title: Natasia Demetriou

text: Demetriou's debut show, "You'll Never Have All of Me", won the "Skinny" Debutant Award at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She was a longtime member of sketch comedy troupe Oyster Eyes and has written for "Anna & Katy" and "The Midnight Beast". Demetriou made her TV debut in 2013. In 2015, she was in the comedy sketch show pilot of "People Time" on BBC Three with Ellie White, alongside her brother Jamie Demetriou, with Claudia O’Doherty, Liam Williams, Alistair Roberts and Daran Johnson.


title: Natasia Demetriou

text: In 2018 she played sister to her real life brother Jamie Demetriou's Stath in Channel 4 sitcom, "Stath Lets Flats", about a family-run estate agents, which was written and created by her brother. On 11 May 2020, a special "lockdown" mini-episode was released online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 2020 BAFTA awards "Stath Lets Flats" won three awards: Best Male Actor in a comedy, Best Writer of a Comedy, and Best Scripted Comedy.


title: Natasia Demetriou

text: In 2019, Demetriou also starred in and wrote the highly acclaimed BBC Three comedy sketch show "Ellie & Natasia", a show inspired by social anxiety and being a woman in today's society, with Ellie White. In March 2020, it was reported that BBC commissioned a six-episode series, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Natasia Demetriou

text: Since March 2019, Demetriou has starred as Nadja, a Greek Romani vampire, in the critically acclaimed FX horror comedy series "What We Do in the Shadows". The series was created by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, based upon their 2014 film of the same name. The mockumentary follows three vampires (Laszlo, Nadja, and Nandor) living in a house in Staten Island and trying to cope with modern-day New York City, along with an energy vampire (Colin) and Nandor's human familiar (Guillermo). The show co-stars Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Harvey Guillén and Mark Proksch. The second season of ten episodes debuted in April 2020.


title: Natasia Demetriou

text: Starting 18 May 2020, Demetriou and Vic Reeves co-hosted Netflix's unscripted reality competition show "The Big Flower Fight". The eight-part series sees 10 pairs of contestants in a knockout competition featuring huge flower installations with the winner going on to design an installation to be displayed in London's Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.


title: Natasia Demetriou

text: In 2021, Demetriou was a series regular on the second series of "This Time with Alan Partridge", portraying a flirtatious makeup artist named Tiff.


title: Frank Lucas

text: Frank Lucas (September 9, 1930 – May 30, 2019) was an American drug trafficker who operated in Harlem, New York City, during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was known for cutting out middlemen in the drug trade and buying heroin directly from his source in the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia. Lucas boasted that he smuggled heroin using the coffins of dead American servicemen, as depicted in the feature film "American Gangster" (2007), which fictionalized aspects of his life. This claim is denied by his Southeast Asian associate Leslie "Ike" Atkinson.


title: Frank Lucas

text: In 1976, Lucas was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to 70 years in prison, but after becoming an informant, he and his family were placed in the Witness Protection Program. In 1981, his federal and state prison sentences were reduced to time served plus lifetime parole. In 1984 he was convicted on drug charges, and was released from prison in 1991.


title: Frank Lucas

text: Lucas was born in La Grange, North Carolina to Fred and Mahalee () Lucas, and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. He said that the incident that sparked his motivation to embark on a life of crime was having witnessed his 12-year-old cousin's murder at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan, for apparently "reckless eyeballing" (looking at) a Caucasian woman, in Goldsboro. He drifted through a life of petty crime until one occasion when he got into a fight with a former employer whose daughter Frank had been having an affair with. In the fight, Lucas hit the father on the head with a pipe, knocking him unconscious. He then stole $400 from the company till and set the establishment on fire. Later, Frank fled to New York City at the behest of his mother, who feared that he would either be imprisoned for life or lynched. Once in Harlem, he quickly began indulging in petty crime and pool hustling before he was taken under the wing of gangster Bumpy Johnson. Lucas' connection to Johnson has since come under some doubt; he claimed to have been Johnson's driver for 15 years, although Johnson spent just five years out of prison before his death in 1968. According to Johnson's widow, much of the narrative that Lucas claimed as his actually belonged to another young hustler named Zach Walker, who lived with Johnson and his family and later betrayed him.


title: Frank Lucas

text: After Johnson's death, Lucas traveled around and came to the realization that, to be successful, he would have to break the monopoly that the Italian Mafia held in New York. Traveling to Bangkok, Thailand, he eventually made his way to Jack's American Star Bar, an R&R hangout for black soldiers. It was here that he met former U.S. Army sergeant Leslie "Ike" Atkinson, who was from Goldsboro, North Carolina, and married to one of Lucas' cousins. Lucas is quoted as saying, "Ike knew everyone over there, every black guy in the Army, from the cooks on up."


title: Frank Lucas

text: When interviewed for a "New York" magazine article published in 2000, Lucas denied putting the drugs among the corpses of American soldiers. Instead, he flew with a North Carolina carpenter to Bangkok and:


title: Frank Lucas

text: However, Atkinson, nicknamed "Sergeant Smack" by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), has said he shipped drugs in furniture, not caskets. Whatever method he used, Lucas smuggled the drugs into the United States with this direct link from Asia. Lucas said that he made $1 million per day selling drugs on 116th Street though this was later discovered to be an exaggeration. Federal judge Sterling Johnson, who was the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York at the time of Lucas' crimes, called Lucas' operation "one of the most outrageous international dope-smuggling gangs ever, an innovator who got his own connections outside the U.S. and then sold the narcotics himself in the street." In an interview, Lucas said, "I wanted to be rich. I wanted to be Donald Trump rich, and so help me God, I made it."


title: Frank Lucas

text: Lucas trusted only relatives and close friends from North Carolina to handle his various heroin operations. Lucas thought they were less likely to steal from him and be tempted by various vices in the big city. He stated his heroin, "Blue Magic", was 98–100% pure when shipped from Thailand. Lucas has been quoted as saying that his worth was "something like $52 million", most of it in Cayman Islands banks. Added to this is "maybe 1,000 keys [kilograms; or, 2,200 pounds] of dope on hand" with a potential profit of no less than $300,000 per kilo (2.2 lbs.).


title: Frank Lucas

text: This huge profit margin allowed him to buy property all over the country, including office buildings in Detroit and apartments in Los Angeles and Miami. He also bought a ranch of several thousand acres in North Carolina on which he ranged 300 head of Black Angus cattle, including a breeding bull worth $125,000.


title: Frank Lucas

text: Lucas rubbed shoulders with the elite of the entertainment, political, and criminal worlds, stating later that he had met Howard Hughes at one of Harlem's best clubs in his day. Though he owned several mink and chinchilla coats and other accessories, Lucas much preferred to dress casually and corporately so as not to attract attention to himself. When he was arrested in the mid-1970s, all of Lucas' assets were seized.


title: Frank Lucas

text: In January 1975, Lucas' house in Teaneck, New Jersey, was raided by a task force consisting of 10 agents from Group 22 of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and 10 New York Police Department detectives attached to the Organized Crime Control Bureau (OCCB). In his house authorities found $584,683 in cash, though Lucas contended that the officers executing the search departed with the full eleven million dollars temporarily stored in his attic, and documented only 5% of the currency seized. He was later convicted of both federal and New Jersey state drug violations. The following year he was sentenced to 70 years in prison. Once convicted, Lucas provided evidence that led to more than 100 further drug-related convictions. For his safety in 1977, Lucas and his family were placed in the witness protection program. In 1981, after five years in custody, his 40-year federal term and 30-year state term were reduced to time served plus lifetime parole. In 1984, he was caught and convicted of trying to exchange one ounce of heroin and $13,000 for one kilogram of cocaine. He received a sentence of seven years and was released from prison in 1991.


title: Frank Lucas

text: Lucas' life was dramatized in the Universal Pictures crime film "American Gangster" (2007), in which he was portrayed by Denzel Washington.<ref name="ABC/Reuters"></ref> Lucas was often on set during the filming providing advice, on how he carried his gun, for example.


title: Frank Lucas

text: In an interview with MSNBC, Lucas expressed his excitement about the film and amazement at Washington's portrayal, though he admitted only a small portion of the film was true, much of it fabricated for narrative effect. In addition, Lucas's former defense lawyer Richie Roberts criticized the film for portraying him in a custody battle while in real life Roberts never had a child. He also criticized the portrayal of Lucas as a seemingly noble individual.


title: Frank Lucas

text: Judge Sterling Johnson Jr. described the film as "one percent reality and ninety-nine percent Hollywood." In addition, Johnson described the real-life Lucas as "illiterate, vicious, violent, and everything Denzel Washington was not." Former DEA agents Jack Toal, Gregory Korniloff, and Louis Diaz filed a lawsuit against Universal, saying the events in the film were fictionalized and that the film defamed them and hundreds of other agents. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon. McMahon noted the intertitle at the end of the film was "wholly inaccurate", in that Lucas' cooperation did not lead to the convictions, and admonished, "It would behoove a major corporation like Universal (which is owned by a major news organization, NBC) not to put inaccurate statements at the end of popular films." She stated the film failed to meet legal standards of defamation because it failed to "show a single person who is identifiable as a DEA agent."


title: Frank Lucas

text: Many of Lucas' other claims, as presented in the film, have also been called into question, such as his being the right-hand man of Bumpy Johnson, rising above the power of the Mafia and Nicky Barnes, and being the mastermind behind the Golden Triangle heroin connection of the 1970s. Ron Chepesiuk, a Lucas biographer, said there was no evidence to confirm Lucas' claim that he once (in 2008, and not frequently, as some sources had suggested) used coffins to ship heroin. Associated Press entertainment writer Frank Coyle noted, "[T]his mess happened partially because journalists have been relying on secondary sources removed from the actual events."


title: Frank Lucas

text: Lucas appears as a minor supporting character in the Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line Cinema/HBO Films co-production "The Many Saints of Newark" (2021). The film, a prequel to the HBO crime drama series "The Sopranos", features Lucas (Oberon K.A. Adjepong) giving advice to upcoming mobster Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr.)


