1.
New York City
–
The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2015 population of 8,550,405 distributed over an area of about 302.6 square miles. Located at the tip of the state of New York. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. Situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product of nearly US$1.39 trillion, in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion. NYCs MSA and CSA GDP are higher than all but 11 and 12 countries, New York City traces its origin to its 1624 founding in Lower Manhattan as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the countrys largest city since 1790, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the United States and its democracy. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world, the names of many of the citys bridges, tapered skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattans real estate market is among the most expensive in the world, Manhattans Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 472 stations in operation. Over 120 colleges and universities are located in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, during the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, movement of the ice sheet would contribute to the separation of what are now Long Island and Staten Island. The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown and he claimed the area for France and named it Nouvelle Angoulême. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August and he proceeded to sail up what the Dutch would name the North River, named first by Hudson as the Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange
2.
New York (state)
–
New York is a state in the northeastern United States, and is the 27th-most extensive, fourth-most populous, and seventh-most densely populated U. S. state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont to the east. With an estimated population of 8.55 million in 2015, New York City is the most populous city in the United States, the New York Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. New York City makes up over 40% of the population of New York State, two-thirds of the states population lives in the New York City Metropolitan Area, and nearly 40% lives on Long Island. Both the state and New York City were named for the 17th-century Duke of York, the next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse, while the state capital is Albany. New York has a diverse geography and these more mountainous regions are bisected by two major river valleys—the north-south Hudson River Valley and the east-west Mohawk River Valley, which forms the core of the Erie Canal. Western New York is considered part of the Great Lakes Region and straddles Lake Ontario, between the two lakes lies Niagara Falls. The central part of the state is dominated by the Finger Lakes, New York had been inhabited by tribes of Algonquian and Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans for several hundred years by the time the earliest Europeans came to New York. The first Europeans to arrive were French colonists and Jesuit missionaries who arrived southward from settlements at Montreal for trade, the British annexed the colony from the Dutch in 1664. The borders of the British colony, the Province of New York, were similar to those of the present-day state, New York is home to the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and its ideals of freedom, democracy, and opportunity. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. On April 17,1524 Verrazanno entered New York Bay, by way of the now called the Narrows into the northern bay which he named Santa Margherita. Verrazzano described it as a vast coastline with a delta in which every kind of ship could pass and he adds. This vast sheet of water swarmed with native boats and he landed on the tip of Manhattan and possibly on the furthest point of Long Island. Verrazannos stay was interrupted by a storm which pushed him north towards Marthas Vineyard, in 1540 French traders from New France built a chateau on Castle Island, within present-day Albany, due to flooding, it was abandoned the next year. In 1614, the Dutch under the command of Hendrick Corstiaensen, rebuilt the French chateau, Fort Nassau was the first Dutch settlement in North America, and was located along the Hudson River, also within present-day Albany. The small fort served as a trading post and warehouse, located on the Hudson River flood plain, the rudimentary fort was washed away by flooding in 1617, and abandoned for good after Fort Orange was built nearby in 1623. Henry Hudsons 1609 voyage marked the beginning of European involvement with the area, sailing for the Dutch East India Company and looking for a passage to Asia, he entered the Upper New York Bay on September 11 of that year
3.
United States
–
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
4.
Los Angeles
–
Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L. A. is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. With a census-estimated 2015 population of 3,971,883, it is the second-most populous city in the United States, Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the United States. The citys inhabitants are referred to as Angelenos, historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was founded on September 4,1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence, in 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4,1850, the discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid growth to the city. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, delivering water from Eastern California, nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, and sprawling metropolis. Los Angeles also has an economy in culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine. A global city, it has been ranked 6th in the Global Cities Index, the city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area has a gross metropolitan product of $831 billion, making it the third-largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. The city has hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984 and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and thus become the second city after London to have hosted the Games three times. The Los Angeles area also hosted the 1994 FIFA mens World Cup final match as well as the 1999 FIFA womens World Cup final match, the mens event was watched on television by over 700 million people worldwide. The Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva, a Gabrielino settlement in the area was called iyáangẚ, meaning poison oak place. Gaspar de Portolà and Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2,1769, in 1771, Franciscan friar Junípero Serra directed the building of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the first mission in the area. The Queen of the Angels is an honorific of the Virgin Mary, two-thirds of the settlers were mestizo or mulatto with a mixture of African, indigenous and European ancestry. The settlement remained a small town for decades, but by 1820. Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the district of Los Angeles Pueblo Plaza and Olvera Street. New Spain achieved its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, during Mexican rule, Governor Pío Pico made Los Angeles Alta Californias regional capital
5.
California
–
California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. Located on the western coast of the U. S, California is bordered by the other U. S. states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California. Los Angeles is Californias most populous city, and the second largest after New York City. The Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nations second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, California also has the nations most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The Central Valley, an agricultural area, dominates the states center. What is now California was first settled by various Native American tribes before being explored by a number of European expeditions during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish Empire then claimed it as part of Alta California in their New Spain colony. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821 following its war for independence. The western portion of Alta California then was organized as the State of California, the California Gold Rush starting in 1848 led to dramatic social and demographic changes, with large-scale emigration from the east and abroad with an accompanying economic boom. If it were a country, California would be the 6th largest economy in the world, fifty-eight percent of the states economy is centered on finance, government, real estate services, technology, and professional, scientific and technical business services. Although it accounts for only 1.5 percent of the states economy, the story of Calafia is recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián, written as a sequel to Amadis de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Calafia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts. This conventional wisdom that California was an island, with maps drawn to reflect this belief, shortened forms of the states name include CA, Cal. Calif. and US-CA. Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, various estimates of the native population range from 100,000 to 300,000. The Indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct groups of Native Americans, ranging from large, settled populations living on the coast to groups in the interior. California groups also were diverse in their organization with bands, tribes, villages. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups, the first European effort to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River was a Spanish sailing expedition, led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in 1542. Some 37 years later English explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed a portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila galleons on their trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565
6.
Musical theatre
–
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through the words, music, movement, since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have generally been called, simply, musicals. These were followed by the numerous Edwardian musical comedies and the theatre works of American creators like George M. Cohan. Musicals are performed around the world and they may be presented in large venues, such as big-budget Broadway or West End productions in New York City or London. Alternatively, musicals may be staged in smaller fringe theatre, Off-Broadway or regional theatre productions, musicals are often presented by amateur and school groups in churches, schools and other performance spaces. In addition to the United States and Britain, there are vibrant musical theatre scenes in continental Europe, Asia, Australasia, Canada, the three main components of a book musical are its music, lyrics and book. The interpretation of a musical is the responsibility of its team, which includes a director. A musicals production is also characterized by technical aspects, such as set design, costumes, stage properties, lighting. The creative team, designs and interpretations generally change from the production to succeeding productions. Some production elements, however, may be retained from the production, for example. There is no fixed length for a musical, while it can range from a short one-act entertainment to several acts and several hours in length, most musicals range from one and a half to three hours. Musicals are usually presented in two acts, with one intermission, and the first act is frequently longer than the second. A book musical is usually built four to six main theme tunes that are reprised later in the show. Several shorter musicals on Broadway and in the West End have been presented in one act in recent decades, moments of greatest dramatic intensity in a book musical are often performed in song. Proverbially, when the emotion becomes too strong for speech, you sing, typically, many fewer words are sung in a five-minute song than are spoken in a five-minute block of dialogue. Therefore, there is time to develop drama in a musical than in a straight play of equivalent length. Within the compressed nature of a musical, the writers must develop the characters, the material presented in a musical may be original, or it may be adapted from novels, plays, classic legends, historical events or films. On the other hand, many musical theatre works have been adapted for musical films, such as West Side Story, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Oliver
7.
Composer
–
A composer is a person who creates or writes music, which can be vocal music, instrumental music or music which combines both instruments and voices. The core meaning of the term refers to individuals who have contributed to the tradition of Western classical music through creation of works expressed in written musical notation, many composers are also skilled performers, either as singers, instrumentalists, and/or conductors. Examples of composers who are well known for their ability as performers include J. S. Bach, Mozart. In many popular genres, such as rock and country. For a singer or instrumental performer, the process of deciding how to perform music that has previously composed and notated is termed interpretation. Different performers interpretations of the work of music can vary widely, in terms of the tempos that are chosen. Composers and songwriters who present their own music are interpreting, just as much as those who perform the music of others, although a musical composition often has a single author, this is not always the case. A piece of music can also be composed with words, images, or, in the 20th and 21st century, a culture eventually developed whereby faithfulness to the composers written intention came to be highly valued. This musical culture is almost certainly related to the esteem in which the leading classical composers are often held by performers. The movement might be considered a way of creating greater faithfulness to the original in works composed at a time that expected performers to improvise. In Classical music, the composer typically orchestrates her own compositions, in some cases, a pop songwriter may not use notation at all, and instead compose the song in her mind and then play or record it from memory. In jazz and popular music, notable recordings by influential performers are given the weight that written scores play in classical music. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music. In the development of European classical music, the function of composing music initially did not have greater importance than that of performing it. The preservation of individual compositions did not receive attention and musicians generally had no qualms about modifying compositions for performance. In as much as the role of the composer in western art music has seen continued solidification, for instance, in certain contexts the line between composer and performer, sound designer, arranger, producer, and other roles, can be quite blurred. The term composer is often used to refer to composers of music, such as those found in classical, jazz or other forms of art. In popular and folk music, the composer is usually called a songwriter and this is distinct from a 19th-century conception of instrumental composition, where the work was represented solely by a musical score to be interpreted by performers
8.
Conducting
–
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. A conductors directions will almost invariably be supplemented or reinforced by verbal instructions or suggestions to their musicians in rehearsal prior to a performance. The conductor typically stands on a podium with a large music stand for the full score. Conducting while playing a piano or synthesizer may also be done with musical theatre pit orchestras, communication is typically non-verbal during a performance. However, in rehearsals, frequent interruptions allow the conductor to give verbal directions as to how the music should be played or sung, Conductors act as guides to the orchestras or choirs they conduct. They choose the works to be performed and study their scores, to which they may make adjustments, work out their interpretation. They may also attend to matters, such as scheduling rehearsals, planning a concert season, hearing auditions and selecting members. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles such as big bands are usually led by conductors. The principal conductor of an orchestra or opera company is referred to as a music director or chief conductor, or by the German words Kapellmeister or Dirigent. Conductors of choirs or choruses are sometimes referred to as director, chorus master, or choirmaster. Conductors of concert bands, military bands, marching bands and other bands may hold the title of director, bandmaster. Respected senior conductors are sometimes referred to by the Italian word, an early form of conducting is cheironomy, the use of hand gestures to indicate melodic shape. This has been practiced at least as far back as the Middle Ages, in the 17th century, other devices to indicate the passing of time came into use. Rolled up sheets of paper, smaller sticks and unadorned hands are all shown in pictures from this period, the large staff was responsible for the death of Jean-Baptiste Lully, who injured his foot with one while conducting a Te Deum for the Kings recovery from illness. The wound became gangrenous and Lully refused amputation, whereupon the gangrene spread to his leg, in instrumental music throughout the 18th century, a member of the ensemble usually acted as the conductor. This was sometimes the concertmaster, who could use his bow as a baton and it was common to conduct from the harpsichord in pieces that had a basso continuo part. In opera performances, there were sometimes two conductors – the keyboard player was in charge of the singers, and the principal violinist or leader was in charge of the orchestra. By the early 19th century, it became the norm to have a dedicated conductor, the size of the usual orchestra expanded during this period, and the use of a baton became more common, as it was easier to see than bare hands or rolled-up paper
9.
