Timur PANKOV
ALMATY, Feb 18
(THE GLOBE)
John Travolta:
Born: Feb 18, 1954,
Englewood, NJ
Formidable Hollywood star of the late 1970s and early 80s whose tempestuous career decisively discredits the old adage that there are no third acts in American life. Bright-eyed and boyish, Travolta first gained fame as Vinnie Barbarino, head �Sweathog� on the popular high school sitcom �Welcome Back, Kotter� (ABC, 1975-79). The character began as a dim-witted, swaggering bully but soon evolved into sweet-natured, vulnerable, and sexy teen idol. Travolta even recorded the requisite pop album during this period and found himself mobbed by teenyboppers at suburban malls.
He first registered in features as a teen cad who plots against CARRIE (1976) in the rousing Brian De Palma thriller. He truly graduated from TV and �hustled� his way to stardom in one of the signature films of the late 70s, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977). Travolta�s convincing urban Italian-American posturing combined with a bruised sensitivity and several fiery disco routines helped make the film a resonant hit and earned the actor an Oscar nomination. The film benefited from and contributed to the growing popularity of disco with mainstream America.
After the critical and commercial fiasco of MOMENT BY MOMENT (1978), a laughable romantic drama co-starring Lily Tomlin, Travolta cemented his popularity and proved himself a capable light romantic lead opposite Olivia Newton-John in GREASE (1978). Buoyed by the immense popularity of TV�s �Happy Days,� this faux 1950s song-and-dance fest became one of Hollywood�s highest grossing film musicals. Travolta�s next feature, the well-received URBAN COWBOY (1980), featured the dancing lead in cowboy hat and boots as it tapped into America�s ascendant interest in country-and-Western culture. De Palma�s BLOW OUT (1981) offered Travolta one of his most complex roles: a dedicated film sound recordist who accidentally records a political assassination. The result was a richly shaded portrait of the hack artist as fallen idealist. Nonetheless BLOW OUT stalled at the box-office. A pumped-up Travolta made a strong commercial comeback in STAYING ALIVE (1983), the Sylvester Stallone-directed sequel to SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.
Travolta subsequently languished for nearly a decade in forgettable and/or unpopular films. His most notable work during this phase was a 1987 ABC-TV special: Harold Pinter�s The Dumb Waiter, a one-act two-character play directed by Robert Altman, in which Travolta played a Cockney hit man. It was not until the sleeper hit of 1989, LOOK WHO�S TALKING, however, that Travolta was associated with another major box office success-though, in this case, he was not the main attraction. This romantic comedy featured the unreasonably popular gimmick of presenting a baby�s thoughts in voice over and generated two more jobs for the former superstar-LOOK WHO�S TALKING TOO (1990) and LOOK WHO�S TALKING NOW (1993). Glowing reviews for his performance in Quentin Tarantino�s PULP FICTION (1994), though, restored Travolta to Hollywood�s A-list.
Relatively heavy-set, long-haired, and wearing earrings, Travolta�s Vincent Vega was a strangely sympathetic hit man with a heroin habit and a disconcertingly innocent view of the world. The resuscitated star found himself deluged with scripts and deals offering him the biggest paydays of his estimable career as well as a much deserved Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
John Travolta - Actor, singer and dancer
By Alessandro RAIMONDI
LUGANO, Feb 21 (THE GLOBE)
Everywhere in the world it�s time, now, for balances on the year that has just been relegated to history. Switzerland too makes her checks and discovers with surprise and amusement that a number of unusual records have been transferred to this Alpine country during 1998.
Last year, in fact, is to be remembered by Swiss observers as the year of altitude records. Bertrand Piccard has casted a new record of stay in the air with his fire balloon: he and his two partners have been watching the world from the sky for nine days in a row. Nothing to do at street level, I presume�
Another aerostat has marked the first Swiss record of altitude with two pilots of Canton Vaud that last May have ascended 11,500 meters in one hour at Chareau d�Oex. Unlike the previous ones, these two were in a hurry�
Another flying record has been measured by some researchers of Sempach�s bird-watching post in Canton Luzern. With the help of a radar they have detected the highest flying speed on a bird ever recorded: 184 kph! This kind of feathered bullet was a peregrine falcon.
