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Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia Macneal (Maggie Hope series Book 1)

August 25, 2018, 5:13 am
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This is the first installment of a WWII-era spy series by Susan Elia Macneal
Summary
-Maggie Hope is not your average woman. British-born, American-raised and educated, she moves to England only to settle her late grandmother's estate. With her high level of education, she is only able to secure a job at 10 Downing Street, home to then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as a typist, among his menagerie of cats. She's offered an opportunity to investigate the murder of a woman who worked in her position before her. As the investigation unfolds, it tells of an IRA plot to destroy England. After solving this case, she if offered the chance to undergo training for work at MI-5, or British Intelligence.
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Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia Macneal (Maggie Hope series Book 2)

August 25, 2018, 5:18 am
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This is the second installment of the Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia Macneal
Summary
-Maggie is back. This time she's completed her MI-5 spy training and is itching to put those skills to use. Much to her great disappointment, she will not be heading out on reconnaissance missions to collect intelligence for the British war effort. Instead, she's going undercover at Windsor Castle, to tutor the young Princess Elizabeth in math. The upstairs-downstairs Downton Abbey-style world of Windsor Castle proves much more dangerous than she thought as a murder is committed. This throws the whole royal family into disarray and she much race against the clock to protect both the royal family and England against a threat much larger than everything
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His Majesty's Hope by Susan Elia Macneal (Maggie Hope series book 3)

August 25, 2018, 5:21 am
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This is the third installment of the Maggie Hope series
Summary
-After the events at Windsor Castle, Maggie is now working for a black ops operation called Special Operations Executive. This group helps the British war effort both at home and abroad. Her first mission is to go to Nazi-controlled Berlin, the very central command center of the Nazis and infiltrate the highest levels, collecting information and sending it back to London. She also comes across a secret that shocks her.
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The Prime Minister's Secret Agent by Susan Elia Macneal (Maggie Hope series book 4)

August 25, 2018, 5:25 am
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This is the fourth installment of the Maggie Hope series
Summary
-Maggie is ready for some R&R. She finds that on a Scottish isle, home to the training camps which trained her for MI-5 work. Instead of rest and relaxation, she is, once again, drawn into a mystery. Three ballerinas, including one of Maggie's closest friends, Sarah Sanderson, fall victim to a mysterious illness which leaves oozing black blisters. As she investigates, it turns out that the oozing black blisters are a result of exposure to anthrax. She soon discovers that the Prime Minister is hoping to develop bioweapons to use against Britain's enemies. But taking attention away from this are the struggles in the Pacific with the Japanese.
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Mr. Roosevelt's Confidante by Susan Elia Macneal (Maggie Hope series Book 5)

September 1, 2018, 6:06 am
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This is the fifth installment to the Maggie Hope series
Summary
-December, 1941. Pearl Harbor, the largest Navy base in Hawaii, has been sneak-bombed by the Japanese Imperial Navy. Lives are lost and at risk. Prime Minister Winston Churchill has arrived in the US to negotiate with then President Roosevelt about the US entering the war. Maggie poses as Churchill's typist, which she has great experience with and once again, gets wrapped up in a mystery.

-One of Mrs. Roosevelt's aides disappeared, only to turn up murdered in her apartment, her death made to look like a suicide and a note left behind blaming Mrs. Roosevelt for making inappropriate sexual advances. All of this to try and undermine the President and cost American support in the war.
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The Queen's Accomplice by Susan Elia Macneal (Maggie Hope series Book 6)

September 1, 2018, 6:14 am
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This is the sixth installment of the Maggie Hope series
Summary
-The Nazis may have taken a break from the relentless Blitz, but that does not stop London from getting trouble. A serial killer is stalking women who happen to be reporting for duty as Winston Churchill's spies and workers abroad. This killer is mutilating women in crimes mirroring, almost exactly, Jack the Ripper. The BBC news media is dubbing this killer "The Blackout Beast" because of his crimes occurring during the nightly blackouts. In order to catch this reclusive beast, Maggie decides to user herself as bait. With her flaming red hair, she will pose herself as Mary Jane Kelly, the last victim of Jack the Ripper.
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The Paris Spy by Susan Elia Macneal (Maggie Hope series Book 7)

September 1, 2018, 6:18 am
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This is the seventh installment of the Maggie Hope series
Summary
-Maggie Hope, now working for the Special Operations Executive as a spy, is once again on a new mission. She is travelling to the City of Lights, Paris, France. She has learned that her half-sister, Elise Hess, has been released from the all-female Ravensbruck camp, but has disappeared. In the meantime, she can investigate the disappearance and eventual capture of her fellow SOE agent Erica Calvert. She must keep her wits about her as she infiltrates the highest levels of Nazi security to root out a traitor, find her half-sister and find her fellow agent.
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The Prisoner in the Castle by Susan Elia MacNeal (Maggie Hope series Book 8)

September 1, 2018, 6:21 am
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This is the eighth and final book in the Maggie Hope series
Summary
-World War II is heating up. Maggie Hope is a spy with too much knowledge. She knows too much for the British government to sit by idly. She knows where in France the Nazis are going to invade. Maggie is on a remote Scottish isle called Killoch Castle. Her fellow agents are dropping like flies. One even drops in the middle of his after-dinner drink, making his death just the first of many. Maggie must investigate before she herself becomes the next victim.
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September Birthdays

September 3, 2018, 5:31 am
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Since it's September, time to say Happy Birthday!!!

