Category Archives: Celebrities and Entertainment

Artemis Fowl Series

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Artemis Fowl Series

“Criminally Good”- Slogan of the Artemis Fowl Series

  • The Artemis Fowl series is an octadic novel series, belonging in the fantasy-science fiction genre, and has been published in 44 languages.
  • The Artemis Fowl series is written by Eoin Colfer, a former primary school teacher and author from Ireland, and Artemis’ manor is located in Ireland.
  • The Artemis Fowl series is based on a criminal mastermind teenager and his conflict/interactions with the underground Fairy people.
  • The first book of the Artemis Fowl series was published in 2001, with the rest of the series following in order: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
  • In 2001, the concept of a film based on the Artemis Fowl series was revealed to the public, and is currently in production, although it was at a standstill for many years.

Artemis Fowl, Hardcover, Atlantis Complex, Lost Colony, Puffin, Time Paradox, Library, Eoin Colfer, Series, five, six, seven, Ten Random Facts

  • The Artemis Fowl series sees the growth in the primary character ‘Artemis Fowl’, with other themes of greed, magic and trust explored throughout the series.
  • The main characters portrayed throughout the Artemis Fowl series include two humans, Artemis Fowl and Butler, and the fairies Holly Short, Mulch Diggums, Foaly and Julius Root, while the number one antagonist is a pixie known as Opal Koboi.
  • The Artemis Fowl series has seen the sale of over 21 million books, and therefore has taken its place among the most popular of all fantasy novel series.
  • The Artemis Fowl series is aimed at teenage readers, and has its own pictographic language.
  • The Artemis Fowl series has been published by various publishers including Puffin Books, Viking Press, and Disney Hyperion.
Bibliography:
Artemis Fowl (Series), 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_Fowl_(series)
Artemis Fowl: The Books, 2014, Artemis Fowl Confidential, http://www.artemis-fowl.com/artemis-fowl-the-books/

Artemis Fowl Series

The Wiggles

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The Wiggles

Let’s ‘Hot Potato’ along with the Wiggles!

  • ‘The Wiggles’, named from the song ‘Get ready to wriggle’ by John Field, is a band that performs music and tours internationally, and has a target audience of preschool children, from ages 2 to 6.
  • The Wiggles originally wore colourful but ‘messy’ costumes, but soon turned to the simple coloured skivvies of yellow, red, purple and blue, the latter originally green.
  • In 2013, the members of the Wiggles were Anthony Field (Blue), Lachlan Gillespie (Purple), Simon Pryce (Red) and Emma Watkins (Yellow).
  • The original and main members of the Wiggles were Murray Cook (Red), Jeff Fatt (Purple), Greg Page (Yellow) and Anthony Field (Blue), as well as Phillip Wilcher, who featured only on the first album, and later, Sam Moran (Yellow), who eventually replaced Greg.
  • The Wiggles are well known for entertaining children around the world, having performed at more than 6,000 shows, and were the highest earning entertainers in Australia over four consecutive years, from 2004 to 2008, as well as earning AUD $45 million in 2009, and they continue to be among the top earning entertainers.

The Wiggles, Sam, Jeff, Anthony, Murry, Ten Random Facts, Big Red Car, Show, Peformance, Entertainment

(From left to right) Anthony, Jeff, Murry, Sam
Image courtesy of Meandertail/Flickr
  • The Wiggles were formed for the production of the first album in 1991, due to Anthony Field wanting a recorded album of children’s music, to present to his future employers to help him obtain a job as a preschool teacher.
  • The group produced a film called ‘The Wiggles Movie’ (in Australia) in 1997, and started a television series broadcasting in Australia and the United States, in 1998.
  • The Wiggles were featured in their first mini theme park in Dreamworld, Australia, in 2005, which increased the fun at theme parks for young children.
  • The Wiggles generally produce new music every year and by 2014, had released approximately 50 albums and videos, and sold over 30 million copies.
  • The Wiggles have won many awards, including eleven Best Children’s Album awards at the ARIAs, have been included in the ARIA Hall of Fame, and the original members were appointed Members in the Order of Australia in 2010.
Bibliography:
About us, 2013, The Wiggles, http://web.archive.org/web/20130924110739/http://www.thewiggles.com.au/au/about/
The Wiggles, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wiggles

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Mary Poppins

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Mary Poppins

“It’s Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” says Mary Poppins.

  • Mary Poppins is often rated among the best movies ever produced, and is a musical film with a fantasy based theme, set in 1910, in London.
  • Mary Poppins was made by the Walt Disney film company, directed by Robert Stevenson, and the screenplay was written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi.
  • Mary Poppins was based mainly on the first of eight books in the series of the same title, authored by Australian born Pamela Lyndon Travers (P.L. Travers, originally Helen Lyndon Goff), who did not like, and regretted, the overall film production.
  • Mary Poppins is based on the character of the same name, who is a supernatural nanny, performed by Julie Andrews, who won an Academy Award for the best actress as Poppins.
  • Mary Poppins was chosen to be preserved by Library of Congress for the United States National Film Registry in 2013.
Mary Poppins Poster, Film, Walt Disne, Julie Andrews, Magic, Disney, Ten Random Facts
 Mary Poppins
Image courtesy of Disney
  • Mary Poppins was nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, winning five of them, the most ever in Walt Disney history.
  • The Mary Poppins producers took twenty-three years to obtain production rights from the author of the books, Pamela Travers, to create the movie, due to her belief that a film would detract from her books.
  • The Mary Poppins film runs for approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, and was first released on 27 August, 1964.
  • Mary Poppins had over 30 music pieces written by the Sherman brothers, Robert B Sherman and Richard M Sherman, for the production, although only 17 were used.
  • Mary Poppins had the top profits of 1965, with a $28.5 million net profit, a budget of 6 million, and to date, a worldwide gross of over $146 million.
Bibliography:
Mary Poppins (Film), 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Poppins_(film)
Pohn K, The History of Mary Poppins, 2007, Cosmic Play, http://www.cosmicplay.net/Kaleid/Mary/scenebehind1.html

