A Handful Of The Best Celebrities

By Hester Downs

A rudimentary home theater system may only consist of a TV, a Blu-Ray or DVD player and a set of surround sound speakers. But there are also very complex home theater systems that include a number of multimedia options and a substantial selection of technical features.

Home theaters are the craze these days. Every home wants and needs a room just for watching movies. Home theaters strive to replicate the theater experience with quality audio and video meant just for the home. The visual part usually includes a large screen or a high definition television. Sometimes it even includes a projection system. High quality audio output is generally accomplished with a high fidelity surround sound system.

It's fun to exchange opinions on favorite movies and favorite actors. Every person has an opinion and none is more right or wrong but everybody has their own favorites that they get pleasure from. Some actors shock us with their huge talent, some actors are pretty to look at and then of course some are both of those things. Sometimes we admire an actor more for what he does away from the movie set as for what they do onscreen because some actors are just remarkable people who use their fame and fortune to aid others who are less fortunate throughout the world.

Brad Pitt has been known for his pretty boy good looks since he first came on the scene in the 1991 film "Thelma and Louise". Although he hasn't always played the role of the pretty boy. If you remember "Seven" and "Twelve Monkeys" both from 1985 you know what I mean. While the tabloid press seems to take his personal life and overshadow his movie roles, what is the most admirable thing about Brad Pitt is his commitment to humanitarian causes throughout the world. He continuously donates hefty sums of his wealth to help people that are less fortunate.

While Hurricane Katrina practically wiped out the entire city of New Orleans, Brad Pitt started the "Make it Right Foundation". The foundation was created to assist in the redevelopment of the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans. They build affordable and sustainable homes that are true to the diverse culture of the city of New Orleans. The purpose was to complete the building of the homes fast so that the residents could return to their homes as soon as possible. These things have been Brad Pitt's true success.

There is an additional great actor who is deeply admired for his philanthropy. Paul Newman passed away this past September 26, 2008 but he will long be remembered for great movies like "Road to Perdition" from 2002, "The Color of Money" from 1986 and "Absence of Malice" from 1981. He also played Butch in the well recognized and ever beloved "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" from the year 1969. And then of course, the list of great Paul Newman movies goes on and on.

Nevertheless it is his philanthropy that we can all respect. In 1982 with a colleague he created a line of food products that he dubbed "Newman's Own". It started with only a salad dressing and quickly expanded to other products including pasta sauce, lemonade, popcorn, salsa and more. When he started the company he established that all of the proceeds generated after taxes would be donated to charity. In early 2006, Newman's Own had donated over $250 million.

Tom Hanks is an amazing talent. It is rather shocking that he got his start in a goofy TV show called "Bosom Buddies". Later he played an amazing role as Andrew Beckett, a gay lawyer who was infected by the AIDS virus and took on his own conservative law firm for firing him because of the fear that they may as well contract the disease. Tom won his first Academy Award for that role in 1993.

And in 1994, he became only the second actor in history to win back-to-back Oscars as he again took home the award, this time for "Forrest Gump". Certainly, there are also many other great movies from the funny and sweet like "Big" to the more serious like "Castaway" where his co-star was in fact a volleyball.

Our favorite movies and favorite actors and actresses may vary from time to time. We may love them for their flair or for other reasons but now that we can download full length, high quality movies from the Internet instantaneously we don't have to miss any more of the movies that we want to see. - 30202

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