Birthday's to share this week : 12th - 18th February 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Mahershala Ali does on 16th February - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 43, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 12th February

• Joe Don Baker - Born 1936, turns 81 - Actor
• Michael Ironside - Born 1950, turns 67 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Josh Brolin - Born 1968, turns 49  -Actor | Producer
• Darren Aronofsky - Born 1969, turns 48 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Christina Ricci - Born 1980, turns 37 - Actress | Producer

Monday 13th February

• Kim Novak - Born 1933, turns 84 - Actress
• Stockard Channing - Born 1944, turns 73 - Actress
• Mena Suvari - Born 1979, turns 38 - Actress
• George Segal - Born 1934, turns 83 - Actor
• Neal McDonough - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor | Producer  

Tuesday 14th February

• Alan Parker - Born 1944, turns 73 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Simon Pegg - Born 1970, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Freddie Highmore - Born 1992, turns 25 - Actor  

Wednesday 15th February

• Matt Groening - Born 1954, turns 63 - Producer | Writer | Animator | Actor | Singer
• Claire Bloom - Born 1931, turns 86 - Actress
• Jane Seymour - Born 1951, turns 66 - Actress | Producer
• Jessica De Gouw - Born 1988, turns 29 - Actress  

Thursday 16th February

• Elizabeth Olsen - Born 1989, turns 28 - Actress
• Ice-T (aka Tracy Lauren Marrow) - Born 1958, turns 59 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Christopher Eccleston - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor
• Mahershala Ali - Born 1974, turns 43 - Actor   

Friday 17th February

• Hal Holbrook - Born 1925, turns 92 - Actor
• Lou Diamond Phillips - Born 1962, turns 55 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Michael Bay - Born 1965, turns 52 - Director | Producer | Actor | Cameraman
• Dominic Purcell - Born 1970, turns 47 - Actor | Producer
• Jerry O'Connell - Born 1974, turns 43 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Rory Kinnear - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Born 1981, turns 36 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer
• Renee Russo - Born 1954, turns 63 - Actress
• Denise Richards - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actress | Producer  

Saturday 18th February

• Cybill Shepherd - Born 1950, turns 67 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Greta Scacchi - Born 1960, turns 57 - Actress
• Molly Ringwald - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actress
• Milos Forman - Born 1932, turns 85 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• John Travolta - Born 1954, turns 63 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Matt Dillon - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | Writer

Mahershalalhashbaz 'Mahershala' Gilmore was born in Oakland, California and was raised in Hayward, California in the East Bay area of San Francisco Bay. His mother Willicia Goines, was an ordained Christian Church Minister, and his father Phillip F. Gilmore, appeared in stage plays on Broadway. Raised a Christian, he converted to Islam and in so doing changed his surname from Gilmore to Ali. He attended St. Mary's College of California, a small private co-educational college in Moraga, about 15kms east of Oakland, on a basketball scholarship from which he graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in mass communication. He became disillusioned with a career in sport however, and so developed an interest in Acting after earning a role in 'Spunk' that led to him gaining an apprenticeship at the California Shakespeare Theatre upon graduating from St. Mary's. Having taken  a year off he landed a job at the long established 'Gavin Report' - a San Francisco based radio industry trade publication which subsequently closed down in 2002. He then enrolled in the New York University Graduate Acting Programme gaining a Masters Degree in 2000.

His first screen break came in 2001 scoring the role of Dr. Trey Sanders on nineteen episodes of 'Crossing Jordan'. This was quickly followed up with single episodes on television shows 'Haunted', 'NYPD Blue', 'CSI : Crime Scene Investigation', and 'The Handler'. Fifteen episodes on Homeland Security drama thriller series 'Threat Matrix' and 32 episodes on Sci-Fi drama mystery series 'The 4400' with comedy film offering 'Making Revolution' coming in between time.

2008 saw his first major big screen role in David Fincher's 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' alongside Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The film won three Oscar's and was nominated for another ten with an all up awards haul of 76 wins and 146 other nods. 'Crossing Over' followed in 2009 with Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta and Jim Sturgess with Sci-Fi actioner 'Predators' with Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburn, Danny Trejo, Topher Grace and Walton Goggins in 2010. In between time there had been more television work on 'Lie to Me' with Tim Roth, 'Law & Order : SVU', 'Lights Out' with Stacy Keach, and 'Alcatraz' with Sam Neill.

The Derek Cianfrance Directed crime drama thriller about a bank robbing motorcycle stunt rider 'The Place Beyond the Pines' with Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Ben Mendelsohn and Eva Mendes was released in 2012, before John Sayles Written and Directed 'Go for Sisters' and 'Supremacy' in 2014. 'The Hungers Games : Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2' released in 2014 and 2015 saw Ali play Colonel Boggs. These two films returned a Box Office haul of US$1.41B off a budget of US$285M.



