CLAIRE DANES

Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979)^[1] is an American actress known for her roles as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life,^[2] as Temple Grandin in the HBO television film Temple Grandin, and as Carrie Mathison in the Showtime series Homeland.^[3][4] She has received three Emmy Awards (and 5 nominations),^[5] four Golden Globe Awards,^[6] and two Screen Actors Guild Awards (6 nominations).Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979)^[1] is an American actress known for her roles as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life,^[2] as Temple Grandin in the HBO television film Temple Grandin, and as Carrie Mathison in the Showtime series Homeland.^[3][4] She has received three Emmy Awards (and 5 nominations),^[5] four Golden Globe Awards,^[6] and two Screen Actors Guild Awards (6 nominations).

Before she had her first kiss in real life, she had her first on-screen one in an episode of My So-Called Life.^[43]

Danes met Australian singer Ben Lee at her birthday party in 1997 — they dated for almost six years. Their relationship ended in 2003.^[44] In 2004, Danes began a relationship with former Stage Beauty co-star, Billy Crudup, that lasted until 2006.^[45]

Danes met actor Hugh Dancy on the set of Evening in 2006 in Newport, Rhode Island. They began dating and announced their engagement in February 2009.^[46] They married in France in a secret ceremony in late August or early September 2009.^[47] They have a son born on December 17, 2012.^[48]

Danes and her mother are supporters of the charity Afghan Hands, “a non-profit organization that supports disadvantaged and disenfranchised women in Afghanistan gain independence, education, and livable wages.”^[49] Danes is also a long time supporter of Donorschoose.org, a website that allows public school teachers to create project requests. Donors then choose what projects inspire them, and help to fund those projects. ^[50][51][52]

Danes is an avid runner and embroiders.^[8] She lives in the West Village neighborhood of New York City.^[53]

HOMELAND (tv series)

Homeland is an American political thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa based on the Israeli series Hatufim (English title: Prisoners of War), which was created by Gideon Raff.^[1][2]

The series stars Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, a Central Intelligence Agency officer with bipolar disorder, and, from seasons 1 through 3, Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody, a United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper. Mathison had come to believe that Brody, who was held captive by al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war, was “turned” by the enemy and posed a threat to the United States.

The series is broadcast in the U.S. on the cable channel Showtime, and is produced by Fox 21. It premiered on October 2, 2011.^[3] The first episode was made available online, more than two weeks before television broadcast, with viewers having to complete game tasks to gain access.^[4][5] On October 22, 2013, Showtime renewed Homeland for a fourth season,^[6] which premiered on October 5, 2014.^[7] On November 10, 2014, Showtime renewed the series for a 12-episode fifth season to premiere in 2015.^[8]

The series has received critical acclaim, and has won several awards, including the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, and the 2011 and 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama, as well as the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Damian Lewis and Claire Danes, respectively

Season 1 (2011)

The first season follows Carrie Mathison, a Central Intelligence Agency operations officer who, after conducting an unauthorized operation in Iraq, is put on probation and reassigned to the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center in Langley, Virginia. In Iraq, Carrie was warned by an asset that an American prisoner of war had been turned by al-Qaeda.

Carrie’s job grows complicated when her boss, Director of the Counterterrorism Center David Estes, calls Carrie and her colleagues in for an emergency briefing. Carrie learns that Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine Sergeant who had been reported as missing in action since 2003, has been rescued during a Delta Force raid on a compound belonging to terrorist Abu Nazir. Carrie comes to believe that Brody is the American prisoner of war whom her asset in Iraq was talking about.^[9] However, the federal government and her superiors at the CIA consider Brody a war hero.

Realizing it would be nearly impossible to convince her boss to place Brody under surveillance, Carrie approaches the only other person she can trust, her mentor, Saul Berenson. The two must now work together to investigate Brody and prevent another terrorist attack on American soil. Eventually, Brody attempts to kill the Vice President as a suicide bomber but falters at the last moment after an intervention by his daughter Dana, while Carrie becomes more doubtful and paranoid by her belief that Brody is a terrorist.

