1.
WonderCon
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The convention will return to the Anaheim Convention Center in 2017. The convention was conceived by retailer John Barrett and originally held in the Oakland Convention Center, in 2003, it moved to San Franciscos Moscone Center. The shows original name was the Wonderful World of Comics Convention, the WonderCon logo was designed by Richard Bruning and Tim Zach. Retailer Joe Field and his partner Mike Friedrich owned and operated the convention for fifteen years, in 2001, they brokered a deal with the management team that runs the San Diego Comic-Con International to make it part of the Comic-Con International convention family. This gave the San Francisco show an audience and has made it a venue for previews and early screenings of major motion pictures. These have included Spider-Man 2 in 2004, Batman Begins and Fantastic Four in 2005, Superman Returns in 2006,300 in 2007, Watchmen in 2009, all of these events featured the stars of the films fielding questions from the audience. WonderCon had 34,000 attendees in 2009,39,000 in 2010, the show left the Bay Area after the 2011 con, because San Franciscos Moscone Center was being remodeled. The convention moved to Anaheim in 2012, and was rebranded WonderCon Anaheim, in 2016, a new convention started in the Bay Area, called the Silicon Valley Comic Con. WonderCon relocated from Anaheim to Los Angeles in 2016, and is now called WonderCon Los Angeles and was held March 25-27,2016 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the 2017 edition of the convention returned to Anaheim and was held March 31-April 2,2017. While the main attraction of WonderCon has always been various retailers selling back issues of comic books and action figures, there is also an Artists Alley featuring mainly comic book artists selling artwork, signing books, and doing sketches, and mainstream celebrities signing autographed pictures. WonderCon hosted the Harvey Award ceremonies from 1997–1999, since 2007, academicians and comic industry professionals have held the Comics Arts Conference in conjunction with WonderCon. In addition, WonderCon features an event called Trailer Park, where trailers for upcoming films are shown, the WonderCon masquerade competition usually takes place on Saturday after the convention closes. Awards are given to those with the most creative performances, though anyone can participate, official website WonderCon feature on Sidewalks Entertainment WonderCon founders website
WonderCon
WonderCon
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WonderCon 2010 main exhibit hall
WonderCon
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The
Nickelodeon booth at WonderCon.
2.
Cotonou
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Cotonou, is the largest city and economic centre of Benin. Its official population count was 761,137 inhabitants in 2006, however, the population in 1960 was only 70,000. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west, the city lies in the southeast of the country, between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Nokoué. In addition to being Benins largest city, it is the seat of government and it is home to most of the countrys government buildings and diplomatic services. The city is a port and home to an airport. Another familiar feature is the known as Zémidjans. The name Cotonou means by the river of death in the Fon language, at the beginning of the 19th century, Cotonou was a small fishing village. Though originally ruled by the Kingdom of Dahomey, in 1851 the French made a treaty with the Dahomean King Ghezo that allowed them to establish a trading post at Cotonou. During the reign of Glele, his successor, the territory was ceded to France by a treaty signed on May 19,1868, in 1883, the French navy occupied the city to prevent British conquest of the area. After Gleles death in 1889, his son Béhanzin tried, unsuccessfully, from then on, the town developed quickly to become the largest harbour in the region. Cotonou is on the strip between Lake Nokoué and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is cut in two by a canal, the lagoon of Cotonou, dug by the French in 1855, three bridges are in this area. The Oueme River flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Cotonou, the city has established transportation infrastructure including air, sea, river, and land routes that facilitate trade with its neighbors Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Togo. The erosion of the coast has noted for several decades, houssou Paul, a pilot project funded by the United Nations Environment Program revealed that in 40 years, the coast to the east of Cotonou fell by 400 meters. This erosion has led people to leave their homes along the coast. The Beninese state prohibited the pumping of sea and sand for the construction of protective dikes, under Köppens climate classification, Cotonou features a tropical wet and dry climate, alternating with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons. In December and January, the city is affected by harmattan winds, temperatures are relatively constant throughout the year, with the average high temperatures hovering around 30 °C, and average low temperatures at around 25 °C. 1979,320,3481992,536,8272002,665,1002005,690,584 Besides French, the Autonomous Port of Cotonou is one of the largest in West Africa
Cotonou
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Port of Cotonou
Cotonou
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The
Oueme River as it flows into the Atlantic Ocean in Cotonou.
Cotonou
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Cotonou women
Cotonou
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Boulevard Saint Michel de Cotonou.
3.
Republic of Dahomey
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The Republic of Dahomey was established on December 11,1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Prior to attaining autonomy it had been French Dahomey, part of the French Union, on August 1,1960, it attained full independence from France. The Republic of Dahomey became independent of France on 1 August 1960, upon independence, Maga became the first president of Dahomey. This compromise, however, was unable to solve Dahomeys problems, and an uprising broke out in October 1963, culminating in a coup détat, and this also failed to bring about stability, and Apithy was removed in another coup, in December 1965. Following the 1965 coup, Colonel Christophe Soglo became president, a veteran of the French Army, he saw himself as a Dahomeyan Charles de Gaulle, banning all political activity with the stated aim of stabilising the country. In October 1972, a coup led by Mathieu Kérékou removed a civilian government, Kérékou would go on to proclaim his support for Marxism-Leninism, declaring the end of the Republic of Dahomey and the establishment of the Peoples Republic of Benin on 30 November 1975. Jacques, Gloria Foster, Zakes Mokae, Paul Ford, Georg Stanford Brown, Peter Ustinov, Douta Seck, the movie is the story of an adulterous affair placed against the backdrop of Haiti during the tumultuous dictatorship of François Duvalier. Dahomey resembled Haiti in many ways, both geographically and culturally, and it was safer to film there than in Haiti
Republic of Dahomey
Republic of Dahomey
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Flag
4.
Benin
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Benin, officially the Republic of Benin and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, the majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometers and its population in 2015 was estimated to be approximately 10.88 million. Benin is a nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment. The official language of Benin is French, however, indigenous languages such as Fon and Yoruba are commonly spoken. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, Vodun and this region was referred to as the Slave Coast from as early as the 17th century due to the large number of slaves shipped to the New World during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. After slavery was abolished, France took over the country and renamed it French Dahomey, in 1960, Dahomey gained full independence from France, and had a tumultuous period with many different democratic governments, many military coups and military governments. A Marxist–Leninist state called the Peoples Republic of Benin existed between 1975 and 1990, in 1991, it was replaced by the current multi-party Republic of Benin. During the colonial period and at independence, the country was known as Dahomey, on 30 November 1975 it was renamed to Benin, after the body of water on which the country lies—the Bight of Benin—which, in turn, had been named after the Benin Empire. The country of Benin has no connection to Benin City in modern Nigeria, the form Benin is the result of a Portuguese corruption of the city of Ubinu. The new name, Benin, was chosen for its neutrality, the current country of Benin combines three areas which had different political and ethnic systems prior to French colonial control. Before 1700, there were a few important city states along the coast, the situation changed in the 1600s and early 1700s as the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was of Fon ethnicity, was founded on the Abomey plateau and began taking over areas along the coast. The Dahomey Kingdom was known for its culture and traditions, young boys were often apprenticed to older soldiers, and taught the kingdoms military customs until they were old enough to join the army. This emphasis on preparation and achievement earned Dahomey the nickname of black Sparta from European observers. The kings of Dahomey sold their war captives into transatlantic slavery, by about 1750, the King of Dahomey was earning an estimated £250,000 per year by selling Africans to the European slave-traders. Court protocols, which demanded that a portion of war captives from the many battles be decapitated, decreased the number of enslaved people exported from the area. The number went from 102,000 people per decade in the 1780s to 24,000 per decade by the 1860s, the decline was partly due to the banning of the trans-Atlantic slave trade by Britain and other countries. This decline continued until 1885, when the last slave ship departed from the coast of the present-day Benin Republic bound for Brazil, a former Portuguese colony, the capitals name Porto-Novo is of Portuguese origin, meaning New Port
Benin
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1793 map of the Kingdom of Dahomey
Benin
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Flag
Benin
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Dahomey Amazons with the King at their head, going to war, 1793
Benin
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In 1892, the French, led by Colonel
Alfred-Amédée Dodds, a
Senegalese mulatto, invaded Dahomey.
5.
Actor
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Anyone who meets the eligibility requirements may apply for aid, which could vary from medical assistance, paying rent, or finding employment. Heros benefits are not meant to be a permanent crutch for needy creators, any granted aid is kept confidential. The Hero Initiative has two boards of directors, the Executive Board and the Fund Disbursement Board, former board members include founders Pat McCallum, editor-in-chief of Wizard Magazine, and Mike Richardson, publisher and founder of Dark Horse Comics. They are George Pérez, Roy Thomas, Charlie Novinskie, Dennis ONeil, John Romita Sr. the charity is currently supported by Dark Horse Comics, Dynamic Forces, Image Comics, Marvel Entertainment, Top Cow Productions, and Wizard Entertainment. The Hero Initiative utilizes many methods of fundraising, foremost is their annual art auction, auctioning donated original comics art-work at fan conventions. Year-long, they sell donated art and special edition comics at conventions, artists, writers, and publishers are invited to donate work, and fans are invited to donate money directly to the fund. ACTOR also sells a green Excelsior, wrist-band similar in design to the Livestrong wristband. The Hero Initiative was formerly known as A Commitment to Our Roots, or ACTOR, while the original name of the organization reflected the charitys goal, the acronym that resulted, ACTOR, more often confused people unfamiliar with the organization. 2006, George Pérez, John Romita, Sr.2007, Joe Kubert 2008, Nick Cardy 2009, Neal Adams 2010, Walt Simonson 2011, Stan Lee 2012, John Romita, Jr. The award recognizes one person in each year who demonstrates particular generosity and integrity in support of the overall comic book community. It debuted at the 2010 Harvey Awards ceremony held at the Baltimore Comic-Con
Actor
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The Hero Initiative
Actor
6.
Kimora Lee Simmons
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Kimora Lee Leissner is an American fashion model and fashion designer. She took over Baby Phat after Russell Simmons and was CEO/Creative Director through 2010, Kimora Lee Perkins was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her Japanese mother, Joanne Perkins, was adopted by an American serviceman during the Korean War and she later worked as an administrator for Social Security. He was sentenced to prison when Kimora was in school for distribution of narcotics. It was substantiated in the U. S. District Court that government agents attempted to recruit Whitlock as an informant in exchange for probation, but he vehemently refused. Consequently, he was refused probation and was taken off his $500,000 bond and was given the 24-year sentence and her parents split up and she was raised by her mother. Growing up in the northern St. Louis suburb of Florissant, Missouri, Kimora was the target of bullying and teasing, because of her height. To give her confidence because of her height, Simmonss mother enrolled her in a class when she was eleven years old. Two years later she was discovered by Marie-Christine Kollock at a Model Search in Kansas City, Simmons is a graduate of Lutheran North High School in St. Louis, Missouri. Just after her birthday, Perkins was awarded an exclusive modeling contract with Chanel. She quickly gained attention in the world when she closed Lagerfelds haute couture show in 1989. Everything people thought was weird about me before, Perkins told People Weekly, was now good, Perkins soon walked haute couture for many designers including Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent. Perkins has graced the cover of the German, Indonesian, Singaporean and Malaysian editions of Harpers Bazaar, in 2004, Simmons then husband Russell Simmons sold his clothing line Phat Farm to Kellwood Company for $140 million. It was her goal to turn fashion label Baby Phat, launched in 1999 and her high-end sportswear line, KLS, launched in Fall 2007. On September 1,2010, Simmons parted ways with Baby Phat and its management company, since the split, Simmons plans to launch her KLS collection and Kouture by Kimora Brands. She also has an exclusive brand coming to Macys that will offer stylish clothes for under $40, on September 14,2011, Simmons announced on her website that she is the new Creative Director and President of JustFab, a personalized shopping website. She ended her employment with JustFab in May 2015, in June 2015, Simmons relaunched her KLS label as a high end line, opening its first boutique in Beverly Hills. In 2016, the line began being carried at Bloomingdales in the Aventura Mall, Simmons has appeared in small roles in television and films including Beauty Shop, Brown Sugar, and Waist Deep
Kimora Lee Simmons
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Simmons at the
Push premiere in January 2009
Kimora Lee Simmons
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Kimora Lee on the runway, wearing a red dress by Kouture, 2010
Kimora Lee Simmons
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Djimon Hounsou and Kimora Lee Simmons arrive at the premiere of Push, Mann Theater, Westwood, 2009
7.
Sandra Bernhard
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Sandra Bernhard is an American actress, comedian, singer and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy in which she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture, Bernhard is number 97 on Comedy Centrals list of the 100 greatest standups of all time. Bernhard was born in Flint, Michigan, the daughter of Jeanette and her parents raised her as a Conservative Jew. Her family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, when she was 10 and she has often addressed her childhood in interviews and within the context of her stand-up comedy. Of her family, Bernhard stated in her show Without You Im Nothing, My father was a proctologist, thats how I view the world. In the documentary program Girls Who Do, Comedy, she discusses being a funny teenager, after graduating from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, she went to live and volunteer on a kibbutz in Israel. She moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19, during that time she paid her bills by working as a manicurist in a high-end salon. Bernhard became a staple at The Comedy Store, as her popularity as a comedian grew she was cast as a supporting player on The Richard Pryor Show in 1977. Guest appearances on evening talk shows followed and she began performing her first one-woman show called Im Your Woman in 1985, and an album version was released. Bernhard appeared in a variety of film and television roles throughout the 1980s while crafting her stand-up routine into a more performance art oriented show. She launched an Off-Broadway one woman show called Without You Im Nothing, in 1990 it was turned into a film and a double album of the same title. The film was shot on location in 1989 in the coconut grove at the Ambassador Hotel. A frequent guest on David Lettermans NBC program, it was during the run of Without You Im Nothing, the two alluded to their romantic relationship and staged a sexy confrontation. They would continue to be friends for years, with Bernhard even making an appearance in Madonnas movie Truth or Dare. In 1991, Bernhard began playing the role of Nancy Bartlett on the hit sitcom Roseanne and she appeared in 33 episodes between 1991 and 1997, and was one of the first actresses to portray an openly lesbian recurring character on American television. The role is one of her best known, something she has lamented in her stand-up as being both a blessing and a curse, in September 1992, Bernhard did a nude pictorial for Playboy. She hosted the USA Networks Reel Wild Cinema for two seasons beginning in 1995, Bernhard continued acting in mostly independent films and TV guest roles and forays into mainstream films such as Hudson Hawk and Dallas Doll. In 1991 she released her first studio album, entitled Excuses for Bad Behavior, in 1995, she briefly appeared as a guest in the animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast, in an episode titled Jerk
Sandra Bernhard
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At the Daryl Roth Theater (NYC), 2006
8.
