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Jancis Robinson

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Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the Financial Times, and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She provided advice for the wine cellar of Queen Elizabeth II. Robinson was born in Carlisle, Cumbria, studied mathematics and philosophy at St Anne's College, University of Oxford, and worked in marketing for Thomson Holidays. Robinson started her wine writing career on 1 December 1975 when she became assistant editor for the trade magazine Wine & Spirit. In 1984, she became the first person outside the wine trade to become a Master of Wine. From 1995 until she resigned in 2010 she served as British Airways' wine consultant, and supervised the BA Concorde cellar luxury selection. As a wine writer, she has become one of the world's leading writers of educational and encyclopedic material on wine and was described by Decanter as "the most respected wine critic and journalist in the world". The Oxford Companion to Wine, edited by Robinson, is widely considered to be the most comprehensive wine encyclopedia in the world. The first edition was published in 1994, and took five years to write after she was signed on as editor in 1988. In addition, The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Robinson is one of the world's leading wine atlases. In 1995, Robinson appeared in a 10-episode wine course on BBC 2 television. This series was later reissued on DVD. A book titled Jancis Robinson's Wine Course was written to accompany the series and has gone through several editions. In 2015 she launched an online wine course, "Mastering Wine – Shortcuts to Success" on udemy. In 2022 she launched "An Understanding of Wine", an exclusive online course for BBC Maestro. She has an honorary doctorate from the Open University, and was made an OBE in 2003, among numerous other awards for her writing. Her accolades include multiple Glenfiddich Awards and André Simon Memorial Awards, and a selection as the Decanter "1999 Woman of the Year". In 2016, she was made an Officier de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole, was given the German VDP association's highest honour and won for fourth James Beard Award in the US. Following a difference of opinion with Robert Parker over the 2003 vintage of Château Pavie, the following media coverage frequently described a "war of words" between the two critics. Less dramatic than the predominant press view, Robinson and Parker as of 2008 had a cordial relationship. In 2012, Allen Lane (Penguin) in the UK and Ecco in the US published a 1,200-page book called Wine Grapes co-authored by Robinson with Julia Harding MW and Jose Vouillamoz which won every major wine book award. The book provides comprehensive details on 1,368 vine varieties and won six major wine book awards. In 2018, Jancis appeared in the film SOMM 3 to taste some of the world's finest wines and discuss the Judgment of Paris (wine) with some of the world's most respected wine figures including the late Steven Spurrier (wine merchant). Robinson is married to the food writer Nick Lander, author of The Art of the Restaurateur; they have three children, Julia, William and Rose. Source: Article "Jancis Robinson" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Fergie Jenkins

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Ferguson Arthur 'Fergie' Jenkins OC (born December 13, 1942) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher and coach. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1965 to 1983 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox. He played most of his career with the Cubs. He was a National League (NL) and Cubs All-Star for three seasons, and in 1971, he was the first Canadian and Cubs pitcher to win a Cy Young Award. He was a 20-game winner for seven seasons, including six consecutive seasons for the Cubs. He was the NL leader in wins, in 1971, and the American League (AL) leader in wins, in 1974. He was also the NL leader in complete games in 1967, 1970, and 1971, and the AL leader in complete games in 1974. He led the NL in strikeouts in 1969 and had over 3,000 strikeouts during his career. His 284 victories are the most by a black pitcher in major league history. He played basketball in the off-season for the Harlem Globetrotters from 1967 to 1969, and pitched two seasons in Canada for the minor league London Majors following his major league career. He became the first Canadian to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991; he remained the only one until Larry Walker's election in 2020.
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Maria Protopappa

Biography

Maria Protopappa (Korydallos, February 28, 1971) is a Greek television, theater and film actress. She was born and raised in Korydallos, Attica. In her teens, she enrolled in an amateur troupe and, later, studied at the "Karolos Koon" Art Theater, from where she graduated in the mid-1990s. For the next six years, she worked as an actor in the theater, exclusively in its performances. Her television debut took place in 1999, through her participation in the drama series "Blood libel" on ET1. In the following years, she took part in the detective series "Surface" and "Forget Me" by Vassilis Tselemegou, starred in Alpha's social series "To Deka", which was based on the novel of the same name by Karagatsis, and played in the series " "Friends forever" and "Kiss for life". Better known are her collaborations with Thodoris Papadoulakis in the series "The Island" on Mega in the 2010-11 season and "The word you don't say" on Alpha in the 2016-17 season. In the 2021-2023 season she plays in the Sasmos series of Alpha. At the same time, during the 2000s, she acted in the movies: "2000 +1 Moments", "One and One", "No one loses at all", "Brazilero", "The Theaters" ", "Before the Night", "Parties" and "Dancing on Ice". The most recent films in which she participated are: "The Signature" in 2011 and "Adults in the Room" in 2019.
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Ai Otsuka