Season 2 (2012)

The second season follows Carrie and the CIA working with Brody to capture Abu Nazir. Discovering a video of Brody’s confession during a CIA operation in Lebanon, Carrie and Saul, along with analyst Peter Quinn, work to turn Brody into a double agent. Brody gives in to the CIA interrogation and is now an asset for the CIA, sending information to both sides. The downside of being a double agent as well as a rising Congressman with the Vice President’s support brings Brody closer to Carrie while worsening his relationship with his family. Mike tries to find the truth behind Tom Walker’s death. Egged on by Abu Nazir, who is now in the U.S., Brody silently kills the Vice President while the CIA tracks down Nazir’s contacts and kills Nazir himself using Brody’s information. Seemingly free of being Nazir’s man, Brody celebrates with Carrie at the CIA headquarters and both survive an explosion that kills Director Estes and many others. Having been framed for the bombing due to his earlier video confession, Brody flees the U.S. with Carrie’s help. Carrie and Saul, who was burying Nazir’s body at sea, are left to pick up the pieces.

Season 3 (2013)

The beginning of season 3 presents the aftermath of a terrorist attack committed by Abu Nazir’s people. Carrie is blamed for the CIA’s failings as Senator Lockhart grills Saul, now Acting Director of the CIA, in front of the Senate Committee. However, it turned out to be part of a bigger plot, as Saul had Carrie seemingly disavowed by the CIA to lure a senior Iranian intelligence officer Majid Javadi (who financed the Langley bombing) into becoming a CIA asset. He later relayed the information to Carrie that the main perpetrator of the bombing was still in the U.S., and the CIA acted to bring the real bomber and the officer’s lawyers in for questioning. As the Brody family struggles to live within their means amidst Brody’s terrorist status, Brody himself is in hiding in Caracas, Venezuela, effectively being held prisoner by his captors until Saul’s arrival. Following a gunshot wound to the torso, Brody becomes addicted to the heroin given to him as a painkiller. Saul eventually rescues him, detoxifies him, and recruits him for a mission: to go to Iran and use his notoriety as the “Langley Bomber” to get close to the current head of the Revolutionary Guard, Danesh Akbari, to assassinate him. During the initial assassination attempt, Brody publicly declares that he is seeking asylum in Iran, but is unable to get close enough to Akbari to assassinate him. Assuming that Brody will never have another opportunity to complete his mission, senior CIA officers order his assassination. However, with help from Carrie, Brody escapes and is able to arrange a meeting with Akbari, claiming to possess sensitive information about Javadi. During the meeting, Brody strikes Akbari and suffocates him to death. Carrie takes him to a safehouse, but Lockhart, with a direct order from the President, gives up their location to the Revolutionary Guard in order to increase Javadi’s chances of being promoted. Brody is then publicly hanged as Carrie watches in the crowd. Four months later, Lockhart (now CIA Director) offers Carrie (now eight months pregnant) the job of station chief of the CIA’s Turkey operations (after a maternity leave). Carrie accepts the position but her request to place a star on the memorial wall to commemorate Brody is refused. In the final scene, Carrie is seen discreetly drawing a star on the memorial wall herself.

Season 4 (2014) The fourth season takes place in Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Carrie Mathison assigned to a dangerous CIA station in the Greater Middle East. The season premiered on October 5, 2014.^[7]

MELISA mcCARTHY

Melissa Ann McCarthy (born August 26, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer.

McCarthy first gained recognition for her role as Sookie St. James on the television series Gilmore Girls. She worked in this supporting role from 2000 to 2007. On the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? she portrayed Dena from 2007 to 2009. McCarthy was then cast as Molly Flynn-Biggs on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, a role that earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series,^[2] as well as two award nominations during subsequent seasons. McCarthy has also been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her work as host on Saturday Night Live three years consecutively.

