title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: The character was first developed for the purpose of short skits on "F2F" on Granada Talk TV that Baron Cohen presented in 1996–1997, with the character at this time being known as Alexi Krickler. The character, now known as Kristo Shqiptari, was picked by BBC Two's "Comedy Nation". Alexi and Kristo were nearly identical in looks and demeanor to the later incarnation, although Alexi claimed to be Moldovan and Kristo claimed to be Albanian rather than coming from Kazakhstan. The character remained dormant while Baron Cohen concentrated on his popular Ali G persona for Channel 4's "The 11 O'Clock Show", but with the subsequent success of Ali G and the creation of "Da Ali G Show" (also on Channel 4) Baron Cohen revisited his Borat character.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Borat was born and raised in the village of Kuzcek, Kazakh SSR to Maryam Tulyakbay and Boltok the Rapist (who is also stated to be his grandfather, uncle and former father-in-law until the demise of Oksana). He stated that his mother gave birth to him when she was 9 years old. She is shown as a short old lady (revealed to be 43 years old) in his 2006 film, where he gives the viewer a guided tour of his hometown. He has a (remarkably well-endowed) 13-year-old son named Hueylewis, 12-year-old twin boys named Bilak and Biram, as well as 17 grandchildren. He has a sister, Natalya, whom at different times he has described as the "number four prostitute in all of Kazakhstan". Another sister who appears to be a very young teenage girl is shown at the beginning of "Borat's Guide to Britain". It has been revealed in an interview with a general practitioner that he caught syphilis from one of his sisters during a Kazakh folk festival. He also has a younger brother, Bilo, who is intellectually disabled and kept locked in a cage. Bilo was not always disabled and was shown as an average early teenage boy in "Borat's Guide to Britain". At some point, Bilo sustained brain damage during an exorcism, when another brother of Borat's tried to release a demon from Bilo through the "traditional Kazakh folk remedy" of opening the skull and sticking the tooth of a red-haired woman in the brain.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Borat's neighbours are Nursultan Tuyakbay (whom Borat considers "a pain in my assholes") and Dr. Yamak, a scientist who works for the Kazakh government and claims to have proven that women have "brain the size of squirrel". In "Borat's Guide to Britain", Borat and Yamak settle a dispute in the traditional Kazakh "civilised way" by beating each other's genitals with a leather glove until one of them gives up.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: It is unknown how many times Borat has been married, but he has had at least five wives. In "Borat's Guide to Britain", he admits to being a bigamist and has three additional lovers (two of whom he describes as his "mistress" and his "girlfriend" respectively, while he "has to pay money for" the third). One of his wives (Ludmilla) is said to have been shot by a hunter when he mistook her for a bear as she ploughed the fields. His former wife, Oksana (who was also his half-sister as they had the same biological father), is reported in the "Borat" film to have been attacked, "violated" and "broken" by a bear while taking his brother Bilo for a walk in the forest. Borat is not saddened at all by the tragedy. He thanks the man who brings him this "good news" by giving him a high five and celebrates his new-found freedom by pursuing Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and eventually reunites with and marries Luenell, an African-American prostitute he met whilst filming his documentary. In the sequel, Luenell is nowhere to be seen and can be assumed to have either left Borat or died in the fourteen years since the first film. Borat goes on to ask a professional babysitter late in the film to be his "new black wife", to which she politely declines.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: According to various in-character interviews with Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat attended Astana University, where he studied English, journalism and plague research. He created five new plagues which "killed over five million goats" in Uzbekistan, the country that he has a strong hatred of. Prior to his plague research, Borat worked as an ice maker, "gypsy-catcher", "animal-puller" (one who produces semen from animals) and computer maintenance engineer (specifically removing dead birds which had nested in the vents of computers' casings). He now works as a journalist and announcer on Kazakh television. This job helps Borat and other Kazakhs "express themselves in ways they otherwise would not have been able to do".


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Borat mostly speaks English during his reports. His supposed Kazakh language in some scenes is in fact a mix of Hebrew and Polish (both of which Baron Cohen has a good knowledge of). Borat usually introduces himself with the term "Jagshemash" ("Jak się masz?", meaning "How are you?" in Polish) and ends reports with "Chenquieh" ("Dziękuję", meaning "Thank you" in Polish). He often uses the phrase "Wa wa wee wa!", an expression of surprised delight which came from a skit by Dov Glickman on the popular Israeli comedy show "Zehu Ze!".


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Although nominally pagan most of his life in a predominantly Muslim (albeit secular) country, sometimes remarking that he "follow[s] the hawk", during his trip to the USA, he attends a Pentecostal church service and later converts his entire village to Christianity, his version of which involves crucifying Jews. Borat is a keen admirer of Joseph Stalin and claims that both he and Stalin are strong men with powerful "khram" (genitals). He strongly opposes women's rights and is quite aghast upon learning that in Britain and the USA, women can vote while horses cannot. He frequently comments that allowing women to vote is like "allowing a monkey to drive a car". In his spare time, he enjoys playing table tennis (ping pong), sun-bathing while clad in a lime-green mankini, disco dancing, spitting, sitting on comfortable chairs, shooting dogs and taking pictures of women when they "make a toilet". He also enjoys hunting Jews in his homeland. He is extremely fond of "sexy time", particularly "mouth-party" and "hand-party". Borat also states that he "very much like Korki Butchek" (a fictional Kazakh musician).


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: In each episode of "Da Ali G Show", Borat is shown doing satirical interviews with often unwitting subjects in the United Kingdom and the United States. The segments were shot in a low-quality video style to maintain the impression of low-quality television broadcasts in a poor country (similar to the Chanel 9 segments on "The Fast Show"). In "Ali G Indahouse", the British Prime Minister and Ali G greet Borat who proceeds to hug and then kiss Ali G, who pushes him away in disgust.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: The Borat segments on "Da Ali G Show" use a rock rendition of a Russian folk tune, "Korobeiniki", as the theme song.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: This was created as part of a six-part series of "Da Ali G Show" that was originally broadcast on Channel 4 (UK) starting in March 2000.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Five Borat sketches were shown, in the form of "Guides" to "Etiquette", Hunting, Cambridge, Edinburgh, and Henley. The "Guides" to "English Gentlemen", "Politics" and "Sport" were also filmed at this time but released at a later date as part of "Ali G" DVDs. The Cambridge sketch is the only major Borat material from this series not to have made it onto the compilation DVDs.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Shown as part of a six-part "Ali G Show" originally on HBO (US) in February 2003. This series was screened and released in the UK as "Ali G in the USAiii".


