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"Andrew Levitas (born September 4, 1977) is an American painter, sculptor, filmmaker,http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/tmagazine/2014/06/06/talking-talent- an-artists-directorial-debut/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ref;=t-magazine&_r=0 writer, producer, photographer,restaurateur, and actor. Early life Levitas was born in New York City. He attended Horace Mann School and then Dalton School in Manhattan. After graduating from the Dalton School, he attended New York University. He graduated in 2000 with a degree from the Gallatin School of NYU. He is Jewish. Art career In addition to a growing list of American and international gallery exhibitions, Levitas’ work has garnered attention through top auction houses, museums, and art fairs. 2012 highlights include a solo exhibition Metalwork Photograph: Sculptures at Phillips de Pury in Manhattan, as well as a ten-year retrospective Andrew Levitas: A Brief Survey 2002–2012 at New York University. 2014 highlights include the first solo exhibition ever presented at the highly anticipated Phillips, Berkeley square which included examples of Levitas's earlier two- dimensional artwork in which he successfully fused metalwork and photography, as well as examples of the artist's more recent works depicting crumpled sheets and three-dimensional freestanding installations, all made in his distinctive and innovative style.https://www.myphillipsdepury.com/auctions/lot- detail.aspx?sn=NY040210&search;=&p;=28ℴ=1&lotnum;=335 Photographic sculpture In 2004 Levitas produced his "Metalwork Experiment." Developed by the artist, Metalwork Photography photographic sculptures are formed by a process involving the transfer of photographs onto custom transparencies that are in turn melted onto hand detailed sheets. Levitas’ installations are each composed of multi-paneled interlocking metal sheets whose collective impact transcends their individual materiality. Other works included in the exhibition are crumpled sheets of metal that resonate with John Chamberlain's mangled installations, inspired by the action Abstract Expressionist paintings that typified the Post-War New York School. However, as opposed to Chamberlain's incorporation of readymades, Levitas's creation and subsequent disfiguration of his own artwork adds a performative twist to his artwork that situates it at the vanguard of contemporary art. The result is a work that combines the imagery of a photograph with the presence of a sculpture. While these works are printed as editions, they function as unique objects since each print differs, depending on the level of hand tooling. Paintings Levitas’ "organic abstractions" (paintings built from home made pigments, canvas, and organic materials – in some cases entire trees) have also received critical acclaim. The work, often reflective of Los Angeles life, is in part a commentary on emotion and the way we choose to express ourselves, as well as the ways in which we insulate ourselves from essential truth. The work also stresses a larger discourse on nature, the organic and its place in the contemporary world. Artists Collaborations In 2015, Levitas created the CUBA X LEVITAS as part of an artist collaboration with the skate brand Supra. Film career Levitas is the founder of Metalwork Pictures a media production company which develops, produces, and finances original content. Titles include Minamata (Johnny Depp, Bill Nighy, Hiroyuki Sanada), My Zoe (Julie Delpy, Daniel Brühl, Gemma Arterton, Richard Armitage), Georgetown (Christoph Waltz, Vanessa Redgrave, Annette Bening), The White Crow (Ralph Fiennes), Farming (Kate Beckinsale, Gugu Mbatha-Raw), The Gateway (Bruce Dern, Olivia Munn, Frank Grillo), Last Moment of Clarity (Samara Weaving, Udo Kier, Brian Cox), The Quarry (Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham), Flower (Zoey Deutch), At Any Price (Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron), Affluenza (Nicola Peltz), and The Art of Getting By (Emma Roberts, Freddie Highmore). Currently, Levitas is in post- production on his latest directing project Minamata starring Academy Award nominee Johnny Depp, BAFTA and Golden Globe winner Bill Nighy and Hiroyuki Sanada as Mitsuo Yamazaki, The film follows Smith's 1971 journey to the Japanese fishing village of Minamata to bear witness to the devastation of its townspeople by mercury poisoning caused by the Chisso corporation. Prior to Minamata, Levitas wrote and directed Lullaby which stars Amy Adams, Richard Jenkins, Terrence Howard, Jennifer Hudson, and Garrett Hedlund. The film, an exploration of patients’ rights, was described by Pete Hammond (Deadline) as a “strong human drama” with “Jenkins a true actor’s actor, delivering a very Oscar-worthy supporting turn.” In 2017 he produced British film The White Crow written by David Hare and directed by Ralph Fiennes. It stars Oleg Ivenko as the ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, chronicling his life and dance career. It is inspired by the book Rudolf Nureyev: The Life by Julie Kavanagh. It premiered at the 2018 Telluride Film Festival and the 2018 BFI London Film Festival. The film also screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival, Cinemania (Bulgaria) and Febiofest (Czech Republic). Ralph Fiennes received the Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the Tokyo International Film Festival, with the film receiving a Tokyo Grand Prix nomination. The film was released on March 22, 2019 in the UK (StudioCanal) and on April 26, 2019 in the US (Sony Pictures Classics). The New York Times wrote “The White Crow is a portrait of the artist as a young man, an attempt to show the complex array of factors — biographical, psychological, social, political — that led to the moment when the 23-year-old dancer made a decision that would change the history of ballet: Nureyev became Nureyev by defecting from Russia to the West at Le Bourget airport in France in June 1961… Throughout [the film], Fiennes and Hare suggest the extraordinary will and curiosity that drove Nureyev to dance, and to seek out art and culture wherever he could.” Levitas brought to life director Adewale Akinnuoye- Agbaje’s own story in Farming . Screen Daily wrote of the film, “Actor turned director Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje makes an arresting feature debut with Farming. Told with raw emotion and lurid violence, it transforms elements of his life story into a disturbing, eye-opening coming of age drama.” Farming premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September in the Discovery Section. The film won the Michael Powell Award at the 2019 Edinburgh Film Festival. Lionsgate UK released the film in the United Kingdom on 11 October 2019, followed by a United States release on 25 October. In 2018, Levitas produced My Zoe from writer and director Julie Delpy. My Zoe premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Platform Prize program. IndieWire raved that “Delpy’s ability to believe in both her audience and her wild story remains compelling throughout the film... Delpy earns every minute of the story, one that shows off her ability (and desire) mix things up with a fresh eye.” Levitas produced 2019 film Georgetown from Christoph Waltz in his feature directorial debut. Georgetown had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 27, 2019. The Hollywood Reporter praised the film, noting that "it's the kind of serious but broadly appealing, modestly scaled picture that people love to say doesn't exist any more." Academic career Levitas is also a part-time faculty member at New York University, teaching a course on "The Artist's Mind." Personal life Since October 2013, Levitas has been in a relationship with Welsh classical- crossover singer Katherine Jenkins. The pair were engaged in April 2014, and married at Hampton Court Palace on 27 September 2014. Jenkins gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Aaliyah Reign Levitas, on 30 September 2015. With his wife, Levitas wrote the song "8 Nights of Joy," which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and was on her album "Home Sweet Home." Levitas was previously co-owner of West Village hotspot Play and is current part-owner of Soho restaurants Little Prince and Lola Taverna. Philanthropy Levitas is a global patron for the Wilderness Foundation and an Ambassador of Tusk Trust. Filmography= Producer *Untitled Ramin Bahrani Project (2011) (co-producer) *Great Neck (2013) (producer) *Regular Boy (2014) (producer) *Below the Surface (2011) (producer) *The Art of Getting By (2011) (executive producer) *Bad Actress (2011) (co-executive producer) *Searching for Glitter (2009) (completed) (associate producer) *Innocence (2014) (producer) *Affluenza (2014) (Executive Producer) *Against All Enemies (TBA) (producer) *Flower (2017) (executive producer) *The White Crow (2018) (producer) *Farming (2018) (producer) *My Zoe (2019) (producer) *Last Moment of Clarity (2019) (producer) *Georgetown (2019) (producer) *The Gateway (2020) (producer, writer) *The Quarry (2019) (executive producer) *Last Moment of Clarity (2020) (producer) Actor *The Art of Getting By .... (2011) *Holy Rollers (2010) .... David *The Box (2009/I) .... Black Op *Entourage .... Gregg (1 episode, 2009) *Friendly Fire (2006) (V) *Beauty Shop (2005) .... Stacy *Hellbent (2004) .... Chaz *North Shore .... Reese (1 episode, 2004) *It's All Relative .... Eddie Donovan (1 episode, 2003) *Psycho Beach Party (2000) .... Provoloney *Boy Meets World .... Luther (1 episode, 1999) *Party of Five .... Cameron Welcott (6 episodes, 1999) *The Nanny .... Michael (4 episodes, 1998–1999) *Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher .... Marco Romero (21 episodes, 1997–1998) *In & Out (1997) .... Locker Room Guy Director *Lullaby (2013) (director & writer) *Minamata (2020) (director & writer) References 1977 births Living people American male film actors Jewish American male actors Dalton School alumni Horace Mann School alumni New York University alumni New York University faculty Artists from New York City Place of birth missing (living people) "
