Demi Moore

Demi Guynes Kutcher, born November 11, 1962, known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the television drama series General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St. Elmo's Fire (1985), and in the early 1990s became one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood with her successes in Ghost (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), and Disclosure (1994).

Moore took her professional name from her first husband Freddy Moore and is the mother of three daughters from her marriage to Bruce Willis. She has been married to Ashton Kutcher since 2005.

Early life

Moore was born Demi Gene Guynes in Roswell, New Mexico. As a child, she had a difficult and unstable home life. Her biological father, Charles Harmon, left her mother Virginia King (November 27, 1943 – July 2, 1998), after a two-month marriage, before Moore was born. As a result, Moore had the surname of her stepfather, Danny Guynes (March 9, 1943 – October 1980 by suicide), on her birth certificate. Danny Guynes frequently changed jobs; as a result, the family moved a total of forty times. Moore has two younger half-brothers: James Craig Harmon (paternal) and Morgan Guynes (maternal, born 1967). Her parents were alcoholics who often fought and beat each other. Moore was cross-eyed as a child and wore an eye patch in an attempt to correct the problem until it was ultimately corrected by two surgeries. She also suffered from kidney dysfunction.

Moore's family settled in Los Angeles in 1976. She attended Fairfax High School in Hollywood, where her schoolmates included Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, bassist Michael Balzary (aka Flea) and actor Timothy Hutton. When Moore was 16, her friend Nastassja Kinski persuaded her to drop out of school to become an actress.

Personal life

She married singer Freddy Moore in 1980 at the age of 17, retaining his surname. In 1987, Moore met and married actor Bruce Willis.They had three daughters together: Rumer Glenn Willis (born August 16, 1988), Scout LaRue Willis (born July 20, 1991), and Tallulah Belle Willis (born February 3, 1994). Moore and Willis divorced in 2000.

In 2005, Moore wed actor Ashton Kutcher after dating for two years.

Moore's primary residence is in Hailey, Idaho, near the famous Sun Valley resort, although she spends much time in the Los Angeles area with Kutcher. She also owns a waterfront mansion on Sebago Lake, Maine. She is a practicing follower of the Philip Berg's Kabbalah Centre religion, and initiated Kutcher into the faith, having said that she "didn’t grow up Jewish, but ... would say that she has been more exposed to the deeper meanings of particular rituals than any of her friends that did." Contrary to popular belief, Moore claims she has never been a raw foodist and dispelled the vegan rumors by eating a hamburger in a recent Mario Testino photo shoot.

Moore legally changed her last name to Kutcher two years after marrying Kutcher. However, she continues to use Moore in her professional life. According to the New York Times, Moore is "the world's most high-profile doll collector," and among her favorites is the Gene Marshall fashion doll.

Career

After training with John Casablancas, Demi Moore made her film debut in the 1982 3-D science fiction/horror film, Parasite, which was a hit on the drive-in circuit, ultimately grossing $7 million. However, Moore was not widely known until she played the part of Jackie Templeton on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital, from 1982 to 1983. Moore also had an uncredited cameo at the end of the 1982 spoof Young Doctors in Love.

In the mid-1980s, Moore appeared in the youth-oriented films St. Elmo's Fire, Blame It on Rio and About Last Night, and she was often listed as one of the Brat Pack, a name the media dubbed a certain group of top young actors at the time. In 1988 Demi starred in The Seventh Sign directed by Carl Schultz. After the commercial success of Ghost, Moore was given more prominent roles in A Few Good Men, Indecent Proposal, Disclosure, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame for which she was the first actress to reach the $10 million salary mark.

During the early 1990s, she was the highest paid actress in Hollywood. She never surpassed the success of Ghost, and had a string of less successful films like The Scarlet Letter, The Juror, Striptease, and G.I. Jane. Moore's Passion of Mind co-star Joss Ackland lambasted her by describing her as being "not very bright or talented", although he worked with her again on Flawless in 2008. At the same time she produced and starred in a TV mini-series called If These Walls Could Talk, written by Nancy Savoca. A three-part series on abortion, Savoca directed two segments, including the one in which Moore played a single woman in the 1950s seeking a back-alley abortion. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress for that role.

Moore was a founding "celebrity investor" in the Planet Hollywood chain of international theme restaurants (modeled after the Hard Rock Cafe and launched in New York on October 22, 1991) along with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and then-husband Bruce Willis.