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: "Etiquette", "Acting", "Men", "Baseballs" and "The (Deep) South". A "Guide to Animals" was filmed but released at a later date as part of an "Ali G" DVD.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Shown as part of a six-part "Ali G Show" originally on HBO (US) in July 2004. (Channel 4 was the UK channel where Ali G and Borat originally appeared, and the series for America was a joint HBO/Channel 4 co-production). This series was re-edited for the UK to remove all the Ali G material, becoming two prime-time "Borat's Television Programme" specials for Channel 4. These specials also embodied the Brüno segments from the series and Borat's "Guide To Hunting", not screened in the US version. The uncut second series as it appeared on HBO was later given a UK courtesy transmission on digital channel E4.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Six Borat sketches were shown in the form of "Guides" to "Wine Tasting", "Politics", "Country Music", "Hobbies", "Buying a House" and "Jobs" (careers), with "Hunting" airing in the UK only.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Subtitled "Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan", the film "Borat" is a mockumentary comedy. Most of those appearing in the film are not paid performers, but real people whom Borat met on his journey. The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox, and directed by Larry Charles. It premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, and was released across Europe on 2 November 2006 and North America on 3 November 2006.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: The film follows Borat in his travels across the United States, as he commits cultural solecisms and exposes a few American ones. Over the course of the film, Borat falls in love with Pamela Anderson after watching a rerun of "Baywatch", and vows to make her his wife.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: The film opened at No. 1 in the U.S., taking in $26.4 million on a limited release of 837 screens during its first weekend, beating "Fahrenheit 9/11" as the biggest opening weekend for a film released in fewer than 1,000 cinemas. Baron Cohen celebrated the release of the film with a host of promotional in-character interviews. The film expanded its release on the second weekend to 2,566 screens, where it took in an additional $29 million.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: In 2007, Baron Cohen won a Golden Globe for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy". With a production budget of $18,000,000 the film has grossed $128,501,044 in the United States of America and another $128,848,505 internationally, for a worldwide gross of $257,349,549 by mid-March 2007.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: In 2020, Baron Cohen filmed several pranks for a sequel film, a mockumentary comedy just like the first film.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Since the end of the previous film, Borat was sentenced to a work camp. The film follows Borat as he is ordered to marry his daughter to Mike Pence, and later Rudy Giuliani. Borat then goes back to Kazakhstan in defeat, however, realizes that the Kazakh government has deliberately infected the world with coronavirus and is paid to keep the secret and is forgiven.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: In 2007, Baron Cohen released a book titled "Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan/Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A.", with humour about both countries in a similar vein to the movie.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: In 2007, Sacha Baron Cohen stated that the character of Borat, alongside his Ali G character, would be retired. Borat's last appearances were at "Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Event for Autism Education 2006" television special and an online public service announcement ahead of the 2008 United States elections. However, in 2016, to promote the trailer release of his film "Grimsby", Baron Cohen appeared in character as Borat on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" He then made an appearance on the show on 7 November 2018 as a part of a guest appearance by Baron Cohen to promote his show "Who Is America?" In 2020, Baron Cohen officially rekindled Borat with the filming of "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm", which was released on 23 October 2020, introducing the character of Borat's daughter Tutar Sagdiyev, portrayed by Maria Bakalova.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Borat himself was parodied in the critically panned 2007 parody film "Epic Movie" and was played by Danny Jacobs.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: In the Youtube channel video entitled Why People Believe Jesus Had a Wife, it mentioned if Jesus had a wife if it was said by Borat.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: There have been arguments that the film's portrayal of the people of Kazakhstan is unfair and unjustified.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: On 19 October 2006, the BBC reported that Kazakhstan's Deputy Foreign Minister, Rakhat Aliyev, had invited Baron Cohen to visit Kazakhstan to see how inaccurate his portrayals were. In an interview, Aliyev asserted that "His trip could yield a lot of discoveries—that women not only travel inside buses but also drive their own cars, that we make wine from grapes, that Jews can freely attend synagogues and so on."


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Borat's movie has been accused of promoting antiziganism. The film has been criticised for several scenes portraying Borat's fictional "Kazakh" village which were actually filmed in the impoverished Roma village of Glod in Romania. "USA Today" reports that poverty-stricken villagers were offered between $3.30 and $5.50 to bring animals into their houses and other gag scenes for the movie that some people described as humiliating. The studio contends that participants were paid double the rate recommended by the Romanian film office for extras. Additionally, Baron Cohen personally donated $5,000 to the village, as well as computers and school supplies.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: Two villagers of Glod hired controversial reparation attorney Ed Fagan to sue the makers of the film for $30 million for human rights abuses. Fagan intended to submit lawsuits in New York and Florida state courts, as well as in Frankfurt, Germany. Fagan said that he hoped to "teach Hollywood a very expensive lesson." The lawsuit was thrown out by U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in a hearing in early December 2006 on the ground that the charges were too vague to stand up in court. Fagan planned to refile, but has since been disbarred.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: The Borat character has been accused of anti-Semitism but Baron Cohen, himself a Jew, has explained that the segments are a "dramatic demonstration of how racism feeds on dumb conformity, as much as rabid bigotry." "Borat essentially works as a tool. By himself pretending to be anti-Semitic, he lets people lower their guard and expose their own prejudice," Baron Cohen explained to "Rolling Stone".<ref name="finally_speaks/page/2"></ref> Baron Cohen, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, says he wishes in particular to expose the role of indifference:


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: However, the Anti-Defamation League, a United States-based group that "...combat[s] anti-Semitism and bigotry of all kinds", complained to HBO after Borat performed his country and western song "In My Country There Is Problem". It called on people to "throw the Jew down the well", warning that "you must be careful of his teeth" and that "you must grab him by his money", and was welcomed with applause and participation by some members of an audience in Tucson, Arizona. The full chorus goes: "Throw the Jew down the well / So my country can be free / You must grab him by his horns / Then we have a big party." Regarding the enthusiastic response to "In My Country There Is Problem", he says, "Did it reveal that they were anti-Semitic? Perhaps. But maybe it just revealed that they were indifferent to anti-Semitism."


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: In another scene, Borat visits the Serengeti Range ranch in Texas, where the owner of the ranch, Gene Gordon confides that he believes the Holocaust was a necessity for Germany. He further implies that he would have no moral qualms about running a ranch where people can hunt, in Borat's words, "deer...then Jew."


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: An interview with James Broadwater, an evangelical Christian and Republican candidate for the United States' Congress from Mississippi, caused Broadwater to receive some hate emails after an episode of "Da Ali G Show" aired in which Broadwater stated that all non-Christians (including Jews) will go to Hell. He was told that the interview would be played in foreign countries to teach others about the American political system. Broadwater later posted a letter on his website denouncing "Da Ali G Show," explaining that his statement referred to a theological belief that anyone that "accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour will spend eternity in Heaven, while everyone who rejects Him will spend eternity in Hell." Broadwater did not apologise for his comments. Instead, he insisted that "the liberal, anti-God media needs to be brought under the strict control of the FCC, and that as soon as possible."


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: In the film, Borat continues his anti-Semitic stance. When he mentions his decision to avoid flying while in America, Borat says that his colleague "insists we not fly in case the Jews repeat their attack of 9/11". Later, he finds himself in a bed & breakfast run by a kind elderly Jewish couple. He tries to "escape", and throws money at two woodlice that have crawled into his room, apparently believing that the Jewish hosts have shapeshifted into the tiny woodlice. He was amazed that they had managed to look human, and states that one "can hardly see their horns". Borat is completely oblivious to his hosts' religious beliefs or ethnicity when he first meets them, despite how obvious it is: the man wears a kippah and the woman openly displays her paintings of Jewish people all over the house. Borat does not understand until the woman explicitly states to him: "I'm Jewish."


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: The film has enjoyed particular success in Israel because Israeli filmgoers understand what Borat is really saying when he is supposedly spouting Kazakh: throughout the film, Borat speaks fluent Hebrew with some phrases in Polish, and his assistant speaks Armenian.


