1.
Danny Glover
–
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is well known for his role as Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film series, The Color Purple, To Sleep with Anger. He also has prominent supporting roles in Silverado, Witness, Predator 2, Saw, Shooter,2012, Death at a Funeral, Beyond the Lights, and Dirty Grandpa. He has appeared in other movies, television shows, and theatrical productions. Glover was born in San Francisco, the son of Carrie and his parents, who worked as postal workers, were highly active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, working to advance equal rights. Glovers mother, daughter of a midwife, was born in Louisville, Georgia and graduated from Paine College in Augusta, as an adolescent and a young adult, Glover suffered from epilepsy but has not suffered a seizure since age 35. He attended George Washington High School in San Francisco and he attended San Francisco State University in the late 1960s but did not graduate. SFSU later awarded him an honorary degree, Glover trained at the Black Actors Workshop of the American Conservatory Theater. Glover originally worked in city administration working on community development before transitioning to theater and he has said, I didnt think it was a difficult transition. Acting is a platform that can become a conveyer for ideas, art is a way of understanding, of confronting issues and confronting your own feelings—all within that realm of the capacity it represents. It may have been a leap of faith for me, given not only my learning disability, I felt all the things that someone thats 63 or 64 feels and with my own diminished expectations of who I could be would feel. Whether its art, acting or theater that Ive devoted myself to I put more passion and his first theater involvement was with Conservatory Theater, a regional training program in San Francisco. Glover also trained with Jean Shelton at the Shelton Actors Lab in San Francisco, in an interview on Inside the Actors Studio, Glover credited Jean Shelton for much of his development as an actor. Deciding that he wanted to be an actor, Glover resigned from his city administration job, later he once again starred with Busey in the blockbuster Predator 2. He also starred as the husband to Whoopi Goldbergs character Celie in the celebrated literary adaptation The Color Purple, in 1994 he made his directorial debut with the Showtime channel short film Override. Also in 1994, Glover and actor Ben Guillory founded the Robey Theatre Company in Los Angeles, focusing on theatre by, during his career, he has made several cameos, appearing, for example, in the Michael Jackson video Liberian Girl of 1987. Glover earned top billing for the first time in Predator 2 and that same year he starred in Charles Burnetts To Sleep with Anger, for which he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. In addition, Glover has been an actor in many childrens movies
2.
Ray Liotta
–
Raymond Allen Liotta is an American actor, film producer, and voice actor. His adoptive parents both unsuccessfully ran for local office and he has a sister, Linda Liotta, who is also adopted. Liotta has said he knew he was adopted as a young child, Liotta located his biological mother in the 2000s. His adoptive parents were of Italian and Scottish ancestry, after research and talks with his biological mother, he learned he is part Scottish. He has one brother, five half sisters, and a full sister. Liotta was raised Roman Catholic, although his family was not very religious, Liotta said the family went to church and he received first communion and was confirmed, but the family did not pray much. He occasionally uses prayer in his daily life, Liotta recalls attending parades handing out flyers for his fathers run for Township Committee. He graduated from Union High School in 1973 in Union, New Jersey where he grew up, Liotta graduated from the University of Miami, where he received a degree in Fine Arts in 1978 and studied acting with Robert Buckets Lowery. He performed in such as Cabaret, Dames at Sea, Oklahoma. After college, Liotta moved to New York City and he got a job as a bartender at the Shubert theaters and landed an agent within six months. One of Liottas earliest roles was as Joey Perrini on the soap opera Another World and he quit the show so he could try his luck in the film industry, and moved to Los Angeles. He made his debut in a sexual assault scene with Pia Zadora. His first major acting role was Something Wild, which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination, in 1989, he costarred alongside Kevin Costner in the fantasy/drama film Field of Dreams— Liotta portrayed Shoeless Joe Jackson, the ghost of the famed baseball player. His voice over line, If you build it, he will come, is #39 on the American Film Institutes list of 100 movie quotes, in 1990, Liotta portrayed real-life mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorseses film Goodfellas. In 1992, he costarred as a cop alongside Kurt Russell. He appeared in a role in the sci-fi/action film No Escape. Liotta earned critical praise for his turn in James Mangolds film Cop Land, starring alongside Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, in 1998, he received critical praise for his performance in Phoenix playing a compulsive gambler. The ER role earned Liotta an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
3.
Denis Leary
–
Denis Colin Leary is an American actor, writer, producer, singer and comedian. Leary was the star and co-creator of Rescue Me, which ended its seventh, from 2015 to 2016, Leary wrote and starred in the comedy series, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll on FX. Denis Colin Leary was born on August 18,1957, in Worcester, Massachusetts and his mother, Nora, was a maid, and his father, John Leary, was an auto mechanic. Being the son of Irish parents, Leary is a citizen of both the United States and Ireland, through marriage, Leary is a third cousin of talk show host, Conan OBrien. He attended Saint Peters High School, in Worcester and graduated from Emerson College, at Emerson, he met fellow comic Mario Cantone, whom to this day Leary considers his closest friend. At the school, he founded the Emerson Comedy Workshop, a troupe that continues on-campus today, after graduating with the Emerson Class of 1981, he took a job at the school teaching comedy writing classes and maintained the job for five years. He wrote and appeared on a comedy series, The Late, Late Show, hosted by his friend, Lenny Clarke. He appeared in skits on the MTV game show Remote Control, playing characters as Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, the brother of co-host Colin Quinn. Leary earned fame when he ranted about R. E. M. in an early 1990s MTV sketch, several other commercials for MTV quickly followed, in which Leary would rant at high speeds about a variety of topics, playing off the then-popular and growing alternative scene. One of these serves as an introduction to the video of Shamrocks. He released two records of his comedy, No Cure for Cancer and Lock n Load. In late 2004, he released the EP Merry F#%$in Christmas, which included a mix of new music, previously unreleased recordings and it was voted #1 in an Australian youth radio poll. The song was used as part of the Holsten Pils series of ads in the UK, in which Leary was participating, the single was a minor hit there, peaking at No.58 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1996. Leary has appeared in more than 40 films, including, The Sandlot as Scotts stepfather Bill, the Matchmaker, The Ref, Draft Day, Suicide Kings, Dawg, Wag the Dog, Demolition Man, Judgment Night, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Operation Dumbo Drop. He had a part in Oliver Stones Natural Born Killers that was eventually cut. Leary was offered the role of Dignam in The Departed but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with Rescue Me, as a Boston Red Sox fan, he narrated the official 2004 World Series film. As an ice hockey fan, Leary hosted the National Hockey League video NHLs Greatest Goals, in 2003, he was the subject of the Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary. Leary did the TV voiceover for MLB 2K8 advertisements, where he used his trademark rant style in baseball terms and he has also appeared in commercials for Hulu and DirecTVs NFL Sunday Ticket package
4.
Corin Nemec
–
Corin Corky Nemec is an American actor, producer, and screenwriter. Nemec is known for playing the character on Parker Lewis Cant Lose, Jonas Quinn on Stargate SG-1. Nemecs mother was a graphic artist as well as a painter, writer and his father, Joseph Charles Nemec III, works in the film industry as a set designer and production designer. Nemec works also as an assistant director He is close friends with actor David Faustino of Married, with Children, with whom he has a production company and is co-starring in Star-ving, a webseries spoofing HBOs Entourage and airing on Crackle. Nemec was inspired to become an actor after watching the childrens film The Goonies at the age of 13 and he also cites his parents artistic professions as a major influence, and that acting seemed the right thing to do. Nemec began training with the Centre Stage LA theatre company and signed on with an agent after performing in one of their talent showcases. He was booked for several such as Suzuki and eventually landed a guest-spot on the TV show Sidekicks starring Ernie Reyes. His first major role was Tucker, The Man and His Dream in 1988. He appeared in several TV shows, earning an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Steven Stayner in the television film I Know My First Name Is Steven and he starred alongside legendary actors Jack Palance, Peter Boyle and Charlton Heston in the 1990 feature film Solar Crisis. Nemec played the lead in the TV series Parker Lewis Cant Lose from 1990 to 1993, also, in 1993, Nemec was cast as Harold Lauder in a TV adaptation of Stephen Kings The Stand. In 1997, he played a role in the movie Goodbye. He also starred in the TV movies My Brothers Keeper alongside Jeanne Tripplehorn, Nemec has made appearances on several TV shows, including Tales from the Crypt, Smallville, CSI, NY, CSI, Miami, Supernatural, and Ghost Whisperer. He also portrayed the serial killers Richard Speck and Ted Bundy and he played leading parts in some original Sci Fi Channel made TV-movies as Sea Beast, Mansquito, SS Doomtrooper, and Dragon Wasps. During the 1990s, Nemec had a foray into hip-hop, recording an entire album with the group Starship of Foolz, developed by Matt Robinson and Dedra Tate. He produced a new series starring Paul Mooney as the president of the United States. He also appeared in the music video Beer for My Horses by Toby Keith, from 2002 to 2004, he appeared as Jonas Quinn on Stargate SG-1, temporarily replacing Michael Shanks in the line-up of the SG-1 team. In January 2013, while working on the film Poseidon Rex, Nemec was involved in a accident in which, while being transported to set. His leg was shattered and he required multiple blood transfusions to save his life, webster as Nicky Papadopolis Tucker, The Man and His Dream as Noble Tucker Whats Alan Watching
5.
