Paris Hilton theme by darknight27
Download: ParisHilton_3.p3t
(12 backgrounds)
Paris Hilton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hilton in October 2021 | |
| Born | Paris Whitney Hilton February 17, 1981 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Works | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Richard Hilton Kathy Hilton |
| Relatives | Hilton family |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Website | parishilton.com |
Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981)[3][4] is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, singer, and actress. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Los Angeles, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels. She first attracted tabloid attention in the late 1990s for her presence in NYC's social scene and ventured into fashion modeling at age 19, signing with Trump Model Management. After David LaChapelle photographed her and her sister Nicky for the September 2000 issue of Vanity Fair, Hilton was proclaimed "New York's leading It Girl" in 2001.[3] The reality television series The Simple Life (2003–2007), in which she co-starred with her friend Nicole Richie, and a leaked 2003 sex tape with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, later released as 1 Night in Paris (2004), catapulted her to global fame.
Hilton's media ventures have included the reality television series Paris Hilton's My New BFF (2008–2009), The World According to Paris (2011), Hollywood Love Story (2018), Cooking with Paris (2021), and Paris in Love (2021–present); the documentaries Paris, Not France (2008), The American Meme (2018), and This Is Paris (2020); the books Your Heiress Diary (2005) and Paris: The Memoir (2023); as well as the podcast, I am Paris (2021–present), on iHeartRadio. She has pursued film acting in House of Wax (2005) and Repo! the Genetic Opera (2008). As a recording artist, Hilton has recorded a line of standalone singles and released two studio albums, Paris (2006) and Infinite Icon (2024). She has also performed as a disc jockey since 2012.[5]
A polarizing and ubiquitous public figure, Hilton is said to have influenced the revival of the "famous for being famous" phenomenon throughout the 2000s.[6] Critics indeed suggest that she exemplifies the celebutante—a household name through inherited wealth and lavish lifestyle. Forbes included her in its Celebrity 100 in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and ranked her as the most "overexposed" celebrity in 2006 and 2008. Hilton has parlayed her media fame into numerous business endeavors. Under her company, she has produced content for broadcast media, launched 19 product lines, and opened 45 boutiques worldwide, as well as an urban beach club in the Philippines. Her perfume line alone has brought in over US$2.5 billion in revenue, as of 2020[update].[7][8][9] Variety named her its "Billion Dollar Entrepreneur" in 2011.[10]
Early life[edit]
Hilton was born on February 17, 1981, in New York City, to Richard Hilton, a businessman, and Kathy Hilton, a socialite and former child actress.[11][12] The oldest of four children, she has one sister, Nicky Hilton (born 1983), and two brothers, Barron Hilton II (born 1989) and Conrad Hughes Hilton (born 1994). On her father's side, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels, and granddaughter of Barron Hilton. Her maternal aunts are television personalities Kim and Kyle Richards. Hilton has Norwegian, German, Italian, English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.[13][14][15] The family followed the Catholic faith.[16][17]
Hilton moved frequently in her youth, living in Beverly Hills, the Hamptons, and a suite in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan. Her relatives have described her as "very much a tomboy" who dreamed about becoming a veterinarian. Her mother recalled her saving money to buy monkeys, snakes, and goats, and once leaving "the snake out the cage [...] at the Waldorf".[18] Hilton was raised in a very "sheltered, conservative" atmosphere; her parents were particularly strict and she was not allowed to date, wear make-up or certain types of clothes, or go to school dances. Her mother enrolled her in etiquette classes with the idea of introducing her as a debutante, which Hilton was at first reluctant to do, as she did not find it to be "real" or "natural". She described it as "very proper, very prim, almost like a Stepford wife".[18] The family's social circle included figures such as Lionel Richie, Donald Trump, and Michael Jackson.[19][20]
Growing up in Los Angeles, Hilton attended the Buckley School and St. Paul the Apostle School, finishing elementary school in 1995.[21] Her freshman year of high school (1995–96) was spent at the Marywood-Palm Valley School in Rancho Mirage, California. In 1996, Hilton and her family left California for the East Coast.[22] At 15, she attended Professional Children's School.[20] She skated and played ice hockey while in high school.
In New York City, Hilton had a rebellious youth, regularly skipping classes and sneaking out to parties. On this period, Kathy remarked: "Let's put it this way—it got very out of control and I was scared for her. And my husband was very scared for her. And, you know, those nightclubs go on all night."[23] Her parents eventually sent her, then 16, to a series of boarding schools for emotionally troubled teens, including Provo Canyon School, where she says that she was mentally and physically abused by the staff. In her documentary This Is Paris, Hilton and other former students from Provo Canyon School recall the abuses they faced, including solitary confinement, forced medication, restraint, battery and strangulation. She attended Provo for 11 months and was released in early 1999, around the time she turned 18.[24][25][26][27] She then attended the Dwight School before dropping out a few months later. "She knew no one at [Dwight]", said her mother in an interview, while a classmate described her as "sort of more sophisticated. She was different from everybody else".[20] She later earned a GED certification.[28][29]
Career[edit]
Social scene and modeling (1996–2002)[edit]
With mother Kathy and sister Nicky, Hilton modeled as a child at charity events,[30] graced the May 4, 1988, cover of the weekly magazine Beverly Hills 213,[31] and made an uncredited appearance in the fantasy film Wishman (1992).
After relocating to NYC in 1996, Hilton developed a reputation as a socialite through appearances at nightclubs and high-profile events. She has recalled getting offers to show up in nightclubs as early as she was 16,[32][33][34] when she obtained a counterfeited identity document in order to gain access to events. Her antics and late-night persona soon started attracting the spotlight from local tabloids. After becoming familiar with Paris and Nicky's social circle, Jason Binn, publisher of Hamptons magazine, stated: "They're little stars. They've become names. To them it's like a job. I believe they wake up every morning and say, 'O.K., where am I supposed to be tonight?'."[35]
That lifestyle conflicted with her family's conservative background and proved too "rebellious" for the young Paris, whose parents sent her to a series of boarding schools until she turned 18. Hilton resumed public appearances shortly afterwards, and attended the NYC premiere of Cruel Intentions in March 1999 with Nicky.[36] A New Yorker profile by Bob Morris, published in October that year, described her and her sister as "the littlest socialites in town [...] Without even a smile, they can breeze past the velvet ropes at Moomba or get a seat at Le Bilboquet".[37] Businessman George J. Maloof Jr., for instance, flew Hilton in his private jet and paid her to attend the Palms Casino Resort opening in Las Vegas in November 2001.[32][38][39][40][41]
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Hilton's David LaChapelle-photographed Vanity Fair issue from September 2000 |
Inspired by designers Patricia Field and Betsey Johnson, Hilton decided to pursue modeling, signing with Donald Trump's agency, T Management, at age 19.[30] She modeled for Catherine Malandrino and Marc Bouwer, and posed alongside Nicky for David LaChapelle in a shoot that was featured in the September 2000 issue of Vanity Fair.[42] On her persona, LaChapelle stated: "Paris had a charisma back then that you couldn't take your eyes off. She would giggle and laugh and be effervescent and take up a room".[43] By 2001, Hilton had become "one of the biggest stars, off and on the catwalk," at New York Fashion Week, graced an advertising campaign for Italian label Iceberg, and appeared on magazines such as Vogue and FHM.[44]
In addition to modeling, Hilton ventured into screen acting, playing an ill-fated character in the independent teen thriller Sweetie Pie (2000),[20] and filming a cameo appearance as herself in the comedy Zoolander (2001), with Ben Stiller. In 2002, she appeared in Vincent Gallo's "Honey Bunny" video,[45] played a "strung-out supermodel" in the five-minute short QIK2JDG, and starred as a socialite in the straight-to-DVD horror film Nine Lives.
