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Tulamben Diving Sites east of Bali

Monday, September 23, 2013
A small village on the north-east coast of Bali
TYPE OF DIVE: Shore Diving, Wreck-diving, Wall-diving, Night-diving, Deep-diving, photography
(Batu Kelebit is a 5min outrigger journey from Tulamben)
VISIBILITY: 12 - 25 metres
CURRENT: Zero to mild currents
DEPTHS: 3 - 40 metres (average depth 18 metres)
MIN LEVEL: Introductory - suitable for every level and interest!
HIGHLIGHTS: Extraordinary diversity of marinelife, huge school of Big-eyed Trevally. 120-metre shipwreck, beautifully coloured wall. Full Moon Night Dive. Great photographic opportunities and colour contrast with the black sand. AquaMarine's first choice for our special 1 Day Intro Adventure Diving Program. Great snorkelling site.
CONDITIONS: Black sand slope with a 120-metre shipwreck, coral gardens and a wall. The fist-sized black stones can make entry tricky when there are waves present.

Tulamben is the most famous area for diving in Bali and therefore where you are more probable to the photographers and the writers internationally recognized of the meeting. The bay of Tulamben, like the rest of Bali, is located in richer the marine biogeografy zone of the world. Being in the northeast coast, the bay have very rich plankton waters of the main current of the ocean that moves from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. This, joined with the fact that the three main sites of the plunge provide totally diverse physical atmospheres, means that Tulamben contains an imposingly diverse underwater ecosystem. The beach is the fist-classified black volcanic rocks that become sand in shallows. This black sand does not provide the reflective characteristics of the white sand like the limestone stone, combined with the amount of plankton in the water, it does not explain the relatively low visibility (12-25M). Nevertheless it provides a dramatic resistance, that brings outside towards the colors of the chorales, gorgonians, the fish and the other marine life. 100s of the macro-species that live here mixes and puts wonderfully in resistance with the sand.Tulamben is a wonderful place to learn to plunge themselves and to learn on underwater life. There is sightings occasional of the Mola-Mola (Sunfish), Manta rays, whale shark, the tuna and the other pelagic but is the permanent population of Tulamben. The shipwreck of the freedom of USAT the most famous site of the plunge of Bali. Circa constructed to east WWI cargo vessel was equipped of the arms for WWII, torpedoed by the Japanese of Lombok; in spite of attempts to tow the ship to North Bali it took in too much water so it was beached in Tulamben. On the years any re-usable thing was cleared. In 1963, with the land tremors of the eruption passed of the Agung assembly, the ruin slipped more far under the hill where still it lies (as near the beach as it can be and still to be underwater). The freedom almost lies parallel coast outside of approximately 30m to the beach in the hill of the sand and is advisable for all the levels of the qualification and the experience. The ruin lies in depths from 9-30m; the lowest part of the ruin, where it touches the hill of the sand, is in 5-10m. The depth throughout the center of the ruin is 16-20m. The edge more under the ruin, the future plain the hill, is 20-28m (in the high tide). The ruin is 120m long, he is broken enough upon (no penetration possible) but you can immovable consider the arms, dressing tables, the boilers, the chain of anchor, the etc. Is a charming site of the plunge, possibly the easiest plunge of the ruin of the world. You also can tube respirator in the ruin - the point upper of the stern is near 4m underneath the surface. The visibility is generally 18-25m, low when there is been raining. There is rarely a present present, at the most he will be smooth. During the 3 days before the Full Moon, there are waves generally. Temperature of the air is 25-32degrees, the water 26-28degrees. Trevally (cats), ruin of the freedom, Tulamben the ruin is very popular between the photographers then encrusted totally in anemone, gorgonia and chorales. The black sand provides an excellent resistance of the color for the incredible variety of marinelife, that includes an enormous school (literally 100s) of the fish of silver 10-12inch calls Great Trevally and on 400 other species of fish. All the fish are very domestic (partly as resulting from some guides that feed them, something a practice of the non environmentally sound of the Goatfish and the Wrasse that mordiscan around your feet and fins during exit door to the Unicornfish and to the Surgeonfish that make a (that alarms the first time slightly to you to see them) beeline for your mask as you swim down towards the ruin. It is absolutely difficult to enumerate what you will see because you will see just mainly in any tour guide Hindu-Pacific of Reef if you plunge yourself here. Of the Anglerfish meticulous, nudibranches, the Pipefish of the ghost, the neon systems of camarĂ³n/de goby, to traverse to the areas of the eels of the garden and clouds multi-colored of anthias and damsels and ignited to the schools of Sweetlips, Batfish, fusiliers, Butterfly fish, the variety is amazing. Then there are the invertebrates, the hard and smooth chorales, choral black, sponges with crinoids, ventilators of the sea, tunicates. If you plunge early the first snorkeling in the ruin (only possible if you remain during the night) you can, you can, to see the turtle. It is the best hour to plunge the ruin. The jump at night in the ruin is great specially during the Full Moon. You can see Spanish dancers, fish of the lantern, fosforescencia. The wall has profuse sponges, corals, black coral bushes, gorgonian fans - at 30M there's one that reaches 2M in width that we visit for the Deep Dive on Advanced Courses. The wall, the lava spur, then reverts to being a steep slope.The fish life is similar to that found on the wreck but being a much larger area, is less dense. However, more often than on the Wreck, you will see white tip reef shark, large Napoleon Wrasse, big Bumphead Parrotfish, some big Filefish (including Scrawled), and large Moray Eel. Late afternoon is the time to see the wide variety of Lionfish that live here, I'm not the person to ask why we see so many of them! There have been sightings of Whale Shark in as little as 9M of water, and much deeper, Hammerhead Shark. The back reef at the top of the Wall, averaging 5M, contains an excellent 'aquarium section', including cuttlefish, octopus, boxer crabs and many other unexpected treasures, enabling you to finish your dive at around 5m for pretty much as long as you want to. This is, of course, also very popular with snorkelers. The Coral Garden Blue Ribbon Eel, Tulamben Coral Garden Blue Ribbon Eel Adult Female Rhinomuraena quaesita Running along the middle section of Tulamben beach is a shallow reef (averaging 8-12m so also excellent for snorkelling) of mainly table and fire corals interspersed with anemones as well as barrel and other sponges. The fishlife, as with the Drop-off and the Wreck, is very diverse. It is here that you can see a surprising number of Blue Ribbon Eels (the juveniles are black) and octopus, the variety of shrimp is surprising too along with the different anemonfish. The bigger fish seen here are Bumphead Parrotfish and Black Tip reef shark. The depth and location make the Coral Garden a very good, and popular, Night Dive on which you may see Spanish Dancers and flashlight fish. In fact the diving actually extends much deeper than 12M, if you carry on down the sand slope, you'll find barrel sponges with many surprises: juvenile Emperor Angelfish, Two-spot Lionfish, maybe a school of juvenile catfish; cleaning stations with shrimp and wrasse, a shoal of Razorfish swaying in their hiding place. If you continue along the slope, towards the start of the Drop-off, you'll come to a dry river bed, scooped out into a bowl-shape, marked by ridges radiating outwards. These ridges are often the best places in Tulamben to find unexpected specimens. Although it is certainly not an area for divers looking for a profusion of marinelife! Batu Kelebit (Kelebit Rocks) A 15 min. jukung (local outrigger) ride east from Tulamben Bay will take you to these two large rocks that lie just offshore. The dive site is quite dramatic and consists of three steep ridges encrusted with an incredible diversity of hard corals, beautiful sea fans, fire corals and sponges and between these ridges are channels of white sand. Coleman Shrimp in Fire Urchin Coleman Shrimp in Fire Urchin Periclimenes colemani In fact, it is not only the colour of the sand that differs from Tulamben Bay, the species of even the most common reef fish are different too. The marine life varies from the tiny up to the very large: the steepness of the site combined with the structure of the ridges (and plankton-rich water) means you also have much more chance to see pelagics including barracuda, tuna, manta and white tip reef shark here than you do within the Bay. The diving here is colder than within Tulamben Bay and not only because the diving here is generally deeper: there's a cold water eddy that comes up from the depths. Visibility is generally as low as 15-20M due to the amount of plankton in the water. The current can be quite strong at times but the channels are well-protected.