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Ai Otsuka (大塚愛), nicknamed LOVE (愛) or Ai-Chan, is a Japanese singer born in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan on September 9, 1982. She was part of the group HimawaRi from 2000 to 2003. Her debut solo album LOVE PUNCH was released in March 2004. Her second album, LOVE JAM, was released only 8 months after her first in November 2004. Her first tour, JAM PUNCH Tour 2005, began on April 24, 2005 and ended in June 2005. LOVE COOK, her 3rd album was released on December 14, 2005. On June 25th, 2010, it was announced on her official site that she got married to SU of the band RIP SLYME. On March 24, 2011, Otsuka gave birth to a healthy baby girl. She came back in 2012 while announcing a [LOVE IS BORN] ~9th Anniversary 2012~ concert in September. Then, she announced a new musical project, a band named Rabbit (バンド). Their debut album Rabito was released December 12, 2012. In other works, Otsuka has acted in the Tokyo Friends drama. She also has a radio show called "Otsuka Ai ai-r Jack" and has appeared in various CMs. Furthermore, Otsuka pens column in two Japanese magazines; "Love Column" in Zipper and "Love World ~ Eye Love Pictures" in B-Pass. "Kimi Iro Omoi", Otsuka's first photobook, was released on March 1st, 2005. A talented graphic artist as well, the first pressings of her albums and some singles have included a limited edition picture book illustrated by Otsuka herself.
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Rika Nagae

Biography

Rika Nagae (長江 里加, Nagae Rika, September 28) is a Japanese voice actress (seiyuu) born in Saitama Prefecture. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. She has been fond of Disney works since childhood, showing interest in voice actor work. After graduating from the Amusement Media Academy, she became a member of Aoni Production Junior in 2015; in 2019 she became affiliated as a regular member. In 2017 she played her first main character, when she voiced Baselard in the anime series Frame Arms Girl.
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Brian Johnson

Biography

Brian Francis Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC. He and the rest of the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. In March 2016, he stepped down from touring on the Rock or Bust World Tour due to hearing problems. He stated in an interview that he "had a pretty good run" in AC/DC and implied that he might not be returning. On September 30, 2020, AC/DC officially confirmed that Johnson along with fellow band mates Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams returned to record the band's 2020 album, Power Up in August 2018.
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Cary Elwes

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Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (born October 26, 1962) is an English actor. He is known for his leading roles in The Princess Bride (1987), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), and the Saw series. Elwes's other performances in films include Glory (1989), Days of Thunder (1990), Hot Shots! (1991), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Twister (1996), Kiss the Girls (1997), Liar Liar (1997), Ella Enchanted (2004), No Strings Attached (2011), BlackBerry, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (both 2023). Elwes has also appeared on television series such as The X-Files, Seinfeld, From the Earth to the Moon, Psych, Life in Pieces, Stranger Things, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Knuckles. He is the third son born to interior designer/shipping heiress Tessa Kennedy and the late portrait painter Dominick Elwes, and is the brother of producer/agent Cassian Elwes and artist Damian Elwes. He was born and raised in London and attended Harrow. After graduating from Harrow, he moved to the US and studied drama at Sarah Lawrence College. He left school after two years to begin his film career. Elwes is politically active for causes such as protecting the environment and helping Native American peoples. He is married to Lisa Marie Kurbikoff, a stills photographer.
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Kate Clarke