International stardom (2003–2007)[edit]
Hilton's breakout came in 2003, when she starred with her childhood friend and socialite counterpart Nicole Richie in the Fox reality series The Simple Life, in which they lived for a month with a family in the rural community of Altus, Arkansas. The show was initially pitched to both Paris and Nicky Hilton. Paris was convinced to come on board; however, Nicky, being somewhat shy to the limelight at the time, opted out.[46] The series premiered on December 2, 2003, shortly after the leak of Hilton's sex tape,[47] and was a ratings success. Its first episode attracted 13 million viewers, increasing Fox's adult 18–49 rating by 79 percent.[48] The high viewership was attributed to the exposure Hilton received for the homemade tape,[49] while she became known for her onscreen dumb blonde persona.[50][51]
By 2004, Hilton had taken on a number of supporting and guest-starring roles in feature films and scripted television series such as Raising Helen and The O.C., signed on to appear in a series of advertisement campaigns for Guess,[52] released an autobiography co-written by Merle Ginsberg, Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose,[53][54] which was seventh on The New York Times Best Seller list,[55] and introduced a lifestyle brand (with a purse collection for the Japanese label Samantha Thavasa, a jewelry line sold on Amazon.com,[56][57] as well as a perfume line in collaboration with Parlux Fragrances).
Originally planned for a limited release, high demand for her first fragrance choked supplies but led to increased availability by December 2004. Its introduction was followed by a 47-percent increase in Parlux sales, primarily of the Hilton-branded perfume.[58] After this success, Parlux has released numerous perfumes under her name, including fragrances for men.[59]
In February 2005, Hilton hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live, with Keane as the musical guest,[60] and in May, the slasher film House of Wax—her first major film role[61][62]—was released in theaters,[63] to mixed reviews.[64] Writing for View London, Matthew Turner remarked that Hilton "does better than you might expect",[65] while TV Guide called her "talentless".[66] Her role earned her the Teen Choice Award for Best Scream, the 2005 Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress,[67] and a nomination for Best Frightened Performance at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. House of Wax grossed over US$70 million worldwide.[68] In May 2005, Carl's Jr. aired a television advertisement, promoting its Spicy Burger product, which featured Hilton in a provocative swimsuit soaping up a Bentley automobile.[69] By November 2005, she had published her second book, Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me.[70]
The Simple Life was canceled by Fox in 2005 after three seasons following a dispute between Hilton and Richie. Neither Richie nor Hilton spoke publicly about their split, although it was speculated that they fell out after Richie showed one of Hilton's homemade sex tapes to a group of their friends.[71] They reconciled in October 2006.[72] After The Simple Life was cancelled, other networks (NBC, The WB, VH1 and MTV) were interested in obtaining the rights for new seasons of the show.[73] On November 28, 2005, E! announced that it had picked up The Simple Life, ordering the production of a fourth season and obtaining the rights to repeat the first three seasons. Shooting for the new season began on February 27, 2006.[74] The fourth-season premiere of the show was a ratings success for its new network.[75]
Hilton released her self-titled debut album, Paris, on August 22, 2006. The album reached number six on the Billboard 200, and sold over 600,000 copies worldwide.[76] Its lead single, "Stars Are Blind", found global success. It was played on more than 125 pop stations in the United States,[77][78] and reached the top ten in 17 countries.[79] Critical reception was generally mixed,[80] but AllMusic called the album "more fun than anything released by Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson".[81]
In 2006, Hilton top-billed as vain, dumb blonde characters in the comedy films Bottoms Up and National Lampoon's Pledge This!, both of which received DVD releases in North America. Australia's Urban Cinefile described Bottoms Up as a "crass, low-brow comedy" with "little merit" except for "some Paris Hilton curiosity value".[82] She reportedly snubbed the Cannes Film Festival premiere of Pledge This! to protest the addition of several nude scenes,[83] which resulted in Worldwide Entertainment Group suing Hilton in August 2008, at the Miami District Court, alleging that she did not fulfill her contractual agreement to provide "reasonable promotion and publicity" for the film, despite receiving a US$1 million fee for the role.[84] Hilton licensed her name to Gameloft for their 2006 mobile video game Paris Hilton's Diamond Quest.
The Simple Life finished its run with its fifth season, which debuted on May 28, 2007, and ended on August 5, 2007. That year, Hilton introduced her DreamCatchers line of hair extensions with Hair Tech International,[85] signed a licensing agreement with Antebi for a signature footwear line (Paris Hilton Footwear, featuring stilettos, platforms, flats, wedges and a sports collection),[86] and launched a line of tops, dresses, coats and jeans at the Kitson Boutique in Los Angeles.[87] She also posed nude (covered with gold paint) to promote "Rich Prosecco", a canned version of the Italian sparkling wine,[88][89] traveling to Germany to appear in advertisements for the wine,[90] and modeled for 2 B Free.[91]
Screen and business ventures (2008–2011)[edit]
The romantic comedy The Hottie and the Nottie (2008), in which Hilton starred,[92] was a critical and commercial failure.[93] She appeared in the My Name Is Earl episode "I Won't Die with a Little Help from My Friends".[94] A documentary about Hilton, Paris, Not France, was screened at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.[95] The gothic rock musical Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)[96] featured Hilton as Amber Sweet, the surgery and painkiller-addicted daughter of a biotech magnate. After screening at the San Diego Comic-Con International, the film received a limited release.[97] Horror.com described it as "by far Hilton's best role",[98] but Jam! Movies called her a "hopeless twit as an actress".[99] At the 29th Razzie Awards, she won as Worst Actress for The Hottie and the Nottie and as Worst Supporting Actress for Repo!.[100]
Hilton starred in a MTV reality series, Paris Hilton's My New BFF, about her search for a new best friend,[101] which premiered on September 30, 2008.[102] The series was a hit and topped all other cable shows in its time slot.[103] That year, she also appeared in two viral Funny or Die videos, Paris Hilton Responds to McCain and Paris Hilton Gets Presidential with Martin Sheen,[104][105] and inspired by her love for dogs, created a canine apparel line, Little Lily by Paris Hilton.[106]
As a result of the American version's success, Paris Hilton's British Best Friend debuted on ITV2 in England on January 29, 2009,[107] the second season of Paris Hilton's My New BFF premiered on June 2, and Paris Hilton's Dubai BFF was internationally broadcast on MTV in April 2011.[108] She guest-starred in the fifth episode of Supernatural's fifth season, which aired on October 8, 2009.[109][110] In 2009, Hilton also released a sunglasses line[111] and a range of hair products that included shampoos, conditioners and vitamins.[112] She won the Female Celebrity Fragrance of the Year Award at the 2009 Fifi Awards.[113]
In February 2010, Hilton participated in an advertising campaign for the Brazilian beer Devassa Bem Loura, whose slogan roughly translates into English as "very blonde bitch".[114] As part of the campaign, she rode the brewery's float in the Rio Carnival.[115] The critically acclaimed documentary Teenage Paparazzo, in which Hilton appeared, aired on HBO on September 27.[116] She had her first voice-over role in the ABC made-for-television film The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation.[117][118] The film aired on November 28, 2010[118] and attracted a respectable 2.611 million viewership.[119] That year, Hilton launched a footwear line in Las Vegas[120] and her motorcycle racing team in Spain.[121][122] Her driver, Maverick Viñales, won the final race and finished third overall in the 2011 125cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing championship.[123]
On June 1, 2011, Hilton returned to reality television in Oxygen's The World According to Paris.[124] Focused on her daily life,[125] the series bought in lackluster ratings amid a controversial promotional campaign,[126] which was attributed to her then-fading popularity in North America.[127] Alessandra Stanley, for The New York Times, described her as an "attractive woman with proven talent for marketing and self-promotion, though as a reality heroine she seems a little passé [...] it's hard to see how she can recapture the kind of audience she enjoyed in her heyday—even by streaming her premiere live on Facebook".[128]
In 2011, Hilton modeled for Triton during Brazil Fashion Week and for Andre Tan during Ukraine Fashion Week, and continued her endorsement and retail endeavors,[129] introducing a mobile application, which became available for iPhone and iPod touch,[130] and footwear collections in Mexico City[131][132]
American Le Mans
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick theme by ryanindy124
Download: KevinHarvick.p3t
(6 backgrounds)
Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and commentator for NASCAR on Fox.
