Javier Bardem

This Spanish-born actor can seemingly do any role perfectly

Birth Name: Javier Angel Encinas Bardem

DOB: 3/1/1969

Where: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Trademark

-His deep voice

Trivia

-He brought his mother Pilar to the Oscars and dedicated his Oscar, which he won for the film No Country for Old Men, to her

-He married actress Penelope Cruz in a private ceremony at a friend's house with just family present

-His original interest was in painting. He studied at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios in Madrid. When he decided he would never be a talented painter, he worked a number of odd jobs, including bouncer, writer, construction worker and even a stripper

-He and Penelope Cruz became a couple while working on the 2008 film Vicky Christina Barcelona

-He is sometimes confused for actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan because they both so closely resemble each other

Filmography

Numbered Days (1994)

-Lisardo

Ecstasy (1996)

-Rober

Second Skin (1999)

-Diego

The Dancer Upstairs (2002)

-Rejas

Collateral (2004)

Felix

Goya's Ghosts (2006)

-Lorenzo

No Country for Old Men (2007)

-Anton Chigurh

Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)

-Florentino Ariza

Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)

-Juan Antonio

Eat Pray Love (2010)

-Felipe

Skyfall (2012)

-Silva

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

-Captain Salazar

Thy Kingdom Come (2018)

-Father Quintana

Dune: Part One (2021)

-Stilgar

Being the Ricardos (2021)

-Desi Arnaz

The Little Mermaid (2023)

-King Triton

Dune: Part Two (2024)

-Stilgar

F1: The Movie (2025)

-Ruben Cervantes

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

This is the sequel to the highly successful film

Summary

-Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) learns more about her mother's past while in the process of opening the Hotel Bella Donna

Cast

-Amanda Seyfried: Sophie

-Andy Garcia: Fernando Cienfuegos

-Celie Imrie: Vice Chancellor

-Lily James: Young Donna

-Alexa Davies: Young Rosie

-Jessica Keenan Wynn: Young Tanya

-Dominic Cooper: Sky

-Julie Walters: Rosie

-Christine Baranski: Tanya

-Pierce Brosnan: Sam Carmichael

-Omid Djalili: Greek Official

-Colin Firth: Harry Bright

-Stellan Skarsgard: Bill Anderson

-Cher: Ruby Sheridan

Did You Know?

-Cher chose Andy Garcia to play the role of Fernando over other selected actors

-During filming in November 2017, Dame Julie Walters was given a day off to attend Buckingham Palace for an investiture ceremony, where she would receive her Commander of the Order of the British Empire honor from Queen Elizabeth II. The cast and crew gathered together to welcome her back by singing "There is Nothing Like a Dame" from the musical South Pacific

-On the day she came home from the hospital, after giving birth to her daughter, Amanda Seyfried's agent informed her that this movie was successfully greenlit and would begin production. She thought it was a practical joke

-After appearing in this film, Cher released an entire album of ABBA covers called Dancing Queen

-Despite them playing mother and daughter, Cher is only three years older than Meryl Streep

-This is the film debut of Nina Sadoski, who is Amanda Seyfried's daughter

-Early in the film, when Sophie is addressing invitations to people for a party she is planning, one is to c/o Epstein Martin. This is a reference to The Beatles, specifically of the surnames of Beatles manager Brian Epstein and their record producer George Martin

-The movie does not state whether Sophie and Sky ever got married between the 2008 film Mamma Mia! and this film or whether they are partners for life. Since they are both not wearing wedding rings, it implies they are not husband and wife

-Out of all of the cast members, Cher is the oldest one, having been born on May 20, 1946. She is three years older than Meryl Streep, born June 22, 1949, who plays her daughter, and ten years older than Andy Garcia, who was born April 12, 1956, who plays a long lost love

-Sophie names the hotel Bella Donna. This term has two meanings. In Italian, it means "Beautiful Woman". It's also the name, in Latin, for deadly nightshade, one of the most dangerous plants in the Eastern Hemisphere that contains atropine and scopolamine

Mamma Mia (2008)

This popular film uses the music of Swedish band ABBA

Summary

-Donna is a hotel owner preparing for her daughter's wedding with help from two old friends. While bride to be Sophie invites three men from her mother's past to her wedding to determine which one is her biological father

Cast

-Amanda Seyfried: Sophie

-Stellan Skaarsgard: Bill Anderson

-Pierce Brosnan: Sam Carmichael

-Colin Firth: Harry Bright

-Meryl Streep: Donna

-Julie Walters: Rosie

-Christine Baranski: Tanya

-Ricardo Montez: Stavros

-Norma Atallah: Irini

-Dominic Cooper: Sky

Did You Know?

