- Charlie Sheen is an American actor, the youngest son of Martin Sheen.
- Name at birth: Carlos Irwin Estevez.
- Charlie was born a "blue baby". The doctor who saved him was named Irwin and his parents named him after the doctor.
- Sheen was born in New York City in September 3, 1965.
- Parents: Martin Sheen and Janet Templeton.
- Siblings: brothers: Emilio Estevez and Ramon Estevez, and sister: Renée Estevez.
- Charlie's astrological sign is Virgo.
- Charlie's height is 5 feet and 10 inches (1.78 m) tall.
- On television, Charlie Sheen is best known for his roles on two sitcoms: as Charlie Crawford on Spin City and as Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men.
- His Chinese zodiac sign is the Snake.
- In 2010, Charlie Sheen was the highest paid actor on television, earning US$1.8 million per episode of Two and a Half Men.
- Jennifer Hudson is an American singer and actress.
- Name at birth: Jennifer Kate Hudson.
- Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the 2006 film Dreamgirls.
- Jennifer was born on September 12, 1981, in Chicago, Illinois.
- Jennifer began singing when she was 7-years-old.
- She won a Grammy Award for her eponymous debut album, Jennifer Hudson.
- Parents: Darnell Donnerson and Samuel Simpson.
- In 2008, Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed in a shooting.
- Hudson's zodiac sign is Virgo.
- Jennifer Hudson auditioned for the third season of American Idol, in Atlanta.
- Jennifer Hudson is 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) tall.
- Hudson was named the 2006 'Female Star of Tomorrow' by ShoWest.
- Her Chinese zodiac sign is the Rooster.
- Jennifer Hudson is the third African-American to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, after Hattie McDaniel and Whoopi Goldberg.
- Her favourite female pop artist is Céline Dion.
- Jennifer's favorite female vocalists are: Mariah Carey, Angie Stone, Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner.
- Beat out American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino for her role in Dreamgirls.
- Jennifer is the first contestant from "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar" (2002) to be nominated and win an Academy Award.
- Jake Gyllenhaal is an American actor best known for his role as Jack Twist in the film Brokeback Mountain.
- Name at bitth: Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal.
- Jake was born in Los Angeles, California on December 19, 1980.
- Jake Gyllenhaal began acting at age 10.
- His first lead role in was in the1999 film October Sky.
- Parents: Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Foner.
- Jake is 6' (1.83 m) tall.
- Jake's astrological sign is Sagittarius.
- Jake's favorite color is green.
- Jake's mother is Jewish.
- Gyllenhaal loves to watch Food Network shows like, Iron Chef and Molto Mario.
- His Chinese zodiac sign is the Monkey.
- The hat worn by Gyllenhaal for his role as 'Jack Twist' in the film, Brokeback Mountain, was sold for $12,800 on eBay.
- Jake Gyllenhaal was nominated for an "Independent Spirit Award" for his role in Donnie Darko.
- Jake played the lead role in the movie adaptation of the video game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, released by Disney on May 28, 2010.
- Bartolomeo Cristofori, an Italian maker of musical instruments, invented the Piano in 1698.
- There are over 12,000 parts in a grand piano, 10,000 which are moving.
- The word piano is a shortened form of the Italian word pianoforte.
- Nicknames: "the ivories", "the eighty-eight", "the joanna", "the black(s) and white(s)", and "the little joe(s)".
- There are 230 strings inside a typical piano.
- The Steinway D-274 is generally described as the first choice of most concert pianists.
- More than 90 percent of concert grand pianos worldwide are D-274s.
- The piano is known as "The King of Instruments"
- The total string tension in a concert grand piano is close to 30 Tons.
- There are over 10,000,000 pianos in the United States.
- Well-known piano makers are: Baldwin, Bechstein, Blüthner, Bösendorfer, Broadwood, Fazioli, Feurich, Förster, Heintzman, Kawai, Mason and Hamlin, Petrof, Pleyel, Samick, Schimmel, Steingraeber and Söhne, Steinway and Sons, Stuart and Sons, Wm. Knabe and Co., Yamaha.