In between big screen appearances there were further small screen roles on six episodes of post Hurricane Katrina drama 'Treme', and twelve episodes on Sci-Fi action drama series about humans with enhanced abilities 'Alphas', and then 33 episodes of the highly acclaimed, very popular and much awarded 'House of Cards' as Remy Danton with Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.

'Kicks' came next in 2016 with the Gary Ross Directed 'Free State of Jones' with Matthew McConaughey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and then the universally acclaimed 'Moonlight' which is nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor for Ali, Best Picture and Best Directing for Barry Jenkins. It is also up for four BAFTA Awards including again the Best Supporting Actor nod for Ali. Both the BAFTA and Academy Awards are yet to be presented at the time of writing. In the meantime Ali won the SAG Award for his Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role and was nominated for a Golden Globe in the same category. The film cost just US$5M to make and has so far taken US$20M at the Box Office.

Since, he has starred in seven episodes of the Netflix small screen Marvel adaptation of 'Luke Cage' as Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes, before the pending release of the highly anticipated 'Hidden Figures' due in cinemas in Australia on 16th February and is also nominated for three Oscars and has so far picked up 25 wins and a total 64 nominations form around the traps. Next up is 'Roxanne Roxanne' due later this year and then Robert Rodriguez Directed and James Cameron Co-Written 26th Century action adventure offering 'Alita : Battle Angel' with Jennifer Connelly, Christoph Waltz, Ed Skrein and Jackie Earle Hayley bringing us up to date.

All up Ali has 37 Acting credits to his name so far, he has an outstanding nomination for this years Academy Awards and BAFTA's for his role in 'Moonlight' and he has 46 award wins in total and another 30 nominations. Not bad for someone you've probably only very recently heard of, or perhaps not at all! He married Amatus Sami-Karim in 2013, and in December 2016 the couple announced the pending arrival of their first child together.

Mahershala Ali - whose name hails from the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible and is a combination of four words 'Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz' meaning 'hurry to the spoils' or 'he has made haste to the plunder'. He is also a respected rapper in the hip-hop world, and aside from big and small screen appearances has appeared in numerous stage roles in both contemporary and classic plays. Get used to the name and seeing more of Mahershala as his star continues to rise and the spotlight is turned firmly in his direction. A very Happy Birthday to you Mahershala, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week - 26th June - 2nd July 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Sam Claflin does on 27th June - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 30, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 26th June

• Paul Thomas Anderson - Born 1970, turns 46 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Chris O'Donnell - Born 1970, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Sean Hayes - Born 1970, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Jason Schwartzmann - Born 1980, turns 36 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Composer | Singer | Songwriter
• Robert Davi - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director

Monday 27th June

• J.J.Abrams - Born 1966, turns 50 - Producer | Director | Writer | Actor | Composer | Songwriter
• Tobey Maguire - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actor | Producer
• Sam Claflin - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actor

Tuesday 28th June

• John Cusack - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Bruce Davison - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor | Director
• Mel Brooks - Born 1926, turns 90 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer | Songwriter
• Kathy Bates - Born 1948, turns 68 - Actress | Director | Singer 

Wednesday 29th June

• Gary Busey - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter  

Thursday 30th June

• Vincent D'Onofrio - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Rupert Graves - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Producer  

Friday 1st July

• David Prowse - Born 1935, turns 81 - Actor
• Trevor Eve - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor | Producer
• Dan Akyroyd - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer 
• Genevieve Bujold - Born 1942, turns 74 - Actress
• Debbie Harry - Born 1945, turns 71 - Actress | Producer | Composer | Singer | Songwriter
• Pamela Anderson - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actress | Producer
• Lea Seydoux - Born 1985, turns 31 - Actress  

Saturday 2nd July

• Margot Robbie - Born 1990, turns 26 - Actress | Producer
• Lindsay Lohan - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Larry David - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer

Samuel George Claflin was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England to mother Sue - a classroom assistant, and father Mark, a finance officer. He has two older brothers, Benjamin and David, and one younger, Joseph - also in the acting profession. He grew up in Norwich, Norfolk and had more than a keen interest in football as a young lad - so much so that he was considering playing professionally until a broken ankle shattered that dream. He attended Costessey High School, where he made a decision to pursue acting after making a successful appearance in the school play, and having been encouraged to do so by his parents and drama teacher. In 2003 he studied performing arts at Norwich City College before attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating in 2009.

In 2010, Claflin gained his small screen debut in 'The Pillars of the Earth' based on the Ken Follet novel of the same name. This eight part mini-series starred the likes of Donald Sutherland, Eddie Redmayne, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Matthew Macfadyen and Hayley Attwell, cost US$40M to make, took a year to make and was Co-Produced by Tony & Ridley Scott amongst others. That same year he appeared in the made for television movie 'The Lost Future' with Sean Bean, and a four hour series 'Any Human Heart' with Jim Broadbent, Tom Hollander, Kim Catrall and Hayley Attwell.