McCarthy achieved major success and fame for her breakthrough film role as Megan Price in the 2011 comedy hit Bridesmaids, which garnered her numerous award nominations including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a BAFTA nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.^[3] In 2013, she co-starred in the films Identity Thief and The Heat. She also appeared in the films The Nines, The Back-up Plan, Life as We Know It, and The Hangover Part III. In 2014, McCarthy starred in the comedy Tammy and the comedy-drama film St. Vincent.^[4] McCarthy will also headline the upcoming action comedy Spy, which is scheduled for a May 22, 2015 release. She is the founder of the production company On the Day with her husband Ben Falcone. Melissa Ann McCarthy was born in Plainfield, Illinois,^[5] the daughter of Sandra and Michael McCarthy.^[6][7] She is a cousin of actress/model Jenny McCarthy.^[8] McCarthy was raised on a farm, in a “big, Irish-Catholic family”.^[9][10] Some of her ancestors were from County Cork.^[11] She graduated from St. Francis Academy (now Joliet Catholic Academy) in Joliet, Illinois.^[12] Her career started with stand-up comedy and includes film, television and theater.^[13] McCarthy is an alumna of The Groundlings, an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California.

McCarthy married her longtime boyfriend, Ben Falcone, an actor and alumnus of The Groundlings, on October 8, 2005.^[36][37] Falcone often makes cameo appearances in movies starring McCarthy, such as Bridesmaids and The Heat. Together, they have two daughters; Vivian born in 2007 and Georgette born in 2010.^[38][39] McCarthy’s pregnancy with Vivian was written into the last season of Gilmore Girls.^{[citation needed]}

In November 2014, McCarthy revealed that she slimmed down from 265 lbs to 220 lbs.^[

ANNE HATHAWAY

Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She came to prominence after playing Mia Thermopolis in the Disney film The Princess Diaries (2001) and in its 2004 sequel. Since then, Hathaway has starred in dramatic films such as Havoc and Brokeback Mountain, in 2005. She has also starred in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) with Meryl Streep and in Becoming Jane (2007) as Jane Austen.

In 2008, she won several awards for her performance in Rachel Getting Married, also earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In 2010, she starred in the box office hits Valentine’s Day, Tim Burton‘s Alice in Wonderland, and Love and Other Drugs and won an Emmy Award for her voice-over performance on The Simpsons. In 2011, she had a voice role in the animated film Rio. In 2012, she portrayed Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight Rises and Fantine in Tom Hooper‘s Les Misérables. Her performance in the latter earned her rave reviews and several accolades, including the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, the BAFTA Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is one of twenty-three people to win an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics Choice Award for a single role. People magazine named her one of its breakthrough stars of 2001,^[1] and she appeared on its list of the world’s 50 Most Beautiful People in 2006.^[2]

Hathaway was born November 12, 1982 in Brooklyn, New York.^[3] Her father, Gerald Thomas Hathaway, is a lawyer, and her mother, Kathleen Ann “Kate” (born McCauley), is an actress who inspired Hathaway to follow in her footsteps.^[4] Hathaway’s mother played Fantine in the first U.S. tour of Les Misérables.^[5] When she was six years old, the family moved to Millburn, New Jersey, which is where she grew up.^[6] Hathaway is the middle of three children with an older brother, Michael and a younger brother, Thomas. She is of mostly Irish and French ancestry, with distant Native American and German roots.^[7]

Hathaway was raised Roman Catholic with what she considers “really strong values”, and has stated she wanted to be a nun during her childhood.^[6][8] Her relationship with the Catholic Church changed at the age of 15, after learning her brother Michael was gay.^[8] She has stated: “I realised my older brother was gay, and I couldn’t support a religion that didn’t support my brother. Now I call myself a nondenominational Christian, because I haven’t found the religion for me.”^[9] In 2009, Hathaway stated that her religious beliefs are “a work in progress”.^[8][10]

Hathaway attended Brooklyn Heights Montessori School and Wyoming Elementary School in Millburn.^[11] Hathaway graduated from Millburn High School, where she participated in many school plays; her high school performance as Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress gained her a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award nomination for Best Performance by a High School Actress. During this time, Hathaway was in plays including Jane Eyre and Gigi at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse.^[12] She spent several semesters studying as an English major and Women’s Studies minor at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York before transferring to New York University‘s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, referring to her college enrollment as one of her best decisions, because she enjoyed being with others who were trying to “grow up”.^[13] She also studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Hathaway was the first teenager admitted into The Barrow Group Theater Company’s acting program.^[14]

A soprano, Hathaway performed in 1998 and 1999 with the All-Eastern U.S. High School Honors Chorus at Carnegie Hall and has performed in plays at Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange, New Jersey. Three days after her 1999 performance at Carnegie Hall, she was cast in the short-lived Fox television series Get Real at the age of 16.^[12]

