Famous May birthdays

Famous May birthdays

Famous May birthdays
A country singer, Oscar winner, all-star athlete and groundbreaking politician are just a few of the famous folks who were born in May. To celebrate, we’re revealing some fun facts about them.

Tim McGraw
The multitalented entertainer has a decades-long music career as well as a promising acting career.

This Oscar-nominated director is known for his quirky directing skill and his working partnership with an eccentric actor.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
The wrestler-turned-movie star is returning to the ring after a seven-year absence.

This Italian fashion designer has outfitted celebrities for decades, and was parodied by Maya Rudolph on “Saturday Night Live”.

Christina Hendricks
The “Mad Men” star is famous for her attention-getting curves.

This inventor and pitchman used his company to introduce the world to the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Showtime Rotisserie.

Erin Andrews
The sideline reporter and “Dancing With the Stars” contestant dealt with a scary situation in 2009.

This ailing former Egyptian president was ousted by a revolution and is facing corruption charges. Read the latest news on his condition.

Adele
The British soul singer is making a big splash across the pond with her latest album. Watch her music videos.

This NBC news anchor is becoming as well known for his cameos on an NBC sitcom and late-night TV bits as he is for his reporting.

George Clooney
The perennial bachelor got his start on a long-running TV drama and went on to win an Oscar for his role in this movie.

This major league slugger with a funny nickname still holds fourth place on an impressive list. His controversial godson holds the top spot.

Shawn Marion
The NBA All-Star shoots for the Dallas Mavericks but started out his career with the Phoenix Suns.

This stand-up comedian starred in a pot-centered documentary and hosts a movie-themed podcast.

Don Rickles
“Mr. Warmth” has been insulting audiences for more than 60 years but took on a more kid-friendly role in a beloved movie franchise .

This Latin singer inherited his musical genes from his crooner dad. See who his famous girlfriend is.

Rosario Dawson
The New York actress made her big-screen debut in a controversial 1995 movie and went on to co-star with Denzel Washington in an action thriller. Next up? A Kevin James comedy.

The musician known as the “Piano Man” is turning 62 and has a daughter who is following in his footsteps.

Bono
The U2 front man has become one of the world’s most famous philanthropists.

This “Saturday Night Live” cast member got his start on a Nickelodeon sketch show.

Louis Farrakhan
The controversial Nation of Islam leader is turning 78. What is his birth name?

This actor – who plays a teen heartthrob on “Glee” – got caught up in a photo shoot controversy last year.

Tony Hawk
The professional skateboarder landed the first-ever 900 in competition and went on to build a hugely successful video-game empire.

This actor grabbed audiences’ attention in a cult hitand melted viewers’ hearts when he gave away his Golden Globe.

Robert Pattinson
The “Twilight” star tries to keep his real-life relationship with his co-star under wraps.

This late-night host uses his parody news show to skewer everyone from Bill O’Reilly to the president. Watch him testify before Congress.

Cate Blanchett
The Oscar-winning actress is known for her fashion sense as well as her talent.

This popular director has never won an Oscar despite his success at the box office. Read his bio.

Madeleine Albright
The first female secretary of state was known for her pin collection.

This former star NFL running back put his athletic skills to use to win “Dancing With the Stars.”

Janet Jackson
The pop icon from a legendary family once stirred up controversy with her Super Bowl performance.

This bombshell actress get her big break in “Transformers” and has a big comedy coming out next year.

Craig Ferguson
The late-night talk show host was born in Glasgow, Scotland.

This Nine Inch Nails front man surprised lots of fans when he won an Academy Award.

Chow Yun-fat
The Hong Kong action star broke through in Hollywood with roles in “Anna and the King” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

This Indy Car champion was born in Bathgate, Scotland, and is married to a Hollywood actress.

Nora Ephron
The Oscar-nominated writer-director is known for her romantic comedies.

This PBS newsman has a side job as a presidential debate moderator.

Cher
The Oscar-winning actress-singer starred in a Golden Globe-nominated movie last year.

This U.S. senator’s wife posed for a controversial ad.

Mr. T
We pity the fool who doesn’t love the star of “The A-Team.” He even had his own cereal!

This Minnesota senator transitioned from a sketch-comedy career to become a major player in Congress.

