Tag Archives: Celebrity

Bok Choy

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Bok Choy

You can’t get a vegetable with a name much stranger than bok choy.

  • Bok choy is a leafy vegetable, dubbed as an ‘Asian green’, that generally has large leaves that clusters upwards from its base.
  • The scientific name of bok choy is Brassica rapa chinensis, previously known as Brassica chinensis, and it is from the family Brassicaceae, the family of cabbages and mustards.
  • ‘Bok choy’ is also known as ‘bok choi’, ‘buk choy’ ‘white cabbage’, ‘Chinese chard’, ‘Chinese cabbage’, ‘Chinese savoy’, ‘Chinese white cabbage’, ‘white Chinese cabbage’, ‘Chinese mustard’, ‘Chinese mustard cabbage’, ‘spoon cabbage’, ‘pak choy’ and ‘pak choi’.
  • The translation of the Cantonese words ‘bok choy’ is ‘white vegetable’ in English, and there is often great confusion over the vegetable’s numerous names, which can vary depending on country or location, while some refer to different varieties.
  • The leaves of bok choy are a green colour, and the stalks are coloured white to green, depending on the variety or type, while the term ‘pak choy’ will often refer to the green stemmed variety.
Bok Choy, Vegetable, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Green, Food, Culinary
  • Bok choy originated in China, in Asia, and have been grown there since 400 AD, and it wasn’t until the late 1700s that they were introduced to Europe.
  • Both the stems and leaves of bok choy are eaten, and they are often cooked through stir-frying, while other methods include steaming, boiling and microwaving.
  • To decrease the likelihood of leaves wilting, harvesting of bok choy is performed during cooler hours, such as morning, and they are best stored in the refrigerator.
  • The thick stalks of bok choy are firm and crunchy, while the leaves are relatively thin and pliable.
  • In addition to many other beneficial vitamins and minerals, bok choy is very high in vitamin A, C and K, and it is particularly useful in decreasing the likelihood of inflammation and cancer.
Bibliography:
Bok Choy, 2011, Fresh For Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/veg_pages/bok_choy/bok_choy.html
Bok Choy, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bok_choy
Bok Choy, 2015, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=152

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Whitney Houston

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Whitney Houston

“Loneliness comes with life” – Whitney Houston

  • Whitney Houston was a very successful pop and gospel singer, actress, and model, and through her achievements, she became one of the primary contributors in opening up music industry opportunities to ‘black’ women.
  • On the 9 August, 1963, in New Jersey’s Newark, in the United States, Whitney Houston was born to African American parents, and was named Whitney Elizabeth Houston.
  • Whitney Houston is listed among the top-selling music artists in history, with 170 to 200 million records sold worldwide, and was recognised as the most awarded female artist by the Guinness World Records in 2009, and in her lifetime is said to have won up to 600 or more awards, including two Emmy Awards, six Grammys and 30 Billboards, and has continued to accumulate awards since her death.
  • Each of the ten albums, including six studio produced albums, recorded by Whitney Houston, has received a high level of recognition, some reaching the honours of diamond.
  • In her life, Whitney Houston had the honour of featuring the most number one singles on the Billboard in a row, with seven, while her 1985 self-titled debut album was the biggest selling debut album ever (at the time) for a female.
Whitney Houston, Singer, White, Traditional, Frizzy, Ten Random Facts, White, Musician, Legend
Whitney Houston
Image courtesy of tm_10001/Flickr
  • Whitney Houston’s first performances were in her local Baptist church choir, while as a young teenager she sometimes accompanied her mother, famous gospel singer Emily ‘Cissy’ Houston, who sung at local night clubs, and in 1977 and 1978 she was backup singing.
  • During Whitney Houston’s later teenage years she was a successful model, and later signed to music company Arista Records, in 1983, after rejecting numerous offers due to school commitments.
  • Whitney Houston became addicted to drugs in the 1990s, which became noticeable in her appearance and performances, and negatively affected her career; and she died on 11 February, 2012, in a hotel bathroom in California’s Beverly Hills, in the US, most likely due to accidental drowning, possibly from excessive drug use.
  • Whitney Houston was married to singer and rapper Robert Barisford “Bobby” Brown from 1992 to 2007, and had a daughter named Bobbi Kristina Brown in 1993.
  • Whitney Houston had a significant acting career, featuring in several films including a leading role in her first film The Bodyguard in 1992, and The Preacher’s Wife in 1996.
Bibliography:
Whitney Houston, 2015, Bio.com, http://www.biography.com/people/whitney-houston-9344818
Whitney Houston, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Houston

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Richie Benaud

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Richie Benaud

“My mantra is: put your brain into gear and if you can add to what’s on the screen then do it, otherwise shut up.” – Richie Bernaud.

