The Last Play Standing Festival 4 2009, Chicago

Script in hand (SIH) format for rehearsal & performance

2009-02-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

So I go to see this event in Chicago this past week-end and I watch 2 groups perform scripts in hand, and while the work was ok the professional production aspects specific to a SIH reading where lacking in a huge way. Different colors of paper, 3 ring notebooks (great for jugglers not for actors) papers held loose without the benefit of a staple, different color hi-lights, different color papers, notes it was all just a mess. Yes, I understand its the struggle for the art and money is tight. Unfortunately these items that everyone takes for granted take away from the struggle of creating and growing a new script. How can you find the truth of the written work in the early stage of development if your not giving the newly written text every chance to have a life that can stand on its own. The work the playwright created must be dare I say respected with clean format and structure. Here are some basics to keep in mind the next time you do any cold reading or script in hand work.

DUMP the 3 ring binders..Why? They are clumsy, distracting for the actor and the audience, they fall more often then you think and when they do papers fly in all directions like a grenade and that explosion of sounds will just take everyone right out of the moment. Not to mention the fact that every time I see a 3 ring in SIH work the side pockets are filled with hand written notes, receipts, and fast food menus! I could go on and on but I think I have made my point. Here are some other things to keep in mind.

Everyone in the cast please please use

The same color paper
A yellow hi-lighter
A stapler to keep the pages stapled together (no paperclips)
Number the pages at the center not to the left or right corner.

These are just a couple of tips to keep your focus on your SIH work as your working with a new scipt and the script moves to aspects of rehearsal & performance

More later Keith.

Limitations

2009-02-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

He who argues for his limitations gets to keep them. You have to ask yourself do I continue to do exactly what I was doing and here is where I have gotten or do I look at another possibility and see where I might go. - Howard Fine

Boys of Winter IRNE 2008 Nominated!

2009-02-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Dean Kaner & Crew!

IRNE AWARDS 2008 - The Independent Reviewers of New England Awards (IRNE'S) will take place on Monday, April 6, 2009, at 7:30pm at the Boston Center for the Arts. Here are the IRNE Nominations for productions January 1 through December 31, 2008.

SMALL THEATER CATEGORIES - Best New Play

THE BOYS OF WINTER by Barry Brodsky, Dean Kaner & Eric Small (BKS Prods.)

THE OIL THIEF by Joyce Van Dyke (Boston Playwrights' Theatre)

ACCORDING TO TIP by Dick Flavin (New Repertory Theatre)

Boys of Winter is a rock solid story and the runner up for The Last Play Standing 2. I am truly happy for Dean and his crew and happy for the crew from A.C.T. Company the work they did to put this play in motion was fantastic! Does this validate the process of the LPS? I told someone a long time that "once is luck and anything more then that is .... something else." The finalist's from the LPS 1 & 2 have set a benchmark for the new play scripts. Going forward since the average scores from LPS 1 & 2 were higher then LPS 3 the LPS 4 will only select those plays for the final round that have a score equal to or greater then the scores from the LPS 1 & 2. Again hats off to Dean and the Boys of Winter, If everything works out I may be directing the Boys of Winter in Chicago sometime this year, keep your fingers crossed. But If I don't and you hear of a production of the Boys of Winter buy a ticket I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

Trust your gut: Too much thinking leads to bad choices

2009-01-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

Trust your gut: Too much thinking leads to bad choices

January 26th, 2009 in General Science / Other

Don't think too much before purchasing that new car or television. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, people who deliberate about decisions make less accurate judgments than people who trust their instincts.

"Whether evaluating abstract objects (Chinese ideograms) or actual consumer items (paintings, apartments, and jellybeans), people who deliberated on their preferences were less consistent than those who made non-deliberative judgments," write authors Loran F. Nordgren (Northwestern University) and Ap Dijksterhuis (Radboud University, The Netherlands).

In five separate studies, the researchers found that better judgments can often be made without deliberation. In the first study, participants rated Chinese ideograms for attractiveness. In a following study, participants were asked to judge paintings that were widely considered high- or low-quality. Subsequent groups of participants rated jellybeans and apartments. In all the studies, some participants were encouraged to deliberate and others to go with their gut.

The more complex the decision, the less useful deliberation became. For example, when participants rated apartments on just three primary characteristics (location, price, and size) deliberation proved useful. But when the decision became more complex (with nine characteristics) the participants who deliberated made worse decisions.

The authors believe this study has consequences for the marketplace. "If deliberative attention naturally gravitates toward highly salient or novel aspects of an object, marketers might use a deliberative mindset to focus consumers' attention toward particular aspects," explain the authors.

"For example, if a car boasts one particularly good feature (for example, safety) but has a number of other negative features (for example, expensive, bad gas mileage, poor handling), a car salesman might encourage a potential car buyer to deliberate over the pros and cons of the car, while at the same time emphasizing the importance of safety. In this way, the disturbed weighting of attributes created by deliberation might be used to highlight the one sellable feature and draw attention away from the unattractive features," write the authors.

Paper: Loran F. Nordgren and Ap Dijksterhuis. "The Devil Is in the Deliberation: Thinking too Much Reduces Preference Consistency." Journal of Consumer Research: June 2009.

Source: University of Chicago

2008-12-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

Conscious and competence

There are four stages of competence.

Stage 1. Unconsciously incompetent -- you really don't know what you don't know.

Stage 2. Consciously incompetent -- you really do know how much you don't know.

Stage 3. Consciously competent -- you know stuff, but you have to really think about it to act on it correctly.

Stage 4. Unconsciously competent -- you know stuff and you no longer have to think about it. You just do it.

Why LPS works - Scientific evidence of something..

2008-07-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink - What is Blink? First impressions and the power of intuition and where judgment comes from and the kinds of things that happen in the blink of an eye.

SCIENCE JOURNAL By ROBERT LEE HOTZ

Get Out of Your Own Way

Studies Show the Value of Not Overthinking a DecisionJune 27, 2008; Page A9, fishing in the stream of consciousness, researchers now can detect our intentions and predict our choices before we are aware of them ourselves. The brain, they have found, appears to make up its mind 10 seconds before we become conscious of a decision -- an eternity at the speed of thought.
Their findings challenge conventional notions of choice.

"We think our decisions are conscious," said neuroscientist John-Dylan Haynes at the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience in Berlin, who is pioneering this research. "But these data show that consciousness is just the tip of the iceberg. This doesn't rule out free will, but it does make it implausible." Through a series of intriguing experiments, scientists in Germany, Norway and the U.S. have analyzed the distinctive cerebral activity that foreshadows our choices. They have tracked telltale waves of change through the cells that orchestrate our memory, language, reason and self-awareness.

In ways we are only beginning to understand, the synapses and neurons in the human nervous system work in concert to perceive the world around them, to learn from their perceptions, to remember important experiences, to plan ahead, and to decide and act on incomplete information. In a rudimentary way, they predetermine our choices.

To probe what happens in the brain during the moments before people sense they've reached a decision, Dr. Haynes and his colleagues devised a deceptively simple experiment, reported in April in Nature Neuroscience. They monitored the swift neural currents coursing through the brains of student volunteers as they decided, at their own pace and at random, whether to push a button with their left or right hands. In all, they tested seven men and seven women from 21 to 30 years old. They recorded neural changes associated with thoughts using a functional magnetic resonance imaging machine and analyzed the results with an experimental pattern-recognition computer program. While inside the brain scanner, the students watched random letters stream across a screen. Whenever they felt the urge, they pressed a button with their right hand or a button with their left hand. Then they marked down the letter that had been on the screen in the instant they had decided to press the button. Studying the brain behavior leading up to the moment of conscious decision, the researchers identified signals that let them know when the students had decided to move 10 seconds or so before the students knew it themselves. About 70% of the time, the researchers could also predict which button the students would push.

With co-author Giulio Tononi, Nobel laureate Gerald Edleman explores his biology-based theory of consciousness in A Universe Of Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination11.
"It's quite eerie," said Dr. Haynes. Other researchers have pursued the act of decision deeper into the subcurrents of the brain. In experiments with laboratory animals reported this spring, Caltech neuroscientist Richard Anderson and his colleagues explored how the effort to plan a movement forces cells throughout the brain to work together, organizing a choice below the threshold of awareness. Tuning in on the electrical dialogue between working neurons, they pinpointed the cells of what they called a "free choice" brain circuit that in milliseconds synchronized scattered synapses to settle on a course of action. "It suggests we are looking at this actual decision being made," Dr. Anderson said. "It is pretty fast." And when those networks momentarily malfunction, people do make mistakes. Working independently, psychologist Tom Eichele at Norway's University of Bergen monitored brain activity in people performing routine tasks and discovered neural static -- waves of disruptive signals -- preceded an error by up to 30 seconds. "Thirty seconds is a long time," Dr. Eichele said.
Such experiments suggest that our best reasons for some choices we make are understood only by our cells. The findings lend credence to researchers who argue that many important decisions may be best made by going with our gut -- not by thinking about them too much.

Dutch researchers led by psychologist Ap Dijksterhuis at the University of Amsterdam recently found that people struggling to make relatively complicated consumer choices -- which car to buy, apartment to rent or vacation to take -- appeared to make sounder decisions when they were distracted and unable to focus consciously on the problem. Moreover, the more factors to be considered in a decision, the more likely the unconscious brain handled it all better, they reported in the peer-reviewed journal Science in 2006. "The idea that conscious deliberation before making a decision is always good is simply one of those illusions consciousness creates for us," Dr. Dijksterhuis said.

Does this make our self-awareness just a second thought? All this work to deconstruct the mental machinery of choice may be the best evidence of conscious free will. By measuring the brain's physical processes, the mind seeks to know itself through its reflection in the mirror of science. "We are trying to understand who we are," said Antonio Damasio, director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California, "by studying the organ that allows you to understand who you are."

Anchors - in Acting

2008-05-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

LPS Directing - The cold reading work will require the director to request the actor to get to specific locations in the space. When the actor gets to that location go over the specifics of the character in that specific moment, make sure the fighting for has a sharp edge. or maybe an opposite. Request the actor to remember the fighting 4 when they cross to the location, sit, stand, breath etc.

By creating Anchors using any of the guideposts in the set space your maintianing the fighting for of the scene and often charging it back up or "raising the stakes" into the scene rapidly and clearly. Identify a chair, a space on the wall, even as simple as standing, sitting and a big breath. That becomes the "Anchor" tie have the actor touch / hear / or feel that action to a specific line or script location bottom of the first column. Then step back and see what happens. The actors will move with intention (because you told them to) and when they get to the directed location the scene should get a pop or shot in the arm.

This is way more interesting then having the actor look to organically feel the best movements or just wander within the space until their next line. Most of the time the actor is still trying to feel / see / or hear the character.

Using anchors will

Keep the directing from encourageing wandering generalities
Encourage meaningful specifics.