Piano
–
The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented around the year 1700, in which the strings are struck by hammers. It is played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the hammers to strike the strings. The word piano is a form of pianoforte, the Italian term for the early 1700s versions of the instrument. The first fortepianos in the 1700s had a sound and smaller dynamic range. An acoustic piano usually has a wooden case surrounding the soundboard and metal strings. Pressing one or more keys on the keyboard causes a padded hammer to strike the strings. The hammer rebounds from the strings, and the continue to vibrate at their resonant frequency. These vibrations are transmitted through a bridge to a soundboard that amplifies by more efficiently coupling the acoustic energy to the air, when the key is released, a damper stops the strings vibration, ending the sound. Notes can be sustained, even when the keys are released by the fingers and thumbs and this means that the piano can play 88 different pitches, going from the deepest bass range to the highest treble. The black keys are for the accidentals, which are needed to play in all twelve keys, more rarely, some pianos have additional keys. Most notes have three strings, except for the bass that graduates from one to two, the strings are sounded when keys are pressed or struck, and silenced by dampers when the hands are lifted from the keyboard. There are two types of piano, the grand piano and the upright piano. The grand piano is used for Classical solos, chamber music and art song and it is used in jazz. The upright piano, which is compact, is the most popular type, as they are a better size for use in private homes for domestic music-making. During the nineteenth century, music publishers produced many works in arrangements for piano, so that music lovers could play. The piano is widely employed in classical, jazz, traditional and popular music for solo and ensemble performances, accompaniment, with technological advances, amplified electric pianos, electronic pianos, and digital pianos have also been developed. The electric piano became an instrument in the 1960s and 1970s genres of jazz fusion, funk music. The piano was founded on earlier technological innovations in keyboard instruments, pipe organs have been used since Antiquity, and as such, the development of pipe organs enabled instrument builders to learn about creating keyboard mechanisms for sounding pitches
10.
EGOT
–
Twelve people and five media franchises have won all four major annual American entertainment awards in a competitive, individual category, the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Respectively, these awards honor outstanding achievements in television, audio recording, film, winning all four awards has been referred to as winning the grand slam of American show business. The acronym EGOT was coined by actor Philip Michael Thomas, to date, twelve individuals have won all four awards in competitive categories. Notes, Marvin Hamlisch and Richard Rodgers have also won the Pulitzer Prize, Gielgud, Goldberg, Hamlisch, Hepburn, Moreno, and Nichols have been awarded one or more Golden Globe Awards. Richard Rodgers, Helen Hayes, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols, Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, and Audrey Hepburn have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, and Mike Nichols have been awarded the National Medal of Arts, Mel Brooks and Mike Nichols have been awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award. Audrey Hepburn and Rita Moreno have been awarded the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, Hepburn has also been awarded the Cecil B. The following are the six artists who also have won the four major awards, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, James Earl Jones, and Alan Menken have been awarded one or more Golden Globe Awards. Harry Belafonte, James Earl Jones, Barbra Streisand, and Quincy Jones have been awarded the Kennedy Center Honors, harry Belafonte, James Earl Jones, Barbra Streisand, and Quincy Jones have been awarded the National Medal of Arts. Harry Belafonte, Alan Menken, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, James Earl Jones and Liza Minnelli have been inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. Barbra Streisand has been awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award, Cecil B, deMille Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. James Earl Jones has been awarded the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, Liza Minnelli and Alan Menken have won a Golden Raspberry Award. Richard Rodgers, a composer, received his fourth award in 1962. Between 1945 and 1979, Rodgers received a total of 13 awards, between 1932 and 1980, Hayes received a total of 7 awards. She was the first woman to win all four, Hayes was also the first person to win the Triple Crown of Acting, with singular acting wins in each of the Emmy, Oscar and Tony awards, winning her third in 1953. Counting only the first award of each type, she also has the distinction of the longest timespan between her first and fourth award of any showbiz Grand Slam winner, between 1961 and 1978, Moreno received a total of five awards. She is also the first Hispanic winner and the first winner to win a Grammy as their second award, in addition, she became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2015. Between 1948 and 1991, Gielgud received a total of six awards, Gielgud was the first winner to win any award other than the Oscar as their first award
11.
Richard Rodgers
–
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television and he is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. His compositions have had a significant impact on popular music up to the present day and he has also won a Pulitzer Prize, making him one of two people to receive each award. Richard began playing the piano at age six,10, Townsend Harris Hall and DeWitt Clinton High School. Rodgers spent his teenage summers in Camp Wigwam where he composed some of his first songs. Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, and later collaborator Oscar Hammerstein II all attended Columbia University, at Columbia, Rodgers joined the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. In 1921, Rodgers shifted his studies to the Institute of Musical Art, Rodgers was influenced by composers such as Victor Herbert and Jerome Kern, as well as by the operettas his parents took him to see on Broadway when he was a child. In 1919, Richard met Lorenz Hart, thanks to Phillip Leavitt, Rodgers and Hart struggled for years in the field of musical comedy, writing several amateur shows. They made their debut with the song Any Old Place With You. Their first professional production was the 1920 Poor Little Ritz Girl and their next professional show, The Melody Man, did not premiere until 1924. When he was just out of college Rodgers worked as director for Lew Fields. Among the stars he accompanied were Nora Bayes and Fred Allen, Rodgers was considering quitting show business altogether to sell childrens underwear, when he and Hart finally broke through in 1925. They wrote the songs for a show presented by the prestigious Theatre Guild, called The Garrick Gaieties. Only meant to run one day, the Guild knew they had a success, the shows biggest hit — the song that Rodgers believed made Rodgers and Hart — was Manhattan. The two were now a Broadway songwriting force, throughout the rest of the decade, the duo wrote several hit shows for both Broadway and London, including Dearest Enemy, The Girl Friend, Peggy-Ann, A Connecticut Yankee, and Present Arms. Their 1920s shows produced standards such as Here in My Arms, Mountain Greenery, Blue Room, My Heart Stood Still, with the Depression in full swing during the first half of the 1930s, the team sought greener pastures in Hollywood. Rodgers also wrote a melody for which Hart wrote three consecutive lyrics which either were cut, not recorded or not a hit, the fourth lyric resulted in one of their most famous songs, Blue Moon. In 1935, they returned to Broadway and wrote an almost unbroken string of hit shows that only with Harts death in 1943
12.
Manhattan
–
Manhattan is the most densely populated borough of New York City, its economic and administrative center, and the citys historical birthplace. The borough is coextensive with New York County, founded on November 1,1683, Manhattan is often described as the cultural and financial capital of the world and hosts the United Nations Headquarters. Many multinational media conglomerates are based in the borough and it is historically documented to have been purchased by Dutch colonists from Native Americans in 1626 for 60 guilders which equals US$1062 today. New York County is the United States second-smallest county by land area, on business days, the influx of commuters increases that number to over 3.9 million, or more than 170,000 people per square mile. Manhattan has the third-largest population of New York Citys five boroughs, after Brooklyn and Queens, the City of New York was founded at the southern tip of Manhattan, and the borough houses New York City Hall, the seat of the citys government. The name Manhattan derives from the word Manna-hata, as written in the 1609 logbook of Robert Juet, a 1610 map depicts the name as Manna-hata, twice, on both the west and east sides of the Mauritius River. The word Manhattan has been translated as island of hills from the Lenape language. The United States Postal Service prefers that mail addressed to Manhattan use New York, NY rather than Manhattan, the area that is now Manhattan was long inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans. In 1524, Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano – sailing in service of King Francis I of France – was the first European to visit the area that would become New York City. It was not until the voyage of Henry Hudson, an Englishman who worked for the Dutch East India Company, a permanent European presence in New Netherland began in 1624 with the founding of a Dutch fur trading settlement on Governors Island. In 1625, construction was started on the citadel of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island, later called New Amsterdam, the 1625 establishment of Fort Amsterdam at the southern tip of Manhattan Island is recognized as the birth of New York City. In 1846, New York historian John Romeyn Brodhead converted the figure of Fl 60 to US$23, variable-rate myth being a contradiction in terms, the purchase price remains forever frozen at twenty-four dollars, as Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace remarked in their history of New York. Sixty guilders in 1626 was valued at approximately $1,000 in 2006, based on the price of silver, Straight Dope author Cecil Adams calculated an equivalent of $72 in 1992. In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant was appointed as the last Dutch Director General of the colony, New Amsterdam was formally incorporated as a city on February 2,1653. In 1664, the English conquered New Netherland and renamed it New York after the English Duke of York and Albany, the Dutch Republic regained it in August 1673 with a fleet of 21 ships, renaming the city New Orange. Manhattan was at the heart of the New York Campaign, a series of battles in the early American Revolutionary War. The Continental Army was forced to abandon Manhattan after the Battle of Fort Washington on November 16,1776. The city, greatly damaged by the Great Fire of New York during the campaign, became the British political, British occupation lasted until November 25,1783, when George Washington returned to Manhattan, as the last British forces left the city
13.
Vienna
–
Vienna is the capital and largest city of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austrias primary city, with a population of about 1.8 million, and its cultural, economic and it is the 7th-largest city by population within city limits in the European Union. Today, it has the second largest number of German speakers after Berlin, Vienna is host to many major international organizations, including the United Nations and OPEC. The city is located in the part of Austria and is close to the borders of the Czech Republic, Slovakia. These regions work together in a European Centrope border region, along with nearby Bratislava, Vienna forms a metropolitan region with 3 million inhabitants. In 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, apart from being regarded as the City of Music because of its musical legacy, Vienna is also said to be The City of Dreams because it was home to the worlds first psycho-analyst – Sigmund Freud. The citys roots lie in early Celtic and Roman settlements that transformed into a Medieval and Baroque city and it is well known for having played an essential role as a leading European music centre, from the great age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th century. The historic centre of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque castles and gardens, Vienna is known for its high quality of life. In a 2005 study of 127 world cities, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked the city first for the worlds most liveable cities, between 2011 and 2015, Vienna was ranked second, behind Melbourne, Australia. Monocles 2015 Quality of Life Survey ranked Vienna second on a list of the top 25 cities in the world to make a base within, the UN-Habitat has classified Vienna as being the most prosperous city in the world in 2012/2013. Vienna regularly hosts urban planning conferences and is used as a case study by urban planners. Between 2005 and 2010, Vienna was the worlds number-one destination for international congresses and it attracts over 3.7 million tourists a year. The English name Vienna is borrowed from the homonymous Italian version of the name or the French Vienne. The etymology of the name is still subject to scholarly dispute. Some claim that the name comes from Vedunia, meaning forest stream, which produced the Old High German Uuenia. A variant of this Celtic name could be preserved in the Czech and Slovak names of the city, the name of the city in Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian and Ottoman Turkish has a different, probably Slavonic origin, and originally referred to an Avar fort in the area. Slovene-speakers call the city Dunaj, which in other Central European Slavic languages means the Danube River, evidence has been found of continuous habitation since 500 BC, when the site of Vienna on the Danube River was settled by the Celts. In 15 BC, the Romans fortified the city they called Vindobona to guard the empire against Germanic tribes to the north
14.
