Yahoo Serious
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| Yahoo Serious | |
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| Born | Greg Pead July 27, 1953 Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia |
| Years active | 1988 - present |
| Spouse(s) | LuLu Serious |
| Official website | |
Yahoo Serious (born July 27, 1953), originally known as Greg Pead (name-change by deed poll in 1980), is an Australian film actor, director and score composer. He is best known through his filmwork for his 1988 comedy, Young Einstein. He also created Reckless Kelly in 1993 and Mr. Accident in 2000. Serious writes, directs, produces, stars in, and has composed the scores for all his own movies.
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[edit] Career
Yahoo Serious was born in Cardiff, City of Lake Macquarie in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia. He went to Cardiff High School, then worked as a tyre fitter to pay for his tuition at the National Art School in Sydney. After being expelled, Serious wrote, produced, and directed his first film at age 21, a documentary called Coaltown which explored the social and political history of coal mining. The following year, his television series Lifestyle won the Australian Penguin Award for Best Educational Documentary.
In 1988, Yahoo Serious wrote, produced, and directed Young Einstein, an intentionally inaccurate movie portraying Albert Einstein as a young farmer in Tasmania who discovers rock music and surfing, romances Marie Curie, and derives the formula E=mc² while trying to discover a means of creating beer bubbles. The movie was an international hit, grossing over $100 million worldwide, and propelling Serious to stardom.
In 1993, Yahoo Serious released his next film, Reckless Kelly, a satire about a modern descendant of the notorious Australian bank robber Ned Kelly who also becomes a movie star in Hollywood. While Reckless Kelly was a hit in Australia, it failed outside of the country and ended Serious's bid for mainstream international popularity. In 2000, Yahoo Serious released his third film Mr. Accident, about the most accident-prone man in the world. Like Reckless Kelly, the film was not a commercial success, but has a cult following.
Yahoo Serious received an honorary doctorate from the University of Newcastle, where he originally failed to get his degree.
He is also a director of The Kokoda Track Foundation, and has trekked the Kokoda Track a number of times.
Yahoo Serious has been more recently recognized for his work with the Melbourne Symphony orchestra, conducting and directing several successful self composed opera works such as 'SNAP' and 'The Tragedy of the Lone Ranger' and 'Ophelius Drake' for which he has won several ARIA music awards.[citation needed]
[edit] Yahoo Serious vs Yahoo!
In August 2000, Yahoo Serious tried to sue the search engine Yahoo! for trademark infringement. The case was quickly thrown out because Serious could not prove that he sells products or services under the name "Yahoo," and therefore could not prove that he suffered harm or confusion due to the search engine.[1]
[edit] References in popular culture
- In an episode of The Simpsons, "Bart vs. Australia" the family is shown a slide depicting a movie theater advertising a "YAHOO SERIOUS FILM FESTIVAL" on the marquee. A confused Lisa says, "I know those words, but that sign makes no sense."[2]
- In several episodes of the cult television show Mystery Science Theater 3000, host Michael J. Nelson speaks derisively of Yahoo Serious.
- In a Season 2 episode of American Idol, when asked by an audience member who should play him in a film, Clay Aiken responded first with "People say I look like Yahoo Serious".
[edit] References
- ^ Morris, Rachel. "Yahoo is really serious - Actor sues internet company over name" The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia) September 22, 2001, Local Section, pg. 10
- ^ http://www.snpp.com/episodes/2F13.html - Bart vs. Australia @ SNPP.com