- In the Hornbostel-Sachs system of instrument classification, pianos are considered chordophones.
- The term Grand was first used in 1777.
- The piano is a vital instrument in Western classical music, jazz, film, television, and most other complex western musical genres.
- Yamaha Corporation, established in 1887 was the first piano manufacturer in Japan.
QUOTES ABOUT PIANOS
"I've had grand pianos that are more expensive than, like, a year's worth of rent." Lady Gaga
"For the most part, pianos are female to me. Sometimes they're dykes, and they're always good fun." Tori Amos
"I wish the government would put a tax on pianos for the incompetent." Edith Sitwell
"Girls are like pianos. When they're not upright, they're grand." Benny Hill
"Pianos tend to get better as they age, the more you play them. They grow into their sound." Alicia Witt
- Shakira is a famous Colombian singer.
- Birth name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
- Her nickname is Shaki.
- She speaks Spanish, English and Portuguese as well as some French, Italian and Arabic.
- She was born in Barranquilla, Colombia on February 12, 1977.
- Parents: Nidia Ripoll and William Mebarak Chadid.
- Shakira is of Lebanese, Catalan and Italian descent.
- Shakira reportedly has an IQ of 140.
- Shakira has won 2 Grammy Awards, 7 Latin Grammy Awards, and 12 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
- Wrote her first song at 8 years old.
- Her astrological sign is Aquarius.
- Shakira lists John Lennon as her #1 musical influence.
- Shakira has sold over 60 million albums worldwide.
- She is 5' 2" (1.57 m) tall.
- Her Chinese zodiac sign is the Dragon.
- She is the youngest of eight siblings.
- Her album sales in the U.S. stand at 9.6 million.
- Favorite actor: Hugh Grant.
- Shakira means in Hindi, Goddess Of Light and in Arabic, Woman Full Of Grace.
- JoJo is an American singer and actress.
- Name at birth: Joanna Noëlle Blagden Levesque.
- JoJo's debut album has sold over 3 million copies worldwide.
- JoJo was born in Brattleboro, Vermont on December 20, 1990.
- JoJo's astrological sign is Sagittarius.
- Height: "5' 4"
- Her Chinese zodiac sign is the Horse.
- JoJo has English, Polish, Irish, Scottish, French, and Native American ancestry.
- Her stage name comes from a childhood nickname.
- JoJo is best friends with Emma Roberts, Zelda Williams and Sara Paxton.
- The singer currently lives in New Jersey.
JOJO - QUOTES
"All the photos I've taken have been tasteful. If you show a lot of skin when you're 13, when you're older, when you're 16 or 21, what do you have left to show?"
"People do compare me to Aaliyah and I take that as a compliment. She was a beautiful amazing talented young woman, I think she was just starting to show what she could do."
"Being a singer has always been my dream."
- Iceland is a European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean.
- Iceland is about one-third larger than Ireland or Scotland.
- Capital (and largest city) Reykjavík.
- Total area: 103.000 km² (39,756 sq. mi)
- Eleven percent of Iceland is covered by glaciers.
- Population - January 1, 2011 estimate: 318,452
- Vatnajökull glacier is the largest in Europe.
- The settlement of Iceland began in AD 874 when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfur Arnarson became the first permanent Norwegian settler on the island.
- The Icelanders still speak the language of the Vikings (Icelandic).
- According to Freedom of the Press, Iceland has the most free press in the world.
- Life expectancy in Iceland is 81.3 years for women and 76.4 for men.
- Demonym: Icelander, Icelandic.
- The tallest mountain in Iceland is Hvannadalshnjúkur (2119 m)
- The largest glacier in the country (and Europe) isVatnajökull (8300 km²)
- Currently, Iceland is the only NATO member with no standing army.
- Kate Winslet is an English actress who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2008 for The Reader.
- Name at birth: Kate Elizabeth Winslet
- Kate was born in Reading, Berkshire on October 5, 1975.
- Kate Winslet is the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations.
- Her children refer to close friend Leonardo DiCaprio as "Uncle Leo".
- Currently, Kate lives in New York City.