David Coverdale
-DOB: 9/22/1951
-Where: Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
-Formed Whitesnake after leaving Deep Purple
Jeff Foxworthy
-Birth name: Jeffrey Marshall Foxworthy
-DOB: 9/6/1958
-Where: Atlanta, Georgia
-Known for his "Redneck Fashion Tips". Such as: "If your stomach blocks your view of your shoes, cover it up. The only people who should be wearing belly shirts are the people who have no bellies. There's no shame in having a spare tire. Just keep it in the trunk so other people don't have to look at it. And those little baby spare tires are kind of cute. Tractor tires aren't. Especially when they have hair on them."
-He's also known for his "You Might Be a Redneck If..." one-liners. Such as: "You might be a redneck if the UFO Hotline limits you to one call per day.
Colin Firth
-Birth name: Colin Andrew Firth
-DOB: 9/10/1960
-Where: Grayshott, Hampshire, United Kingdom
-On the DVD audio commentary for the film Love Actually, Hugh Grant mocks Colin Firth's looks, age and acting abilities. He encouraged director/write Richard Curtis, fellow actors Bill Nighy and Thomas Brodie-Sangster to join in. Firth took it in good nature and as good humor.
Joe Perry
-Birth name: Anthony Joseph Pereira
-DOB: 9/101950
-Where: Lawrence, Massachusetts
-Is of Portuguese and Italian descent. His father's family emigrated from the Portuguese island of Madeira while his mother's family comes from Naples, Italy
Tom Hardy
-Birth name: Edward Thomas Hardy
-DOB: 9/15/1977
-Where: Hammersmith, London, England
-When he was in his early to mid-twenties, he battled both addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine. He has been sober since 2003
David McCallum
-Birth name: David Keith McCallum
-DOB: 9/19/1933
-Where: Glasgow, Scotland
-While filming The Great Escape, he became good friends with Donald Pleasance and James Garner
Harriet Walter
-Birth name: Harriet Mary Walter
-DOB: 9/24/1950
-Where: London, England
-In the TV film Frankenstein: Birth of a Monster, she played Mary Wollstonecraft, mother of Mary Shelley, the woman who would go on to write Frankenstein.
Jeremy Irons
-Birth name: Jeremy John Irons
-DOB: 9/19/1948
-Where: Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
-He had his motorcycle operating license suspended for three months in 1995 for going 97 mph on his BMW motorcycle
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Antonio Banderas

September 26, 2018, 1:55 pm
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This is one actor that makes my sister's heart melt! He is, alongside Johnny Depp, one of my sister's all time favorite actors.
Birth name: Jose Antonio Dominguez Banderas
DOB: 8/10/1960
Where: Malaga, Spain

Trademark
-Strong Spanish accent
-Deep voice
-Often works with Robert Rodriguez

Trivia
-He is the ex-stepfather to Dakota Johnson
-He became a father for the first time at age 36 when wife Melanie Griffith gave birth to Stella del Carmen Banderas Griffith on 9/24/1996
-In Spanish, his surname translates into "flags"
-Is a supporter of the Malaga soccer (futbol) team
-When he tried to make the risky attempt at breaking into Hollywood, he had to learn English phonetically because of Hollywood's hesitation at hiring heavily accented actors and actresses
-Has appeared in five films with Salma Hayek: Desperado, Four Rooms, Spy Kids 3: Game Over, Puss in Boots, Frida

Filmography

The Mambo Kings (1992)
Nestor Castillo

Philadelphia (1993)
-Miguel Alvarez


The House of the Spirits (1993)
-Pedro

Desperado (1995)
-El Mariachi


Interview with the Vampire (1994)
-Armand

Miami Rhapsody (1995)
-Antonio


Assassins (1995)
-Miguel Bain

Never Talk to Strangers (1995)
-Tony Ramirez

Evita (1996)
-Che


The Mask of Zorro (1998)
-Alejandro Murrieta / Zorro

The 13th Warrior (1999)
-Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan

The White River Kid (1999)
-Morales Pittman


Spy Kids (2001), Spy Kids Series
-Gregorio Cortez

Original Sin (2001)
-Luis Antonio Vargas


Femme Fatale (2002)
-Nicolas Bardo
Frida (2002)
-David Alfaro Siqueiros


Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
-El Mariachi


Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), Shrek Forever After (2010)
-Puss in Boots (voice)


Thick as Thieves (2009)
-Gabriel


The Skin I Live In (2011)
-Robert Ledgard


Day of the Falcon (2011)
-Emir Nesib

Haywire (2011)
-Rodrigo


The Expendables 3
-Galgo

Black Butterfly (2017)
-Paul
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Am I the only one who does this?

October 29, 2018, 5:51 am
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What I mean by this is when you read a book, and the character(s) get described physically, do you ever try and picture what they would look like in real life? It seems like whenever I read a book, I find myself trying to picture what the people would look like in real life. And sometimes the guys sound so good looking!!

Book 1-Camden Harris/Dr. Indie Porter

Book 2-Tanner Harris/Dr. Belle Ryan


Book 3-Booker Harris/Poppy McAdams

Book 4, Part I-Gareth Harris/Sloan Montgomery


Book 5, Part II-Gareth Harris/Sloan Montgomery
Right now, I'm re-reading The Harris Brothers series by Amy Daws. I just finished the first book, Challenge, which centered around one of the younger twin Harris brothers, Camden and his girlfriend, Dr. Indie Porter, a now sports medicine doctor. After finishing Endurance, which is book #2, centering on one of the twin Harris brothers, Tanner Harris and his foetal surgeon fiancée Belle Ryan and Keeper, book #3, centering on baby brother Booker Harris and his childhood friend Popy McAdams, I'm on book #4, Surrender, which centers around oldest brother Gareth Harris and his "friend" Sloan Montgomery. Here's who I think the characters would resemble. Some of the frequent characters that pop up in the series are:

-Dr. Indie Porter: former surgeon at Royal London Hospital. Fell in love with Camden Harris after getting assigned to his knee repair surgery. Fell in love in book 1, Challenge. She's described as having flaming red hair worn in a messy bun. She is nicknamed "Specs" by her boyfriend Camden or "Cam" as she calls him because of her affinity for odd-looking eyewear. She's also what some would call a spitfire, a fiery temper, but fiercely protective of those she loves and cares about