The following year, he appeared in the television film 'United' playing Duncan Edwards - the English football player for Matt Busby's Manchester United team of the mid-'50's who died tragically aged 21 in the Munich Air Disaster of February 1958 with seven of his team mates.

After this Hollywood came knocking with his role in 2011 in the fourth instalment in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise 'On Stranger Tides' in the role of Philip Swift - a missionary captured by Blackbeard who falls in love with Syrena - a beautiful mermaid.

In 2012 he appeared in the six part BBC television series 'White Heat', and his first appearance as Prince William, the childhood friend of Snow White in 'Snow White and the Huntsman' with Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron - a role he would reprise in the sequel released earlier this year with 'The Huntsman : Winters War'. That same year Claflin starred in 'The Quiet Ones' - a supernatural horror film which was released in 2014. Although it received only average reviews, it did make US$18M off its meagre US$200K budget outlay - so commercially a solid enough return.

2013 saw the release of 'The Hunger Games : Catching Fire' with his strong supporting role as Finnick Odair - a role he would reprise in the two concluding films of the franchise - 2014's 'The Hunger Games : Mockingly Part 1', and 'Part 2' in 2015. 'The Riot Club' came next also in 2014 with the backdrop of a fictitious elite all male exclusive dining club at Oxford University that prides itself on hedonism, and a firmly held belief that money can buy anything. Claflin's performance in the film was critically praised. 

Later that year he appeared as the male lead of Alex Stewart, opposite Lily Collins as Rosie Dunn in 'Love, Rosie' based on the novel 'Where Rainbows End' by Cecelia Ahern. The film took less that US$5M and was not so well received. Most recently, Claflin has starred in 'Me Before You' - released earlier this month with Emilia Clarke in the lead role opposite. This romantic drama film sees Claflin's character William Traynor paralysed from the neck down and wheelchair bound. The film has so far grossed US$85M.

Next up is 'We Happy Few' - a RomCom based in a 1940's WWII torn Britain and starring Bill Nighy, Richard E.Grant, Eddie Marsan and Gemma Arterton, and Directed by Lone Scherfig, who also Directed Claflin in 'Riot Club'. The film is in post-production for release later in 2016.  'My Cousin Rachel' is currently filming for 2017 with Rachel Weisz and Iain Glen and based on a Daphne Du Maurier novel, with 'Friday' recently announced. 

All up Claflin has nineteen Acting credits to his name. He has eight award nominations and one award win. In July 2013 he married British Actress, Laura Haddock who is currently filming the next 'Transformers' offering 'The Last Knight' for Director Michael Bay with Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Hopkins. The couple live in London and have a young son together, born in December last year.

Sam Claflin - keeping it grounded, keeping it real, keeping it true; is out to prove himself; is determined not to be typecast; has a self confessed 'thing' about Chris Hemsworth; and clearly is on the rise, and more and more in demand. Happy 30th Birthday to you Sam from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 10th - 16th January 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Liam Hemsworth does on 13h January - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy, turning 26, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 10th January

• Walter Hill - Born 1942, turns 74 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Fran Walsh - Born 1959, turns 57 - Producer | Writer | Songwriter

Monday 11th January

• Amanda Peet - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actress
• John Sessions - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Jason Connery - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | Director

Tuesday 12th January

• Rob Zombie - Born 1965, turns 51 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Oliver Platt - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actor
• Anthony Andrews - Born 1948, turns 68 - Actor
• Kirstie Alley - Born 1951, turns 64 - Actress | Producer | Writer

Wednesday 13th January

• Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actress | Producer
• Orlando Bloom - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actor | Producer
• Patrick Dempsey - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Producer
• Michael Pena - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actor | Producer
• Liam Hemsworth - Born 1990, turns 26 - Actor
• Bill Bailey - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actor | Writer | Composer | Television Personality

Thursday 14th January

• Lawrence Kasdan - Born 1949, turns 67 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Carl Weathers - Born 1948, turns 68 - Actor | Director
• Jason Bateman - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Steven Soderbergh - Born 1963, turns 53 - Director | Producer | Writer | Cinematographer | Editor
• Faye Dunaway - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actress
• Emily Watson - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actress

Friday 15th January

• James Nesbitt - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actor
• Ryan Corr - Born 1989, turns 27 - Actor
• Mario Van Peebles - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actor | Director | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter

Saturday 16th January

• John Carpenter - Born 1948, turns 68 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Composer
• Debbie Allen - Born 1950, turns 66 - Actress | Director | Producer | Singer | Choreographer
• Kate Moss - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actress | Supermodel

Liam Hemsworth was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia to mother Leonie van Os, an English teacher, and father Craig Hemsworth, a social services counsellor. He has two older brothers Chris, aged 32, and Luke aged 35 - also both very active on the acting circuit domestically and internationally. While in Year 8 at school (aged 13-14) the family moved to Phillip Island - a small island just south of Melbourne. There he spent time surfing and hanging out with his two older brothers, and in high school began to consider a career in acting and following his two older siblings down that same path. He started to act in school plays, and after finding an Agent to represent him he started to audition for roles from the age of sixteen onwards.

