A Brief History Of Tom Hanks

Born on July 9, 1956 in Concord, California Thomas Jeffrey Hanks ala Tom Hanks is one of the gifted Hollywood stars with immense acting talent and perfection. Tom Hanks did not have the happiest of childhoods, as his parents got divorced when he was only 5 years old. Tom was third of four children born to Amos and Janet Hanks. His parents were avant-gardes in the development of marriage dissolution law in California. He moved around with his father changing schools and changing stepmothers and he was just confused. After finally settling down in Oakland, CA Tom began taking part in high school plays. He continued to act in plays while attending California State University. Then he left the university to pursue his acting career further.

Hanks went to the city of opportunities, New York. This is when he got married to actress/producer Samantha Lewes on January 24, 1978. The marriage lasted nearly 9 years and they got divorced on March 19, 1987. Tom Hank's first break as an actor came in a low budget movie called "He Knows You're Alone" in 1980 where he was reportedly paid just $800 for the movie. After few months he moved to Los Angeles and co-starred in the TV Sitcom "Bosom Buddies" where he portrayed a man forced to dress as a woman in order to stay at a women's only hotel. The show didn't touch cord with the viewers and was shelved after only two seasons. He also worked in TV Series like "Taxi" and "Family Ties". His acting career remained silent until 1984 when he got a big break in a Disney Film's comedy called "Splash" which was about a mermaid in 1984. The movie proved to be a box office hit and the audience liked the charm and comic timing of the actor. Tom Hank was reportedly paid $70,000 for this movie.

Hanks didn't carry the success that he got after "Splash" for too long. He appeared in many comedies which went unnoticed until he starred in "Big" in 1988 where he gave a powerful performance portraying the role of a child in a grown up man's body for which he also won a Oscar nomination. He became darling to the audience's hearts and that is the reason why they ignored the flop movie "Bonfire of the Vanities" in 1990 and looked forward to his upcoming movies rather. He once again made a comeback with the movie "Penny Marshall's A League of Their Own" in 1992. The success of this movie fetched him a role in another comedy called "Sleepless in Seattle" in 1993, which was a huge hit at the box office. He also portrayed the role of a homosexual in 1993 movie "Philadelphia" for which he won an Oscar for best actor. He won an Oscar for best actor again the next year for the movie "Forrest Gump" in 1994 achieving a rare double only the second time in the history of academy awards.

The actor had a wonderful run with movies like "Apollo 13" in 1995, "Toy Story" in 1995 and "Saving Private Ryan" in 1998. His recent movies include "Toy Story 2" in 1999, "Cast Away" in 2000 for which he again won an Oscar nomination and controversial "The Da Vinci Code" in 2006. Tom Hanks is a family man married to actress Rita Wilson who he met on the sets of the movie "Volunteers" in 1985. Tom Hanks continues his professional life hosting "Saturday Night Live". Entertainment Weekly has reportedly chosen him as the only actor right now who is worth more than $20 million. Surely with the bundle of talent that this actor has and his selective approach to movies there is no match to this actor.

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Making The Most Of Your First Screen Test

To begin with a positive note, screen tests are not something that is impossible to crack although it might seem tough and nerve wrecking for many. But remember you don't get these opportunities too often so you have to make the best use of it to demonstrate your talent to the talent agents, casting directors and directors. You should not be let down by the outcome of the screen test and always look ahead, you should always take it in a right sense after all the failures are stepping-stones to success. Keep in mind only one fact that you have to work hard towards your goal and having a positive attitude can do that. Apart from the attitude, one should be passionate and ambitious to achieve goals. Also enjoying the work you do makes the quest easier.

Do not forget to take your resume and a headshot most preferably 8"X10" with you to the audition. Some talent agents also need social security number, so take it with you. Sometimes the aspiring actors are called in the number of hundreds, be prepared to stand in line for hours. But most of the times you are called for screen test through an invitation. It is very common that you will get few pages of the script that you may be asked to read during the screen test. Read the script thoroughly and get into the character and ask yourself questions about the character. After getting into the skin of the character you should learn your lines properly using the best way you can.

