title: Massachusetts

text: Massachusetts was an early center of the Transcendentalist movement, which emphasized intuition, emotion, human individuality and a deeper connection with nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was born in Boston but spent much of his later life in Concord, largely created the philosophy with his 1836 work "Nature", and continued to be a key figure in the movement for the remainder of his life. Emerson's friend, Henry David Thoreau, who was also involved in Transcendentalism, recorded his year spent alone in a small cabin at nearby Walden Pond in the 1854 work "Walden; or, Life in the Woods".


title: Massachusetts

text: Other famous authors and poets born or strongly associated with Massachusetts include Anne Bradstreet, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Edith Wharton, e.e. cummings, Herman Melville, W.E.B. Du Bois, Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Bishop, John Updike, Anne Sexton, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Helen Hunt Jackson, Khalil Gibran, Mary Higgins Clark, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, Jack Kerouac and Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as "Dr. Seuss". Famous painters from Massachusetts include Winslow Homer and Norman Rockwell; many of the latter's works are on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.


title: Massachusetts

text: Massachusetts is also an important center for the performing arts. Both the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops Orchestra are based in Massachusetts. Other orchestras in Massachusetts include the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra in Barnstable, the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Tanglewood, in western Massachusetts, is a music venue that is home to both the Tanglewood Music Festival and Tanglewood Jazz Festival, as well as the summer host for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.


title: Massachusetts

text: Other performing arts and theater organizations in Massachusetts include the Boston Ballet, the Boston Lyric Opera, and the Lenox-based Shakespeare & Company. In addition to classical and folk music, Massachusetts has produced musicians and bands spanning a number of contemporary genres, such as the classic rock band Aerosmith, the proto-punk band The Modern Lovers, the new wave band The Cars, and the alternative rock band Pixies. The state has also been the birthplace of the rock bands Staind, Godsmack, and Highly Suspect, since these bands all were formed in Massachusetts cities such Springfield, Lawrence, and Cape Cod respectively. Film events in the state include the Boston Film Festival, the Boston International Film Festival, and a number of smaller film festivals in various cities throughout Massachusetts.


title: Massachusetts

text: Massachusetts is home to a large number of museums and historical sites. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, and the DeCordova contemporary art and sculpture museum in Lincoln are all located within Massachusetts, and the Maria Mitchell Association in Nantucket includes several observatories, museums, and an aquarium. Historically themed museums and sites such as the Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Springfield, Boston's Freedom Trail and nearby Minute Man National Historical Park, both of which preserve a number of sites important during the American Revolution, the Lowell National Historical Park, which focuses on some of the earliest mills and canals of the industrial revolution in the US, the Black Heritage Trail in Boston, which includes important African-American and abolitionist sites in Boston, and the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park all showcase various periods of Massachusetts's history.


title: Massachusetts

text: Plimoth Plantation and Old Sturbridge Village are two open-air or "living" museums in Massachusetts, recreating life as it was in the 17th and early 19th centuries, respectively.


title: Massachusetts

text: Boston's annual St. Patrick's Day parade and "Harborfest", a week-long Fourth of July celebration featuring a fireworks display and concert by the Boston Pops as well as a turnaround cruise in Boston Harbor by the USS "Constitution", are popular events. The New England Summer Nationals, an auto show in Worcester, draws tens of thousands of attendees every year. The Boston Marathon is also a popular event in the state drawing more than 30,000 runners and tens of thousands of spectators annually.


title: Massachusetts

text: Long-distance hiking trails in Massachusetts include the Appalachian Trail, the New England National Scenic Trail, the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, the Midstate Trail, and the Bay Circuit Trail. Other outdoor recreational activities in Massachusetts include sailing and yachting, freshwater and deep-sea fishing, whale watching, downhill and cross-country skiing, and hunting.


title: Massachusetts

text: Massachusetts is one of the states with the largest percentage of Catholics. It has many sanctuaries such as the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy (Stockbridge, Massachusetts).


title: Massachusetts

text: There are two major television media markets located in Massachusetts. The Boston/Manchester market is the fifth-largest in the United States. The other market surrounds the Springfield area. WGBH-TV in Boston is a major public television station and produces national programs such as "Nova", "Frontline", and "American Experience".


title: Massachusetts

text: "The Boston Globe", "Boston Herald", "Springfield Republican", and the "Worcester Telegram & Gazette" are Massachusetts's largest daily newspapers. In addition, there are many community dailies and weeklies. The Associated Press maintains a bureau in Boston, and local news wire the State House News Service feeds coverage of state government to other Massachusetts media outlets. There are a number of major AM and FM stations which serve Massachusetts, along with many more regional and community-based stations. Some colleges and universities also operate campus television and radio stations, and print their own newspapers.


title: Massachusetts

text: Massachusetts generally ranks highly among states in most health and disease prevention categories. In 2015, the United Health Foundation ranked the state as third-healthiest overall. Massachusetts has the most doctors per 100,000 residents (435.38), the second-lowest infant mortality rate (3.8), and the lowest percentage of uninsured residents (children as well as the total population). According to "Business Insider", commonwealth residents have an average life expectancy of 80.41 years, the fifth-longest in the country. 36.1% of the population is overweight and 24.4% is obese, and Massachusetts ranks sixth-highest in the percentage of residents who are considered neither obese nor overweight (39.5%). Massachusetts also ranks above average in the prevalence of binge drinking, which is the 20th-highest in the country.


title: Massachusetts

text: The nation's first Marine Hospital was erected by federal order in Boston in 1799. There are currently a total of 143 hospitals in the state. According to 2015 rankings by "U.S. News & World Report", Massachusetts General Hospital is ranked in the top three in two health care specialties. Massachusetts General was founded in 1811 and serves as the largest teaching hospital for nearby Harvard University.


title: Massachusetts

text: The state of Massachusetts is a center for medical education and research including Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Dana–Farber Cancer Institute as well as the New England Baptist Hospital, Tufts Medical Center, and Boston Medical Center which is the primary teaching hospital for Boston University. The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School is located in Worcester. The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has two of its three campuses in Boston and Worcester.


title: Massachusetts

text: Massachusetts is home to five major league professional sports teams: seventeen-time NBA Champions Boston Celtics, nine-time World Series winners Boston Red Sox, six-time Stanley Cup winners Boston Bruins, six-time Super Bowl winners New England Patriots, and Major League Soccer team New England Revolution.


title: Massachusetts

text: In the late 19th century, the Olympic sports of basketball and volleyball were invented in the Western Massachusetts cities of Springfield and Holyoke, respectively. The Basketball Hall of Fame is a major tourist destination in the City of Springfield and the Volleyball Hall of Fame is located in Holyoke. The American Hockey League (AHL), the NHL's development league, is headquartered in Springfield.


title: Massachusetts

text: Several universities in Massachusetts are notable for their collegiate athletics. The state is home to two DivisionI FBS teams, Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and FBS Independent University of Massachusetts at Amherst. FCS play includes Harvard University, which competes in the famed Ivy League, and College of the Holy Cross of the Patriot League. Boston University, Northeastern University, UMASS Lowell, and Merrimack College also participate in DivisionI athletics. Many other Massachusetts colleges compete in lower divisions such as DivisionIII, where MIT, Tufts University, Amherst College, Williams College, and others field competitive teams.


title: Massachusetts

text: Massachusetts is also the home of rowing events such as the Eastern Sprints on Lake Quinsigamond and the Head of the Charles Regatta. A number of major golf events have taken place in Massachusetts, including nine U.S. Opens and two Ryder Cups. Massachusetts is also the home of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and Premier Lacrosse League team Cannons Lacrosse Club.


title: Massachusetts

text: Massachusetts has produced several successful Olympians including Thomas Burke, James Connolly, and John Thomas (track & field); Butch Johnson (archery); Nancy Kerrigan (figure skating); Todd Richards (snowboarding); Albina Osipowich (swimming); Aly Raisman (gymnastics); Patrick Ewing (basketball); as well as Jim Craig, Mike Eruzione, Bill Cleary, Keith Tkachuk (ice hockey).


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: Liam Hemsworth (born 13 January 1990) is an Australian actor. He played the roles of Josh Taylor in the soap opera "Neighbours" and Marcus in the children's television series "The Elephant Princess". In American films, Hemsworth starred as Will Blakelee in "The Last Song" (2010), as Gale Hawthorne in "The Hunger Games" film series (2012–2015), and as Jake Morrison in "" (2016).


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: Hemsworth was born in Melbourne, Australia, to Leonie (née van Os), an English teacher, and Craig Hemsworth, a social-services counsellor. He has two older brothers, Chris Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth, who are also actors. His maternal grandfather is a Dutch immigrant, and his other ancestry is English, Irish, Scottish, and German. Hemsworth has said that though there is competition for jobs among them, it is friendly: "We are brothers and we are always competitive, but it is a good thing, it pushes us and we are always happy whenever someone books something."


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: When Hemsworth was in year 8, he and his family relocated to Phillip Island, a small Australian island southeast of Melbourne where he spent much of his time there surfing with his brothers. In March 2009, Hemsworth moved to the United States to pursue his acting career. He and his brother Chris first stayed in the guest house of Chris's manager, William Ward, before renting their own Los Angeles apartment.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: Prior to becoming an actor, Hemsworth laid floors for six months. He began to seriously consider following his elder brothers' footsteps in high school by participating in school plays. Eventually, Hemsworth retained an agent. He attended his first audition at the age of sixteen and began his career in 2007 with guest appearances on the shows "Home and Away" and "McLeod's Daughters". The week of 8 July 2007, Hemsworth began filming episodes for "Neighbours", an Australian soap opera his brother Luke had previously starred in. Hemsworth's character, Josh Taylor, was a recurring character from 2007 to 2008. In the show, Josh was an athletic paraplegic who supported and began a relationship with character Bridget Parker after she was paralysed down one side of her body in a car crash. In 2008, Hemsworth began acting on the children's television show "The Elephant Princess", playing "Marcus", the lead guitarist of the protagonist's band. Hemsworth later had roles in the television series "Satisfaction" and starred in the British film "Triangle". He also made a brief appearance as an MIT student in the film "Knowing".


