1.
Comedy
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In a modern sense, comedy refers to any discourse or work generally intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, television, film, and stand-up comedy. The origins of the term are found in Ancient Greece, in the Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by the political satire performed by the comic poets at the theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a performance which pits two groups or societies against each other in an amusing agon or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a Society of Youth and a Society of the Old, a revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions that pose obstacles to his hopes. Satire and political satire use comedy to portray persons or social institutions as ridiculous or corrupt, parody subverts popular genres and forms, critiquing those forms without necessarily condemning them. Similarly scatological humour, sexual humour, and race humour create comedy by violating social conventions or taboos in comic ways, a comedy of manners typically takes as its subject a particular part of society and uses humor to parody or satirize the behaviour and mannerisms of its members. Romantic comedy is a genre that depicts burgeoning romance in humorous terms. The adjective comic, which means that which relates to comedy is, in modern usage. Of this, the word came into usage through the Latin comoedia and Italian commedia and has, over time. The Greeks and Romans confined their use of the comedy to descriptions of stage-plays with happy endings. Aristotle defined comedy as an imitation of men worse than the average, however, the characters portrayed in comedies were not worse than average in every way, only insofar as they are Ridiculous, which is a species of the Ugly. The Ridiculous may be defined as a mistake or deformity not productive of pain or harm to others, the mask, for instance, in the Middle Ages, the term expanded to include narrative poems with happy endings. It is in this sense that Dante used the term in the title of his poem, as time progressed, the word came more and more to be associated with any sort of performance intended to cause laughter. During the Middle Ages, the comedy became synonymous with satire. They disassociated comedy from Greek dramatic representation and instead identified it with Arabic poetic themes and forms and they viewed comedy as simply the art of reprehension, and made no reference to light and cheerful events, or to the troubling beginnings and happy endings associated with classical Greek comedy. After the Latin translations of the 12th century, the term gained a more general meaning in medieval literature. Starting from 425 BCE, Aristophanes, a playwright and satirical author of the Ancient Greek Theater wrote 40 comedies,11 of which survive. Aristophanes developed his type of comedy from the satyr plays
2.
James Wong (filmmaker)
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James Jim Wong is a Hong Kong-born American television producer, writer, and film director. He directed and wrote episodes of The X-Files and Millennium and he is the co-creator and co-writer, along with Glen Morgan of Space, Above and Beyond. He is also the founder of Hard Eight Pictures, in film he has directed Final Destination, Final Destination 3, The One, and the remakes of Willard, Dragonball Evolution, and Black Christmas, along with writing partner Glen Morgan. Wong was born in Hong Kong and moved to the United States along with his family at age 10 to San Diego, during his youth, he met his future writing partner Glen Morgan at El Cajon Valley High School. Later on, he went to Loyola Marymount University, joining a comedy improvisational group, originally seeking a major in engineering, he later switched to a film major after seeing Apocalypse Now at the Cinerama Dome. After graduating, he landed a job as an assistant to Sandy Howard, during this time, both Wong and Morgan wrote screenplays, eventually having one produced. With Morgan, he co-wrote The Boys Next Door, after this Wong became a story editor on the short-lived ABC crime drama Knightwatch. Later, with Morgan, Wong would work on many Stephen J. Cannell productions, including Wiseguy, The Commish, Wong and Morgan began working with Chris Carter on the science fiction/drama The X-Files, about two FBI agents investigating the paranormal, filmed in Vancouver. In 1995, Wong and Morgan were offered an $8 million, four-year contract deal with 20th Century Fox Television to write, as part of this deal, Morgan and Wong went on to create the short-lived series Space, Above and Beyond. They returned to The X-Files briefly in its fourth season when they wrote the horror episode Home, Wong also made his television directing debut with the conspiracy-themed Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man, written by Morgan. Wong and Morgan also took on production and writing duties for Carters Millennium, later, they would go on to executive produce the short-lived NBC paranormal series The Others. In 2000, Wong directed Final Destination, a film he co-wrote with Glen Morgan, in late 2006, Wong and Morgans remake of Black Christmas was released, the script was by Wong and Morgan and the film was directed by Morgan. In 2009, Wong directed the movie adaptation of the Anime. The film showed poor ratings from various movie critic websites, James Wong at the Internet Movie Database James Wong Director Bio – Biography by Tribute James Wong Biography – Biography by Yahoo
3.
Glen Morgan
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Glen Morgan is an American television producer, writer and director. Morgan was born in Syracuse, New York, and moved to El Cajon, while attending El Cajon Valley High School, he met James Wong, who would become his friend and professional partner. Both enrolled at Loyola Marymount University, graduating from the School of Film and Television in 1983, and afterward, wrote many scripts together. Morgan did not want to work on television at first, but wound up accepting a job on 21 Jump Street, Morgan and Wongs work on the series lead them to create Space, Above and Beyond, and be showrunners for Millennium. Both would eventually jump to film, making the Final Destination series, The One, the 2003 remake of Willard, afterwards both developed different interests and started working separately. Morgan served as producer on Cartoon Networks Tower Prep alongside Paul Dini. Morgan is also the writer and executive producer of Intruders, which premiered on BBC America on August 23,2014, Morgan has been married since 1998 to actress Kristen Cloke, whom he met while working on Space, Above & Beyond. At the time, Morgan was divorcing from his first wife, Cindy, Cloke has appeared in several of his other projects, including Millennium, Willard, Final Destination, The X-Files, and Black Christmas. He is the brother of fellow X-Files writer Darin Morgan. Glen Morgan at the Internet Movie Database
4.
Stephen J. Cannell
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Stephen Joseph Cannell was an American television producer, writer, novelist, and occasional actor, and the founder of Cannell Entertainment and the Cannell Studios. After starting his career as a script writer, Cannell created or co-created several dozen successful TV series from the 1970s to the 1990s. Cannells creations included The Rockford Files, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero,21 Jump Street and he also wrote novels, notably the Shane Scully mystery series. Cannell was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in nearby Pasadena and he was the son of Carolyn and Joseph Knapp Cannell. Joseph owned the highly successful interior decorating company Cannell and Chaffin, Cannell struggled with dyslexia in school, but did graduate from the University of Oregon in 1964 with a bachelor of science degree in journalism. At UO, he joined the Sigma Chi fraternity, after college, Cannell spent four years working with the family business before selling his first script to the Universal series It Takes a Thief in 1968. He was quickly hired by the television branch of Universal Studios and was soon freelance writing for such other crime shows as Ironside. Not long afterward, he received a call from friend Herman Saunders who was the producer on the series Adam-12. They needed a script right away, would Stephen be interested in writing it. He delivered what they wanted in one day, his first full-time gig, in the process, he had by his own count, scripted more than 450 episodes, and produced or executive produced over 1,500 episodes. He described his early financial arrangements in a 2002 interview, saying that at Universal, In 1979, Cannell left Universal and formed his own company, Stephen J. Cannell Productions. For the first few years, Cannells office was located on the lot at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, though his earlier work at Universal was still distributed by MCA-Universal. Cannells first series under his new banner was Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, and was followed by The Greatest American Hero, The Quest, The A-Team, Hardcastle and McCormick, Riptide. Cannell offices relocated to larger facilities on Hollywood Blvd in 1983, Cannell also acted occasionally, including a regular supporting role as Dutch Dixon on his series Renegade. Cannell appeared as himself in the pilot of the ABC show Castle, along with James Patterson, Dennis Lehane, and Michael Connelly, he was one of Castles poker buddies. In season three, an empty seat at the table is described as Cannells, and remains empty for a full year. In 1987, and with an exchange rate between the US and Canadian dollars being a win/win for US producers, Cannell decided to shoot his new series Stingray in Toronto. So many producers were shooting in Toronto that no crews were available to man any additional productions, Cannell shot seven episodes of Stingray in Calgary with the remainder being shot in Vancouver
5.
The Walt Disney Company
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The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney, is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate, headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. It is the second largest media conglomerate in terms of revenue. Disney was founded on October 16,1923 – by brothers Walt Disney, the company also operated under the names The Walt Disney Studio and then Walt Disney Productions. Taking on its current name in 1986, it expanded its operations and also started divisions focused upon theater, radio, music, publishing. In addition, Disney has since created corporate divisions in order to more mature content than is typically associated with its flagship family-oriented brands. The company is best known for the products of its studio, Walt Disney Studios. Disneys other three divisions are Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney Media Networks, and Disney Consumer Products. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6,1991, Mickey Mouse, an early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, is a primary symbol and mascot for Disney. In early 1923, Kansas City, Missouri, animator Walt Disney created a film entitled Alices Wonderland. After the bankruptcy in 1923 of his previous firm, Laugh-O-Gram Studios, Disney moved to Hollywood to join his brother, Walt and Roy Disney formed Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio that same year. More animated films followed after Alice, in January 1926, with the completion of the Disney studio on Hyperion Street, the Disney Brothers Studios name was changed to the Walt Disney Studio. The distributor owned Oswald, so Disney only made a few hundred dollars, Disney completed 26 Oswald shorts before losing the contract in February 1928, due to a legal loophole, when Winklers husband Charles Mintz took over their distribution company. After failing to take over the Disney Studio, Mintz hired away four of Disneys primary animators to start his own animation studio, Snappy Comedies. In 1928, to recover from the loss of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Disney came up with the idea of a character named Mortimer while on a train headed to California. The mouse was later renamed Mickey Mouse and starred in several Disney produced films, ub Iwerks refined Disneys initial design of Mickey Mouse. Disneys first sound film Steamboat Willie, a cartoon starring Mickey, was released on November 18,1928 through Pat Powers distribution company and it was the first Mickey Mouse sound cartoon released, but the third to be created, behind Plane Crazy and The Gallopin Gaucho. Disney used Pat Powers Cinephone system, created by Powers using Lee De Forests Phonofilm system, Steamboat Willie premiered at B. S. Mosss Colony Theater in New York City, now The Broadway Theatre. Disneys Plane Crazy and The Galloping Gaucho were then retrofitted with synchronized sound tracks, Disney continued to produce cartoons with Mickey Mouse and other characters, and began the Silly Symphonies series with Columbia Pictures signing on as Symphonies distributor in August 1929
6.
