Lyndsy Fonseca

Lyndsy Marie Fonseca (born January 7, 1987) is of half Portuguese descent. Her parents are Lima Bergmann, a licensed psychologist, and Jim Fonseca. Following her parents' divorce, Lyndsy's mother remarried, to Reid, a lawyer who also helps out managing Lyndsy's career.Born in Oakland, she was raised first in Alameda and then Moraga. She was discovered there by a manager and agent and immediately moved to Los Angeles for her first pilot season at age 13 in the middle of the school year. (Joaquin Moraga Intermediate, 7th Grade) The following year she booked her breakthrough role, playing Colleen Carlton on The Young and the Restless with a 3 year contract. With that, her parents moved the whole family to Los Angeles. Since the end of her contract, she has booked many television guest spots, television movies, two pilots, and an independent feature film.

In 2001, Fonseca was signed by an agent and a manager and played troubled teen Colleen Carlton in CBS' number one daytime drama The Young and the Restless. She also has recurring roles as Ted Mosby's future daughter on How I Met Your Mother and the Donna on HBO's Big Love.

In fall 2007, she played Don in the movie Remember The Daze, a remake of the 1999 graduating class. She joined the cast of ABC's Desperate Housewives as the daughter of Katherine Mayfair (Dana Delany), a character moving onto Wisteria Lane. Fonseca also appeared in an episode of Switched.

In 2008 she was nominated for the Actor award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for Desperate Housewives (2004) shared with the cast.

Fonseca played Katie Deauxma in the 2010 superhero film Kick-Ass. She appeared in three more US films in 2010, including Hot Tub Time Machine.

In 2010, she was cast in the CW's Nikita as Alex, a new recruit.

She was listed at #62 in the 2010 Maxim Hot 100.

References : Wikipedia

Sky Ferreira

Sky Ferreira (born July 8, 1992), is a Portuguese-American singer–songwriter and actress from Los Angeles In July 2009 she signed a record deal with Parlophone. She is currently working with Paul Epworth, Bloodshy & Avant, Dallas Austin, Linda Perry, and more on her debut album to be released on January 11, 2011 in the US and November 15, 2010 in the UK.
After becoming a MySpace sensation, in July 2009 Sky signed a record deal with EMI and began work on her debut album. She has collaborated with The Virgins, The Shoes, The Bloody Beetroots, Steve Aoki, and Aeroplane.

In 2009, Sky appeared in the video for Pop the Glock by Uffie.

In 2010, Sky starred as Jenny in the film "Putty Hill" Official website directed by Matthew Porterfield which Roger Ebert gave 4 Stars.

Sky's music video for "17" directed by Cass Bird premiered on April 6, 2010. The single was released on May 18, 2010.

In June 2010, Sky appeared on the cover of Jalouse Magazine and has been in many publications from Dazed & Confused, Interview Magazine, Purple Magazine and Nylon Magazine.
Sky's Bloodshy & Avant produced, European debut single "One" was released August 23, 2010 in the UK on an iTunes LP deluxe EP. The music video debuted on July 2, 2010 on Parlophone Records YouTube channel.

Obsession will be her first international single, to be released on August 31, 2010. "Obsession is also to be included on Now That's What I Call Music! 35, out August 31, 2010.

References : Wikipedia

Danielle Steel

Danielle Fernande Dominique Muriel Emily Schuelein-Steel (born August 14, 1947, New York City) better known as Danielle Steel, is an American romantic novelist and author of mainstream dramas.

Her parents were John Schulein Steel, a descendant of the founders of Löwenbräu beer, and Norma da Câmara Stone Reis, the daughter of a Portuguese diplomat. Steel spent much of her early childhood in France, where from an early age she was included in her parents' dinner parties, giving her an opportunity to observe the habits and lives of the wealthy and famous. Her parents divorced when she was seven, however, and she was raised primarily in New York City by her father, rarely seeing her mother, who had moved to Europe.

Steel started writing stories as a child, and by her late teens had begun writing poetry.A graduate of the Lycée Français de New York, class of 1965, she studied literature design and fashion design, first at Parsons School of Design in 1963 and then at New York University from 1963-1967.