_(cropped).jpg)
He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart–Haas Racing. Harvick won the Cup Series championship in 2014 as well as the 2001 and 2006 Xfinity Series championships, and the 2007 Daytona 500. Harvick holds the all-time record for Cup Series wins at Phoenix Raceway with nine wins. Harvick's 121 combined national series wins currently rank him third all-time in NASCAR history, behind Richard Petty and Kyle Busch, respectively, while his 60 Cup wins are tenth in series history. Harvick began his NASCAR career in 1992, he is the third of only six drivers that have won a championship in both the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series, and the fifth of 36 drivers to win a race in each of NASCAR's three national series. Harvick has worked as a broadcaster off-and-on for NASCAR on FOX since 2015, calling Xfinity Series races. Since retiring from NASCAR Cup Series competition, Harvick is signed to call Cup Series races for Fox starting in 2024.
Harvick is the owner of Kevin Harvick Incorporated, a race team that fielded cars in the Xfinity Series from 2004 to 2011 and the Truck Series between 2001 and 2011. The team's No. 29 late model is driven full-time in the CARS Tour by Brent Crews, alongside the No. 62 late model which is driven by several different drivers, including Harvick himself. In the media, he has sometimes been nicknamed "the Closer" and "Happy Harvick."
Early life[edit]
Harvick was born in 1975 in Bakersfield, California, to parents Mike and JoNell (Walker) Harvick, and has a younger sister, Amber. He began kart racing at an early age, after his parents bought him a go-kart as a kindergarten graduation gift.[1] Harvick grew up a fan of IndyCar driver and fellow Bakersfield native Rick Mears, and raced go-karts with Mears' son Clint.[2] He achieved considerable success on the go-kart racing circuit, earning seven national championships and two Grand National championships.[3]
While in high school, Harvick began racing late models part-time in 1992 in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series.[4] During the racing offseason, he competed on the North High School wrestling team, qualifying for a CIF Central Section title in his weight class his senior year.[5] Harvick also played baseball, basketball, football, and soccer.[4] After graduation, he attended Bakersfield College with the intention of majoring in architecture,[4] but later dropped out in order to pursue a full-time racing career.[1]
NASCAR career[edit]
Early career[edit]
_Mesa_Marin_October_1997.jpg)
Harvick made his Craftsman Truck Series debut in 1995 at the Mesa Marin Raceway, in his hometown of Bakersfield, where he started and finished 27th in his family-owned No. 72. He drove four races in the No. 72 the next season, his best finish was 11th at Mesa Marin. In 1997, he signed to drive the No. 75 for Spears Motorsports mid-season, posting two eighth-place finishes. He ran a full schedule the next season, posting 3 top-fives and finishing 17th in points. Harvick also moved up to the NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series in 1997, and in 1998 Harvick won five races on his way to the Winston West Series championship while driving for Spears. He received his first real national exposure during the winter of 1997/1998 on ESPN2's coverage of the NASCAR Winter Heat Series at Tucson Raceway Park. In 1999, he drove the No. 98 Porter Cable Ford for Liberty Racing, finishing 12th in points with six top-fives.
1999–2000: NASCAR Busch Series[edit]
On October 23, 1999, Harvick made his first NASCAR Busch Series start in the Kmart 200 at the Rockingham Speedway in the No. 2 Chevrolet. He would start 24th and finish 42nd due to engine failure. The race would be his only start in 1999. In 2000, Harvick would sign with Richard Childress Racing to drive the No. 2 Chevrolet for his first full Busch Series season. Despite failing to qualify for the second race of the season at Rockingham, Harvick would go on to win the NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year with three wins, eight top-five finishes, and 16 top-tens as well as garnering third-place points finish.
2001: Cup Series debut, replacing Earnhardt[edit]
.jpg)
For 2001, Childress planned to run Harvick in the No. 2 Chevy in the Busch Series full-time again, while developing him into the Winston Cup Series with up to seven races in the No. 30 Chevy. He planned to race Harvick for a full schedule in 2002. The death of Dale Earnhardt on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 changed Childress's plans, and Harvick began his first Cup race the following week in the Dura Lube 400 at Rockingham, filling the seat vacated by Earnhardt's passing in the renumbered No. 29 Chevrolet.
On March 11, 2001, in the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, only three weeks after Earnhardt's death, Harvick won his first career Winston Cup race in just his third start by narrowly edging Jeff Gordon. He won the race by only six one-thousandths of a second (.006). After the win, he paid tribute to Earnhardt, driving on the track backward with three fingers held aloft outside the driver's window as a show of honor and respect.[6] At the time, this broke the record for earliest career start for a driver to win a race in the Modern Era, since surpassed by Jamie McMurray and Trevor Bayne, both of whom accomplished the feat in their second starts, and then by Shane van Gisbergen in 2023 in his debut.
He won his second career Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.[7] At the end of the season, he finished with two victories, six Top 5s, and 16 Top 10s. Harvick was awarded the NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award and secured a ninth-place finish in the 2001 points standings. He also won the Busch Series championship, becoming the first driver to win the Busch Series championship while also driving full-time in the Winston Cup Series with a Top 10 finish. Harvick would end the season winning six pole positions, and making 69 starts: 35 in Cup Series, an appearance in the Winston, 33 in the Busch Series, and one in the Craftsman Truck Series at Richmond International Raceway for Rick Carelli.
2002[edit]
In 2002, Harvick spent the season concentrating on running the Cup Series and would only start four races in the Busch Series. Harvick began the 2002 season making his first Daytona 500 start on the outside pole next to Jimmie Johnson, but his day ended after triggering an 18-car crash on lap 148 while running second to Jeff Gordon, relegating him to a 36th-place finish. Later in the season, he was fined for a post-race incident with Greg Biffle at Bristol Motor Speedway. Harvick was also suspended for rough driving in a Truck race at Martinsville, in which he announced on his radio that he intentionally spun out driver Coy Gibbs, prompting NASCAR to immediately take him out of the race. Even though it was heard on the radio that he did, Harvick lied in a post-race interview saying that he did not purposely wreck Gibbs. Harvick was banned from the Cup Series race the next day, with Kenny Wallace replacing him; he was also fined $35,000 and placed into another probation (he was already on probation for the Biffle incident).[8] Harvick rebounded and scored his first career Winston Cup pole position in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. Later in the season, he took his third Cup win at Chicagoland Speedway. This would prove to be one of the only bright spots in a disappointing season, as he finished 21st in the 2002 points standings with one win, one pole, five Top 5s, and eight Top 10s. Harvick became the 2002 IROC Champion in his first season in the Series, winning at California Speedway. In Trucks, Harvick began fielding his own No. 6 truck, driving himself in five races and winning at Phoenix.