Kim Manners
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Kim Manners was an American television producer, director and actor best known for his work on The X-Files and Supernatural. Kim Manners was raised in a business family. His father, Sam Manners had production credits on such as The Wild Wild West. Manners did some acting as a child, his first role was at the age of three in a Chevrolet commercial and he also watched and occasionally participated in his fathers work as well as the work of William Beaudine, Sr. director of Rin Tin Tin. It was Beaudine who inspired Manners to become a director, Manners brother, Kelly, has production and directorial credits on Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse and his sister, Tana, works as a television director. Manners made his debut in 1978, directing an episode of Charlies Angels. Prior to this, he had worked as production manager on the show. Other notable directorial credits to Manners name include episodes of 21 Jump Street, Mission, Impossible, Star Trek, The Next Generation, Baywatch, K-9000, and The Commish. Manners left his job at Stephen J. Cannell Productions in 1993 to work on the television series The Adventures of Brisco County. He directed 7 of the series 27 episodes, more than any other director for the show and he joked that he was the series mascot director. He was happy with the work for the series, and felt that it stretched him creatively. He said, It really woke me up as a director, almost spiritually…, Manners, along with his fellow producers on The X-Files, was nominated for four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series in 1995,1996,1997 and 1998. Manners was referenced in the X-Files episode Jose Chungs From Outer Space with a police detective named after him. Following the finale of The X-Files in 2002, Manners directed a number of small projects before signing on to direct, Manners died of lung cancer in Los Angeles, California, on January 25,2009,12 days after his 58th birthday. Kim Manners at the Internet Movie Database Kim Manners at Memory Alpha Supernatural Wiki entry about Manners with links to interviews and tributes
7.
David Nutter
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David Nutter is an American television and film director and television producer. He is best known for directing episodes for television. In 2015, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, for his work on the HBO series and he graduated from Dunedin High School in Dunedin, Florida, in 1978. He subsequently graduated from the University of Miami, where he enrolled as a music major. Nutters big break came in 1993, when he began directing episodes of The X-Files and he also directed Replacements, the fourth part of the mini-series Band of Brothers, and shared in that seriess Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special. Other directing highlights include Join the Club, an Emmy-nominated episode of The Sopranos, Nutter directed episodes of the HBO series Entourage, including The Resurrection, The Princes Bride and the series finale, The End. In 2008, LG used Nutters pilot expertise to create a campaign for its new Scarlet line of HDTVs, in 2011, Nutter directed the pilot of Rina Mimouns The Doctor, for CBS. In 2012, Nutter directed episodes six and seven of Game of Thrones season 2, in 2013, he directed the last two episodes of season 3, including The Rains of Castamere, with the infamous Red Wedding scene. Nutter also directed the pilot of The CW series Arrow, based on the comic-book character Green Arrow, in 2014, he returned to the HBO series Game of Thrones to direct episodes 9 and 10 of Season 5. For episode 10, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, the first sixteen pilots that Nutter directed have all gone to series. This streak was broken in 2011 when CBS chose to not pick up The Doctor, space, Above and Beyond Millennium Sleepwalkers Roswell Dark Angel Smallville Without a Trace Dr. They have two children, actress Zoe K. Nutter and Ben Nutter, david Nutter at the Internet Movie Database
8.
James Whitmore Jr.
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He is the son of actor James Whitmore. Born in Manhattan, New York, Whitmore has had recurring guest-starring roles on the TV series The Rockford Files, Whitmore has the distinction of occasionally acting in the episodes he directs, such as two episodes of Quantum Leap. In that series, as well as others, he played different characters in each appearance. In addition to directing episodes of shows for Bellisario, Whitmore directed episodes of more than one series for Joss Whedon, Whitmore directed the final episodes of two different series. After Leap, Whitmore again directed Scott Bakula in episodes of Star Trek, Enterprise, NCIS, New Orleans and he also directed David Boreanaz in both Angel and Bones. The Pretender reunited Whitmore with many of the writing staff as Quantum Leap. Quantum Leap The Rockford Files Simon & Simon The Twilight Zone The Boys in Company C as Lieutenant Archer James Whitmore Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
9.
Roma Downey
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Roma Downey is an Emmy nominated actress and producer from Northern Ireland. She produced the Emmy-nominated mini-series, The Bible, for the History Channel and also starred in it, as Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Born in Derry, Northern Ireland and classically trained in London and she played the leading role of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the miniseries for NBC, A Woman Named Jackie. Downey starred in and was producer for a number of hit television movies for the CBS network. Downey is an ambassador for Operation Smile, on August 11,2016 Downey was honored for her work as an actress and producer with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In her acceptance speech, she dedicated her star to the people of Derry, Della Reese, Rick Warren, and husband, Mark Burnett, spoke at the Ceremony on Downeys behalf. Downey and Burnett also executive produced the films, Ben-Hur starring Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell and Morgan Freeman, Son of God, Little Boy. Variety recognized Downey and Burnett as Trailblazers and listed Downey as one of Varietys 100 Most Powerful Women in Hollywood, the Hollywood Reporter included the couple in their Most Influential People of 2013 and Downey as one of the 100 Women in Entertainment Power in 2014. She was honored on Varietys Women of Impact in 2014 and she has also been listed on People magazines “Most Beautiful” lists. Downey and Burnett also produced The Dovekeepers based on the best selling book by Alice Hoffman for CBS and A. D. The Bible Continues for NBC, Women of the Bible for Lifetime, Roma is named after her two grandmothers, Ro from Rose and Ma from Mary, joined together to make Roma. She attended Thornhill College, a Catholic girls school and her mother, Maureen OReilly Downey, a homemaker with an interest in the performing arts, died from a heart attack at age 48 when Downey was 10 years old. Her father, Patrick Downey, was a teacher by training. Her father died when Downey was 20, originally, she planned to be a painter and earned a Bachelor of Arts at Brighton College of Art. Roma studied BA Expressive Arts at Brighton Polytechnic, based at the Falmer campus Downey combined Art and Drama for her degree. However, she turned her attention to acting and had a classical training attending Drama Studio London and she won the “Most Promising Student of the year award. She joined the Abbey Players in Dublin and toured the United States in a production of The Playboy of the Western World, the production led to a nomination during the Broadway run for the Helen Hayes Best Actress Award in 1991. She also starred on Broadway in The Circle with Rex Harrison and also at the Roundabout Theater, Downey played the role of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the American television miniseries A Woman Named Jackie which won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries in 1992
10.
Walt Disney Television
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Walt Disney Television was the name of the television production division of The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Televisions television productions are broadcast, mostly on Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney, Toon Disney, ABC, Disney Cinemagic, while initially not interest in television back in the 1930s, Walt Disney changed his mind seeing TV at least as a promotional tool. Most studios were generating revenue by selling off their permanent TV right to their film made before 1948, thus Walt Disney Productions was the first of the film industry, which saw TV as an adversary, to enter the TV production field. Disney Productions did a special on Christmas Day 1950 for NBC then in 1951 for CBS. The specials used Disney film clips, short films and promoted the upcomingAlice in Wonderland theatrical film, the networks pursued Disney to do a full series for them. The Operation Undersea episode of the series garnered Disney its first Emmy Award, the series quickly became ABCs first series to hit the top twenty in ratings. Disney entry into TV impacted the TV industry as the Disney anthology show marked a move from live to filmed delivery of TV shows, filmng made it possible for higher production value. Also, a couple of the Major film studios copied the format with The MGM Parade. With the series Davy Crockett episodes generating high sale of merchandise, Disney Productions produced The Mickey Mouse Club, the first youth audience TV and a daily afternoon show. It was formed in 1983, as the Walt Disney Pictures Television Division, until 1983, Disney shows were aired under the banner of the parent company, then named Walt Disney Productions. At the time of Walt Disney Productions merged with Capital Cities/ABC, Disney Television was a part of Walt Disney Television, with the retirement of the WDTT group president Dennis Hightower in April 1996 and ongoing post-merger reorganization, Disney TV was transferred back to The Walt Disney Studios. WDT would be headed by Charles Hirschhorn as president and consist of Wonderful World of Disney telefilms for ABC, direct to video unit, while WDNT would handle prime time programming headed by David Neuman as president. In March 1998, Walt Disney Network TV was placed under Buena Vista TV Productions, also Walt Disney Television Studio changed its name to Touchstone Television. Walt Disney Productions Television Division Walt Disney Pictures Television Division Walt Disney Pictures Television Walt Disney Television Walt Disney Pictures and Television Good Morning, the division provided movies for the The Wonderful World of Disney. With the purchase of Capital Cities/ABC, Disney CEO Michael Eisner wanted to relaunch The Wonderful World of Disney series on ABC in 1996 with a movie franchise, Walt Disney Telefilms was formed to produce films for the anthology TV series by 1995. Leah Keith was transferred from Walt Disney Pictures that year to telefilms, mike Karz, a former vice president of Mandeville Films, signed a first look deal with the company through his shingle, Karz Entertainment, to based at Disney Studios in May 1997. On September 28,1997, the division launched the anthology show, the division produced 17 films in 9 months while only expect to provide 16 movies. On October 5,1997, Disney Telefilms first production, Toothless, the Disney Television group, upon the departure of its president Dean Valentine in September 1997, was split into two units, Walt Disney Television and Walt Disney Network Television
11.
NBC
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The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcast television network that is the flagship property of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The network is part of the Big Three television networks, founded in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America, NBC is the oldest major broadcast network in the United States. Following the acquisition by GE, Bob Wright served as executive officer of NBC, remaining in that position until his retirement in 2007. In 2003, French media company Vivendi merged its entertainment assets with GE, Comcast purchased a controlling interest in the company in 2011, and acquired General Electrics remaining stake in 2013. Following the Comcast merger, Zucker left NBC Universal and was replaced as CEO by Comcast executive Steve Burke, during a period of early broadcast business consolidation, radio manufacturer Radio Corporation of America acquired New York City radio station WEAF from American Telephone & Telegraph. Westinghouse, a shareholder in RCA, had an outlet in Newark, New Jersey pioneer station WJZ. This station was transferred from Westinghouse to RCA in 1923, WEAF acted as a laboratory for AT&Ts manufacturing and supply outlet Western Electric, whose products included transmitters and antennas. The Bell System, AT&Ts telephone utility, was developing technologies to transmit voice- and music-grade audio over short and long distances, the 1922 creation of WEAF offered a research-and-development center for those activities. WEAF maintained a schedule of radio programs, including some of the first commercially sponsored programs. In an early example of chain or networking broadcasting, the station linked with Outlet Company-owned WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, AT&T refused outside companies access to its high-quality phone lines. The early effort fared poorly, since the telegraph lines were susceptible to atmospheric. In 1925, AT&T decided that WEAF and its network were incompatible with the companys primary goal of providing a telephone service. AT&T offered to sell the station to RCA in a deal that included the right to lease AT&Ts phone lines for network transmission, the divisions ownership was split among RCA, its founding corporate parent General Electric and Westinghouse. NBC officially started broadcasting on November 15,1926, WEAF and WJZ, the flagships of the two earlier networks, were operated side-by-side for about a year as part of the new NBC. On April 5,1927, NBC expanded to the West Coast with the launch of the NBC Orange Network and this was followed by the debut of the NBC Gold Network, also known as the Pacific Gold Network, on October 18,1931. The Orange Network carried Red Network programming, and the Gold Network carried programming from the Blue Network, initially, the Orange Network recreated Eastern Red Network programming for West Coast stations at KPO in San Francisco. The Orange Network name was removed from use in 1936, at the same time, the Gold Network became part of the Blue Network. In the 1930s, NBC also developed a network for shortwave radio stations, in 1927, NBC moved its operations to 711 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, occupying the upper floors of a building designed by architect Floyd Brown
12.
