¿½be yourselfï¿½that you liked? Yes, I did.

It is told in a fairytale kind of way, almost to the point of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or something. But I think what I really liked about this film, more than I thought I would, is how much it owns up to being a fairytale. It's not a fairytale disguised as a heart rending drama at all, it practically starts with Once Upon A Time...It gives you a very mythological view of London and absolutely makes no bones about that. You walk out of a vast mansion and there you are on the King's Road or something or Oxford Street. This guy goes to work in a 1962 Rolls Royce every day, despite having forfeited his title, and that's makes a different statement to us in Britain than it does with Americans with a fairytale view and in a way you don't want to tread on that. If this really was an earnest pretence that England is really like that I think it would be dishonest. But I don't think it is. (full interview) Comingsoon.net interview with Amanda Bynes "I thought it was cute but I didn't know if I wanted to do a movie.

Then I heard Colin Firth was interested and I was like 'What? He's interested? Let me look at that again.'...When I found out Colin was doing it I was shocked that he would be near me, let alone do a movie with me. He was amazing. Even better than I thought he would be. He's down to earth and has such a good sense of humor and is so charming and such a lovely guy." Sharing the screen with Firth taught Bynes about the craft of acting. "There's no exact 'how to' but he's so natural that when he does it, I don't ever see him studying lines but he always brings something to it. He's hard on himself and will do the take 50 times and make sure it's right. Having that type of commitment and stamina is really impressive and is really a good role model and something good to see." (full interview) What a director wants: kids and adults Amanda Bynes will surely bring a teen audience to What a Girl Wants, a coming of age story set in England. But director Dennie Gordon is counting on "hunka chunka" Colin Firth to draw grownups into the theater too.

There she wasï¿½her majesty Queen Elizabeth IIï¿½in all her regal finery, puffing away on a cigarette on the grounds of London's venerable St. James Palace and chatting with member of the film crew. Or so it looked to the scandalized security personnel. "Oh my God!" one of them exclaimed. "The queen's hanging out with those ruffians." Actually, what they were seeing was a British actress who's a dead ringer for her majesty. She was taking a break from a shootingï¿½a scene from the new Warner Bros. comedy in which Amanda Bynesï¿½in the role of an uninhibited U.S. teenager on the loose in London high societyï¿½makes a splash at a royal ball. "We had the greatest queen look-alike on the Earth in that movie," director Dennie Gordon said. But the trouble was that it was happening in a venue where the presence if British royalty is an everyday occurrence and security is high. "You cannot get in and out of that building without showing your passport and massive ID," Gordon noted. She said that's understandable given the frequent appearances on the premises of people like Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles.

But no one had alerted security about the queen's look-alike. Gordon won't even give the real name of the actress concerned. "It's Elizabeth R," she said coyly. She loves telling the story as an illustration of how much fun everyone had making the film. She also wants audiences to have fun watching it. The one thing she doesn't want is for What a Girl Wants to be perceived as just another teenage flick when it rolls into theatres next Friday. This, she declares, is a teenage movie that adults will want to see too. The key component in her strategy is the presence of Colin Firth in the cast. Gordon knew the film risked being pigeonholed when she first took on the project. After all, the central character is a teenager, and 16-year-old Bynes would portray her. Bynes is something of a teenage superstar thanks to her various Nickelodeon TV programs and last year's feature comedy Big Far Liar, in which she co-starred with Frankie Munez. "My 14 year-old thinks she's hot," Gordon said. Which is why Bynes was at the top of everybody's list for the role of Daphne Reynolds, a high-spirited U.S.

teenager who lives with her bohemian mother (Kelly Preston) but yearns to be united with the British dad she has never met. After Big Fat Liar was released, Bynes said she was still "a Nickelodeon goofy Lucille Ball girl." But in What a Girl Wants, she must make an emotional transition as the story infolds. In an effort to fulfill her dream of a storybook relationship with her absent father, she takes off to London, where she discovers he's very much of the upper classï¿½a high profile politician named Lord Henry Dashwood. Her arrival on the Dashwood doorstep causes chaos; her astonished father takes her in and tries to introduce her to high society, where her uninhibited behaviour creates an uproar. "When I met Amanda, she was so clearly this girl," Gordon recalled. "She's worldly, yet still in awe of the world. We captured her just at the moment she's becoming a woman, and of course she has this amazingly huge following, so once we knew she as interested, it was a slam-dunk.

This is the movie where she gets to show that she's a big, grown-up young lady who can both wear ball gowns (yet) look fabulous in T-shirt and jeans." It's a given that Bynes will bring the kids into the theatres. But Gordon wants the adults as well, and that's why she cast Britain's Colin Firth in the role of Dashwood. Firth's performances in the TV version of Pride and Prejudice and the film version of Bridget Jones's have spawned a huge international fan following. Ever since she saw Firth in Pride and Prejudice, Gordon knew he was "hunka chunka" and that he "smoulders like nobody else. I had to have him." She flew over to England and met Firth at a posh hotel in central London, where he started a mini riot as he entered the hotel, she recalled. During the meeting, Gordon chickened out when telling Firth what he would have to do: squeeze into a pair of leather pants from his youth and start swivelling about to a throbbing rock beat.