At seventeen he secured a number of guest appearances on Aussie soaps 'Home and Away' and 'McLeod's Daughters' and that same year in 2007 he began regular work on 'Neighbours' which gave him 25 episodes into 2008. That year he scored more regular work on the children's TV show 'The Elephant Princess' which ran for 26 episodes for him, and then two episodes on 'Satisfaction'. In 2009 Liam moved to Los Angeles with his brother Chris to pursue his acting career prospects there.

He picked up a small part in the Alex Proyas 2009 film 'Knowing' with Nicolas Cage, Ben Mendelssohn and Rose Byrne and filmed in his native Melbourne which doubled for Boston. This was his big screen debut. That same year came British psychological horror thriller 'Triangle' with Melissa George, and later on he was due to star with Sylvester Stallone in the first 'The Expendables' instalment but his role was cut at the last minute, although he did make it into 'The Expendables 2' a couple of years later. Immediately following this news, he was asked to test for the lead role in 'Thor' at the behest of Director Kenneth Branagh, but Liam lost out to brother Chris. Instead he scored 'The Last Song' with Miley Cyrus, Greg Kinnear and Kelly Preston. Liam and Miley had an on-screen love interest which spilled over into a real life love interest over the next three years as they were 'on', then 'off' and then back 'on' again eventually getting engaged in mid-2012 only to call it all off in mid-2013.

In 2012 Liam appeared in the role that would really put him on the map, playing Gale Hawthorne in the first of 'The Hunger Games' series through three successive films culminating with 'Mockingjay - Part 2' in November 2015. After 'The Expendables 2' in 2012 also, there was 'Love and Honor', 'Paranoia' with Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman and Amber Heard as Directed by Australian Robert Luketic which bombed at the Box Office, before straight to DVD 'Empire State' with Dwayne Johnson. 

2014 brought 'Cut Bank' with Billy Bob Thornton and John Malkovich which had a very limited release, and then late last year the Jocelyn Moorhouse Directed Australian revenge comedy drama 'The Dressmaker' with Kate Winslett and Hugo Weaving which picked up four 2015 'AACTA' Awards.

Next up is 'By Way of Helena' with Woody Harrelson and William Hurt due out later this year and 'Independence Day : Resurgence' in post-production for a mid-year release this year - released 20 years  and set 20 years after the first offering and starring Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

All up Liam has 21 acting credits for his 26 years, has five award wins and another fourteen nominations. He is an ambassador for the Australian Childhood Foundation and actively supports and advocates that every child has the right to be brought up in a secure safe home.

Liam Hemsworth - steadily carving out an acting career away from the shadows cast by Chris and Luke; a vegan and loving it; already has a major  film franchise under his belt and is about to star in a US$200M Roland Emmerich blockbuster sequel - only good can come of it! Happy Birthday to you Liam, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 9th - 15th August 2015

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Jennifer Lawrence does on 15th August - check out the tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 25, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 9th August

• Gillian Anderson - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress
• Anna Kendrick - Born 1985, turns 30 - Actress
• Rhona Mitra - Born 1976, turns 39 - Actress
• Audrey Tatou - Born 1976, turns 39 - Actress
• Melanie Griffith - Born 1957, turns 58 - Actress | Producer
• McG - Born 1968, turns 47 - Director | Producer
• Sam Elliott - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor | Producer
• Eric Bana - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Director

Monday 10th August

• Antonio Banderas - Born 1960, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Brenton Thwaites - Born 1989, turns 26 - Actor
• Rosanna Arquette - Born 1959, turns 56 - Actress | Producer | Director

Tuesday 11th August

• Viola Davis - Born 1965m turns 50 - Actress | Producer
• Chris Hemsworth - Born 1983, turns 32 - Actor
• Ian McDiarmid - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor
• Hulk Hogan - Born 1953, turns 62 - Actor | Wrestler

Wednesday 12th August

• George Hamilton - Born 1939, turns 76 - Actor | Producer
• Casey Affleck - Born 1975, turns 40 - Actor | Producer | Writer

Thursday 13th August

• Paul Greengrass - Born 1955, turns 60 - Director | Producer | Wreiter

 Friday 14th August

• Steve Martin - Born 1945, turns 70 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• James Horner - Born 1953, turns 62 - Composer | Songwriter
• Wim Wenders - born 1945, turns 70 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Mila Kunis - Born 1983, turns 32 - Actress
• Halle Berry - Born 1966, turns 49 - Actress | Producer
• Marcia Gay Harden - Born 1959, turns 56 - Actor

Saturday 15th August

• Jennifer Lawrence - Born 1990, turns 25 - Actress
• Debra Messing - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress | Producer
• Natasha Hentsridge - Born 1974, turns 41 - Actress
• Nicolas Roeg - Born 1928, turns 87 - Director | Cinematographer
• Ben Affleck - Born 1972, turns 43 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Alejandro Gonzales Inaritu - Born 1963, turns 52 - Procucer | Director | Writer.