2003[edit]
In the 2003 season, Harvick teamed with crew chief Todd Berrier in the Cup Series, with whom he had won the Busch championship in 2001. Together, they won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. Harvick and his team jumped to fifth in the 2003 point standings, coming within 252 points of Matt Kenseth. In the Busch Series, Harvick was teamed with Johnny Sauter, driving the No. 21 Hershey's-sponsored PayDay car. The two would combine for three wins, 16 Top 5s, and 24 Top 10s, with Harvick posting all three wins. They would give Childress the NASCAR Busch Series owners' championship that season. Harvick competed in 19 of the 34 races, and Sauter competed in the other 15. Harvick also scored eight pole positions and finished 16th in the final drivers' standings.
2004: First winless season[edit]
On August 28 during the 2004 Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Harvick had one of the most bizarre sequences of events happen to him. On lap 323, Harvick radioed to his crew that his right arm had fallen asleep on him and had gone numb which made it difficult for him to operate his race car properly and needed a backup driver. The caution came out 5 laps later and Harvick made his way onto pit road and was pulled out of the car. He was replaced by Kyle Petty, who was involved in an earlier wreck in the same race. Petty finished 24th 6 laps down for Harvick.[9] Harvick was still able to stay 8th in points but in the last 2 regular season races at California and Richmond, Harvick would fall from 8th to 15th in the standings missing out on the inaugural Chase for the Cup. Harvick's season was also known for his conflicts with Matt Kenseth at Pocono and rookie Kasey Kahne at Phoenix.[10][11] While winless in the 2004 Cup season, Harvick placed third in the voting for Most Popular Driver. He had fourteen Top 10 finishes and finished 14th in points. Harvick was paired with another driver in the Busch Series, rookie Clint Bowyer. They combined for one win, 13 Top 5s, and 20 Top 10s in the No. 21 car, with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups as a sponsor. Harvick drove the No. 29 Busch car in the final race of the season at Homestead–Miami Speedway in the Ford 300, which he would claim his second win of the season. He finished 14th in the final standings. The No. 21 car finished fourth in the owner's standings.
2005[edit]
In the 2005 season, Harvick's only Cup win came at the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, despite starting towards the rear of the field. He won without the assistance of crew chief Todd Berrier, who was serving a four-week suspension for a rules violation. In the Busch Series, Harvick was paired with Brandon Miller. Harvick and Miller combined for 3 wins, 15 top-fives, and 19 top-tens to give the No. 21 its second fourth-place finish in the owner's standings. Harvick would win his first "sweep" of his career at Bristol, winning both the Sharpie Professional 250 Busch race and the Food City 500 Cup race, also giving him a record fourth Busch Series win at the track (tying with Morgan Shepherd). Harvick finished 14th in the Cup series standings and 18th in the Busch series driver's standings.
2006: Second Busch Championship and first Chase appearance[edit]
In 2006, Harvick decided to run both of NASCAR's Top 2 series full-time driving for Richard Childress. In the Busch Series, Harvick would be scheduled to run all 35 races, with three different cars. He ran four races for his team in the No. 33, the season opener at Daytona in Childress' No. 29, and the remaining 30 races for RCR's No. 21. He won his first Busch Series race of the 2006 season at Nashville Superspeedway. He followed the win with a weekend sweep of the Busch Series and Sprint Cup races at Phoenix International Raceway. Harvick had nine wins, 23 Top 5s, and 32 Top 10s in the Busch Series. He clinched the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series championship on October 13, 2006, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the Dollar General 300. It was the earliest clinch of the championship ever in the Busch Series, locking up the title with four races to go. He ended the season with a record 824-point margin in the final standings.
In the Nextel Cup series, Harvick, along with teammate Jeff Burton, scored the first berths for Richard Childress Racing in the Chase for the Cup. Harvick would have 3 wins, 11 top-5's and 14 top-10s going into the chase.
After a dominant win at New Hampshire, Harvick would have a substandard Chase run. He fell to sixth place in the point standings until he finished third at Texas. Following that was another dominating performance in the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 12. Harvick would win that race, moving him up to third in points. At the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Harvick would finish fifth in the race and slip to fourth in the final standings to eventual 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.
2007: Daytona 500 win[edit]
Harvick opened the 2007 Sprint Cup series with a dramatic final lap pass in the Daytona 500, beating Mark Martin by .020 seconds in a green-white-checkered finish, the closest margin at the 500 since electronic scoring started in 1993. He would become only the fourth NASCAR driver to sweep both the Nationwide and Cup races in the opening weekend at Daytona. With the win, Harvick also became the sixth of eight drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400, following Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett, Bill Elliott, Jimmie Johnson, and preceding Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman.[12][13] Harvick would be quiet for the remainder of the season, his only other win coming in the Sprint All-Star Race and finishing 10th in points.
In 2007, Harvick started the Nationwide Series season by winning the Orbitz 300 at Daytona, claiming his first win in a restrictor-plate race, as well as the first win for new sponsor AutoZone in NASCAR's Nationwide Series. He also won at New Hampshire International Speedway, winning the Camping World 200 presented by RVs.com. He also ended up unexpectedly winning the inaugural race at Montreal in August, the NAPA Auto Parts 200, after with two laps to go, leader Robby Gordon was black-flagged for intentionally causing a crash involving rookie Marcos Ambrose. The win was considered a bit of an upset as many expected the road course ringers to dominate and Harvick had started 43rd in the race due to a driver change.[14]
2008: Second winless season[edit]
Harvick went winless in 2008, but he was still able to post a fourth-place ranking in the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup. The fourth-place finish in the 2008 standings tied 2006 for his highest points position at the end of the season. Harvick also went the entire season without a single DNF for the second straight year. In the Nationwide Series, he ran twenty-two races for his team with sponsorship from Camping World, Rheem, and RoadLoans. He did not win a race in this series either. His lone win came in a Truck race at Phoenix.
2009: Third winless season[
Raquel Gibson #2
Raquel Gibson theme by darknight27
Download: RaquelGibson_2.p3t
(9 backgrounds)
Redirect to:
- To a section: This is a redirect from a topic that does not have its own page to a section of a page on the subject. For redirects to embedded anchors on a page, use {{R to anchor}} instead.
