title: M40 rifle

text: On 25 July 2013, the Marine Corps released a solicitation for the M40 Modular Stock Program. Upgraded features are to include a folding stock, compatible with current M40 actions and barrels, to make the rifle more compact for transportation inside confined spaces like vehicles and a full-length rail to accommodate optics and accessories; the M40A5 has only a few inches of rail space beyond the scope for a night vision optic, so extending the rail length would allow more accessories to be attached, enabling snipers to put rounds on target under any conditions. Deliveries were to begin three months after the contract being awarded, with 1,100 stocks to be purchased to upgrade the entire M40A5 inventory. The resulting weapon from the program was originally to be re-designated the M40A6. Remington was awarded the contract in November 2014. The final product will be designated the M40A7 and was planned to be fielded by 2017. The M40A6 began fielding with Marine Corps in June 2016.


title: M40 rifle

text: The U.S. Army also used the Remington 700/40x action as the basis for its M24 Sniper Weapon System. The primary difference between the Army and the U.S. Marine Corps rifles is that while the U.S. Marine Corps M40 variants use the short-action version of the Remington 700/40x which is designed for cartridges having an overall length of or less (such as the .308 Winchester/7.62×51 mm NATO), the Army M24 uses the Remington 700 Long Action. The long action of the M24 is designed for full-length cartridges up to in overall length, such as the .30-06 Springfield, and magnum cartridges such as the 7 mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum, but shorter cartridges such as the 7.62×51mm NATO (the military version of the .308 Winchester) can also be used. The U.S. Army's use of the long action was the result of an original intention to chamber the M24 for .30-06 Springfield. Despite the fact that the M24 came fitted with a 7.62×51 mm NATO barrel upon issue, retaining the longer action allowed them to reconfigure the rifle in dimensionally larger cartridge chamberings if necessary (which has been the case during the longer engagement distances during Operation Enduring Freedom). In 2014 the last U.S. Army M24 rifles were reconfigured to M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifles that are chambered for .300 Winchester Magnum. The barrels not currently fitted to the rifles are usually stored with the unit armorers. The U.S. Marine Corps M40A3 uses a Schneider barrel and the U.S. Army M24 used a Rock Creek 5R barrel.


title: Elisabeth Röhm

text: Elisabeth Röhm (, ; born April 28, 1973) is a German-American television and film actress. She is best known for playing Kate Lockley in the television series "Angel" from 1999 to 2001 and Serena Southerlyn in the television series "Law & Order" from 2001 to 2005.


title: Elisabeth Röhm

text: She has also appeared in films such as "" (2005), "American Hustle" (2013), "Joy" (2015), "Once Upon a Time in Venice" (2017), "The Tribes of Palos Verdes" (2017) and "Bombshell" (2019).


title: Elisabeth Röhm

text: Röhm was born in Düsseldorf, West Germany, to Lisa Loverde and Eberhard Röhm. Her father was a German partner at the law firm of Duane Morris LLP New York, and the family moved to New York City before her first birthday. Her mother was an American scriptwriter who once wrote for the TV soap opera "Guiding Light". Röhm's parents divorced when she was 8 or 9. Her maternal grandfather was an Italian immigrant.


title: Elisabeth Röhm

text: Röhm attended grades 11–12 at St. Andrew's-Sewanee School, a small private boarding school in Sewanee, Tennessee, and then graduated from Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied writing and European History.


title: Elisabeth Röhm

text: Röhm received her first TV acting role in 1997, as Dorothy Hayes in the American soap opera "One Life to Live". She had a starring role in the 1999 BBC Northern Ireland miniseries "Eureka Street", and she then portrayed recurring character Detective Kate Lockley in the first two seasons (1999–2001) of the TV series "Angel". While appearing in "Angel", Röhm also had a regular role in the only season (2000–2001) of the Turner Network Television drama series "Bull".


title: Elisabeth Röhm

text: Röhm portrayed regular character Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn through four seasons (2001–2005) of the television series "Law & Order". She also portrayed deputy DA Amanda Taylor on "Stalker". More recently, Röhm has received critical acclaim for her roles in two David O. Russell films, "American Hustle" (2013) and "Joy" (2015).


title: Elisabeth Röhm

text: Between 2016 and 2017, Röhm appeared in a Season-14 episode of "NCIS", Netflix's "Flaked", the film "Once Upon a Time in Venice" including Bruce Willis, Jason Momoa, John Goodman and Famke Janssen and the film "The Tribes of Palos Verdes" starring Jennifer Garner and Alicia Silverstone. She portrayed Martha MacCallum in the 2019 film "Bombshell" with Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie.


title: Elisabeth Röhm

text: Röhm was a longtime avid equestrienne, but she gave up professional equestrianism after a 2005 accident that she spoke about in a 2011 episode of the Biography Channel series "Celebrity Close Calls". She appeared in a horse-riding scene with Mark Harmon in an "NCIS" episode.


title: Elisabeth Röhm

text: Röhm was engaged to director Austin Smithard in 2000. In 2005, Röhm began a relationship with Ron Anthony Wooster. Röhm and Wooster have a daughter born in 2008. Röhm and Wooster married in October 2008. They divorced in October 2014. In January 2019, Röhm announced her engagement to Judge Jonathan T. Colby. In March 2020, Röhm's publicist revealed that she and Colby are no longer together.


title: Elisabeth Röhm

text: Röhm had a blog on her personal website, where she often wrote about life with her daughter and her then-fiancé. On January 6, 2011, "People" added Röhm's blog to the "Moms & Babies" section of its website.


title: Elisabeth Röhm

text: Röhm, as part of the cast of the TV series "Law & Order", was nominated for their 2001 performance, and again for their 2003 performance, for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. In 2014, Röhm and the rest of the cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for their roles in "American Hustle".


title: Uptown Funk

text: "Uptown Funk" is a song by British record producer Mark Ronson from his fourth studio album, "Uptown Special" (2015), featuring American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars. It was released as the album's lead single on 10 November 2014 via download in several countries. "Uptown Funk" was written by Ronson, Mars, Jeff Bhasker, and Philip Lawrence, and produced by the former three; its composition began during a freestyle studio session when they worked on a jam Mars and his band played on tour. Copyright controversies arose after the song's release resulting in multiple lawsuits and amendments to its songwriting credits.


title: Uptown Funk

text: The song is a funk-pop, soul, boogie, disco-pop and Minneapolis sound track. It has a spirit akin to the 1980s-era funk music. Its lyrics address fashion, self-love and "traditional masculine bravado", performed in a sing-rapping style filled with metaphors, arrogance, charisma, and fun. Upon its release, the single received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the instrumental, style and influences of the track. Others criticised it for not being innovative as it tried to emulate 1980s funk music.


title: Uptown Funk

text: Commercially, the song topped the charts of 19 countries and reached the top 10 of 15 others, making it the most successful single of Ronson and Mars to date. In the United States, "Uptown Funk" topped the "Billboard" Hot 100 for 14 weeks and spent seven weeks on the top of the UK Singles Chart. It was certified 11 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and six times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "Uptown Funk" peaked at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, and topped the Irish Singles Chart, taking the Christmas number one spot. The song also reached the top spot on France's Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) number one in both Australia for a total of six weeks and in New Zealand for nine consecutive weeks. It also broke its own streaming record three times in the United Kingdom, while breaking the streaming record in the United States and Worldwide at that time.


title: Uptown Funk

text: Director Cameron Duddy and Mars shot the song's music video depicting Ronson, Mars and The Hooligans singing, walking and dancing in a city street. As of October 2022, the official music video for "Uptown Funk" is the eighth most viewed YouTube video of all-time, having received over 4.7 billion views. "Uptown Funk" was performed on television shows such as "Saturday Night Live", "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and the Super Bowl 50 halftime show. It received several awards and nominations, winning British Single of the Year at the 2015 Brit Awards, International Work of the Year at the APRA Music Awards of 2016 and Record of the Year at the 2016 Grammy Awards. The television show soundtrack of "Glee", and commercials for L'Oreal's Garnier line and Skippy peanut butter, have used the song. It has been parodied several times and became a worldwide phenomenon with a major impact on pop culture.


title: Uptown Funk

text: After producing three songs for Bruno Mars's second studio album "Unorthodox Jukebox" (2012), Mark Ronson said in June 2014, that he and Mars planned on working together again. Ronson ended up working on "Uptown Funk" for seven months, recording it in various locations, in a number of grueling, stressful sessions. Its earliest version was a jam that Mars and his band played on tour. When Ronson joined Jeff Bhasker and Mars for a jam session at the latter's studio, he wanted to finish leftover demos from "Unorthodox Jukebox", however, Mars wanted to do something different. He started playing on a drum kit in the studio, while Bhasker and Ronson played keyboard and guitar, respectively. They decided to work on the tour jam and thought it would be "cool" to fit in the Trinidad James song, "Don't believe me, just watch. Don't believe me, just watch", played during the tour's soundcheck. At this point, they found the opening line: "This hit, that ice cold/Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold", which led them to believe they had an "exciting idea". However, both Ronson and Mars had busy schedules and could not complete the single. They spent the next several months working on the song, fighting over which sections of the track would fit better. Mars was not a fan of early versions of the song.


title: Uptown Funk

text: The trio recorded the song in Los Angeles, London, Memphis, New York, Toronto, and Vancouver. The horn parts were recorded at Daptone Records in Brooklyn with the horn sections of The Dap-Kings, Antibalas and The Hooligans playing the final version of the track. The drum section was first recorded at a studio owned by Mars in Los Angeles, and later rearranged in Memphis. The track took over 100 takes before it was finished at Ronson's studio in London. There were a number of drastic changes made to the track. One iteration featured a hard rock breakdown in the middle and a chorus in which Mars shouted, "Burn this motherfucker down!" At one point, the song was nearly scrapped entirely. They spent months working on a chorus, only to decide not to use it. Ronson affirmed the compositions of American band Kool & the Gang influenced them to only use a "horn line" as the chorus. After a show on the Moonshine Jungle Tour (2013–14), American songwriter Philip Lawrence suggested using an opening bassline; however, as he did not play bass himself, Canadian recording engineer Charles Moniz asked him to sing it. The "doh" vocal bassline ended up on the album. Some of the most progressive parts of the track were done in improvised studios set up by Moniz.