But, screenwriter Elizabeth Chandler said: "He really got into it." What a Girl Wants is loosely based on two plays by British dramatist William Douglas Home, The Reluctant Debutante and The Reluctant Peer, neither of which screenwriter Chandler read before she took on the final script duties. Much of the humour stems from Daphne's floundering attempts to adapt to the English way of doing things and the horrified response of the English upper crust. Chandler makes no apology for hauling out the timeworn clichés and stereotypes about culture clash and the stuffiness of English society, but she insists the important thing is to have a sense of humour about it. "They do have these assumptions about us and we have assumptions about them, and what's really fun is poking holes in that and letting the air out." (Jamie Portman, Montreal Gazette, 3/26/03) 'Girl' filming causes a royal fuss Who stirred up more attention during the London filming of What a Girl Wants: Queen Elizabeth or British actor Colin Firth? Tough call. Firth may have emerged the winner, but only because Her Majesty was a pretender, played by an impersonator known as Elizabeth R.

[...] Gordon says the married Firth works in the role, in part, because he has "that thing that adult women love. After Bridget Jones, Colin Firth makes us all weak in the knees." Some of Firth's fervid fans showed up unannounced during filming. "We had stalkers on the set," Gordon says. "One woman shows up everywhere he goes. She's very proper in her little red suit. He sees her and says, 'My stalker's here,' and goes over and says, 'Hello, how are you?' " (Claudia Puig, USA Today, 3/28/03) Cling film with Firth A rock band from Camden Town has been getting a taste of the life of movie stars after making a film with Colin Firth and Mrs John Travolta, Kelly Preston. The Cling, a five-piece band which has been compared to the likes of the Cure and The Jam, recently finished a stint on location for American Girl (due for release next summer) in glamorous High Wycombe. They all won parts after lead singer Charlie Beall auditioned for a role in the film and was cast as a ï¿½really unpleasant young aristocratï¿½.

After chatting to the filmï¿½s producers about the band, the rest of the ladsï¿½Tom Goodfellow, James Bell, Mick Toller and Tom Pennï¿½ also landed parts. Charlie told Heathman: ï¿½I went for the audition and just went on about the band. They had a look at the website and thought everybody looked great and cast them as the band. The one thing that annoys me slightly is that in the film Kelly Preston is the lead singer.ï¿½ Not only did The Cling have to ditch their vocalist for filming but they also had to change their style and learn to play cheesy ï¿½80s numbers to fit into the role of a tacky wedding band. The band collectively agreed it was a ï¿½fantastic experienceï¿½ and described Colin Firth as ï¿½smoulderingï¿½ and Kelly Preston as ï¿½a beautiful ladyï¿½. The Cling will be back gigging around Camden Town with their original sound and reinstated lead singer.

Charlie said: ï¿½When we first played after filming a lot of people from the set turned up, so weï¿½ll send Colin Firth a flyer and see if he can make it.ï¿½ (Visit The Cling's website. ) (Hampstead & Highgate Express 8/16/02) Posing for a photo with some admirers gave him a chance to show his softer side. The actor was on location in Greenwich to film his latest movie, American Girl. Firth, who plays a hotshot British politician whose comfortable life is changed dramatically when his unknown daughter tracks him down. Anna Chancellor plays his [fiancee], Amanda Bynes plays the title character, and Christina Cole [Anna Chancellor's daughter]. Director Dennie Gordon has been shooting the film in London and the Home Counties. Eileen Atkins, Sylvia Sims and Jonathan Pryce also star.

(Baz Bamigboye, Daily Mail 6/21/02) Kelly Preston will put her singing voice to the test playing a professional thrush opposite Amanda Bynes and Colin Firth in the Dennie Gordon-directed "American Girl," the working title of a pic just getting started for Warner Bros., Gaylord and producer Denise DiNovi. Preston, who last starred in "A View From the Top," is said to be a capable songstress. (Michael Fleming, Variety 6/13/02) Preston has been cast in Warner Bros.' untitled debutante project (aka "American Girl") for director [Dennie Gordon]. The film stars Amanda Bynes, who has been raised in New York by her mom (Preston). She decides to search out her long-lost father (Colin Firth) in London, but once there, her American ways disrupt his lifestyle. Anna Chancellor, Jonathan Pryce, Dame Eileen Atkins, Oliver James and Christina Cole round out the cast. Preston is repped by ICM and manager Joel Stevens. ...