Jews
–
The Jews, also known as the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Israelites, or Hebrews, of the Ancient Near East. Jews originated as a national and religious group in the Middle East during the second millennium BCE, the Merneptah Stele appears to confirm the existence of a people of Israel, associated with the god El, somewhere in Canaan as far back as the 13th century BCE. The Israelites, as an outgrowth of the Canaanite population, consolidated their hold with the emergence of the Kingdom of Israel, some consider that these Canaanite sedentary Israelites melded with incoming nomadic groups known as Hebrews. The worldwide Jewish population reached a peak of 16.7 million prior to World War II, but approximately 6 million Jews were systematically murdered during the Holocaust. Since then the population has risen again, and as of 2015 was estimated at 14.3 million by the Berman Jewish DataBank. According to the report, about 43% of all Jews reside in Israel and these numbers include all those who self-identified as Jews in a socio-demographic study or were identified as such by a respondent in the same household. The exact world Jewish population, however, is difficult to measure, Israel is the only country where Jews form a majority of the population. The modern State of Israel was established as a Jewish state and defines itself as such in its Declaration of Independence and its Law of Return grants the right of citizenship to any Jew who requests it. The English word Jew continues Middle English Gyw, Iewe, according to the Hebrew Bible, the name of both the tribe and kingdom derive from Judah, the fourth son of Jacob. The Hebrew word for Jew, יְהוּדִי ISO 259-3 Yhudi, is pronounced, with the stress on the syllable, in Israeli Hebrew. The Ladino name is ג׳ודיו, Djudio, ג׳ודיוס, Djudios, Yiddish, ייִד Yid, ייִדן, Yidn. The etymological equivalent is in use in languages, e. g. but derivations of the word Hebrew are also in use to describe a Jew, e. g. in Italian. The German word Jude is pronounced, the corresponding adjective jüdisch is the origin of the word Yiddish, in such contexts Jewish is the only acceptable possibility. Some people, however, have become so wary of this construction that they have extended the stigma to any use of Jew as a noun, a factual reconstruction for the origin of the Jews is a difficult and complex endeavor. It requires examining at least 3,000 years of ancient human history using documents in vast quantities, as archaeological discovery relies upon researchers and scholars from diverse disciplines, the goal is to interpret all of the factual data, focusing on the most consistent theory. In this case, it is complicated by long standing politics and religious, Jacob and his family migrated to Ancient Egypt after being invited to live with Jacobs son Joseph by the Pharaoh himself. The patriarchs descendants were later enslaved until the Exodus led by Moses, traditionally dated to the 13th century BCE, Modern archaeology has largely discarded the historicity of the Patriarchs and of the Exodus story, with it being reframed as constituting the Israelites inspiring national myth narrative. The growth of Yahweh-centric belief, along with a number of practices, gradually gave rise to a distinct Israelite ethnic group
15.
Accordion
–
Accordions are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type, colloquially referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist, the concertina and bandoneón are related, the harmonium and American reed organ are in the same family. The instrument is played by compressing or expanding the bellows while pressing buttons or keys, causing pallets to open and these vibrate to produce sound inside the body. Valves on opposing reeds of each note are used to make the instruments reeds sound louder without air leaking from each reed block. The performer normally plays the melody on buttons or keys on the manual. The accordion is widely spread across the world, nevertheless, in Europe and North America, some popular music acts also make use of the instrument. Additionally, the accordion is used in cajun, zydeco, jazz music. The piano accordion is the official city instrument of San Francisco, the oldest name for this group of instruments is harmonika, from the Greek harmonikos, meaning harmonic, musical. Today, native versions of the accordion are more common. These names refer to the type of accordion patented by Cyrill Demian, accordions have many configurations and types. Similar to a bow, the production of sound in an accordion is in direct proportion to the motion of the player. The bellows is located between the right- and left-hand manuals, and is made from pleated layers of cloth and cardboard, with added leather and metal. It is used to pressure and vacuum, driving air across the internal reeds and producing sound by their vibration. These boxes house reed chambers for the right- and left-hand manuals, each side has grilles in order to facilitate the transmission of air in and out of the instrument, and to allow the sound to better project. The grille for the manual is usually larger and is often shaped for decorative purposes. The right-hand manual is used for playing the melody and the left-hand manual for playing the accompaniment. The manual mechanism of the instrument either enables the air flow, or disables it, the different types have varying components. All instruments have reed ranks of some format, the most typical accordion is the piano accordion, which is used for many musical genres
16.
Child prodigy
–
In psychology research literature, the term child prodigy is defined as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain to the level of an adult expert performer. Child prodigies are rare, and, in domains, there are no child prodigies at all. Prodigiousness in childhood does not always predict adult eminence, the term Wunderkind is sometimes used as a synonym for prodigy, particularly in media accounts. Wunderkind also is used to recognize those who achieve success and acclaim early in their adult careers, PET scans performed on several mathematics prodigies have suggested that they think in terms of long-term working memory. This memory, specific to a field of expertise, is capable of holding relevant information for extended periods, the PET scans also answer questions about which specific areas of the brain associate themselves with manipulating numbers. One subject never excelled as a child in mathematics, but he taught himself algorithms and tricks for calculatory speed and his brain, compared to six other controls, was studied using the PET scan, revealing separate areas of his brain that he manipulated to solve the complex problems. Some of the areas that he and presumably prodigies use are brain sectors dealing in visual and spatial memory, as well as visual mental imagery. Other areas of the brain showed use by the subject, including a sector of the brain related to childlike finger counting. Citing extensive imaging evidence, Vandervert first proposed this approach in two publications appeared in 2003. In addition to imaging evidence, Vanderverts approach is supported by the award winning studies of the cerebellum by Masao Ito. Some researchers believe that prodigious talent tends to arise as a result of the talent of the child. Others believe that the environment plays the dominant role, many times in obvious ways, but on the other hand George Frideric Handel was an example of the natural talent. He had discovered such a strong propensity to music, that his father who intended him for the study of the Civil Law, had reason to be alarmed. He strictly forbade him to meddle with any musical instrument but Handel found means to get a little clavichord privately conveyd to a room at the top of the house, to this room he constantly stole when the family was asleep. Despite his fathers opposition, Handel became a performer on the harpsichord. Chess prodigy List of child prodigies List of music prodigies Gifted education Giftedness Late bloomer Malleable intelligence Polymath Savant syndrome Ellenberg, the Wrong Way to Treat Child Geniuses. How working memory and the cerebellum collaborate to produce creativity and innovation, the Gradual Path to Creative Breakthroughs. Notebook, Child Prodigies, CBS News Online, YouTube, February 26,2010
17.
Juilliard School
–
The Juilliard School located in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, is a performing arts conservatory established in 1905. It is informally referred to as Juilliard, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the leading music schools. In 2016, QS Quacquarelli Symonds ranked it as the worlds best institution for Performing Arts in their global ranking of the discipline. The Institute opened in the former Lenox Mansion, Fifth Avenue and 12th Street and it moved in 1910 to 120 Claremont Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, onto a property purchased from Bloomingdale Insane Asylum. In 1920, the Juilliard Foundation was created, named after textile merchant Augustus D. Juilliard, in 1924, the foundation purchased the Vanderbilt family guesthouse at 49 E. 52nd Street and established the Juilliard Graduate School. In 1926, the Juilliard School of Music was created through a merger of the Institute of Musical Art, the two schools shared a common Board of Directors and President but retained their distinct identities. The conductor and music-educator Frank Damrosch continued as the Institutes dean, in 1937, Hutcheson succeeded Erskine as president of the two institutions, a job he held until 1945. In 1946, the Institute of Musical Art and the Juilliard Graduate School completely merged to form a single institution, the president of the school at that time was William Schuman, the first winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Schuman established the Juilliard String Quartet in 1946 and the Dance Division in 1951, William Schuman graduated from Columbias Teachers College and attended the Juilliard Summer School in 1932,1933 and 1936. While attending Juilliard Summer School, he developed a dislike for traditional music theory and ear training curricula, finding little value in counterpoint. L&M was Schumans reaction against more formal theory and ear training, the general mandate was to give the student an awareness of the dynamic nature of the materials of music. The quality and degree of each students education in harmony, music history or ear training was dependent on how each composer-teacher decided to interpret this mandate, William Schuman resigned as president of Juilliard after being elected president of Lincoln Center in 1962. Peter Mennin, another composer with experience at the Peabody Conservatory, was elected as his successor. Mennin made significant changes to the L&M program—ending ear training and music history, in 1968, Mennin hired John Houseman to manage a new Drama Division, and in 1969 oversaw Juilliards relocation from Claremont Avenue to Lincoln Center. Polisis many accomplishments include philanthropic successes, broadening of the curriculum, in 2001, the school established a jazz performance training program. In 1999, the Juilliard School was awarded the National Medal of Arts, in 2006, Juilliard received a trove of precious music manuscripts from board chair and philanthropist Bruce Kovner. Many of the manuscripts had been unavailable for generations,2, and manuscripts of Brahmss Symphony No.2 and Piano Concerto No.2
18.
Funny Girl (musical)
–
Funny Girl is a 1963 musical with a book by Isobel Lennart, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The semi-biographical plot is based on the life and career of Broadway star, film actress and comedian Fanny Brice featuring her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and its original title was My Man. The musical was produced by Ray Stark, who was Brices son-in-law via his marriage to her daughter Frances, the production was nominated for eight Tony Awards but, facing tough competition from Hello, Dolly. It failed to win in any categories, the original cast recording of Funny Girl was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004. The musical is set in and around New York City just prior to, Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice, awaiting the return of her husband, Nicky Arnstein, from prison, reflects on their life together, and their story is told as a flashback. Fanny is a teen who gets her first job in vaudeville. Her mother and her friend Mrs. Strakosh try to dissuade her from business because Fanny is not the typical beauty. But Fanny perseveres and is helped and encouraged by Eddie Ryan, once Fannys career takes off, Eddie and Mrs. Brice lament that once shes on Broadway shell forget about them. Fanny performs a supposedly romantic number in the Follies, but she turns it into a comic routine. She meets the sophisticated and handsome Nick Arnstein, who accompanies Fanny to her mothers opening night party on Henry Street, Fanny is clearly falling in love with Nick, while acknowledging their complex vulnerabilities. Later they meet in Baltimore and have a dinner at a swanky restaurant. Fanny is determined to marry Nick, regardless of his gambling past and they do marry and move to a mansion on Long Island. In the meantime, Mrs. Strakosh and Eddie propose to Mrs. Brice that she should find a man to marry, Fanny has become a major star with the Ziegfeld Follies. Nick asks Ziegfeld to invest in a casino, but although Ziegfeld passes. When the venture fails and they lose their money, Fanny tries to light of it. Fanny feels helpless but stronger than ever in her love for him, in the present, Fanny is waiting for Nick to arrive and has time to reflect on her situation. Nick arrives, newly released from prison, and he and Fanny decide to separate and she is heartbroken, but resolves to pick up her life again. Ray Stark had commissioned a biography of Brice, based on taped recollections she had dictated
19.