Television program
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It may be a single production, or more commonly, a series of related productions. A limited number of episodes of a show may be called a miniseries or a serial or limited series. Television series are without a fixed length and are divided into seasons or series. While there is no defined length, U. S. industry practice has traditionally favored longer television seasons than those of other countries, a one-time broadcast may be called a special, or particularly in the UK a special episode. A television film is a film that is initially broadcast on television rather than released in theaters or direct-to-video, a program can be either recorded, as on video tape, other various electronic media forms, played with an on-demand player or viewed on live television. Television programs may be fictional, or non-fictional and it may be topical, or historical. They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy, a drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures, except for soap opera-type serials, many shows especially before the 1980s, remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little. If some change happened to the characters lives during the episode, because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order. Since the 1980s, there are series that feature progressive change to the plot. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time television series to have this kind of dramatic structure. While the later series, Babylon 5 is an example of such production that had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run. In 2012, it was reported that television was growing into a component of major media companies revenues than film. Some also noted the increase in quality of television programs. When a person or company decides to create a new series, they develop the elements, consisting of the concept, the characters, the crew. Then they offer it to the networks in an attempt to find one interested enough to order a prototype first episode of the series. They want very much to get the word out on what types of shows they’re looking for, to create the pilot, the structure and team of the whole series must be put together. If the network likes the pilot, they pick up the show to air it the next season, sometimes they save it for mid-season, or request rewrites and further review
13.
Ghost
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In folklore, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living. Descriptions of ghosts vary widely from a presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a person is known as necromancy. The belief in the existence of an afterlife, as well as manifestations of the spirits of the dead is widespread, certain religious practices—funeral rites, exorcisms, and some practices of spiritualism and ritual magic—are specifically designed to rest the spirits of the dead. Ghosts are generally described as solitary, human-like essences, though stories of ghostly armies and they are believed to haunt particular locations, objects, or people they were associated with in life. Ghosts exist as a concept only, despite centuries of investigation, the English word ghost continues Old English gást, from a hypothetical Common Germanic *gaistaz. It is common to West Germanic, but lacking in North Germanic, the pre-Germanic form was *ghoisdo-s, apparently from a root denoting fury, anger reflected in Old Norse geisa to rage. The Germanic word is recorded as only, but likely continues a neuter s-stem. The original meaning of the Germanic word would thus have been a principle of the mind, in particular capable of excitation. In Germanic paganism, Germanic Mercury, and the later Odin, was at the time the conductor of the dead. It could also denote any good or evil spirit, such as angels and demons, also from the Old English period, the word could denote the spirit of God, viz. the Holy Ghost. The now-prevailing sense of the soul of a person, spoken of as appearing in a visible form only emerges in Middle English. The synonym spook is a Dutch loanword, akin to Low German spôk, alternative words in modern usage include spectre, the Scottish wraith, phantom and apparition. The term shade in classical mythology translates Greek σκιά, or Latin umbra, haint is a synonym for ghost used in regional English of the southern United States, and the haint tale is a common feature of southern oral and literary tradition. The term poltergeist is a German word, literally a noisy ghost, wraith is a Scots word for ghost, spectre, or apparition. It appeared in Scottish Romanticist literature, and acquired the general or figurative sense of portent or omen. In 18th- to 19th-century Scottish literature, it applied to aquatic spirits. The word has no commonly accepted etymology, the OED notes of obscure origin only, an association with the verb writhe was the etymology favored by J. R. R. Tolkien
14.
Caribbean
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The Caribbean is a region that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America, situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region comprises more than 700 islands, islets, reefs and cays. These islands generally form island arcs that delineate the eastern and northern edges of the Caribbean Sea, in a wider sense, the mainland countries of Belize, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana are often included due to their political and cultural ties with the region. Geopolitically, the Caribbean islands are usually regarded as a subregion of North America and are organized into 30 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. From December 15,1954, to October 10,2010, there was a known as the Netherlands Antilles composed of five states. The West Indies cricket team continues to represent many of those nations, the region takes its name from that of the Caribs, an ethnic group present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent South America at the time of the Spanish conquest. The two most prevalent pronunciations of Caribbean are KARR-ə-BEE-ən, with the accent on the third syllable. The former pronunciation is the older of the two, although the variant has been established for over 75 years. It has been suggested that speakers of British English prefer KARR-ə-BEE-ən while North American speakers more typically use kə-RIB-ee-ən, usage is split within Caribbean English itself. The word Caribbean has multiple uses and its principal ones are geographical and political. The Caribbean can also be expanded to include territories with strong cultural and historical connections to slavery, European colonisation, the United Nations geoscheme for the Americas accords the Caribbean as a distinct region within the Americas. Physiographically, the Caribbean region is mainly a chain of islands surrounding the Caribbean Sea, to the north, the region is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida and the Northern Atlantic Ocean, which lies to the east and northeast. To the south lies the coastline of the continent of South America, politically, the Caribbean may be centred on socio-economic groupings found in the region. For example, the known as the Caribbean Community contains the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands, which are in the Atlantic Ocean, are members of the Caribbean Community. The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is also in the Atlantic and is a member of the Caribbean Community. According to the ACS, the population of its member states is 227 million people. The geography and climate in the Caribbean region varies, Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin and these islands include Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, Saint Croix, the Bahamas, and Antigua
15.
Piracy
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Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship- or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable items or properties. Those who engage in acts of piracy are called pirates, the earliest documented instances of piracy were in the 14th century BC, when the Sea Peoples, a group of ocean raiders, attacked the ships of the Aegean and Mediterranean civilizations. Narrow channels which funnel shipping into predictable routes have long created opportunities for piracy, as well as for privateering and commerce raiding. Historic examples include the waters of Gibraltar, the Strait of Malacca, Madagascar, the Gulf of Aden, a land-based parallel is the ambushing of travelers by bandits and brigands in highways and mountain passes. While the term can include acts committed in the air, on land, or in major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against people traveling on the vessel as the perpetrator. Piracy or pirating is the name of a crime under customary international law. They also use larger vessels, known as ships, to supply the smaller motorboats. The international community is facing challenges in bringing modern pirates to justice. In the 2000s, a number of nations have used their naval forces to protect ships from pirate attacks. The English pirate is derived from the Latin term pirata and that from Greek πειρατής, brigand, in turn from πειράομαι, I attempt, from πεῖρα, attempt, the meaning of the Greek word peiratēs literally is one who attacks. The word is cognate to peril. The term is first attested to c, spelling was not standardised until the eighteenth century, and spellings such as pirrot, pyrate and pyrat were used until this period. It may be reasonable to assume that piracy has existed for as long as the oceans were plied for commerce, the earliest documented instances of piracy are the exploits of the Sea Peoples who threatened the ships sailing in the Aegean and Mediterranean waters in the 14th century BC. In classical antiquity, the Phoenicians, Illyrians and Tyrrhenians were known as pirates, the ancient Greeks condoned piracy as a viable profession, it apparently was widespread and regarded as an entirely honourable way of making a living. References are made to its perfectly normal occurrence many texts including in Homers Iliad and Odyssey, by the era of Classical Greece, piracy was looked upon as a disgrace to have as a profession. In the 3rd century BC, pirate attacks on Olympos brought impoverishment, among some of the most famous ancient pirateering peoples were the Illyrians, a people populating the western Balkan peninsula. Constantly raiding the Adriatic Sea, the Illyrians caused many conflicts with the Roman Republic and it was not until 229 BC when the Romans finally decisively beat the Illyrian fleets that their threat was ended
16.
Wall Street
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Wall Street is an eight-block-long street running roughly northwest to southeast from Broadway to South Street, at the East River, in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the markets of the United States as a whole. Several other major exchanges have or had headquarters in the Wall Street area, including the New York Mercantile Exchange, the New York Board of Trade, there are varying accounts about how the Dutch-named de Walstraat got its name. A conflicting explanation is that Wall Street was named after Walloons— the Dutch name for a Walloon is Waal, among the first settlers that embarked on the ship Nieu Nederlandt in 1624 were 30 Walloon families. The Dutch word wal can be translated as rampart, however, even some English maps show the name as Waal Straat, and not as Wal Straat. But soon after that, the Dutch governor, Kieft, sent his men out there one night, few of them escaped, but they spread the story of what had been done, and this did much to antagonize all the remaining tribes against all the white settlers. Shortly after, Nieuw Amsterdam erected a palisade for defense against its now enraged red neighbors. The space between the walls is now called Wall Street, and its spirit is still that of a bulwark against the people. In the 1640s basic picket and plank fences denoted plots and residences in the colony, in 1685, surveyors laid out Wall Street along the lines of the original stockade. In these early days, local merchants and traders would gather at disparate spots to buy and sell shares and bonds, Wall Street was also the marketplace where owners could hire out their slaves by the day or week. The rampart was removed in 1699, the slave market operated from 1711 to 1762 at the corner of Wall and Pearl Streets. It was a structure with a roof and open sides, although walls may have been added over the years. The city directly benefited from the sale of slaves by implementing taxes on every person who was bought, in the late 18th century there was a buttonwood tree at the foot of Wall Street under which traders and speculators would gather to trade securities. The benefit was being in proximity to each other, in 1792, traders formalized their association with the Buttonwood Agreement which was the origin of the New York Stock Exchange. The idea of the agreement was to make the more structured and without the manipulative auctions. Persons signing the agreement agreed to each other a standard commission rate, persons not signing could still participate. In 1789 Wall Street was the scene of the United States first presidential inauguration when George Washington took the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall on April 30,1789 and this was also the location of the passing of the Bill Of Rights. Alexander Hamilton, who was the first Treasury secretary and architect of the early United States financial system, is buried in the cemetery of Trinity Church, in the first few decades, both residences and businesses occupied the area, but increasingly business predominated
17.