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: On 7 January 2005, after convincing the authorities that he was shooting a documentary film, Baron Cohen managed to infuriate a crowd at a rodeo in Salem, Virginia. Even though the crowd first cheered at the beginning of his statements of support for the Iraq War:


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: He then went on to sing an out-of-tune rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" with the lyrics replaced by those of the fictitious "Kazakh national anthem" "O Kazakhstan" used at the end of the film (composed by Erran Baron Cohen), beginning with "Kazakhstan, greatest country in the world / All other countries are run by little girls..."


title: Borat Sagdiyev

text: The crowd was not pleased. One witness stated that "if he [Baron Cohen] had been out there a minute longer, I think somebody would have shot him [...] people were booing him, flipping him off." For his own safety, Baron Cohen was escorted from the venue (much of the event appears in the movie). A credible news report about the incident, aired on a local television station, is included in the DVD extras.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: Smokin' Aces is a 2006 American action-comedy film written and directed by Joe Carnahan. The film centers on the chase for Las Vegas magician turned mafia informant Robert 'Buddy Aces' Israel (Jeremy Piven), on whom a one-million-dollar bounty is placed. The ensemble cast includes Ryan Reynolds, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Common, Andy García, Alicia Keys, Taraji P. Henson, Ray Liotta, Chris Pine, and Matthew Fox, all co-starring as the various individuals attempting to either capture, kill or protect Israel.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: "Smokin' Aces" was the official acting debut of Keys and Common. The film is set in Lake Tahoe and was mainly filmed at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa, called the "Nomad Casino". It received mixed reviews, and grossed $57 million at the box office. It was followed by a 2010 prequel, "", directed by P. J. Pesce and produced and co-written by Carnahan.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: Las Vegas magician and wannabe gangster Buddy "Aces" Israel is in hiding at a Lake Tahoe hotel while his agent negotiates a potential immunity deal with FBI Deputy Director Stanley Locke. Special Agents Richard Messner and Donald Carruthers learn that ailing mob boss Primo Sparazza has issued a $1 million bounty on Israel and sent a mysterious "Swede" to bring him Israel's heart. A number of assassins also seek the reward: master of disguise Lazlo Soot; hitwomen Sharice Watters and Georgia Sykes, hired by Sparazza's underboss; mercenary Pasquale Acosta; and psychotic neo-Nazi brothers Darwin, Jeeves, and Lester Tremor.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: Locke sends Messner and Carruthers to take Israel into protective custody. Bail bondsmen Jack Dupree, "Pistol" Pete Deeks, and Hollis Elmore have been hired by the law firm that posted Israel's bail to capture him as well. The bondsmen are attacked by the Tremors, and only Elmore escapes alive. Messner visits the murder scene while Carruthers proceeds to the hotel, which each of the assassins have infiltrated. Carruthers recognizes Acosta, disguised as a security officer, in an elevator and both are mortally wounded in the ensuing gunfight.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: Soot gains access to Israel's penthouse, posing as his henchman Hugo. Sir Ivy, Israel's second-in-command, confronts Israel for agreeing to inform on Ivy and his entourage as part of the plea deal, and is subdued by hotel security. In Los Angeles, Locke abruptly withdraws from the deal with Israel and orders that Messner and Carruthers not be told. The Tremor brothers reach the penthouse floor and attack the security team and Ivy, who kills Jeeves and Lester. Israel, learning Locke has terminated the plea deal, attempts suicide.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: Finding Carruthers and Acosta, Sykes is cornered when Messner sets up a position around the elevator. Watters provides cover from a nearby hotel with an M82 sniper rifle, outgunning Messner's team. Acosta wounds Sykes, but is shot by a dying Carruthers. Believing Sykes is dead, Watters continues shooting at the FBI. Sykes escapes to the penthouse, where she stops Darwin Tremor before he can kill Ivy. Tremor escapes, and Messner, distraught over Carruthers' death, stops Ivy and Sykes on the stairwell but lets them go. Seeing the pair alive and free through her rifle scope, Watters is gunned down by the FBI.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: Locke and his team descend on the hotel and take Israel to the hospital. Soot escapes, while Acosta is carted away on a gurney, still alive, and Darwin is gunned down by Elmore. At the hospital, Messner learns the truth from Locke: the Swede is a prominent heart surgeon, and Soot was hired to retrieve Israel's heart as a transplant for Sparazza; Israel is Sparazza's illegitimate son and most compatible donor. Sparazza is revealed to be Freeman Heller, a former undercover FBI agent who was thought to have been killed by the mob. In reality, the FBI attempted to kill Heller for blurring the lines between mobster and agent. Heller survived, permanently adopting the identity of Sparazza.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: Messner is furious over the unnecessary deaths of Carruthers and his fellow agents, and Locke's plan to complete the transplant, sacrificing Israel to save Sparazza and exploit his decades of criminal operations. Ordered to keep quiet, Messner instead locks himself in the operating room and takes Israel and Sparazza off life support, killing them both. As Locke and his men desperately try to break in, Messner lays his gun and badge on the floor, apparently resigning from the FBI.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: Wayne Newton makes a cameo appearance as Himself. Joe Carnahan, the film's writer-director, makes a cameo as an armed robber at the beginning of the film.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: During the making of the film, Joe Carnahan's on-set photographer captured thousands of stills. These stills (over 3,000) were given to the London-based studio VooDooDog, who found sequential photographs that could be animated into title sequences. The images were then manipulated using After Effects, giving control of camera movement and depth of field. The sequence takes inspirations from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and other 1970s movies. To give the rostrum type hand-made feel, ink textures were filmed using a Canon 5D stills camera. Originally two sequences were produced, an opening sequence and end sequence. However, only the end sequence was used.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: "Yes, Joe liked the opening credits we did but after their edit they felt it slowed the momentum of the introduction. That seems to be a big concern for filmmakers now—they're aware of the short attention span of audiences and don't want to delay the story. As a designer, I am not sure I would agree, of course. I think that if credit sequences are good and entertaining, they can hold an audience's attention".


title: Smokin' Aces

text: The movie itself contains 18 songs, leaving only one out of the official soundtrack which was "Spottieottiedopaliscious" by Outkast. The score music was composed by Clint Mansell who has also scored such movies as "The Fountain" and "Requiem for a Dream".


title: Smokin' Aces

text: According to Box Office Mojo, the movie grossed $14,638,755 on its opening weekend (2,218 theaters, averaging $6,599 per theater).


title: Smokin' Aces

text: The movie grossed a total of $35,662,731 in the North American market and $21,600,709 outside the United States, making a total worldwide gross of $57,263,440.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: "Smokin' Aces" has an approval rating of 31% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 159 reviews, with an average score of 4.50/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A violent mess of a movie, Smokin' Aces has some of Quentin Tarantino's style but not much of his wit or humor". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 45 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B" on scale of A to F.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: David Denby of "The New Yorker" gave a negative review of the film, stating that it has "a rabid, itchy, crack-den heartlessness to it—screw-you nihilism as a joke" and "has been made with the kind of antic violence that wins a movie the honorific title of "black comedy." What that indicates in this case is that nothing makes sense—and that's supposed to be cool." Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" gave the film three out of four stars; although he noted that the film has "too many characters and too many plot strands" as well as an abrupt ending, he stated that the film is "shamelessly and unapologetically a guy movie... Carnahan can still fire up action and laughs like nobody's business."