Walt Disney Pictures
–
Walt Disney Pictures, Inc. is an American film production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The subsidiary is based at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California and it took on its current name in 1983. Today, in conjunction with the units of Walt Disney Studios. Animated films such as those by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios are released under this brand. Pirates of the Caribbean series is the corporations most successful franchise, the studios predecessor was founded as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, by filmmaker Walt Disney and his business partner and brother, Roy, in 1923. The creation of Mickey Mouse and subsequent short films and merchandise generated revenue for the studio which was renamed as The Walt Disney Studio at the Hyperion Studio in 1926, in 1929, it was renamed again to Walt Disney Productions. With the profits from Snow White, Walt relocated to a studio in Burbank. In the 1940s, Disney began experimenting with full-length live-action films, with the introduction of hybrid live action-animated films such as The Reluctant Dragon and Song of the South. By 1953, the company ended their agreements with such third-party distributors as RKO Radio Pictures and United Artists and formed their own distribution company, Buena Vista Distribution. The Walt Disney Productions in April 1983 incorporated its film division as Walt Disney Pictures, Inc. Touchstone Films banner was used by then new Disney CEO Michael Eisner in the 1984–85 television season with the short lived western, Wildside. The next TV season, Touchstone produced a hit with The Golden Girls, David Hoberman was promoted to president of production, Walt Disney Pictures in April 1988. In April 1994, Hoberman was promoted to president of motion pictures at Walt Disney Studios and was replaced as Disney President by David Vogel. Vogel added the position of Hollywood Pictures in 1997, then was promoted in 1998 to head up all live action motion picture units as president of Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group, Pirates of the Caribbean launched a film series and made the ride into a franchise. After four Pirates sequels, the franchise took in more than $5.4 billion worldwide, so, the corporation was looking for addition of the ride adaptations. In 2010, Disney released Alice in Wonderland, an adaptation of the 1951 animated film of the name that became the second $1 billion-grossing film in the studios history. The film began a trend of fantasy genre films being green-lit. With sister units Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm successfully targeting the male market, with the success of Maleficent and Cinderella, the studio announced a whole series of live-action adaptations of animated films as being in early stages. The Jungle Book cemented this trend with a global near billion-dollar box office, some adaptations are sequels to existing adaptations, origin stories and prequels
6.
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
–
Among its most successful films were An American Werewolf in London, Flashdance, Batman, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Dead Man Walking, Fargo, Trainspotting and Notting Hill. The music company PolyGram created PolyGram Pictures in 1980 as a partnership with film producer Peter Guber and it was a spin-off of sorts to Casablanca FilmWorks, the film unit of PolyGrams Casablanca Records which Guber previously ran and had success with The Deep and Midnight Express. PolyGram reserved the finances and Guber would run as CEO. Guber would form a partnership with Barbra Streisands hairdresser Jon Peters, Peters would produce PolyGrams films, and eventually become a stockholder with Guber. Its first film was King of the Mountain, which was a box-office flop, ancillary markets such as home video and pay television were not yet established, and broadcast television networks were paying less for licenses to films. PolyGrams European investors were not happy, they had lost about $80 million on its film division, not long after, Siemens parted with Philips. Guber and Peters left PolyGram Pictures in 1982, taking their plans for a new Batman movie with them, the duo eventually found a home at Warner Bros. A part of their proceedings, PolyGram would still own 7. 5% of profits from some of its projects. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, PolyGram continued to invest in a film unit with the purchases of individual production companies. Kuhn claimed that movies sort of green lit themselves, PolyGram also built up a sizable film and television library that could be profitable. The company purchased ITC Entertainment in 1995, through this purchase, PolyGram acquired 350 feature films, several thousand hours of television programming, and gained further access into the television market. In 1997, PFE agreed to purchase over a feature films held by Crédit Lyonnais Bank for $225 million. PolyGram also attempted purchasing MGM and The Samuel Goldwyn Companys library, PFE was based in the United Kingdom, and invested heavily in British film making — some credit it with reviving the British film industry in the 1990s. Despite a successful history, Philips decided to sell PolyGram to the beverage conglomerate Seagram in 1998. Only interested in PolyGrams music operations, Seagram, which at the time controlled Universal Pictures, after being dissatisfied with offers to buy the studio, Seagram opted to sell off individual assets and folded whatever remained into Universal. In 1998, Seagram sold the bulk of its library of films released up until March 31,1996 to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, some of PFEs North American distribution assets were sold to USA Networks. Universal Pictures via Polygram Entertainment owns the rest of the post-1996 films and this was due to Manga Entertainment being moved from Island Records to Palm Pictures. Working Title Films, acquired by PFE in 1991, propaganda Films, acquired by PFE in 1991. Interscope Communications, acquied by PFE in 1994, Gramercy Pictures, acquired by PFE in 1992
7.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
–
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor owned by The Walt Disney Company. The division took on its current name in late 2007, which before that had been Buena Vista Pictures Distribution since 1987, before 1953, Walt Disneys productions were distributed by Columbia Pictures, United Artists and RKO Radio Pictures. The name Buena Vista came from the street in Burbank, California, Buena Vistas first release was the Academy Award–winning live-action feature The Living Desert on November 10,1953 along with Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, Buena Vistas first animated release. Notable subsequent releases include the film, Yang Kwei Fei, released in US theaters in September 1956, The Missouri Traveler in March 1958. In April 1960, the company dropped Film from its name, in 1961, Disney incorporated Buena Vista International, distributing its first PG rated film, Take Down, in January 1979. The low-budget movie was not produced by the Disney studios and was acquired from an independent studio, in July 1987, Buena Vista changed its name to Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. Late in the 1980s, Disney purchased a stake in one of Pacific Theatres chain leading to Disneys Buena Vista Theaters and Pacific to renovate the El Capitan Theatre. The Crest was finished first while El Capitan opened with the premiere of The Rocketeer film on June 19,1991, the corporation purchased a 12. 8% share in Cinergi with its initial public offering in 1994. Soon, BVPD signed a 25 picture distribution deal with Cinergi, the Gaumont Film Company and Walt Disney formed Gaumont Buena Vista International, their joint venture French distribution company, in 1993. In August 1996, Disney and Tokuma Shoten Publishing agreed that Disney would distribute internationally Studio Ghibli animated films, in September 1996, following Disneys acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. was merged into ABC, Inc. the parent company of that group. In July 1998, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution purchased the Hollywood Masonic Temple building to continue using it as a promotional venue, by 1997, BVPDs share in Cinergi dropped to 5%.4 million and other loans. In 2002, Disney signed a four animated film deal with Vanguard Animation, however, since 2004, BVI and Gaumont dissolved their French distribution joint venture, Gaumont Buena Vista International. Buena Vista International agreed to a deal with MegaStar Joint Venture Company Limited in April 2006 for the Vietnam market. In April 2007, Disney discontinued using the Buena Vista brand in its distribution branding, the distribution deal ended in 2016, after DreamWorks and Disney decided to not renew their agreement in December 2015, with Universal replacing Disney as DreamWorks distributor. By the end of the deal, Disney had distributed 14 of DreamWorks original 30-picture agreement, Disney took complete ownership of the DreamWorks II film library in exchange for loans made to that company. In addition, Disney is the first of three studios that have released at least two billion-dollar films in the same year. Furthermore, Disney is the studio that has achieved this four times, in 2010,2013,2015, and 2016—that latter year of which included four $1 billion releases. Four of the top five highest-grossing animated films have been released by Disney, in addition, four of the top-five opening weekends were Disney releases
8.
War film
–
War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war films often end with them, themes explored include combat, survival and escape, sacrifice, the futility and inhumanity of battle, the effects of war on society, and the moral and human issues raised by war. War films are categorized by their milieu, such as the Korean War. The stories told may be fiction, historical drama, or biographical, critics have noted similarities between the Western and the war film. Subgenres, not necessarily distinct, include anti-war, comedy, animated, propaganda, the war film genre is not necessarily tightly defined, the American Film Institute, for example, speaks of films to grapple with the Great War without attempting to classify these. However, some directors and critics have offered at least tentative definitions, the director Sam Fuller defined the genre by saying that a war film’s objective, no matter how personal or emotional, is to make a viewer feel war. However, Neale notes, films set in the American Civil War or the American Indian Wars of the 19th century were called war films in the time before the First World War, the film scholar Kathryn Kane points out some similarities between the war film genre and the Western. Both genres use opposing concepts like war and peace, civilization, james Clarke notes the similarity between a Western like Sam Peckinpahs The Wild Bunch and war-movie escapades like The Dirty Dozen. They take place in the combat zones of World War II, against the established enemies, on the ground. They contain many repeated events, such as mail call, all presented visually with appropriate uniforms, equipment and she argues that the combat film is not a subgenre but the only genuine kind of war film. This in turn pushes combat scenes to the ends of war films. Not all critics agree, either, that war films must be about 20th century wars, the costliest war in U. S. history in terms of American life, this war has been the subject of, or the backdrop to, numerous films, documentaries and mini-series. One of the earliest films using the Civil War as its subject was D. W. Griffiths 1910 silent picture, The Fugitive. Some films such as Gettysburg focused on a battle during the war, or even on a single incident, like the French short film. Others like the 1993 miniseries North and South spanned the entire breadth of the war, some films deal with the human aspects of the war, such as The Red Badge of Courage, or Shenandoah, on the tragedy that the war inflicted on the civilian population. Ken Burnss The Civil War is the most watched documentary in the history of PBS, the first war films come from the Spanish–American War of 1898. Short actualities – documentary film-clips – included Burial of the Maine Victims, Blanket-Tossing of a New Recruit and these non-combat films were accompanied by reenactments of fighting, such as of Theodore Roosevelts Rough Riders in action against the Spanish, staged in the United States
9.