Castle
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A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble. Usage of the term has varied over time and has applied to structures as diverse as hill forts. Over the approximately 900 years that castles were built, they took on a great many forms with different features, although some, such as curtain walls. A European innovation, castles originated in the 9th and 10th centuries, after the fall of the Carolingian Empire resulted in its territory being divided among individual lords and princes. Although their military origins are often emphasised in castle studies, the structures served as centres of administration. Many castles were built from earth and timber, but had their defences replaced later by stone. Early castles often exploited natural defences, lacking features such as towers and arrowslits, in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, a scientific approach to castle defence emerged. This led to the proliferation of towers, with an emphasis on flanking fire, many new castles were polygonal or relied on concentric defence – several stages of defence within each other that could all function at the same time to maximise the castles firepower. These changes in defence have been attributed to a mixture of castle technology from the Crusades, such as concentric fortification, not all the elements of castle architecture were military in nature, so that devices such as moats evolved from their original purpose of defence into symbols of power. Some grand castles had long winding approaches intended to impress and dominate their landscape, while castles continued to be built well into the 16th century, new techniques to deal with improved cannon fire made them uncomfortable and undesirable places to live. As a result, true castles went into decline and were replaced by artillery forts with no role in civil administration, and country houses that were indefensible. From the 18th century onwards, there was a renewed interest in castles with the construction of castles, part of a romantic revival of Gothic architecture. The word castle is derived from the Latin word castellum, which is a diminutive of the word castrum, meaning fortified place. The Old English castel, Old French castel or chastel, French château, Spanish castillo, Italian castello, the word castle was introduced into English shortly before the Norman Conquest to denote this type of building, which was then new to England. In its simplest terms, the definition of a castle accepted amongst academics is a fortified residence. Feudalism was the link between a lord and his vassal where, in return for service and the expectation of loyalty. Castles served a range of purposes, the most important of which were military, administrative, as well as defensive structures, castles were also offensive tools which could be used as a base of operations in enemy territory
18.
Hell
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Hell, in many mythological, folklore and religious traditions, is a place of torment and punishment in an afterlife. Religions with a divine history often depict hells as eternal destinations while Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations. Typically these traditions locate hell in another dimension or under the Earths surface, other afterlife destinations include Heaven, Purgatory, Paradise, and Limbo. Hell is sometimes portrayed as populated with demons who torment those dwelling there, many are ruled by a death god such as Nergal, Hades, Hel, Enma or Satan. Subsequently, the word was used to transfer a pagan concept to Christian theology, Some have theorized that English word hell is derived from Old Norse hel. However, this is unlikely as hel appears in Old English before the Viking invasions. Furthermore, the word has cognates in all the other Germanic languages and has a Proto-Germanic origin, Hell appears in several mythologies and religions. It is commonly inhabited by demons and the souls of dead people, a fable about hell which recurs in folklore across several cultures is the allegory of the long spoons. Hell is often depicted in art and literature, perhaps most famously in Dantes Divine Comedy, punishment in Hell typically corresponds to sins committed during life. In many religious cultures, including Christianity and Islam, Hell is often depicted as fiery, painful and harsh, despite these common depictions of Hell as a place of fire, some other traditions portray Hell as cold. Buddhist - and particularly Tibetan Buddhist - descriptions of hell feature a number of hot. Among Christian descriptions Dantes Inferno portrays the innermost circle of Hell as a lake of blood. At death a person faced judgment by a tribunal of forty-two divine judges, if they had led a life in conformance with the precepts of the Goddess Maat, who represented truth and right living, the person was welcomed into the Two Fields. If found guilty the person was thrown to a devourer and would be condemned to the lake of fire, the person taken by the devourer is subject first to terrifying punishment and then annihilated. These depictions of punishment may have influenced medieval perceptions of the inferno in hell via early Christian, purification for those considered justified appears in the descriptions of Flame Island, where humans experience the triumph over evil and rebirth. For the damned complete destruction into a state of non-being awaits but there is no suggestion of eternal torture, the weighing of the heart in Egyptian mythology can lead to annihilation. The Tale of Khaemwese describes the torment of a man, who lacked charity. Divine pardon at judgement always remained a concern for the Ancient Egyptians
19.
Governor-general
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Governor-General or governor general, in modern usage, is the title of an office-holder appointed to represent the monarch of a sovereign state in the governing of an independent realm. Governors-General have also previously been appointed in respect of major colonial states or other territories held by either a monarchy or republic, in modern usage, the term governor-general originated in those British colonies which became self-governing within the British Empire. In these cases, the Crowns representative in the federated Dominion was given the title of governor general. Another non-federal state, Newfoundland, was a Dominion for 16 years with the Kings representative retaining the title of governor throughout this time, since 2016, the title governor-general has been given to all representatives of the sovereign in independent Commonwealth realms. In these countries the governor-general acts as the representative, performing the ceremonial and constitutional functions of a head of state. The only other nation which uses the designation is Iran. In Iran, the authority is headed by a governor general. As such they held the prerogative powers of the monarch. The monarch or imperial government could overrule any governor-general, though this could often be cumbersome, the governors-general are entitled to wear a unique uniform, which are not generally worn today. If of the rank of general, equivalent or above. The report resulting from the 1926 Imperial Conference stated, in other words, the political reality of a self-governing Dominion within the British Empire with a governor-general answerable to the sovereign became clear. British interference in the Dominion was not acceptable and independent country status was clearly displayed, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were clearly not controlled by the United Kingdom. The governor-general, however, is appointed by the monarch. Executive authority is vested in the monarch, though much of it can be exercisable only by the governor-general on behalf of the sovereign of the independent realm. Except in rare cases, the only acts in accordance with constitutional convention and upon the advice of the national prime minister. The governor-general is still the representative of the sovereign and performs the same duties as they carried out historically. In some realms, the monarch could in principle overrule a governor-general, in Australia the present Queen is generally assumed to be head of state, since the governor-general and the state governors are defined as her representatives. However, since the governor-general performs almost all national regal functions, to a lesser extent, uncertainty has been expressed in Canada as to which officeholder—the monarch, the governor general, or both—can be considered the head of state
20.
Trimaran
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A trimaran is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Trimarans are most commonly sail-driven yachts designed for recreation or racing, the name trimaran is a 20th-century word concocted from Tri and maran. It is thought to have been invented by Victor Tchetchet, a pioneering, the first trimarans were built by indigenous Polynesians and other Pacific islanders almost 4,000 years ago, and some of the current US terminology is derived from them. Sailing catamarans and trimarans gained popularity during the 1960s and 1970s and he is credited with coining the term, trimaran. In the 1950s and 60s, Arthur Piver designed and built plywood kit trimarans, which were adopted by other homebuilders, Some of these achieved ocean crossings, nonetheless. Following the homebuilt movement, production became available. Some trimarans in the 19–36-foot lengths are designed as day-sailers which can be transported on a road trailer and these include the original Farrier - Corsair folding trimarans - and original John Westell swing-wing folding trimaran and like trimarans. The trimaran concept has also used for both passenger ferries and warships. For example, in 2005 the 127-metre trimaran Benchijigua Express was delivered by Austal to Spanish ferry operator Fred Olsen, S. A. for service in the Canary Islands. Capable of carrying 1,280 passengers and 340 cars, or equivalents, at speeds up to 40 knots, a modern warship, the RV Triton was commissioned by British defence contractor QinetiQ in 2000. In October 2005, the United States Navy commissioned for evaluation the construction of a General Dynamics LCS trimaran designed, the DARPA is experimenting with the trimaran design, and in 2012 awarded SAIC a contract to perform Phases 2 through 4 of the ACTUV Program. The contract is expected to be completed by August 2015, according to American usage, there are three terms that describe the main components of catamarans and trimarans, namely, “vaka”, “aka” and “ama”. These terms come from the Malay and Polynesian language group terms for parts of the outrigger canoe Vaka is the canoe or main hull, aka is the framework member that connects the vaka to the ama. Ama is the outrigger, connected to the vaka by an aka, in cruising trimarans the wings are solid and cabin accommodation extends over them, while in racing trimarans accommodation is limited to the main hull and the wings are open sheets of netting. In comparison to outrigger canoes, trimarans typically feature a sail and are not primarily designed to be paddled, in addition, trimaran floats are much more buoyant than those of outrigger canoes to support a large sailplan. They contribute to drag when heavily immersed, and their level of immersion indicates when to reef, two types of trimaran exist, the regular trimaran and the open trimaran, which features a trampoline between the hulls instead of plating. Trimarans have a number of advantages over comparable monohulls, given two boats of the same length, the trimaran has a shallower draft, a wider beam, less wetted area, and is able to fly more sail area. In addition, because of the righting moment provided by the wide beam, as a result of the wide beam, the trimaran offers much better straight-line performance than a monohull, is able to sail in shallower water, and maintains its stability in stronger winds
21.