(Zorianna Kitt, The Hollywood Reporter 6/13/02) Amanda Bynes goes to London for film Amanda Bynes of Thousand Oaks is starring in her first lead movie role in "American Girl," now filming in London. "I play Daphneï¿½a 17-year-old from New York who travels to London in search of the father she never knew (played by Colin Firth)," Bynes wrote in an e-mail message from the British capital. "My mother was married to him briefly when they were in the Peace Corps in Morocco. He comes from a very aristocratic family who didn't approve of my mother. Unbeknownst to him, she leaves London pregnant with me and moves back to the States. "Daphne is somewhat of a free-spirit, Bohemian type of character. It's really exciting to be able to work with all these British actors. It's whole different experience than what I'm used to." (Ventura County Star, 6/9/02) During the Q&A session following a screening of The Importance of Being Earnest in Los Angeles on May 6, Colin announced that his next project will be American Girl.

According to information as of April 18, this Warner Bros. film will star Amanda Bynes and will be directed by Dennie Gordon, with shooting commencing in June. Bynes grows into 'American Girl' Witness the example of Amanda Bynes, who is in final negotiations to topline Warner Bros.' coming-of-age feature "American Girl," scheduled to begin shooting in June with director Dennie Gordon at the helm. The 16-year-old Bynes, who appeared on Nickelodeon's "All That" from 1996-2000 and earned her own eponymous Nickelodeon series "The Amanda Show" in 1999, established her movie star credentials this year in Universal Pictures' "Big Fat Liar," which grossed a tidy $48 million domestically on a budget of just $15 million.... In "American Girl," inspired by Vincente Minnelli's 1958 film "The Reluctant Debutante," Bynes will play a hip 19-year-old who has been raised in New York by her mom. She decides to search out her long-lost father in London, but once there, her American ways disrupt his lifestyle.

While working to reunite her parents and making the transition into adulthood, she discovers romance. Jessica Bendinger ("Bring It On") wrote the most recent draft of the script. The project is being co-financed by Gaylord Films. Denise Di Novi and Billy Gerber are producing the project with Gaylord's Hunt Lowry and Casey La Scala. Di Novi Pictures' Alison Greenspan is executive producing. (Zorianna Kitt, The Hollywood Reporter 4/18/02) Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group or community's photo album. Thank you. Custom graphics by Emma Horoscope of celebrities born on May, 8, [2/4] 6,322 clicks, 10,424th man, 16,413th celebrity Biography of Raphaï¿½l Jacquelin Raphaï¿½l Jacquelin (born 8 May 1974) is a French golfer. He turned professional in 1995. After beginning his career on the Challenge Tour he graduated to the European Tour in 1997.

He won on the European Tour for the first time at the 2005 Madrid Open, which was his 238th tour start. His best Order of Merit placing to date was 20th in 2003. His second victory came in 2007 at the BMW Asian Open. He is currently the highest ranked French golfer on the Official World Golf Rankings. Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) Weight 164 lb (74 kg) Amateur wins (1) 1995 French Amateur Championship Professional wins (3) European Tour wins (2) 2005 Madrid Open 2007 BMW Asian Open Other wins (1) 1997 Championnat de France Pro Results in major championships Tournament 1997 1998 19...

6,302 clicks, 10,503rd man, 16,521st celebrity Biography of Johann Gï¿½nsbacher Johann Baptist Gï¿½nsbacher (8 May, 1778 ï¿½ 13 July, 1844), Austrian musical composer, was born in 1778 in Sterzing in the County of Tyrol. His father, a schoolmaster and teacher of music, undertook his son's early education, which the boy continued under various masters until 1802, when he became the pupil of the celebrated Abbï¿½ G. J. Vogler. To his connection with this artist and with his fellow pupils, more perhaps than to his own merits, Gï¿½nsbacher's permanent place in the history of music is due; for it was during his second stay with Vogler, then (1810) living at Darmstadt, that he became acquainted with Weber and Meyerbeer, and the close friendship which sprang up among the three young musicians, and was dissolved by death only, has become celebrated in the history of their art. ...

6,145 clicks, 11,136th man, 17,441st celebrity Biography of Guillaume Soro Guillaume Kigbafori Soro (born 8 May 1972) is an Ivorian politician who was the Prime Minister of Cï¿½te d'Ivoire from April 2007 to March 2012. Prior to his service as Prime Minister, Soro led the Patriotic Movement of Cï¿½te d'Ivoire, and later the New Forces as its Secretary-General. Since March 2012, Soro has been President of the National Assembly of Cï¿½te d'Ivoire. Ivorian Civil War Main article: Ivorian Civil War A Roman Catholic from Diawala in the north of the country, Soro led the rebel Patriotic Movement of Cï¿½te d'Ivoire (MPCI) in a September 2002 rebellion against the government of President Laurent Gbagbo that triggered the Ivorian Civil War.