Special Forces (United States Army)
–
The first two emphasize language, cultural, and training skills in working with foreign troops. S. government activities may also specialize in these secondary areas. Many of their techniques are classified, but some nonfiction works. As special operations units, Special Forces are not necessarily under the authority of the ground commanders in those countries. Instead, while in theater, SF units may report directly to a geographic combatant command, USSOCOM, the Central Intelligence Agencys highly secretive Special Activities Division and more specifically its Special Operations Group recruits from the Armys Special Forces. Joint CIA–Army Special Forces operations go back to the MACV-SOG branch during the Vietnam War, the cooperation still exists today and is seen in the War in Afghanistan. The primary mission of the Army Special Forces is to train and lead unconventional warfare forces, the 10th Special Forces Group was the first deployed SF unit, intended to train and lead UW forces behind enemy lines in the event of a Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe. Special Forces personnel qualify both in advanced military skills and the languages and cultures of defined parts of the world. As strategic resources, they report either to USSOCOM or to a regional Unified Combatant Command, to enhance their DA capability, specific Commanders In-Extremis Force teams were created with a focus on the direct action side of special operations. SF team members work together and rely on one another under isolated circumstances for long periods of time. Because of this, they develop clannish relationships and long-standing personal ties and they are then required to move to staff positions or to higher command echelons. With the creation of USSOCOM, SF commanders have risen to the highest ranks of U. S. Army command, including command of USSOCOM, the Armys Chief of Staff, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Although the OSS was not an Army organization, many Army personnel were assigned to the OSS, in 1951, Major General Robert A. McClure chose former OSS member Colonel Aaron Bank as Operations Branch Chief of the Special Operations Division of the Psychological Warfare Staff in the Pentagon. The 10th Special Forces Group was split, with the cadre that kept the designation 10th SFG deployed to Bad Tölz, Germany, the remaining cadre at Fort Bragg formed the 77th Special Forces Group, which in May 1960 was reorganized and designated as today’s 7th Special Forces Group. 1st Special Forces Command In 1957 the two special forces groups were joined by the 1st, stationed in the Far East. Additional groups were formed in 1961 and 1962 after President John F. Kennedy visited the Special Forces at Fort Bragg in 1961, nine groups were organized for the reserve components in 1961. Among them were the 16th and 17th Special Forces Groups, however, 17th Special Forces Group, a National Guard formation with elements in Washington, was disestablished on 31 January 1966. In the early twenty-first century, Special Forces are divided into five active duty, each Special Forces Group has a specific regional focus. The Special Forces soldiers assigned to these groups receive intensive language, a Special Forces group is historically assigned to a Unified Combatant Command or a theater of operations
10.
Vietnam War
–
It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam. The war is considered a Cold War-era proxy war. As the war continued, the actions of the Viet Cong decreased as the role. U. S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations, involving ground forces, artillery, in the course of the war, the U. S. conducted a large-scale strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam. The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunify Vietnam and they viewed the conflict as a colonial war and a continuation of the First Indochina War against forces from France and later on the United States. The U. S. government viewed its involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam and this was part the domino theory of a wider containment policy, with the stated aim of stopping the spread of communism. Beginning in 1950, American military advisors arrived in what was then French Indochina, U. S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s, with troop levels tripling in 1961 and again in 1962. Regular U. S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965, despite the Paris Peace Accord, which was signed by all parties in January 1973, the fighting continued. In the U. S. and the Western world, a large anti-Vietnam War movement developed as part of a larger counterculture, the war changed the dynamics between the Eastern and Western Blocs, and altered North–South relations. Direct U. S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973, the capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975 marked the end of the war, and North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year. The war exacted a huge human cost in terms of fatalities, estimates of the number of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed vary from 966,000 to 3.8 million. Some 240, 000–300,000 Cambodians,20, 000–62,000 Laotians, and 58,220 U. S. service members died in the conflict. Various names have applied to the conflict. Vietnam War is the most commonly used name in English and it has also been called the Second Indochina War and the Vietnam Conflict. As there have been several conflicts in Indochina, this conflict is known by the names of its primary protagonists to distinguish it from others. In Vietnamese, the war is known as Kháng chiến chống Mỹ. It is also called Chiến tranh Việt Nam, France began its conquest of Indochina in the late 1850s, and completed pacification by 1893. The 1884 Treaty of Huế formed the basis for French colonial rule in Vietnam for the seven decades
11.
Viet Cong
–
It had both guerrilla and regular army units, as well as a network of cadres who organized peasants in the territory it controlled. Many soldiers were recruited in South Vietnam, but others were attached to the Peoples Army of Vietnam, although the terminology distinguishes northerners from the southerners, communist forces were under a single command structure set up in 1958. North Vietnam established the National Liberation Front on December 20,1960, many of the Việt Cộngs core members were volunteer regroupees, southern Viet Minh who had resettled in the North after the Geneva Accord. Hanoi gave the military training and sent them back to the South along the Ho Chi Minh trail in the early 1960s. The NLF called for southern Vietnamese to overthrow the colonial regime of the American imperialists. The offensive riveted the attention of the media for weeks. Later communist offensives were conducted predominantly by the North Vietnamese, the organisation was dissolved in 1976 when North and South Vietnam were officially unified under a communist government. The term Việt cộng appeared in Saigon newspapers beginning in 1956 and it is a contraction of Việt Nam Cộng-sản, or alternatively Việt gian cộng sản. The earliest citation for Việt Cộng in English is from 1957, American soldiers referred to the Viet Cong as Victor Charlie or V-C. Victor and Charlie are both letters in the NATO phonetic alphabet, Charlie referred to communist forces in general, both Việt Cộng and North Vietnamese. The official Vietnamese history gives the name as the Liberation Army of South Vietnam or the National Liberation Front for South Vietnam. Many writers shorten this to National Liberation Front, in 1969, the Viet Cong created the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, abbreviated PRG. Although the NLF was not officially abolished until 1977, the Viet Cong no longer used the name after PRG was created, members generally referred to the Viet Cong as the Front. Todays Vietnamese media most frequently refers to the group as the Peoples Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam, by the terms of the Geneva Accord, which ended the Indochina War, France and the Viet Minh agreed to a truce and to a separation of forces. The Viet Minh had become the government of Democratic Republic of Vietnam since the Vietnamese 1946 general election, military forces of non-communists regrouped in South Vietnam, which became a separate state. The political forces was not compulsory to regroup, elections on reunification were scheduled for July 1956. A divided Vietnam angered Vietnamese nationalists, but it made the country less of a threat to China, Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the past and Vietnam in the present do not recognise that Vietnam was divided into two countries. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai negotiated the terms of the ceasefire with France, about 90,000 Viet Minh were evacuated to the North while 5,000 to 10,000 cadre remained in the South, most of them with orders to refocus on political activity and agitation
12.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
–
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is the home video distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. Disney began distributing videos under its own label in 1980 under the name Walt Disney Home Video, before Disney began releasing home video titles itself, it licensed some titles to MCA Discovision for their newly developed disc format, later called LaserDisc. According to the Blam Entertainment Group website, which has details of DiscoVision releases. One of these was the feature film Kidnapped, the others were compilations of Disney shorts. Disneys agreement with MCA ended in December 1981, in 1980, Disney established its own video distribution operation as part of Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company with Jim Jimirro as its first president. Home video was not considered to be a market by Disney at the time. WDTNT also handled the marketing of other ancillary items such as short 8 mm films for home use. Disneys first releases on tape were 13 titles that were licensed for rental to Fotomat on March 4,1980, initially in a four-city test, the agreement specified rental fees ranging from $7.95 to $13.95. Later, on December 30,1980, Mary Poppins was added to make 14 titles in all, from January 1 to March 31,1981, Disney had a License One — Get One Free promotion to encourage dealers to sign up. They also offered free use of a 7-minute Mickey Mouse Disco videocassette for customers who rented any title from an Authorized Rental Dealer from February through May 1981. Disney was unusual among the studios in offering a program for authorized rentals. Most of the studios involved in the videocassette market at the time were trying to find ways to stop dealers from renting out their movie tapes. Magnetic Video ceased doing business with Fotomat after Fotomat began renting Magnetic Video cassettes without authorization, disneys rental cassettes in blue cases looked completely different from sale cassettes, which were in white cases. In the late-1980s, Disney began seeking other outlets to distribute its video, and decided to ink deals with mass-merchant retailers such as Target, Caldor, in 1989, Disney sought to further control the distribution of its products by eliminating the use of rack jobbers. Around this time, the studio began partnering with major retailers for advertising campaigns, Buena Vista Home Video was incorporated on February 13,1987. In April 1996 due to ongoing post Disney-CC/ABC merger realignment, Buena Vista Home Video was transferred out of the Disney Television, Buena Vista Home Video was renamed Buena Vista Home Entertainment in 1997. The first of the Disney animated features canon to be released on videocassette was Dumbo on June 28,1981, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was released for rental and sale at the same time. Alice in Wonderland was released on October 15,1981, for rental only, Fun and Fancy Free was released in 1982 as Fun and Fancy Free Featuring, Mickey and the Beanstalk, to popularize on the more well-known segment from the film
13.
Degar
–
The Degar, also known as the Montagnard, are the indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The term Montagnard means people of the mountain in French and is a carryover from the French colonial period in Vietnam. In Vietnamese, they are known by the term người Thượng —this term now can also be applied to minority ethnic groups in Vietnam or Người dân tộc thiểu số. Earlier they were referred to pejoratively as the mọi, below is a list of officially recognized ethnic groups in Vietnam that are indigenous to the Central Highlands and nearby areas. They speak Austroasiatic languages of the Katuic and Bahnaric, as well as Chamic languages, Population statistics are from the 2009 Vietnam Population Census. Today, the population is four million, of whom about one million are Degars. The main tribes, in order of population, are the Jarai, Rade, Bahnar, Koho, Mnong, originally inhabitants of the coastal areas of the region, they were driven to the uninhabited mountainous areas by invading Vietnamese and Cambodians beginning prior to the 9th century. French missionaries converted some Degar to the Catholic Church in the nineteenth century, of the approximately one million Degar, close to half are Protestant, and around 200,000 are Roman Catholic. As a result of changes, Degar communities felt a need to strengthen some of their own social structures. When the French withdrew from Vietnam and recognized a Vietnamese government, the Degar have a long history of tensions with the Vietnamese majority. While the Vietnamese are themselves heterogeneous, they share a common language. The Degar do not share that heritage, there have been conflicts between the two groups over many issues, including land ownership, language and cultural preservation, access to education and resources, and political representation. In 1958, the Degar launched a movement known as BAJARAKA to unite the tribes against the Vietnamese, there was a related, well-organized political and military force within the Degar communities known by the French acronym, FULRO, or United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races. FULROs objectives were autonomy for the Degar tribes, as the Vietnam War began to loom on the horizon, both South Vietnamese and American policy makers sought to begin training troops from minority groups in the Vietnamese populace. Mission to Saigon sponsored the training of the Degar in unconventional warfare by American Special Forces and these newly trained Degar were seen as a potential ally in the Central Highlands area to stop Viet Cong activity in the region and a means of preventing further spread of Viet Cong sympathy. Later, their participation would become more important as the Ho Chi Minh trail. The U. S. military, particularly the Special Forces, developed base camps in the area and recruited the Degar. In 1967, the Viet Cong slaughtered 252 Degar in the village of Dak Son, home to 2,000 Highlanders, known as the Đắk Sơn massacre, in revenge for the Degars support and allegiance with South Vietnam
14.