Hathaway is a trained stage actress and has stated that she prefers performing on stage to film roles.^[6] Her acting style has been compared to those of Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn.^[15] She cites Garland as one of her favorite actresses^[11] and Meryl Streep as her idol.^[16]

RelationshipsIn 2004, Hathaway began a romantic relationship with Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri,^[6][84] during which she participated in the development of the charitable Follieri Foundation, as a donor and as a member of its board of directors until 2007.^[85] The Manhattan-based foundation, established in 2003, focused on efforts such as providing vaccinations for children in Third World countries. In June 2008, it was investigated by the IRS, for failure to file required nonprofit information forms.^[86] Citing concern that this investigation and other legal issues in which Follieri was involved could hurt her acting career, Hathaway ended their relationship in mid-June, 2008.^[85]

 

Hathaway at the Get Smart premiere in June 2008

Follieri was arrested on June 24, 2008, on charges of defrauding investors out of millions of dollars in a scheme in which Follieri posed as the Vatican‘s point man on real-estate investing.^[87] It was reported that the FBI confiscated Hathaway’s private journals from Follieri’s New York City apartment as part of their ongoing investigation into Follieri’s activities; however, Hathaway was not charged with any crime.^[88] On October 23, 2008, after earlier pleading guilty, Follieri was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.^[89][90]

In November 2008, Hathaway began dating actor Adam Shulman.^[91] The couple became engaged in November 2011^[92] and were married on September 29, 2012, in Big Sur, California^[93] in an interfaith Jewish and Roman Catholic service

KRISTEN STEWART

Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990)^[1] is an American actress. She is best known for playing the protagonist Bella Swan in the popular The Twilight Saga romance fantasy film series, which has grossed over $3.3 billion in worldwide receipts and for her work in independent films. She starred in films from a range of genres in the 2000s, such as the thriller Panic Room (2002); the indie drama Speak (2004); the science fiction fantasy adventure Zathura (2005); the biographical drama survival film Into The Wild (2007); and the comedy-drama Adventureland (2009). In the 2010s, she starred in the music-themed drama The Runaways (2010); the dark fantasy action film Snow White and the Huntsman (2012); the adventure drama On the Road (2012); the dramas Camp X-Ray (2014); Clouds of Sils Maria (2014); and Still Alice (2015); and the science fiction romantic drama Equals (2015). She is also the face of Chanel and Balenciaga fashion brands.

In 2010, Stewart was listed as the highest-earning female actress in the Vanity Fair “2010’s Top Hollywood Top Earners List”, with an estimated earning of $28.5 million for her movie roles in 2010.^[2] On December 6, 2011, Stewart was named number one on Forbes magazine’s list of “Hollywood’s Best Actors for the Buck”.^[3] According to Forbes, Stewart was the highest paid actress in 2012, with total earnings of $34.5 million.^[4]

Stewart was born in 1990 and raised in Los Angeles, California by parents in the entertainment industry.^[5][6][7] Her father, John Stewart, is a stage manager and television producer who has worked for Fox.^[8] Her mother, Jules Mann-Stewart, is originally from Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia. She is a script supervisor and has also directed a film.^{[7][9][10][11]} She has an older brother, Cameron B. Stewart, and two adopted brothers, Dana and Taylor.^[12][13]

Stewart attended local schools until the seventh grade. As she became more involved in acting, she continued her education by correspondence until completing high school.^[

Stewart lives in Los Angeles. She is interested in attending college in the near future, saying, “I want to go to college for literature. I want to be a writer. I mean, I love what I do, but it’s not all I want to do – be a professional liar for the rest of my life.”^{[70] [dated info]}

In a November, 2008 interview with Vanity Fair, Stewart said that she was in a relationship at the time with Michael Angarano, her co-star from the 2004 film Speak.^[71]

Since meeting on the set of Twilight in 2008, Stewart was in a very low-profile relationship with co-star Robert Pattinson.^[72] For a long time, the two did not explicitly confirm a relationship, but paparazzi photographs and eyewitness accounts drove intense media and fan speculation and attention.^[73] However, Stewart officially acknowledged her relationship with Pattinson for the first time in July, 2012, when Us Weekly published photos of Stewart showing affection with her Snow White and the Huntsman director, Rupert Sanders, with what the Huffington Post called an “affair with…Sanders”.^[74] The day that the photos were released, Stewart issued a public apology to Pattinson at People Magazine, saying, “I’m deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I’ve caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected. This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I’m so sorry.^[75

