| Cameron Crowe | |
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Cameron Crowe at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival promoting Elizabethtown, photo by Tony Shek |
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| Born | Cameron Bruce Crowe July 13, 1957 Palm Springs, California |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy Wilson (1986-) |
| Official website | |
Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an Academy Award winning American writer and film director. The Toronto International Film Festival ( TIFF) is a publicly-attended Film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Elizabethtown is a 2005 American British Film written and directed by Cameron Crowe starring Orlando Bloom and Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, approximately 111 miles (177 km east of Los Angeles and 136 miles (225 km northeast of Nancy Lamoureux Wilson (born March 16 1954, San Francisco California) is an American Singer, Songwriter and Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published
Crowe has made his mark with character-driven, personal films that have been generally hailed as refreshingly original and void of cynicism. Cynicism (Kυνισμός originally comprised the various philosophies of a group of ancient Greeks called the Cynics, founded by Michael Walker in the New York Times called Crowe "something of a cinematic spokesman for the post-baby boom generation" [1] because his first few films focused on that specific age group, first as high schoolers and then as young adults making their way in the world. High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution For the 2008 British film by Noel Clarke see Adulthood (film.
Crowe's debut screenwriting effort, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, grew out of a novel he wrote while posing for one year undercover as a student at Clairemont High School in San Diego, California, USA. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen - Comedy film written by Cameron Crowe (adapted Clairemont High School is a High school (Grades 9-12 located in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego California belonging to the San Diego Unified Later, he wrote and directed one more high school saga, Say Anything, and then Singles, a story of Seattle twentysomethings that was woven together by a soundtrack centering on that city's burgeoning grunge music scene. Singles is a 1992 Romantic comedy film written and directed by Cameron Crowe. Crowe landed his biggest hit, though, with the feel-good Jerry Maguire. Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr After this, he was given a green light to go ahead with a pet project, the autobiographical effort Almost Famous. An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write" Almost Famous is a 2000 Comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe, writer and director of Jerry Maguire. Centering on a teenage music journalist on tour with an up-and-coming band, it gave insight to his life as a 15-year-old writer for Rolling Stone. A journalist (also called a newspaperman) is a person who practices Journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events trends Also, in late 1999, Crowe released his second book, Conversations with Billy Wilder, a question and answer session with the legendary director. Billy Wilder ( June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian born Jewish - American Journalist
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Crowe was born in Palm Springs, California, USA. Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, approximately 111 miles (177 km east of Los Angeles and 136 miles (225 km northeast of California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. His father owned a real estate and phone service business, and his mother "was a teacher, activist, and all-around live wire who did skits around the house and would wear a clown suit to school on special occasions. "[2] She worked as a psychology professor and family therapist and often participated in peace demonstrations and causes relating to the rights of farm workers. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Family therapy, also referred to as couple and family therapy and family systems therapy, is a branch of Psychotherapy that works with families Crowe had two older sisters, but one died when he was young. The family moved around often, spending time in a desert town called Indio, best known as the site of the Coachella Festival of Music, which is held every year at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio. Indio California, is a US city located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Desert region Crowe commented that Indio was where "people owned tortoises, not dogs". [2] His family finally settled in San Diego.