Bonnie Wright. Known for playing Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter series. If Dr. Indie Porter were a real person, I think she would bear some slight resemblance to this lady.
-Dr. Belle Ryan: former surgeon at Royal London Hospital. She is Indie's best friend. Not afraid to tell it how it is, even if it is blunt. She took on an internship to work with a high-risk neonatal surgeon named Elizabeth Miller, from the US. She falls for the second oldest Harris brother, Tanner, in book 2, Endurance, after seeing that he is not London's most slutty footballer as she originally thought. She sees that he does have a considerate side after helping a homeless man named Sedgwick secure employment at Tower Park, the stadium where Camden, Tanner and Booker, the younger Harris brother, play for Bethnal Green FC and securing him one week's stay in a posh London hotel. She is described as being a curvy brunette with a sharp tongue and no holds barred attitude on telling it how it is. She initially hated him and hated him even more when she had to pick up his naked body in the East End after getting kicked out of the flat of a girl he was seeing because he said that her sister gave better head than she did.
Lauren Harris. Hard rock singer. Oldest daughter of Iron Maiden bassist/founding member Steve Harris. If Dr. Belle Ryan were a real person, I like to think she would bear some very slight resemblance to Lauren Harris, except a little curvier and a little heavier
-Sloan Montgomery: she is an American clothing stylist. She helps people pick out clothes perfect for footballers. She makes her first appearance in book 4, Surrender. She is going through a messy divorce and coming through the mud with her is her daughter, Sophia. She almost swears off men until she starts falling for Gareth Harris, the oldest of the Harris brothers. She sees him only as one of the famed "Harris Brothers" of football and her main client. But she starts to fall for him because she sees him as someone who needs to unwind, someone who needs to release tension after being in control of everyone else for most of his life. Someone who needs to be loved after and cared for instead of the opposite way around. She also starts to fall for him physically because she describes his features as being "rogue", like a Roman gladiator, and she also laughs at his constant habit of wearing pants with no underwear underneath, which shocks her when she has to fit him for pants. She is described as being a thin, 30-something brunette with light brown, honey-colored eyes.
Keira Knightley. She is an actress best known for playing Elizabeth Swan in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. If Sloan Montgomery were a real person, I feel she would probably have a slight resemblance to her, both personality-wise and looks-wise and the fact that Sloan is American, not English
-Poppy McAdams: she is the childhood friend of the baby of the Harris family, Booker. They were in love at one point until Poppy went and studied abroad in Germany. When they were teens, they were in the habit of sneaking into each others' rooms just to sleep, just to have the comfort of knowing the other was there. She is also known for her wild, random imagination. One night, Poppy caught Booker getting handsy with a classmate named Sidney Carmichael, who turned out be a heavily promiscuous classmate. She has what some would call features typical for England-blonde hair and blue eyes, pretty nondescript. I wouldn't call it that, but some would [eyes rolling]. But she is described as having shortish blonde hair and blue eyes.
Mia Wasikowska. She is known for playing Alice in the new Alice in Wonderland series. I like to think that if Poppy McAdams were a real person, she would look slightly like this woman, except having blue eyes instead of brown.
The Harris Family
Vaughn Harris: He is the father of this massive brood of kids. He played as a star striker for Man U in the 1980s and when his wife Vilma, who was full blooded Swedish in England attending university, got sick with cancer, he tried every which way to help her. She succumbed to cancer and threw himself back into football to regain his sanity and keep himself occupied. That is now his main focus, with his four sons playing football. He is described as having an athletic build from playing football, short grey hair and brown eyes and very tall and imposing
Rod Smallwood. Manager of the band Iron Maiden. If Vaughn Harris were a real person, I think he'd resemble this gentleman slightly.
Camden Harris: Tanner Harris' twin, he's usually just as sex-nuts as his brother Tanner. But he does have a charming side, where he knows how a lady is to be treated. He is the third oldest Harris brother. He and Tanner are often the practical jokers in the family. He's described as having a little ink on his arm, shortish blonde hair, blue eyes from his mother's side of the family. He's also described as being well over the 6' height, more mid 6' height. He and his brother Tanner are always cracking jokes.
Charlie Hunnam. Best known for playing Jackson "Jax" Teller on Sons of Anarchy. If Camden Harris were a real person, I think he would slightly resemble this man
Tanner Harris: The perpetual troublemaker, the usual black sheep of the family, this one is always in trouble, usually for dipping his wick where it's not supposed to be. He's the one usually bringing about bad publicity towards the Harris family. He's always sleeping with one woman, sneaking out of the house/apartment of another, always seen with a different woman decorating his arm, leading these women to be called "Harris Ho's" by the London media. He is the second oldest Harris brother and also Camden Harris' twin brother. He's described as having blond hair that's long and is usually worn in a messy man bun, blue eyes and a closely trimmed goatee and beard with a ton of tattoos on both arms. The blonde features coming from his mother's side of the family and being at least 6'4'' or taller
Richie Faulkner. If Tanner Harris were a real person, I think he'd slightly resemble this guy
Booker Harris: The baby of the family, he is usually the more level-headed one, not applying the Bacon Sandwich rule to women and food. He is the one that Vi usually dotes after because when he lost his mother, she essentially helped raise him and her other siblings in addition to Gareth's help. He's described as having generally dark features from his father's side of the family, having shortish brown hair and brown eyes. He's usually clean cut with his short hair and face free of hair and very tall. He is described as being possessive, though. He doesn't like the thought of his friend Poppy looking at other men when his heart still rings for her.
Jamie Dornan. Known for playing mysterious billionaire industrialist Christian Grey in the erotic Fifty Shades of Grey series. If Booker Harris were real, I bet he would slightly resemble this man.
Gareth Harris: The oldest brother of the Harris brothers, he started out playing for Bethnal Green FC before signing a contract that would take him to Manchester United. He had taken a contract with Man U just to show up his father, to outdo him, when he was 21. He lives there, with his American girlfriend, Sloan Montgomery, a clothing stylist with a daughter named Sophia. He's described as having his father's features with shortish brown hair and hazel eyes. He's also said to have a little hair on his chest and slightly imperfect teeth, giving him a slightly rugged edge to him, according to his girlfriend, who describes his rugged looks as being that of a gladiator. He's also described as being between 6'-6'2''. Gareth often describes his brothers Tanner, Booker and Camden as apes. He often thinks of them as being a case study in how apes can function in modern society. He's reclusive, keeping to himself in Manchester, only coming to London for Sunday Harris dinners, which is a tradition initiated by his sister Vi.
Bruce Dickinson. Vocalist for Iron Maiden. If Gareth Harris were a real person, I think he would slightly resemble this man. And if Gareth Harris was a real person, Man U would be my new favorite team, lol ;) ;)!
Vilma "Vi" Harris: The most senior the Harris siblings, she essentially rules the roost with an iron fist. She is the destroyer of fights between the siblings, the shoulder to cry on, the ear to listen. But in the first book, Challenge, she finds out that her and her fiancée Hayden are expecting their first child, a girl. She is the one who usually ends fights, which usually involve Camden and Tanner start with a rule that Vi initiated for those two as kids called the Bacon Sandwich rule. This means that if someone licked the food, no one else can have it. They've also applied that rule to women, which gets them labeled as pigs most of the time. Tall, curvy and blonde, she takes after her mother's side, with her blonde hair and icy blue eyes.
Kate Winslet. If Vi Harris was a real person, I think she'd slightly resemble Kate Winslet, both looks-wise and personality-wise.
The characters listed above appear at one point in one or all of the below-mentioned books. The only reason I have pictures up there and not down here is it's been said too much of something can be a bad thing. I only listed who's in the books below so that you can read them and try to figure out for yourself who you think that they would look like in real life. They might appear different to you in your mind, who knows. Everyone who reads these books might have a different idea of who they would resemble in real life.