Syntax & Language

2008-05-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

Innate "Communication" is the key - The lexicon and syntax between women and men is distinctly different don't under estimate this difference know that often what is thought to be clear and cleanly understood quite often is not the case. Ask yourself how do you communicate to assure and insure your direction is clearly, cleanly understood and accepted. Use VAK.

Ladies - Identify your 3 top, all time favorite, over the top, heat stopping best ever scenes, the ones that you can't help but stop to watch when you pass the flat screen display at Best Buy

What is the % of Conscious vs. Sub-Conscious in the LPS work

2008-07-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

I would propose the goal to live in "flow" / "in the moment" specific to "cold" or even "warm" reading the is....

10% Conscious
90% Sub-Conscious (What you as a Director should look to fuel and encourage are the following)

1. Creative Imagination
2. Intuition
3. Automatic Behavior
4. Habitual Behavior

Keeping on your directors palette the following ...

" The thoughts that I am guiding the actors to work toward if not anchored in any of the above 4 areas will allow the actor to repeatedly imprint the sub-conscious or the "programing" with all that crap which "feels" like good acting but usually has no foundation in the truth of the script or the truth of the moment.

WSJ - Is your Freedom of Choice an Illusion?

2008-07-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

MIND READING

Your brain knows what you're going to do 10 seconds before you are aware of it, neuroscientist John-Dylan Haynes3 and his colleagues reported recently in Nature Neuroscience4. Last year In the journal Current Biology5, the scientists reported they could use brain wave patterns to identify your intentions before you revealed them.

Their work builds on a landmark 1983 paper in the journal Brain6 by the late Benjamin Libet7 and his colleagues at the University of California in San Francisco, who found out that the brain initiates free choices about a third of a second before we are aware of them. Together, these findings support the importance of the unconscious in shaping decisions. Psychologist Ap Dijksterhuis8 and his co-workers at the University of Amsterdam reported in the journal Science9 that it is not always best to deliberate too much before making a choice. Nobel laureate Francis Crick -- co-discoverer of the structure of DNA -- tackled the implications of such cognitive science in his 1993 book The Astonishing Hypothesis: The Scientific Search for the Soul10. With co-author Giulio Tononi, Nobel laureate Gerald Edleman explores his biology-based theory of consciousness in A Universe Of Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination11.

Your Directors Arsenal

2008-05-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

What tools do you currently use to retain "moments"?

For your own memory retention
To share with others.
To invigorate you
To create purpose
To create mood

How do you retain access and replay your "moments"?

You Tube
RealPlayer
IPOD or Zune with an external set of speakers.
Directors Journal
Video library
Personal clipping library

Q. How is retaining a video on you tube and playing it for an actor any different then providing the actor with a line reading?

A. It is different and it isn't. Sometimes while I attempt to provide the actor with a line reading if I miss or my communication fails, both the actor and myself may be potentially further from the truth of the intention in the work. A video of an Oscar nominated effort may provide both an audio and visual reference. More fuel to be closer to the truth vs. just a directors auditory effort. The odds of the video driving the truth are greater because

Its a true live 3 rd party being added to the communication.
The presentation uses more then one level of communication.

Q. Come on Keith! I gotta have a stacks of DVD's, videos clips, audio MP3's and cut outs from magazines to carry around with me? Thought this was just me conveying my feelings as a director and watching the acting grow artistically and organically - All this other crap - That is just crazy!

A. I worked with / for a director who has had the good fortune to direct, many of the celebrity Goodman graduates. He has stacks of pictures and albums, and cassettes of various ideas, places, locations, anything and everything - he would provide at production meetings and rehearsals to convey his intentions in addition to his interpretations that he would convey verbally. He would bring these various items to show feeling, texture, emotion, anything to move the people he was communicating with to points of intuitive communication.

Whenever you bring anything to further detail and or explain what your trying to say in one communication channel your adding an additional channel of communication. Should you do yes, how much you do of it and how you organize it so that it enhances your directing work and does not detract from it is on you.

But I can tell you its a hell of a lot easier to email a YouTube video clip then it is to carry around a bunch of videos. How you build your arsenal is your call but you have to have one for this work no exceptions.

Today with technology and web 2.0 you can store a much more specific and profound library quickly and with easier access.

Youtube.
Flicker
Amazon sample track music

Next week more on how to organize your virtual arsenal.

a.c.t. company & LPS Directors?

2008-05-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Also in addition to the LPS a.c.t. company has a couple of irons for new projects along the line of the LPS. These projects would require directors skilled in the LPS tools.

1. Understudy for Keith with the confidence of the cast & company and the trust that goes with the work.

2. Actors Gauntlet or Ensemble Wars - cross between family feud and the LPS this project needs to tested and have the kinks worked out but it is viable.

3. The LPS 24 hour project - One acts in 24 hours or less - This is a project that the company may be doing. Courtney and I have to make sure its inline with company objectives etc. (so this one is a big maybe). IF it works Jessie will have the Producers hat on this. And LPS directors will be required.

Those who complete this directing deal, (hate calling it a course) will be given a direct green light from me in the LPS directing Tools & techniques (Pretty sure I will be supplying a certificate etc.)

The intuitive communication of the LPS

2008-05-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

A scene has just been read, director asks the question to each actor one at a time. You have to move fast. You only have 3 min. to get through 3 guideposts. When communicating with someone, rather than just listening to and responding to what a person said, use your tools to also respond to the structure of verbal communication and non-verbal cues.

Q1 - Where is the love?

V = Visual
A = Auditory
K = Kinesthetic

The best question to ask to find out an immediate response to defining the relationship in the scene. A scene won't work unless you can define what kinda of love, as specific as possible.

DQ = Directors Question
AA = Actors Answer

DQ Where is the love?

AA We are dating.

DQ 1st date or 3rd?

The love or attraction felt between the 1 and 3rd date of any relationship is silently different. The director must work the guideposts to press the actor to define the love specifically in ideas the actor can bite into and own is most important. The director should focus on obtaining a "thin sliced" answer.

Directors linguistic tools

Use choice or questions with optional answers - Directors should provide / guide a path liguistically & syntactically for all answers
Avoid questions that can be answered with Y or N.
Use RIO - Re-state (using the actors primary method of communication A/K/V) Isolate and Overcome.

Find out from the actor by observation

Access / process his/her interpretation of the question.
Primary method of communication A/K/V

DQ Where is the love?

AA We are dating.

DQ 1st date or 3rd?

AA 3rd?

DQ So tell me how / what does that Feel / sound / look like. (only choose the actors primary method of communication)