title: Smokin' Aces

text: During a rare talk session for Princeton University's series of film screenings in October 2016, director Terrence Malick praised the film, stating that it was "very well directed" and impressive in how it was able to balance numerous plotlines.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: "Smokin' Aces" was released on DVD on April 17, 2007 and sold 1,853,397 DVD units which produced a revenue of $35,714,831, or more than double the movie's budget. It was later released on Blu-ray on January 19, 2010 and then on Ultra HD Blu-ray on May 3, 2022.


title: Smokin' Aces

text: On July 17, 2007, director Joe Carnahan announced that production had been approved by Universal Pictures for a second "Smokin' Aces" film, which he would not direct. The film is a prequel to the original and was released straight to DVD on January 19, 2010.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: Coolie No. 1 is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language comedy masala film directed by David Dhawan and produced by Vashu Bhagnani. A reboot of the 1995 film of the same name, which itself is a remake of the 1993 Tamil film "Chinna Mapillai", the film stars Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan and Paresh Rawal. When a matchmaker is insulted by Jeffrey Rozario, a rich businessman, he vows to exact revenge. As a result, he makes a porter pretend to be a rich man and marries him off to Rozario's daughter.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: The film was set to be theatrically released in India on 1 May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, it was released on 25 December, during Christmas on Amazon Prime Video. The film got overwhelmingly negative reviews and was panned by critics and audience alike.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: Pandits Jai Kishen brings a prospective groom's family for Sarah Rozario. But when her father Jeffrey learns that family isn't filthy rich, he insults Jai Kishen. Jai Kishen vows to teach Jeffrey a lesson for his arrogance and pride.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: On the way home, Jai Kishen bumps into Raju Coolie, a railway station porter who proudly wears his badge - "Coolie No. 1". Raju is known among his fellow porters for being heroic, recently having gotten a drug dealer Mahesh arrested. When Raju is smitten by Sarah's photo, Jai Kishen hatches a plan to get the poor porter married to Sarah and exact his revenge. With Jai Kishen's guidance and the help of his friend Deepak Mechanic, Raju poses as the prince of Singapore, Kunwar Raj Pratap Singh and wins Sarah's heart. In the process, Sarah's sister Anju falls for Deepak.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: Jeffrey gets Sarah married to Raju, not knowing that he is just a poor porter. When Raju returns home with Sarah after the wedding, he pretends that his "father" Mahendra Pratap Singh has thrown him out of the house for getting married without his consent. Sarah tries to make the best out of the given situation by cheering up Raj, which makes him feel guilty.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: The trouble becomes double when Jeffrey comes to town to visit his daughter and son-in-law but spots Raju as a coolie at the train station. Jeffrey creates a ruckus, saying that Raju is a fraud who posed as a rich prince and married his daughter. Spontaneously, Raju pretends to not recognise Jeffrey and shoos him away. Raju comes home dressed as Raj and explains that Jeffrey must have seen his twin brother Raju who his father threw out due to his drinking and gambling addictions. Jeffrey buys this story and decides to get Anju married to Raju, so that both his daughters will live filthy rich lives.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: Raju keeps getting into trouble since he can be only at one place at one time. One such incident forces Raju, Sarah and Jeffrey Rozario to file a missing complaint for Kunwar Raj Pratap Singh. Inspector Jagjit Godbole gets skeptical of the situation and starts to believe that Raju and his twin Raj are the same person. To prevent further problems, Deepak suggests that he should "kill" Raju. Taking this suggestion, Raju tosses his "Coolie No. 1" badge into a car which he and Deepak push down a cliff, into a lake. However, when the car is recovered but no body is found, Inspector Godbole's suspicions are confirmed.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: Mahesh Anand is disowned by his father Mahendra due to his criminal activities. To get back at him and Raju, Mahesh stabs Mahendra and frames Raju for the same. Inspector Godbole arrives to arrest him, but Raju informs him that Mahendra is still alive and needs critical medical care, following which he escapes police custody. Raju runs to Deepak and both of them hatch a plan to pretend to be nurses to save Mahendra's life, as that is Raju's only proof of innocence. At the hospital, Inspector Godbole tells Jeffrey, Sarah and Anju that Raju is just a porter who pretended to be Kunwar Raj Pratap Singh.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: While trying to save Mahendra, Raju and Deepak bump into Sarah and Anju. Raju confesses his fraud to Sarah, and she forgives him. Jeffrey and Sarah help Raju and Deepak stop Mahesh from killing Mahendra. Once he gains consciousness, Mahendra announces that since Raju saved his life, he is like a son to him. Anju also announces her love for Deepak. When Jeffrey cries about his sons-in-law being a porter and a mechanic, Jai Kishen arrives and tells Jeffrey that it was bound to happen to someone so arrogant and proud of his wealth. Jai Kishen explains that for a happy marriage, wealth isn't needed - love is.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: Varun Dhawan said In a short time interview with Indo-Asian News Service, producer Bhangani said that David Dhawan wanted to remake the Tamil film "Chinna Mapillai" (1993). Other sources point the Telugu film "Coolie No. 1" (1991) as the original story. Karthik Keramulu of "Film Companion" notes that the "Coolie No. 1" (1995) was a remake of "Chinna Mapillai", but also took inspiration from "Coolie No. 1" (1991).


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: Filming began in Bangkok on 8 August 2019, and also took place Goa, India. The filming was completed on 23 February 2020 and was scheduled for release on 1 May 2020. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic the film skipped the theatrical release and was streamed on Amazon Prime Video on 25 December 2020.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: The music of the film was composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Lijo George – DJ Chetas, Javed – Mohsin and Salim–Sulaiman while the lyrics were written by Sameer Anjaan, Rashmi Virag, Shabbir Ahmed, Danish Sabri, Ikka and Farhad Samji.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: Two of the popular songs from the "Coolie No. 1" (1995) - "Husn Hai Suhana" and "Main Toh Raste Se Jaa Raha Tha", originally composed by Anand-Milind and written by Sameer were recreated for the film with the original vocals and singers being retained.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: The film was set to be theatrically released in India on 1 May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: But as the pandemic refused to slow down, the film was released directly on Amazon Prime Video on 25 December 2020, coinciding with Christmas.


