Williams took tennis lessons from a man known as "Old Whiskey" and decided his future daughters would be tennis professionals after seeing Virginia Ruzici playing on television.[2][5] Williams said that he wrote up an 85-page plan and started giving lessons to Venus and Serena when they were four and a half, taking them to practice on public tennis courts.[6] Williams later added that he felt he took them too early and age six would have been more suitable.[4] In 1995, Williams withdrew his daughters from a tennis academy and coached them himself.[7] Within a few years, they were winning grand slam tournaments.

Serena won the US Open in 1999 and Venus beat Lindsay Davenport to win the 2000 Wimbledon title. After that victory, Richard shouted "Straight Outta Compton!", in reference to a song by N.W.A based in Compton, California, the same area in Los Angeles where the family once resided.[8] He jumped over the NBC broadcasting booth, catching Chris Evert by surprise and performing a triumphant dance. Evert said that the broadcasters "thought the roof was coming down"

Mira Katherine Sorvino (/ˈmiːrə sɔːrˈviːnoʊ/; born September 28, 1967) is an American actress. She won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (1995).

She also starred in the films Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), Mimic (1997), Lulu on the Bridge (1998), The Replacement Killers (1998), Summer of Sam (1999), Gods and Generals (2003), Like Dandelion Dust (2009), and Sound of Freedom (2023). For her work in television, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996), and twice nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film, again for her performance as Marilyn Monroe and for her leading role in Human Trafficking (2005).

Bill Camp (born 1963/1964)[1] is an American actor. He has played supporting roles in many films such as Lincoln (2012), Compliance (2012), Lawless (2012), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Love & Mercy (2015), Loving (2016), Molly's Game (2017), Vice (2018), Wildlife (2018), Joker (2019), News of the World (2021), and Sound of Freedom (2023); the HBO miniseries The Night Of in 2016 and The Outsider in 2020; and the Netflix miniseries The Queen's Gambit in 2020. He had a recurring role in the HBO drama series The Leftovers from 2015 to 2017 and the Hulu space drama series The First in 2018.

Camp has appeared in many television series and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his role in the miniseries The Night Of (2016). He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the 2016 Broadway revival of the play The Crucible.

America Georgina Ferrera[1] (/fəˈrɛərə/; born April 18, 1984)[2] is an American actress, director and television producer. She has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award. In 2007, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world and in 2023, she was named in BBC's 100 Women list.[3]

Ferrera developed an interest in acting at a young age, performing in several stage productions at her school. She made her feature film debut in 2002 with the comedy-drama Real Women Have Curves, earning praise for her performance. She achieved modest success early in her career with roles in films such as the comedy-dramas Gotta Kick It Up! (2002) and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005). She garnered further critical acclaim and recognition for her starring role as Betty Suarez in the ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty (2006–2010). For her performance, she won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, the first for a Latina woman in the category.

Ferrera's other film roles include the drama The Dry Land (2010), the romantic comedy Our Family Wedding (2010), the crime drama End of Watch (2012), and the fantasy comedy Barbie (2023), which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has also performed a voice role in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise since 2010, and has co-produced and starred in the NBC workplace comedy series Superstore (2015–2021).

Barbenheimer (/ˈbɑːrbənhaɪmər/ BAR-bən-hy-mər)[a] was a cultural phenomenon which preceded and surrounded the simultaneous theatrical release of two films, Warner Bros. Pictures' Barbie and Universal Pictures' Oppenheimer, on July 21, 2023. The word is a portmanteau of the films' titles. The strong contrast between Barbie—a fantasy comedy by Greta Gerwig about the fashion doll Barbie—and Oppenheimer—an epic biographical thriller by Christopher Nolan about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director of the Manhattan Project—prompted a comedic response from Internet users, including memes, merchandise and memorabilia. Polygon described the two films as "extreme opposites", and Variety called the phenomenon "the movie event of the year".[6]

The simultaneous release was an instance of counterprogramming. As the release date approached, discussion centered on the appositeness of watching the films as a double feature, as well as in what order to watch them, instead of generating a rivalry. Cast members of both responded by encouraging audiences to watch the films on the same day. Celebrity participants included actor Tom Cruise, who purchased tickets to watch both while his latest film, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, was still playing in theaters. While the phenomenon began as a joke about the two films' seemingly endless differences, some media commentators have pointed out similarities; both films have been analyzed as exploring existentialism and the theoretical notion of the Anthropocene, each has an Academy Award-nominated director and screenwriter[b] and a large ensemble cast, and both were produced by a husband-and-wife production company.[c]