Worldwide Box Office - Film

2008-05-27T09:58:00.002-07:00

nk	TITLE	WGrossesice
1.	Titanic (1997)	$1,835,300,000
2.	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)	$1,129,219,252
3.	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)	$1,060,332,628
4.	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)	$968,657,891
5.	Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)	$958,404,152
6.	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)	$937,000,866
7.	Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)	$922,379,000
8.	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)	$921,600,000
9.	Jurassic Park (1993)	$919,700,000
10.	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)	$892,194,397
11.	Spider-Man 3 (2007)	$885,430,303
12.	Shrek 2 (2004)	$880,871,036
13.	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)	$866,300,000
14.	Finding Nemo (2003)	$865,000,000
15.	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)	$860,700,000
16.	Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)	$848,462,555
17.	Independence Day (1996)	$811,200,000
18.	Spider-Man (2002)	$806,700,000
19.	Star Wars (1977)	$797,900,000
20.	Shrek the Third (2007)	$791,106,665
21.	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)	$789,458,727
22.	Spider-Man 2 (2004)	$783,577,893
23.	The Lion King (1994)	$783,400,000
24.	The Da Vinci Code (2006)	$757,236,138
25.	E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)	$756,700,000
26.	The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)	$738,809,845
27.	The Matrix Reloaded (2003)	$735,600,000
28.	Transformers (2007)	$700,759,914
29.	Forrest Gump (1994)	$679,400,000
30.	The Sixth Sense (1999)	$661,500,000
31.	Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)	$653,200,000
32.	Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)	$648,200,000
33.	The Incredibles (2004)	$624,037,578
34.	Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)	$623,829,763
35.	Ratatouille (2007)	$615,935,493
36.	The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)	$614,300,000
37.	The Passion of the Christ (2004)	$604,370,943
38.	War of the Worlds (2005)	$591,377,056
39.	Casino Royale (2006)	$587,607,184
40.	Men in Black (1997)	$587,200,000
41.	I Am Legend (2007)	$583,986,216
42.	Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)	$572,700,000
43.	Night at the Museum (2006)	$571,063,268
44.	Armageddon (1998/I)	$554,600,000
45.	King Kong (2005)	$547,051,260
46.	Mission: Impossible II (2000)	$545,300,000
47.	Home Alone (1990)	$533,800,000
48.	Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)	$533,800,000
49.	Monsters, Inc. (2001)	$528,900,000
50.	The Day After Tomorrow (2004)	$527,939,919
51.	The Simpsons Movie (2007)	$525,532,370
52.	Ghost (1990)	$517,600,000
53.	Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)	$516,800,000
54.	Aladdin (1992)	$501,900,000
55.	Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)	$494,800,000
56.	Twister (1996)	$494,700,000
57.	Toy Story 2 (1999)	$485,700,000
58.	Troy (2004)	$481,228,348
59.	Saving Private Ryan (1998)	$479,300,000
60.	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)	$471,856,431
61.	Jaws (1975)	$470,600,000
62.	Iron Man (2008)	$463,818,000
63.	Pretty Woman (1990)	$463,400,000
64.	Bruce Almighty (2003)	$458,900,000
65.	300 (2006)	$456,592,590
66.	The Matrix (1999)	$456,300,000
67.	Gladiator (2000)	$456,200,000
68.	X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)	$455,260,014
69.	Shrek (2001)	$455,100,000
70.	Cars (2006)	$454,752,771
71.	National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)	$453,739,808
72.	Mission: Impossible (1996)	$452,500,000
73.	Pearl Harbor (2001)	$450,400,000
74.	Ocean's Eleven (2001)	$444,200,000
75.	The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)	$440,725,045
76.	The Last Samurai (2003)	$435,400,000
77.	Tarzan (1999)	$435,200,000
78.	Meet the Fockers (2004)	$432,667,575
79.	Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)	$427,936,103
80.	Men in Black II (2002)	$425,600,000
81.	Die Another Day (2002)	$424,700,000
82.	Dances with Wolves (1990)	$424,200,000
83.	The Matrix Revolutions (2003)	$424,000,000
84.	Cast Away (2000)	$424,000,000
85.	Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)	$423,200,000
86.	The Mummy Returns (2001)	$418,700,000
87.	Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)	$418,200,000
88.	The Mummy (1999)	$413,300,000
89.	Batman (1989)	$413,200,000
90.	Rain Man (1988)	$412,800,000
91.	The Bodyguard (1992)	$410,900,000
92.	Signs (2002)	$407,900,000
93.	Madagascar (2005)	$406,800,000
94.	X2 (2003)	$406,400,000
95.	Mission: Impossible III (2006)	$395,382,309
96.	Gone with the Wind (1939)	$390,500,000
97.	Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)	$390,500,000
98.	Superman Returns (2006)	$389,569,408
99.	Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)	$383,900,000
100.	Grease (1978)	$379,800,000
101.	Happy Feet (2006)	$378,992,827
102.	Beauty and the Beast (1991)	$378,300,000
103.	Ice Age (2002)	$378,300,000
104.	Live Free or Die Hard (2007)	$377,520,804
105.	Godzilla (1998)	$375,800,000
106.	Click (2006/I)	$373,040,146
107.	What Women Want (2000)	$370,800,000
108.	The Fugitive (1993)	$368,700,000
109.	Hitch (2005/I)	$367,600,000
110.	True Lies (1994)	$365,200,000
111.	Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995)	$365,000,000
112.	The Golden Compass (2007)	$364,083,519
113.	Notting Hill (1999)	$363,000,000
114.	Jurassic Park III (2001)	$362,900,000
115.	There's Something About Mary (1998)	$360,000,000
116.	Planet of the Apes (2001)	$358,900,000
117.	The Flintstones (1994)	$358,500,000
118.	Toy Story (1995)	$358,100,000
119.	Minority Report (2002)	$358,000,000
120.	A Bug's Life (1998)	$357,900,000
121.	Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)	$357,508,635
122.	The Exorcist (1973)	$357,500,000
123.	My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)	$356,500,000
124.	Basic Instinct (1992)	$352,700,000
125.	The World Is Not Enough (1999)	$352,000,000
126.	Batman Begins (2005)	$352,000,000
127.	GoldenEye (1995)	$351,500,000
128.	Ocean's Twelve (2004)	$351,331,634
129.	Back to the Future (1985)	$350,600,000
130.	Se7en (1995)	$350,100,000
131.	Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)	$349,200,000
132.	Hannibal (2001)	$349,200,000
133.	Deep Impact (1998)	$348,600,000
134.	Dinosaur (2000)	$347,800,000
135.	Pocahontas (1995)	$347,100,000
136.	Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)	$346,600,000
137.	Top Gun (1986)	$344,800,000
138.	I, Robot (2004)	$342,795,350
139.	How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)	$340,400,000
140.	Enchanted (2007)	$339,906,877
141.	National Treasure (2004)	$337,605,002
142.	Catch Me If You Can (2002)	$337,400,000
143.	American Beauty (1999)	$336,000,000
144.	Batman Forever (1995)	$335,000,000
145.	Apollo 13 (1995)	$334,100,000
146.	Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)	$333,000,000
147.	Back to the Future Part II (1989)	$332,000,000
148.	The Rock (1996)	$330,500,000
149.	Over the Hedge (2006)	$329,619,340
150.	Fantastic Four (2005)	$329,295,569
151.	Rush Hour 2 (2001)	$329,100,000
152.	Crocodile Dundee (1986)	$328,000,000
153.	The Perfect Storm (2000)	$327,000,000
154.	The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)	$325,500,000
155.	The Devil Wears Prada (2006)	$324,432,962
156.	Schindler's List (1993)	$321,200,000
157.	The Mask (1994)	$320,900,000
158.	Fatal Attraction (1987)	$320,100,000
159.	Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)	$319,700,000
160.	Beverly Hills Cop (1984)	$316,400,000
161.	Air Force One (1997)	$315,000,000
162.	As Good as It Gets (1997)	$313,300,000
163.	A Beautiful Mind (2001)	$312,100,000
164.	Ocean's Thirteen (2007)	$311,144,465
165.	Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)	$309,600,000
166.	Ransom (1996)	$308,700,000
167.	Runaway Bride (1999)	$307,900,000
168.	Chicago (2002)	$306,400,000
169.	Liar Liar (1997)	$306,300,000
170.	Shark Tale (2004)	$306,162,022
171.	101 Dalmatians (1996)	$304,200,000
172.	Mulan (1998)	$303,500,000
173.	Hook (1991)	$300,800,000
174.	Rocky IV (1985)	$300,400,000
175.	Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)	$300,400,000
176.	Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)	$300,000,000
177.	Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)	$300,000,000
178.	Chicken Little (2005)	$298,181,507
179.	The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)	$297,986,036
180.	Stuart Little (1999)	$297,600,000
181.	Look Who's Talking (1989)	$297,100,000
182.	Meet the Parents (2000)	$295,500,000
183.	X-Men (2000)	$294,100,000
184.	Ghost Busters (1984)	$291,600,000
185.	Doctor Dolittle (1998)	$290,100,000
186.	Superman (1978)	$289,400,000
187.	The Departed (2006)	$289,373,442
188.	Shakespeare in Love (1998)	$289,100,000
189.	Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)	$289,000,000
190.	Coming to America (1988)	$288,800,000
191.	Horton Hears a Who! (2008)	$288,067,226
192.	My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)	$286,900,000
193.	Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)	$284,700,000
194.	Speed (1994/I)	$283,200,000
195.	Bee Movie (2007)	$283,197,121
196.	Batman Returns (1992)	$282,800,000
197.	Wedding Crashers (2005)	$282,718,368
198.	Casper (1995)	$282,300,000
199.	Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)	$279,600,000
200.	The Polar Express (2004)	$277,810,096
201.	4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)	$277,520,333
202.	American Pie 2 (2001)	$276,400,000
203.	What Lies Beneath (2000)	$275,500,000
204.	Van Helsing (2004)	$275,025,245
205.	Jerry Maguire (1996)	$273,600,000
206.	The Silence of the Lambs (1991)	$272,700,000
207.	The Bourne Supremacy (2004)	$272,549,130
208.	The Nutty Professor (1996)	$269,300,000
209.	The Green Mile (1999)	$268,700,000
210.	Bambi (1942)	$268,000,000
211.	Scooby-Doo (2002)	$267,600,000
212.	xXx (2002)	$267,200,000
213.	Indecent Proposal (1993)	$266,600,000
214.	10,000 BC (2008)	$266,044,025
215.	American Gangster (2007)	$264,627,620
216.	Jumanji (1995)	$264,600,000
217.	The Fifth Element (1997)	$263,600,000
218.	Lilo & Stitch (2002)	$262,700,000
219.	The Firm (1993)	$262,300,000
220.	Bad Boys II (2003)	$261,900,000
221.	Total Recall (1990)	$261,400,000
222.	Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)	$260,405,958
223.	Scary Movie (2000)	$259,900,000
224.	Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)	$259,200,000
225.	Charlie's Angels (2000)	$258,500,000
226.	The Full Monty (1997)	$256,900,000
227.	Erin Brockovich (2000)	$256,500,000
228.	The Village (2004)	$255,395,633
229.	Waterworld (1995)	$255,200,000
230.	Cliffhanger (1993)	$255,000,000
231.	Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)	$254,400,000
232.	Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)	$252,500,000
233.	Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)	$251,600,000
234.	You've Got Mail (1998)	$250,700,000
235.	Hercules (1997)	$250,600,000
236.	The Truman Show (1998)	$249,200,000
237.	Babe (1995)	$249,000,000
238.	Unbreakable (2000)	$248,900,000
239.	Dumb & Dumber (1994)	$246,200,000
240.	Robots (2005)	$245,600,000
241.	Eragon (2006)	$245,230,163
242.	Rush Hour (1998)	$245,200,000
243.	Enemy of the State (1998)	$245,100,000
244.	The Godfather (1972)	$244,900,000
245.	Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)	$244,100,000
246.	Back to the Future Part III (1990)	$243,700,000
247.	Wild Hogs (2007)	$243,213,584
248.	8 Mile (2002)	$242,300,000
249.	Hulk (2003)	$241,700,000
250.	Face/Off (1997)	$241,600,000
251.	The Blair Witch Project (1999)	$240,500,000
252.	'Crocodile' Dundee II (1988)	$239,600,000
253.	Out of Africa (1985)	$239,500,000
254.	Love Actually (2003)	$239,200,000
255.	Die Hard 2 (1990)	$237,700,000
256.	A Few Good Men (1992)	$237,300,000
257.	Batman & Robin (1997)	$237,200,000
258.	Saturday Night Fever (1977)	$237,113,184
259.	Dead Poets Society (1989)	$235,900,000
260.	2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)	$234,400,000
261.	Eraser (1996)	$234,400,000
262.	Big Daddy (1999/I)	$233,500,000
263.	The Mask of Zorro (1998)	$233,400,000
264.	Bean (1997)	$232,000,000
265.	Hauru no ugoku shiro (2004)	$231,710,455
266.	The English Patient (1996)	$231,700,000
267.	Sister Act (1992)	$231,600,000
268.	American Wedding (2003)	$230,700,000
269.	Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)	$230,500,000
270.	The Ring (2002)	$230,100,000
271.	Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)	$230,000,000
272.	Constantine (2005)	$229,500,000
273.	Vita è bella, La (1997)	$228,900,000
274.	Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)	$228,203,020
275.	Sleepless in Seattle (1993)	$227,900,000
276.	Something's Gotta Give (2003)	$227,500,000
277.	Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)	$227,300,000
278.	Juno (2007)	$226,953,030
279.	Brother Bear (2003)	$226,029,248
280.	Good Will Hunting (1997)	$225,800,000
281.	Space Jam (1996)	$225,400,000
282.	Rocky (1976)	$225,000,000
283.	One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)	$224,000,000
284.	Con Air (1997)	$223,100,000
285.	Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)	$222,700,000
286.	The Little Mermaid (1989)	$222,300,000
287.	Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)	$221,953,210
288.	Presumed Innocent (1990)	$221,300,000
289.	Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)	$221,300,000
290.	Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)	$220,078,393
291.	Ghost Rider (2007)	$219,702,596
292.	Elf (2003)	$219,700,000
293.	Knocked Up (2007)	$218,734,225
294.	The Prince of Egypt (1998)	$218,400,000
295.	Flightplan (2005)	$218,306,988
296.	The Terminal (2004)	$217,845,279
297.	Wild Wild West (1999)	$217,700,000
298.	Twins (1988/I)	$216,600,000
299.	Ghostbusters II (1989)	$215,400,000
300.	The Patriot (2000)	$215,300,000
301.	The Bourne Identity (2002)	$213,500,000
302.	Pulp Fiction (1994)	$212,900,000
303.	Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)	$212,300,000
304.	Vertical Limit (2000)	$212,300,000
305.	Disclosure (1994)	$212,000,000
306.	Entrapment (1999)	$211,700,000
307.	Jumper (2008)	$210,826,738
308.	Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)	$210,326,386
309.	The Others (2001)	$209,700,000
310.	End of Days (1999)	$209,300,000
311.	Wo hu cang long (2000)	$209,000,000
312.	Jaws 2 (1978)	$208,900,000
313.	Red Dragon (2002)	$208,600,000
314.	Kingdom of Heaven (2005)	$208,300,000
315.	Collateral (2004)	$208,003,492
316.	Clear and Present Danger (1994)	$207,500,000
317.	Million Dollar Baby (2004)	$207,400,000
318.	Miss Congeniality (2000)	$207,000,000
319.	The Jungle Book (1967/I)	$205,800,000
320.	JFK (1991)	$205,400,000
321.	Traffic (2000)	$204,800,000
322.	Braveheart (1995)	$204,000,000
323.	Moonraker (1979)	$202,700,000
324.	The Break-Up (2006)	$202,483,135
325.	Sleepy Hollow (1999)	$202,000,000
326.	Kindergarten Cop (1990)	$202,000,000
327.	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)	$201,900,000
328.	American Pie (1999)	$201,700,000
329.	Philadelphia (1993)	$201,300,000
330.	Vanilla Sky (2001)	$201,000,000

In the moment or in "FLOW"? (pt 2)

2008-05-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience,” describes flow as “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”
Csikszentmihalyi’s ideas on flow stemmed from his attempt to discover a path to happiness. He wanted to figure out “how to live life as a work of art, rather than as a chaotic response to external events.”