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: In 2009, Hemsworth was selected to act opposite Sylvester Stallone in Stallone's 2010 film, "The Expendables", but his character was written out of the script (Hemsworth later co-starred in "The Expendables 2"). Hemsworth's brother, Chris, told "Movieline" that just a few hours after Hemsworth learned he would not appear in "The Expendables", director Kenneth Branagh called to ask him to test for the lead role in the 2011 film "Thor". Hemsworth moved to the States in March 2009 for screen tests. Though he eventually lost the role to Chris in May, Disney announced later the same week that Hemsworth had landed the part of Will Blakelee in the 2010 drama "The Last Song", based on the Nicholas Sparks novel by the same name. Hemsworth plays the love interest of Miley Cyrus's character in the film. Nikki Finke reported that Hemsworth had been in Los Angeles for just three weeks and had not yet found an agent when he was cast. Hemsworth next appeared in the music video for Cyrus' "When I Look at You" which was recorded on 16 August 2009.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: In September 2009, Hemsworth appeared at a dinner event to promote Foxtel, an Australian pay television company. In March 2010, "Details" magazine selected Hemsworth as one of their predictions for "The Next Generation of Hollywood's Leading Men". Later that month, it was announced that Hemsworth was in negotiations to star in "Arabian Nights", a 3D action film that will be directed by Chuck Russell for Inferno Entertainment. It was later confirmed that he will be starring in the movie. He has also reportedly been offered the lead role in "Northern Lights" after Taylor Lautner withdrew from the David Ellison-financed project.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: Hemsworth was the Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2010 host. He and Miley Cyrus won the "Fave Kiss" category.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: On 4 April 2011, Lionsgate announced Hemsworth to be one of the leads, Gale Hawthorne, in "The Hunger Games", which was released in 2012. In June 2011, he became attached to war drama "Love and Honor" which also stars Aimee Teegarden and Teresa Palmer.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: In 2013, Hemsworth appeared in "Empire State", with Emma Roberts, and "Paranoia", co-starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman and Amber Heard. He reprised his role, Gale Hawthorne, in three sequels to "The Hunger Games", "", released in November 2013, "", released in November 2014, and "", released in November 2015.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: On 11 June 2012, Los Angeles-based non-profit organization Australians in Film announced that Hemsworth would be honoured at an exclusive benefit dinner on 27 June 2012 in Hollywood. Hemsworth attended the invitation only event, held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Century City, with his then fiancée Miley Cyrus. It was their first public appearance together as an engaged couple.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: In 2015, Hemsworth portrayed the love interest of Kate Winslet's character in the Australian literary adaptation "The Dressmaker", which was filmed in Victoria in the summer of 2014. Hemsworth starred in director Roland Emmerich's 2016 film "". In 2019, following a three-year absence, he played a fantasy version of a romantic comedy leading man in the film "Isn't It Romantic," and starred in the action crime film "Killerman".


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: Hemsworth currently appears on the horror TV series, "Most Dangerous Game", for Quibi, the short-form streaming platform. Hemsworth plays the lead role as a terminally ill man trying to provide for his pregnant wife before he dies.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: In 2022, Hemsworth is set to star in the Netflix film "Lonely Planet" with Laura Dern. In October 2022, Netflix announced that Hemsworth would be replacing Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia from the start of Season 4 of "The Witcher".


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: Hemsworth is the ambassador of the Australian Childhood Foundation. Hemsworth talked about his association with the foundation, "I have the best parents you can have. They have worked in child protection for twenty years and have only ever given me encouragement and support. The world is a scary enough place as it is for children. It is important that home should always be a safe place for them." When asked if he believed he was a hero to children, Hemsworth said he did not know, but that he would like to be a good role model.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: Hemsworth was vegan and told "Men's Fitness" in 2015 that he found "no negatives to eating like this. I feel nothing but positive, mentally and physically." In 2020, following hospitalization for kidney stones, he told "Men's Health" that he had to "completely rethink what [he] was putting in [his] body."


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: While filming "The Last Song" in June 2009, Hemsworth began a relationship with his co-star Miley Cyrus. After a three-year on-again, off-again relationship, the couple announced their engagement in June 2012. They lived together in Los Angeles but ended their engagement in September 2013. In July 2014, Hemsworth said that he and Cyrus would "always be best friends" and they had "an instantaneous and powerful connection." Rumours began in January 2016, stemming primarily from sightings of the couple together at his Malibu home and the reappearance of the engagement ring on Cyrus. Cyrus confirmed in an interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in October 2016, they were once again engaged.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: In November 2018, Cyrus revealed on social media that her and Hemsworth's home had burned down in the Woolsey Fire, and expressed devastation for her community and gratitude for the safety of herself, Hemsworth, and their pets. The following morning, Hemsworth responded on his social media by posting a picture he had taken of the charred rubble of their former home. In his posts he praised the residents of his community on how they united in helping with the consequences of the fire, and encouraged his followers to donate their time, money, and resources to The Malibu Foundation, a non-profit established in the wake of the Woolsey fire, and to his fiancée's own non-profit organisation, the Happy Hippie Foundation, to further contribute help with the aftermath. On 13 November 2018, Hemsworth and Cyrus made a joint $500,000 donation to The Malibu Foundation through Cyrus's foundation.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: Hemsworth and Cyrus married on 23 December 2018 at their home in Nashville, Tennessee. On 10 August 2019, Cyrus announced their separation. Eleven days later, Hemsworth filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. On 28 January 2020, it was announced that their divorce had been finalized.


title: Liam Hemsworth

text: On 27 June 2012, Liam Hemsworth was presented with the Australians in Film Breakthrough Award for international success.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (stylized as Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3) is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is intended to be the sequel to "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014) and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017), and the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is written and directed by James Gunn and stars an ensemble cast featuring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter, Elizabeth Debicki, Sylvester Stallone, Sean Gunn, Maria Bakalova, and Chukwudi Iwuji. In the film, the Guardians embark on a mission to defend the universe and protect one of their own.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: James Gunn said in November 2014 that he had initial ideas for a third film in the series, and announced his return to write and direct in April 2017. Disney fired him from the film in July 2018 following the resurfacing of controversial posts on Twitter, but the studio reversed course by that October and reinstated Gunn as director. Gunn's return was publicly revealed in March 2019, with production resuming after Gunn completed work on his film "The Suicide Squad" (2021) and the first season of its spin-off series "Peacemaker" (2022). Filming began in November 2021 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and lasted until early May 2022.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 5, 2023, as part of of the MCU.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: After purchasing Knowhere from the Collector, the Guardians of the Galaxy attempt to make it a safe haven for alien refugees. But after a brutal attack, Peter Quill must lead the Guardians on a dangerous mission to protect one of their members that could lead to the team dissolving.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: Additionally, Michael Rosenbaum reprises his "Vol. 2" role as Martinex, a high-ranking Ravager, while Daniela Melchior and Nico Santos are cast in undisclosed roles, with Melchior's part said to be a small role. Callie Brand will appear as an alien. Also slated to appear in the film is Lylla, an anthropomorphic otter who is an associate and love interest of Rocket's.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014) director and writer James Gunn stated in November 2014 that, in addition to having the "basic story" for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017) while working on the first film, he also had ideas for a potential third film. Despite this, he was unsure in June 2015 if he would be involved with a third "Guardians" film, saying that it would depend on how he felt after making "Vol. 2". In April 2016, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, the producer of the "Guardians" films, said a third film was planned for the franchise as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in "2020 and beyond". In March 2017, Gunn said there would be a third film "for sure. We're trying to figure it out", soon adding that there were no specific plans for the film yet, but that Marvel would want to make it "unless something goes horribly—which is always possible, you never know". He also reiterated that he had not decided whether he would be directing the film, and that he was going to figure out his involvement and his next project "over the next couple of weeks". Part of Gunn's reluctance to return to the franchise came from not wanting to work on it without Michael Rooker, whose character from the first two films, Yondu Udonta, died at the end of "Vol. 2".


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: Gunn announced in April 2017 that he would return to write and direct "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3". He said the film would be set after "" (2018) and "" (2019), and would "conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and help catapult both old and new Marvel characters into the next ten years and beyond". He also felt that the three "Guardians" films would "work together as a whole", telling one story, with the third film "tying a lot of stuff together" from the first two and giving "a lot of answers on a lot of different things". Gunn also planned to work with Marvel on the future of the "Marvel Cosmic Universe". He was set to begin work on "Vol. 3" shortly after completing his work as executive producer and consultant on "Infinity War". On returning for the third film, Gunn said, "I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't have a fairly clear idea of where we were going and what we were going to do. I'm not a guy that's just going to do it if I don't have a vision for it".