title: Frank Lucas

text: Lucas' wife, Julie Farrait, was also convicted for her role in her husband's criminal enterprise and spent five years in prison. After she was released, the couple lived separately for some years, and Farrait moved back to Puerto Rico. After several years, however, they reconciled, and according to a December 2007 "Village Voice" article, had been married for 40 years at the time.


title: Frank Lucas

text: Lucas fathered seven children, including a daughter, Francine Lucas-Sinclair, and a son, Frank Lucas Jr. Lucas-Sinclair entered the witness protection program with Lucas in 1977 and has since started a website, Yellow Brick Road, containing resources for the children of imprisoned parents.


title: Frank Lucas

text: Lucas was known to be eclectic in his religious preferences, having converted to the Catholic faith while at prison in Elmira, which he stated he did because the prison chaplain assisted inmates being released on parole. He had Baptist affiliations as well.


title: Ireland Baldwin

text: Ireland Eliesse Baldwin (born October 23, 1995), also known as Ireland Basinger Baldwin, is an American fashion model. Baldwin started modeling and acting in 2013 and appeared in the film "Grudge Match" and in editorials for magazines such as "Grazia". Baldwin is also a vocal advocate for animal rights and posed for PETA 24 years after her mother did.


title: Ireland Baldwin

text: Baldwin was born in Los Angeles to actors Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. She is also the niece of actors Stephen, Daniel, and William Baldwin and cousin to model Hailey Bieber. She has three younger half-sisters: Carmen, Lucia, and Ilaria; as well as four half-brothers: Rafael, Leonardo, Romeo, and Eduardo; through her father's second marriage.


title: Ireland Baldwin

text: At age 11 in 2007, she gained attention in the media after her father left her an angry voicemail message, which became publicized. He stated that she was "a rude, thoughtless little pig".


title: Ireland Baldwin

text: Baldwin signed with IMG Models in March 2013. In April, she made her modeling debut in a swimwear editorial for the "New York Post". In May, Baldwin appeared in "W Magazine"s It Trend, It Girl feature. Baldwin was "Vanity Fair"s It Girl in June, photographed by Patrick Demarchelier. Her first magazine cover appearance was for Modern Luxury's second issue of "Beach" in July, appearing in a white bikini. "Elle" interviewed Baldwin in its September 2013 issue. The editorial accompanying the interview was photographed by Thomas Whiteside and styled by Joe Zee. She appeared in an editorial for "DuJour magazine", photographed by Bruce Weber. Baldwin made her acting debut in the film "Grudge Match", playing a younger version of Kim Basinger's character, Sally.


title: Ireland Baldwin

text: In 2014 Baldwin began studying at the New York Film Academy, mainly cinematography and acting. She attended the 86th Academy Awards alongside Nancy O'Dell and Joe Zee as media correspondents for "Entertainment Tonight".


title: Ireland Baldwin

text: In April 2015 Baldwin resigned from IMG after a stint in rehab. She signed with DT Model Management in June 2015.


title: Ireland Baldwin

text: In 2017, Baldwin appeared in campaigns for True Religion Jeans and Guess. In May, she appeared on the covers of "Elle" Bulgaria, "L'Officiel" Ukraine and "Marie Claire" Mexico. Baldwin appeared in the film "Campus Caller" as the main character, Macey Duncan.


title: Ireland Baldwin

text: In 2018, she posed nude for a PETA "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" anti-fur ad campaign, 24 years after her mother did the same. The promotional video for the piece featured Baldwin stating that she has a "no fur" policy in her contract. In September, Baldwin appeared on the cover of "Grazia", shot by Yu Tsai.


title: Ireland Baldwin

text: In 2019, Baldwin was hired to DJ alongside Caroline D'Amore for the Norah restaurant's 3rd anniversary. She said she was "Definitely not a full time DJ". In September, Baldwin was hired to DJ at Smile Train's annual Pool Party charity event. She also appeared in the Comedy Central Roast of her father Alec, doing an unannounced routine.


title: Ireland Baldwin

text: In 2014, Baldwin was in a relationship with rapper Angel Haze. In 2015, Haze devoted their track "Candlxs" to Baldwin; the cover art depicting Baldwin and Haze was painted by Haze. Several months later Baldwin ended the relationship before checking herself into Malibu's Soba Recovery Center for "emotional trauma".


title: Ireland Baldwin

text: In 2019, Baldwin revealed in an Instagram story about the Human Life Protection Act that she was a victim of sexual assault. In the story, she said that she is a survivor and that "one day [she] will reveal the true story". She also revealed that at the time, she began to rely on substances, resulting in what she characterized as "sabotaging" her career. In 2022, she expanded on that story on TikTok, saying she was raped as a teenager while she was unconscious. She also wrote that she had an abortion in an unrelated incident, "because I know exactly what it felt like to be born to two people who hated each other", so she opposes the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision.


title: Ashly Burch

text: Ashly Burch (born June 19, 1990) is an American voice actress, singer, and television writer. She is known for her roles as Aloy in "Horizon Zero Dawn" and "Horizon Forbidden West", Mel in "The Last of Us Part II", Tiny Tina in the "Borderlands" series, Miss Pauling in "Team Fortress 2", Dark Willow in "Dota 2", the web series "Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?", Chloe Price in "Life Is Strange", Rowdy from "Fallout 4", Mayuri Shiina from "Steins;Gate", Sasha Braus from "Attack on Titan," Ray and Desiree from "", Viper from "Valorant", Parvati Holcomb from "The Outer Worlds", Enid from "OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes", Molly from "The Ghost and Molly McGee", and Ash Graven from "Final Space". Most recently, she voiced Kate Bishop in the "Taking A.I.M." downloadable content from "Marvel's Avengers".


title: Ashly Burch

text: Burch grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and has an older brother named Anthony. Her mother is an immigrant from Thailand. She mentioned her mother was very spiritual, giving food to spirits and praying to them. She credits her career path as a voice actress to playing "Metal Gear Solid" at age 12. Upon seeing voice actor David Hayter's name alongside that of the main characters, she looked him up and realized that there were actual people who voiced the characters, as she realized that was what she wanted to do as a career. She graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles in 2012.


title: Ashly Burch

text: After starting "Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?", Burch got her first voice acting role when her brother, Anthony Burch, was hired as a writer for "Borderlands 2" and he suggested she try out for Tiny Tina. For "Life Is Strange", she was cast in the role of Chloe Price, after having also auditioned for the roles of Max Caulfield, Victoria Chase and Kate Marsh. She later said that she was surprised by what she could do and had the "opportunity to do in voiceover."


title: Ashly Burch

text: Burch was a writer on Cartoon Network's "Adventure Time". She wrote episodes such as "The Hall of Egress" which won a Primetime Emmy Award. She also was a writer of an "Adventure Time" graphic novel in October 2016.


title: Ashly Burch

text: Her work in "Life Is Strange" and "Horizon Zero Dawn" won her the 2015 and 2017 Golden Joystick Awards for Best Performance. She was also the host of Geek & Sundry's "Unplugged" series. Since 2020, she has portrayed Rachel on the Apple TV series "Mythic Quest", in which she also serves as a writer. She later described her voicing of Tiny Tina, Chloe, and Aloy as "three seminal step ups" that helped her "become a better actor."


title: Ashly Burch

text: She has voiced various characters in animation and anime. This included voicing Ridley in "Glitch Techs", Enid in "OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes", and Rutile Twins in "Steven Universe". She voiced multiple characters in "Bee and PuppyCat", Ash Graven in "Final Space", Lainey in "The Loud House", and characters in other productions. In 2018, Burch left her voice acting role of Mayuri Shiina for the English dub of "Steins;Gate 0", who she had voiced from episodes 1-13 and credited as "Jackie Ross", citing scheduling conflicts, and apologized to fans. She voiced Sasha Braus in the English dub of the first three seasons of "Attack on Titan".


title: Ashly Burch

text: In 2020, it was announced that she had signed on to write for the animated show, "The Legend of Vox Machina". Burch revealed that she has a recording booth in her home which she used to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Ashly Burch

text: In 2021, she began voicing Molly McGee, the protagonist of "The Ghost and Molly McGee". She sings the series theme song, with co-star Dana Snyder, and musical numbers in other episodes. The show's creative team based the character around her life. Burch praised the series for "showcasing different aspects of Thai culture" and said that voicing Molly McGee was the first time she had voiced a character that reflected her heritage.


title: Ashly Burch

text: Burch dated "Must Come Down" co-star David Fetzer until his death by accidental overdose in 2012. She discussed this event as well as her own personal mental health issues during her appearance on Paul Gilmartin's "The Mental Illness Happy Hour" podcast and on Brian W. Foster's show "Between the Sheets" on "Critical Role"s YouTube channel. She suffers from chronic anxiety and credits her love of video games to playing "Harvest Moon" as a child as it was the only thing able to calm her down. She has spoken several times about her anxiety and the positive impact video games had on it. On July 1, 2022, Burch came out as queer and pansexual, saying that coming out felt important "for reasons I can't really explain" and that she had been dating a man for five years. She said it probably is not a shock because "half the characters I play are members of the rainbow fam," with some calling her every "queer nerd's favorite nerd."


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin (, born 1 March 1953), often referred to by his initials MKS, is an Indian Tamil politician serving as the 8th and current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The son of the former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, Stalin has been the president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party since 28 August 2018. He served as the 37th Mayor of Chennai from 1996 to 2002 and 1st Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 2009 to 2011. Stalin was placed 30th on the list of India's Most Powerful Personalities in 2019 by "The Indian Express".


