1.
John G. Avildsen
–
John Guilbert Avildsen is an American film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director in 1977 for Rocky. Other films he directed include Joe, Save the Tiger, Fore Play, The Formula, Neighbors, For Keeps, Lean on Me, The Power of One,8 Seconds, Inferno, Rocky V and the first three The Karate Kid films. Avildsen was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of Ivy and he was educated at The Hotchkiss School and New York University. This was followed by critical success, Save the Tiger. Both Joe and Save the Tiger were about losers, but as the 70s ended, avildsens greatest success was Rocky, garnering ten Academy Award nominations and winning three, including Best Picture and Best Director. He later directed what was expected to be the final installment. His other films include Cry Uncle, Neighbors, The Karate Kid, The Karate Kid Part II, The Karate Kid Part III, Lean on Me and 8 Seconds. Avildsen was the director for both Serpico and Saturday Night Fever, but was fired over disputes with producers Martin Bregman and Robert Stigwood. Avildsen has a son named Ash, who founded Sumerian Records. He also has another son, Jonathan Avildsen, who was in the films The Karate Kid Part III, an upcoming documentary on the life, career and films of Avildsen is currently in production. The documentary is a companion to the new book The Films of John G. Avildsen, Rocky, The Karate Kid, turn on to Love Guess What We Learned in School Today. Okay Bill Save the Tiger The Stoolie Fore Play W. W, Avildsen at the Internet Movie Database John Guilbert Avildsen at BFI Film & TV Database
2.
Jerry Weintraub
–
Jerome Charles Jerry Weintraub was an American film producer, talent agent and actor whose television films won him three Emmys. Weintraub has been credited with making show business history by being the first to organize, among the other performers whose tours he managed were Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Four Seasons, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, and Led Zeppelin and The Carpenters. Following his years as a promoter, he began producing films. Among them were director Robert Altmans Nashville, Barry Levinsons Diner, the version of The Karate Kid and its 2010 remake, as well as the remake of Oceans Eleven. Later, Weintraub was executive producer of HBOs series The Brink and HBOs Behind the Candelabra in 2013, in 2014, he won another Emmy as co-producer of Years of Living Dangerously, a television documentary about global warming. In 2011, HBO broadcast a documentary about Weintraubs life. Weintraub was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, and raised in the Bronx and his father was a gem dealer. While growing up, he worked as an usher and as a waiter in the Catskills. After several years at MCA, where he first started work as a clerk, he left. While at MCA, he was assistant to Lew Wasserman, whom he thought of as a father figure, in the 1960s, he co-founded the vocal group The Doodletown Pipers. Weintraub was the manager of singer and actor John Denver whom he signed in 1970, Weintraub first saw Denver performing at a small club in Greenwich Village and liked his easy, mountaineers manner. Weintraub produced a television music specials starring Denver, winning an Emmy for one of them. Later, he produced the film Oh, God, after Denver became a major success as a singer, he bought Weintraub a Rolls-Royce as a thank-you gift. Weintraub said, I couldnt help thinking that it wasnt too long ago that neither of us had bus fare, Denver and Weintraubs professional relationship ended acrimoniously, however. In 1970 Weintraub convinced Elvis Presley and his manager, Col. Tom Parker, to do his first national tour, something they had not considered, the tour, with a modern sound system created for it, helped develop Weintraubs career as a concert promoter. He next promoted a tour for Frank Sinatra in 1974, whom Weintraub first put in Madison Square Gardens boxing arena, for the previous six years, Sinatra had basically retired due to the failure of his last album. Weintraub convinced him to do a tour, which led to Sinatras transformation from saloon singer to stadium singer, when Frank came out of retirement and started doing stadiums, he didnt know if he would draw, recalled guitarist Al Viola. Weintraub deserves most of the credit for pulling this off, says Friedwald, Bob Dylan signed with Weintraub in 1978 after watching a Neil Diamond concert in Las Vegas, knowing that Weintraub managed the impressive event
3.
Ralph Macchio
–
He is also known to American television audiences for his recurring role as Jeremy Andretti in the fifth season of the television comedy-drama Eight Is Enough. He also appeared on the television comedy Ugly Betty in the role of Archie. He competed on the season of Dancing with the Stars. Macchio also appeared twice on the show Psych, Macchio was born in Huntington, New York. He is the son of Rosalie and Ralph Macchio, Sr. who owned a ranch and his father is of half Greek and half Italian descent, and his mother is of Italian ancestry. In a 1980 screen test, Macchio stated his family is from Naples, Macchio first appeared on American television commercials for products such as Bubble Yum and Dr Pepper. His on-screen debut was in the 1980 film Up the Academy, in 1984, Macchio became known internationally following the release of the first Karate Kid film. Playing high school senior Daniel LaRusso, Macchio was actually in his twenties when the film was made. He continued this success with the sequels, The Karate Kid Part II. In the mid-1980s, Macchios face began appearing on the covers of many teen magazines such as Tiger Beat,16. Macchio appeared in the 1986 film Crossroads, portraying music student Eugene Martone, in 1992, he starred opposite Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in the hit comedy My Cousin Vinny, playing William Gambini, who was wrongly accused of murder while passing through a small Alabama town. It was the first significant adult role of his career, referring to his performance as a chorister in a high school production of the same musical, Macchio said, I was known as the Dancing Kid, not that I was all that great. But I had been dancing since the age of three, taking lessons at the June Claire School of Dance in Babylon, Long Island. Since the mid-1990s, Macchios film appearances have been occasional cameo or supporting roles, notably and recently A Good Night to Die, in 2005 Macchio played himself in the HBO series, Entourage. On May 1,2007, Macchio played himself in an episode of the Starz series, in 2008, he appeared in a VitaminWater commercial that featured NASCAR driver Carl Edwards. Macchio was depicted as Edwards spiritual advisor and dressed in his Karate Kid clothes, as of November 2008, Macchio was ranked No.80 among VH1s 100 Greatest Teen Stars. During the video Macchio reacts to seeing a poster for the 2010 Karate Kid remake, a recurring joke in the sketch is that Macchio is confused for an adolescent. The short was lauded by TV Guides Bruce Fretts, who referred to the video as sidesplitting, on September 20,2010, Macchio played the adult Carl Morelli in a staged reading of the Charles Messina play A Room of My Own presented by the Bleecker Street Theater Company
4.
Pat Morita
–
Additional notable roles include the Emperor of China in the Disney animated film Mulan and Ah Chew in Sanford and Son. Morita was the lead actor in the 1976 television program Mr. T and Tina, regarded as the first American sitcom centered on a person of Asian descent, and Ohara. Both made history for being some of the few TV shows to this day with an Asian American series lead, both television shows were aired on ABC, but they were both short-lived. Morita was born in Isleton, California, Moritas father Tamaru, born in 1897, had emigrated to California from Kumamoto Prefecture on the Japanese island of Kyushu in 1915. Tamarus wife Momoe, born in 1903, had emigrated to California in 1913, Noriyuki, as Pat was named, had a brother named Hideo who was twelve years older. Morita developed spinal tuberculosis at the age of two and spent the bulk of the nine years in Northern Californian hospitals, including the Shriners Hospital in San Francisco. For long periods he was wrapped in a full-body cast and was told he would never walk and it was during his time at a sanitarium near Sacramento that he was given his stage name, Pat. After about a year and a half, he was transferred to the Tule Lake War Relocation Center, for a time after the war, the family operated Ariake Chop Suey, a restaurant in Sacramento, California. Morita would entertain customers with jokes and serve as master of ceremonies for group dinners, Moritas first movie role was as a stereotypical henchman in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Followed by The Shakiest Gun In The West starring Don Knotts in yet another role in 1968. Later, a role as South Korean Army Captain Sam Pak on the sitcom M*A*S*H helped advance the comedians acting career. He also was cast as Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka in the 1976 war film Midway and he had a recurring role on the show Happy Days as Matsuo Arnold Takahashi, owner of the diner Arnolds for the shows third season and again in the tenth season. After the seasons end, he left the show to star as inventor Taro Takahashi in his own show Mr. T and Tina, the sitcom was placed on Saturday nights by ABC and was quickly canceled after a month in the fall of 1976. Morita revived the character of Arnold on Blanskys Beauties in 1977, Morita had another notable recurring television role on Sanford and Son as Ah Chew, a good-natured friend of Lamont Sanford, from 1974 to 1976. Morita gained robust fame playing wise karate teacher Keisuke Miyagi, who taught young Daniel-san the art of karate in The Karate Kid, though never a student of karate, he learned all that was required for the films. Although he had been using the name Pat for years, producer Jerry Weintraub suggested that he be billed with his name to sound more ethnic. Morita put this advice into practice and was recognized as Noriyuki Pat Morita at the 57th Academy Awards ceremony, Morita went on to play Tommy Tanaka in the Kirk Douglas-starring television movie Amos, receiving his first Emmy nomination and second Golden Globe nomination for the role. He then starred in the ABC detective show Ohara that aired in 1987 and he then wrote and starred in the World War II romance film Captive Hearts
5.
