King Kong Company is an Irish dance band based in Waterford in Ireland, although none of the members are from Waterford. They formed in 1997 as a two piece, but soon expanded into a six piece. They have released one critically acclaimed album in Ireland, both on their own label and have recorded and produced other artists such as Travis Bickle Sound System.

Overview

King Kong Company was conceived when two college friends, Alan Aylward and Mark White began experimenting with dance music using effect laden guitars and drum machines. They quickly expanded into a six piece and became a successful recording and touring act in the 1990s. King Kong Company recorded a session for Dave Fanning on RTÉ 2FM in 1998, and despite having some of their tracks edited, they were announced as the most popular radio session for that year. In 1999, their drummer, Kevin O'Shanahan, announced his decision to leave King Kong Company following their Irish and English tour which included sell out shows in Red Box, Dublin and Cream, Liverpool. Later that year, King Kong Company played at Irelands first dance festival, Homelands. Other artists on the bill included Underworld, Orbital and Paul Oakenfold. Following a split in 2000, King Kong Company reformed in June 2009 and are currently recording their third album, due to be released in 2011.

King Kong is a fictional giant movie monster, resembling a colossal gorilla, that has appeared in various media since 1933. The character first appeared in the 1933 film King Kong, which received universal acclaim upon its initial release and re-releases. The film was remade in 1976 and once again in 2005. The character has become one of the world's most famous movie icons, having inspired countless sequels, remakes, spin-offs, imitators, parodies, cartoons, books, comics, video games, theme park rides, and even a stage play. His role in the different narratives varies, ranging from a rampaging monster to a tragic antihero.

Overview

The King Kong character was conceived and created by U.S. filmmaker Merian C. Cooper. In the original film, the character's name is Kong, a name given to him by the inhabitants of "Skull Island" in the Pacific Ocean, where Kong lives along with other over-sized animals such as a plesiosaur, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs. An American film crew, led by Carl Denham, captures Kong and takes him to New York City to be exhibited as the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

King Kong Lives, also known as King Kong: Part II, is a 1986 American fantasy comedy monster film produced by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. Directed by John Guillermin and featuring special effects by Carlo Rambaldi, the film starred Linda Hamilton and Brian Kerwin. The film was a sequel to the 1976 remake of King Kong.

Plot

King Kong, after being shot down from the World Trade Center, is kept alive in a coma for about 10 years at the Atlanta Institute, under the care of surgeon Dr. Amy Franklin (Linda Hamilton). In order to save Kong's life, Dr. Franklin must perform a heart transplant and give Kong a computer-monitored artificial heart. However, he lost so much blood that a transfusion is badly needed, and to complicate matters, Franklin says there no species of ape or other animal whose blood type matches Kong's. Enter adventurer Hank "Mitch" Mitchell (Brian Kerwin), who captures a giant female gorilla, who is dubbed "Lady Kong"; in Borneo (Mitchell theorizes that Borneo and the island from the first movie were once part of the same landmass), bringing her to the Institute so her blood can be used for Kong's operation. The transfusion and the heart transplant are a success, but Kong escapes along with the female.

King Kong is a 1933 American Pre-Code monster film directed and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. The screenplay by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose was from an idea conceived by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. It stars Fay Wray, Bruce Cabot and Robert Armstrong, and opened in New York City on March 2, 1933, to rave reviews. It has been ranked by movie site Rotten Tomatoes as Greatest horror film of all time

The film tells of a gigantic, prehistoric, island-dwelling ape called Kong who dies in an attempt to possess a beautiful young woman. King Kong is especially noted for its stop-motion animation by Willis O'Brien and a groundbreaking musical score by Max Steiner. In 1991 it was deemed "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. It has been remade twice: in 1976 and in 2005.

Plot

In New York Harbor, Carl Denham, famous for making wildlife films in remote and exotic locations, charters Captain Englehorn's ship Venture for his new project, but he is unable to secure an actress for a female role he reluctantly added. Denham searches the streets of New York for a suitable woman. He meets penniless Ann Darrow and convinces her to join him for the adventure of a lifetime. The Venture quickly gets underway. The surly first mate, Jack Driscoll, gradually falls in love with Ann. After weeks of secrecy, Denham finally tells Englehorn and Driscoll that their destination is Skull Island, an uncharted island shown on a map in Denham's possession. Denham speaks of something monstrous there, a legendary entity known only as "Kong".