Best known for drama novels, Steel has sold more than 580 million copies of her books (as of 2005) worldwide and is the seventh best selling writer of all time. Her novels have been on the New York Times bestseller list for over 390 consecutive weeks and 22 have been adapted for television.

Steel's novels have been translated into 28 languages and can be found in 47 countries across the globe. The books, often described as "formulaic," tend to involve the characters in a crisis of some sort which threatens their relationship. Many of her characters are considered over-the-top, making her books seem less realistic. The novels frequently explore the world of the "rich and famous.

Despite a reputation among critics for writing "fluff", Steel often delves into the less savory aspects of human nature, including incest, suicide, divorce, war, and even the Holocaust. As time has progressed, Steel's writing has evolved. Her later heroines tend to be stronger and more authoritative, who, if they do not receive the level of respect and attention they desire from a man, move on to a new relationship. In recent years Steel has also been willing to take more risks with her plots. Ransom focuses more on suspense than romance, and follows three sets of seemingly unconnected characters as their lives begin to intersect. Toxic Bachelors departs from her usual style by telling the story through the eyes of the three title characters, men who discover their true loves.

Steel has been criticized for making her books overly redundant and detailed,explicitly telling the story to readers instead of showing it to them. This sometimes has the effect of making the readers feel like they are on the outside looking in rather than living the story.

To avoid comparisons to her previous novels, Steel does not write sequels. Although many of her earliest books were released with initial print runs of 1 million copies, by 2004 her publisher had decreased the number of books initially printed to 650,000 due to the decline in people buying books. However, her fan base is still extremely strong with Danielle's books selling out atop charts worldwide.

Twenty-two of her books have been adapted for television, including two that have received Golden Globe nominations. One is Jewels, the story of the survival of a woman and her children in World War II Europe, and the family's eventual rebirth as one of the greatest jewelry houses in Europe. In the late 1990s, Steel refused to sell the film rights to her novels to companies that intended to market them for television, preferring to work towards a film contract. Columbia Pictures was the first movie studio to offer for one of her novels, purchasing the rights to The Ghost in 1998. Steel reversed course in 2005, reaching an agreement with New Line Home Entertainment to sell the film rights to 30 of her novels. New Line is expected to adapt the books as television movies or for the direct-to-video market.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Steel

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/steel/

Collien Fernandes

Fernandes was born in Hamburg, Germany to a Portuguese-Goan father and a Hungarian mother. She has one younger sister, Elaine.

At age 15, Fernandes moved out from home to begin her career as a model. Fernandes was interested in music and started singing with the band Yam Yam. She went to dance schools in Hamburg and London.

Fernandes featured in a number of music videos as background dancer for artists such as Shaggy, Enrique Iglesias and Dieter Bohlen's band Modern Talking. Producers took note of this, and she soon signed a record contract with BMG.

Fernandes began her TV career in 2000 presenting a number of shows and in the autumn of 2001 became the new presenter of Bravo TV on RTL2. This followed with guest appearances by The Dome and TV total. Since 2003, she has been a presenter of a number of shows on the music television channel VIVA and DSF's Maxim TV.

In February 2004, Fernandes appeared in her first movie Autobahnraser. That same year, she appeared in Die Nacht der lebenden Loser. In 2007, she appeared in two more films, namely Ossis Eleven and Morgen, ihr Luschen!, in which she embodied the leading female role. In 2007, she was nominated along with the rest of the cast from the new Sat.1 series Dr. Molly & Karl for an Adolf Grimme Award. And in 2009 she starred in the RTL show Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei. Since the beginning of June 2009, Fernandes has been the presenter of the ProSieben show MyVideoStar.

In September 2009, Fernandes was ejected from the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin for asking Lady Gaga during a press conference whether she had a penis or a vagina.

In 2009 she also began collaborating with the German fashion label armedangels and designed her own t-shirt to be sold online.

Fernandes has modelled for a number of companies, including Otto, Neckermann and BeeDees. She has also been in television advertisements for Ferrero's Kinder Bueno and Mercedes-Benz.