Jennifer Shrader Lawrence was born and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, USA to mother Karen Koch - the manager and owner of a children's camp, and construction worker father Gary Lawrence. She has two older brothers - Ben and Blaine. Lawrence attended Kammerer Middle School in her home town and graduated two years ahead of time wanting to pursue a career in acting. Whilst at school she participated in softball, modelling, hockey and cheer leading, and having grown up just 15 minutes from a horse stud too she became proficient in horse riding, but none of these really interested her above her desire to act. She convinced her parents to take her to New York to locate a talent agent, which they did and with relative ease given the prowess for the craft that the young Lawrence was able to demonstrate.

Having been spotted by an acting agency her first television role came in an episode of 'Monk' in 2006, and then 'Cold Case' in 2007, with two on 'Medium' in 2007/08, with a minor role that same year in 'Garden Party' which was her big screen debut. From 2007-2009 she appeared in 'The Bill Engvall Show' over multiple episodes. During this time there was a meatier role in 'The Poker House', Directed by Lori Petty in 2008, which was her first starring role and for which she won an LA Film Festival Award. 'The Burning Plain' came next also in 2008 with Charlize Theron and Kim Bassinger which received mild critical reviews but failed commercially, and despite this she won an award at the Venice Film Festival for Best Emerging Actress.

What is often described as her breakout role came next in 2010 with 'Winter's Bone' which picked up the Best Picture Award at Sundance, and for her role she gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. 2011 delivered 'Like Crazy', a romantic drama; 'The Beaver' with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster; and then 'X-Men : First Class' in her first outing as Raven/Mystique.






2012 was however, the game changer, as Lawrence snagged the lead role as Katniss Everdeen in the first of 'The Hunger Games' series which she was initially reluctant to take on given the enormity of the role, the physical requirements, and the expectations behind the film adaptation of the successful books. The extensive training regime she had to undertake paid off with a worldwide gross Box Office take of US$691M.

That same year also saw 'Silver Linings Playbook' with Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro in David O'Russell's acclaimed film. At just 22, Lawrence won both the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress and was the second youngest actress to do so. Also that year came the psychological thriller 'The House at the End of the Street' and a year later she reprised her Katniss Everdeen role in 'The Hunger Games : Catching Fire' which outstripped the opening film with a Box Office haul of US$865M.

'American Hustle' followed in 2013 with Christian Bale, Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper and Amy Adams which garnered further acclaim with Best Supporting Actress nominations at The Golden Globes, Academy Awards and BAFTA's. 2014 saw a reprisal for her Raven/Mystique character in Bryan Singer's US$748M blockbuster 'X-Men : Days of Future Past', and then Katniss Everdeen in the first of the final 'The Hunger Games' films 'Mockingjay - Part 1' which cashed in at US$752M.


Next up is the final instalment of 'The Hunger Games' franchise with 'Mockingjay - Part 2', with 'Joy' also due for release later in 2015 and starring with Bradley Cooper for the fourth time. 'X-Men : Apocalypse' is filming currently for a 2016 release, with 'The Rose Project' and 'Passengers' in pre-production and 'It's What I Do' recently announced.






So far Lawrence has 28 acting credits to her name, one Academy Award win and two other nominations; two Golden Globe wins and another nomination; one BAFTA win and a nomination plus 114 other award wins and 113 other nominations from around the traps, and, she's still only 25! When Lawrence is not acting, she actively supports the 'World Food Programme', 'The Thirst Project', 'Feeding America'; is an ambassador for the Special Olympics and has launched the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation. Earlier this year she was ranked by the Guinness World Records as the highest grossing action heroine too for her role in 'The Hunger Games'. She was romantically linked to Actor Nicholas Hoult for a time and for a brief period more recently to Coldplay front man Chris Martin.

Jennifer Lawrence - husky voiced, immense acting range, Hollywood power player, sultry, beautiful, talented, in demand, a rising star, influential and inspirational - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Pt. 1 - Tuesday 25th November 2014.