Recognizing that Crowe was gifted, his mother pushed him to excel. He skipped kindergarten and two grades in elementary school,[3] and by the time he attended Catholic high school, he was quite obviously younger than the other students. ( German, literally means "children's garden" is a form of education for young children which serves as a transition from home to the commencement of more formal schooling See also Primary education An elementary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of Compulsory education known as elementary To add to his alienation, he was often ill because he suffered from nephritis. Nephritis is Inflammation of the Kidney. The word comes from the Greek nephro- meaning "of the kidney" and -itis meaning "inflammation" [4] This made him something of an outcast in the tanned surfer culture of Southern California. Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U
To compensate for his lack of social contacts, Crowe began writing for the school newspaper and by age 13 was contributing music reviews for an underground publication, The San Diego Door. The San Diego Door, (in former versions Good Morning Teaspoon, Teaspoon Door, and Free Door) was an Underground He then began corresponding with Lester Bangs, who had left the Door to become editor at the national rock magazine Creem, and soon he was also submitting articles to Creem as well as Circus. Leslie Conway Bangs ( December 13, 1948 &ndash April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist, author and musician Creem (whose trademark is capitalized CREEM) "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine" was a monthly Rock 'n' roll Publication started Circus was a monthly American Magazine devoted to Rock music. Crowe graduated from University of San Diego High School in 1972 at age 15, and on a trip to Los Angeles, met Ben Fong-Torres, the editor of Rolling Stone, who hired him to write for the magazine. The University of San Diego High School (USDHS also known as The University High School (UHS and affectionately known as "Uni" was a Catholic, Co-educational Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Benjamin Fong-Torres ( 方[[wikt 振|振]] 豪; Pinyin He also joined the Rolling Stone staff as a Contributing Editor and then became the Associate Editor. During this time Crowe had a chance to interview some of the most influential musicians at this time, including Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, and the members of Led Zeppelin. [5] Crowe was, and still is, Rolling Stone's all-time youngest contributor.
Crowe's first cover story was on The Allman Brothers Band. The Allman Brothers Band is a Southern rock band based in Macon, Georgia. [6] He went on the road with them for three weeks at age 16 and interviewed not only the whole band, but also the entire road crew. "Roadie" redirects here For the 1980 movie see Roadie (film. On his last night with the group, Gregg Allman asked Crowe to his room and told him to bring identification to prove he was not a police officer. Gregory Lenoir Allman (born December 8, 1947 in Nashville Tennessee) known as Gregg Allman (sometimes spelled Greg Allman) is a Although Crowe showed him his identification, Allman nevertheless confiscated all his tapes. Two days later, the president of the Allman Brothers' Capricorn Records label called Crowe to let him know he was returning all the tapes. Capricorn Records is an independent Record label which was launched by Phil Walden, Alan Walden, and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Allman later claimed he did not recall the incident (which is probable, given his substance issues at the time).
Because Crowe was a fan of the 1970s hard rock bands that the older writers did not like, he landed a lot of major interviews. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock He wrote about Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, King Crimson, Rory Gallagher, and more. Led Zeppelin were King Crimson is a Progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969 Rory Gallagher (2 March 1948&ndash14 June 1995 was an Irish Blues / rock Guitarist Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal "He charmed a lot of people," Fong-Torres told Rachel Abramowitz in Premiere. Premiere was an American and New York City -based film Magazine published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U "He was the aw-shucks guy. 'I'm glad to be backstage. I love this band. '" In an interview with Joel Selvin of the San Francisco Chronicle Fong-Torres remarked, "He was the guy we sent out after some difficult customers. The San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H He covered the bands that hated Rolling Stone. "[7]
When Rolling Stone moved its offices from the West Coast to New York in 1977, Crowe decided to stay behind. The " West Coast " " Western Seaboard " or " Pacific Seaboard " are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the Western United States The City of New York He also felt the excitement of the career was beginning to wane. Crowe appeared in the 1978 film American Hot Wax, but then returned to his writing. American Hot Wax is a 1978 Biopic film telling the story of Cleveland, Ohio Disc jockey Alan Freed, who was instrumental in introducing Though he would continue to freelance for Rolling Stone on and off over the years, he turned his attention to a book.