Vanity Fair controversy

In August 1991, Moore appeared nude on the cover of Vanity Fair under the title More Demi Moore. Annie Leibovitz shot the picture while Moore was seven months pregnant with her daughter Scout LaRue, intending to portray "anti-Hollywood, anti-glitz" attitude. The cover sparked an intense controversy for Vanity Fair and Demi Moore. It was widely discussed on television, radio, and in newspaper articles. The frankness of Leibovitz's portrayal of a pregnant sex symbol led to divided opinions, ranging from complaints of sexual objectification to celebrations of the photograph as a symbol of empowerment.

The photograph was subject to numerous parodies, including the Spy magazine version, which placed Moore's then husband Bruce Willis' head on her body. In Leibovitz v. Paramount Pictures Corp., Leibovitz sued over one parody featuring Leslie Nielsen, made to promote the 1994 film Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult. In the parody, the model's body was attached to what is described as "the guilty and smirking face" of Nielsen. The teaser said "Due this March".

iPhone SIM unlocking

United States

Most iPhones were and are still sold with a SIM lock, which restricts the use of the phone to one particular carrier, a common practice with subsidized GSM phones. Unlike most GSM phones however, the phone cannot be officially unlocked by entering a code. The locked/unlocked state is maintained on Apple's servers per IMEI and is set when the iPhone is activated.

While the iPhone was initially sold in the US only on the AT&T network with a SIM lock in place, various hackers have found methods to "unlock" the phone from a specific network. Although AT&T and Verizon are the only authorized iPhone carriers in the United States, unlocked iPhones can be used with other carriers after unlocking. More than a quarter of the original iPhones sold in the United States were not registered with AT&T. Apple speculates that they were likely shipped overseas and unlocked, a lucrative market before the iPhone 3G's worldwide release. iPhones are unlocked by users who wish to use networks other than AT&T or Verizon's.

AT&T has stated that the "iPhone cannot be unlocked, even if you are out of contract". On March 26, 2009, AT&T in the United States began selling the iPhone without a contract, though still SIM-locked to their network. The up-front purchase price of such iPhone units is often twice as expensive as those bundled with contracts. Outside of the United States, policies differ, especially in US territories and insular areas like Guam, where GTA TeleGuam is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone, since neither AT&T nor Verizon have a presence in the area.

United Kingdom

Operators O2, Orange, 3, Vodafone, T-Mobile, as well as MVNO Tesco Mobile sell the device in the UK under subsidised contracts, or for use on pay as you go. They are locked to network initially, though are usually able to be unlocked either after a certain period of contract length has passed, or for a small fee. The iPhone 4 in the UK is also currently sold unlocked without a contract for full retail price for use on any network the user chooses, but only when bought directly from Apple (either online or in their physical shops).

Australia

Five major carriers in Australia, (Three, Optus, Telstra, Virgin Mobile, and Vodafone), offer legitimate unlocking, now at no cost for all iPhone devices, both current and prior models. The iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4 can also be bought unlocked from a Apple Retail Store, or the Apple Online Store.

Denmark

It is possible to purchase the iPhone directly from Apple According to Danish law, the iPhone can be unlocked after six months on contract, or earlier by paying a fee of DKK 500 (approx. €70).

TDC does not lock their iPhones

France

In France, the iPhone is locked on the Wireless purchased from (Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom or Virgin Mobile), but can also be bought unlocked in Apple stores. Phones that were initially locked to a carrier are unlocked for free after a certain portion of the bundled contract's fixed term is up, or for a fee at any time before that.

Germany

In Germany, the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 may be purchased without a SIM-lock directly from Apple. The iPhone may also be purchased through T-Mobile, Vodafone, and O2, three of the four major German mobile network carriers.

Other countries

The iPhone is also available without any SIM lock for full retail price in some countries. Vendors in countries including Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Cyprus, Ecuador, Finland, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam sell iPhones not locked to any carrier.In India, iPhone is officially SIM locked to either Vodafone or Airtel.

Bam Margera

Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera, born September 28, 1979 is an American professional skateboarder, television and radio personality, actor and daredevil. He released a series of videos under the CKY banner and came to prominence after being drafted into MTV's Jackass crew. He has since appeared in MTV's Viva La Bam and Bam's Unholy Union, all three Jackass movies, and Haggard and Minghags, both of which he co-wrote and directed.

Personal life

Relationships

Margera was previously engaged to Jenn Rivell, a divorced single mother six years his senior. Rivell played a prominent part in several of his projects and the couple appeared to be co-habiting in various episodes of Viva La Bam. However, the relationship ended in 2005. In November 2006, Margera filed for "Protection From Abuse" from Rivell after she allegedly broke into his house. He further alleged that Rivell had exhibited irrational and aggressive behavior towards him on several previous occasions including stealing several computers and vandalizing his house immediately after their initial breakup. The judge dismissed the allegations as "speculative" and "hearsay". Their break-up was attributed to rumors Margera had slept with pop star Jessica Simpson, which Margera initially denied before admitting they had been "intimate". Margera reasserted that nothing untoward had happened after he and Simpson met at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2006.