Fernandes was elected "Woman of the Year" in 2003 and 2006 by the readers of the German Maxim. She has also appeared in other editions of Maxim – in Russia, Spain, Ukraine and the United States.

References : Wikipedia

Ramana Vieira

Ramana Vieira "This Is My Fado" (Live at the Gallo Center for the Arts) from Jose Alfaro on Vimeo.

Ramana Vieira is a contemporary American singer of the traditional Portuguese Fado. She has been called "The New Voice of Portuguese World Music." Vieira was born to Portuguese immigrants who settled in San Leandro, just east of San Francisco, California. She attended local San Leandro schools, then studied the performing arts at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. As a young performing artist, she immersed herself in the study of Portuguese language and culture, especially the music of her parents' native island of Madeira, Portugal. Vieira's interest in performing the Portuguese Fado developed during this period. "Hailed as the new voice of Portguese music," Ramana Vieira sings with such a wide range of emotions one cannot help but be mesmerized by images of “old world” Portugal that emerge from the depths of her soul. Her extraordinary gift of bringing this 15th century style into modern times is her unique trademark. This powerful vocalist is making her mark as one of the premier contemporary Fado artists. According to the Portuguese, Fado is a melancholy and often-mournful music similar to the American blues as it tells stories of heartache and disappointment. The essence of the poetry is the quality of “saudade,” a word that is difficult to translate as it expresses a myriad of feelings. "Fado songs put me in touch with the deep heritage of being Portuguese and wake up my soul." Ramana’s personal relationship to Fado music lies deep in her family history, as her grandfather was a famous musician and composer from Madeira Island, Portugal. Born in San Leandro, California to Portuguese immigrants, Ramana was fortunate to be exposed to the voices of Portugal’s past at a young age. “During my childhood, I sang with my mother to Amália Rodrigues and other fabulous fadistas that were part of her special record collection,” said Ramana in a recent interview. Her mother quickly observed her daughter’s gift for music and by the age of ten she bought a piano so that Ramana could study classical music. Her passion for music continued as she matured and eventually she attended The American Conservatory Theatre where she did her vocal training with Faith Winthrop, San Francisco's grande dame of song and one of the most respected singers and vocal coaches on the scene today. Along with singing, Ramana studied drama and dance as well as performing in many theatrical productions. Although she had dreams of a Broadway career her direction shifted abruptly when a famous music producer inspired her to embrace her Portuguese roots. Shortly after that she found herself on an unexpected journey to Portugal where she had the opportunity to perform with the local Fado singers and musicians bringing the house to it’s feet with her authentic, yet individual style. “It was there I discovered that there was nothing in the world more gratifying to me than singing Fado.” Called a “rising star in World Music” by the San Francisco Examiner, Ramana has solidified her place as an artist who understands the tradition of Fado singing and continues to creatively construct a path into the future by combining new musical textures and original compositions. Many of the songs on her recordings are inspired by Ramana’s main influence, Amália Rodrigues, known as the "Rainha do Fado" ("Queen of Fado") and who is attributed to popularizing the Fado worldwide. According to Ramana, “nobody else is doing what we are doing with Fado. Take the feel and groove of Shakira and the melodic textures of Dulce Pontes and that is how I would describe our music.” Some of the highlights of Ramana's performance career include: opening for fadista Mariza; performing her original song “Unido Para Amar” for the 2006 Winter Olympics video montage; making her international debut with RPT TV Portuguese network; and chosen to sing for the Grammy’s 50th Awards special Music Cares benefit to honor Aretha Franklin. Her two prior recordings, “Despi A Alma (I Undressed My Soul)” and “Sem Ti” helped her to gain recognition, win awards, and appear on the cover of “Mundo Portuguese” Magazine. However, Ramana’s truly magical spirit comes alive in her newest release on the Pacific Coast Jazz label, “Lágrimas De Rainha (Tears of a Queen).” The emotional concept of “Lágrimas De Rainha” paints sonic pictures that support Ramana’s desire to invent a fresh Fado sound blooming from the ground of her own family roots and features an outstanding group of musicians, lyricists, and arrangers such as Marcie Brown (cello), Jeffrey Luiz (classic and electric guitars), Stephen La Porta (drums and percussion), Alberto Ramirez (electric bass), and special guests, Helder Carvallheira (guitarra or Portuguese guitar), Didier Bouvet (guitar), and Golden Reel Award winning film composer and arranger, Robert Randles, Victor Owens (“The English Patient,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” and “Amadeus”)."Lagrimas De Rainha" Peaked at number 43 on the world music radio charts.