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin is the third son of 2nd Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and DMK Chief M. Karunanidhi, and was born to his wife, Dayalu Ammal. Stalin was born in Madras, now Chennai, on 1 March 1953. Karunanidhi was addressing a condolence meeting for Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, who died only four days after his child was born, and thus decided to name his son after Stalin.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin studied at the Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School. He completed a pre-university course at Vivekananda College, and obtained a history degree from Presidency College, Chennai of University of Madras in 1973. Stalin was conferred an Honorary Doctorate by Anna University on August 1, 2009.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: His son is Udhayanidhi Stalin, an actor and politician. Udhayanidhi is married to Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi, an Indian Tamil film director.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: His daughter is Senthamarai Sabareesan, an entrepreneur and educationist. She is the director of Sunshine Schools, Chennai. Senthamarai is married to Sabareesan Vedamurthy, an entrepreneur and political strategist.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Like his father, Stalin has also publicly disclosed that he is an atheist. But he also said that he is not against any religious beliefs.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: His political career began in his early teens when he started the DMK Gopalapuram Youth Wing with several friends. As a 14 year old, he campaigned for his uncle, Murasoli Maran, in the 1967 elections. In 1973, Stalin was elected to the General committee of the DMK.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: He came to the limelight when he was jailed in Central Prison, Madras under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for protesting against the Emergency in 1976. He was beaten up in custody and a fellow DMK prisoner C. Chittibabu died of injuries and police torture while protecting him. He wrote his final year BA exams while in prison. Stalin formed the DMK youth wing. In 1982 Stalin became the youth wing secretary of DMK, a post he held for more than four decades.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: In 1968, Stalin started the DMK Youth Wing in Gopalapuram in a barber shop with his friends. In 1983, he transformed the Gopalapuram Youth Wing into a Statewide phenomenon and led the frontal as a Secretary, a position he held for more than four decades. During the early stages of the Youth Wing, he travelled across Tamil Nadu with other members to mentor fellow youth of the state in key areas of active politics at the grassroots level.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin contested the Assembly polls unsuccessfully from Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai. In 1989 Stalin contested Assembly polls from Thousand Lights constituency again, and won. The DMK government got dismissed in 1991 before completing its full five-year term. In 1991, he contested for the third time from the same Assembly constituency, but lost to K. A. Krishnaswamy of the AIADMK. Again in 1996, Stalin won the election as an MLA from the Thousand Lights constituency.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: In 2011 Stalin changed his constituency for the first time in his political career, moving from Thousand Lights to Kolathur constituency on the outskirts of Chennai city.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin became the city's first directly elected mayor in 1996. He coined a pet project called "Singara Chennai" (Beautiful Chennai), lauded for improving Chennai's infrastructure. His efforts in improving city infrastructure earned him the title of "Managara Thanthai" (father of the city).


title: M. K. Stalin

text: During his tenure as mayor, Stalin was well received by the people of Chennai. He modernized the garbage disposal system of the city of Chennai by giving priority to cleaning works. He implemented integrated development projects such as health, public construction and schools. He solved the congestion of the city of Chennai by building huge flyovers. During his first tenure, 9 major flyovers and 49 short bridges were built. He also improved the standard of Corporation Schools to be on par with private schools. In addition, parks and fountains were set up at 18 major junctions. 81 parks were cleaned and properly maintained. Saplings were planted at the Chennai Marina, the second largest beach in the world. The slaughterhouse at Perambur have been modernized to avoid polluting the environment. During his tenure, it was decided to build flyovers on 10 congested roads before the end of his term. ₹95 crores have been allocated for the construction of flyovers. However, 30% of the funds were left over when the flyovers were opened according to him. He was re-elected Mayor for the 2nd time in 2001.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: However, the then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa enacted the Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws (Amendment) Act, in 2002, which prevents a person from holding two elected posts in the government. This law was applied retroactively to Stalin's case (he was an elected Thousand Lights MLA) in a move widely seen as aimed at removing him as Chennai's mayor. However, the Madras High Court struck down the law stating that legislative bodies were not "prevented" from making laws affecting the "substantive rights" of persons retrospectively. However, the court held that under Madras (now Chennai) City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919, a person cannot be mayor for two consecutive terms, though unlike Stalin, earlier mayors were not directly elected. MK Stalin did not appeal in the Supreme Court.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: In the 2006 Assembly Elections, the DMK regained control of the state assembly, partly due to Stalin's efforts. Stalin became the Minister for Rural Development and Local Administration in the Government of Tamil Nadu and retained this office throughout his term. During his tenure, he developed his skills as an administrator, he was instrumental in the extensive spread of Women Self-Help Groups across the State by establishing 1,75,493 Women SHGs. He also established various comprehensive drinking water projects such as Hogenakkal and Ramanathapuram water schemes. In 2008, he became treasurer of DMK.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: On 29 May 2009, Stalin was nominated as Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu by Governor Surjit Singh Barnala.He was first dy. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: During the 2016 Assembly election, Stalin went on a statewide tour titled "Namakku Naame" to appeal to the youth. Stalin won the Kolathur constituency and was appointed as the opposition leader. In 2017, Stalin went on another "Namakku Naame" tour. In 2018, his father Karunanidhi died, leaving Stalin the president of the DMK.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin formed the Secular Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu under the national United Progressive Alliance and led the alliance in 2019 general election in the state. The Secular Progressive Alliance won 39 out of 40 Parliament seats, and 12 out of 21 in the Assembly by-election, with 52% of the vote. It was his first victory since taking charge as DMK President.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: The COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of the lockdown inflicted immense misery and suffering on people of Tamil Nadu in 2020. Stalin and members from the DMK party undertook relief measures across Tamil Nadu from Day 1 to help those in need of basic essentials.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Owing to the scale of the suffering in the State, Stalin called upon his cadres and ministers to come together as one, and Ondrinaivom Vaa was born out of this vision. The campaign was officially launched in 20 April 2020 where he set up a helpline as a single point of contact for anyone in need in Tamil Nadu.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: The Helpline received over 18 lakh calls in 40 days, and the cadres, ministers efficiently tended to the requests to ensure timely delivery of services. Stalin through ‘Ondrinaivom Vaa’ also launched the campaign ‘Feed the Poor’ where NGO partners in collaboration with the Kitchen partners served over 28 Lakh cooked meals.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: In the 2021 Assembly elections, Stalin led the campaign for the Secular Progressive Alliance. They won 159 seats out of 234, with the DMK itself winning an absolute majority with 132 seats. Stalin took his oath as chief minister on 7 May 2021 along with the rest of his cabinet.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Having taken oath amid the second wave of the pandemic, Stalin started a war room to monitor the status of beds, ambulances, and oxygen supply. He attended an SOS call of a lady, spoke with her for 30 minutes, and arranged for her a bed at a hospital. He wore a PPE suit and visited the COVID-19 patients at their wards "against advice" in Government ESI Medical College Hospital. A new economic advisory council was set up with leading economists, including Esther Duflo, Raghuram Rajan, Jean Drèze, Arvind Subramanian, and former Finance Secretary S Narayan. Tamil Nadu was branded as a state with highest novel coronavirus vaccine wastage in the previous government but the Stalin government made the state to top in the list of states with lowest COVID-19 wastage policy.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin handed over appointment orders of the HR & CE Department to trained aspirants of all castes as temple priests in August 2021. Stalin quoted the reformist leader Periyar in an official release which said Periyar fought for equal rights in worship for all those who believe in God. In August 2021, Stalin ranked first among all Chief ministers of India with 42% in favour, in the "Mood of the Nation" survey done by the India Today magazine. Stalin changed the name of Sri Lankan Tamil refugee camps to called ‘rehabilitation camps' and said "They are not orphans, we are there for them".