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: After originally including Adam Warlock in his script treatment for "Vol. 2", Gunn and Feige noted the importance of the character on the cosmic side of the MCU and hinted that he would make an appearance in "Vol. 3". In May 2017, after the release of "Vol. 2", Gunn said he would be creating the third film "over the next three years", and confirmed that Pom Klementieff would reprise her role as Mantis. He also intended to have Elizabeth Debicki reprise her role as Ayesha. By mid-June, Gunn had completed the first draft of his script treatment for the third film, and was considering changing a piece of character info he had placed in the background of the mugshot sequence in the first film (when the Guardians are captured by the Nova Corps). In September, Gunn reiterated that "Vol. 3" would be released "in a little under three years", as the film had privately been set for release on May 1, 2020. At the end of February 2018, Gunn planned to meet with Mark Hamill about possibly appearing in the film. In April, Chris Pratt was set to reprise his role as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, and the following month, Dave Bautista confirmed that he would reprise his role as Drax the Destroyer. Marvel received the completed first draft of the screenplay from Gunn by the end of June, ahead of the beginning of official pre-production on the film.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: On July 20, 2018, Disney and Marvel severed ties with Gunn. This came after conservative commentators began circulating old tweets he had made regarding controversial topics such as rape and pedophilia, and called for his firing. The Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan F. Horn stated, "The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James' Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values, and we have severed our business relationship with him". While not part of the decision to fire Gunn, The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger supported the "unanimous decision" from the various executives at Marvel and Walt Disney Studios. In response, Gunn said in a series of tweets that when he started his career he was "making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo" but felt as he has "developed as a person, so has my work and my humor". He continued, "It's not to say I'm better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it's shocking and trying to get a reaction are over". In a separate statement, Gunn said the tweets at the time were "totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative", adding "I understand and accept the business decisions taken today. Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then".


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: In response to the firing, many of the "Guardians" cast members tweeted support for Gunn. Rooker decided to leave Twitter, while fans signed an online petition asking for Gunn to be reinstated which received over 300,000 signatures. The firing also garnered reaction from other Hollywood personalities, such as actress Selma Blair and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, and inspired opinion pieces on the firing and how it would affect Hollywood from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and news organizations such as "The Hollywood Reporter", "Variety", "Deadline Hollywood", and "Forbes". On July 30, the cast of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, including Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Sean Gunn, Klementieff, Rooker, and Karen Gillan, issued a statement in support of James Gunn, saying, "We fully support James Gunn. We were all shocked by his abrupt firing last week and have intentionally waited these ten days to respond in order to think, pray, listen, and discuss. In that time, we've been encouraged by the outpouring of support from fans and members of the media who wish to see James reinstated as director of "Volume 3" as well as discouraged by those so easily duped into believing the many outlandish conspiracy theories surrounding him". Despite this and the notable "vociferous support" Gunn received, "Variety" reported that Disney was not planning to rehire him as the jokes were "unacceptable in the #MeToo era and are not in line with Disney's family-friendly image". "Variety" continued that, despite rumors of Gunn being replaced by established Marvel directors such as Jon Favreau, Taika Waititi, or the Russo brothers, Marvel had yet to meet with any other director, and would most likely hire someone new. In early August, Bautista said that he would fulfill his contract and appear in the film as long as Marvel chose to use Gunn's existing script.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: Disney and Marvel still wanted to "move forward quickly" on the film, and were soon confirmed to be keeping Gunn's script. This, combined with the fact that Gunn did not breach his contract since the tweets were written years before he signed on to the film, had led to "complicated negotiations" between Gunn and Disney over his exit settlement. Gunn was expected to be paid $7–10 million or more, and there was some hope that the negotiations could lead to him eventually returning in some capacity, "even if [it was] to develop and direct another Marvel movie". Gunn would be free to move on to new projects following the settlement, and other major studios were interested in hiring him including Warner Bros. for their rival superhero franchise, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). During this time, executives at Marvel Studios began "back channel conversations" with Disney in an attempt to find a compromise that could lead to Gunn returning to the film in some way. This "eleventh hour" effort from Marvel was inspired by the statements from the film's cast. In mid-August, Gunn met with Horn following a strong push from Gunn's talent agency for him to be given a second chance. Despite this and the reported "civil and professional" nature of the meeting, Horn only took it as a courtesy and used it to reaffirm Disney's decision to fire Gunn.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: Later in August, the small crew that was preparing for pre-production were dismissed as production of the film was postponed so Marvel and Disney could find a director to replace Gunn. Pre-production was to have begun by the end of 2018, with principal photography set for January or February 2019. At this time, Bautista was unsure if he would return for the film, as he did not know if he would "want to work for Disney" given how they handled the firing of Gunn. In late September, James Gunn's brother Sean, who played Kraglin Obfonteri and provided motion capture for Rocket in the previous "Guardians" films, reiterated that Disney still intended on making the film with James' script, but had not revealed to the cast when production may continue. Sean added that he had been preparing to reprise his roles for the third film before his brother's firing. At the end of the month, Cooper was asked if he would consider directing "Vol. 3" after the success of his directorial debut "A Star Is Born" (2018), but said that he "could never imagine" directing a film that he did not write. By mid-October, James Gunn had completed his exit settlement with Disney and was set to write and potentially direct "The Suicide Squad" (2021) for Warner Bros.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: The day after Gunn joined "The Suicide Squad" in mid-October 2018, he was privately notified by Horn that he could return as director for "Vol. 3". This came after further meetings between the studios and Gunn. Horn had changed his mind after being impressed by Gunn's response to the situation. Gunn discussed his commitments to "The Suicide Squad" with Feige, and production on "Vol. 3" was put on hold until February 2021 to allow Gunn to complete "The Suicide Squad" first. In December, after working with Marvel Studios on the script for "Ant-Man" (2015), Adam McKay said he was willing to work with the studio again and stated that he had discussed taking over as director for "Vol. 3" with Feige, among other projects. In early 2019, Feige and Pratt reiterated that Marvel would still make "Vol. 3", and in March 2019, Gunn was publicly revealed to have been rehired as director of the film. "Deadline Hollywood" stated that Marvel Studios had "never met with or considered any other director" for the film. By the end of April, the franchise's five main stars—Pratt, Saldaña, Bautista, Cooper, and Diesel—were all expected to return for the sequel, with filming to take place in 2020.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: Discussing his firing and re-hiring in May 2019, Gunn said that of all the elements of the film that he had been sad to leave when he was fired, the most meaningful to him was the character of Rocket. Gunn personally identifies with Rocket, describing himself and the character as "the same". That month, Gillan confirmed that she was returning for the sequel and expressed excitement for Gunn's return to the franchise. In June, Saldaña was asked about her role in the film after her character Gamora was killed in "Infinity War", and she returned to play a younger version in "Endgame" who travels through time to the present. Saldaña said that Gamora's fate would depend on the plans that Marvel and Gunn have for "Vol. 3", but that she would like to see Gamora rejoin the Guardians and also be portrayed as "the most lethal woman in the galaxy" as she has been referred to previously. Gunn was asked in October if he was unhappy about Marvel's decision to kill Gamora in "Infinity War" and said he was not, adding that he had discussed the storyline with the studio beforehand. According to "Infinity War" and "Endgame" screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, Gamora was brought back in "Endgame" specifically so that Gunn could include her in "Vol. 3". In December, Gunn was asked if he would have Yondu return in the film and said as long as he was involved with the "Guardians" characters, he would not have the character be resurrected. Gunn felt the stakes of a character's death were important and said characters who die in his films would likely remain dead. Gunn said in February 2020 that bringing Yondu back to life would "nullify Yondu's sacrifice" in "Vol. 2", and said the character would not return unless it was for a prequel or flashback; Gunn later said Yondu would not be resurrected in the film to not diminish his death's meaning. In April, Gunn said the COVID-19 pandemic would not affect production plans for the film at that time, saying the next month that the film would be released "a little after 2021".


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: In August 2020, Gunn turned in a new draft of the film's script and began writing a spin-off television series from "The Suicide Squad" titled "Peacemaker" (2022). A month later, he was planning to begin work on "Vol. 3" in 2021 after completing that film and series. He confirmed in November that the script for "Vol. 3" was finished, and said that very little had changed from his initial ideas despite the production setbacks. The film was given a 2023 release date a month later, with filming set to begin in late 2021. Shortly after, it was revealed to also be set after "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" (2022).


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: Pre-production work creating the designs and visuals for the film began by April 2021. In early May, Marvel Studios announced that the film would be released on May 5, 2023. Later that month, Gunn said "Vol. 3" would take place after the events of "" (2022), which features several "Guardians" characters. Gunn had begun storyboarding the film by June, with filming later revealed to begin in November 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia for an expected end around April 2022. By then, Bautista said he had not read a script for "Vol. 3" and was unsure if it had changed during the production delays. The next month, Gillan said that she and Klementieff had read the script together and she found it to be incredible, brilliant, emotional, and funny. She also felt it was Gunn's "strongest work yet" with the Guardians characters. Gunn reiterated that the script had "basically stayed the same" from three years prior but he had been "playing with it in little ways" over the years. He was in the middle of another draft by the end of the month and said the film would be emotional and have a "heavier" story than the previous films, with a more grounded approach that was inspired by "The Suicide Squad" and "Peacemaker". Gunn originally wrote a cameo appearance for Kumail Nanjiani, a friend of his, but removed this after learning Nanjiani was cast as Kingo in Marvel Studios' "Eternals" (2021).