References : Wikipedia

John Tavares

John Tavares is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected first overall by the Islanders in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Tavares then signed a three year entry-level contract in July 2009.

Tavares was born on September 20, 1990 in Mississauga, Ontario, to Barbara and Joe Tavares, who are of Polish and Portuguese descent, respectively. His maternal grandparents Bolesław and Josephine Kowal immigrated from Poland to Sudbury, Ontario, and his paternal grandparents Manuel and Dorotea Tavares immigrated from Portugal to Toronto.
Although he was born five days after the September 15 cutoff date for eligibility in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, there was a significant effort made to allow Tavares into the draft. Following his 72-goal campaign in 2006–07, Tavares' agents asked the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) to make an exception for Tavares similar to the one the OHL had made in 2005. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Tavares was forced to wait until 2009 to participate in the entry draft. However, in October 2007, it was reported that Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Ferguson, Jr. had offered the 17-year-old Tavares a spot with their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. Like the NHL, the AHL declined to amend its by-laws, and Tavares returned to the OHL.
The NHL International Scouting Services ranked Tavares as the top draft prospect in the world, ahead of defenceman Victor Hedman, Swedish forward Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson, and Canadian forward Matt Duchene in its March 2009 update. The 2009 draft class was led by Tavares, who was taken first overall by the New York Islanders.

On July 15, 2009, Tavares signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the New York Islanders. Tavares' first NHL game was in the pre-season, against the Edmonton Oilers. Tavares spent 22 minutes and 50 seconds on the ice with linemates Doug Weight and Sean Bergenheim during the Islanders' 3-2 loss. Weight, a veteran NHLer, said that "John’s going to be a big piece of [an Islander rebuilding effort]." Tavares recorded his first career NHL goal and assist in his first ever professional game, scoring on a backhander against Marc-André Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 3, 2009.

Tavares has led NHL rookies in scoring throughout much of his first season. In December, 2009, Tavares scored five consecutive Islander goals, over a 4-game span, to tie the club record for most consecutive goals by one player. Tavares scored an empty-net goal vs Atlanta on December 3, and both Islander goals on both December 9 in Philadelphia and December 10 in Toronto. The Islanders were shutout on December 5 in Tampa. The record was originally set by Bryan Trottier, when he scored five consecutive goals in a 1982 game against the Flyers, and was equaled by Mariusz Czerkawski over a three-game span in 1998.

References : Wikipedia

Brooke Burke

Brooke Lisa Burke (born September 8, 1971) is an American television personality, model, and occasional dancer, known for hosting Wild On! (1999–2002), Rock Star (2005–2006), for winning the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars and for co-hosting Dancing With the Stars starting in 2010 (Season 10).
Burke is the oldest of nine children born to Donna and George Burke. Her mother is Jewish and she identifies herself as Jewish; She is also of Irish, French, and Portuguese ancestry.

She was born in Hartford, Connecticut and raised in Tucson, Arizona. She attended both Sahuaro High School and Palo Verde High School in Tucson, and later studied broadcast journalism at the University of Lincoln, UK.
Burke worked as a model for Venus Swimwear and Frederick's of Hollywood. From 1999 to 2002, Burke became known while hosting Wild On!, a travel series on the E! Entertainment Television channel, replacing previous host Jules Asner. As part of the series, she traveled the world extensively, profiling many popular travel destinations. Burke first appeared nude during her early modeling career for the website BlueNudes, and most notably after gaining fame in the May 2001 and November 2004 issues of Playboy. She also appeared in men's magazines such as Maxim, Stuff, and FHM. In 2007, she was listed as one of Blender's hottest women of film and TV.