Barbra Streisand
–
Barbara Joan Barbra Streisand is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and filmmaker. She is among a group of entertainers who have been honored with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. Streisand is one of the music artists of all time, with more than 68.5 million albums in the United States. She starred in the critically acclaimed Funny Girl, for which she won the Academy Award, with the release of Yentl in 1983, Streisand became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major studio film. The film won an Oscar for Best Score and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Musical, Streisand received the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, the first woman to win that award. The RIAA and Billboard recognize Streisand as holding the record for the most top 10 albums of any recording artist. According to Billboard, Streisand holds the record for the female with the most number one albums, Billboard also recognizes Streisand as the greatest female of all time on its Billboard 200 chart and one of the greatest artists of all time on its Hot 100 chart. Barbara Joan Streisand was born on April 24,1942, in Brooklyn, New York and her mother had been a soprano singer in her youth and considered a career in music, but later became a school secretary. Her father was a school teacher at the same school. Streisands family was Jewish, her grandparents emigrated from Galicia and her maternal grandparents from the Russian Empire. Her father earned a degree from City College of New York in 1928 and was considered athletic. As a student, he spent his summers outdoors, once working as a lifeguard, hed try anything, his sister Molly said. He married Ida in 1930, two years after graduating, and became a respected educator with a focus on helping underprivileged. In August 1943, a few months after Streisands first birthday, her father died suddenly at age 34 from complications from an epileptic seizure, the family fell into near-poverty, with her mother working as a low-paid bookkeeper. As an adult, Streisand remembered those early years as always feeling like an outcast, explaining and her mother tried to pay their bills but could not give her daughter the attention she craved, When I wanted love from my mother, she gave me food, Streisand says. Streisand recalls that her mother had a voice and sang semi-professionally on occasion. During a visit to the Catskills when Streisand was thirteen, she told Rosie ODonnell, she and that session was the first time Streisand ever asserted herself as an artist, which also became her first moment of inspiration as an artist. She has a brother, Sheldon, and a half-sister
20.
The Swimmer (1968 film)
–
The Swimmer is a 1968 Technicolor American drama starring Burt Lancaster with Janet Landgard and Janice Rule in featured roles. The film was written and directed by Academy Award-nominated husband and wife team of Eleanor Perry, the story is based on the 1964 short story The Swimmer by John Cheever, which appeared in the July 18,1964 issue of The New Yorker. On a sunny day in an affluent suburb in Connecticut, a fit and tanned middle-aged man in a suit, Ned Merrill, drops by a pool party being held by old friends. They offer him a cocktail while nursing hangovers from the night before, as they share stories, Ned realizes that there is a series of swimming pools that form a river to his house, making it possible for him to swim his way home. Ned dives into the pool, emerging at the other end, neds behavior perplexes his friends, who know things about his recent past he seems to have forgotten. As Ned travels he encounters other neighbors and he meets 20-year-old Julie, who used to babysit his daughter, and reveals his idea to her, she joins him. Together, they have several experiences, including crashing another pool party, while chatting in the forest, Julie reveals that she had a schoolgirl crush on Ned, who begins talking about how he will protect her, making plans for the two of them. The neighborhood is full of judgmental, well-heeled people intent on one-upsmanship, Ned meets a wealthy older couple, unbothered by his eccentric behavior but also unimpressed by his posturing, and a lonely young boy with whom Ned spends a short time. He fails to make any connection with the people he meets, being obsessed with his journey. Ned carries on with his plan and he walks into another party where the hostess, who seems to have had a past encounter with him, playfully calls him a party crasher. He encounters there a bubbly girl, Joan, who does not know him, Ned asks her to join him, and Joan is intrigued until she is warned off by a friend. Ned jumps into the pool, grabbing the attention of the guests, when he gets out of the water, he notices a cart that used to be his, being used to serve hot dogs. Ned gets into a spat with the homeowner, who claims to have bought it at a white elephant sale, Ned then shows up at the backyard pool of Shirley Abbott, a stage actress with whom he had an affair several years earlier. His warm memories of their time together are not in agreement with her own experience of having been the other woman, unable to reconcile his feelings with the pain he has caused, Ned wades into the deep end of the pool. Ned continues on, winding up at a public swimming pool. He is confronted by local shopkeepers who ask him How do you like our water, and ask him when he will settle his unpaid bills. When some of them let loose vicious comments about his wifes snobbish tastes and his daughters recent troubles with the law, it is too much for Ned. Near sunset, a shivering, limping Ned staggers home, as rain pours down, peering in through a window, he sees that it has been emptied of furniture, and appears to have been abandoned for some time
21.
My Fair Lady
–
My Fair Lady is a musical based on George Bernard Shaws Pygmalion, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, the original Broadway, London and film versions all starred Rex Harrison. The musicals 1956 Broadway production was a critical and popular success. It set a record for the longest run of any show on Broadway up to that time and it was followed by a hit London production, a popular film version, and numerous revivals. My Fair Lady has frequently called the perfect musical. Act I On a rainy night in Edwardian London, opera patrons are waiting under the arches of Covent Garden for cabs, Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, runs into a young man called Freddy. She admonishes him for spilling her bunches of violets in the mud and she then flies into an angry outburst when a man copying down her speech is pointed out to her. The man explains that he studies phonetics and can identify anyones origin by their accent and he laments Elizas dreadful speech, asking why so many English people dont speak properly and explaining his theory that this is what truly separates social classes, rather than looks or money. He declares that in six months he could turn Eliza into a lady by teaching her to speak properly, the older gentleman introduces himself as Colonel Pickering, a linguist who has studied Indian dialects. The phoneticist introduces himself as Henry Higgins, and, as both have always wanted to meet each other, Higgins invites Pickering to stay at his home in London. He distractedly throws his change into Elizas basket, and she and her friends wonder what it would be like to live a comfortable, Elizas father, Alfred P. Doolittle, and his drinking companions, Harry and Jamie, all dustmen, stop by the next morning. He is searching for money for a drink, and Eliza shares her profits with him, Pickering and Higgins are discussing vowels at Higginss home when Mrs. Pearce, the housekeeper, informs Higgins that a young woman with a ghastly accent has come to see him. It is Eliza, who has come to take speech lessons so she can get a job as an assistant in a florists shop, Pickering wagers that Higgins cannot make good on his claim and volunteers to pay for Elizas lessons. An intensive makeover of Elizas speech, manners and dress begins in preparation for her appearance at the Embassy Ball, Higgins sees himself as a kindhearted, patient man who cannot get along with women. To others he appears self-absorbed and misogynistic, Alfred Doolittle is informed that his daughter has been taken in by Professor Higgins, and considers that he might be able to make a little money from the situation. Doolittle arrives at Higginss house the morning, claiming that Higgins is compromising Elizas virtue. Higgins is impressed by the natural gift for language and brazen lack of moral values. He and Doolittle agree that Eliza can continue to take lessons, Higgins flippantly recommends Doolittle to an American millionaire who has written to Higgins seeking a lecturer on moral values
22.
Gypsy (musical)
–
Gypsy is a 1959 musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist and it follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of show business life. The character of Louise is based on Lee, and the character of June is based on Lees sister and it is frequently considered one of the crowning achievements of the mid-20th centurys conventional musical theatre art form, often called the book musical. Gypsy has been referred to as the greatest American musical by numerous critics and writers, among them Ben Brantley, Rich wrote that Gypsy is nothing if not Broadways own brassy, unlikely answer to King Lear. Theater critic Clive Barnes wrote that Gypsy is one of the best of musicals. a musical based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee was a project of producer David Merrick and actress Ethel Merman. Merrick had read a chapter of Lees memoirs in Harpers Magazine, Jerome Robbins was interested, and wanted Leland Hayward as co-producer, Merman also wanted Hayward to produce her next show. Merrick and Hayward approached Arthur Laurents to write the book, as he relates, Laurents initially was not interested until he saw that the story was one of parents living their childrens lives. Composers Irving Berlin and Cole Porter declined the project, finally, Robbins asked Stephen Sondheim, who agreed to do it. Sondheim had worked with Robbins and Laurents on the musical West Side Story, however, Merman did not want an unknown composer, and wanted Jule Styne to write the music. Although Sondheim initially refused to write only the lyrics, he was persuaded by Oscar Hammerstein to accept the job, Rose and her two daughters, Baby June and Louise, play the vaudeville circuit around the United States in the early 1920s. Rose, the archetype of a mother, is aggressive. While June is an extroverted, talented child star, the older girl, the kiddie act has one song, Let Me Entertain You, that they sing over and over again, with June always as the center-piece and Louise often as one of the boys. Rose has big dreams for the girls but encounters setbacks, as she tells her father, when Rose meets a former agent, Herbie, she persuades him to become their manager using her seductive and feminine wiles. The girls grow up, and June, now billed as Dainty June, meanwhile, Louise celebrates her birthday alone and asks her birthday present, a lamb, just how old she is this year. After Rose rejects Herbies marriage proposal, he considers leaving, now billed as Dainty June and Her Farmboys, the act finally performs on the Orpheum Circuit. June is soon offered a place at a Performing Arts school after an audition, however, Rose turns this down, refusing to break up the act. Louise and June fantasize what life would be like if Rose were married and finished with show business. Shortly after, June is missing, and in a note she explains that she has grown sick of her mother and the tour and has eloped with Jerry
23.