On Tuesday night this week I ventured to my local Multiplex with a couple of movies buddies to see the next instalment in this franchise - the beginning of the end as the final book in the series is split into two movies (a la 'Harry Potter' and 'Twilight'). And so the third film in the series and the first half of the concluding episode - 'THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Pt. 1' left me feeling underwhelmed I have to say. This film is the meat in the sandwich well & truly, sitting between the spectacle and the bravura of 'Catching Fire' and what will undoubtedly be a climactic all guns blazing epic conclusion that is 'Mockingjay Pt. 2' . . . one year from now with its release on 19th November 2015.

Directed once again by Francis Lawrence, we have all the characters we have got to know over the first two films assembled once more, with a couple of new ones thrown in as the action takes us to someplace else. Following on directly from where the last film left us, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) awakens in a hospital bed with vague memories of how she got there and who she left behind . . . the believed dead Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Recovering she learns that she is in District 13 which it had previously been thought was destroyed long ago, but not so apparently. District 13 is overseen by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and is occupied by former military personnel and is housed deep underground. As a result it is relatively safe, secure, and out of sight hidden beneath a dense forest but houses a mass of military weapons, aircraft, and a large community with the necessary infrastructure to support it.

When the Hunger Games Arena was destroyed and the Quarter Quell overturned at the end of 'Catching Fire' our protagonists were carted off in opposite directions - Katniss to District 13 with Gale Hawthorn (Liam Hemsworth), Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair), Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour-Hoffman), and Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) - the latter 'drying out a mile underground'! Heading off to The Capitol captured by President Coriolanus Snow were Mellark and Johanna Mason (Jena Malone) and Annie Cresta (Stef Dawson) wife of Finnick Odair.

President Coin aided by Heavensbee want to use Katniss as their mascot for the uprising against The Capitol and everything that President Snow (Donald Sutherland) stands for. As a symbol of hope, strength, unity and power to spearhead the rebellion, Katniss is crowned 'The Mockingjay' and so a propaganda campaign is launched and broadcast to all other Districts to consolidate the rebellion efforts against The Capitol. Meanwhile The Capitol with its military strength and its own propaganda campaign has outlawed the Mockingjay, and anyone seen or heard supporting it will be punished by death. President Snow has also trashed all other Districts, killed many of their citizens and nearly razed those former dystopian communities to the ground - not much is left.

When Katniss learns via the TV propaganda campaign launched by The Capitol that Peeta and Co. are in fact still alive, a plan is hatched to break them out of there and engineer a cunning escape - if only it were that easy of course! With live pictures beamed frequently over the TV with Peeta on screen being interviewed by Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci), Katniss soon realises that her love, Peeta, must have taken leave of his senses, given the anti-rebellion drivel coming out of his mouth! How can this be, horror of horrors! But within no time as Peeta loses weight before our very eyes on the TV screen and has an increasingly gaunt appearance, conclusions are drawn that he has been tortured and forced into submission. Katniss can't believe her eyes or ears, and nor can the rest of the populace!

And so Katniss becomes the poster girl for the rebellion and with Peeta languishing in The Capitol undergoing all manner of psychological torture, her attention becomes somewhat distracted by Gale Hawthorn and the increasingly obvious path of death and destruction that President Snow seems hell bent on. All of this seems to amble along with rousing speeches delivered by Alma Coin intermittently, discoveries of more fractured District communities, snippets of televised propaganda from both sides, and a few moments of action. One of the most 'gripping' scenes comes when The Capitol is bombing District 13 and all are nestled deep below ground in their bunker when Katniss has to go rescue her sister Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) who has gone searching for the family cat with bombs raining down and the time counting down to the automatic closure of the meter thick bomb proof bunker doors - will they all die because of a pesky flea bitten cat . . . probably not!

And that is about as exciting and as tense as it gets! Despite that, I understand completely that this film is setting the scene for the final instalment that is to follow, and that all this posturing lays the foundation for the grand finale and the big conclusion . . . but this lumbers along, it labours, it's pedestrian and it left me wanting more that just setting the framework for a film that I have to wait another 12 months for. Even the late great Philip Seymour-Hoffman to whom this film is dedicated, seemed at odds with some of the dialogue he had to deliver and almost had a constant smirk and cheesy grin on his face that says WTF am I doing here . . . but I guess the pay cheque is good, or maybe, this is what was intended for his character - you can decide!

There is no doubt that this film will be successful. With a budget of about US$125M (a reported US$250M for the two 'Mockingjay' films combined) it has already earned a global box office haul of just a nudge under US$300M at the time of writing this, and saw the biggest opening weekend of any film so far in 2014.



-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE HUNGER GAMES : archive from 5th April 2012.

With 'THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Part 1' about to descend on our screens on 20th November, I dug this archival Review out of where it all began just over two short years ago. Updated to recapture the story and it's success so far, rejog your memory with what has gone before.

