Keira Christina Knightley is an Englisch actress best remembered for her works in the movies Pirates of the Carribean, Star Wars: Episode 1 – Phantom Menace, Bend It Like Beckham, Atonement, Anna Karenina, the critically acclaimed Pride and Prejudice and the Imitation Game.  But how well do you know Keira?  I am sure if you are a big movie fan, you must have seen her in one of these movies.  Let us enjoy this interesting trivia in order to get to know more about this pretty and talented actress.

Keira Christina Knightley grew up in showbiz-oriented household. Keira’s father is actor Will Knightley and mother is playwright Sharman McDonald. But in a later interview, Keira recounted that playing doll houses may have been instrumental in her career choice because as a child while playing with her toys for hours, she would make up stories. And she said, that she just never grew tired playing.

Keira Christina Knightley grew up with dyslexia.  Dyslexia is a condition by which the individual afflicted with the condition will be having a reading disorder.  She struggled in school because of the condition. She was diagnosed with the condition when she was just 6 years old. Aside from dyslexia, Keira was also diagnosed with ADHD. She attended Stanley Primary School in elementary, Tedinton School for her secondary school and at Esther College in college.  However, Keira persevered to overcome her disorder and she recalled she was very focused on becoming an actress at such an early age.  She managed to get roles in local amateur productions such as in the play After Juliet written by her mother and in another play United States written by her drama teacher, Iam McShane. While at Esther, Keira made extra work on subjects such as history, art and English literature.  But she left Esther College to pursue acting, which was an obsession since she was just three years old.

Keira Christina Knightley got an agent when she was six years old. Keira had her own agent as early as six. The story was that, when Keira was three years old, she already asked her parents that she will have her own agent.  Young Keira got the idea of an agent from her parents who were acting in the theater or in the television. When Keira was seven years old, her first agent got her a job for a local television drama named Royal Celebration. The story sets the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana as the backdrop of the story.

Keira Christina Knightley played double to Natalie Portman’s Queen Amidala. Although this role did not boost Keira’s popularity to movie fans, her part in George Lucas Star Wars: Phantom Menace was a welcome addition to her portfolio. Keira’s role was the handmaiden of Queen Amidala and to act as a decoy to the Queen. It was kept secret that even the Queen’s mother had no idea which was which  between Natalie and Keira was Queen Amidala while on makeup because the two actresses have a striking resemblance.  Click here and take a gander at this awesome source of phenomenal entertainment.  

The long-running show Two and a Half Men has seen its share of hurdles when it comes to writing, casting, and the perception of the audience. But, Two and a Half Men has powered through some negative criticism and come out as one of the top comedies airing in the US today. The show made it through twelve seasons and significant cast changes before the network officially ended the series earlier this year. But, even if you’ve been watching the show from the beginning, there’s a good chance you didn’t know any of these things about the series!

1.      Conchata Ferrell, who plays Bertha, was originally casted as a recurring character on the show. Once the producers saw how much the audience enjoyed her role, they turned her into a regular cast member.

2.     In the series that used to star Charlie Sheen, his character wrote jingles on the piano and sung. It was later revealed that Sheen couldn’t actually play, and Dennis C. Brown would compose all of the jingles while Sheen’s character pretended to play on the piano.

3.     The recurring character of Judith (Alan’s ex-wife) is never given an occupation. All other characters on the show have identified what they do, except her.

4.     Before Jennifer Taylor got the role of Chelsea on the show, she made three other appearances on the series as different characters, including a part in the pilot. In all of her parts, Charlie took interest in her character.

5.     Melanie Lynskey, who plays Rose in the series had received an offer to be on another show called Drive. To deal with her departure, her character moved to London. When Melanie’s part on the show failed, the creators of Two and a Half Men brought her back.

6.     Chuck Lorre has admitted to being a big fan of the British band UK Subs. The lead character of the original seasons (Charlie Harper) shares the name with the lead singer in the group. Despite the similarity, Chuck has also said to have named the character after film editor Charles Harper Yates, whom he worked with while producing Dharma & Greg.