title: Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)

text: The film was panned from critics, who rejected its irritative performances, loose writing, stale humor, and some unrealistic situations Shubhra Gupta of "Indian Express" rated it 1 out of 5 stars, calling it a "zero wit, no flair". Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated it 3.5/5 stars, calling it funny and entertaining. Writing for "Film Companion", Anupama Chopra called the film "offensive and unfunny". Hindustan Times rated the film 1/5 stars and called the film limp spoof of the original.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: The Oprah Winfrey Show, often referred to as The Oprah Show or simply Oprah, is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced and hosted by Oprah Winfrey, it remains the highest-rated daytime talk show in American television history.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: The show was highly influential to many young stars, and many of its themes have penetrated into the American pop-cultural consciousness. Winfrey used the show as an educational platform, featuring book clubs, interviews, self-improvement segments, and philanthropic forays into world events. The show did not attempt to profit off the products it endorses; it had no licensing agreement with retailers when products were promoted, nor did the show make any money from endorsing books for its book club.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: "Oprah" was one of the longest-running daytime television talk shows in history. The show received 47 Daytime Emmy Awards before Winfrey chose to stop submitting it for consideration in 2000. In 2002, "TV Guide" ranked it at No. 49 on "TV Guide"s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 2013, they ranked it as the 19th greatest TV show of all time.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In November 2009, Winfrey announced that the show would conclude in 2011 following its 25th and final season. The series finale aired on May 25, 2011.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: "Oprah" had its roots in "A.M. Chicago", a half-hour morning talk show airing on WLS-TV, an ABC owned-and-operated station in Chicago. In 1983, Dennis Swanson, the new general manager of WLS-TV, hired Winfrey to replace Robb Weller, that program's former host. Winfrey took over as host on January 2, 1984, and, within a month, took it from last place to first place in local Chicago ratings. By 1985, the local "A.M. Chicago" program was renamed to "The Oprah Winfrey Show". Following Winfrey's success in—and Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for—her performance as Sofia in the film "The Color Purple", on September 8, 1986, the talk show was relaunched under its current title and picked up nationally. For the premiere, the show's producers tried rigorously to book "Miami Vice"s Don Johnson as the first guest, even trying to bribe him with Dom Pérignon and a pair of rhinestone sunglasses. All attempts to book Johnson failed and Winfrey decided to "do what we do best, and that is a show about and with everyday people". The theme for the premiere show was "How to Marry the Man or Woman of Your Choice".


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Winfrey interviewed a plethora of public figures and everyday people during the show's 25-year history. When celebrities and newsmakers were ready to share their most intimate secrets their first stop was Winfrey's couch and when a serious story hit, the "Oprah" show focused on putting a human face on the headlines.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Winfrey claims her worst interviewing experience was with Elizabeth Taylor in the show's second season. Just before the interview, Taylor asked Winfrey not to ask any questions about her relationships. Winfrey found this to be a challenge considering Taylor had been married seven times.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: On February 10, 1993, Winfrey sat down in a prime-time special broadcast with Michael Jackson, who had performed nine days earlier in the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show, for what would become the most-watched interview in television history. Jackson, an intensely private entertainer, had not given an interview in 14 years. The event was broadcast live from Jackson's Neverland Ranch and was watched by 90 million people worldwide and, as a result, his then 14-month-old studio album "Dangerous" hit the top-ten on the album charts. Jackson discussed missing out on a normal childhood and his strained relationship with his father, Joe Jackson. During the interview, Jackson attempted to dispel many of the rumors surrounding him and told Winfrey he suffered from the skin-pigment disorder known as vitiligo when asked about the change in the color of his skin. While admitting to getting a nose job, he denied all other plastic surgery rumors. Later in the interview, Jackson was joined by his close friend Elizabeth Taylor, her third appearance on the show.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Winfrey's interview with Tom Cruise, which was broadcast on May 23, 2005, also gained notoriety. Cruise "jumped around the set, hopped onto a couch, fell rapturously to one knee and repeatedly professed his love for his then-girlfriend, Katie Holmes." This scene quickly became part of American pop-cultural discourse and was heavily parodied in media.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Celine Dion appeared on the show 28 times, the most of any celebrity, besides Gayle King, Winfrey's best friend, who appeared 141 times.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Winfrey interviewed Kathy Bray three weeks after her 10-year-old son, Scott, was accidentally killed by a friend who had found his father's gun. Viewers later commented that the interview changed their feelings about having guns in their homes.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In the 1989–90 season, Truddi Chase—a woman who was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, having 92 distinct personalities—appeared on the show. Chase had been violently and sexually abused beginning at the age of two and said her old self ceased to exist after that. After introducing Chase, who was there to promote her book "When Rabbit Howls", Winfrey unexpectedly broke down in tears while reading the teleprompter, relating her own childhood molestation to that of the guest. Unable to control herself, Winfrey repeatedly asked producers to stop filming.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Erin Kramp, a mother dying of breast cancer, appeared on the show in 1998. After realizing that her six-year-old daughter, Peyton, would have to grow up without her, Kramp began recording videotapes filled with motherly advice on everything from makeup tips to finding a husband. She also wrote letters and bought gifts for Peyton to open every Christmas and birthday she was gone. Kramp died on October 31, 1998. She had recorded over a hundred videos and audiotapes for her daughter.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Jo Ann Compton's daughter Laurie Ann was stabbed to death in 1988—and a decade later, the mom was tangled in her grief. "I hope they're in the same hell I'm in." she said of her daughter's murderers on a 1998 show. Oprah brought in Dr. Phil to help Jo Ann. He asked her if she thought her daughter would want her to be in so much pain—and Compton said no. "Maybe the betrayal is focusing on the day of her death, rather than celebrating the event of her life." Phil continued. "She lived for 18 vibrant years, and you focus on the day she died." After a moment, Compton uttered her breakthrough sentence: "I never thought of it that way." Later, she sobbed while revealing that she had been planning to end her life after the show. When Compton returned to the show in 2011, she had a new viewpoint on the daughter she lost: "She continues to stay alive every time I do something positive." Compton's surviving daughter, Cindy, said "She went from existing to living. It was an amazing transformation."


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In 2001, Winfrey met 11-year-old Mattie Stepanek, who was born with dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy and wrote inspirational poetry he titled "Heartsongs." On the show, Stepanek stated, "A heartsong doesn't have to be a song in your heart. It doesn't have to be talking about love and peace. … It's your message, what you feel like you need to do." In October 2008, Winfrey spoke at the posthumous dedication of Mattie J.T Stepanek Park in Maryland.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Originally featured a monthly book highlight, including author interviews. Its popularity caused featured books to shoot to the top of bestseller lists, often increasing sales by as many as a million copies at its peak. It was suspended in 2002 and returned in 2003, featuring more classic works of literature, with reduced selections per season. The original format was reintroduced in September 2005, but Winfrey's selection of James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" became controversial due to accusations of falsification. January 2006 saw Elie Wiesel's "Night" selected; Winfrey even traveled to Auschwitz with Wiesel. In 2008, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth" was selected. Modernizing the book club's platform, Winfrey and Tolle began a series of live webcast classes that were streamed on Oprah.com to discuss elements of the book with a worldwide audience.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Items personally favored by Winfrey were featured on the show and given away to audience members. Since its launch in 1996, the "Favorite Things" episode quickly became the hottest ticket in television. When a product was featured, its sales skyrocketed. Select groups were sometimes chosen to receive the items. In 2004, the audience was made up of educators from across the country. Hurricane Katrina volunteer workers were invited to the 2005 show. Winfrey has said that the iPad, given away to her 2010 audience, was her all-time favorite "Favorite Thing". During a "Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes" episode documenting the production of the giveaway, Winfrey talked about why the event resonates with viewers:


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Winfrey and Gayle King are friends. In 1976, Winfrey was working as a news anchor in Baltimore when she met King, a production assistant. The two bonded during a snowstorm when Winfrey told King she could stay at her home to wait it out. Their friendship was often showcased on the show when the best friends decided to take a trip together.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In 2004, they traveled back in time, participating in the PBS series "Colonial House". The series intended to recreate daily life in Plymouth Colony in 1628. Their 24-hour Puritan adventure included wood-chopping, cooking over an open fire, battling with mice, and using leaves as toilet paper.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Winfrey and King joined 60 other women for a spa getaway in 2006. They spent five days at Miraval Life in Balance Resort and Spa taking part in self-improvement exercises. For an exercise called A Swing and a Prayer, the women were hoisted 40 feet in the air and told to let go. Once in the air, King—who is afraid of heights—wouldn't let herself fall. Winfrey couldn't help but laugh as King remained in the air, but eventually persuaded her to let go.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In the summer of 2006, Winfrey and King decided to go on an 11-day, 3,600-mile road trip across America – from California to New York. They were excited to meet people from small towns and see how America really lives. However, the initial excitement quickly wore off. The friends had minor meltdowns and fought for control over the radio; King likes to have music constantly playing while driving, Winfrey prefers silence. Despite the challenges of the road trip, they got to see the beauty of Sedona, meet the people of Navajo Nation, crash a couple of weddings, take a dip in the healing waters of Pagosa Springs, and learn about Amish culture. Winfrey's many driving anxieties and King's tone-deaf singing made the trip a huge hit with viewers.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: The friends visited the State Fair of Texas in 2009. They played traditional state fair games like Flip-the-Chick and the water gun race. They tried many of the fried foods offered at the fair and judged a best "Best of Show" food contest.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: For the farewell season, the best friends hit the road again for an overnight camping trip at Yosemite National Park. Park ranger Shelton Johnson wrote to Winfrey because he was concerned by the low number of African-Americans who visited the national parks each year. So Winfrey and King packed up their camper and headed to Yosemite to help Johnson attract visitors. When they arrived, Johnson took Winfrey and King around the park to see some of its famous sites including Mariposa Grove and the Tunnel View, from which El Capitan is visible in the distance. On the way to the campsite, Winfrey made a sharp turn causing their trailer to hit a rock. After setting up their pop-up camper, the two mixed up some Moscow Mules to pass out to their camping neighbors. The drink has become a signature "Oprah" cocktail. The next day they took a lesson in fly fishing and wrapped up their stay with a mule ride.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: A segment at the end of the show that featured spiritual counselors, ordinary people who had been involved in extraordinary situations. They would come on the show and share their stories of overcoming adversity with the audience, inspiring viewers to do the same in their own lives.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Iyanla Vanzant is a former attorney, spiritual teacher and self-help expert who was a regular on the show in the late 1990s. She started the show in its 12th season and became known for her no-nonsense, hard-hitting, and often humorous advice. Vanzant's take on everything from cheating spouses to financial struggles connected with viewers and, at times, Winfrey sat in the audience while Vanzant led the show. Her books "In the Meantime" and "One Day My Soul Just Opened Up" became "New York Times" bestsellers.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Winfrey met Phil McGraw when he worked as a consultant for her legal team during her 1998 beef trial in Amarillo, Texas. Starting in April of that year, he became a fixture on the show and a viewer favorite. McGraw gave guests tough, tell-it-like-it-is advice and didn't allow excuses or rationalizations for their bad habits, bad marriages, or bad attitudes. His popular Tuesday appearances on the show led to his own talk show, "Dr. Phil", in 2002.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Financial expert Suze Orman became a viewer favorite, offering money tips, spending interventions, and her famous "Suze smackdowns." She encouraged people to be honest with themselves about what they could afford and gave advice on getting rid of credit card debt. Her motivational approach to fixing finances has led to her own financial advice empire.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Winfrey introduced up-and-coming public figures who generated industry buzz but not otherwise widely known. In what several media commentators have labelled "The Oprah Effect", people appearing on this segment such as Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx and singer James Blunt benefited from the extra publicity the show garnered. Blunt, in particular, saw album sales increase dramatically and landed a Top Two spot on the "Billboard" 200.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: A show feature called "Wildest Dreams" fulfilled the dreams of people reported to Winfrey by the producers – mostly viewers who wrote into the show – be the dreams of a new house, an encounter with a favorite performer, or a guest role on a popular TV show. It was named after the Tina Turner song "In Your Wildest Dreams," and Turner was one of the celebrities featured on the segment.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Mehmet Oz, the head of cardiac surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in NYC and better known to millions of Winfrey's viewers as "Dr. Oz", regularly appeared on Tuesdays during the 2008–2009 season. In 2009, Dr. Oz debuted "The Dr. Oz Show" in first-run syndication. The series is co-produced by Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures Television.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: A weekly live episode premiered in the show's 23rd season with a panel consisting of Winfrey, Gayle King, Mark Consuelos, and Ali Wentworth. The panel discussed the week's news and highlighted events in the media and on the show.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In the 2009–10 season, Winfrey hosted this segment on her own. Fridays Live did not return for the show's 25th season.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In March 2010, Winfrey began a campaign to stop drivers from talking or texting on their cell phone in their vehicles while driving. This campaign was regularly noted near the beginning or at the end of episodes.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: On November 10, 1986, during a show about sexual abuse, Winfrey revealed that she was raped by a relative when she was nine years old. Since this episode, Winfrey has used the show as a platform to help catch child predators, raise awareness, and give victims a voice.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Liberace appeared in the first season of the show on December 25, 1986. He performed a Christmas medley; Winfrey said it was "the most beautiful I've ever heard". Six weeks later he died of cardiac arrest due to congestive heart failure brought on by subacute encephalopathy. The episode was Liberace's final televised appearance.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: The show had only been on the air for just six months when, in 1987, Winfrey traveled to Forsyth County, Georgia, a community in which, for 75 years, no black person had lived. Winfrey brought attention to racial tensions in the area. The show was set up as a town hall meeting where residents expressed their divisive opinions on the matter. The meeting was becoming heated when one woman stood up and said:


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: The "Diet Dreams Come True" episode from November 15, 1988, has become one of the most talked-about moments in the history of show. After years of struggling to lose weight, Winfrey had finally succeeded in doing so. In July of that year, she had started the Optifast diet while weighing 212 pounds. By Fall, she weighed 145 pounds. To commemorate achieving her weight loss goals, Winfrey wheeled out a wagon full of fat to represent the 67 pounds she had lost on the diet. She showed off her slim figure in a pair of size 10 Calvin Klein jeans. However, after returning to real food she quickly gained back much of the weight she had lost. Winfrey now refers to that moment as her "ego in a pom pom salute."