Saw 'THE HUNGER GAMES' this week - the much touted, much hyped, much watched antidote to 'The Twilight Saga', and, the 'Harry Potter' series perhaps for the next generation! I went in with fairly low expectations after it got a slating from David & Margaret on their 'Movie Show', but everyone seemed to be raving about it nonetheless! I was pleasantly surprised although the plot meanders a bit and it takes a goodly while to get up to speed.

Directed by Gary Ross and based on the best selling book by Suzanne Collins, there is a strong cast that includes Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland and Liam Hemsworth who all put in a convincing turn but the male & female leads of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) seem to lack any real buy-in from the audience and I struggled to empathise with their characters.

The story is that in a future dystopian world we are taken to a nation called 'Panem' which is divided up into 12 'Districts' and there is the 'Capitol' which oversees the nation. Every year two young teenage kids are selected by lottery (known affectionately as 'The Reaping') to represent their District in the 'Hunger Games' - a fight to the death last man standing competition where there are no holds barred, all manner of obstacles are created to thwart the 24 competitors, and it is survival of the fittest ultimately where only one can remain. These Games are also televised across the nation as a form of entertainment, and they also serve as a reminder of a past rebellion in the nations history that has contributed to the world they now know. The Capitol places great pomp & ceremony on these games almost like it's an Olympic Games and the rich, powerful and mighty residing in the Capitol look down on the downtrodden, poor and inadequate Districts with disdain - these Games are created too to prevent any future uprising amongst the Districts by demoralising their peoples into submission, poverty and no hope.

But of course there is always hope, and our story centres on Katniss who at the last minute takes the place of her younger sister Prim (Willow Shields) who was selected at first in The Reaping. Those that are chosen are known as 'Tributes', and when we have our 24 Tributes so a training programme begins and we get sneak peaks at the back story of certain competitors, but mostly Katniss and Peeta both from District 12, who form an alliance as the story progresses. As for the other 22 Tributes from the other 11 Districts of this future dystopian USA they are just cardboard cut out cannon fodder who ultimately succumb to a grislier ending, although some will put up a fight more than others.

President Snow (Donald Sutherland) rules Panem and presides over The Hunger Games with an ulterior motive in mind and his own hidden agenda. Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci) is the Games Master who hosts the televised entertainment component with camped up devilish aplomb, and then there is Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) who acts as a coach and mentor to Katniss and Peeta.

The first two-thirds set the scene, give us some back story and provide the training sequences, the preparations, the teenage angst and anxiety and all the colour of the opening ceremony, before getting down to brass tacks and killing time! And then after being transplanted to their forest 'battlefield' our 24 Tributes have to overcome all manner of natural and man made challenges that will seem them picked off one-by-one until just one remains. There are some twists as the Games nears its final showdown which pave the way for the second instalment, which we know comes in November 2013 in the form of 'THE HUNGER GAMES : CATCHING FIRE'.

Made for US$78M it brought in US$691M at the global Box Office with it too being the biggest selling DVD of 2012 with 7.5 million units sold. The movie picked up 33 award wins and 41 other nominations including the BAFTA Children's Award win for Best Film of 2012, and a Golden Globe nomination for its Best Original Song.

Not great, but not bad either - I hope the invariable sequels do better and deliver something grittier and less polished despite the premise - you can get this film and its sequel 'Catching Fire' on DVD and Bluray now, with 'Mockingjay Part 1' released on 20th November 2014 and 'Mockingjay Part 2' to be released on 19th November 2015.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthdays to share this week : 13th - 19th July.

Do you share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer or Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming week? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with over the coming week. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Check out too the spotlight on this weeks Birthday Boy on 17th July, Donald Sutherland, at the end of this feature.

Sunday 13th July

• Harrison Ford - Born 1942, turns 72 - Actor | Producer
• Patrick Stewart - Born 1940, turns 74 - Actor | Producer
• Robert Forster - Born 1941, turns 73 - Actor
• Cameron Crowe - Born 1957, turns 57 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Cheech Marin - Born 1946, turns 68 - Actor | Writer | Singer | Songwriter

Monday 14th July

• Jackie Earle Haley - Born 1961, turns 53 - Actor | Director
• Matthew Fox - Born 1966, turns 48 - Actor
• Harry Dean Stanton - Born 1926, turns 88 - Actor
• Joel Silver - Born 1952, turns 62 - Producer
• Scott Rudin - Born 1958, turns 56 - Producer

Tuesday 15th July

• Travis Fimmel - Born 1979, turns 35 - Actor
• Forest Whitaker - Born 1961, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Brigitte Nielsen - Born 1963, turns 51 - Actress
• Jean-Michael Vincent - Born 1944, turns 70 - Actor
• Jesse Ventura - Born 1951, turns 63 - Actor | WWF Wrestler
• Adam Savage - Born 1967, turns 47 - TV Personality | Visual Effects Creator | Producer | Actor
• Ken Kercheval - Born 1935, turns 79 - Actor