SR-71
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The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was a long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force. It was developed as a project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by Lockheed. American aerospace engineer Clarence Kelly Johnson was responsible for many of the innovative concepts. During aerial reconnaissance missions, the SR-71 operated at high speeds, if a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outfly the missile. The SR-71 was designed with a reduced radar cross-section, the SR-71 served with the U. S. Air Force from 1964 to 1998. A total of 32 aircraft were built,12 were lost in accidents, the SR-71 has been given several nicknames, including Blackbird and Habu. It has held the record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft since 1976. Lockheeds previous reconnaissance aircraft was the relatively slow U-2, designed for the Central Intelligence Agency, in late 1957, the CIA approached the defense contractor Lockheed to build an undetectable spy plane. The project, named Archangel, was led by Kelly Johnson, head of Lockheeds Skunk Works unit in Burbank, the work on project Archangel began in the second quarter of 1958, with aim of flying higher and faster than the U-2. Out of 11 successive designs drafted in a span of 10 months, despite this, however, its shape made it vulnerable to radar detection. After a meeting with the CIA in March 1959, the design was modified to have a 90% reduction in radar cross-section, the CIA approved a US$96 million contract for Skunk Works to build a dozen spy planes, named A-12 on 11 February 1960. The 1960 downing of Francis Gary Powerss U-2 underscored its vulnerability, the A-12 first flew at Groom Lake, Nevada, on 25 April 1962. Thirteen were built, two variants were developed, including three of the YF-12 interceptor prototype, and two of the M-21 drone carrier. The aircraft was meant to be powered by the Pratt & Whitney J58 engine, but development ran over schedule, the J58s were retrofitted as they became available, and became the standard powerplant for all subsequent aircraft in the series as well as the SR-71. The A-12 flew missions over Vietnam and North Korea before its retirement in 1968, the programs cancellation was announced on 28 December 1966, due both to budget concerns and because of the forthcoming SR-71, a derivative of the A-12. During the later period of its testing, the B-70 was proposed for a reconnaissance/strike role, when it was clear that the A-12 performance potential was much greater, the Air Force ordered a variant of the A-12 in December 1962. Originally named R-12 by Lockheed, the Air Force version was longer and heavier than the A-12, with a longer fuselage to hold more fuel, Reconnaissance equipment included signals intelligence sensors, a side looking airborne radar and a photo camera. Air Force Chief of Staff General Curtis LeMay preferred the SR designation, before the July speech, LeMay lobbied to modify Johnsons speech to read SR-71 instead of RS-71
22.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
23.
IMDb
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In 1998 it became a subsidiary of Amazon Inc, who were then able to use it as an advertising resource for selling DVDs and videotapes. As of January 2017, IMDb has approximately 4.1 million titles and 7.7 million personalities in its database, the site enables registered users to submit new material and edits to existing entries. Although all data is checked before going live, the system has open to abuse. The site also featured message boards which stimulate regular debates and dialogue among authenticated users, IMDb shutdown the message boards permanently on February 20,2017. Anyone with a connection can read the movie and talent pages of IMDb. A registration process is however, to contribute info to the site. A registered user chooses a name for themselves, and is given a profile page. These badges range from total contributions made, to independent categories such as photos, trivia, bios, if a registered user or visitor happens to be in the entertainment industry, and has an IMDb page, that user/visitor can add photos to that page by enrolling in IMDbPRO. Actors, crew, and industry executives can post their own resume and this fee enrolls them in a membership called IMDbPro. PRO can be accessed by anyone willing to pay the fee, which is $19.99 USD per month, or if paid annually, $149.99, which comes to approximately $12.50 per month USD. Membership enables a user to access the rank order of each industry personality, as well as agent contact information for any actor, producer, director etc. that has an IMDb page. Enrolling in PRO for industry personnel, enables those members the ability to upload a head shot to open their page, as well as the ability to upload hundreds of photos to accompany their page. Anyone can register as a user, and contribute to the site as well as enjoy its content, however those users enrolled in PRO have greater access and privileges. IMDb originated with a Usenet posting by British film fan and computer programmer Col Needham entitled Those Eyes, others with similar interests soon responded with additions or different lists of their own. Needham subsequently started an Actors List, while Dave Knight began a Directors List, and Andy Krieg took over THE LIST from Hank Driskill, which would later be renamed the Actress List. Both lists had been restricted to people who were alive and working, the goal of the participants now was to make the lists as inclusive as possible. By late 1990, the lists included almost 10,000 movies and television series correlated with actors and actresses appearing therein. On October 17,1990, Needham developed and posted a collection of Unix shell scripts which could be used to search the four lists, at the time, it was known as the rec. arts. movies movie database
24.
Final Destination (film)
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Final Destination is a 2000 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wong, and is the first installment of the Final Destination film series. The screenplay was written by James Wong, Glen Morgan, and Jeffrey Reddick, the film stars Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, and Tony Todd. Sawa portrays a teenager who cheats death after having a premonition of a plane explosion. He and several of his classmates leave the plane before the explosion occurs, later, Wong and Morgan, The X-Files writing partners, became interested in the script and agreed to rewrite and direct the film, marking Wongs film directing debut. Filming took place in New York City and Vancouver, with scenes filmed in Toronto. It was released on March 17,2000, and became a financial success, the DVD release of the film, released on September 26,2000, in the United States and Canada, includes commentaries, deleted scenes, and documentaries. The film received mixed reviews from critics and it received the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Sawas performance. The films success spawned a franchise, encompassing four additional installments, as well as a series of novels. High school student Alex Browning boards Volée Airlines Flight 180 with his classmates for their trip to Paris. Before take-off, Alex has a premonition that the plane will suffer an engine failure, causing the plane to explode in mid-air. When the events from his vision begin to repeat themselves in reality, he panics, none of the passengers, except for Clear, believe Alex about his vision until the plane explodes on take-off, killing the remaining passengers on board. Afterwards, the survivors are interrogated by two FBI agents, who believe that Alex had something to do with the explosion, thirty-nine days later, the survivors attend a memorial service for the victims. That night, Tod is killed when a chain reaction causes him to be strangled in his bathtub and his death is deemed a suicide, however, Alex does not believe that Tod killed himself. The next day, Alex and Clear discuss what the mortician said at a cafe, Alex believes that if they look out for omens they can cheat Death again, although Clear is skeptical. They encounter the rest of the survivors, and when Carter provokes Alex, after watching a news report on the cause of the explosion, Alex realizes that the survivors are dying in the order they were meant to die on the plane. He deduces that Ms. Lewton is next and rushes to her house to ensure her safety, thinking Alex is up to no good, Ms. Lewton calls the FBI agents, who take him in for questioning. Although Alex is unable to convince the agents of what is happening they decide to let him go, nonetheless, he is too late to save Ms. Lewton, whose house explodes after she is impaled and killed by a falling kitchen knife. The remaining survivors reunite and discuss what to do while driving through town, during the discussion Carter learns that he is next on Deaths list
25.
The One (2001 film)
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The One is a 2001 American science fiction-martial arts film written and directed by James Wong. The film stars Jet Li, Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham, the film was released in the United States on November 2,2001. Gabriel Yulaw, once an officer of the Multiverse Authority that polices interdimensional travel, by killing all 124 of his other selves and absorbing their life energies, he believes he will become an immortal godlike being called The One. Yulaw is briefly captured by MVA agents Rodecker and Funsch, only to escape captivity during the trial sentencing him to life in the Stygian penal colony in the Hades universe. The last known alternate, Gabriel Law, works in the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, for two years he has been experiencing increases in strength, speed and mental ability, but neither he nor his wife, T. K. While transporting a prisoner for the Sheriffs Department, Gabe feels Yulaws presence just before he attempts to kill Gabe, Yulaw escapes, but is followed by Gabe, who inhumanly leaps a very high wall. Landing on the side, Gabe is shot and wounded by Yulaw. As Yulaw approaches Gabe to finish him off, they are interrupted by Rodecker, Gabe realizes Yulaw is identical to him in every way. Unfamiliar with the interdimensional travel concept, Yulaws appearance is shocking, after checking into the hospital, Gabe feels Yulaws presence again. There is another fight, which Rodecker and Funsch again foil, Yulaw deters them from shooting him because if he is killed, then Gabe would then be left as the only One. Dressed alike and identical in every way, Gabe and Yulaws battle confuses Gabes police colleagues, both Gabe and Yulaw manage to escape the hospital. Rodecker is faced with a dilemma, they have to capture Yulaw, Funsch insists that Yulaw, as the instigator, must be dealt with in a more aggressive manner. Rodecker makes a decision to go way off procedure and split the team. Rodecker pursues and fights Yulaw and is killed when Yulaw breaks his neck, Funsch catches up with Gabe and tells him about the multiverse and why he has become stronger. Yulaw finds Gabes residence where TK, believing it is Gabe, attempts to protect him, Gabe arrives, only to have Yulaw force him to watch while he kills her. Funsch finds Gabe and they team up to find Yulaw at the next wormhole, Yulaw, Gabe and Funsch arrive at the industrial plant, where the final battle between Gabe and Yulaw takes place. When Gabe eventually wins, all three are caught in a wormhole and taken back to the MVA headquarters in the Alpha Universe, Yulaw is transported immediately to the prison colony universe after a last attempt to switch places with Gabe. Meanwhile, Yulaw, now in the Stygian penal colony, declares he will become the One
26.
Final Destination 3
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Final Destination 3 is a 2006 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wong and the third installment in the Final Destination film series. The screenplay was written by James Wong and Glen Morgan, both of whom had worked on Final Destination. The film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ryan Merriman, set five years after the first film, Winstead portrays Wendy Christensen, a teenager who has a premonition of the roller coaster she and her classmates are on derailing. While she manages to save some of them, Death soon begins hunting for the survivors, Wendy soon realizes that the pictures she took in the amusement park contain clues about how theyre all going to die and tries to use them to save the rest of the survivors. Development of the film shortly after the release of Final Destination 2. Filming took place in Vancouver, as with the two installments. It was released on 10 February 2006 and the DVD release of the film was on 25 July 2006, the DVD includes commentaries, documentaries, a deleted scene and an original animated video. Final Destination 3 received mixed reviews from critics, the film was a financial success and at the time of its release, the highest-grossing film in the franchise. Its underlying theme of losing control was noted by reviewers, high school student Wendy Christensen visits an amusement park with her boyfriend Jason Wise, best friend Carrie Dreyer, and Carries boyfriend Kevin Fischer for their senior class field trip. As they board the Devils Flight roller coaster, Wendy has a premonition that the hydraulics securing the seat belts and roller coaster cars will fail during the ride, killing everyone on board. As they leave they witness the roller coaster derail, killing the passengers, including Jason and Carrie. Several weeks later, Kevin tells Wendy about the explosion of Flight 180, believing that Kevin is mocking her, Wendy dismisses his theory and leaves. Later on, Ashley and Ashlyn are killed at a salon when a loose shelf falls. Now convinced that Death is still after them, Wendy and Kevin set out to save the remaining survivors using omens hidden within photos that Wendy took of them the night of the accident. Frankie dies next at a drive-thru when a truck crashes into the back of Kevins truck, causing the engine fan to blow out. The next day, they try to save Lewis at the gym, next, they find Ian and Erin working at a hardware store. Wendy manages to save Ian before he is impaled by falling planks of wood, but a chain reaction causes Erin to fall backwards onto a nail gun and this leaves Ian devastated, and causes him to resent Wendy. Later, Wendy learns that her sister Julie and her friend were also on the roller coaster and her question is quickly answered when Julies friend Perry Malinowski is suddenly impaled by a flagpole that is launched by a rope tied to the horse
27.