People's Army of Vietnam
–
The Peoples Army of Vietnam, also known as the Vietnamese Peoples Army, is the military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The PAVN is a part of Vietnam Peoples Armed Forces and includes, Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Border Defence Force, however, Vietnam does not have a specific separate Ground Force or Army branch. The military flag of the PAVN is the flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, during the French Indochina War, the PAVN was often referred to as the Việt Minh. In the context of the Vietnam War, the army was referred to as the North Vietnamese Army and this allowed writers, the US military, and the general public, to distinguish northern communists from the southern communists, or Viet Cong. However, both groups ultimately worked under the command structure. According to Hanois official history, the Viet Cong was a branch of the VPA, in 2010 the PAVN undertook the role of leading the 1, 000th Anniversary Parade in Hanoi by performing their biggest parade in history. Under the guidelines of Hồ Chí Minh, Võ Nguyên Giáp was given the task of establishing the brigades, the first formation was made up of thirty one men and three women, armed with two revolvers, seventeen rifles, one light machine gun, and fourteen breech-loading flintlocks. The group was renamed the Vietnam Liberation Army in May 1945, in September, the army was again renamed the Vietnam National Defence Army. At this point, it had about 1,000 soldiers, in 1950, it officially became the Peoples Army of Vietnam. On 7 January 1947, its first regiment, the 102nd Capital Regiment, was created for operations around Hanoi. Over the next two years, the first division, the 308th Division, later known as the Pioneer Division formed by the 88th Tu Vu Regiment. By late 1950 the 308th Division had a full three infantry regiments, when it was supplemented by the 36th Regiment, at that time, the 308th Division was also backed by the 11th Battalion that later became the main force of the 312th Division. The first six divisions became known as the original PAVN Steel, in 1954 four of these divisions defeated the French Union forces at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, ending 83 years of French rule in Indochina. At about the time, Group 579 was created as its maritime counterpart to transport supplies into the South by sea. Most of the infiltrators were members of the 338th Division. Those PAVN formations were seen as extremely brave forces by the US forces and we had to change our plan and make it different from when we fought the Saigon regime, because we now had to fight two adversaries — the United States and South Vietnam. We understood that the U. S. Army was superior to our own logistically, in weapons, so strategically we did not hope to defeat the U. S. Army completely. Our intentions were to fight a time and cause heavy casualties to the United States, so the United States would see that the war was unwinnable
15.
Marshall Bell
–
Archibald Marshall Bell is an American actor. He has appeared in character roles in movies and television. He is known for roles in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Freddys Revenge, Stand by Me, Twins, Bell was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he lived until age 13. His family then moved to Denver, Colorado, Bell attended boarding school at St. Pauls, Concord, New Hampshire, but was expelled. He then went to the Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, Bell was discouraged by others, however, who told him he was not a good enough actor, and did not act again for over 20 years. He attended the University of Colorado, majoring in sociology, and he eventually became a consultant, teaching business executives to improve their speaking skills. He is married to Milena Canonero, a renowned Oscar-winning costume designer, in the early 1980s, British director/producer Alan Parker offered Bell a small role in a movie at the suggestion of American producer Fred Roos. Bells movie debut was in the role as Ronsky in Alan Parkers drama Birdy, after Birdy, he played Gerry Jones in the Fred Roos comedy Seven Minutes in Heaven. His first major role was as the cruel Coach Schneider in the slasher/horror A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and he made his TV acting debut in the series The Oldest Rookie in 1987, playing Det. Bell starred as Ford Plasko in the short-lived series G vs E and his many guest appearances include Hill Street Blues, Wiseguy, Tales from the Crypt, The X-Files, Millennium, Deadwood and House. He has also appeared in a TV commercial for IBM, Bell also played the voice acting role as Mr. Sesehund in the animated feature Heidi 4 Paws. He and Michael Ironside starred together in three movies, Total Recall, The Vagrant, and Starship Troopers, Bell is now voicing Jack Taggart in the animated short The Xtacles. Bell stars in the upcoming comedy The Rock n Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher, over the last 3 years, Bell has played the role of United States founding father Alexander Hamilton in several television commercials for Citizen Bank. Bell and his wife, Milena, live in West Hollywood, Marshall Bells official website Marshall Bell at the Internet Movie Database Marshall Bell at AllMovie Marshall Bell at Hollywood. com at Archive. is
16.
James Hong
–
James Hong is an American actor, producer and director of Chinese descent. He has worked in productions in American media since the 1950s. He is known for his roles in various Hollywood films, such as Hannibal Chew in Blade Runner, David Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China, Jeff Wong in Waynes World 2, and Chi-Fu in Mulan. Hong is also known for playing Dalong Wong in the television series Jackie Chan Adventures, Hong is a former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists. Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Frank W. Hong and his father emigrated from Hong Kong to Chicago, Illinois via Canada, where he owned a restaurant. For his early education, Hong moved to Hong Kong, where he lived in Kowloon and he graduated from Minneapolis Central High School. He studied civil engineering at the University of Southern California, but later became interested in acting, Hong was a road engineer in Los Angeles County for seven and a half years, acting during his vacations and sick days. He finally quit engineering for good to himself to acting. Hong served in the United States Army at Fort McClellan and Camp Rucker with the Special Services, but then if we were to retreat and I turned around and ran back the Americans would try to kill me too because theyd think Im an enemy in disguise. I definitely think I would have shot from one side. Hong has played over 500 television and film roles and his career in show business began in the 1950s when he redubbed soundtracks of several Asian films. He dubbed the voices of characters Ogata and Dr. Serizawa in the 1956 Godzilla, in 1956, he was cast as Jimmy Ling in the episode Red Tentacles of the western aviation adventure series Sky King, starring Kirby Grant. He guest starred in the NBC western series The Californians, in 1957-1958, he was cast as the Number One Son, Barry Chan, in the British-American TV show The New Adventures of Charlie Chan starring J. Carrol Naish as Charlie Chan. The role of the Number One Son was played by Keye Luke in the predecessor films, however, Keye Lukes character was known as Lee Chan. In 1959, he appeared as a prince on an episode of Walt Disneys ABC series and he was thereafter cast as Chung Lind in the 1960 episode East of Danger in the David Janssen NBC crime drama series Richard Diamond, Private Detective. In 1962 he appeared on CBSs Perry Mason as Dean Chang in The Case of the Weary Watchdog and he also appeared three times on the NBC military sitcom, Ensign OToole. In 1965, Hong was one of the founding members of the East West Players. He appeared as an accused of performing an illegal abortion in the Blake Edwards movie The Carey Treatment in 1972
17.
Pleiku Air Base
–
Pleiku Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam Peoples Army in March 1975 and was abandoned for many years, today, the facility has been redeveloped as Pleiku Airport. Pleiku Air Base was little more than an air strip in December 1962 when it was designated by the South Vietnamese Air Force as Air Base 62. In March 1964 the tactical elements at Pleiku were formed into the VNAF 62d Tactical Wing, the 62d Wing was moved to Nha Trang Air Base in January 1965 where expansion of its air units could be supported more easily, leaving behind a detachment of support aircraft. Pleiku Air Base was then managed by the VNAF 92d Base Support Group, as North Vietnamese infiltration increased within and along the Laotian and Cambodian borders the importance of Pleiku Air Base increased, and base facilities were expanded and improved. The USAF forces stationed at Pleiku were under the jurisdiction of the Seventh Air Force, the APO for Pleiku was APO San Francisco,96318. During the Air Force base construction period, a Viet Cong attack on the nearby Camp Holloway US Army helicopter base was made on 6 February 1965. The attack killed nine U. S. servicemen and wounded 128 others that led to the sending of conventional American combat forces to Vietnam. The first United States Air Force unit to move to Pleiku AB on a permanent basis was the 633d Combat Support Group, which was activated on 14 March 1966. It took over the duties of the provisional Seventh Air Force 6234th Air Base Squadron which had managed construction and it was a joint-service base, with units from the Army, Navy, Marines stationed there as well as the Air Force which operated and maintained the base. With its diverse units, a variety of propeller-driven aircraft operated from the base. The 1st Air Commando Squadron moved to Pleiku on 1 January 1966 from Bien Hoa Air Base, the 1st ACS also trained USAF and South Vietnamese Air Force aircrews in the United States and South Vietnam in unconventional warfare, counterinsurgency, psychological warfare, and civic actions. The squadron was reassigned to Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand in early 1967, the 633rd Special Operations Wing was activated at Pleiku on 15 July 1968. Its mission was to assess, train, advise and assist VNAF personnel in airpower employment, sustainment, 633rd personnel also advised the South Vietnamese on sustaining their own airpower resources and, when necessary, integrating those resources into joint and combined operations with the USAF. The 633d was formed from elements of the 14th Special Operations Wing at Nha Trang Air Base, squadrons transferred from Nha Trang were, The 6th Air Commando Squadron was formed at England Air Force Base Louisiana as a unit of the 1st Air Commando Wing. At Pleiku, it was the flying component of the 633d. The squadron was deployed to Pleiku on 29 February 1968 and arrived at Pleiku AB in March, during the stay at Pleiku, the squadron maintained a forward SAR alert unit at Da Nang Air Base from 1 April 1968 -1 September 1969. The squadron was equipped with 20 A-1E/H Tail Code, ET The 6th ACS was designated as the 6th Special Operations Squadron on 1 August 1968 and it was inactivated in place on 15 November 1969 with its aircraft being turned over to the VNAF
18.