Candidasa, East of Bali Tourism Area

 One of the tourism area in Karangasem is Candidasa, Candidasa maybe not as popular as Kuta or Nusa Dua, but Candidasa now days has many of Hotel and Restaurant with the lower price of course. The rate of Hotel in candidasa aroun 10-12 US$ that is so much cheaper than Kuta and Nusa Dua Rate.The advantage of candidasa is the situation is quite natural and not so much crowded like in Kuta or Nusa Dua, that why Candidasa ever be the most favourite place for Europe Tourist in the last years.
When the new road of "Ida Bagus Mantra" opened, the way to candidasa can take only 40 minutes from Denpasar. That is the same time of we want to go to Nusa Dua from Denpasar.
Candidasa have a quiet and natural white sand, maybe better than Kuta or Nusa Dua now days. Because there not so many population around there.
Soooo... if you have plan to visit the Nusa Dua or Kuta 30 years ago you can go to Candidasa that has a situation like Nusa Dua or Kuta at the past.

Temple of Lempuyang Luhur

Temple of Lempuyang Luhur located in the mountain of Lempuyang, Karangasem regency, east Bali . Hindu of named Balinese the sad Khayangan Agung Lempuyang Luhur, that it is the place for Hyang Iswara and Hyang Agni Jaya. Wali/piodalan(sacred day) held every six months, exactly in wuku Dungulan, Umanis Galungan, Thursday, or the day after the ceremony of Galungan. To go to the temple of Lempuyang from Denpasar, is about 80 kilometers, a trip about 2 hours to the east. Throughout the way, you will see landscape, the beautiful panoramas of the field of the rice and rivers.










There are 3 ways to go there, that is:
1. Way of Kemuda/Purwayu; to pass the village of Ngis Tista, Kemuda, Penataran Agung Lempuyang Luhur in Purwayu, Telaga But, To pass Agung to Lempuyang Luhur.
2. Way of Basangalas; passing the village of Ngis Tista, Basangalas, Banjar Gamongan, Telaga Sawang, Mpu Gni Jaya de Lempuyang right Madya-Parahyangan it advanced towards Luhuring Lempuyang Madya, To finally pass Agung and to Lempuyang Luhur.
3. Way of the regency of Karangasem; of the village of Bukit straight-line to the village of Jumeneng, temple of Kenusut, To pass then Agung and to Lempuyang Luhur.














Be careful, because in the rainy season the ways are very slippery and fangosos. But for those of you who like the adventure and the love to consider the mystery of the nature, the trip will bring to much diversion and pleasure to you. The temple of Lempuyang contains many of mysteries of of long term does, when Hyang Pasupati sang recommended Hyang Gni Jaya along with Hyang Putra Jaya and Dewi Danuh to save Bali of disaster. More ahead, according to the villagers, so or as to request, there is also the people such as who to come to the temple of Lempuyang for other intentions, to recover of diseases, she avoids bad, and is even politicians or the civil employees who request that its authority is in favor of always or tries to obtain certain position. They come generally in means at night, to avoid the public. It comes please to the temple of Lempuyang and obeys the rules in entering that the sacred place, so that your security is guaranteed. To request any direction of the Pure Pemangku (the person that is responsible for the temple) or any civil employee so that your trip is safe.

The means of Lempuyang have three versions which is :
1. Lempuyang take from the word lampu (light) that mean Lempuyang is a light from the God to stare all over the world.
2. Lempuyang take from the word Lempuyang which is a kitchen seasoning that can be used for some traditional medicine.
3. Lempuyang take from the word "emong or empu" that can be mean of the Guardian.

Lempuyang is one of the six major Temple in Bali besides Andakasa Temple, Uluwatu Temple, Watukaru Temple, Ulun Danu Batur Temple and Besakih Temple, Lempuyang take place in the East, in Balinese Myth, East direction is Guarding by Dewa Iswara that allways keep Bali allways stay in peace.

Besakih Temple in Karangasem

“ Mother of the Temple ” of Bali the overflow in the hills of theMount Agung feels Pure Besakih, referred extensively like the “Center of All temple” of the Hinduism in Bali. Pure Besakih, or the temple of Besakih in English, is greatest temple in Bali 11,000 or so Hindu temples, their 35 chapels and corridors draw throughout to devotee of Bali in massive numbers every year. The world is lucky to have Besakih. In 1963 the Agung assembly, a volcano, entered eruption and destroyed several next villages. Besakih was without touching. The temple is agreed generally to date again to prehistoric times in Bali. One names for the Naga Besukian -- the thought of the dragoon-God by pre-Hindu Balinese to inhabit this, the highest mountain of Bali. But at the beginning of 11mo Besakih century in a while became the temple of the state in which Bali was not no bad kingdom. It has continued being the temple of the state in a certain form or another one since and is financed by the government today. Like most of the temples of Balinese, Besakih is a closed nonbuilding but a subject mainly outdoors.

