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Elizabeth Peña
Elizabeth Maria Peña (September 23, 1959 – October 14, 2014) was an American actress. Her film credits include '' Down and Out in Beverly Hills'' (1986), '' Batteries Not Included'', '' La Bamba'' (both 1987), ''Jacob's Ladder'' (1990), '' Rush Hour'' (1998), ''The Incredibles'' (2004), and '' Nothing like the Holidays'' (2008). Peña won the 1996 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and a Bravo Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film for her work in '' Lone Star'' (1996). She also voiced Rosa Santos in the animated television series '' Maya & Miguel'' and Mirage in ''The Incredibles''. Peña was a founding member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA). Early life Peña was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on September 23, 1959, to Mario and Estella Margarita Peña. Mario Peña was a Cuban actor, playwright, director, and designer, and Estella Margarita Peña was a producer. The Peña family moved to Cuba when Elizabeth was less th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New Jersey County Map , New Jersey Department of State. Accessed December 1, 2022. As of the 2020 United States census, the city retained its ranking as List of municipalities in New Jersey, the state's fourth-most-populous city behind neighboring Newark, New Jersey, Newark, Jersey City, New Jersey, Jersey City, and Paterson, New Jersey, Paterson,The Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships in 2010 in New Jersey: 2000 and 2010 New Jerse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive with a respective county. The city is the geographical and demographic center of both the Northeast megalopolis and the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the United States by both population and urban area. New York is a global center of finance and commerce, culture, technology, entertainment and media, academics, and scientific output, the arts and fashion, and, as home to the headquarters of the United Nations, international diplomacy. With an estimated population in 2024 of 8,478,072 distributed over , the city is the most densely populated major city in the United States. New York City has more than double the population of Los Angeles, the nation's second-most populous city. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blue Steel (1990 Film)
''Blue Steel'' is a 1990 American action thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver and Clancy Brown. The film presents a harrowing deconstruction of male gaze, misogyny at both psychological and institutional levels, and the terrors of urban womanhood in the late 20th Century; through the experience of a New York police officer who shoots and kills an armed criminal on her first day of active duty - only for a witness of the incident to steal the criminal's weapon and begin tormenting her life as the object of a homicidal obsession. ''Blue Steel'' was originally set to be released by Vestron Pictures and its offshoot label Lightning Pictures, but the film was ultimately acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer due to Vestron's financial problems and eventual bankruptcy. The film was green lit and produced by Lawrence Kasanoff, Lightning’s head of production at that time. Plot Rookie NYPD officer Megan Turner shoots and kills a robber with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shannon's Deal
''Shannon's Deal'' is an American legal drama that aired on NBC from April 16, 1990, until May 21, 1991. The series was created by John Sayles and executive produced by Stan Rogow. The show centers on a successful Philadelphia corporate lawyer named Jack Shannon (Jamey Sheridan), who lost his family and his job to a compulsive gambling habit. The saga of Shannon, who leaves a prestigious law firm after years of becoming unhappy with the legal system and being forced to take his clients to court, and who subsequently opens his own low-rent practice, was first explored in the highly rated, two-hour movie pilot, which NBC aired on June 4, 1989, and repeated April 13, 1990, ahead of the series premiere. The series was highly regarded in the industry for its level of writing, complex character development, and witty dramedy elements, but is also remembered for the notable people who worked behind the scenes. Synopsis The premise of the show was perhaps summed up best by the following ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Sayles
John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He is known for writing and directing the films '' The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), '' Matewan'' (1987), '' Eight Men Out'' (1988), '' Passion Fish'' (1992), '' The Secret of Roan Inish'' (1994), '' Lone Star'' (1996), and '' Men with Guns'' (1997). For ''Eight Men Out'', Sayles was nominated for the USC Scripter Award. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for ''Passion Fish'' and ''Lone Star''. At the 56th Golden Globe Awards, ''Men with Guns'' was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His directorial debut, '' Return of the Secaucus 7'' (1980), as well as ''Matewan'' were added to the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1997 and 2023, respectively. Early life Sayles was born on September 28, 1950, in Schenectady, New York, the son of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Situation Comedy
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home, workplace, or community. Unlike sketch comedy, which features different characters and settings in each Sketch comedy, skit, sitcoms typically maintain plot continuity across episodes. This continuity allows for the development of storylines and characters over time, fostering audience engagement and investment in the characters' lives and relationships. History The structure and concept of a sitcom have roots in earlier forms of comedic theater, such as farces and comedy of manners. These forms relied on running gags to generate humor, but the term ''sitcom'' emerged as radio and TV adapted these principles into a new medium. The word was not commonly used until the 1950s. Early television sitcoms were often filme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Married Dora