Elisabeth Shue
–
She has won several acting awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. She starred as Julie Finlay in the CBS police drama CSI and her mother was a vice president in the private banking division of the Chemical Banking Corporation Shue grew up in South Orange, New Jersey. Her parents divorced when she was nine, shues mother is a descendant of Pilgrim leader William Brewster, while her fathers family emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in the early 19th century. Shue was raised with her three brothers and was close to them. Her younger brother, Andrew, is also an actor, best known for his role as Billy Campbell in the Fox series Melrose Place. Shue graduated from Columbia High School, in Maplewood, New Jersey and she has two half-siblings from her fathers remarriage, Jenna and Harvey Shue. Shue attended Wellesley College and, in her year, was inspired by a friend to work in television commercials as a way to pay for college. She transferred to Harvard University in 1985, from which she withdrew to pursue her career one semester short of earning her degree. The same year she left Harvard,1988, her brother, William. She returned to Harvard in 1997 and completed her BA in political science in 2000, during her studies at Columbia High School and after her parents divorce, Shue acted in television commercials. Shue became a sight in ads for Burger King, DeBeers diamonds. Shue made her film debut in 1984, when she co-starred opposite Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid as the love interest of Macchios character. Shue had a role as the daughter of a military family in the short-lived series Call to Glory and, in 1986. She continued with Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail as the love interest of Tom Cruises character, in 1989 she starred as Dr. Cythnia Lair in the 1989 Film Body Wars which was used at Epcot in an ATLAS Simulator attraction in the Wonders Of Life Pavilion until 2007. In May 1990, Shue made her Broadway debut in Some American Abroad at the Lincoln Center, also on Broadway, in 1993, she performed in Tina Howes production of Birth and After Birth. Also in 1993, she played Robert Downey Jr. s girlfriend in the romantic comedy Heart, although often cast as a girl-next-door type, Shue starred as a prostitute in the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas with Nicolas Cage. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and her career flourished after her Oscar nomination, landing her diverse roles. She starred in The Trigger Effect in 1996, Woody Allens Deconstructing Harry showcased her comedic abilities amongst heavyweight co-stars Billy Crystal, Demi Moore, Robin Williams and Stanley Tucci
6.
Bill Conti
–
He also received nominations in the Best Original Song category for Gonna Fly Now from Rocky and for the title song of For Your Eyes Only. He has served as director at the Academy Awards a record nineteen times. Conti, an Italian American, was born in Providence, Rhode Island and he graduated from North Miami High School in 1959. He is a past winner of the Silver Knight Award presented by the Miami Herald and he is a graduate of Louisiana State University, and also studied at the Juilliard School of Music. His big break into celebrity came in 1976, when he was hired to compose the music for a small United Artists film called Rocky. Contis training montage tune, Gonna Fly Now, topped the Billboard singles chart in 1977, the film won three Oscars at the 49th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The same ceremony was also the first time Conti served as director for the Academy Awards. Conti also composed music for the sequels Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky V, Conti also worked for some other films and, eventually, for television series. In 1983, he composed the score for HBOs first film, Conti composed music for the films Bad Boys and Mass Appeal. Then in 1984, he received an Academy Award for composing the score to 1983s The Right Stuff followed by composing music for the TV series North and South in 1985. He also composed the score for The Karate Kid as well as the Masters of the Universe live action movie, another Conti score was the 1987 film Happy New Year. In 1991, he composed the score for Necessary Roughness, a football movie starring Scott Bakula, Sinbad. In 1993, he composed and wrote the music for The Adventures of Huck Finn starring Elijah Wood and he also composed the classic themes to televisions Dynasty, The Colbys, Falcon Crest and its pilot score, and Cagney & Lacey. In addition he composed the score to the studio altered American version of Luc Bessons The Big Blue, two of Contis previously composed works were re-used for the show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. These were the love theme Come With Me Now from the soundtrack for Five Days From Home, Conti has been nominated for three Academy Awards, winning one in the Best Original Score category for The Right Stuff. He also received nominations in the Best Original Song category for Gonna Fly Now from Rocky and for the title song of For Your Eyes Only. He has received three Golden Globe nominations, two for Best Original Score for Rocky and An Unmarried Woman, and one for Best Original Song for the song of For Your Eyes Only. Conti has also received thirteen Emmy nominations, all but one of which are for his role as director at the Academy Awards
7.
Columbia Pictures
–
The studio was founded in 1918 as Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales by brothers Jack and Harry Cohn and Jacks best friend Joe Brandt, released its first feature film in August 1922. It adopted the Columbia Pictures name in 1924, and went public two years later and its name is derived from Columbia, a national personification of the United States, which is used as the studios logo. In its early years, it was a player in Hollywood. With Capra and others, Columbia became one of the homes of the screwball comedy. In the 1930s, Columbias major contract stars were Jean Arthur, in the 1940s, Rita Hayworth became the studios premier star and propelled their fortunes into the late 1950s. Rosalind Russell, Glenn Ford, and William Holden also became major stars at the studio, in 1982, the studio was purchased by The Coca-Cola Company, and launched TriStar Pictures as a joint venture with HBO and CBS. Five years later, Coca-Cola spun off Columbia, which was sold to Tri-Star, after a brief period of independence with Coca-Cola maintaining a financial interest, the combined studio was acquired by Sony in 1989. It is one of the film studios in the world. It was one of the so-called Little Three among the eight major film studios of Hollywoods Golden Age, Brandt was president of CBC Film Sales, handling sales, marketing and distribution from New York along with Jack Cohn, while Harry Cohn ran production in Hollywood. The studios early productions were short subjects, Screen Snapshots, the Hall Room Boys. The start-up CBC leased space in a Poverty Row studio on Hollywoods famously low-rent Gower Street, among Hollywoods elite, the studios small-time reputation led some to joke that CBC stood for Corned Beef and Cabbage. Brandt eventually tired of dealing with the Cohn brothers, and sold his stake to Harry Cohn. In an effort to improve its image, the Cohn brothers renamed the company Columbia Pictures Corporation on January 10,1924, Cohn remained head of production as well, thus concentrating enormous power in his hands. He would run Columbia for the next 34 years, the second-longest tenure of any studio chief, even in an industry rife with nepotism, Columbia was particularly notorious for having a number of Harry and Jacks relatives in high positions. Humorist Robert Benchley called it the Pine Tree Studio, because it has so many Cohns, Columbias product line consisted mostly of moderately budgeted features and short subjects including comedies, sports films, various serials, and cartoons. Columbia gradually moved into the production of higher-budget fare, eventually joining the tier of Hollywood studios along with United Artists. Like United Artists and Universal, Columbia was an integrated company. It controlled production and distribution, it did not own any theaters, helping Columbias climb was the arrival of an ambitious director, Frank Capra
8.
Martial arts film
–
Martial arts film is a film genre. A subgenre of the film, martial arts films contain numerous martial arts fights between characters. They are usually the primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expression. Martial arts are frequently featured in training scenes and other sequences in addition to fights, martial arts films commonly include other types of action, such as hand-to-hand combats, stuntwork, chases, and gunfights. Films of the type are generally considered to be artistically superior films. One of the earliest Hollywood movies to employ the use of arts was the 1955 film Bad Day at Black Rock. Martial arts films contain many characters who are artists. Trampolines and springboards can also be used to increase the height of jumps and these techniques are sometimes used by real martial artists as well, depending on the style of action in the film. These films were widely broadcast on North American television on weekend timeslots that were often known as Kung Fu Theater, Black Belt Theater. Inclusive in this list of films are classics like The Big Boss, Drunken Master. Other notable figures in the genre include Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, sonny Chiba has appeared with karate and jidaigeki from Japan of the 1970s. Hollywood has also participated in the genre with actors such as Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Brandon Lee, Wesley Snipes, Gary Daniels, Mark Dacascos, and Jason Statham. In the 2000s, Thailands film industry became a force in the genre with the films of Tony Jaa. In more recent years, the Indonesian film industry has offered Merantau and The Raid, women have also played key roles in the genre, including such actresses as Michelle Yeoh, Angela Mao, and Cynthia Rothrock. Kung fu films are a significant movie genre in themselves, like westerns for Americans, they have become an identity of Chinese cinema. As the most prestigious movie type in Chinese film history, kung fu movies were among the first Chinese films produced, the wuxia period films came into vogue due to the thousands of years popularity of wuxia novels. For example, the novels of Jin Yong and Gu Long directly led to the prevalence of wuxia period films. In the Chinese-speaking world, martial arts films are divided into two subcategories, the wuxia period films, and the more modern Kung fu films
9.
Rocky
–
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. Rocky starts out as a club fighter, and later gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship. The film also stars Talia Shire as Adrian, Burt Young as Adrians brother Paulie, Burgess Meredith as Rockys trainer Mickey Goldmill, the film received many positive reviews and turned Stallone into a major star. In 2006, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. Rocky is considered to be one of the greatest sports films ever made and was ranked as the second-best in the genre, after Raging Bull, the film has spawned six sequels, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, Rocky Balboa, and Creed. Stallone portrays Rocky in all six sequels, wrote the first five, in late 1975, the heavyweight boxing world champion, Apollo Creed, announces plans to hold a title bout in Philadelphia during the upcoming United States Bicentennial. However, he is informed five weeks from the date that his scheduled opponent is unable to compete due to an injured hand. With all other potential replacements booked up or otherwise unavailable, Creed decides to spice things up by giving a local contender a chance to face him. He settles on Rocky Balboa, a failed Southpaw boxer from an Italian neighborhood of Philadelphia, Rocky meets with promoter Miles Jergens, presuming Creed is seeking local sparring partners. Rocky reluctantly agrees to the match, which will pay him $150,000, at the same time, Rocky begins a relationship with Adrian, a clerk at the local pet store. He gradually gains the shy Adrians trust, culminating in a kiss and her alcoholic brother Paulie becomes jealous of Rockys success, but Rocky calms him by agreeing to advertise his meatpacking business at the fight. The night before the match, Rocky starts to lose confidence after touring the arena and he confesses to Adrian that he does not expect to win, but is content to go the distance against Creed and prove himself to everyone. On New Years Day, the boxing match begins, with Creed making a dramatic entrance dressed as George Washington. Taking advantage of his overconfidence, Rocky knocks him down in the first round—the first time that Creed has ever knocked down. Humiliated, Creed takes Rocky more seriously for the rest of the fight, as the match progresses, Creeds superior skill is countered by Rockys apparently unlimited ability to absorb punches, and his dogged refusal to be knocked out. As the final round bell sounds, with both locked in each others arms, they promise to each other that there will be no rematch. As Jergens declares Creed the winner by virtue of a decision, Adrian and Rocky embrace and profess their love to each other. Wepner was TKOd in the 15th round of the match by Ali, despite the fact that the match motivated Stallone to begin work on Rocky, he has subsequently denied that Wepner provided any inspiration for the script
10.