Ferrari #3
Ferrari theme by stu2b
Download: Ferrari_3.p3t
(5 backgrounds)
 | |
.jpg) Headquarters in Maranello, Italy | |
| Company type | Public (S.p.A.) |
|---|---|
| ISIN | NL0011585146  |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 13 September 1939 in Modena, Italy (as Auto Avio Costruzioni)[1] |
| Founder | Enzo Ferrari |
| Headquarters |
44°31′57″N 10°51′51″E / 44.532447°N 10.864137°E |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products | Sports cars, luxury cars |
Production output |  13,663 units shipped (2023)[3] |
| Revenue | €5.970 billion (2023)[3] |
| €1.617 billion (2023)[3] | |
| € 1.257 billion (2023)[3] | |
| Total assets | € 8.05 billion (2023)[3] |
| Total equity | € 3.07 billion (2023)[3] |
| Owners | |
Number of employees | 4,988 (2023)[3] |
| Divisions | Scuderia Ferrari |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references [3] [4][5] | |
Ferrari S.p.A. (/fəˈrɑːri/; Italian: [ferˈraːri]) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and began to produce its current line of road cars in 1947. Ferrari became a public company in 1960, and from 1963 to 2014 it was a subsidiary of Fiat S.p.A. It was spun off from Fiat's successor entity, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, in 2016. In 2024, the Wall Street Journal described the company as having been "synonymous with opulence, meticulous craftsmanship and ridiculously fast cars for nearly a century".[6]
The company currently offers a large model range which includes several supercars, grand tourers, and one SUV. Many early Ferraris, dating to the 1950s and 1960s, count among the most expensive cars ever sold at auction. Owing to a combination of its cars, enthusiast culture, and successful licensing deals, in 2019 Ferrari was labelled the world's strongest brand by the financial consultancy Brand Finance.[7] As of May 2023, Ferrari is also one of the largest car manufacturers by market capitalisation, with a value of approximately US$52 billion.[8]
Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its continued participation in racing, especially in Formula One, where its team, Scuderia Ferrari, is the series' single oldest and most successful. Scuderia Ferrari has raced since 1929, first in Grand Prix events and later in Formula One, where since 1952 it has fielded fifteen champion drivers, won sixteen Constructors' Championships, and accumulated more race victories, 1–2 finishes, podiums, pole positions, fastest laps and points than any other team in F1 history.[9][10] Historically, Ferrari was also highly active in sports car racing, where its cars took many wins in races such as the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as several overall victories in the World Sportscar Championship. Scuderia Ferrari fans, commonly called tifosi, are known for their passion and loyalty to the team.
History[edit]
Early history[edit]
Enzo Ferrari, formerly a salesman and racing driver for Alfa Romeo, founded Scuderia Ferrari, a racing team, in 1929. Originally intended to service gentleman drivers and other amateur racers, Alfa Romeo's withdrawal from racing in 1933, combined with Enzo's connections within the company, turned Scuderia Ferrari into its unofficial representative on the track.[11] Alfa Romeo supplied racing cars to Ferrari, who eventually amassed some of the best drivers of the 1930s and won many races before the team's liquidation in 1937.[11][12]: 43
Late in 1937, Scuderia Ferrari was liquidated and absorbed into Alfa Romeo,[11] but Enzo's disagreements with upper management caused him to leave in 1939. He used his settlement to found his own company, where he intended to produce his own cars. He called the company "Auto Avio Costruzioni", and headquartered it in the facilities of the old Scuderia Ferrari;[1] due to a noncompete agreement with Alfa Romeo, the company could not use the Ferrari name for another four years. The company produced a single car, the Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, which participated in only one race before the outbreak of World War II. During the war, Enzo's company produced aircraft engines and machine tools for the Italian military; the contracts for these goods were lucrative, and provided the new company with a great deal of capital. In 1943, under threat of Allied bombing raids, the company's factory was moved to Maranello. Though the new facility was nonetheless bombed twice, Ferrari remains in Maranello to this day.[1][12]: 45–47 [13]
Under Enzo Ferrari[edit]
In 1945, Ferrari adopted its current name. Work started promptly on a new V12 engine that would power the 125 S, which was the marque's first car, and many subsequent Ferraris. The company saw success in motorsport almost as soon as it began racing: the 125 S won many races in 1947,[16][17] and several early victories, including the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans and 1951 Carrera Panamericana, helped build Ferrari's reputation as a high-quality automaker.[18][19] Ferrari won several more races in the coming years,[9][20] and early in the 1950s its road cars were already a favourite of the international elite.[21] Ferrari produced many families of interrelated cars, including the America, Monza, and 250 series, and the company's first series-produced car was the 250 GT Coupé, beginning in 1958.[22]
In 1960, Ferrari was reorganized as a public company. It soon began searching for a business partner to handle its manufacturing operations: it first approached Ford in 1963, though negotiations fell through; later talks with Fiat, who bought 50% of Ferrari's shares in 1969, were more successful.[23][24] In the second half of the decade, Ferrari also produced two cars that upended its more traditional models: the 1967 Dino 206 GT, which was its first mass-produced mid-engined road car,[a] and the 1968 365 GTB/4, which possessed streamlined styling that modernised Ferrari's design language.[27][28] The Dino in particular was a decisive movement away from the company's conservative engineering approach, where every road-going Ferrari featured a V12 engine placed in the front of the car, and it presaged Ferrari's full embrace of mid-engine architecture, as well as V6 and V8 engines, in the 1970s and 1980s.[27]
Contemporary[edit]
Enzo Ferrari died in 1988, an event that saw Fiat expand its stake to 90%.[29] The last car that he personally approved—the F40—expanded on the flagship supercar approach first tried by the 288 GTO four years earlier.[30] Enzo was replaced in 1991 by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, under whose 23-year-long chairmanship the company greatly expanded. Between 1991 and 2014, he increased the profitability of Ferrari's road cars nearly tenfold, both by increasing the range of cars offered and through limiting the total number produced. Montezemolo's chairmanship also saw an expansion in licensing deals, a drastic improvement in Ferrari's Formula One performance (not least through the hiring of Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt), and the production of three more flagship cars: the F50, the Enzo, and the LaFerrari. In addition to his leadership of Ferrari, Montezemolo was also the chairman of Fiat proper between 2004 and 2010.[31]
After Montezemolo resigned, he was replaced in quick succession by many new chairmen and CEOs. He was succeeded first by Sergio Marchionne,[31] who would oversee Ferrari's initial public offering and subsequent spin-off from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles,[32][33] and then by Louis Camilleri as CEO and John Elkann as chairman.[34] Beginning in 2021, Camilleri was replaced as CEO by Benedetto Vigna, who has announced plans to develop Ferrari's first fully electric model.[35] During this period, Ferrari has expanded its production, owing to a global increase in wealth, while becoming more selective with its licensing deals.[36][37]
Motorsport[edit]
Since the company's beginnings, Ferrari has been involved in motorsport. Through its works team, Scuderia Ferrari, it has competed in a range of categories including Formula One and sports car racing, though the company has also worked in partnership with other teams.