One is made up of patios with the altars and chapels dedicated to a number of Gods. And those Gods have better things to do than hardly to hang around a temple; the Balinese thinks that the Gods visit a temple particular dates -- and those dates the festivales of the grasping of Balinese to the honor (or to appease) the Gods. Of all the temples in Bali seises supremely is “holy: ” Pure Besakih, Pure Lempuyang Luhur, Pure Gua Lawah, Pure Batukaru, Pure Pusering Jagat, and Pure Uluwatu. Of these, Besakih is stopped above than the others -- because it so does not feel the some 3000 or feet on the ocean in the side of the mountain, but because he is more sacred to the Balinese. It reputes the only temple without class, casteless in the island in where any Hindu of Balinese can come to adore itself. The Hinduism de Bali is unique. Many scholars think that he gives a Vista us of the Hindu belief since much they existed 1500 ago to 2000 years. It was the Hinduism once the dominant religion in much of Asia South-Eastern and empires in the region where governed by the God-kings -- the empires have taste of Funan, Sri Vijaya, Angkor, and Bali.
The Hinduism de Bali is less made fragments than the one of modern India. Balinese is said generally to adore a God, the Brahman, who pronounces in several forms or personalities. The lees Arnold, in their article on the temples of Bali, quote an anonymous Balinese that explains its opinions: “I am as soon as a person; it can be that he is someday farmer, another one a conductor, another one a cook, but I continue being only one person.” Of the same form the “Hindu Gods” Siva and Vishnu (Siwa and Visnu in Balinese) are diverse really right manifestations of a God, Brahman, in theology of Balinese. Whereas this can be truth, the temples finish generally upon the portion like places in where one of the manifestations of the Brahman is adored; and Besakih is dedicated to a great extent to the adoration of Siva. Whereas the Hinduism de Bali can provide a glance in the religion beyond her is of no pure way. The religion of Balinese has kept Islam in the bay, but it has absorbed the animism and the adoration of ancestor native cultic Malay along with aspects of the Buddhism de Mahayana.
The anniversary of the temple, Odalan, is an excellent day to visit if you are looking for boato. But you must count on a a crowd of I vary thousand people. That ceremony comes in the tenth month of the calendar of Balinese, generally in April.

Tirta Gangga Karangasem Regency

History: The garden of the water of Tirtagangga was constructed in 1948 by the king of Karangasem, Anak Agung Anglurah Ketut Karangasem. This garden of the water was constructed in a very unique architecture of Balinese and Chinese styles.
Location: Tirtagangga is located in the village of Ababi, districto of Abang. It is near 83 kilometers of Denpasar and to 6 kilometers of Amlapura to the north.
Facility: The facilities available in this area are small hotels, small restaurants and the food is clogged, stores of the art and a portion of the parking area.

Description: The garden of the water of Tirtagangga scratches in an area of 1,2 hectares, that consists of three complexes. The first complex lies more in the level under this area, where we can find two pools and one tower of the water. The second complex in the mean level is the location in where we can find the swimming pools; whereas in the third part, that is the main complex, we can find the house of the rest of the king. Before the construction of the garden of the water, there was a water of great means in this area. Therefore the people who surrounded the area called east place “embukan” that she means the means water. The water of then means was worked to also satisfy the necessity with the people of the water and of the “purification” with the Gods (Ida Betara).
The monk to also construct to this garden of the water of the tranquil for his house of the rest and for the fresh climate of people the function and this area, plus the vision around, inspired king leisure and the pleasure.


Silayukti Temple in Padang Bai

As a door that connected Bali to Lombok, padang Bai has a harbor for some of ship to carry a people to moving trans island to Lombok island. Its quite cheap to go to lombok by fery, and only take about 20 minutes. even you can take your car also. Better than by plane that will cost you about 3 until 5 times much expensive cost.

In padang Bai you also can see a white sand shore, and lot of traditional fishing ship that still oftenly used by the traditional fisherman aroud the Village.
If you have plan to swim, Padang Bai is a good place to go.


North of the Bay, you can visit the Silayukti Temple. The temple consist of four major Temple and some of small temple around it. People in Bali believe Silayukti is one of the Oldest Temple in Bali.Legend say that Silayukti Temple was built by Empu Kuturan, a sacred priest from Java, that introduce the caste system to Bali in 11'th centuries. Every six balinese month, or excactly 210 days, there is a celebration in the temple. Most of Balinese people come to Silayukti Temple to pray, the celebration usually held in three days.If you have plan to stay for a vew days, there is some Hotel near the temple that you can visit.Maybe the Silayukti Temple is not famous as the Besakih Temple, but if you have time better you visit this place if you have plan to visit it as one of the east of Bali tourism area.

Labuhan Amuk Odyssey

A little bit north of Padang Bai you can visit the Labuhan Amuk area, Labuhan amuk famous with it's Coral reef view. Most of the tourist do the snorkeling around the Labuhan Amuk area.

Now in Labuhan amuk also build a new Odyssey Submarine that make you easy to see the underwater coral in there, without fear that yous body will scratch by the coral if you do a manual snorkeling because some time the water is very swallow and not enough place to for your body between the coral and the water.
With this submarine, the visitor can see various of coral and fish in the very wonderfull marine view.The submarine can reach 35 metres underwater for 45 minutes. For only 50 $ you can enter the submarine with 4x17 metres size and 72,6 ton weight, after you do a reservation of course.This submarine maybe the fisrt underwater travelling submarine in South East Asia.

Karangasem Regency

Karangasem Regency

Capital City : Amlapura
Width: 839.54 km2
Kecamatan:
1. Kubu
2. Rendang
3. Abang
4. Sidemen
5. Selat
6. Bebandem
7. Karangasem
8. Manggis
Karangasem Tourism Object
Location of Karangasem Demography the regency of Karangasem with Amlapura like central city is one of the 9 regencies/city that located in of the east of the island of Bali. This regional account 839,54 kilometers, consists widely of 8 secondary-district, divided in 71 administrative village resident by 369,320 people, has exotic opinion of nature of tropical climate. The special name “Mutiara dari Timur” with the prediction becomes a new machine the other growth in Bali specially the area of the tourism, small area of the industry, power that cultivate dry, black and also artistic gold-minute of its culture that does not rise in the other location.
Beautiful of the coastal field of the terrace is archeology of the inheritance, and the existence of the old village of Baliaga Tenganan is looked for nowadays by the domestic and foreign tourist. To have access to the relative which of the transport near province capital and quite fluids penetrable direct to the airport of Ngurah RAI Denpasar to the east, and the entrance through port of Padangbai.
Industries nationals the bamboo of the mat is extended in many of Karangasem of them used daily necessity like basket, boiler, gedeg and another one but becomes the artistic of the interior like the place of the fruit, the bokor, many latern, the sweepings etc. of impregnated by hotel and the restaurant nowadays. Sentra of this doing by hand/diligence extends the village of Tista, the village of the slopes of Tiing, the village of Sinduwati, the village of Pempatan, the village of Selat, the village of Budakeling, and the village of Bebandem. Ascended near 616 units, impregnating to 665 employees. The production of the capacities by unit of reachs 57,907 of the year with the Rp value. 752.800.000, - with an aim of the export and the premises of the commercialization to have taste of the regency of Gianyar.
The manuscript of Lontar of the mat of such palm in beginning is extended initially only like means to the covers bleeds spilled referred of “Bebanten” in the secondary one of Abang, the village of Culik. The other young leaf of the Coco of the lateral use named “sari of Saab” becomes the administrative village of Karangasem. Throughout the growth of the tourism, this mat extends to decide the request ot like the purse, box of I ornament, woven fine that the etc. Theere is near 195 efforts of the units with 48 employees, production of the place of the capacities by 73,125 units, with the Rp value. 292.500.000, - with the regional compartment of the market to have taste of the regency of Gianyar and Badung, on the other hand there is also exported. The handmade the diligence of Ties that we recognized the first time is sub village of Gumung, Tenganan de Manggis under the form of protector for the tradition “secret attraction of Megeret Pandan” made once a year related to the procession of the ceremony of Aci Sambah.
They continue to make the other form like purse, the box, the bokor, the operation, the place of the fine weave, the had etc taste by the tourist. Until now the type of these many of the mat of I clear in the full cross of substance of the citizen has taste of the Bungaya, the Bebandem, the Seraya and the other places. There is no less near 3,937 units of the efforts that impregnate to near 5,637 employees with capacities of the units of reach 165,660 of the production with value near 8.283.000, - the wood doing by hand /de the diligence the capacity in the manufacture of the statue of the growth of wood in Karangasem almost flattens the Karangasem totality quickly to of class of product, writing-desk, shock absorber, chair, window, forms “harbor art”, another one like the statue of the cat, tulipĂ¡n, primitive statue with the raw material of albesia of wood.
Extending itself in Rendang, Muncan, Nyuh Tebel, Tianyar etc. The center of the effort of the unit of this type not less 272 units, impregnated 1,100 employees who production per year near 37,842 the valuable reach Rp. 1.234.500.000, -. The mat of the type of the pine of the screw of local power of the enviromental friendly feat of the mat of the tree of this pine of the screw is even extended and been able nowadays to be able to the penetrated compartment of the export and the premises of the market. The production of this mat is designed under the form of artistic masterpiece of the purse, fine weave of the place, map, monedero, speedboat, platform of the crystal with area of the center in the village of Tumbu, subdistrict of Karangasem.
That is a little info about Karangasem, for the detail of tourism are i will write it in another post.