Karate
–
Karate is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the martial arts of Ryukyu Islands under the influence of Chinese martial arts. Karate is now predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open-hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands, historically, and in some modern styles, grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints, and vital-point strikes are also taught. A karate practitioner is called a karateka, Karate developed on the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was brought to the Japanese mainland in the early 20th century during a time of cultural exchanges between the Japanese and the Chinese and it was systematically taught in Japan after the Taishō era. In 1922 the Japanese Ministry of Education invited Gichin Funakoshi to Tokyo to give a karate demonstration, in 1924 Keio University established the first university karate club in mainland Japan and by 1932, major Japanese universities had karate clubs. After World War II, Okinawa became an important United States military site and karate became popular among servicemen stationed there, Karate schools began appearing across the world, catering to those with casual interest as well as those seeking a deeper study of the art. Shigeru Egami, Chief Instructor of Shotokan Dojo, opined that the majority of followers of karate in overseas countries pursue karate only for its fighting techniques, depict karate as a mysterious way of fighting capable of causing death or injury with a single blow. The mass media present a pseudo art far from the real thing, shōshin Nagamine said, Karate may be considered as the conflict within oneself or as a life-long marathon which can be won only through self-discipline, hard training and ones own creative efforts. On September 28,2015, karate was featured on a shortlist along with baseball, softball, skateboarding, surfing, on June 1,2016, the International Olympic Committees executive board announced they were supporting the inclusion of all five sports for inclusion in the 2020 Games. Web Japan claims there are 50 million karate practitioners worldwide, while the World Karate Federation claims there are 100 million practitioners around the world, Karate began as a common fighting system known as te among the Pechin class of the Ryukyuans. There were few formal styles of te, but rather many practitioners with their own methods, one surviving example is the Motobu-ryū school passed down from the Motobu family by Seikichi Uehara. Early styles of karate are often generalized as Shuri-te, Naha-te, each area and its teachers had particular kata, techniques, and principles that distinguished their local version of te from the others. Members of the Okinawan upper classes were sent to China regularly to various political and practical disciplines. The incorporation of empty-handed Chinese Kung Fu into Okinawan martial arts occurred partly because of these exchanges, Traditional karate kata bear a strong resemblance to the forms found in Fujian martial arts such as Fujian White Crane, Five Ancestors, and Gangrou-quan. Many Okinawan weapons such as the sai, tonfa, and nunchaku may have originated in, Sakukawa Kanga had studied pugilism and staff fighting in China. In 1806 he started teaching an art in the city of Shuri that he called Tudi Sakukawa. This was the first known recorded reference to the art of Tudi, around the 1820s Sakukawas most significant student Matsumura Sōkon taught a synthesis of te and Shaolin styles
11.
Box office
–
A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is used, especially in the context of the film industry, as a synonym for the amount of business a particular production, such as a film or theatre show. Box office business can be measured in terms of the number of tickets sold or the amount of money raised by ticket sales, the projection and analysis of these earnings is very important for the creative industries and often a source of interest for fans. This is predominant in the Hollywood movie industry, the term is attested since 1786, presumably from sales of boxes. The sense of total sales is attested from 1904, however, first attestation is about 200 years later, making this highly unlikely. Some complain that film industry focus on profit has diminished the attention given to film as an art form, however, analysis of the financial success of films is very influential for the production and funding of future works. In December 2009, with its acquisition of Nielsen EDI for $15 million, measurement company Rentrak became the provider of worldwide box office ticket sales revenue. There are numerous websites that monitor box-office receipts, such as Boxoffice, Box Office India, Box Office Mojo, Koimoi, ShowBIZ Data, for a list of films which are major box-office hits, see List of highest-grossing films. Films that are considered to have been unsuccessful at the box office are called box office bombs or box office flops. For a list of films, see List of box office bombs. To determine if a movie made a profit, it is not correct to directly compare the box office gross with the production budget, the split varies from movie to movie, and the percentage for the distributor is generally higher in early weeks. Usually the distributor gets a percentage of the revenue after first deducting a house allowance or house nut and it is also common that the distributor gets either a percentage of the gross revenue, or a higher percentage of the revenue after deducting the nut, whichever is larger. The following is film industry specific terminology as defined by Box Office Mojo, for films released in North America, box office figures are usually divided between domestic, meaning the United States and Canada, and foreign which includes all other countries. Weekly box office figures are taken to be from Friday through Thursday to allow for the fact that most films are released on a Friday, a large component of this is the weekend box office, defined as the box office receipts from Friday through Sunday. In particular, the box office for the initial week of release. Theaters is the number of theaters in which the movie is showing, since a single theater may show a movie on multiple screens, the total number of screens is used as another measure. The theaters measure is used to determine whether a film is in wide release, meaning at least 600 theaters, occasionally, a film may achieve wide release after an initial limited release, Little Miss Sunshine is an example of this
12.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
–
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered a performance in a supporting role while working within the film industry. At the 9th Academy Awards ceremony held in 1937, Walter Brennan was the first winner of award for his role in Come. Initially, winners in both supporting acting categories were awarded instead of statuettes. Beginning with the 16th ceremony held in 1944, however, winners received full-sized statuettes, currently, nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the actors branch of AMPAS, winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy. Since its inception, the award has given to 72 actors. Brennan has received the most awards in this category with three awards, Brennan, Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Arthur Kennedy, Jack Nicholson, and Claude Rains were nominated on four occasions, more than any other actor. As of the 2017 ceremony, Mahershala Ali is the most recent winner in category for his role as Juan in Moonlight. In the following table, the years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of release in Los Angeles County. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, University of Toronto Press, ISBN 978-1-55002-574-3. org The Academy Awards Database Oscar. com Complete Downloadable List of Academy Award Nominees
13.
Newark, New Jersey
–
Newark is the most populous city in the U. S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County. For 2015, the Census Bureaus Population Estimates Program calculated a population of 281,944, Newark is the second largest city in the New York metropolitan area, located approximately 8 miles west of lower Manhattan. Settled in 1666 by Puritans from New Haven Colony, Newark is one of the oldest European cities in the United States and its location at the mouth of the Passaic River, has made the citys waterfront an integral part of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Today, Port Newark-Elizabeth is the container shipping terminal of the busiest seaport on the American East Coast. In addition, Newark Liberty International Airport was the first municipal airport in the United States. Several leading companies have their headquarters in Newark, including Prudential, PSEG, Panasonic Corporation of North America, Audible. com, IDT Corporation, the U. S. District Court for the District of New Jersey sits in the city as well. Local cultural venues include the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark Symphony Hall, The Prudential Center and the Newark Museum. Newark is divided into five wards, the East, West, South, North and Central wards. Newarks Branch Brook Park is the oldest county park in the United States and is home to the nations largest collection of cherry blossom trees, Newark was settled in 1666 by Connecticut Puritans led by Robert Treat from the New Haven Colony. It was conceived as an assembly of the faithful, though this did not last for long as new settlers came with different ideas. On October 31,1693 it was organized as a New Jersey township based on the Newark Tract, Newark was granted a Royal charter on April 27,1713. It was incorporated on February 21,1798 by the New Jersey Legislatures Township Act of 1798, during its time as a township, portions were taken to form Springfield Township, Caldwell Township, Orange Township, Bloomfield Township and Clinton Township. Newark was reincorporated as a city on April 11,1836, replacing Newark Township, the previously independent Vailsburg borough was annexed by Newark on January 1,1905. In 1926, South Orange Township changed its name to Maplewood, as a result of this, a portion of Maplewood known as Ivy Hill was re-annexed to Newarks Vailsburg. During the American Revolutionary War British troops made several raids into the town, the city has experienced revitalization since the 1990s. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had an area of 26.107 square miles. It has the third-smallest land area among the 100 most populous cities in the U. S. behind neighboring Jersey City and Hialeah, the citys altitude ranges from 0 in the east to approximately 230 feet above sea level in the western section of the city. Newark is essentially a large basin sloping towards the Passaic River, historically, Newarks high places have been its wealthier neighborhoods
14.