Challenge (Harris Brothers series Book 1)
Camden
Indie

Endurance (Harris Brothers series Book 2)
Tanner
Belle

Keeper (Harris Brothers series Book 3)
Poppy
Booker

Surrender (Harris Brothers series Book 4, part 1. These last two books are part 1 and part 2. So they both concern Gareth and Sloan)
Gareth
Sloan

Dominate (Harris Brothers series Book 5, part 2)
Gareth
Sloan
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November Birthdays

October 30, 2018, 5:41 am
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Since it's November, time to say Happy Birthday!!!

Jonny Lee Miller
-DOB: 11/15/1972
-Where: London, England
-Played the Frankenstein Monster opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Dr. Frankenstein, in the stage production of Frankenstein
Rick Allen
-Birth name: Richard John Cyril Allen
-DOB: 11/1/1963
-Where: Sheffield, England
-Has two kids, a daughter named Lauren Shane Allen and a daughter named Josefine Allen
Tommy Thayer
-Birth name: Thomas Cunningham Thayer
-DOB: 11/7/1960
-Where: Portland, Oregon
-Played guitar for a band called Black 'n Blue before joining Kiss
Billy Idol
-Birth name: William Michael Albert Broad
-DOB: 11/30/1955
-Where: Stanmore, Middlesex, England
-Spent 4 years of his childhood living in Long Island, New York. He even picked up American terminology for items and when the family moved back to England 4 years later, he was picked on for talking as an American
Roger Glover
-Birth name: Roger David Glover
-DOB: 11/30/1945
-Where: Brecon, United Kingdom
-Got into a fight with Ritchie Blackmore after Blackmore destroyed his bedroom room door at a cottage in Devon looking for a cross. Roger then chased Blackmore with the same axe he used to destroy the door because Roger is a deeply religious man and knew what Blackmore was up to.
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October Birthdays

October 31, 2018, 5:46 am
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Since it's October, time to say Happy Birthday!!!

Julie Andrews
-Birth name: Julia Elizabeth Andrews
-DOB: 10/1/1935
-Where: Walton-on-Thames, United Kingdom
-Her Broadway debut was in The Boy Friend
Sting
-Birth name: Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner
-DOB: 10/2/1951
-Where: Wallsend, Newcastle, United Kingdom
-Got his nickname "Sting" from his days in the Phoenix Jazzmen, when one of the band members noticed his black and yellow striped shirt and remarked that he looked like a hornet
Tommy Lee
-Birth name: Thomas Lee Bass
-DOB: 10/3/1962
-Where: Athens, Greece
-Has a rap-metal band on the side called Methods of Mayhem
Kate Winslet
-Birth name: Kate Elizabeth Winslet
-DOB: 10/5/1975
-Where: Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom
-She is best known for working in tragedies and dramas
Parminder Nagra
-Birth name: Parminder Kaur Nagra
-DOB: 10/5/1975
-Where: Leicester, United Kingdom
-She is best known for her role in the film Bend It Like Beckham
Brian Johnson
-Birth name: Brian Francis Johnson
-DOB: 10/5/1947
-Where: Dunston, United Kingdom
-His first album with AC/DC was 1980's Back in Black
Glenn Tipton
-Birth name: Glenn Raymond Tipton
-DOB: 10/25/1947
-Where: Blackheath, United Kingdom
-He is one of the longest-serving members of heavy metal band Judas Priest
KK Downing
-Birth name: Kenneth Kevin Downing
-DOB: 10/27/1951
-Where: West Bromwich, United Kingdom
-Earned his nickname "KK" from the fact that in the early days, he met a girl who couldn't pronounce his first name, so she just nicknamed him "KK"
Hugh Jackman
-Birth name: Hugh Michael Jackman
-DOB: 10/12/1968
-Where: Sydney, Australia
-Known for his wide variety of roles, from period drama, to action, to musical, in which he can sing exceptionally well
Chris Slade
-DOB: 10/30/1946
-Where: Pontypridd, United Kingdom
-Played drums for AC/DC between 1989-1994
Hiroyuki Sanada
-DOB: 10/12/1968
-Where: Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
-Some of the movies he's been in involve him using some sort of creative swordplay
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The Shining

October 31, 2018, 6:08 am
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This is one of my all-time favorite horror movies. I tried reading the book recently. It didn't hold my attention for long.
Summary
-Jack Torrance is a former prep school teacher and now writer. He's offered a chance to become caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado. He packs up his family and heads there, unaware that his son Danny has special mental powers, referred to as a "shining", which he tries to use to inform everyone outside of the events occurring at the hotel, which has a long, violent, sordid past.