“Flow” & Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi discusses what it feels like to be in flow:

1. Completely involved, focused, concentrating – with this either due to innate curiosity or as the result of training.
2. Sense of ecstasy – of being outside everyday reality.
3. Great inner clarity – knowing what needs to be done and how well it is going.
4. Knowing the activity is doable – that the skills are adequate, and neither anxious or bored.
5. Sense of serenity – no worries about self, feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of ego – afterwards feeling of transcending ego in ways not thought possible.
6. Timeliness – thoroughly focused on present, don’t notice time passing.
6. Intrinsic motivation – whatever produces “flow” becomes its own reward.

So how do you get there? Wikipedia’s entry on the subject says the following conditions help:

1. Clear goals (expectations and rules are discernable).
2. A high degree of concentration on a limited field of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to focus and to delve deeply into it).
3. Direct and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
4. Balance between ability level and challenge (the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult).
5. A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
6. The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.

The Audience - Group environment matters too.

1. A couple of flow friendly space attributes:
2. Creative spatial arrangements: Chairs, pin walls, charts, however no tables, therefore primarily work in standing and moving.
3. Playground design: Charts for information inputs, flow graphs, project summary, craziness, safe place (people can say what is usually only thought), result wall, and open topics.

Enemies of flow include fearing what other people think…

1. A major constraint on people enjoying what they are doing is always being conscious

a. Of a fear of how they appear to others

b. What these others might think.

Ecstasy includes rising above these constraining concerns of the ego. ...and mundane daily routines. Stepping outside of normal daily routines is an essential element…This might be obtained through diverse routes or activities, such as reading a novel or becoming involved in a film.

Longest Running TV Comedies

2008-05-27T09:26:00.001-07:00

By number of seasons:

19 The Simpsons (Spring 2008) 14 (The Adventures Of) Ozzie And Harriet

12
My Three Sons,
King Of The Hill (Spring 2008),
South Park (Spring 2008)

11 M*A*S*H,
Cheers,
The Danny Thomas Show
Make Room For Daddy
Happy Days
The Jeffersons
Married ... With Children
Frasier
10
Murphy Brown
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Friends
9
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Love Boat
Alice
Roseanne
Family Matters
Coach
All In The Family
Night Court
The Drew Carey Show
Everybody Loves Raymond
The King Of Queens
By number of episodes: 435 (The Adventures Of) Ozzie & Harriet
420 The Simpsons (Spring 2008) 380 My Three Sons 336 The Danny Thomas Show / Make Room For Daddy 275 The Donna Reed Show, Cheers
274 The Beverly Hillbillies
264 Frasier 259 Married ... With Children 256 M*A*S*H 255 Happy Days 253 The Jeffersons 252 Bewitched 249 The Andy Griffith Show 247 Murphy Brown
245 The Love Boat
238 Friends 235 King Of The Hill (Spring 2008) 234 Leave It To Beaver
233 The Drew Carey Show 222 Roseanne 214 Family Matters 210 All In The Family 209 The Facts Of Life, Everybody Loves Raymond 207 The King Of Queens 204 Home Improvement 202 Alice 201 The Cosby Show 200 Coach
193 Night Court, Will & Grace

Being in the moment or being in "FLOW"

2008-05-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

Flow with Soul is an interview with Csikszentmihalyi (btw, his name is pronounced “Chicks sent me high”).

"The fact that you were completely immersed in what you were doing, that the concentration was very high, that you knew what you had to do moment by moment, that you had very quick and precise feedback as to how well you were doing, and that you felt that your abilities were stretched but not overwhelmed by the opportunities for action.
In other words, the challenges were in balance with the skills and when those conditions were present.

You began to forget all the things that bothered you in everyday life, forget the self as an entity separate from what was going on — you felt you were a part of something greater and you were just moving along with the logic of the activity. Everyone said that it was like being carried by a current, spontaneous, effortless like a flow. You also forget time and are not afraid of being out of control. You think you can control the situation if you need to.

But it’s hard because the challenges are hard. It feels effortless and yet it’s extremely dependent on concentration and skill. So it’s a paradoxical kind of condition where you feel that you are on a nice edge, between anxiety on the one hand and boredom on the other. You’re just operating on this fine line where you can barely do what needs to be done."

Longest-Running TV Shows

2008-05-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

The first television drama aired in 1928, but it wasn't until after World War II that TV really took off. Today, satellite and cable options provide a TV smorgasbord. Although many news programs and soap operas have lasted longer, we've narrowed this list down to longest-running dramas and sitcoms in United States television history. Grab the remote and take a trip down TV's memory lane.

1. Gunsmoke (1955-1975)

Gunsmoke tops the list as the longest-running dramatic series in network television history with 635 episodes. Set in Dodge City, Kansas, during the 1870s, Gunsmoke began as a radio program in 1952, switched to the land of visual entertainment in 1955, and finally ended its 20-year run in 1975.

2. Lassie (1954-1972)

Running for 588 episodes, Lassie centered around a loyal canine companion who rescued her human family from various predicaments. Over the years, Lassie was portrayed by nine different male dogs, all descendants of the original Lassie, whose real name was Pal. During the show's run, Lassie had various owners, most notably Timmy and Jeff. Only three dogs have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, and Strongheart.

3. Death Valley Days (1952-1970)

In 1952, Death Valley Days, which aired as a radio show from 1930 to 1945, evolved into a successful TV show that lasted 18 seasons. A host introduced each of the 451 episodes, which were based on actual pioneer stories that took place in southeastern California and western Nevada during the late 1800s. Future President Ronald Reagan and country singer Merle Haggard were among the hosts during the show's run.

4. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966)

What began as a radio program in 1944 became a movie (Here Come the Nelsons) in 1952 and then a successful television program that ran for 435 episodes. In this wholesome show, the characters played themselves -- Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and their two sons, David and Ricky. Ozzie's roots were in music, so when Ricky's talent started to emerge, Ozzie wrote it into the story line, ending each show with a performance by his younger son. These weekly, televised performances helped skyrocket Ricky onto the pop charts, making him a teen idol as well as a successful recording artist.

5. Bonanza (1959-1973)

Airing for 430 episodes, this Western was set in the mid-1800s on a Nevada ranch called "The Ponderosa." The show revolved around the life of Ben Cartwright and his sons, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe (played by Michael Landon). Bonanza was the first series to tape all of its shows in color, and it held the number one spot on the Nielsen ratings chart from 1964 to 1967.

6. Law & Order (1990-????)

With 390 episodes (and counting) under its belt since it premiered in 1990, the key to this show's success may lie in its ever-revolving cast. None of the original actors remain on the show, and most cast members only stick around a couple of seasons. Still, the show must go on, and the New York City Police Department and District Attorney's office have their hands (and squad cars and jail cells) full as they clean up the streets of Manhattan on this award-winning drama. Halfway through each episode, the focus shifts from investigation to prosecution of the same case.

7. Dallas (1978-1991)

You'd think life on a Texas oil ranch and mansion named "Southfork" would be sublime, but not so for this feuding bunch. For 357 episodes, Dallas revolved around the wealthy Ewing family -- oil baron and patriarch Jock Ewing; his wife, Miss Ellie; and their sons, JR, Bobby, and black sheep Gary. When JR was shot in the finale of the third season, "Who Shot JR?" mania swept across the country -- and much of the world. But viewers had to wait until four episodes into the new season to find out who pulled the trigger. The episode titled "Who Done It?" was the second-most-watched show in the history of television.

8. Knots Landing (1979-1993)

These were the original desperate housewives. (In fact, Nicollette Sheridan was among the cast!) The show's premise centered on Gary Ewing (from Dallas) and his lovely bumpkin wife, Valene, who moved to California. Their neighbors included a host of dysfunctional families and through marriages, affairs, births, stolen babies, murders, novels, new business enterprises, and even a televangelist brother, this show kept viewers watching for 344 episodes.

9. Star Trek - The world of ...

Television series - 571 episodes
1 The Original Series (1966–1969) 80 episodes
2 The Animated Series (1973–1974) 22 episodes
3 The Next Generation (1987–1994) 178 episodes
4 Deep Space Nine (1993–1999) 176 episodes
5 Voyager (1995–2001) 172 episodes
6 Enterprise (2001–2005) 98 episodes

Film Grosses = $755,595,722
Films Title Release date
Star Trek: The Motion Picture December 7, 1979
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan June 4, 1982
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock June 1, 1984
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home November 26, 1986
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier June 9, 1989
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country December 6, 1991
Star Trek Generations November 18, 1994
Star Trek: First Contact November 22, 1996
Star Trek: Insurrection December 11, 1998
Star Trek Nemesis December 13, 2002
Star Trek Star Trek May 8, 2009

10. Star Wars - 4.3 Billion (not counting TV shows)

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace	$ 431.1 million	$ 494.4 million	$ 925.5 million
Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones	$ 310.7	$ 337.6	$ 648.3
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith	$ 380.3	$ 468.1	$ 848.4
Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope	$ 461.0	$ 339.1	$ 798.0
Star Wars Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back	$ 290.2	$ 243.7	$ 533.9
Star Wars Episode 6: Return of the Jedi	$ 309.1	$ 263.7	$ 572.9

11. Dr. Who - The world of... ??? 10 Doctors total.

World Wide Gross (Adj for inflation)

2008-05-27T10:22:00.002-07:00

DOMESTIC GROSSES
Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation*

Note: Use the adjuster tool in the upper right-hand corner to adjust into any year's dollars.