-Stellan Skarsgard said about this movie "It was absurd to ask me to be in a musical. I can't sing, I can't dance. And I saw it was also Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, and they can't sing and dance either, so I felt a little safer there."

-Meryl Streep saw the musical in October 2001 with her daugter Louisa. She wrote letters to the producers, praising them for bringing a bit of happiness and light into New York City after the recent 9/11 terrorist attacks

-On an episode of Inside the Actor's Studio, Colin Firth was asked the question "If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say when you arrive at the pearly gates?" He responded with "I personally thought you were very good in Mamma Mia"

-All of the cast members did their own singing

-Stellan Skarsgard explained why he flashed his bare backside. "We decided that I should be cooking on the boat. I thought I should have an apron on. The director (Phyllida Llody) did not know that I would be naked under there, and have those butt tattoos. So when the camera rolled, I turned around right in front of it. The cameraman jumped and screamed, while Phyllida keeled over laughing."

-The boat Bill Anderson captains features the flag of Sweden, the native country of both Stellan Skarsgard and ABBA

-Three of the members of ABBA are from Sweden, just like actor Stellan Skarsgard, who plays Bill Anderson. The other member of ABBA is Anni-Frida Lyngstad, who is Norwegian

-Initially Cher was offered a role in this film, to play Tanya Wilkinson. Because of commitments to concerts, she couldn't do it. She did appear in the 2018 sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, playing Ruby Sheridan

-Colin Firth poked fun at the James Bond series by saying "I'm Bright, Harry Bright" when he was standing next to Pierce Brosnan. Pierce had played the role of James Bond in at least four films of the series. Meanwhile Firth starred in his own series of spy films, Kingsman: The Secret Service in 2014 and Kingsman: The Golden Circle in 2017

-In the original musical on stage, Bill Austin was an Australian character. This was a tribute to ABBA's popularity in Australia. For this movie, Bill's last name was changed to Anderson, to make it Swedish, like Stellan Skarsgard, who plays that character and like the group ABBA

-Actor Bill Nighy was considered for one of the roles of the fathers

-Colin Firth (Harry Bright) actually used to play guitar in a band

-This was the first movie shot on the new 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios after a fire that happened when the 2006 film Casino Royale finished up. The stage was used for the song and dance numbers that could not be filmed in sunny Greece

-The song at the wedding scene, "Knowing Me, Knowing You" was considered inappropriate for a wedding because it's about divorce. "Knowing me, knowing you, there is nothing we can do. Knowing me, knowing you, we just have to face it this time we're through. Breaking up is never easy, I know but I have to go."

-In the film, using the real ages of the actors, when Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) was born, Donna Sheridan (Meryl Streep) was 36, Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgard) was 34, Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan) was 32 and Harry Bright (Colin Firth) was 25

-Donny Osmond was considered for the role of Sam Carmichael. This role went to Pierce Brosnan

-This film surpassed the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire as Pierce Brosnan's highest-grossing film in the world. But, domestically, Mrs. Doubtfire is still highly successful

April Birthdays

It's April! Time to say Happy Birthday!

Jet Li

-Birth Name: Li Lian Jie

-DOB: 4/26/1963

-Where: Beijing, China

-While filming 2000's Romeo Must Die, he sustained bruised ribs during the fight scenes with Anthony Anderson

Ritchie Blackmore

-Birth Name: Richard Hugh Blackmore

-DOB: 4/14/1945

-Where: Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England

-He has a younger brother named Paul

Jeremy Clarkson

-Birth Name: Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson

-DOB: 4/11/1960

-Where: Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England

-He is well known for his strongly reactionary, outspoken opinions

Eddie Murphy

-Birth Name: Edward Regan Murphy

-DOB: 4/3/1961

-Where: Brooklyn, New York

-He paid for the funeral for comedian Redd Foxx

Roddy Piper

-Birth Name: Roderick George Toombs

-DOB: 4/17/1954

-Where: Saskatoon, Canada

-DOD: 7/31/2015

-Where: Los Angeles, California

-He firmly believed that swearing was an ignorant man's weapon while smart men talked

Sebastian Bach

-DOB: 4/3/1968

-Where: Freeport, The Bahamas

-He stated in his biography that he was the only Caucasian child in a class of 40 black children

Federico Castellucio

-DOB: 4/29/1964

-Where: Naples, Campania, Italy

-Because of his role on The Sopranos, with his convincing Italian accent, people thought he was an Italian-born actor who spoke broken English. He had to meet with people in Hollywood to convince them he could do other accents, including his normal speaking voice speaking English