Apolo Anton Ohno
The Olympic gold medal speed skater traded in his skates for dancing shoes to win a reality competition show.

This British supermodel is famous for several “incidents” and was even connected to controversial stones.

Drew Carey
The former sitcom star took over for this longtime host as the face of “The Price Is Right” in 2007.

This singer is expecting her first baby with her cowboy husband.

Bob Dylan
The singer-songwriter with a trademark voice is celebrating his 70th birthday.

This iconic soul singer has been entertaining audiences since the 1960s.

Sir Ian McKellen
The star of the “X-Men” films and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy is working on a highly anticipated prequel.

The star of “Hung” and ex-girlfriend of a popular talk-show host got her start in daytime soap operas.

Jack Kevorkian
The man known as “Dr. Death” was released from prison in 2007.

This funky rocker has a keen fashion sense and plays a mean guitar.

Louis Gossett Jr.
The Oscar-winning star of “Officer and a Gentleman” and the “Iron Eagle” franchise returned to the big screen last year.

This former secretary of state won a Nobel Peace Prize with this leader.

Carey Mulligan
The British actress has been nominated for an Oscar and gone through a public breakup.

This soul singer has been performing with her backup band since the 1960s.

Melissa Etheridge
The “Come to My Window” rocker battled a health set back before going through an ugly breakup with her actress wife last year.

This New York Knicks star won an NCAA championship at this university. Watch his recent late-night cameo.

Wynonna Judd
The country music star has a new reality show with her mom.

This hip-hop superstar sang with an Oscar winner and will be a judge for a new singing competition.

Clint Eastwood
The Oscar-winning actor-director – who turns 81 – is working on his next big movie.

This longtime actress got her start as a teenage jeans model and had a highly publicized feud with an A-list actor.

Beyoncé tribute

Beyonce To Be Saluted by Michelle Obama, Bono, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga

prepare to be bowled over. A highlight at this weekend's Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas will undoubtedly be the tribute to honor the pop star with the Millennium Award. And the stage will be overflowing with famous friends saluting her talent.

Access Hollywood is reporting that none other than First Lady Michelle Obama will step into the spotlight take part in the tribute. Beyonce serenaded President Obama and his wife with 'At Last,' as they danced at an inauguration ball in early 2009.

Insiders say other luminaries eager to honor Beyonce include Lady Gaga (her collaborator on the hit single 'Telephone'), Bono, Stevie Wonder and Barbra Streisand.

Ken Jeong, star of 'Hangover 2' and 'Community,' will host the star-studded event, which will also include performances from Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Keith Urban, Cee Lo Green and the Black Eyed Peas.

The roster of presenters includes Justin Timberlake (fresh off hosting 'SNL'), Selena Gomez and 'Glee' star Matthew Morrison. The Billboard Music Awards will air Sunday (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.
Source:www.popeater.com

Celebs who lost big financially

10 Celebrities Who Lost a Lot of Money

Famous people don't necessarily invest more wisely than the average Joe. Here are 10 who blew it.

Tough financial breaks don't happen to just the little guy. See how big-name stars made big money mistakes.

Celebrities make bad financial moves, too

Celebrities have more money than the average American, but there's no evidence that they spent or invested it more wisely during the recent economic downturn.

The average Joe doesn't need much prompting to tell you how bad it's been in the past few years. Call last year a recovery period if you must, but Americans still saw personal bankruptcies rise 9%, to more than 1.5 million, and reach their highest point since bankruptcy-law reform was introduced in 2005, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute and the National Bankruptcy Research Center.

Meanwhile, real estate data firm RealtyTrac notes that foreclosures rose to a record 1.05 million, edging the previous record of 918,000 in 2009. That means 26% of all homes sold last year were foreclosures.

It seems only fair that celebrities contribute to both categories. Some have lost 280 times the $50,000 that the Census Bureau says an American household makes in a year. The following are just 10 examples of celebrities who have taken a huge financial hit during the past few years.

Shaquille O'Neal

Five years and three teams ago, Boston Celtics center/rapper/actor/Comcast pitchman Shaquille O'Neal won an NBA title with Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. At the time, he was also trying to sell a house on Star Island in Miami Beach that he bought for $18.8 million in 2004. Sitting on 2.5 acres along 300 feet of Biscayne Bay waterfront, the 19,400-square-foot home had eight bedrooms, a two-bedroom guest house, a tennis court, an indoor racquetball court, a six-car garage and a pool splashed with the Superman logo.