Dragonball Evolution
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Dragonball Evolution is a 2009 American action-adventure fantasy film directed by James Wong and produced by Stephen Chow, Tim van Rellim and Akira Toriyama, and written by Ben Ramsey. The film is based on the Japanese Dragon Ball manga created by Akira Toriyama, and stars Justin Chatwin, Emmy Rossum, James Marsters, Jamie Chung, Chow Yun-fat, Joon Park. In Dragonball Evolution, the young Goku reveals his past and sets out to fight the alien warlord Lord Piccolo who wishes to gain the powerful Dragon Balls. The film began development in 2002, and was distributed by 20th Century Fox and it is the first official live-action adaptation of the Dragon Ball manga. Dragonball Evolution was released in Japan and several other Asian countries on March 13,2009, despite being a modest financial success, grossing $57.5 million of its production budget of $30 million, the film received widespread condemnation from critics and fans alike. Two thousand years ago, the demon Lord Piccolo came to Earth, seven mystics created the Mafuba and thought they sealed him away for eternity. However, Piccolo breaks free and with his ninja henchwoman Mai, begins to search for the seven Dragonballs, on his eighteenth birthday, high school student and martial artist Son Goku is given the four-star Dragonball by his grandfather, Grandpa Gohan. Returning home from a party hosted by his crush Chi-Chi, Goku finds his home destroyed, before he dies, Gohan tells Goku to seek out martial arts master Muten Roshi, who holds another one of the Dragonballs. Along the way, Goku meets Bulma of the Capsule Corporation, Goku offers Bulma his protection in exchange for her help in finding Roshi. They ultimately track him down in Paozu City, under Roshis wing, Goku begins training his ki, knowing that they must get all the Dragonballs before the next solar eclipse, when Ōzaru will return and join forces with Piccolo. Together, the fight off an ambush by Mai and successfully acquires the next Dragonball. During the night, Mai – disguised as Chi-Chi – steals the teams three Dragonballs, adding them to the ones that Piccolo already acquired, with the Dragonballs successfully united, Piccolo begins to summon Shen Long, but is stopped by the timely arrival of Gokus team. During the ensuing battle, Piccolo reveals to Goku that he himself is Ōzaru, as the eclipse begins, Goku transforms into Ōzaru while Roshi attempts to use the Mafuba, but he doesnt have enough energy to live before he can re-seal Piccolo. Roshis dying words snaps Goku back to his senses as he is choked to death by Ōzaru, Goku then uses the Dragonballs to summon Shen Long, and request that he restore Roshi to life. As they celebrate, they realise the Dragonballs have now scattered, before they head out, Goku meets with Chi-Chi to get to know her better, and they begin a sparring match to see which of them is stronger. In a post-credits scene, Piccolo has survived Gokus Kamehameha blast and is being cared for by an unknown woman. In 2002, 20th Century Fox approached Stephen Chow to direct the film and he, however, accepted a role as producer via his company Star Overseas. Dippé and Zack Snyder were offered to direct but passed, 20th Century Fox then went on to send the script to writer/director James Wong who accepted
28.
Space: Above and Beyond
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Space, Above and Beyond is an American science fiction television show on the FOX Network, created and written by Glen Morgan and James Wong. Originally planned for five seasons, it ran only for the single 1995–1996 season and it was nominated for two Emmy Awards and one Saturn Award. It was ranked 50 in IGNs top 50 Sci-Fi TV Shows, set in the years 2063–2064, the show focuses on the Wildcards, members of the United States Marine Corps Space Aviator Cavalry, 58th Squadron. They are stationed on the space carrier USS Saratoga, and act as infantry, in the years leading up to 2063, humanity has begun to colonize other planets. Lacking FTL technology, this is accomplished by taking advantage of transient but predictable, without warning, a previously unknown alien species, the Chigs, attack and destroy Earths first extra-solar colony and then destroy a second colony ship. The bulk of the Earth military forces sent to confront the Chigs are destroyed or outflanked, in part because the Chigs have some form of FTL, at the opening of the show, the Chigs have defeated all counterattacks, and have entered the Solar System. In desperation, unproven and under-trained outfits like the 58th Wildcards are thrown against the Chigs, the Wildcards are the central focus of the series, which follows them as they grow from untried cadets into veterans. Prior to the events of the show, there was a war between humans and android artificial intelligences known as Silicates. These human-looking androids, referred to as walking personal computers, have rebelled, formed their own societies, the Silicates are also suspected of having some involvement with the Chigs. In an attempt to defeat the Silicates, a new underclass of genetically engineered and these troops, collectively known as In Vitroes or sometimes, derogatorily, tanks or nipple-necks, are born at the physical age of 18, and trained solely for combat. In the post-war period the tanks have attempted to re-enter human society, Space, Above and Beyond connects episodes through several prominent story arcs beside that of the main arc, the Chig War. In an approximated descending order of significance, these are, The Chig War, taking six years after the AI War. In the first half of the season, and up to approximately episode 1, with the Chig War as the main story arc of the series, Space, Above and Beyond probes human emotion in extreme desperation and conflict. The important motifs presented in this arc can be found in a variety of war dramas, loyalty, courage. As artificially gestated humans, the In Vitroes do not share social equality with the naturally born. In Vitroes also seem to refer to themselves as tanks amongst themselves, two main characters, Cooper Hawkes and T. C. McQueen, have to all the ramifications of such a society from their perspective as In Vitroes. This repeating theme explores topics such as racism and prejudice in a society and it differs from other story arcs in its complexity in the form of a division into two substories
29.
Willard (2003 film)
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Willard is a 2003 American horror film co-written and directed by Glen Morgan and starring Crispin Glover, R. Lee Ermey and Laura Elena Harring. It is loosely based on the novel Ratmans Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert and it was not billed as a remake by the producers, who chose instead to present it as a re-working of the themes from the original, with a stronger focus on suspense. Willard Stiles is a social misfit taking care of his ill and fragile, a co-worker, Cathryn, has sympathy for the quirky Willard. Cathryn becomes Willards friend and love interest, Willard quickly becomes obsessed with his friendship with a rat he names Socrates. Willard then begins to train and befriend the other including a extra large one he calls Ben. Ben begins to assume a position of leadership among the other rats, after he trains the rats sufficiently, Willard takes them to Martins home, where he unleashed them to chew the tires on Martins Mercedes. Willards mother panics when she overhears the rats and later dies by falling down the stairs of the basement, Willard learns soon afterward that payments on the house have fallen far behind, and that the bank will likely foreclose upon the property. Willard then says that Socrates is all he has left, Cathryn stops by and gives Willard a house-trained cat named Sculley, he sets the cat inside and leaves. The rats, led by Ben, attack and kill Sculley, when Willard arrives home he notices Ben watching him evilly, Willard begins to distrust Ben thereafter. Desperately lonely, Willard begins to bring Socrates to work with him, Willard finds a note at his desk declaring that hes being fired by Frank Martin from the company his father founded. While hes arguing with Martin, begging not to be fired and her screams alert Martin who bludgeons Socrates to death. Willard, his mental state already precarious, is devastated, Willard turns to Ben, who is more than willing to guide the army of basement rats to help Willard avenge himself upon his boss. Willard and his basement rats confront Martin, and upon Willards command they swarm Martin, Willard, however, mistrusts Ben and attempts to dispose of him and the other rats by putting poison in the basement. He succeeds in killing some, but Ben remains, and turns the remaining rat army against Willard, Willard barely escapes with his life and kills Ben, however shortly afterwards Cathryn, who learned of Martins death, arrives with a couple of police detectives. An epilogue reveals that Willard has retreated into a semi-catatonic state, a white rat appears in his cell, which looks like Socrates and he believes is the rebirth of his one friend. In the end Willard beckons the rat over to him and says Its not over yet and our time is going to come. Crispin Glover as Willard Stiles, A 32-year-old antisocial worker for Martin-Stiles Manufacturing, Willard is constantly abused by his boss and his beloved mother. He befriends a colony of rats, especially a rat named Socrates
30.
Black Christmas (2006 film)
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The film takes place several days before Christmas, and tells the story of a group of sorority sisters who are stalked and murdered by the houses former inhabitants during a winter storm. It is a remake of the 1974 film of the same name. It has a 14% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes and 22/100 rating on Metacritic, william Edward Billy Lenz, a boy born with severe jaundice due to a liver disease, is constantly abused by his hateful mother. After murdering Billys father and burying his body in the crawlspace with the help of her boyfriend. Years later, she attempts to conceive a new baby but realizes that her new man is impotent and she goes up to the attic and rapes twelve-year-old Billy. Nine months later, a daughter named Agnes is born and treated like a princess by Mrs. Lenz, when Agnes is eight and Christmas comes around, Billy escapes from the attic and disfigures Agnes by gouging out her eye. He then taunts his terrified mother, saying shes my family now and he is caught by the police eating cookies made out of his mothers flesh, and is sent to a mental asylum. Fifteen years later, on Christmas Eve, Billy, now 35, escapes from his cell and heads off to his former home, now a sorority house. At the Delta Alpha Kappa, Clair Crosby is killed in her bedroom being suffocated with a bag before being stabbed in the eye with a fountain pen. Meanwhile, Megan Helms begins to hear noises and goes up to the attic to investigate, upon finding Clairs body in a rocking chair, Megan is attacked and killed, suffocated with a plastic bag before her eyes are ripped out. In the living room, the sorority girls receive a call from a rambling man. Clairs half-sister Leigh Crosby-Colvin soon arrives searching for her, a suspicious Eve Agnew soon gives Heather Lee Fitzgerald a glass unicorn as a present before leaving the sorority house. The girls in the receive an call from Danas phone. They leave the house to find her, only for Kelli Presley and Melissa Kitt to discover blood splatters under the house where Dana died, while Heather and Leigh find Eve decapitated in her car. Heather and housemother Barbara MacHenry immediately flee, but Heather is subsequently killed while inside the car, the killer then sneaks into a passed out drunk Lauren Hannons room and gouges her eyes out. Kelli and Leigh then find Laurens eyeless corpse in bed, kellis boyfriend Kyle Autry then arrives, claiming he is not the killer. The killer is revealed to be Agnes, now an adult, Billy, revealed to be a second killer, also makes his way into the attic and both killers close in on Kelli and Leigh, starting a fire. Kelli and Leigh manage to escape and leave Billy and Agnes to burn in the fire, later, Kelli and Leigh recover at the hospital
31.