7.      The title of every episode comes from a line in the script.

8.     Over the twelve years the show has been on air, only Jon Cryer has appeared in every episode.

9.     The show’s opening tune was written by Chuck Lore and lip-synched by the lead actors while the show is actually performed by studio musicians.

10.   April Bowlby, who played Kandi on the show, made ten guest appearances during season three and was credited as a recurring member. During season four she was credited as a regular cast member, but only appeared four times.

11.     Throughout the series, Sheen interrupted the filming because of rehabilitation, public remarks again the producers/show’s network, and various other issues. In 2008 he was confirmed to be one of the highest paid actors on television and eventually reached the point of earning $1.8 million for a single episode. In 2011, it was officially announced that Sheen wouldn’t be coming back for another season.

12.    Ashton Kutcher, who replaced Sheen on the show was said in one episode to be an underwear model. In real life Kutcher had once modeled underwear, and he also got a job modeling underwear in one episode of That 70s Show.

With over 31 wins and 67 nominations, there’s no doubt that Two and a Half Men’s fan base is strong, yet it’s still growing. Despite the difficulties, the show has experienced with casting, it has managed to pull through and the writers have continuously produced current and entertaining material that has repeatedly brought in new and interested viewers.

Despite ratings increasing throughout the latest seasons, the network has officially pulled the plug on the show. While many critics agreed that Two and a Half Men as highly successful and never failed to entertain, apparently the network wants to make room for a new series. The final episode aired on February 19th earlier this year, and fans said their goodbyes to the show. After Sheen left, some critics said it was only a matter of time, but many fans had watched the twelfth season believing the show still had a ways to go.

Even though some think the series was ended too early, the network has announced plans for over a dozen new shows coming this summer to help fill the gap.   Just click here for more fantastic entertainment.        

Shark Tank is a reality series that made its debut on the ABC Network in August, 2009. Based on a Japanese television series, Dragon’s Den, this show features entrepreneurs pitching their business idea to a panel of investors in order to secure funding.

New entrepreneurs are always bootstrapped for capital even though they have a viable product. Lack of funds is a real problem that all new business owners face without an exception. In many cases, people who have resources and money, often fund such business ideas, as a worthy investment opportunity. However, all businesses come with their fair share of risk. Compounding the woes of startup entrepreneurs is the fact that it is almost impossible to predict the future of their product. Therefore, it takes a good amount of negotiation on the part of an entrepreneur to sell the idea to these investors. These interesting negotiations are what form the premise of the show, Shark Tank.

The show allows participants to make their business presentation and chat with the investors for about an hour. However, to increase the entertainment value, it is compressed to 10 minutes. What the audiences see are only the power packed highlights.

There are generally five judges on the panel and many have been rotated or changed over the years. Initially the show had Barbara Corcoran, Robert Harjevac, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary and Kevin Harrington on the judging panel. Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner appeared as guest judges for the second and the third reason respectively. Both of them later became permanent fixtures on the show. However, Kevin Harrington left after the second season. Each of the panelists deal with the contestants in their own personal style. Over the seasons, Jeff Foxworthy, John Paul DeJoria, Steve Tisch and Nick Woodman have also appeared as guest judges on the show.

The investors are paid to be part of the series, however, they invest their own money when they choose a business on the show. It is also interesting to watch the bidding process where everyone is interested in investing. In this case, the tables turn and now it is in the hands of the contestants to pick the offer that suits them the best. Take one of the show’s success stories, Scrub Daddy for instance. Initially, it required a lot of convincing by Aaron Kraus, the proprietor, to get the judges on board with his idea of a cleaning product. However, once the bidding started, it was war. Lori Greiner finally took the cake by offering $200,000 for 20% of the stake in Aaron’s company. As art of the deal she was to share her expertise and connections to take the product forward.