title: Uptown Funk

text: The stress over "Uptown Funk" was so high that Ronson passed out during one session trying to perfect the guitar part. Two days later in Toronto they figured out the guitar part when Ronson was playing it in front of The Hooligans after 82 takes. Ronson explained on NPR's "Fresh Air" why he was so determined to make the song perfect: "When you're doing something that doesn't sound like anything else on the radio at the time, you almost need to like, iron-clad it, to make sure it gets through. You have to put these hooks in it. You've got to make sure you've got all that ear candy in it to get it through the gate." The record label was hesitant to release the song under the title "Uptown Funk" suggesting the alternative "Just Watch". In October 2014, Mike Mullaney, an assistant program director at CBS Radio/WBMX, listened to the song after it was sent for testing and called it "the greatest song of all time". He added, "The Ronson/Bruno tune is like JamesBrown/RickJames/TheTime jamming w/ badass brass band", describing it as "Filthy, funky" and added, "Bruno simply wails". Ronson feels that the song belongs more to Mars than himself.


title: Uptown Funk

text: "Uptown Funk" was initially written by Ronson, Mars, Lawrence, and Bhasker. Since the song embodies some of "All Gold Everything" (2012), Trinidad James and Devon Gallaspy were credited as a songwriters. In May 2015, the track was re-registered as it also contains portions of "Oops Up Side Your Head" (1979). Additional writing credit was given to Charlie Wilson, Robert Wilson, Ronnie Wilson, Rudy Taylor, and Lonnie Simmons. The single was produced by Ronson, Bhasker, and Mars. Ronson was in charge of the guitars, LinnDrum and programming, while the keyboards and talk box were handled by Bhasker. Mars sang the vocals and played drums. Ronson and several others engineered the song. The track was recorded at six studios. Serban Ghenea and John Hanes, who served as the mix engineer, mixed "Uptown Funk" at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach. It was mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound, NYC.


title: Uptown Funk

text: "Uptown Funk"s release was first announced by Mark Ronson on 30 October 2014, via Twitter. The date 10 November 2014 appeared on the poster image Ronson included in the tweet. Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment released the single on 10 November 2014 for digital download in various countries. RCA Records sent the track to be added to US contemporary hit radio the following day, while Sony released it to Italian contemporary hit radio stations on 14 November 2014. In the United Kingdom, "Uptown Funk" was released before its scheduled date, 11 January 2015, because it had been performed earlier on "The X Factor" as a cover by Fleur East. On 8 December 2014 the song released on the UK via digital download and radio stations began adding the track to their playlists. On 9 January 2015, a CD Single was released in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It included the album version of "Uptown Funk", as well as the Ronson and Mystikal single, "Feel Right". On 16 and 24 February 2015, the recording and one of its remixes, the BB Disco Dub Mix remixed by Benji B, were released on vinyl in the UK and the US. An EP of four different remixes of the original version of the song was released via digital download on 13 April 2015. On 29 June 2015, a remix featuring Trinidad James was made available for purchase on iTunes. On 18 July 2018 the radio edition of the track was available for sale.


title: Uptown Funk

text: "Uptown Funk" is a funk-pop, soul, boogie, disco-pop, Minneapolis sound track, with a light EDM influence. It is composed in the key of D minor at a tempo of 115 beats per minute. Mars's vocal range spans from the low note of B to the high note of D. It has been described as a "joyous, energetic and feel-good" song. "The Guardian"s music critic noted influences of Cameo, Earth, Wind & Fire, Chaka Khan, New Edition, Prince, Sugarhill Gang and The Gap Band on the track. "Billboard" music critic compared the song to George Kranz's "Trommeltanz (Din Daa Daa)" (1983), Earth, Wind & Fire's "Getaway" (1976), One Way's "Cutie Pie" (1982), Sugarhill Gang's "" (1981), The Gap Band's "Oops Up Side Your Head" (1979) and "Early in the Morning" (1982), The Sequence's "Funk You Up" (1979), Morris Day & The Time's "Cool" (1981) and "Jungle Love" (1984), as well as, Zapp's "More Bounce to the Ounce" (1980). Matt James of "PopMatters" felt Morris Day & The Time's "The Bird" (1984), Kool & the Gang's "Get Down on It" (1981) and Was (Not Was)' "Walk the Dinosaur" (1987) to have influenced "Uptown Funk". Various critics noticed the pastiche on "Uptown Funk", from the "electric purple texture of the synths and the loose slap of the rhythms" to the "Prince-backed 80's funkateers Morris Day & The Time".


title: Uptown Funk

text: Jamieson Cox of "Time", Chris Molanphy of "Slate" and Stuart Berman of "Pitchfork" found the song heavily influenced by 1980s funk. Neil McCormick writing for "The Telegraph" called it an "evocation of the kind of Eighties funk that was already ripe with nostalgia". Robbie Daw of Idolator found the single closer to the "70's groove", filling "the hearts of Stax- and James Brown music fans". Likewise, "Rap-Up" dubbed it a "70's jam", a mash-up of "the best of Morris Day & The Time, James Brown, and The Jackson 5". AXS's Lucas Villa compared the funk sound of the recording to George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" (1982). Andy Kellman's AllMusic said the recording "aimed for early Time", but it sounded more like One Way's "Let's Talk"(1985). Annie Galvin of "Slant Magazine" found Mars "channeling Little Richard's raspier inflections." Critics noticed the influence of Cameo on the horns, Morris Day & The Time on the keyboards, and "Party Train" (1983) by The Gap Band on the drums. The song is performed in a more arrogant and charismatic way than previous tracks by Mars. The lyrics have "well-placed references to Michelle Pfeiffer and Trinidad James", as the hook samples portions of James's "All Gold Everything" (2012). On the song, Mars shows not only "soul and swagger" in the sing-rapping verses, "I'm too hot / Call the police and the fireman", but he also jokes around, "Got Chucks on / With Saint Laurent / Gotta kiss myself / I'm so pretty". The lyrics make fun of "traditional masculine bravado" using "silly metaphors", "I’m too hot, hot damn / Make a dragon wanna retire man".


title: Uptown Funk

text: "Uptown Funk" received positive reviews from most music critics. Nick Murray of "Rolling Stone" gave the song a rating of four out of five stars, praising the "George Kranz scatting and Nile Rodgers guitar riff." He noted that Mars, Ronson and The Hooligans "channel the days when brags weren't humble and disco wasn't retro." "Spin" Brennan Carley noticed the resemblance between Mars's sing-rapping style and Nelly's vocals. He praised the former's voice for keeping things "light and bubbly". Carley compared the bass line to something that Prince would use. He felt "Uptown Funk" would be all over the radio in a short time. Danielle Janota writing for "Consequence of Sound" praised the single calling it the "crown jewel" of the album. Lucas Villa of AXS dubbed Ronson's latest approach to Funk "his freakiest, freshest and most fun release yet". "Pop Matters" Matt James called the track a "deftly daft, delirious and incessant, booty-shaking blast of brass 'n' bravado", finding it a standout on the album. John Parker from "Drowned in Sound" called the recording "inescapable, a bona fide modern day mega hit". Neil McCormick from "The Telegraph" enjoyed the track because he "liked all the records it was built out of, by James Brown, Earth Wind & Fire and The Gap Band". "Stereogum" Tom Breihan wrote, "It's the best American #1 we’ve had in more than a year, easily, and maybe much more". However, he noticed it copied the work of Morris Day & The Time and "takes these old sounds, but it presents them with energy and inventiveness and charm and balls". Robbie Daw of Idolator called the single "a straight-up ass-kicker" and not a "half-hearted stab" at recreating the "70's groove". He also praised the song's lyrics like "Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold" and "gotta kiss myself, so pretty".


title: Uptown Funk

text: Jim Farber of the "New York Daily News" said the recording "isn't even a song", adding "[i]t's a vamp, a rush of 'hit me' rhythms of the style patented by James Brown". Farber added that the vocals have "zip", but they "lack soul, not to mention an ounce of individuality". He called "Uptown Funk" the only "lazy track" on the album.


title: Uptown Funk

text: The song made the cut on several lists of best songs. In June 2015, "Spin" compiled a list of The 63 Best Songs of 2015 So Far with "Uptown Funk" at number 51. Andrew Unterberger wrote, the song enters "the canon of "September", "Celebration", and "I Gotta Feeling", jams to be played at every wedding from now until the end of time". On the list of the 101 best songs of 2015 compiled by "Spin", Dan Weiss ranked the song at number 87 saying it emulates "Morris Day-esque funk ditty" and each one of us contributed to its success. "Rolling Stone" ranked "Uptown Funk" at number 25 on its 100 Greatest Songs of the Century – So Far in 2018. The magazine's writers described it as a "perfect Eighties funk-pop nostalgia bomb", praising the singer's "sparkling showmanship", and dubbing it "one of a kind". "The Village Voice"s annual year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll selected it as the 23rd best song of 2014, tied with Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass". The same critics selected "Uptown Funk" as the eighth best track of 2015. NPR included it on their list of favorite songs Of 2015. Stephen Thompson wrote, "If you're going to hear a song on the radio 15,000 times in a single summer, it might as well be this one". On 26 January 2015, the song was voted number six on radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2014. "Billboard" included it on "The 50 Best Song Interpolations of the 21st Century" as it uses "All Gold Everything" (2012) by Trinidad James. Christine Werthman wrote that Mars "turned it into a jubilant call to shout from the rooftops and kick off a dance-funk break".


title: Uptown Funk

text: "Uptown Funk" has received various awards and nominations following its commercial success. In 2015, the song won British Single of the Year at the Brit Awards, Best Pop at MelOn Music Awards and was one of the Top 10 Gold International Gold Songs at RTHK International Pop Poll Awards. The track also won BMI Pop Song of the Year at the BMI Awards, Song of the Year at Telehit Awards and Song of the Year at Soul Train Music Awards. It also received Soul Train nominations for The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award and Best Collaboration. The single was nominated for Single of the Year and Collaboration of the Year at the 2015 American Music Awards, International Hit of the Year at the Danish GAFFA Awards and Best International Song at the Los Premios 40 Principales. It was also nominated for Best Collaboration and Centric Award at the BET Awards, Best Song and Best Collaboration at the MTV Europe Music Awards and Dancefloor Filler at the NME Awards.