''I Married Dora'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1987, to January 8, 1988. It was created by Michael J. Leeson. Synopsis Los Angeles architect and single father Peter Farrell ( Daniel Hugh Kelly) was dependent upon his housekeeper Dora Calderon (Elizabeth Peña). However, she was an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador and the United States government's Immigration and Naturalization Service was about to deport her. To prevent her from being arrested upon her return home, and to be able to continue to employ her services as a housekeeper, the two married. As marriages under false pretenses were (and still are) violations of federal law, the first episode included a disclaimer notifying viewers of this fact and adding, "You should not try this in your own home." Two important aspects of the stories were the threat of their sham marriage: being discovered by authorities and the possibility that they might fall in love, normalizing and legitimizing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crossover Dreams
''Crossover Dreams'' is a 1985 American comedy-drama film directed by Leon Ichaso. The film follows salsa singer Rudy Veloz (played by musician Rubén Blades) on his rise to fame as he tries to break into the mainstream music scene. The film mostly takes place in Spanish Harlem, New York City. This was the first major feature film role for Rubén Blades. The film was screened in April 1985 during the New Directors/New Films series co-sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art where it received positive reviews and sold out. It was released August 23, 1985 at the Cinema Studio in New York. Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ... praised Blades' performance: "The story isn't new, but it sure does wear well. Maybe that's bec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leon Ichaso
Leon Ichaso (August 3, 1948 – May 21, 2023) was a Cuban-born American writer and film director. Some of his prominent works included '' El Super'', ''Crossover Dreams'', '' Bitter Sugar,'' '' Piñero'', and '' El Cantante''. Biography Early life Leon Ichaso was born in Havana, Cuba on August 3, 1948. Ichaso migrated to Mexico at the age of 14, then to the United States with his mother Antonia Ichaso and sister Mari Rodriguez Ichaso. His father, poet and journalist Justo Rodriguez Santos, who had affiliations with the ''Orígenes'' literary group, initially stayed behind in Cuba to support the Cuban Revolution. Five years later, Ichaso's father joined his family in New York City. Career As a director, Leon Ichaso's first movie was the Spanish-language feature '' El Super'' (1979), based on an Off-Broadway play about an immigrant building superintendent trying to make his way in New York, which he co-directed with Orlando Jiménez Leal. When entering the Hollywood scene, Icha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spanish Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the east and north. Despite its name, it is generally not considered to be a part of Harlem proper, but it is one of the neighborhoods included in Greater Harlem. The neighborhood has one of the largest Hispanic communities in New York City, mostly Puerto Ricans, as well as Dominicans, Cubans, and Mexicans. The community is notable for its contributions to Latin freestyle and salsa music. East Harlem also includes the remnants of a once predominant Italian community, or Italian Harlem. The Chinese population has increased dramatically in East Harlem since 2000. East Harlem has historically suffered from many social issues, such as a high crime rate, the highest jobless rate in New York City, teenage pregnancy, AIDS, drug abuse, homelessnes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cubans
Cubans () are the citizens and nationals of Cuba. The Cuban people have varied origins with the most spoken language being Spanish. The larger Cuban diaspora includes individuals that trace ancestry to Cuba and self-identify as Cuban but are not necessarily Cuban by citizenship. The United States has the largest Cuban population in the world after Cuba. The modern nation of Cuba, located in the Caribbean, emerged as an independent country following the Spanish-American War of 1898, which led to the end of Spanish colonial rule. The subsequent period of American influence, culminating in the formal independence of Cuba in 1902, initiated a complex process of national identity formation. This identity is characterized by a blend of Indigenous Taíno, African, and Spanish cultural elements, reflecting a unique multicultural heritage. The Cuban Revolution of 1959, which brought Fidel Castro to power, marked a significant turning point as it transformed the political landscap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lower Middle Class
In developed nations around the world, the lower middle class is a subdivision of the greater middle class. Universally, the term refers to the group of middle class households or individuals who have not attained the status of the middle or upper middle class associated with the higher realms of the middle class, hence the name. United States In American society, the middle class may be divided into two or three sub-groups. When divided into two parts, the lower middle class, also sometimes simply referred to as "middle class", consists of roughly one third of households, roughly twice as large as the upper middle or managerial class. Common occupation fields are semi-professionals, such as lower-level managers, small business owners and skilled craftsmen. These individuals commonly have some college education or perhaps a Bachelor's degree and earn a comfortable living. Already among the largest social classes, rivaled only by the working class, the American lower middl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