Steven Spielberg
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Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE, OMRI is an American director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the pioneers of the New Hollywood era. He is also one of the co-founders of DreamWorks Studios, in a career spanning more than four decades, Spielbergs films have spanned many themes and genres. His other films include Jurassic Park, A. I, artificial Intelligence, and War of the Worlds. Spielberg won the Academy Award for Best Director for Schindlers List and Saving Private Ryan, three of Spielbergs films—Jaws, E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park—achieved box office records, originated and came to epitomize the blockbuster film. The unadjusted gross of all Spielberg-directed films exceeds $9 billion worldwide and his personal net worth is estimated to be more than $3 billion. Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to an Orthodox Jewish family and his mother, Leah Posner, was a restaurateur and concert pianist, and his father, Arnold Spielberg, was an electrical engineer involved in the development of computers. His paternal grandparents were immigrants from Ukraine who settled in Cincinnati in the first decade of the 1900s, in 1950, his family moved to Haddon Township, New Jersey when his father took a job with RCA. Three years later, the moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Spielberg attended Hebrew school from 1953 to 1957, in classes taught by Rabbi Albert L. Lewis, as a child, Spielberg faced difficulty reconciling being an Orthodox Jew with the perception of him by other children he played with. It isnt something I enjoy admitting, he said, but when I was seven, eight, nine years old, God forgive me. I was embarrassed by the perception of my parents Jewish practices. I was never really ashamed to be Jewish, but I was uneasy at times, Spielberg also said he suffered from acts of anti-Semitic prejudice and bullying, In high school, I got smacked and kicked around. His first home movie was of a wreck involving his toy Lionel trains. Throughout his early teens, and after entering school, Spielberg continued to make amateur 8 mm adventure films. In 1958, he became a Boy Scout and fulfilled a requirement for the merit badge by making a nine-minute 8 mm film entitled The Last Gunfight. Years later, Spielberg recalled to an interviewer, My dads still-camera was broken. He said yes, and I got an idea to do a Western, I made it and got my merit badge
Steven Spielberg
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Spielberg at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival
Steven Spielberg
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Steven Spielberg and
Chandran Rutnam on a location in Sri Lanka during the filming of
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Steven Spielberg
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Spielberg in March 1990
Steven Spielberg
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Spielberg in 2011, at the Paris premiere of
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.
9.
Amistad (film)
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The case was ultimately resolved by the Supreme Court in 1841. Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, david Franzonis screenplay was based on the book Mutiny on the Amistad, The Saga of a Slave Revolt and Its Impact on American Abolition, Law, and Diplomacy, by the historian Howard Jones. Amistad is the name of a ship traveling from Cuba to the United States in 1839. It is carrying African people as its cargo, as the ship is crossing from Cuba to the United States, Cinqué, a leader of the Africans, leads a mutiny and takes over the ship. The mutineers spare the lives of two Spanish navigators to help them sail the ship back to Africa, in an unfamiliar country and not speaking a single word of English, the Africans find themselves in a legal battle. District Attorney William S. Holabird brings charges of piracy and murder, two Naval officers claim them as salvage while the two Spanish navigators produce proof of purchase. A lawyer named Roger Sherman Baldwin, hired by the abolitionist Tappan, Baldwin argues that the Africans had been captured in Africa to be sold in the Americas illegally. Baldwin proves through documents found hidden on Amistad that the African people were initially cargo belonging to a Portuguese slave ship, therefore, the Africans were free citizens of another country and not slaves at all. In light of evidence, the staff of President Van Buren has the judge presiding over the case replaced by Judge Coglin. Cinque tells his story at trial, district Attorney Holabird attacks Cinqué’s “tale” of being captured and kept in a Lomboko slave fortress and especially questions the throwing of precious cargo overboard. However, the Royal Navys fervent abolitionist Captain Fitzgerald of the West Africa Squadron backs up Cinqué’s account, Baldwin shows from The Tecoras inventory that the number of African people taken as slaves was reduced by 50. Fitzgerald explains that some slave ships when interdicted do this to get rid of the evidence for their crime, but in The Tecoras case, they had underestimated the amount of provisions necessary for their journey. As the tension rises, Cinqué stands up from his seat and repeatedly cries, Judge Coglin rules in favor of the Africans. After pressure from Senator Calhoun on President Van Buren, the case is appealed to the Supreme Court, despite refusing to help when the case was initially presented, Adams agrees to assist with the case. At the Supreme Court, he makes an impassioned and eloquent plea for their release, the Lomboko slave fortress is liberated by the Royal Marines under the command of Captain Fitzgerald. After all the slaves were hurried out of the fortress, Fitzgerald orders the cannon to destroy it. He then dictates a letter to Forsyth saying that he was right—the slave fortress doesnt exist, because of the release of the Africans, Van Buren loses his re-election campaign, and tension builds between the North and the South, which would eventually culminate in the Civil War. Retired U. S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun also appears in the film as Justice Joseph Story
Amistad (film)
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Home video release poster
10.
Gladiator (2000 film)
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Gladiator is a 2000 epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson. It stars Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel, reduced to slavery, Maximus rises through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena to avenge the murders of his family and his emperor. The film was released in the United States on May 5,2000, the film won multiple awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Crowe and three other Oscars at the 73rd Academy Awards. It has also credited with rekindling interest in films centered around ancient Greek. In AD180, Hispano-Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius leads the Roman army to a victory against the Germanic tribes near Vindobona on the northern frontier. Now weary of battle, Maximus only desires to retire to his Spanish farm estate, but Emperor Marcus Aurelius tells him that his own son and heir, Commodus, is unfit to rule and that he will appoint Maximus as regent to help save Rome from corruption. When the Emperor reveals his plan to his son, Commodus murders him in a fit of rage, Commodus announces he is the new Emperor and asks Maximus for his loyalty. When the general refuses, he is arrested by his officers and is sentenced to death at dawn, Maximus kills his captors and rides for his farm. However, he too late, and finds it destroyed and his family murdered. Maximus buries his wife and son, and then collapses from his wounds and he is found by slavers who take him to Zucchabar, a colonia in the Roman North African province of Mauretania Caesariensis, where he is sold to a lanista named Proximo. As he wins every match because of his skills and indifference to death, he gains fame. Proximo encourages Maximus to go to Rome and fight in the Colosseum and he could then use the power he commands in the arena as leverage against the Emperor. Maximus first gladiatorial combat in the Colosseum is a re-enactment of the Roman victory over Carthage at the Battle of Zama, although the gladiators are expected to be massacred, Maximus leads them to victory over the legionaries of Scipio Africanus. This prompts a surprised and delighted Commodus to enter the arena to offer his personal congratulations, when the emperors young nephew, Lucius, also joins them, Maximus decides not to kill Commodus. Instead he reveals himself and vows to have vengeance, the Praetorian Guard is ordered to attack but this angers the crowd. Under pressure to keep the mob of Rome happy, Commodus angrily relents, Maximus next fight is a victory against a large undefeated gladiator. Despite Commoduss orders to kill the loser, Maximus spares his opponents life. This defiance earns him the nickname Maximus the Merciful and more cheers of adulation, angered at this outcome, Commodus enters the arena to taunt Maximus about his familys death
Gladiator (2000 film)
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Theatrical release poster
Gladiator (2000 film)
–
Pollice Verso (Thumbs Down) by
Jean-Léon Gérôme, the 19th-century painting that inspired Ridley Scott to tackle the project.
Gladiator (2000 film)
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Several scenes included extensive use of computer-generated imagery shots for views of Rome.
Gladiator (2000 film)
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The
Numidian king
Juba. The Numidians were most likely of
Berber origin, instead of Sub-saharan origin.
11.
In America (film)
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In America is a 2003 Irish-American-British drama film directed by Jim Sheridan. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay for the Sheridans, Best Actress for Samantha Morton and Best Supporting Actor for Djimon Hounsou. In 1982, Johnny and Sarah Sullivan and their daughters Christy and Ariel enter the United States on a tourist visa from Ireland via Canada, where Johnny was working as an actor. The family settles in New York City, in a rundown Hells Kitchen tenement occupied by drug addicts, transvestites, hanging over the family is the death of their five-year-old son Frankie, who died from a brain tumor. The devout Roman Catholic Johnny questions God and has lost any ability to feel true emotions, Christy believes she has been granted three wishes by her dead brother, which she only uses at times of near-dire consequences for the family as they try to survive in New York. After finding the apartment, Sarah gets a job in the ice cream parlor to support the family while Johnny auditions for any role for which he is suited. But as money runs low and the temperatures soar, tensions between Johnny and Sarah begin to rise with them. Not helping their financial and emotional strain is the discovery that Sarah is pregnant, Johnny finds work as a cab driver to augment their income and help pay for the girls Catholic school tuition. On Halloween, the become friendly with Mateo when they knock at his door to trick-or-treat. So the Sullivan family goes to the movies to see E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial, later, Mateo falls down a flight of stairs and is knocked unconscious. Christy tries to him using CPR, although she is warned away from him by the other residents. The mans condition continues to deteriorate as Sarahs fetus develops, the baby is born prematurely and in poor health, and is in need of a blood transfusion. However, after calming her down, Johnny and Sarah agree to the transfusion but without giving the baby bad blood. In return for his generous act, they give the baby girl the middle name of Mateo in gratitude. With the birth of the new baby and the death of Mateo, Johnny finally is able to overcome his lack of emotion and he also finally catches a break by getting a small role in A Chorus Line on Broadway. In The Making of in America, a featurette on the DVD release of the film, Sheridan explains Christy and Ariel are based on his daughters Naomi and Kirsten. He says they wanted to make a film showing how people can learn to overcome their pain, Manhattan locations include Hells Kitchen, Times Square, the Lincoln Tunnel, and 8th Street in the East Village. Interiors were filmed at the Ardmore Studios in County Wicklow in Ireland, the fairground scene was filmed on Parnell Street, Dublin
In America (film)
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Theatrical release poster
12.
Blood Diamond
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Blood Diamond is a 2006 German-American political war thriller film co-produced and directed by Edward Zwick, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are mined in war zones and sold to finance conflicts. Set during the Sierra Leone Civil War in 1991–2002, the film depicts a country torn apart by the struggle between government loyalists and insurgent forces. It also portrays many of the atrocities of war, including the rebels amputation of peoples hands to discourage them from voting in upcoming elections. The films ending, in which a conference is held concerning blood diamonds, refers to a meeting that took place in Kimberley, South Africa. It is 1999 and Sierra Leone is ravaged by political unrest. One such unfortunate local is fisherman Solomon Vandy from Shenge, who is separated from his family and assigned to a workforce overseen by Captain Poison, one morning, Vandy discovers an enormous pink diamond in the riverbank. Captain Poison tries to take the stone, but the area is suddenly raided by government troops, Vandy buries the stone before being captured. Both Vandy and Poison are incarcerated in Freetown, along with Danny Archer and they were intended for Rudolph van de Kaap, a corrupt South African mining executive. Hearing of the diamond in prison, Archer arranges for himself. He travels to Cape Town to meet his employer, Colonel Coetzee, an Afrikaner formerly with the apartheid-era South African Defence Force, Archer wants the diamond so he can sell it and leave the continent forever, but Coetzee wants it as compensation for Archers botched smuggling mission. Archer returns to Sierra Leone, locates Vandy, and offers to help him find his family if he will recover the diamond. Meanwhile, RUF insurgents escalate hostilities, Freetown falls to their advance while Vandys son Dia is among those rounded up to serve as a soldier under a liberated Captain Poison. Archer and Vandy narrowly escape to Lungi, where they plan to reach Kono with an American journalist, Maddy Bowen, in exchange, Archer will provide evidence on the illicit diamond trade. The trio arrive in Kono after a journey, where Coetzee. While Maddy gets out with her story, the two men set out for Captain Poisons encampment, Dia, stationed with the RUF garrison there, is confronted by Vandy, but having been brainwashed he refuses to acknowledge his father. Coetzee then forces Vandy to produce the diamond, but is killed by Archer, Dia holds the pair briefly at gunpoint, but Vandy confronts him again and renews their bond. Pursued by vengeful mercenaries, Archer discloses he has mortally wounded and entrusts the stone to Vandy
Blood Diamond
13.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
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The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered a performance in a supporting role while working within the film industry. At the 9th Academy Awards ceremony held in 1937, Walter Brennan was the first winner of award for his role in Come. Initially, winners in both supporting acting categories were awarded instead of statuettes. Beginning with the 16th ceremony held in 1944, however, winners received full-sized statuettes, currently, nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the actors branch of AMPAS, winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy. Since its inception, the award has given to 72 actors. Brennan has received the most awards in this category with three awards, Brennan, Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Arthur Kennedy, Jack Nicholson, and Claude Rains were nominated on four occasions, more than any other actor. As of the 2017 ceremony, Mahershala Ali is the most recent winner in category for his role as Juan in Moonlight. In the following table, the years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of release in Los Angeles County. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, University of Toronto Press, ISBN 978-1-55002-574-3. org The Academy Awards Database Oscar. com Complete Downloadable List of Academy Award Nominees
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
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Walter Brennan was the first winner in this category for 1936's
Come and Get It; He would also win for his roles in
Kentucky (1938) and
The Westerner (1940).
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
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Van Heflin won in 1942 for his performance in
Johnny Eager.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
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George Sanders won for his role in 1950's
All About Eve.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
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Karl Malden won in 1951 for
A Streetcar Named Desire.
14.