 



Cast
-Jack Nicholson: Jack Torrance
-Shelley Duvall: Wendy Torrance
-Danny Lloyd: Danny Torrance
-Scatman Crothers: Dick Halloran
-Barry Nelson: Stuart Ullman
-Philip Stone: Delbert Grady
-Joe Turkel: Lloyd
-Anne Jackson: Doctor
-Tony Burton: Durkin
-Lia Beldam: Young woman in bath
-Billie Gibson: Old woman in bath

Did You Know
-Jack Nicholson hates cheese sandwiches. To get his mood to the right level of agitation, he was fed only cheese sandwiches for two weeks
-During the scene where Jack Nicholson is breaking the door to the bathroom down with the axe, the props department built a door that could be broken easily. What they didn't know, however, was that in his younger years, Jack had worked as a volunteer fire marshal and he destroyed it too easily, forcing the props department to build a stronger door
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
-Shelly Duvall suffered from physical illness and hair loss, resulting from nervous exhaustion from filming
-It took approximately one year to get the shot of the blood pouring out of the elevator into the lobby just right
-The interior scenes that were supposed to be of the Overlook Hotel were actually filmed in England at Elstree Studios. The intense heat from the lighting used to imitate snowy weather outside made it very hot inside and actually managed to set the lounge on fire.
-Stephen King was disappointed with the final film. He described the movie as being a fancy car without an engine
-Scatman Crothers got the role of Dick Halloran after Jack Nicholson suggested him. Crothers had a hard time on set because of Stanley Kubrick's annoying habit of take-after-take. When Crothers starred in Bronco Billy in 1980, he was told the director was Clint Eastwood, who was known to be easy on actors and actresses and generally go with one take. Crothers broke down in tears of joy and gratitude from not having to do take after take
-During the scene where Jack snaps at Wendy, Jack was a writer at one time who would often get into arguments with his girlfriend. He drew on these memories and used those to make the scenes more realistic.
-The "Heeeeere's Johnny!" line that Jack uses when breaking down the bathroom door was improvised.
-This was the first of Stephen King's novels to be banned from school libraries because of the concept of wicked parents
-Since there was no air conditioning on set, the temperature would soar. Actors, actresses and crew would strip off heavy clothing as soon as a scene was done
-In almost every scene of the movie, the color red is present, either very subtly or very overtly
-To create various parts of the hotel, director Stanley Kubrick and production designer Roy Walker set out to imitate parts of real hotels. The all red and white men's bathroom was modeled on a men's room at the Biltmore Hotel in Arizona, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Colorado Lounge was modeled after the lounge in the Ahwanee Hotel in Yosemite Valley.
-When the head cook Dick Halloran is approaching the Overlook, that is real snow outside. That scene was filmed in real snow as he approached the Timberline Hotel in Oregon, where some of the exterior shots were filmed
-When Jack is telling Lloyd the bartender about finding his son Danny messing around with his papers, this mirrors a real life event with Stephen King. He was busy with some notes on a story he was writing and his son played around with his papers. He felt like killing him
-Because Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall both speak with thick Texas and New Jersey accents, Kubrick wanted the actor playing Danny to have an accent somewhere in between, such as Midwest. He settled on Danny Lloyd from Illinois
-When Jack is waiting in the lobby to meet Stuart Ullman, director of the Overlook Hotel, the magazine he tosses on to the chair is the January 1978 issue of Playgirl. For those who might be unfamiliar with this, Playboy shows nude women or women in various stages of undress. Playgirl caters to women in that it shows nude men or men in various stages of undress.
-During the scene with the party in the Gold Room, Kubrick told the extras to mouth their words
-Characters with mental powers seems to be a running theme with Stephen King. Characters with mental powers can be found in the stories Doctor Sleep (a sort of sequel to The Shining with Danny Torrance as an adult), Carrie, Firestarter.
-The film was released on Scatman Crothers' seventieth birthday
-In the novel, Jack Torrance worked at a Vermont prep school, but was fired for hitting a student who was slashing his car tires
-Real-life media and Denver media was used in the movie. When he was driving to Sidewinder in the snowstorm, Halloran was listening to the radio. It was Denver's KHOW, which was Top 40 pop music at the time. The two DJs he was listening to were Hal Moore and Charley Martin, both of whom are morning drive-time DJs. At the Overlook Hotel, Denver's Channel 9 was on the televisions. On-air newscasters Bertha Lynn and Bill Custer taped a segment to be used on the TVs. When he was in Miami and watching the weather forecasts, Glenn Rinker, a highly known Florida news anchor at the time, was predicting weather.
-In the novel, snow began to bury the Overlook Hotel
-In the novel, Dick Halloran was only sixty while actor Scatman Crothers, who played him in the movie, was seventy
-When Jack and his family are driving to the hotel, a reference to the Donner Party is made. The Donner Pass in Northern California on Interstate 80 is named for this. The Donner Party was a group of settlers trying to go cross country. They were stuck in a snowstorm and in order to survive, they resorted to cannibalism
-In the novel, Jack was supposed to handle all duties-grounds keeping, housekeeping and more. He handles re-shingling the roof, grounds keeping, general maintenance, etc.
-At the end of the film, the 1921 photo was a real life photo with Jack Nicholson's head airbrushed on to the body of another man
-Stephen King wrote the book inside the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. He and his family stayed in the room Danny is told not to go into
-In the novel, The Overlook Hotel explodes because of the boiler that Jack neglected to dump. Jack is found frozen to death in the hedge maze
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November Birthdays

November 5, 2018, 5:48 am
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Since it's November, time to say Happy Birthday!!!