Burke has fronted infomercials promoting a Swiss ball video home fitness workout named Gunnar Peterson's Core Secrets, and appears in the first video of the series titled 20 Minute Full Body Workout. The infomercials have screened in New Zealand and Australia.

In 2005 and 2006, Burke hosted the CBS summer reality show Rock Star, an American Idol-like series in which aspiring singers competed to become either the frontman or frontwoman for a rock band.

She was the voice and face of "Rachel Teller" in Electronic Arts' video game Need for Speed: Underground 2, and asks the "People and Places" questions in the video game Trivial Pursuit Unhinged. Burke starred as a playable character in the Burger King advergaming title PocketBike Racer and in Big Bumpin'. Burke has also landed roles in several television commercials for Discover Card, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, and M Professional Cosmetics.

In 2007, Burke started a company called Baboosh Baby, which offers wraps for pregnant women. The company's website features a blog from Burke about her children.

In 2009, Burke hosted NBC's pre-show for the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards with Tiki Barber and Nancy O'Dell.

Burke, along with Derek Hough as her partner, won Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars. As of March 2010, Brooke is replacing Samantha Harris as co-host of the program. Burke also starred in the TV show host edition of The Weakest Link. In August 2010, Burke will host the third season of the TV Land series She's Got the Look , a modeling competition show for women over 35.

References : Wikipedia

Sam Mendes

Samuel Alexander "Sam" Mendes CBE (born 1 August 1965) is an English stage and film director. He has won two Laurence Olivier Awards for his London stage productions The Glass Menagerie and Company in 1996, and Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya in 2003. He also received a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical for the Broadway revival of Cabaret in 1998. His debut film American Beauty (1999) earned him an Academy Award for Best Director. He is married to British Actress Kate Winslet. In March 2010, the couple announced that they have separated.

Mendes was born in Reading, Berkshire, England to Jameson Peter Mendes, a university professor, and Valerie Helene Barnett, an author of children's books. His father is from Trinidad's ethnic Portuguese community and his mother an English Jew. His grandfather is the Trinidadian writer Alfred Mendes. He attended Magdalen College School, Oxford and graduated from Peterhouse, Cambridge, with a BA in 1987.

Mendes made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed and box-office success American Beauty, starring Kevin Spacey. The film grossed US$356.3 million worldwide and had a 2373% ROI. The film won the Golden Globe Award, the BAFTA Award and the Academy Award for

Best Picture. Mendes won a Directors Guild of America Award, a Golden Globe Award, and the Academy Award for directing American Beauty.

Mendes's second film, in 2002, was Road to Perdition, which grossed US$181 million. The aggregate review score on Rotten Tomatoes was 82%; critics praised Paul Newman for his performance. The film was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor, and won one for Best Cinematography.

In 2005, Mendes directed the war film Jarhead. The film received mixed reviews, receiving a Rotten Tomatoes aggregate of 60%, and a gross revenue of US$96.9 million worldwide. The film focused on the boredom and other psychological challenges of wartime, instead of being a traditional combat-action film.

In 2008, Mendes directed Revolutionary Road, starring his wife, Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet, along with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kathy Bates.

Mendes most recently completed work on a comedy-drama called Away We Go, which opened the 2009 Edinburgh International Film Festival. The film follows a couple searching across North America for the perfect community in which to settle down and start a family. The film stars John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Catherine O'Hara, and Melanie Lynskey. Mendes is also starting pre-production on a film adaptation of the acclaimed 1971 Tony-winning Broadway musical Follies and has announced his intentions to film an adaptation of the novel Middlemarch in the near future.

On January 5, 2010, news broke that Mendes is currently in negotiations to direct the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise. Plans for the production are underway and filming could begin as early as June, with an eye toward a 2011 release. Previous Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are set to write the screenplay, along with Frost/Nixon screenwriter Peter Morgan. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are producing, and Daniel Craig will continue his run as 007.