Al Pacino

-Birth Name: Alfredo James Pacino

-DOB: 4/25/1940

-Where: Manhattan, New York

-During the filming of 1972's The Godfather, Pacino was in constant fear of being fired

Frank Vincent

-Birth Name: Frank Vincent Gattuso

-DOB: 4/15/1937

-Where: North Adams, Massachusetts

-DOD: 9/13/2017

-Where: Nutley, New Jersey

-His father was an ironworker who worked atop the skyscrapers of New York

Queen Elizabeth II

-DOB: 4/21/1926

-Where: London, England

-DOD: 9/8/2022

-Where: Balmoral Castle, Aberdeen, Scotland

-She was known for doing great things for others and her inspirational, heartwarming holiday speeches

Carol Burnett

-Birth Name: Carol Creighton Burnett

-DOB: 4/26/1933

-Where: San Antonio, Texas

-She initially fired Harvey Korman from The Carol Burnett Show for being rude to the guests. After speaking with him, she hired him back and he was with the show until the end

47 Ronin (2013)

This movie is based on the actual story of the 47 Ronin

Summary

-A group of rogue samurai seek to avenge the death of their master, despite a ruthless shogun informing them not to seek vengeance

Cast

-Keanu Reeves: Kai

-Hiroyuki Sanada: Oishi

-Ko Shibasaki: Mika

-Tadanobu Asano: Lord Kira

-Min Tanaka: Lord Asano

-Jin Akanishi: Chikara

-Masayoshi Haneda: Yasuno

-Hiroshia Sogabe: Hazama

-Takato Yonemoto: Basho

-Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa: Shogun Tsunayoshi

Did You Know?

-The filming was done first in Japanese, because of the supporting cast, then done in English, according to Keanu Reeves

-Carl Rinsch, who directed the film, got into a fight with Universal over this film. They wanted a special effects fantasy film like 2009's Avatar or The Lord of the Rings. Rinsch wanted to make it more of a drama, such as 2000's Gladiator or 2005's Kingdom of Heaven

-This is the first Hollywood film adaptation of the story of the 47 Ronin. Other films have been made about this story, such as: 1941's The 47 Ronin, 1958's The Loyal 47 Ronin, 1962's Chushingura, 1978's The Fall of Ako Castle, 1994's 47 Ronin and 2010's The Last Ronin

-It was said that the character Kai, played by Keanu Reeves, was said to be modeled after Minamoto Yoshitsune, a 12th century warrior who was said to have been trained in martial arts by Tengu

-Initially Keanu Reeves was hesitant to do this film, as he felt his character Kai wouldn't feel integrated into the main plot of the film

-While most of the cast was Japanese and unknown to Western audiences, Hiroyuki Sanada is well known to Western audiences, because of the films he appeared in, which include: 2013's The Wolverine, the 2004 TV show Lost, 2019's Avengers: Endgame and 2007's Rush Hour 3 while Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is well known to Western audiences for appearances such as 2011's Hawaii Five-O, 2005's Memoirs of a Geisha, 2001's Pearl Harbor

-The witch in this film had two different colored eyes, a medical condition called heterochromia. Many Asian cultures refer to this condition as "cat's eyes", as it is a common condition in cats

-The witch was said to have been inspired by a bake-kitsune, which translates into "fox spirit", a type of yokai (spirit, monster, ghost) that can shapeshift into humans or other creatures

-This film is said to have almost nothing in common with the original story. Instead it was set in a world of witches and giants

-There were many critics who claimed this movie was "white washed" only because of Keanu Reeves appearing in it. In reality, Keanu Reeves is 1/4 Chinese-Hawaiian, as is his paternal grandmother while the rest of his ancestry is European. He does not have Japanese ancestry at all

Tootsie (1982)

This film was actually funnier than I initially thought

Summary

-Michael Dorsey is an out of work actor. The only way he can get work is to disguise himself as a woman to get work on a daytime hospital drama

Cast

-Dustin Hoffman: Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels

-Jessica Lange: Julie Nichols

-Teri Garr: Sandy Lester

-Dabney Coleman: Ron Carlisle

-Charles Durning: Les Nichols

-Bill Murray: Jeff Slater

-Sydney Pollack: George Fields

-Geena Davis: April Page

Did You Know?