West Side Story
–
West Side Story is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and conception and choreography by Jerome Robbins. It was inspired by William Shakespeares play Romeo and Juliet, the story is set in the Upper West Side neighborhood in New York City in the mid-1950s, an ethnic, blue-collar neighborhood. The musical explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds, the members of the Sharks, from Puerto Rico, are taunted by the Jets, a white gang. The young protagonist, Tony, a member of the Jets and best friend of the gang leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo. The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended scenes. Bernsteins score for the musical includes Somethings Coming, Maria, America, Somewhere, Tonight, Jet Song, I Feel Pretty, A Boy Like That, One Hand, One Heart, Gee, Officer Krupke, and Cool. The original 1957 Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins and produced by Robert E. Griffith and Harold Prince and it ran for 732 performances before going on tour. The production was nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Musical in 1957, Robbins won the Tony Award for his choreography and Oliver Smith won for his scenic designs. The show had an even longer-running London production, a number of revivals, a 1961 musical film of the same name, directed by Robert Wise and Robbins, starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won ten, including George Chakiris for Supporting Actor, Rita Moreno for Supporting Actress, in 1947, Jerome Robbins approached Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents about collaborating on a contemporary musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. He proposed that the focus on the conflict between an Irish Catholic family and a Jewish family living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The girl has survived the Holocaust and emigrated from Israel, the conflict was to be centered around anti-Semitism of the Catholic Jets towards the Jewish Emeralds, eager to write his first musical, Laurents immediately agreed. Bernstein wanted to present the material in operatic form, but Robbins and they described the project as lyric theater, and Laurents wrote a first draft he called East Side Story. Only after he completed it did the group realize it was more than a musicalization of themes that had already been covered in plays like Abies Irish Rose. When he opted to drop out, the three men went their ways, and the piece was shelved for almost five years. Laurents accepted and suggested Bernstein and Robbins join the creative team, Robbins felt if the three were going to join forces, they should return to East Side Story, and Bernstein agreed. Laurents, however, was committed to Gabel, who introduced him to the young composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, Sondheim auditioned by playing the score for Saturday Night, his musical that was scheduled to open in the fall. Laurents liked the lyrics but was not impressed with the music, Sondheim did not care for Laurents opinion
24.
Bye Bye Birdie
–
Bye Bye Birdie is a stage musical with a book by Michael Stewart, lyrics by Lee Adams and music by Charles Strouse. Originally titled Lets Go Steady, Bye Bye Birdie is set in 1958, the story was inspired by the phenomenon of popular singer Elvis Presley and his draft notice into the Army in 1957. The rock star characters name, Conrad Birdie, is play on the name of Conway Twitty. Twitty is best remembered today for his career as a country music star. The original 1960–1961 Broadway production was a Tony Award–winning success and it spawned a London production and several major revivals, a sequel, a 1963 film, and a 1995 television production. The show also became a choice for high school and college productions. The producer Edward Padula had the idea for a musical initially titled Lets Go Steady, Padula contracted with two writers, and Charles Strouse and Lee Adams wrote seven songs for their libretto. Padula, Strouse and Adams sought Gower Champion as director/choreographer, who until that time had choreographed only a few musicals, however, Champion did not like the book and the writers were fired, with Michael Stewart then hired. Stewart wrote a version titled Love and Kisses, which focused on a couple thinking of divorce. The something more had been there in the newspaper. After brainstorming, Stewart and Adams came up with the idea of a rock-and-roll singer going off to the army, agent and songwriter Albert Peterson finds himself in trouble when hip-thrusting rock and roll superstar Conrad Birdie is drafted into the Army. Alberts secretary and sweetheart, Rose Rosie Alvarez, comes up with a publicity stunt to have Conrad Birdie record. She makes Albert promise to give up the business and to start teaching English at schools. They plan to have Birdie sing Alberts new song One Last Kiss, the lucky girl chosen randomly from Conrads fan club is fifteen-year-old Kim MacAfee from Sweet Apple, Ohio. All the teenagers in Sweet Apple are catching up on the latest gossip about Kim MacAfee, Kim, excited to have a boyfriend, reflects on how happy she is with her maturity. She quits the Conrad Birdie fan club over the phone because of the new milestone happening in her life, meanwhile, Conrad, Albert, and Rose set off to Sweet Apple to prepare for the event. Albert advises her to be optimistic, soon, reporters arrive with questions for Conrad, but Rosie, Albert, and the girls answer for him, pushing away tabloids. Conrad receives a heros welcome in Sweet Apple, and Hugo worries that Kim likes Conrad more than she likes him, Conrad shocks the towns parents and drives the teenage girls crazy with his performance of Honestly Sincere, which causes all of the girls to faint
25.
Queens College, City University of New York
–
Queens College is one of the four-year colleges in the City University of New York system. Queens College is consistently ranked among the institutions in the nation for the quality of its faculty and academic programs, the achievement of its students. In 2013 Queens College was ranked #2 nationally by the Washington Monthly for giving students the best bang for their bucks, the building was located on Flushing-Jamaica Road. Jamaica Academy became public in 1844, in 1909, the New York Parental School, a home for troubled boys, opened on the land surrounding the future site of Queens College and incorporated Jamaica Academy on its campus. Buildings such as Jefferson Hall were used as dormitories and classrooms. In 1934, the New York Parental School was investigated amid rumors of abuse, the school was shut down and students were transferred to local public schools. A few months later, the grounds were turned over to the city, the city planned to house 500 mental patients from Randalls Island Hospital, who were temporarily displaced by the construction of the Triborough Bridge. Meanwhile, County Judge Charles S. Colden appointed and chaired a committee to assess the feasibility of opening a college in Queens. In September 1935, the committee recommended the establishment of such a college, mayor La Guardia backed the recommendation and pushed for the free colleges creation. In March 1937, the Board of Education designated the site of the former Parental School to be the location of Queens College. Paul Klapper, former dean of the School of Education at City College of New York, was appointed the new colleges president, the college opened in October 1937—later than anticipated due to a painters strike—with 21 members on its teaching staff and 400 students in its inaugural freshmen class. The college campus grew as buildings were constructed and enrollment increased, the program was intended to offer college education to more New York City residents, in particular those of color. In 1973 enrollment at Queens reached a high of 31,413 students. By 1976 new concerns overtook the college as New York City faced a financial crisis. CUNYs policy of free tuition was revoked, the overall CUNY budget was cut by $135 million, some faculty members resigned in protest. All hiring and building on campus was halted, by 1984 student enrollment had declined to 15,000. By that time, former Queens College president Dr. Joseph S. Murphy was CUNY Chancellor, in the 1990s, the college attracted high-profile researchers to its faculty, including the virologist Luc Montagnier. The college campus continued improving its facilities, under a $1 billion CUNY-wide improvement program, Queens Colleges Powdermaker Hall was given a $57 million renovation, begun in 2000
26.
Bachelor of Arts
–
A Bachelor of Arts is a bachelors degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both. Bachelor of Arts degree programs take three to four years depending on the country, academic institution, and specific specializations, majors or minors. The word baccalaureus or baccalarium should not be confused with baccalaureatus, degree diplomas generally are printed on high-quality paper or parchment, individual institutions set the preferred abbreviation for their degrees. In Pakistan, the Bachelor of Arts degree can also be attained within two years as an external degree, in colleges and universities in Australia, New Zealand, Nepal and South Africa, the BA degree can be taken over three years of full-time study. Unlike in other countries, students do not receive a grade for their Bachelor of Arts degree with varying levels of honours. Qualified students may be admitted, after they have achieved their Bachelors program with an overall grade point average. Thus, to achieve a Bachelor Honours degree, a postgraduate year. A student who holds a Honours degree is eligible for entry to either a Doctorate or a very high research Master´s degree program. Education in Canada is controlled by the Provinces and can be different depending on the province in Canada. Canadian universities typically offer a 3-year Bachelor of Arts degrees, in many universities and colleges, Bachelor of Arts degrees are differentiated either as Bachelors of Arts or as honours Bachelor of Arts degree. The honours degrees are designated with the abbreviation in brackets of. It should not be confused with the consecutive Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours, Latin Baccalaureatus in Artibus Cum Honore, BA hon. de jure without brackets and with a dot. It is a degree, which is considered to be the equivalent of a corresponding maîtrise degree under the French influenced system. Going back in history, a three-year Bachelor of Arts degree was called a pass degree or general degree. Students may be required to undertake a long high-quality research empirical thesis combined with a selection of courses from the relevant field of studies. The consecutive B. cum Honore degree is essential if students ultimate goal is to study towards a two- or three-year very high research masters´ degree qualification. A student holding a Baccalaureatus Cum Honore degree also may choose to complete a Doctor of Philosophy program without the requirement to first complete a masters degree, over the years, in some universities certain Baccalaureatus cum Honore programs have been changed to corresponding master´s degrees. In general, in all four countries, the B. A. degree is the standard required for entry into a masters programme, in science, a BA hons degree is generally a prerequisite for entrance to a Ph. D program or a very-high-research-activity master´s programme
27.
Liza Minnelli
–
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is considered both an American icon and a gay icon, Minnelli is the daughter of film actress and singer Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli. She began her career as a teenager in New York City as a theatre actress. Minnelli also regularly performed with her famous mother, including a 1964 joint engagement at the London Palladium and in Garlands own CBS television series The Judy Garland Show. In 1965 she made her Broadway debut in the musical Flora the Red Menace and was awarded the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and her other film roles have included Golden Globe Award nominated performances in Lucky Lady, New York, New York and Arthur. She has successfully returned to the Broadway stage on a number of occasions, from the late 1970s onwards, Minnellis work has predominantly focused on concert tours and nightclub performances. She gave highly regarded performances at Carnegie Hall in 1979 and 1987, in the late 1980s she toured alongside Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. in Frank, Liza & Sammy, The Ultimate Event. Minnelli was born on March 12,1946 in Hollywood, California, to Vincente Minnelli and she attended New York Citys High School of Performing Arts and Chadwick School. Her first performing experience on film was at age three where she appeared in the scene of the musical In the Good Old Summertime. The film stars Garland and Van Johnson, Minnelli has a half-sister, Lorna, and half-brother, Joey, from Garlands marriage to Sid Luft. She also has another half-sister, Christiane Nina Minnelli, from her fathers second marriage, Minnellis godparents were Kay Thompson and Ira Gershwin. Her parents named her after Ira Gershwins song Liza, during 1961, Minnelli was an apprentice at the Cape Cod Melody Tent, Hyannis, Massachusetts. She appeared in the chorus of Flower Drum Song and played the part of Muriel in Take Me Along, Minnelli began performing professionally at age 17, in 1963, in an Off-Broadway revival of the musical Best Foot Forward, for which she received the Theatre World Award. The next year, her mother invited Liza to perform with her in concert at the London Palladium, both concerts were recorded and released as an album. She attended Scarsdale High School for one year, starring in a production of The Diary of Anne Frank which then went to Israel on tour and she turned to Broadway at 19, and won her first Tony Award as a leading actress for Flora the Red Menace. It was the first time she worked with the musical duo John Kander, Minnelli began as a nightclub singer as an adolescent, making her professional nightclub debut at the age of 19 at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D. C. That same year she began appearing in clubs and on stage in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami. Her success as a performer led to her recording several albums for Capitol Records
28.
Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows
–
Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows is a popular song sung by Lesley Gore. It was originally released on Gores 1963 album Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts, the song, composed by Marvin Hamlisch, was released as a single in conjunction with Gores rendition in the 1965 film, Ski Party. It was arranged by Claus Ogerman and produced by Quincy Jones, the tune peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The songs movie debut was in the 1965 film, Ski Party, tord, a character from Eddsworld, has a particular hate for this song. It was used in the 2009 film, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 1965 album, Chipmunks à Go-Go. Dusty Springfield never recorded the song for an album, but performed it once on TV, the song appeared in The Simpsons episode, Marge on the Lam. The song played over the credits of Mad Men episode 2.3
29.