Both Barbie and Oppenheimer received critical acclaim[d] and exceeded box-office expectations.[19] Their joint opening weekend was the fourth-largest at the American box office, and both rank among the highest-grossing films of 2023. The phenomenon also extended to the year's awards season, in which both films emerged as leading contenders. The films earned a combined 21 nominations at the 96th Academy Awards. Both films were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, which Oppenheimer won.[20][21

Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961)[2] is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He shot to fame on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time.[3][4][5][6] Murphy has received accolades such as the Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, and an Emmy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023.[7][8]

Murphy broke out as a movie star in the 1980s films 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop. He established himself as a leading man with starring roles in: The Golden Child (1986), Coming to America (1988), Harlem Nights (which he also directed) (1989), Boomerang (1992), The Nutty Professor (1996), Dr. Dolittle (1997), Bowfinger (1999), Daddy Day Care (2003) and Norbit (2007). Murphy both won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Dreamgirls (2006).[9]

Murphy has worked as a voice actor, including Mushu in Disney's Mulan (1998), Thurgood Stubbs in the sitcom The PJs (1999–2001), and Donkey in the Shrek franchise (2001–2010), the latter of which he earned a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination. Murphy often takes on multiple roles in a single film, such as in Coming to America , the Nutty Professor films, Bowfinger and Norbit. This is intended as Murphy's tribute to one of his idols, Peter Sellers. After starring in a string of children's films he had a career resurgence with leading roles in films such as Tower Heist (2011), Dolemite Is My Name (2019), Coming 2 America (2021), You People and Candy Cane Lane (both 2023).

In 2020, he won his first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for hosting Saturday Night Live.[10] Murphy's films have grossed over $3.8 billion ($6.5 billion adjusted for inflation) in the United States and Canada box office,[11] and over $6.7 billion worldwide.[12] In 2015, his films made him the sixth-highest grossing actor in the United States.[13][11] As a singer, Murphy has released three studio albums, including How Could It Be (1985), So Happy (1989), and Love's Alright (1993). He is also known for the hit song "Party All the Time" from 1985.

Jo-Issa Rae Diop[1] (born January 12, 1985),[2] credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, and producer.[3][4] Founder of Hoorae Media, she achieved wider recognition as the co-creator, co-writer, and star of the HBO television series Insecure (2016–2021), for which she was nominated for multiple Golden Globes Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards.[5][6]

Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl.[7] Since 2011, Rae has continued to develop her YouTube channel, which features various short films, web series, and other content created by black people.[8][9] Her 2015 memoir, titled The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, became a New York Times bestseller.

Rae has also starred in feature films, with roles in the drama The Hate U Give (2018); the fantasy comedy Little (2019); the romance The Photograph (2020); the romantic comedy The Lovebirds (2020); the comedy thriller Vengeance (2022); and the comedies Barbie and American Fiction (2023), receiving nominations at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Critics' Choice Movie Awards with the cast. She also voiced Jess Drew / Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) and Beyond the Spider-Verse (upcoming). Rae provided the voice work for the short film Hair Love, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2020.[10]

In 2018 and 2022, Rae was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world,[11][12] and in 2014 in the Forbes '30 Under 30' list in the entertainment section.[13] She was recognized with the Peabody Trailblazer Award and the Producers Guild of America Visionary Award.

Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, and director. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

He rose to prominence starring in such films as The Untouchables (1987), Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), JFK (1991), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), The Bodyguard (1992), A Perfect World (1993), and Wyatt Earp (1994). During this time, Costner directed and starred in the western epic Dances with Wolves (1990), for which he won two Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. He then starred in and co-produced Waterworld (1995) and directed The Postman (1997) and Open Range (2003).[1]

Costner's other notable films include Silverado (1985) No Way Out (1987), Tin Cup (1996), Message in a Bottle (1999), For Love of the Game (1999), Thirteen Days (2000), Mr. Brooks (2007), Swing Vote (2008), The Company Men (2010), 3 Days to Kill (2014), Draft Day (2014), Black or White (2014), McFarland, USA (2015), and The Highwaymen (2019).[2] He has also played supporting parts in such films as The Upside of Anger (2005), Man of Steel (2013), Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), Hidden Figures (2016), Molly's Game (2017), and Let Him Go (2020).

On television, Costner portrayed Devil Anse Hatfield in the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys (2012), winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Since 2018, he has starred as John Dutton on the Paramount Network original drama series Yellowstone for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and a Golden Globe award.