Guardians of the Galaxy (film)
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Guardians of the Galaxy is a 2014 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Reilly, Glenn Close, and Benicio del Toro, in Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill forms an uneasy alliance with a group of extraterrestrial misfits who are fleeing after stealing a powerful artifact. Perlman began working on the screenplay in 2009, Gunn was hired to write and direct the film that September. In February 2013, Pratt was hired to play Peter Quill / Star-Lord, principal photography began in July 2013 at Shepperton Studios, England, with filming continuing in London before wrapping up in October 2013. Post-production was finished on July 7,2014, the film premiered in Hollywood on July 21,2014. It was released in theaters on August 1,2014 in the United States in the 3D, the film garnered praise for its humor, action, soundtrack, visual effects, direction, musical score, and acting. A sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, is scheduled to be released on May 5,2017, in 1988, following his mothers death, a young Peter Quill is abducted from Earth by the Ravagers, a group of space pirates led by Yondu Udonta. Twenty-six years later on the planet Morag, Quill steals an orb but is attacked by Korath, although Quill escapes with the orb, Yondu discovers his theft and issues a bounty for his capture, while Ronan sends the assassin Gamora after the orb. When Quill attempts to sell the orb on Xandar, capital of the Nova Empire, Gamora ambushes him, a fight ensues, drawing in a pair of bounty hunters, the genetically and cybernetically modified raccoon Rocket, and the tree-like humanoid Groot. Nova Corps officers capture the four, detaining them in the Kyln, a powerful inmate there, Drax, attempts to kill Gamora due to her association with Ronan, who killed his family. Quill convinces Drax that Gamora can bring Ronan to him, though Gamora reveals that she has betrayed Ronan, learning that Gamora has a buyer for the orb, Quill, Rocket, Groot, and Drax work with her to escape the Kyln in Quills ship, the Milano. Ronan meets with Gamoras adoptive father, Thanos, to discuss her betrayal, Quills group flee to Knowhere, a remote criminal outpost in space built in the giant severed head of a Celestial. A drunken Drax summons Ronan while the rest of the group meet Gamoras contact, Tivan opens the orb, revealing an Infinity Stone, an item of immeasurable power that destroys all but the most powerful beings who wield it. Tivans tormented assistant grabs the Stone, triggering an explosion that engulfs Tivans archive, Ronan arrives and easily defeats Drax, while the others flee by ship, pursued by Ronans followers and Gamoras adoptive sister Nebula. Nebula destroys Gamoras ship, leaving her floating in space, Quill contacts Yondu before following Gamora into space, giving her his helmet to survive, Yondu arrives and retrieves the pair. Rocket, Drax, and Groot threaten to attack Yondus ship to rescue them, Quills group agrees that facing Ronan means certain death, but that they cannot let him use the Infinity Stone to destroy the galaxy. On Ronans flagship, the Dark Aster, Ronan embeds the Stone in his warhammer and he contacts Thanos, threatening to kill him after first destroying Xandar, hateful of her adoptive father, Nebula allies with Ronan
Guardians of the Galaxy (film)
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Theatrical release poster
Guardians of the Galaxy (film)
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The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy promoting the film at the 2013
San Diego Comic-Con International. From top to bottom: Pratt, Saldana, Bautista, Pace, Rooker, Gillan, Hounsou, and del Toro.
Guardians of the Galaxy (film)
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Gunn promoting the film at 2013
San Diego Comic-Con International.
Guardians of the Galaxy (film)
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The
Gardens by the Bay (top) in
Singapore helped inspire the look of the planet Xandar (bottom).
15.
Furious 7
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Furious 7 is a 2015 American action film directed by James Wan and written by Chris Morgan. It is the installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise. The film stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Djimon Hounsou, Kurt Russell and Jason Statham. With the previous three installments set between 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Fast and the Furious, Tokyo Drift, Furious 7 is the first installment in the franchise to take place after Tokyo Drift. The film also marks the film appearance of Walker, who died in a single-vehicle crash on November 30,2013. Following Walkers death, filming was delayed for script rewrites, and his brothers, Caleb, plans for a seventh installment were first announced in February 2012 when Johnson stated that production on the film would begin after the completion of Fast & Furious 6. In April 2013, Wan, predominantly known for films, was announced to direct the film in place of Justin Lin. Casting began in the month with the re-signing of Diesel and Walker. Principal photography began in Atlanta, Georgia, in September 2013, resumed in April 2014 and ended in July 2014, with filming locations including Los Angeles, Colorado, Abu Dhabi. Furious 7 premiered in Los Angeles on April 1,2015, and was first released in Australia on April 2,2015, the film was also released in 3D, IMAX 3D, and 4DX internationally. Upon release, the became a critical and commercial success, with praise being aimed at the films action sequences. The film grossed $397.6 million worldwide in its first five days of release, a sequel, The Fate of the Furious, is scheduled to be released on April 14,2017. Brian begins to accustom himself to life as a father, while Dom tries to help Letty Ortiz regain her memory, after revealing his identity, Shaw engages Hobbs in a fight, and escapes when he detonates a bomb that severely injures Hobbs. Dom later learns from his sister Mia that she is pregnant again, however, a bomb, disguised in a package sent from Tokyo, explodes and destroys the Toretto house just seconds after Han, a member of Doms team, is killed by Shaw in Tokyo. Dom later visits Hobbs in a hospital, where he learns that Shaw is a special forces assassin seeking to avenge his brother. Dom then travels to Tokyo to claim Hans body, and meets and races Sean Boswell, back at Hans funeral in Los Angeles, Dom notices a car observing them, and after a chase, confronts its driver, who is revealed to be Shaw. Both prepare to fight, but Shaw flees when a covert ops team arrives, the team then heads to Abu Dhabi, where a billionaire has acquired the flash drive containing the Gods Eye, and manages to steal it from the owner. With the Gods Eye near telecommunications repeaters, the tracks down Shaw
Furious 7
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Theatrical release poster
Furious 7
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A 58-year-old
Lockheed C-130 Hercules was used in the film to carry the vehicles that would drop from 12,000 feet high, above the
Sonoran Desert, making cars plummet at a speed of about 130 to 140 miles per hour.
16.
Golden Globe Award
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Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign. The annual ceremony at which the awards are presented is a part of the film industrys awards season. The 74th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film, the 1st Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best achievements in 1943 filmmaking, was held in January 1944, at the 20th Century-Fox studios. Subsequent ceremonies were held at venues throughout the next decade, including the Beverly Hills Hotel. In 1950, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association made the decision to establish an honorary award to recognize outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry. Recognizing its subject as a figure within the entertainment industry. The official name of the award became the Cecil B. In 1963, the Miss Golden Globe concept was introduced, in its inaugural year, two Miss Golden Globes were named, one for film and one for television. The two Miss Golden Globes named that year were Eva Six and Donna Douglas, respectively, in 2009, the Golden Globe statuette was redesigned. It was unveiled at a conference at the Beverly Hilton prior to the show. The broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards, telecast to 167 countries worldwide, generally ranks as the third most-watched awards show each year, behind only the Oscars, gervais returned to host the 68th and 69th Golden Globe Awards the next two years. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the 70th, 71st and 72nd Golden Globe Awards in 2015, the Golden Globe Awards theme song, which debuted in 2012, was written by Japanese musician and songwriter Yoshiki Hayashi. On January 7,2008, it was announced due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. The ceremony was faced with a threat by striking writers to picket the event, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was forced to adopt another approach for the broadcast. In acting categories, Meryl Streep holds the record for the most competitive Golden Globe wins with eight, however, including honorary awards, such as the Henrietta Award, World Film Favorite Actor/Actress Award, or Cecil B. DeMille Award, Barbra Streisand leads with nine, additionally, Streisand won for composing the song Evergreen, producing the Best Picture, and directing Yentl in 1984. Jack Nicholson, Angela Lansbury, Alan Alda and Shirley MacLaine have six awards each, behind them are Rosalind Russell and Jessica Lange with five wins. Meryl Streep also holds the record for most nominations with thirty, at the 46th Golden Globe Awards an anomaly occurred, a three way-tie for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Golden Globe Award
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The Golden Globe statuette
17.
Screen Actors Guild Award
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The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called The Actor. It is 16 inches tall, weighs over 12 pounds, is cast in solid bronze, SAG Awards have been one of the major awards events in Hollywood since 1995. It is considered an indicator of success at the Academy Awards, the awards have been telecast since 1998 on TNT, and since 2007 have been simulcast on TBS. The inaugural SAG Awards aired live on February 25,1995 from Universal Studios Stage 12, the second SAG awards aired live from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, while subsequent awards have been held at the Shrine Exposition Center
Screen Actors Guild Award
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Trophy of the award
18.
Lyon
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Lyon or Lyons is a city in east-central France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, about 470 km from Paris and 320 km from Marseille. Inhabitants of the city are called Lyonnais, Lyon had a population of 506,615 in 2014 and is Frances third-largest city after Paris and Marseille. Lyon is the capital of the Metropolis of Lyon and the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the metropolitan area of Lyon had a population of 2,237,676 in 2013, the second-largest in France after Paris. The city is known for its cuisine and gastronomy and historical and architectural landmarks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lyon was historically an important area for the production and weaving of silk. It played a significant role in the history of cinema, Auguste, the city is also known for its famous light festival, Fête des Lumières, which occurs every 8 December and lasts for four days, earning Lyon the title of Capital of Lights. Economically, Lyon is a centre for banking, as well as for the chemical, pharmaceutical. The city contains a significant software industry with a focus on video games. Lyon hosts the headquarters of Interpol, Euronews, and International Agency for Research on Cancer. Lyon was ranked 19th globally and second in France for innovation in 2014 and it ranked second in France and 39th globally in Mercers 2015 liveability rankings. These refugees had been expelled from Vienne by the Allobroges and were now encamped at the confluence of the Saône and Rhône rivers, dio Cassius says this task was to keep the two men from joining Mark Antony and bringing their armies into the developing conflict. The Roman foundation was at Fourvière hill and was officially called Colonia Copia Felix Munatia, a name invoking prosperity, the city became increasingly referred to as Lugdunum. The earliest translation of this Gaulish place-name as Desired Mountain is offered by the 9th-century Endlicher Glossary, in contrast, some modern scholars have proposed a Gaulish hill-fort named Lugdunon, after the Celtic god Lugus, and dúnon. It then became the capital of Gaul, partly due to its convenient location at the convergence of two rivers, and quickly became the main city of Gaul. Two emperors were born in city, Claudius, whose speech is preserved in the Lyon Tablet in which he justifies the nomination of Gallic senators. Today, the archbishop of Lyon is still referred to as Primat des Gaules, the Christians in Lyon were martyred for their beliefs under the reigns of various Roman emperors, most notably Marcus Aurelius and Septimus Severus. Local saints from this period include Blandina, Pothinus, and Epipodius, in the second century AD, the great Christian bishop of Lyon was the Easterner, Irenaeus. Burgundian refugees fleeing the destruction of Worms by the Huns in 437 were re-settled by the commander of the west, Aëtius. This became the capital of the new Burgundian kingdom in 461, in 843, by the Treaty of Verdun, Lyon, with the country beyond the Saône, went to Lothair I
Lyon
–
Top, the Basilique de Notre-Dame de Fourvière, the Place des Terreaux with the Fontaine Bartholdi and Lyon City Hall at night. Centre, the Parc de la Tête d'Or, the Confluence district and the old city. Bottom, the Pont Lafayette, the Part-Dieu district with the Place Bellecour in the foreground during the Festival of Lights.
Lyon
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Place Carnot, Lyons
Lyon
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The lion has been the symbol of the city for centuries and is represented throughout the city.
Lyon
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Lyon in the 18th century
19.
Thierry Mugler
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Thierry Mugler is a French fashion designer and creator of several perfumes. Mugler was born in Strasbourg, France and his passion led him to focus more on drawing than on school, and at the age of 9, he began to study classical dance. By 14, he joined the corps for the Rhin Opera. At the same time, Mugler began formal interior design training at the Strasbourg School of Decorative Arts, at the age of 24, Mugler moved to Paris, France. He began designing clothes for Parisian boutique, Gudule, at 26, Mugler, who was working as a freelance designer, began to design for a variety of large ready-to-wear fashion houses in Paris, Milan, London and Barcelona. In 1973, Mugler created his first personal collection called Café de Paris, the style of the collection was both sophisticated and urban. Melka Tréanton, a fashion editor, helped to launch his career. In 1976, she asked him to show his work in Tokyo for an event organized by Shiseido, in 1978, he opened his first Paris boutique at the Place des Victoires in the 1er Arrondissement). At the same time, Thierry Mugler launched a collection for men. For this collection, he reworked classical masculinity, giving it a modern style. A clean, precise, structured cut which outlined a highly recognizable silhouette, prominent shoulders, during the 1980s and 1990s, Thierry Mugler became an internationally recognized designer, and his collections garnered much commercial success. At the request of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture and he created the famous black dress worn by Demi Moore in the 1993 movie, Indecent Proposal. His clothes are identified by their style and their structure, Mugler, over the next two decades created a style that was very much of its time, it was strong, angular, and sometimes almost cruel. Shoulders were wide and padded, waists were wasp like, prints were banished, Mugler”s clothes came in solid, dominating colors. Collars had exaggerated points, or flame like cutouts, the insect kingdom was a constant influence, as were the ladies and gentlemen of film noir. PVC was often used as his material for his pieces, used to create space. Mugler published his first photography book in 1988, Thierry Mugler and this was followed by a monograph in 1999 entitled, Fashion Fetish Fantasy which assembles photos of his creations. Mugler also directs films, advertising films and video clips
Thierry Mugler
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Thierry Mugler
Thierry Mugler
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An evening dress by Thierry Mugler in an Indianapolis Museum of Art exhibit
Thierry Mugler
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A dress by Thierry Mugler in an Indianapolis Museum of Art exhibit
Thierry Mugler
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Angel for men (A*Men)
20.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
United States
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Native Americans meeting with Europeans, 1764
United States
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Flag
United States
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The signing of the
Mayflower Compact, 1620.
United States
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The
Declaration of Independence: the
Committee of Five presenting their draft to the
Second Continental Congress in 1776
21.