Tim Kelleher (actor)
–
Tim Kelleher is an American writer, actor and director. Born in the Bronx, Kelleher grew up across the five boroughs of New York City, after college and a formative stint in the Jesuit novitiate, he returned to New York where he trained as a stage actor under the tutelage of Robert Patterson. With friends, he founded the Colony Theatre and served as its Artistic Director and his acting career has included guest appearances on numerous TV shows, and a turn as the resident villain on NBCs Sci-Fi phenom, Dark Skies. His more than two dozen film credits include Malcolm X, Operation Dumbo Drop, Independence Day, The Negotiator, Thirteen Days, Flash of Genius, Seven Pounds and, most recently, Inception. He directed the film, The Skell, starring John Costelloe, David Morse, Paul Giamatti, Nestor Serrano, Dianne Ramirez. In 2008, he wrote and directed Wake-Up Call, a pilot, starring Nestor Serrano, Casey Siemaszko, Adam Ferrara, Peggy Scott, Amy Schumer, in 2008, he married Canadian novelist, Billie Livingston. Religion has remained an interest of his and in 1995 he was received into the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and he also serves as New Media Editor for First Things where he writes on topics related to religion, politics and culture. Tim Kelleher at the Internet Movie Database The Tim Kelleher Homepage First Things Magazine Bear Trap, article, First Things
19.
Raymond Cruz
–
He currently stars on the series Major Crimes, a spinoff of The Closer, reprising the role of Sanchez. Cruz was raised in East Los Angeles, California, and is of Mexican ancestry and he attended East Los Angeles College and is fully literate and fluent in both Spanish and English. He grew up in a neighborhood that regularly saw gang activity, a reality he brings to his roles, particularly as Sanchez and he has said that becoming interested in American literature early in life is how he avoided the gangs himself. He appeared as Chuey, a member from the Vatos Locos. In 2005, he played Chino in Havoc and he appeared in Gremlins 2, The New Batch, credited as The Messenger, and in Training Day as a gang member named Sniper. He played a Los Angeles firefighter in Collateral Damage and he had guest roles in the Star Trek, Deep Space Nine episode The Siege of AR-558, the X-Files episode El Mundo Gira, and the second season of 24. He also made an appearance as the father of a girl in CSI. He played a short-lived but well-known role as Tuco Salamanca, a violent and he later reprised the role of Tuco in the Breaking Bad spin-off, Better Call Saul. He had a role as Paco on My Name Is Earl. Raymond Cruz at the Internet Movie Database
20.
Tai (elephant)
–
Tai is an Asian elephant best known for playing Bo Tat in the film Operation Dumbo Drop, Vera in Larger than Life and Rosie in Water for Elephants. Tai is owned by Have Trunk Will Travel, Inc. a privately funded organization that generates income through elephant rides, shows and events, as well as film, Tais first film appearance was a minor role in The Jungle Book, where she scares off some poachers. Tai followed this up playing the role of Bo Tat in Operation Dumbo Drop in 1995. The American Humane Association rated the treatment of animals in the film as acceptable, the scene in which Tai is sedated she is actually just obeying her trainers instructions to lie down. The sounds of her snoring in the film is not actually coming from Tai, all scenes that show Tai in danger were carefully staged, and the boat in which she travels in the film was pre-tested to make sure it would support her 8,000 pound weight. To ensure she remained healthy, all of Tais food, drinking water, and even her bathing water, was shipped from the U. S. to Thailand, Tais performance in Water for Elephants in 2011 was praised. One of Tais paintings as well as a poster for Water for Elephants was auctioned off on eBay to raise awareness of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus. The money Tai raised from the auction was given to the International Elephant Foundation which distributed it to the appropriate labs, in 2008 Tai, along with Kitty, another elephant owned by Have Trunk Will Travel, appeared in Britney Spears music video Circus. Animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued a press release condemning Spears for using cruelly trained lions and elephants. In 2009 Tai appeared in the Banksy film Exit Through the Gift Shop as part of his 2006 Barely Legal art show for which she was painted pink, PETA called the display animal cruelty. In the film Water for Elephants the elephant Rosie, who Tai portrays, is severely abused, controversy erupted, however, regarding concerns Tai was mistreated prior to filming. The ADI contacted AHA, urging them to re-evaluate how they assess the use of animals in films, have Trunk Will Travel responded to the video stating, The video shows heavily edited and very short snippets, obviously taken surreptitiously six years ago, purporting mistreatment of our elephants. If there was truly any abuse going on why wait six minutes, and added None of the footage being shown was taken during Tais training for Water for Elephants. When the 2011 film Zookeeper was released, PETA protested against alleged animal cruelty in the films production, protesters held various posters including stills of the footage the ADI released showing Tai being struck with bull hooks in 2005. Tai was reported to be featured in the film however the director, Frank Coraci. The elephant used in the film is Tais Have Trunk Will Travel herd mate, Rosie
21.
Ho Chi Minh trail
–
The Hồ Chí Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia. It was named by the Americans after North Vietnamese president Hồ Chí Minh, although the trail was mostly in Laos, the communists called it the Trường Sơn Strategic Supply Route, after the Vietnamese name for the Annamite Range mountains in central Vietnam. According to the United States National Security Agencys official history of the war, parts of what became the trail had existed for centuries as primitive footpaths that facilitated trade. The area through which the system meandered was among the most challenging in Southeast Asia, during the First Indochina War the Việt Minh maintained north/south communication using this system of trails and paths. Originally, the North Vietnamese effort concentrated on infiltration across and immediately below the Demilitarized Zone that separated the two Vietnams, as early as May 1958 PAVN and Pathet Lao forces had seized the transportation hub at Tchepone, on Laotian Route 9. The 559th Group flipped its line of communications to the side of the Trường Sơn mountains. By 1959, the 559th had 6,000 personnel in two regiments alone, the 70th and 71st, not including combat troops in security roles or North Vietnamese, in the early days of the conflict the trail was used strictly for the infiltration of manpower. This was due to the fact that Hanoi could supply its southern allies much more efficiently by sea, after the initiation of U. S. naval interdiction efforts in coastal waters, known as Operation Market Time, the trail had to do double duty. There were five large Base Areas in the panhandle of Laos, BA604 was the main logistical center during the Vietnam War. From there, the coordination and distribution of men and supplies into South Vietnams Military Region I, BA611 facilitated transport from BA604 to BA609 and the supply convoys moving in either direction. It also fed fuel and ammunition to BA607 and on into South Vietnams A Shau Valley, BA612 was used for support of the B-3 Front in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. BA614, between Savannakhet, Laos and Kham Duc, South Vietnam was used primarily for transporting men and materiel into MR2, BA609 was important due to a fine road network that made it possible to transport supplies during the rainy season. Two types of units served under the 559th Group, Binh Trams, a Binh Tram was the equivalent of a regimental logistical headquarters and was responsible for securing a particular section of the network. While separate units were tasked with security, engineer, and signal functions, usually located one days march from one another, commo-liaison units were responsible for providing food, housing, medical care, and guides to the next way-station. The motto of the 559th became Build roads to advance, fight the enemy to travel, the system developed into an intricate maze of 5. 5-metre-wide dirt roads, foot and bicycle paths, and truck parks. By 1973, trucks could drive the length of the trail without emerging from the canopy except to ford streams or cross them on crude bridges built beneath the waters surface. The weather in southeastern Laos came to play a role both in the supply effort and in U. S. /South Vietnamese efforts to interdict it. The southwest monsoon from mid-May to mid-September, brought heavy precipitation, the sky was usually overcast with high temperatures
22.
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
–
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American clergyman and civil rights leader who was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4,1968. King was rushed to St. Josephs Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7,05 p. m. that evening and he was a prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was known for his use of nonviolence and civil disobedience. James Earl Ray, a fugitive from the Missouri State Penitentiary, was arrested on June 8,1968, in London at Heathrow Airport, extradited to the United States, and charged with the crime. On March 10,1969, Ray entered a plea of guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in the Tennessee State Penitentiary. Ray later made attempts to withdraw his guilty plea and be tried by a jury. The King family and others believe that the assassination was carried out by a conspiracy involving the U. S. government, as alleged by Loyd Jowers in 1993, in 1999 the King family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Jowers for the sum of $10 million. During closing arguments, the Kings attorney asked the jury to award damages of $100, during the trial both the family and Jowers presented evidence alleging a government conspiracy. The government agencies accused could not defend themselves or respond because they were not named as defendants, based on the evidence, the jury concluded that Jowers and others were part of a conspiracy to kill King and awarded the Kings $100. The allegations and the finding of the Memphis jury were later rejected by the United States Department of Justice in 2000 due to lack of evidence, King received frequent death threats due to his prominence in the Civil Rights Movement. He had confronted the risk of death and made that part of his philosophy. He taught that murder could not stop the struggle for equal rights, after the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, King told his wife Coretta, This is what is going to happen to me also. I keep telling you, this is a sick society, King traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, in support of striking African American city sanitation workers. The workers had staged a walkout on February 11,1968, to protest unequal wages, at the time, Memphis paid black workers significantly lower wages than whites. Several sanitation workers had been killed on the job due to working conditions. In addition, unlike workers, black workers received no pay if they stayed home during bad weather, consequently, most blacks were compelled to work even in driving rain. On April 3, King returned to Memphis to address a gathering at the Mason Temple and his airline flight to Memphis was delayed by a bomb threat but he made his planned speech. King delivered the speech, now known as the Ive Been to the Mountaintop address, as he neared the close, he referred to the bomb threat, And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out
23.