Grand Prix and Formula One racing[edit]
The earliest Ferrari entity, Scuderia Ferrari, was created in 1929—ten years before the founding of Ferrari proper—as a Grand Prix racing team. It was affiliated with automaker Alfa Romeo, for whom Enzo had worked in the 1920s. Alfa Romeo supplied racing cars to Ferrari, which the team then tuned and adjusted to their desired specifications. Scuderia Ferrari was highly successful in the 1930s: between 1929 and 1937 the team fielded such top drivers as Antonio Ascari, Giuseppe Campari, and Tazio Nuvolari, and won 144 out of its 225 races.[12][11]
Ferrari returned to Grand Prix racing in 1947, which was at that point metamorphosing into modern-day Formula One. The team's first homebuilt Grand Prix car, the 125 F1, was first raced at the 1948 Italian Grand Prix, where its encouraging performance convinced Enzo to continue the company's costly Grand Prix racing programme.[38]: 9 Ferrari's first victory in an F1 series was at the 1951 British Grand Prix, heralding its strong performance during the 1950s and early 1960s: between 1952 and 1964, the team took home six World Drivers' Championships and one Constructors' Championship. Notable Ferrari drivers from this era include Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill, and John Surtees.[9]
Ferrari's initial fortunes ran dry after 1964, and its began to receive its titles in isolated sprees.[10] Ferrari first started to slip in the late 1960s, when it was outclassed by teams using the inexpensive, well-engineered Cosworth DFV engine.[39][40] The team's performance improved markedly in the mid-1970s thanks to Niki Lauda, whose skill behind the wheel granted Ferrari a drivers' title in 1975 and 1977; similar success was accomplished in following years by the likes of Jody Scheckter and Gilles Villeneuve.[10][41] The team also won the Constructors' Championship in 1982 and 1983.[9][42]
Following another drought in the 1980s and 1990s, Ferrari saw a long winning streak in the 2000s, largely through the work of Michael Schumacher. After signing onto the team in 1996, Schumacher gave Ferrari five consecutive drivers' titles between 2000 and 2004; this was accompanied by six consecutive constructors' titles, beginning in 1999. Ferrari was especially dominant in the 2004 season, where it lost only three races.[9] After Schumacher's departure, Ferrari won one more drivers' title—given in 2007 to Kimi Räikkönen—and two constructors' titles in 2007 and 2008. These are the team's most recent titles to date; as of late, Ferrari has struggled to outdo recently ascendant teams such as Red Bull and Mercedes-Benz.[9][10]
Ferrari Driver Academy[edit]
Ferrari's junior driver programme is the Ferrari Driver Academy. Begun in 2009, the initiative follows the team's successful grooming of Felipe Massa between 2003 and 2006. Drivers who are accepted into the Academy learn the rules and history of formula racing as they compete, with Ferrari's support, in feeder classes such as Formula Three and Formula 4.[43][44][45] As of 2019, 5 out of 18 programme inductees had graduated and become F1 drivers: one of these drivers, Charles Leclerc, came to race for Scuderia Ferrari, while the other four signed to other teams. Non-graduate drivers have participated in racing development, filled consultant roles, or left the Academy to continue racing in lower-tier formulae.[45]
Sports car racing[edit]
Aside from an abortive effort in 1940, Ferrari began racing sports cars in 1947, when the 125 S won six out of the ten races it participated in. [16] Ferrari continued to see similar luck in the years to follow: by 1957, just ten years after beginning to compete, Ferrari had won three World Sportscar Championships, seven victories in the Mille Miglia, and two victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, among many other races[20] These races were ideal environments for the development and promotion of Ferrari's earlier road cars, which were broadly similar to their racing counterparts.[46]
This luck continued into the first half of the 1960s, when Ferrari won the WSC's 2000GT class three consecutive times and finished first at Le Mans for six consecutive years.[47][48] Its winning streak at Le Mans was broken by Ford in 1966,[48] and though Ferrari would win two more WSC titles—one in 1967 and another in 1972[49][50]—poor revenue allocation, combined with languishing performance in Formula One, led the company to cease competing in sports car events in 1973.[24]: 621 From that point onward, Ferrari would help prepare sports racing cars for privateer teams, but would not race them itself.[51]
.jpg)
In 2023, Ferrari reentered sports car racing. For the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship, Ferrari, in partnership with AF Corse, fielded two 499P sports prototypes. To commemorate the company's return to the discipline, one of the cars was numbered "50", referencing the fifty years that had elapsed since a works Ferrari competed in an endurance race.[52][53] The 499P finished first at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans, ending Toyota Gazoo Racing's six-year winning streak there and becoming the first Ferrari in 58 years to win the race.[54]At the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ferrari achieved its eleventh victory, second consecutive at Le Mans since 1965 with the No. 50 499P driven by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen. While the Ferrari No. 51 499P driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, a
Silent Hill 5
Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley theme by Juan Cabot
Download: KeiraKnightley.p3t
(1 background)
Keira Knightley | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Knightley in 2011 | |
| Born | Keira Christina Knightley 26 March 1985 |
| Other names | Keira Christina Righton[1] |
| Education | |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, activist, model, singer, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
|
| Awards | Full list |
Keira Christina Knightley OBE (/ˈkɪərə ˈnaɪtli/; born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, and a Laurence Olivier Award. In 2018, she was appointed an OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to drama and charity.[2]
Born in London to actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald, Knightley obtained an agent at age six and initially worked in commercials and television films. Following a minor role as Sabé in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), her breakthrough came when she played a tomboy footballer in Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and co-starred in Love Actually (2003). She went on to achieve global recognition for playing Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2003–2007, 2017).
For her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice (2005), Knightley was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She starred in several more period films over the next few years, including Atonement (2007), The Duchess (2008), A Dangerous Method (2011), and Anna Karenina (2012). She then forayed into contemporary pieces, with headline parts in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012), Begin Again (2013), and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). Knightley returned to historical films playing Joan Clarke in The Imitation Game (2014), earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later starred as the title character in Colette (2018) and journalist Loretta McLaughlin in Boston Strangler (2023).
On stage, Knightley has appeared in two West End productions: The Misanthrope in 2009, which earned her an Olivier Award nomination, and The Children's Hour in 2011. She also starred as the titular heroine in the 2015 Broadway production of Thérèse Raquin. Knightley is known for her outspoken stance on social issues and has worked extensively with Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Comic Relief. She is married to musician James Righton, with whom she has two daughters.