Reseda, Los Angeles
–
Reseda /rəˈsiːdə/ is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1912, and its business district started in 1915. The neighborhood was devoted to agriculture for many years, earthquakes struck the area in 1971 and 1994. The neighborhood has fifteen public and five private schools, the community includes public parks, a senior center and a regional branch library. Parts of Reseda have been used in motion picture and television productions. The area now known as Reseda, like much of Los Angeles County, on land that was originally part of the San Fernando Mission, Reseda originated in 1912 as the town of Marian. It was named after Marian Otis Chandler, the daughter of the Los Angeles Times publisher, Harrison Gray Otis, the name Reseda itself refers to the fragrant plant Reseda odorata which was commonly found in gardens of the time and is native to many areas with a Mediterranean climate. The geographic name Reseda was first used for a siding on a branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad, later, it was used as the name of a stop on the Pacific Electric interurban railway running along Sherman Way. Throughout this time the name of Marian remained, then in 1921, when a Fourth Class Post Office was found to be necessary. As the Zelzah Tribune reported, The Marian territory has made application for a post office to serve that district. Mrs. Turner, we are told, who has taken an active interest in the canvass and to create a sentiment for post office advantages, ninety-two residents convened and agreed to rename the town Reseda. The central business district began in 1915, at what is now the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Sherman Way, soon a blacksmith shop and an auto repair garage were built nearby. Within a short time, these were followed by a grocery store, there were no sidewalks or pavement yet, most were beginning to be added during the 1918 to early 1920s time period. On the southwest corner of Sherman Way a wooden building housed the volunteer Fire Department until 1922, the wooden building, housing the Fire Department, was then moved to the southeast side of Sherman Way, where it remained until 1933. In May 1929, the citys namesake roadway, Reseda Avenue, was renamed Reseda Boulevard by a Los Angeles City ordinance, parts of the original 1920s and 1930s residential neighborhood remain and are found to the southwest of Sherman Way and Reseda Boulevard. The stock market crash of 1929 and subsequent Great Depression further slowed expansion, the Southern Pacific Railroad trains came up the middle of Sherman Way to pick up freight cars of lettuce on a daily basis during the lettuce harvest season. Around that time, manufacturing roof tile, canning poultry products, Reseda remained primarily an agricultural community with a population of 1,805 in 1930. However, by 1940 the population had increased to 4,147 residents, the mid to later 1940s saw a large increase in the numbers of single-family dwellings in Reseda and the loss of numerous acres of agriculture, and the addition of First Class Postal Service
15.
California
–
California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. Located on the western coast of the U. S, California is bordered by the other U. S. states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California. Los Angeles is Californias most populous city, and the second largest after New York City. The Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nations second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, California also has the nations most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The Central Valley, an agricultural area, dominates the states center. What is now California was first settled by various Native American tribes before being explored by a number of European expeditions during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish Empire then claimed it as part of Alta California in their New Spain colony. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821 following its war for independence. The western portion of Alta California then was organized as the State of California, the California Gold Rush starting in 1848 led to dramatic social and demographic changes, with large-scale emigration from the east and abroad with an accompanying economic boom. If it were a country, California would be the 6th largest economy in the world, fifty-eight percent of the states economy is centered on finance, government, real estate services, technology, and professional, scientific and technical business services. Although it accounts for only 1.5 percent of the states economy, the story of Calafia is recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián, written as a sequel to Amadis de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Calafia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts. This conventional wisdom that California was an island, with maps drawn to reflect this belief, shortened forms of the states name include CA, Cal. Calif. and US-CA. Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, various estimates of the native population range from 100,000 to 300,000. The Indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct groups of Native Americans, ranging from large, settled populations living on the coast to groups in the interior. California groups also were diverse in their organization with bands, tribes, villages. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups, the first European effort to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River was a Spanish sailing expedition, led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in 1542. Some 37 years later English explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed a portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila galleons on their trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565
16.
Ryukyuan people
–
The Ryukyuan, Lewchewan, Uchinaachu are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kyushu and Taiwan. Politically, they live in either Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture and their languages make up the Ryukyuan language family, considered to be one of the two branches of the Japonic language family, the other one being Japanese and its dialects. Ryukyuans are not a minority group in Japan as the Japanese authorities consider them just a subgroup of the Japanese people, akin to the Yamato. Although unrecognized, Ryukyuans constitute the largest ethnolinguistic minority group in Japan, another 300,000 are dispersed outside Japan, mostly in Hawaii. The Ryukyuans have a culture with some matriarchal elements, native religion. China renounced its claims to the islands in 1895, during this period, Okinawan ethnic identity, tradition, culture and language were suppressed by the Meiji government, which sought to assimilate the Ryukyuan people as Japanese. After World War II, the Ryūkyū Islands were occupied by the United States between 1945–1950 and 1950–1972, during this time, there were many violations of human rights. Since the end of World War II, there exists strong resentment against the Japanese government and U. S. military facilities stationed in Okinawa and their usual ethnic name derives from the Chinese term for the islands Liuqiu, which in Japanese language are pronounced as Ryukyu. The indigenous term for the archipelago is Uchinaa, people Uchinaachu and these terms are rarely used, and are politicized markers of a distinct culture. Within the Japanese population the Ryukyu make a separate and one of the two genome-wide clusters along the main-island Honshu, the Jomon ancestry is estimated at approximately 28% or 50-60%, depending to various studies. Thus, the Okinawans appear to be the Japanese who are genetically closest to the Ainu from the Ainu viewpoint, however, the analysis contradict the idea of direct genetic continuity and affinity between the Jomon i. e. The genome-wide differentiation was revealed, especially between the Okinawa and Miyako, the Amami Islanders are also slightly more similar to the mainland population than the Okinawa Islanders. The female mtDNA and male Y chromosome markers are used to human migrations. The research on the contemporary Okinawan male Y chromosome showed, in 2006,55. 6% of haplogroup D-P37.1,22. 2% O-P31,15. 6% O-M122,4. 4% C-M8 and it is considered that the Y haplogroups expanded in a demic diffusion. The haplogroup O began its expansion circa 4, 000-3,810 years ago, and thus the haplogroups D1b and C1 belong to the Jomons male lineage, haplogroup M12 is considered as mitochondrial counterpart of Y chromosome D lineage. This rare haplogroup was detected only in mainland Japanese, Koreans, the Ryukyu Islands were inhabited from at least 32, 000-18,000 years ago, but their fate and relation with contemporary Ryukyuan people is uncertain. During the Jōmon period i. e. Kaizuka or so-called shell midden period of the Northern Ryukyus, in the latter part of Jōmon period, archaeological sites moved near the seashore, suggesting the engagement of people in fishery. It is considered that from the half of Jōmon period
17.
Kensuke Miyagi
–
Kesuke Miyagi, known as Mr. Miyagi and also identified in the film The Karate Kid Part II as Nariyoshi Miyagi, is a fictional karate master played by Japanese-American actor Pat Morita. Mr. Miyagi mentors the characters Daniel LaRusso and Julie Pierce in the Karate Kid films, Morita earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance in the first film. The Karate Kid screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen stated that Mr. Miyagi was named after Chōjun Miyagi, also, the karate style depicted in the movies is the Goju Ryu style. An Okinawan Japanese immigrant to the United States, Kesuke Miyagi learned karate originally from his father, Miyagi initially had a job working for the father of his best friend, Sato, who was also taught karate by Miyagis father. Traditionally karate was taught from father to son but Miyagis father taught Sato after a request from his son. When Miyagi fell in love with a woman named Yukie, who was arranged to marry Sato, Sato felt dishonored by this. To avoid the fight, Miyagi left Okinawa and emigrated to the United States, after first arriving in Los Angeles, he attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and was later interned in the Manzanar Japanese internment camp at the onset of World War II. During this time, Miyagi joined the U. S. Army, while in the Army, he taught his Army commanding officer, Lt. Pierce, the art of karate. During his service, Mrs. Miyagi and their son died in the Manzanar camp due to complications during childbirth. What Miyagi did during the time between the war and the first Karate Kid film is not fully known, here are the medals and service awards displayed on Staff Sergeant Miyagis uniform in The Karate Kid. At the start of the first film, he works as a man in Daniels apartment building. In 1985, Miyagi learns that his father is dying, and returns to Okinawa, Sato relentlessly tries to goad Miyagi into a fight, but after Miyagi saves Sato from death during a typhoon, Sato renounces his hate and the two make peace. In the third film, he and Daniel begin a business of growing bonsai trees, in the fourth film, he mentors the orphaned granddaughter of his former commanding officer and teaches her to dispel her anger through the healing powers of the Martial Arts. In doing so, he becomes like a father to her. Mr. Miyagi has a philosophical knowledge of life and has extraordinary martial arts skill. In the second film, Mr. Miyagi explains that he is descended from Shimpo Miyagi, one day in 1625 while fishing and very drunk, he passed out on his fishing boat off the coast of Okinawa and ended up on the coast of China. Ten years later, Shimpo returned to Okinawa with his Chinese wife and this implies that Shimpo Miyagi, like many Okinawan karate masters, was trained in Chinese martial arts during his stay in China. The secret of the Miyagi family karate appears to be a Den-den daiko, other aspects of the style involve the crane technique, breathing technique, techniques from the kata Tensho and the kata Seiunchin
18.