In 2006, Margera became engaged to childhood friend Melissa "Missy" Rothstein. The events leading up to their wedding (with about 350 friends and family in attendance) on February 3, 2007, in downtown Philadelphia, were chronicled on the MTV series Bam's Unholy Union. The couple's honeymoon was in Dubai. In 2008, during an appearance LA Ink, Bam told Kat Von D about $13,000 in damages done to the hotel for his marriage, saying " I was kind of ready for it though. I was like: 'I’m inviting the Jackass crew. If something doesn’t get broken then that’s not right'.

In July 2009, Margera was taken to the hospital by paramedics and state troopers from his West Chester home after his wife Missy called 911 after a four day alcohol binge. On the drinking binge, Margera said "I may get a divorce . . . booze helps. In October 2010, Margera told Howard Stern he and Missy were living in separate cities, they meet once a week and Missy knows about his girlfriend in San Francisco and another in West Chester.

Name, residence and assault

In an October 24, 2007 interview with the Cleveland Free Times, Margera stated that although he had completed paperwork that would legally change his first name to Bam, he was "still debating" filing it after a conversation with his father.

Margera currently resides in "Castle Bam", a large house in Wawaset, Pennsylvania. The house has a gothic theme, a skatepark in the driveway and is situated on 14 acres (57,000 m2) of land. In January 2007, Margera built a ramp in his backyard, near the old casino seen in Viva La Bam. The ramp itself caused trouble with the township. Margera's parents and select members of the CKY Crew lived in the house while shooting Viva La Bam, with Margera's uncle residing in a house on the property.

On Saturday, June 12, 2010, Margera was allegedly attacked with a baseball bat outside of his bar, The Note, in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Margera spent the night at Crozer-Chester Medical Center where he was treated for head injuries. According to Elizabeth Ray, the alleged assailant, Margera used "the n-word, with black in front of it". Ray denies attacking Margera. Margera, on the other hand, denies having said the words, claiming "I called her a crazy bitch and an idiot, but I definitely didn't use the n-word".

Early life

Margera was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, to Phil and April Margera. He is the younger brother of Jess Margera and nephew of Vincent Margera. His grandfather nicknamed him "Bam" at the age of three after his habit of running into walls. He attended East High School and cites friend Chris Raab as his only reason for attending high school, and dropped out after Raab got expelled for smearing feces on a locker. He later received his GED at the insistence of his parents.

Television and film

Margera began shooting videos of himself and his friends skateboarding and doing stunts, which eventually turned into the CKY video series. He independently released CKY. CKY2K, CKY3 and CKY4 have also been released. CKY stands for "Camp Kill Yourself", a reference to the film Sleepaway Camp. These early videos feature many of Margera's friends, including Ryan Dunn, Brandon DiCamillo, Rake Yohn, Chris Raab, Brandon Novak and others who form a loose collective known as the CKY Crew. CKY is also the name of a rock band featuring his brother Jess, and the history and relationship between the video and band projects is heavily interlinked.

Following the CKY success, former Big Brother editor Jeff Tremaine noticed Margera's videos and drafted him into the team which would eventually become MTV's Jackass. Margera and Ryan Dunn became mainstays of the cast while other CKY crew members played supporting roles to various degrees. Margera went on to appear in Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two, and Jackass 3D. Several skits in the first Jackass movie were CKY style pieces filmed in and around West Chester, but similar scenes in the second movie were removed after the arrest of Margera's uncle Vincent Margera.

After Jackass, Margera was given his own MTV series entitled Viva La Bam, which ran for five seasons between 2003-2005. The show followed Margera and his crew as they performed various stunts and missions. The show was primarily filmed in West Chester, Pennsylvania but also visited New Orleans, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Brazil, Finland, Mexico, Amsterdam and Transylvania. In addition to the regular series, special episodes have included "Viva La Spring Break" and a "lost" episode included on the Viva La Bands CD.

Margera appears with Dunn and pro-skateboarder Tim O'Connor on Bam's World Domination, a half-hour Spike TV program that debuted on October 13, 2010. The first episode showcased Margera and his friends' attempt to conquer an obstacle course race, in the Tough Guy Competition, held outside London, England.

Skateboarding career

Since 2003, Margera has been a member of Team Element, the demonstration team for Element Skateboards. He is also sponsored by Speed Metal Bearings, Adio Footwear, and Fairman's Skateshop.

Independent films