At 22 and still boyish, Crowe came up with the idea to pose undercover as a high school student and write about his experiences. Simon & Schuster gave him a contract, and he moved back in with his parents and enrolled as Dave Cameron at Clairemont High School in San Diego, California. Simon & Schuster Inc, a division of CBS Corporation, is a Publisher founded in New York in 1924 by Richard L Clairemont High School is a High school (Grades 9-12 located in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego California belonging to the San Diego Unified Reliving the senior year he never had, he made friends and began to fit in. Though he initially planned to include himself in the book, he realized that it would jeopardize his ability to truly capture the essence of the high school experience.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story came out in 1981. Crowe focused on six main characters: a tough guy, a nerd, a surfer dude, a sexual sophisticate, and a middle-class brother and sister. Nerd is a term often bearing a derogatory connotation or Stereotype, that refers to a person who passionately pursues Intellectual activities Esoteric The middle class, in colloquial usage consists of those who have some economic independence but not a great deal of social Influence or power. He chronicled their activities in typical teenage settings—at school, at the beach, and at the mall, where many of them held afterschool jobs—and focused on details of their lives that probed into the heart of adolescence. A shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings that contain Retail units with interconnecting Walkways enabling visitors This included scenes about homecoming and graduation as well as social cliques and sexual encounters. Homecoming, welcoming back of former residents and alumni is a tradition in many universities, Colleges and High schools in North America Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an Academic degree or the associated ceremony A clique ( IPA:/'klɪk/ in America /'kliːk/ elsewhere is an exclusive group of people who share interests views purposes patterns of behavior or ethnicity Before the book was even released, Fast Times at Ridgemont High was optioned for a film. Released in 1982, the movie version lacked a specific plot and featured no major name stars, and the studio did not devote any marketing effort toward it. Events June 10 = Steven Spielberg 's Science fiction PG-rating film E Mythos (Aristotle In literature the plot comprises all the events in a story particularly rendered towards the achievement of some particular Artistic or Emotional Nevertheless, it became a sleeper hit due to word of mouth. A sleeper hit (often simply called a "sleeper" refers to a Film, Book, single, Album, TV show, or Video game It owed its popularity in large part to its uncannily realistic portrayal of teenagers.
Though reviews of Fast Times at Ridgemont High were mixed, the film ended up launching the careers of some of the previously unknown actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Eric Stoltz, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, as well as now Oscar-winners Nicolas Cage (who appeared in the film under his given name, Nicolas Coppola), Forest Whitaker, and Sean Penn. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen - Comedy film written by Cameron Crowe (adapted Jennifer Jason Leigh (born February 5, 1962) is a Golden Globe -nominated and two-time NYFCC Award -winning American Actress Eric Cameron Stoltz (born September 30, 1961) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actor Judge Reinhold (born May 21 1957) is an American Actor, perhaps best known for co-starring in movies such as Beverly Hills Cop Phoebe Cates (born July 16, 1963) is an American film actress known for her roles in several Teen films most notably "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Nicolas Cage (born Nicholas Kim Coppola; January 7, 1964) is an Academy Award -winning American actor Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15 1961 is an American actor producer, and director. Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an Academy Award - and Golden Globe -winning American Film Actor In fact, Penn's depiction of the marijuana-addled surfer Jeff Spicoli became ingrained in popular culture and led to several take-offs of the persona, including Bill & Ted movies and the Saturday Night Live skit "Wayne's World," along with its resulting movies. Cannabis, also known as marijuana or marihuana, or ganja (from Hindi / Sanskrit: गांजा gānjā hemp) is a Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ( 1989) is an American comedy / Science fiction Movie in which two Slackers Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City Wayne's World was one of the most popular recurring sketches to come from the NBC Television series Saturday Night Live.
Following this success, Crowe wrote the screenplay for 1984's The Wild Life, the pseudo-sequel to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Events The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name The Wild Life is a 1984 comedy-drama film written by Fast Times at Ridgemont High writer Cameron Crowe, and directed by Art Linson. Whereas its predecessor followed teenagers' lives in high school, The Wild Life traced the lives of several teenagers after high school living in an apartment complex. The film was however generally considered quite inferior to its predecessor. Despite this bomb, filmmaker James L. Brooks noticed Crowe's original voice and wanted to work with him. James L Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American producer, Screenwriter and director. Brooks executive produced Crowe's first directing effort, 1989's Say Anything. Events Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton Georgia for $20 million . . , about a young man pining away for the affections of a beautiful girl. Though it could have easily ended up a formulaic teen love story, Say Anything... got a warm reception from critics. They applauded the way Crowe crafted an intriguing and insightful tale that also involved the girl's relationship with her father and how it is threatened when she discovers he is caught up in a shady business deal.