Shaq tried to flip the house for what he thought was a reasonable $32 million to $35 million, and in 2007 almost had a New York Yankees third baseman on the hook for $25 million. But he watched the estate linger on the market for five years amid a housing crisis that flushed Miami housing prices by nearly 40%, according to Florida Realtors, a trade association.

Eventually, Shaq unloaded the house on Russian real estate magnate and Naomi Campbell paramour Vladislav Doronin in 2009 for a reported $16 million -- $2.8 million less than he paid and less than half his asking price. Shaq has since recovered, but only in the world of celebrity investments and bankruptcy can a $2.8 million to $16 million loss be considered getting off light.

Toni Braxton

It's a good thing Braxton's heart is unbroken, because the rest of her is flat broke. The six-time Grammy winner and her company Liberty Entertainment filed for bankruptcy last September after accumulating debts ranging from $10 million to $50 million against only $1 million to $10 million in assets. That's actually the least of Braxton's problems.

This is the singer's second bankruptcy after first filing in 1998, but that was brought on by tension and an eventual split with her record label and poor financial choices, such as accumulating $500,000 in overdraft fees in 1997 alone. This time, much of Braxton's trouble stems from canceling a string of shows in Las Vegas in 2008 after chest pains she experienced during performances were later diagnosed as a heart problem that insurer Lloyd's of London called a "pre-existing condition" in refusing to cover her losses. She was also forced to pull out of the series finale of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" that year when she had a breast tumor removed.

With a list of creditors including the Internal Revenue Service, Flamingo Las Vegas hotel and casino, the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C., Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Neiman Marcus, the Screen Actors Guild, RCA Music Group and Tiffany & Co., Braxton saw her $2.6 million home in Henderson, Nev., go into foreclosure and sell for little more than $1 million. Her $1.2 million home in Duluth, Ga., just went into foreclosure proceedings.

Nicolas Cage

That Nicolas Cage hasn't declared bankruptcy yet is nothing short of amazing. The "Leaving Las Vegas" Oscar winner and "National Treasure" star's films have grossed more than $4 billion, but he has been forced to take just about every role thrown at him after a series of spending missteps.

In 2009, the IRS filed a lien on some of Cage's property in Louisiana and said Cage owed it roughly $6 million for purchases made in 2007. They weren't talking about weekend splurges at Harrod's, mind you, but a $15.7 million mansion in Rhode Island; the $8 million-plus Milford Castle in Bath, England; a five-year, $7,700-a-month lease on a 1964 Rolls Royce SC III; and a $3,600-a-month lease on a 2002 Rolls Royce Corniche. The burden forced him to sell two $3.5 million homes in New Orleans back to the bank for $4.5 million, an $8.5 million home in Las Vegas for $5 million, a $9.5 million Manhattan apartment for $7.5 million and -- most crushing -- a Bel-Air Tudor mansion he'd listed for $35 million for $10.5 million after it went into foreclosure.

Meanwhile, he has also listed a $1.7 million home in Newport Beach, Calif., for less than $1 million and that $15.7 million Rhode Island home for $7.8 million. Cage sued his business manager for $20 million in 2009, which led the manager in question to countersue, saying that he told Cage to spend within his means but couldn't stop him from buying $33 million in homes, 22 cars, 47 pieces of artwork and a $276,000 skull of a Tarbosaurus.

Julius Erving

Dr. J was a tough competitor on the basketball court, but he spent last year getting schooled on the golf greens. Erving fulfilled his dream of owning a golf course in 2007 when a friend advised him to invest $3 million in the Heritage Golf Club in Tucker, Ga. That investment came with an $11 million loan obligation that Erving was just fine with as long as the club brought in returns. It never did.

As it turns out, the previous club owner's mortgage was in default before Dr. J bought the club, and its value was never close to $11 million. The property ended up being worth $2 million and, because Erving never took a paycheck as the club's owner, he ended up losing about $5 million on the deal.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick

Sure, everyone knows now not to invest with Bernie Madoff, but someone should have told Mr. "Six Degrees" and his wife, "The Closer," that before Madoff uncorked his $50 billion Ponzi scheme on them and the rest of the investing world.