Some people say to dress according to the type of the character and some say dress lightly so that you feel comfortable during the screening, go with whatever you think is more comfortable for you but you can also combine light dressing with the dressing of the character by complimenting your dressing for instance with a hat for a cowboy role. It's a good idea to do some exercising and rehearsing before the audition and give ample time to relax in between. Also avoid blabbering when you stand in the line after signing up this will ensure that you are focused on the screen test.

Usually the casting directors will take the first call and talk to you and instruct you to begin. It's the time to show what you in you. Be confident and focused on the character and show your talent to the casting director. Important thing to remember is that everyone sitting in the screen test is not your enemy, but they are probably there to get the right person for the role, so remove that fear and perform the scene that you have been given. Also, it is a good idea to re-enact that scene in your own way to show the creative side of yours. Keep in mind to keep safe distance from the casting director; do not try to get too friendly either. Don't be so over enthusiastic that you destroy the settings.

Things should move on life and prepared to take criticism and hear 'no'. You got to take life as it comes and move on and should look forward to what is coming up next. If the screen test goes well you will definitely get a call again for another screen test with select few actors and if you get through this one who knows you might land up getting the role.

The Grammy Awards - Gramophone Awards

The Grammy Awards are being hosted on an annual basis to honor best music talent in the record industry and is considered equivalent to Academy Awards. Originally called as the Gramophone Awards it was started by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Usually held in February, it constitutes nearly twenty genres of music with hundred and eight categories. The categories can be broadly described as Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Artist of the Year to name a few. Regular members of the voting committee are Jon Bon Jovi, Beyonce Knowles, Prince and Paul Simon. The Recording Academy and record companies choose the works of artist who are really talented. Over hundred and fifty members review this selection and assign the works to their proper category. The members of each category who are experts in their respective fields reviews them and votes for the nominees. Deloitte Touche, who are the major independent accounting firm, then tabulates the ballots. The works, w hich have been produced in a time limit of past twelve months, are considered, starting from October 1.

For many years the venue for the Grammy Awards was The Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California that was also the home of the Oscars. But once the categories began expanding, the venue was shifted to the Staple Center, Los Angeles, California. The nominees and other non-presenting attendees are expected to pay for the ticket to attend the ceremony. In 2007, the entree fee for the members was $750, which later went up to $2500. To attend the official post party, additional $250 should be paid. All the attendees get a gift bag with lots of goodies in it like perfumes, jewelry, CDs and gift certificates with the Grammy award seal.

The ceremony is telecast live on television and there are several live performances by renowned artists. The first Grammy Awards was aired on ABC channel in 1971. Presently it is being aired on CBS channel. On February 10, 2008, the fiftieth Annual Grammy Awards will be celebrated at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

From time to time, the Grammy Awards have been blamed that they consider only the mainstream music and do not take alternative groups into consideration. The rumor was further heightened by criticism that the big record companies are influencing Grammy Awards. Many even say that Grammy Awards doesn't honor the artist's talent; rather it's just held to promote the music industry as a whole and never understood the sentiments of the common people. The critics also blame the Grammy Awards to use this platform for advertising the recording industry. Many also question the nominating and the voting process from time to time.

Sir Georg Solti received the largest number of Grammy awards in a year. He was the conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and he received a total of thirty-one Grammys. U2 is the band, which received the most number of Grammys, a total of twenty-two. In a single night Rick Rubin won the maximum awards. He received five awards at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. Grammy Awards have even faced fraud when the reality of the pop group Milli Vanilli came to light. The group just lip-synced the song sung by someone else, which resulted in their Grammies being taken back from them instantly. But the awards still go on attracting people from all walks of life.

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The Story Of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

The California based Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation formed after the merger of two companies Fox Film Corporation and Twentieth Century Pictures in 1935. Darryl F. Zanuck, Raymond Griffith, William Goetz and Joseph Schenck started the Twentieth Century Pictures in 1933 and the Fox Film Corporation's founder was William Fox who founded it in the year 1915.