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: By late August, Gunn and Marvel Studios began meeting with actors for the role of Adam Warlock, including Will Poulter. George MacKay was also on the shortlist, and Regé-Jean Page was considered for the part. Poulter auditioned for the role over Zoom before an in-person screen test with Gunn in Atlanta. In September, Gillan reiterated her positive comments about the script and said the film would explore the characters from the previous "Guardians" films on a deeper level, while Seth Green, who voices Howard the Duck in the MCU, said the film would be about Gamora and Nebula's story. He did not know at that time if Howard would appear after doing so in the previous "Guardians" films. Poulter was cast as Adam Warlock in October, and Gunn said "dozens of roles" had already been cast. Casting also took place for various background roles, including aliens and security guards. Pratt began rehearsals and camera tests later that month, and a production meeting was held in early November, shortly before the start of filming. Gunn also reiterated his comments on not resurrecting Yondu in the film.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: Principal photography began on November 8, 2021, at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, under the working title "Hot Christmas". Henry Braham serves as cinematographer, after doing so for "Vol. 2" and "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special". Filming was previously scheduled to begin in January or February 2019 prior to Gunn's firing, and then in February 2021, before Gunn began work on "Peacemaker". With the start of filming, Sylvester Stallone revealed that he would return as Stakar Ogord from "Vol. 2", and Gunn posted a photo of the main cast members which revealed that Chukwudi Iwuji was part of the film following his collaboration with Gunn on "Peacemaker". Iwuji's screen test for the film was shot on the set of "Peacemaker" with that series' crew, and Marvel repaid this favor by letting Gunn use the "Vol. 3" set and crew to film Ezra Miller's cameo appearance as Barry Allen / The Flash for the "Peacemaker" season finale.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: Production designer Beth Mickle said Gunn chose to mainly use practical effects for "Vol. 3" after they did so with their work on "The Suicide Squad". In February 2021, Gunn stated the film would be shot using Industrial Light & Magic's StageCraft virtual production technology that was developed for the Disney+ "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian", but in October, he said they would not be able to use the technology because the sets were too big, believing they were larger than the sets used on "The Suicide Squad". The interior of the Guardians' new ship, the "Bowie", was a four-story set. Judianna Makovsky serves as costume designer. "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" was filmed at the same time as "Vol. 3", from February to late April 2022, with the same main cast and sets. Gunn enjoyed being able to switch to filming the special after doing scenes for "Vol. 3", given the tonal difference between the two with "Vol. 3" being more "emotional", feeling it helped provide a "relief" to the actors as well, and called the "Holiday Special" shoot easier than "Vol. 3". In February 2022, Callie Brand was revealed to appear in the film as an alien. Shooting was also expected to occur in London, England, in late 2021. Filming wrapped on May 6, 2022.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: In early June 2022, Daniela Melchior was revealed to have a small role in the film, after previously starring in "The Suicide Squad". Debicki was also confirmed to be reprising her role as Ayesha, while Maria Bakalova and Nico Santos were also revealed to be appearing in the film. In July, Iwuji and Bakalova were revealed to be portraying the High Evolutionary and Cosmo the Spacedog, respectively. Cosmo was physically portrayed by dog actors Fred and Slate in the first two "Guardians" films and the "Holiday Special", respectively. The following month, Michael Rosenbaum revealed that he had reprised his role as Martinex from "Vol. 2" in the film. In October 2022, it was revealed that Bakalova would portray Cosmo in the "Holiday Special" ahead of her role in "Vol. 3". Craig Wood and Fred Raskin return from the first two films to serve as the editors. Stephane Ceretti returns from the first film to serve as the visual effects supervisor.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: In April 2017, Gunn felt the music for the film would be different from what was used for the first two films' soundtracks, "Awesome Mix Vol. 1" and "Vol. 2". The next month, he added that he was "panicking" about the soundtrack and had to make some "pretty specific choices" shortly due to the wider range of available music for the story, By early July 2017, Gunn had narrowed down his choices for potential songs to 181, but noted that this list could grow again. All of the songs for the film had been selected by the following month; the songs are not modern and come from Quill's Zune that he received at the end of "Vol. 2", although Gunn added that the soundtrack was not limited to 1970s pop songs compared to the first two films. Gunn was unable to use a song he wanted for "Vol. 3" due to a legal battle over its ownership.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: In October 2021, Gunn revealed that John Murphy was composing the film's score and had already recorded music to be played on set during filming. Murphy replaces Tyler Bates, who composed the score for the first two films; Murphy had also replaced Bates as composer of "The Suicide Squad" after Bates left that film during production.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: The film was discussed during Marvel Studios' panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, where the first footage was revealed. Iwuji was also announced as playing the High Evolutionary, appearing at the panel in costume. Gunn stated the footage was not released publicly because the visual effects were not complete enough for "repeated views and close inspection". An official trailer was released on December 1, 2022, during the CCXP. It featured "In the Meantime" by Spacehog. Drew Taylor of "TheWrap" called the trailer a doozy, thrilling, and emotional, and stated that "Gunn's patented, rollicking 'Guardians of the Galaxy' tone is very much in place", and noted "an undercurrent of extreme melancholy". Carson Burton of "Variety" noted that the trailer showed the film would be "shaping up to be an emotional ending" by showing Rocket's memories and Star-Lord missing Gamora. Jay Peters at "The Verge" said the trailer intrigued him as a "wild ride across the stars" with different planets.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is scheduled to be released on May 5, 2023. The film was previously set for release on May 1, 2020, before it was dropped from that date. It will be part of of the MCU.


title: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

text: Gunn said in April 2017 that a fourth "Guardians" film could happen, though it would likely center on a new group of characters since Gunn planned to conclude the story of the team of the previous films in "Vol. 3". Later in September, Gunn felt that he was unlikely to return for another "Guardians" film, but noted he would continue to work with Marvel Studios on other projects that use the Guardians and cosmic characters. One such project from Gunn was a film centered on Drax and Mantis, which Bautista called "brilliant". However, in May 2021 Bautista had not heard any further updates regarding it, feeling Marvel Studios was not "very interested, or it doesn't fit into the way they have things mapped out". Gunn confirmed in September 2019 that he intended for "Vol. 3" to be his last "Guardians" film, which he reaffirmed in May 2021. In July 2021, Gillan expressed her desire to continue to play Nebula after "Vol. 3".


title: Great Wall of China

text: The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand "li" wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic groups from the Eurasian Steppe. Several walls were built from as early as the 7th century BC, with selective stretches later joined by Qin Shi Huang (220–206 BC), the first emperor of China. Little of the Qin wall remains. Later on, many successive dynasties built and maintained multiple stretches of border walls. The best-known sections of the wall were built by the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).


title: Great Wall of China

text: Apart from defense, other purposes of the Great Wall have included border controls, allowing the imposition of duties on goods transported along the Silk Road, regulation or encouragement of trade and the control of immigration and emigration. Furthermore, the defensive characteristics of the Great Wall were enhanced by the construction of watchtowers, troop barracks, garrison stations, signaling capabilities through the means of smoke or fire, and the fact that the path of the Great Wall also served as a transportation corridor.


title: Great Wall of China

text: The frontier walls built by different dynasties have multiple courses. Collectively, they stretch from Liaodong in the east to Lop Lake in the west, from the present-day SinoRussian border in the north to Tao River (Taohe) in the south; along an arc that roughly delineates the edge of the Mongolian steppe; spanning in total. Today, the defensive system of the Great Wall is generally recognized as one of the most impressive architectural feats in history.


title: Great Wall of China

text: The collection of fortifications known as the Great Wall of China has historically had a number of different names in both Chinese and English.


title: Great Wall of China

text: In Chinese histories, the term "Long Wall(s)" ( "Chángchéng") appears in Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian", where it referred both to the separate great walls built between and north of the Warring States and to the more unified construction of the First Emperor. The Chinese character , meaning city or fortress, is a phono-semantic compound of the "earth" radical and phonetic , whose Old Chinese pronunciation has been reconstructed as *"deŋ". It originally referred to the rampart which surrounded traditional Chinese cities and was used by extension for these walls around their respective states; today, however, it is much more often the Chinese word for "city".


title: Great Wall of China

text: The longer Chinese name "Ten-Thousand Mile Long Wall" ( "Wànlǐ Chángchéng") came from Sima Qian's description of it in the "Records", though he did not name the walls as such. The AD 493 "Book of Song" quotes the frontier general Tan Daoji referring to "the long wall of 10,000 miles", closer to the modern name, but the name rarely features in pre-modern times otherwise. The traditional Chinese mile (, "lǐ") was an often irregular distance that was intended to show the length of a standard village and varied with terrain but was usually standardized at distances around a third of an English mile (540 m). However, this use of "ten-thousand" ("wàn") is figurative in a similar manner to the Greek and English "myriad" and simply means "innumerable" or "immeasurable".


title: Great Wall of China

text: Because of the wall's association with the First Emperor's supposed tyranny, the Chinese dynasties after Qin usually avoided referring to their own additions to the wall by the name "Long Wall". Instead, various terms were used in medieval records, including "frontier(s)" (, "Sài"), "rampart(s)" (, "Yuán"), "barrier(s)" (, "Zhàng"), "the outer fortresses" "Wàibǎo"), and "the border wall(s)" "Biānqiáng"). Poetic and informal names for the wall included "the Purple Frontier" "Zǐsài") and "the Earth Dragon" "Tǔlóng"). Only during the Qing period did "Long Wall" become the catch-all term to refer to the many border walls regardless of their location or dynastic origin, equivalent to the English "Great Wall".


title: Great Wall of China

text: Sections of the wall in south Gobi Desert and Mongolian steppe are sometimes referred to as "Wall of Genghis Khan", even though Genghis Khan did not construct any walls or permanent defense lines himself.


title: Great Wall of China

text: The current English name evolved from accounts of from early modern European travelers. By the nineteenth century, "the Great Wall of China" had become standard in English and French, although other European languages such as German continue to refer to it as "the Chinese wall".


title: Great Wall of China

text: The Chinese were already familiar with the techniques of wall-building by the time of the Spring and Autumn period between the 8th and 5th centuries BC. During this time and the subsequent Warring States period, the states of Qin, Wei, Zhao, Qi, Han, Yan, and Zhongshan all constructed extensive fortifications to defend their own borders. Built to withstand the attack of small arms such as swords and spears, these walls were made mostly of stone or by stamping earth and gravel between board frames.


title: Great Wall of China

text: King Zheng of Qin conquered the last of his opponents and unified China as the First Emperor of the Qin dynasty ("Qin Shi Huang") in 221 BC. Intending to impose centralized rule and prevent the resurgence of feudal lords, he ordered the destruction of the sections of the walls that divided his empire among the former states. To position the empire against the Xiongnu people from the north, however, he ordered the building of new walls to connect the remaining fortifications along the empire's northern frontier. "Build and move on" was a central guiding principle in constructing the wall, implying that the Chinese were not erecting a permanently fixed border.