In December 2002 Soro's MPCI combined with two other rebel groups - Ivorian Popular Movement of the Great West (MPIGO) and Movement fo... 6,046 clicks, 11,571st man, 18,054th celebrity Biography of Arturo de Cï¿½rdova Arturo de Cï¿½rdova (May 8, 1908 - November 3, 1973) was a Mexican film actor. He made over one hundred films in all. Biography Career He was born in Mï¿½rida, Yucatï¿½n, Mexico. Most of Cï¿½rdova's films were made in Mexico and he became a major motion picture actor in Latin America and Spain winning three Silver Ariel's and received four other nominations. Cï¿½rdova starred in the several American films during the 1940s including For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Frenchman's Creek (1944), Incendiary Blonde (1945), and New Orleans (1947).

Personal life and death He was married to actress Marga Lï¿½pez from 1964 until his death. Cï¿½rdova died from a stroke in Mexico City in 1973. Selected filmography Year Title Role Notes 1937 Ave sin rumbo Fernando Noriega "Juan Torres" Alternativ... 5,988 clicks, 11,853rd man, 18,450th celebrity Biography of Michele Sindona Michele Sindona (May 8, 1920 - March 22, 1986) was an Italian banker and convicted felon. Known in banking circles as "The Shark", Sindona was a member of Propaganda Due (#0501), an Italian lodge of Masons, and had clear connections to the Mafia. He was poisoned in prison while serving a life sentence for the murder of lawyer Giorgio Ambrosoli. Early years Born at Patti, Sicily, of poor parents, Michele Sindona was educated by the Jesuits, showing very early in his life an unusual aptitude for mathematics and economics.

He graduated with a law degree from Messina University in 1942 then after he moved from Sicily to the north where he worked as a tax lawyer and an accountant for companies such as Societï¿½ Generale Immobiliare and Snia Viscosa, but immediately turned away from Law and be... 5,869 clicks, 6,821st woman, 19,206th celebrity Biography of Christina Cole Christina Cole (born May 8, 1982) is an English actress. She trained at the Oxford School of Drama and most notably, starred as the lead character, Cassie Hughes, in the Sky One UK television series Hex.

After leaving Hex during the second season, Cole went on to appear in the critically acclaimed Jane Eyre TV serial, for the BBC, and plays a witch for the second time in her guest appearance as Lilith in the Doctor Who episode "The Shakespeare Code." Other roles include a cameo in the James Bond film, Casino Royale (2006) as the receptionist in the Nassau hotel where Bond checks in, and the film What A Girl Wants (2003) opposite Amanda Bynes and Colin Firth, playing snotty Clarissa Payne. Cole also made an appearance as Diana Mann in the pilot episode of Cane. This was her first appe... 5,796 clicks, 12,733rd man, 19,714th celebrity Biography of John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan Dr John Reid (born 8 May 1947 in Bellshill, Scotland (birth time source: Pulsar collection, Astrodatabank)) is a British politician who was formerly the Home Secretary and also filled several other cabinet positions, including Defence Secretary and Health Secretary.

He is Member of Parliament (MP) for the Scottish constituency of Airdrie and Shotts, although he will stand down from parliament at the next general election. He is currently also the chairman of Celtic Football Club. Background Born in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Scotland to Roman Catholic parents (and mixed denomination grandparents), Reid comes from a mining stock. His mother, Mary, was a factory worker and father, Thomas, was a postman with a passionate belief in education being the means of liberating the working cl... 5,789 clicks, 12,761st man, 19,755th celebrity Biography of James Mitchum James R. Mitchum, born May 8, 1941 in Los Angeles, California, is the eldest son of Robert Mitchum and Dorothy Mitchum, the brother of Christopher Mitchum and Trini Mitchum, the nephew of John Mitchum and Julie Mitchum, the uncle of Bentley Mitchum and Carrie Mitchum, and the great-uncle of Cappy Van Dien and Grace Van Dien. Filmography (source: ) Gengis Khan (1992) .... Inalchuk Fatal Mission (1990) ....

Major Bauer ... aka Enemy (USA) Mal d'Africa (1990) .... Frank ... aka Beyond Kilimanjaro, Across the River of Blood Jake Spanner, Private Eye (1989) (TV) ... aka Hoodwinked ... aka The Old Dick Marked for Murder (1989) (V) .... Rainier I predatori della pietra magica (1988) .... Sugar ... aka Predators of the Magic Stone (Intern... 5,781 clicks, 12,796th man, 19,813th celebrity Biography of Saul Bass Saul Bass (May 8, 1920 ï¿½ April 25, 1996) was an American graphic designer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker, but he is best known for his design on animated motion picture title sequences. During his 40-year career he worked for some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, including most notably Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese.

Amongst his most famous title sequences are the animated paper cut-out of a heroin addict's arm for Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm, the text racing up and down what eventually becomes a high-angle shot of the United Nations building in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, and the disjointed text that raced together and was pulled apart for Psycho (1960). Saul Bass designed the sixth AT&T Bell System logo. He also ... 5,676 clicks, 13,353rd man, 20,580th celebrity Biography of Franï¿½ois-Auguste Mignet Franï¿½ois Auguste Marie Mignet (8 May 1796 - 24 March 1884) was a French journalist and historian. Biography He was born in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhï¿½ne), France. His father was a locksmith from the Vendï¿½e, who enthusiastically accepted the principles of the French Revolution and encouraged liberal ideas in his son. Franï¿½ois had brilliant success at Avignon in the lycï¿½e where he became professor in 1815.