title: Uptown Funk

text: In 2016, "Uptown Funk" received Grammy awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards. It also won International Work of the Year at the APRA Music Awards, Best Collaboration at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, while it was nominated for Song of the Year. The song was also nominated for Top Radio Song and Top Streaming Song (Video) at the Billboard Music Awards. "Uptown Funk " was inducted to the 2017 edition of the Guinness World Records for achieving the most weeks at number one on Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart. In 2017, the track was one of the winners of Most Performed Songs at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards. This record was later broken by "Despacito" (2017). "Uptown Funk" is the fifth biggest song of all-time to have charted on the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Uptown Funk

text: "Uptown Funk" was the subject of several lawsuits over copyright infringement. In 2015, similarities with "Oops Up Side Your Head" (1979) by The Gap Band led them, along with keyboardist Rudolph Taylor, and producer Lonnie Simmons to be added as co-writers of "Uptown Funk" receiving 17% of the publishing royalties. In the same year, Serbian artist Viktorija argued that "Uptown Funk" infringed on her track "Ulice mračne nisu za devojke". She decided not to sue Mars and Ronson. In 2016, electro-funk band Collage sued Ronson and Mars for copying their single, "Young Girls" (1983), while The Sequence, a rap group, claimed it infringed their single "Funk You Up" (1979) and sued a year later. In 2017, Lastrada Entertainment filed a lawsuit citing similarities with "More Bounce to the Ounce" (1980) by Zapp. In 2018, the Collage and Zapp lawsuit were dropped, with no word if there was a financial settlement. The track drew comparisons with the theme song of "The Really Wild Show", a BBC children's nature program. When Ronson was asked if he heard similarities between "Uptown Funk" and the theme he said "Oh, then the horns, I understand what they're saying, yeah, we owe a little bit ... all equally influenced by Quincy Jones". In 2021, Ronnie and Robert Wilson of The Gap Band filed another lawsuit due to the similarities between "Uptown Funk" and "Oops Up Side Your Head" as Ronnie Wilson and Robert Wilson's heirs "have yet to received any publishing rights income".


title: Uptown Funk

text: The single debuted at number 65 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart on 21 November 2014 due to digital sales, making it Ronson's first entry on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Due to the release of the official video and a performance on "Saturday Night Live", it subsequently sold 110,000 digital copies. The song became the "Billboard" Hot 100's top Digital Gainer of the week and peaked at number 18 on 28 November 2014. In its third week, the track rose to number eight on the "Billboard" Hot 100, after the video's first full tracking week. It became Ronson's first top 10 as an artist. It debuted on the component charts of Streaming Songs and Radio Songs at number 26 and 46, respectively. On the week of 10 December 2014, "Uptown Funk" ascended to number five, with sales of 152,000 copies. It marked the eleventh top five on the "Billboard" Hot 100 for Mars. In its fourth week, the single peaked at number three on the "Billboard" Hot 100, selling 170,000 copies and achieving a 49 million airplay audience, thus receiving Airplay Gainer honors. The following week after "The Voice" performance, the recording stayed at number three for the second consecutive week. It was the biggest gainer in Digital Songs (244,000), Streaming (7.9 million), Airplay Audience (63 million), becoming the fifth song to top all three "categories". Ronson became the second lead male artist to top Digital Songs with a debut single, since Sam Smith's "Stay with Me" (2014). On 31 December 2014, the track rose to number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100 with 432,000 copies sold, 8.8 million streams and reached the top ten on Radio Songs with a 68 million audience. In its seventh week, "Uptown Funk" topped the "Billboard" Hot 100, with 382,000 downloads sold, 10 million U.S. streams and a 76 million airplay audience. The song is Ronson's only number-one single in the country and Mars's sixth. It became one of the longest running number-one singles on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and the third longest-running number-one single of the 2010s decade topping the chart for 14 consecutive weeks until it was replaced by Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" featuring Charlie Puth. It topped not only the "Billboard" Hot 100-year-end chart, but also the Decade End "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Uptown Funk

text: In its thirteenth week at number one, "Uptown Funk" became the first song to top the "Billboard" Hot 100 and its three main component charts for nine non-consecutive weeks. The recording spent 31 weeks in the top ten of the "Billboard" Hot 100 and 21 weeks on the top three of the aforementioned chart, a record previously held by Santana featuring Rob Thomas's "Smooth" (1999), with 19 weeks. After spending 25 weeks on the "Billboard" Hot 100's top five, it matched the record set by LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" (1997). This record was broken by The Chainsmokers "Closer" (2016) featuring Halsey which spent 26 weeks on the "Billboard" Hot 100's top five. "Uptown Funk" sold at least 300,000 copies for eight consecutive weeks. Only "Blurred Lines" (2013) by Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I. surpassed it by selling the same number ten weeks in a row. "Uptown Funk" tied the record for most weeks spent at the top of the Digital Song Sales chart (13 weeks) with Flo Rida's "Low" (2007) featuring T-Pain. This record was broken two years after by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito" featuring Justin Bieber, with 17 weeks. The recording reached its highest peak on Streaming Songs with 24.5 million streams and 5.7 million on subscription-services in one week. "Uptown Funk" spent 12 weeks on the top position of Streaming Songs, it was the second best run at the time, only surpassed by the thirteen weeks of Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX's "Fancy" (2014). It spent 12 weeks at number one on the Radio Songs chart, reaching a peak of 181 million in all-format audience. It was Ronson's first single to reach number one in the radio songs charts and the sixth for Mars. "Uptown Funk" topped several component charts in the United States, such as Adult Pop Songs, Dance Club Songs, Dance/Mix Show Airplay, Pop Songs and Rhythmic Songs. It topped the year-end chart Mainstream Top 40. In the United States, the single sold 7.8 million downloads as of 28 September 2017. It was certified eleven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 18 October 2016, for track-equivalent sales of 11 million units.


title: Uptown Funk

text: On 29 November 2014, "Uptown Funk" debuted at number 63 on the Canadian Hot 100. The following week it reached the top ten, in the third week entered the top five peaking at number two in the fourth week. On the issue date of 10 January 2015, the song reached number one, a position it held for fifteen consecutive weeks. It became the second longest-running number-one single on the Canadian Hot 100, behind The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" (2009), which spent sixteen weeks at number one. On the issue date of 25 April 2015, the song was replaced by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth's "See You Again" (2015). It was certified diamond by Music Canada (MC) for track-equivalent sales of 800,000 units. It finished at number one on the Canada Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, "Uptown Funk" was covered by Fleur East on "The X Factor" before its official release date, the cover reached number one on iTunes. This led the original version being released five weeks earlier than originally planned. Nevertheless, it debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 14 December 2014, giving Ronson his first UK number one as a producer and artist and also giving Mars his fifth UK number one. The following week, the song was replaced in the top spot by the "X Factor" winner Ben Haenow's single, "Something I Need" (2014), making it the Christmas number one. It then returned to number one for a further six consecutive weeks spending seven non-consecutive weeks at number one in total, before finally being knocked off from the top on 8 February 2015 by Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" (2015). The track was certified six times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for track-equivalent sales of 3,600,000 units. "Uptown Funk" was the best-selling song of 2015 in the UK, with combined sales of 1.76 million during the year (total 2.25 million). As of September 2017, the song had 2,723,470 combining units, making the list of best-selling singles of the 21st century in the United Kingdom as the fourth best-selling single based on paid-for sales and the second best-selling song based on combined sales. It made the year-end charts in 2014 and 2015, topping the latter. "Uptown Funk" debuted at number two on 12 December 2014, and the following week peaked at the top of the Irish Singles Chart, taking the Christmas number one spot. It became the first song not released by "The X Factor" winner to reach this position in nine years. It spent seven weeks at number one on the Irish Charts, before being knocked off the top by Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" (2015).


title: Uptown Funk

text: It reached the top spot on France's Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) its sixth week, 27 December 2014, spending 11 weeks in the number one position. It charted for a total of 117 weeks, never leaving it from 2014 to 2017. It was certified diamond by the SNEP for sales of 250,000 copies. "Uptown Funk" reached number one on both Belgium charts, Ultratop 50 Wallonia and Flanders, spending six and three weeks on the top of the respective charts. The song was certified three times platinum by the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), for sales of 90,000 copies. In Italy, the song was certified five times platinum, for track-equivalent sales of 250,000 units, despite only peaking at number three on the FIMI Singles Chart. The single debuted at number 11 in Australia on 30 November 2014, jumping to number two the following week. In its third week, it topped the charts, where it stayed for a total of six weeks. It is the best-selling single in Australia of all time and has been certified 22 times platinum for track-equivalent sales of 1,540,000. The single made the Australian year-end charts in 2014, 2015 and 2016, peaking at number one in 2015. In New Zealand, the song debuted in the top ten on 1 December 2014, at number seven. In its fourth week on the chart, it peaked at number one, staying there for nine consecutive weeks. The track not only topped the year-end chart, but it was certified five times platinum by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) for 75,000 copies sold. "Uptown Funk" set a record, achieved by four other songs, as it topped the "Billboard" Hot 100 and the Official UK Singles chart for at least seven weeks each. The song is reported to earn $100,000 for the label and composers per week streaming on Spotify alone. It had sold over twenty million equivalent units as of 2015.


title: Uptown Funk

text: The success of "Uptown Funk" made it a worldwide phenomenon with a major impact on pop culture. At one point, the song broke its own streaming record three times in the United Kingdom, with 2.34, 2.49 and 2.56 million streams. It also broke the record for most streamed track in the United States and worldwide in one week, with 4.8 and 15 million streams, respectively. Tom Breihan writing for "Stereogum" felt the recording had "transcend[ed] hit status" and become "omnipresent". It is "some sort of cultural event", that will be heard at weddings in the next couple of years. Danielle Janota of "Consequence of Sound" believed the single had a cultural impact. It is "more than infectious: It’s instinctual", as everyone "stampedes furiously to the closest dance floor the second it comes on". Matt James of "PopMatters" said the recording "incite[s] mass euphoric dancing wherever it is unleashed". It also demonstrates its "global domination", seeming to be "the only song on planet earth right now".