Cheerleading
–
Cheerleading ranges from chanting, to intense physical activity for sports team motivation, audience entertainment, or competition based upon organized routines. Competitive routines typically range anywhere from one to three minutes, and contain components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting, Cheerleading originated in the United States, and remains predominantly in America, with an estimated 1.5 million participants in all-star cheerleading. The global presentation of cheerleading was led by the 1997 broadcast of ESPNs International cheerleading competition, Cheerleading began during the late 18th century with the rebellion of male students. After the American Revolutionary War, students experienced harsh treatment from teachers, in response to facultys abuse, college students violently acted out. The undergraduates began to riot, burn down buildings located on their college campuses, as a more subtle way to gain independence, however, students invented and organized their own extracurricular activities outside their professors control. This brought about American sports, beginning first with collegiate teams, in the 1860s, students from Great Britain began to cheer and chant in unison for their favorite athletes at sporting events. Soon, that gesture of support crossed overseas to America, on November 6,1869, the United States witnessed its first intercollegiate football game. It took place between Princeton and Rutgers University, and marked the day the original Sis Boom Rah. cheer was shouted out by student fans, organized cheerleading started as an all-male activity. As early as 1877, Princeton University had a Princeton Cheer, documented in the February 22,1877, March 12,1880 and this cheer was yelled from the stands by students attending games, as well as by the athletes themselves. Remains in use with modifications today, where it is now referred to as the Locomotive. Princeton class of 1882 graduate Thomas Peebles moved to Minnesota in 1884 and he transplanted the idea of organized crowds cheering at football games to the University of Minnesota. These students would cheer for the team also at football practices and it was not until 1898 that University of Minnesota student Johnny Campbell directed a crowd in cheering Rah, Rah, Rah. Making Campbell the very first cheerleader, November 2,1898 is the official birth date of organized cheerleading. Soon after, the University of Minnesota organized a yell leader squad of six male students, in 1903, the first cheerleading fraternity, Gamma Sigma, was founded. In 1923, at the University of Minnesota, women were permitted to participate in cheerleading, however, it took time for other schools to follow. In the late 1920s, many school manuals and newspapers that were published still referred to cheerleaders as chap, fellow, women cheerleaders were overlooked until the 1940s. In the 1940s, collegiate men were drafted for World War II, as noted by Kieran Scott in Ultimate Cheerleading, Girls really took over for the first time. During the 1950s, cheerleading in America also increased in popularity, by the 1960s, some began to consider cheerleading a feminine extracurricular for boys, and by the 1970s, girls primarily cheered at public school games
19.
Encino, Los Angeles
–
Encino is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Fray Juan Crespi, a Franciscan missionary travelling with the expedition, all of Crespis name was later dropped except encino. Rancho Los Encinos was established in 1845 when a parcel of former Mission San Fernando land was granted to three Mission Indians by governor Pio Pico. Many ranchos were created after the secularization of the California missions, Encino derives its name from the rancho. In 2008, the city estimated that the resident population had increased to 44,581, in 2000 the median age for residents was 42, considered old for city and county neighborhoods, the percentages of residents aged 50 and older were among the countys highest. The neighborhood was considered not especially diverse ethnically within Los Angeles, the breakdown was whites,80. 1%, Latinos,8. 5%, Asians,4. 9%, blacks,2. 4%, and others,4. 1%. Iran and Russia were the most common places of birth for the 32. 8% of the residents who were born abroad—an average percentage for Los Angeles, the median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $78,529, considered high for the city. The percentage of households that earned $125,000 and up was high for Los Angeles County, the average household size of 2.3 people was low when compared to the rest of the city and the county. Renters occupied 38. 4% of the stock and house- or apartment-owners held 61. 6%. The percentages of divorced residents and of widowed men and women were among the countys highest, in 2000 military veterans amounted to 10. 6% of the population, a high rate for the county. Encino is situated in the portion of the southern San Fernando Valley. It is flanked on the north by Reseda and the Sepulveda Basin, on the east by Sherman Oaks, on the southeast by Bel-Air, on the south by Brentwood, the local economy provides jobs primarily in health care, social services, and professional services sectors. There are approximately 3,800 businesses employing about 27,000 people at a payroll of $1,400,000,000. Encino is in Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors district 3 and it is also represented within the city of Los Angeles by the Encino Neighborhood Council, an advisory body under the auspices of the city Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. The United States Postal Service operates the Encino Post Office at 5805 White Oak Avenue, forty-six percent of Encino residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree by 2000, a high percentage for both the city and the county. The percentage of residents with a masters degree or higher was also high for the county. Lull Special Education Center, LAUSD,17551 Miranda Street Lanai Road Elementary School, LAUSD,4241 Lanai Road As of 2009, public high schools serving portions of Encino are Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa, and Reseda High School in Reseda. In 1982 the board considered closing Rhoda Street Elementary School in Encino, in April 1983 an advisory committee of the LAUSD recommended closing eight LAUSD schools, including Rhoda Street School
20.
Dojo
–
Dojo is a Japanese term which literally means place of the way. Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples, the term can also refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese arts ending in do, meaning way. A proper Japanese martial arts dōjō is considered special and is cared for by its users. Shoes are not worn in a dōjō, in many styles it is traditional to conduct a ritual cleaning of the dōjō at the beginning and/or end of each training session. This attitude has become lost in many modern dōjō that are founded, in fact, it is not uncommon that in traditional schools, dōjō are rarely used for training at all, instead being reserved for more symbolic or formal occasions. The actual training is conducted typically outdoors or in a formal area. Many traditional dōjō follow a pattern with shomen and various entrances that are used based on student. Typically students will enter in the corner of the dōjō with instructors in the upper right corner. Shomen typically contains a Shintō shrine with a sculpture, flower arrangement, the term kamiza means place of honor and a related term, kamidana refers to the shrine itself. Other artifacts may be displayed throughout the dōjō, such as kanban that authorize the school in a style or strategy and it is not uncommon to find the name of the dōjō and the dōjō kun displayed prominently at shomen as well. Visitors may have a place reserved, depending on their rank. Weapons and other training gear will normally be found on the back wall, a hombu dōjō is the central training facility and administrative headquarters of a particular martial arts style. The alternative term zendo is more specific, and more widely used, european Sōtō Zen groups affiliated with the International Zen Association prefer to use dōjō instead of zendo to describe their meditation halls as did their founding master, Taisen Deshimaru
21.
Halloween
–
It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs, and all the faithful departed. Some academics, however, support the view that Halloween began independently as a solely Christian holiday. Some Christians historically abstained from meat on All Hallows Eve, a reflected in the eating of certain foods on this vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes. The word Halloween or Halloween dates to about 1745 and is of Christian origin, the word Halloween means hallowed evening or holy evening. It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows Eve, in Scots, the word eve is even, and this is contracted to een or een. Over time, Hallow Een evolved into Halloween, although the phrase All Hallows is found in Old English All Hallows Eve is itself not seen until 1556. Todays Halloween customs are thought to have influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries. Samhain was the first and most important of the four days in the medieval Gaelic calendar and was celebrated on 31 October–1 November in Ireland, Scotland. A kindred festival was held at the time of year by the Brittonic Celts, called Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Kalan Gwav in Cornwall and Kalan Goañv in Brittany. For the Celts, the day ended and began at sunset, Samhain and Calan Gaeaf are mentioned in some of the earliest Irish and Welsh literature. The names have been used by historians to refer to Celtic Halloween customs up until the 19th century, samhain/Calan Gaeaf marked the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the darker half of the year. Like Beltane/Calan Mai, it was seen as a liminal time and this meant the Aos Sí, the spirits or fairies, could more easily come into our world and were particularly active. Most scholars see the Aos Sí as degraded versions of ancient gods whose power remained active in the minds even after they had been officially replaced by later religious beliefs. The Aos Sí were both respected and feared, with individuals often invoking the protection of God when approaching their dwellings, at Samhain, it was believed that the Aos Sí needed to be propitiated to ensure that the people and their livestock survived the winter. Offerings of food and drink, or portions of the crops, were left outside for the Aos Sí, the souls of the dead were also said to revisit their homes seeking hospitality. Places were set at the table and by the fire to welcome them. The belief that the souls of the return home on one night of the year. In 19th century Ireland, candles would be lit and prayers offered for the souls of the dead
22.
Special Forces (United States Army)
–
The first two emphasize language, cultural, and training skills in working with foreign troops. S. government activities may also specialize in these secondary areas. Many of their techniques are classified, but some nonfiction works. As special operations units, Special Forces are not necessarily under the authority of the ground commanders in those countries. Instead, while in theater, SF units may report directly to a geographic combatant command, USSOCOM, the Central Intelligence Agencys highly secretive Special Activities Division and more specifically its Special Operations Group recruits from the Armys Special Forces. Joint CIA–Army Special Forces operations go back to the MACV-SOG branch during the Vietnam War, the cooperation still exists today and is seen in the War in Afghanistan. The primary mission of the Army Special Forces is to train and lead unconventional warfare forces, the 10th Special Forces Group was the first deployed SF unit, intended to train and lead UW forces behind enemy lines in the event of a Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe. Special Forces personnel qualify both in advanced military skills and the languages and cultures of defined parts of the world. As strategic resources, they report either to USSOCOM or to a regional Unified Combatant Command, to enhance their DA capability, specific Commanders In-Extremis Force teams were created with a focus on the direct action side of special operations. SF team members work together and rely on one another under isolated circumstances for long periods of time. Because of this, they develop clannish relationships and long-standing personal ties and they are then required to move to staff positions or to higher command echelons. With the creation of USSOCOM, SF commanders have risen to the highest ranks of U. S. Army command, including command of USSOCOM, the Armys Chief of Staff, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Although the OSS was not an Army organization, many Army personnel were assigned to the OSS, in 1951, Major General Robert A. McClure chose former OSS member Colonel Aaron Bank as Operations Branch Chief of the Special Operations Division of the Psychological Warfare Staff in the Pentagon. The 10th Special Forces Group was split, with the cadre that kept the designation 10th SFG deployed to Bad Tölz, Germany, the remaining cadre at Fort Bragg formed the 77th Special Forces Group, which in May 1960 was reorganized and designated as today’s 7th Special Forces Group. 1st Special Forces Command In 1957 the two special forces groups were joined by the 1st, stationed in the Far East. Additional groups were formed in 1961 and 1962 after President John F. Kennedy visited the Special Forces at Fort Bragg in 1961, nine groups were organized for the reserve components in 1961. Among them were the 16th and 17th Special Forces Groups, however, 17th Special Forces Group, a National Guard formation with elements in Washington, was disestablished on 31 January 1966. In the early twenty-first century, Special Forces are divided into five active duty, each Special Forces Group has a specific regional focus. The Special Forces soldiers assigned to these groups receive intensive language, a Special Forces group is historically assigned to a Unified Combatant Command or a theater of operations
23.