Rank	Title (click to view)	Studio	Adjusted Gross	Unadjusted Gross	Year^
1	Gone with the Wind	MGM	$1,390,067,000	$198,676,459	1939^
2	Star Wars	Fox	$1,225,462,800	$460,998,007	1977^
3	The Sound of Music	Fox	$979,817,800	$158,671,368	1965
4	E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial	Uni.	$975,957,800	$435,110,554	1982^
5	The Ten Commandments	Par.	$901,280,000	$65,500,000	1956
6	Titanic	Par.	$883,019,700	$600,788,188	1997
7	Jaws	Uni.	$881,182,300	$260,000,000	1975
8	Doctor Zhivago	MGM	$854,051,900	$111,721,910	1965
9	The Exorcist	WB	$760,712,400	$232,671,011	1973^
10	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	Dis.	$749,920,000	$184,925,486	1937^
11	101 Dalmatians	Dis.	$687,430,700	$144,880,014	1961^
12	The Empire Strikes Back	Fox	$675,482,800	$290,475,067	1980^
13	Ben-Hur	MGM	$674,240,000	$74,000,000	1959
14	Return of the Jedi	Fox	$647,128,700	$309,306,177	1983^
15	The Sting	Uni.	$613,302,900	$156,000,000	1973
16	Raiders of the Lost Ark	Par.	$606,416,000	$242,374,454	1981^
17	Jurassic Park	Uni.	$593,096,200	$357,067,947	1993
18	The Graduate	AVCO	$588,731,200	$104,901,839	1967^
19	Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace	Fox	$583,601,600	$431,088,301	1999
20	Fantasia	Dis.	$571,339,100	$76,408,097	1941^
21	The Godfather	Par.	$542,987,300	$134,966,411	1972^
22	Forrest Gump	Par.	$540,393,800	$329,694,499	1994
23	Mary Poppins	Dis.	$537,890,900	$102,272,727	1964^
24	The Lion King	BV	$531,354,700	$328,541,776	1994^
25	Grease	Par.	$529,221,700	$188,389,888	1978^
26	Thunderball	UA	$514,624,000	$63,595,658	1965
27	The Jungle Book	Dis.	$506,917,800	$141,843,612	1967^
28	Sleeping Beauty	Dis.	$500,011,300	$51,600,000	1959^
29	Shrek 2	DW	$488,830,400	$441,226,247	2004
30	Ghostbusters	Col.	$486,626,600	$238,632,124	1984^
31	Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid	Fox	$485,438,000	$102,308,889	1969
32	Love Story	Par.	$481,587,200	$106,397,186	1970
33	Spider-Man	Sony	$478,055,100	$403,706,375	2002
34	Independence Day	Fox	$476,569,900	$306,169,268	1996
35	Home Alone	Fox	$466,011,300	$285,761,243	1990
36	Pinocchio	Dis.	$463,734,900	$84,254,167	1940^
37	Cleopatra (1963)	Fox	$462,222,200	$57,777,778	1963
38	Beverly Hills Cop	Par.	$461,992,100	$234,760,478	1984
39	Goldfinger	UA	$456,144,000	$51,081,062	1964
40	Airport	Uni.	$454,845,600	$100,489,151	1970
41	American Graffiti	Uni.	$452,114,300	$115,000,000	1973
42	The Robe	Fox	$450,327,300	$36,000,000	1953
43	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest	BV	$444,643,200	$423,315,812	2006
44	Around the World in 80 Days	UA	$444,553,800	$42,000,000	1956
45	Bambi	RKO	$438,341,600	$102,247,150	1942^
46	Blazing Saddles	WB	$435,005,300	$119,500,000	1974
47	Batman	WB	$433,127,800	$251,188,924	1989
48	The Bells of St. Mary's	RKO	$431,686,300	$21,333,333	1945
49	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	NL	$423,382,400	$377,027,325	2003
50	The Towering Inferno	Fox	$422,264,600	$116,000,000	1974
51	Spider-Man 2	Sony	$413,892,200	$373,585,825	2004
52	My Fair Lady	WB	$412,800,000	$72,000,000	1964
53	The Greatest Show on Earth	Par.	$412,800,000	$36,000,000	1952
54	National Lampoon's Animal House	Uni.	$412,045,000	$141,600,000	1978^
55	The Passion of the Christ	NM	$410,769,300	$370,782,930	2004^
56	Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith	Fox	$408,153,100	$380,270,577	2005
57	Back to the Future	Uni.	$406,268,500	$210,609,762	1985
58	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	NL	$396,497,300	$341,786,758	2002^
59	The Sixth Sense	BV	$396,144,400	$293,506,292	1999
60	Superman	WB	$394,623,900	$134,218,018	1978
61	Tootsie	Col.	$391,499,100	$177,200,000	1982
62	Smokey and the Bandit	Uni.	$391,010,500	$126,737,428	1977
63	Finding Nemo	BV	$387,601,800	$339,714,978	2003
64	West Side Story	MGM	$385,075,600	$43,656,822	1961
65	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone	WB	$384,681,300	$317,575,550	2001
66	Lady and the Tramp	Dis.	$383,456,000	$93,602,326	1955^
67	Close Encounters of the Third Kind	Col.	$382,359,700	$132,088,635	1977^
68	Lawrence of Arabia	Col.	$381,038,800	$44,824,144	1962^
69	The Rocky Horror Picture Show	Fox	$378,877,600	$112,892,319	1975
70	Rocky	UA	$378,675,000	$117,235,147	1976
71	The Best Years of Our Lives	RKO	$378,400,000	$23,650,000	1946
72	The Poseidon Adventure	Fox	$377,725,500	$84,563,118	1972
73	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	NL	$376,363,000	$314,776,170	2001^
74	Twister	WB	$376,254,300	$241,721,524	1996
75	Men in Black	Sony	$375,762,700	$250,690,539	1997
76	The Bridge on the River Kwai	Col.	$374,272,000	$27,200,000	1957
77	It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World	MGM	$370,662,900	$46,332,858	1963
78	Swiss Family Robinson	Dis.	$370,199,000	$40,356,000	1960
79	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	UA	$369,355,300	$108,981,275	1975
80	M.A.S.H.	Fox	$369,347,400	$81,600,000	1970
81	Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom	Par.	$368,305,800	$179,870,271	1984
82	Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones	Fox	$367,863,100	$310,676,740	2002^
83	Mrs. Doubtfire	Fox	$362,468,600	$219,195,243	1993
84	Aladdin	BV	$360,803,300	$217,350,219	1992
85	Ghost	Par.	$354,080,700	$217,631,306	1990
86	Duel in the Sun	Selz.	$351,020,400	$20,408,163	1946
87	Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl	BV	$348,464,400	$305,413,918	2003
88	House of Wax	WB	$347,659,600	$23,750,000	1953
89	Rear Window	Par.	$346,440,600	$36,764,313	1954^
90	The Lost World: Jurassic Park	Uni.	$343,380,500	$229,086,679	1997
91	Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade	Par.	$339,985,500	$197,171,806	1989
92	Spider-Man 3	Sony	$336,530,300	$336,530,303	2007
93	Terminator 2: Judgment Day	TriS	$334,755,900	$204,843,345	1991
94	Sergeant York	WB	$331,087,600	$16,361,885	1941
95	How the Grinch Stole Christmas	Uni.	$330,974,900	$260,044,825	2000
96	Toy Story 2	BV	$329,115,300	$245,852,179	1999^
97	Top Gun	Par.	$327,841,700	$176,786,701	1986
98	Shrek	DW	$325,359,600	$267,665,011	2001
99	Shrek the Third	P/DW	$322,719,900	$322,719,944	2007
100	The Matrix Reloaded	WB	$321,268,000	$281,576,461	2003

The highest Grossing theatricals

2008-05-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

(how many have you read, seen, directed and or performed in)

COMEDIES

1. 45 Seconds from Broadway
2. Accomplice (Thriller/ Other)
3. Actor's Comedy
4. Are You Being Served
5. Beginners Luck
6. Beside Yourself
7. Biloxi Blues
8. Bleacher Bums
9. Breaking Legs
10. Brighton Beach Memoirs
11. Corpse (Comic Thriller/Other)
12. Done to Death
13. Frank's Life (Other)
14. God's Man in Texas
15. Good Help is So Hard to Murder
16. Great All American Musical Disaster
17. Having a Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Her
18. Hot L Baltimore
19. I Hate Hamlet
20. Importance of Being Earnest
21. Laffing Room Only
22. Last Night of Ballyhoo, The (Other)
23. Laughter on the 23rd Floor
24. Lost in Yonkers
25. Marriage Counselor
26. Matchmaker
27. Middle Aged White Guys
28. Murder Among Friends
29. Mystery of Irma Vep, The
30. On the Verge
31. Plaza Suite
32. Rock-a-Good-Bye
33. Shear Madness
34. Stop the World I Want to Get Off
35. Tell Me you Love Me, Junie Moon
36. The 8: Reindeer Monologues
37. The Dinner Party
38. Under the Yum Yum Tree

DRAMA/MYSTERY

1. Accomplice
2. All's Quiet on the Western Front
3. Baby Dance
4. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
5. Crucible, The
6. Da
7. David's Mother
8. Death by Chocolate
9. Death of a Salesman
10. Defiled
11. Doctor Cook's Garden
12. First Night
13. Flowers for Algernon
14. Glass Menegerie
15. God's Man in Texas
16. Grace & Glory
17. Home
18. Iceman Cometh
19. K2
20. Keeping Dixie
21. Lady House Blues
22. Last Night of Ballyhoo, The (Other)
23. Long Days Journey into Night
24. Love Letters
25. Master Class
26. Night of January 16
27. Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, The
28. Nighthawk
29. Our Town
30. Poe's Midnight Dreary
31. Red Letter Day
32. Talent for Murder, A
33. The Marriage Counselor
34. To Kill a Mockingbird

MUSICALS

110 in the Shade
Beauty and the Beast
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Children of Eden
Fantasticks
Crazy for You
Godspell
How to Succeed in Business Without…
HMS Pinafore
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
Jesus Christ Superstar
Little Shop of Horrors
Man of LaMancha
King and I, The
My Fair Lady
Of Thee I Sing
Sitting Pretty
Very Warm for May
Victor Victoria
Working
Family
Kamikaze Kate
Many Moons
Oliver Twist
School House Rocks Live
Skin of Our Teeth
Where the Lilies Bloom
Christmas
Christmas Story, A
It's a Wonderful Life
Miracle on 34th Street

