In 1985 on the little Island of Long sat a town called Massapequa in the great state of New York.  In a little house sat a teenage boy and his grandmother.  They both loved to watch television and watched hours of movies and television shows. 

 

The grandmother would often ask, “Who is that actress?  Who is that actor?” “I know that face, where have I seen it before?”  The teenage boy only knew of the actors of his day, he knew of the Tom Cruise, the Charlie Sheen and the Anthony Michael Hall but had not a clue about who came before. 

 

The grandmother was often vexed and would spend hours trying to figure out where she saw that face.  “If only there was a magical book that kept the names and faces and work of all the actors and actresses in the world.  I could then look up these famous people and see what they have done and then I would be able to rest knowing that my questions were answered”.

 

The teenage boy laughed at his grandmother and said; “who knows maybe in the future a magic book will exist”.  He rolled his eyes and laughed and went back to watching M.A.S.H.

 

 

2007

Welcome to the future where magic exists, thanks to the wonderful Internet.  I wanted to use this article to talk a little about the best website in the world: IMDB.com (Internet Movie Database).  I am on this site almost daily and I have friends in the entertainment business who could not do their work without the help of this website. 

 

With IMDB.com never again will people have to watch a movie and suddenly become obsessed with a face or name that they cannot place.  My grandmother loves this site now and almost daily is pausing her television shows or movie in order to check a name or face. 

 

IMDB.com has thousands of celebrities and their work listed worldwide.  If you put in the name “Harrison Ford” then it will give you the most recent piece of work he is currently doing.  In Mr. Ford’s case he is filming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and it will go all the way down to his first appearance on the Mike Douglas show in 1977 (promoting the first Star Wars film).  You can check Groucho Marx and find out all his movie and television appearances.  By clicking on the movie on the website it will launch you to the movie’s main page where it will show all the other actors who were in it.  So what are the uses of this site above and beyond satisfying your curiosity?  This is a great tool for research projects, It is also great to find someone the perfect holiday gift (If they are fans of Woody Allen, you can search Woody Allen and find all his movies listed in one easy to find area) and it’s the perfect place to track down that familiar face.  

 

The website also offers much more.  Not only does it have actors but it also is a place you can look up writers, producers, or even someone who worked in the art department.  If they got a credit in a movie, television show or commercial then they will be listed on IMDB.com

 

The website will also tell you what is currently playing in the movies and television.  It will give reviews and warnings about what age level the shows or movies are geared towards.  Under “show times” it will tell you where a movie is playing as well as let you know what channel, time and date an old or current television show or movie is listed.  It will feature current news and gossip about celebrities and entertainment.  You can also discover what is new on DVD as well as join the message boards and chat with other fans on the site.

 

While the website does have some minor flaws (release dates can be confusing when dealing with international releases) I think most people are happy with it’s comprehensive package.  

 

So next time you are sitting home and watching your favorite show and you know you have seen that guest star in the past.  Pause your show and head over to your computer and search either the show or the actor’s name.  

 

The days of relying on our memories are over.  Check out IMDB.com and have fun.