Billboard Hot 100
–
The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales, radio play and online streaming, the weekly sales period was originally Monday to Sunday, when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but was changed to Friday to Thursday in July 2015. Radio airplay, which, unlike sales figures and streaming data, is available on a real-time basis. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by Billboard on Tuesdays, as of the issue for the week ending on April 15,2017, the Hot 100 has had 1,061 different number one hits. The current number one song is Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, prior to 1955, Billboard did not have a unified, all-encompassing popularity chart, instead measuring songs by individual metrics. At the start of the era in 1955, three such charts existed, Best Sellers in Stores was the first Billboard chart, established in 1936. This chart ranked the biggest selling singles in retail stores, as reported by merchants surveyed throughout the country, Most Played by Jockeys was Billboards original airplay chart. It ranked the most played songs on United States radio stations, as reported by radio disc jockeys, Most Played in Jukeboxes ranked the most played songs in jukeboxes across the United States. On the week ending November 12,1955, Billboard published The Top 100 for the first time, the Top 100 combined all aspects of a singles performance, based on a point system that typically gave sales more weight than radio airplay. The Best Sellers In Stores, Most Played by Jockeys and Most Played in Jukeboxes charts continued to be published concurrently with the new Top 100 chart. The week ending July 28,1958 was the publication of the Most Played By Jockeys and Top 100 charts. On August 4,1958, Billboard premiered one main all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100 quickly became the industry standard and Billboard discontinued the Best Sellers In Stores chart on October 13,1958. The Billboard Hot 100 is still the standard by which a songs popularity is measured in the United States, the Hot 100 is ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS, sales data compiled by Nielsen Soundscan and streaming activity provided by online music sources. There are several component charts that contribute to the calculation of the Hot 100. Charts are ranked by number of gross audience impressions, computed by cross-referencing exact times of radio airplay with Arbitron listener data. Hot Singles Sales, the top selling singles compiled from a sample of retail store, mass merchant and internet sales reports collected, compiled. The chart is released weekly and measures sales of commercial singles. With the decline in sales of singles in the US
30.
Woody Allen
–
Heywood Woody Allen is an American actor, writer, director, comedian, playwright, and musician whose career spans more than six decades. He worked as a writer in the 1950s, writing jokes and scripts for television. In the early 1960s, Allen began performing as a stand-up comedian, as a comedian, he developed the persona of an insecure, intellectual, fretful nebbish, which he maintains is quite different from his real-life personality. In 2004, Comedy Central ranked Allen in fourth place on a list of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians and he is often identified as part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmakers of the mid-1960s to late 1970s. Allen often stars in his films, typically in the persona he developed as a standup, some of the best-known of his over 40 films are Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Hannah and Her Sisters. In 2007 he said Stardust Memories, The Purple Rose of Cairo, critic Roger Ebert described Allen as a treasure of the cinema. Allen won four Academy Awards, three for Best Original Screenplay and one for Best Director and he also won nine British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards. His screenplay for Annie Hall was named the funniest screenplay by the Writers Guild of America in its list of the 101 Funniest Screenplays, in 2011, PBS televised the film biography Woody Allen, A Documentary on the American Masters TV series. Allen was born Allan Stewart Konigsberg in Brooklyn, New York and he and his sister, Letty, were raised in Midwood, Brooklyn. He is the son of Nettie, a bookkeeper at her familys delicatessen, and Martin Konigsberg and his family was Jewish, his grandparents immigrated from Russia and Austria, and spoke Yiddish, Hebrew, and German. His parents were born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His childhood was not particularly happy, his parents did not get along, Allen spoke German quite a bit in his early years. He would later joke that when he was young he was sent to inter-faith summer camps. While attending Hebrew school for eight years, he went to Public School 99 and to Midwood High School, at that time, he lived in an apartment at 968 East 14th Street. Unlike his comic persona, he was interested in baseball than school. He impressed students with his talent at card and magic tricks. To raise money, he wrote jokes for agent David O. Alber, at the age of 17, he legally changed his name to Heywood Allen and later began to call himself Woody Allen. According to Allen, his first published joke read, Woody Allen says he ate at a restaurant that had O. P. S and he was then earning more than both parents combined
31.
Take the Money and Run
–
Take the Money and Run is a 1969 American mockumentary comedy film directed by Woody Allen and starring Allen and Janet Margolin. Written by Allen and Mickey Rose, the chronicles the life of Virgil Starkwell. Virgil Starkwells story is told in documentary style, using stock footage and interviews with people who knew him. The film shows Starkwell entering a life of crime at a young age, as a child, Virgil was a frequent target of bullies, who would snatch his glasses and stomp on them on the floor. As an adult, Virgil is inept and unlucky, and both police and judges ridicule him by stomping on Virgils glasses. Virgil falls in love with a lady, Louise, in the park, a laundry worker. They even have a baby together, Starkwell is arrested for trying to rob a bank after handing to a teller a threatening note with the word gun misspelled. Virgil is sent to prison, but attempts an escape using a bar of soap carved to resemble a gun, unfortunately for Virgil, it was raining outside and his gun dissolves. Starkwell does escape prison, but by accident, joining a mass breakout plan, Virgil is the only inmate not warned that the scheme had been called off. Outside but unemployed, Virgil finds no way to support himself, eventually he is rearrested and sent to a chain gang where he is undernourished and brutally punished. Starkwell again escapes but is captured when attempting to rob a former friend who reveals he is now a cop. Starkwells story ends with Starkwell back in prison and he is sentenced to 800 years but remains upbeat knowing that with good behavior, I can get that cut in half. In the last scene, Starkwell is shown carving a bar of soap and he had originally wanted Jerry Lewis to direct, but when that did not work out, Allen decided to direct it himself. Allens decision to become his own director was partially spurred on by the chaotic and uncontrolled filming of Casino Royale and this film marked the first time Allen would perform the triple duties of writing, directing, and acting in a film. The manic, almost slapstick style is similar to that of Allens next several films, including Bananas, Allen discussed the concept of filming a documentary in an interview with Richard Schickel, Take the Money and Run was an early pseudo-documentary. The idea of doing a documentary, which I later finally perfected when I did Zelig was with me from the first day I started movies, and you could tell your story laugh by laugh by laugh. The object of the movie was for every inch of it to be a laugh, the film was shot on location in San Francisco, including one scene set in Ernies restaurant, whose striking red interior was immortalized in Alfred Hitchcocks Vertigo. Other scenes were filmed at San Quentin State Prison, where 100 prisoners were paid a fee to work on the film
32.
Bananas (film)
–
Bananas is a 1971 American comedy film directed by Woody Allen and starring Allen, Louise Lasser, and Carlos Montalban. Parts of the plot are based on the book Don Quixote, fielding Mellish is the protagonist, but he does not appear until after the opening credits. The scene was in the form of a championship boxing telecast on Wide World of Sports, with Don Dunphy as the host, Mellish is a neurotic blue collar man who tries to impress social activist Nancy by trying to get in touch with the revolution in San Marcos. He visits the republic and attempts to show his concern for the native people, however, he is nearly killed by the local caudillo and then saved by the revolutionaries, putting him in their debt. Mellish then learns, clumsily, how to be a revolutionary, when the revolution is successful, the Castro-style leader goes mad, forcing the rebels to place Mellish as their President. When traveling back to the U. S. to obtain financial aid, one of the witnesses does provide testimony favorable to Mellish, but the court clerk, when asked to read back this testimony, replies with an entirely different, wholly unfavorable rendition. Mellish is eventually sentenced to prison, but his sentence is suspended on the condition that he not move into the judges neighborhood. Nancy then agrees to marry him, the film ends with the between-the-covers consummation of their marriage, an event that was over much more quickly than Nancy had anticipated. Like the opening scene, it was accompanied by Cosell providing commentary, the verdict in Mellishs legal case is portrayed as the headline story of a Roger Grimsby newscast. Included in the scene is a television advertisement for New Testament cigarettes with a Catholic priest promoting the fictitious brand while performing the sacrament of the Eucharist. The movie received a C classification from the National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures because of the spoof, the title is a pun, bananas being slang for crazy, as well as being a reference to the phrase banana republic describing the films setting. The title also may be a nod to The Cocoanuts. However, when Allen was asked why the film was called Bananas, his reply was, in Don Quixote, U. S. A. the novel by Richard P. Powell that served as a source for Bananas, the protagonist was an agronomist specializing in bananas. Bananas was well received by critics and holds an 88% positive Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, vincent Canby of The New York Times praised the film, saying Allens view of the world is fraught with everything except pathos, and its a view I happen to find very funny. Here is no little man surviving with a wan smile and a shrug and he concluded, Any movie that attempts to mix together love, Cuban revolution, the C. I. A. Jewish mothers, J. Edgar Hoover and a few odds and ends is bound to be a little weird—and most welcome
33.
Batman (TV series)
–
Batman is a 1960s American live action television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City from a variety of arch villains and it is known for its camp style, upbeat theme music, and its intentionally humorous, simplistic morality. This included championing the importance of using seat belts, doing homework, eating vegetables, and drinking milk. One hundred and twenty episodes aired on the ABC network for three seasons from January 12,1966, to March 14,1968, twice weekly for the first two and weekly for the third. In 2016, television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked Batman as the 82nd greatest American television show of all time, ostensibly a crime series, the style of the show was in fact campy and tongue-in-cheek. It was a situation comedy, in that situations were exaggerated and were generally played for laughs. This increased as the seasons wore on, with the addition of ever greater absurdity, the characters, however, always took the absurd situations extremely seriously - which added to the comedy. The series focused on the adventures of Batman and Robin, the Dynamic Duo typically come to the aid of the Gotham City Police upon the latter being stumped by a supervillain. Throughout each episode, Batman and Robin have to follow a series of clues to discover the plan, then figure out how to thwart that plan. For the first two seasons, Batman aired twice a week on consecutive nights, every story is a two-parter, except for two three-parters featuring villainous team ups in the second season. The titles of each story usually rhymed. For the third season, which aired once a week, most episodes were self-contained stories and this would inevitably be resolved early in the follow-up episode. By relying heavily on a formula, it easy to spoof various elements of that formula. The typical story begins with a villains caper, in his office, Commissioner Gordon, along with Chief OHara, learn of the crime and the culprit. Helpless to stop the villain, they contact Batman via the Batphone - a bright red telephone that provides a direct link to Batman. At stately Wayne Manor, Alfred answers the Batphone and informs Bruce Wayne of the call, frequently, Wayne and his ward, Dick Grayson, are found talking with Dicks aunt, Harriet Cooper, who is unaware of Bruce and Dicks secret identities. Alfred discreetly interrupts and they excuse themselves to go to the Batphone in Waynes study, upon learning the details from Gordon, Wayne turns a switch concealed within a bust of Shakespeare that stands on his desk to reveal two firemans poles hidden behind a sliding bookcase. Wayne exclaims, and he and Grayson slide down the poles that lead to the Batcave, similar in style and content to the 1940s serials, Batman and Robin would arrive at the bottom of the Batpoles in the Batcave in full costume
34.