Straight Up (Paula Abdul song)
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Straight Up is a song recorded by American singer Paula Abdul, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and brought her widespread public attention. It was written and produced by Elliot Wolff, the song is a mid-tempo dance tune. The synthetic lead trumpet sound comes from the Roland D-50, daniel J. Levitins This Is Your Brain On Music praises the song as hold a certain appeal over many, many listenings. Paula says in a YouTube video that her mother found this song for her and she says that her mom knew someone whose boyfriend was an aspiring songwriter, and she got Straight Up as an 8-Track Demo. The Demo version was so bad that Paulas mom was crying laughing at it, but Paula heard something she liked in it, and retrieved it. At that time she was a choreographer, and on the side. The music label didnt think the song was any good, but Paula made a deal with them that she would record 2 songs they wanted, which she didnt like, if they would let her do Straight Up. The song was recorded at a cost of $3,000, later a friend of hers told her that somebody with her same name was being played on a northern California radio station. Literally, within 10 days I sold a million copies, the song was originally recorded in a bathroom, and in the masters of the recording, you can hear someone in the next apartment yelling Shut up. The Roland trumpet sound was used on Taylor Daynes Tell It To My Heart. Straight Up was the single released from her debut album Forever Your Girl, after Knocked Out. While the latter was enjoying success on the R&B charts, radio station KMEL in San Francisco started playing Straight Up from the album, the label decided to abandon The Way That You Love Me and refocus its attention on Straight Up. The strategy paid off, as Straight Up was followed by three more hits from the same album. One of the 12 versions was remixed by LA Powermixers Chris Modig and Boris Granich, after debuting at #79 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of December 3,1988, the single quickly rose up the chart, reaching #13 by January 21,1989. It ultimately spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart beginning February 11,1989 and it was certified Platinum by the RIAA with sales of more than one million units. It reached number three in the UK and Germany, the song became so popular that it ascended up the charts before a music video had even been shot for the song. The video features an appearance by Paulas friend, comedian Arsenio Hall. Djimon Hounsou also made a special appearance, released in February 1989, the video at the time went into very heavy rotation on MTV, and it also made Abdul known for her exceptionally creative and distinct videos
Straight Up (Paula Abdul song)
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"Straight Up"
22.
Paula Abdul
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Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, voice actress, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 before rising to prominence in the 1980s as a highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the video era. Abdul later scored a string of pop hits in the late 1980s. Her six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 tie her with Diana Ross for seventh among the female performers who have topped the chart. She won a Grammy for Best Music Video – Short Form for Opposites Attract, after her initial period of success, Abdul suffered a series of setbacks in her professional and personal life. She saw renewed fame and success as a judge on American Idol in the 2000s. Abdul was born in San Fernando, California, to Jewish parents, Abduls father, Harry Abdul, was born into the Syrian-Jewish community in Aleppo, Syria, was raised in Brazil, and subsequently emigrated to the United States. Her mother, the concert pianist Lorraine M. Rykiss, grew up in one of the two Jewish families in Minnedosa, Manitoba, and has Ashkenazi Jewish ancestors from Ukraine, Abdul holds dual citizenship in the United States and Canada. She has a sister named Wendy, in 1980, she graduated from Van Nuys High School. An avid dancer, Abdul was inspired towards a business career by Gene Kelly in the classic film Singin in the Rain. Abdul began taking lessons at an early age in ballet, jazz. She attended Van Nuys High School, where she was a cheerleader, at 15, she received a scholarship to a dance camp near Palm Springs, and in 1978 appeared in a low-budget Independent musical film, Junior High School. Abdul studied broadcasting at the California State University, Northridge, during her freshman year, she was selected from a pool of 700 candidates for the cheerleading squad of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team—the famed Laker Girls. Within a year, she became head choreographer, Abdul was discovered by The Jacksons, after a few of the band members had watched her while attending a Los Angeles Lakers game. She was signed to do the choreography for the video to their single Torture and my only problem was how to tell the Jacksons how to dance, Abdul later recalled. Imagine me telling them what routines to do, I was young, I was scared. Im not quite sure how I got through that, the success of the choreography in the video led to Abduls career of choreographer in music videos. It was also due to the success of the video that Abdul was chosen to be the choreographer for the Jacksons Victory tour, Abdul choreographed videos for several singers throughout the 1980s, including many videos for Janet Jackson during her Control era
Paula Abdul
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Abdul on the set of
Live to Dance in 2011
Paula Abdul
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Abdul at the 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards, 1990
Paula Abdul
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Abdul backstage at the
The X Factor (U.S.) in 2011
Paula Abdul
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Abdul's own phonograph record star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
23.
Love Will Never Do (Without You)
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Love Will Never Do is a song recorded by American singer Janet Jackson, recorded for her fourth studio album Janet Jacksons Rhythm Nation 1814. It was written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song was released as the seventh single from the album on October 2,1990, by A&M Records. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week and the Radio & Records airplay chart for three weeks, pitchfork included the song on their The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s list at #27. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis considered the idea of making this song a duet, according to Fred Bronsons The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, they thought about possibly getting Prince, Johnny Gill, Ralph Tresvant, or someone else working with them at the time. However, there was no concrete plan, during the recording of the first verse, Jimmy Jam told Jackson, Sing it low like some guy would sing it. As a result, they kept the idea of her singing the first verse in a low octave, in 1996, the song was remixed by Roger Sanchez. The Single Edit was included on the release of Jacksons 1996 greatest hits compilation Design of a Decade. Although being one of the albums last singles, it was one of the first songs recorded for Janet Jacksons Rhythm Nation 1814, the songs background vocals were recorded in late 1988, while Jackson recorded the lead vocals in January 1989. Herb Alpert plays trumpet on the track, Love Will Never Do is written in the key of A♭ major and has a tempo of 103 beats per minute in common time. Jacksons vocals span from F3 to C6 in the song, the video was directed by photographer Herb Ritts and choreographed by Ritts, Jackson and Tina Landon on September 13,1990. Jackson originally planned to wear a dress for the video, but Ritts envisioned Jackson in nothing more than a top, a pair of jeans. The video features cameos by actors Antonio Sabàto, Jr. Ritts commented, Because Janet is known for her instinctive talent for dance, as well as being an all around entertainer, Janet and I decided to try something innovative on the video. The video is a departure from her dance production routines and focuses, instead, on her alone, She is fresh, sensual, womanly. We wanted to show this intimate and more personal side of Janet, the video begins with the shadows of Jackson and a dancer, leading to images of a man running through a desert. As she starts singing the song, accompanied by her love interest, as the video advances, a black man is seen running in a large wheel, and also begins lip-synching to the song. He then appears on top of a half circle. The video ends with Jackson sharing caresses with her lover, calvin Thomas on his book Masculinity, Psychoanalysis, Straight Queer Theory noted a lightening of Jacksons skin tone and a notable transformation of the shape of her body in the music video. Two versions of the video were produced, one in black-and-white, the video won for Best Female Video and was nominated for Best Choreography and Best Art Direction at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards
Love Will Never Do (Without You)
–
"Love Will Never Do (Without You)"
24.
Janet Jackson
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Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. After signing a contract with A&M Records in 1982, she became a pop icon following the release of her third studio album Control. Her collaborations with record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis incorporated elements of rhythm and blues, funk, disco, rap, and industrial beats, which led to crossover success in popular music. In 1991 Jackson signed the first of two record-breaking multimillion-dollar contracts with Virgin Records, establishing her as one of the highest paid artists in the industry. Her debut album under the label, Janet, saw her develop an image as a sex symbol as she began to explore sexuality in her work. That same year, she appeared in her first starring role in Poetic Justice. By the end of the 1990s, she was the second most successful recording artist of the decade, the release of her seventh studio album All for You coincided with a celebration of her impact on popular music as the inaugural MTV Icon. After parting ways with Virgin she released her studio album, Discipline, her first. In 2015 she partnered with BMG Rights Management to launch her own label, Rhythm Nation. Having sold over 100 million records, Jackson is one of the artists in the history of contemporary music. In 2016, Billboard placed her number seven on its list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, in December 2016, the magazine named her the second most successful dance artist of all-time. One of the worlds most awarded artists, her longevity, records and she has been cited as an inspiration among numerous performers. Janet Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, the youngest of ten children, to Katherine Esther, the Jacksons were lower-middle class and devout Jehovahs Witnesses, although Jackson would later refrain from organized religion. At a young age, her brothers began performing as The Jackson 5 in the Chicago-Gary area, in March 1969, the group signed a record deal with Motown, and soon had their first number-one hit. The family then moved to the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jackson had initially desired to become a horse racing jockey or entertainment lawyer, with plans to support herself through acting. Despite this, she was anticipated to pursue a career in entertainment, at age seven, Jackson performed at the Las Vegas Strip at the MGM Casino. A biography revealed her father, Joseph Jackson, was emotionally withdrawn and she began acting in the variety show The Jacksons in 1976. In 1977, she was selected to have a role as Penny Gordon Woods in the sitcom Good Times
Janet Jackson
–
Jackson performing on her
Unbreakable World Tour, 2015
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
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Jackson (bottom row) in a 1976 CBS photo on the set of
The Jacksons
Janet Jackson
–
Janet Jackson featured on an iconic cover of Rolling Stone with the hands of her then-unknown husband
René Elizondo, Jr. cupping her breasts
25.
Express Yourself (Madonna song)
–
Express Yourself is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna, from her fourth studio album Like a Prayer. It was released as the single from the album on May 9,1989 by Sire Records. The song was included on the greatest hits compilation albums The Immaculate Collection, Express Yourself was the first song that Madonna and producer Stephen Bray collaborated on for Like a Prayer. Written and produced by them, the song was a tribute to American funk and soul band Sly, the main inspiration behind the song is female empowerment, urging women never to go for second-best and to always express their inner feelings. Express Yourself is an upbeat song that features instrumentation from brass, hand claps and drum beats, while the chorus is backed by the sound of saxophone. The lyrics talk about rejecting material pleasures and only accepting the best for oneself, commercially, the song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Madonnas sixth number-one hit on the European Hot 100 Singles chart. It also reached the top of the charts in Canada, Italy and Switzerland. The accompanying music video, directed by David Fincher, was inspired by the Fritz Lang classic film Metropolis and it had a total budget of $5 million, which made it the most expensive music video made up to then, and currently the third most expensive of all time. The video portrayed a city full of skyscrapers and railway lines. Madonna played the part of a lady and chained masochist. In the end, she one of them—played by model Cameron Alborzian—as her date. Critics noted the videos exploitation of female sexuality and that Madonnas masculine image in the video was gender-bending, the song and the video are noted for their freedom expression and feminist aspects, and its postmodern nature entranced academics, by resisting definition. It has also left its mark on the work of pop acts, including the Spice Girls, Christina Aguilera. Express Yourself was released as the single from her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, on May 9,1989, with The Look of Love, from the 1987 film soundtrack Whos That Girl. When Madonna started work on Like a Prayer, she considered many options and she had certain matters on her mind, including her troubled relationship with her ex-husband Sean Penn, her family, her lost mother and even her belief in God. Madonna thought about lyrical ideas for the songs on topics that, until then, were personal mediation never to be shared with her public so openly and pointedly. She came to the realization that as she and her fans were growing up, and it was time for her to move away from the teen appeal to wider audiences, and en-cash on the longevity of the album market. Madonna wanted her new sound to be calculative and indicative of what was fashionable, Express Yourself was the first song that Madonna and Bray collaborated on for Like a Prayer, co-written and co-produced as a tribute to American funk and soul band Sly and the Family Stone
Express Yourself (Madonna song)
–
Madonna beginning the performance of "Express Yourself" on the 1993
Girlie Show World Tour, sitting on top of a
disco ball.
Express Yourself (Madonna song)
–
"Express Yourself"
Express Yourself (Madonna song)
–
Madonna performing "Express Yourself" on the
Blond Ambition World Tour (1990), wearing the infamous
Jean Paul Gaultier conical bra.
Express Yourself (Madonna song)
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The music video for "Express Yourself" was directed by
David Fincher.
26.
Beverly Hills, 90210
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It is the first of five television series in the Beverly Hills,90210 franchise. The show was created by Darren Star and executive producers Charles Rosin followed in later seasons by Aaron Spelling, E. Duke Vincent, Paul Waigner, Steve Wasserman, the 90210 in the title refers to one of the citys five ZIP codes. Beverly Hills,90210 was named one of the Best School Shows of All Time by AOL TV, the series became one of Foxs top shows when it began its next season that fall. The show also had many cast changes, with Garth, Spelling, Ian Ziering, the show followed the dramatic lives of its characters through high school, college, and ultimately the adult world, while introducing several additional characters as its seasons progressed. It is the show produced by Aaron Spelling, airing slightly longer than Dynasty. Shannen Doherty left the show at the end of the fourth season, dohertys character, Brenda Walsh, was written off the show as moving to London to attend school at the Royal Academy for Dramatic Arts. While the characters absence was originally described as only being for a year, she never returned and she was replaced with former Saved by the Bell star Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, who played the bad-girl character Valerie Malone. Dohertys departure from the show would be the longest the continuity had seen with a lead cast member not making another guest appearance after they had left the show. Spanning for a time of 14 years, Brenda Walsh was not seen in any 90210 incarnation until September 2,2008, in which she reprised her role in the CWs spinoff,90210. Doherty appeared as Brenda Walsh in the 2008 spin-off series,90210, along with former costars Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Ann Gillespie, Gabrielle Carteris left the show following the fifth season. Her character, Andrea Zuckerman, changed radically from high school to college, in high school, Andrea was the brainy editor of the West Beverly Blaze, had a crush on Brandon, and secretly lived out of district. During the fourth season, Andrea becomes pregnant, and gets married to someone she knows before the year is out. Her plot lines chronicled the struggles of trying to juggle college, marriage, the character eventually headed to Yale University. After her original five-year contract ended, Carteris voluntarily left the show for her own self-titled talk show, Carteris returned to the show for guest appearances during the sixth, eighth and tenth seasons. Both actors left the following the fifth season at the end of their original five-year contracts. During the high school years of the show, Jim and Cindy Walsh played secondary roles, offering advice to Brenda and Brandon, along with their friends and they generally spent most of their time reacting to various things that Brenda, Brandon and later Valerie did. Following the fifth season, both characters left Beverly Hills for Hong Kong, making occasional guest appearances in the sixth, seventh and eighth seasons, even though all the Walshes eventually left the show, the Walsh home continued to play a central role in the series. The show explained this by having Brandon tell Steve his parents had given the light for Steve to keep living in the house
Beverly Hills, 90210
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Season 2-4 inter-title
Beverly Hills, 90210
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Torrance High School was used as a primary filming location for the fictional West Beverly High School.
