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The method of creating and promoting film stars in Hollywood movies is known as the star system. Different studios would select talented actors and create roles for them, often inventing new names and even new backgrounds. Stars that went through this star system in Hollywood movies are Cary Grant, Joan Crawford and Rock Hudson. In this system the emphasis is on the image rather than on acting. Although acting, voice, and dancing lessons are apart of the common element of the regimen.

They had rules and restrictions that these new budding actors had to follow. Some of them being, they were not allowed to leave the house without putting any makeup and wearing stylish clothes especially when it comes to female actors. Whereas, the male actors they were expected to be seen in public as gentlemen.

The star system of Hollywood movies had morality clauses, which was a common part of the actor’s studio contracts.

Just as the executives, public relations staffs, and the agents worked together with the actor to create a star character, so also they would work together to cover up the incidents or lifestyles which were thought of as disrespectful and which might damage or spoil the image of the actor in the eye of the public.

As a part of this system, performers were not identified in films due to two main reasons. One is that the stage performers were embarrassed to be in films. As initially they were featured in silent film and it was considered pantomime, which is the art of conveying emotions, actions, feelings, etc by gestures without speech. As one of the main skills of actors was their voice, they were afraid that appearing in films would ruin their reputation.

The other reason for the performers not being identified in films was because producers feared that actors would gain more prestige and power and the stars might thus demand more money.

There were many incidents that have cause the star system of Hollywood movies to come into existence. Some of the main reasons can be traced from the following incidents.

Thomas Edison and the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC) forced the filmmakers to use their equipments and follow their rules, since they owned most of the patents of the motion picture equipments. It was known that the MPPC did promote some actors during that time.

There was gradually a change in the star system of Hollywood movies, and the main reason for this was that the public wanted to know the real name of the actors. Film audiences constantly recognized a number of performers in movies that they liked. As the names of these stars were not disclosed the audience would give them nicknames. Such as the Biograph Girl, Florence Lawrence and many more.
The MPPC was gaining control over the movie industry until Carl Laemmle promoted the first film star. He was independent of the MPPC and used star promotion to fight MPPC control over the film industry. He got hold of Lawrence from Biograph and spread a rumor that she was killed at a car accident but then later combated this rumor and said she was doing fine and would be starring in the up-coming film produced by him.

Another reason that led to the beginning of the star system in Hollywood movies was the development of the film magazines that gave fans knowledge about the actors. Which includes the lifestyles of the actors outside their film roles. Some of the popular magazines of the time were the Motion Picture Story Magazine and Photoplay. They focused on movies stories but later they began to focus more on the actors catering to reader’s tastes.

The standards set by the legitimate theatre encouraged films to follow the star system of the stage. These are some of the main reason of how star system in Hollywood movies came into being.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos. You can find the best marketplace for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos at these sites for Motion Picture Story Magazine, Photoplay, used movies, and car stereo, amplifiers, loudspeakers, subwoofers.

Downloading movies from the internet just keeps getting better and better.

With the incredible growth in broadband technology and the continuing increase in broadband download speeds, movie downloading just keeps getting better. For a while now you have been able to set a movie to download overnight because it takes ages for the file to transfer. Either because the file is so big or your download speed is so slow.

The ultimate movie download has got to be real time at high quality. Streaming video is no here. And as technology is getting better and better, so are the sites on the net.

Just in the last week I have found two great movie download secrets that I want to share with you.

The first secret is that you can get a whole range of good quality movies to download for free. That’s right, free video downloads right to your PC, on demand. No more delays with saving a file and then watching it later because the real time playback is so awful because of contention on the line.

Free full movie downloads are available. Of course these aren’t the latest Hollywood blockbusters, but good online movies ready for you to watch. Completely free movie downloads can be found at one of the leading video on demand sites on the net today. Just visit cinemanow.com and you can get a whole selection of free films to download: no subscription or even registration required.

For example free travel guides videos are on offer. Spectacular views of Four Corners, one of the amazing wonders of the world: the land of red rocks, is just one of the travel videos on offer.

