Word: phoenix
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Both "ecstasy" and "Sammy the Bull" Gravano came to Phoenix the same way: by stealth. But when they met, in the darker corners of this sprawling, newly built city, the result was explosive. Gravano arrived under the pseudonym Jimmy Moran, placed in secrecy by the federal witness-protection program. The former underboss of New York City's Gambino crime family and a hit man responsible for 19 murders, Gravano became the government's most important witness against the Mob. His testimony put 37 top-level mobsters behind bars and earned him a $1 million price on his head. Flush with...
...Empire, is this: in A.D. 180, Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) is ailing. He anoints his best general, Maximus (Crowe), a man whose motto is "Strength and Honor," as Protector of Rome until it can again become a republic. Before announcing his decision, Marcus informs his son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who lusts to be Emperor. Commodus is displeased by the news; he smothers Marcus in his bosom, murdering him with a filial embrace, and proclaims himself Emperor. In short order, the nasty boy has swiped Maximus' job, ordered his death, killed his boss, razed his home, and had his wife...
Casting the film, Scott tested Jude Law for Commodus but went with Phoenix, an odd, inspired choice: beneath the villain's sliminess is an unloved child with vivid plans for vengeance. Scott's choice of Nielsen also was resisted, but the Danish beauty brings a regal presence to the film. The boozy, exuberant Reed gave a superbly knowing performance--alas, his last. He died toward the end of shooting; one scene was accomplished with a body double and some digital legerdemain (which also added tiers to the Colosseum). Crowe, deep into his Jeffrey Wigand character in The Insider, was persuaded...
...terms of plot, Gladiator has some fairly epic ambitions of its own. Maximus is adored by the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), who is nearing death and tortured by uncertainties over his place in history. Therefore, he decides to bypass his power-hungry son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), as emperor and invest all his authority in Maximus, who can then re-empower the senate and help Rome return to its glory days as a republic. Maximus is not particularly enthusiastic he'd much rather occupy his time with a less stressful task, like tending crops, but he reluctantly agrees. Next...
...take that same laptop with the Wi-Fi wireless network card to the Austin Bergstrom Airport, in Austin, Texas. For a fee, you can connect to the Wi-Fi-compatible network there and roar out onto the Internet. Or go to any one of 30 hotels in Tampa, Fla., Phoenix, Ariz., and Austin and get online wirelessly from your room. By year's end, more than 1,000 hotels and 25 major airports in the U.S. are expected to offer this service; a dozen airports in Europe will also have it and be compatible. I'm told that a major...