title: M. K. Stalin

text: In September 2021, he announced that Periyar's birth anniversary will be celebrated as Social Justice Day every year.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: In June 2021, Stalin announced that the state law ministry will review the legal cases filed by the previous government. In September 2021, Stalin's government withdrew over 5570 legal cases filed by the previous AIADMK government from the past 10 years against the journalists and the protestors seeking the repeal of the three farm laws promulgated by the Union government, Citizenship Amendment Act, methane extraction, neutrino project, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant and the Chennai-Salem Expressway project.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: In May 2022, Stalin hailed the release of Perarivalan, convicted in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, and hugged him on his visit of gratitude at the Chennai Airport.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: One of the key achievements of Stalin as the Chief Minister is the ‘Ungal Thoguthiyil Mudhalamaichar’ (Chief Minister in your Constituency), which is a robust grievance redressal service set up to resolve petitions and problems raised by the constituents. The timely redressal system took the state by storm as over 2.30 lakh out of 4.57 lakh grievances had been addressed by Stalin in his first 100 days of taking office.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: The department originated from a programme ‘Ungal Thoguthiyil Stalin’, which was initiated by DMK President Stalin during his election campaign. Stalin had collected grievances from the citizens and assured them that their issues would be addressed in 100 days once he took office. Experts and journalists like Govi Lenin, called the scheme a direct reflection of DMK’s core principle, ‘Makkalidam Sel’ (Go to the People) coined by the party’s founding member Late. C.N Annadurai.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin launched ‘Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam Scheme’ on 5 August 2021, to provide essential healthcare services at the doorstep of the people in Tamil Nadu. Since launch the scheme has transformed the mode of preliminary healthcare delivery and rung in an era where essential medical services are well within the access of the poor, by delivery at their own homes.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: The scheme has undertaken screening for those above 45 years of age and others with infirmities through routine door-to-door check-ups and detect non-communicable diseases that are also seen to cause sudden mortalities and impact the quality of life. The scheme will hinge on women public health workers, women health volunteers (WHVs), physiotherapists and nurses, who will provide healthcare at the doorstep.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Through the scheme, high blood pressure and diabetes, both of which go largely undetected in the villages has been screened and monthly medicines are provided at the door-step. Similarly, physiotherapy is also given to those that are in need of care. The scheme has included screening of kidney ailments and congenital defects in children and will be followed up through hospital treatment. Stalin assured that in due course, dialysis will also be provided to those with kidney ailments through portable dialysis machines. As part of the program, a 108 ambulance for exclusive emergency response in remote tribal terrains have also been established.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin released Tamil Nadu’s first ever agricultural budget on 14 August 2021, which was dedicated to farmers protesting against the farm laws passed by the Union Government. The one of a kind budget was prepared after consulting farmers from 18 districts of the state and it predominantly aimed at increasing the cultivable land from the existing 60 percent to 75 percent. At present, about 10 lakh hectare land is under cultivation and the agriculture budget promises to increase it to 11.75 lakh hectare.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Under the budget, the newly launched ‘Kalaignarin Anaithu Grama Orunginaindha Velan Valarchi Thittam’, has been introduced to convert wasteland into cultivable land.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin launched the ‘Illam Thedi Kalvi’ scheme on 19 October 2021, notably India’s largest volunteer-based education program”, where over 3.3 million students across 92,000 habitations are being taught by 200,000 women volunteers for 90 minutes every day.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Domain experts and Data scientists have praised the ingenuity of the scheme stating that over 24% of the total recovery from learning loss can be attributed to the ‘Illam Thedi Kalvi’ sessions and that the recovery has been a lot more progressive among the disadvantaged group.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin launched ‘Innuyir Kappom-Nammai Kakkum 48’ on 18 November 2021 through which the State government will bear the expenses of emergency care for accident victims for the first 48 hours. Rolling out the scheme at Stalin said that the government was paying special attention to reducing road accidents, preventing fatalities and improving road safety. The scheme is aimed at reducing deaths due to road accidents. A total of 609 hospitals including 201 government hospitals and 408 private hospitals are linked to the scheme. All persons injured in road accidents whether they are covered or not under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS), or even those who belong to other States or countries that occur in Tamil Nadu limits would receive treatment for the first 48 hours free of charge. As many as 81 treatment packages have been identified for accident victims in the hospitals where they shall be were admitted for the first 48 hours with a ceiling of ₹1 lakh per individual. One of the key highlights of the scheme is that the government would bear the emergency treatment expenses for the first 48 hours in private hospitals, as majority of the lives could be saved if treated appropriately within 48 hours.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin launched the ‘CM Dashboard Monitoring System’ at his office. On 23 December 2021 which will enable him to track all welfare schemes, including the status of their implementation, fund allocation and the number of beneficiaries. The dashboard is set to help in proper monitoring, more efficiency, elimination of delays and prompt decision making. It will also update the Chief Minister on the water storage level in key dams, rainfall patterns, daily report on crimes, progress of housing schemes, employment trends, civil supplies in the State. The dashboard will display the status of pleas and representations made on the Chief Minister Helpline and under the ‘CM In Your Constituency’ scheme.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin launched the ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme, on 1 March 2022, which aims to equip about 10 lakh youth across the State annually with skills that will help them realise their talents for the benefit of the country. He also launched a new portal for this scheme. The scheme aims to identify, train and offer career and academic guidance to talented students in government-run and State-aided educational institutions. It also aims to offer spoken English lessons to enable students to face interview panels successfully. The scheme will offer training capsules in coding and robotics to keep pace with technological advancements. Psychological counsellors and medical doctors will offer guidance on nutrition, physical fitness and overall development of the student’s personality.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin launched the Green Tamil Nadu Mission on 24 September 2022, that aims at increasing the green cover in the state from 23.7% to 33% in the next ten years. The mission will facilitate tree planting initiatives, online seedlings purchase via the Green Tamil Nadu Mission portal.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin launched the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance scheme titled 'Pudhumai Penn' at a function in Chennai on 5 September 2022, in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The scheme was transformed from Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Memorial Marriage Assistance Scheme to the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance Scheme after recognising that in higher education, the enrolment ratio of girls from government schools was quite low. During the event Kejriwal unveiled 26 schools of excellence and 15 model schools set up by the Tamil Nadu government. Under Pudhumai Penn scheme, girl students, who studied from Class V to Class XII in state government schools would be paid a monthly assistance of ₹1,000 till they complete their graduation or diploma. Through the scheme, about six lakh girls would be benefited every year. The State government allocated ₹698 crore in the 2022-23 Budget for the scheme.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin also announced that 25 schools run by Municipal Corporations would be elevated as Schools of Excellence in the first phase at a cost of ₹171 crore. The classrooms in these Schools of Excellence would be modernised and art, literature, music, dance, sports among others would be promoted among students.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin launched the ‘Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme’ on 15 September 2022 to prevent hunger and nutritional deficiency in children. The scheme is set to improve the nutritional status of students, eliminate deficiencies such as malnutrition and anemia, and encourage children in poor households to attend schools.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: The cause of concern for Anemia among children as a major health problem in Tamil Nadu was highlighted in the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS) (2019–21) report. Stalin’s Breakfast Scheme is set to minimise, if not eliminate, this inadequacy. The breakfast scheme will be implemented at a cost of ₹33.56crore in more than 1,500 government-run schools across the state where over 1.14lakh primary government school children will benefit from it. It is Stalin’s hope that the education-nutrition matrix will be an inspiring model for other states.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin set up a 22-member Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change (GCCC) on 23 October 2022. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, economist; Nandan M Nilekani, co-founder and chairman of Infosys Board; Erik Solheim, Sixth Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme; Dr Ramesh Ramachandran, founder-director of National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management; G Sundarrajan, co-ordinator of Poovulagin Nanbargal) and Nirmala Raja, Chairperson, Ramco Community Services are among the members.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: The GCCC council has been formed to provide a policy directive to the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission, advise on climate adaptation and mitigation activities, provide guidance to the Tamil Nadu State Action Plan on climate change and guide the implementation strategy on climate action.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: The terms of reference of the GCCC includes providing guidance to the Climate Change Mission and long-term climate-resilient development pathways, strategies and action plan which will help improve livelihoods, social and economic well-being and responsible environmental management.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: The council will periodically monitor outcomes and deliverables based on the strategies being followed. Besides, it will give a continued and sustained push for research, collaboration, and interdisciplinary work, in close coordination with researchers and policymakers.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: The council will evaluate the efficacy of existing policies on climate change and learn from sustainable practices across the country and the world for suitable adaptation. The State Environment, Climate Change and Forest Department Secretary Supriya Sahu will be the convenor of the council.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: It is imperative to note that, Tamil Nadu has been spearheading several path-breaking initiatives in the field of climate change and has set up three key missions viz., Tamil Nadu Green Mission, Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission and the Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin initiated the process to appoint persons of all castes (contrary to the hereditary Brahmin priests) as archakas (priests) for the temples in the State on 15 August 2021, and assured steps will be taken to appoint those trained by the government during the previous DMK government.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin maintained that the move will fulfill the dream of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, and Periyar who wanted people of all castes to become temple priests. As a move seen as controversial by many, this policy however garnered him acclaim for it being the right step at a social revolution and combating discrimination at all levels.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin’s career in the political arena has seen its ups and downs. From a challenger to an emerging pragmatic leader, the people of Tamil Nadu have credited his administrative skills and firm rejection of sycophancy. A classic example of this is when M.K Stalin asked the Education Minister, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhil not to print his photographs on 65 lakh bags meant for distribution among schoolchildren in the state, opting to retain pictures of his political adversaries from the previous government that had sanctioned the project.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Stalin was commended by domain experts and other ministers across the country for  not using public money to enhance his popularity among the “masses”.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: On September 2, 2021 the Actor turned former Union Minister K. Chiranjeevi met with Stalin to commend him on governance efficacy and said he proved his mettle in handling the grave situation of Covid-19 pandemic. The Media houses in Kerala lauded Stalin on his policies and efforts in controlling the spread of Coronavirus during the second wave, provision of free bus pass for women and Rs 4,000 as a pandemic relief for ration card holders.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: The Shiv Sena Parliamentarian Sanjay Raut, in his weekly column Rokthok in party mouthpiece Saamana praised Stalin’s governance style and criticized the Centre’s move to omit Jawaharlal Nehru and  Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s picture from ICHR’s Independence day poster ‘Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav.’ Raut said the central government is practising the politics of revenge and should learn a lesson from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin, who allowed the distribution of 6.5 million school bags carrying photos of political rivals former chief ministers J Jayalalitha and E Palaniswami of the AIADMK, to ensure public money is not being spent on political vendetta.


title: M. K. Stalin

text: Karnataka Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai commended Stalin's nuanced policies and continual effort in controlling the spread of covid-19 at the peak of the second wave.


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: Skeet Ulrich (; born Bryan Ray Trout on January 20, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in popular 1990s films, including Billy Loomis in "Scream" (1996) and "Scream" (2022), Chris Hooker in "The Craft" (1996) and Vincent Lopiano in "As Good as It Gets" (1997). Since 2017, he has starred as Forsythe Pendleton "F.P." Jones II on The CW's "Riverdale". His other television roles include Johnston Jacob "Jake" Green Jr. in the television series "Jericho", and LAPD Detective Rex Winters, a Marine veteran from the "Law & Order" franchise.


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: Bryan Ray Trout was born on January 20, 1970, in Lynchburg, Virginia. His mother, Carolyn Elaine Wax ("née" Rudd), owns the special events marketing agency Sports Management Group, and his father is a restaurateur. He has an elder brother, Geoff. His first stepfather was D. K. Ulrich, a NASCAR driver and team owner, whom he considers his father. In 1990, his mother remarried, to Edward Lewis Wax. Ulrich's maternal uncle is retired NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd, and his maternal grandfather was Alvin Ray Rudd Sr., the president of Al Rudd Auto Parts.


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: Ulrich's father kidnapped him and his brother when he was six years old, and they spent the next three years moving from Florida to New York and then to Pennsylvania. They were reunited with their mother in North Carolina, where his father disappeared from his life.


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: The nickname "Skeet" originated from "Skeeter", a nickname he was given by his Little League coach because of his small stature and because he was fast as a mosquito. Along with his slight frame, he had poor health, including numerous bouts with pneumonia; he underwent open-heart surgery to repair a defective ventricle at the age of 10. Ulrich graduated from Northwest Cabarrus High School in North Carolina. After enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to study marine biology, he switched to New York University, where he was noticed by playwright David Mamet.