If you prefer humour then look at their laughs section and try out their films like American Alien or Sky High. Or for something with a bit of class how about a horror film like The Shiver of the Vampires: A surreal film featuring gorgeous vampires, Gallic vampire hippies and lashings of lesbian sex!

If you prefer vintage movies, how about the original Zorro movie, or some of the Dragnet episodes? Free streaming videos at your fingertips across a range of categories. A secret not to keep to yourself! Try it out at cinemanow.

My second secret is quite simply this: with streaming videos now being available to all on the internet, there is now no-one to censor what you see. This is no less than a movie download revolution! Suddenly you can see films that haven’t been controlled by the Hollywood movie bosses. You can decide what you watch.

One such secret waiting for you to find on the web is exactly that: The Secret!

This is an extraordinary film. Lifechanging. It could be the most important and revolutionary 90 minutes of you life.

For about five dollars you can watch this film live on your PC. And not just in a small window, but in full screen mode with excellent quality.

Now I’m not recommending this film simply because the technology is great - it is the film itself. If you don’t know what The Secret is, then do watch it. It would be unfair of me to say what The Secret is if you don’t know it, as it does require a bit of explanation, which is best done by the movie and not here.

However, if you have always wondered if life was more than this and wanted to know The Secret of life that rich, successful and happy people have found out all throughout history then you must watch this movie.

The Secret has caused a storm on the net and I am happy to add my fuel to the fire. It is a must see movie for everyone.

Everybody knows who the movie trailer voice over guy is. The first thing to note is that I said “guy”. To put a name to this man of mystery, it’s Don LaFontaine.

It’s no secret that the movie trailer industry is a man’s world. I happen to be acquainted with and know many gentlemen who record movie trailer voice overs. Rodney Saulsberry is one of them, and his work is exceptional and highly regarded just as Don’s is.

Let’s cut to the chase. When is the last time you heard a female voice talent promoting a blockbuster film in the theatres or on TV? Even the straight to DVD movies, including independent films, sequels and the like, are predominantly voiced by men.

Why is that? What is holding female voice talent back from excelling in this arena? Maybe we should reevaluate the question we are asking and pose it another way: Who is holding women back in movie trailer voice overs?

Now, we have somewhere to go, because now we have a classifier to add to the mix: It is not just a collection of mere adjectives that turn female voice talent away in this niche, it is a distinct parcel of nouns that are holding the barricade up, even in this time of perceived equal opportunity in the workplace.

A noun is a person, place or thing whereas adjectives (i.e. happy, graceful, smooth, aggressive) are describing words used to compliment or detract from a given noun or verb (action word, i.e. to sing or to record).

So, a noun. A person, place or thing is preventing female voice talent from climbing the movie trailer ladder of success. A place couldn’t do it. A thing which is likely inanimate couldn’t proceed with such acts either.

That leaves us with a person or a group of people. One could hypothesize all the way throughout the creative production cycle and point fingers at a number of different people within the chain of events that lead to a movie trailer being produced and released.

Movie trailers are voice overs, just like any other voice over. They may have more prestige attached to them in some circles, but they are voice overs just the same.

Voice over is a creative element in the cycle and open to different interpretations, including female voice overs, so if it’s not the writers, the producers, the actors, or anyone else associated with the creative aspect of production, who it is it?

That leaves us with those at the end of the line who decide how a movie is presented to the public through marketing efforts. Could it be the film industry itself that is shutting women out?

An interesting factor to consider are “Focus Groups” and their role in what is disseminated to the public. These Focus Groups tend to have a lot of sway and can change many aspects of how a movie is presented, including alternative endings, voice over, and other components in the creative realm.

Focus Groups, from what I understand, can be very exclusive and comfortable. People in focus groups don’t want to lose their positions and due to that fact are often persuaded to make decisions that they do not support simply to keep their jobs.

This includes the voice over in many cases. If it is presented initially with a female voice over instead of a male voice over which is generally perceived to be a safer if not more authoritative option with movie goers that will drive in the sales and “legitimize” a film.

Now, that’s just hypothetical, of course. It wouldn’t be fair to pinpoint focus groups alone when trying to get to the root of the problem.

Is it that the world simply isn’t ready to hear women perform movie trailer voice overs, or are there politics at work behind the scenes? Why are female voice talent left in the dust by the movie industry?