William Fox built many theaters and created many legends in his impressive career. Sound Fox bought the rights of a German film sound processing technique and Fox was able to produce movies with music and effect track in 1926. The company was growing and more land was required for expanding. He bought around three hundred acre of land in Beverly Hills where he built the Movietone City. After the death of his rival, Marcus Loew, William thought of buying Loew's Inc. It had nearly two hundred theaters and also MGM studios under it. The deal was made and the companies were officially merged in 1929. But the owner of MGM studios, Louis B. Mayer, wasn't happy with this idea and he revolted by calling on the Justice Department's anti-trust unit and using political influence. Luck wasn't on William's side and he was injured in a car crash and by the time he was back to normal again the stock market crashed and he was totally bankrupt. He lost all his fortune and was even had to go to jail. The only way out was to m erge with another larger company. This is when the merger of Twentieth Century and Fox took place. Fox had nearly two hundred theaters under its belt, but at that time the Twentieth Century was in better financial condition, so the name of the new company was Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, which began functioning on May 31, 1935. Schenck became the chief executive and Zanuck was the head of production. The leading actor of this company Will Rogers was killed in a plane crash and the leading actress Janet Gaynor also began losing popularity. Zanuck then decided to sign up new artists with some fresh talent. That was when Tyrone Power, Betty Grable, Henry Fonda, Sonja Henie, and Don Ameche became a part of the Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. They made many musical-dramas and movies on famous biographies, which became huge hit with the audiences.

The fortune of the company was rising rapidly and it became the third profitable studio of America, by overtaking RKO and MGM. During the World War II, Zanuck went to serve the country and his partner William Goetz took over the company. He made many lighthearted movies. But after Zanuck returned from the war, he wanted to produce some serious entertainment and made movies like "Gentleman's Agreement", "Pinky", "Wilson" and "Boomerang" which also fell into adult films category.

After the World War, public were more attracted to television. Fox started experimenting on new ideas so as to bring the crowd back to the theater. With the help of three projectors the movie was projected on a huge concave curve, which created the illusion of three-dimensional character. The effect was achieved without polarized glasses with the help of French anamorphic projection, and this feature was named Cinemascope. They made other theater owners to switch to this technology and also bore the conversion costs. "The Robe" and "How to Marry a Millionaire" were the first experimental films using this technology. After seeing their success other rival studios also adopted this technique. Although this attracted audiences for a while the numbers started to diminish again by 1956. The same year Zanuck announced his resignation.

Buddy Adler fitted into the shoes of Darryl Zanuck but he also died after a year. Others who followed couldn't do anything to bring success to the company. Producer Walter Wagner convinced Elizabeth Taylor to star in "Cleopatra" and the movie proved to be a hit. Actress Marilyn Monroe was also roped in to work in "Something's Got to Give". But due to her untimely death the film was left uncompleted. Other movies were also rushed and Spyros Skouras the successor of Buddy Adler wasn't able to manage the company properly. Zanuck returned back again and somehow made the directors to take him back. He made his son Richard Zanuck the president. At first Zanuck was able to give big hits like "The Sound of Music" but his credential were questioned again there string of flops after that. Eventually he was removed from the company and president Dennis Stanfill and production head Alan Ladd, Jr. pulled the company back. Many investors joined the bandwagon and great hits were produced ever after that.

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How To Write For Television

People think that writing for television and film is the same but on the contrary both the industries are different. The main elements of the television industry are networks, studios and production companies. Writers are basically hired by a studio to write for a particular network or channel. They even have the rights to sell the material elsewhere. This material is then used by the production companies to bring the script into action.

The writers face two kinds of deals, a development deal and overall deal. Development deal requires the writer to write for only a single project. Only a single story is being developed for which the writer gets paid from $30,000 - $50,000. Overall deal requires the writer to write on a long term basis and the income is more than development deal. After the initial filtering, about 4-10 writers are selected and they are placed in hierarchy. Showrunner is at the top and is the program creator. They are the ones which have maximum experience in writing and receive an Executive Producer status and earn up to a million. Later in the hierarchy of writing team are co-executive producers, supervising producer, producer, co-producer, and executive story editor and at the end is the staff writer, also known as baby writers as they are the starters.