He returned to Aix to study law, and in 1818 was called to the bar, where his eloquence would have ensured his success had he not been more interested in the study of history. His abilities were shown in an ï¿½loge de Charles VII, which was honored by the Acadï¿½mie de Nï¿½mes in 1820, and a memoire on Les Institutions de Saint Louis, which in 1821 was honored by the Acadï¿½mie des Inscri... 5,624 clicks, 13,636th man, 20,970th celebrity Biography of Gï¿½rard Buhr Gï¿½rard Buhr, born Gï¿½rard Louis Victor Simon Buhr on May 8, 1928 in Strasbourg, died in 1988 in Paris, was a French actor and novelist.

Filmography 1950 : Atoll K de Lï¿½o Joannon 1950 : Quai de Grenelle de Emile-Edwin Reinert 1950 : Fusillï¿½ ï¿½ l'aube de Andrï¿½ Haguet 1950 : Mï¿½fiez-vous des blondes d'Andrï¿½ Hunebelle - (Un journaliste) 1950 : L'Amant de paille de Gilles Grangier - (Un employï¿½ de Gaston) 1950 : Maï¿½tre aprï¿½s Dieu de Louis Daquin - (Un officier allemand) 1950 : Identitï¿½ Judiciaire d'Hervï¿½ Bromberger 1950 : Les miracles n'ont lieu qu'une fois d'Yves Allï¿½gret 1950 : Ombre et lumiï¿½re d'Henri Calef 1950 : Les Petites Cardinal de Gilles Grangier 1950 : Le Passe-Muraille de Jean Boyer

 - (Le vendeur de journaux) 1951 : Les Mai...

5,533 clicks, 14,195th man, 21,709th celebrity Biography of Benoï¿½t Paire Benoï¿½t Paire (born 8 May 1989 in Avignon (birth time source: Astrodatabank)) is a French professional tennis player. He reached the 1st round of a Grand Slam event for the first time at the French Open in 2010 and has since gone on to make eight appearances at Grand Slam level, his best result coming at Wimbledon in 2012 and in the French Open in 2013, reaching the third round. Other notable achievements include a final appearance in Belgrade at the Serbian Open. Paire's career-high singles ranking is World No. 26, achieved in May 2013. Career 2007ï¿½2010: Early career In 2007, Paire played his tennis at Futures level, winning one event (the France F10). In 2008, Paire continued to play primarily on the Futures circuit, but made his first appearances in higher tier tournaments, los...

5,530 clicks, 14,212th man, 21,734th celebrity Biography of Pierre Claverie Pierre Claverie, born May 8, 1938 in Bab El-Oued in Algiers, died August 1, 1996 (bomb), was a French catholic Bishop. Biography (source: ): Pierre Claverie, Catholic Bishop of Oran and protagonist of Islamo-Christian dialogue, was assassinated by Islamic militants in a booby trap explosion at the entrance to his house. His young Algerian driver, Mohammed Bouchikhi, died with him and the mingling of their blood was seen by many as a symbol of the bishop's desire to find a home in the hearts of the Algerian people and to participate in their sufferings. Claverie was born in Algiers in 1938, the child of French settlers, or pieds noirs ("black feet"). He had a happy childhood in a loving family but had no contact with the Ara...

5,418 clicks, 14,920th man, 22,701st celebrity Biography of Andrï¿½ Lwoff Andrï¿½ Michel Lwoff (8 May 1902 ï¿½ 30 September 1994) was a French microbiologist. He was born in Ainay-le-Chï¿½teau, Allier, in Auvergne, France. He joined the Institute Pasteur in Paris when he was 19 years old. In 1932, he finished his PhD and, with the help of a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, moved to the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research of Heidelberg to Otto Meyerhof, where he did research on the development of flagellates. Another Rockefeller grant allowed him go to Cambridge in 1937. In 1938, he was appointed departmental head at the Institut Pasteur, where he did groundbreaking research on bacteriophages and on the poliovirus. He has been awarded numerous prized from the French Acadï¿½mie des Sciences, the Grand Prix Charles-Leopold Mayer, the Leeuwenhoek Medal of...

5,369 clicks, 15,229th man, 23,124th celebrity Biography of Philippe Jeantot Philippe Jeantot (born 8 May 1952 in Antananarivo, Madagascar) is a French former deep sea diver, who achieved recognition as a sailor for long-distance, single-handed racing and record-setting. He founded the Vendï¿½e Globe, a single-handed, round-the-world, non-stop yacht race. Biography Philippe Jeantot started his career as a deep sea diver, working on oil rigs; at one time he jointly held the record for deep diving, at 501 metres (1,644 ft). He became interested in sailing after reading Bernard Moitessier's book The Long Way; having learned to sail, he built himself a 13.5 metre (44 ft) steel ketch, planning to sail single-handed around the world. After cruising for two years, he entered the first edition of the BOC Challenge (now known as the VELUX 5 Oceans Race) in 1982; he won ...