title: Uptown Funk

text: In an interview with "Time", Mark Ronson said the recording was being played in Morocco, Puerto Rico and Nigeria, countries his music had never reached before. He also confessed the track led to people starting to recognise him. "Newsweek" Jed Gottlieb explained the reason "Uptown Funk" is an immortal track is because "the song is an increasingly rare phenomenon", since dancing allows us to connect "divergent demographics". "[T]he song creates an ephemeral flash where disparate groups get along because they’ve been spiked with the same euphoria". He believed "for the next quarter-century, it will persist as a choice wedding spin." "NME" Barry Nicolson dubbed the single "an insta-phenomenon". Jeremy Allen of BBC said that "the biggest hits of the past few years", such as Ronson's "Uptown Funk" and Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" (2013) drew inspiration from the 80s funk/soul works by Prince, Michael Jackson, Nile Rodgers and others, leading the "80s to dominates modern culture". Nevertheless, when Angus Harrison of "Vice" asked musicologist Dr. John Burgoyne if it would be remembered in twenty years he explained that despite "the melody being sung, the hook is not" and he is unsure if it will be remembered as "the hook is that trumpet drop, whereas the words "Uptown Funk" just sort of disappear."


title: Uptown Funk

text: In November 2019, "Consequence of Sound" compiled a list of the "Top 100 Songs of the 2010s" with "Uptown Funk" at number 77. Ali Szubiak wrote, the song became "so embedded in our cultural core that it proved inescapable". Szubiak added, "not since "Uptown Funk" has the world felt so united." A month later, "Rolling Stone" also compiled a list of the "Top 100 Songs of the 2010s" with "Uptown Funk" at number 66. Jon Dolan affirmed the song "kick-starting a 2010s funk revival that Mars himself and Lizzo would blow wide open". The staff from "NME" dubbed "Uptown Funk" as one of The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s, ranking at number 56, Rhian Daly classified it as "a gigantic, joy-giving earworm". On the same month, Jay Cridlin writing for "Tampa Bay Times" compiled a list of the 50 "The best pop songs of the 2010s", placing "Uptown Funk" at the top of it. Cridlin felt the track "it is timeless, and somehow, it still sounds fresh." Nerisha Penrose from "Elle" dubbed the track as one of the 52 Best Songs That Defined the 2010s, ranking at number 25, saying it "had the whole world smiling and dancing for weeks." "Stereogum" complied a list of The 200 Best Songs Of The 2010s, ranking "Uptown Funk" at number 19, Margaret Farrell affirmed the record "was a monstrously successful, inescapable single, the soundtrack for 2014 and well into 2015." According to "Billboard", the single was one of the "Songs That Defined the Decade". Taylor Weatherby described it as "Four and a half minutes of pure fun, with hooks galore and memorable lines like "This hit, that ice cold/ Michelle Pfeiffer that white gold"." In 2021, "Rolling Stone" placed "Uptown Funk" at number 417 on their "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".


title: Uptown Funk

text: The song's official music video was filmed at 20th Century Fox Studios' "New York Street" backlot in Los Angeles. Mars and his frequent collaborator Cameron Duddy directed the video released on 17 November 2014. In it Ronson and Mars are wearing clothing from the late 1970s and 1980s. Mars wears a "salmon-colored blazer" and both put on sun glasses. Throughout most of the "retro" video, Ronson, Mars and The Hooligans are singing, walking and dancing in the middle of the streets. Ronson is seen mostly lingering in the background, while Mars takes the spotlight. At one point, during the video, Ronson and Mars get their hair put in perm curlers at a hair salon and their shoes shined. As Mars sings "Fill my cup, put some liquor in it", one of his bandmates does so. The singer also yells at his chauffeur to get the limousine as he, Ronson and the band "jive" next to it. Towards the end of the video, Ronson, Mars, The Hooligans and Jeff Bhasker perform the song in a closed set to several people.


title: Uptown Funk

text: Joe Lynch of "Billboard" praised the video, finding it to be as "ebullient" as the song, calling Ronson and Mars "impossibly cool". "Rap-Up" praised the dance moves performed by Mars and The Hooligans. Tom Breihan of "Stereogum" said, "I had no idea [Mars] had "ersatz Morris Day" in his arsenal." Ryan Reed from "Rolling Stone" called the video "goofy". The clip made the cut on several lists of best music videos of the year. Lyndsey Parker, also writing in "Rolling Stone" felt Ronson and Mars complement Morris Day and The Time's "funky-fresh-to-death tradition well", ranking it number six on the list of 20 videos. On its list of the 20 Best Music Videos of 2014 compiled by "Paste", Dacey Orr ranked the video at number 11 saying it "has all of the fun and embellishment and color and choreography to be a real classic". On the "Stereogum" 40 Best Music Videos of 2014, Breihan placed it at number 25. He wrote, "imagine a world in which circa-1986 Jonathan Demme had directed a movie about Morris Day & The Time". Harriet Gibsone writing for "The Guardian" found the video has "super-slick, Jackson-like group choreography, glossy production and retro styling". On the "Stereogum" 20 Best Music Videos of 2010s, Breihan placed the music video at number four.


title: Uptown Funk

text: The video received multiple awards and nominations. In 2015, it was nominated for British Video of the Year at the BRIT Awards. At the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, it received nominations for Video of the Year, Best Pop Video, Best Collaboration and Best Direction and an award for Best Male Video. In the same year, the UK Music Video Awards awarded it Best Pop Video-UK and it was nominated for Best Male Video at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. It received an award for Video of the Year and a nomination for Best Dance Performance at the 2015 Soul Train Music Awards. The video has over 4.7 billion views on YouTube as of October 2022, making it the eighth most viewed YouTube video of all time.


title: Uptown Funk

text: "Uptown Funk" was first performed live by Ronson and Mars on "Saturday Night Live" on 22 November 2014. Mars wore shades and a salmon-coloured blazer. Their performance was well received by critics. Colin Joyce of "Spin" magazine praised Ronson's "electric guitar performance" describing it as something "that Prince ... could have been proud of". Joyce also commended the effortless singing and rapping skills of Mars. The "Village Voice" Hillary Hugues praised the vocals by Mars, dance moves and the "taut line between cheeky confidence and charm" that he was able to walk. Iyana Robertson of "Vibe" complimented the "groove" of the song, as well as, the reenactment of "the retro swag" music video. The track was also performed live during the North American version of "The Voice" final on 16 December 2014. During the show, Mars and his band, The Hooligans, performed a rehearsed choreography, while the singer wore gold rollers in his hair. Critics found the use of rollers by Mars in his hair hilarious.


title: Uptown Funk

text: Ronson and Mars performed "Uptown Funk" live on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on 13 January 2015. The performance began with Ronson demonstrating some of his DJ skills by scratching and doing hypeman work. Then Mars, dressed in a red blazer, snap back and black shades, and some of his band-mates, led the "audience through some choreography", before making their way to the stage, where Ellen also showed "her little two-step". Chris DeVille from "Stereogum" characterised the performance as a "blast", while "NME" Nadia Khomami dubbed it "energetic". In the same vein, Shenequa Golding from "Vibe", called the show "dope". In 2016, this performance earned them a nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award at the 43rd Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.


title: Uptown Funk

text: After Coldplay were announced as the lead performers for the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, Chris Martin asked Mars to join them, but he declined. Martin explained he wanted Mars to perform "Uptown Funk" with Beyoncé. Mars still did not think it was a good idea, but Beyoncé was receptive to the idea. On 7 February 2016, the trio took the stage during the halftime show. Mark Ronson appeared handling DJ duties, while Mars and his dancers performed "Uptown Funk", wearing an all-black Versace outfit with gold chains. During the show, Beyoncé, in a Michael Jackson-inspired outfit appeared with a set of backing dancers dressed as Black Panthers. She performed her single "Formation" (2016) in choreography before being challenged by Mars to a dance-off, while singing the track. At this point, Martin joined Beyoncé and Mars singing the song. Jon Caramanica of "The New York Times" explained that Beyoncé and Mars brought "soul and funk" to the show, while "The Guardian"s Alex Needham and Caroline Framke of "Vox" praised Beyonce´s performance and criticised Mars and Coldplay's performance. During The Late Late Show with James Corden on 13 December 2016, Mars included "Uptown Funk" on the popular segment Carpool Karaoke. Mars performed the song as the closing act at the Apollo Theater alongside the majority of the "24K Magic" (2016) album for his CBS prime time special titled "", which aired on November 29, 2017. On the 24K Magic World Tour (2017–18), Mars performed "Uptown Funk" as the last track of the setlist, sung as an encore.


title: Uptown Funk

text: The song was also featured in commercials for L'Oreal's Garnier line, Skippy peanut butter and the Cadillac XT4. It is also featured in the films "Zootopia" (2016), "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" (2022) and on the episode "Child Star" of the sixth season of Glee.


title: Uptown Funk

text: The song has been parodied several times. Scot Pankey, a teacher at A. Maceo Smith New Tech High School in Dallas, gave his students a video project using the track. His students came up with an idea and once Pankey heard it, he wanted to join them. After seeing the video, Mars admitted he cried. Mikey Bolts, who is known for his impressions and parodies, recreated the "Uptown Funk" singing in the voices of "Family Guy" characters. The voices of Peter Griffin and Stewie Griffin are the most prominent on the track. In September 2015, YouTube channel What's The Mashup? used 100 dance scenes from various films synchronizing them to the rhythm of "Uptown Funk". Later, the single was mashed up with dance moves of different actors, such as Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Gene Kelly in films from the Golden Age of Hollywood. The speed of the scenes was unchanged. The YouTube channel known as Baracksdubs created the illusion of President Barack Obama singing "Uptown Funk", using snippets of his speeches.


title: Uptown Funk

text: Ronson recorded a new version of the song with six unknown musicians for YouTube at the Abbey Road Studios. Initially, the group thought they were covering the track for a documentary about Ronson. On 12 February 2015, Ronson premiered the first official remix of "Uptown Funk", a radio-exclusive, during his interview on Hot 97. It includes a new intro verse by rapper Action Bronson; the final version includes a verse by rapper Bodega Bamz. The song has been used by Ligue 1 club Paris Saint Germain to celebrate home goals.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: As with previous installments, both games follow the journey of a young Pokémon trainer and friends, as they train Pokémon. This time, the games take place in the Kalos region—based on France—with the objective being to thwart the schemes of the nefarious criminal organization Team Flare, all while attempting to challenge the Pokémon League Champion. "X" and "Y" introduced 72 new Pokémon species, and includes new features such as the new Fairy-type, character customization, updated battle and training mechanics, and completely rendered polygonal 3D graphics as opposed to the sprites used in previous generations. A new form of Pokémon evolution, known as "Mega Evolution," allows players to further evolve many species of fully evolved Pokémon, with 30 of these evolutions available in these games. Both titles are independent of each other, but feature largely the same plot, and while each can be played separately, trading Pokémon between the two games is, as with past titles, necessary in order for a player to obtain every Pokémon species.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: "X" and "Y" received positive reviews from critics, who praised the advancements in the gameplay and innovations that the developers brought to the franchise. The games' visuals and transition to 3D models were well received by critics, though the games' story, characters and linearity received criticism. The highly anticipated games were a commercial success, selling four million copies worldwide in the first weekend, beating their predecessors "Pokémon Black" and "White"'s record and making them the fastest-selling games on the 3DS. , a combined total of 16.65 million copies have been sold, making "X" and "Y" the second best-selling games on the system after "Mario Kart 7".


