Happy Birthday, Danny Elfman!

Today, we're celebrating the 59th birthday of Academy Award-nominated composer Danny Elfman. A Los Angeles native, Elfman has made quite a name for himself in his thirty-year career, crafting himself into one of Hollywood's premiere film composers. His first composing work came in 1982's Forbidden Zone which he followed with 1985's Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, the film which started his frequent collaboration with director Tim Burton. Elfman went onto score Burton's 1988 film Beetlejuice and his 1989 film Batman, and that was just the start. In the 1990s, Elfman scored such big-time films as Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Mission: Impossible, Men in Black and Good Will Hunting. He followed it up with the 2000s, in which he stamped his name across films like Spider-man, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Milk and Alice in Wonderland. Most recently, audiences have heard Elfman reprise a former score in Men in Black III as well as offer something a little bit new in Dark Shadows, and they'll next be able to hear his work in the upcoming 2012 film Frankenweenie. And so, to celebrate his birthday, I've compiled a list of my ten favorite of his scores, and I've managed to find snippets of each score for your listening pleasure. Once again, happy birthday, Danny Elfman!

10. Sleepy Hollow

1999

*****

9. Real Steel

2011

*****

8. Corpse Bride

2005

*****

7. Alice in Wonderland

2010

*****

6. Spider-man

2002

*****

5. Batman

1989

*****

4. Milk

2008

*****

3. Big Fish

2003

*****

2. Edward Scissorhands

1990

*****

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas

1993

Happy Birthday, Helena Bonham Carter!

Today, we're celebrating the 46th birthday of Academy Award-nominated actress Helena Bonham Carter. A London native, Carter nabbed her first feature film appearance in 1985's A Room with a View, which would go on to win three Oscars earn a nomination for Best Picture. The film's success didn't necessarily push her into the limelight, but it definitely opened the door for her career. In 1990, she starred alongside Mel Gibson and Glenn Close in Hamlet, and she spent the rest of the early 1990s appearing in films such as 1992's Howards End, 1994's Frankenstein and 1995's Mighty Aprhodite. She earned her first Oscar nomination for her performance in 1997's The Wings of the Dove, and two years later, she burst into the collective public consciousness with her inclusion in the cult classic, Fight Club. In 2001, Carter began a relationship with eccentric director Tim Burton, and she has appeared in a number his films since then, including 2003's Big Fish and 2007's Sweeney Todd. She also landed the part of Bellatrix Lestrange in a number of the Harry Potter films. Most recently, audiences have seen Carter in the 2012 film Dark Shadows, and they'll next see her later this year in Great Expectations and Les Misérables. And so, to celebrate her birthday, I've listed my five favorite of her characters. I hope you enjoy the list! Once again, happy birthday, Helena Bonham Carter!

5. Queen Elizabeth

The King's Speech (2010)

*****

4. Jenny

Big Fish (2003)

***** 

3. The Red Queen

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

*****

2. Mrs. Lovett

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

***** 

1. Marla Singer

Fight Club (1999)

Happy Birthday, Anne Hathaway!

Today we're celebrating the 29th birthday of Academy Award-nominee Anne Hathaway. She got her start in 2001 with Disney's The Princess Diaries, and she's been working pretty steadily since. In the early stages of her career, she appeared in family-oriented films, like the Princess Diaries sequel and 2004's Ella Enchanted. Hathaway started to delve into more dramatic roles in 2005, making appearances in Havoc and Brokeback Mountain. Her stardom skyrocketed after starring in 2006's The Devil Wears Prada opposite Meryl Streep. Since then, she's balanced her resumé between comedy and drama, and she earned her first - and to date, only - Academy Award nomination for her leading role in 2008's Rachel Getting Married. You'll next be able to see Hathaway as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, which is slated for release in the summer of 2012. So, to celebrate her birthday, I've created a list of my five favorite Hathaway performances. I hope you enjoy the videos I've found as you help me celebrate her birthday!

5. Agent 99
Get Smart (2008)


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4. Lureen Newsome
Brokeback Mountain (2005)


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3. Mia Thermopolis
The Princess Diaries (2001)


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2. White Queen
Alice in Wonderland (2010)


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1. Kym
Rachel Getting Married (2008)