  • Richie Benaud was a famous Australian, well known for his cricketing career, both as a player and a high-profile commentator.
  • Richie Benaud was born on 6 October, 1930, in New South Wales’ Penrith, in Australia, with the name ‘Richard Benaud’, and he married twice, divorced once, and had two children.
  • In the game of cricket, Richie Benaud batted and bowled using his right hand, bowling with the leg-spin technique, and his father was a noteworthy cricket player, who passed on much of his cricket knowledge to his son.
  • Richie Benaud first ventured into more competitive cricket in 1948, when he was selected to join the New South Wales’ youth team, and his first Test match was in 1952.
  • Early in Richie Benaud’s career, in three separate incidents, he suffered a significant injury to his thumb, and sustained serious injuries to his skull and face.
Richie Benaud, 1956, Young, Old, Cricket, Ten Random Facts, Wikimedia Commons, Australia
Young Richie Benaud
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
  • Richie Bernaud’s best batting performance in test cricket was in 1957, with 122 runs; he ran almost 14,000 runs during his career, and he captained the Australian Test cricket team from 1958 to 1964.
  • Richie Benaud retired from professional cricket in 1964 and became a commentator for the United Kingdom’s BBC and Channel 4, and Australia’s Channel Nine.
  • Richie Benaud died at age 84, on the 10 April, 2015, after being diagnosed and treated for skin cancer in late 2014, and having suffered injuries from a car crash in 2013.
  • Richie Benaud was a notable cricket commentator and journalist for almost 50 years, and he usually wore a signature light coloured jacket, in shades of white, cream or beige when he was commentating.
  • In 1961 Richie Benaud became an Officer of the Order of British Empire (OBE); he was a recipient of a Logie Award in 1999, for Most Outstanding Sports Broadcaster; and Benaud was inducted into three halls of fame in his lifetime.
Bibliography:
Andrew McGarry, Richie Benaud, 2015, ABC News, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-10/richie-benaud-dead/6009202
Richie Benaud, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Benaud

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James Dean

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James Dean

“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” – James Dean

  • James Dean was an actor of American birth, who became a legendary teenage icon.
  • James Dean was born in Indiana’s Marion, in the United States, on 8 February, 1931, and was named ‘James Byron Dean’.
  • James Dean’s mother died in 1938 due to cancer, when Dean was nine years of age, and so his father sent him to live with his aunt and uncle who were Quakers.
  • The first commercial appearance James Dean made was in an advertisement for Pepsi Cola, in the early 1950s.
  • James Dean had a significant interest in automobile racing, had ownership of various car models, and competed in a number of races, in which he earned high placings.
James Dean, Smoke, Acting,Male, Actor, Ten Random FactsJames Dean
Image courtesy of Isomnia Cured Here/Flickr
  • The fame of James Dean arose from his work in the films East of Eden (1955), Rebel without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956).
  • James Dean died on 30 September, 1955, at 24 years of age, in a car crash at an intersection with another vehicle.
  • James Dean received a nomination for the Best Actor Academy Award in East of Eden, that he received posthumously, making him the first actor to do so; and a second nomination followed, as well as other awards.
  • Sight was not one of James Dean’s strong points, as he was short sighted and had difficulty seeing without his glasses.
  • James Dean never married, however he dated and had close relationships with a number of people, notably Pier Angeli, an Italian actress.
Bibliography:
James Dean, 2015, Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/james-dean-9268866
James Dean, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dean

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Katy Perry

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Katy Perry

“If you’re presenting yourself with confidence, you can pull off pretty much anything.” – Katy Perry