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: "Pokémon X" and "Y" are role-playing video games with adventure elements, presented in a third-person, overhead perspective. They are also the first "Pokémon" games to include 3D functions compatible with the consoles in the Nintendo 3DS family. The player controls a young trainer who goes on a quest to catch and train creatures known as Pokémon and win battles against other trainers. By defeating opposing Pokémon in turn-based battles, the player's Pokémon gain experience, allowing them to level up and increase their battle statistics, learn new moves, and in some cases, evolve into more powerful Pokémon. Alternatively, players can capture wild Pokémon found during random encounters by weakening them in battle and catching them with Poké Balls to be added to the player's party. Players are also able to battle and trade Pokémon with other human players using the Nintendo 3DS's internet features, which were enhanced in the sixth generation games. Like with previous games in the series, certain Pokémon are only obtainable in either "X" or "Y", keeping players encouraged to trade with others in order to obtain all Pokémon.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: "Pokémon X" and "Y" are the first titles in the main series presented in fully 3D polygonal graphics, allowing for more interactivity with the overworld and more dynamic action during battles. Players are also able to customize their Pokémon trainer's appearance, choosing gender, skin tone and hair color at the start of the game, and can later acquire outfits and accessories in-game to change their character's look. Joining the previous generations of Pokémon are all new species, such as the new starter Pokémon; Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie, and the Pokémon that are, within the fictional "Pokémon" world, described as legendary Pokémon, namely Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde. Players will also be able to choose from one of the classic starter Pokémon from "Pokémon Red" and "Blue" later on in the game. The new Fairy-type is introduced for both new and old Pokémon, the first new type added to the series since "Pokémon Gold" and "Silver". The game's developers stated the addition was used to balance the Dragon-type.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: A new element in the series is Mega Evolution, in which fully evolved Pokémon, such as Mewtwo and Lucario, can use special items called "Mega Stones" to temporarily evolve further into Mega Evolved forms during battle, with a couple of Pokémon having more than one possible Mega form available. Also introduced are Sky Battles, and Horde Encounters. The former are mid-air trainer battles that only airborne Pokémon can participate in; these were added to show off the game's 3D-capabilities and provide a new perspective of battling. The latter are one-versus-five wild encounters designed to be more difficult than standard one-versus-one wild battles. Pokémon-Amie lets players interact with their Pokémon using the 3DS' touchscreen and camera, playing with them and giving them treats to strengthen their bonds between trainer and Pokémon, ultimately affecting the way the Pokémon act during battle. Super Training features various minigames that help build the base stats of the player's Pokémon, which in turn unlocks training bags that can be used by Pokémon to grow stronger on their own.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: Along with the many additions that "X" and "Y" introduced, various improvements to the communication features were also implemented. Using the Player Search System (PSS), players can encounter and keep track of various online players, including strangers, allowing them to easily initiate battles or trades. The Holo Caster allows the player to receive messages and updates from NPCs via StreetPass and SpotPass. Wonder Trade is a new trading feature which allows players to trade one of their Pokémon in exchange for a random one from another player. Other features include O-Powers, temporary powers that can increase stats and can be exchanged with other players, and improvements to the Global Trade System, allowing players to request Pokémon they have not encountered. At certain points in the game, players will be able to take in-game screenshots, which they can then share on the Pokémon Global Link website.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: "Pokémon Bank" is an optional paid cloud storage service that allows players to store up to 3,000 Pokémon online to be shared amongst whichever physical or downloaded copies of the games they own. Another application called "Poké Transporter" allows players to upload Pokémon owned in "Pokémon Black", "White", "Black 2", and "White 2" to "Bank", which can then be imported into "X" and "Y". There are plans to use these applications for future games in the series. These applications, announced for release on 27 December 2013, were postponed to 5 February 2014, due to the volume of traffic on the Nintendo Network service.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: The games take place in the star-shaped Kalos region, one of many such regions across the fictional "Pokémon" world. Centered around beauty, the region is heavily inspired by Metropolitan France and, to a lesser extent, Europe as a whole. Many locations and landmarks across Kalos have real-world inspirations, including Prism Tower (Eiffel Tower), the Lumiose Art Museum (the Louvre) and the stones outside Geosenge Town (Carnac stones). Wild Pokémon inhabit every corner of the Kalos region, many of which are only known to appear in this area.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: Similar to previous "Pokémon" games, "X" and "Y" both follow a linear storyline whose main events occur in a fixed order. The protagonist of "Pokémon X" and "Y" has just moved to a small town called Vaniville Town with their mother. They soon befriend four trainers—Shauna, Tierno, Trevor and their rival Calem or Serena,—all of whom were called to meet Professor Sycamore who is the leading professor in the Kalos region in Lumiose City, the main city of Kalos. Receiving either Chespin, Fennekin or Froakie as their starter Pokémon from Tierno, the player begins their adventure. Along the way, they learn of Pokémon Gyms and receive their first badge for defeating Viola, the Santalune City Gym Leader. Thereafter, they encounter Sina and Dexio, assistants of Sycamore, who brings them to the professor himself; however, once in Lumiose City they discover the area to be suffering from a partial power outage. Upon meeting Sycamore in Lumiose City, the player is informed of Mega Evolution and he requests they travel across Kalos and uncover the mysteries behind it. He provides them with one of the Kanto region starter Pokémon and their respective Mega Stone. Before leaving Lumiose City, the player encounters an imposing man named Lysandre who desires a more beautiful world.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: Continuing their journey, the player encounters the villainous Team Flare, whose goals at first seem to be geared towards making money off of Pokémon. Later encounters with Team Flare reveal their true goal to be the annihilation of humanity to return the world to a pristine, more beautiful state. In Shalour City, the player learns how to use Mega Evolution from the Mega Evolution guru Gurkinn and his granddaughter Korrina, who is the Gym Leader of Shalour City. Defeating Korrina in a special Mega Evolution battle using Lucario, the player is given the ability to freely use Mega Evolution. The player then continues their journey, defeating Gym Leaders and stopping various schemes carried out by Team Flare. In the Lumiose Badlands, the player defeats Team Flare during their attempt to steal energy from the region's power plant and restores power to all of Lumiose City. Once the player obtains their seventh badge, they, and the rest of Kalos, are addressed by Lysandre through the Holo Caster (a holographic communication device); Lysandre informs them of the fact that he is the leader of Team Flare and intends to destroy humanity.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: Following hints from friends and locals, the player discovers Team Flare's secret lab under a café in Lumiose City where they formally meet a tall man named AZ; he is revealed to be the 3,000-year-old king who once used the "ultimate weapon"—the same device and weapon of mass destruction Lysandre plans to use—which utilized energy from the legendary Pokémon Xerneas or Yveltal to end a war in Kalos. AZ's decision to use the ultimate weapon was motivated by his desire to revive the Pokémon he loved the most, a variant of the Pokémon Floette, although the Pokémon was disgusted with his choice to use the ultimate weapon and left him. This war 3,000 years ago set in motion the events necessary to create Mega Evolution by inadvertently infusing excessive energy into an asteroid. Alongside Shauna and Calem or Serena, the player sets out to stop Team Flare and Lysandre at their second base in Geosenge Town, the location of the ultimate weapon. Upon reaching the core of the weapon, the player discovers a dormant Xerneas or Yveltal which suddenly awakens with their appearance. They capture the legendary Pokémon and proceed to bring an end to Lysandre's plans after defeating him in battle one final time. After the battle, Lysandre will use the ultimate weapon to destroy the ultimate weapon. The player, Shauna, and Calem or Serena, make their escape from the base before this can happen.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: With the defeat of Team Flare, the player resumes their journey and obtains their eighth and final Gym Badge, enabling them to challenge the Elite Four—the most powerful trainers in Kalos. They traverse Victory Road and reach the Kalos Pokémon League to begin their final challenge. Once they overcome the Elite Four, the player faces and defeats Champion Diantha, making the player the new Champion of Kalos. A parade is organised by Professor Sycamore to celebrate the player's role in saving the Kalos region and becoming the new champion. AZ battles the player during the parade, recognising the player's strength and what it means to be a Pokémon Trainer. His Floette then returns to him and they are reunited for the first time in 3,000 years.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: Development of "Pokémon X" and "Y" began in 2010. Director Junichi Masuda revealed the three main themes of "X" and "Y" to be beauty, bonds, and evolution. Beauty was the core focus and Masuda considered France to be a prime example of such; he sent a team to the country for study in 2011. Flowers were integrated into many routes across the game for visual aesthetics, something not done in previous iterations of "Pokémon", and for unique wild Pokémon encounters. With the games taking place in a region based on France, design inspiration stemmed more from European culture. The legendary trio of Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde have their roots in Norse mythology, for example. More focus than usual was placed on giving new Pokémon unique elements for this generation. The titles "X" and "Y", representing the x-axis and y-axis—also reflecting different forms of thinking—were chosen early in development. The simplicity of the names was also related to the simultaneous worldwide release of the games. Additionally, designers sought to make the Pokémon names the same in every country whenever possible. Masuda expressed that this effort proved exceptionally difficult as the names have to feel fitting to their physical appearance and not infringe upon any rights.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: A major design change for the franchise was the shift from two-dimensional sprites to three-dimensional polygons. This required a larger development team than previous games, with more than 500 people involved with the games' development, inclusive of localization teams. Emphasis was placed on retaining the iconic style of Pokémon art director Ken Sugimori who has been designing Pokémon and creating the franchise's official artwork since "Red" and "Green" in 1996. At the request of Masuda, the shapes "X" and "Y" were used as the framework for the boxart legendary Pokémon, Xernas and Yveltal. Normally, Sugimori designs the legendary Pokémon by himself; however, he required assistance from designer Yusuke Ohmura to create Xerneas and Yveltal. Finalization of their designs took about 18 months, 3 times longer than normal. Manga artist Hitoshi Ariga was requested to assist in creating Pokémon for "X" and "Y"; Ariga ultimately designed ten species for the games.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: The game's score was composed by Shota Kageyama, Minako Adachi, Hitomi Sato, Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, and Morikazu Aoki. This was the first usage of the Nintendo 3DS's sound capabilities for the "Pokémon" series, and Masuda expressed delight over improved sound quality and expression. Similar to the theme of "X" and "Y" themselves, the soundtrack of the games were designed to emphasize beauty. Kageyama sought inspiration from the music of France as well; however, he indicated hesitation in making the music sound too French. During an interview with "Famitsu" magazine, Masuda stated that the Japanese harp was used in place of an accordion in certain situations to avoid giving off excessive French vibes. Additionally, Kageyama cited Masuda himself as inspiration for his work. Although working primarily as the director for "X" and "Y", Masuda composed the games' battle themes. In discussing , Masuda stated he wanted to try a new approach and added techno themes.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: The official soundtrack consisting of 212 songs, titled , was released on 13 November 2013. The album debuted at number 12 on "Top Albums Chart" and number 3 on the "Independent Albums Chart" of "Billboard-Japan". The soundtrack was released digitally worldwide on November 20 through iTunes as "Pokémon X & Pokémon Y: Super Music Collection". The soundtrack debuted at 104 on the "Billboard 200", and peaked at number 5 on the "Billboard" soundtracks chart. Jim Sterling of "Destructoid" praised the music as "utterly lovely", noting "the quieter tunes are legitimately beautiful".