DANIEL CRAIG

Daniel Wroughton Craig^[1] (born 2 March 1968)^[2][3] is an English^[4] actor. Cast as the fictional British secret agent James Bond 007 in October 2005, his first film in the role, Casino Royale, was released in theatres worldwide in November 2006.^[5] Craig is an alumnus of the National Youth Theatre and graduated from London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1991 beginning his career on stage. His early appearances were in the films Elizabeth, The Power of One and A Kid in King Arthur’s Court as well as in the television series Sharpe’s Eagle and Zorro.

Craig’s appearances in the British films Love Is the Devil, The Trench and Some Voices attracted the industry’s attention, leading to roles in bigger productions such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Road to Perdition, Layer Cake and Munich. Craig achieved international fame when chosen as the sixth actor to play the role of James Bond 007 in the official series, replacing Pierce Brosnan. Though he was initially greeted with scepticism, his debut in Casino Royale was highly acclaimed and earned him a BAFTA award nomination, with the film becoming the highest-grossing in the series at the time.

Quantum of Solace followed two years later. Craig’s third Bond film, Skyfall, premiered in 2012 and is now the highest-grossing film in the series, as well as the ninth highest-grossing film of all time.^[6][7] Craig’s fourth Bond film, Spectre, will premiere in 2015. In 2006, Craig joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Since taking the role of Bond, he has continued to appear in other films, most recently starring in the English language adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Craig made a guest appearance as Bond in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, alongside Queen Elizabeth II.

Craig was born in Chester, Cheshire, England.^[8] His parents, living in Whittington, Oswestry currently, Carol Olivia (née Williams), was an art teacher, and his father, Timothy John Wroughton Craig, was the landlord of the pubs Ring o’ Bells in Frodsham and the Boot Inn in Willington, having served as a midshipman in the Merchant Navy.^[9][10][11] Both of Craig’s parents were of part Welsh descent.^[12] Raised on the Wirral Peninsula,^[13] he attended primary school in Frodsham and Hoylake.^[14] Later, he attended Hilbre High School in West Kirby, along with his older sister Lea, after failing his Eleven plus.^[15]

Upon finishing his compulsory secondary school education at the age of 16, Craig briefly joined Calday Grange Grammar School as a sixth form student.^[16] Craig played for Hoylake RFC Rugby Union Club.^[17] He began acting in school plays at the age of six, and was introduced to serious acting by attending the Everyman Theatre in nearby Liverpool city centre with his mother.^[18] Craig moved to London when he was 16 to join the National Youth Theatre.^[11] He attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican and graduated in 1991 after three years of study under Colin McCormack.

In 1992, Craig married actress Fiona Loudon, with whom he had a daughter, Ella. The marriage ended in divorce in 1994.^[58] He is a longtime friend of actor Mark Strong and is the godfather of Strong’s eldest son.^[59]

After his divorce, he was in a seven-year relationship with German actress Heike Makatsch, ending in 2001.^[60] He subsequently dated film producer Satsuki Mitchell from 2005 until 2010.^[61][62]

Craig and actress Rachel Weisz had been friends for many years, and worked together on the movie Dream House. They began dating in December 2010 and married on 22 June 2011,^[61][63][64] in a private New York City ceremony, with just four guests in attendance, including Craig’s 18-year-old daughter, Ella, and Weisz’s 5-year-old son, Henry.^[65]

In October 2008, Craig paid £4 million for an apartment in a converted old house in Primrose Hill near Regent’s Park, London.^[66] He also has a house in Sunninghill outside Ascot. He is a Liverpool FC supporter, as well as an avid rugby fan and former player, having travelled to Australia in 2013 to watch the British & Irish Lions tour, as well as maintains a good friendship with Irish international fly-half Jonathan Sexton.^[67] In 2013, he was given an Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster for his 45th birthday by his wife Rachel Weisz.^[68]