Early life and education[edit]
Keira Christina Knightley was born on 26 March 1985 in the London suburb of Teddington, to stage actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald.[3] She was meant to be named "Kiera", the anglicised form of "Kira", after the Soviet figure skater Kira Ivanova, whom her father admired; however, Macdonald misspelt the name when she registered her daughter's birth certificate, writing the e before the i.[4] Her father is English and her mother is of Scottish and Welsh descent.[5] Knightley has an older brother, Caleb.[6] Macdonald worked as a playwright after her acting career came to an end. Knightley's parents encountered substantial financial difficulties following the birth of her brother;[7] her father, a "middling" actor, agreed to a second child only if her mother sold a script first. However, her parents' varying degrees of success did not deter Knightley's curiosity about the profession.[8] Macdonald introduced her own children to theatre and ballet very early.[9] This inspired Knightley's interest in acting.[10]
Knightley attended Teddington School.[11] She was diagnosed with dyslexia at age six, but by the time she was eleven, with her parents' support, she says, "they deemed me to have got over it sufficiently". She is still a slow reader and cannot read out loud.[12] Knightley has said she was "single-minded about acting".[13] At age three, she requested to obtain an agent like her parents and secured one at six. This led to her taking a number of small parts in television dramas.[14] She acted in a number of local amateur productions, which included After Juliet, written by her mother, and United States, written by her drama teacher. Knightley began studying her A-Levels at Esher College, but left after a year to pursue an acting career.[15] Her mother's friends encouraged her to go to drama school, which she declined for financial and professional reasons.[16]
Career[edit]
1993–2002: Career beginnings and breakthrough[edit]
.jpg)
After obtaining an agent at age six, Knightley began working in commercials and small television roles. Her first onscreen appearance was in the 1993 Screen One television episode titled "Royal Celebration". She then played Natasha Jordan, a young girl whose mother is involved in an extramarital affair, in the romantic drama A Village Affair (1995). After appearing in a spate of television films through the mid-to-late 1990s, including Innocent Lies (1995), The Treasure Seekers (1996), Coming Home (1998), and Oliver Twist (1999),[17] Knightley landed the role of Sabé, Padmé Amidala's handmaiden and decoy, in the 1999 science fiction blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Her dialogue was dubbed over by Natalie Portman, who played Padmé. Knightley was cast in the role because of her close resemblance to Portman; even the two actresses' mothers had difficulty telling their daughters apart when they were in full make-up.[18]
In her first major role, the 2001 Walt Disney Productions television film Princess of Thieves, Knightley played the daughter of Robin Hood. In preparation for the part, she trained for several weeks in archery, fencing, and riding.[19] Concurrently, she appeared in The Hole, a thriller that received a direct-to-video release in the US. The film's director Nick Hamm described her as "a young version of Julie Christie".[20] Knightley also took on the role of Lara Antipova in the 2002 miniseries adaptation of Doctor Zhivago, to positive reviews and high ratings.[21] In the same year, Knightley starred as a pregnant drug addict in Gillies MacKinnon's drama film Pure. Co-starring Molly Parker and Harry Eden, the film had its world premiere at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival.[22] In a retrospect review for AboutFilm.com, Carlo Cavagna noted Knightley's screen presence and wrote that "[although Knightley] doesn't have half of Parker's ability [...] she has spunk and grit [and] shines brightly in Pure".[23]
Knightley landed a breakthrough role when she starred in Gurinder Chadha's sports comedy film Bend It Like Beckham, which was a box office hit in the U.K and U.S.[24] Knightley portrayed Jules, a tomboy football player struggling against social norms who convinces her friend to pursue the sport.[25] The film surprised critics who were laudatory of its "charming" and "inspiring" nature, social context and the cast's performances.[26] Knightley and her co-star Parminder Nagra attracted international attention for their performances;[27] critic James Berardinelli, who was largely laudatory of the film and the "energetic and likable" cast, noted that Knightley and Nagra brought "a lot of spirit to their instantly likable characters".[28] To prepare for their roles, they underwent three months of extensive football training under the English football coach Simon Clifford. Knightley was initially sceptical of the project: in an interview with Tracy Smith she said, "I remember telling friends I was doing this girls' soccer movie [...] And nobody thought that it was gonna be any good."[29]
2003–2007: Pirates of the Caribbean and worldwide recognition[edit]
Knightley portrayed the role of Elizabeth Swann, in the 2003 American fantasy swashbuckler film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.[30] The film, based on the Disney theme park attraction, revolves around infamous buccaneer Jack Sparrow and blacksmith Will Turner rescuing Swann, in possession of a cursed golden medallion, from 18th-century pirates.[31] The producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski cast Knightley for her "indescribable quality [...] reminiscent of motion picture stars from Hollywood's heyday."[32] Knightley underestimated the stunt work required and believed she would primarily be sitting in carriages; at one point during filming, she stood for two days on a plank and rejected a stunt double's offer to jump off the platform for the scene.[32][33] Despite boasting the names of stars like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom and a $135 million budget, Pirates was expected to fail at the box office.[34] Knightley herself was not optimistic about its prospects.[35] The film opened at number one on the box office, and became one of the highest-grossing releases of the year, with worldwide revenues of $654 million.[36] Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times likened Knightley's "strident and confident" physical assurance to that of Nicole Kidman, while Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club branded her and Bloom as appealing leads.[37][38]
Also in 2003, Knightley appeared in Richard Curtis's Christmas-themed romantic comedy Love Actually, featuring an ensemble cast, which included her childhood idol Emma Thompson.[39][40] Knightley played Juliet, a woman whose fiancée's best man is secretly in love with her.[41] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticised the waste of Knightley's talent in a "nothing" role,[42] while Megan Conner of The Guardian remarked that the film turned Knightley into a household name.[16] Love Actually has been referred to as a modern-day Christmas classic.[43] Knightley believes the film's trajectory to be "extraordinary", given that its popularity resurfaced a few years after the film's release.[44] Knightley's only release of 2004 was the historical film King Arthur, where she played Guinevere, a warrior queen and the wife of the titular character.[45] The part required her to learn boxing, archery, and riding.[39][46] The critic A. O. Scott praised Knightley for "throw[ing] herself bodily into every scene".[47] Although the film received unfavourable reviews, Knightley's stature as a performer grew; she was voted by the readers of Hello magazine as the industry's most promising teen star,[48] and featured in Time magazine's article, which stated that she seemed dedicated to develop herself as a serious actor rather than a film star.[49]
.jpg)
Knightley appeared in three films in 2005, the first of which was the psychological thriller The Jacket, co-starring Adrien Brody.[50] In a mixed review for Empire, Kim Newman wrote that the role was unlike the ones she had previously taken up : "getting out of period gear and talking American, tries to broaden her range and is arguably well-cast".[51] Knightley next played the titular character in Tony Scott's French-American action film Domino, based on the life of Domino Harvey. The film's release was delayed on several occasions and, on its eventual release in November, it received negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office.[52]
Knightley's most successful release of the year was Pride & Prejudice, a period drama based on Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice.[53] The director Joe Wright cast Knightley for her tomboyish nature combined with a "lively mind" and sense of humour.[54] Knightley, who had admired the book from a young age,[55] said of her character, "The beauty of Elizabeth is that every woman who ever reads the book seems to recognise herself, with all her faults and imperfections."[55] On release, the film became a huge commercial success, with total collections of around US$120 million worldwide, and received positive reviews from critics.[56] Writing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw labelled her performance of "beauty, delicacy, spirit and wit; in her growing lustre and confidence" and Derek Elley of Variety found her "luminous strength" to be reminiscent of a young Audrey Hepburn.[57][58] Knightley earned "Best Actress in a Leading Role" nominations at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards for her performance at age 20, becoming the third-youngest nominee for the latter.[59] Knightley's consecutive successes came with increased media scrutiny, and she later admitted to experiencing struggles with her mental health during this period.[60]