Aspirant writers should start by joining classes which are taught by experienced TV writers. The classes help to get the basics right and the same time helps increase the friend circle, which will be of help at some point of time. Beginners can get a break by hiring an agent which has contacts as most of the shows don't hire baby writers and it would take about three years to get the break. But at this level originality of work is what matters. Original material relating to screenplays or even a sketch material will be of good help. One can also work on spec. Specs are trailers which give the outline of the story. This shows the grasping power of the writer. Plays should be carefully chosen when writing a Spec. Do not choose a series just because it is hot or is based on fiction. While choosing a play the writer should keep in mind what he finds interesting and what he wants to work on in future. After preparing the spec, send it to the showrunner of the same show, because the showrunner will be under the ass umption that no one knows his show better than himself. It is advised to send the spec to showrunner of a similar show. Specs reflect the writing ability, the grasping ability, the scene structure sense, story narration style of the writer.

With these entire qualities one can land up as a writer's assistant and if a showrunner hires the starter, it would be a good boost to him. An assistant can also witness the actual proceedings of the show and the basics get brushed up .One must never quit writing. Even if a writer doesn't get anywhere for a short period of time at least he will improve his writing skills which will be of great use in the long run. The writer should meet the deadlines when on job. Sometimes the deadlines can be short too. So constant writing can train in that aspect too.

The writers have the greatest power. He can play with the mind of the viewer. He is responsible for the shaping of dreams of millions of viewers and all this can be achieved by constant practice.

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A Brief Biography Of Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen

Edgar Bergen is best known as a ventriloquist and the radio show he starred in with his ventriloquist figure Charlie McCarthy, but he was also a successful actor and comic strip creator. He is the only recipient of a wooden Oscar statue. It was awarded to him in 1938 for his creation Charlie McCarthy.

Edgar Bergen (Edgar John Berggren) was born on February 16, 1903 in Chicago Illinois. He married Francis Westerman in 1945 and stayed together until his death in 1978. They had two children - actress Candice Bergen and Kris Bergen.

While at elementary school he taught himself ventriloquism from a booklet he sent away for. He quickly mastered the skills and drove his family crazy with his voice throwing antics.

While at high school he had Charlie McCarthy carved by Theo Mack based on a likeness of a cheeky red-headed newspaper boy that caught his attention. A legend was born. Over time Charlie McCarthy evolved from a newspaper boy to a monocled, top hat and tails wearing sophisticated boy.

Edgar was a successful vaudeville ventriloquist but his big success was in radio. The show was an overnight success. Edgar and Charlie’s show ran from 1937 to 1956. It seems strange that a ventriloquist show would be a success on a radio as you can’t see the act. It was down the wit and genius of Edgar. Other character’s were introduced - Mortimer Snerd and Effie Klinker.

Edgar and Charlie made 8 film appearances from 1938 - 1948 including “The Goldwyn Follies” and “You Can’t Cheat An Honest Man” with W.C. Fields.

Edgar on his own starred in 4 movies. The last movie he starred in was as Grandpa Walton in Homecoming - A Christmas Story.

Through the 1950s and 60s made many regular appearances on TV. He hosted “Do You Trust Your Wife” in 1956-57. He appeared on What’s My Line? as a mystery guest 4 times In the 1956 show ventriloquist Paul Winchell with Jerry Mahoney was a guest panelist.

In 1978 Edgar Bergen died 3 days into his 2 weeks of farewell shows at Caesar’s Palace. He may be gone but his influence lives on as master of modern ventriloquism.

If like Edgar Bergen you want to learn ventriloquism please click here http://www.ventriloquistsecretsrevealed.com to quickly and easily master the art of ventriloquism.

A Brief History Of Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet was born in Reading, U.K. on October 5, 1975 to Roger Winslet and Sally Bridges-Winslet. Her birth name was Kate Elizabeth Winslet. Having Blonde hair and hazel eyes Kate Winslet has proved herself to be one of the most beautiful and talented actresses to be around these days. The actress is popular for portraying courageous and straightforward pretty girl roles. The actress has built quite an impressive resume with movies ranging from Shakespearean tragedy to mystic movies to erotica. Acting was not difficult for her as she born in the family of stage actors. Her parents were stage actors, her maternal grandparents ran a theater and her uncle was a fixture in London's West End Theater. So, naturally it was easy for Kate to get into acting after having realized her acting talent at an early age. She started off doing gigs and she did her first gig at the age of eleven for kid's cereal. She took acting classes around the same age and also got formal training in a performing arts school. She kept d oing regular stage shows for next few years. Ultimately this landed her into sitcoms doing bit roles.