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: "Pokémon X" and "Y" were announced by Satoru Iwata through a Nintendo Direct on 8 January 2013. A first for the main series of "Pokémon" titles, "X" and "Y" were released worldwide on 12 October 2013. Following widespread selling of the titles prior to their release date in Brazil, Nintendo warned game retailers that they would be penalized if they continued to break street date. A store in Bournemouth, United Kingdom, reportedly started selling the games on October 11. This initiated a domino effect and several other United Kingdom retailers began selling the game early.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: A special Nintendo 3DS XL depicting Xerneas and Yveltal in blue or red colors was released in North America and Europe on 27 September 2013, and in Japan on 12 October 2013. Japan also received a premium gold version depicting Xerneas on the front, and Yveltal and the three starters on the back with either "X" or "Y" pre-installed. On 2 October 2013, "The X Factor UK" series 9 semifinalists Union J revealed via their social media outlets that they would be involved in the British release of "X" and "Y". For a limited time starting from the game's release on 12 October 2013, until 15 January 2014, players could download a special Torchic, possessing its hidden ability "Speed Boost" and a Blazikenite that allows players to utilize the new Mega Evolution game mechanic to evolve Blaziken to Mega Blaziken. Between 1–31 March 2014, North American Club Nintendo members could get a free download code for "Pokémon X" or "Y" as long as they registered a Nintendo 2DS, 3DS or 3DS XL and one of six qualifying games. However, any products registered before this time were said to be ineligible.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: In promoting the game's new Mega Evolution feature, Mega Mewtwo Y (then known as "Awakened Mewtwo") was featured in a special episode of the anime titled "Mewtwo: Prologue to Awakening" and then the film "", released in Japan on 13 July 2013. Mega Evolution was also featured in the TV special "Pokémon Origins", which was a re-telling of the original "Pokémon Red" and "Blue" games, and included a surprise appearance of Mega Charizard X. The upcoming season of the "Pokémon" anime series based on these games, titled "", began airing in Japan on 17 October 2013, and was previewed in North America and Europe on 19 October 2013.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: "Pokémon X" and "Y" were released to positive reception, garnering "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic. The positive reception allowed "X" and "Y" to claim the 15th and 13th highest-rated games on the Nintendo 3DS, respectively. The Japanese magazine "Weekly Famitsu" awarded the game a near-perfect score, earning it the publication's Platinum Award. This made them the second-highest rated "Pokémon" titles by the magazine, behind only the perfect score awarded to "Pokémon Black" and "White".


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: The games received universal praise for the transition to 3D graphics, the enhanced visuals, and integration of online play. "Edge" magazine reviewers described the visuals as "rich in detail and flavour, from the stately majesty of the affluent areas to a dilapidated, overgrown hotel whose only guests are squatting punks". Simon Parkin of "Eurogamer" similarly complimented the game's "smooth and natural" transition to 3D, declaring that ""Pokémon X" & "Y" is the finest expression of Satoshi Tajiri's obsessive vision yet." Matt Kamen of "The Observer" praised the new gameplay mechanics and the graphical and audio improvements, and deemed the games to be "the series' zenith".


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: "IGN" reviewer Jose Otero found that the game was "a successful transition to a 3D world", calling it "an even more social, beautiful, and strategic game" compared to its predecessors, adding that many of the new Pokémon's 3D models and animations complemented their individual species' personalities, and that the new Mega Evolutions were "similarly impressive". He also praised the faster pace of the early game, with "X" and "Y" providing a wide range of Pokémon to catch within the first hour of gameplay. While "Game Informer" reviewer Kyle Hilliard found the title's gameplay additions to be mostly positive, "[making] everything more inviting, attractive, and fun", the magazine also felt that they ultimately did not "break the mold" of what players expected from the franchise. Ernest Cavalli at "Joystiq" and Griffin McElroy at "Polygon" both praised the gameplay, with Cavalli calling it "hands-down the best in the series", and that the game could be enjoyed equally by both veterans and newcomers to the franchise. Daan Koopman from "Nintendo World Report" also gave positive reviews about the 3D graphics, music, characters, and the changes to battles, but criticized the inconsistencies in the presentation overall and found the new battle types not that exciting. Parkin indicated that the original appeal of the series—catching every Pokémon—"remains resolutely undiminished after all this time." Conversely, "Edge" claimed some of the series' "original magic had been lost across so many iterative updates" and criticized its unsteady framerate in 3D mode.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: With the updated Player Search System (PSS) present at all times on the touchscreen, providing a seamless transition from solo play to player-to-player battles and trades, integration of online play was praised as "masterly" by Parkin. McElroy described it as "completely interconnected experience, which is exactly how "Pokémon" is meant to be played". Otero proclaimed the PSS "makes "Pokémon X" and "Y" feel dramatically new and more modern". The optional aspects of Pokémon-Amie and Super Training had mixed reception. Hilliard described the minigames of Super Training as forgettable. McElroy viewed these aspects as positively reinforcing bonds between trainers and their Pokémon, with Pokémon-Amie making them seem more like pets. Otero praised Super Training for making competitive training more accessible to players.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: In contrast to the praise for the games' visuals, the story was poorly received. Otero described the story and character personalities as "pretty disappointing for a predominantly single-player RPG." McElroy described the campaign as "rigidly formulaic". However, Hilliard called some of the interactions with non-playable characters "bizarre... and often entertaining". Parkin criticized it as "thin and melodramatic" and "sometimes jarringly preachy". They also considered some of the games' puzzles to be clumsy. The layout of the Kalos region itself was described as disappointingly straightforward for players who enjoy exploring but inviting to new players in the franchise. This ease of access was exemplified through subtle additions and changes to gaining experience. More readily available experience allowed players to use more Pokémon throughout the campaign and rotate through a team greater than six.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: "Pokémon X" and "Y" were nominated for Best RPG and Best Handheld Game at the 2013 VGX Awards. In 2014 it won the Golden Joystick Award for Handheld Game of the Year.


title: Pokémon X and Y

text: According to Media Create sales data, over 1.26 million copies of "Pokémon X" and "Y" were pre-ordered in Japan, not including copies bundled with Nintendo 3DS hardware, making it the most reserved Nintendo 3DS title to date in the region. Within three days of release, the games sold a record 2.09 million retail copies in Japan. Over 4 million copies of the games were sold worldwide in the first weekend, making "X" and "Y" the fastest–selling game on the 3DS. At the time, they were the fastest-selling 3DS titles in the Americas, but were later surpassed by "Pokémon Sun" and "Moon". Within three months of release, by December 2013, the games were the best-selling titles for the 3DS with 11.61 million copies sold worldwide. They remained at the top through at least 2016, before being outsold by "Mario Kart 7" in 2017. , the games have sold 16.65 million units worldwide, making them the second best-selling games for the Nintendo 3DS behind "Mario Kart 7" and just ahead of "Pokémon Sun" and "Moon".


title: Remus Lupin

text: Remus John Lupin is a fictional character in the "Harry Potter" book series written by J. K. Rowling. He first appears in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Lupin remains in the story following his resignation from this post, serving as a friend and ally of the central character, Harry Potter. In the films, he is portrayed by David Thewlis as an adult, and James Utechin as a teenager.


title: Remus Lupin

text: Lupin is a half-blood, born, according to the series, to wizard Lyall Lupin and his Muggle wife Hope Howell on March 10, 1960. He was bitten by the vicious werewolf Fenrir Greyback when he was a small child, and became infected with lycanthropy; the condition being incurable, he was doomed to live his life as a werewolf. Lupin and his parents feared he would be unable to attend Hogwarts, but headmaster Albus Dumbledore allowed him to enrol—provided certain protective measures were taken. A house was built in Hogsmeade with a secret passage leading to it from under the Whomping Willow. Lupin was smuggled into and confined in this house for his monthly transformations. The transformation from human to werewolf is difficult and painful, and if the creature is isolated, it will become frustrated and harm itself if unable to attack. The villagers mistook Lupin's howling as extremely violent ghosts. The house was dubbed "the Shrieking Shack" and became known as the most haunted building in Britain. Although it was never actually haunted, Dumbledore promoted this rumour to discourage curious villagers from exploring. It eventually became the Marauders' secret hangout when they achieved complete Animagi transformations.