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: In his earliest screen appearances, Ulrich was an uncredited extra in films "Weekend at Bernie's" (1989) and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (1990). After joining the Atlantic Theater Company as an apprentice, Ulrich performed with the group, which got him noticed by director Stacy Cochran. She cast him in a CBS Schoolbreak Special. With her help, he also received his first notable role on screen in 1996 as the loutish boyfriend of Winona Ryder in "Boys". That same year, he also appeared in Kevin Spacey’s directorial debut "Albino Alligator" and "The Craft" alongside Robin Tunney and Neve Campbell. He was cast that same year to star alongside Campbell again in Wes Craven's hit slasher film "Scream" as Billy Loomis.


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: In 1997, he had a small role as an emotionally conflicted gay hustler in "As Good as It Gets" (along with fellow "Scream" actor Jamie Kennedy). He appeared in films like "The Newton Boys" (1998) and "Chill Factor" (1999). He starred as Juvenal, a young man with stigmata and healing powers in the Paul Schrader film "Touch" (1997), and he appeared in "Ride with the Devil" (1999), an American Civil War drama directed by Ang Lee. In 2000, he played computer hacker Kevin Mitnick in the film "Takedown".


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: On television, Ulrich starred in the short-lived ABC series "Miracles" and appeared in TNT's multiple Emmy-nominated miniseries "Into the West" (2005 in the U.S., 2006 in the UK). Also in 2005, Ulrich acted with Keri Russell in the television film "The Magic of Ordinary Days". He starred as Jake Green on the CBS post-apocalyptic drama "Jericho", which premiered on September 20, 2006, and ended its run on March 25, 2008. The series was cancelled after its first season but was brought back due to fan outcry and support. Fans lobbied the studio, and the series was brought back for a shorted second season.


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: Ulrich is a recurring guest voice actor on the Adult Swim animated stop-motion sketch comedy series "Robot Chicken". In sketches based on "G.I. Joe", Ulrich voices the character Duke. Ulrich guest-starred in three episodes of "" as a complex and disturbed killer. From 2017 to 2021, he starred as Forsythe Pendleton Jones II, the father of Jughead Jones, in "Riverdale" on The CW, loosely based on the "Archie" comic book series.


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: Ulrich appeared as Brian David Mitchell in the 2017 Lifetime film "I Am Elizabeth Smart", based on the 2002 abduction and captivity of Elizabeth Smart. He also played Brice in the 2017 horror movie "Escape Room".


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: In 2022, Ulrich reprised his 1996 breakout role as Billy Loomis from "Scream" in the 2022 sequel of the same name, the fifth film in the franchise.


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: In 1997, Ulrich married English actress Georgina Cates, whom he met at an Academy Awards party. Their wedding was a small ceremony held on their farmland in Madison County, Virginia, with only the preacher and their canine companions as guests. They have twins, Naiia (daughter) and Jakob (son), born in 2001. Ulrich and Cates separated in 2004 and filed for divorce in 2005, citing irreconcilable differences.


title: Skeet Ulrich

text: He married actress Amelia Jackson-Gray in 2012, and they divorced in 2015. In 2016, Ulrich became engaged to Brazilian model Rose Costa, but the couple split in 2017.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione Jean Granger ( ) is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series. She first appears in the novel "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (1997), as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. After Harry and Ron save her from a mountain troll in the girls' restroom, she becomes best friends with them and often uses her quick wit, deft recall, and encyclopaedic knowledge to lend aid in dire situations. Rowling has stated that Hermione resembles herself as a young girl, with her insecurity and fear of failure.


title: Hermione Granger

text: The character has had immense popularity. The version of Hermione portrayed by Emma Watson in all eight "Harry Potter" films from "Philosopher's Stone" in 2001 to "Deathly Hallows – Part 2" in 2011 was voted the best female character of all time in a poll conducted amongst Hollywood professionals by "The Hollywood Reporter" in 2016.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione is a Muggle-born Gryffindor, who becomes best friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Rowling states that she was born on 19 September 1979 and she was nearly twelve when she first attended Hogwarts. She is an overachiever who excels academically and is described by Rowling as a "very logical, upright and good" character. Rowling adds that Hermione's parents, two Muggle dentists, are a bit bemused by their odd daughter but "quite proud of her all the same". They are well aware of the wizard world and have visited Diagon Alley with her. Hermione is an only child. But Rowling revealed in a 2004 interview that Hermione was originally intended to have a sister, but the planned sibling did not appear since she felt it "might be too late now" to introduce the character. Rowling has called the character of Luna Lovegood the "anti-Hermione" as they are so very different.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Rowling said the character of Hermione has several autobiographic influences: "I did not set out to make Hermione like me but she is a bit like me. She is an exaggeration of how I was when I was younger." She recalled being called a "little know-it-all" in her youth. And she says that not unlike herself, "there is a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure" beneath Hermione's swottiness. Finally, according to Rowling, next to Albus Dumbledore, Hermione is the perfect expository character; because of her encyclopedic knowledge, she can always be used as a plot dump to explain the "Harry Potter" universe. Rowling also states that her feminist conscience is rescued by Hermione, "who's the brightest witch of her age" and a "very strong female character."


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione's first name is taken from a character in William Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale", though Rowling has said that the two characters have little to nothing in common. Rowling said that she wanted her name to be unusual since if fewer girls had the name, fewer girls would get teased for it and it seemed that "a pair of professional dentists, who liked to prove how clever they were". Her original surname was "Puckle", but Rowling felt the name "did not suit her at all", and so the less frivolous Granger was used.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione first appears in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" when she meets Harry and Ron on the Hogwarts Express, where she mocks Ron for his inability to perform a spell to turn his rat yellow. She proves just how much she knows by declaring that she memorized all the textbooks by heart. She constantly annoys her peers with her knowledge, so Harry and Ron initially consider her arrogant, especially after she criticises Ron's incantation of the "Levitation" Charm. They heartily dislike her until they rescue her from a troll, for which she is so thankful that she lies to protect them from punishment, thus winning their friendship. Hermione's knack for logic later enables the trio to solve a puzzle that is essential to retrieving the Philosopher's Stone, and she defeats the constrictive Devil's Snare plant by summoning a jet of "bluebell flame".


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione is the brains behind the plan to enter the place where the Stone is hidden. She responds to Harry's wariness of Professor Severus Snape and is also suspicious of him. She reveals to Harry and Ron that she does a lot of research in the library, which helped her defeat the Devil's Snare and work out the logic of the potions.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Rowling said on her website that she resisted her editor's requests to remove the troll scene, stating "Hermione is so very arrogant and annoying in the early part of "Philosopher's Stone" that I really felt it needed something (literally) huge to bring her together with Harry and Ron."


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione (along with Ron's mother Molly Weasley and a few female students of Hogwarts) develops a liking for Defence Against the Dark Arts (DADA) teacher Gilderoy Lockhart as he had written all the books required for the DADA in "Chamber of Secrets". During a morning confrontation between the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams, a brawl nearly ensues after Draco Malfoy calls her a "Mudblood", an insulting epithet for Muggle-born wizards when she defends the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She concocts the Polyjuice Potion needed for the trio to disguise themselves as Draco's housemates to collect information about the Heir of Slytherin who has reopened the Chamber of Secrets. However, she is unable to join Harry and Ron in the investigation after the hair plucked from the robes of Slytherin student Millicent Bulstrode (with whom Hermione was previously matched up during Lockhart's ill-fated Duelling Club) was that of her cat, whose appearance she takes on in her human form; it takes several weeks for the effects to completely wear off. Hermione is Petrified by the basilisk after successfully identifying the creature through library research. Though she lies incapacitated in the hospital wing, the information she has found and left behind is crucial to Harry and Ron in their successful mission to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets. Hermione is revived after Harry kills the basilisk, but she is distraught to learn that all end-of-year exams have been cancelled as a school treat.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione buys a cat named Crookshanks, who takes to chasing Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. Before the start of term, Professor Minerva McGonagall secretly gives Hermione a Time-Turner, a device which lets her go back in time and handle her heavy class schedule, though this is not revealed until the penultimate chapter. Much tension comes into play between Hermione and her two best friends; Harry is furious with her because she told McGonagall that he got a Firebolt, which was confiscated to be inspected for traces of dark magic. Ron is angry because he feels Crookshanks caused Scabbers' disappearance, while Hermione fiercely maintains that Crookshanks is innocent.


title: Hermione Granger

text: While filling in for Remus Lupin in one DADA class, Snape labels Hermione "an insufferable know-it-all" and penalises Gryffindor after she speaks out of turn in her attempt to describe a werewolf when no one else does. She correctly deduces Lupin's secret after completing Snape's homework assignment from the class. Crookshanks proves vital in exposing Scabbers as Peter Pettigrew, an erstwhile friend of James and Lily Potter, who revealed their whereabouts to Voldemort the night of their murders, and was able to wrongly implicate Sirius Black (revealed to be Harry's godfather) in the Potters' deaths. The Time-Turner enables Hermione and Harry to rescue Sirius and the hippogriff Buckbeak.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione is horrified by the cruelty that house-elves suffer, and establishes S.P.E.W., the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, as an effort to gain basic rights for them. She is Bulgarian Quidditch prodigy Viktor Krum's date at the Yule Ball of the Triwizard Tournament. The proper pronunciation of her name ("Her-my-oh-nee") is interjected into the plot when she teaches it to Krum; the best he can do is "Herm-own-ninny," but she has no problem with it. She later gets into a heated argument with Ron after he accuses her of "fraternising with the enemy" about her friendship with Krum. In the book, Hermione's feelings toward Ron are hinted at when she says that Ron can't see her "like a girl," but Krum could. She supports Harry through the Triwizard Tournament, helping him prepare for each task. At the end of the second task, Krum asks her to come to see him over the summer in Bulgaria, but she politely declines. Near the end of term, she stops fraudulent tabloid reporter and unregistered Animagus, Rita Skeeter, who had published defamatory material about Hermione, Harry, and Hagrid during the Triwizard Tournament, by holding her Animagus form (a beetle) captive in a jar.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione becomes a Gryffindor prefect along with Ron and befriends Luna Lovegood, but their friendship has a rocky start after Hermione chastises the publication of Luna's father: ""The Quibbler"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s rubbish, everyone knows that." She also lambasts housemate Lavender Brown for believing the "Daily Prophet's" allegations of Harry fabricating stories of Voldemort's return. Ron and Hermione spend much of their time bickering, likely due to their growing romantic feelings toward one another, but they show continued loyalty to Harry. One turning point in the series is when Hermione conceives the idea of Harry secretly teaching defensive magic to a small band of students in defiance of the Ministry of Magic's dictum to teach only the subject's basic principles from a textbook, with no hands-on practice. Hermione gets an unexpectedly huge response, and the group becomes the nascent Dumbledore's Army. She is involved in the battle in the Department of Mysteries and seriously injured by a spell from Death Eater Antonin Dolohov, but makes a full recovery.