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: While doing a show centered on women drug users in 1995, Winfrey opened up about her personal history with drug abuse:


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In 1996, Winfrey spoke with seven of the Little Rock Nine and three white former classmates who tormented the group on their first day of high school in 1957 as well as a student who had befriended them. Winfrey was grateful to have the remaining members of the Little Rock Nine on her show because she credits her success to those who have contributed to the Civil Rights Movement which paved the way for people like herself.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Comedian Ellen DeGeneres came out publicly as a lesbian during her appearance on the show in 1997 after appearing on a "Time" magazine cover next to the headline "Yep, I'm gay." At the time, DeGeneres was the star of her own sitcom, ABC's "Ellen". The episode brought Winfrey the most hate mail she had ever received.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Clemantine Wamariya and her sister Claire appeared on the show in 2006 when Wamariya was selected as one of the winners of an essay contest held by Winfrey. It was revealed that the siblings had not seen their parents in 12 years after fleeing Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. Winfrey surprised the sisters by flying their family to Chicago for one of the most emotional reunions on the show.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In 2007, the Marines of the Second Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion Alpha Company and their naval corpsman, made the show their first stop after a seven-month tour on the front lines in Iraq. Winfrey welcomed the Marines with a big homecoming celebration where they were reunited with their loved ones on the show.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: On November 11, 2009, Charla Nash, who was mauled by her friend and employer Sandra Herold's pet chimpanzee Travis, came to the show to speak out for the first time about the terrifying attack that took place just nine months prior. Nash wears a veil daily because the attack left devastating injuries to her face and she "doesn't want to scare people." During the show, she agreed to lift her veil for the first time in public.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: While taping the show's 24th-season premiere on September 8, 2009, the entire audience of 21,000 people, gathered on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, surprised Winfrey by breaking out into a synchronized dance set to The Black Eyed Peas' performance of "I Gotta Feeling" (with new lyrics congratulating Winfrey on her show's longevity). The dance had been choreographed and rehearsed for weeks by a core group of dancers, who taught it to the entire crowd earlier in the day.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: During the farewell season, two hundred men who were molested came forward as part of a two-day event in 2010 to take a stand against sexual abuse. The men were joined by director and producer Tyler Perry, who had also experienced sexual abuse. Winfrey hoped that the episode would help survivors suffering in silence release the shame.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: On January 24, 2011, Winfrey revealed that just before Thanksgiving 2010 she had discovered she has a half-sister. Winfrey decided to share the news on her show because she knew the story would eventually get out and wanted to be the first to address the matter.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: On the season premiere of 2004, every person in Winfrey's show audience was given a new Pontiac G6 that was donated by General Motors, worth about $8 million in total. The giveaway was the genesis of the oft-satirized Oprah quote, "You get a car! You get a car! Everybody gets a car!" For the premiere of the show's farewell season, the studio audience of 300 "ultimate fans" were rewarded by being given a trip to Australia with Winfrey (donated by Australian tourism bodies). Other giveaway shows included the annual Oprah's Favorite Things show, in which the studio audience received products Winfrey considered good Christmas gifts.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In 1996, on a discussion of Mad Cow Disease, Winfrey stated that the disease fears had "stopped [her] cold from eating another burger!" Texas cattle ranchers considered that quote tantamount to defamation, and promptly sued her for libel. The show was still producing new episodes at the time of the trial and could not go into reruns, so the production was forced to move to Amarillo, Texas for a period of approximately one month during the proceedings. A gag order meant Winfrey was not allowed to even mention the trial on her show. Winfrey was found not liable. The trial and move to Amarillo led to Winfrey meeting Phil McGraw; Winfrey made McGraw a regular guest on her show shortly thereafter, which eventually led to McGraw getting his own show, produced by Winfrey's Harpo Productions.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: A controversial episode, which aired in 2005 (though originally aired to little apparent notice in October 2003), saw guests discussing the sexual act of "rimming", igniting criticism. The FCC received a proliferation of complaints from angry parents whose children watched the show in an early-evening slot in many television markets. However, most FCC correspondents were prodded to write by Howard Stern, a noteworthy target of the agency, as well as Jimmy Kimmel, in an attempt to expose an FCC double standard.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: During the 2008 presidential election campaign, Winfrey was criticized for apparently declining to invite Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to her show until after the election.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: A 2009 episode attracted criticism from the crowd after Winfrey suggested mothers should buy vibrators for their teenage daughters.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Winfrey's program was criticized for featuring alternative medicine and junk science advocates such as Suzanne Somers and vaccine denialist Jenny McCarthy.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In the lead-up to Winfrey's tour of Australia, the show was heavily criticized for airing a segment sponsored by the McDonald's Corporation in which it was claimed by Australian TV personality Carrie Bickmore that Australians liked to hang out at "hip McCafés". This depiction of Australian culture was greeted with surprise by many Australians, and anger throughout the Australian coffee industry, which claimed the statements did not accurately reflect the industry, painted the Australian coffee drinker in a bad light, and expected that the industry would be negatively affected by the statements. In the same episode, McDonald's products were handed out to the studio audience.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Early in its twelfth season, Winfrey confessed she was "exhausted" and considered quitting. However, while making the 1998 movie "Beloved", Winfrey then admitted that it brought her back to her responsibility as an admired black woman with a great deal of power and influence. She realized that being in such a position within the media industry, she could make a positive difference in people's lives. Winfrey was once again inspired to continue to help people take better control of their destinies, hence her slogan, "Live Your Best Life".


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: On January 15, 2008, Discovery Communications, Harpo Productions, and Winfrey announced a joint venture to establish a new cable channel in 2009, known as the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). In November 2008, it was reported that, during a conference call, Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav stated that Winfrey did not intend to renew her contracts for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" beyond the 2010–11 season. Zaslav stated that "Oprah" could potentially move to the new channel in some form following the end of the syndicated series. However, Harpo Productions denied the report, stating that Winfrey had "not made a final decision as to whether she will continue her show in syndication beyond [2011]".


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: On November 20, 2009, Winfrey officially announced that "The Oprah Winfrey Show" would conclude in 2011, after its 25th and final season. Winfrey explained that 25 was "the perfect number—the exact right time", and that "I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it's time to say goodbye." The 25th season premiered on September 13, 2010, featuring guest John Travolta, and an audience of 300 of her "most loyal" fans.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: During the episode, it was also announced that the entire audience had been invited to join Winfrey on an eight-day, all-expenses-paid trip to Sydney, Australia for a series of special episodes, via a plane piloted by Travolta. On December 11, 2010, Winfrey arrived in Sydney to record shows at the Sydney Opera House. Winfrey and her 300 American audience members were officially welcomed at a cocktail party in Sydney's Botanical Gardens overlooking Sydney Harbour. The beach-themed party, hosted by New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally, featured live music and a fireworks display over the water which culminated in the lighting of a red 'O' on the Harbour Bridge. The episodes in Australia were coordinated between Harpo Studios, Tourism Australia, Tourism New South Wales, the Sydney Opera House, Tourism Victoria, Tourism Queensland, R. M. Williams and Network Ten. The federal government of Australia spent $1.5 million on the event while the government of the state of New South Wales spent an additional $1–2 million to promote the region. Tourism minister Martin Ferguson said "I think it's money well spent". In addition, Tourism Victoria spent a further A$650,000.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: The farewell season featured several notable cast reunions, including "The Sound of Music", "The Color Purple", and "The Way We Were".


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In May 2011, Winfrey interviewed U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, her first-ever interview with a sitting president and First Lady. They talked about the challenges of parenting at the White House, the strength of their relationship, and their concern for the country's future. President Obama also thanked Winfrey for her contributions to the country. "You've got a big heart, and you share it with people. Nobody knows how to connect better than you do," he said. "We are just blessed and grateful to have you in our lives."