Vietnam veteran
–
A Vietnam veteran is someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The U. S. government officially refers to all as Vietnam-era veterans, in the English-speaking world, the term Vietnam veteran is not usually used in relation to members of the communist Peoples Army of Vietnam or the National Liberation Front. It is known that during 1969–1971, there were about 22,000 ARVN combat deaths per year, the official number of anti-communist Vietnamese personnel killed in action was 220,357. Following the communist victory on April 30,1975, South Vietnamese veterans were rounded up and sent to reeducation camps and they were detained without trial for up to decades at a time. After being released, they and their children faced significant discrimination from the communist government, a significant proportion of the surviving South Vietnamese veterans left Vietnam for Western countries, either as boat people or through the Humanitarian Operation. According to the U. S. was discharged or released from duty for a service connected disability if any part of such active duty was performed between August 5,1964 and May 7,1975. Served on active duty for more than 180 days and served in the Republic of Vietnam between February 28,1961 and May 7,1975. In 2004, the U. S. Census Bureau reported there were 8.2 million Vietnam veterans still in the country at the time, of these,2.59 million were reported to have served in country. More than 58,000 U. S. military personnel died as a result of the conflict and this comprises deaths from all categories including deaths while missing, captured, non-hostile deaths, homicides, and suicides. The Vietnam War was the last American war with conscription, Republic Of China, Spain and Philippines contributed assistance in non-combat roles. The Royal Australian Navy performed a variety of tasks at sea, ashore. The 1st Australian Task Force consisted of Army, Navy and Air Force personnel, 1st Australian Logistic Support Group was 1 ATFs ground support unit, composed of engineer, transport, ordnance, medical and service corps units. Australian Army training teams followed the withdrawal of forces in 1971. According to official statistics,501 personnel died or went missing in action during the Vietnam War and 2400 were wounded. During the Vietnam era, more than 30,000 Canadians served in the US armed forces,110 Canadians died in Vietnam, Fred Graffen, military historian with the Canadian War Museum, estimated in Vietnam Magazine that approximately 12,000 of these personnel served in Vietnam. Most of these were natives of Canada who lived in the United States, the military of Canada did not officially participate in the war effort, as it was appointed to the UN truce commissions and thus had to remain officially neutral in the conflict. Initially, New Zealand provided a 25-man team of RNZE engineers from 1964-1965, in May 1965, New Zealand replaced the engineers with a 4 gun artillery battery which served until 1971. 750 men served with the battery during this time, in 1967 the first of two rifle companies of infantry, designated Victor Company, arrived shortly thereafter followed by Whiskey company
24.
Martin Kove
–
Martin Kove is an American film and television actor known for his work in films such as Rambo, First Blood Part II and on TV series such as Cagney & Lacey as Victor Isbecki. He is recognized for his role as the psychopathic Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese in the Karate Kid film series, martin Kove was born in Brooklyn, New York City and had a Jewish upbringing. Kove appeared as Cully in the 1967-1969 CBS series, Gentle Ben, with Dennis Weaver and he was cast as George Baker in the short-lived CBS series Code R about the emergency services in the California Channel Islands. His co-stars were James Houghton, Tom Simcox, and Joan Freeman, the Incredible Hulk, Hercules, The Legendary Journeys, The Rockford Files, The Streets of San Francisco, and Black Scorpion. Kove was a cast member on the 1982–1988 CBS television series Cagney & Lacey as Detective Victor Isbecki, Kove appeared in the 1984 hit film The Karate Kid as Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese. He studied Okinawa-te Karate under prominent black belt Gordon Doversola Shihan, in 2007, Kove appeared in the No More Kings video Sweep The Leg, in a parody of his Karate Kid character. He appeared on Tosh.0 as his character from The Karate Kid, John Kreese, where he spoofed the final fight on the Board Breaker Web Redemption. At the end of the skit, Daniel Tosh, dressed as Mr. Miyagi, honks Koves nose, voisin, Scott, Character Kings, Hollywoods Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting. Martin Kove at the Internet Movie Database
25.
William Zabka
–
William Michael Zabka is an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is best known for his roles in several iconic 1980s films. In 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing and producing the film Most and his surname pronounced as ZHAP-kuh, means little frog. Zabka was born in New York City, the son of Nancy, a liaison, producer, and production assistant, and Stanley William Zabka, a director, writer. Zabka grew up with two siblings, zabkas breakout role came in his first movie, 1984s The Karate Kid. He played Johnny Lawrence, the main antagonist to the character played by Ralph Macchio. He had no martial arts experience at the time but was an accomplished wrestler. His participation in the film inspired him to learn the art of Tang Soo Do. During the 1980s, Zabka appeared in the comedy movies Just One of the Guys, Zabka also co-starred on the CBS television series The Equalizer as the son of the title character. He also played Jack, Audreys jock boyfriend, in National Lampoons European Vacation, during the 1990s and 2000s, he acted mostly in independent films while studying to be a filmmaker. In 2003, he wrote and produced the short film Most, shot on location in the Czech Republic, in 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Most in the Live Action Short Film category. In 2007, Zabka directed and starred in a video for the band No More Kings entitled Sweep the Leg. The video stars Zabka as a caricature of himself, living in a trailer in the desert, the video includes cameos by several of the original Karate Kid cast members, including Martin Kove and Ralph Macchio. In 2010, Zabka directed Rascal Flatts in their video for the song Why Wait. That same year, Zabka made a appearance in the film Hot Tub Time Machine. In 2013, Zabka, along with Macchio, guest starred in the season 8 episode of How I Met Your Mother, Zabka also appeared in several episodes of the shows ninth season. Zabka is currently directing commercials for clients including Little Tikes and Verizon at Heresy in Venice, William Zabka at the Internet Movie Database Profile allmovie. com Profile, zabka. com Profile, SweeptheLeg. com
26.
DC Comics
–
DC Comics, Inc. is an American comic book publisher. It is the unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. a division of Time Warner, the company has also published non-DC Universe-related material, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta and many titles under their alternative imprint Vertigo. The initials DC came from the popular series Detective Comics. Random House distributes DC Comics books to the market, while Diamond Comic Distributors supplies the comics shop specialty market. DC Comics and its major, longtime competitor Marvel Comics together shared 70% of the American comic book market in 2016, entrepreneur Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications in autumn 1934. The company debuted with the tabloid-sized New Fun, The Big Comic Magazine #1 with a date of February 1935. That title evolved into Adventure Comics, which continued through issue #503 in 1983, in 2009 DC revived Adventure Comics with its original numbering. In 1935, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman, created Doctor Occult. Wheeler-Nicholsons third and final title, Detective Comics, advertised with a cover illustration dated December 1936, the themed anthology series would become a sensation with the introduction of Batman in issue #27. By then, however, Wheeler-Nicholson had gone, Detective Comics, Inc. was formed, with Wheeler-Nicholson and Jack S. Liebowitz, Donenfelds accountant, listed as owners. Major Wheeler-Nicholson remained for a year, but cash-flow problems continued, shortly afterward, Detective Comics, Inc. purchased the remains of National Allied, also known as Nicholson Publishing, at a bankruptcy auction. Detective Comics, Inc. soon launched a fourth title, Action Comics, Action Comics #1, the first comic book to feature the new character archetype—soon known as superheroes—proved a sales hit. The company quickly introduced such popular characters as the Sandman and Batman. That year, Gaines let Liebowitz buy him out, and kept only Picture Stories from the Bible as the foundation of his own new company, at that point, Liebowitz promptly orchestrated the merger of All-American and Detective Comics into National Comics. Next he took charge of organizing National Comics, Independent News, National Periodical Publications became publicly traded on the stock market in 1961. The company began to move aggressively against what it saw as copyright-violating imitations from other companies, such as Fox Comics Wonder Man and this extended to DC suing Fawcett Comics over Captain Marvel, at the time comics top-selling character. Despite the fact that parallels between Captain Marvel and Superman seemed more tenuous, the courts ruled that substantial and deliberate copying of copyrighted material had occurred, faced with declining sales and the prospect of bankruptcy if it lost, Fawcett capitulated in 1955 and ceased comics publication
27.