By this point, Crowe was ready to leave teen angst behind and focus on his peers. Angst is a German word for Fear or Anxiety. ( Anguish is its almost entirely synonymous Latinate equivalent His next project, 1992's Singles, centered on the romantic tangles among a group of six friends in their twenties in Seattle. The year 1992 in film involved many significant films (For more about films in foreign languages check sources in those languages Singles is a 1992 Romantic comedy film written and directed by Cameron Crowe. The film starred Bridget Fonda as a coffee-bar waitress fawning over an aspiring musician (Matt Dillon) and Kyra Sedgwick and Campbell Scott as a couple wavering on whether to commit to each other. Bridget Jane Fonda (born January 27, 1964) is an Emmy - and Golden Globe Award -nominated American actress. Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an Academy Award - Golden Globe Award - and BAFTA Award -nominated Kyra Minturn Sedgwick (born August 19 1965 is an Emmy -nominated and Golden Globe Award -winning American actress. Campbell Scott (born July 19 1961) is an American Actor, director, producer, and voice artist. Music forms an integral backbone for the script, and the soundtrack became a best seller three months before the release of the film. Much of this was due to repeated delays while studio executives debated how to market it.
Singles successfully rode on the heels of Seattle's grunge music boom. During production, bands like Nirvana were not yet national stars, but by the time the soundtrack was released, their song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" had to be cut because it was too costly to buy the rights. Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen Washington. " Smells Like Teen Spirit " is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. Also, before they got big, Crowe signed members of Pearl Jam to portray Dillon's fictional band Citizen Dick. Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990 Crowe also appeared in this project, appropriately, as a rock journalist at a club. Tim Appelo wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "With . . . an ambling, naturalistic style, Crowe captures the eccentric appeal of a town where espresso carts sprout on every corner and kids in ratty flannel shirts can cut records that make them millionaires. " [8]
Interestingly, Warner Brothers television tried immediately to turn Singles into a television series. When Crowe balked at the notion, the company proceeded with the idea, engaged a new writing and directing team, changing elements and the name to Friends. [9]
Branching into a new direction, Crowe wrote and directed Jerry Maguire, about a high-powered sports agent who quits his fast-paced yet uncaring career to begin his own firm. Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr A sports agent is a person who procures and negotiates employment and Endorsement deals for an athlete. Tom Cruise played the title role and Cuba Gooding, Jr., shone as Rod Tidwell, the up-and-coming football player whose catchphrase, "Show me the money!" became ubiquitous for a time. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 1962 better known by his screen name Tom Cruise, is an American Actor and Film producer Cuba Gooding Jr ( January 2, 1968) is an Academy Award -winning American actor A catch phrase (or catchphrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance Renée Zellweger also appeared as the bookkeeper who leaves her job to follow Maguire into new territory in both work and love. Renée Kathleen Zellweger (born April 25, 1969) is an Academy Award - BAFTA - SAG Award - and Golden Globe -winning Crowe's earlier efforts brought him recognition, but this would send him soaring onto the A-list. The A-list is a term that alludes to major Movie stars and/or the most bankable in the Hollywood movie industry. Gooding won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role, and the film was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Actor (for Cruise). Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Cruise also won his second Golden Globe for his role as Jerry. The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and Television programs given out each year during a formal dinner
In 2000, Crowe tapped his rock-writer roots to write and direct Almost Famous, about the experiences of a teenage music journalist who goes on the road with an emerging band in the early 1970s. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Almost Famous is a 2000 Comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe, writer and director of Jerry Maguire. Newcomer Patrick Fugit starred as William Miller, the baby-faced writer who finds himself immersed in the hard-knock world of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, and Kate Hudson co-starred as Penny Lane, a prominent groupie, or, as the film refers to her, a "Band-Aid. Patrick Raymond Fugit (born October 27, 1982) is an American actor best known for his performance in the lead role of Cameron Crowe 's film Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American Film actress. " She is based on a real person, also known as Pennie Lane (sometimes Pennie Trumble), who headed a group of young female music fans known as the Flying Garter Girls. Digging into his most personal memories, Crowe used a composite of the bands he had known to come up with Stillwater, the emerging act that welcomes the young journalist into its sphere, then becomes wary of his intentions. Seventies rocker Peter Frampton served as a technical consultant on the film. Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950 in Beckenham, Kent) is an English Musician, best known today for his solo
Crowe's mother figured prominently in the film as well (often admonishing, "Don't take drugs!"), and she even showed up at the film sets to keep an eye on him while he worked. Though he asked her not to bother Frances McDormand, who played her character, the two ended up getting along well. Frances Louise McDormand (born June 23, 1957) is an Academy Award -winning American Film, stage, and television Also in the film he showed his sister rebelling and leaving home, and in real life, his mother and sister Cindy did not talk for a decade and were still estranged to a degree when he finished the film. The family reunited when the project was complete.