Bali Villas, a Best Place for Vacations

Villa in Bali
Bali Villas is located in Bali, an island of God, is known for heavy tourist traffic nowadays. Tourists can enjoy maximum of the amazing weather, sun and sand while staying in Bali Villas. The most important aspect that has helped the tourism department in Bali in villa in Bali! Well, these are the dwelling places for the tourists associated with all modern amenities. Please check out out website allbalivillas.com for more information about villas in Bali.

The tourists are literally crazy about these Bali villas as they personify the Balinese architecture and style. The serene and calm atmosphere surrounding these Bali villas is one of the major attractions of the island. As the sun, sand and culture is popular of these islands, these Bali villas are among the top ten of Bali culture. The people who visit Bali villas once in their lifetime can never forget them because they virtually get attached to the ambience there. Tourist can get more information on our website allvalivillas.com before they plan their vacations in Bali.
Villa in Bali

 The most fascinating feature of Bali villas is freedom to relax in complete privacy. The tourists all over the world are attracted towards these Bali villas every year and the number is increasing day by day. The calm and serene atmospheres these Bali villas provide you are in drastic opposition to the mainstream hotels. The excessive crowd and noise are absolutely lacking in these villas. That is why these Bali villas are paradise for the peace lovers.


Villa in Bali
Tourist can avail various packages at Bali villas. The Bali villa is truly the best for couples who want to enjoy their honeymoon to brim in a very quiet and serene environment. They also can avail themselves the Bali villas honeymoon packages and get closer to each other thus building long term relationships. There are also many other packages available along with these like vacation and holiday packages and others, depending upon your requirement, you can choose the one suitable for you. Air-conditioned bedrooms and spacious living and dining etc will also make you yearn for extending your stay here. Please visit allbalivillas.com for more information about packages.

Bali Travel Guide Advice And Attactions In Bali For First Time Visitors To Bali

So When Should You Travel To Bali?

Bali Travel Guide - A Pictorial of the Must See & Do Attractions

   
        Bali, Indonesia the land of the Gods, is a popular holiday destination among travellers from around the world. Many go there for its beautiful landscape - big waves that are suitable for surfing, beautiful beaches, lush greenery, breath-taking rice terraces, rustic villages and not forgetting, its colourful and rich culture intertwined with religion, myths and legends.

        Come July, I will be going off on my very first trip to Bali for four days and three nights. Like every other traveller, I need to have a travel itinerary on the things I should see or do during my stay in Bali and after doing some research, here are some of the top must see and do attractions in Bali, as listed (in random order) by TripAdvisor. I will use it as a guide to plan my itinerary and I hope the information provided here will benefit you too.

Tanah Lot

Tegalalang Rice Terraces

Ulun Danu Bratan Temple

Mount & Lake Batur, Kintamani

Uluwatu
Gunung Kawi
Taman Ayun
Pura Taman Saraswati
Pura Tirtha Empul
Besakih Mother Temple
Wild Dolphin Watching, Lovina 
USS Liberty Shipwreck Dive Site
Seafood at Jimbaran Bay
Surfing at Kuta Beach

Kecak

Sukawati Market

        Do let me know if I missed out anything from the list above or feel free to recommend any places or activities that you have been or done in Bali. I will share my travel itinerary as well as travel experiences soon. This will be the first of the many trips I will be embarking ahead. Stay tune for more posts and feel free to share your travel advice or experiences with me.

Alexa Ray Joel Biography

Saturday, January 19, 2013
Alexa Ray Joel
Alexa Ray Joel
 Alexa Ray Joel (born December 29, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. She is the daughter and only child of singer-songwriter Billy Joel and supermodel Christie Brinkley.

Joel released an EP Sketches (2006) and several singles on independent record labels. Joel has performed at numerous charity events and New York City fashion events, and in 2010 was chosen to be the spokesmodel for Prell shampoo.


Early life and influences

Alexa Ray Joel
Alexa Ray Joel

Joel is the daughter of singer Billy Joel and his second wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley. Her middle name Ray is in honor of the late musician Ray Charles. She has a half-brother Jack Paris (Taubman, born 1995) and a half-sister Sailor Lee (Cook, born 1998), both children of her mother Christie Brinkley.

Her father, Billy Joel, wrote his 1994 song "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" for her, and she has stated it is her favorite song of his. His 1989 song "The Downeaster Alexa" is titled after a boat he named after her, but is about the struggles of Long Island fishermen. Joel is also referenced in her father's 1989 song "Leningrad" (with lyrics: "...He made my daughter laugh, then we embraced..."), in which "He" refers to a Russian man who became a circus clown after being in the Red Army.)

When she was two years old, Joel's father sang and played nursery rhymes for her on the piano. She dressed in the costume of singers and musical characters and performed for her parents. At the urging of her mother, beginning at age 4, and more seriously from about age 11 through 16, Joel pursued classical piano training. She later said that "piano playing was more of a skill that I had to hone,... not as easy for me as singing and songwriting," and which she humorously said sometimes involved "kicking and screaming." However, Joel later expressed gratitude for her classical piano training, saying that she considers classical music to be "the foundation of all music as well as the most 'musical' type of music," and that her classical experience made her a "very melodic" songwriter. Piano lessons were "what really got me into songwriting" and were "the platform for the melodies and ideas I would come up with." "My ear training came in a very organic way, just from futzing around, singing with my dad at the piano."

Noting that her musical upbringing with her father gave her a "unique inside-peek into the songwriting process," in 2006 Joel remarked that "It's no wonder I write music in the same way (my father) does: melody first, and lyrics second." Joel said that by age 15 she was finishing complete songs and complementing those songs with piano accompaniment, describing her lyrics as taking on more depth during the ensuing two years because she was also writing poetry. After studying classical piano, she recalled that she hadn't "really committed to the art of songwriting" until she was about eighteen."