References : Wikipedia

Peter Francisco

Peter Francisco (c. 1760 – January 16, 1831), known variously as the "Virginia Giant" or the "Giant of the Revolution" (and occasionally as the "Virginia Hercules" or some variant thereof), was an American patriot and soldier in the American Revolution. The cover page of a 2006 issue of Military History asked a rhetorical question which suggested he may have been the greatest soldier in American History. George Washington once said that Francisco's prowess directly enabled American victories in two battles, and went on to state the war might have even been lost without Francisco's participation.

Francisco's origins are shrouded in mystery. According to the traditional version of his biography, he was found, crying, on the docks at City Point, Virginia, one afternoon in 1765. When he had calmed down enough to talk, it was discovered that he spoke a language that sounded like Spanish, but was not. It was Portuguese. His clothing was a good quality and he called himself Pedro Francisco. It is believed he was either born in what is now Brazil or Terceira in the Portuguese Azores, sometime around 1760. Eventually, he was able to tell his story; he told of being in a "beautiful place with palm trees," playing with his little sister, when two large men seized them both. The sister was able to break free, but Peter was not, and he was put on a large ship that eventually brought him to City Point. It is possible that the children were intended to be held for ransom.

Peter was soon taken in by Judge Anthony Winston of Buckingham County, Virginia, an uncle of Patrick Henry. He remained with Winston and his family until the beginning of the American Revolution. When he was old enough to work, he was trained as a blacksmith, a profession chosen for him because of his massive size and strength (he grew to be well over six feet six inches tall, or 198 centimeters, and weigh some 260 pounds, or 118 kilograms). Francisco became embroiled in the movement for American independence; he was present outside St. John's Church in Richmond when Patrick Henry made his famous "Liberty or Death" speech.

Francisco joined the militia in 1777, and soon gained notoriety for his size and strength. He was unable to fight with a regular broadsword; George Washington (at Lafayette's request) soon had a special sword, measuring some five feet long, forged for him. Peter fought with distinction at numerous engagements of the Revolution. He was wounded at Brandywine, and recuperated (at Valley Forge) in the same room as Lafayette, with whom he became great friends. He also fought at Monmouth (where he was again wounded), Cowpens, and Stony Point (where legend has it he was bayoneted, and was the second to enter the fort. While Francisco may well have been at Stony Point, much of his role appears to be myth as no contemporary account of the battle mentions Francisco and the first men who entered the fort are mentioned in dispatches as Lieutenant Colonel Fleury, Lieutenant Knox and Sergeants Baker, Spencer and Donlop). He then fought a few skirmishes under Colonel Morgan, before transferring to the regiment of one Colonel Mayo of Powhatan. Francisco was present at General Gates' defeat at the battle of Camden, where he pulled a small cannon back to the retreating revolutionaries. Hearing that Colonel Watkins was headed on a march through the Carolinas, Francisco joined him, seeing action at Guilford Courthouse. His actions here are legendary; he killed eleven men on the field of battle, including one who wounded him severely with a bayonet. The feat is commemorated with a monument on the field of battle. Francisco was rescued and nursed back to health by a Quaker family. {Note: in a petition Francisco wrote 11 November 1820 to the Virginia Legislature in his own words he said that at Camden he had shot a grenadier who had tried to shoot his Colonel {Mayo}; he then escaped by bayoneting one of Tarleton's cavalrymen and fled on the horse making cries to make the British think he was a Loyalist, and gave the horse to Mayo; at Guilford Courthouse he wrote that he killed two men of the enemy-including one who bayoneted him in the leg-and mentions striking "panes" to others.

After Guilford Courthouse, Francisco was sent home to Buckingham to recuperate. It was on this journey that he performed his best-known action, Francisco's Fight. In it, he singlehandedly defeated a band of Tarleton's Raiders, escaping with their horses. Legend has it that he killed/mortally wounded 3 out of 11 raiders. However in Francisco's own petition of 1820 to the Virginia Legislature he reports that out of 9 raiders, he killed 1 and wounded 8 and likewise captured 8 of 9 horses. Peter was ordered by his commanding officer to join the army at Yorktown, where he was present at the British surrender (though he did not fight.)