  • Katy Perry is a famous, internationally successful singer, actress, guitarist and songwriter, with a net worth of more than 40 million USD as of 2014, and has donated financially to causes such as health, welfare and animal cruelty.
  • Katy Perry was born on 25 October, 1984, as Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, in California’s Santa Barbara, in the United States, to Christian parents who were both pastors in a Pentecostal church, and ‘Perry’ was her mother’s maiden name.
  • Rock and popular music are Katy Perry’s main genres, and she has released the top singles ‘Roar’, ‘Dark Horse’, ‘Firework’, ‘E.T.’, ‘Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)’, ‘Wide Awake’ and others, and by the end of 2014, she had released four albums.
  • Katy Perry was raised with music choices being limited to gospel style, although she discovered her friends’ secular music during her teenage years and is said to have smuggled the albums into her home.
  • The first album released by Katy Perry was named ‘Katy Hudson’, in 2001, and ultimately was a failure; the gospel-themed album selling roughly 200 copies before the record company closed.

Katy Perry, Portrait, Musician, Vocalist, ARIA Awards, Ten Random Facts, Roar, Dark Horse

Katy Perry
Image courtesy of Eva Rinaldi/Flickr
  • Katy Perry became an international sensation in 2008 on release of her controversial and number one song ‘I Kissed a Girl’, followed up by a top three hit, ‘Hot n Cold’.
  • Katy Perry is complimented on her skillful social media use, and in 2014, the number of her Twitter followers reached 50 million, making her the most followed member ever, at the time, and by early 2015, her followers had reached 67 million.
  • Katy Perry was briefly married to Russell Brand from 2010 until he divorced her just over a year later, which is said to have caused temporary suicidal thoughts on Perry’s part.
  • Katy Perry first entered the film industry when she was chosen for the voice of Smurfette from The Smurfs (2011), and she has also featured in a self-titled autobiographical film.
  • Katy Perry’s third album ‘Teenage Dream’ of 2010 produced five top singles, which was unheard of since the legendary Michael Jackson, and Perry has received 5 American Music Awards, 3 Guinness World Records and 14 People’s Choice Awards, among others.
Bibliography:
Katy Perry, 2015, IMDb, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2953537/bio
Katy Perry, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy_Perry
Katy Perry Biography, 2015, Bio.com, http://www.biography.com/people/katy-perry-562678

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Leonard Nimoy

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Leonard Nimoy

“Live long and prosper” – Leonard Nimoy as Spock

  • American Leonard Nimoy, was an actor who was most well known for his acting in the Star Trek film and television series, as Spock, while the role received many award nominations.
  • Leonard Nimoy’s full name was ‘Leonard Simon Nimoy’, and he was born in 1931 on 26th March to Jewish parents in Boston, in the United State’s state of Massachusetts.
  • Leonard Nimoy started acting in 1939 as a young boy, performing in plays and high school productions, and later started his acting career in the early 1950s, appearing in Kid Monk Baroni (1952).
  • Leonard Nimoy was casted as Star Trek’s Vulcan (extraterrestrial humanoid species) Spock, and played this role in various Star Trek films and television series over many years between 1966 to 2009; while his performance as Spock is said to have affected Nimoy’s personality and thoughts.
  • Leonard Nimoy did extra studies in drama in 1959; had prominent skills in singing, poetry, and writing; was an accomplished photographer; and directed two box office hits, Star Trek IV (1986) and Three Men and a Baby (1987), among other films.
Leonard Nimoy, Vulcan, Sign, Person, Actor, RIP. Ten Random Facts, Flickr
Leonard Nimoy
Image courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr
  • The symbolic Vulcan salute was created by Leonard Nimoy, performed using a single hand, and it was based on a sign given by priests during a Jewish blessing.
  • Leonard Nimoy performed in numerous films and television shows outside of Star Trek, and though he technically retired in early 2010, he later acted in 2011 and provided voice performances during his remaining years.
  • Leonard Nimoy was fluent is the Jewish language Yiddish, and showed much support for his fellow Jews.
  • Leonard Nimoy was married twice; once from 1954 to 1987, to Sandra Zober, and later, in 1989 until his death, to Susan Bay, both actresses.
  • Leonard Nimoy died at age 83, on 27th February, 2015, due to complications of the lung disease ‘COPD’ (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), at his residential home in Bel Air, in Los Angeles, California, United States.
Bibliography:
Remembering Leonard Nimoy, 1931-2015, 2015, Star Trek, http://www.startrek.com/article/remembering-leonard-nimoy-1931-2015
Leonard Nimoy, 2015, Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/leonard-nimoy-9423757
Leonard Nimoy, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Nimoy

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