Asian elephant
–
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and is distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. M. maximus from Sri Lanka, the E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, Asian elephants are the largest living land animals in Asia. Since 1986, E. Asian elephants are threatened by degradation, fragmentation, loss of habitat. In 2003, the population was estimated at between 41,410 and 52,345 individuals. Female captive elephants have lived beyond 60 years when kept in semi-natural surroundings, in zoos, elephants die at a much younger age and are declining due to a low birth and high death rate. The genus Elephas originated in Sub-Saharan Africa during the Pliocene, the earliest indications of captive use of Asian elephants are engravings on seals of the Indus Valley civilization dated to the third millennium BC. Carl Linnaeus first described the genus Elephas and an elephant from Ceylon under the binomial Elephas maximus in 1758, in 1798, Georges Cuvier first described the Indian elephant under the binomial Elephas indicus. In 1847, Coenraad Jacob Temminck first described the Sumatran elephant under the binomial Elephas sumatranus, frederick Nutter Chasen classified all three as subspecies of the Asian elephant in 1940. Three subspecies are recognised, the Sri Lankan elephant, the Indian elephant. E. m. borneensis lives in northern Borneo and is smaller than all the subspecies, but with larger ears, a longer tail. Results of genetic analysis indicate that its ancestors separated from the population about 300,000 years ago. The population in Vietnam and Laos was tested to determine if it is a subspecies as well and this research is considered vital, as less than 1,300 wild Asian elephants remain in Laos. In addition, two subspecies are considered to have existed, The Chinese elephant is sometimes separated as E. m. rubridens. The Syrian elephant, the westernmost and the largest subspecies of the Asian elephant and this population, along with the Indian elephant, was considered the best war elephant in antiquity, and was found superior to the smallish North African elephant used by the armies of Carthage. In general, the Asian elephant is smaller than the African elephant and has the highest body point on the head, the back is convex or level. The ears are small with dorsal borders folded laterally and it has up to 20 pairs of ribs and 34 caudal vertebrae. The feet have more nail-like structures than those of African elephants—five on each forefoot, and four on each hind foot. Average shoulder height of females is 2.4 m, and average weight is 2.7 t, while shoulder height of males is 2.75 m
24.
Thailand
–
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is a country at the centre of the Indochinese peninsula in Southeast Asia. With a total area of approximately 513,000 km2, Thailand is the worlds 51st-largest country and it is the 20th-most-populous country in the world, with around 66 million people. The capital and largest city is Bangkok, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and has switched between parliamentary democracy and military junta for decades, the latest coup being in May 2014 by the National Council for Peace and Order. Its capital and most populous city is Bangkok and its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India on the Andaman Sea to the southwest. The Thai economy is the worlds 20th largest by GDP at PPP and it became a newly industrialised country and a major exporter in the 1990s. Manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism are leading sectors of the economy and it is considered a middle power in the region and around the world. The country has always been called Mueang Thai by its citizens, by outsiders prior to 1949, it was usually known by the exonym Siam. The word Siam has been identified with the Sanskrit Śyāma, the names Shan and A-hom seem to be variants of the same word. The word Śyâma is possibly not its origin, but a learned, another theory is the name derives from Chinese, Ayutthaya emerged as a dominant centre in the late fourteenth century. The Chinese called this region Xian, which the Portuguese converted into Siam, the signature of King Mongkut reads SPPM Mongkut King of the Siamese, giving the name Siam official status until 24 June 1939 when it was changed to Thailand. Thailand was renamed Siam from 1945 to 11 May 1949, after which it reverted to Thailand. According to George Cœdès, the word Thai means free man in the Thai language, ratcha Anachak Thai means kingdom of Thailand or kingdom of Thai. Etymologically, its components are, ratcha, -ana- -chak, the Thai National Anthem, written by Luang Saranupraphan during the extremely patriotic 1930s, refers to the Thai nation as, prathet Thai. The first line of the anthem is, prathet thai ruam lueat nuea chat chuea thai, Thailand is the unity of Thai flesh. There is evidence of habitation in Thailand that has been dated at 40,000 years before the present. Similar to other regions in Southeast Asia, Thailand was heavily influenced by the culture and religions of India, Thailand in its earliest days was under the rule of the Khmer Empire, which had strong Hindu roots, and the influence among Thais remains even today. Voretzsch believes that Buddhism must have been flowing into Siam from India in the time of the Indian Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire, later Thailand was influenced by the south Indian Pallava dynasty and north Indian Gupta Empire. The Menam Basin was originally populated by the Mons, and the location of Dvaravati in the 7th century, the History of the Yuan mentions an embassy from the kingdom of Sukhothai in 1282
25.
I-beam
–
An I-beam, also known as H-beam, W-beam, Universal Beam, Rolled Steel Joist, or double-T, is a beam with an I or H-shaped cross-section. The horizontal elements of the I are known as flanges, while the element is termed the web. I-beams are usually made of steel and are used in construction. The web resists shear forces, while the flanges resist most of the bending moment experienced by the beam, Beam theory shows that the I-shaped section is a very efficient form for carrying both bending and shear loads in the plane of the web. On the other hand, the cross-section has a capacity in the transverse direction. The method of producing an I-beam, as rolled from a piece of steel, was patented by Alphonse Halbou of the company Forges de la Providence in 1849. Bethlehem Steel was a supplier of rolled structural steel of various cross-sections in American bridge. Today, rolled cross-sections have been displaced in such work by fabricated cross-sections. There are two standard I-beam forms, Rolled I-beam, formed by hot rolling, cold rolling or extrusion, plate girder, formed by welding plates. I-beams are commonly made of steel but may also be formed from aluminium or other materials. A common type of I-beam is the rolled steel joist —sometimes incorrectly rendered as reinforced steel joist, british and European standards also specify Universal Beams and Universal Columns. These sections have parallel flanges, as opposed to the thickness of RSJ flanges which are seldom now rolled in the UK. Parallel flanges are easier to connect to and do away with the need for tapering washers, however, there has been some concern as to their rapid loss of strength in a fire if unprotected. I-beams are widely used in the industry and are available in a variety of standard sizes. Tables are available to allow selection of a suitable steel I-beam size for a given applied load. I-beams may be used both as beams and as columns, I-beams may be used both on their own, or acting compositely with another material, typically concrete. A beam under bending sees high stresses along the fibers that are farthest from the neutral axis. To prevent failure, most of the material in the beam must be located in these regions, comparatively little material is needed in the area close to the neutral axis
26.
Connecticut
–
Connecticut is the southernmost state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Connecticut is also often grouped along with New York and New Jersey as the Tri-State Area and it is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capital city is Hartford, and its most populous city is Bridgeport, the state is named for the Connecticut River, a major U. S. river that approximately bisects the state. The word Connecticut is derived from various anglicized spellings of an Algonquian word for long tidal river, Connecticut is the third smallest state by area, the 29th most populous, and the fourth most densely populated of the 50 United States. It is known as the Constitution State, the Nutmeg State, the Provisions State, and it was influential in the development of the federal government of the United States. Connecticuts center of population is in Cheshire, New Haven County, Connecticuts first European settlers were Dutch. They established a small, short-lived settlement in present-day Hartford at the confluence of the Park, initially, half of Connecticut was a part of the Dutch colony New Netherland, which included much of the land between the Connecticut and Delaware rivers. The first major settlements were established in the 1630s by England, the Connecticut and New Haven Colonies established documents of Fundamental Orders, considered the first constitutions in North America. In 1662, the three colonies were merged under a charter, making Connecticut a crown colony. This colony was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, the Connecticut River, Thames River, and ports along the Long Island Sound have given Connecticut a strong maritime tradition which continues today. The state also has a history of hosting the financial services industry, including insurance companies in Hartford. As of the 2010 Census, Connecticut features the highest per-capita income, Human Development Index, and median household income in the United States. Landmarks and Cities of Connecticut Connecticut is bordered on the south by Long Island Sound, on the west by New York, on the north by Massachusetts, and on the east by Rhode Island. The state capital and third largest city is Hartford, and other cities and towns include Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury, Norwalk, Danbury, New Britain, Greenwich. Connecticut is slightly larger than the country of Montenegro, there are 169 incorporated towns in Connecticut. The highest peak in Connecticut is Bear Mountain in Salisbury in the northwest corner of the state, the highest point is just east of where Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York meet, on the southern slope of Mount Frissell, whose peak lies nearby in Massachusetts. At the opposite extreme, many of the towns have areas that are less than 20 feet above sea level. Connecticut has a maritime history and a reputation based on that history—yet the state has no direct oceanfront
27.