The pair reportedly lost millions of their personal investments in the scheme, and while it may have been somewhat comforting to know that Hollywood figures such as Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg were duped in the same deal, it had to be humbling for the already prolific Bacon to tell Life & Style magazine in 2009 that "I need to work, for obvious reasons." Remember this when you're inundated with commercials for any of Bacon's four projects slated to hit the screen this year.

Wesley Snipes

Even if you're suddenly adding millions of dollars to your paycheck, you need to file a tax return every year. The star of the "Blade" movies got no such advice when he made more than $38 million since 1999, but only started filing tax returns in 2006. We still don't quite understand this.

Snipes paid taxes on his earnings from "Wildcats," "Major League," "White Men Can't Jump," "Jungle Fever," "Mo' Better Blues," "Passenger 57" and "Rising Sun," but suddenly he starts playing a samurai vampire (sorry, daywalker) and he's invulnerable to taxes? Did those eight straight-to-DVD movies he's made since 2004 weaken his powers?

Don't worry, Snipes has plenty of time to ponder this after his final appeal failed last year and he started his three-year prison sentence in December.

Madonna

Ordinarily a fairly savvy businesswoman -- especially considering she started her Maverick record label with Time Warner almost 20 years ago, before that was a thing to do -- Madonna's one major blunder came during her marriage to Guy Ritchie, which was filled with them.

Forget their heavy ordnance of a film "Swept Away," her "British" children's book "The English Roses," her directorial debut "Filth and Wisdom," her "American Life" album and her affected English accent. You marry a guy who directs heist movies like "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch" for a living and you don't sign a prenuptial agreement?

Madonna was worth $500 million during her marriage to Ritchie, and while the director didn't clean her out when their marriage dissolved in 2008, the $75 million he reportedly got was a nice parting gift.

Bono

While it's great that U2 raked in $130 million last year as the world's biggest-selling music act, according to Forbes, that sum wouldn't even cover the amount Bono lost on his worst investment.

When Bono bought a stake in private equity firm Elevation Partners in 2004, it gave him a nearly 30% stake in Palm, including stock worth an estimated $325 million. In the pre-iPhone smartphone market, that wasn't too shabby.

When Palm fumbled the Pre, however, and the iPhone surged in market share, that investment started to look a lot shakier. It got worse when Hewlett-Packard bought Palm for $1.2 billion last year, but valued Palm shares at only $5.70 when they were trading at $18 just a year before. The whole deal set Bono back $140 million, and while it's tough to top U2's "Pop" album as a career low point, his disastrous Palm investment trumped it in Bono's typically grand fashion.

Uma Thurman, Liza Minnelli, Paul Simon, Tom Brokaw, Harvey Weinstein, et al.

With swarms of predatory "investment advisers" looking to take a chunk of their earnings, it's a wonder more celebrities don't invest in hollowed-out mattresses. Just two years after Madoff was put away for swindling investors with his Ponzi scheme, Kenneth Starr (not the Whitewater independent counsel; the other one) pleaded guilty last year to running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded his celebrity clients out of at least $59 million.

His list of defrauded clients read like the guest list at a gala fundraiser: Actress Uma Thurman, musician Paul Simon, actor and singer Liza Minnelli, newsman Tom Brokaw, film producer Harvey Weinstein, talk show host Phil Donohue, singer Carly Simon, photographer Annie Leibovitz, playwright Neil Simon and actor Sylvester Stallone -- who sued Starr in 2002 and claimed his advice caused him to lose $10 million in his restaurant chain Planet Hollywood's stock.

As a reward for their trust, Starr repaid his clients with such dastardly deeds as testifying against Snipes in his tax-evasion trial, bilking 99-year-old heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon out of $5 million in a Manhattan apartment deal and tucking away more than $57 million worth of ill-gotten goods in property and bank accounts shared with his wife and former Scores stripper Diane Passage -- including one account in the name of "Poledance Superstar."

Now we're not saying a 66-year-old financial adviser who marries a stripper in her mid-30s and is regularly sued by his clients -- including former radio actor Joan Stanton, who sued Starr for misappropriating "tens of millions" before dying in 2009 at 94 -- is necessarily a bad guy. You just may want to consider all that background before handing him your money.