Best Selling Music of all time - Albums

2008-05-27T09:22:00.001-07:00

1. Eagles: Their Greatest Hits Asylum | 1976
2. Michael Jackson: Thriller Epic | December 1982 Thriller
3. Pink Floyd: The Wall Columbia | 1979
4. Led Zeppelin: Untitled (IV) Atlantic | 1971
5. AC/DC: Back in Black Atlantic | 1980
6. piano man Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume I & II Columbia | 1985
7. Shania - Shania Twain:Come on Over Mercury Nashville| 1997
8. Fleetwood Mac: Rumours Reprise | 1977
9. The Beatles: The Beatles [White Album] Apple | 1968
10. Whitney Houston &Various Artists: The Bodyguard Arista | 1992
11. Boston Boston: Boston Epic | 1976
12. Alanis Morissette : Jagged Little Pill Maverick | 1995
13. Garth Brooks: No Fences Capitol | 1990
14. Hootie & the Blowfish: Cracked Rear View Atlantic | 1995
15. Eagles: Hotel California Asylum | 1976
16. Elton John: Greatest Hits MCA | 1974
17. 1967-70The Beatles: 1967-70 Apple | 1973
18. Born in the USA at MBBruce Springsteen: Born in the U.S.A. Columbia | 1984
19. Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon Harvest | 1973
20. Guns N' Roses: Appetite for Destruction Geffen | 1987
21. The Bee Gees & Various Artists: Saturday Night Fever RSO| 1977
22. Santana: Supernatural / Supernatural Arista | 1999 [Grammy Winner: Album of 1999]
23. Physical GraffitiLed Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti Swan Song | 1975
24. The Beatles: 1962-66 Apple | 1973
25. Garth Brooks: Double Live Double Live Capitol Nashville | 1998
26. Garth Brooks: Ropin' the Wind ropin' the wind Capitol | 1991
27. Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell Cleve. Int. | 1977
28. Metallica
29. Backstreet Boys: Backstreet Boys Jive| 1997
30. ... baby one more time Britney Spears: ...Baby One More Time Jive| 1999
31. O(+>Prince &the Revolution: Purple Rain Warner Bros. | 1984
32. Whitney Houston: Whitney Houston Arista | 1985
33. Backstreet Boys: Millenium Millenium Jive | 1999
34. Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits Columbia | 1972
35. Metallica
36. Metallica: Metallica Elektra| 1991
37. Steve Miller Band: Greatest Hits 1974-78led zeppelin ii Atlantic| 1969
38. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live/1975-85 Columbia | 1986
39. Bon Jovi: Slippery When Wet Mercury | 1986
40. Boyz II Men: II Motown | 1994
41. Kenny RogersKenny Rogers: Greatest Hits Liberty | 1980
42. Kenny G: Breathless Arista | 1992
43. Def Leppard: Hysteria Mercury | 1987
44. Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IIled zeppelin ii Atlantic| 1969
45. Shania TwainShania Twain: The Woman In Me Mercury Nashville| 1995
46. The Beatles: Abbey Road Apple | 1969
47. Phil Collins: No Jacket Required Atlantic | 1985
48. Matchbox 20: Yourself or Someone Like You Lava/Atlantic | 1996
49. Wide Open SpacesDixie Chicks: Wide Open Spaces Open Wide/Monument/Sony | 1998
50. Forrest Gump Soundtrack: Forrest Gump Epic | 1994
51. Hot Rocks 1964-1971Rolling Stones: Hot Rock Abkco | 1971
52. Various Artists: Dirty Dancing Mercury | 1988
53. James TaylorJames Taylor: James Taylor's Greatest Hits Warner | 1976
52. The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 11 Capitol | 1967 peak position: 1
54. TLC: CrazySexyCool,11, LaFace| 1994, peak position: 3
54. Ten, Pearl Jam, 11, Epic
55. Pieces of You, Jewel, 11, Atlantic
56. Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin, 11, Atlantic
57. Titanic, Various/Soundtrack, 11
58. No Strings Attached, 'N Sync, 11, Jive
59. Falling Into You, Celine Dion, 11 [Grammy Winner, Record of the Year]
60. Creed: Human Clay, 11 Wind-Up | 1999 peak position: 1
60. Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, M.C. Hammer, 10, Capitol, 1990
61. Tapestry, Carole King, 10
62. Daydream, Mariah Carey, 10, Columbia
63. Unplugged, Eric Clapton, 10
64. Eliminator, ZZ Top, 10
65. Van Halen, Van Halen, 10
58. Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, M.C. Hammer, 10, Capitol, 1990
59. Tapestry, Carole King, 10
60. Daydream, Mariah Carey, 10, Columbia
61. Unplugged, Eric Clapton, 10
62. Eliminator, ZZ Top, 10
63. Van Halen, Van Halen, 10
64. Best of the Doobies, Doobie Brothers, 10
65. Faith, George Michael, 10
66. The Joshua Tree, U2, 10
67. Can't Slow Down, Lionel Richie, 10
68. The Lion King, Elton John & Various Artists, 10 (see Best Selling Soundtracks, too!)
69. Music Box, Mariah Carey, 10
70. Like a Virgin, Madonna, 10
71. The Hits, Garth Brooks, 10
72. Dookie, Green Day, 10, 1994, Reprise
73. Greatest Hits, Journey, 10, 1988, Columbia
74. 1984(MCMLXXXIV), Van Halen, 10, 1984, Warner Bros.
75. Nevermind, Nirvana, 10
76. Legend, Bob Marley, 10, Island
77. Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt, 10, Trauma/Interscope
78. 'N Sync, 'N Sync, 10, RCA
79. Aerosmith's Greatest Hits, Aerosmith, 10, Columbia
80 The Eagles: Eagles Greatest Hits Volume II, 10 Elektra | 1982 peak position: 52
81. Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin, 10 Atlantic | 1969 peak position: 10
82. Kid Rock: Devil Without A Cause, 10 Top Dog/Lava/Atlantic | 1998 peak position: 4
83. Madonna: The Immaculate Collection, 10 Sire | 1990 peak position: 2
84. Dixie Chicks: Fly, 10 Monument/Sony | 1999 peak position: 1
85. Life After Death, The Notorious B.I.G., 10/2, Bad Boy/Arista

Best Selling Single Song of all time

2008-05-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Single(s) claimed to have sold at least 40 Million copies

Artist	Single	Released	Genre	Sales
Bing Crosby	White Christmas	1942	Ballad	50 ^[1]

¹ - The actual single by all (various) artists is 70 million. The single sung by only Bing Crosby is 50 million^[2]^[3]

[edit] Singles claimed to have sold between 30 million and 40 million copies

Artist	Single	Released	Genre	Sales
Bing Crosby	Silent Night	1935	Ballad	30 ^[4]
Elton John	Candle In The Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight	1997	Pop	37 ^[1]
Shoukichi Kina	Subete No Hito No Kokoro Ni Hana Wo	1980	JPop	30 ^[5]

[edit] Singles claimed to have sold between 20 million and 30 million copies

Artist	Single	Released	Genre	Sales
Bill Haley & His Comets	Rock Around The Clock	1954	Rock	25 ^[6]
Elvis Presley	It's Now or Never	1960	Rock	24 ^[4]
Domenico Modugno	Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare)	1958	Pop	22 ^[7]
Teixeirinha	Coracao de Luto	1960	Folk	25 ^[8]
USA for Africa	We Are the World	1985	Pop	20 ^[9]
Zager & Evans	In The Year 2525	1969	Pop	20 ^[10]

[edit] Singles claimed to have sold between 10 million and 20 million copies

Artist	Single	Released	Genre	Sales
ABBA	Fernando	1976	Pop	10 ^[4]
Ace of Base	The Sign	1993	Pop	19 ^[11]
Alla Pugacheva	Arlekino	1974	Pop	15 ^[12]
Band Aid	Do They Know It's Christmas?	1984	Pop	10^[13] ~ 12^[14]
Barbra Streisand	Woman In Love	1980	Pop	10
The Beatles	Hey Jude	1968	Rock	10 ^[1]
The Beatles	I Want to Hold Your Hand	1964	Rock	12 ^[1]
Brotherhood of Man	Save Your Kisses for Me	1976	Pop	10 ^[4]
Bryan Adams	(Everything I Do) I Do It For You	1991	Pop	10 ^[4]^[15]
Carl Douglas	Kung Fu Fighting	1974	Rock	10 ^[16]
Celine Dion	My Heart Will Go On	1998	Pop	10 ^[17]^[18]
Cher	Believe	1998	Pop/Dance	10 ^[19]^[20]
Cowboy Copas	Tennessee Waltz	1948	Country	10 ^[4]
Daniel Powter	Bad Day	2006	Pop
Elvis Presley	Hound Dog	1956	Rock	13 ^[4]
George McCrae	Rock Your Baby	1974	Rock	11 ^[4]
Goombay Dance Band	Song Of Jamaica	1979	Pop	11 ^[4]
The Ink Spots	If I Didn't Care	1936	Doo-Wop	19 ^[21]
Kyu Sakamoto	Sukiyaki	1961	JPop	13 ^[22] ^[23]
Los Del Rio	Macarena	1995	Latin Pop	10^[24] - 11 ^[4]
Lou Bega	Mambo No. 5	1999	Latin Pop	12 ^[25]
Middle of the Road	Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep	1971	Pop	10 ^[4]
Mills Brothers	Paper Doll	1943	Country	11 ^[4]
Modern Talking	You're My Heart, You're My Soul	1984	Pop
Patti Page	Tennessee Waltz	1950	Country	10 ^[26]
Patrick Hernandez	Born to Be Alive	1979	Rock	11 ^[4]
Procol Harum	A Whiter Shade of Pale	1967	ballad	10 ^[4]
Roger Whittaker	The Last Farewell	1975	ballad	11 ^[4]
Roy Acuff	Wabash Cannonball	1942	Country	10 ^[4]
Shakira feat Wyclef Jean	Hips Don't Lie	2006	Latin pop	10 ^[27]
Terry Jacks	Seasons In The Sun	1974	Pop	11.5 ^[28]
Whitney Houston	I Will Always Love You	1992	Pop	10 ^[1]
Van McCoy	The Hustle	1977	Pop/Disco	10 ^[4]
Village People	YMCA	1978	Pop/Disco	12 ^[4]