Thousands of entrepreneurs apply each season to get a chance to present their business ideas. The show has experienced a deluge of applications from entrepreneurs all over the country. Clearly, these business owners understand the win-win situation the show offers. In the scenario where the proposal resonates with the investor the contestant can get his business funded. However, if the entrepreneurs are not able to impress the judges, they and their idea get a lot of exposure and publicity. It is good for business and opens new doors for future opportunities.

The animated discussions between the judges and the contestants, the euphoria and the tears have given this show an impressive viewership of 6 million per episode. This makes it one of the most watched shows in the Friday Night slot. Over the six seasons, the show has seen a gradual increase in its viewership. The latest season wrapped up on May 15, 2015 and the next season is expected to come out in September 2015.   Hop over to this web page for more awesome entertainment.    

 

Last Man Standing is a comedy drama that premiered on ABC Network on October 11, 2011. The sitcom revolves around the life of a well-to-do senior corporate Mike Baxter. It is the story of a man that the world has changed too much and not for good. His family life which includes his wife and three daughters, is laden with quirky characters, drama and laughs.

Mike Baxter, as portrayed by the seasoned actor, Tim Allen, is a regular guy next door who is a quintessential American. He works as Director of Marketing at Outdoor Man, a chain of sporting goods and lives with his family in Denver, Colorado. He has a severe problem adjusting to changes. He holds a politically conservative view and has a problem with those who don’t. The comedy arises from the fact that in Mike’s mind, he is a “manly” man living in a woman’s world.

For Tim Allen, this is the second sitcom with ABC after Home Improvement and it is hard to miss the similarity between the two. With a little difference in the characters, Last Man Standing can also be called a sequel to the widely popular Home Improvement.

Then there is Venessa Baxter, the first lady of the house and Mike’s wife. She is a geologist by profession and works for an energy company. She has been portrayed as someone who is calm, composed and firm in her demeanor. She is the boss in the house and takes care of her family and her macho husband.

The couple has three daughters - the eldest one named Kristin Beth Baxter. She is everything her father is not. She also has a son named Boyd, from a former boyfriend and she lives with the parents. The part was initially played by Alexandra Krosney, who was replaced by Amanda Fuller after the first season itself.

Mandy Baxter (Molly Ephraim) is the middle child. Unlike her sisters, Mandy is not an ace student. However, what she lacks in academics, she more than makes up for it with her social skills and aesthetic knowledge. She takes the creative bent from her father and is an independent girl. Mandy is one of the popular girls and aspires to be a celebrity one day.

Mike’s youngest daughter, Eve Baxter (Kaitlyn Dever) is his favorite and she knows it. Mike sees a lot of himself in her and Eve uses it to her advantage. Eve is a driven young girl who excels at sports and studies. She has inherited her father’s sense of humor and is the one making all the wise cracks.

Then there is Kyle Anderson (Christoph Sanders) who is a young subordinate at Mike’s work. He is shown to be an emotional guy who likes romantic movies and has an interest in baking. This makes him the center of good-hearted pokes from the macho Mike, according to whom these are not the traits of a man. Interestingly enough, Kyle has dated both of Mike’s younger daughters.

All these characters along with the supporting cast make for good family entertainment. However, it should be understood that given the plot of the show, a lot of humor is sexist, which is not everybody’s cup of tea. The show has an experienced cast and they have delivered good performances to dish out this comic relief.

Since its inception, the show has received decent ratings and a viewership of 7 million on an average. The last episode of the latest and the fourth season of the show was aired in April, 2015 and the fifth season is in the offing.   Click right here for more great entertainment right in your home.  

 

How To Get Away With Murder is a new crime drama series from ABC Studios that debuted in September, 2014. Produced by the famous Shondaland Production Company, this show is the creation of Peter Nowalk. It revolves around the life of a law professor and her four students who become part of a murder.

Viola Davis plays the part of a law school professor and practicing lawyer named Annalise Keating. The show starts with a classroom setting where Professor Keating is teaching her class - How to get away with murder. She is an ace advocate, the kind that never loses. Now, the professor is looking for only five students in her class who show potential to intern at her law firm. Connor (Jack Falahee), Laurel (Karla Souza), Wes (Alfred Enoch), Michaela (Aja N. King), and Asher (Matt McGorry) are finally chosen for these coveted internship positions.