Television program
–
It may be a single production, or more commonly, a series of related productions. A limited number of episodes of a show may be called a miniseries or a serial or limited series. Television series are without a fixed length and are divided into seasons or series. While there is no defined length, U. S. industry practice has traditionally favored longer television seasons than those of other countries, a one-time broadcast may be called a special, or particularly in the UK a special episode. A television film is a film that is initially broadcast on television rather than released in theaters or direct-to-video, a program can be either recorded, as on video tape, other various electronic media forms, played with an on-demand player or viewed on live television. Television programs may be fictional, or non-fictional and it may be topical, or historical. They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy, a drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures, except for soap opera-type serials, many shows especially before the 1980s, remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little. If some change happened to the characters lives during the episode, because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order. Since the 1980s, there are series that feature progressive change to the plot. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time television series to have this kind of dramatic structure. While the later series, Babylon 5 is an example of such production that had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run. In 2012, it was reported that television was growing into a component of major media companies revenues than film. Some also noted the increase in quality of television programs. When a person or company decides to create a new series, they develop the elements, consisting of the concept, the characters, the crew. Then they offer it to the networks in an attempt to find one interested enough to order a prototype first episode of the series. They want very much to get the word out on what types of shows they’re looking for, to create the pilot, the structure and team of the whole series must be put together. If the network likes the pilot, they pick up the show to air it the next season, sometimes they save it for mid-season, or request rewrites and further review
35.
Julie Newmar
–
Julie Newmar is an American actress, dancer and singer, known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Katrin Sveg in the 1958 Broadway production of The Marriage-Go-Round, in the 1960s, she starred for two seasons as Catwoman in the television series Batman. Her other stage credits include the Ziegfeld Follies in 1956, and Irma in Irma la Douce in regional productions. She appeared in the video for George Michaels 1992 single Too Funky. Her voice work includes the 2016 film Batman, Return of the Caped Crusaders and she was born in Los Angeles as Julia Chalene Newmeyer, the eldest of three children born to Don and Helen Newmeyer. Her Swedish-French mother was a designer who used Chalene as her professional name. Newmar began her career as a dancer, training with Denishawn and later appearing in the Ziegfeld Follies, Newmar has two younger brothers, Peter Bruce Newmeyer and John A. Newmeyer, a writer, epidemiologist, and winemaker. Newmar was a dancer-assassin in Slaves of Babylon and the girl in Serpent of the Nile. She danced in other films, including The Band Wagon and Demetrius and the Gladiators. She also worked as a choreographer and dancer for Universal Studios and her first major role, billed as Julie Newmeyer, was as Dorcas, one of the brides in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Her three-minute Broadway appearance as the leggy Stupefyin Jones in the musical Lil Abner in 1956 led to a reprise in the version released in 1959. She was also the lead in a low-budget comedy, The Rookie. Newmar had first appeared on Broadway in 1955 in Silk Stockings which starred Hildegarde Neff and she also appeared in the film, The Marriage-Go-Round, which starred James Mason and Susan Hayward. Newmar developed the role of the Swedish vixen and won a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress and she later appeared on stage with Joel Grey in the national tour of Stop the World - I Want to Get Off and as Lola in Damn Yankees. And Irma in Irma La Douce. and in Mackennas Gold and she also appeared in a pictorial in the May 1968 issue of Playboy magazine, which featured Playmate Elizabeth Jordan. The film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar pays homage to the actress, Newmar herself makes a cameo appearance near the films end. Newmars fame stems mainly from her television appearances and her statuesque form made her a larger-than-life sex symbol, most often cast as a temptress or Amazonian beauty, including an early appearance in sexy maid costume on The Phil Silvers Show. She starred as Rhoda the Robot in the TV series My Living Doll, Newmar modified her Catwoman costume—now in the Smithsonian Institution—and placed the belt at the hips instead of the waist to emphasize her hourglass figure
36.
Catwoman
–
Catwoman is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. The character was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, and she made her debut in Batman #1, depicted as a jewel thief in Gotham City, Catwoman has typically been characterized as a supervillain and adversary of Batman. However, since the 1990s, Catwoman has been featured in a series that portrays her as an antiheroine rather than a traditional villain. She is known for her complex relationship with Batman and has been his most enduring love interest. The original and most widely known Catwoman is Selina Kyle, the character was partially inspired by Kanes cousin, Ruth Steel, as well as actress Jean Harlow. For many years the character thrived, but from September 1954 to November 1966 Catwoman took a hiatus due to the newly developing Comics Code Authority in 1954. These issues involved the rules regarding the development and portrayal of characters that were in violation of the Comics Code. In the comics, Holly Robinson and Eiko Hasigawa both have adopted the Catwoman identity, apart from Selina, a popular figure, Catwoman has been featured in many media adaptations related to Batman. Actresses Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt introduced her to an audience on the 1960s Batman television series. Michelle Pfeiffer portrayed the character in 1992s Batman Returns, halle Berry starred in a stand-alone Catwoman film, 2004s Catwoman, which was a critical and commercial flop, and bears little to no resemblance to the Batman character. Anne Hathaway portrayed Selina Kyle in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises and, most recently, Catwoman was ranked 11th on IGNs Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time list, and 51st on Wizard magazines 100 Greatest Villains of All Time list. Conversely, she was ranked 20th on IGNs Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time list, Batmans creator, Bob Kane, was a great movie fan and his love for film provided the impetus for several Batman characters, among them, Catwoman. She was partially inspired by 1930s film star Jean Harlow who at Kanes then-early and, seemed to personify feminine pulchritude at its most sensuous. Catwoman was meant to be a love interest and to engage Batman in a chess game, at the same time, this character was meant to be different from other Batman villains like the Joker in that she was never a killer or evil. As for using cat imagery with their Catwoman, Kane states he, although she does not wear her iconic cat-suit, the story establishes her core personality as a femme fatale who both antagonizes and attracts Batman. It is implied Batman may have let her get away by blocking Robin as he tried to leap after her. She next appears in Batman #2 in a story involving the Joker. In Batman #3 she wears a fur mask and again succeeds in escaping Batman, Batman #62 reveals that Catwoman is an amnesiac flight attendant who had turned to crime after suffering a prior blow to the head during a plane crash she survived
37.
Debbie Reynolds
–
Mary Frances Debbie Reynolds was an American actress, singer, businesswoman, film historian, and humanitarian. In 1959, she released her first pop album, titled Debbie. She starred in How the West Was Won, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown and her performance as Brown earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her other films include The Singing Nun, Divorce American Style, Charlottes Web, Mother, and In & Out. Reynolds was also a cabaret performer, in 1979 she founded the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio in North Hollywood, which still operates today. In 1969 she starred on television in the The Debbie Reynolds Show, in 1973 Reynolds starred in a Broadway revival of the musical Irene and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical. She was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in A Gift of Love, at the turn of the millennium, Reynolds reached a new younger generation with her role as Aggie Cromwell in Disneys Halloweentown series. In 1988 she released her autobiography titled, Debbie, My Life, in 2013, she released a second autobiography, Unsinkable, A Memoir. She served as president of The Thalians, a dedicated to mental health causes. Reynolds continued to perform successfully on stage, television, and film into her eighties, in January 2015, Reynolds received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2016, she received the Academy Awards Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, on December 28,2016, Reynolds was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center following a medical emergency, which her son Todd Fisher later described as a severe stroke. She died from the stroke that afternoon, one day after the death of her daughter Carrie Fisher. Reynolds was born on April 1,1932, in El Paso, Texas, to Maxene Minnie and Raymond Francis Ray Reynolds and she was of Scottish-Irish and English ancestry and was raised in a strict Nazarene church. She had a two years her senior. Reynolds was a Girl Scout, once saying that she wanted to die as the worlds oldest living Girl Scout and her mother took in laundry for income, while they lived in a shack on Magnolia Street in El Paso. And Im trying to inculcate in my children the same sense of values and her family moved to Burbank, California in 1939. When Reynolds was a student at Burbank High School in 1948. Soon after, she had a contract with Warner Bros and acquired the nickname Debbie via Jack L. Warner, One of her closest high school friends said that she rarely dated during her teenage years in Burbank
38.
Scott Joplin
–
Scott Joplin was an African American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his compositions and was dubbed the King of Ragtime Writers. During his brief career, he wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, One of his first, and most popular pieces, the Maple Leaf Rag, became ragtimes first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag. Joplin was born into a family of railway laborers in Northeast Texas. Joplin grew up in Texarkana, where he formed a vocal quartet, during the late 1880s he left his job as a laborer with the railroad, and travelled around the American South as an itinerant musician. He went to Chicago for the Worlds Fair of 1893, which played a part in making ragtime a national craze by 1897. Joplin moved to Sedalia, Missouri, in 1894 and earned a living as a teacher, there he taught future ragtime composers Arthur Marshall, Scott Hayden. Joplin began publishing music in 1895, and publication of his Maple Leaf Rag in 1899 brought him fame and this piece had a profound influence on subsequent writers of ragtime. It also brought the composer a steady income for life, though Joplin did not reach this level of success again, in 1901 Joplin moved to St. Louis, where he continued to compose and publish music, and regularly performed in the St. Louis community. The score to his first opera A Guest of Honor was confiscated in 1903 with his belongings because of a non-payment of bills and he continued to compose and publish music, and in 1907 moved to New York City to find a producer for a new opera. He attempted to go beyond the limitations of the form that made him famous. His second opera, Treemonisha, was not received well at its partially staged performance in 1915, in 1916 Joplin descended into dementia as a result of syphilis. He was admitted to an institution in January 1917. His music was rediscovered and returned to popularity in the early 1970s with the release of an album recorded by Joshua Rifkin. This was followed by the Academy Award–winning 1973 movie The Sting that featured several of his compositions including The Entertainer, the opera Treemonisha was finally produced in full to wide acclaim in 1972. In 1976, Joplin was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize, according to author Edward A. Berlin, One tenacious myth tells us that Joplin was born in Texarkana, Texas, on November 24,1868. The location is easily dispensed with, Texarkana was not established until 1873, consequently, it appears possible that Joplin, born 12 years later, could have been born in Texarkana. Despite evidence to such a conclusion, some insist that Joplin was born in Linden, Texas
39.