In August some 263 �paraslopers� have hurtled themselves down in the vicinity of Emmetten. The peculiar gathering has taken place in only 8 minutes. What a crowd!
And to remain off the ground one more bizarre record has been set at St. Moritz, the famous sky resort area of Canton Grisons. Fredy Nock a well known tightrope walker has made a 734 meters stroll on the cable of an aerial ropeway at 72 meters of altitude. In his case, for sure, nobody could talk of a crowd up there!
Very close to flying a La Chaux-de-Fonds motorcycle driver has been caught up by the French police at Besancon. The 32-year-old Swiss centaur was riding his Kawasaki �Ninja� at the fair speed of 247 kilometers per hour. Without being a fugitive at large, of course�...
Timur PANKOV
ALMATY, Feb 18 (THE GLOBE)
Michael Jordan: Height: 6�6"
Weight: 216 lbs
Born: February 17, 1963 Hampton, VA
College: North Carolina
If there is a man who can be described in a word �LEGEND�, Michael Jordan is the one. MJ has given NBA fans across the globe the biggest thrill of all time. Michael is the most marketable, and most popular athlete in the world and has captured the imaginations of people from all walks of life. There is nothing better than watching Michael taking off for another thunderous dunk, or driving around opponents as if their feet were nailed to the floor boards. Jordan has won NBA MVP three times (87-8, 90-1, 91-2). He has won three consecutive NBA championships (90-1, 91-2, 92-3). He has won three consecutive NBA Finals MVP (91-3). He was named All NBA first team seven straight years (87-93). Jordan was named to All-Defense first team six straight years (88-93). He was the second player to win seven consecutive scoring titles (86-7 to 92-3). Jordan was a member of United States gold medal-winning Olympic teams in 1984 and 1992. He is the Bulls� all-time leading scorer and 15th on all-time scoring list with 21,541 points. He was NBA Rookie of the Year in (84-5). Jordan was a NBA All-Star Game MVP (88). He was the NBA Slam Dunk Champion (87). He was NBA Defensive Player of Year (88). His career high 69 points was scored against Cleveland, March 28, 1990. Jordan scored a playoff record 63 points in 1986 against the Boston Celtics. He scored 50-or-more points 34 different times. Jordan has the highest points per game career scoring average 32.3 ppg over nine years. Jordan has achieved so much in his career that he holds nearly ever record imaginable. Jordan truly is a �LEGEND�.
1902/ 1878 - On this date in 1878, Thomas Alva Edison, famed inventor, patented a music player at his laboratory in Menlo Park, NJ. (this music device is the one we know as the phonograph). Here�s the real skinny on the story: Edison paid his assistant $18 to make the device from a sketch Edison had drawn. Originally, Edison had set out to invent a telegraph repeater, but came up with the phonograph or, as he called it, the speaking machine.
19/02/ 1910 - At a New York dinner party, Diamond Jim Brady amazed (not to mention, grossed out) his guests by eating five helpings of roast beef, gallons of stewed fruit, 84 oysters and three gallons of orange juice to wash it all down! Whoa... Nellie!
19/02/ 1985 - Mickey Mouse was welcomed to China as part of the 30th anniversary of Disneyland. The touring mouse played 30 cities in 30 days. Tough schedule even for a mouse!
20/02/ 1962 - America�s first space hero, John Glenn, made space history on this day. Glenn orbited the world three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes. �Godspeed, John Glenn. You�re cleared for orbit.�
20/02/ 1925 - Was born Robert Altman (director: M*A*S*H, Nashville)
21/02/ 1932 - William N. Goodwin of Newark, New Jersey, patented the camera exposure meter on this day. So, if your prints aren�t turning out like they should, blame him or, better yet, change your exposure setting. It�s written right there in the instruction manual that you read when you got the camera. You DID read it, didn�t you?
21/02/ 1927 - Was born Hubert de Givenchy (fashion designer)
22/02/ 1920 - The first dog race track to use (gulp!) an imitation rabbit opened on this day in imitation Emeryville, CA.