Jonny Lee Miller
-DOB: 11/15/1972
-Where: London, England
-Played the Frankenstein Monster opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Dr. Frankenstein, in the stage production of Frankenstein
Rick Allen
-Birth name: Richard John Cyril Allen
-DOB: 11/1/1963
-Where: Sheffield, England
-Has two kids, a daughter named Lauren Shane Allen and a daughter named Josefine Allen
Tommy Thayer
-Birth name: Thomas Cunningham Thayer
-DOB: 11/7/1960
-Where: Portland, Oregon
-Played guitar for a band called Black 'n Blue before joining Kiss
Billy Idol
-Birth name: William Michael Albert Broad
-DOB: 11/30/1955
-Where: Stanmore, Middlesex, England
-Spent 4 years of his childhood living in Long Island, New York. He even picked up American terminology for items and when the family moved back to England 4 years later, he was picked on for talking as an American
Roger Glover
-Birth name: Roger David Glover
-DOB: 11/30/1945
-Where: Brecon, United Kingdom
-Got into a fight with Ritchie Blackmore after Blackmore destroyed his bedroom room door at a cottage in Devon looking for a cross. Roger then chased Blackmore with the same axe he used to destroy the door because Roger is a deeply religious man and knew what Blackmore was up to.
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Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

November 5, 2018, 1:17 pm
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ATTENTION!
THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
IF YOU ARE A FAN OF QUEEN, YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE!!

That's right, if you read this and you're a fan of the band Queen, you must see this movie! This movie is the perfect movie for anyone who loves the men who wrote such legendary songs as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Somebody to Love", "Tie Your Mother Down", "Radio Ga-Ga" and more!!!
Summary
-This movie is the story of how one of the most iconic and yet underrated bands in music history came to be. Four men from different walks of life-astrophysics student Brian May, electrical engineering student John Deacon, dentistry-turned biology degree student Roger Taylor and Heathrow Airport baggage handler Farrouk Bomi Bulsara, aka Freddie Mercury, come together and form the iconic band known as Queen. Like all bands, this band will have its ups and downs, but they will make it through and play one of their most successful concerts-Live Aid.








Cast
Rami Malek: Freddie Mercury
Lucy Boynton: Mary Austin
Gwilym Lee: Brian May
Ben Hardy: Roger Taylor
Joseph Mazzello: John Deacon
Aidan Gillen: John Reid
Allen Leech: Paul Prenter
-Tom Hollander: Jim Beach
-Mike Myers: Ray Foster
-Aaron McCusker: Jim Hutton
-Meneka Das: Jer Bulsara
-Ace Bhatti: Bomi Bulsara
-Priya Blackburn: Kashmira Bulsara
-Dermot Murphy: Bob Geldof
-Neil Fox-Roberts: Mary's father
-Matt Greenwood: Young man at medical clinic

Did You Know?
-Bryan Singer, who directed the movie, was fired by 20th Century Fox after getting into a fight with the film's lead actor, Rami Malek. Reportedly, Malek threw something at singer when Malek complained to the studios about Singer's repeated absences
-During the Live Aid scene, there are two guys up in the rafters jamming to the music. They look and are very reminiscent of Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar from the Wayne's World movies.
-One of the first radio DJs to ever play the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" was Kenny Everett. He truly believed in the song's success and he would hype it up, play it on the radio station without consent and put it on heavy rotation. He ended up becoming a good friend of Freddie Mercury. Soon they became more than friends as Everett and Mercury would end up both becoming drug addicts. They also both became diagnosed with AIDS. Everett tested positive for HIV in 1987 and died in 1995 from AIDS-related complications
-In real life, Freddie Mercury did not learn that he was HIV-positive before Live Aid. He learned he was positive between 1986-1987. He let the band know first and expressed concern about focusing on the music and keeping the news private. He also had no clue the band was rehearsing for a last minute, squeezed-in gig at Live Aid
-Ray Foster, played by Mike Myers, complains that "Bohemian Rhapsody" is not a song that kids can bang their head to. This is a reference to the film Wayne's World, in which the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" had gained even more popularity with Myers banging his head to the song

-Joseph Mazzello, who plays bassist John Deacon, had to wear five different wigs throughout the movie to simulate the various hair styles over the years
-Freddie Mercury's best friend, Mary Austin, is the only person who truly knows where Freddie's ashes are buried
-In December 2017, director Bryan Singer was fired for repeated absences and clashes with crew and cast members and to finish the film, Dexter Fletcher was brought in
-Joseph Mazzello, who plays bassist John Deacon, starred in a miniseries called The Pacific, playing a character named PFC Eugene Sledge. Rami Malek, who played front man Freddie Mercury, also starred in this miniseries, playing Merriell "Snafu" Shelton, alongside Mazzello.
Joseph Mazzello

Rami Malek
-The song "Love of My Life" was dedicated to his good friend Mary Austin, who he was deeply in love with. Freddie Mercury entrusted a good portion of his estate to her, she is the only one who knows where his ashes are buried and even though he told her that he felt he might be bisexual, she still stayed a close friend of his
-When Malek was cast as Freddie, he had only a casual knowledge of Queen. He had to undergo intense choreography and lessons in moving like Freddie in addition to learning how to talk with prosthetic teeth
-Despite John Deacon appearing to play bass at their first American concert in 1970, he actually didn't enter Queen until 1971. He was their fourth bass player
-Joseph Mazzello said the first song he downloaded on Napster was "Bohemian Rhapsody"
-During one of Freddie's parties, girls in hot pants are seen on bicycles, a reference to "Fat Bottom Girls" and "Bicycle Race"
-When John Reid started managing Queen, he was only 29. Aidan Gillen, who plays him in the movie, was 49 at the time
John Reid and Freddie Mercury