5,272 clicks, 8,138th woman, 24,026th celebrity Biography of Deborah Harmon Deborah Harmon, born on May 8, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois, is an is an American film actress. She is the daughter of actor Frank Harmon. Filmography Imps* (2009) .... Mom (segment "3-Mile Island People) Malcolm in the Middle as Parent Volunteer (1 episode, 2002) Son of the Beach as Pussy Willow (1 episode, 2002) Clueless as Rebecca Morgan (2 episodes, 1997) Married with Children as June / ... (2 episodes, 1987ï¿½1996) Boy Meets World as Connie (1 episode, 1995) The Mommies as Susan (1 episode, 1995) Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie (1995) ....

Medical Center Woman Sisters as Judy Burns (1 episode, 1994) True Facts (1992) (TV) Dear John as Wendy Lacey (2 episodes, 1990ï¿½1991) Just the Ten of Us as Elizabeth Lubbock (47 episodes, 1... 5,212 clicks, 16,322nd man, 24,601st celebrity Biography of Euclid James Sherwood Euclid James Sherwood, born May 8, 1942 in Arkansas City, Kansas, is an American musician and sax player. He was a member of group "Mothers of Invention.". The Mothers of Invention were a rock and roll band active from 1964 to 1975. They mainly performed works by and were the original recording group of composer and guitarist Frank Zappa, although other members have an occasional writing credit. Initially, the group was named "The Soul Giants" and consisted of drummer Jimmy Carl Black, bass player Roy Estrada, saxophonist Davy Coronado, guitarist Ray Hunt, and vocalist Ray Collins.

Some biographers report that Collins got into a fight with Hunt in 1964 (according to Collins: "I never touched Hunt, I don't even remember shaking his hand."), after which Hunt quit the group and Frank Za... 5,179 clicks, 8,369th woman, 24,938th celebrity Biography of Salome Jens Salome Jens (born May 8, 1935 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American actress. She is perhaps best-known for portraying the Female Changeling on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She also appeared in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation as an "Ancient humanoid", a member of the race responsible for populating the galaxy with humanoid life forms. She had previously played Clark Kent's mother Martha Kent on the popular TV series Superboy. She also appeared in the 1966 film Seconds by John Frankenheimer, in a 1963 episode of The Outer Limits, "Corpus Earthling," and in 1981's Harry's War.

She also appeared in the "I Spy" episode "A Room with a Rack" in 1967, as a globe-trotting pilot friend of Kelly Robinson and Alexander Scott. Jens graduated Bay View High School with a 96 average an... 5,171 clicks, 8,394th woman, 25,027th celebrity Biography of Miyoshi Umeki Miyoshi Umeki (梅木 美代志, Umeki Miyoshi?, or ミヨシ・ウメキ Miyoshi Umeki; May 8, 1929 ï¿½ August 28, 2007) was a naturalized American actress and standards singer. She was best known for her roles as Katsumi, the wife of Joe Kelly (Red Buttons), in the 1957 film Sayonara, as Mei Li in the 1958 Broadway musical and 1961 film Flower Drum Song, and as Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper, in the TV series The Courtship of Eddie's Father. She was a shin Issei or post-1945 immigrant from Japan.

She was a Tony Award- and Golden Globe-nominated actress and was the first person (and as of 2010 the only) of East Asian descent to win an Academy Award for acting. Life Born as Umeki Miyoshi (in Japanese, a person's family name ... 5,171 clicks, 8,395th woman, 25,032nd celebrity Biography of Maria Padilha Maria Padilha, born Maria Padilha Gonï¿½alves May 8, 1959 in Rio de Janeiro, is a Brazilian actress. Filmography (source: ) # "Cinquentinha" .... Leonor Berganti (6 episodes, 2009) - Episode #1.8 (2009) TV episode .... Leonor Berganti - Episode #1.7 (2009) TV episode .... Leonor Berganti - Episode #1.6 (2009) TV episode .... Leonor Berganti - Episode #1.5 (2009) TV episode .... Leonor Berganti - Episode #1.4 (2009) TV episode ....

Leonor Berganti (1 more) # Fim da Linha (2008) ... aka "End of the Line" - Europe (English title) (festival title) # Praï¿½a Saens Peï¿½a (2008) .... Teresa # "Toma Lï¿½, Dï¿½ Cï¿½" .... Marli (1 episode, 2007) - A Mais Bela Casada (2007) TV episode .... Marli # "Paraï¿½so Tropical" .... Marisa (... 5,078 clicks, 17,381st man, 26,009th celebrity Biography of Dino Attanasio Dino Attanasio (real name Edoardo Attanasio, born 8 May 1925) is an Italian author of humoristic comics. Biography Attanasio was born in Milan. After studies at the Academy of Arts of Milan, Dino Attanasio started to work in illustration and animation in the 1940s. He moved to Belgium in 1948 with his brother Gianni, also drawer.