Joel attended the Berklee College of Music's five week Music-Fest workshop, which reportedly "encourag(ed) her to explore her gifts as a singer and performer" and "helped her gain confidence" as she had been a shy teenager.

Joel attended New York University (NYU) as a freshman in the musical theater program, which she said was "great" and influenced her as a songwriter since "some of my songs in their structure are sort of like theater songs." However, Joel also reported feeling "disconnected" in the musical theater program at college, retreating to the piano to focus on writing and performing her own songs. She left NYU to pursue a career in music.

Alexa Ray Joel
Alexa Ray Joel
Career

At age 19, in 2005 Joel assembled a band and performed her debut live show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey, also performing at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey. In 2006 Joel played nearly 100 shows,[citation needed] including a Hard Rock Cafe tour completed in May 2006

Sketches

Joel self-released and independently distributed the six-song EP Sketches in August 2006, which she promoted by visits to 16 cities. Joel explained "It's called Sketches because it's like raw sketches, pretty much what we sound like live. About three of the songs, actually, were done in one take." "There was no specific strategy behind this EP. We simply recorded six songs that I liked because they were eclectic. ... I was just really trying to put out different styles, a whole mixture of stuff," from "jazzy" ("Song of Yesterday") to "doo-wop" ("The Heart of Me") to "funky" ("Now It's Gone").

She cautioned that Sketches was not a "first album" but rather "a raw CD that was initially intended to be only a demo." "When I was recording Sketches, just going into a studio and working out songs with other musicians was new to me. I didn't have people around me making decisions; I really did it myself. So, Sketches is really the baby, the egg that hatched." "I don't have a team of managers and assistants around me because it's very important to feel like I can do this on my own – especially considering who my father is."

Joel designed and illustrated the CD cover, packaging and inserts that included her handwritten lyrics.
 

Joel has commented on the six tracks on Sketches:


  
  Joel said that she wrote "The Revolution Song" near the end of her freshman year, when she was more introverted than others in NYU's musical theater program.[11] With lyrics "We spend all our days tryin' to make somebody proud, It's enough to make me wanna go and scream it out loud," she said that it was "one of the most liberating songs for me to write."[11] "There is always resistance when you're young ... wanting to have passion and desire and love. ... So I wrote about what I felt."[24]

    Joel explained that "Now It's Gone" is about her mother's separation from her then husband amid allegations of his infidelity: "I wrote ("Now It's Gone") in a day. It came really naturally. It helped me get rid of the anger that I have. When I perform it, the anger boils back up because I get into the song. But (the anger has) kind of all washed itself away in the lyrics. "People can hear that song ('Now It's Gone') and get angry at whoever, some annoying person in their life."

    Joel referred to "Song of Yesterday" as "my Ray Charles song, ... about being more inspired by the music of my father's generation as opposed to my own," expressing "longing for the music of the past." "It's very old-school,... (when) people focused on melodies back in the day."

    Joel said "The Heart of Me" is "about how I reveal myself in my songs and my dependency on music. I was shyer then, so it was harder for me to communicate naturally." "'The Heart of Me'... introduce(d) me, and the fact that I do write my own music, which I wanted to make clear on my album." Of the lyrics, "I'm so tired of hearing these love songs," Joel explained "I was longing for a different time, when songwriters wrote really good songs."

    "Resistance" was "written when I was 18, at a time when I was a very shy, awkward girl. ... I was craving a passionate, intimate connection with a man! I wrote that song when I was very into theater, so it's almost theater rock."

    Sketches also included a pop/rock cover of Neil Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down."

Joel's work in Sketches was characterized as including a "coiled rebellious streak that seems greatly at odds with the rich melodicism of the music,.... (displaying) anxious outsider tendencies throughout the EP." The allmusic review of Sketches said that a "restless tendency has been passed on from father to daughter, along with whatever natural musical genes, which makes Alexa Ray Joel, on the basis of this debut EP, one of the best second-generation rockers to yet emerge." The Phoenix New Times said that this, Joel's first EP, "doesn't bear the mark of a burgeoning genius so much as that of a solid, self-aware songwriter who's still fine-tuning her craft," characterizing her songs as having a "smooth, jazzy vibe, ... vocal-driven with simple piano accompaniment," and further commenting on Joel's "soulful, lilting voice and clean melodies." The West Valley View compared Joel to aspects of Norah Jones, Aretha Franklin, and Nelly Furtado, and described Sketches as having "six delicately crafted rock-infused soul songs that dance openly with pop aesthetics – catchy hooks, superb piano arrangements, full choruses, guitar-teasing melodies."

Alexa Ray Joel
Alexa Ray Joel

After Sketches

Joel performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (April 2007), the 2007 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (June 2007), and the Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival (September 2007).

Joel performed onstage with her father during the 2008 Rainforest Foundation Fund Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall on May 8, 2008. Other charity events at which Joel has performed include the "Save Sag Harbor" benefit concert (2008), the "Stage For The Cure" benefit for pediatric cancer (New York City, 2008), a benefit for The Art of Elysium (artists for seriously ill children; The Hamptons, 2009), a benefit for Habitat for Humanity (Long Beach, New York, 2010), the "Right To Play Day" benefit (Sag Harbor, New York, 2010), and the Eric Trump Foundation benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (New York City, 2010). She has also supported animal rights, including the Animal Haven's Speakeasy Bash (New York City, 2012).

Joel and her father performed his song "Baby Grand" at a Barack Obama election fundraiser at the Hammerstein Ballroom on October 16, 2008.


Joel debuted her single "Invisible" on The Wendy Williams Show in October 2009, the song being described as a "piano-driven ballad... about a bad breakup."

Joel's "Notice Me" single, released on May 24, 2010, was listed as a "Hit-Bound song" on the Sirius XM Hits 1 satellite radio channel in August 2010. Newsday described the single as having a "carefree braininess" and "bouncy guitar riffs and an instantly hummable chorus" that made Joel's work "sound like Regina Spektor crossed with Katy Perry." "Notice Me" is Joel's first collaboration with producer Tommy Byrnes and her first since signing with Long Beach, New York management company OCD Music Group/The Hang Productions. Joel described the "Notice Me" video as using fashion to show both a modern look and a vintage throwback look.

Joel had a residency playing in the Oak Room of New York's Plaza Hotel in late 2010 and early 2011, said to add a "contemporary vibe" to the "storied venue." 

Fashion

Joel has been active in New York fashion events. She performed at Manhattan's "Fashion's Night Out" in 2009 (Elie Tahari), 2010 (Bloomingdale's), and 2011 (Bloomingdale's). During New York Fashion Week in September 2012, Joel interviewed celebrities and designers as a host for social networking website Julib.com and she performed at the launch of Bobbi Brown's book Pretty Powerful: Beauty Stories to Inspire Confidence, also appearing with Brown on Today

Artistry and influences

Joel described her music while in the Musical Theater program at NYU as taking on a musical theater tone, and, because at age 18 she "didn’t really have a boyfriend... or know as much," her music was "dreamy and idealistic," "not necessarily as edgy."
Portrait of Joel in early 2010.