Daniel Craig made a unique place for himself in the history of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising 8 December 2009, when it was announced that they had raised $1,549,953 in the 21st annual Gypsy of the Year competition, from six weeks of curtain appeals at their hit Broadway drama, A Steady Rain.^[69]

He is involved with multiple charities including S.A.F.E Kenya, which uses street theatre to address social issues. As well, he is involved with the Opportunity Network, which provides access to education for low-income students in New York. In 2011, he collaborated with Dame Judi Dench to highlight gender inequality for International Women’s Day.^[70] In August 2014, he added his name to a letter to British broadcasters calling for better representation for ethnic minorities.^[

BIG BANG THEORY(tv series)

The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers. It premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007.^[5] The eighth season premiered on September 22, 2014.^[6]

The show is primarily centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California: roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, both physicists; Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon’s equally geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers, aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny’s social skills and common sense.^[7][8]

Over time, supporting characters have been promoted to starring roles: Leslie Winkle, a physicist colleague at California Institute of Technology and, at different times, a lover of both Leonard and Howard; Bernadette Rostenkowski, Howard’s girlfriend (later his wife), a microbiologist and former part-time waitress alongside Penny; neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler, who joins the group after being matched to Sheldon on a dating website (and later becomes Sheldon’s girlfriend); and Stuart Bloom, the cash-strapped owner of the comic book store the characters often visit.

In February 2014, CBS CEO Les Moonves confirmed an eighth season, when announcing the first portion of the new season would air on a different night, due to CBS acquiring the rights to Thursday Night Football games. In March 2014, CBS once again renewed the show for three additional years – including the previously confirmed eighth season – through the 2016–17 television season.^[9] In May 2014, CBS announced at its annual upfront presentation, that the series would begin its eighth season on Mondays, before returning to the Thursday slot it has held since 2010, once the football games end in late October.^[10] In August 2014, the five original cast members all signed new contracts.

Actors’ salaries[edit]

For the first three seasons, Galecki, Parsons, and Cuoco, the three main stars of the show, received at most $60,000 per episode. The salary for the three went up to $200,000 per episode for the fourth season. Their per-episode pay went up an additional $50,000 in each of the following three seasons, culminating in $350,000 per episode in the seventh season.^[33][34] By season seven, the three were also receiving 0.25 point of the series’ backend money.^[35] Before production began on the eighth season, the five main stars looked to renegotiate new contracts, with Galecki, Parsons, and Cuoco seeking around $1 million per episode, as well as more backend money.^[35] Contracts were signed at the beginning of August 2014, giving the three principal actors an estimated $1 million per episode for three years, with the possibility to extend for a fourth year. The deals also include larger pieces of the show, signing bonuses, production deals and advances towards the back-end.^[36]

In September 2013, Bialik and Rauch renegotiated the contracts they held since they were introduced to the series in 2010. On their old contracts, each was making $20,000–$30,000 per episode, while the new contracts doubled that, beginning at $60,000 per episode, increasing steadily to $100,000 per episode by the end of the contract, as well as adding another year for both.^[37]

In August 2014, Helberg and Nayyar renegotiated their contracts, giving them a per-episode pay in the “mid six-figure range”, up from around $100,000 per episode they each received in years prior. The duo, who were looking to have salary parity on par with Parsons, Galecki and Cuoco, signed their contracts after the studio and producers threatened to write the characters out of the series if a deal could not be reached before the start of production on season 8.^[38]

COLINS FARRELL

Colin James Farrell (born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. He first appeared on the BBC‘s Ballykissangel in 1998 and made his film debut in the Tim Roth-directed The War Zone a year later^[1] and was discovered by Hollywood when Joel Schumacher cast him in the lead in Tigerland (2000). He then starred in Schumacher’s Phone Booth (2002) and the American thrillers S.W.A.T. and The Recruit (both 2003), establishing his international box-office appeal. During that time, he also appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report (2002) and as the villain Bullseye in Daredevil (2003). After starring in the independent films Intermission (2003) and A Home at the End of the World (2004) he headed Oliver Stone’s biopic Alexander (2004) and the Terrence Malick Pocahontas movie, The New World (2005).