27.
ER (TV series)
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It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Television, in association with Warner Bros. ER follows the life of the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. The show became the longest-running primetime medical drama in American television history and it won 23 Primetime Emmy Awards, including the 1996 Outstanding Drama Series award, and received 124 Emmy nominations, which makes it the most nominated drama program in history. ER won 116 awards in total, including the Peabody Award, in 1974, author Michael Crichton wrote a screenplay based on his own experiences as a resident physician in a busy hospital emergency room. The screenplay went nowhere and Crichton focused on other topics, in 1990, he published the novel Jurassic Park, and in 1993 began a collaboration with director Steven Spielberg on the film adaptation of the book. Crichton and Spielberg then turned to ER, but decided to film the story as a pilot for a television series rather than as a feature film. Spielbergs Amblin Entertainment provided John Wells as the executive producer. The script used to shoot the pilot was virtually unchanged from what Crichton had written in 1974. Because of a lack of time and money necessary to build a set, the episode of ER was filmed in the former Linda Vista Hospital in Los Angeles. After Spielberg had joined as a producer, NBC ordered six episodes, ER premiered opposite a Monday Night Football game on ABC and did surprisingly well. Then we moved it to Thursday and it just took off, ERs success surprised the networks and critics alike, as David E. Kelleys new medical drama Chicago Hope was expected to crush the new series. Crichton remained executive producer until his death in November 2008, although he was credited as one throughout that entire final season. Wells, the other initial executive producer, served as showrunner for the first three seasons. He was one of the shows most prolific writers and became a director in later years. Lydia Woodward was a part of the first season production team and she took over as showrunner for the fourth season while Wells focused on the development of other series, including Trinity, Third Watch, and The West Wing. She left her executive position at the end of the sixth season. Joe Sachs, who was a writer and producer of the series, believed keeping a commitment to medical accuracy was important, Wed bend the rules. A medication that would take 10 minutes to work might take 30 seconds instead, a 12- to 24-hour shift gets pushed into 48 minutes
ER (TV series)
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ER
ER (TV series)
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Michael Crichton, the show's creator.
ER (TV series)
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Original cast of the show (1994–1995)
ER (TV series)
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Final season cast (2008–2009)
28.
Alias (TV series)
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Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams, that was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30,2001, to May 22,2006. It stars Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, a double-agent for the Central Intelligence Agency posing as an operative for SD-6, a worldwide criminal and espionage organization. The main theme of the series explores Sydneys obligation to conceal her true career from her friends and family and these themes are most prevalent in the first two seasons of the show. A major plotline of the series is the search for and recovery of artifacts created by Milo Rambaldi and this plot and some technologies used in the series place Alias into the genre of science fiction. The series was received among critics and has been included in several best of lists. Alias was in the American Film Institutes top ten list for television programs in 2003, the show also received numerous awards and nominations. Alias featured an ensemble cast portraying the people in Sydneys life. During the course of the series, every main character involved in the world of espionage in some form or another. Sydney Bristow is a student in English in Los Angeles. She moonlights as an operative for SD-6, which she believed was a black ops division of the CIA. Her fiancé was murdered in the episode, and she then learned SD-6 is actually a branch of an international criminal organization known as the Alliance of Twelve. She then becomes an agent for the real CIA. She would later become a member of APO, a division of the CIA. Sydney has 41 confirmed kills through the series, Arvin Sloane was the head of SD-6 and APO, the shows main antagonist. Originally a loyal CIA officer, he is obsessed with the work of a 15th-century prophet – Milo Rambaldi, though sometimes showing a genuine affection to the Bristows, hes always ready to hurt them and even kill them, and vice versa. Michael Vaughn was Sydneys CIA handler and later partner and he and Sydney share a mutual attraction, which eventually leads to a relationship. At the end of Season 4, it is revealed that it was not a coincidence that he met Sydney. Despite departing in season 5 as a regular, Michael Vartans character was still credited as a main cast member in the first episode then special guest star in the latter part of the season
Alias (TV series)
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Alias
29.
Stargate (film)
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Stargate is a 1994 American French science fiction adventure film released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco Pictures. Created by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, the film is the first release in the Stargate franchise, directed by Roland Emmerich, the film stars Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital, and Viveca Lindfors. The plot centers on the premise of a Stargate, an ancient ring-shaped device that creates a wormhole enabling travel to a similar device elsewhere in the universe, the films central plot explores the theory of extraterrestrial beings having an influence upon human civilization. The film had a mixed critical reception, earning both praise and criticism for its atmosphere, story, characters, and graphic content. Nevertheless, Stargate became a success worldwide. Devlin and Emmerich gave the rights to the franchise to MGM when they were working on their 1996 film Independence Day, and MGM retains the domestic television rights. Egyptologist and linguist Daniel Jackson, Ph. D. is invited by Catherine Langford to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs on cover stones that her father had unearthed in Giza, Egypt in 1928. Jackson is taken to a U. S. Air Force installation, Jackson determines that the hieroglyphs refer to a stargate which uses constellations as spatial coordinates. On this revelation, Jackson is shown that the base has this Stargate and they use Jacksons coordinates to align the Stargates metal ring with markings along its outside, and once all seven are locked in, a wormhole opens, connecting the Stargate with a distant planet. Jackson joins ONeil and other soldiers as they pass through the wormhole, on the arid desert planet, they find themselves in a pyramid-like structure. Jackson locates the Stargate and its controls, but lacks the coordinates to return home, ONeil orders some men to stay behind to guard the Stargate. Nearby, they discover a tribe of humans working to mine a mineral from the planet. Jackson is able to communicate with them as they speak a variation of Ancient Egyptian, the tribes chieftain Kasuf presents Jackson with his daughter Shauri as a gift, and though Jackson initially refuses her, he becomes romantically attached to her. ONeil befriends the teenaged boy Skaara and his friends, in part because Skaara reminds him of his long-deceased son, Ra enslaved these humans and brought some to this planet through the Stargate to mine the mineral that is used in the alien technology. The humans on Earth revolted, overthrew Ras overseers, and buried the Stargate to prevent its use, Ra forbade the humans in the tribe from becoming literate, fearing another revolt. During this investigation, Jackson comes across a cartouche containing six of the seven symbols for the Stargate and that night, Ras ship lands atop the pyramid structure, and ONeils men there are captured or killed by Ras soldiers. When Jackson, ONeil, and the men return, they end up in a firefight against Ras soldiers. Jackson is killed and the others captured, Ra places Jacksons body in a sarcophagus-like device that regenerates him
Stargate (film)
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Theatrical release poster
Stargate (film)
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Concept drawing of Ra's original humanoid form by
Patrick Tatopoulos.
30.
National Board of Review
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The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr. s revocation of moving-picture exhibition licenses on Christmas Eve 1908, the mayor believed that the new medium degraded the morals of community. Its stated purpose was to endorse films of merit and champion the new art of the people, in an effort to avoid government censorship of films, the National Board became the unofficial clearinghouse for new movies. From 1916 into the 1950s thousands of motion pictures carried the legend Passed by the National Board of Review in their main titles, however, the Board was a de facto censorship organization. Producers submitted their films to the Board before making release prints, they agreed to cut out any footage that the Board found objectionable, up to and including destroying the entire film. In 1930, the NBR was the first group to choose the ten best English-language movies of the year and the best foreign films, everson, Alistair Cooke, and Pearl Buck. In addition, the Awards Jury helps to determine the special achievement awards presented at the gala in January. The organization also works to foster commentary on all aspects of production by underwriting educational film programs. In 2016, the NBR reached out to the community to The Reel Works Teen Filmmaking, The Ghetto Film School, the organization also awarded grants to seventeen student filmmakers as part of its annual Student Grant Program. The boardss official magazine had existed in several forms and different names since its inception, in 1950 the magazine changed its name from Screen Magazine, and launched the first issue as Films in Review on February 1,1950. Note, Until 1945, there were awards for Best Picture and intermittent awards for Best Documentary. Motion Picture Production Code Official website
National Board of Review
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Official logo of the NBR
31.
Academy Award
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The various category winners are awarded a copy of a golden statuette, officially called the Academy Award of Merit, which has become commonly known by its nickname Oscar. The awards, first presented in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, are overseen by AMPAS, the awards ceremony was first broadcast on radio in 1930 and televised for the first time in 1953. It is now live in more than 200 countries and can be streamed live online. The Academy Awards ceremony is the oldest worldwide entertainment awards ceremony and its equivalents – the Emmy Awards for television, the Tony Awards for theater, and the Grammy Awards for music and recording – are modeled after the Academy Awards. The 89th Academy Awards ceremony, honoring the best films of 2016, were held on February 26,2017, at the Dolby Theatre, in Los Angeles, the ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and was broadcast on ABC. A total of 3,048 Oscars have been awarded from the inception of the award through the 88th, the first Academy Awards presentation was held on May 16,1929, at a private dinner function at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with an audience of about 270 people. The post-awards party was held at the Mayfair Hotel, the cost of guest tickets for that nights ceremony was $5. Fifteen statuettes were awarded, honoring artists, directors and other participants in the industry of the time. The ceremony ran for 15 minutes, winners were announced to media three months earlier, however, that was changed for the second ceremony in 1930. Since then, for the rest of the first decade, the results were given to newspapers for publication at 11,00 pm on the night of the awards. The first Best Actor awarded was Emil Jannings, for his performances in The Last Command and he had to return to Europe before the ceremony, so the Academy agreed to give him the prize earlier, this made him the first Academy Award winner in history. With the fourth ceremony, however, the system changed, for the first six ceremonies, the eligibility period spanned two calendar years. At the 29th ceremony, held on March 27,1957, until then, foreign-language films had been honored with the Special Achievement Award. The 74th Academy Awards, held in 2002, presented the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, since 1973, all Academy Awards ceremonies always end with the Academy Award for Best Picture. The Academy also awards Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, see also § Awards of Merit categories The best known award is the Academy Award of Merit, more popularly known as the Oscar statuette. The five spokes represent the branches of the Academy, Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers. The model for the statuette is said to be Mexican actor Emilio El Indio Fernández, sculptor George Stanley sculpted Cedric Gibbons design. The statuettes presented at the ceremonies were gold-plated solid bronze
Academy Award
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Academy Awards
Academy Award
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31st Academy Awards Presentations,
Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, 1959
Academy Award
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81st Academy Awards Presentations,
Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, 2009
Academy Award
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Pantages Theatre, 2008
32.
Push (2009 film)
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Push is a 2009 American science fiction action-thriller film directed by Paul McGuigan and written by David Bourla. The film was released on February 6,2009 by Summit Entertainment and it was a moderate box office success, though critical reception was mostly negative. In 1945, the United States set up the Division, a government agency that tracks, captures, each psychic is categorised into various groups based on what powers they have. Decades later, two “Movers”, teenager Nick Gant and his father Jonah hide from Agent Carver, a Division “Pusher”, Jonah tells Nick he received a vision from a “Watcher”, about a young girl Nick must help to bring down the Division. Nick flees while Jonah is murdered by Carver, ten years later, Carver has developed a drug which can boost psychic abilities. All test subjects have died, until a Pusher named Kira successfully adapts to it, however, she escapes, stealing a syringe of the drug and flees to Hong Kong. Nick lives in Hong Kong as an expatriate, but is visited by Cassie Holmes, a moody teenage Watcher, whose mother, Sarah, is considered the strongest Watcher, Cassie convinces Nick to help her find the briefcase containing the stolen drug. They are attacked by the Chinese triad, led by a “Bleeder”, Nick is badly wounded by the Bleeders, but is healed by Teresa Stowe, an opportunistic “Stitch”. Using the drawings Cassie creates, she and Nick track down Kira, Kira hid the case and then had a “Wiper” erase her memory of its location. Nick recruits a “Shadow” named Pinky to cover Kira from the sight of the Division’s Watchers, Cassie attempts to foresee the case’s location, competing with the stronger yet cocky Pop Girl. Nick’s group escape the Bleeders, before splitting up, Nick meets Carver and his assistant Victor, a talented Mover, learning Kira will become ill without the drug’s support. The Movers battle until Carver leaves, wanting the current future to go as planned, Cassie finds a key in Kira’s shoe, which unlocks a locker atop a construction site, where the case is hidden. To distract Carver and the triad, Nick proposes a plan to obtain the drug. Hooks locates the case, creating a duplicate of it and the syringe, Carver then pushes her into believing she is actually a Division agent and her relationship with Nick was a lie. Cassie is confronted by Pop Girl, only for the Wiper to appear and erases the girl’s memory, Nick, upon regaining his memories, visits Carver, discovering Kira’s brainwashing. They travel to the site where Carver unknowingly retrieves the fake case. During the fight, the members and Victor are killed. Nick seizes the fake syringe and injects himself with it, apparently dying, after Kira and Carver leave, Cassie appears, revealing Nick is alive
Push (2009 film)
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Theatrical release poster
Push (2009 film)
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Camilla Belle at the film's premiere
Push (2009 film)
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Director
Paul McGuigan at the film's premiere
33.