Aidan Gillen
-To celebrate the movie's release, Rami Malek appeared on the Egyptian launch release of GQ Magazine because Egypt is his ancestral home
-On Oct. 20, 2018, Chrissie Mullen, Brian May's first wife, was said to be unhappy with how she is portrayed in the movie. Producers cut her out altogether despite her protesting to ex-husband May
-Rami Malek underwent 50 hours of costume work, from Lycra outfits, skintight spandex and satin pants, 4'' platform shoes, etc
-Lady Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) took her stage name from the Queen song "Radio Ga-Ga"
-When Rami Malek first met with Queen at Abbey Road Studios, he was running late. As he was racing up the stairs, he passed a picture of Freddie Mercury, who Rami felt had been staring at him, saying "Don't do this". Rami felt "it was really inspiring"
-Despite not being mentioned in the movie, Paul Prenter (played by Allen Leech), died of AIDS in 1991, the same year Freddie Mercury died of the disease
-All except "Another One Bites the Dust", the music in the movie are backing tracks with the cast playing like a real band
-Queen was not happy about having such a short timeslot at Live Aid. So they got creative and ended up doing an over 20 minute slot there. With Freddie's expert showmanship, he got the crowd up and moving. One of the members of Bob Geldof's band, The Boomtown Rats, said, annoyed, "Thanks, Bob. Now we have to follow that!"
-Rami Malek was chosen to play Freddie Mercury because his jawline reminded people of Mercury in Mr. Robot (2015)
-For the role of Freddie Mercury, Rami Malek was fitted with a set of prosthetic teeth to imitate Mercury's famous overbite. After filming was finished, Malek kept the teeth as a memento
-When the producers were looking for an actor to play the iconic singer, Rami Malek sent in a video of him singing Queen songs. But the actual band members had not downloaded the video properly and gotten a chance to watch it. But Malek blew away the band members when he finally got to meet them and sing in person
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The Legend of Zorro (2005)

November 6, 2018, 5:04 am
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This is the second movie in the Zorro series.
Summary
-Alejandro de la Vega, also known as Zorro, has made a promise to his wife Elena to stop wearing the mask and take on duties as a father. He breaks it and Elena leaves, falling for a French count. When a threat to California's statehood turns out to be linked to a mysterious explosion in the desert, it's soo discovered this mysterious French count might be related to that case





Cast
-Julio Oscar Mechoso: Frey Felipe
-Gustavo Sanchez Parra: Guillermo Cortez
-Adrian Alonson: Joaquin de la Vega
-Nick Chinlund: Jacob McGivens
-Antonio Banderas: Alejandro de la Vega
-Catherine Zeta-Jones: Elena de la Vega
-Rufus Sewell: Count Armand

Did You Know?
-Adrian Alonso, who plays Joaquin, didn't know English. He learned all his lines phonetically, just as Antonio Banderas had done for his role in The Mambo Kings
-Between The Mask of Zorro and this film, Alejandro had changed his name from Alejandro Murrieta to Alejandro de la Vega to avoid using the name of a wanted criminal
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The Mask of Zorro (1998)

November 6, 2018, 5:29 am
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This movie is one of those 1990s movies you may have watched, at one point or another, in Spanish class in school. I know I certainly did. Me and my sister suspect that the reason we always watched this movie was because our teacher, Bertha Garcia-DeBurke, who hailed from the Mexican city of Guadalajara, had a major crush on Antonio Banderas.
Summary
-After his brother is brutally murdered by an Army captain, a young thief seeks revenge and is trained by the once great hero of the people, Zorro, who is seeking revenge of his own










Cast
-Diego Sieres: young Joaquin Murrieta
-Jose Maria de Tavira: young Alejandro Murrieta
-William Marquez: Fray Felipe
-Stuart Wilson: Don Rafael Montero
-Tony Amendola: Don Luiz
-Anthony Hopkins: Don Diego de la Vega / Zorro
-Antonio Banderas: Alejandro Murrieta / Zorro
-Julieta Rosen: Esperanza de la Vega
-Victor Rivers: Joaquin Murrieta
-L.Q. Jones: Three-Fingered Jack
-Matt Letscher: Captain Harrison Love
-Jose Perez: Cpl. Armando Garcia
-Catherine Zeta-Jones: Elena

Did You Know?
-Joaquin Murrieta was not only a historical figure, but was also thought to be the inspiration for the literary character Zorro
-At first, Anthony Hopkins refused the role of Don Diego de la Vega because of massive back pain. But after undergoing a laser treatment, he was able to take the role.
-Professional sword trainer Bob Anderson, who trained Errol Flynn, remarked that Antonio Banderas was the most talented sword fighter he has ever worked with since Flynn. It also helps that Banderas trained with the Spanish Olympic team for four months
-In the scene where Elena and Zorro are fighting in the stable, Elena's dress falls off after being sliced by Zorro's sword. To pull this effect off, a wire was attached to her dress to pull it off
-Antonio Banderas was strict about performing his own stunts, to make it more authentic
-The Addams Family actor Raul Julia was originally supposed to play the role of Don Diego de la Vega, but he died before casting begun.
-Catherine Zeta-Jones was cast because Steven Spielberg enjoyed watching her in the 1996 Titanic miniseries and suggested her
-If you look close enough, there are subtle differences in the Zorro costumes worn by Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas) and Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins). The costume designer for the movie claims that de la Vega's costume reflects his Spanish heritage while Alejandro's reflects his Mexican heritage
Anthony Hopkins
 