Work in Michael Mann’s Miami Vice, the adaptation of John Fante‘s Ask the Dust (both 2006) and Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream (2007) followed, underscoring Farrell’s popularity among Hollywood writers and directors; however, it was for his role in Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges (2008) that he received a Golden Globe Award. More recently, he co-starred in the Fright Night (2011) and Total Recall (2012) remakes and McDonagh’s second feature, Seven Psychopaths (2012). Farrell also starred with Noomi Rapace in the Niels Arden Oplev-directed action film Dead Man Down, and as Travers Goff in Saving Mr. Banks (both in 2013). In 2014, Farrell starred as Peter Lake in Winter’s Tale (2014), an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Mark Helprin.

A favourite with film critics like Peter Bradshaw, Manohla Dargis and Roger Ebert in the 2000s, Farrell developed a reputation as a lothario and dated numerous women for a time. He has two sons: one with model Kim Bordenave and another with his Ondine costar, Alicja Bachleda-Curuś.

Relationships and children

 

Farrell with Alicja Bachleda-Curuś at the premiere of Ondine, April 2010

Farrell dated English actress Amelia Warner from July to November 2001.^[21] There was speculation that they married; of the experience, the actor said “Too fast, too young.”^[13] However, in December 2011 Warner told The Sun that the marriage was never legal: “We had a ceremony on a beach in Tahiti that was by no means legal and we knew it wasn’t… It was just a thing we did on holiday. We went shark feeding and then we did that. We booked them both on the activities desk at the hotel.”^[119]

Farrell and British-American writer Emma Forrest dated for over a year, an experience she discusses in depth in her memoir Your Voice in My Head (focusing on her relationship with her therapist, who died unexpectedly;^[120] it is a planned film starring Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci).^[121] According to Forrest, she and Farrell planned to have a child together before he ended the relationship. By the end of 2003 he was linked to singer Britney Spears,^[122][123] Playboy cover girl Nicole Narain,^[124] model Josie Maran and actresses Angelina Jolie,^[125][126] Maeve Quinlan and Demi Moore.^[21][127]

Farrell has a son, James Padraig Farrell (born 2003), with American model Kim Bordenave. In October 2007 he said his son has Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterised by intellectual and developmental delay, lack of speech and a happy, excitable demeanor.^[128] From 2007 to 2008 the actor dated Muirann McDonnell, an Irish^[13] medical student.^[129][130] Farrell fathered his second child, Henry Tadeusz Farrell (born October 2009), with Ondine co-star Alicja Bachleda-Curuś.^[131] Their relationship ended in mid-2010.^[132]

Drug addiction

In December 2005, Farrell checked into a rehabilitation treatment centre for addictions to recreational drugs and painkillers.^[133] He spoke about it on the Late Show with David Letterman after he came out of rehab^[133] and in the years since.^[96][134] “There was an energy that was created,” he says of the time when he was addicted, “a character that was created, that no doubt benefited me. And then there was a stage where it all began to crumble around me.”^[134]

Stalked[edit]

On 20 July 2006, as Farrell was being interviewed by Jay Leno on The Tonight Show, telephone sex worker Dessarae Bradford evaded security, walked on stage, confronted Farrell and threw her book on Leno’s desk. Farrell escorted her off the stage as she shouted “I’ll see you in court”, handing her over to NBC security. After being held by the Burbank police, Bradford was released. The next day, Farrell obtained a restraining order against her^[135] and the incident was edited out of the broadcast.^[136]

Bradford had twice attempted to sue Farrell for abusive messages, but the lawsuits were dismissed due to a lack of evidence.^[136][137] She failed a lie-detector test on an Ion Television program when attempting to prove her claims.^[138]

Sex tape

In July 2006 Farrell filed a lawsuit against his former girlfriend, Playboy model Nicole Narain, and the Internet Commerce Group (ICG) for the unauthorised public distribution of a 13-minute sex tape which they made in 2003.^[139] (He was offered $5 million for its rights.)^[140] While ICG tried to release it, Narain said that she would work with Farrell to ensure that the tape remained private; Farrell said she tried to release it to damage his acting career and “make money out of it”, a claim Narain denies.^[141][142] On 16 April 2006 they reached a confidential settlement; Farrell’s lawsuit against ICG continued, with a trial date of 21 July.^[143]

CHRIS ROCK

Christopher Julius “Chris” Rock III^[1] (born February 7, 1965)^[2][3] is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer, and director.