There are many promising female voice over talents who are ready to jump in the ring, including a talented performer named Melissa Disney among others. Only time will tell and open the doors to changing the status quo.

Stephanie Ciccarelli is the VP of Marketing with Voices.com, the voice over marketplace hosting more than 10,000 professional voice talents. Stephanie is also the author of The Definitive Guide To Voice-Over Success.

Many people shy away from video downloads on their computers because they’re afraid they’ll be forced to watch the movies on the little, little screen. In reality there are some very easy ways to make sure video downloads can be viewed on a television’s larger screen.

Video downloads are becoming popular for their ease and availability, but the know how to make them work on a TV isn’t necessarily public knowledge Many companies that offer video downloads, however, do provide some very good tutorials for hooking up a computer file to a television for viewing.

Let’s look at some of the main options available for those who want to watch video downloads on a larger screen:

* Wireless adapters. Some video download companies provide their users with simple wireless adapters that send signals from the computer directly to the television. This means files downloaded on a computer can be quickly loaded for viewing on a bigger screen.

These adapters and their box-top boxes can cost users a little bit extra over and above membership fees for downloading. Despite the extra costs, however, these adapters make it very easy to watch video downloads on a television set. The popularity of these devices is on the rise, which means their price is starting to go down and their availability is increasing.

* Direct wire. For those who have their computers in the same room as their television sets, a simple wire connection with an S-video cable and a sound connection can ensure that video downloads on a computer will play on a television set. This can be a cumbersome options for those who have their computers in one room and their televisions in another, however.

* Middle devices. Things such as video game consoles and some portable video players can work as middlemen type devices. This means video downloads can be placed from the computer onto the devices and then plugged into a television for viewing. Many of the more modernized video game consoles work in this manner, or have their own programs available for video downloads that can be viewed on a full sized TV screen.

* DVD burning. Some sites that offer video download packages come with programs that enable the burning of movies to DVD. In some cases, this means the movies can be burned to the DVD and watched directly on a standard player. When this is the case, all need for devices to hook a computer into a TV goes away. Make sure the DVD burning is legal, however, and do take care not to share files in this manner.

Video downloads are a great way to enjoy movies and television shows on your own time clock. Rather than having to run to the store and buy or wait for a show to appear on television, this option gives those with a computer almost complete control over when they watch and how they watch.

Thanks to some great new devices it’s now possible to even enjoy these downloads on bigger screen televisions rather than being relegated to only watching them on small screens.

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From his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15, SpiderMan has grown to be one of the most loved superheroes ever created, appearing in a range of products, from comic books to movies.

The birth of SpiderMan

When we first met SpiderMan in Amazing Fantasy #15, he was just plain Peter Parker, an unpopular high school student. He was lonely and more interested in books than saving anything or anyone. However, due to the timely interference of a radioactive spider, Peter Parker gains the agility and strength of a spider. Armed with this newfound power, Peter Parker sews himself a red body suit (thank goodness for home economics), constructs a crude webbing device, and joins the professional wrestling circuit to make some money. Alas, Peter Parker is far more into making money with his new skills that helping anyone. When he lets some thieves get away, they end up killing his uncle, setting the stage for the guilt that will drive SpiderMan through the rest of his career.

SpiderMan: the comic books

SpiderMan was written to be a one-time affair. His appearance in Amazing Fantasy, however, resurrected sagging sale, in fact, SpiderMan proved to be one of Marvels most profitable superheroes. Far from being a one-time affair, Spider-Man can now be found in an endless array of comic books series, from The Amazing Spider-Man, to Spectacular SpiderMan, Sensational SpiderMan, and even Ultimate SpiderMan (not to be confused, of course, with Spide-Man Unlimited).

SpiderMan: the franchise

SpiderMan is more than just comic books. His popularity has led Marvel to create a media franchise for Spider-Man, with his story appearing in television cartoons, video games, and even movies. The recent feature films to focus on SpiderMan star Tobey Maguire as SpiderMan and Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson. The first movie, released in 2002, focuses on the start of SpiderMans career, with a genetically modified spider taking the place of the original radioactive spider. With his newfound powers, Spider-Man finds himself face to face with the Green Goblin, played by Willem Dafoe. Propelled by the success of the first movie, SpiderMan returned in 2004 in SpiderMan 2 to face off against Doctor Octopus, a multi-tentacled experiment gone wrong. SpiderMan 3 is scheduled for release in 2007. This time he is set to face his biggest enemy yet, himself in his black venom alien suit.

