Function Magazine

Popular award shows are upon us starting with the Golden Globe Awards that is scheduled for January 2014. One of the phrases you will be hearing a lot during the award season is “A-list.” What is the “A-list?”

“A-list” represents or intended to identify most sought after major movie stars and musicians. They are the stars that Hollywood film industry would like to bank on making a popular as well as profitable movie. “A-list” celebrities are unique that the media love to cover their every move from going shopping to social associations. Tabloids love them so much there are many that exclusively cover them and their families. Some of the elements that make an “A-Lister” include a distinguished career, played in high profile projects, handle pressure well and mingle with general population. This allows them to pick and choose what parts they want to play.

Outside Hollywood an “A list celebrity” refers to well connected, popular and much admired people associated with the film and music industry. In some instances “A list celebrity” goes beyond the film industry and used to identify others who are noteworthy in many disciplines. A well-known “Hot List” uses a method to measure stars global appeal.

Ever since her July 2013 nude pose for a charity, “Protect the Skin You’re In” to raise awareness for melanoma research and to benefit the NYU Cancer Institute and the NYU Langone Medical Center, Miley Cyrus can’t seems to stay out of controversies. Previously in 2011, the actress and singer caught in a second videotaped smoke related violation. As a 15-year old, her 2008 controversial topless photo shoot with Annie Liebovitz for Vanity Fair magazine was the start of series of controversies that seems to follow her to date. In 2009 she carried the controversy over to her erotic pole dance. Respect she earned as a young artist and role modal appears to be eroding much faster lately due to series of controversies.

Born Destiny Hope Cyrus in November 1992, Miley is an accomplished singer and actress. Her father, Billy Ray Cyrus is a well-regarded Country music artist. As a teen idol, Miley made a name for her in Disney Channel television series, Hannah Montana. Her album, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, sold over three million copies sending her to the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten list. She also acted in several films including few depicting her career.

Two Andy Warhol masterpieces are expected go on the auction block in November 2013. Christie’s will auction “Coca-Cola (3)” on November 12 and Sotheby’s will auction “Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)” the next day. The 1962 “Coca-Cola (3)” is a painting of a human sized Coca-Cola bottle and considered to be one of the iconic paintings by the artist. Painting stayed in a private collection for more than two decades and is expected to go for $40 to $60 million. The “Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)” is also in a private collection since 1988 and Sotheby’s expect the price to be more than $60 million. His 1963 canvas, Eight Elvises, fetched $100 million.

Andy Warhol was an American artist who led the visual art movement also known as pop art. Since his death in 1987, The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania holds an extensive collection of his art. His art includes hand drawings, paintings, printmaking, photography, silk printing, sculptures, film, and music. He also pioneered the computer generated art. Among many books of Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and Popism: The Warhol Sixties are much popular. He is credited with the phrase “15 minutes of fame.”

A banda, norteño and ranchera musician, 43 year old Jenni Rivera along with six others were killed in a plane crash in a hilly area in Mexico on December 9, 2012.  She was better known as “La Diva de la Banda” for her banda music.  She was an accomplished singer-songwriter, actress, television producer and an entrepreneur.  She was a Mexican music powerhouse.  In recent years she was working on an entry into the U.S. market with an English language album.  Her parents were migrated to the U.S. from Mexico and Jenni was born in Long Beach, California.  Married three times, she had five children from two marriages, and obtained a degree in business administration.  The cause of the plane crash is still under investigation.

Her recording career started in 1992 and her album, Jenni, became a Billboard Top Latin Album chart in 2008.  Her reality TV show, “Jenni Rivera Presents: Chiquis & Rag-C” started in 2010 and “I Love Jenni” in 2011.  Her acting will debut in 2013 when the film “Filly Brown” released.  She sold over 15 million records, won two Billboard Music Awards and the favorite Mexican female artist award.

The iconic British television show, “The X Factor” made its way into the U.S. in the fall of 2011.  Today it dominates the television viewers, entertains many and generously rewards the winner of the singing contest with a $5 million contract.  The well-known producer, Simon Cowell produces the show.  Two new judges and two new hosts joined “The X Factor” at the begging of the 2012 show.  Here are few rarely known facts about some of them.

At the tender age of ten, Britney Spears contested in the “Star Search” and lost to 12-year old Marty Thomas.  In 1997 she debut her album “…Baby One More Time” with Jive Records.  She is now 30 and grew up in Louisiana.

Who couldn’t remember Mario Lopez from the hit television show “Saved by the Bell”?  After “Saved by the Bell” he hosted “Extra” for a while and now he is co-hosting “The X Factor”.

The names of the entire Kardashian gang start with K.  Khloe Kardashian Odom is married to basketball superstar Lamar Odom and they both star in their own show, “Khloe and Lamar”, an off shoot of “Keeping up with the Kardashians”.