title: Hermione Granger

text: New Potions professor Horace Slughorn invites Hermione to join his "Slug Club", and she helps Ron retain his spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team when she casts a spell on Cormac McLaggen, causing him to miss his last save attempt during Keeper tryouts. Hermione's feelings for Ron continue to grow and she decides to make a move by inviting him to Slughorn's Christmas Party, but he romances Lavender instead in retaliation for his belief that Hermione had kissed Krum years earlier. She attempts to get even by dating Cormac at the Christmas party, but her plan goes awry and she abandons him midway through the party. Ron and Hermione continually feud with each other (Ron is upset with her because she set birds to attack him after seeing him and Lavender kissing; Hermione is mostly mad because of her growing jealousy) until he suffers a near-fatal poisoning from tainted mead, which frightens her enough to reconcile with him. After Dumbledore's death, Ron and Hermione both vow to stay by Harry's side regardless what happens. A minor subplot in the book is that Hermione and Harry form a rivalry in Potions, as Hermione is used to coming first in her subjects and is angry that Harry outperforms her undeservedly by following tips and different instructions written in the margins of Harry's potions book by the previous owner. Hermione is also the only one of the trio to successfully pass her Apparition test (Ron failed, albeit barely, and Harry was too young).


title: Hermione Granger

text: In the seventh and last book, Hermione accompanies Harry on his quest to destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Before leaving on the quest, she helps ensure the safety of her parents by placing a false memory charm on them, making them think they are Wendell and Monica Wilkins, whose lifetime ambition is to move to Australia. She inherits Dumbledore's copy of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard", which allows her to decipher some secrets of the Deathly Hallows. She prepared for their departure and journey by placing an Undetectable Extension Charm on a small beaded purse so she can fill the infinite depths of the bag with things they will need. Hermione's spell saves her and Harry from Lord Voldemort and his snake Nagini in Godric's Hollow, though the ricochet snaps Harry's wand. When she, Ron, and Harry are caught by Snatchers, who are hunting for Muggle-borns under the Ministry's orders, Hermione disguises Harry by temporarily disfiguring his face with a Stinging Jinx. She also tries to pass herself off as former Hogwarts student Penelope Clearwater and a half-blood to avoid persecution, but they are recognised and taken to Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix Lestrange tortures her with a Cruciatus Curse in an attempt to extract information on how Hermione, Harry, and Ron came to possess Godric Gryffindor's sword (which was supposed to be safe in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts). Bellatrix orders for Griphook the goblin to inspect the sword and tell whether it is fake or real. To save Hermione, Harry convinces him to lie to Bellatrix that the sword is a fake. When the others escape their cell, Bellatrix threatens to slit Hermione's throat. Hermione, Harry, Ron and the other prisoners being held in Malfoy Manor are eventually rescued by Dobby.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione later uses Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Bellatrix when the trio steal Hufflepuff's cup (a Horcrux) from Gringotts. She, Harry, and Ron join Dumbledore's Army in the Battle of Hogwarts, during which Hermione destroys Hufflepuff's cup in the Chamber of Secrets with a basilisk fang. Hermione and Ron also share their first kiss during the battle. In the final battle in the Great Hall, Hermione fights Bellatrix with the help of Ginny Weasley and Luna. However, the three of them are unable to defeat Bellatrix and stop fighting her once Molly Weasley orders them to disengage.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Nineteen years after Voldemort's death, Hermione and Ron have two children, Rose and Hugo Granger-Weasley. Though the epilogue does not explicitly say Hermione and Ron are married, news articles and other sources treat it as fact.


title: Hermione Granger

text: In "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", it is shown that Hermione has become Minister for Magic, succeeding Kingsley Shacklebolt.


title: Hermione Granger

text: The books describe Hermione as having "bushy brown hair" and brown eyes. Her front buck teeth, already very large, grow uncontrollably in "Goblet of Fire" after she is affected by a spell cast by Draco Malfoy. Madam Pomfrey attends to her in the hospital wing and, at her request, shrinks the teeth down to a normal size that matches her mouth. In the films, her hair is less bushy and she always has regular teeth except for a scene at the end of "Philosopher's Stone" where Emma Watson wore fake teeth. She stopped wearing them for the rest of the films because they caused difficulties in speech.


title: Hermione Granger

text: There is controversy over whether Hermione's skin colour is ever categorically established in the books. Some take as proof a line from "Prisoner of Azkaban": "Hermione's white face was sticking out from behind a tree." They interpret this as a direct description of her skin tone. Others interpret it as a description relative to her usual complexion, arising due to fright and anxiety as she watches Harry Potter's attempt to save the hippogriff Buckbeak from execution. J.K. Rowling herself says Hermione "turned white" in that she "lost colour from her face after a shock."


title: Hermione Granger

text: Another description from early in "Prisoner of Azkaban" is: "They were there, both of them, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown, both waving frantically at him." Some claim this is a direct description of her skin colour, while others claim it's a relative description of the results of a tan acquired over the summer break.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione's most prominent features include her prodigious intellect and cleverness. She is levelheaded, book-smart, and always very logical. Throughout the series, Hermione uses the skills of a librarian and teacher to gather the information needed to defeat Voldemort, the "Dark Lord". When in doubt, she always turns to the school library. She is often bossy yet unfailingly dutiful and loyal to her friends—a person who can always be counted on. J.K. Rowling said that Hermione "never strays off the path; she always keeps her attention focused on the job that must be done." Despite Hermione's intelligence and bossy attitude, Rowling says Hermione has "quite a lot of vulnerability in her personality," as well as a "sense of insecurity underneath," feels, "utterly inadequate... and to compensate, she tries and strives to be the best at everything at school, projecting a confidence that irritates people." During her DADA exam at the end of "Prisoner of Azkaban", Hermione reveals that her biggest fear is failure after a Boggart takes the form of Professor McGonagall and tells her that she has failed all her exams.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione is extremely compassionate; and very quick to help others, especially the defenceless, such as Neville Longbottom, first-years, House-Elves, fellow Muggle-borns, half-giants like Hagrid, and werewolves like Lupin. After publication of the last book, J.K. Rowling revealed that Hermione's career in the Ministry was to fight for the rights of the oppressed and disenfranchised (such as House-elves or Muggle-borns). Hermione is also very protective of her friends and values them so much that Rowling has suggested that, if Hermione looked in the Mirror of Erised, she would see Harry, Ron, and herself alive and Voldemort defeated. Hermione also learns to ignore what bullies such as Draco Malfoy say to her, often preventing Harry and Ron from retaliating and thinking of some way to outsmart him. She accepts her status as a Muggle-born, and says in "Deathly Hallows" that she is "a Mudblood and proud of it".


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione is portrayed during the whole series as an exceptionally talented young witch. J.K. Rowling has said that Hermione is a "borderline genius." She got ten O.W.L.s, which were nine Outstanding and one Exceeds Expectations. She is the best student in Harry's year and is repeatedly the first student to master any spell or charm introduced in her classes and even from more advanced years, as evidenced when she can conjure a Protean Charm on the D.A.'s fake Galleon coins, which is a N.E.W.T. level charm. She is also the first one of her age to be able to cast non-verbal spells. Hermione is a competent duellist – Rowling has stated that during the first three books Hermione could have beaten Harry in any magical duel, but by the fourth book Harry had become so good at DADA that he would have defeated Hermione. Hermione did not tend to do as well in subjects that were not learned through books or formal training, as broom flying did not come as naturally to her in her first year as it did to Harry, and she showed no affinity for Divination, which she dropped from her third-year studies. She was also not good at Wizard's Chess, as it was the only thing at which she ever lost to Ron.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione's Patronus is an otter, Rowling's favourite animal. In the "Deathly Hallows" book, while they enter the Ministry of Magic under disguise, Hermione impersonates Mafalda Hopkirk. Her wand is made of vine wood and dragon heartstring core; vine is the wood ascribed to Hermione's fictional birth month (September) on the Celtic calendar.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione is viewed by many as a feminist icon. In "The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter," the first book-length analysis of the "Harry Potter" series (edited and compiled by Lana A. Whited), a chapter titled "Hermione Granger and the Heritage of Gender" by Eliza T. Dresang, discusses Hermione's role in the series and its relation to feminist debates. The chapter begins with an analysis of Hermione's name and the role of previous characters with the same name in mythology and fiction, and the heritage Hermione has inherited from these characters due to her name. Dresang also emphasises Hermione's parallelism with Rowling herself and how, as Hermione has some attributes from Rowling herself, she must be a strong character.


title: Hermione Granger

text: The chapter also points out that, despite being born to Muggle parents, Hermione's magical abilities are innate. Her "compulsion for study" helps both the character's development, which makes Hermione "a prime example that information brings power", and the plot of the series, as her knowledge of the wizard world is often used to "save the day". Dresang states that "Harry and Ron are more dependent on Hermione than she is on them." However, she adds that Hermione's "hysteria and crying happen far too often to be considered a believable part of the development of Hermione's character and are quite out of line with her core role in the book."