Karate Kid (comics)
–
Karate Kid is a fictional character, a superhero in the future of the DC Comics universe, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. He is a master of form of martial arts to have been developed by the 31st century. Val Armorr was the son of one of Japans greatest crime lords, Kirau Nezumi, when he was born, his mother, the American secret agent Valentina Armorr, tried to hide him from his father, but she failed and was killed for her affront. Japans greatest hero Sensei Toshiaki eventually killed Black Dragon for his crimes and he raised Val as if he were his own son, and trained him in all manner of the martial arts. Val became the youngest warrior ever to earn the title Samurai, however, after trying his best and failing to please his supervisor, he quit and searched the galaxy for new forms of battle to master. When Val returned to Earth, he found that the Legion of Super-Heroes was searching for new recruits to battle the Khunds. As Karate Kid, Val was the Legions leader for one term and once took on the entire Fatal Five single-handedly, clearly defeating the Persuader, Emerald Empress, and Mano. At one point or another he launched solo flying kicks at villains whose power level far exceeded Superboy, including Validus, Mordru, Omega, though they had little effect, they showed the degree of his fearless courage. Val fell in love with Princess Projectra, who joined the Legion at the time he did. In order to prove his worthiness of the hand, he took a leave of absence. He returned to find Projectras father dead, with Vals and the other Legionnaires help, she won the throne from her cousin Pharoxx. Val officially became Projectras consort soon afterward and resigned from the Legion, wedded bliss did not last long. He and Projectra returned from their honeymoon to find that her planet, Val, Projectra, and several other Legionnaires were captured by the villains. When the heroes escaped to oppose the villains, Val fought their leader, Nemesis Kid beat Val almost to death, and Val wanted to continue to fight so that he could die in battle — the ultimate honor by his cultural standards. But at Projectras urging, Val instead used his strength to destroy the power source for the machines that were moving Orando into a strange dimension. In revenge, Projectra killed Nemesis Kid soon afterward, a memorial to Val was built on Shanghalla. Myg of Lythyl, one of that planets Three Judges, later applied for Legion membership, like his predecessor, he possessed superior martial arts skills. He became a member of the second Legion of Substitute Heroes while training in the Legion Academy, Myg later joined the Legion during the Five Year Gap, the gap in-between Legion books before he resigned
28.
Toshiro Mifune
–
Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa in such works as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo. He also portrayed Musashi Miyamoto in Hiroshi Inagakis Samurai Trilogy, Lord Toranaga in the NBC TV miniseries Shōgun, Toshiro Mifune was born on 1 April 1920 in Qingdao, Shandong, China, to Japanese parents. His parents were Methodist missionaries working there, Mifune grew up with his parents and two younger siblings in Dalian, Liaoning, China, and, from 4 to 19 years of age, in Manchuria. Mifune was a Christian born to Missionary parents, in his youth, Mifune worked in the photography shop of his father Tokuzo, a commercial photographer and importer who had emigrated from northern Japan. In 1947, one of Mifunes friends who worked for the Photography Department of Toho Productions suggested Mifune try out for the Photography Department and he was accepted for a position as an assistant cameraman. At this time, a number of Toho actors, after a prolonged strike, had left to form their own company. Toho then organized a new faces contest to find new talent, Mifunes friends submitted an application and photo, without his knowledge. He was accepted, along with 48 others, and allowed to take a screen test for Kajirō Yamamoto, instructed to mime anger, he drew from his wartime experiences. Yamamoto took a liking to Mifune, recommending him to director Senkichi Taniguchi and this led to Mifunes first feature role, in Shin Baka Jidai. Kurosawa was originally going to skip the event, but showed up when an actress he knew told him of one actor who seemed especially promising, Kurosawa later wrote that he entered the audition to see a young man reeling around the room in a violent frenzy. It was as frightening as watching a wounded beast trying to break loose, when an exhausted Mifune finished his scene, he sat down and gave the judges an ominous stare. Kurosawa, however, had found his muse, I am a person rarely impressed by actors, he later said. But in the case of Mifune I was completely overwhelmed, one of Mifunes fellow performers, one of the 32 women chosen during the new faces contest, was Sachiko Yoshimine. Eight years Mifunes junior, she came from a respected Tokyo family and they fell in love and Mifune soon proposed marriage. Director Senkichi Taniguchi, with the help of Akira Kurosawa, convinced the Yoshimine family to allow the marriage and it took place in February 1950. In November of the year, their first son, Shirō was born. In 1955, they had a son, Takeshi
29.
Mako (actor)
–
Mako Iwamatsu was a Japanese American actor and voice artist who was nominated for numerous awards. Many of his acting roles credited him simply as Mako, where he omitted his surname and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7095 Hollywood Blvd. Mako was born in Kobe, Japan, the son of noted childrens book authors and illustrators Atsushi Iwamatsu, shortly before the outbreak of World War II, his parents, who were political dissidents, moved to the United States, leaving Mako in the care of his grandmother. After the war, his parents were able to arrange for him to join them and he enlisted in the military in the 1950s and became a naturalized American citizen in 1956. When Mako first joined his parents in the USA, he studied architecture, during his military service, he discovered his theatrical talent, and trained at the Pasadena Community Playhouse. Makos first film role was in the 1959 film Never So Few and he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as engine-room coolie Po-Han in the 1966 film The Sand Pebbles. Lee in Sidekicks, Kanemitsu in RoboCop 3 in 1993, Kungo Tsarong in Seven Years in Tibet and he also had a role in Bulletproof Monk. In 2005, Mako had a role in Memoirs of a Geisha. Makos last leading role was in the 2005 film Cages, written and he also appeared in some Japanese TV dramas and films, such as Masahiro Shinodas Owls Castle and Takashi Miikes The Bird People in China. Mako has a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7095 Hollywood Blvd and he remained artistic director of the company until 1989. Makos landlord at the time, Jerry Orbach, was nominated for his role in Chicago. Mako recalled being woken up at 4,30 the morning after the Tony ceremony by Orbach, I cant believe it, we lost to a f------ revival. He also starred in the run of the play Shimada in 1992. He appeared on the TV show McHales Navy several times, playing Imperial Japanese officers, soldiers and he later appeared on the TV show M*A*S*H, playing multiple roles such as a Chinese doctor, North Korean soldier, and a South Korean lieutenant. In 1974, he appeared on Ironside episode Terror on Grant Avenue and he appeared as a Japanese chef in the 1978 Columbo episode Murder Under Glass. He was the blind philosopher Li Sung in two episodes of the TV show The Incredible Hulk and he also appeared on an episode of Magnum, P. I. called The Arrow That Is Not Aimed in 1983. Mako also appeared in an episode of the TV show F Troop and he appeared as Lo Sing, fighting Bruce Lees Kato character in The Green Hornet episode The Preying Mantis. He played the character Lin Duk Coo in an episode of The A-Team and he guest-starred in an episode of season one of Frasier as well as in an episode of Tour of Duty as a Vietnamese scout
30.
Conan the Destroyer
–
The cast also includes Grace Jones, Wilt Chamberlain, Tracey Walter and Olivia dAbo. It is the sequel to Conan the Barbarian, the film was moderately successful at the box office in the U. S. and very successful internationally, although critical response was not as strong as for the original film. Conan and his companion, the thief Malak, are confronted by Queen Taramis of Shadizar and she tests their combat ability with several of her guards. Satisfied, she tells Conan that she has a quest for him and he refuses her, but when she promises to resurrect his lost love, Valeria, Conan agrees to the quest. He is to escort the Queens niece, Jehnna, a virgin, who is destined to restore the jeweled horn of the dreaming god Dagoth, Conan and Malak are joined by Bombaata, the captain of Taramiss guard. Bombaata has secret orders to kill Conan once the gem is obtained, because the gem is secured in the fortress of a powerful wizard, Conan seeks the help of his friend, Akiro, the Wizard of the Mounds. Akiro has been captured by a tribe of cannibals, and must first be rescued, afterward, the adventurers encounter Zula, a powerful bandit warrior being tortured by vengeful villagers. Freeing Zula at Jehnnas request, Conan accepts the indebted warriors offer to join their quest, the adventurers travel to the castle of Toth-Amon where the gem is located. As they camp for the night, the wizard takes the form of a giant bird, the others wake in time to see the bird enter the castle. Sneaking in through a gate, they search the castle, but Conan is separated from the group. Conan mortally wounds the creature, which is revealed as another form of Toth-Amon, with the wizards death, the castle begins to disintegrate, forcing the groups hasty retreat. They are ambushed by Taramiss guards, but drive them off, Bombaata feigns ignorance about the attack. The gem reveals the location of the jeweled horn, Jehnna expresses romantic interest in Conan, but he rebuffs her and declares his devotion to Valeria. They reach an ancient temple where the horn is secured, Jehnna obtains it while Akiro deciphers engravings. He learns that Jehnna will be sacrificed to awaken Dagoth. They are attacked by the priests who guard the horn, a secret exit is revealed, but Bombaata blocks the others escape and seizes Jehnna. Despite this treachery, Conan and his allies escape from the priests, Malak shows them a secret route to the throne room. Conan confronts Bombaata and kills him in combat, Zula impales the Grand Vizier before he can sacrifice Jehnna
31.