IGN
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The website was the brainchild of media entrepreneur Chris Anderson and launched on September 29,1996. It focuses on games, films, television, comics, technology, the company is located in San Franciscos SOMA district in California, United States. Originally a network of websites, IGN is now distributed on mobile platforms, console programs on the Xbox and PlayStation, FireTV, Roku, and via YouTube, Twitch, Hulu. IGN was sold to publishing company Ziff Davis in February 2013 and now operates as a J2 Global subsidiary. com, PSXPower, Saturnworld, Next-Generation. com and Ultra Game Players Online. Imagine expanded on its owned-and-operated websites by creating a network that included a number of independent fansites such as PSX Nation. com, Sega-Saturn. com, Game Sages. In 1998, the network launched a new homepage that consolidated the individual sites as system channels under the IGN brand, the homepage exposed content from more than 30 different channels. Next-Generation and Ultra Game Players Online were not part of this consolidation, dissolved with the cancellation of the magazine, and Next-Generation was put on hold when Imagine decided to concentrate on launching the short-lived Daily Radar brand. In February 1999, Imagine Media incorporated a spin-off that included IGN and its channels as Affiliation Networks. In September, the newly spun-out standalone internet media company, changed its name to Snowball. com, at the same time, small entertainment website The Den merged into IGN and added non-gaming content to the growing network. Snowball held an IPO in 2000, but shed most of its properties during the dot-com bubble. In June 2005, IGN reported having 24,000,000 unique visitors per month, with 4.8 million registered users through all departments of the site, IGN is ranked among the top 200 most-visited websites according to Alexa. In September 2005, IGN was acquired by Rupert Murdochs multi-media business empire, News Corporation, IGN celebrated its 10th anniversary on January 12,2008. IGN was headquartered in the Marina Point Parkway office park in Brisbane, California, on May 25,2011, IGN sold its Direct2Drive division to Gamefly for an undisclosed amount. In 2011, IGN Entertainment acquired its rival UGO Entertainment from Hearst Corporation, ultimately, News Corp. planned to spin off IGN Entertainment as a publicly traded company, continuing a string of divestitures for digital properties it had previously acquired. Financial details regarding the purchase were not revealed, prior to its acquisition by UGO, 1UP. com had previously been owned by Ziff Davis. Soon after the acquisition, IGN announced that it would be laying off staff and closing GameSpy, 1UP. com, the role-playing video game interest website Vault Network was acquired by IGN in 1999. GameStats, a review website, was founded by IGN in 2004. GameStats includes a GPM rating system incorporates an average press score and average gamer score
IGN
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IGN Entertainment's former headquarters in
Brisbane,
California.
IGN
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IGN Entertainment Inc.
34.
Fantastic Four
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The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1, which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium. As the first superhero team title produced by Marvel Comics, it formed a cornerstone of the companys 1960s rise from a division of a publishing company to a pop culture conglomerate. Since their original 1961 introduction, the Fantastic Four have been portrayed as a dysfunctional, yet loving. Breaking convention with other comic book archetypes of the time, they would squabble, the Fantastic Four have been adapted into other media, including four animated series and four live-action films. According to Lee, writing in 1974, Martin mentioned that he had noticed one of the published by National Comics seemed to be selling better than most. It was a book called The Justice League of America and it was composed of a team of superheroes, if the Justice League is selling, spoke he, why dont we put out a comic book that features a team of superheroes. Determined to carve a career for myself in the nowhere world of comic books, Lee concluded that, For just this once. Lee said he created a synopsis for the first Fantastic Four story that he gave to penciller Jack Kirby, Kirby turned in his penciled art pages to Lee, who added dialogue and captions. Kirby claims he came up with the idea for the Fantastic Four in Marvels offices, Kirby also sought to establish, more credibly and on numerous occasions, that the visual elements of the strip were his conceptions. He regularly pointed to a team he had created for rival publisher DC Comics in the 1950s, F you notice the uniforms, theyre the same. I always give them a skintight uniform with a belt, the Challengers and the FF have a minimum of decoration. And of course, the Things skin is a kind of decoration, the chest insignia of a 4 within a circle, however, was designed by Lee. The characters wear no uniforms in the first two issues, given the conflicting statements, outside commentators have found it hard to identify with precise detail who created the Fantastic Four. Comics historian R. C. Harvey believes that the Fantastic Four was a furtherance of the work Kirby had been doing previously, but Harvey notes that the Marvel Method of collaboration allowed each man to claim credit, and that Lees dialogue added to the direction the team took. Wells argues that it was Lees contributions which set the framework within which Kirby worked, and this made Lee more responsible. Comics historian Mark Evanier, an assistant to Jack Kirby in the 1970s, says that the considered opinion of Lee and Kirbys contemporaries was that Fantastic Four was created by Stan. No further division of credit seemed appropriate, the release of The Fantastic Four #1 was an unexpected success
Fantastic Four
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Promotional art for Fantastic Four #509 (March 2004) by
Mike Wieringo and
Karl Kesel
Fantastic Four
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The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961). Cover art by
Jack Kirby (penciller) and unconfirmed inker.
Fantastic Four
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Fantastic Four #48 (Sept. 1966): The Watcher warns, in part one of the landmark "
Galactus Trilogy ". Cover art by Kirby and
Joe Sinnott.
Fantastic Four
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Promotional posters for 2005's Fantastic Four (left) and 2015's Fantastic Four (right).
35.
Black Panther (comics)
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The Black Panther is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character is usually depicted as the king and protector of Wakanda, a fictional African nation. Chadwick Boseman portrays the Black Panther in Captain America, Civil War and is set to return in Black Panther and he is the first black superhero in mainstream comic books, virtually no black heroes were created before him, and none with actual superpowers. Previous non-caricatured black supporting characters in comics include U. S. Army infantry private Gabriel Jones of Sgt, co-creator Stan Lee recounted that the name was inspired by a pulp adventure hero who has a black panther as a helper. Jack Kirbys original concept art for Black Panther used the concept name, during his time with the Avengers, he made solo guest-appearances in three issues of Daredevil, and fought Doctor Doom in Astonishing Tales #6–7, in that supervillains short-lived starring feature. He received his first starring feature with Jungle Action #5, a reprint of the Panther-centric story in The Avengers #62, the critically acclaimed series ran in Jungle Action #6–24. One now-common format McGregor pioneered was that of the self-contained, multi-issue story arc, the first, Panthers Rage, ran through the first 13 issues. Critic Jason Sacks has called the arc Marvels first graphic novel, here were real character arcs in Spider-Man, Panthers Rage is the first comic that was created from start to finish as a complete novel. The second and final arc, Panther vs. the Klan, ran as mostly 17-page stories in Jungle Action #19–24, except for issue #23, a reprint of Daredevil #69, in which the Black Panther guest-starred. The subject matter of the Ku Klux Klan was considered controversial in the Marvel offices at the time, if you can get your hands on it. Sit down and read the whole thing and its damn-near flawless, every issue, every scene, a functional, necessary part of the whole. Okay, now go back and read any individual issue, thats what we should all be delivering, every single month. Don and company did it in only 17 story pages per issue, however, Kirby wanted to work on new characters and was unhappy at being assigned a series starring a character he had already worked with extensively. He left the series after only 12 issues and was replaced by Ed Hannigan, Jerry Bingham, due to the seriess cancellation, the contents of what would have been Black Panther #16–18 were published in Marvel Premiere #51–53. A four-issue miniseries, Black Panther vol,2, was written by Peter B. Gillis and penciled by Denys Cowan, McGregor revisited his Panther saga with Gene Colan in Panthers Quest, published as 25 eight-page installments within the bi-weekly anthology series Marvel Comics Presents. He later teamed with artist Dwayne Turner in the square-bound miniseries Black Panther, McGregor conceived a fifth arc in his Black Panther saga, titled Panthers Vows, but it failed to get off the ground. Writer Christopher Priests and penciller Mark Texeiras 1998 series The Black Panther vol, the Priest-Texeira series was under the Marvel Knights imprint in its first year
Black Panther (comics)
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Cover detail,
The Avengers #52 (May 1968): Debut of the short-lived cowl mask. Art by
John Buscema.
Black Panther (comics)
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Jungle Action #23 (Sept. 1976) Cover art by
John Byrne and
Dan Adkins.
Black Panther (comics)
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Promotional art for Ultimate Captain America Annual #1 (Dec. 2008), by
Brandon Peterson.
Black Panther (comics)
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The Black Panther in the 1994
Fantastic Four animated series.
36.
Black Panther (TV series)
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Black Panther is an American cartoon series by Marvel Knights Animation, Titmouse, inc. in partnership with Hudlin Entertainment and BET, based on the popular Marvel Comics superhero of the same name. It was the first animated series produced by BET since Hey Monie. Each of the six episodes of the series was 20 minutes in length, the series was broadcast on the Australian childrens channel ABC3 in January 2010 and in the United States on BET in November 2011. Upon becoming the new Black Panther after the assassination of his father TChaka, blanc - Black Knight, Male Cannibal, Batroc the Leaper David Busch - Everett K. Only subtle deviations from the comic exist, such as replacing Rhino with Juggernaut, djimon Hounsou was cast to voice TChalla/Black Panther. The series was directed by Mark Brooks, the theme song was composed by Stephen James Taylor in a dialect meant to be Wakandan. In reality, the song employed a Bantu-based language of Taylors creation, on January 18,2011, the series was released to Region 1 DVD by Shout. It was part of the Marvel Knights Animation line, the reserved for Marvels motion comics. Magna Pacific released the series in region 4 and it was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 1,2010. Black Panther at the Internet Movie Database
Black Panther (TV series)
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Black Panther
37.
John Milton
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John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, and civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of flux and political upheaval. Miltons poetry and prose reflect deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, Samuel Johnson praised Paradise Lost as a poem which. The phases of Miltons life parallel the major historical and political divisions in Stuart Britain, the Restoration of 1660 deprived Milton, now completely blind, of his public platform, but this period saw him complete most of his major works of poetry. Miltons views developed from his extensive reading, as well as travel and experience. By the time of his death in 1674, Milton was impoverished and on the margins of English intellectual life, yet famous throughout Europe, John Milton was born in Bread Street, London on 9 December 1608, the son of composer John Milton and his wife Sarah Jeffrey. The senior John Milton moved to London around 1583 after being disinherited by his devout Catholic father Richard Milton for embracing Protestantism, in London, the senior John Milton married Sarah Jeffrey and found lasting financial success as a scrivener. He lived in and worked from a house on Bread Street, the elder Milton was noted for his skill as a musical composer, and this talent left his son with a lifelong appreciation for music and friendships with musicians such as Henry Lawes. Miltons fathers prosperity provided his eldest son with a tutor, Thomas Young. Research suggests that Youngs influence served as the introduction to religious radicalism. After Youngs tutorship, Milton attended St Pauls School in London, there he began the study of Latin and Greek, and the classical languages left an imprint on his poetry in English. Miltons first datable compositions are two psalms done at age 15 at Long Bennington, one contemporary source is the Brief Lives of John Aubrey, an uneven compilation including first-hand reports. In the work, Aubrey quotes Christopher, Miltons younger brother, When he was young, he studied hard and sat up very late. In 1625, Milton began attending Christs College, Cambridge and he graduated with a B. A. in 1629, and ranked fourth of 24 honours graduates that year in the University of Cambridge. Preparing to become an Anglican priest, Milton stayed on to obtain his Master of Arts degree on 3 July 1632, Milton was probably rusticated for quarrelling in his first year with his tutor, Bishop William Chappell. He was certainly at home in the Lent Term 1626, there he wrote his Elegia Prima, a first Latin elegy, to Charles Diodati, based on remarks of John Aubrey, Chappell whipt Milton. This story is now disputed, though certainly Milton disliked Chappell, historian Christopher Hill cautiously notes that Milton was apparently rusticated, and that the differences between Chappell and Milton may have been either religious or personal. It is also possible that, like Isaac Newton four decades later, Milton was sent home because of the plague, in 1626, Miltons tutor was Nathaniel Tovey
John Milton
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Portrait of Milton
John Milton
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Blue plaque in Bread Street, London, where Milton was born
John Milton
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John Milton at age 10 by
Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen
John Milton
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Commemorative blue plaque 'John Milton lived here 1632-1638' at Berkyn Manor Farm,
Horton, Berkshire
38.
Paradise Lost
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Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. The first version, published in 1667, consisted of ten books with over ten lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674, arranged into twelve books with minor revisions throughout and it is considered by critics to be Miltons major work, and it helped solidify his reputation as one of the greatest English poets of his time. The poem concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man, Miltons purpose, stated in Book I, is to justify the ways of God to men. In his introduction to the Penguin edition of Paradise Lost, the Milton scholar John Leonard notes, John Aubrey tells us that the poem was begun in about 1658 and finished in about 1663. But parts were almost certainly written earlier, and its roots lie in Miltons earliest youth, Leonard speculates that the English Civil War interrupted Miltons earliest attempts to start his epic that would encompass all space and time. Leonard also notes that Milton did not at first plan to write a biblical epic, however, in the 1672 edition, Paradise Lost contained twelve books. Having gone totally blind in 1652, Milton wrote Paradise Lost entirely through dictation with the help of amanuenses, the poem is separated into twelve books or sections, the lengths of which vary greatly. The Arguments at the head of each book were added in subsequent imprints of the first edition, originally published in ten books, a fully Revised and Augmented edition reorganized into twelve books was issued in 1674, and this is the edition generally used today. The poem follows the tradition of starting in medias res. Miltons story has two narrative arcs, one about Satan and the other following Adam and Eve and it begins after Satan and the other rebel angels have been defeated and banished to Hell, or, as it is also called in the poem, Tartarus. In Pandæmonium, Satan employs his rhetorical skill to organise his followers, he is aided by Mammon, belial and Moloch are also present. At the end of the debate, Satan volunteers to poison the newly created Earth and Gods new and most favoured creation and he braves the dangers of the Abyss alone in a manner reminiscent of Odysseus or Aeneas. After an arduous traversal of the Chaos outside Hell, he enters Gods new material World, at several points in the poem, an Angelic War over Heaven is recounted from different perspectives. Satans rebellion follows the convention of large-scale warfare. The battles between the angels and Satans forces take place over three days. At the final battle, the Son of God single-handedly defeats the legion of angelic rebels. Following this purge, God creates the World, culminating in his creation of Adam and Eve
Paradise Lost
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Title page of the first edition (1667)
Paradise Lost
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John Martin,
Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council, c.1823-7
Paradise Lost
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Gustave Doré, Depiction of Satan, the central character of
John Milton 's Paradise Lost c. 1866
Paradise Lost
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William Blake, The Temptation and Fall of Eve, 1808 (illustration of Milton's Paradise Lost)
39.