Antonio Banderas
-Three of the possible considerations for the role of Elena was Latina pop singer Shakira, Latina actress Penelope Cruz and actress Salma Hayek
-In a nod to the Zorro series, Antonio Banderas voices a character called Puss in Boots in the Shrek series. Essentially, this character is a feline form of Zorro, who wears a hat, boots and fights with a sword.
-Only when Alejandro dons the Zorro mask does he use one of de la Vega's swords. Up to that point, he had been using his own sword
-Three of the considerations for the role of Alejandro Murrieta were Mark Anthony, Joaquin de Almeida, Andy Garcia, Elmer Figueroa Arce
-Giancarlo Giannini, Lance Henriksen, Sam Shepard, Edward James Olmos, Scott Glenn were all considered for the role of Don Rafael Montero
-In the movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones play father and daughter and in real life are actually Welsh-born. They are the only Welsh-born actors present
-Welsh actor Sir Anthony Hopkins plays Spaniard Don Diego de la Vega while Spaniard Antonio Banderas plays Mexican Alejandro Murrieta
-Ironically, Antonio Banderas is Spanish in real life instead of Mexican. He has more in common with the antagonists than the protagonist
-The characters Joaquin Murrieta, Alejandro Murrieta and Three Finger Jack were all real-life bandits from Northern California during the 1849 Gold Rush. Joaquin Murrieta was Mexican, born in Sonora and moved to California to find fortune with gold. After American gold miners beat him and robbed him, he swore to see vengeance. He found a group of bandits and lead them through the California wilderness, killing anyone who posed a threat. Americans saw him as a reason to hang anyone who spoke Spanish while Mexicans looked at him like a folk hero. Three Finger Jack was a Mexican named Manuel Garcia, who was Murrieta's sidekick. He was supposedly killed on July 18, 1853 by Captain Harry Love, who preserved Murrieta's head in a jar of alcohol and Three Finger Jack's hand as proof they were dead.
Captain Harry Love
Joaquin Murrieta
 
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Freddie Mercury

November 6, 2018, 5:45 am
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Freddie Mercury, for those who don't know, was the iconic front man for legendary but severely underrated rock band Queen. Seriously, Queen is so far underrated it is pathetic. These guys broke records and defied stereotypes, but do they get the recognition they deserve? NO! Instead, they get overlooked for more overrated bands like Led Zeppelin
Birth Name: Farrokh Bomi Bulsara
DOB: 9/5/1946
Where: Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania
DOD: 11/24/1991
Where: Kensington, London, England (AIDS-related pneumonia)

Trademark

Used the top half of a microphone stand when singing
He always placed his microphone under his belt
-Insanely operatic vocals
-Mustache
-Pronounced overbite
-High energy stage performances


Sometimes unusual stage costumes
Trivia
-He strongly supported the British monarchy. He was inspired by both this and the sexual innuendo of the word "queen" to name the band Queen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
-His ancestors originated in Persia and emigrated to India in the 7th century. As a result of not wanting to convert to Islam, they became Zoroastrians
-He willingly chose not to get corrective surgery on his famous overbite because he fear it would damage his voice
-When the band Smile, who consisted of Brian May and Roger Taylor and two other members, split up, Freddie joined up with the band to reform the band into Queen
-When Freddie died, he demanded that a very vast majority of his estate go to his good friend Mary Austin. The remainder was left to his parents, his chef Joe Fanelli, assistant Peter Freestone, driver Terry Giddings, his partner Jim Hutton
-Growing up, he was an avid stamp collector
-He attended Ealing College of Art, where he studied art and graphic design. This education helped him design Queen's famous logo, called the Queen Crest
-He was an avid cat lover
-Despite being buried in the Zoroastrian tradition of the family, he hardly practiced the family religion
-What inspired him to create the famous Queen Crest was using the birth signs of his fellow band members. Two lions for Roger and John (Leo), a crab for Brian (Cancer), two fairies for himself (Virgo)
-A good majority of his ancestry is Persian
-In 1987, he was diagnosed with HIV, which eventually morphs into AIDS
-Police bassist/front man Sting dedicated his song "Shadows in the Rain" to Mercury
-Eric Carr, the second drummer for hard rock band Kiss and Freddie Mercury died within hours of each other, dying on Nov. 24, 1991. Mercury died of AIDS-related pneumonia and Eric Carr died of heart cancer
-Two months prior to his death, Freddie recorded the song "The Show Must Go On". He was very physically weak from AIDS and was unable to stand. Brian May told him that he would sing the vocals for him. Mercury didn't allow that and he gathered all of his strength and did the song perfectly in one take
-Paul Gambaccini, a DJ who was a good friend of Mercury's, said he suspected Mercury would die of AIDS as early as 1983 in various interviews that he had done over the years. He met Mercury in a gay bar and was strongly warning him about "this new disease" that is plaguing the gay communities. He asked Mercury if he was taking precautions against it and Mercury responded "fuck it, I'm doing everything with everybody".
-Was portrayed by Rami Malek in the film Bohemian Rhapsody
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Brian May

November 6, 2018, 5:50 am
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This is the primary guitarist for the band Queen.
Birth name: Brian Harold May
DOB: 7/19/1947
Where: Hampton, Middlesex, England

Trademark
-Plays his guitar with a sixpence coin

His extremely curly hair
-His unique guitar riffs

Trivia
-He has three kids with ex-wife Chrissie Mullens: son James, born in 1978, daughter Louisa, born in 1981, daughter Emily, born in 1987
-He attended Imperial College at London University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science, majoring in physics and mathematics. He was working on a doctorate in astronomy, but dropped out to form Queen
-He once taught math at Stockwell Park Secondary School in Stockwell, Southwest London
-He resumed his pursuit of a PhD in astronomy later on. He later presented a dissertation on motion of interstellar dust
-The songs credited to him are: Fat Bottom Girls, Tie Your Mother Down, Keep Yourself Alive, Thirty-Nine (which he sings lead vocals on)
-He is very close friends with Tony Iommi, principal guitarist with Black Sabbath
-Was portrayed by Gwilym Lee in the film Bohemian Rhapsody
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