"William Howell Taylor (born October 16, 1961) is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major League Baseball (MLB) primarily as a closer from 1994 and 1996–2001. Early career Billy Taylor played his first professional game in 1980 after being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the second round (39th overall pick) of the 1980 draft. Initially drafted as a starter, in 1981, he went 4–2 with a 2.72 ERA in Rookie-Level. However, he struggled after a promotion to Single-A, going just 1–7 with a 4.64 ERA. Over the next two seasons, used as a combination reliever/starter, he went 13–18 with a 5.54 ERA. He did strike out 212 batters. In 1984, used in 42 games, he re-established his prospect status with a 5–3 record and a 3.83 ERA in AA. In 1985, he topped 100 innings pitched for the first time in his career, and he also had a 3.47 ERA. He then threw 169 innings between AA and AAA and pitched fairly well with a 4.36 ERA between the two stops. He was only 24 years old. The next season, he pitched poorly, going 12–9 with a 5.61 ERA. Again, he threw about 170 innings. The next year, Taylor got injured and started only 11 games with an ERA of 5.49. Granted free agency by the Rangers, he signed in 1989 with the Padres, who needed depth in their bullpen. He appeared in 49 games in AAA, with again a high ERA of 5.13. First success By 1990, Taylor's career appeared to be over. He was 28 years old and had pitched poorly in AAA as both a starter and a reliever. However, the Atlanta Braves signed him in the middle of August 1990, seeing that his walk rate in 1989 was the lowest it had been in his minor league career. He appeared in 7 games that season. In 1991, no one could have predicted that he would go 6–2 in 59 games as a reliever with a 1.51 ERA in AA, morphing into one of the best closers in that league. 1992 was more of the same for Taylor. He went 2–3 with a 2.28 ERA and 12 saves. In 1993, at the age of 31, he was an All-Star, saved 26 games, struck out more than a batter an inning, and had a 1.98 ERA, all in AAA. He won the league's reliever of the year award as well. Major League career In 1994, a full 14 years after Billy Taylor had been drafted, he finally played in the big leagues. With a 3.50 ERA, he was arguably the most important reliever in the A's bullpen. From 1996–1999, Taylor saved 99 games. His best season came in 1998, where he had 33 saves (eighth in the AL), and a 3.58 ERA. On July 31, 1999, he was traded by the Oakland Athletics to the New York Mets for Jason Isringhausen and Greg McMichael. He then played for the Mets, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Pittsburgh Pirates before retiring from baseball. External links , or Retrosheet 1961 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Asheville Tourists players Baseball players from Florida Burlington Rangers players Durham Bulls players Greenville Braves players Edmonton Trappers players Gulf Coast Rangers players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Major League Baseball pitchers Nashville Sounds players Navegantes del Magallanes players New York Mets players Oakland Athletics players Oklahoma City 89ers players People from Monticello, Florida Pittsburgh Pirates players Richmond Braves players Salem Redbirds players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Tulsa Drillers players Wausau Timbers players "