Shortly after his arrival, the young artist got in contact with Tintin magazine, for which he drew some illustrations, and decided to devote himself to comics. In the 1950s, he published Criche e Croc in the Italian magazine Il Giornalino and Fanfan et Polo in La Libre Belgique with scripts by Jean-Michel Charlier and then Renï¿½ Goscinny. At that time, he also worked for the Spirou magazine with some contributions to Les Belles Histoires de l'Oncle Paul. In... 5,069 clicks, 8,648th woman, 26,092nd celebrity Biography of Julianne Morris Julianne Morris (born May 8, 1968 in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American actress. She first reached stardom as Amy Wilson on the soap opera The Young and the Restless from November 18, 1994 to May 22, 1996.

After leaving Y&R, Morris returned to daytime as Greta Von Amberg on Days of our Lives from May 15, 1998 to April 19, 2002. For most of her first year on the show, her character was not named, and was simply called "Swamp Girl" (being introduced as an inhabitant of the Louisiana bayous). She spent the next year being romantically involved with Eric Brady while trying to find out what happened to her mother, Princess Gina Von Amberg. In between her days on Y&R and Days of our Lives, Julianne spent time in South Africa, playing the evil Rumina on "The Adventures of Sinbad." ... 5,036 clicks, 17,721st man, 26,457th celebrity Biography of David Van Vactor David Van Vactor (May 8, 1906 ï¿½ March 24, 1994) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. He was born in Plymouth, Indiana, and received Bachelor of Music (1928) and Master of Music (1935) degrees from Northwestern University.

He studied with Arne Oldberg, Mark Wessel, Ernst Nolte, Leo Sowerby, Paul Dukas, Franz Schmidt, and Arnold Schoenberg. He was the assistant conductor of the Chicago Civic Orchestra (1933ï¿½34) and was both the flute section leader and assistant conductor the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra from 1943 to 1947. He served as the conductor of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra from 1947 until 1972. He also appeared as guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the London... 5,035 clicks, 17,727th man, 26,469th celebrity Biography of Bob Clampett Robert Emerson "Bob" Clampett (May 8, 1913 ï¿½ May 2, 1984) was an American animator, producer, director, and puppeteer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes animated series from Warner Bros., and the television shows Time for Beany and Beany and Cecil.

Clampett was born and raised not far from Hollywood, and early on expressed an interest in animation and puppetry. After leaving high school a few months shy of graduating in 1931, Clampett joined the team at Harman-Ising Productions and began working on the studio's newest short subjects, titled Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. Clampett was promoted to a directorial position in 1937 and during his fifteen years at the studio, directed 84 cartoons later deemed classic and designed some of the studio's most famous characters, includi... 5,025 clicks, 17,817th man, 26,580th celebrity Biography of Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (born Warren Wilhelm, Jr.; May 8, 1961 (birth time source: Astrodatabank)) is the Mayor-elect of New York City, currently holding the citywide office of New York City Public Advocate, which serves as an ombudsman between the electorate and the city government.

He formerly served as a New York City Council member representing the 39th District in Brooklyn (Borough Park, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Kensington, Park Slope, and Windsor Terrace). He was the Democratic Party nominee in the 2013 election to become Mayor of New York City. On November 5, 2013, De Blasio won the mayoral election by a landslide, receiving over 73% of the vote and will become the first Democratic mayor of the city in nearly 20 years. Early life and education De Blasio was born Warren Wilh... 5,023 clicks, 17,829th man, 26,594th celebrity Biography of Thomas Hancock (inventor) Thomas Hancock (8 May 1786 - 26 March 1865), elder brother of inventor Walter Hancock, was an English inventor who founded the British rubber industry. He invented the masticator, a machine that shredded rubber scraps and which allowed rubber to be recycled after being formed into blocks or sheets. Early life Hancock was born in 1786 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, and little is known about his early life.

His father was a cabinet maker and it is possible that Thomas Hancock was trained in the same trade: in 1815 he is recorded as being in partnership with his brother, Walter, in London, as a coach builder. Career Hancock's interest in rubber seems to have sprung from a desire to make waterproof fabrics to protect the passengers on his coaches. By 1819 he had begun to experiment with m... 5,018 clicks, 8,781st woman, 26,657th celebrity Biography of Mary Lou Williams Mary Lou Williams (May 8, 1910 ï¿½ May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Williams wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements, and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, and LP versions). Williams wrote and arranged for such bandleaders as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and she was friend, mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie.