title: Hermione Granger

text: UGO Networks listed Hermione as one of their best heroes of all time, saying, "Most of us can probably recall having a classmate like Hermione when we were in grammar school"—one who "can at first be a little off-putting, but once you get to know her, she's not a bad chick to have on your side". "IGN" also listed Hermione as their second top "Harry Potter" character, praising her character development. In 2016 "The Hollywood Reporter" did a poll of Hollywood professionals, including actors, writers and directors, into their favourite female characters of all time; Hermione topped the poll.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Philip Nel of Kansas State University notes that "Rowling, who worked for Amnesty International, evokes her social activism through Hermione's passion for oppressed elves and the formation of her 'Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare'".


title: Hermione Granger

text: However, in an analysis for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", Rowland Manthrope states that "seven books on, we still only know her as swottish, sensible Hermione—a caricature, not a character."


title: Hermione Granger

text: Emma Watson played Hermione in all eight "Harry Potter" films. Watson's Oxford theatre teacher passed her name on to the casting agents of "Philosopher's Stone", impressed with her school play performances. Though Watson took her audition seriously, she "never really thought she had any chance" of getting the part. The producers were impressed by Watson's self-confidence and she outperformed the thousands of other girls who applied.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Rowling herself was supportive of Watson after her first screen test. When asked if she thought actors suited the characters, Rowling said, "Yes, I did. Emma Watson in particular was very, very like Hermione when I first spoke to her, I knew she was perfect from that first phone call."


title: Hermione Granger

text: Watson was well-received for the first film; IGN even commented that "from Hermione Granger's perfect introduction to her final scene, Watson is better than I could have possibly imagined. She steals the show." IGN also wrote that her "astute portrayal of Hermione has already become a favourite among fans."


title: Hermione Granger

text: Before the production of "Half-Blood Prince", Watson considered not returning, but eventually decided that "the pluses outweighed the minuses" and that she could not bear to see anyone else play Hermione.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Watson has said that Hermione is a character who makes "brain not beauty cool," and that though Hermione is "slightly socially inept," she is "not ashamed of herself." When filming "Chamber of Secrets", Watson was "adamant" that she wasn't like Hermione, but she reflects that "as I got older, I realised she was the greatest role model a girl could have." In 2007, before the release of "Order of the Phoenix," Watson said, "There are too many stupid girls in the media. Hermione's not scared to be clever. I think sometimes really smart girls dumb themselves down a bit, and that's bad. When I was nine or ten, I would get really upset when they tried to make me look geeky, but now I absolutely love it. I find it's so much pressure to be beautiful. Hermione doesn't care what she looks like. She's a complete tomboy."


title: Hermione Granger

text: Screenwriter Steve Kloves revealed in a 2003 interview that Hermione was his favourite character. "There's something about her fierce intellect coupled with a complete lack of understanding of how she affects people sometimes that I just find charming and irresistible to write."


title: Hermione Granger

text: In "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", Hermione is played by Eswatini-born actress Noma Dumezweni, known for her work in "Linda", "A Raisin in the Sun" and "A Human Being Died That Night". Dumezweni described the role as a "privilege and a responsibility" and said that "we all aspire to be Hermione." The choice of a black actress to play her, led to criticism on social media, which J.K. Rowling described as being by "a bunch of racists", adding that the books never explicitly mention her race or skin tone (though she did write in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", "Hermione's white face was sticking out from behind a tree.") and that she has been portrayed as black in fan art. Dumezweni herself called the backlash "so unimaginative", stating that "So many young actors and actresses have told me that they’re so pleased I’m playing Hermione because they can see a version of themselves on the stage."


title: Hermione Granger

text: Dumezweni got praise for her performance; "The Independent" said that she "did a tremendous job as the stern witch." At the 2017 Laurence Olivier Awards, Dumezweni got the Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Hermione.


title: Hermione Granger

text: Hermione has been parodied in many sketches and animated series. On "Saturday Night Live", Lindsay Lohan played Hermione. On his show "Big Impression", Alistair McGowan did a sketch, "Louis Potter and the Philosopher's Scone". It featured impressions of Nigella Lawson as Hermione. In 2003, Comic Relief performed a spoof story called "Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan", in which Miranda Richardson, who plays Rita Skeeter in the Harry Potter films, featured as Hermione. Hermione also features in the "Harry Bladder" sketches in "All That", where she appears as Herheiny and is played by Lisa Foiles. "The Wedge", an Australian sketch comedy, parodies Hermione and Harry in love on a ""Cooking With..."" show before being caught by Snape. Hermione also appears as Hermione Ranger in "Harry Podder: Dude Where's My Wand?", a play by Desert Star Theater in Utah, written by sisters Laura J., Amy K. and Anna M. Lewis. In the 2008 American comedy film "Yes Man", Allison (played by Zooey Deschanel) accompanies Carl (Jim Carrey) to a Harry Potter-themed party dressed as Hermione.


title: Hermione Granger

text: In "Harry Cover", a French comic book parody of "Harry Potter" by Pierre Veys (later translated into Spanish and English), Hermione appears as Harry Cover's friend Hormone. Hermione also appears in "Potter Puppet Pals" sketches by Neil Cicierega; and in the "A Very Potter Musical", "A Very Potter Sequel", and "A Very Potter Senior Year" musicals by StarKid Productions played by Bonnie Gruesen in the first two and Meredith Stepien in the third.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: Blacklight is a 2022 action thriller film directed and co-written by Mark Williams. The film stars Liam Neeson as a brooding FBI fixer who gets involved in a government conspiracy; Emmy Raver-Lampman, Taylor John Smith, and Aidan Quinn also star.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: "Blacklight" was released in the United States on February 11, 2022 by Briarcliff Entertainment. The film was a box office bomb, grossing $16 million against its $43 million budget, and was panned by critics, with many naming it among the worst films of Neeson's career.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: Political activist Sofia Flores speaks at a rally in Washington, D.C. about women's and racial equality. That evening, she is killed in a deliberately planned hit-and-run outside of her home.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: Travis Block, a Vietnam War veteran, works off-the-books for FBI Director Gabriel Robinson as a fixer. After completing one mission, he tells Robinson he wants to retire and spend more time with his daughter and granddaughter, but Robinson is reluctant to let him go. Instead he is given a new assignment to bring in undercover FBI Agent Dusty Crane.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: However, Crane goes rogue and contacts a journalist, Mira Jones, claiming to have information about Flores' death. Escaping several times from Block and the FBI, Crane arranges to meet Jones at a museum. Block follows Jones to the meeting but Crane escapes again. Crane tells Block that Robinson ordered Flores' killing before he is shot dead by two FBI Agents.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: Block and Jones meet again and she tells him that Crane claimed to have information about Operation Unity, a top secret FBI program run by Robinson that kills innocent civilians, including Flores. Block confronts Robinson about Operation Unity, but Robinson brushes off his questions and warns Block not to interfere.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: Jones's editor, Drew, writes a story about Crane's mysterious death using her sources. That evening, he is followed home and killed after a car accident by the same two FBI Agents that killed Crane and Flores. Meanwhile, Block's family goes missing.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: Jones convinces a distressed Block to help her uncover the mystery of Operation Unity. He tells her that Robinson has a safe in his house with government secrets. He confronts Robinson at his house and forces him to open the safe, which contains a hard drive with information about Operation Unity. Robinson escapes with the help of several FBI Agents, who engage in a gunfight with Block. Block defeats the agents and retrieves the hard drive.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: Block and Jones review the hard drive and discover that Crane was in love with his assignment, Flores. Robinson had her killed after Crane got too attached to her. Block confronts Robinson with the truth about Operation Unity, and forces him to turn himself in to the authorities. Robinson is arrested for his crimes, Jones completes her story about the government cover-up, and Block retires and reunites with his family who had been placed in Witness Protection but are now brought back home.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: Principal photography of the film started in November 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. In January 2021 it was announced that a car chase scene would be filmed in Canberra.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: "Blacklight" was released in the United States by Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment on February 11, 2022. The film was released video-on-demand on March 3, while the film released on Blu-ray and DVD in May 3 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: In the United States and Canada, "Blacklight" was released alongside "Death on the Nile" and "Marry Me", and was projected to gross $1–5 million from 2,772 theaters in its opening weekend. The film went on to debut to $3.5 million, finishing fifth at the box office. Overall audiences during its opening were 64% male, 83% above the age of 25, 58% above 35, and 35% above 45. The ethnic breakdown of the audience showed that 53% were Caucasian, 14% Hispanic and Latino Americans, 15% African American, and 18% Asian or other. The film finished tenth at the box office in its second weekend with $1.7 million. It dropped out of the box office top ten in its third weekend with $878,687.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film a 58% positive score, with 39% saying they would definitely recommend it.


title: Blacklight (film)

text: Joe Leydon of "Variety" said: "If you approach it with sufficiently lowered expectations, and have fond memories of the '70s paranoid dramas that obviously inspired director and co-writer Mark Williams, this might be your house-brand jam." Frank Scheck of "The Hollywood Reporter" wrote: "Lacking a high concept or memorable central character, the film is a by-the-numbers actioner that coasts on its star's soulful gravitas and low-key charisma."


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: Han Hyo-joo (Korean: 한효주; born February 22, 1987) is a South Korean film and television actress, model and singer. She is best known for her leading roles in television series such as "Heaven & Earth" (2007), "Iljimae" (2008), "Brilliant Legacy" (2009), "Dong Yi" (2010) for which she won the coveted "Best Actress" award at the 47th Baeksang Arts Awards, "W" (2016) and "Happiness" (2021), as well as the films "Masquerade" (2012), which is one of the highest grossing Korean films of all-time, "Cold Eyes" (2013), for which she won "Best Actress" at the 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards, "Love 911" (2012), "The Beauty Inside" (2015) and "" (2022).