title: Remus Lupin

text: When Lupin started Hogwarts, his condition was kept secret, but James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew deduced the truth in their second year. By their fifth year, they secretly (and illegally) learned how to become Animagi to keep Lupin company during his transformations. His lycanthropy was not transmittable to them in their Animagus forms, nor was he a threat to them while they were animals. Additionally, James and Sirius' Animagi (a stag and a large dog) were large enough to control a werewolf. His friends nicknamed him "Moony" for his condition. When Severus Snape became curious about where Lupin disappeared to each month, Black played a prank on him in their sixth year (although Sirius, James and Peter hated Snape, Lupin claimed he had no reason to hate him until their sixth year). Sirius told Snape where Lupin went every month, although he neglected to mention he was a werewolf and knew Snape could be killed if he approached Lupin in his transformed state. Snape, determined to get them in trouble, followed Sirius' directions. When James learned what Sirius did, he stopped Snape before he reached the Shrieking Shack, saving his life. Snape, however, had seen Lupin in werewolf form and was sworn to secrecy by Dumbledore. Snape never forgave Sirius and believed James' only motive in foiling the plan was to avoid expulsion from Hogwarts.


title: Remus Lupin

text: In his fifth year, Lupin was made a prefect, although he had trouble disciplining James and Sirius. He did not become Head Boy, however. In an interview, J. K. Rowling linked this to Lupin's desire to be liked, "because he's been disliked so often." Lupin's main failing is, "he's always so pleased to have friends, so he cuts them an awful lot of slack." In "Order of the Phoenix", Sirius said Lupin was the "good boy," and Rowling says he was the "mature" one. According to Sirius, Lupin did not participate in his and James' bullying (of Snape, in particular), but Lupin regrets never having told them to stop. He is also one of the co-creators of the Marauder's Map, which later falls into Harry Potter's ownership.


title: Remus Lupin

text: Lupin loathes and fears his monthly transformations: when he faces boggarts, they take the form of a globular full moon. These transformations became less severe in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", when the Wolfsbane Potion provided by Snape allowed him to have some control over them, and to retain his mind. It is shown that Lupin wears brown colored New & Lingwood brand shoes in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" when packing.


title: Remus Lupin

text: Professor Lupin first appeared in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", in which he taught Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is first seen on the Hogwarts Express, asleep, and "looked as if one good curse would be able to finish him off". However, when Dementors appeared in the train, Lupin finally wakes up "holding what seemed to be a handful of flames". There is evidence to suggest that Lupin is a more powerful wizard than he lets on. While on the train during Prisoner of Azkaban, he summons fire without a wand (wandless magic being difficult to perform) and holds it in the palm of his bare hand. Later, in Order of the Phoenix, he is the only fighter besides Dumbledore who was not wounded, killed or knocked unconscious in the battle at the Department of Mysteries. This could be an indication of controlled wandless magic, something very few characters have been seen to do in the Harry Potter universe. At the end of the year, Severus Snape, furious over Sirius Black's escape and his resultant loss of the Order of Merlin promised to him by Cornelius Fudge, made public that Lupin was a werewolf, whereupon Lupin resigned in anticipation of the public outcry against a werewolf teaching at Hogwarts. During his tenure, he gave Harry private lessons in casting the Patronus Charm, the only known means of defence against Dementors. His students, excepting a few from Slytherin, held him in extremely high regard and loved his hands-on teaching style. Harry and his friends considered him to have been their best Defence teacher.


title: Remus Lupin

text: Until the climax of Prisoner of Azkaban, Lupin believed Sirius Black was guilty of murdering 12 Muggles, betraying Lily and James Potter, and killing Peter Pettigrew. He eventually discovered the truth — that Sirius was innocent, and the very much alive Peter was the traitor. He helped Sirius to explain the truth to Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Shrieking Shack, and they all confronted Peter, who had been disguised for the previous twelve years as Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. However, Remus had forgotten to take the Wolfsbane potion, which prevented him from becoming violent while a werewolf. While Harry, Ron, and Hermione were distracted by Lupin, Peter assumed his Animagus form and escaped.


title: Remus Lupin

text: Lupin reappears as an Order of the Phoenix member in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", but his role in the book is smaller than in "Prisoner of Azkaban".


title: Remus Lupin

text: In "Prisoner of Azkaban", Lupin is described as having "light brown hair" that is greying, and he wears shabby, patched clothing. In "Order of the Phoenix", he has a pale face with premature lines. Because there are few employment opportunities for werewolves, as most in the wizarding world are prejudiced against them out of fear of the violent transformations, Lupin depends primarily on the kindness of others for support. When additional anti-werewolf laws are passed by the Ministry of Magic under Dolores Umbridge's direction in "Order of the Phoenix", Lupin becomes nearly unemployable.


title: Remus Lupin

text: Lupin joins the newly reformed Order of the Phoenix in the fifth book and is part of the advance guard who escorts Harry from the Dursley family home in the book's opening chapters. Lupin lives in Grimmauld Place, the Order of the Phoenix headquarters with Sirius Black, but does not stay there often as he is usually sent on secret tasks for the Order. Later, he participates in the battle at the Department of Mysteries where he duels Lucius Malfoy. He came out unscathed while Lucius was bound by invisible ropes by Dumbledore.


title: Remus Lupin

text: As in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", Lupin's role is small when compared to that in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". In "Half-Blood Prince", he is working undercover as a spy amongst his fellow werewolves, who are under the leadership of the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, who bit Lupin as a child, and joined forces with Voldemort. Remus admits to Harry that due to prejudice in the wizarding world, he has found the werewolves' siding with Voldemort hard to counter, as the Dark Lord offers them more freedom than they are currently allowed.


title: Remus Lupin

text: At the end of the book, it is revealed that Nymphadora Tonks has fallen in love with Remus (Remus is 13 years older than Tonks). He resisted becoming involved with her because of the risks from his being a werewolf, and he said he is, "too old, too poor, and too dangerous," for her. However, the two are seen holding hands in one of the book's last scenes.


title: Remus Lupin

text: Lupin appears in "Deathly Hallows" as even more tired-looking and anxious than before. He takes part in the Order's retrieval of Harry from Privet Drive and just prior to their departure, Tonks reveals that she and Remus were married recently. However, on various occasions he does not appear to be happy but rather tense.


title: Remus Lupin

text: Further into the book, Remus stumbles upon the trio hiding at Grimmauld Place and offers his assistance to help complete whatever task Dumbledore assigned them. A heated argument between Harry and Lupin over his motives for wanting to join them results in the revelation that Tonks is now pregnant; he believes his marriage to Tonks has made her an outcast, believing even her own family is disgusted by their alliance, and the unborn child, to whom he feels guilty for potentially passing on his lycanthropy, would be better off without him. Hermione tries to assure him that a child could never think that of his father; but Harry, who lost his own father (and godfather) at such a young age, and also does not want to put Remus in danger, criticises him for abandoning his family, going so far as to call him a coward. Lupin attacks Harry with his wand, smashing him into a wall, and leaves in a rage. Inevitably, he recognizes the truth in Harry's words and returns to Tonks' side.


title: Remus Lupin

text: Lupin remains active in the Order of the Phoenix throughout the year, while their increasingly desperate situation drives members such as Aberforth Dumbledore to quit. Loyalists with the wizarding wireless hear him run the casualty reports section on the pirate radio station "Potterwatch" under the pseudonym of Romulus (a tribute to the twins Romulus and Remus who were raised by wolves). Late in the year, Tonks gives birth to a healthy baby boy named Teddy Remus Lupin, who demonstrates Metamorphmagus tendencies instead of lycanthropy. Harry was named his godfather.


title: Remus Lupin

text: Lupin commands a group of defenders on the school grounds during the Battle of Hogwarts and is last mentioned to be duelling Antonin Dolohov. Both Lupin and Tonks die in combat, killed by Dolohov and Bellatrix Lestrange, respectively, leaving Teddy an orphan with Harry Potter as his godfather and Andromeda Tonks as his guardian. JK Rowling has since stated that she originally intended for both Lupin and Tonks to survive.


title: Remus Lupin

text: When Harry uses the Resurrection Stone, a younger-looking Lupin, along with Sirius, James, and Lily accompany Harry through the Forbidden Forest as he approaches Voldemort and an apparently imminent death. Harry apologizes to them all for their deaths, most especially to Lupin, for he would no longer have a chance to raise his son. Lupin tells Harry that he is sorry too, but also that his son will know what his father died for - a world in which his son would lead a happier life - and hopes that he will understand. The four spectres ward off Dementors as they travel through the forest, much like Patronuses, and are invisible to all but Harry. They disappear when Harry drops the Resurrection Stone as he goes to face the Dark Lord.


title: Remus Lupin

text: Rowling stated in an interview that Lupin and Tonks died to compensate for the last-minute reprieve she gave to Arthur Weasley when he survived a would-have-been fatal attack in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix".


title: Remus Lupin

text: Actor David Thewlis was "Prisoner of Azkaban" director Alfonso Cuaron's first choice to play the role of Lupin. Thewlis had earlier auditioned for the role of Professor Quirrell in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" but lost out to Ian Hart, who in turn encouraged Thewlis to take the role of Lupin. Thewlis appears as Lupin in "Prisoner of Azkaban", "Order of the Phoenix", "The Half-Blood Prince", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1", and finally in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2". A teenaged version of Lupin briefly appears in "Order of the Phoenix" played by James Utechin during Snape's memories.


title: Remus Lupin

text: This character's name is a clear example of Rowling's use of descriptive names for her characters, settings and other story elements. His first name, "Remus," is an allusion to Romulus and Remus, the legendary twin founders of Rome, who as infants were cared for by a she-wolf. Lupin borrows the name of the other twin, "Romulus," as a nom de guerre in Book 7.


title: Remus Lupin

text: His last name, "Lupin," recalls the English word "lupine" (meaning "characteristic of or relating to wolves"), which in turn is derived from Latin "lupus" ("wolf"). In the folklore of northern France, "lupin" is also the term used to refer to a type of werewolf, noted for its shyness (in contrast to the more aggressive and violent "loup-garou"). "Lupin" is also the name of a genus of flowering plant.


title: Remus Lupin

text: The fact that he's a werewolf and needs to take a potion to avoid hurting people for the rest of his life makes him a symbol of the consequences of prejudice and segregation, as well as society's often negative reaction to the ill and the disabled. Lupin is often listed as one of the best characters in the "Harry Potter" lore. IGN ranked Lupin as the 14th best character in the franchise stating, "An old friend of Harry's parents, he was able to give Harry personal, intimate insight into who they were that no one else had been able to provide." The character's death during the Battle of Hogwarts during "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is often regarded as one of the most emotional deaths of the series. Author J.K. Rowling has apologised for killing the character in the years following.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Ashtanga yoga (, "the eight limbs of yoga") is Patanjali's classification of classical yoga, as set out in his "Yoga Sutras". He defined the eight limbs as yamas (abstinences), niyama (observances), asana (postures), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (absorption).


