22-February-2015 ~ Page No.

— INFO
TAINMENT —
INFOT
IMPHAL SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2015
Marilyn Monroe
contract came a new name and image;
she began calling herself "Marilyn
Monroe" and dyed her hair blonde.
But her acting career didn't really take
off until the 1950s. Her small part in
John Huston's crime drama The Asphalt Jungle (1950) garnered her a lot
of attention. That same year, she impressed audiences and critics alike
with her performance as Claudia
Caswell in All About Eve, starring
Bette Davis. She
would soon become
one of Hollywood's
TAR
most
,
about
Monroe's relationship with Sir Laurence Olivier in
1957's The Prince and the Showgirl.
She would soon become one of
Hollywood's most famous actresses;
though she wasn't initially considered
to be star acting material, she later
proved her skill by winning various
honors and attracting large audiences
to her films.
In 1953, Monroe made a star-making turn in Niagara, starring as a
young married woman out to kill her
husband with help from her lover. The
emerging sex symbol was paired with
S
Actress Marilyn Monroe overcame a difficult
childhood to become one of the world's
biggest and most enduring sex symbols. She
died of a drug overdose in 1962.
“Being a sex symbol is a heavy load to
carry, especially when one is tired, hurt
and bewildered.”
—Marilyn Monroe
Actress Marilyn Monroe was born
as Norma Jeane Mortensen on June
1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California.
During her all-too-brief life, Marilyn
Monroe overcame a difficult childhood to become one of the world's
biggest and most enduring sex symbols. During her career, Monroe's
films grossed more than $200 million. Monroe died of a drug overdose
on August 5, 1962, at only 36 years
old.
Early Life
Marilyn Monroe was born as
Norma Jeane Mortensen (later baptized as Norma Jeane Baker) on June
1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California.
During her all-too-brief life, Marilyn
Monroe overcame a difficult childhood to become one of the world's
biggest and most enduring sex symbols. She never knew her father, and
once thought Clark Gable to be her
father—a story repeated often enough
for a version of it to gain some currency. However, there's no evidence
that Gable ever met or knew
Monroe's mother, Gladys, who developed psychiatric problems and was
eventually placed in a mental institution. As an adult, Monroe would
maintain that one of her earliest
memories was of her mother trying to
smother her in her crib with a pillow.
Monroe had a half-sister, to whom
she was not close; they met only a
half-dozen times.
Growing up, Monroe spent much
of her time in foster care and in an
orphanage. In 1937, a family friend
and her husband, Grace and Doc
Goddard, took care of Monroe for a
few years. The Goddards were paid
$25 weekly by Monroe's mother to
raise her. The couple was deeply religious and followed fundamentalist
doctrines; among other prohibited activities, Monroe was not allowed to
go to the movies. But when Doc's job
was transferred in 1942 to the East
Coast, the couple could not afford to
bring Monroe with them.
At 7 years old, Monroe returned to
a life in foster homes, where she was
on several occasions sexually assaulted; she later said that she had
been raped when she was 11 years
old. But she had one way out—get
married. She wed her boyfriend
Jimmy Dougherty on June 19, 1942,
at the age of 16. By that time, Monroe
had dropped out of high school (age
15). A merchant marine, Dougherty
was later sent to the South Pacific.
Monroe went to work in a munitions
factory in Burbank, California, where
she was discovered by a photographer. By the time Dougherty returned
in 1946, Monroe had a successful
career as a model, and had changed
her name to Marilyn Monroe in
preparation for an acting career. She
dreamt of becoming an actress like
Jean Harlow and Lana Turner.
Famed Career
Monroe's marriage to Dougherty
fizzled out as she focused more on her
career. The couple divorced in 1946—
the same year that Monroe signed her
first movie contract. With the movie
Tim McGraw will sing
Glen Campbell’s song at
87th Academy Awards
Glen Campbell’s song ‘I’m Not Gonna Miss You’ has been nominated for the Best Original Song. However, the music icon is
suffering from Alzheimer's and it looks that he will not be able to
attend Oscars this Sunday because he is too sick.
Glen Campbell could win his first ever Academy Award if
this Sunday his song “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” wins the
Oscar for Best Original Song. However even if he wins he
will not be present to celebrate his first Academy award as he
is too sick with Alzheimer’s disease.
Campbell had written this song with producer Julian
Raymond and is from Campbell’s 2014 documentary “Glen
Campbell… I’ll Be Me” and has been written for his family.
The renowned singer and guitar player is in the final stages
of Alzheimer’s disease and that is why he cannot travel to the
ceremony. He lives in a Nashville Alzheimer’s care facility and
his wife and children will be travelling to Los Angeles to
attend in his place.
However in place of Glen Campbell at the Oscars it will
be the country star Tim McGraw that will sing Campbell’s
song. Tim McGraw rehearsed his own deeply emotional version of Campbell’s nominated song ‘I’m Not Gonna Miss
You’ on Friday Night and left everyone shocked with his
outstanding performance, according to USAToday.