Those Who Kill (U.S. TV series)
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Those Who Kill is an American crime drama television series developed by Glen Morgan. The series originally premiered on the American cable television network A&E on March 3,2014, and was re-launched on its sister network and it is based on the Danish television series Den som dræber. The show was shot on location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 18,2014, Morgan announced the show had been cancelled after only ten episodes. Chloë Sevigny as Detective Catherine Jensen James DArcy as Dr. S, version of the Danish series, Those Who Kill. In April 2013, A&E announced that it had greenlit a 10-episode first season of the series, drawn to the region due to state tax credits, filming lasted from September to December 2013. Those Who Kill received mixed reviews and it received 54/100 score from 22 reviews at Metacritic. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that seven out of 24 critics gave the series a rotten rating, the sites consensus is, In spite of its suspenseful premise and an effective performance by Chloë Sevigny, Those Who Kill is bogged down by monotonous plots and senseless violence. The series debuted on March 3,2014, with 1.4 million total viewers, A&E then pulled the drama from its schedule, with plans to relaunch it in a new time slot. Instead, the series was shifted to A&Es sister network, the Lifetime Movie Network, official website Those Who Kill at the Internet Movie Database
32.
The D.A. (1971 TV series)
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The D. A. is an American half-hour legal drama that aired Fridays at 8, 00-8,30 pm on NBC for the 1971-72 season. It ran from September 17,1971 to January 7,1972 and was replaced by the more successful Sanford and Son the following week. The D. A. starred Robert Conrad as Deputy District Attorney Paul Ryan and he prosecuted all types of cases under the watchful eye of his supervisor, Chief Deputy District Attorney H. M. Staff Stafford. His opponent was usually Public Defender Katherine Benson. A and this program, however, is probably less known for its own storylines than for its lack of station clearances. Several NBC affiliates refused to air the program, choosing instead to take the period for themselves. Because of the defections, NBC cancelled The D. A. in mid-season and replaced it the following week with the highly successful Sanford. Robert Forward produced the show, which was spun off from two TV-movies produced by Webbs production company, Mark VII Ltd, murder One from 1969 and Conspiracy to Kill from 1971, both of which fictionalized cases prosecuted by Vincent Bugliosi, world-famous as the prosecutor of Charles Manson. Bugliosi served as advisor on both of the pilot films. In his account of the Manson prosecution, Helter Skelter, Bugliosi stated that Conrad modeled the Ryan character on Bugliosi, a two-part cross-over episode began on another Webb show, Adam-12, in which officers Malloy and Reed made an arrest. In the follow-up episode from The D. A. Ryan handled the eventual prosecution, co-star Morgan also accompanied Webbs Joe Friday character on the 1967-70 version of Dragnet as Officer Bill Gannon, during the next two seasons, he appeared on Mark VIIs Hec Ramsey. The D. A. was not the first broadcast network series to use the format, Arrest, four episodes of the series were combined into a feature-length TV-movie called Confessions of the DA Man. The People vs. Saydo was used as the basic plot, the film first aired January 20,1978 as a CBS Late Movie
33.
Chase (1973 TV series)
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Chase is an American crime drama television series that aired on the NBC network from September 11,1973 to August 28,1974. For the first fourteen episodes, Reddick, an LAPD captain, was accompanied by K-9 Sergeant Sam MacCray and three young officers, Steve Baker, Norm Hamilton, and Fred Sing. In January 1974, Webb and Universal dropped all the regulars except Ryan and Maunder in favor of a new group of officers, Frank Dawson, Ed Rice, and Tom Wilson. Never seen, but appearing in every episode was actual LAPD dispatcher Shaaron Claridge, NBC first scheduled the show on Tuesdays at 8 p. m. Eastern, opposite CBS hit series Maude and Hawaii Five-O. At about the time as the casting change, the network moved Chase to Wednesday nights at 8 p. m. against the Sonny. Despite the declining appeal and ratings of the latter, Chase did no better there, cannell would re-use the format of a team of specialists in The A-Team, co-created with Frank Lupo a decade later. Robert A. Cinader, who also supervised Mark VIIs Adam-12, Chase Reddick Craig Gardner. Tom Wilson Brian Fong. Off. Sam MacCray Albert Reed. Frank Dawson Gary Crosby. Ed Rice Reid Smith. Off, Norm Hamilton Shaaron Claridge Michael Richardson. Off. Steve Baker Total Television, A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present, Alex McNeil, New York, Penguin, ISBN 0-140-15736-0 Chase at the Internet Movie Database Chase at epguides. com
34.
Toma (TV series)
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Toma is an American crime drama series that ran on ABC in 1973 and 1974. The series stars Tony Musante and Susan Strasberg and was based on the story and published biography of Newark, New Jersey. Toma had compiled an amazing arrest record during his years on the force and his boss, Inspector Spooner, was played by Simon Oakland. The show ended production after one season, as Musante had only agreed to one full season. The network and show runners had initially assumed this to be a negotiating ploy, aside from the circumstances of its conception, Baretta has no on-screen connection with Toma, as the shows have no characters or settings in common. Many of the people on the Toma writing staff would go on to write episodes of The Rockford Files and these writers included Stephen J. Cannell, Roy Huggins, Juanita Bartlett, Zekial Marko, Don Carlos Dunaway, and Gloryette Clark. Series stars Musante, Strasberg and Oakland would also guest star on various episodes of The Rockford Files, * Unknown The series received favorable reviews and blistering criticism for its depictions of criminal and police violence. Although Toma was achieving relatively good ratings, the show was cancelled after one season, a second season was planned, but Tony Musante refused to continue with the show. Musante had told the producers at the outset that he wanted to do one season. Rather than recast the role of Toma, the show was retooled as Baretta starring Robert Blake. Baretta debuted as a replacement on ABC in early 1975. According to interviews on The Greatest American Hero DVD set, a strike during the shooting of Toma is what indirectly led to The Rockford Files. Writer Stephen J. Cannell and his mentor Roy Huggins created the character of Jim Rockford as a way to get around an impossible schedule created by the strike, repeats of Toma aired in the late-1970s during ABC Late Night, and later on USA Networks Crimebusters in 1984-1985. One episode aired on TV Land in 2001, Toma at the Internet Movie Database Roy Huggins American Archive of Television Interview Toma at epguides. com
35.
The Rockford Files
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Garner portrays Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford with Noah Beery, Jr. in the supporting role of his father, a retired truck driver nicknamed Rocky. The show was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell, Huggins created the television show Maverick, which starred Garner, and he wanted to recapture that magic in a modern day detective setting. He teamed with Cannell, who had written for Jack Webb productions such as Adam-12 and Chase, the show was credited as A Public Arts/Roy Huggins Production along with Cherokee Productions in association with Universal Television. Cherokee was owned by Garner, with partners Meta Rosenberg and Juanita Bartlett, the series theme music by composers Mike Post and Pete Carpenter was released as a single and went to No.10 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for 16 weeks. And won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement for 1975, in 2002, The Rockford Files was ranked No.39 on TV Guides 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. Rockford had served time in Californias San Quentin Prison in the 1960s due to a wrongful conviction, after five years, he was pardoned. His infrequent jobs as a private investigator barely allow him to maintain his dilapidated mobile home in a lot on a Malibu. In the television movies from 1994 to 1999, Rockford is living in a trailer that has been enlarged and remodeled. He rarely carries his Colt Detective Special revolver, for which he has no permit and he works on cold cases, missing persons investigations, and low-budget insurance scams, and repeatedly states that he does not handle open cases to avoid trouble with the police. He has been a P. I. since 1968, listed in the opening credits, James Garner as James Jim/Jimmy/Jimbo Scott Rockford Noah Beery, Jr. as Joseph Rocky Rockford, Jims father, a retired truck driver. Joe Santos as Sergeant Dennis Becker, Jims friend on the Los Angeles Police Department and he was promoted to lieutenant in season 5. Frequently recurring cast, Stuart Margolin as Evelyn Angel Martin, Jims former prison friend, Angel is an untrustworthy con artist who constantly gets Jim in trouble, yet Jim remains his friend. Gretchen Corbett as Elizabeth Beth Davenport, Jims lawyer and sometime girlfriend James Luisi as Lieutenant Douglas J. Doug Chapman and he and Jim despise each other. Tom Atkins as Lieutenant Alex / Thomas Diehl, Beckers superior officer who also has a relationship with Rockford. Luis Delgado as Officer Todd / Jack Billings, Rockford helps prove Fitch did not commit the crime for which he was sent to prison. Bo Hopkins as John Coop Cooper, Jims disbarred attorney friend Tom Selleck as Lance White, liked and admired by everyone but Jim, who considers him naive and lucky and likely to cause others to get hurt. Dennis Dugan as Richie Brockelman, a young, idealistic and naive private investigator who seeks Jims help from time to time, bereft of Jims cynicism and physical toughness, this character was spun off for the short-lived Richie Brockelman, Private Eye. Kathryn Harrold as Dr. Megan Dougherty, a blind psychiatrist who hires Jim and their relationship eventually blossoms into a romance
36.