In addition, Crowe took a copy of the film to London for a special screening with Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, who provided much of the inspiration for the feuding bandmates. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948 West Bromwich, England) is an English rock singer and songwriter famous for his membership in the They then granted Crowe the right to use one of their songs on the soundtrack—the first time they had ever consented to this since allowing Crowe to use "Kashmir" in Fast Times at Ridgemont High—and also gave him rights to four of their other songs in the movie itself, although they did not grant him the rights to "Stairway to Heaven" for an intended scene. " Stairway to Heaven " is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. Crowe and his wife, musician Nancy Wilson of Heart, co-wrote three of the five Stillwater songs in the film, and Frampton wrote the other two. Nancy Lamoureux Wilson (born March 16 1954, San Francisco California) is an American Singer, Songwriter and Heart is a rock band whose founding members came from the Seattle, Washington, scene but came together in Vancouver, British Columbia Reviews were almost universally positive, and it was nominated for and won a host of film awards, including an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Crowe. Crowe and co-producer Danny Bramson also won the Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media Grammy Award for the soundtrack. The Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture Television or Other Visual Media has been awarded since 2000 The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Conversely, box office returns were disappointing.
He followed Almost Famous with Vanilla Sky in 2001, a remake of the Spanish thriller Abre los ojos. Vanilla Sky is a 2001 American Psychological thriller Film, which has been variously characterized by published film critics as "an odd Open Your Eyes ( Abre los ojos) is a 1997 Film directed by Alejandro Amenábar and written by him and Mateo Gil. Starring Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz (from the original cast), the film failed to get the critical respect his previous films had, scoring only 45 on Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews", though it still managed to gross $100. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 1962 better known by his screen name Tom Cruise, is an American Actor and Film producer Penélope Cruz Sánchez (pe̞ˈne̞ˑlo̞pe̞ ˈkɾuθ̟ ˈs̺änʲʨe̞θ̟ born April 28 1974 better known as Penélope Cruz, is a Spanish actress Metacritic is a Website that collates reviews of music Albums games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and Books. 6 million at the US box office, making it his second highest grossing directorial effort, behind only Jerry Maguire.
He returned in 2005, with Elizabethtown, which again opened to mixed reviews,[10] scoring 45 on Metacritic, the same as his previous effort, Vanilla Sky. Elizabethtown is a 2005 American British Film written and directed by Cameron Crowe starring Orlando Bloom and Metacritic is a Website that collates reviews of music Albums games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and Books.
Director
| Year | Title | No. of Oscar nominations | No. of Oscar wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Say Anything... | ||
| 1992 | Singles | ||
| 1996 | Jerry Maguire | 5 | 1 |
| 2000 | Almost Famous | 4 | 1 |
| 2001 | Vanilla Sky | 1 | |
| 2005 | Elizabethtown |