"Jack J. Grynberg (born 1932) is a Polish-born American businessman. He is a Denver-based oil and gas developer who has amassed a multibillion-dollar fortune in the oil and natural gas sector. As of 2019, he has been in a long- running litigation to regain control of companies he founded from his ex-wife and three children, or failing that, around $400 million in back pay. Early life Born to a Jewish family in Brest, Belarus, then part of Poland, V.Glazov “Jack Grynberg. Oil tycoon from Brest-on-Bug, Brestskiy Kurier, October 15, 2014. Grynberg was in the second grade when the Nazis invaded Poland. He has stated that he joined the resistance and by the age of 12 he was fighting in the forests of Belarus, and fought until 1945. He then moved to Colorado, where he attended the Colorado School of Mines, married, and began raising his three children. He also has claimed that he later worked as a spy for the US Army in 1957 and 1958. He has a master's degree in Petroleum Engineering and Refining from the Colorado School of Mines. Career=Early career Grynberg made his first million dollars by the age of 30 when he formed a company, Oceanic Exploration Co., that reworked a previously drilled gas well that had been abandoned by Amerada Hess Corporation as "noncommercial". After reviewing and interpreting data from the area, he concluded that Amerada Hess was wrong. His reworked well led to the discovery of the Nitchie Gulch gas field in Wyoming, leading Grynberg to become a millionaire in 1962. From there he engaged in several successful domestic and international oil and gas exploration programs, and took the Oceanic Exploration public in 1972. Later career Grynberg was also instrumental in the 1990s in helping discover the Kashagan Field in Kazakhstan, one of the largest oil field discoveries in the last 30 years. The Kashagan Field is estimated to hold of recoverable oil and of natural gas. Grynberg was one of the first western oilmen to develop relations with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev before the collapse of the Soviet Union. This relationship and others provided him with access to complex and confidential data. According to court records, it was Grynberg who provided the introductions and data for BG, BP, Statoil, ARCO, Transworld Oil and others to enter the region in the late 1980s and early 1990s. When the consortium of major American oil companies fell apart, BG cut its own deal for the Karachagnak gas/condensate field and attempted to exclude Grynberg from the deal. Grynberg sued in Texas, and much of the Texas court case is sealed. When BP attempted to exclude Grynberg from its 9.5% stake in its Kashagan stake, Grynberg sued them as well in New York including leveling a racketeering charge against then BP CEO John Browne. The case was settled in arbitration. BP and BG both sold their remaining interests in Kashagan in 2003. BG sold to the Sinopec and BP to CNOOC. The combined sales price is estimated to have been $1.23 billion, of which Grynberg may have received as much as 15% of ($185 million). This is in addition to the $90 million that Grynberg is estimated to have received with BP and Statoil previously sold part of their interests to Total for $600 million in 2001. Grynberg is known for defending his rights in court. According to one source, during negotiations involving the Kashagan interests, he ripped up a settlement check for $90 million and demanded appraisal and arbitration.Plats Oilgram News, Wednesday, March 12, 2003 Grynberg reportedly owns more than 800 oil and natural gas well wells throughout the world. He is involved in ventures in the former Soviet Union, Middle East, Africa, Far East and Latin America.Wall Street Journal, October 23, 1996 Grynberg has been focused on a Qui Tam lawsuit against the major oil companies accusing them of stealing billions of dollars in royalties from the U.S. government.Rocky Mountain News, July 4, 2003 Recent ventures Since 2006 Grynberg has been working on developing ethanol plants in Latin America and has received leases and agreements throughout Latin America. In 2006 through 2007, it is reputed that Grynberg entered into discussions with Ivanhoe Energy (IVAN: NASDAQ) to provide services from their heavy oil unit for his leases in the Pungarayacu Tar Sands Heavy Oil Deposit in Ecuador. According to public court records, Grynberg has argued that after meeting to discuss services and joint venture opportunities, and sharing proprietary geotechnical data, Ivanhoe then circumvented Grynberg and bribed the previous Ecuadorian president, who canceled the Grynberg lease and awarded it to Ivanhoe. The current president of Ecuador has acknowledged the issues at stake. The case is currently open against Ivanhoe and Robert Friedland, Chairman, President and CEO of Ivanhoe. Personal life He was married to Celeste until their divorce in 2018, and they have three children together, Rachel, Stephen, and Miriam. References External links * ICSID Jack J. Grynberg v. Grenada Award of 27 March 2009 * npr.org * https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2006/05/06/AR2006050600905.html * rockymountainnews.com * viddler.com 1932 births Living people American businesspeople in the oil industry American expatriates in Kazakhstan American people of Polish-Jewish descent Colorado School of Mines alumni Businesspeople from Denver Polish emigrants to the United States Polish Jews "