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1. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -- Poem
   Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an important poem in the romance genre, which typically involves a hero who goes on a quest which tests his ability. The ambiguity of the poem's ending... makes it more complex than most. Christian readings of the poem argue for an apocalyptic interpretation and draw parallels between Gawain and Bertilak's wife and the story of Adam and Eve. Feminist interpretations disagree at the most basic level, some arguing that women are in total control from beginning to end, while others argue that their control is only an illusion. Cultural critics have argued that the poem is best read as an expression of tensions between the Welsh and English then-present in the poet's dialect region. The poem remains popular to this day, through translations from renowned authors like J. R. R. Tolkien and Simon Armitage, as well as through recent film and stage adaptations.
2. John Schlesinger -- Dustin Hoffman
   Schlesinger's ability to engineer powerful scenes and encourage memorable acting drew praise, but there were critical reservations about the stylistic glibness of the film. The Day of the Locust (1975) was a hyperbolic and financially disastrous adaptation of Nathaniel West's satire on Hollywood. Marathon Man (1976), an implausible and plodding thriller, gained notoriety principally through a scene in which unanaesthetised dentistry was administered as torture on Dustin Hoffman by a fugitive Nazi played by Sir Laurence Olivier. It was, by all accounts, a fair reflection of Olivier's feelings for the American.
3. Paul Scofield -- Man For All Seasons
   Paul Scofield is an Academy Award-winning actor, for his portrayl of Sir Thomas More in the 1966 film A Man for All Seasons (having previously played the part on stage). Scofield supplied the voice of Boxer in the Creature Shop TV movie Animal Farm.
4. Patrick Stewart -- Roles
   Patrick Stewart took home the Best Actor prize for his performance in the title role of Macbeth at London's Evening Standard Theatre Awards, presented on November 27. Hairspray was named Best Musical (over Parade and Fiddler on the Roof), and A Disappearing Number by Simon McBurney and Complicite was named Best Play (defeating Rafta, Rafta and The Reporter).
5. The X Men -- Magnetos
   The X-Men's greatest opponent, Magneto, has reevaluated his life and beliefs acting as the X-Men's ally. When Xavier was on the brink of death due to severe injuries, he persuaded Magneto to take his place as head of his school in his absence. Xavier was teleported off Earth to the Shi'ar Galaxy by his lover, the Shi'ar Princess Lilandra Neramani, and his ally Corsair. Xavier has by now fully recovered, thanks to Shi'ar medical science, but he has so far been unable to return to Earth. Magneto, under the alias of Michael Xavier, Charles Xavier's alleged cousin, now runs the school and instructs the New Mutants. Magneto is ... now a member of the X-Men, although Storm is now the team's actual leader.
6. Jude Law -- Movies
   Jude Law is the rising British star on the horizon. Being a versatile and prolific actor every one of his movies is a great crowd pleaser. A Jude Law production, gives everyone else a run for their money at the Awards.
7. King Lear -- Shakespeare Festival
   The story of King Lear and his three daughters existed in some form up to four centuries before Shakespeare recorded his vision. Lear was a British King who reigned before the birth of Christ, allowing Shakespeare to place his play in a Pagan setting. Predated by references in British mythology to Lyr or Ler, Geoffrey of Monmouth recorded a story of King Lear and his daughters in his Historia Regum Britanniae of 1137. Dozens of versions of the play were then written up, highlighting certain events, such as the love test, or expanding upon the story, such as creating a sequel where Cordelia committed suicide. Most of these versions had a happy ending, though untrue to the story, where peace was restored under the reign of Lear and Cordelia. Shakespeare ... had no interest in writing a tragicomedy.
8. Viggo Mortensen -- Lord Aragorn
   Viggo Mortensen is as cool as they come. During the filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, for example, he broke a tooth and two toes during the fight scenes; after shooting on The Lord of the Rings and Hildalgo wrapped, he bought the horses that he rode in those films. Mortensen, obviously, is the real deal.
9. Bill Condon -- Columbia University
   The panel discussion with Condon gave an intimate understanding of how a kid raised in an Irish Catholic home came to conquer the cutthroat Los Angles film industry. After entering Columbia University at the tender age of 16, he gradated with a degree in philosophy. Condon moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, but he never made it to the university. To make cash, Condom wrote a movie think piece for a magazine; a reader impressed by his film knowledge offered him a job making horror flicks.
10. Kevin Spacey -- Old Vic
    A chameleonic actor equally at home on stage or in film and as a hero or a villain, Kevin Spacey first gained notice with several strong stage performances. Although born in New Jersey, he spent most of his life in Southern California, struggling through what has come to be seen as a "troubled" childhood. As a youngster, he reportedly set fire to his older sister's tree house and was asked to leave a couple of schools, including the very strict Northridge Military Academy....

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