22/02/ 1923 - The first successful chinchilla farm (we�re talking real chinchilla, here) opened on this day in Los Angeles, CA. It was the first such farm in the country.
22/02/ 1956 - Elvis Presley entered the music charts for the first time. It would be far from his last visit. �Heartbreak Hotel� began its climb to the number one spot on the pop listing, reaching the top on April 11, 1956. It stay at the top for eight weeks.
22/02/ 1984 - Census Bureau statistics showed that the State of Alaska was the fastest growing state of the decade with a population increase of 19.2 percent. Why not? People there don�t have to go far for ice cubes!
February 19
The Kazakh Concert Hall: The Evening of Chamber Music Beginning at 6.00 p.m.
The Kazakh Drama Theater: Atabayev B, �Madonnas of Algeria� Beginning at 6.00 p.m.
The Russian Drama Theater: Braginskiy �Figment of the Imagination� Beginning at 6.00 p.m.
The Novaya Stsena: Pasternak �Doctor Zhivago� Beginning at 6 p.m.
February 20
The Kazakh Concert Hall: Brusilovsky, �Yer-Targyn�, concert performance opera Beginning at 6.00 p.m.
The Kazakh Drama Theater: K. Gossi �Princess Turandot� Beginning at 6.30 p.m.
The Russian Drama Theater: A.V. Sukhvo-Kobylin � Marriage of Krechinskiy� Beginning at 6.00 p.m.
The Novaya Stsena: �Preobrazhenskiye evenings: Eternal Music of Old Words�
Beginning at 5.00 p.m.
February 20
The Kazakh Drama Theater: M. Auezov �Karagoz� Beginning at 6.30 p.m.
The Russian Drama Theater: V. Hugo, �Notre Dame de Paris� Beginning at 6.00 p.m.
The Novaya Stsena: Shakespeare �Hamlet� Beginning at 5.00 p.m.
February 23
The Kazakh Concert Hall: The evening dedicated to A. Pushkin Beginning at 6.00 p.m.
The Kazakh Drama Theater: Nurmagambetov T �Marriage of Kyrmanbay� Beginning at 6.30 p.m.
The Russian Drama Theater: Lobozerov S. �We Live in the Neighborhood� Beginning at 6.00 p.m.
February 3-21
MOST Gallery: The retrospective exhibition of artists, participants of �Eurasia� symposium from St. Petersburg, Tashkent, Bishkek, Dushambe and Almaty.
Working hours: 11.00 - 18.00
Saturday and Sunday: 14.00 - 18.00
January 21-February 21
The Kasteyev Museum: �The Works of German Masters�. The collection of the State Museum named after Kasteyev.
Working hours: 10.00-16.30, except Monday.
January 14 - February 16
TRIBUNA Gallery: The Exhibition of Kazakstan�s artists. Painting. Graphics. Sculpture.
Working hours: 10.00-19.00, without days off.
January 19 - March 8
The Museum of Wax Figures, St. Petersburg city in the building of the Museum of Archeology. The Exhibition of Wax Figures of well-known historic persons, artists and people from the Book of Guinness.
Exhibits from the cabinet of curiosities.
Working hours: 10.00-18.00, without days off and brakes.
Kazak Drama Theatre - Kazak National Drama Academic Auezov Drama Theatre. 103 Abai Avenue, corner Mukanov. Phone 673307.
Russian Drama Theatre - Russian National Drama Academic Lermontov Drama Theatre. 43 Abai Avenue, corner Abylai Khan Avenue. Phone 628273
Republic�s Palace - Dostyk Avenue, corner Abai Avenue. Phone 620320
DK AkhBK - Culture Palace of Almaty Cotton Centre, 22 Shalyapin St., corner Altynsarin Avenue. Phone 281911
State National Kasteyev Museum - 30-a Satpayev St.. Phone 478356
Archaeology Museum - 44 Dostyk Avenue, corner Dzhambul St., Phone 618585
Tengri-Umai Art Gallery - in the building of the Russian Drama Theatre. Phone 620309
Tribuna Art Gallery - 14a Republic�s Square. Phone 694628
Most Art Gallery - Modern Art Gallery. 85-a Dostyk Avenue, corner Kurmangazy St., Phone 622136