The pilot for the show was excellent and did its part perfectly in gripping the audiences and creating a buzz. All the interns are trying to cover up this murder, which also inadvertently pulls in Keating into it. This episode does not give any information about the identity of the victim, the motive or the circumstances behind it. Through the entire first episode you will be on the edge of your seat, not knowing the next interesting turn the story is going to take. It is a fast paced story and the audience has to really commit to it, else it is easy to miss some minor yet important detail.

The story is told in a non-linear fashion, with frequent flashbacks from the law firm. In the process, they also reminisce the various cases that Annalise handled. The show’s characters are dynamic, in the sense that there is so much character development that they evolve over the episodes and so do their relationships. Apart from the interns and the professor, there are many other players in the story. Rebecca Sutter, a shady neighbor of Wess, played by Katie Findlay, is a suspect in the murder of Lila Stangard. Detective Nate Lahey, is the lover of Keating, as well as the main accused in the murder of Sam. He also believes that Sam was the one who murdered Lila. Then there are the two associates at the law firm, who play a significant role - Frank Delfino, played by Charlie Weber, and Bonnie Winterbottom, portrayed by Liza Weil.

This crime-fiction show comes from the house of Shonda Rhimes, who has also produced Grey’s Anatomy and Scandals. If you liked those shows, you are definitely going to enjoy this show. There is also a witty streak to many characters like Connor among others.

This show really got off to a great start, unlike many other shows. Annalise Keating’s husband Sam has been cheating on her with a student, Lila. It is this girl whose murder investigation is being followed. Everything is interrelated and is very cleverly woven together.

Every episode also has a new crime to be solved. Along the way, the characters are explored more, and the story becomes richer and more gripping. You will start identifying with the characters and not only this, you will also become invested in their success. You learn things about their background but you don’t suspect any of them.

The show has hit all the right chords with the audiences. The intelligent script and great performances by the cast have been appreciated by the critics as well. The show is in a genre that poses tough competition. However, the show has been able to carve a niche for itself and has left a mark.  There were 15 episodes in the first edition of the series and it has been able to pull more than 14 million viewers for its pilot alone.  You can find all kinds of great entertainment right here. 
 

Grey’s Anatomy is a drama series broadcasted on ABC and follows the lives of doctors in a fictional hospital. It debuted on the network in March 2005 and has since then dished out eleven successful seasons.

The show is based on the lives of surgical interns and residents at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital. The name of the hospital has changed over seasons from the original to Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital and finally the Grey-Sloan Hospital. It is entertaining to watch the everyday struggles of these surgical interns as they push forward to become doctors. The show is more bent towards portraying the personal lives and complications of the characters rather than their professional lives.

Meredith Grey, the protagonist and the narrator, joins Seattle Grace as a surgical intern. Played by Ellen Pompeo, Grey is following her mother, who is also a popular surgeon and works at the same hospital. The story is presented from the eyes of Meredith. Christina Yang, played by Sarah Oh, is also one of the interns and ends up being best friends with Meredith. The list of interns also includes George O'Malley, portrayed by T.R. Knight, the girl next door, Izzie Stevens, played by Katherine Heighl and the bad boy Alex Karev, played by Justin.

One of the most important characters on the show is Dr. Derek Shepherd, played by Patrick Dempsey, the attractive resident surgeon, Meredith’s boss and also her love interest. Then there is Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey, who is in charge of the newbies. The character is strict and relenting, as it should be for someone who has to ensure that the new residents are inducted into the system. Then there is Dr. Richard Webber, played by James Pickens Jr., who is the chief supervisor of the surgical wing. There have been multiple major characters who have entered and exited the show over the years.

Starting with the first season, the show producers have made some serious effort to ensure that the audience understands and connects with each and every major character. The show starts with what appears to be a boot camp for young interns. They are under the strict guidance of Dr. Bailey. Very soon, love blooms between Meredith and Derek, as it does between Yang and the Cardiothoracic surgeon, Peter Burke.