Nelson Mandela

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Nelson Mandela

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela

  • Nelson Mandela was the first black president of South Africa and spent much of his life peacefully fighting against the racism of his people, that was rife in his country.
  • Nelson Mandela’s full name was ‘Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’; his English name (Nelson) was given to him by his school teacher on his first day of school, as customary at the time.
  • Nelson Mandela was born on 18 July, 1918, in Mvezo, Cape Province, South Africa, and died on 5 December, 2013, in his home in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the age of 95, due to a long-term lung infection.
  • Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life imprisoned, in three prisons, being arrested in 1964, for ‘sabotaging’ government buildings, and was released in 1990.
  • Nelson Mandela was often called the ‘Father of a Nation’ and was also known by his clan name, ‘Madiba’.

Nelson Mandela, Death, Award, Johannesburg, South Africa, Former Black President, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Mandela
Image courtesy of South Africa The Good News
  • Nelson Mandela was born into a state of royalty, but later ran away to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he spent much of his residential life, to avoid an arranged marriage.
  • While in prison, Nelson Mandela’s eyesight was damaged permanently due to the glare on the limestone in the quarry where he worked.
  • Nelson Mandela became president on 10 May, 1994, and retired in 1999, although he continued to express his opinions until he ‘retired from retirement’ in 2004.
  • Nelson Mandela had six children and married three times, and his most recent wife was Graça Machel, whom he married in 1998.
  • Nelson Mandela jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, and received over 250 awards and honours, including a number of statues erected.
Bibliography:
Nelson Mandela, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela
Nelson Mandela’s life and times, 2013, BBC News, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12305154

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Yahtzee

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Yahtzee

“The classic shake and score dice game!” – Yahtzee slogan.

  • Yahtzee is a dice game that is primarily based on luck and probability and it was first trademarked on 19 April, 1956 by the E.S. Lowe Company.
  • Yahtzee is based on a number of historical dice games, including Yacht, Yogi, Generala, and Cheerio, and has had a few names in the past including ‘Yatzie’.
  • Yahtzee is played by rolling five dice, up to three times per turn, and creating combinations that score points.
  • Not including bonuses, the largest scoring combination is a ‘Yahtzee’, occurring when five of the same number is rolled in a turn.
  • Yahtzee remains popular and 50 million copies of the game are sold every year, and approximately 100 million people play the game around the world.

Yahtzee, Dice, Sheet, Grandad, Scores, First round, Second Round, 1,1,2,2,3 Ten Random Facts, Game, Dice

  • It is said that Yahtzee was invented by a rich Canadian couple who used to play the game on their yacht, who then wanted to give some sets to their friends who enjoyed the game, and so they approached Edwin Lowe, who made them 1,000 sets for the rights of the game.
  • In 1973, the rights for Yahtzee were bought from the E.S. Lowe Company by the Milton Bradley Company, and Hasbro later became the owners.
  • There are thirteen dice combinations listed on the scoresheet, and the largest possible score without bonuses is 375 points, while with bonuses the largest score exceeds 1000.
  • Many games have been derived from Yahtzee, with the first being ‘Triple Yahtzee’, and another variation was ‘Word Yahtzee’.
  • Yahtzee was not popular when it was first marketed, until parties based around the dice game were held.
Bibliography:
Yahtzee, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee
Yahtzee History, 2013, Yahtzee Online, http://www.yahtzeeonline.org/yahtzee-history.php

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Ludwig van Beethoven

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Ludwig van Beethoven

Have you heard Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies?

  • Ludwig van Beethoven has no recorded birth date, but was officially baptised on 17 December, 1770, and is believed to have been born the day before, on the 16th in the city of Bonn, in what is now known as Germany.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven was a German pianist and composer of many symphonies, concertos, sonatas and other musical pieces and first performed in 1778 at seven years of age.
  • In 1787, when Ludwig van Beethoven was 16, his mother died, leaving behind an alcoholic husband that became even more dependent on the substance, two younger boys and Ludwig, who became the main carer for his two siblings.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven began to lose his hearing in 1796, at 26 years of age, and became nearly totally deaf by 1814.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven died on 26 March, 1827, aged 56, and at the point of his death, a clap of thunder supposedly occurred.

Ludwig van Beethoven, Portrait, Painting, 1861 to 1897, L. Prang & Co, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Portrait of Beethoven
Image courtesy of Boston Public Library/Flickr
  • A statue of Ludwig van Beethoven was revealed in 1845 in Germany, as an acknowledgement of 75 years since he was born.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven loved a number of women during his life, but never married, although he fought for the custody of a nephew at one stage.
  • On the planet Mercury, there is a crater that has been named in honour of Ludwig van Beethoven.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most famous classical composers and musicians in history.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven’s father and grandfather were musicians, and Ludwig studied with the Austrian composer Joseph Hayden, often known as the ‘Father of Symphonies and String Quartets’ and was also influenced by the work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Bibliography:
Ludwig van Beethoven, 2013, Naxos, http://www.naxos.com/person/Ludwig_van_Beethoven/25976.htm
Ludwig van Beethoven, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven

 

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