title: Great Wall of China

text: Transporting the large quantity of materials required for construction was difficult, so builders always tried to use local resources. Stones from the mountains were used over mountain ranges, while rammed earth was used for construction in the plains. There are no surviving historical records indicating the exact length and course of the Qin walls. Most of the ancient walls have eroded away over the centuries, and very few sections remain today. The human cost of the construction is unknown, but it has been estimated by some authors that hundreds of thousands workers died building the Qin wall. Later, the Han, the Northern dynasties and the Sui all repaired, rebuilt, or expanded sections of the Great Wall at great cost to defend themselves against northern invaders. The Tang and Song dynasties did not undertake any significant effort in the region. Dynasties founded by non-Han ethnic groups also built their border walls: the Xianbei-ruled Northern Wei, the Khitan-ruled Liao, Jurchen-led Jin and the Tangut-established Western Xia, who ruled vast territories over Northern China throughout centuries, all constructed defensive walls but those were located much to the north of the other Great Walls as we know it, within China's autonomous region of Inner Mongolia and in modern-day Mongolia itself.


title: Great Wall of China

text: The Great Wall concept was revived again under the Ming in the 14th century, and following the Ming army's defeat by the Oirats in the Battle of Tumu. The Ming had failed to gain a clear upper hand over the Mongol tribes after successive battles, and the long-drawn conflict was taking a toll on the empire. The Ming adopted a new strategy to keep the nomadic tribes out by constructing walls along the northern border of China. Acknowledging the Mongol control established in the Ordos Desert, the wall followed the desert's southern edge instead of incorporating the bend of the Yellow River.


title: Great Wall of China

text: Unlike the earlier fortifications, the Ming construction was stronger and more elaborate due to the use of bricks and stone instead of rammed earth. Up to 25,000 watchtowers are estimated to have been constructed on the wall. As Mongol raids continued periodically over the years, the Ming devoted considerable resources to repair and reinforce the walls. Sections near the Ming capital of Beijing were especially strong. Qi Jiguang between 1567 and 1570 also repaired and reinforced the wall, faced sections of the ram-earth wall with bricks and constructed 1,200 watchtowers from Shanhaiguan Pass to Changping to warn of approaching Mongol raiders. During the 1440s–1460s, the Ming also built a so-called "Liaodong Wall". Similar in function to the Great Wall (whose extension, in a sense, it was), but more basic in construction, the Liaodong Wall enclosed the agricultural heartland of the Liaodong province, protecting it against potential incursions by Jurchen-Mongol Oriyanghan from the northwest and the Jianzhou Jurchens from the north. While stones and tiles were used in some parts of the Liaodong Wall, most of it was in fact simply an earth dike with moats on both sides.


title: Great Wall of China

text: Towards the end of the Ming, the Great Wall helped defend the empire against the Manchu invasions that began around 1600. Even after the loss of all of Liaodong, the Ming army held the heavily fortified Shanhai Pass, preventing the Manchus from conquering the Chinese heartland. The Manchus were finally able to cross the Great Wall in 1644, after Beijing had already fallen to Li Zicheng's short-lived Shun dynasty. Before this time, the Manchus had crossed the Great Wall multiple times to raid, but this time it was for conquest. The gates at Shanhai Pass were opened on May 25 by the commanding Ming general, Wu Sangui, who formed an alliance with the Manchus, hoping to use the Manchus to expel the rebels from Beijing. The Manchus quickly seized Beijing, and eventually defeated both the Shun dynasty and the remaining Ming resistance, consolidating the rule of the Qing dynasty over all of China proper.


title: Great Wall of China

text: Under Qing rule, China's borders extended beyond the walls and Mongolia was annexed into the empire, so constructions on the Great Wall were discontinued. On the other hand, the so-called Willow Palisade, following a line similar to that of the Ming Liaodong Wall, was constructed by the Qing rulers in Manchuria. Its purpose, however, was not defense but rather to prevent Han Chinese migration into Manchuria.


title: Great Wall of China

text: None of the Europeans who visited China or Mongolia in the 13th and 14th centuries, such as Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, William of Rubruck, Marco Polo, Odoric of Pordenone and Giovanni de' Marignolli, mentioned the Great Wall.


title: Great Wall of China

text: The North African traveler Ibn Battuta, who also visited China during the Yuan dynasty c. 1346, had heard about China's Great Wall, possibly before he had arrived in China. He wrote that the wall is "sixty days' travel" from Zeitun (modern Quanzhou) in his travelogue "Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling". He associated it with the legend of the wall mentioned in the Qur'an, which Dhul-Qarnayn (commonly associated with Alexander the Great) was said to have erected to protect people near the land of the rising sun from the savages of Gog and Magog. However, Ibn Battuta could find no one who had either seen it or knew of anyone who had seen it, suggesting that although there were remnants of the wall at that time, they were not significant.


title: Great Wall of China

text: Soon after Europeans reached Ming China by ship in the early 16th century, accounts of the Great Wall started to circulate in Europe, even though no European was to see it for another century. Possibly one of the earliest European descriptions of the wall and of its significance for the defense of the country against the "Tartars" (i.e. Mongols) may be the one contained in João de Barros's 1563 "Asia". Other early accounts in Western sources include those of Gaspar da Cruz, Bento de Goes, Matteo Ricci, and Bishop Juan González de Mendoza, the latter in 1585 describing it as a "superbious and mightie work" of architecture, though he had not seen it. In 1559, in his work "A Treatise of China and the Adjoyning Regions", Gaspar da Cruz offers an early discussion of the Great Wall. Perhaps the first recorded instance of a European actually entering China via the Great Wall came in 1605, when the Portuguese Jesuit brother Bento de Góis reached the northwestern Jiayu Pass from India. Early European accounts were mostly modest and empirical, closely mirroring contemporary Chinese understanding of the Wall, although later they slid into hyperbole, including the erroneous but ubiquitous claim that the Ming walls were the same ones that were built by the first emperor in the 3rd century BC.


title: Great Wall of China

text: When China opened its borders to foreign merchants and visitors after its defeat in the First and Second Opium Wars, the Great Wall became a main attraction for tourists. The travelogues of the later 19th century further enhanced the reputation and the mythology of the Great Wall.


title: Great Wall of China

text: A formal definition of what constitutes a "Great Wall" has not been agreed upon, making the full course of the Great Wall difficult to describe in its entirety. The defensive lines contain multiple stretches of ramparts, trenches and ditches, as well as individual fortresses.


title: Great Wall of China

text: In 2012, based on existing research and the results of a comprehensive mapping survey, the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China concluded that the remaining Great Wall associated sites include 10,051 wall sections, 1,764 ramparts or trenches, 29,510 individual buildings, and 2,211 fortifications or passes, with the walls and trenches spanning a total length of . Incorporating advanced technologies, the study has concluded that the Ming Great Wall measures . This consists of of wall sections, of trenches and of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers. In addition, Qin, Han and earlier Great Wall sites are long in total; Jin dynasty (1115–1234) border fortifications are in length; the remainder date back to Northern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, the Five Dynasties, Song, Liao and Xixia. About half of the sites are located in Inner Mongolia (31%) and Hebei (19%).


title: Great Wall of China

text: Han fortifications starts from Yumen Pass and Yang Pass, southwest of Dunhuang, in Gansu province. Ruins of the remotest Han border posts are found in Mamitu ( "Mǎmítú", ) near Yumen Pass.


title: Great Wall of China

text: The Jiayu Pass, located in Gansu province, is the western terminus of the Ming Great Wall. From Jiayu Pass the wall travels discontinuously down the Hexi Corridor and into the deserts of Ningxia, where it enters the western edge of the Yellow River loop at Yinchuan. Here the first major walls erected during the Ming dynasty cut through the Ordos Desert to the eastern edge of the Yellow River loop. There at Piantou Pass "Piāntóuguān") in Xinzhou, Shanxi province, the Great Wall splits in two with the "Outer Great Wall" "Wài Chǎngchéng") extending along the Inner Mongolia border with Shanxi into Hebei province, and the "Inner Great Wall" "Nèi Chǎngchéng") running southeast from Piantou Pass for some , passing through important passes like the Pingxing Pass and Yanmen Pass before joining the Outer Great Wall at Sihaiye in Beijing's Yanqing County.


title: Great Wall of China

text: The sections of the Great Wall around Beijing municipality are especially famous: they were frequently renovated and are regularly visited by tourists today. The Badaling Great Wall near Zhangjiakou is the most famous stretch of the wall, for this was the first section to be opened to the public in the People's Republic of China, as well as the showpiece stretch for foreign dignitaries. The Badaling Great Wall saw nearly 10 million visitors in 2018, and in 2019, a daily limit of 65,000 visitors was instated. South of Badaling is the Juyong Pass; when it was used by the Chinese to protect their land, this section of the wall had many guards to defend the capital Beijing. Made of stone and bricks from the hills, this portion of the Great Wall is high and wide.


title: Great Wall of China

text: One of the most striking sections of the Ming Great Wall is where it climbs extremely steep slopes in Jinshanling. There it runs long, ranges from in height, and across the bottom, narrowing up to across the top. Wangjing Lou "Wàngjīng Lóu") is one of Jinshanling's 67 watchtowers, above sea level. Southeast of Jinshanling is the Mutianyu Great Wall which winds along lofty, cragged mountains from the southeast to the northwest for . It is connected with Juyongguan Pass to the west and Gubeikou to the east. This section was one of the first to be renovated following the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution.


title: Great Wall of China

text: At the edge of the Bohai Gulf is Shanhai Pass, considered the traditional end of the Great Wall and the "First Pass Under Heaven". The part of the wall inside Shanhai Pass that meets the sea is named the "Old Dragon Head". north of Shanhai Pass is Jiaoshan Great Wall ( "Jiāoshān Chángchéng"), the site of the first mountain of the Great Wall. northeast from Shanhaiguan is "Jiǔménkǒu"), which is the only portion of the wall that was built as a bridge.


