Hollywood and Its Influence on Society Considered

It is amazing the amount of influence which Hollywood is able to exert on our society, culture, and civilization, and perhaps, it's like that old saying; "life imitates art" is really true. The other day, I was discussing this with a young successful actor in Hollywood. And he is not only a talented author but also a deep thinker, as he attends college while pursuing his career.
He told me that although he is an actor, he'd "rather positively influence the content created by the film industry and represent the portion of the industry who attempt to use their power for real world problems." And why not, Hollywood has gotten presidents elected and changed the course of American history; more than once.
Thus, I said to him; "well I cannot blame you. It seems that Hollywood can do a lot to influence society - if it is done properly, and the productions still entertain." You see, Hollywood's amazing the power it has over a society, or in many cases societies around the world. Perhaps, that's why it seems Hollywood has its own set of lobbyists in a way.
Indeed, many folks with agendas flock to Hollywood to influence things, and many celebrities realizing their power use it to further causes they believe in it seems? Thus, my question to my actor acquaintance was this; "Are you planning to use your talents as an actor and do more with it?" Think about this if you will - many in Hollywood helped get President Obama elected, some now such as Matt Damon have decided that Obama shouldn't be re-elected.
When President Obama comes to Southern California, he has no choice but to visit the West Side where all the Hollywood Moguls, Talent, and Movers and Shakers are. And Hollywood has been quite active in raising money for social causes, not just here but all over the world; The Sumatra Quake and Indonesia Earthquake, and the Haiti Earthquake and tragedy to name just a couple. Hollywood's influence is far and wide from Tibet to the Davos World Economic Forum.
Hollywood Actresses and Movie Stars adopt children from African Nations as well, and they help spread their wealth and passions globally. Not only because they need to in order to prevent looking out of touch, but also because their fame gives them a platform with a megaphone to do great things, if they are willing to use it. You may not like the politics of Hollywood, Lord knows I often don't, but you'll have to agree it's a force to be reckoned with, and there is a tremendous amount of influence there. So, please consider all this.
Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's discussion and topic. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.
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Comedy Movies In Hollywood

Comedy movies have a long history in Hollywood. Way back in the year 1900, a movie was screened in which people laugh at the continued sneezing of a man. Aptly called Record of Sneeze, the movie is credited to start a trend that has only strengthened and is firmly rooted now. It was during the era of silent movies that most of the classic comedy movies were made. As actors could make audiences laugh with the help of dialogues with their funny acts, it soon caught the fancy of the people and more comedy movies were made before 1930.
Charlie Chaplin is said to be the best comedian till date because of his amazing ability to make people laugh with his funny mannerisms in movies, which were silent. Most of the top comedies of Hollywood are Charlie Chaplin movies no doubt. With the transition from silent to the movies with sounds and dialogues, comedy ruled the roost and many top comedies were made which are still considered classics. Comedy is one genre that is considered to be a formula for success at box office as people wish to see movies that can relieve them of all the stress in life.
Sensing that comedy is one aspect that is necessary to have mass appeal, many top actors, who had a serious image tried their hands at comedy and were greatly appreciated by the audiences. Hollywood is blessed in the sense that there have always been some great comedians such as Dudley Moore, Tom hanks, Eddie Murphy, and of late Jim Carey.
The Proposal comedy is a movie made by Anne Fletcher starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, and Mary Steenburgen. In the genre of comedy and romance, The Proposal comedy portrays the story of a young man who is forced by his boss to marry him to avoid deportation to Canada.
Looking for top comedies? The Proposal comedy is the best comedy movie out there.
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The Hollywood Studio System During the Golden Age