- Parents: Sally Anne and Roger John Winslet
- Kate's astrological sign is Libra.
- She is 5' 6½" (1.69 m) tall.
- Her Chinese zodiac sign is the Rabbit.
- In 1994, Kate made her film debut in Heavenly Creatures.
- Was offered the role of Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002).
- Kate was born in the same year and on the same day as actress Parminder Nagra.
- Kate has a nephew, George.
- On the day she had to film the straitjacket scene in Hamlet (1996), she learned she had won the role of Rose in Titanic (1997).
- Rachel McAdams is a Canadian actress.
- Name at birth: Rachel Anne McAdams
- The Canadian actress was born in London, Ontario on November 17, 1978.
- Rachel McAdams starred in the 2009 film adaptation of Sherlock Holmes as Irene Adler
- Parents: Sandra and Lance McAdams.
- Rachel's astrological sign is Scorpio.
- Rachel is 5' 5" (1.65 m) tall.
- Rachel is allergic to horses.
- Her Chinese zodiac sign is the Horse.
- Rachel has a younger brother, Daniel, and a younger sister, Kayleen.
- Rachel McAdams turned down the role of Pepper Potts in the movie Iron Man.
- In April 2009, Rachel McAdams was awarded the Female Star of The Year by ShoWest.
- Rachel McAdams won for "Actress Action Adventure" award on the 2010 Teen Choice Awards, for her role as Irene Adler on Sherlock Holmes.
- McAdams has said that she would never pose nude.
- Rachel's favorite color is purple.
- Rachel's favourite actresses include: Kate Winslet, Joan Cusack, Samantha Morton, and Juliette Lewis.
- Rachel McAdams was formerly a vegetarian.
- The Stradivarius violin is arguably the best in the world.
- Andrea Amati, an Italian lute maker of the 16th century, was the earliest maker of violins whose instruments still survive today.
- The word violin comes from the Middle Latin word vitula.
- The violin is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments.
- Antonio Stradivarius was an Italian luthier born on 1644.
- Stradivarius violins are worth millions of dollars.
- Collectors particularly prize the instruments made by the Amati families, Gasparo da Salò, Stradivarius, Giovanni Paolo Maggini, Guarneri and Jacob Stainer.
- The violin family also includes the cello, the bass viol and the viola.
- A person who makes or repairs violins is called a luthier.
- The modern violin was designed in the 1500s by Andrea Amati.
- The violin is a hollow instrument with a long neck and four perfectly tuned strings.
- It is the most popular instrument among children.
- The violin is played in a wide variety of musical genres, including Baroque music, classical, jazz, folk music, and rock and roll.
- Violins are constructed from over seventy pieces of wood.
- Violins can be electric or no electric. Electrically amplified violins have been used in one form or another since the 1920s.
- Chris Brown is an American recording artist and actor.
- Birth name: Christopher Maurice Brown
- Brown was born in Tappahannock, Virginia on May 5, 1989.
- His parents are Joyce Hawkins and Clinton Brown
- Brown's astrological sign is Taurus.
- Chris Brown made his recording debut in 2005 at the age of sixteen.
- Chris Brown Height — 6 feet 1 inches (1.85 m)
- The Chinese Zodiac sign of Brown is Snake.
- In 2009, Chris Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault of singer Rihanna.
- Chris Brown has performed in Denmark, England, Switzerland, France, and Sweden.
- Chris can skateboard.
- Chris' manager is Tina Davis.
- Chris' signature dance move is the Michael Jackson's moonwalk.
- Brown learned to dance by watching Michael Jackson on television.
- Chris Brown has one sister.
- Chris favorite drink is Gatorade/Powerade.
- Emma Watson is an English actress best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series.
- She was born in Paris, France on April 15, 1990.
- She has one French grandmother
- Her name at birth: Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson
- Emma's astrological sign is Aries.
- Chinese zodiac sign: Horse
- Height. 5' 6" (1.68 m)
- Emma was cast as Hermione at the age of 9
- Emma's parents: Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson.
- The release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 2001 was Emma Watson's debut screen performance.
- She has a younger brother named Alex Watson.