Joel characterized the genre of her debut 2006 EP Sketches as being "pop/soul/blues," its allmusic review describing Joel as "drawing on a lot of different styles" to create "instantly familiar pop." The following spring, Joel described this earlier work as having been "idealistic and maybe a little more poppy," explaining that her ensuing work "goes a little deeper" and focuses more on the lyrics, some of her newer songs being in the jazz and country genres. Her published works have been classified in the pop/rock, and jazz genres. Joel herself explained that it is a "mistake" for artists "to confine their music into one specific genre, ... because there are so many styles of music to be influenced by." One commentater remarked that Joel's "pitch-perfect singing and big kit bag of stylistic flourishes ... allow this versatile vocalist/songwriter to sound like a Billie Holiday or Etta James one moment, then a Carole King or even a Dolly Parton the next.

Joel has likened her creative approach to that of her father Billy Joel: In 2006 Joel explained that, like her father, she strives to write songs that are very melodic, with a unifying theme or hook being present throughout. However, her songs are distinct: Joel was described as writing "tight, melodic, catchy songs that are as classically constructed as her father's without sounding much like his work," Joel being said to have more in common with the "classicist coffeehouse pop" of Norah Jones than with her father. Asked about their respective musical styles, Joel responded: Mine is "a bit more soulful, more blues than my dad's. He’s more pop rock."

Asked about her approach to songwriting, Joel explained that her "pattern is that songs are easiest for me when I’m really in the throes of things. I don’t think I write as well when a lot of time has gone (by) and I look back and reflect. ... I like to write when I’m feeling it in the moment. "I usually have the melody first, and (then) the lyrics," noting that her father "focuses on the melody first, and then, the lyrics are always very fitting, ... you never say “oh, that sounds awkward.” Like the pieces of a puzzle, everything just fits together." "My favorite songs are simple songs." "I’m very, very old school,...I like songs that sound like…classics. ... like they’re timeless. I’m always trying to emulate that with my songs."[11] Even before Sketches was released, a reviewer remarked "There's nothing remotely indie or trendy about Joel. As a songwriter she's clearly absorbed the classics Carole King, Elton John, Billy Joel."[54] In 2006 Joel said "I like slow-burning jazz songs," and in 2008 cited Ray Charles, Norah Jones, Billie Holiday and Etta James as influences." In 2011, however, Joel reportedly mentioned Pink Floyd, Radiohead, June Carter, Regina Spektor and Lily Allen as influences.

Asked in 2012 what inspires her music, Joel replied "love and relationships inspire me most of all," adding that "music from great songwriters inspires me to constantly challenge and push myself creatively, and to delve into places I might otherwise be hesitant about. "(Y)ears ago, I was ... primarily influenced by... classic singer-songwriters like Carole King, Ray Charles, and Randy Newman, so I was writing within the genre of an old-school sound with simply structured pop-chords and a Beach Boys/bluesy feel. Now, I’ve grown tired of that niche and those influences, and I’m moving fastidiously into a much darker, mature place than I would’ve ever expected through listening to artists like Radiohead, The Cure, Annie Lennox, Fiona Apple, and Rufus Wainwright. Suddenly, I have an urge to only write in minor chord (pro)gressions, and to supplement those eery melodies alongside lyrics with a tinge of tragedy and cynicism to them."

Concerning artistic development, Joel, who described herself as having been "overly polite" and avoiding confrontation, advised in late 2010 that "Your songs are your babies, you have to protect them, and you cannot let anybody tweak them or finish them in a way that you feel isn't right."

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexa_Ray_Joel

Angelina Jolie Biography

Monday, December 31, 2012
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie, born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress and film director. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie promotes humanitarian causes, and is noted for her work with refugees as a Special Envoy and former Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She is often cited as the world's "most beautiful" woman, a title for which she has received substantial media attention.

Jolie made her screen debut as a child alongside her father Jon Voight in Lookin' to Get Out (1982), but her film career began in earnest a decade later with the low-budget production Cyborg 2 (1993). Her first leading role in a major film was in the cyber-thriller Hackers (1995). She starred in the critically acclaimed biographical television films George Wallace (1997) and Gia (1998), and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama Girl, Interrupted (1999).

Jolie achieved wide fame after her portrayal of video game heroine Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), and established herself among the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood with the sequel The Cradle of Life (2003). She reinforced her reputation as a leading action star with Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) and Wanted (2008)—her biggest non-animated commercial successes to date[8]—and received further critical acclaim for her performances in the dramas A Mighty Heart (2007) and Changeling (2008), which earned her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Jolie made her directorial debut with the wartime drama In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011).

Divorced from actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton, Jolie now lives with actor Brad Pitt, in a relationship notable for fervent media attention. Jolie and Pitt have three adopted children and three biological children.

Early life and family

Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie

After her parents' separation in 1976, Jolie and her brother lived with their mother, who abandoned her acting ambitions to focus on raising her children. As a child, Jolie regularly saw movies with her mother and later explained that this had inspired her interest in acting; she had not been influenced by her father. When she was six years old, her mother and stepfather, filmmaker Bill Day, moved the family to Palisades, New York; they returned to Los Angeles five years later. She then decided she wanted to act and enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, where she trained for two years and appeared in several stage productions.

At the age of 14, Jolie dropped out of her acting classes and aspired to become a funeral director. She began working as a fashion model, modeling mainly in Los Angeles, New York, and London. During this period, she wore black clothing, experimented with knife play, and went out moshing with her live-in boyfriend. Two years later, after the relationship had ended, she rented an apartment above a garage a few blocks from her mother's home. She graduated from high school and returned to theater studies, though in recent times she has referred to this period with the observation, "I am still at heart—and always will be—just a punk kid with tattoos."

Jolie suffered episodes of suicidal depression throughout her teens and early twenties. She felt isolated at Beverly Hills High School among the children of some of the area's affluent families, as her mother survived on a more modest income, and she was teased by other students, who targeted her for being extremely thin and for wearing glasses and braces. She found it difficult to emotionally connect with other people, and as a result she started to self-harm; later commenting, "I collected knives and always had certain things around. For some reason, the ritual of having cut myself and feeling the pain, maybe feeling alive, feeling some kind of release, it was somehow therapeutic to me." She also began experimenting with drugs; by the age of 20, she had tried "just about every drug possible," including heroin.

Jolie has had a difficult relationship with her father. Due to Voight's marital infidelity and the resulting breakup of her parents' marriage, she was estranged from her father for many years. They reconciled and he appeared with her in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), but their relationship again deteriorated. In July 2002, Jolie—who had long used her middle name as a stage name to establish her own identity as an actress—filed a request to legally drop Voight as her surname, which was granted on September 12, 2002. In August of that year, Voight claimed his daughter had "serious mental problems" on Access Hollywood. In response, Jolie released a statement in which she indicated that she no longer wished to pursue a relationship with her father. She explained that because she had adopted her son Maddox, she did not think it was healthy for her to associate with Voight. In the wake of her beloved mother's death from ovarian cancer on January 27, 2007, Jolie again reconciled with her father after a six-year estrangement.