Kate Winslet's first break in movies came at the age of seventeen when she took the role of an obsessive teenager in "Heavenly Creatures" released in 1994. Although the film got a lukewarm response at the box office it was highly acclaimed by the critics. Still a novice to Hollywood she attended a cattle call audition for Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility" in 1995. Kate Winslet who outperformed hundreds of other aspirants immensely impressed the film's star Emma Thompson. She played the character of plucky Marianne Dashwood. She was rewarded for hard work with a British Academy Award and also an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and she holds the distinction of being nominated at the youngest age. Her string of impressive performances continued and she worked in two more period movies "Jude" in 1996 and "Hamlet" in 1996.

The turning point of Kate Winslet's career was her role as Rose DeWitt Bukater in the record-breaking movie "Titanic" in 1997. The role won her an Oscar nomination again for the best actress once again creating a record to get nominated twice in Oscars at the youngest age. Winslet was over the cloud nine after the resounding success of Titanic, which made her the star in demand. She played the role of adventurous soul searchers in "Hideous Kinky" in 1998 and "Holy Smoke" in 1999. Her association with period never seems to be over when she was back with a period film again in 2000 in "Quills". There was no dearth of Oscar nominations for Winslet as she was nominated to Oscar for best actress for the movie "Iris" but the luck eluded her once again and she lost it to Jennifer Connelly for "A Beautiful Mind". Winslet struggled at box office in 2003 but had a better year in 2004 with Jim Carrey in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" for which she got nominated again for the best actress. Kate Winslet seems to have a particular liking for period films when she starred again in a period film called "Finding Neverland" in 2005.

In 2006 she gave her voice to animated movie "Flushed Away" and also starred in "All the King's Men" opposite Sean Penn. She was also part of the extremely successful "Little children" which won her an Oscar nomination again for the best actress. Apart from being a successful person Kate Winslet is known to be a good person who plays mischievous pranks and is extremely devoted. She got married to James Threapleton with a daughter in 1998, but the marriage was short-lived and they divorced in 2001. She got married for the second time with director Sam Mendes in 2003 and also gave birth to a son. With the amount of talent this actress has one would hope that she is rightly rewarded with an Oscar at least this time.

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A Brief History Of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger born in Austria is a very versatile actor along with being a great bodybuilder and now a politician and the Governor of California. He was the second son of his parents. His father being a police officer taught him great values and brought him up in a very strict and disciplined environment.

Arnold had a great sports personality like his father. He had an ambition to be a body builder from his childhood and thus he began bodybuilding at the age of fifteen when he joined the soccer team of Austria. At the age of eighteen, in 1965 he joined the army and that's when he became serious about his body and started taking a strict diet. While in the army he took part in the Mr. Junior Europe contest in 1965 and won the competition. From then on there was no looking back for him. He won enormous number of professional titles after which he went to take part in the 1968 Mr. Universe competition. He won that one too and also became the youngest winner, at the age of twenty. He even won the Mr. Olympia titles consecutively for six years but lost to Sergio Oliva when he competed for the first time. He was given the nickname "The Austrian Oak" for his great body. He then left the competition saying that he wanted to give a chance to other talents too. George Butler made a documentary on Arnold's body building training named Pumping Iron. Besides body building being his ultimate dream, he entered Hollywood with his first movie "Hercules Goes to New York" in the year 1970. He won the Golden Globe Award for best new actor for his performance in the movie Stay Hungry, in 1976. His character in "Conan" movie required him to train vigorously and all the horse riding, sword training and running made him so strong that he required only eight weeks training for the competition. This time too, he won it. But it led to a controversy that the competition didn't support talent but popularity.