-Initially, Dorothy Michaels did not speak with a Southern accent. While doing research, Dustin Hoffman felt his voice fall more closely into a female pitch while doing the accent

-Most of the dialogue from Bill Murray was improvised

-In a 2014 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Geena Davis told him that Tootsie was her very first movie and that she was young and inexperienced. Dustin Hoffman acted as a mentor to her. He gave her advice. One tip he said was "I know you're going to move to Hollywood and be successful, and your co-stars are going to hit on you, and you should not sleep with your co-stars. It's a bad idea. So here's what to say. When they hit on you, say 'I would love to', be very flattering, 'but I'm afraid it would ruin the (on-screen) sexual tension between us.'" Geena Davis used that on Jack Nicholson later when he hit on her and he was impressed, wanting to know where she had gotten that line

-When the crew had bad news to give Dustin Hoffman, they would only give it to him when he was dressed as Dorothy Michaels, because they said he was "much nicer as a woman"

-At her parents' evening at school, Dustin Hoffman passed himself off as his daughter's Aunt Dorothy. His performance was so perfect that no one suspected anything was out of the ordinary

-The clothing Dorothy Michaels wore almost always covered Dustin Hoffman's 16'' neck and Adam's apple

-The insane ways that Michael Dorsey gets fired or quits from a production were actual events that happened to Dustin Hoffman

-After playing the role of Dorothy Michaels for the first time, Dustin Hoffman went home and burst into tears, confessing to his wife that playing the role of a woman forced him to face his own sexist perceptions of women that he didn't even realize he had

-Director Sydney Pollack and Dustin Hoffman fought intensely over the littlest things that even Hoffman suggested Pollack playing his agent George Fields so they could use that energy in the film, and perhaps give Pollack a chance to vent

-The first time Michael Dorsey is waking up to play Dorothy Michaels, there is a photo of Dustin Hoffman's mother next to his alarm clock

-To do research for his role, Dustin Hoffman watched the 1978 film La Cauge aux Folles and the 1963 TV program General Hospital

-The breasts Dorothy were prosthetics that had came from a shop specializing in post-mastectomy care and cost $175 each

-Cher and Olivia Newton-John were considered for the role of Julie Nichols

-Sir Michael Caine, Dudley Moore and Peter Sellers were offered the role of Michael Dorsey

-When Michael Dorsey is auditioning for roles, he says he can do shorter. In real life, Dustin Hoffman is only 5'6''

-The film got its name from Dustin Hoffman's mother Lillian Hoffman, who gave her son Dustin the nickname "Tootsie" as a child

-Despite smoking indoors being a banned act today, at the time the film was released smoking was still permitted indoors where it is now banned

-Artist Andy Warhol appeared as himself and went uncredited

A Very British Christmas by Rob Temple

Just when you thought the laughing ended, now Rob Temple has done it again. He's come out with a how-to guide on surviving the holidays, referencing Christmas, Boxing Day and even New Year's Eve

Read this how-to guide on surviving the holidays with a dash of wit and humor to keep your sanity intact as you watch relatives turn a simple game of Monopoly in to the next world war, how relatives take over your kitchen and make their food like they are a chef with their own cooking show or even who sits next to who so as to avoid awkward questions or handling the Christmas shopping in such a way that either no one gets arrested by the police or no one gets a gift that they will later give away or re-gift to someone else

Very British Problems: The Most Awkward One Yet

This is another standalone book from Rob Temple, the same hilarious mind who brought Very British Problems to life

Have you ever found yourself in these types of situations? Broken out in hives at the suggestion that you 'introduce yourself' over Zoom? Been extra dramatic while rubbing in the shop's hand sanitiser, so everyone knows how thoroughly decent you are? If you answered yes, Rob Temple firmly believes you are suffering from Very British Problems

He takes the quirkier things in life and adds a dash of humor to it. Some of the things he mentions are quite relatable. You'll be laughing in no time

Britain According to Very British Problems by Rob Temple

This standalone book is from the same comedic genius who brought the world Very British Problems

Rob takes every region of Britain and describes them with loving and hysterical humor. This A-Z road map of Britain will have you laughing from beginning to end. He says Britain is a maze of unique and eccentric sights, even going as far as to describe The Shard in London as "The Eye of Sauron". He takes everything Britain is known for and adds a dash of humor in it, saying things to the effect of "Birmingham being known for Black Sabbath", "Platform 9 3/4-after a few hours waiting in a railway station, have your photo taken next to a brick wall"

Very British Problems Volume III by Rob Temple (3 of 3)

The third installment in the highly successful (and hilarious) Very British Problems series

Here Rob tackles random things that can turn in to full scale arguments and regards them with a dash of hysterical humor. He also references his Twitter account @soverybritish regarding random polls he's posted. Also, he now has a Facebook page called Very British Problems where the hilarious situations continue