Benjamin Walker (actor)
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Benjamin Walker Davis, known professionally as Benjamin Walker, is an American actor and stand-up comedian. In 2016, he starred as Patrick Bateman in the Broadway musical adaptation of the film American Psycho, Walker was born in Cartersville, Georgia, the son of Jeannine, a music teacher, and Greg Davis, who owned a movie rental store and works in financial services. He took his mothers name as his stage name because there was a Benjamin Davis already registered with the Screen Actors Guild. He attended Cartersville High School in Cartersville, the Interlochen Arts Academy near Traverse City, and he graduated from the Juilliard Actor Training Program in 2004. In February 2007, Walker portrayed Bertram Cates in the Broadway revival of Inherit the Wind, the production opened at the Lyceum Theatre on April 12 and enjoyed a 10-week run to a full house. The show was nominated for four Tony awards, including Best Revival, in April 2008, Walker appeared as the Chevalier Danceny in the Roundabout Theatre Companys production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. He played the lover who becomes the sex pawn of the pernicious La Marquise de Merteuil. Described as the battle of the sexes by Broadway World. In December 2007, Walker starred as Andrew Jackson in the musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson during its premiere at the Center Theatre Groups Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles. In 2010, he reprised his role in the musical, first off-Broadway at the Public Theater, the musical enjoyed a successful, but short, run. It was also a hit, but was only nominated for awards for set design. The production closed on January 2,2011, from 2012 to 2013, Walker portrayed Brick in a revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Walker starred in the short film All Saints Day, which was the Savannah College of Art, in 2009, he appeared in the independent films Coach and The War Boys. In 2010, Walker was cast as Hank McCoy/Beast in X-Men, First Class and it was announced in January 2011 that Walker would star as Abraham Lincoln in the film adaptation of Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. The film was released in June 2012, Walker told Rolling Stone magazine that he read a number of biographies on Lincoln to prepare for the role. He was cast as Archangel Michael in the adaptation of Paradise Lost. He starred as Kevin Connolly in the 2012 film Muhammad Alis Greatest Fight, Walker has performed stand-up comedy at Carolines, Comedy Village, and The Comedy Store. His comedy show, Find the Funny, features comics and taped short narratives and skits, Walker became engaged to actress Mamie Gummer in 2009, and they were married in 2011
Benjamin Walker (actor)
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Walker in March 2012.
Benjamin Walker (actor)
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Walker getting into character as
Abraham Lincoln in 2012
40.
Bradley Cooper
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Bradley Charles Cooper is an American actor and producer. He was one of the worlds highest-paid actors for three years, and has been nominated for various accolades, including four Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Cooper appeared in Forbes Celebrity 100 on two occasions and Times list of 100 most influential people in the world in 2015, Cooper enrolled in the MFA program at the Actors Studio, New York City in 2000. His career began with a guest role in the television series Sex and he first gained recognition as Will Tippin in the spy-action television show Alias, and achieved minor success with a supporting part in the comedy film Wedding Crashers. His breakthrough role came in 2009 with The Hangover, a successful comedy which spawned two sequels in 2011 and 2013. Coopers portrayal of a writer in the thriller Limitless and a rookie police officer in the crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines drew praise from critics. He found greater success with the romantic comedy-drama Silver Linings Playbook, the comedy crime film American Hustle. For his work in films, Cooper was nominated for Academy Awards—two Best Actor, one Best Supporting Actor. Cooper became the actor to receive an Academy Award nomination in three consecutive years. In 2014, he portrayed Joseph Merrick in a Broadway revival of The Elephant Man, Cooper was born on January 5,1975, in Philadelphia, and grew up in the nearby communities of Jenkintown and Rydal. His mother, Gloria, worked for the local NBC affiliate and his father, Charles Cooper, who died in January 2011, worked as a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch. Charles Cooper was of Irish descent, while Gloria Cooper is of Italian ancestry, Cooper has an older sister, Holly. He was raised as a Roman Catholic and he had cholesteatoma in his ear soon after his birth, and punctured his eardrum when he started diving at an early age. Describing himself as a child, Cooper has said, I never lived the life of Oh, People thought I was a girl when I was little, because I looked like a girl—maybe because my mother would keep my hair really long. He excelled at basketball, and enjoyed cooking, I used to have come over after kindergarten. I prided myself in taking whatever was in the fridge and turning it into lasagna and he initially wanted to attend a military academy and move to Japan to become a ninja. At an early age, his father introduced him to films like The Elephant Man, while attending Germantown Academy, he worked at the Philadelphia Daily News. He says that in school he was neither the smartest person nor the coolest kid, after graduating from the academy in 1993, Cooper studied at Villanova University for a year before transferring to Georgetown University
Bradley Cooper
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Cooper at the Paris premiere of
American Hustle in February 2014
Bradley Cooper
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Cooper at the 2009
Tribeca Film Festival premiere of
Woody Allen 's film,
Whatever Works in April 2009.
Bradley Cooper
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Cooper, in 2009 during a United Service Organizations tour.
41.
Baggage Claim (film)
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Baggage Claim is a 2013 American romantic comedy film directed by David E. Talbert and written by Talbert based on his book of the same name. It stars Paula Patton, Derek Luke, Taye Diggs, Jill Scott, Adam Brody, the film was released on September 27,2013. It features Little Mixs debut single, Wings, pathologically single, 30-something, flight attendant, Montana Moore is on a mission to get her overbearing, frequently married, mother to stop pressuring her to get married. After being jilted by her only prospect just as her sister, Sheree, becomes engaged, Montana. Though her quest to find a husband proves to be a disaster, once Montana realizes that she doesnt need a husband to live a fulfilling life, she finally stands up to her mother and gets her proposal from Mr. Wright. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 14%, based on 78 reviews, the sites critical consensus reads, Baggage Claim hits the same notes as a number of successful romantic comedies without establishing much personality of its own. On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 34 out of 100, based on 27 critics, audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave Baggage Claim an A- grade. Baggage Claim at the Internet Movie Database Baggage Claim at Box Office Mojo Baggage Claim at Rotten Tomatoes Baggage Claim at Metacritic
Baggage Claim (film)
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Theatrical release poster
42.
Paula Patton
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Paula Maxine Patton is an American actress. Patton made her debut in the 2005 comedy film Hitch and starred in the epic fantasy film Warcraft. Patton has also been the lead in Déjà Vu, Mission, Impossible – Ghost Protocol and 2 Guns. Patton was born in Los Angeles, California, to Joyce, a teacher, and Charles Patton. Her mother is white and her father is African-American and she graduated from Hamilton High School, and then started college at University of California, Berkeley, transferring to University of South Californias Film School after her first year. Shortly after completing her studies, she won a three-month assignment making documentaries for PBS, Patton provided additional vocals for Usher on his 2004 album Confessions. She provided the vocal counterpart on the song Can U Handle It. which was co-written by Robin Thicke. Patton has song-writing credits on multiple Robin Thicke albums under the name Max, Patton made her film debut with a small part in the 2005 romantic comedy film Hitch, which starred Will Smith and Eva Mendes. She followed that with a part in the drama London. In 2006, she appeared alongside OutKast members Andre Benjamin and Big Boi in the musical film Idlewild written, pattons big break came in 2006 when she landed the pivotal female lead role of Claire Kuchever in the science fiction thriller Déjà Vu opposite Denzel Washington. The film received mixed reviews critics, but was a box office hit. She also appeared in her then-husband Robin Thickes Lost Without You video in 2006, in 2008, Patton played television reporter Kate Madison in the comedy-drama Swing Vote with Kevin Costner and Amy Carson, the wife of Ben in the supernatural horror film Mirrors. She later co-starred as Queen Latifahs characters godsister in the romantic comedy Just Wright, in late 2010, it was announced that Patton would succeed Sharon Stone as the new full-time assistant district attorney on the NBC legal drama series, Law & Order, Special Victims Unit. However, Patton landed the female role in action film Mission, Impossible – Ghost Protocol and her role on Law & Order. She was replaced by Melissa Sagemiller, Mission, Impossible was released on December 16,2011 and was a critical and commercial success, grossing almost $700 million worldwide. Also in 2011, Patton played the role in the comedy film Jumping the Broom. The movie grossing over $37 million opposite $6 million production budget, in 2013, Patton co-starred with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in the action comedy film 2 Guns, and starred in the leading role in the romantic comedy film Baggage Claim. The film received reviews from critics
Paula Patton
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Patton at the 2015
San Diego Comic-Con International
Paula Patton
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Patton with Tom Cruise and Anil Kapoor at the screening of Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol in 2011
43.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
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It is the sequel to the 2010 computer-animated film How to Train Your Dragon and the second in the trilogy. The film is written and directed by Dean DeBlois, and stars the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T. J. Miller, and Kristen Wiig, with the addition of Cate Blanchett, Djimon Hounsou, DeBlois, who co-directed the first film, agreed to return to direct the second film on the condition that he would be allowed to turn it into a trilogy. He cited The Empire Strikes Back and My Neighbor Totoro as his main inspirations, the entire voice cast from the first film returned, and Cate Blanchett and Djimon Hounsou signed on to voice Valka and Drago, respectively. DeBlois and his team visited Norway and Svalbard to give them ideas for the setting. Composer John Powell returned to score the film, how to Train Your Dragon 2 benefited from advances in animation technology and was DreamWorks first film to use scalable multicore processing and the studios new animation and lighting software. The film was released on June 13,2014, and like its predecessor, critics praised the film for its animation, voice acting, action scenes, musical score, emotional depth, and darker, more serious tone compared to its predecessor. It received the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the film won six Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature and Best Director. The film grossed over $621 million worldwide, making it the 12th highest-grossing film of 2014 and it earned less than its predecessor at the US box office, but performed better internationally. A third installment in the trilogy, How to Train Your Dragon 3, is scheduled to be released on March 1,2019, five years after the Viking village of Berk and the dragons made peace, they now live together in harmony. Hiccup goes on adventures with his dragon, Toothless, as they discover, now 20 years old, he is being pressed by his father, Stoick the Vast, to succeed him as chieftain, although Hiccup remains unsure if he is ready for this responsibility. The two dragon riders escape and return to Berk to warn Stoick about the army that Drago is amassing. Stoick orders the villagers to fortify the island and prepare for battle, Hiccup, however, refuses to believe that war is inevitable. Undeterred, Hiccup flies off with Toothless in search of Drago to try to reason with him and they run into a dragon rider named Valka, who is revealed to be Hiccups long-lost mother. She explains that she, like her son, could not bring herself to kill dragons, Stoick tracks Hiccup to the nest, where he discovers that his wife is still alive. Meanwhile, Astrid and the other riders kidnap Eret to find Drago, Drago and his armada lay siege to the nest, where he reveals that he has his own Bewilderbeast to challenge the Alpha. A battle ensues between the two dragons, which ends with Dragos Bewilderbeast killing its opponent and becoming the new Alpha. Dragos Bewilderbeast then seizes control of all the dragons, which hypnotically obey
How to Train Your Dragon 2
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Theatrical release poster
How to Train Your Dragon 2
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Cate Blanchett and Djimon Hounsou, who have joined the cast as Valka and Drago Bludvist respectively, attending the film's premiere at the
2014 Cannes Film Festival.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
How to Train Your Dragon 2
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Director and writer Dean DeBlois promoting the film at the 2014
WonderCon.
44.
Korath the Pursuer
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Korath the Pursuer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Korath first appeared in Quasar #32, and was created by Mark Gruenwald and it was revealed that he, Korath-Thak, was the lead designer of the project that created the Pursuer, which first appeared in Inhumans #11, although Korath himself did not appear in that issue. Korath-Thak is an agent of the Kree Empire and he was a cyber-geneticist, and the founder and head of the Pursuer Project to develop cybernetic warriors for the Kree militia. He has also been a manufacturing plant foreman, and a special operative of the Supreme Intelligence. Korath used cyber-genetic technology of his own design to gain superhuman powers during the Kree/Shiar War and he then met Shatterax, Ultimus, and Supremor. At the behest of Supremor, he attacked the Avengers force on Hala, alongside the Kree Starforce, he again battled the Avengers on Hala. He witnessed the assassination of Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn by Deathbird and the return to power of the Supreme Intelligence, alongside the Kree Starforce, he was held captive in a Shiar stasis ray. He witnessed a battle between an Avengers force, and was defeated by the Scarlet Witch and Astra, alongside the Kree Starforce, he arrived in the Shiar Empire to assassinate Lilandra. He battled another contingent of Avengers and the Shiar Imperial Guard and he returned to Hala alongside Lilandra, Starforce, and the Imperial Guard after the detonation of the nega-bomb to help the Kree rebuild under Shiar rule. Alongside the Shiar Starforce and Deathbird, Korath attacked Quasar, Her, admiral Galen-Kor and his criminal forces battled Deathbird and Starforce. Korath and Starforce alongside the Underground Legion, battled Lord Tantalus, Korath wound up settling on the planet of Godthab Omega. Korath was reunited with Ronan when he came to the planet in search of Tana Nile, Korath was apparently assimilated into The Phalanx and became one of their Select. He fought Quasar, Moondragon, and Adam Warlock and was killed by Ultron when he failed to capture Adam Warlock, Korath is a member of the alien Kree race, who was augmented by an unknown experimental cyber-genetic engineering process. He has superhuman strength, stamina, and durability and he also has the ability to psionically locate individuals by tracing their brain patterns. Like other Kree, Korath is unable to breathe in Earths atmosphere without a special apparatus or breathing serum, Korath is an expert in cyber-genetic engineering. He is trained in the skills of the ancient Kree. Korath wears an armored battle-suit and helmet composed of alien materials. He wields two 1½ foot beta-batons which generate electrical force capable of stunning opponents into unconsciousness on contact or disrupting functions of electrical devices, by adjusting the batons, Korath can stun beings as powerful as Eternals or even intangible beings
Korath the Pursuer
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Korath the Pursuer
45.