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: The eight limbs form a sequence from the outer to the inner. Postures, important in modern yoga as exercise, form just one limb of Patanjali's scheme; he states only that they must be steady and comfortable. The main aim is "kaivalya", discernment of "Purusha", the witness-conscious, as separate from "prakriti", the cognitive apparatus, and disentanglement of "Purusha" from its muddled defilements.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Patanjali begins his treatise by stating the purpose of his book in the first sutra, followed by defining the word "yoga" in his second sutra of Book 1:


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: This terse definition hinges on the meaning of three Sanskrit terms. I. K. Taimni translates it as "Yoga is the inhibition (') of the modifications (') of the mind ("")". Swami Vivekananda translates the sutra as "Yoga is restraining ("nirodhah") the mind-stuff ("citta") from taking various forms ("vrittis")." When the mind is stilled, the seer or real Self is revealed:


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Patanjali set out his definition of yoga in the "Yoga Sutras" as having eight limbs (अष्टाङ्ग , "eight limbs") as follows:


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: The eightfold path of Patanjali's yoga consists of a set of prescriptions for a morally disciplined and purposeful life, of which asanas (yoga postures) form only one limb.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Yamas are ethical rules in Hinduism and can be thought of as moral imperatives (the "don'ts"). The five yamas listed by Patanjali in "Yoga Sutra" 2.30 are:


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Patanjali, in Book 2, states how and why each of the above self-restraints helps in an individual's personal growth. For example, in verse II.35, Patanjali states that the virtue of nonviolence and non-injury to others (Ahimsa) leads to the abandonment of enmity, a state that leads the yogi to the perfection of inner and outer amity with everyone, everything.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: The second component of Patanjali's Yoga path is niyama, which includes virtuous habits and observances (the "dos"). Sadhana Pada Verse 32 lists the niyamas as:


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: As with the Yamas, Patanjali explains how and why each of the Niyamas helps in personal growth. For example, in verse II.42, Patanjali states that the virtue of contentment and acceptance of others as they are (Santosha) leads to the state where inner sources of joy matter most, and the craving for external sources of pleasure ceases.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Patanjali begins discussion of Āsana (आसन, posture, seat) by defining it in verse 46 of Book 2, as follows,


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: "Asana" is a posture that one can hold for a period of time, staying relaxed, steady, comfortable and motionless. The "Yoga Sutra" does not list any specific "asana". Āraṇya translates verse II.47 as, "asanas are perfected over time by relaxation of effort with meditation on the infinite"; this combination and practice stops the body from shaking. Any posture that causes pain or restlessness is not a yogic posture. Secondary texts that discuss Patanjali's sutra state that one requirement of correct posture for sitting meditation is to keep chest, neck and head erect (proper spinal posture).


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: The "Bhasya" commentary attached to the "Sutras", now thought to be by Patanjali himself, suggests twelve seated meditation postures: Padmasana (lotus), Virasana (hero), Bhadrasana (glorious), Svastikasana (lucky mark), Dandasana (staff), Sopasrayasana (supported), Paryankasana (bedstead), Krauncha-nishadasana (seated heron), Hastanishadasana (seated elephant), Ushtranishadasana (seated camel), Samasansthanasana (evenly balanced) and Sthirasukhasana (any motionless posture that is in accordance with one's pleasure).


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: After a desired posture has been achieved, verses II.49 through II.51 recommend "prāṇāyāma", the practice of consciously regulating the breath (inhalation, the full pause, exhalation, and the empty pause). This is done in several ways, such as by inhaling and then suspending exhalation for a period, exhaling and then suspending inhalation for a period, by slowing the inhalation and exhalation, or by consciously changing the timing and length of the breath (deep, short breathing).


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Pratyāhāra is a combination of two Sanskrit words ' (the prefix प्रति-, "against" or "contra") and ' (आहार, "bring near, fetch").


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Pratyahara is drawing within one's awareness. It is a process of retracting the sensory experience from external objects. It is a step of self extraction and abstraction. Pratyahara is not consciously closing one's eyes to the sensory world; it is consciously closing one's mind processes to the sensory world. Pratyahara empowers one to stop being controlled by the external world, fetch one's attention to seek self-knowledge and experience the freedom innate in one's inner world.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Pratyahara marks the transition of yoga experience from the first four limbs of Patanjali's Ashtanga scheme that perfect external forms, to the last three limbs that perfect the yogin's inner state: moving from outside to inside, from the outer sphere of the body to the inner sphere of the spirit.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: "Dharana" (Sanskrit: धारणा) means concentration, introspective focus and one-pointedness of mind. The root of the word is "dhṛ" (धृ), meaning "to hold, maintain, keep".


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Dharana, as the sixth limb of yoga, is holding one's mind onto a particular inner state, subject or topic of one's mind. The mind is fixed on a mantra, or one's breath/navel/tip of tongue/any place, or an object one wants to observe, or a concept/idea in one's mind. Fixing the mind means one-pointed focus, without drifting of mind, and without jumping from one topic to another.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: "Dhyana" (Sanskrit: ध्यान) literally means "contemplation, reflection" and "profound, abstract meditation".


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Dhyana is contemplating, reflecting on whatever "Dharana" has focused on. If in the sixth limb of yoga one focused on a personal deity, Dhyana is its contemplation. If the concentration was on one object, Dhyana is non-judgmental, non-presumptuous observation of that object. If the focus was on a concept/idea, Dhyana is contemplating that concept/idea in all its aspects, forms and consequences. Dhyana is uninterrupted train of thought, current of cognition, flow of awareness.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Dhyana is integrally related to Dharana, one leads to other. Dharana is a state of mind, Dhyana the process of mind. Dhyana is distinct from Dharana in that the meditator becomes actively engaged with its focus. Patanjali defines contemplation ("Dhyana") as the mind process, where the mind is fixed on something, and then there is "a course of uniform modification of knowledge". Adi Shankara, in his commentary on "Yoga Sutras", distinguishes Dhyana from Dharana, by explaining Dhyana as the yoga state when there is only the "stream of continuous thought about the object, uninterrupted by other thoughts of different kind for the same object"; Dharana, states Shankara, is focussed on one object, but aware of its many aspects and ideas about the same object. Shankara gives the example of a yogin in a state of dharana on morning sun may be aware of its brilliance, color and orbit; the yogin in dhyana state contemplates on sun's orbit alone for example, without being interrupted by its color, brilliance or other related ideas.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: "Samadhi" (Sanskrit: समाधि) literally means "putting together, joining, combining with, union, harmonious whole, trance". In samadhi, when meditating on an object, only the object of awareness is present, and the awareness that one is meditating disappears. Samadhi is of two kinds, "Samprajnata Samadhi", with support of an object of meditation, and "Asamprajnata Samadhi", without support of an object of meditation.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Samprajnata Samadhi, also called "savikalpa samadhi" and "Sabija Samadhi", meditation with support of an object, is associated with deliberation, reflection, bliss, and I-am-ness (YS 1.17).


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: The first two associations, deliberation and reflection, form the basis of the various types of "Samāpatti":


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: The last two associations, "sananda samadhi" and "sasmita", are respectively a state of meditation, and an object of "savichara samadhi":


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: According to Ian Whicher, the status of "ananda" and "asmita" in Patanjali's system is a matter of dispute. According to Maehle, the first two constituents, deliberation and reflection, form the basis of the various types of "samapatti". According to Feuerstein,


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Ian Whicher disagrees with Feuerstein, seeing "ananda" and "asmita" as later stages of "nirvicara-samapatti". Whicher refers to Vācaspati Miśra (AD 900-980), the founder of the Bhāmatī Advaita Vedanta who proposes eight types of "samapatti":


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Vijnana Bikshu (ca. 1550-1600) proposes a six-stage model, explicitly rejecting Vacaspati Misra's model. Vijnana Bikshu regards joy ("ananda") as a state that arises when the mind passes beyond the "vicara" stage. Whicher agrees that ananda is not a separate stage of samadhi. According to Whicher, Patanjali's own view seems to be that "nirvicara-samadhi" is the highest form of cognitive ecstasy.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: Asamprajnata Samadhi, also called "Nirvikalpa Samadhi" and "Nirbija Samadhi", is meditation without an object, which leads to knowledge of "purusha" or consciousness, the subtlest element.


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: According to Bryant, the purpose of yoga is liberation from suffering, caused by entanglement with the world, by means of discriminative discernment between "Purusha", the witness-consciousness, and "prakriti", the cognitive apparatus including the muddled mind and the "kleshas". The eight limbs are "the means of achieving discriminative discernment," the "uncoupling of puruṣa from all connection with prakṛti and all involvement with the citta." Bryant states that, to Patanjali, Yoga-practice "essentially consists of meditative practices culminating in attaining a state of consciousness free from all modes of active or discursive thought, and of eventually attaining a state where consciousness is unaware of any object external to itself, that is, is only aware of its own nature as consciousness unmixed with any other object."


title: Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga)

text: The Samkhya school suggests that "jnana" (knowledge) is a sufficient means to "moksha", Patanjali suggests that systematic techniques/practice (personal experimentation) combined with Samkhya's approach to knowledge is the path to moksha. Patanjali holds that "avidya", ignorance is the cause of all five kleshas, which are the cause of suffering and saṁsāra. Liberation, like many other schools, is removal of ignorance, which is achieved through discriminating discernment, knowledge and self-awareness. The "Yoga Sūtras" is the Yoga school's treatise on how to accomplish this. "Samādhi" is the state where ecstatic awareness develops, state Yoga scholars, and this is how one starts the process of becoming aware of "Purusa" and true Self. It further claims that this awareness is eternal, and once this awareness is achieved, a person cannot ever cease being aware; this is moksha, the soteriological goal in Hinduism.