Baretta
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Baretta is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a milder version of a 1973–74 ABC series, Toma, starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like. When Musante left the series after a season, the concept was retooled as Baretta. Like his model David Toma, Tony Baretta wore many disguises on the job, when not in disguise, Baretta usually wore a short-sleeve sweatshirt, casual slacks, a brown suede jacket and a newsboy cap. He often carried an unlit cigarette in his lips or behind his ear and his catchphrases included You can take dat to da bank and And dat‘s the name of dat tune. When exasperated he would speak in asides to his late father. Baretta drove a rusted-out Mist Blue 1966 Chevrolet Impala four-door sport sedan nicknamed The Blue Ghost and he hung out at Ross’s Billiard Academy and referred to his numerous girlfriends as his cousins. The music for the show was done by the Latin influenced rock group El Chicano from Los Angeles, who also released the song as a 45 and also a track on one of their albums. The Baretta theme song by El Chicano was a hit in many countries including Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore, France. Billy Truman, retired cop who used to work with Barettas father Louie at the 53rd Precinct, rooster, a streetwise pimp and Barettas favorite informant. Inspector Shiller and Lieutenant Hal Brubaker, Barettas supervisors, little Moe, a shoeshine man and informant. Mr. Muncie, the owner of a store at 52nd. The theme song, Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow, was written by Dave Grusin and Morgan Ames, initially an instrumental, lyrics were added in later seasons that were sung by Sammy Davis, Jr. Every episode of Baretta began with the song, which contained the motto, the song was released as a single in Europe in 1976, reaching number one in the Dutch Top 40 as Barettas Theme. The music for the song was performed by Los Angeles-based Latin influenced Rock band El Chicano from Los Angeles. El Chicano also released the song as a 45 and also as a track on one of their albums, the Baretta theme song by El Chicano was a huge hit in many countries including Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore, France and The Philippines. After its initial run in syndication beginning in 1979, the series later re-appeared on TV Land in 1999 as part of a package of series licensed from Universal, me-TV aired reruns of Baretta on Saturday afternoons in 2007. On October 29,2002, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the first season of Baretta on Region 1 DVD in the United States and it is unknown if the remaining three seasons will be released
37.
City of Angels (1976 TV series)
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For the 2000 television series starring Blair Underwood, see City of Angels. City of Angels is a 1976 television series created by Stephen J. Cannell and Roy Huggins, American mystery novelist Max Allan Collins has called City of Angels the best private eye series ever. He is aided in his efforts by two friends, his ditzy blonde secretary, Marsha Finch, who also runs a call-girl business on the side. Axminster drives a 1934 ragtop Studebaker and keeps his office in downtown L. A. ’s historic Bradbury Building, for his services, Axminster charges $25 a day plus expenses. Although Brimm describes him as “Mr. Play-It-Safe, ” Axminster regularly places himself in danger by helping friends and his efforts frequently result in his being beaten up. So often does Quint order his thrashing, that Axminster has taken to having nude photographs shot of himself in order to later on how aggressive the cops were in their interrogations. When one client asks him whether his habit keeps him up, Axminster responds, “No, but it helps. ”He appears to be constantly in debt, Axminster “gripes in general about the cost of staying alive. ‘All the angels left this burg about 20 years ago, ’ is his succinct summation of the 1930s. ”Inspired by the 1974 film Chinatown, City of Angels adopted the same view of Depression-era Los Angeles. This series also found its roots in Roy Huggins’ hard-boiled 1946 detective novel, The Double Take, individual installments of this show were based on real-life events. Another episode, The Castle of Dreams, featured a pricey brothel where the prostitutes were movie-star lookalikes and that establishment was based on the historical T&M Studio. During the shows run, Nazism, communism, railroad-riding hoboes, like Banyon, an earlier and similar L. A. -set American series, City of Angels was short-lived. Only 13 hour-long episodes were produced before NBC decided to cancel the program, critics argued that the TV audience did not easily connect with Rogers as a tough, wise-cracking gumshoe. TV Guides Cleveland Amory wrote, Altogether, Mr. Rogers does not seem completely at home in his part, when, in the first episode, a starlet cant afford to pay him, she offers him her rings—and he says hell have them appraised. You arent very subtle, she says and you want subtlety, he says, itll cost 10 bucks a day more. Series co-creator Huggins was said to have thought Rogers had been miscast, meanwhile, Rogers had his own gripes with the series. An associate of his was quoted in TV Guide as saying that Wayne actually tore up Angels scripts while they were shooting on the set and he hated the material they gave him. That article continued, Rogers says, Angels is an example of convoluted, disconnected. The show had share-of-audience figures of 50%, 31% and 29% for the first three episodes—certainly a respectable record for a mid-season replacement and these were fine episodes, written by Steve Cannell, says Rogers
38.
Baa Baa Black Sheep (TV series)
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Baa Baa Black Sheep is a period military television series that aired on NBC from 1976 until 1978. Its premise was based on the experiences of United States Marine Corps aviator Greg Boyington, the series was created and produced by Stephen J. Cannell. The opening credits read, In World War II, Marine Corps Major Greg Pappy Boyington commanded a squadron of fighter pilots and they were a collection of misfits and screwballs who became the terrors of the South Pacific. They were known as the Black Sheep, Greg Pappy Boyington is the commanding officer of VMF-214, a group of fighter pilots based in the Solomon Islands during World War II. Pappy often intercedes in altercations at the base, but everyone seems to pull together when they are assigned missions in the air. The series premise was loosely based on a portion of the real-life military career of Gregory Boyington. Boyington, who was an adviser for the series, commented that this was fiction based on reality. In the documentary film Pappy Boyington Field Robert Conrad shares personal insight about Pappy from their time together during the television series, played by James Whitmore, Jr. 1LT/CAPT Lawrence Larry Casey. Casey was promoted to the rank of Marine Captain in the Season 2 episode The 200 Pound Gorilla, played by John Larroquette 1LT Donald Don French. Hutch is killed off in Season 1, Episode 21 by a strafing run during an attack on Vella La Cava. Lard, modeled on one of the real Boyingtons actual superiors, a highly competent career Marine who has seen action in China, Lard is offended by Boyingtons frequent disregard for regulations and policies, and the two men rarely get along personally. However, Lard sees a lot of promise in Boyington, though he does not admit it, Moore is impressed by Boyingtons initiative in stealing the 214th and then by the results obtained by the Black Sheep, so he keeps Lard in check as much as possible. Moore was promoted brigadier general to major general in the second season episode The 200 Pound Gorilla. Note, the characters only appeared in the premiere episode, Flying Misfits. Imperial Japanese Navy Capt. Tomio Harachi, dixon was killed in action during the season 2 episode Fighting Angels while defending Vella La Cava against an invasion by Japanese forces. Lt. Green is the daughter of Brig. /Maj, general Moore, as established in the season 2 episode Forbidden Fruit. Played by Jake Mitchell, and later by Larry Manetti, the day of the shows debut, The Washington Post called Baa Baa Black Sheep a war-is-swell series at anyone who remembers World War II as a rousing, blowzy, fraternity turkey-shoot. The series was cancelled after 2 seasons, consisting of 36 episodes, One of the squadrons real-life members, Paul Moon Mullen, adapted The Whiffenpoof Song for the squadrons use
39.
Richie Brockelman, Private Eye
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Richie Brockelman, Private Eye was an American detective drama that aired on NBC for five episodes in March and April 1978, with Dennis Dugan in the starring role. The Rockford Files was used to launch the series via character crossover in a 90-minute episode at the end of the 1977-78 season, the hour-long series focused on Richie Brockelman, a 22-year-old, college-educated private investigator with his own agency in Los Angeles, California. Dugan was actually thirty-one when cast in the role, brocklemans main method in solving his cases was B. S. thinking he could talk his way in or out of any situation he was in. Usually there was an involved in the plot that was in some kind of distress. Initially filmed as a pilot for a TV series in 1976 entitled Richie Brockelman, The Missing 24 Hours, Stephen J. Cannell reworked the character into a two-hour episode of The Rockford Files entitled The House On Willis Avenue as the last new episode of the 1977-78 season. Rockford and Brockelman join forces to solve the murder of a veteran PI who taught both of them the ropes and it was followed by a limited run of Richie Brockelman, Private Eye. Brockelman later appeared in Never Send a Boy King to Do a Mans Job, the theme song, Schools Out, was written by Mike Post, Pete Carpenter, Herb Pederson and Stephen Geyer. An extended version of the song from Mike Posts Television Theme Songs appeared on iTunes, the songs performers were credited as Stephen Geyer & Herb Peterson and Mike Post & Pete Carpenter. Dennis Dugan as Richie Brockelman Robert Hogan as Sgt, however, in the end, the ratings were not strong enough for NBC to order a full season of new episodes for the 1978-79 season. NBC was looking for hit shows at the time and Richie Brockelman needed to be scheduled as a follow-up after a strong lead-in, the series was broadcast in England on ITV Anglia television during the summer of 1978. A second two-hour The Rockford Files episode was produced that aired in the spring of 1979 which ended the show, when The Rockford Files went into syndication in the 1980s, the five episodes of “Richie Brockelman” were included as part of the package. Two of the episodes were later re-edited for syndication as a 90-minute Universal TV movie in the 1980s called The Diary of Richie Brockelman, *** Later re-edited into a single 90-minute TV-movie. The House on Willis Avenue When a fellow P. I. is killed on the Ventura freeway, Jim Rockford, show introduced the Richie Brockelman character and used as the spin-off episode for the series. In this episode it is established that Richie Brockleman is 22 years old, Never Send a Boy King to Do a Mans Job Harold Gould plays the part of Mr. Brockelman. The elder Brockelman gets cheated out of his business and his son Richie goes to Rockford to help him run a con on the men who cheated his father, neither the original made-for-TV movie nor the limited series are available on DVD. Brockelmans appearances on The Rockford Files can be found on the Season Four and Season Five sets, Richie Brockelman, Private Eye at the Internet Movie Database Richie Brockelman, Private Eye Intro/Closing (w/theme song on YouTube
40.
Tenspeed and Brown Shoe
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Tenspeed and Brown Shoe is an American detective/comedy series originally broadcast by the ABC network between January and June 1980. The series was created and executive produced by Stephen J. Cannell, the one-hour program revolved around two detectives who had their own detective agency in Los Angeles. E. L. Tenspeed Turner was a hustler who worked as a detective to satisfy his parole requirements and his partner Lionel Brownshoe Whitney was an archetypal accountant, complete with button-down collars and a nagging fiancee, who had always wanted to be a 1940s-style Bogart P. I. He was sharper than he seemed, although a little naïve and more reasonable than his career path demanded and it was heavily promoted by ABC at the time it premiered in late January 1980. The series attracted an audience for its first few episodes, but viewership dropped off substantially after that. Cannell recycled the basic idea of Tenspeed and Brown Shoe in watered-down form as the successful Hardcastle, ben Vereen would later reprise his role as Tenspeed on J. J. Because CBS, who held ownership of the refused to come to an agreement on its use. However, the pilot is included in the German DVD release. Tenspeed and Brown Shoe at the Internet Movie Database Tenspeed and Brown Shoe at TV. com Tenspeed and Brown Shoe at epguides. com Stephen J. Cannells Archive of American Television Interview