Arnold's movies didn't click at the box office until he did "Terminator" in 1984, which was followed by other hits like "Twins", "Total Recall", "Commando" and "Kindergarten Cop". He started a construction firm whose profits were used to fund another small business of mail order of fitness material such as books and videocassettes. He even got a degree in business and international economics from the Wisconsin University to take his business to a further higher level. Within few years was living a luxurious life. He even wrote articles for body building magazines, Muscle & Fitness, and Flex. After being appointed as the governor he was promoted as the executive editor of both the magazines.

His first affair was with Barbara Outland Baker who was an English teacher but they split in 1974. After that Arnold dated Maria Shriver, niece of former president John F. Kennedy for eight years and then got married to her in 1986 and they live together ever since then and the couple have four children. In August 2003 he announced his decision to stand for the elections of Governor of California. He was elected on October 7, 2003 and he replaced Gary Davis with nearly 3.4 million votes in his favor. He was re-elected again in November 2006. He is a republican. He was ranked among the top hundred people who shaped the world by time. He continues to perform his duty as the Governor of California and is being lauded for bringing in many reforms.

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A Brief History Of Walt Disney

Born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois to parents Elias Disney and mother Flora Call Disney Walter E. Disney was the best thing that happened to show business in the last century. Walt's family moved to Marceline, Missouri after his birth where he was brought up in a farm. Drawing caught his imagination ever since he was seven years old and he sold his sketches to his neighbors. Family moved to Chicago again where Disney concentrated both on Drawing and Photography in his high school. He also attended the Academy of Fine Arts at night.

Walt was also attracted to the beauty of nature as he grew up and he began to love and appreciate it. Though his father was particularly opposed to his plans her mother and elder brother Roy encouraged him to pursue his dreams. Disney even tried to get into military service but was rejected because he was only 16 years of age and thus was underage to join military. But he joined Red Cross where he was sent to France and he spent a year there driving ambulance.

After returning from France he pursued a career in commercial art and even started a small company called Laugh-O-Grams which went bankrupt soon. This prompted him to go to Hollywood. It is said he had only one suitcase and $20 with him when he went to Hollywood. His elder brother Roy was living in California, he pooled in $250 and they borrowed another $500 and constructed a camera stand. It didn't take a long wait before they received an order from New York to make the first Alice Comedy and they started producing cartoons in the rear of a real estate office in Hollywood. After successfully making Alice Comedies Walt became a famous figure in Hollywood.

Walt married one of his employees Lillian Bounds and they had two daughters. The cartoon film Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 and his talents were exposed to the world in a silent cartoon called Plane Crazy. The year coincided with the introduction of sound in movies just before the release of the cartoon. The cartoon character Mickey made its screen debut in Steamboat Willie which was the world's first fully synchronized sound cartoon. The cartoon premiered at the Colony Theater in New York on Nov. 18, 1928.

Walt was never content with his work and his quest for excellence made him introduce Technicolor in cartoons in 1932. He used multiplane camera technique in 1937. On December 21, 1937 Walt released the first full length animated musical film called "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" made at a whopping cost of $1.5 million. The animated film is still regarded as one of the rare feats of the motion picture industry.

Walt had a studio in Burbank constructed which was ready in 1940 and the employee count went up to 1,000 which comprised of artists, animators, story men and technicians. Disney used combine live action with the cartoon medium in 1945 in the musical "The Three Caballeros". Walt went to make many award winning cartoon films such as "True Life Adventure" series, "The Living Desert" and many more. Disneyland was launched in 1955 with a capital of $17 million and the investment increased by 10 fold within a few years. Walt turned to social causes in 1965 and directed a film on Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow to improve the quality of urban life in America. But Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966 leaving many achievements and unfulfilled dreams behind him.

Walt Disney envisioned and had directed to purchase about forty three square miles of land, double the size of Manhattan Island in central Florida. It took about fifty months to complete the planning and construction of the Walt Disney World which was eventually opened to public on October 1, 1971. Walk Disney was truly a pioneer and visionary of many modern days' technologies. No wonder why he has received more than 950 honors and 48 Oscar awards and 7 Emmy awards. Truly this man stands out for his outstanding contribution to the improvement of art of cartoon making.

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