During the Golden Age of Hollywood, five major studios (also known as the Big Five) were the top profiting studios within the film industry. MGM held the top spot for eleven years (1931-1941), with 20th Century Fox firmly in second place. Paramount profited very substantially during the early sound era (1928-1930) and after a slow period during the 1930's climbed back to profitability during the booming 1940's. Warner Brothers and RKO Radio Pictures remained stable until the late 1940's when RKO began to decline.
The Hollywood Studio system created by these five major film studios is credited with developing most of the legendary stars of the Golden Era. During the early years of film production, studios would invest a great deal of money to recruit, groom, and then sign to contracts those stars who possessed the greatest talent potential. This method of self-development came to be known as the "star system."
In 1935 the emergence of the "talent scout system" came into being. This meant that undiscovered talent from outside of the studio had a chance to be discovered by a talent scout who would then represent his client to the studios in the hope of obtaining a contract.
In an effort to find this undiscovered talent, these scouts would constantly monitor Broadway, vaudeville, and radio. On occasion, they would randomly discover a potential star out in the general public based on their style, first impression, or simply good looks. A perfect example of this is Hollywood legend Lana Turner who was discovered drinking a root beer on a bench outside of a diner by a talent scout who thought that she had the perfect look for a part in an upcoming movie.
Performance contracts within the studio system were very strict, and encroached on the social life of an actor or actress. Many allowable social activities were scheduled by the studio as a promotional technique to bring their stars more press and attention. This, in effect, meant that the star was now the property of the studio and that many aspects of their personal lives were under the complete control of the industry.
Most of the star contracts during this period were seven years long, with a six month option for contract players. Should the star prove to not be as popular as the studio had wanted and not generating enough of a profit at the box office within six months, the studio could revoke the contract. However, if they did well, they could be given a higher salary until the option period of their next contract.
These contracts gave the studios complete control over the actors, including the right to make the actor accept any role chosen by the studio whether the actor was interested in the role or not. These contracts also provided the studio the right to loan, and receive a fee or other mutually agreed upon arrangement, their stars to other studios with or without the stars consent.
Due to the restrictive nature and enforcement of these contracts, many stars often found themselves playing roles that they did not want, or were just opposed to. It could be a tough trade-off; and ultimately, in order to be a contract star during this era you had to accept the fact that you, the actor, had no control over your career and were at the mercy of the studio.
The old Hollywood studio system of star control ended soon after the Golden Era. The film studios were eventually forced into shutting down their monopolizing system allowing entertainers and other film professionals, both independent and foreign, more creative and rewarding control over their careers.
Carl DiNello is a Blogger whose passion is Hollywood history and those movies from the 1920's - 1950's that make up this rich history.
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Samuel L Jackson - The Famous Hollywood Actor

SAMUEL L. JACKSON (Abel Turner) Respectfully labeled as one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood, Jackson is an undisputed star as demonstrated by the fact that his films have grossed more money in box office sales than any other actor in the world. The recipient of worldwide acclaim and notoriety, Jackson has been honored with a variety of awards from some of the most prestigious organizations. He won the Best Supporting Actor award by the Cannes Film Festival in 1991 for Jungle Fever, the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival in 1998 on behalf of Jackie Brown, he has received three Golden Globe nominations for Pulp Fiction, A Time to Kill and Jackie Brown, five NAACP Image Award nominations and one win in 2005 for his performance in Coach Carter,and most recently he has garnered two People's Choice Award nominations in 2006 and 2007 for Favorite Male Actor. Jackson made an indelible mark on American cinema with his portrayal of 'Jules', the philosophizing hitman, in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. In addition to unanimous critical acclaim for his performance, he received Academy Award® and Golden Globe nominations as Best Supporting Actoras well as a Best Supporting Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Among his many award-winning performances, Jackson made movie history with his portrayal of a crack addict in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever when he was awarded the first and only Best Supporting Performance Award ever given by the judges at the Cannes Film Festival. Jackson was most recently seen in Iron Man in a surprise cameo appearance and in the Doug Liman directed sci-fi action film, Jumper. In late 2007, Jackson had a starring role in the acclaimed drama Resurrecting the Champ, and a supporting role in the horror film 1408, based on the Stephen King novel. Earlier this year, Jackson starred in the Craig Brewer film Black Snake Moan, and Irwin Winkler's MGM war drama Home of the Brave.
This fall, in addition to Lakeview Terrace, Jackson's films will include the Dimension Studios comedy "Soul Men" with Bernie Mac and then on Christmas day, Jackson will star in the Frank Miller action drama The Spirit, where he portrays the nemesis, 'Octopus.' Other film credits include Cleaner, Snakes on a Plane, Coach Carter, Star Wars trilogy, In My Country, The Man, The Incredibles, S.W.A.T., Formula 51, Changing Lanes, Caveman's Valentine, Red Violin, Shaft, Unbreakable, 187, Eve's Bayou, Jackie Brown, The Negotiator, A Time To Kill, Die Hard with a Vengeance, The Long Kiss Goodnight and Deep Blue Sea. On the small screen, Jackson serves as Executive Producer for the animated series for Spike TV, "Afro Samurai" which premiered in 2007 and will be returning for a second season in January 2009.
He also just secured a first look television deal with CBS and their properties to produce and develop upcoming projects. In addition, Jackson has a production deal with New Line Cinema to produce and develop projects in which he has the option of starring. His first film project for the studio, in which Jackson will produce and star, is called Man That Rocks the Cradle. More details about movie and celebrities are available from the following site
http://filmsdunia.blogspot.com/
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