Early years Born as Mary Elfrieda Scruggs in Atlanta, Georgia, she grew up in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of eleven children. As a very young child she taught herself to play the piano (her first public performance was at the age of six). She became a professional musician in her teens. She cited Lovie Austin as her greatest influence. At age... 5,008 clicks, 17,954th man, 26,753rd celebrity Biography of Norman Lamont Norman Stewart Hughson Lamont, Baron Lamont of Lerwick, PC (born 8 May 1942) is a British politician and former Conservative MP for Kingston-upon-Thames. He is best-known for his period serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, from 1990 until 1993. He was created a life peer in 1998. Early life Lamont was born in the Shetland Islands and raised in Grimsby, where his father was a surgeon.

He was educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh, Scotland and read Economics at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he was Chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association and President of the Cambridge Union Society in 1964. He also took part in the English-Speaking Union's Tour of the United States of America. At Cambridge he was a contemporary of Michael Howard, Kenneth Clarke, Leo... 4,933 clicks, 8,979th woman, 27,589th celebrity Biography of Cheikha Rimitti Cheikha Rimitti (Arabic: شيخة ريميتي‎) (born سعدية الغيزانية Saadia El Ghizania, (8 May 1923, Tessala, Algeria ï¿½ d. 15 May 2006, Paris, France) was a popular Algerian raï¿½ female singer. Early life Cheikha Rimitti was born in Tessala, a small village in western Algeria in 1923, and named Saadia, meaning joyful.

This name did not match the reality of her early life, however as she had been orphaned as a child and began to live rough, earning a few francs working in the fields and doing other menial jobs. Early musical career At 15 she joined a troupe of traditional Algerian musicians and learnt to sing and dance. In 1943 she moved to... 4,881 clicks, 19,088th man, 28,174th celebrity Biography of ï¿½tienne Laurï¿½ault de Foncemagne ï¿½tienne Laurï¿½ault de Foncemagne (8 May 1694 ï¿½ Orlï¿½ans - 26 September 1779 ï¿½ Paris) was a French churchman and scholar. Biogaraphy An Oratorian and professor, he was elected to the Acadï¿½mie des inscriptions et belles-lettres in 1722 and to the Acadï¿½mie franï¿½aise in 1736.

"Choosing him did not much enrich us, but at least it didn't make the public groan" commented the abbï¿½ d'Olivet, who called him "A man little-charged with literature, but he passes for knowing quite a bit about French history.".... 4,842 clicks, 19,431st man, 28,630th celebrity Biography of William Henry Vanderbilt William Henry Vanderbilt I (May 8, 1821 ï¿½ December 8, 1885) was an American businessman and a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family. Childhood William Vanderbilt was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1821. He inherited nearly $100 million from his father, railroad mogul and family patriarch "The Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt upon his death in 1877 and had increased it to almost $194 million at his death less than nine years later. When he died, he was the richest man in the world. In 1841 he married Maria Louisa Kissam (1821ï¿½1896), the daughter of a Presbyterian minister.

Vanderbilt said in an interview with the Chicago Daily News on October 9, 1882, "The railroads are not run for the benefit of the 'dear public' ï¿½ that cry is all nonsense ï¿½ they are built by men who invest... 4,826 clicks, 19,590th man, 28,830th celebrity Biography of Fulton J. Sheen Servant of God Fulton John Sheen, born Peter John Sheen (May 8, 1895 (source: Steinbrecher) ï¿½ December 9, 1979) was an American archbishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio. His cause for canonization for sainthood was officially opened in 2002, so he is now referred to as a "Servant of God". Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in 1919, Sheen quickly became a renowned theologian, earning the Cardinal Mercier Prize for International Philosophy in 1923.

He went on to teach theology and philosophy as well as acting as a parish priest before being appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1951. He held this position until 1966 when he was made the Bishop of Rochester. Sheen held this position for three ye... 4,803 clicks, 19,814th man, 29,123rd celebrity Biography of Lucio (footballer) Lucimar Ferreira da Silva (born 8 May 1978), commonly known as Lï¿½cio, is a World Cup-winning Brazilian footballer who is a free agent and plays for the Brazil national team. He is a strong defender with good aerial play, who adds presence in the attack. Lï¿½cio began his professional career in 1997, in one of Brazil's larger clubs, Sport Club Internacional. After three years in the club, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen, with whom he reached the 2002 Champions League final against Real Madrid of Spain. He scored a header in the final, which Real Madrid won with the score of 2ï¿½1.

In 2004, he arrived at Bayern Munich, where he won three Bundesligas and one German Cup title. Since coach Louis van Gaal did not have a place for him at Bayern, he decided to search for a new team. He moved to Inter ... Colin Firth - Movies, Colin Firth Photos, Interviews, News Actors - Detailed Movie News, Interviews, Websites Firth, Colin Colin Firth made his stage debut in "Another Country" and later made his film debut in the movie version of "Another Country." Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters Thanks, You're in!

Question: In the 2003 film "What A Girl Wants", Amanda Bynes played the illegitimate daughter of a British politician played by whom?
Answer: Colin Firth