After working as a standup comic and appearing in small film roles, Rock came to wider prominence as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s. He went on to more prominent film roles, and a series of acclaimed comedy specials for HBO.

He was voted the fifth-greatest stand-up comedian in a poll conducted by Comedy Central. He was also voted in the United Kingdom as the ninth greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4’s 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in 2007, and again in the updated 2010 list as the eighth greatest stand-up comic.

Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. A few years later, they relocated and settled in the working-class area of Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.^[1] His mother, Rosalie (née Tingman), was a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped; his father, Julius Rock, was a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman.^[4] Julius died in 1988 after ulcer surgery.^[2] Chris’s younger brothers Tony, Kenny,^{[citation needed]} and Jordan,^[5] are also in the entertainment business. His older half-brother, Charles, died in 2006 after a long struggle with alcoholism.^[6][7] Rock has said that he was influenced by the performing style of his paternal grandfather, Allen Rock, a preacher.^[1][8]

Rock was bused to schools in predominately white neighborhoods of Brooklyn, where he endured bullying and beatings from white students.^[9][10][11] As he got older, the bullying became worse and Rock’s parents pulled him out of James Madison High School.^[11] He decided to drop out of high school altogether and later received a GED. Rock worked menial jobs at various fast-food restaurants 

Rock married Malaak Compton-Rock on November 23, 1996.^[35] Compton-Rock is the founder and executive director of StyleWorks, a non-profit, full-service salon that provides free services for women leaving welfare and entering the workforce.^[35] The couple lived in Alpine, New Jersey^[36][37] with their two daughters, Lola Simone (born 2002) and Zahra Savannah (born 2004).^[2] In December 2014, Rock announced that he had filed for divorce from Compton-Rock.^[38]

In 2007, freelance journalist and former actress Kali Bowyer filed a paternity suit against Rock, claiming he was the father of her son.^[39] DNA testing proved that Rock was not the child’s father.^[40]

In 2008, Rock’s family history was profiled on the PBS series African American Lives 2. A DNA test showed that he is descended from the Udeme people of northern Cameroon.^[41] Rock’s great-great-grandfather, Julius Caesar Tingman, was a slave for 21 years before serving as part of the United States Colored Troops until 1866; Tingman fought in the American Civil War. During the 1940s, Rock’s paternal grandfather moved from South Carolina to New York City to become a taxicab driver and preache

CHACE CRAWFORD

Christopher Chace Crawford (born July 18, 1985), known professionally as Chace Crawford, is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Nate Archibald on The CW‘s teen drama series Gossip Girl.^{[1]Crawford was born in Lubbock, Texas on July 18, 1985.[2][3] His father, Chris, is a dermatologist, and his mother, Dana, is a teacher.[4][5] He has a younger sister, former beauty queen Candice Crawford.[6] Crawford was raised a Southern Baptist.[7] While his father was at med school, Crawford lived in Bloomington, Minnesota for four years and attended Ridgeview Elementary School.[8] When his father completed his training, the family moved back to Texas and settled in Plano, a suburb of Dallas.[8][9] He was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) as a child.[7] During high school, Crawford worked in an Abercrombie & Fitch store and modeled for Hollister.[10] He graduated high school from Trinity Christian Academy in 2003.[11] Following his graduation, Crawford attended Pepperdine University, studying broadcast journalism and marketing,[10] but dropped out after a few semesters to focus on his acting career. He temporarily worked as a car valet to make ends meet.}

Crawford shared an apartment with Gossip Girl co-star Ed Westwick in Chelsea, Manhattan at the beginning of the series in 2007 until July 2009, when Crawford moved out to rent an apartment in the Wall Street area.^[35][36]

On June 4, 2010, Crawford was arrested and charged in Plano, Texas, with misdemeanor possession of marijuana.^[37] Police said Crawford was in a parked car when he was arrested for having less than two ounces of marijuana.^[38] Crawford insisted he was innocent and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.^[39] In 2011, it was reported that the charges would be dismissed and his record expunged if he met certain conditions, including performing 24 hours of community service and reporting to a probation officer once a month for 12 months.^[