Much has written about Agent J played by Will Smith in Men in Black 3 and not much about Agent K played by Josh Brolin. Josh Brolin plays a partner role as agent K in Men in Black 3 along with Will Smith. The 44 year old actor portrays as a younger Tommy Lee Jones. He wears a prosthetic nose, ears, and brow. Brolin says mimicking comes naturally. He comes from a family in the entertainment business. He is married to actress Diane Lane. His father, James Brolin who is an actor himself is married to famed Barbara Streisand.

In high school, Brolin made people laugh with his acting. Brolin made his film debut in the 1985 movie, The Goonies. His other movie work includes No Country for Old Men, Milk, and W. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay-bashing murderer in the film Milk. In the comedy W, he successfully portrays President George W. Bush. In the sci-fi comedy Men in Black 3, Brolin plays the role of Agent K meeting Agent J played by Will Smith for the first time in 1969. Before taking the role he watched the series many times over preparing him for the role.

The 2012 is getting closer to go on record books for earnings by entertainer.  According to published reports Canadian born Justin Bieber who released three albums, launched a world tour and invested in many startups such as Sportify and Tinychat is one of the most popular artists within the last 12 month period.  However, he has earned only about $55 million for the period.  The honor of the world’s highest earning musician award goes to unlikely Dr. Dre who earned more than $110 million for the same period according to the Forbes magazine.

The hip-hop artist, Dr. Dre, has a business deal with HTC, the Taiwanese manufacturer of smartphones and tablets.  HTC agreed to pay more than $300 million to buy 51 percent share of his Beats headphone business.  So far he has collected $100 million of the agreed price.  More and more musicians, artists and country music stars are investing outside the music industry in business ventures.  Besides Dr. Dre, Diddy and Jay-Z are good examples.  Holding concerts also paid handsomely for artists.  The Pink Floyd rocker Roger Winters collected more than $158 million gross in 63 shows in six months of 2012 from his The Wall Live tour.

The Fox announced that Mario Lopez and Khloe Kardashian Odom will be officially joining “The X Factor” as its hosts next month when the show starts its live broadcasting.  They will be replacing the British television personality Steve Jones who served as the host of the first season of “The X Factor”.  The second season of the famed show is currently in progress and Simon Cowell, L. A. Reed, Britney Spears and Demi Lovato as judges are coaching and selecting finalists in four categories.  Britney and Demi replaced the first season judges of Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger.  According to Nielson Company more than 9.71 million watch “The X Factor” weekly.

Mario Lopez, age 39, is currently hosting the “Extra”, a syndicated show.  He hosted “America’s Best Dance Crew” on MTV for the past seven seasons.  Mario is also an actor who appeared in many films, television and Broadway productions.  He is best known for his role in the television show “Save by the Bell”.

Khloe Kardashian Odom, age 28 and wife of famous basketball star Lamar Odom, is currently co-starring in the reality TV show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”.  She is also a TV personality, radio host, model and a business woman.

The 79 year old actress’ career spans over 57 years. Her empire includes Broadway, television, and film. But most of us remember her for entertaining us for more than 11 years on television, on CBS with the Carol Burnet Show. She brought in big names and entertained us with her comics. Her signature closing included tugging her ear and singing “I am so glad we had this time together”.

Growing up she didn’t have much money; her mother and father even though separated had a drinking problem. So, she grew up with her grandmother. Her signature ear tug is to appreciate her grandmother’s love for her and vice versa. Her show business career started with her college time at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Since the college didn’t have a journalism program, she studied theater arts – English. She got her sitcom career started for an acting class project. After graduation, she moved to New York to start a career in Broadway. She played the lead role in off-Broadway theater in Once Upon a Mattress and Princess Winnifred. Year later she moved to Broadway productions and television, and earned a Tony Award nomination in 1959.

When Sean Connery uttered “Bond, James Bond” in Dr. No in 1962, nobody expected it to be a series or an internationally famed. Fifty years later, the James Bond, code named 007, is alive and well. There have been 23 films made on the famous series and the latest is titled Skyfall. There are two other independent productions, Casino Royale in 1967 and Never Say Never Again, a 1983 remake of earlier film Thunderball. During this period there have been six actors who played the role of James Bond, a fictional British Secret Service agent. Daniel Craig plays the role in Skyfall. Others include George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Bronson.

Films are based on Ian Fleming’s series of 12 novels and two short stories that started in 1953. There have been six other authors who are authorized after the Ian’s death in 1963. A new novel is expected to be released in 2013. All films have been produced by Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, an American and his partner Harry Saltzman, a Canadian. Broccoli’s stepson Michael G. Wilson now produces the series with his half-sister, Barbara Broccoli.

Good story and action made the series more popular among movie enthusiasts.