Ragtime
–
Ragtime – also spelled rag-time or rag time – is a musical genre that enjoyed its peak popularity between 1895 and 1918. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated, or ragged, rhythm, the genre has its origins in African-American communities like St. Louis years before being published as popular sheet music for piano. Ernest Hogan was a pioneer of music and was the first to compose ragtime into sheet music. The composition was called LA Pas Ma LA and it was released in 1895, Hogan has also been credited for coining the term ragtime. The term is derived from his hometown Shake Rag in Bowling Green. Ben Harney, who is also a Kentucky native has often credited for introducing the music to the mainstream public. His first ragtime composition Youve been an old wagon but you done broke helped popularize the musical genre. The composition was published in 1895 but released in 1896, Ragtime was also a modification of the march made popular by John Philip Sousa, with additional polyrhythms coming from African music. For at least 12 years after its publication, Maple Leaf Rag heavily influenced subsequent ragtime composers with its melody lines, Ragtime fell out of favor as jazz claimed the publics imagination after 1917, but there have been numerous revivals since the music has been re-discovered. First in the early 1940s, many bands began to include ragtime in their repertoire. A more significant revival occurred in the 1950s as a variety of ragtime styles of the past were made available on records, and new rags were composed, published. In 1971 Joshua Rifkin brought out a compilation of Joplins work which was nominated for a Grammy Award, in 1973 The New England Ragtime Ensemble recorded The Red Back Book, a compilation of some of Joplins rags in period orchestrations edited by conservatory president Gunther Schuller. This also won a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance of the year and was named Billboards Top Classical Album of 1974, subsequently, the motion picture The Sting brought ragtime to a wide audience with its soundtrack of Joplin tunes. The films rendering of The Entertainer, adapted and orchestrated by Marvin Hamlisch, was a Top 5 hit in 1974. Ragtime – with Joplins work at the forefront – has been cited as an American equivalent of the minuets of Mozart, Ragtime also influenced classical composers including Erik Satie, Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky. Ragtime originated in African American music in the late 19th century and descended from the jigs and march music played by African American bands, referred to as jig piano or piano thumping. By the start of the 20th century, it widely popular throughout North America and was listened and danced to, performed. A distinctly American musical style, ragtime may be considered a synthesis of African syncopation and European classical music, some early piano rags are entitled marches, and jig and rag were used interchangeably in the mid-1890s
40.
The Sting
–
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss. The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who had directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy, the title phrase refers to the moment when a con artist finishes the play and takes the marks money. If a con is successful, the mark does not realize he has been taken, the film is played out in distinct sections with old-fashioned title cards, the lettering and illustrations rendered in a style reminiscent of the Saturday Evening Post. The film is noted for its use of ragtime, particularly the melody The Entertainer by Scott Joplin. The films success created a resurgence of interest in Joplins work, the Sting was hugely successful at the 46th Academy Awards, being nominated for 10 Oscars and winning seven, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. The film takes place in 1936, at the height of the Great Depression, johnny Hooker, a grifter in Joliet, Illinois, cons $11,000 in cash in a pigeon drop from an unsuspecting victim with the aid of his partners Luther Coleman and Joe Erie. Buoyed by the windfall, Luther announces his retirement and advises Hooker to seek out an old friend, Henry Gondorff, unfortunately, their victim was a numbers racket courier for vicious crime boss Doyle Lonnegan. Corrupt Joliet police Lieutenant William Snyder confronts Hooker, revealing Lonnegans involvement, having already spent his share, Hooker pays Snyder in counterfeit bills. Lonnegans men murder both the courier and Luther, and Hooker flees for his life to Chicago, Hooker finds Henry Gondorff, a once-great con-man now hiding from the FBI, and asks for his help in taking on the dangerous Lonnegan. Gondorff is initially reluctant, but he relents and recruits a team of experienced con men to con Lonnegan. They decide to resurrect an elaborate obsolete scam known as the wire, aboard the opulent 20th Century Limited, Gondorff, posing as boorish Chicago bookie Shaw, buys into Lonnegans private, high-stakes poker game. Shaw infuriates Lonnegan with his obnoxious behavior, then out-cheats him to win $15,000, Hooker, posing as Shaws disgruntled employee, Kelly, is sent to collect the winnings and instead convinces Lonnegan that he wants to take over Shaws operation. Kelly reveals that he has a partner named Les Harmon in the Chicago Western Union office, at the same time, Lonnegan has grown frustrated with the inability of his men to find and kill Hooker. Unaware that Kelly is Hooker, he demands that Salino, his best assassin, a mysterious figure with black leather gloves is then seen following and observing Hooker. Kellys connection appears effective, as Harmon provides Lonnegan with the winner of one horse race, Lonnegan agrees to finance a $500,000 bet at Shaws parlor to break Shaw and gain revenge. Shortly thereafter, Snyder captures Hooker and brings him before FBI Agent Polk, Polk forces Hooker to betray Gondorff by threatening to incarcerate Luther Colemans widow. The night before the sting, Hooker sleeps with Loretta, a waitress from a local restaurant, as Hooker leaves the building the next morning, he sees Loretta walking toward him. The black-gloved man appears behind Hooker and shoots her dead – she was Lonnegans hired killer, Loretta Salino, armed with Harmon’s tip to place it on Lucky Dan, Lonnegan makes the $500,000 bet at Shaw’s parlor on Lucky Dan to win
41.
The Entertainer (rag)
–
The Entertainer is a 1902 classic piano rag written by Scott Joplin. One of the classics of ragtime, it returned to prominence as part of the ragtime revival in the 1970s. Composer and pianist Marvin Hamlischs adaptation reached #3 on the Billboard pop chart, the Sting was set in the 1930s, a full generation after the end of ragtimes mainstream popularity, thus giving the inaccurate impression that ragtime music was popular at that time. The Recording Industry Association of America ranked it #10 on its Songs of the Century list, the Entertainer is sub-titled A Rag Time Two Step, which was a form of dance popular until about 1911, and a style which was common among rags written at the time. Its structure is, Intro AA BB A CC Intro2 DD. It is primarily set in the key of C major, however, for the C section, it modulates to the subdominant, F major, the B section contains an indication that the melody is to be played an octave higher on the repeat. In the June 7,1903 St. Louis Globe-Democrat, contemporary composer Monroe H. Rosenfeld described The Entertainer as the best and most euphonious of Joplins compositions to that point. It is a work of a very original character, embracing various strains of a retentive character which set the foot in spontaneous action. The centerpiece of the cover art featured a minstrel show caricature of a black man in formal attire on a theater stage. The Entertainer also appeared in orchestration as part of The Red Back Book of Standard High Class Rags, in November 1970, Joshua Rifkin released a recording called Scott Joplin, Piano Rags on the classical label Nonesuch, which featured as its second track The Entertainer. It sold 100,000 copies in its first year and eventually became Nonesuchs first million-selling record. The Billboard Best-Selling Classical LPs chart for September 28,1974 has the record at #5, with the follow-up Volume 2 at #4, separately both volumes had been on the chart for 64 weeks. The album was nominated in 1971 for two Grammy Award categories, Best Album Notes and Best Instrumental Soloist Performance, but at the ceremony on March 14,1972, Rifkin did not win in any category. In 1979 Alan Rich in the New York Magazine wrote that by giving artists like Rifkin the opportunity to put Joplins music on disk, Nonesuch Records created, almost alone, the Scott Joplin revival. Marvin Hamlisch lightly adapted and orchestrated Joplins music for the 1973 film The Sting, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score and Adaptation on April 2,1974. Thanks to the film and its score, Joplins work became appreciated in both the popular and classical music worlds, becoming, the phenomenon of the decade. In the United States, The Entertainer is one of songs commonly played by ice cream trucks. List of compositions by Scott Joplin List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1974 Ragtime music Entertainment Awards Database
42.
Billboard (magazine)
–
Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events and it is also known for its music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200, tracking the most popular singles and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows, Billboard was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan as a trade publication for bill posters. Donaldson later acquired Hennegens interest in 1900 for $500, in the 1900s, it covered the entertainment industry, such as circuses, fairs and burlesque shows. It also created a service for travelling entertainers. Billboard began focusing more on the industry as the jukebox, phonograph. Many topics it covered were spun-off into different magazines, including Amusement Business in 1961 to cover outdoor entertainment so that it could focus on music. After Donaldson died in 1925, Billboard was passed down to his children and Hennegans children, until it was sold to investors in 1985. The first issue of Billboard was published in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 1,1894 by William Donaldson, initially, it covered the advertising and bill posting industry and was called Billboard Advertising. At the time, billboards, posters and paper advertisements placed in public spaces were the means of advertising. Donaldson handled editorial and advertising, while Hennegan, who owned Hennegan Printing Co. managed magazine production, the first issues were just eight pages long. The paper had columns like The Bill Room Gossip and The Indefatigable, a department for agricultural fairs was established in 1896. The title was changed to The Billboard in 1897, after a brief departure over editorial differences, Donaldson purchased Hennegans interest in the business in 1900 for $500, to save it from bankruptcy. That May, Donaldson changed it from a monthly to a paper with a greater emphasis on breaking news. He improved editorial quality and opened new offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London and he also re-focused the magazine on outdoor entertainment like fairs, carnivals, circuses, vaudeville and burlesque shows. A section devoted to circuses was introduced in 1900, followed by more prominent coverage of events in 1901. Billboard also covered topics including regulation, a lack of professionalism, economics and it had a stage gossip column covering the private lives of entertainers, a tent show section covering traveling shows and a sub-section called Freaks to order. According to The Seattle Times, Donaldson also published articles attacking censorship, praising productions exhibiting good taste
43.
Academy Awards
–
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
44.
The Way We Were (song)
–
The Way We Were is a song recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand for her fifteenth studio album, The Way We Were. It was physically released as the lead single on September 27,1973 through Columbia Records. The recording was written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman and Marvin Hamlisch, the Way We Were was specifically produced for the record, in addition to three other tracks, including her then-upcoming single All in Love Is Fair. Its lyrics detail the relationship between the two main characters in the 1973 film of the same name. Its appeal was noted by music critics, who felt its impact helped revive Streisands career. It also won two Academy Awards, which were credited to the songwriters of the track, the single was also a commercial success, topping the charts in both Canada and the United States, while peaking in the top 40 in Australia and the United Kingdom. Additionally, The Way We Were was 1974s most successful recording in the United States and it has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over one million units. Streisand has also included The Way We Were on various albums, with it most recently appearing on 2010s Barbra. Several renditions and versions of the single exist, including one by American singer Andy Williams, American band Gladys Knight & the Pips also recorded a cover for I Feel a Song. It was commercially successful, reaching number four in the United Kingdom and their version was blended with the song Try to Remember and features the B-side track The Need to Be. American composer and producer Marvin Hamlisch created the melody for The Way We Were. Streisand had asked Hamlisch to produce a composition in minor key, shortly following the commercial success of The Way We Were, Columbia Records began compiling tracks for the singers then-upcoming fifteenth studio album. Since time was limited, the record consists of several non-album compositions recorded by Streisand, including the aforementioned title, the recording and two other variants were also included on the original soundtrack for the film, the original, the instrumental, and the Finale version. A cover of the 1969 Michael Dees song, Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote The Way We Were while Marty Paich handled its production. In particular, the lyrics detail the life of Katie Morosky. In the beginning of what seems to be a bridge, she whispers, however, he was more critical of the singer ignor the line-by-line variations in songs meaning. Nevertheless, the appeal of the single was labeled by Turner Classic Moviess Andrea Passafiume as one of the most recognizable songs in the world. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1974, according to the National Endowment for the Arts and Recording Industry Association of America in their list of the top 365 Songs of the Century, the single was placed at number 298