Throughout the seasons, the show continues to deliver the essential dose of drama and scandals. It has estranged spouses looking for reconciliation, new faces coming into the hospital and what not. All these changes create a stir in the lives of the leads as it does for other characters. For instance, Meredith’s sister joins the hospital as an intern as well and starts an unstable relationship with a resident doctor. The soap opera has also seen Peter ditching Yang at the wedding ceremony and exiting the show. Amidst these relationship problems, divorces, rekindled romance and new love, the show see the interns graduating to become residents. As they complete their residency, their lives are constantly twisting and turning making for entertaining television and high ratings. No wonder that since its inception the show has grabbed top spots in popularity charts and critic lists alike. The performances in the show have been highly appreciated. Not only this, the show has been credited with impacting people’s way of perceiving the world. Today the show is watched by a good 8 to 9 million people. Yet, this is a step back for a show, which in its golden years, was nothing less than a phenomenon and had peaked at a whopping 22.6 million viewership.

The series has won a huge number of accolades over the years. It has won the People’s Choice Awards, Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards on multiple occasions.  Hop over to this website to find information about how to access entertainment via the Internet.  

America’s Funniest Home Videos is one of the oldest and longest running shows in the history of television. It premiered on ABC in 1990 and has since then been a regular on the network for a successful 25 seasons. With an endless supply of funny videos from their audience and an evergreen concept, there is no reason for the show to not run forever.

The show was created on the similar lines as a Japanese television series called Fun with Kato Chan and Ken Chan. The Japanese version featured a segment where funny videos from the audiences were included at the end of the show. ABC pays royalties for the original concept for the Tokyo Broadcasting System. Presently, the show is the longest running entertainment program on ABC.

Initially, America’s Funniest Home Videos would invite the audiences to send in their entries by mail in the form of VHS or DVDs. However, after 2008, the videos could be directly uploaded on the network’s website. The only criterion is that the content should be funny. The videos sometimes include people or animals at other times in awkward and hilarious situations that are sure to tickle your funny bone. These videos are sometimes edited to fit into the theme of the show. 

Then there are the prizes that keep the videos coming in and has been there since the inception of the show in the 1990. Among the videos showcased on the show in every episode, three are chosen as winners. These are chosen by vote of both the studio audiences as well as the show producers. The top video wins a cash prize of $10,000 followed by the $3,000 prize for the second place and the third ranker wins $2,000. Other than this, a video which secures first prize automatically becomes eligible to win a cash prize of a whopping $100,000 among the winners from a season. The format was slightly different early on in the series when only the first place was eligible for a cash prize of $5,000 and the other two won camcorders without any voting. Also, the grand prize used to be accompanied by a Disney vacation. 

The series has also seen a number of talented and humorous hosts that made the show memorable and kept the audiences coming back. Bob Saget was the very first host for the series and appeared on it for eight years. During his time, many live skits were performed on the show and the segment ‘Backward Classics’ was also introduced. Being a stand-up comedian, Saget added a comic flair to even the introduction of the videos. However, the unchanging pattern of the show did not satiate the creative sensibilities for Bob Saget. By the last two seasons Saget had grown tired and only stayed on the show to honor his contract. 

After his exit in 1998, the baton was passed over to John Fugelsang and Daisy Fuentes. At this time, the show also donned a new look and logo. However, the ratings of the show dipped and both the hosts eventually left it only after two seasons. Later on, ABC discontinued it as a weekly fix and the some special episodes were aired till 2000.

In 2000, ABC renewed the show under the host Tom Bergeron, and made it a weekly regular. ‘Tom’s Home Movies’ was a new addition to the decade long show. It presented a video in which his face is digitally placed over the person in the video and was a huge hit. Tom retired in May, 2015, after hosting it for fifteen long years. ABC has announced that the next edition of the legendary show will be taken forward by Alfonso Ribeiro.  If you love great entertainment, just click here to find a great entertainment service provider.