[edit] Singles claimed to have sold between 5 million and 10 million copies

Artist	Single	Released	Genre	Sales
1910 Fruitgum Company	Simon Says	1968	Pop	5 ^[4]
a-ha	Take On Me	1985	Synth-Pop	5^[29] ~ 7 ^[30]
a-ha	The Sun Always Shines On T.V.	1985	Synth-Pop	5
ABBA	Dancing Queen	1976	Pop	6 ^[4]
ABBA	Waterloo	1974	Pop	5 ^[4]
Adamo	Tombe la Neige	1964	Pop	7 ^[4]
Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman	Time To Say Goodbye	1998	Pop	5 ^[4]
The Animals	The House Of The Rising Sun	1964	Pop	5 ^[4]
Archies	Sugar, Sugar	1969	Pop	6 ^[4]
The Beatles	Can't Buy Me Love	1964	Rock	7 ^[4]
The Beatles	Get Back	1969	Rock	5 ^[4]
The Beatles	Let It Be	1970	Rock	7 ^[4]
The Beatles	She Loves You	1963	Rock	6 ^[4]
Bee Gees	Massachusetts	1967	Pop	5 ^[4]
Billy Vaughn	Sail Along Silv'ry Moon	1957	Pop	5 ^[4]
Bing Crosby	Jingle Bells	1943	Pop	6 ^[4]
Bobby Goldsboro	Honey	1968	Pop	7 ^[4]
Boney M	Rivers Of Babylon/Brown Girl In The Ring	1978	Pop	5 ^[4]
Britney Spears	...Baby One More Time	1999	Pop	9 ^[4]
Britney Spears	Oops!...I Did It Again	2000	Pop	^{[citation needed]}
Britney Spears	Toxic	2003	Pop	5 ^[4]
Britney Spears	Me against the music	2003	Pop	5 ^[4]
C+C Music Factory	Gonna Make You Sweat	1991	Dance	5 ^[4]
Cher	The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)	1990	Pop/Rock	5 ^[15]
Cher	Strong Enough	1999	Pop	^{[citation needed]}
Chic	Le Freak	1979	Pop/Disco	5^[31] ~ 6^[4]
Chipmunks	The Chipmunk Song	1958	Children/Pop	6 ^[4]
Christina Aguilera	Genie In A Bottle	1999	Pop	^{[citation needed]}
Coolio	Gangsta's Paradise	1995	hip hop	5 ^[4]^[32]
Culture Club	Do You Really Want To Hurt Me	1982	Rock	6.5 ^[33]
Daddy Yankee	Gasolina	2004	Reggaeton	5
Danyel Gérard	Butterfly	1971	Pop	7 ^[4]
Dawn	Knock Three Times	1971	Pop	7 ^[4]
Dawn	Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree	1973	Pop	6 ^[4]
Debbie Boone	You Light Up My Life	1977	Pop	6 ^[4]
Donny Osmond	Puppy Love	1971	Pop	5 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	A Fool Such As I/I Need Your Love Tonight	1961	Rock	5 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	All Shook Up	1957	Rock	7 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	Are You Lonesome Tonight?	1960	Rock	9 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	Jailhouse Rock	1957	Rock	9 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	Love Me Tender/Any Way You Want Me	1956	Rock	5 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	Surrender	1961	Rock	6 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	Good Luck Charm	1962	Rock	5 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	Return To Sender	1962	Rock	5 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	Suspicious Minds	1969	Rock	7 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	Teddy Bear	1957	Rock	5 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	Way Down	1977	Rock	5 ^[4]
Elvis Presley	Wooden Heart	1961	Rock	5 ^[4]
Engelbert Humperdinck	Release Me	1967	Pop	5 ^[4]
Enigma	Sadeness Part 1	1990	New Age	7^{[citation needed]}
Europe	The Final Countdown	1986	Hard-rock	8^{[citation needed]}
Father Abraham	The Smurf Song	1978	Pop	5 ^[4]
The Foundations	Build Me Up Buttercup	1969	Pop	5 ^[4]
Freddy Quinn	Heimweh	1956	Pop	8 ^[4]
Gene Autry	My Blue Heaven	1927	Pop	5 ^[4]
Gene Autry	Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer	1949	Pop	8 ^[4]
Gene Autry	That Silver-Haired Daddy Of Mine	1939	Pop	5 ^[4]
George Baker Selection	Una Paloma Blanca	1975	Pop	6 ^[4]
George Harrison	My Sweet Lord	1970	Pop	5 ^[4]
Georgie Fame	The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde	1968	Pop	8 ^[4]
Harry Simeone Chorale	Little Drummer Boy	1958	Pop	6 ^[4]
Hikaru Utada	Flavor of Life	2007	Jpop	8 ~ 9 ^[34]^[35]
Jackson 5	I'll Be There	1970	Pop	6 ^[4]
Janet Jackson	Together Again	1997	Pop	6 ^[36]
Jeannie C. Riley	Harper Valley PTA	1968	Pop	6 ^[4]
John & Sandra Steele	My Happiness	1948	Pop	5 ^[4]
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John	You're The One That I Want	1978	Pop	7 ^[4]
Julie Rogers	The Wedding	1964	Pop	7 ^[4]
Juanes	Me Enamora	2007	Latin Pop	6 ^[37]
Kylie Minogue	Can't Get You Out Of My Head	2001	Pop	5 ^[38]
Lobo	I'd Love You To Want Me	1972	Pop	5 ^[4]
Machiko Soga	Oba-Q Ondo	1966	Children/Anime/Ondo	6 ^[39]
Madonna	Vogue	1990	Dance-Pop/House	6^[40] ^[4]
Mary Hopkin	Those Were the Days	1968	Pop	8 ^[4]
Michael Jackson	Billie Jean	1983	Pop	5^[41]^[42]
Mitch Miller	March from Bridge On The River Kwai	1957	March	5 ^[4]
The Monkees	I'm a Believer	1966	Pop	8 ^[43]
Marvin Gaye	I Heard It Through The Grapevine	1968	Soul/R&B	5 ^[4]
Morris Albert	Feelings	1975	Pop	7 ^[4]
Mungo Jerry	In the Summertime	1970	Pop	6 ^[4]
Neil Diamond	Cracklin' Rosie	1970	Pop	6 ^[4]
New Seekers	I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing	1971	Pop/Folk	6 ^[4]
Nick Straker Band	A Walk In The Park	1980	Pop	9 ^[4]
Nini Rosso	Il Silenzio	1965	Pop	5 ^[4]
Nirvana	Smells Like Teen Spirit	1991	Rock	8 ^[44]
Partridge Family	I Think I Love You	1970	Pop	5 ^[4]
Pat Boone	Love Letters In The Sand	1957	Pop	5 ^[4]
Paul Anka	Diana	1957	Pop	9 ^[1]
Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra	Love Is Blue	1968	Pop	5 ^[4]
Puff Daddy & Faith Evans	I'll Be Missing You	1997	Pop	5 ^[4]
Pussycat	Mississippi	1977	Pop	7 ^[4]
Queen	Another One Bites the Dust	1980	Rock	7^{[citation needed]}
R. Kelly	I Believe I Can Fly	1996	R&B	7 ^[45]
The Rolling Stones	(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction	1965	Pop	5 ^[4]
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards	Amazing Grace	1972	Pop	7 ^[4]
Scott McKenzie	San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)	1967	Pop	7 ^[4]
Shakira	Whenever, Wherever	2002	Latin Pop	5^{[citation needed]}
Shocking Blue	Venus	1969	Pop	8 ^[4]
Simon & Garfunkel	Bridge Over Troubled Water	1970	Pop	6 ^[4]
Spice Girls	Wannabe	1996	Pop	7 ^[4]
Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler	Ballad of the Green Berets	1966	Pop Ballad	6 ^[4]
Survivor	Eye of the Tiger	1982	Rock	5^[4]^[46]
Ted Daffan & His Texans	Born To Lose/No Letter Today	1943	Country	7 ^[4]
Tee Set	Ma Belle Amie	1969	Pop	6 ^[4]
Three Dog Night	Joy To The World	1971	Rock	5 ^[4]
Tino Rossi	Petit Papa Noel	1946	Christmas	5.711 ^[47]
The Tokens	The Lion Sleeps Tonight	1961	Pop	6 ^[48]
Tom Jones	Delilah	1968	Pop	5 ^[4]
The Tornados	Telstar	1962	Pop	5 ^[4]
Trini Lopez	If I Had a Hammer	1963	Pop	5 ^[4]
Vernon Dalhart	The Prisoner's Song	1924	Country	6 ^[4]

Best Selling Novels of all time

2008-05-27T08:56:00.001-07:00

The following is a list of the fifteen best-selling novels of all time in any language.

Title	Author	Language	Approximate sales
Don Quixote	Miguel de Cervantes	Spanish	500 million
The Pilgrim's Progress	John Bunyan	English	250 million
A Tale of Two Cities	Charles Dickens	English	200 million
The Count of Monte Cristo	Alexandre Dumas	French	200 million
The Lord of The Rings	J R R Tolkien	English	150 million
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	J K Rowling	English	120 million
And Then There Were None	Agatha Christie	English	100 million
The Hobbit	J R R Tolkien	English	100 million
Dream of the Red Chamber	Cao Xueqin	Chinese	100 million
The Little Prince	Antoine de Saint-Exupéry	French	80 million
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	J K Rowling	English	77 million
The Da Vinci Code	Dan Brown	English	72 million
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	J K Rowling	English	66 million
The Catcher in the Rye	J D Salinger	English	65 million
The Alchemist	Paulo Coelho	Portuguese	65 million

Longest Running Chicago Runs

2008-05-27T08:44:00.001-07:00

The totals for number of performances do not include previews. Off-Broadway shows generally play, like Broadway, eight performances a week, or about 416 performances per year

Chicago Theatres - number of performances are from a number of sources, and accuracy is somewhat limited, and certain shows like Too Much Light, Lend Me a Tenor, and Forever Plaid is difficult to guesstimate as limited performances each week, but this will give some idea of the long runs in this major theatre town

10,816 *Shear Madness (1980 Chicago Theatre - downstairs)

5,408+ Flanagan's Wake (1995 Soho Playhouse)

1,948 Pump Boys and Dinettes (1948)

18th year - Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (1993 Apollo)

Lend Me a Tenor (2003 Athenaeum)

Forever Plaid (Royal George)

1,500 *Wicked (as of closing Jan 25/09) (2005 Ford Centre)

800 Good Night Ladies (1945 Blackstone)

712 Kiss and Tell (2005 Bailiwick)

630+ Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1993 Chicago)

616 Odd Couple (1966 Drury Lane)

560+ Showboat (1996 Auditorium)

528 Life With Father (1940 Blackstone)

525 Godspell (1972 Studebaker)

525 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee (2006 Dury Lane)

500+ *Color Purple (2007 Cadillac Palace)

500+ *Blue Man Group (Briar St. Theatre)

490 Cats (1985 Shubert)

455 Music Man (1959 Shubert)

420 Hair (1969 Shubert)

420 Hello Dolly (1966 Shubert)

420 Chorus Line (1978 Shubert)

385 Producers (2002 Ford Centre)

350 Promises Promises (1970 Shubert)

385 Evita (1980 Shubert)

385 Oklahoma (1943 Erlanger)

350 Cactus Flower (1968 Blackstone)

315 How to Succeed in Business (1963 Shubert)

315 Miss Saigon (1992 Auditorium)

315 Phantom of the Opera (1990 Auditorium)

280 His Way-A Tribute to the Man and His Music (Mercury)

280 Kiss Me Kate (1949 Shubert)

280 Lion King (2003 Cadillac Palace)

280 Ragtime (1998 Oriental)

210 1776 (1971 Shubert)