Sidekicks (1992 film)
–
Sidekicks is a 1992 action film starring Jonathan Brandis and Chuck Norris. Barry Gabrewski is a boy who lives with his widowed father, Jerry Gabrewski, in Houston. A loner, Barry has vivid daydreams about being Chuck Norris sidekick, battling against Norriss movie enemies, noreen Chan, his favorite teacher, often plays the damsel in distress in these daydreams. Barry wants to learn the arts, but is rejected by the arrogant dojo owner Kelly Stone for being too weak. Instead, he is taken on as a student by an old Chinese man called Mr. Lee, the sly uncle of his teacher, Mr. Lee finds creative ways to teach Barry to defend himself from his bullies. Lee devises training methods that increase Barrys endurance, which helps his asthma, Lee also deduces Barrys hero worship of Norris and from that, deduces at least some of Barrys daydreams. He creatively incorporates this into Barrys training, creating training scenarios that seem more dangerous than they are so that Barry will feel heroic for succeeding at them. Lee enters himself, Barry, and Chan into a local team Karate tournament but is a bit stymied to learn that a team must have four members, Norris is attending the tournament as a guest. Chan convinces Norris to join the team, Norris is both willing to help an ardent fan and has his own motivation for participating, he has encountered Stone on several prior occasions and wants to teach him a lesson in humility. Barry is stunned to find working together with his hero. The tournament involves four events, Breaking, Mens Weapons, Female Kata, Stones team narrowly defeats Chan in the Female Kata, but Lee defeats Cellini, one of Stones students, in Breaking. True to his word, Norris defeats Stone in Freestyle fighting, Barry -- aided by a vivid daydream -- scores well in the Mens Weapons. The result is a tie between Stones team and Lees team, in the tie-breaker, Lee is allowed to choose the participants, and chooses Barry and Cellini, saying Barry is the member of the team with something to prove. Barry is dismayed to be confronting Cellini in the latters best event, faced with a much more heroic-seeming task, Barry wins. After the tournament, Barry is seen talking to Norris, thanking him for his help, Norris vanishes, and it is implied that Barry has found the strength to live his life without the need for his daydreams. Before the movie fades to black, a boy finds Barrys Chuck Norris magazine. With an excited Wow the camera pans out to reveal the man is in a wheelchair. It is believed his relationship with Chuck Norris, who starred in commercials with Mac came to him with the idea of creating this film
32.
Valerie Harper
–
Valerie Kathryn Harper is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Rhoda Morgenstern in the 1970s television series The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off, Rhoda and she is a four-time Primetime Emmy Award winner. Her notable film roles include Freebie and the Bean, and Chapter Two, Harper is also known for her stage work, having appeared in several Broadway productions. She started her career as a dancer on Broadway, making her debut in the musical Take Me Along in 1959, in 2010, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Talullah Bankhead in the play Looped. Harper was born in Suffern, New York, the daughter of Iva Mildred and her father was a lighting salesman, and her mother was born in Canada and trained as a nurse. She is the child of three siblings. She has a sister, Leah, a younger brother, Merrill. She claims her parents were expecting a boy and after her arrival, her first and middle names derived from that years womens doubles tennis champions, Valerie Scott and she is of French, English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry. Harper claims to have based her future character Rhoda Morgenstern on her Italian stepmother, Angela Posillico and she was raised Catholic, although at an early age she quit the church. The family moved two years due to her fathers work, attending schools in South Orange, New Jersey, Pasadena, California, Monroe, Michigan, Ashland, Oregon. When her family returned to Oregon, Harper remained in the New York City area to study ballet. She attended Lincoln High School in Jersey City, graduating from the private Young Professionals School on West 56th Street, where classmates included Sal Mineo, Tuesday Weld, in-between she was also cast in Destry Rides Again but was forced to leave rehearsals due to illness. Her roommate, actress Arlene Golonka, introduced her to Second City improvisation theater and to improv performer Dick Schaal, Harper was stepmother to Schaals daughter, Wendy, an actress. She returned to Broadway in February 2010, playing Tallulah Bankhead in Matthew Lombardos Looped at the Lyceum Theatre, Harper appeared in a bit part in the film version of Lil Abner, playing a Yokumberry Tonic wife. She broke into television on an episode of the soap opera The Doctors and she was an extra in Love with the Proper Stranger. She was in the ensemble cast of Paul Sills Story Theatre and toured with Second City with Schaal, Linda Lavin and others, Harper and Schaal moved to Los Angeles in 1968, and co-wrote an episode of Love, American Style. While doing theater in Los Angeles in 1970, Harper was spotted by casting agent Ethel Winant and she co-starred from 1970–1974 and then starred in the spin-off series, Rhoda in which her character returned to New York. She won four Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for her work as Rhoda Morgenstern throughout this period, in 2000, Harper reunited with Moore in Mary and Rhoda, a TV movie that brought their iconic characters together again in later life
33.
Pan flute
–
The pan flutes are a group of musical instruments based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length. Multiple varieties of panflutes have long been popular as folk instruments, the pipes are typically made from bamboo, giant cane, or local reeds. Other materials include wood, plastic, metal and ivory, the pan flute is named after Pan, the Greek god of nature and shepherds often depicted with such an instrument. The pan flutes tubes are stopped at one end, at which the wave is reflected giving a note an octave lower than that produced by an open pipe of equal length. In the traditional South American style, pipes are fine-tuned to correct pitch by placing small pebbles or dry corn kernels into the bottom of the pipes, contemporary makers of curved Romanian-style panpipes use wax to tune new instruments. Special tools are used to place or remove the wax, corks and rubber stoppers are also used, and are easier to quickly tune pipes. The pan flute is an end-blown flute, sound is produced by the vibration of an air-stream blowing across an open hole at the end of a resonating tube. The length of the tube determines the fundamental frequency, an overblown harmonic register is near a 12th above the fundamental in cylindrical tubes, but can approach an octave jump if a decreasing taper is used. According to the Fundamental Principle for pan flutes, the frequency, every time the pitch goes up one octave, the frequency doubles. Because there are 12 notes in a scale or a full octave. By this, it is possible to calculate the length of any pipe, the formula for calculating the length of a pan flute pipe is L = /4. Because of a property of compression within the tube, the length must be a little shorter to correct flat pitch, the extra length is helpful for a maker, who can use a cork or plug at the bottom to adjust the pitch. Some instruments use wax or pellets to tune the fundamental pitch of each tube, a tube that has a diameter 1/10 of its length yields a typical tone colour. An inner diameter range between 1/7 and 1/14 of the length L is acceptable, a narrow tube will sound reedy, while a wide one will sound flutey. If you are a perfectionist, multiply the bore diameter by 0.82 and this compensates for internal compression slowing frequency and the lips partially covering the voicing. Only tiny adjustments will be needed then to adjust fundamental pitch for air density, the pan flute is played by blowing horizontally across an open end against the sharp inner edge of the pipes. Each pipe is tuned to a keynote, called the fundamental frequency, by overblowing, that is, increasing the pressure of breath and tension of lips, odd harmonics, near a 12th in cylindrical tubes, may also be produced. The Romanian pan flute has the pipes arranged in a curved array, an advanced player can play any scale and in any key
34.
Gheorghe Zamfir
–
Gheorghe Zamfir is a Romanian pan flute musician. He is known as The Master of the Pan Flute, Zamfir came to the public eye when he was approached by Swiss ethnomusicologist Marcel Cellier, who extensively researched Romanian folk music in the 1960s. This was very successful, and since then, he has used as soloist in movie soundtracks by composers Francis Lai, Ennio Morricone. Largely through television commercials where he was billed as Zamfir, Master of the Pan Flute, he introduced the instrument to a modern audience. In 1966, Zamfir was appointed conductor of the Ciocîrlia Orchestra, one of the most prestigious state ensembles of Romania and this created the opportunity for composition and arranging. In 1969, he left Ciocîrlia and started his own small band, Zamfir discovered the much greater freedom for artistic adventure. His taraf consisted of, Ion Drăgoi, Ion Lăceanu, Dumitru Fărcaș, Petre Vidrean and this taraf made some excellent recordings. He changed the composition of the soon after, Efta Botoca, Marin Chisar, Dorin Ciobaru and Pavel Cebzan, Petre Vidrean. It is said that change was made to increase the command of Zamfir and have more artistic freedom. A turning point was the recording of Zamfirs composition Messe pour la Paix and his taraf joined a choir and a symphonic orchestra. This was evidence of the growing ambition, while the Philips recordings of that time were rather conservative, Zamfir preached revolution in the concert halls with daring performances. Some say that this period was the highlight of his career. In 1977, he recorded The Lonely Shepherd with James Last, Zamfir put himself on the world map and since then his career became highly varied, hovering over classical repertoire, easy listening and pop music. Popular demand forced Epic Records to release the tune as a single in 1976 and it would prove to be his only UK hit single, but it helped pave the way for a consistent stream of album sales in Britain. His song Summer Love reached number 9 in South Africa in November 1976, in 1983, he scored a No.3 hit on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart with Blue Navajo, and several of his albums have charted in Canada as well. After nearly a decade-long absence, Zamfir returned to Canada in January 2006 for a seven-city tour with the Traffic Strings quintet, the program included a world premiere of Vivaldis Four Seasons for PanFlute and string quintet arranged by Lucian Moraru, jazz standards, and well-known favourites. In 2009, Zamfir was sampled by Animal Collective in the song Graze on their EP Fall Be Kind, in 2012, Zamfir performed at the opening ceremony of the 11th Conference of Parties to the Ramsar Convention at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania. His first appearance as soloist interpreter in a soundtrack was in Vladimir Cosmas 1972 Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire
