Cruel Intentions is a 1999 American teen romantic drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair. The film is an adaptation of the novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos in 1782, but set among wealthy teenagers attending high school in New York City instead of 18th-century France; the film started as a smaller budget independent film, but was picked up by Columbia Pictures and released on March 5, 1999. Despite mixed critical reviews, the performances of Gellar and Witherspoon were praised. Cruel Intentions was a box office success. In an upscale New York City mansion and popular teenager Kathryn Merteuil discusses her prep school with Mrs. Caldwell and her daughter, Cecile. Kathryn promises Mrs. Caldwell; when Kathryn's stepbrother Sebastian Valmont enters the room, Mrs. Caldwell reacts to him coldly and leaves with Cecile. Kathryn tells Sebastian that she intends to use Cecile to take revenge on her ex-lover Court Reynolds, who dumped her for Cecile.

Kathryn asks Sebastian to seduce Cecile. Sebastian refuses because he is planning to seduce Annette Hargrove, the headmaster's virgin daughter, who has published an essay in support of chastity until marriage. After some negotiation, they agree on a wager: if Sebastian fails to seduce Annette, Kathryn gets Sebastian's vintage Jaguar XK140. Sebastian's first attempt to seduce Annette fails, as she knows about his bad reputation. Sebastian discovers that Cecile's mother, warned Annette about him, he agrees to corrupt Cecile out of revenge. Meanwhile, Cecile confides in Kathryn about her romance with Ronald Clifford. Kathryn reveals the romance to Mrs. Caldwell. Sebastian lures Cecile to his house, he blackmails Cecile in order to perform oral sex on her. The next day, Cecile confides in Kathryn, who advises her to be as promiscuous as possible to please Ronald. Sebastian begins to fall in love with Annette, who returns his feelings but is still hesitant. Sebastian calls her a hypocrite because although she claims to be waiting for her one true love, she resists him when he chooses to love her back.

Annette relents. But Sebastian, confused about his own feelings, now refuses her. Annette flees to the estate of her friend's parents. Sebastian finds her and professes his love, they consummate their relationship. Kathryn offers herself to Sebastian after he wins the bet, but he rejects her: he now only wants Annette. Enraged and jealous, Kathryn insults his masculinity. Stung, Sebastian informs her. Kathryn warns him that doing so will destroy both Annette's reputations. Sebastian lies to Annette, claiming he just wanted to see what she was like in bed, that he has no real feelings for her. Devastated, Annette tells him to leave. Sebastian informs Kathryn that he has broken up with Annette and now wants his reward for winning the bet. Kathryn reveals that he, not Annette, was the true victim of her scheme: for her own amusement, she manipulated him into abandoning Annette once she realized that he loved her, she dismisses him, telling him that she doesn't sleep with "losers." Sebastian tries to contact Annette to confess the truth and beg her forgiveness, but she refuses to see him.

He gives her his journal, in which he has detailed Kathryn's manipulative schemes, their bet, his true feelings for Annette. Ronald starts a fist fight with Sebastian after Kathryn tells him that Sebastian hit her and violated Cecile. Annette is thrown into traffic. Before dying, Sebastian confesses his love for her and Annette tells him she loves him too. Ronald leaves the scene in shame. In her eulogy at Sebastian's funeral, Kathryn claims she tried to set an example for her late brother; when people start leaving midway through her speech, Kathryn rushes outside to find Cecile handing out copies of Sebastian's journal. Kathryn's spotless reputation is destroyed as the details of her manipulations are made public. In the final scene, Annette drives away in Sebastian's car with his journal at her side, remembering the good moments they shared together. Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kathryn Merteuil, based on the Marquise de Merteuil Ryan Phillippe as Sebastian Valmont, based on the Viscomte de Valmont Reese Witherspoon as Annette Hargrove, based on Madame de Tourvel Selma Blair as Cecille Caldwell, based on Cécile Volanges Louise Fletcher as Helen Rosemond, based on Madame de Rosemonde Joshua Jackson as Blaine Tuttle Eric Mabius as Greg McConnell Sean Patrick Thomas as Ronald Clifford, based on the Chevalier Danceny Swoosie Kurtz as Dr. Regina Greenbaum Christine Baranski as Bunny Caldwell, based on Madame de Volanges Alaina Reed Hall as Nurse Deborah Offner as Mrs. Michalak Tara Reid as Marcie Greenbaum Hiep Thi Le as Mai-Lee Herta Ware as Mrs. Sugarman Drew Snyder as Headmaster Hargrove Charlie O'Connell as Court Reynolds, based on the Comte de Gercourt Fred Norris as Meter Maid One of the filming locations was Old Westbury Gardens in Nassau County, New York, as well as the Harry F. Sinclair House in New York City.

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 54%, based on reviews from 113 critics, with an av

Tapco is a brand name for sound reinforcement products including audio mixers and amplifiers. The original Tapco, which stood for "Technical Audio Products COmpany", was founded in 1969 by Greg Mackie and Martin Schneider, their original product line were PA speakers. They recognized that there were no mixers available with a feature set aimed at the performing musician; the first mixer product, the model 6000 and its variants was successful enough to establish the company and provide revenue for growth. In time, the company produced a line of audio mixers and power amplifiers for sound reinforcement and recording. In 1979, Tapco was purchased by Electro-Voice who phased out the Tapco name and blended the Tapco products into their own product line; the factory space in Redmond, Washington remained active, producing electronic products for EV until 1989, when the lease ran out. The entire industrial park was razed and high rise office buildings constructed. Microsoft is the current occupant. In the meantime, Greg Mackie had gone on to found home audio products company AudioControl, Mackie whose initial product line bore similarities to Tapco.