title: Great Wall of China

text: In 2009, 180 km of previously unknown sections of the Ming wall concealed by hills, trenches and rivers were discovered with the help of infrared range finders and GPS devices. In March and April 2015, nine sections with a total length of more than , believed to be part of the Great Wall, were discovered along the border of Ningxia autonomous region and Gansu province.


title: Great Wall of China

text: Before the use of bricks, the Great Wall was mainly built from rammed earth, stones, and wood. During the Ming, however, bricks were heavily used in many areas of the wall, as were materials such as tiles, lime, and stone. The size and weight of the bricks made them easier to work with than earth and stone, so construction quickened. Additionally, bricks could bear more weight and endure better than rammed earth. Stone can hold under its own weight better than brick, but is more difficult to use. Consequently, stones cut into rectangular shapes were used for the foundation, inner and outer brims, and gateways of the wall. Battlements line the uppermost portion of the vast majority of the wall, with defensive gaps a little over tall, and about wide. From the parapets, guards could survey the surrounding land.


title: Great Wall of China

text: Sticky rice mortar, consisting of sticky rice soup mixed with slaked lime, was extensively used to hold bricks together; no human bones or body parts were ever incorporated into the mortar or any part of the wall, contrary to what a legend states. Communication between the army units along the length of the Great Wall, including the ability to call reinforcements and warn garrisons of enemy movements, was of high importance. Signal towers were built upon hill tops or other high points along the wall for their visibility. Wooden gates could be used as a trap against those going through. Barracks, stables, and armories were built near the wall's inner surface.


title: Great Wall of China

text: While portions north of Beijing and near tourist centers have been preserved and even extensively renovated, in many other locations the wall is in disrepair. The wall sometimes provided a source of stones to build houses and roads. Sections of the wall are also prone to graffiti and vandalism, while inscribed bricks were pilfered and sold on the market for up to 50 renminbi. Parts have been destroyed to make way for construction or mining.


title: Great Wall of China

text: A 2012 report by the National Cultural Heritage Administration states that 22% of the Ming Great Wall has disappeared, while of wall have vanished. More than of the wall in Gansu province may disappear in the next 20 years, due to erosion from sandstorms. In some places, the height of the wall has been reduced from more than to less than . Various square lookout towers that characterize the most famous images of the wall have disappeared. Many western sections of the wall are constructed from mud, rather than brick and stone, and thus are more susceptible to erosion. In 2014 a portion of the wall near the border of Liaoning and Hebei province was repaired with concrete. The work has been much criticized.


title: Great Wall of China

text: Various factoids in popular culture claim that the Great Wall can be seen (with the naked eye) from space, with questionable degrees of veracity.


title: Great Wall of China

text: The Great Wall of China cannot be seen by the naked human eye from the Moon. Even though the myth is thoroughly debunked, it is still ingrained in popular culture. The apparent width of the Great Wall from the Moon would be the same as that of a human hair viewed from away.


title: Great Wall of China

text: One of the earliest known references to the myth that the Great Wall can be seen from the moon appears in a letter written in 1754 by the English antiquary William Stukeley. Stukeley wrote that, "This mighty wall of four score miles [130 km] in length is only exceeded by the Chinese Wall, which makes a considerable figure upon the terrestrial globe, and may be discerned at the Moon." The claim was also mentioned by Henry Norman in 1895 where he states "besides its age it enjoys the reputation of being the only work of human hands on the globe visible from the Moon." The issue of "canals" on Mars was prominent in the late 19th century and may have led to the belief that long, thin objects were visible from space. The claim that the Great Wall is visible from the moon also appears in 1932's "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" strip.


title: Great Wall of China

text: A more controversial question is whether the wall is visible from low Earth orbit (an altitude of as little as ). NASA claims that it is barely visible, and only under nearly perfect conditions; it is no more conspicuous than many other human-made objects.


title: Great Wall of China

text: Veteran US astronaut Gene Cernan has stated: "At Earth orbit of high, the Great Wall of China is, indeed, visible to the naked eye." Ed Lu, Expedition 7 Science Officer aboard the International Space Station, adds that, "It's less visible than a lot of other objects. And you have to know where to look."


title: Great Wall of China

text: In October 2003, Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei stated that he had not been able to see the Great Wall of China. In response, the European Space Agency (ESA) issued a press release reporting that from an orbit between , the Great Wall is visible to the naked eye. The image was actually a river in Beijing.


title: Great Wall of China

text: Leroy Chiao, a Chinese-American astronaut, took a photograph from the International Space Station that shows the wall. It was so indistinct that the photographer was not certain he had actually captured it. Based on the photograph, the "China Daily" later reported that the Great Wall can be seen from 'space' with the naked eye, under favorable viewing conditions, if one knows exactly where to look.


title: Steve Martin

text: Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominated for two Tony Awards for his musical "Bright Star" in 2016. Among many honors, he has received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Kennedy Center Honors, and an AFI Life Achievement Award. In 2004, Comedy Central ranked Martin at sixth place in a list of the 100 greatest stand-up comics. "The Guardian" named him one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin came to public notice in the 1960s as a writer for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour", for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1969, and later as a frequent host on "Saturday Night Live". In the 1970s, Martin performed his offbeat, absurdist comedy routines before sold-out theaters on national tours. Since the 1980s, having retired from stand-up comedy, Martin has become a successful actor, starring in such films as "The Jerk" (1979), "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" (1982), "The Man with Two Brains" (1983), "All of Me" (1984), "Three Amigos" (1986), "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (1987), "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (1988), "L.A. Story" (1991), "Bowfinger" (1999) and "" (2003). He has also known for portraying the family patriarch in "Parenthood" (1989), the "Father of the Bride" films (1991–1995), and the "Cheaper by the Dozen" films (2003–2005).


title: Steve Martin

text: Since 2015, Martin has embarked on several national comedy tours with fellow comedian Martin Short. In 2018, they released their Netflix special "An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life" for which they received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 2021, he co-created and starred in his first television show, the Hulu comedy series "Only Murders in the Building" alongside Short and Selena Gomez where he earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award nomination. In 2022, Martin and Short co-hosted "Saturday Night Live" together with Gomez making an appearance.


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin is also known for writing the book to the musical "Bright Star" (2016) and to the comedy "Meteor Shower" (2017), both of which premiered on Broadway; he co-wrote the music to the former. He has played banjo since an early age and has included music in his comedy routines from the beginning of his professional career. Since the 2000s he has increasingly dedicated his career to music, acting less and spending much of his professional life playing banjo, recording, and touring. He has performed with various bluegrass acts, including Earl Scruggs, with whom he won a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 2002. His first solo music album, "" (2009) received the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin was born on August 14, 1945 in Waco, Texas, the son of Mary Lee (née Stewart; 1913–2002) and Glenn Vernon Martin (1914–1997), a real estate salesman and aspiring actor. He has an older sister, Melinda.


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin is of English, Scottish, Welsh, Scots-Irish, German, and French descent, and was raised in Inglewood, California with his sister, and then later in Garden Grove, California, in a Baptist family. Martin was a cheerleader of Garden Grove High School. One of his earliest memories is of seeing his father, as an extra, serving drinks onstage at the Call Board Theatre on Melrose Place. During World War II, in the United Kingdom, Martin's father had appeared in a production of "Our Town" with Raymond Massey. Expressing his affection through gifts, like cars and bikes, Martin's father was stern, and not emotionally open to his son. He was proud but critical, with Martin later recalling that in his teens his feelings for his father were mostly of hatred.


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin's first job was at Disneyland, selling guidebooks on weekends and full-time during his school's summer break. That lasted for three years (1955–1958). During his free time, he frequented the Main Street Magic shop, where tricks were demonstrated to patrons. While working at Disneyland, he was captured in the background of the home movie that was made into the short-subject film "Disneyland Dream", incidentally becoming his first film appearance. By 1960, he had mastered several magic tricks and illusions and took a paying job at the Magic shop in Fantasyland in August. There he perfected his talents for magic, juggling, and creating balloon animals in the manner of mentor Wally Boag, frequently performing for tips.


title: Steve Martin

text: In his authorized biography, close friend Morris Walker suggests that Martin could "be described most accurately as an agnostic ... he rarely went to church and was never involved in organized religion of his own volition". In his early 20s, Martin dated Melissa Trumbo, daughter of novelist and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.


title: Steve Martin

text: After high school, Martin attended Santa Ana College, taking classes in drama and English poetry. In his free time, he teamed up with friend and Garden Grove High School classmate Kathy Westmoreland to participate in comedies and other productions at the Bird Cage Theatre. He joined a comedy troupe at Knott's Berry Farm. Later, he met budding actress Stormie Sherk, and they developed comedy routines and became romantically involved. Sherk's influence caused Martin to apply to the California State University, Long Beach, for enrollment with a major in philosophy. Sherk enrolled at UCLA, about an hour's drive north, and the distance eventually caused them to lead separate lives.


title: Steve Martin

text: Inspired by his philosophy classes, Martin considered becoming a professor instead of an actor-comedian. His time at college changed his life. Martin recalls reading a treatise on comedy that led him to think: Martin periodically spoofed his philosophy studies in his 1970s stand-up act, comparing philosophy with studying geology.


title: Steve Martin

text: In 1967, Martin transferred to UCLA and switched his major to theater. While attending college, he appeared in an episode of "The Dating Game", winning a date with Deana Martin. Martin began working local clubs at night, to mixed notices, and at twenty-one, he dropped out of college.