McGraw on Friday wore all black with a large black
cowboy hat, a black shirt and black jeans. McGraw was so
deeply involved in the song that bystanders were seen wiping
tears from their eyes during the performance. McGraw sang
the song 4 times and told the producers that Campbell’s songs
are not easy to sing and are a cut above for everyone.
Glen Campbell’s daughter Ashley states that due to the
Alzheimer’s disease she cannot have a typical conversation
with her father but she is able to speak to him through music
and music is the only thing that connects them. She explained
in an interview that when you sit next to him and play a guitar
in front of him it really reaches him and that is why she tries
doing that as often as she can.
Campbell’s 28 year daughter said that it’s very hard to
watch her father suffer from the Alzheimer’s disease but she
has promised to carry on his legacy with her own music
career. She revealed that she will be signing a record deal and
will even record an album this year.
Campbell’s daughter also sings an original called ‘Remembering’ and a cover of ‘Home Again’ on the soundtrack from
the documentary about his life. Ashley will be attending the
Oscars with her mother and brothers. Moreover Campbell’s
song has recently even won the Grammy for the best country
song earlier this month which appears on the documentary’s
five song soundtrack. The other nominees included in the Best
Original Song Oscar category are ‘Everything is Awesome’
from ‘The Lego Movie’, ‘Grateful’ from ‘Beyond the Lights’,
‘Glory’ from ‘Selma’ and ‘Lost Stars’ from ‘Begin Again’.
The 87th annual Academy Awards are going to be held this
Sunday night, so do not miss out the action.
another bombshell, Jane Russell, for
the musical comedy Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes (1953). The film was a hit
and Monroe continued to find success
in a string of light comedic fare, such
as How to Marry a Millionaire with
Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall,
There's No Business like Show Business (1954) with Ethel Merman and
Donald O'Connor, and The Seven
Year Itch (1955).
"Being a sex symbol is a heavy
load to carry, especially when one is
tired, hurt and bewildered."
With her breathy voice and hourglass figure, Monroe became a
much-admired international star, despite her chronic insecurities regarding
her acting abilities. Monroe suffered
from pre-performance anxiety that
sometimes made her physically ill and
was often the root cause of her legendary tardiness on films sets, which
was so extreme that it often infuriated
her co-stars and
crew.
"She
would be the
ATCH
greatest if she
ran
like
a
watch," director Billy Wilder once said
of her. "I have an aunt Minnie who's
very punctual, but who would pay to
see Aunt Minnie?" Throughout her career, Monroe was signed and released
from several contracts with film studios.
Tired of bubbly, dumb blonde
roles, Monroe moved to New York
City to study acting with Lee Strasberg
at the Actors' Studio. She returned to
the screen in the dramatic comedy Bus
Stop (1956), playing a saloon singer
kidnapped by a rancher who has fallen
W
in love with her. She received mostly
praise for her performance.
In 1959, Monroe returned to familiar territory with the wildly popular
comedy Some Like It Hot, with Jack
Lemmon and Tony Curtis. She played
Sugar Kane Kowalczyk, a singer who
hopes to marry a millionaire in this
humorous film, in which Lemmon and
Curtis pretend to be women. They are
on the run from the mob after witnessing the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
and hide out with an all-girl orchestra
featuring Monroe. Her work
on the film earned her the
honor of "Best Actress in
a Comedy" in 1959, at
Golden Globe Awards.
Reunited with John
Huston, Monroe starred
opposite Clark Gable
and Montgomery Clift
in The Misfits (1961).
Set in Nevada, this
adventure drama
features Monroe,
who falls for
Gable's cowboy
but battles him
over the fate
of some wild
mustangs.
This was her
last
completed film.
In 1962,
Monroe
was
dismissed
from
Something's Got to
Give—also
starring
Dean Martin—for missing so many days of
filming. According to an
article in The New York
Times,
the
actress
claimed that the absences
were due to illness. Martin declined to make the film without
her, so the studio shelved the picture.
At the time, Monroe's professional
and personal life seemed to be in turmoil. Her last two films, Let's Make
Love (1960) and The Misfits (1961)
were box office disappointments.
"A career is wonderful, but you can't
curl up with it on a cold night."
In her personal life, she had a string
of unsuccessful marriages and relationships. Her 1954 marriage to baseball
great Joe DiMaggio only lasted nine
months (she wed playwright Arthur
Miller from 1956 to 1961). On May 19,
1962, Monroe made her now-famous
performance at John F. Kennedy's birthday celebration, singing "Happy
Birthday, Mr. President."
Death and Legacy
On August 5, 1962, at only 36 years
old, Marilyn Monroe died at her Los
Angeles home. An empty bottle of
sleeping pills was found by her bed.
There has been some speculation over
the years that she may have been murdered, but the cause of her death was
officially ruled as a drug overdose. There
have been rumors that Monroe was involved with President John F. Kennedy
and/or his brother Robert around the
time of her death.
Monroe was buried in her favorite
Emilio Pucci dress, in what was known
as a "Cadillac casket"—the most highend casket available, made of
heavy-gauge solid bronze and lined with
champagne-colored silk. Lee Strasberg
delivered a eulogy before a small group
of friends and family. Hugh Hefner
bought the crypt directly next to
Monroe's, and Monroe's ex-husband,
Joe DiMaggio, famously had red
roses delivered to her crypt for the
next 20 years.