Michael Vick

The good news for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is that he turned a Comeback Player of the Year season in 2010 into a key to the city of Dallas and a franchise tag from the Eagles that could be worth $16 million to $20 million if the NFL doesn't lock out its players next season. The bad news: The aftermath of his dog-fighting conviction and ensuing prison sentence will put almost all of that money into other people's hands.

It's no secret Vick's past cost him endorsement deals with Nike and AirTran, more than $60 million of his $130 million contract extension that he signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2004 and 16 months of his freedom. What's less known is that also left him bankrupt, with roughly $10 million to $50 million in debt. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, he's been paying off that debt by keeping only $300,000 of the $6.8 million he made with the Eagles during the past two seasons, but he has more than $20 million still outstanding. Though he's recovered from his dogfighting conviction professionally, its fallout will likely keep his paycheck on a short leash in the near term.
Source

Famous commencement speeches

Famous commencement speeches

The world of academia is abuzz over one university's decision to pay a big fee for a reality TV celebrity over a renowned author to headline their 2011 graduation. Celebrity commencement speeches have become commonplace. The fad can be traced to the infamous "sunscreen speech." Check out the most interesting commencements in academic history.

Toni Morrison

At a 2004 liberal arts graduation, the prolific writer said:

"You are your own stories and therefore free to imagine and experience what it means to be human without wealth. What it feels like to be human without domination over others, without reckless arrogance, without fear of others unlike you, without rotating, rehearsing and reinventing the hatreds you learned in the sandbox."

Steve Jobs

Apple chief Jobs offered no-nonsense advice to the 2005 Stanford grads. His health issues may have added weight to his speech.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice."

Dolly Parton

Parton spoke to 2009 University of Tennessee grads about brains, dreams and breasts.

"I think people will remember us for who we were, not how many records we sell, or how much money we make. Because I have always said that I have always counted my blessings far more often than I've counted my money."

Bono


When the U2 front man spoke to 2004 University of Pennsylvania grads, he used humor to lead into a vital topic.

"Wishing for the end to AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa is like wishing that gravity didn't make things so damn heavy. We can wish it, but what the hell can we do about it? Well, more than we think. We can't fix every problem … but the ones we can, we must."

Will Ferrell

Ferrell delivered a hilarious speech at Harvard in 2003.

"One of the challenges you will be faced with is finding a job in our depressed economy. In fact, the chances of landing a decent job are about as good as finding weapons of mass destruction in the Iraqi desert. Slim and none. And Slim just left the building."

Sacha Baron Cohen


Baron Cohen, who graduated from a top university, produced hilarity and provoked security at Harvard as his Ali G persona.

"What did Lincoln give American, apart from the Town Car?"

J.K. Rowling

The "Harry Potter" author spoke candidly and topically to Harvard grads in 2008.

"We do not need magic to change the world; we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: We have the power to imagine better."

President Barack Obama


President Obama took some heat for his view on a big issue prior to this 2009 Notre Dame speech.

"You are about to enter the next phase of your life at a time of great uncertainty. You will be called upon to help restore a free market that is also fair to all who are willing to work; to seek new sources of energy that can save our planet; to give future generations the same chance that you had to receive an extraordinary education."

President John F. Kennedy

President Kennedy got down to the basics during his rousing speech at American University in 1963.

"For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's futures, and we are all mortal."

Ellen DeGeneres


The multi-Emmy winner returned to her hometown to give the Class of 2009 some real-world advice.

"Life is like one big Mardi Gras, but instead of showing your boobs, show people your brain, and if they like what they see, you'll have more beads than you know what do with."

Conan O'Brien


O'Brien reminisced at his alma mater in 2000 and gave grads a wake-up call.

"As you leave these gates and re-enter society, one thing is certain: Everyone out there is going to hate you."

His Holiness the Dalai Lama


The Tibetan spiritual leader comprised the importance of education with a compassionate worldview in his 1998 speech at Emory University.

"A good person means someone with a good heart, a sense of caring for the welfare of others, a sense of commitment, a sense of responsibility. Education and the warm heart, the compassion heart—if you combine these two, then your education and knowledge will be constructive. Then you are yourself on the way to becoming a happy person."