title: Steve Martin

text: In 1967, his former girlfriend Nina Goldblatt, a dancer on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour", helped Martin land a writing job with the show by submitting his work to head writer Mason Williams. Williams initially paid Martin out of his own pocket. Along with the other writers for the show, Martin won an Emmy Award in 1969 at the age of twenty-three. He wrote for "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" and "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour." Martin's first television appearance was on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" in 1968. He says: During these years his roommates included Gary Mule Deer and Michael Johnson. Gary Mule Deer supplied the first joke Martin submitted to Tommy Smothers for use on the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" show. Martin opened for groups such as The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (who returned the favor by appearing in his 1980 television special "All Commercials"), The Carpenters, and Toto. He appeared at The Boarding House, among other venues. He continued to write, earning an Emmy nomination for his work on "Van Dyke and Company" in 1976.


title: Steve Martin

text: In the mid-1970s, Martin made frequent appearances as a stand-up comedian on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", and on "The Gong Show", HBO's "On Location", "The Muppet Show", and NBC's "Saturday Night Live" ("SNL"). "SNL" audience jumped by a million viewers when he made guest appearances, and he was one of the show's most successful hosts. Martin has appeared on twenty-seven "Saturday Night Live" shows and guest-hosted sixteen times, second only to Alec Baldwin, who has hosted seventeen times . On the show, Martin popularized the air quotes gesture. While on the show, Martin grew close to several cast members, including Gilda Radner. On the night she died of ovarian cancer, a visibly shaken Martin hosted "SNL" and featured footage of himself and Radner together in a 1978 sketch.


title: Steve Martin

text: In the 1970s, his television appearances led to the release of comedy albums that went platinum. The track "Excuse Me" on his first album, "Let's Get Small" (1977), helped establish a national catch phrase. His next album, "A Wild and Crazy Guy" (1978), was an even bigger success, reaching the No. 2 spot on the U.S. sales chart, selling over a million copies. "Just a wild and crazy guy" became another of Martin's known catchphrases. The album featured a character based on a series of "Saturday Night Live" sketches in which Martin and Dan Aykroyd played the Festrunk Brothers; Yortuk and Georgi were bumbling Czechoslovak would-be playboys. The album ends with the song "King Tut", sung and written by Martin and backed by the "Toot Uncommons", members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It was later released as a single, reaching No. 17 on the U.S. charts in 1978 and selling over a million copies. The song came out during the King Tut craze that accompanied the popular traveling exhibit of the Egyptian king's tomb artifacts. Both albums won Grammys for Best Comedy Recording in 1977 and 1978, respectively. Martin performed "King Tut" on April 22, 1978, "SNL" program.


title: Steve Martin

text: On his comedy albums, Martin's stand-up is self-referential and sometimes self-mocking. It mixes philosophical riffs with sudden spurts of "happy feet", banjo playing with balloon depictions of concepts like venereal disease, and the "controversial" kitten juggling (he is a master juggler; the "kittens" were stuffed animals). His style is off-kilter and ironic and sometimes pokes fun at stand-up comedy traditions, such as Martin opening his act (from "A Wild and Crazy Guy") by saying: Or: "Hello, I'm Steve Martin, and I'll be out here in a minute." In one comedy routine, used on the "Comedy Is Not Pretty!" album, Martin claimed that his real name was "Gern Blanston". The riff took on a life of its own. There is a Gern Blanston website, and for a time a rock band took the moniker as its name.


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin's show soon required full-sized stadiums for the audiences he was drawing. Concerned about his visibility in venues on such a scale, Martin began to wear a distinctive three-piece white suit that became a trademark for his act. Martin stopped doing stand-up comedy in 1981 to concentrate on movies and did not return for thirty-five years. About this decision, he states "My act was conceptual. Once the concept was stated, and everybody understood it, it was done. ... It was about coming to the end of the road. There was no way to live on in that persona. I had to take that fabulous luck of not being remembered as that, exclusively. You know, I didn't announce that I was stopping. I just stopped."


title: Steve Martin

text: In 2016, Martin made a low-key comeback to live comedy, opening for Jerry Seinfeld. He performed a ten-minute stand-up routine before turning the stage over to Seinfeld. Also in 2016 he staged a national tour with Martin Short and the Steep Canyon Rangers, which yielded a 2018 Netflix comedy special, "Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life". The special received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations with Martin receiving two nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special and Outstanding Music and Lyrics for "The Buddy Song".


title: Steve Martin

text: By the end of the 1970s, Martin had acquired the kind of following normally reserved for rock stars, with his tour appearances typically occurring at sold-out arenas filled with tens of thousands of screaming fans. But unknown to his audience, stand-up comedy was "just an accident" for him; his real goal was to get into film.


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin had a small role in the 1972 film "Another Nice Mess". In 1974, he starred in the Canadian travelogue production The Funnier Side Of Eastern Canada, created to promote tourism in Montreal and Toronto, which also included standup segments filmed at the Ice House in Pasadena, California. His first substantial film appearance was in a short titled "The Absent-Minded Waiter" (1977). The seven-minute-long film, also featuring Buck Henry and Teri Garr, was written by and starred Martin. The film was nominated for an Academy Award as "Best Short Film, Live Action". He made his first substantial feature film appearance in the musical "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", where he sang The Beatles' "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". In 1979, Martin starred in the comedy film "The Jerk", directed by Carl Reiner, and written by Martin, Michael Elias, and Carl Gottlieb. The film was a huge success, grossing over $100 million on a budget of approximately $4 million.


title: Steve Martin

text: Stanley Kubrick met with him to discuss the possibility of Martin starring in a screwball comedy version of "Traumnovelle" (Kubrick later changed his approach to the material, the result of which was 1999's "Eyes Wide Shut"). Martin was executive producer for "Domestic Life", a prime-time television series starring friend Martin Mull, and a late-night series called "Twilight Theater". It emboldened Martin to try his hand at his first serious film, "Pennies from Heaven" (1981), based on the 1978 BBC serial by Dennis Potter. He was anxious to perform in the movie because of his desire to avoid being typecast. To prepare for that film, Martin took acting lessons from director Herbert Ross and spent months learning how to tap dance. The film was a financial failure; Martin's comment at the time was "I don't know what to blame, other than it's me and not a comedy."


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin was in three more Reiner-directed comedies after "The Jerk": "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" in 1982, "The Man with Two Brains" in 1983 and "All of Me" in 1984, his most critically acclaimed performance up to that point. Martin was by now requesting almost $3 million per film, but "Plaid" and "Two Brains" both failed at the box office like "Pennies", endangering his young career. In 1986, Martin joined fellow "Saturday Night Live" veterans Martin Short and Chevy Chase in "¡Three Amigos!", directed by John Landis, and written by Martin, Lorne Michaels, and singer-songwriter Randy Newman. It was originally entitled "The Three Caballeros" and Martin was to be teamed with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. In 1986, Martin was in the movie musical film version of the hit Off-Broadway play "Little Shop of Horrors" (based on a famous B-movie), playing the sadistic dentist, Orin Scrivello. The film was the first of three films teaming Martin with Rick Moranis. In 1987, Martin joined comedian John Candy in the John Hughes movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." That same year, "Roxanne", the film adaptation of "Cyrano de Bergerac" which Martin co-wrote, won him a Writers Guild of America Award. It also garnered recognition from Hollywood and the public that he was more than a comedian. In 1988, he performed in the Frank Oz film "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", a remake of "Bedtime Story", alongside Michael Caine. Also in 1988, he appeared at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center in a revival of "Waiting for Godot" directed by Mike Nichols. He played Vladimir, with Robin Williams as Estragon and Bill Irwin as Lucky. Martin starred in the Ron Howard film "Parenthood" with Rick Moranis in 1989.


title: Steve Martin

text: He later re-teamed with Moranis in the Mafia comedy "My Blue Heaven" (1990). In 1991, Martin starred in and wrote "L.A. Story", a romantic comedy, in which the female lead was played by his then-wife Victoria Tennant. Martin also appeared in Lawrence Kasdan's "Grand Canyon", in which he played the tightly wound Hollywood film producer, Davis, who was recovering from a traumatic robbery that left him injured, which was a more serious role for him. Martin also starred in a remake of the comedy "Father of the Bride" in 1991 (followed by a sequel in 1995) and in the 1992 comedy "Housesitter", with Goldie Hawn and Dana Delany. In 1994, he starred in "A Simple Twist of Fate"; a film adaptation of "Silas Marner".


title: Steve Martin

text: In David Mamet's 1997 thriller "The Spanish Prisoner", Martin played a darker role as a wealthy stranger who takes a suspicious interest in the work of a young businessman (Campbell Scott). He went on to star with Eddie Murphy in the 1999 comedy "Bowfinger," which Martin also wrote.


title: Steve Martin

text: In 1998, Martin guest starred with U2 in the 200th episode of "The Simpsons" titled "Trash of the Titans", providing the voice for sanitation commissioner Ray Patterson. In 1999, Martin and Hawn starred in a remake of the 1970 Neil Simon comedy, "The Out-of-Towners".


title: Steve Martin

text: By 2003, Martin ranked fourth on the box office stars list, after starring in "Bringing Down The House" (2003) and "Cheaper by the Dozen" (2003), each of which earned over $130 million at U.S. theaters. That same year, he also played the villainous Mr. Chairman in the animation/live action blend, "". In 2005, Martin wrote and starred in "Shopgirl", based on his own novella (2000), and starred in "Cheaper by the Dozen 2". In 2006, he starred in the box office hit "The Pink Panther", as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. He reprised the role in 2009's "The Pink Panther 2". When combined, the two films grossed over $230 million at the box office.


title: Steve Martin

text: In the comedy "Baby Mama" (2008), starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Martin played the founder of a health food company. Martin also appeared as a guest star in "30 Rock" as Gavin Volure in the episode Gavin Volure. He was nominated for an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. The following year he starred in Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy "It's Complicated" (2009), opposite Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. In 2009, an article in "The Guardian" listed Martin as one of the best actors never to receive an Oscar nomination.


