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Many TV fans swear by British TV shows. The general consensus is that these are far superior to US TV series because they have more interesting premises and stories, they are not formulaic, and the writing is top notch.
If you have doubts about how cool British TV shows are check out these four series for yourself and be the judge: [Read more…]
From robbing banks for cash to stealing gold out of vaults, these are some of the greatest heist movies ever made. It’s definitely not a comprehensive list, but it’s a good taste of the thievery movies that are out there. Just don’t use them to map out your own heist, or you’ll probably end up in prison.
In 2003 The Italian Job brought the world a great movie about a heist done using a bunch of Mini Coopers, to steal 35 million in gold bullion. Now that’s a lot of money. The movie starred, among others, Charlize Theron and Mark Wahlberg. The smaller cars were needed for all of the tight spaces they found themselves in. [Read more…]
After a long hard day at work, you typically want to be able to sit down and enjoy watching your TV at home. But, the idea of watching TV is different from the practical application. In other words, you have to make yourself comfortable watching your TV, and you have to make all of your equipment and the accessories around this activity be as high quality and as comfortable as possible.
It is no surprise that many actors go to extremes when portraying certain characters on film.  Not only do they need to get inside the character’s head but they also have to physically portray the part as well.  Physical transformations don’t come easy and often actors have to go on extreme diets in order to lose the pounds for certain parts.  Here are just a few famous actors who had to go to extremes when it came to losing weight for a role.
Christian Bale
Bale is known for being the type of actor who can drastically transform physically to portray a character.  Bale lost over 60 pounds to shoot The Machinist.  On his drastic weight loss for the part, Bale stated, “I had a stupid kind of feeling of invincibility, like, “I can do it, I can manage it”.  I really did feel like I hit this point of enlightenment.”
Natalie Portman
Portman, who is already a thin actress, dropped another 20 pounds to portray a professional ballerina in Black Swan.  Portman opted to lose the weight with the help of a nutritionist and ate small portions combined with a grueling schedule of strength and ballet training a full year before filming began. Referring to the training and weight loss, Portman stated “I think the most important thing is coming to work as prepared as you can be every day and working as hard as you can every day.”  Her hard work paid off as Portman took home a best actress Oscar for her role in the film.
Matt Damon
Damon portrayed an opiate-addicted soldier in Courage Under Fire and lost 40 pounds over the course of 100 days before shooting his scenes. Â Though many actors gain and lose weight in a healthy manner, Damon admits that he was so desperate to break into show business he embarked on an unsupervised diet in order to nail the part. Â He later revealed that after he finished filming he went to a doctor who told him that his heart could have shrunk permanently.
Tom Hanks
A two-time Academy Award winner, Hanks is no stranger to the physical demands that actors have to go through to play certain roles. Â In Cast Away, Hanks had to lose 50 pounds to play the lead role. Â He lost the weight by following a strict diet of mainly fish, veggies and a little fruit and a workout regimen that consisted of two hours of cardio training six days a week.
Most famous actors will commit to any role no matter what the demands are for their appearance. Â Actors want to be convincing in the roles they play including any physical demands on their body. Â These four actors are examples of committing their jobs, even if it meant losing a large amount of weight to get the role.
The lives of those in the public eye seem mostly out of touch with the lives of the average person. Through hard work, talent, and good fortune, the few that succeed separate themselves from the herd of humanity and live lives that seem ethereal compared to the average Joe and Jolene. Every now and then, tragedy strikes in its most brutal fashion and we are reminded of our commonality and the frailty we share. Like watching a medical drama, we see reality collide with the fiction of what we imagine these real people to be.
Rachel Bilson
Rachel Bilson recalls being 16 and surviving a coma-inducing car crash. She states that the horrific accident changed her and turned her from a self-destructive route. The hidden physical scars and headaches are reminders of her near death experience.
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford’s near miss experience came about as his vintage plane fell from the sky. The accident resulted in Ford being hospitalized for almost a month to recover from a broken pelvis, hip,  and lacerations. The accident, a result of engine failure, played out in front of national media as it became known that Ford was the pilot of the plane.
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan’s accident was also a media storm. As the media became aware of Morgan’s involvement, the storm surrounding the tragedy began to grow. Social media of the scene, in the form of drive-by video, was released and took the everyday to uncommon. Morgan’s recovery has continued following the accident. He has reached a point where he is near fully recovered.
Considering the severity of the accident, Morgan being alive is a miracle. Morgan’s van was hit by a tractor trailer from behind. The semi driver was tired and was not able to react in time to stop. Morgan suffered a traumatic brain injury, multiple broken bones, and internal injuries. He considers himself fortunate to be alive. Jimmy Mack, one of Morgan’s closest friends, lost his life in the accident.
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay survived the accident that took her mother, Jayne Mansfield’s, life. A recent injury on the set of Law and Order: SVU resulted in emergency surgeries to repair a collapsed lung. Hargitay was about the same age as her child when she lost her mother, and the parallels were fairly intense. She was forced to reflect on the feelings of loss and loneliness she had growing up without her mother.
Through the loss and the recent injury, she has had to reflect on what it means to not only survive, but how much life is to be appreciated and valued.
The common thread through each story is an appreciation for the life each has now. When we face trauma and survive, we are given a recognition for each moment we have. The hard part is making the most of what time we are given.
Those who have reached some level of success may have a more accessible platform to proclaim their newfound appreciation of life. It is up to them how they use it.