Career

Early work: 1982; 1991–1997

Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie

When she was seven years old, Jolie had a small part in Lookin' to Get Out (1982), a movie co-written by and starring her father, Jon Voight. She committed to acting at the age of 16, but initially found it difficult to pass auditions, often being told that she was "too dark." She appeared in five of her brother's student films, made while he attended the USC School of Cinema-Television, as well as in several music videos, namely Lenny Kravitz's "Stand by My Woman" (1991), Antonello Venditti's "Alta Marea" (1991), The Lemonheads's "It's About Time" (1993), and Meat Loaf's "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" (1993). She began to learn from her father, as she noticed his method of observing people to become like them. Their relationship during this time was less strained, with Jolie realizing that they were both "drama queens."

Jolie began her professional film career in 1993, when she played her first leading role in the low-budget, straight-to-video science-fiction sequel Cyborg 2, as Casella "Cash" Reese, a near-human robot, designed to seduce her way into a rival manufacturer's headquarters and then self-detonate. Jolie was so disappointed with the film that she did not audition again for a year. Following a supporting role in the independent film Without Evidence (1995), Jolie starred as Kate "Acid Burn" Libby in her first Hollywood picture, Hackers (1995). The New York Times wrote, "Kate (Angelina Jolie) stands out. That's because she scowls even more sourly than [her co-stars] and is that rare female hacker who sits intently at her keyboard in a see-through top. Despite her sullen posturing, which is all this role requires, Ms. Jolie has the sweetly cherubic looks of her father, Jon Voight." The movie failed to make a profit at the box office, but developed a cult following after its video release.

Breakthrough: 1998–2000

Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
She next appeared in the 1996 comedy Love Is All There Is, a modern-day loose adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set among two rival Italian family restaurant owners in The Bronx, New York. In the road movie Mojave Moon (1996) she played a young woman who falls for Danny Aiello's middle-aged character, while he develops feelings for her mother, played by Anne Archer. That same year, Jolie also portrayed Margret "Legs" Sadovsky, one of five teenage girls who form an unlikely bond in the film Foxfire after they beat up a teacher who has sexually harassed them. The Los Angeles Times wrote about her performance, "It took a lot of hogwash to develop this character, but Jolie, Jon Voight's knockout daughter, has the presence to overcome the stereotype. Though the story is narrated by Maddy, Legs is the subject and the catalyst."


In 1997, Jolie starred with David Duchovny in the thriller Playing God, set in the Los Angeles underworld. The movie was not well received by critics; Roger Ebert noted that "Angelina Jolie [...] finds a certain warmth in a kind of role that is usually hard and aggressive; she seems too nice to be Blossom's girlfriend, and maybe she is." She then appeared in the television film True Women (1997), a historical romantic drama set in the American West and based on the book by Janice Woods Windle. That year, she also appeared as a stripper in the music video for "Anybody Seen My Baby?" by the Rolling Stones.

Jolie's career prospects began to improve after she won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in TNT's George Wallace (1997). She portrayed Cornelia Wallace, the second wife of Alabama Governor George Wallace, played by Gary Sinise. The film was very well received by critics and won, among other awards, the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film. Jolie also received an Emmy Award nomination for her performance.

In 1998, Jolie starred in HBO's Gia, portraying supermodel Gia Carangi. The film chronicled the destruction of Carangi's life and career as a result of her addiction to heroin, and her decline and death from AIDS in the mid-1980s. Vanessa Vance from Reel.com noted, "Angelina Jolie gained wide recognition for her role as the titular Gia, and it's easy to see why. Jolie is fierce in her portrayal—filling the part with nerve, charm, and desperation—and her role in this film is quite possibly the most beautiful train wreck ever filmed." For the second consecutive year, Jolie won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award. She also won her first Screen Actors Guild Award.

In accordance with Lee Strasberg's method acting, Jolie preferred to stay in character in between scenes during many of her early films, and as a result had gained a reputation for being difficult to deal with. While shooting Gia, she told her then-husband Jonny Lee Miller that she would not be able to phone him: "I'd tell him: 'I'm alone; I'm dying; I'm gay; I'm not going to see you for weeks.'" After Gia wrapped in 1997, Jolie announced that she had given up acting for good, because she felt that she had "nothing else to give." She separated from Miller and moved to New York, where she enrolled at New York University to study filmmaking and attend writing classes; she later described it as "just good for me to collect myself." Encouraged by her Golden Globe Award win for George Wallace and the positive critical reception of Gia, she resumed her career.

Jolie returned to film in the 1998 gangster movie Hell's Kitchen. Later that year, she appeared in Playing by Heart, part of an ensemble cast that included Sean Connery, Gillian Anderson, Ryan Phillippe, and Jon Stewart. The film received predominantly positive reviews, and Jolie was praised in particular. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Jolie, working through an overwritten part, is a sensation as the desperate club crawler learning truths about what she's willing to gamble." Jolie won the Breakthrough Performance Award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.

In 1999, she starred in the comedy-drama Pushing Tin, alongside John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, and Cate Blanchett. The film received a mixed reception from critics, and Jolie's character—Thornton's seductive wife—was particularly criticized. The Washington Post wrote, "Mary (Angelina Jolie) [is] a completely ludicrous writer's creation of a free-spirited woman who weeps over hibiscus plants that die, wears lots of turquoise rings and gets real lonely when Russell spends entire nights away from home." She then co-starred with Denzel Washington in The Bone Collector (1999), an adaptation of a crime novel by Jeffery Deaver. Jolie played a police officer haunted by her cop father's suicide, who reluctantly helps Washington track down a serial killer. The movie grossed $151 million worldwide, but was a critical failure. The Detroit Free Press concluded, "Jolie, while always delicious to look at, is simply and woefully miscast."

"Jolie is emerging as one of the great wild spirits of current movies, a loose cannon who somehow has deadly aim."
—Roger Ebert on Jolie's performance in Girl, Interrupted (1999)

Jolie next took the supporting role of the sociopathic mental patient Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted (1999), an adaptation of author Susanna Kaysen's memoir of the same name. While Winona Ryder played the main character in what was hoped to be a comeback for her, the film instead marked Jolie's final breakthrough in Hollywood. She won her third Golden Globe Award, her second Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Variety noted, "Jolie is excellent as the flamboyant, irresponsible girl who turns out to be far more instrumental than the doctors in Susanna's rehabilitation."

In 2000, Jolie appeared in her first summer blockbuster, Gone In 60 Seconds, in which she played Sarah "Sway" Wayland, the ex-girlfriend of car thief Nicolas Cage. The role was small, and The Washington Post criticized that "all she does in this movie is stand around, cooling down, modeling those fleshy, pulsating muscle-tubes that nest so provocatively around her teeth." She later explained that the film had been a welcome relief after the emotionally heavy role of Lisa Rowe. It became her highest grossing movie up until then, earning $237 million internationally
 

International success: 2001–present

Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie

Although highly regarded for her acting abilities, Jolie's films to date had often not appealed to a wide audience, but Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) made her an international superstar. An adaptation of the popular Tomb Raider videogame, Jolie was required to learn an English accent and undergo extensive martial arts training to play the title role of Lara Croft. She was generally praised for her physical performance, but the movie generated mostly negative reviews. Slant commented, "Angelina Jolie was born to play Lara Croft but [director] Simon West makes her journey into a game of Frogger." The movie was an international success nonetheless, earning $275 million worldwide, and launched her global reputation as a female action star.