title: Steve Martin

text: During the 2010s Martin sparsely appeared in film and television. In 2011 he appeared with Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and JoBeth Williams in the birdwatching comedy "The Big Year" directed by David Frankel. The film was criticized for its lightweight story and was a box office bomb. After a three-year hiatus, Martin returned in 2015 when he voiced a role in the DreamWorks animated film "Home" alongside Jim Parsons and Rihanna. The film received mixed critical reception but was a financial success. In 2016, he played a supporting role in Ang Lee's war drama "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk". He also appeared as himself in Jerry Seinfeld's Netflix series "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" in 2016. He also appeared in the taped version of "Oh, Hello on Broadway" (2017) as the guest. He also starred in the Netflix comedy special "An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life" with Martin Short in 2018.


title: Steve Martin

text: In February 2020, Martin opened the 92nd Academy Awards alongside Chris Rock with comedy material. They were not previously announced as that year's hosts, and joked after their opening monologue, "Well we've had a great time not hosting tonight". In 2020, Martin reprised his role as George Banks in the short "Father of the Bride, Part 3(ish)". Martin stars in and is an executive producer of "Only Murders in the Building", a Hulu comedy series alongside Martin Short and Selena Gomez, which he created alongside John Hoffman. In August 2022, Martin revealed that the series will likely be his final role, as he does not intend to seek out roles or cameos for other shows or films once the series ends.


title: Steve Martin

text: In 1993, Martin wrote his first full-length play, "Picasso at the Lapin Agile". The first reading of the play took place in Beverly Hills, California at his home, with Tom Hanks reading the role of Pablo Picasso and Chris Sarandon reading the role of Albert Einstein. Following this, the play opened at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, and played from October 1993 to May 1994, then went on to run successfully in Los Angeles, New York City, and several other US cities. In 2009, the school board in La Grande, Oregon, refused to allow the play to be performed after several parents complained about the content. In an open letter in the local "Observer" newspaper, Martin wrote:


title: Steve Martin

text: Throughout the 1990s, Martin wrote various pieces for "The New Yorker". In 2002, he adapted the Carl Sternheim play "The Underpants", which ran Off Broadway at Classic Stage Company, and in 2008 co-wrote and produced "Traitor", starring Don Cheadle. He has also written the novellas "Shopgirl" (2000) and "The Pleasure of My Company" (2003), both more wry in tone than raucous. A story of a 28-year-old woman behind the glove counter at the Saks Fifth Avenue department store in Beverly Hills, "Shopgirl" was made into a film starring Martin and Claire Danes. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2005 and was featured at the Chicago International Film Festival and the Austin Film Festival before going into limited release in the US. In 2007, he published a memoir, "Born Standing Up", which "Time" magazine named as one of the Top 10 Nonfiction Books of 2007, ranking it at 6, and praising it as "a funny, moving, surprisingly frank memoir." In 2010, he published the novel "An Object of Beauty."


title: Steve Martin

text: Beginning in 2019, Martin has collaborated with cartoonist Harry Bliss as a writer for the syndicated single-panel comic "Bliss". Together, they published the cartoon collection "A Wealth of Pigeons". In 2022, they collaborated again for Martin's illustrated biography, "Number One is Walking".


title: Steve Martin

text: Inspired by "Love has Come for You", Martin and Edie Brickell collaborated on his first musical, "Bright Star". It is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in 1945–46, with flashbacks to 1923. The musical debuted on Broadway on March 24, 2016. Charles Isherwood of "The New York Times" praised its score by Martin and Brickell writing, "The shining achievement of the musical is its winsome country and bluegrass score, with music by Mr. Martin and Ms. Brickell, and lyrics by Ms. Brickell...the songs — yearning ballads and square-dance romps rich with fiddle, piano, and banjo, beautifully played by a nine-person band — provide a buoyancy that keeps the momentum from stalling." The musical went on to receive five Tony Award nominations including Best Musical. Martin himself received Tony nominations for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score and received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and the Outstanding Critics Circle Award for Best New Score. He also received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin's next work as a playwright was the comic play "Meteor Shower" which opened at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre in August 2016, and went on to Connecticut's Long Wharf Theatre later the same year. The play opened on Broadway at the Booth Theater on November 29, 2017. The cast features Amy Schumer, Laura Benanti, Jeremy Shamos and Keegan-Michael Key, with direction by Jerry Zaks. Critic Allison Adaot of "Entertainment Weekly" wrote, "Meteor Shower is a very funny play. Keening-like-a-howler-monkey funny. Design-a-new-cry-laughing-emoji funny...In the confident hands of writer and comedy maestro Steve Martin, the premise is polished to sparkling."


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin hosted the Academy Awards solo in 2001 and 2003, and with Alec Baldwin in 2010. In 2005, Martin co-hosted "", marking the park's anniversary. Disney continued to run the show until March 2009, which now plays in the lobby of "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln".


title: Steve Martin

text: A fan of Monty Python, in 1989 Martin hosted the television special, "Parrot Sketch Not Included – 20 Years of Monty Python".


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin first picked up the banjo when he was around 17 years of age. Martin has stated in several interviews and in his memoir, "Born Standing Up", that he used to take 33 rpm bluegrass records and slow them down to 16 rpm and tune his banjo down, so the notes would sound the same. Martin was able to pick out each note and perfect his playing. Martin learned how to play the banjo with help from John McEuen, who later joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. McEuen's brother later managed Martin as well as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Martin did his stand-up routine opening for the band in the early 1970s. He had the band play on his hit song "King Tut", being credited as "The Toot Uncommons" (as in Tutankhamun). The banjo was a staple of Martin's 1970s stand-up career, and he periodically poked fun at his love for the instrument. On the "Comedy Is Not Pretty!" album, he included an all-instrumental jam, titled "Drop Thumb Medley", and played the track on his 1979 concert tour. His final comedy album, "The Steve Martin Brothers" (1981), featured one side of Martin's typical stand-up material, with the other side featuring live performances of Steve playing banjo with a bluegrass band.


title: Steve Martin

text: In 2001, he played banjo on Earl Scruggs's remake of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown". The recording was the winner of the Best Country Instrumental Performance category at the Grammy Awards of 2002. In 2008, Martin appeared with the band, In the Minds of the Living, during a show in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In 2009, Martin released his first all-music album, "" with appearances from stars such as Dolly Parton. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2010. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member John McEuen produced the album. Martin made his first appearance on The Grand Ole Opry on May 30, 2009. In the "American Idol" season eight finals, he performed alongside Michael Sarver and Megan Joy in the song "Pretty Flowers".


title: Steve Martin

text: In June 2009, Martin played banjo along with the Steep Canyon Rangers on "A Prairie Home Companion" and began a two-month U.S. tour with the Rangers in September, including appearances at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, Carnegie Hall and Benaroya Hall in Seattle. In November, they went on to play at the Royal Festival Hall in London with support from Mary Black. In 2010, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers appeared at the New Orleans Jazzfest, Merlefest Bluegrass Festival in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, at Bonnaroo Music Festival, at the ROMP Bluegrass Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky, at the Red Butte Garden Concert series, and on the BBC's "Later... with Jools Holland". Martin performed "Jubilation Day" with the Steep Canyon Rangers on "The Colbert Report" on March 21, 2011, on "Conan" on May 3, 2011, and on BBC's "The One Show" on July 6, 2011. Martin performed a song he wrote called "Me and Paul Revere" in addition to two other songs on the lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, at the "Capitol Fourth Celebration" on July 4, 2011. While on tour, Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers occasionally performed Martin's 1978 novelty hit song "King Tut" live in a bluegrass arrangement. One of these performances was released on the 2011 album "Rare Bird Alert". In 2011, Martin also narrated and appeared in the PBS documentary "Give Me The Banjo" chronicling the history of the banjo in America.


title: Steve Martin

text: "Love Has Come for You", a collaboration album with Edie Brickell, was released in April 2013. The two made musical guest appearances on talk shows, such as "The View" and "Late Show with David Letterman", to promote the album.


title: Steve Martin

text: Starting in May 2013, he began a tour with the Steep Canyon Rangers and Edie Brickell throughout the United States. In 2015, Brickell and Martin released "So Familiar" as the second installment of their partnership. In 2017, Martin and Brickell appeared in the multi award-winning documentary film "The American Epic Sessions" directed by Bernard MacMahon. Recording live direct-to-disc on the first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s, they performed a version of "The Coo Coo Bird" a traditional song that Martin learned from the 1960s folk music group The Holy Modal Rounders. The song was featured on the film soundtrack, "" released on June 9, 2017.


title: Steve Martin

text: In 2010, Martin created the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, an award established to reward artistry and bring greater visibility to bluegrass performers. The prize includes a US$50,000 cash award, a bronze sculpture created by the artist Eric Fischl, and a chance to perform with Martin on "Late Show with David Letterman". Recipients include Noam Pikelny of the Punch Brothers band (2010), Sammy Shelor of Lonesome River Band (2011), Mark Johnson (2012), Jens Kruger (2013), Eddie Adcock (2014), Danny Barnes (2015), Rhiannon Giddens (2016), Scott Vestal (2017), Kristin Scott Benson (2018), and Victor Furtado (2019).


title: Steve Martin

text: In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Martin was in a relationship with Bernadette Peters, with whom he co-starred in "The Jerk" and "Pennies from Heaven". He also dated Mary Tyler Moore and Karen Carpenter. On November 20, 1986, Martin married actress Victoria Tennant, with whom he co-starred in "All of Me" and "L.A. Story". They divorced in 1994.


title: Steve Martin

text: Martin went on a USO Tour to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm from October 14 to 21, 1990. Martin met with military service men and women all over the region signing thousands of autographs and posing for pictures. "Everybody coming out here, giving up part of their lives for this effort. I had some time off, and I felt kind of bad just sitting there," Martin said, "so I came."