“She was the victim of ballyhoo and sensation — exploited
beyond anyone’s means.” — Sir
Laurence Olivier
Monroe did not own a house
until the last year of her life, and
had surprisingly few possessions.
One that she prized was an
autographed photo of Albert
Einstein, which included an
inscription: "To Marilyn,
with respect and love
and thanks."
During her career,
Marilyn
Monroe's films
grossed more than
$200 million. Today, she is still
considered the world's
most popular icon of sex appeal
and beauty, and is remembered for
her idiosyncratic sense of humor
and sly wit; once asked by a reporter what she wore to bed, she
replied, "Chanel Number 5." On
another occasion, she was asked
what she thought of Hollywood.
"If I close my eyes and think of Hollywood, all I see is one big varicose
vein," she replied. Monroe is also remembered
for
her
romantic
relationships with Marlon Brando,
Frank Sinatra, Yves Montand and director Elia Kazan, in addition to her
three marriages.
Monroe has been imitated over the
years by a number of celebrities, including Madonna, Lady Gaga and
Gwen Stefani. Actress Michelle
Williams portrayed Monroe ina 2011
film, My Week with Marilyn, about
Monroe's relationship with Sir
Laurence Olivier in 1957's The Prince
and the Showgirl.
In 2011, several rarely seen photos
of Marilyn Monroe were published in
a book of photographs by famed photographer Sam Shaw. August 5, 2012
marked the 50th anniversary of
Monroe's death. Now more than a half
century later, the world is still fascinated by her beauty and talent.
Tributes
Troy Talton and Donald Kinder
wrote a song, entitled "Marilyn", in
honor of Marilyn after her death in
1962. It was recorded by Talton and
released as a single by Crest Records.
Elton John (music) and Bernie
Taupin (lyrics) wrote another song in
her honor, "Candle in the Wind".
Glenn Danzig of the American
rock band The Misfits (who were
named after Monroe's final film released a song named "Who Killed
Marilyn?" in 1981.
Cesar Awards: 'Timbuktu' sweeps, Kristen Stewart makes history
Timbuktu swept while Marion
Cotillard wept at France's top
awards Friday night.
The
Oscar-nominated
Timbuktu, which is in the
running for the best foreignlanguage film category, took
home seven trophies - including best film, best
director, best editing, best
sound and best cinematography - during the ceremony.
It was clear that it was a
front runner early in the
evening, if Monday night's
best producer award wasn't
enough indication.
Director Aberrahmane
Sissako told The Hollywood
Reporter he is flying to Los
Angeles tomorrow to be
there in time for the Oscars.
Kristen Stewart made history for her Sils Maria win.
She was the first American
to win an acting award from
the French Academy. She
expressed love for French
film during her speech and
when speaking with press.
"There is a great divide
between what motivates people to make films in the
States and to compare it to
what motivates people to
make films here, and I kinda
prefer it here," she said.
"If you're not scared of
something it's not worth it. It
takes a pretty unique American filmmaker to do
something and to do it scared
and to do it anyway, and here
that's what it's really about
and what film lives and
breathes here," she said.
She hinted at another
project with Sils Maria director Olivier Assays, saying:
"This is where I feel and I
can do my best and be happiest, so it's huge," Stewart
said of the award. She also
credited her winning performance to co-star and best
actress nominee Julliette
Binoche. "I'm standing in
front of a room where I don't
have to explain the power of
Juliette. Everything in the
movie is a reflection of her."
Binoche didn't win her
category; instead Cannes
favorite Love at First Fight's
Adele Haenel took home the
top prize, adding another
Cesar to her cabinet after last
year's best supporting win.
Cotillard, who is nominated
for an Oscar for her performance in Two Days, One
Night, was also passed over
to the audible surprise of the
audience.
Cotillard did however
present Sean Penn with an
honorary Cesar, in a long,
emotional speech which
brought her to tears and made
the recipient visibly touched.
She recalled how his films
have moved her, and called
him an "actor, director and
humanist." Penn called
French film a "refuge" from
commercial Hollywood films,
and said that it is a "breath of
fresh air" when he gets too
jaded about the business.
"It has been a very sustaining inspiration, so when I
came with my first film as a
director, which was in
Cannes, there was a sense of
film and a discussion about
film that was so refreshing
and compared to that which I
think is follow the advertising, which instead of let the
advertising follow, which I
think is too much in American film and so to be honored
by those who honor me with
inspiration and encouragement is notable," he said.
In the lead acting categories, it was the year of youth,
with Haenel, 26, besting both
Oscar winners Binoche and
Cotillard and Pierre Niney,
25, taking home trophies. It's
notable because in addition to
the supporting categories, the
French Academy has a "best
hope" prize that is usually
awarded to young actors.
This year those went to
former The Voice contestant
Louane Emera for the feelgood hit The Belier Family
and Haenel's co-star Kevin
Azais.