Hollywood Records
–
Hollywood Records, Inc. is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, the label also releases Marvel Studioss soundtrack and compilation albums in conjunction with Marvel Music. At the time, the company was limited to the release of soundtracks from Touchstone, lawyer Peter Paterno was the first president of the label, until his resignation in 1993 because of the divisions lackluster sales. In 1997, Disney acquired Mammoth Records, in order to get a record label that could succeed. However, the acquisition of Mammoth was a failure and the label was closed and integrated to Hollywood in 2003. In 1998, the decided to form Buena Vista Music Group, integrating the operations of Walt Disney Records along with Hollywood, Lyric Street, Mammoth. Bob Cavallo, former manager of Earth, Wind & Fire and Prince was appointed as chairman of the group and this movement looked to organize the music operations of the company under a more integrated direction. The launch of Duffs career represents a new model for the record, utilising the synergies around the company, including important outlets like Disney Channel, Radio Disney. Duffs albums released under Hollywood proved to be successful including 2004s Hilary Duff. Their musical careers proved that the label had become a success, the label also continued to release soundtracks from films and TV shows, mainly those derived from Marvel Studios productions. In 2010, Hollywood absorbed the operations of country music label Lyric Street Records. In 2011, Queen left EMI for Universal-owned Island Records, with Hollywood continuing to remain the groups North American music distributor. In January 2012, after 14 years of a successful tenure, Bob Cavallo retired as chairman of the Group, since 2013, Hollywood Records also uses the brand name DMG Nashville to specialize in country music. The genre label was founded to provide music licensing for Bigger Picture Music Group, after Bigger Pictures closure in 2014, DMG Nashville released its first studio album, Lucy Hales Road Between. Hollywood Basic was Hollywood’s short-lived hip-hop subsidiary, run by Dave Funkenklein and it also released Shadows Legitimate Mix on the B-side of a single by the group Zimbabwe Legit in 1992. Although the BASIC Beats Sampler confirmed its release date for April 1992, other notable releases came from Organized Konfusion, its challenging second album, Stress, The Extinction Agenda, was widely acclaimed. The label was home of Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf, although, following the shooting death of Charizma in 1993. This would later inspire Peanut Butter Wolf to found Stones Throw Records in order to make this music available, acts on Hollywood BASICs roster included Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf, Lifers Group, Organized Konfusion, Raw Fusion, Hi-C, and Zimbabwe Legit
28.
Aretha Franklin
–
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Franklin began her career singing gospel at her father, minister C. L. Franklins church as a child, in 1960, at the age of 18, Franklin embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Records but only achieving modest success. Following her signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with such as Respect, A Natural Woman. These hits and more helped her to gain the title The Queen of Soul by the end of the 1960s decade, in 1998, Franklin won international acclaim for singing the opera aria Nessun dorma, at the Grammys of that year replacing Luciano Pavarotti. Later that same year, she scored her final Top 40 recording with A Rose Is Still a Rose, Franklin has won a total of 18 Grammy Awards and is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. Franklin has been honored throughout her career including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and she was inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In August 2012, Franklin was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of Barbara and Clarence LaVaughn Franklin. Her father, who went by the nickname, C. L. was an itinerant preacher originally from Shelby, Mississippi, while her mother was a piano player. Alongside Franklin, her parents had three children while both C. L. and Barbara had children from outside their marriage. The family relocated to Buffalo, New York when Franklin was two, before her fifth birthday, C. L. Franklin permanently relocated the family to Detroit, Michigan where he took over the pastorship of New Bethel Baptist Church. Franklins mother died on March 7,1952, before Franklins tenth birthday, several women, including Franklins grandmother Rachel, and Mahalia Jackson took turns helping with the children at the Franklin home. During this time, Franklin learned how to play piano by ear, Franklins fathers emotionally driven sermons resulted in him being known as the man with the million-dollar voice and earning thousands of dollars for sermons in various churches across the country. Just after her mothers death, Franklin began singing solos at New Bethel, debuting with the hymn, Jesus, Be a Fence Around Me. Four years later, when Franklin was 14, her father began managing her and he helped his daughter get signed to her first recording deal with J. V. B. Records, where her first album, Songs of Faith, was issued in 1956, two singles were released to gospel radio stations including Never Grow Old and Precious Lord, Take My Hand. Franklin sometimes traveled with The Caravans and The Soul Stirrers during this time and developed a crush on Sam Cooke, after turning 18, Franklin confided to her father that she aspired to follow Sam Cooke to record pop music. Serving as her manager, C. L. agreed to the move and helped to produce a demo that soon was brought to the attention of Columbia Records. Franklin was signed as a five-percent artist, during this period, Franklin would be coached by choreographer Cholly Atkins to prepare for her pop performances
29.
Jackie Wilson
–
Jack Leroy Jackie Wilson Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter and performer. A tenor with a four octave range, he was nicknamed Mr. Excitement. He was considered a master showman, and one of the most dynamic and influential singers and performers in R&B and this included 16 R&B Top 10 hits, including six R&B number ones. On the Billboard Hot 100, he scored 14 Top 20 Pop hits and he remained semi-comatose for the nine years until his death in 1984, at the age of 49. Wilson was an inspiration to Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, James Brown and he was one of the most influential artists of his generation. A two-time Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee, Wilson was inducted to the Rock, in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Jackie Wilson #69 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. was born on June 9,1934, in Detroit, Michigan, Eliza Mae was born on the Billups-Whitfield Place in Columbus, Mississippi. Her parents were Tom and Virginia Ransom, Jackie often visited his family in Columbus and was greatly influenced by the choir at Billups Chapel. Growing up in the rough Detroit area of Highland Park, Wilson joined a gang called the Shakers, Wilsons alcoholic father was frequently absent and usually out of work. Wilson began singing at an age, accompanying his mother, once a choir singer. In his early teens Jackie joined a quartet, the Ever Ready Gospel Singers, Jackie was not very religious, but he enjoyed singing, the money he and his group earned from performing usually was spent on cheap wine, which Wilson began drinking at age nine. Jack Sr. and Eliza separated shortly after Jackie turned nine, Wilson dropped out of high school at the age of 15, having already been sentenced to detention in the Lansing Corrections system for juveniles twice. During his second stint in detention, he learned to box and his record in the Golden Gloves was 2 and 8. After his mother forced him to boxing, Wilson married Freda Hood. It is estimated that Wilson fathered at least 10 other children prior to getting married, and that he was forced to marry Hood by her father. He gave up boxing for music, first working at Lees Sensation club as a singer, then forming a group called the Falcons, that included cousin Levi Stubbs. The other members joined Hank Ballard as part of the Midnighters, including Alonzo Tucker & Billy Davis, who would work with Wilson several years later as a solo artist. Tucker and Wilson collaborated as songwriters on a few songs Wilson recorded, Jackie was soon discovered by talent agent Johnny Otis, who assigned him to join a group called the Thrillers
30.
Dumbo
–
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The fourth Disney animated feature film, it is based upon the written by Helen Aberson. The main character is Jumbo Jr. a semi-anthropomorphic elephant who is cruelly nicknamed Dumbo and he is ridiculed for his big ears, but in fact he is capable of flying by using his ears as wings. Throughout most of the film, his true friend, aside from his mother, is the mouse. Dumbo was released on October 23,1941, made to recoup the financial losses of Fantasia, it was a deliberate pursuit of simplicity and economy for the Disney studio. At 64 minutes, it is one of Disneys shortest animated features, sound was recorded conventionally using the RCA System. One voice was synthesized using the Sonovox system, but it, a flock of storks deliver babies while circus animals are being transported by train from their Winter Quarters. Mrs. Jumbo, one of the elephants, receives her baby who is tormented by the other elephants because of his large ears. Once the circus is assembled, Mrs. Jumbo loses her temper at a group of boys for tormenting Dumbo, Dumbo is shunned by the other elephants and with no mother to care for him, he is now alone. Mouse, who feels sympathy for Dumbo and becomes determined to make him happy again, appoints himself as Dumbos mentor and protector. Dumbo is made a clown as a result, officially having the other elephants deem him no one of them. Despite his newfound popularity and fame, Dumbo dislikes this job and is now more miserable than ever, to cheer Dumbo up, Timothy takes him to visit his mother. As a result, Dumbo and Timothy both become drunk and see hallucinations of pink elephants, the next morning, Dumbo and Timothy wake up in a tree. Timothy wonders how they got up in the tree, and concludes that Dumbo flew up there using his ears as wings. With the help from a group of crows, Timothy is able to get Dumbo to fly again, using a psychological trick of a magic feather to boost his confidence. Back at the circus, Dumbo performs the stunt which involves jumping from a high building. On the way down, Dumbo loses the feather, Timothy quickly tells him that the feather was never magical, Dumbo is able to pull out of the dive and flies around the circus, finally striking back at his tormentors as a stunned audience looks on in amazement. After this performance, Dumbo becomes a sensation, Timothy becomes his manager
31.
Good Morning, Vietnam
–
Good Morning, Vietnam is a 1987 American military comedy-drama film written by Mitch Markowitz and directed by Barry Levinson. The story is based on the experiences of AFRS radio DJ Adrian Cronauer. Most of Williams radio broadcasts were improvised, the film is number 100 on the list of the American Film Institutes 100 Funniest American Movies. In 1965, Adrian Cronauer arrives in Saigon to work as a DJ for Armed Forces Radio Service, Cronauer is met at the airport by PFC Edward Garlick. Cronauers attitude and demeanor contrasts sharply with many staff members and his show consists of irreverent humor segments and rock and roll, which are frowned upon by his superiors, Second Lieutenant Steven Hauk and Sergeant Major Phillip Dickerson. Hauk adheres to strict Army guidelines in terms of humor and music programming, however, Brigadier General Taylor and the other DJs quickly grow to like the new man and his brand of comedy. Cronauer meets Trinh, a Vietnamese girl, and follows her to an English class, bribing the teacher to let him take over, Cronauer instructs the students in American slang. Once class is dismissed, he tries to talk to Trinh but is stopped by her brother Tuan, instead, Cronauer takes Tuan to Jimmy Wahs, a local GI bar, to have drinks with Garlick and the station staff. Two soldiers, angered at Tuans presence, initiate a confrontation that escalates into a brawl, Dickerson reprimands Cronauer for this incident, but his broadcasts continue. While relaxing in Jimmy Wahs one afternoon, he is pulled outside by Tuan, moments later, the building explodes, killing two soldiers and leaving Cronauer shaken. The cause of the explosion is determined to be a bomb, the news is censored, Dickerson cuts off the broadcast and Cronauer is suspended. Hauk takes over his shows, but his humor and the polka music he plays lead to a flood of letters. In the meantime, Cronauer spends his time drinking and pursuing Trinh, at the radio station, Taylor intervenes on Cronauers behalf, ordering Hauk to reinstate him, but Cronauer refuses to go back to work. Garlick and Cronauers vehicle is stopped in a congested street amidst a convoy of soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division, the incident reminds him why his job is important, and he soon returns to the air. Dickerson seizes an opportunity to get rid of Cronauer by approving his request to interview soldiers in the field, Cronauer and Garlicks Jeep hits a mine and they are forced to hide from VC patrols. In Saigon, Tuan learns of the trip after Cronauer fails to show up for English class and he steals a van and drives off after them. After finding them, the van breaks down and they flag down a Marine helicopter to take back to the city. At the station, Dickerson tells Cronauer that he is off the air for good and his friend Tuan is revealed as a VC operative who was responsible for the bombing of Jimmy Wahs
32.