After the Revolution, Francisco went home to Buckingham and led a quiet life. He married three times, fathering many children. He was appointed sergeant-at-arms of the Virginia Senate. In 1824 he accompanied Lafayette on part of his tour of the United States, showing him portions of eastern Virginia. Francisco died, most likely of appendicitis, in January, 1831; he was buried in Shockoe Hill Cemetery in Richmond, Va.. A good portion of the state Senate turned out for the funeral.


Postage stamp depicting Francisco's feat of strength at CamdenLegends of Francisco's strength abound. He singlehandedly pulled an 1,100 pound American cannon free from its gun carriage during the retreat from Camden, a feat which was commemorated in 1975 on an American postage stamp in the Contributors to the Cause Bicentennial series; a team of six mules is said to have been unable to dislodge the weapon. He is also said to have thrown two men, along with their horses, over a fence near his farm when they attempted to annoy him.

Francisco also has a park named after him in the Ironbound section of Newark, where most of the population is Portuguese. It is a small park located just east of Newark Penn Station. A small monument was also erected and dedicated in Francisco's name by the Amigos da Terceira Clube in Pawtucket, R.I.

Peter Francisco's farmhouse, Locust Grove, still stands outside of the town of Buckingham. One of his swords (though not that ordered for him by General Washington) is on display in the Buckingham County Historical Museum in Buckingham.

Peter Francisco Square is located on the corner of Hill Street and Mill Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The square includes a monument that honors his life and service. The monument includes an SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) medallion of Honor.

There is a fiddle tune named for Peter Francisco.

Virginia has named March 15 as Peter Francisco day to honor him

References : Wikipedia

James Franco

James Edward Franco was born April 19, 1978 in Palo Alto, California, the son of Betsy, a poet, author and editor, and Doug Franco. His maternal grandmother, Mitzi Levine Verne, runs the Verne Art Gallery, a prominent art gallery in Cleveland, Ohio. Franco's father is of Portuguese and Swedish descent and Franco's mother is Jewish, a descendant of immigrants from Russia. Franco grew up in California with his two younger brothers, Tom and Dave, and graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996, where he was elected by his senior class as the student with the "best smile". He then enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an English major. He dropped out after his freshman year and chose to pursue a professional career as an actor, taking acting lessons with Robert Carnegie at Playhouse West.

Franco is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer, and painter. He began acting during the late 1990s, appearing on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and starring in several teen films. In 2001 he played the title role in Mark Rydell's television biographical film James Dean, which earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film.

Franco achieved international fame as a result of his portrayal of Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man trilogy. Since then, his films have included the war film The Great Raid (2005), the 2006 romantic drama Tristan & Isolde, and Justin Lin's drama Annapolis (2006). In 2008, Franco starred in the comedy stoner film Pineapple Express and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. He played a prominent role in the 2008 biographical film Milk.

References : Wikipedia

Katy Perry

Katy Perry is Portuguese on her mother side, if you don’t believe it see the YOUTUBE clip.



Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), better known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Perry rose to fame in 2007 with her internet hit "Ur So Gay", and later scored in 2008 her breakthrough single "I Kissed a Girl".

Perry was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California by Christian pastor parents and grew up listening only to gospel music. After earning a GED during her freshman year of high school, she began to pursue a music career.

As Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel album in 2001. In 2004, she recorded an album with production team The Matrix, but it was never released. After signing on with Capitol Music Group in 2007, she took on stage name Katy Perry and released her first mainstream album, One of the Boys.

References : Wikipedia

Dustin Pedroia

Dustin Pedroia is of Portuguese heritage. Pedroia is the nephew of Detroit Lions linebacker coach Phil Snow.

Dustin Luis Pedroia (born August 17, 1983, in Woodland, California) is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the Boston Red Sox. During his brief career in the majors, Pedroia has won several awards, including the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year award and the 2008 AL MVP. He also won a Silver Slugger as a second baseman, and was second overall in the AL in batting average in 2008.

References : Wikipedia