Marvel Studios
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Previously, the studio was a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment until The Walt Disney Company reorganized the companies in August 2015. X-Men and Spider-Man and other Marvel franchises are licensed out to 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios has released 14 films since 2008 within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from Iron Man to Doctor Strange. These films all share continuity with other, along with the One-Shots produced by the studio. During what is known as Marvels Timely era, Captain America was licensed out to Republic Pictures for a serial just for the free advertising, in the late 1970s up to the early 1990s, Marvel Entertainment Group sold options to studios to produce films based on Marvel Comics characters. Spider-Man, one of Marvel’s superheroes, was optioned in the late 1970s, from 1986 to 1996, most of Marvel’s major characters had been optioned, including the Fantastic Four, X-Men, Daredevil, Hulk, Silver Surfer, and Iron Man. A Howard the Duck film made it to the screen in 1986, New World Entertainment purchased MEG in November 1986 and moved to produce films based on the Marvel characters. It released The Punisher before MEG was sold to Ronald Perelmans Andrews Group, two other films were produced, Captain America released in the United Kingdom on screens and direct to video in the United States, and The Fantastic Four, not intended for release. Marvels rival DC Comics, on the hand, had success licensing its properties Superman and Batman into successful film franchises. New World was MEGs former parent corporation and later a subsidiary of the Andrews Group. Marvel Productions became New World Animation by 1993 as Marvel would start up Marvel Films including Marvel Films Animation, Marvel Films Animation shared Tom Tataranowicz with New World Animation as head of development and production. New World Animation, Saban, and Marvel Films Animation each produced a Marvel series for television for the 1996–1997 season and it was Marvel Films Animations only production. By the end of 1993, Arad and 20th Century Fox struck a deal to make a film based on the X-Men, New World Animation and Marvel Films Animation were sold along with the rest of New World by Andrews Group to News Corporation/Fox as announced in August 1996. As part of the deal, Marvel licensed the rights to Captain America, Daredevil and Silver Surfer to be on Fox Kids Network, New World Animation continued producing a second season of The Incredible Hulk for UPN. In August 1996, Marvel created Marvel Studios, an incorporation of Marvel Films, due to the sale of New World Communications Group, Marvels fellow Andrews Group subsidiary in film and television stations, to News Corporation/Fox. Toy Biz filed an offering of 7.5 million shares with a price of $20.125 at the time. Toy Biz sought to sell 1 million shares, and Marvel sought to sell 2.5 million shares. Jerry Calabrese, the president of Marvel Entertainment Group, and Avi Arad, head of Marvel Films, Arad said of the goal for control, When you get into business with a big studio, they are developing a hundred or 500 projects, you get totally lost. Were just not going to do it anymore, Marvel Studios arranged a seven-year development deal with 20th Century Fox to cover markets in the United States and internationally
Marvel Studios
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Marvel Studios, LLC
46.
Seventh Son (film)
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Seventh Son is a 2014 American 3D epic fantasy action film directed by Sergei Bodrov and starring Ben Barnes, Jeff Bridges, Alicia Vikander and Julianne Moore. It is loosely based on the novel The Spooks Apprentice by Joseph Delaney, the story centers on Thomas Ward, a seventh son of a seventh son, and his adventures as the apprentice of the Spook. After having its release date shifted numerous times, the film was released in France on December 17,2014, and in Canada, Seventh Son received generally negative reviews from film critics and it earned $114 million on a $95 million budget. Several decades later, Gregory now works as a Spook, a witch hunter. The rise of the blood moon allows Malkin to regain much of her power. In a confrontation with the aged Gregory, she kills his apprentice, William Bradley, Gregory then seeks out Tom Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son, on a local farmstead, and recruits him as his newest apprentice. Before Tom leaves, his mother gives him her necklace as a talisman, on their way to Gregorys home, Tom sees a girl about to be burned by a mob as a witch. Recognizing her from clairvoyant visions he has had, he takes her from the mob, the girl, Alice, warns him not to let Gregory know about her. Malkin returns to her dilapidated mountain fortress, restoring it, and her sister, Bony Lizzie, Alice is revealed to be Lizzies daughter, who spies on Gregory for her. Malkin begins gathering her army to conquer mankind, Tom meets Gregorys assistant Tusk, and rushes to learn what he needs to become a Spook before he and Gregory leave to confront Malkin at her fortress. Gregory warns that they only have a week before the moon is full. En route to the fortress, Gregory is summoned to a city by an Inquisitor whose forces have subdued one of Malkins followers. Gregory instructs Tom to burn the warlock alive, but Tom hesitates, Tom meets Alice again and, after having sex, the two briefly consider going off on their own, but Tom has a vision of Malkin killing Gregory and unleashing destruction upon the world. Tom rejoins Gregory, who reveals that he once loved Malkin, Gregory feels responsible for every person killed by Malkin since then, and warns Tom that Alice must be killed, like all witches. Gregory, Tom, and Tusk are attacked on the road by an enormous boggart, Tom is then confronted by Bony Lizzie, who attacks but is repelled by the necklace around his neck. Gregory recognizes it as the Umbran Stone, which increases the power of witches and it originally belonged to Malkin, but one of her witch followers, Toms mother, stole it from her, weakening her enough for Gregory to trap her. Malkin instructs Alice to steal the stone from Tom, promising to spare his life if she does, Malkin and her minions then raze the aforementioned walled city to the ground to avenge the death of Urag. Toms family happens to be in the city, and his mother sends her husband and daughter to safety, before managing to kill Strix the warlock, Malkin kills her, mocking her for giving away the stone that would have saved her life
Seventh Son (film)
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Theatrical release poster
47.
The Fast and the Furious
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According to insurance company InsuretheGap. com, the damage done onscreen through the stunts of the franchise would total more than $514 million across the first seven films. The film is based on an article, titled Racer X, about New York street clubs that race Japanese cars late at night and he works for FBI agent Bilkins and LAPD Sgt. Brian and Mia work together with Dominic, Leon and Letty to rescue Vince, Brian then makes the difficult decision to blow his cover to the crew by phoning in for a medivac. The revelation enrages Dominic, fleeing with Leon, Letty, Brian soon follows Dominic to his house and holds him at gunpoint to prevent him from fleeing further. Jesse arrives shortly afterwards, apologizing for his actions at Race Wars, moments later, Tran and his cousin Lance Nguyen perform a drive-by shooting, killing Jesse. Brian and Dominic chase them, with Dominic driving his fathers modified 1970 Dodge Charger. Dominic forces Lances motorcycle off the road, severely injuring him, while Brian shoots, afterwards, Brian and Dominic engage in an impromptu street race, narrowly avoiding a passing train. However, Dominic collides with a semitruck and rolls his car twice, injuring himself, instead of arresting him, Brian hands over the keys to his Supra and lets Dominic escape, using the line I owe you a ten-second car. Brian agrees but only if he is given permission to choose his partner, Brian heads home to Barstow, California, where he recruits Roman Pearce, a childhood friend of Brian who had served jail time and is under house arrest, to help him. Pearce agrees, but only for the same deal Brian was offered, after acquiring confiscated vehicles and being hired by Verone as his drivers, the duo return to a Customs/FBI hideout, where Roman confronts Markham over the latters interference with the mission. Later, Brian and Roman race two of Verones drivers for their cars and begin to devise a personal back up if the operation goes awry. Roman confronts Brian about his attraction to Monica and the constant threat of Verones men, on the day of the mission, Brian and Roman begin transporting duffel bags of Verones money, with two of Verones men Enrique and Roberto riding along to watch Brian and Roman. Before the 15-minute window is set, the detective in charge, Whitworth, decides to call in the police to move in for the arrest, the duo lead the police to a warehouse, where a scramble by dozens of street racers disorient the police. Following the scramble, police manage to pull over the Evo, as Brian approaches the destination point in a Yenko Camaro, Enrique tells him to make a detour away from the airfield. Meanwhile, Roman gets rid of Roberto by using an improvised ejector seat in his Dodge Challenger powered by nitrous oxide. At the airfield, Customs Agents have Verones plane and convoy surrounded, as he knew Monica was an undercover agent, he gave her the wrong information on the destination point and plans to use her as leverage. When Brian arrives at the intended drop-off point, Enrique prepares to him when Roman suddenly appears. Verone makes his escape aboard his yacht, but Brian and Roman use the Yenko Camaro and drive off a ramp
The Fast and the Furious
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Fast & Furious 1–6 film Blu-ray box set
48.
FOX
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Foxes are small-to-medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. Foxes are slightly smaller than a domestic dog, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout. Twelve species belong to the group of Vulpes genus of true foxes. Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica, by far the most common and widespread species of fox is the red fox with about 47 recognized subspecies. The global distribution of foxes, together with their reputation for cunning, has contributed to their prominence in popular culture and folklore in many societies around the world. The hunting of foxes with packs of hounds, long an established pursuit in Europe, the word fox comes from Old English, which derived from Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz. This in turn derives from Proto-Indo-European *puḱ-, meaning ’thick-haired, tail’. Male foxes are known as dogs, tods or reynards, females as vixens, a group of foxes is referred to as a skulk, leash, or earth. Foxes are generally smaller than members of the family Canidae such as wolves, jackals. For example, in the largest species, the red fox, males weigh on average between 4.1 and 8.7 kg, while the smallest species, the fennec fox, weighs just 0.7 to 1.6 kg. Fox-like features typically include a face, pointed ears, an elongated rostrum. Foxes are digitigrade, and thus, walk on their toes, unlike their dog relatives, foxes have partially retractable claws. Fox vibrissae, or whiskers, are black, the whiskers on the muzzle, mystaciae vibrissae, average 100-110mm long, while the whiskers everywhere else on the head average to be shorter in length. Whiskers are also on the forelimbs and average 40mm long, pointing downward and backward, other physical characteristics vary according to habitat and adaptive significance. Fox species differ in fur color, length, and density, coat colors range from pearly white to black and white to black flecked with white or grey on the underside. Fennec foxes, for example, have ears and short fur to aid in keeping the body cool. Arctic foxes, on the hand, have tiny ears and short limbs as well as thick, insulating fur. Red foxes, by contrast, have a typical auburn pelt, a foxs coat color and texture may vary due to the change in seasons, fox pelts are richer and denser in the colder months and lighter in the warmer months
FOX
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Fox
FOX
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Arctic fox curled up in snow
FOX
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Ethiopian wolf, native to the Ethiopian highlands
FOX
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Crab-eating fox, a South American species
49.
Wayward Pines
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Wayward Pines is an American mystery, science fiction television series based on the Wayward Pines novels by Blake Crouch. Developed for television by Chad Hodge, the pilot was directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the series premiered on Fox on May 14,2015, and the first season concluded on July 23,2015. On December 9,2015, Fox renewed the series for a season which aired from May 25 to July 27,2016. In the first season, Ethan Burke is a U. S, secret Service agent investigating the disappearance of two fellow agents in the mysterious small town of Wayward Pines, Idaho. Ethan awakens from a car accident unable to contact the outside world and he finds one of the agents dead and the other, his former lover Kate Hewson, settled down in the seemingly idyllic town. Ethan works to discover the truth, in the second season, Dr. Matt Dillon as Ethan Burke Carla Gugino as Kate Hewson Toby Jones as David Pilcher, alias Dr. J. Mitchum Wayward Pines is executive produced by Chad Hodge with M. Night Shyamalan, Donald De Line, the pilot episode was written by Hodge and directed by Shyamalan. The series was picked up on May 13,2013. Filming took place between August 19,2013, and February 14,2014, in Burnaby and Agassiz, the plot of Crouchs first novel in the trilogy, Pines, is covered over the first five episodes of the TV series. The second and third novels, Wayward and The Last Town, after reading the source material Shyamalan said of the project, As long as everybody isnt dead, Im in, his only rule to secure his participation. He noted that the TV series varies from the books in some ways, in June 2015, Deadline. com reported that Fox was considering a second season based on the series impressive ratings. He said that in the finale, viewers would see a window to that, with the tenth episode having been billed as the series finale, the show was effectively finished. However, on December 9,2015, Fox renewed Wayward Pines for a second season, after the conclusion of the first season, Chad Hodge stepped down from his position as showrunner and executive producer for the series. Mark Friedman succeeded Hodge as showrunner for season two, season two has a largely new main cast, with several lead actors from season one either not returning at all or appearing only as recurring characters in the second season. This is in part because it took so long for one to make it to air. Also, the decision to renew the series for season two occurred after several more actors had moved onto other projects. On May 12,2014, Fox announced that Wayward Pines would premiere in 2015 as mid-season replacement, Fox made the pilot available on demand and through various online outlets from April 23 to 30,2015, in what the network called the first-ever global preview event. The series subsequently debuted on May 14,2015, simultaneously in more than 126 countries in what Fox called the worlds largest day-and-date launch for a series ever
Wayward Pines
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Wayward Pines
50.
Calvin Klein
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Calvin Klein Inc. is an American fashion house founded by the fashion designer Calvin Klein. The company is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and is owned by PVH. In 1968, Klein founded Calvin Klein Limited, a shop in the York Hotel in New York City. The first Calvin Klein collection was a line of youthful, understated coats, in September 1969, Klein appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine. By 1971, Klein had added sportswear, classic blazers, in 1973, he received his first Coty American Fashion Critics Award for his 74-piece womenswear collection - the youngest recipient at that time. Klein won the award again in 1974 and 1975, by 1977, annual revenues had increased to $30 million, and Klein had licenses for scarves, shoes, belts, furs, sunglasses, and sheets. Klein and Schwartz were making $4 million each, after the company signed licenses for cosmetics, jeans, and menswear, Kleins annual retail volume was estimated at $100 million. In 1978, Klein claimed sales of 200,000 pairs of his famous jeans the first week they were on the market, by 1981, Fortune figured Kleins annual income at $8.5 million a year. In the mid-1970s, he had created a designer-jeans craze by putting his name on the back pocket. The gift was assumed by Schwartz to be part of the upcoming line, in the late 1970s, the company also made attempts to set up its own fragrance and cosmetics lines, but soon withdrew from the market with big financial losses. The stunning growth continued through the early eighties, the licensing program, which brought in $24,000 when it was initiated in 1974, had royalty income of $7.3 million ten years later. That year, worldwide sales were estimated at more than $600 million. His annual income passed $12 million, and indeed, in late 1987, it was said that the sale of the company to Triangle Industries, a container manufacturer, had only failed because of the crashing stock market. During his 1990-1995 stint as Calvin Kleins head of design, John Varvatos pioneered a type of mens underwear called boxer briefs. Made famous by a series of 1992 print ads featuring Mark Marky Mark Wahlberg, Klein was named Americas Best Designer for his minimalist all-American designs in 1993, and it came as a surprise in 1999 when it was announced that CKI was again up for sale. Planning to expand its business, the company had been approached by two luxury goods companies, LVMH and Pinault Printemps Redoute, to join Calvin Klein, but nothing resulted. Other potentials like Tommy Hilfiger Corp. and Italys Holding di Partecipazioni proved to be similar disappointments because of CKIs steep price tag of supposedly $1 billion, after seven months and no potential buyer, Klein announced that his empire was not on the market anymore. The company would never manage to go public, which had supposedly been Kleins plan once, in mid-December 2002, Calvin Klein Inc
Calvin Klein
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A Calvin Klein store in
Fairview Mall
Calvin Klein
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Calvin Klein models
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