In 2003, Mackie purchased the rights to the Tapco name from Electro-Voice, applying it to a new line of budget mixers, speakers and other audio equipment, with the acronym's meaning revised to "Total Audio Production COmpany." All of the products were American designs manufactured in China. By early 2011, Mackie had phased out production and marketing of "Tapco by Mackie" products and the website had closed. A note on the official Mackie website under "discontinued products" refers to the entire Tapco line as "effectively discontinued." Mackie and Tapco discontinued products page New link to Tapco discontinued products page

Avatar Aang is a fictional character and the protagonist of Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Aang is a monk of the Air Nomads' Southern Air Temple, he is an incarnation of the spirit of light and peace manifested in human form. As the Avatar, Aang is tasked with keeping the Four Nations at peace. At 12 years old, Aang is the series' reluctant hero, spending a century in suspended animation in an iceberg before joining new friends Katara and Sokka on a quest to master the elements and save their world from the imperialist Fire Nation. Aang's character has appeared in other media, such as trading cards, video games, T-shirts, web comics. Aang has been portrayed by Noah Ringer in the feature film The Last Airbender, voiced by D. B. Sweeney in the sequel animated series The Legend of Korra. Upon death, Avatar Roku was reincarnated and Aang was born, raised by Monk Gyatso, a senior monk at the Southern Air Temple and friend of the late Avatar Roku.

Prior to learning he was the Avatar, Aang distinguished himself by becoming one of the youngest Airbending Masters in history by inventing a new technique. As a result of Fire Lord Sozin's hostile attitude towards the other nations, the senior monks decided to reveal Aang's nature as the Avatar four years before the traditional age and relocate him to one of the other Air Temples. Learning that he was to be taken from Gyatso caused Aang to flee the monastery on his flying bison, before being caught by a storm. Although Monk Gyatso had snuck in the bed late night to tell Aang that he won’t be relocated to the Eastern Air Temple, it had been too late. After one hundred years of suspended animation in an iceberg, twelve-year-old Aang was freed when found by Katara and Sokka, yet unaware of the events that occurred during his rest, his reawakening catches the attention of Zuko, the banished prince of the Fire Nation, Aang is forced to leave, with Katara and Sokka accompanying him after they learn that he is the Avatar.

Aang and his new friends visit the Southern Air Temple, where they meet a winged lemur whom Aang names Momo. It is there. After a series of misadventures, Aang meets his previous incarnation, who informs him that he must master all four bending arts and end the war before the coming of Sozin's Comet at the end of summer. Upon arriving to the Northern Water Tribe, after a few conflicts, Aang became an apprentice of Waterbending Master Pakku alongside Katara. After helping the Water Tribe drive off a Fire Nation invasion headed by Admiral Zhao, with Katara as his teacher and his group journey to the Earth Kingdom to find an Earthbending teacher. Meanwhile, Fire Lord Ozai is angered. So he sent Princess Azula to hunt down Iroh. In the second season, Aang learns Earthbending from Toph Beifong after he has a vision of the blind Earthbending prodigy in a swamp telling him to find her. On their journey, they are chased by her friends Mai and Ty Lee; the group learns about the Day of Black Sun in a secret underground library, they attempt to reveal the information to the Earth King at Ba Sing Se.

However, their flying bison, Appa, is captured by Sandbenders. Aang confronts the Sandbenders, learning that Appa has been sold. After stopping a Fire Nation drill threatening the safety of Ba Sing Se, they look for Appa only to find themselves dealing with the Dai Li before exposing their leader's deception; the group reunites with Jet helping them find Appa at Dai Li headquarters. They expose the Hundred Year War to the Earth King, who promises to help them invade the Fire Nation. Soon after, Aang meets a guru who attempts to teach Aang to open his seven chakras in order to control the defensive'Avatar State'. Though Aang manages to unlock the Seventh Chakra, he is mortally wounded by Azula, yet was saved by Katara before the injury became fatal. In the third and final season, Aang is unable to use the Avatar State. Although reluctant with the plan at first, Aang accepts to have everyone think he had died and his remaining allies attack the Fire Nation's capital, but are thwarted by Azula. However, Zuko has a change of heart, rebels against his father, offers to teach Aang Firebending.

Aang and Zuko improve their Firebending powers with the help of their world's last two dragons. During the finale, finding himself on a strange island, Aang is reluctant to kill Fire Lord Ozai, despite his four previous past lives convincing him it is the only way, but upon learning that he was on the back of a Lion Turtle, one of four that made the first benders by manipulating humans' chi, Aang receives the Lion Turtles' Energybending. During the final battle, Aang's scar is pressed against a jutting rock, opening his chakras and allowing him to enter the Avatar State. Aang wins the battle, but before he delivers the final blow, he stops himself. Instead, Aang removes Ozai's bending ability, rendering him harmless and ending the Hundred Year War. In the Fire Nation capital, Aang is seen beside Zuko, the new Fire Lord. The