Biography

Kate Clarke starred in the Emmy Nominated Sophie Chase, won the ‘Best Actress’ Award for her role of Beth in Playground Girls and was nominated for ‘Best Actress’ at the Pixie Awards for the short film Lumina 12. Before acting, Kate worked as a nurse in hospitals, nursing homes and home health care. She grew up a tomboy playing every sport through high school and in a typical midwest family with hard working parents and a brother who was always (and still is!) finding new ways to annoy her. Kate’s acting career began in her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota with the film 20/20 Vision starring along with Jesse Ventura. “Jesse Ventura shares the screen with an extremely talented cast. Lead actress Kate Clarke is a beautiful, young talent.” -Star Tribune Next up, she appeared with Dave Attell in fellow Minnesotan and comedian, Mitch Hedberg’s Los Enchiladas!, a comedy favorite which screened at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. After moving to Los Angeles, Kate’s performance in Playground Girls won her a ‘Best Actress’ Award and later screened at MOCA during the Basquiat Exhibit. “Kate has charisma and prescence and stands above this film with fire and originality.” -TNT In Grace Kate tackles the difficult role of Gabby with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). “Featuring incredible performances by its cast, especially the leads Kyle Ingleman and Kate Clarke, Grace is a raw, emotional journey that is both heartfelt and stirring.” -Tim Shively Kate has taken on a variety of roles ranging from vampires to mothers to superheros to doctors. In Grayson Kate kicks ass as Wonder Woman! In USAF she is an Air Force Sergeant in Afghanistan. In the comedy with Michael Jackson and Eric Roberts, Miss Cast Away, she is beauty pageant contestant Miss Iowa. Kate’s other credits include Street Kings, Hancock, Entourage and more. Visit IMDb for a full list of credits. Kate is currently living in Los Angeles with her better half and two dogs. She is a published poet and her artwork has shown in galleries around LA. Her screenplay, Carney, won in Variety’s Jury of Peers Screenplay Competition and she most recently joined in on some Improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Visit her Blog for the latest and personal info.
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Barbara Pepper

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Barbara Pepper (born Marion B. Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first "Doris Ziffel" on the sitcom Green Acres. Pepper was born in New York City, the daughter of actor David Mitchell "Dave" Pepper, and his wife, Harrietta S. Pepper. At age 16 she started life in show business with Goldwyn Girls, a musical stock company where she met lifelong friend Lucille Ball. Pepper began making movies. Among her later film parts were small roles in My Fair Lady and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. She also performed radio parts. In 1943, she married actor Craig Reynolds (né Harold Hugh Enfield), and the couple later had two sons. After Reynolds died in 1949 in a California motorcycle accident, Pepper was left to raise their children alone. She never remarried. After gaining weight, her roles were mostly confined to small character parts on television, including several appearances on I Love Lucy, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Petticoat Junction, and The Jack Benny Program. She made four appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of Martha Dale, mother of the title character, in the 1957 episode "The Case of the Vagabond Vixen". A long-time friend of Lucille Ball, Barbara was considered for the role of Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy," but was passed over due to the fact that she was reportedly a drinker. William Frawley ("Fred Mertz") was, likewise, reportedly, a drinker and was already cast. It was felt that having two drinkers in the cast might eventually cause difficulties so they auditioned and found Vivian Vance to play Ethel instead. She may be best remembered as the first Doris Ziffel on Petticoat Junction in 1964, although her character's name on the "Genghis Keane" episode of Petticoat Junction was Ruth Ziffel. Her role as Doris Ziffel continued on Green Acres from 1965 to 1968, until heart ailments finally forced her to leave that weekly series. Veteran actress Fran Ryan replaced her on Green Acres, which would continue to run for another three years. Her final performance was in the 1969 film Hook, Line & Sinker, in which she played Jerry Lewis's secretary.
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Julia von Heinz

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Julia von Heinz (born 3 June 1976 in West Berlin) is a German film director and screenwriter. From 2005 to 2006, Julia von Heinz worked as a personal assistant for the director and professor Rosa von Praunheim at the Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg. Her debut feature film Nothing Else Matters, a coming of age-drama, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2007, was shown at numerous international festivals and won awards. After that, she shot the documentary film Standesgemäß (2008) about single aristocratic women. In 2012, her children's film Hanni & Nanni 2, based on the series of novels by Enid Blyton, was released successfully in cinemas. Together with the directors Tom Tykwer, Chris Kraus, Robert Thalheim and Axel Ranisch, she made the documentary film Pink Children (2012) about their common mentor Rosa von Praunheim. Also in 2012 von Heinz received her Ph.D. with a concentration in Film and teaches at the University of Television and Film Munich. In addition to teaching, she continues to make films. Her greatest international success to date was And Tomorrow the Entire World (2020). In this feature film she processed her own experiences as a teenager in Antifa.
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