210 Carousel (1947 Subert)

210 Les Miserables (1988 Auditorium)

175 Flower Drum Song (1960 Shubert)

175 Pajama Game (1955 Shubert)

175 They're Playing Our Song (1979 Shubert)

175 Grease (1973 Shubert)

140+ Can Can (1955 Shubert)

140+ Lion King (revival) (2005 Cadillac Palace)

105 Mamma Mia (2001 Cadillac Palace)

105 Aida (1999 Cadillac Palace)

105 Buddy (1999 Shubert)

105 Chicago (1997 Shubert)

105 Funny Girl (1965 Shubert)

105 A Funny Thing Happened (1964 Shubert)

105+ Hats (2007 Royal George Theatre)

100+ A Steady Rain (May 4/08) (2007 Royal George Theatre)

Longest Running Off Broadway Runs

2008-05-27T08:43:00.001-07:00

As of January 11, 2007

17,162 Fantasticks (1960 Sullivan Street Playhouse)

8,006 *Tubes (Blue Man Group) (1991 Astor Place Theatre)

8,613 *Perfect Crime (May 27/08) (now in 20th year) (1987 Courtyard Playhouse/Second Stage/47th Street Theatre/Intar/Harold Clurman/moved to Duffy in 1994/Snapple Theatre 2005)

8,300+ (as of May 1/04) *Tony n' Tina's Wedding (1988 Washington Square Church, moved to St. Luke's and then to St. John's Church, with reception at Vinnie Black's Coliseum in Edison Hotel)

5,800+ *Stomp (13th anniversary Feb 27, 2007) (1994 Orpheum)

5,003 *I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (as of closing July 27/08) (starts 12th year as of Aug 1/08) (1996 Westside Theatre, Upstairs)

3,672 Nunsense (1985 Cherry Lane)

2,611 Threepenny Opera (1955 Theatre de Lys)

2,475 De La Guarda (1998 Daryl Roth Theatre)

2,371+ (now in 9th year July 28,2007) *Naked Boys Singing(2000 Actor's Playhouse - show moving to Theatre 4, 424 West 55th Street, on March 10/04; John Houseman Theatre Sept 2004; Julia Miles Theatre (3 perf a week; Oct 14 moves to Dodger Stages)

2,332 Forbidden Broadway (1982-87 Edition - Palssons Supper Club)

2,209 Little Shop of Horrors (1982 opened at WPA Theatre & transferred to Orpheum)

2,124 Godspell (1971 Cherry Lane; 1971 Promenade - 1976 moved to Broadway's Broadhurst, transferred to Plymouth 1976, transferred to Ambassador 1977 for additional 527 performances - total on and off Broadway - 2,645)

2,024 Vampire Lesbians of Sodom (1985 Provincetown Playhouse)

1,847 Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (1968 Village Gate)

1,811 Forever Plaid (1990 Steve McGraws)

1,785 Vanities (1976 Chelsea Westside)

1,702 *Donkey Show (Club El Flamingo)

1,604+ Menopause the Musical (closes May 14/06)(2002 Theatre Four,Playhouse 91)

1,597 You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (1967 Theatre 80 St. Marks)

1,408 Blacks (1961 St. Marks Playhouse)

1,381 Vagina Monologues (1999)

1,372 One Mo' Time (1979 Village Gate)

1,360 Grandma Sylvia's Funeral (1994 Soho Playhouse)

1,327 Let My People Come (1974 Village Gate)

1,268 Late Night Catechism (1996 St. Luke’s Church)

1,248+ *Altar Boys (July 22/07) (2 yrs as of Mar 1/07) (2005 New World Stages - formerly Dodger)

l,200 Donkey Show (1999 Club El Flamingo)

1,195 Driving Miss Daisy (1987 Playwrights Horizon)

1,166 Hot L Baltimore (1973 Circle in the Square)

1,165 I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road (1978 Public Theatre)

1,143 Little Mary Sunshine (1959 Orpheum)

1,126 Steel Magnolias (1987 Lucille Lortel)

1,115 Late Night Catechism (1996)

1,114 El Grande de Coca Cola (1973 Mercer Arts Center)

1,109 Proposition (2001 )

1,105 Vagina Monologues (1996 Westside Theater)

1,096 Our Sinatra (Alconquin’s Oak Room 1999, Blue Angel 1999, 1999 Reprise Room @ Dillon’s, 2003 Birdland (142))

1,069 Beau Jest (1991 Lambs)

1,052 Jewtopia (as closing Apr 29/07) (2004 Westside Theatre)

1,036 Tamara (1987 Park Avenue Armory)

1,025 One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1971 Mercer-Hansberry)

1004 Slava's Snowshow (2004 Union Square Theatre) (closed Jan 14/07)

1,000 Boys in the Band (1968 Theatre Four)

1,000 Fool For Love (1983 Circle Repertory)

990 Other Peoples Money (1989 Minetta Lane)

983 Forbidden Broadway's 20th Anniversary

971 Cloud 9 (1981 Theatre de Lys)

953 Secrets Every Smart Traveller Should Know (2001 Triad - moved to Ibis Theatre)

947 Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You (1981 Playwrights Horizon)

933 Your Own Thing (1968 Orpheum)

931 Curly McDimple (1967 Bert Wheeler)

928 Leave It to Jane (revival) (1959 Sheridan Square Playhouse)

871 Mad Show (1966 New)

857 Hedwig and the Angry Inch (1998 Jane Street Theater)

850 Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back (2001 Douglas Fairbanks)

840 When Pigs Fly (1996 Phoenix)

832 Mono (2000 Surf Reality)

831 Mad Show (1966 New/moved to Mark Hellinger)

831 Scrambled Feet (1979 Village Gate)

819 Effect of the Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1970 Mercer-O'Casey

800 Over the River and Through the Woods (1998 John Houseman)

796 Late Night Catechism (1997 St. Luke’s Church)

780 View From the Bridge (revival) (1965 Sheridan Square Playhouse)

763 Boyfriend (revival)(1958 Cherry Lane)

762 True West (1982 Cherry Lane)

754 Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act (1998)

733 Isn't It Romantic (1983 Playwrights Horizon)

728 Dime a Dozen (1962 Plaza 9 Music Hall)

725 Pocket Watch (1966 Actors Playhouse)

722 Connection (1959 Living Theatre)

714 Passion of Dracula (1977 Cherry Lane)

713 Love, Janis – (2001 Village Theatre)

707 Adaptation/Next (1969 Greenwich Mews)

704 Oh Calcutta (1969 Eden)

692 Scuba Duba (1967 New)

686 Foreigner (1984 Astor Place)

685 Knack....(1964 New)

675 Fully Committed (2003 Lyric Stage)

674 Club (1976 Circle in the Square Downtown)

672 Balcony (1960 Circle in the Square Downtown)

666 Penn and Teller (1985 Westside Arts)

654 Dinner With Friends (2001 Variety Arts)

638+ Vagina Monologues – (closed Jan 26/03) (1996 Here/1999 Westside Theatre)

634 Countess (1999 Greenwich St. Theatre - moved to Samuel Beckett 1999)

634 America Hurrah (1966 Pocket Theatre)

632 Cookin'(closing Aug/05) (2004 Minetta Lane)

628+ *Fantasticks (revival) as of closing Feb 24/08 (2006 Snapple Theater Center-Jerry Orbach Theater)

626 Oil City Symphony (1987 Circle in the Square Downtown)

624 Prince and the Pauper (2002 Lambs Theatre)

618 Countess ( 2004 Samuel Beckett)

615 Wit (1998 MCC Theatre)

608 Exonerated (2002 45 Bleecker)

608 Exonerated (

607 Drumstick (2005 New World Stages)

607 Hogan's Goat (1965 St. Clement's Church)

601 Master Class ( )

600 Trojan Women (1963 Circle in the Square)

600 Criss Angel: Mindfreak (2001 World Underground Theater)

600 Beehive (1986 Top of the Gate - Village Gate Upstairs)

600 Trojan Women (1963 Circle in the Square Downtown)

592 Six Characters in Search of an Author (1963 Martinique)

586 Syringa Tree (2000 NY Theater Workshop)

583 Dining Room (1982 Astor Place)

582 Three Tall Women (1994 Vineyard Theater)

582 Krapp's Last Tape/Zoo Story (1960 Provincetown Playhouse)

578 Pinter Plays (Dumbwaiter and The Collection) (1962 Cherry Lane)

576 Forbidden Broadway (1990-91 edition - Palsson's Supper Club)

575 Dames at Sea (1968 Bouwerie Lane)

574 Musical of Musicals-the Musical (2004 York,Dodger Stages)

571 Crucible (revival/transfer) (1958 Martinique)

565 Iceman Cometh (revival) (1956 Circle in the Square Downtown)

557 Last Night of Ballyhoo ( )

552 Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey (2001 Douglas Fairbanks)

545 Wit (1998 Union Square Theatre/MCC Theater)

545 Hostage (revival/transfer)(1961 One Sheridan Square)

543 What's a Nice Country Like You Doing in a State Like This? (1973 Upstairs at Jimmys)

534 Forbidden Broadway (1988-89 edition - Palsson's Supper Club)

534 Gross Indecency: Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (1997 Minetta Lane)

533 Sound of Music (revival) ( )

533 Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (1987 Westside Arts)

529 Six Characters in Search of an Author (revival) (1963 Martinique/Repertory Actors Theatre)

526 Forbidden Broadway: 20th Anniversary Celebration (2002 Apollo Theater)

526 All in the Timing (1994 )

513 Oleanna (1992 Orpheum)

511 Making Porn (1995 Actor's Playhouse)

509 Dirtiest Show in Town (1970 Astor Place)

504 Happy Ending/Day of Absence (1965 St. Mark's Playhouse)

501 A Shayna Maidel (1987 Westside Arts)

501 Greater Tuna (1982 Circle in the Square Downtown)

500 *My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish, and I'm in Therapy (Jan 17/08) (2006 Little Shubert,Westside Theatre)

500 Fantasticks (revival) (2006 Snapple Theatre Centre (Jerry Orbach Theatre)

500 Boys From Syracuse (revival) (1963 Theatre Four)

500 Syringa Tree (Mar 9/02) (2001 Playhouse 91)

494 Sideman ( 1998 Criterion Center Stage/transfer John Golden)

493 Doubt (2005 Walter Kerr)

452 Puppetry of the Penis (2001 John Houseman)

450 How I Learned to Drive (1998 Century Theatre)

425 Marijuana-Logues (2004 Actors Playhouse)

400 Underneath the Lintel (2001 Soho Playhouse)

384 Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (2006 Zipper)

100 *Fuerzabruta (Jan 18/08) (2007 Daryl Roth)

100 *Walmartopia (Dec 4/07)(closes Dec 30/07)(2007 Minetta Lane)