Building your SpiderMan comic book collection

While SpiderMan has been very successful away from comic books, to truly enjoy him, to truly be a fan, you have to go back to the comic books. This can be difficult, however; finding all of SpiderMans comics would be a Herculean task. If you need to locate older copies of Spider-Man comics, be sure to look on popular online auction sites. However, you should be prepared to pay for the pleasure of owning an early SpiderMan comic: SpiderMan is not just for kids anymore. Early editions of The Amazing SpiderMan can go for thousands of dollars! But you may be able to get by with slightly later versions of The Amazing SpiderMan, which only go for a few hundred dollars.

Steve Dolan is a spiderman fan who has followed the webbed hero from the beginning. This site is dedicated to all Spidey fans everywhere Spiderman and Spiderman Comics

Dad, I really want to become an actor, but if this is what it’s all about, I don’t want to do it.
-Leonardo DiCaprio

Few stars can match the diversity of Leonardo DiCaprio. Starting from the youthful TV shows to achieving superstar status, he is in a place only a few actors in Hollywood can claim to be. Best of all he is part of a few young stars who have successfully steered their way out of the pop bubble and into serious roles earning him accolades from critics and fans alike.

Leo is the only child of a comic book distributor, George DiCaprio and a legal secretary, Irmelin Indenbirken. He was born on November 11, 1974. His first name was taken from the artist Leonardo da Vinci after her pregnant mother first felt his kick while in front of a painting of the famous artist. His childhood was characterized by living in various neighborhoods with his mother and having to be visited by his father (at the time his parents were divorced).

He started his interest in acting when his stepbrother started being seen in television commercials. At the age of twelve he already set out too finding agents but were most of times turned down.

He got his first role in the TV movie Parenthood. It was also in this movie production that he met his best friend Tobey Maguire. He would later take on various roles on other TV shows. One notable movie he had done at that time was This Boy’s Life, which starred Robert de Niro. It was considered a breakthrough performance for the young actor and would be followed by What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, which earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

His role opposite Claire Danes in the revisiting of Romeo + Juliet gave him a lot of young fans but his next movie earned him the status that he is enjoying now. James Cameron’s Titanic was an ambitious film in all aspects. The recreation of the events surrounding of the demise the ship was told in the perspective of two fictional lovers Jack Dawson (played by Leo) and Rose (Kate Winslet). The tragedy of the ship and the love story propelled the film to become the highest grossing movie in the world and launched Leonardo as a young superstar.

He then decided to work with seasoned directors to move away from superstar image. He has worked with Steven Spielberg with Catch Me If You Can. He has also worked with Martin Scorsese with a lot of projects. First he played an avenging son in the period film Gangs of New York. They would then team up again on another period flick, The Aviator. In the movie he portrays the Multi-Millionaire Howard Hughes. His portrayal of the eccentricities of the aviation magnate earned him a Best Actor nomination in the Oscars.

In 2006, Leo would appear in two movies where he would play roles of characters with questionable allegiance. First Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, a remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. Here Leonardo plays an undercover cop sent to observe a Boston mob boss (Jack Nicholson) while hiding his identity from a mole posing as a cop (Matt Damon). This film earned Scorsese his first Oscar for Best Directing.

Leo’s next movie in 2006 beat his role in The Departed to a nomination in the Oscars. In Blood Diamond he plays a South African trying to smuggle diamond out the country. This was also the two roles that earned a double nomination in the Golden Globe Awards. This is testament of how Leonardo DiCaprio has changed himself from an actor to a star.

Sam Carrara is an avid movie watcher and enthusiast. Join him at OnSilverScreen.com for more movies with Leonardo DiCaprio at:
http://www.onsilverscreen.com/Action-163296-Leonardo+DiCaprio-sr-1-DVD.html