Jolie then starred opposite Antonio Banderas as his mail-order bride in Original Sin (2001), a thriller based on the novel Waltz into Darkness by Cornell Woolrich. The film was a major critical failure, with The New York Times noting, "The story plunges more precipitously than Ms. Jolie's neckline." In 2002, she starred in Life or Something Like It as an ambitious television reporter who is told that she will die in a week. The film was poorly received by critics, though Jolie's performance received positive reviews. CNN's Paul Clinton wrote, "Jolie is excellent in her role. Despite some of the ludicrous plot points in the middle of the film, this Academy Award-winning actress is exceedingly believable in her journey towards self-discovery and the true meaning of fulfilling life."
Jolie at the Cologne premiere of Alexander in 2004

Jolie reprised her role as Lara Croft in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003), which established her among Hollywood's highest-paid actresses. The sequel was not as lucrative as the original, earning $156 million at the international box office. She appeared in the music video for Korn's "Did My Time", which was used to promote the film. She next starred in Beyond Borders (2003), as a socialite who joins aid workers in Africa and Asia. The film reflected Jolie's real-life interest in promoting humanitarian relief, but it was critically and financially unsuccessful. The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Jolie, as she did in her Oscar-winning role in Girl, Interrupted, can bring electricity and believability to roles that have a reality she can understand. She can also, witness the Lara Croft films, do acknowledged cartoons. But the limbo of a hybrid character, a badly written cardboard person in a fly-infested, blood-and-guts world, completely defeats her."

In 2004, Jolie starred alongside Ethan Hawke in the thriller Taking Lives. She portrayed an FBI profiler summoned to help Montreal law enforcement hunt down a serial killer. The movie received mixed reviews and The Hollywood Reporter concluded, "Angelina Jolie plays a role that definitely feels like something she has already done, but she does add an unmistakable dash of excitement and glamour." She also provided the voice of the angelfish Lola in the DreamWorks animated movie Shark Tale (2004), and had a brief appearance in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004), a science fiction adventure film shot entirely with actors in front of a bluescreen. That same year, Jolie played Olympias in Alexander, about the life of Alexander the Great. The film failed domestically, which director Oliver Stone attributed to disapproval of the depiction of Alexander's bisexuality, but it succeeded internationally, with revenue of $139 million outside the United States.

Jolie then starred opposite Brad Pitt in the 2005 action-comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which tells the story of a bored married couple, John and Jane Smith, who find out that they are both secret assassins. The film received mixed reviews, but was generally lauded for the chemistry between the two leads. The Star Tribune noted, "While the story feels haphazard, the movie gets by on gregarious charm, galloping energy and the stars' thermonuclear screen chemistry." The movie earned $478 million worldwide, making it the seventh-highest grossing film of 2005.
Jolie as Christine Collins on the set of Changeling in 2007

Jolie next appeared in Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd (2006), a film about the early history of the CIA, as seen through the eyes of Edward Wilson, an officer based on James Jesus Angleton and played by Matt Damon. Jolie played the supporting role of Margaret "Clover" Russell, Wilson's neglected wife. According to the Chicago Tribune, "Jolie ages convincingly throughout, and is blithely unconcerned with how her brittle character is coming off in terms of audience sympathy."

In 2007, Jolie made her directorial debut with the documentary A Place in Time, which captures daily life in 27 locations around the world during a single week. The film was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and was intended for distribution to high schools through the National Education Association. Jolie then starred as Mariane Pearl in the documentary-style drama A Mighty Heart (2007). Based on Pearl's memoir of the same name, the film chronicles the kidnapping and murder of her husband, The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, in Pakistan. The Hollywood Reporter described Jolie's performance as "well-measured and moving," played "with respect and a firm grasp on a difficult accent." Jolie was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance. She also played Grendel's mother in the animated epic Beowulf (2007), which was created through the motion capture technique.

Jolie co-starred alongside James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman in the 2008 action movie Wanted, an adaptation of Mark Millar's graphic novel of the same name. The film received predominately favorable reviews and proved an international success, earning $342 million worldwide. She also provided the voice of Master Tigress in the DreamWorks animated movie Kung Fu Panda (2008). With revenue of $632 million internationally, it became the third-highest grossing film of 2008. That same year, Jolie took on the lead role in Clint Eastwood's drama Changeling. Based in part on the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders, the film stars Jolie as Christine Collins, who is reunited with her kidnapped son in 1928 Los Angeles—only to realize the boy is an impostor. The Chicago Tribune noted, "Jolie really shines in the calm before the storm, the scenes [...] when one patronizing male authority figure after another belittles her at their peril." Jolie received nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award.
Jolie on the Salt panel at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2010

Jolie next starred in the 2010 thriller Salt, her first film in two years. She starred alongside Liev Schreiber as CIA agent Evelyn Salt, who goes on the run after she is accused of being a KGB sleeper agent. Originally written as male, the character Salt underwent a gender change after a Colombia Pictures executive suggested Jolie for the role to director Phillip Noyce. The film was an international success with revenue of $294 million. It received mixed to positive reviews, with Jolie's performance earning praise; Empire remarked, "When it comes to selling incredible, crazy, death-defying antics, Jolie has few peers in the action business." She also starred opposite Johnny Depp in The Tourist (2010), which was a major critical failure. Peter Travers wrote, "Depp and Jolie hit career lows, producing the chemistry of high-fashion zombies." After a slow start at the domestic box office, the film went on to gross $278 million worldwide. Jolie received a controversial Golden Globe Award nomination, which was speculated to have been given merely to ensure her high-profile presence at the awards ceremony.

In 2011, Jolie reprised her voice role as Master Tigress in the animated DreamWorks sequel Kung Fu Panda 2. It became the fourth-highest grossing film of 2011 and Jolie's highest grossing film to date, earning $666 million at the international box office. She also made her directorial feature debut with In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011), a love story between a Serb soldier and a Bosniak prisoner of war, set during the 1992–95 Bosnian War. Jolie, who had twice visited Bosnia-Herzegovina in her capacity as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, explained that she made the film to rekindle attention for the survivors of a war that took place in recent history. The film, which Jolie also scripted and co-produced, aroused both praise and criticism in the Balkans; the response from Bosniak war-victims advocacy organizations was "overwhelmingly positive," while a Serb war prisoners group decried the film for its alleged anti-Serb bias. Sarajevo's regional government named Jolie an honorary citizen of the capital for raising awareness of the war. In the Land of Blood and Honey won the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild of America, which honors films that highlight provocative social issues. It also received a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Jolie will play the Disney villain Maleficent in the upcoming film of the same name, where the character's background story will be revealed.

  Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelina_Jolie