Knightley was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, among other artists in 2006.[61] In 2004, the second and third films of the Pirates of the Caribbean series were conceived, with screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio developing a story arc that would span both sequels, in which Knightley reprised her role as Elizabeth Swann. The plot of the films see Swann buck convention to seek adventure and become fierce pirate and fighter to match the skills of Sparrow and her love interest, Turner.[62] The sequel installments allowed Knightley to study sword-fighting, which she had sought to do since the first film.[32] Filming for the projects took place in 2005; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest released in July 2006, with the worldwide collections of $1.066 billion, becoming the biggest financial hit of Knightley's career.[63] The third installment in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, was released in May, the following year.[64] A. O Scott termed her performance "a vision of imperial British pluckiness, with an intriguing dash of romantic recklessness that surfaces toward the end".[65] On November 2006, it was reported that Knightley didn't want to participate in any further sequels.[66] By 2010, both Knightley and Orlando Bloom had repeatedly been quoted in saying they wanted to move on.[67][68][69]
Knightley's continued association with period dramas yielded varying results, as seen with two of her 2007 releases, François Girard's Silk, and Joe Wright's Atonement, the feature film adaptations of the novels by Alessandro Baricco and Ian McEwan respectively.[70] The former project failed at the box office, while the latter became a critical and commercial success. Knightley played Cecilia Tallis, the elder of the two Tallis sisters, who struggles with a wartime romance with her love interest, played by James McAvoy.[71] She admitted that the pacing on the smaller, more intimate film was an adjustment compared to the Pirates franchise.[72] In preparing for the film, Knightley studied the novel as well as the "naturalism" of the performance as seen in films from the 1930s and 1940s, such as In Which We Serve (1942) and Brief Encounter (1945).[73][72] She admired the multi-layered and "fascinating" nature of her character's behaviour.[74] Knightley's performance won the Empire Award for Best Actress,[75] and earned her nominations for the BAFTA and the Golden Globes awards, also in the leading actress categories.[76] The critic Richard Roeper, who thought the lead duo were "superb" in their respective roles, was puzzled by their failure to receive Academy Award nominations.[77] The green dress worn by Knightley during the film's climactic scene garnered substantive press attention, and was subsequently regarded as one of the greatest costumes in film history.[78][79][80]
2008–2013: Independent films and stage work[edit]
Knightley appeared alongside Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, and Matthew Rhys in John Maybury's 2008 wartime drama The Edge of Love. The film had her play the role of Vera Phillips, a childhood friend of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his wife Caitlin Macnamara. Knightley wrote the script with her mother, Sharman Macdonald, with Macnamara in mind.[81] After Knightley signed on, her character's role was increased with the film focusing on her romance with a British soldier.[81] Knightley connected to Vera's quietness, and described her as "tragic and beautiful".[81] She based her performance on Marlene Dietrich, and was to mime to her prerecorded voice, before being told by Maybury to sing live. Knightley initially felt embarrassed to do so, saying she "[shook] like a leaf" but eventually went through with the plan.[81] Upon release, the film became a moderate critical and commercial success.[82] Knightley's performance and singing abilities were praised;The Independent noted that Knightley "gives Vera an independence and complexity that's aeons ahead", while the Los Angeles Times wrote "the film belongs to the women, with Knightley going from strength to strength (and showing she can sing!)".[83]
Knightley then starred as the 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire in Saul Dibb's period drama The Duchess (2008), based on the best-selling biographical novel, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman.[84] The film tells the story of Georgiana's rise in society as a sociopolitical tastemaker after her marriage disintegrates.[85] The script Knightley was sent was covered in "huge white ostrich feathers" and a gold ribbon.[86] Gabrielle Tana, the film's producer, stated Knightley "brought an instinctive understanding" of such aspects of Georgiana's life as a celebrity from her own experiences.[87] Knightley was attracted to her character's strength and status as a political influence and fashion prowess, while being inwardly vulnerable and isolated.[86] Simon Crooke of Empire described her performance as "an enigmatic, free-spirited turn and a role she'll be remembered for, probably her best role to date in a film not directed by Joe Wright."[88] The following year, she was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Best Actress.[89] A film adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear set to star Knightley and Anthony Hopkins was cancelled due to recession.[90]
Knightley made her West End debut with Martin Crimp's version of Molière's comedy The Misanthrope. Starring Knightley, Damian Lewis, Tara Fitzgerald, and Dominic Rowan, the play was staged at the Comedy Theatre in December 2009. She portrayed Jennifer, a shallow, amorous, and vulnerable American film star who is courted by an analytical and veracious playwright.[91] Knightley chose the role as she felt that "if I don't do theatre right now, I think I'm going to start being too terrified to do it" and described the production as an "extraordinary and incredibly fulfilling" experience, she was sceptical of her performance.[92] Paul Taylor of The Independent remarked that Knightley was "not only strikingly convincing, but, at times, rather thrilling in its satiric aplomb".[93] However, The Guardian's Michael Billington noted that due to the nature of the role, "one could say that she is not unduly stretched".[94] In recognition of her theatre debut, Knightley was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and an Evening Standard Award.[95]
Knightley began the new decade with three films; she remarked that her work during this period helped her "empathise with people or with situations that I don't necessarily find it easy to empathise with".[96] Two of the productions, Massy Tadjedin's romantic drama Last Night and Will
Super Cars
Super Cars theme by Deftone
Download: SuperCars.p3t
(8 backgrounds)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2023) |
| Super Cars | |
|---|---|
 Title screen | |
| Developer(s) | Magnetic Fields |
| Publisher(s) | Gremlin Graphics Electro Brain (NES version) |
| Composer(s) | NES version Barry Leitch |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, NES, ZX Spectrum |
| Release | 1990 NA: 1991 (NES) |
| Genre(s) | Sport |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Super Cars is a top-view racing game from Gremlin Interactive, who later produced the Lotus series of games. Stylistically, the game is influenced by Super Sprint.[1]
There are endless tracks at each of the 4 difficulty levels, which can be raced in any order (although the last track raced is made harder than usual). In the races the player wins money, which can be spent on temporary handling and power upgrades, plus armour plating and front/rear shooting missiles that can knock out other racers. The player must finish in the top 3 of each race to progress - initially there are 4 computer opponents, but more are added as the game progresses.
The car can be upgraded throughout the game via the shop section. The player is given an initial price, but also a number of options of things to say to the salesman - with the right combination, the price will drop.
The NES version was released exclusively in America in 1991 by Electro Brain.
It was followed by Super Cars II in 1991.
Cars[edit]
Three cars are available for purchase during the game, the Taraco Neoroder Turbo, the Vaug Interceptor Turbo and the Retron Parsec Turbo. Each appears to be based on a real car of the time with the Retron Parsec Turbo being based on the Cizeta-Moroder V16T, the Vaug Interceptor based on the Honda NSX and the Taraco Neoroder based on the Alfa Romeo SZ (Sprint Zagato) but with some slight changes. This is in slight contrast to the box art, where the blue "starter" car (Taraco) instead more closely resembles a contemporary European Ford Fiesta or Escort Cosworth convertible. The Retron is also portrayed differently on the box art, where it is a Lamborghini Countach instead of a Cizeta.
External links[edit]
- Super Cars at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
- Super Cars at MobyGames
References[edit]
- ^ "Super Cars (Game)". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
Chelsea FC
Chelsea FC theme by DeftoneUk
Download: ChelseaFC.p3t
(8 backgrounds)
Redirect to:
This page is a redirect. The following categories are used to track and monitor this redirect:
|
Blackburn Rovers FC
Blackburn Rovers FC theme by DeftoneUk
Download: BlackburnRoversFC.p3t
(6 backgrounds)
Redirect to:
- From a modification: This is a redirect from a modification of the target's title or a closely related title. For example, the words may be rearranged.
- Please note that there are many more specific templates. Please use {{R from alternative spelling}}, {{R from alternative hyphenation}}, {{R from alternative punctuation}}, {{R from alternative spacing}} and {{R from misquotation}} where relevant; see subcategories of Category:Redirects from modifications for other options (capitals, abbreviations, diacritics, plurals, stylizations, transliteration, ligatures, different parts of speech, etc.). If you are unsure which to use, this template is fine; someone will make it more specific later if necessary.
- In cases of modification from distinctly longer or shorter names, please use {{R from long name}} or {{R from short name}}, respectively. An abbreviation should be tagged with {{R from initialism}} or, if it can be spoken like a word such as NASA and RADAR, use {{R from acronym}}.
- Use this rcat instead of {{R from other capitalisation}} and {{R from plural}} in namespaces other than mainspace for those types of modification. This may also apply to several other subcategories of modification; please check those templates' output before saving if using outside of mainspace.