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: Han Hyo-joo was born in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Her mother was an elementary school teacher before becoming an inspector for public schools, and her father was an air force officer. As a child, she was good in sports, particularly track and field. In her sophomore year of high school, she moved to Seoul and attended Bulgok High School, despite the objections of her strict and conservative father. She then entered Dongguk University, where she joined the theater and film department.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: Han was first discovered in a teenage beauty pageant organized by food corporation Binggrae in 2003. She began her acting career in the sitcom "Nonstop 5" and the gangster comedy film "My Boss, My Teacher". Han later raised her profile by starring in "Spring Waltz", the fourth and final installment of TV director Yoon Seok-ho's "season drama" series.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2006, director Lee Yoon-ki cast Han in the starring role in his low-budget independent film "Ad-lib Night", which follows a young woman who rediscovers herself through an eerie overnight encounter with strangers. She won the Best New Actress awards at the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards and Singapore International Film Festival for her performance.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: Han then starred in two highly successful TV projects and rose to fame - KBS daily drama "Heaven & Earth" with Park Hae-jin in 2007, and SBS masked-adventurer series "Iljimae" with Lee Joon-gi in 2008. Both dramas drew solid viewership ratings nationwide throughout its run with high viewer ratings and launched Han into a household name. Afterwards, she was cast in another indie film, "Ride Away", which debuted at the 2008 Jeonju International Film Festival.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: Han then filmed the Korean-Japanese telecinema co-production "Heaven's Postman", which also featured pop star Jaejoong from TVXQ (now JYJ). After several postponements, it was released in theaters in late 2009, and broadcast on TV in 2010.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: Han's breakthrough came in "Brilliant Legacy" costarring Lee Seung-gi, which became a massive hit in 2009, reaching a peak viewership rating of 47.1%. It catapulted Han to stardom, and after the drama's conclusion, she experienced a sharp rise in endorsement deals and media requests for interviews, as well as increased pan-Asian popularity. Later that year Han wrapped up her starring role in the musical drama "Soul Special", which aired on KBS Joy.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2010, Han took on the titular character in MBC's 49th anniversary project "Dong Yi", The series became a hit during its run both domestically and across Asia. Han won several acting awards for her portrayal of Choi Suk-bin, including the "Daesang" (Grand Prize) award at MBC Drama Awards and the coveted Best Actress award at Baeksang Arts Awards.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2011, Han played a blind telemarketer opposite So Ji-sub's ex-boxer in the melodrama film "Always". Helmed by director Song Il-gon, it premiered as the opening film of the 2011 Busan International Film Festival. Han later contributed voice narration to the "barrier-free" version of Japanese film "My Back Page", which features descriptive audio and subtitles for people with hearing or visual impairments.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: Han then played the queen to Lee Byung-hun's Gwanghae in the 2012 blockbuster period film "Masquerade", which became one of the highest-grossing Korean films of all time. She followed that with "Love 911", an unlikely romance between a doctor and a firefighter (Go Soo).


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2013, Han starred opposite Sol Kyung-gu and Jung Woo-sung in action thriller "Cold Eyes", a remake of the 2007 Hong Kong film "Eye in the Sky". The film dominated the box office after its release and became one of the biggest domestic hits of 2013. Han received acting recognition for her performance, winning Best Actress from the Blue Dragon Film Awards and Buil Film Awards.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2014, Han and "Love 911" costar Go Soo reunited in "Myohyangsangwan" ("View of Mount Myohyang"), which depicts the rendezvous of a South Korean painter and a North Korean waitress in a North Korean restaurant. The short film is a collaboration by contemporary artists Moon Kyung-won and Jeon Joon-ho, and combined a theatrical plot, experimental imagery, dance and performance art.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: She then ventured into the overseas market by starring in her first Japanese film, Isshin Inudo's "Miracle: Debikuro-kun no Koi to Maho" ("Miracle Devil Claus' Love and Magic"). Set during the Christmas season, the film is a love story about a kind bookstore employee (played by Masaki Aiba from J-pop boyband Arashi) who meets three women.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2015, Han starred in the musical biopic "C'est Si Bon", which depicted the ups and downs of the folk music group Twin Folio, which was active from the 1960s to 80s. Famous for its live performances, C'est Si Bon was the name of a popular music lounge located in Mugyo-dong in the 1970s, where Twin Folio got its start; Han played the group's muse. This was followed by romantic comedy film "The Beauty Inside", where Han's character falls in love with a man who changes to different people every day.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: Later that year, Han got together with Yoo Yeon-seok and Chun Woo-hee, both of her co-stars in "The Beauty Inside", again for "Love, Lies", a movie which depicts the last story of gisaeng during the Japanese occupation in the 1940s.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2016, Han returned to the small screen with MBC's fantasy suspense series "W" alongside Lee Jong-suk. Helmed by director Jung Dae-yoon who directed "She Was Pretty" and writer Song Jae-jung whose previous works include "" and "Queen In-hyun's Man", expectations were high as this marked Han's return to the small screen after 6 years. She won the Top Excellence award at the 5th APAN Star Awards and MBC Drama Awards for her performance in "W".


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2018, Han starred in the thriller "Golden Slumber" alongside Kang Dong-won. The same year, she reunited with Kang as the female lead in sci-fi action thriller "", based on the .


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2019, Han was confirmed as part of the main cast of American television series "Treadstone", an offshoot from Universal's "Bourne" franchise.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2020, Han was cast in a Japanese action film "Taiyō wa Ugokanai" ("The Sun Stands Still"), directed by Eiichiro Hasumi. Based on the novel of the same name, Han plays an elusive and mysterious spy who travels across the world on adventures whilst hiding her true intentions.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2021, Han acted as a member of a counter-terrorist squad in the apocalyptic thriller drama "Happiness," starring opposite Park Hyung-sik. Directed by Ahn Gil-Ho, the drama depicted class discrimination, conflicting human desires and the struggle for survival amongst a group of house-owners in an apartment in Korea due to a mysterious virus outbreak that threatens the livelihood of the inhabitants in a city.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In 2022, Han stars alongside Kang Ha-neul and Lee Kwang-soo in "", the sequel to the 2014 blockbuster "The Pirates." She plays the role of Hae-rang, the captain of the pirate ship. The film marks her return to Korean cinema after 4 years since "". In October, Han made a special appearance in the film "20th Century Girl", playing the adult version of Kim Yoo-jung's character.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In May 2022, Han donated 50 million won to Asan Medical Center, and also donated 50 million won in 2021. It will be used for the cost of treatment such as surgery so that young patients do not miss treatment due to economic burdens.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In November 2013, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office indicted Han's ex-manager from her former agency Fantom Entertainment for attempted extortion. According to the police, the ex-manager surnamed Lee illegally transferred 16 photos of Han and her ex-boyfriend from her digital camera to his mobile phone. Lee then threatened to publish the compromising photos unless he and his two accomplices were paid ; Han's father paid them . In a press release, Han's agency BH Entertainment said the actress did not engage in any activities that deserve public criticism and threatened "strong measures" to deal with blackmail.


title: Han Hyo-joo

text: In September 2014, the South Korean media reported that a petition was being circulated to boycott Han's appearance in TV commercials. The petition stemmed from Han's younger brother allegedly bullying a fellow airman while both were in mandatory military service that resulted in the latter's suicide. The negative publicity was exacerbated by Han herself having once been appointed as a goodwill ambassador for the Republic of Korea Air Force.


title: Mickey Mantle

text: Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York Yankees as a center fielder, right fielder, and first baseman. Mantle was one of the best players and sluggers and is regarded by many as the greatest switch hitter in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.


title: Mickey Mantle

text: Mantle was one of the greatest offensive threats of any center fielder in baseball history. He has the second highest career OPS+ among center fielders (behind Mike Trout), and he had the highest stolen-base percentage in history at the time of his retirement. In addition, compared to the other four center fielders on the All-Century team, he had the lowest career rate of grounding into double plays, and he had the highest World Series on-base percentage and World Series slugging percentage. He also had an excellent .984 fielding percentage when playing center field. Mantle was able to hit for both average and power, especially tape-measure home runs, a term that was born when a play-by-play caller reacted to one of Mantle's 1953 home runs. He hit 536 career home runs, batted .300 or more ten times, and is the career leader (tied with Jim Thome) in walk-off home runs, with 13: 12 in the regular season and one in the postseason. He is the only player in history to hit 150 home runs from both sides of the plate.


title: Mickey Mantle

text: Mantle is 16th all-time in home runs per at-bats. He is 17th in on-base percentage. He was safe three out of four times in which he attempted to steal a base. He won the MVP award three times, finished second three times, and finished within nine votes of winning five times.


title: Mickey Mantle

text: Mantle won the Triple Crown in 1956, when he led the major leagues in batting average (.353), home runs (52), and runs batted in (RBI) (130). He later wrote a book ("My Favorite Summer 1956") about his best year in baseball. He was an All-Star for 16 seasons, playing in 16 of the 20 All-Star Games that were played during his career. He was an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times and a Gold Glove winner once. Mantle appeared in 12 World Series including seven championships, and he holds World Series records for the most home runs (18), RBIs (40), extra-base hits (26), runs (42), walks (43), and total bases (123).


title: Mickey Mantle

text: Despite his accolades on the field, Mantle's private life was plagued with tumult and tragedy, including a well-publicized bout with alcoholism that led to his death from liver cancer.


title: Mickey Mantle

text: Mantle was born on October 20, 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, the son of Lovell (née Richardson) Mantle (1904–1995) and Elvin Charles "Mutt" Mantle (1912–1952). He was of at least partial English ancestry; his great-grandfather George Mantle left Brierley Hill, in England's Black Country, in 1848.


title: Mickey Mantle

text: Mutt named his son in honor of Mickey Cochrane, a Hall of Fame catcher. Later in his life, Mantle expressed relief that his father had not known Cochrane's true first name because he would have hated to be named Gordon. Mantle spoke warmly of his father and said that he was the bravest man whom he had ever known. "No boy ever loved his father more," he said. Mantle batted left-handed against his father when his father pitched to him right-handed, and he batted right-handed against his grandfather, Charles Mantle, when he pitched to him left-handed. His grandfather died at the age of 60 in 1944, and his father died of Hodgkin's disease at the age of 40 on May 7, 1952.