Rotten Tomatoes
–
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by Senh Duong and since January 2010 has been owned by Flixster, in February 2016, Rotten Tomatoes and its parent site Flixster were sold to Comcasts Fandango. Warner Bros. retained a minority stake in the merged entities, since 2007, the websites editor-in-chief has been Matt Atchity. The name, Rotten Tomatoes, derives from the practice of audiences throwing rotten tomatoes when disapproving of a stage performance. From early 2008 to September 2010, Current Television aired the weekly The Rotten Tomatoes Show, featuring hosts, a shorter segment was incorporated into the weekly show, InfoMania, which ended in 2011. In September 2013, the website introduced TV Zone, a section for reviewing scripted TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes was launched on August 12,1998, as a spare-time project by Senh Duong. His goal in creating Rotten Tomatoes was to create a site where people can get access to reviews from a variety of critics in the U. S. As a fan of Jackie Chans, Duong was inspired to create the website after collecting all the reviews of Chans movies as they were being published in the United States, the first movie whose reviews were featured on Rotten Tomatoes was Your Friends & Neighbors. The website was an success, receiving mentions by Netscape, Yahoo. and USA Today within the first week of its launch. They officially launched it on April 1,2000, in June 2004, IGN Entertainment acquired rottentomatoes. com for an undisclosed sum. In September 2005, IGN was bought by News Corps Fox Interactive Media, in January 2010, IGN sold the website to Flixster. The combined reach of both companies is 30 million unique visitors a month across all different platforms, according to the companies, in May 2011, Flixster was acquired by Warner Bros. In early 2009, Current Television launched the version of the web review site. It was hosted by Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox and written by Mark Ganek, the show aired every Thursday at 10,30 EST on the Current TV network. The last episode aired on September 16,2010 and it returned as a much shorter segment of InfoMania, a satirical news show that ended in 2011. By late 2009, the website was designed to enable Rotten Tomatoes users to create, one group, The Golden Oyster Awards, accepted votes of members for different awards, as if in parallel to the better-known Oscars or Golden Globes. When Flixster bought the company, they disbanded the groups, announcing, in the meantime, please use the Forums to continue your conversations about your favorite movie topics. As of February 2011, new community features have been added, for example, users can no longer sort films by fresh ratings from rotten ratings, and vice versa
33.
The Washington Post
–
The Washington Post is an American daily newspaper. It is the most widely circulated newspaper published in Washington, D. C. and was founded on December 6,1877 and its current slogan is Democracy Dies in Darkness. Located in the city of the United States, the newspaper has a particular emphasis on national politics. Daily editions are printed for the District of Columbia, Maryland, the newspaper is published as a broadsheet, with photographs printed both in color and in black and white. The newspaper has won 47 Pulitzer Prizes and this includes six separate Pulitzers awarded in 2008, the second-highest number ever awarded to a single newspaper in one year, second only to The New York Times seven awards in 2002. Post journalists have also received 18 Nieman Fellowships and 368 White House News Photographers Association awards, in years since, its investigations have led to increased review of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In 2013, its owners, the Graham family, sold the newspaper to billionaire entrepreneur. The newspaper is owned by Nash Holdings LLC, a holding company Bezos created for the acquisition, the Washington Post is generally regarded as one of the leading daily American newspapers, along with The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. The Post has distinguished itself through its reporting on the workings of the White House, Congress. It is one of the two daily broadsheets published in Washington D. C. the other being its smaller rival The Washington Times, unlike The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post does not print an edition for distribution away from the East Coast. In 2009, the newspaper ceased publication of its National Weekly Edition, the majority of its newsprint readership is in District of Columbia and its suburbs in Maryland and Northern Virginia. The Sunday Style section differs slightly from the weekday Style section, it is in a tabloid format, and it houses the reader-written humor contest The Style Invitational. Additional weekly sections appear on weekdays, Health & Science on Tuesday, Food on Wednesday, Local Living on Thursday, the latter two are in a tabloid format. In November 2009, it announced the closure of its U. S. regional bureaus—Chicago, Los Angeles and New York—as part of a focus on. political stories. The newspaper has bureaus in Maryland and Virginia. While its circulation has been slipping, it has one of the highest market-penetration rates of any metropolitan news daily, for many decades, the Post had its main office at 1150 15th Street NW. This real estate remained with Graham Holdings when the newspaper was sold to Jeff Bezos Nash Holdings in 2013, Graham Holdings sold 1150 15th Street for US$159 million in November 2013. The Washington Post continued to lease space at 1150 L Street NW, in May 2014, The Washington Post leased the west tower of One Franklin Square, a high-rise building at 1301 K Street NW in Washington, D. C
34.
Roger Ebert
–
Roger Joseph Ebert was an American film critic and historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a critic for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert became the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, the two verbally sparred and traded humorous barbs while discussing films. They created and trademarked the phrase Two Thumbs Up, used when both hosts gave the film a positive review. After Siskel died in 1999, Ebert continued hosting the show with various co-hosts and then, starting in 2000, Ebert lived with cancer of the thyroid and salivary glands from 2002. This required treatments necessitating the removal of his jaw, which cost him the ability to speak or eat normally. His ability to write remained unimpaired, however, and he continued to publish frequently both online and in print until his death on April 4,2013. Roger Joseph Ebert was born in Urbana, Illinois, the child of Annabel, a bookkeeper, and Walter Harry Ebert. He was raised Roman Catholic, attending St. Marys elementary school and his paternal grandparents were German immigrants and his maternal ancestry was Irish and Dutch. In his senior year, he was president and editor-in-chief of his high school newspaper. In 1958, he won the Illinois High School Association state speech championship in radio speaking, regarding his early influences in film criticism, Ebert wrote in the 1998 parody collection Mad About the Movies, I learned to be a movie critic by reading Mad magazine. Mads parodies made me aware of the machine inside the skin – of the way a movie might look original on the outside, I did not read the magazine, I plundered it for clues to the universe. Pauline Kael lost it at the movies, I lost it at Mad magazine, Ebert began taking classes at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an early-entrance student, completing his high-school courses while also taking his first university class. After graduating from Urbana High School in 1960, Ebert then attended and received his degree in 1964. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, One of the first movie reviews he ever wrote was a review of La Dolce Vita, published in The Daily Illini in October 1961. Ebert spent a semester as a student in the department of English there before attending the University of Cape Town on a Rotary fellowship for a year. He returned from Cape Town to his studies at Illinois for two more semesters and then, after being accepted as a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. Instead Kogan referred Ebert to the city editor at the Chicago Sun-Times, Jim Hoge and he attended doctoral classes at the University of Chicago while working as a general reporter at the Sun-Times for a year
35.
Chicago Sun-Times
–
The Chicago Sun-Times is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the paper of the Sun-Times Media Group. The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city and it began in 1844 as the Chicago Daily Journal, which was the first newspaper to publish the rumor, now believed false, that a cow owned by Catherine OLeary was responsible for the Chicago fire. The Evening Journal, whose West Side building at 17-19 S. Canal was undamaged, in 1929, the newspaper was relaunched as the Chicago Daily Illustrated Times. The modern paper grew out of the 1948 merger of the Chicago Sun, founded December 4,1941 by Marshall Field III, and the Chicago Daily Times. The newspaper was owned by Field Enterprises, controlled by the Marshall Field family, when the Daily News ended its run in 1978, much of its staff, including Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Mike Royko, were moved to the Sun-Times. During the Field period, the newspaper had a populist, progressive character that leaned Democratic but was independent of the citys Democratic establishment, although the graphic style was urban tabloid, the paper was well regarded for journalistic quality and did not rely on sensational front-page stories. It typically ran articles from the Washington Post/Los Angeles Times wire service, the advice column Ask Ann Landers debuted in 1943. Ann Landers was the pseudonym of staff writer Ruth Crowley, who answered readers letters until 1955, eppie Lederer, sister of Dear Abby columnist Abigail van Buren, assumed the role thereafter as Ann Landers. Kups Column, written by Irv Kupcinet, also made its first appearance in 1943, Jack Olsen joined the Sun-Times as editor-in-chief in 1954, before moving on to Time and Sports Illustrated magazines and authoring true-crime books. Hired as literary editor in 1955 was Hoke Norris, who covered the civil-rights movement for the Sun-Times. Jerome Holtzman became a member of the Chicago Sun sports department after first being a boy for the Daily News in the 1940s. He and Edgar Munzel, another longtime sportswriter for the paper, famed for his World War II exploits, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Bill Mauldin made the Sun-Times his home base in 1962. The following year, Mauldin drew one of his most renowned illustrations, two years out of college, Roger Ebert became a staff writer in 1966, and a year later was named Sun-Times film critic. He continued in this role for the remainder of his life, after the friend wrote a story about it, Grizzard fired Banks. With that, the employees union intervened, a federal arbitrator ruled for Banks and 13 months later. The articles received considerable publicity and acclaim, but a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize met resistance from some who believed the Mirage series represented a form of entrapment. In March 1978, the afternoon publication the Chicago Daily News, sister paper of the Sun-Times