Wednesday 16th July

• Will Ferrell - Born 1967, turns 47 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Corey Feldman - Born 1971, turns 43 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Phoebe Cates - Born 1963, turns 51 - Actress
• Stewart Copeland - Born 1952, turns 62 - Songwriter | Composer

Thursday 17th July

• Jason Clarke - Born 1969, turns 45 - Actor
• Donald Sutherland - Born 1935, turns 79 - Actor
• David Hasselhoff - Born 1952, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• F. Gary Gray - Born 1969, turns 45 - Director | Producer

Friday 18th July

• Vin Diesel - Born 1967, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Kelly Reilly - born 1977, turns 37 - Actress
• Elizabeth McGovern - Born 1961, turns 53 - Actress
• James Brolin - Born 1940, turns 74 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Paul Verhoeven - Born 1938, turns 76 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Burt Kwouk - Born 1930, turns 84 - Actor

Saturday 19th July

• Benedict Cumberbatch - Born 1976, turns 38 - Actor
• Abel Ferrara - Born 1951, turns 63 - Director | Writer | Actor
• Brian May - Born 1947, turns 67 - Songwriter | Composer

Donald Edward McNichol Sutherland was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. He spent his early life living in Nova Scotia and battling rheumatic fever, hepatitis and poliomyelitis. At age 14 he got a job in a local radio station and became a young DJ before moving onto the University of Toronto where he graduated with a degree in engineering, and a degree in drama. He decided to forego the former for a career in the latter. In 1957 he left Canada for England where he studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He drooped out of this and moved up to Perth in Scotland where he spent 18 months Perth Repertory Theatre before landing small roles in TV series such as 'The Avengers', 'The Saint', 'Court Martial' 'Man in a Suitcase', and 'The Champions'.

His film career in the 60's started off in minor roles in such films as 1965's 'Dr. Terror's House of Horrors' alongside Christopher Lee. However, it was a last minute casting in a smaller role in the 1967 classic 'The Dirty Dozen' with Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas and Lee Marvin that really started Sutherland on his upward trajectory. The huge success of this film enabled him to leverage that film and his role in it for another upcoming film that would also garner cult status in time - 1970's 'M*A*S*H' with Elliot Gould and Tom Skerritt. Hot on the back of this he starred in another war torn actioner with Clint Eastwood and once again Telly Savalas in 1970's 'Kelly's Heroes', and in 1971 his star turn in 'Klute' gave his female co-star, Jane Fonda, the Oscar. 

In the 80's he starred in the Robert Redford Directed film 'Ordinary People' which went on to win the Best Picture Oscar, and that decade saw him star with Al Pacino in the commercially and critically panned 'Revolution' and later with Marlon Brando in 'A Dry White Season'. The 90's bought Oliver Stone's 'JFK' that gave co-star Tommy Lee Jones an Oscar nomination, and as the decade closed out the likes of 'Disclosure', 'Shadow of the Wolf' and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. With the dawn of a new century he teamed up with Eastwood and Jones once more for 2000's 'Space Cowboys', and subsequently played the father figure to Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron in 'Cold Mountain' and 'The Italian Job' respectively.

Donald Sutherland is still very much in demand and to date has 176 acting credits to his name both on the small screen and the silver screen. Among those films not already mentioned there are 'Don't Look Now', 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', 'The Great Train Robbery', 'SPYS', 'Murder by Decree', 'Steelyard Blues', 'National Lampoons Animal House', 'Lock Up', 'Backdraft', 'Six Degrees of Separation', 'Outbreak', 'A Time to Kill', 'Shadow Conspiracy', 'Virus', 'Fools Gold', 'Pride and Prejudice', 'The Mechanic' (remake), 'The Eagle', two 'Hunger Games' films already released, and the two final instalments currently in post production for a later 2014 and 2015 release. Also upcoming are 'The Calling', 'Forsaken', 'Basmati Blues' and 'Pirates Passage' all set for a future release.

Sutherland is the recipient of two Golden Globes for 'Path to War' and 'Citizen X' and nominated a further six times. He has won an Emmy for 'Citizen X' and been nominated one other time, and he has two BAFTA nominations to his credit. All up he has 14 award wins and 16 other nominations to his name. The Oscar has however, thus far eluded him!

Sutherland has been married three times - to Lois Hardwick from 1959 - 1966; to Shirley Douglass from 1966 - 1970 with whom he has two children - Keifer and Rachel; and to Francine Racette from 1990 to the present day although they have been together since 1974 and with whom they have three children - Rossif, Angus and Roeg.

Donald Sutherland - a giant of a man in stature and performance, always adding gravitas, often portraying the eccentric, at ease playing the villain or the good guy, happy to ham it up, rich elegant voice, often bearded, and Dad to a talented son - Keifer, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-