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: The final episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" aired on Wednesday, May 25, 2011. It was preceded by a two-part farewell special recorded at the United Center in Chicago in front of an audience of 13,000. The two-part show featured appearances by Aretha Franklin, Tom Cruise, Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Beyoncé, Tom Hanks, Maria Shriver, Will Smith, and Madonna. Several hundred graduates of Morehouse College who were the recipients of Oprah's Oprah Winfrey Scholarship also attended to thank Oprah and pledge their future support of the scholarship program. The final episode was a smaller affair, recorded in the usual recording studio. Winfrey spent most of the finale thanking the show's staff and her fans.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: She finished the show in tears. The finale was marked by viewing parties across the US, and the episode was also shown in movie theaters. The episode received the show's highest rating in 17 years.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: After the show's final episode, reruns of "Oprah" remained available to air until September 2011, by which point individual stations had selected other syndicated or local programs to fill the show's timeslot. Several stations that had carried the show in the 4:00 p.m. timeslot began carrying local news programs at that time, with a handful of stations debuting these newscasts the day after the final episode aired; as a result, the show's final months of reruns did not air in the normal timeslot in some areas.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: It has been reported that the show averages an estimated 7, 14, and 15–20 million viewers a day in the United States. It has also been reported at 26 million and 42 million a week (5.2 and 8.4 million a day). Viewership for the show has been reported to have dropped over the years, averaging 12.6 million in 1991–2, 9 million in 2004, 9 million in 2005, 7.8 in 2006, 7.3 million in 2008, and 6.2 million in 2009.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: The show was number one in the talk show ratings since its debut. The show spent many years as the highest-rated program in daytime television. Even with stiff competition, "Oprah" still maintained a consistent lead over other talk shows.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: Multiple shows have spun off of "Oprah", including "The Dr. Oz Show", "Dr. Phil", "The Nate Berkus Show", and "Rachael Ray". "The Doctors" is a spin-off of "Dr. Phil", making it a third-generation spin-off.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: The show aired on most ABC-owned stations in the United States (except KTRK-TV, but CBS-affiliate KHOU carried the show for the entire run) (as well as various other stations through CBS Television Distribution, successor to King World), CTV in most Canadian markets, Diva Universal in Malaysia, TV3 in Ireland, GNT in Brazil, national TV3 in Sweden, Network Ten in Australia, La7d in Italy, MBC 4 in the Arab world, MetroTV in Indonesia, FARSI1 in Iran, and in the Netherlands on RTL4.


title: The Oprah Winfrey Show

text: In the United Kingdom, the show has been broadcast on a number of different channels. Channel 4 first broadcast the series on Monday October 3, 1988, The BBC & Sky one acquired the rights and started broadcasting the series from 9 January 1995 which meant at time during 1995 the show went out on 3 different channel. Five pick up the terrestrial rights from early 1998. Rights subsequently went to Living TV by 2002, followed by ITV2 in 2006, and then to Diva TV, until rights went to TLC for the last couple of series.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: Stellaris is a 4X grand strategy video game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. In "Stellaris", players take control of an interstellar civilization on the galactic stage and are tasked with exploring, colonizing, and managing their region of the galaxy, encountering other civilizations that they can then engage in diplomacy, trade, or warfare with. A large part of the game involves dealing with both scripted and emergent events, through which new empires alter the balance of power, powerful crises threaten the galaxy, or event chains tell the story of forgotten empires. It was released worldwide for Windows, macOS, and Linux on May 9, 2016 and for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as "Stellaris: Console Edition" on February 26, 2019.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: "Stellaris" is a real-time grand strategy game set in one of several available galaxy types in the distant future. Players play as a government of a species in early stages of interstellar space exploration, right after the invention of faster-than-light (FTL) space travel technology, ready to claim a place as one of "the species of the stars." Depending on several factors, such as the ethics of the civilization and the player's desires, the ultimate goal of the empire can range from galactic conquest, hoarding of resources and technological supremacy, to peaceful coexistence with or absolute destruction of all other sapient life. The player controls ships, including science, construction and military vessels. Combat includes space combat and ground combat and is more centered towards the bigger picture, preparation, and strategy. There are also diplomatic options such as alliances and trade agreements with other races.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: The game begins either by picking one of the premade empires or using a player-customized empire/species. The process of creating involves several different choices. The first of these choices involves picking a mixture of positive and negative characteristics ("Traits") that make up their species. Next, the player customizes the empire of their species. In this phase, the player chooses the ethics and civics of their empire (with Ethics and Civics points, respectively) which the ideology the empire has adopted. Ethics give various buffs, restrict certain features (a Spiritualist empire cannot use robots, a Materialistic empire cannot outlaw robots) and governments from being picked (an Authoritarian empire is unable to be a democratic government and vice versa), and change the way information is presented to the player. Players also choose an origin, a kind of backstory for their empire. Origins can include originating from a world ravaged by nuclear warfare or starting with a secondary playable race, such as robots or a strong but unintelligent worker race. These secondary species are created in a similar process to the one previously described.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: All ethics, other than the later added Gestalt Consciousness, have normal and fanatic versions which represent the alignment of the empire. Fanatic versions of ethics give greater bonuses than their normal variants, but usually have even higher restrictions and always take up two ethics points instead of the normal one point per ethic. The ethic named Gestalt Consciousness makes the empire a hive mind or robotic empire, takes up all ethics points and gives new civics only available to hive mind and robotic empires. Megacorporations, a government type added in the Megacorp DLC, aren't restricted ethics-wise like a hive mind is, but they can only choose civics unique to them. Both ethics (other than Gestalt Consciousness) and most civics can be changed throughout the game. The player can customize the flag, name, homeworld, appearance of cities and space constructs, and ruler of their empire.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: In most cases, the player's empire begins with a single inhabited planet, several mining and/or research stations, a construction ship, a science ship, three small warships, and a starbase. Early gameplay consists of exploring and colonizing increasing swaths of space, while mid-game activities may include engaging with warfare and/or diplomacy with other empires, but can also be filled with a vast amount of micro-management. The economy of a player's empire throughout the game is primarily based on five main resources: energy credits, minerals, food, consumer goods, and alloys, each having a primary purpose to contribute to the player's economy. There are also Strategic resources that are used to make advanced buildings, weapons, defenses, and can also be used to endorse edicts. Edicts also can cost Influence which can be obtained by supporting factions with in your empire or by participating in diplomacy with other empires in your galaxy. Advancement in Stellaris is achieved through technologies and traditions which progressively scale in cost for the player to achieve, but provide better features for the player as the game continues. Edicts are used to boost and passively upgrade empires, costing Strategic resources, energy, and influence. Later in the game, crisis events can occur that have galaxy-wide implications—for example, an awakening of dormant sentient AI or an invasion by extra-dimensional or extra-galactic forces, these always being triggered by careless empires. Paradox hoped that this feature would address a common late-game problem in 4X style games; whereby one faction is so powerful that their eventual victory is inevitable, resulting in frustrating gameplay.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: "Stellaris" was developed by Paradox Development Studios and published by Paradox Interactive. The game uses the same Clausewitz Engine that the studio has used since "Europa Universalis III" in 2007 albeit with some modifications, such as the usage of physically based rendering (PBR). The game was presented at Gamescom in August 2015. Director Henrik Fahraeus describes his influences as "one third "Star Control 2", one third "Master of Orion 2" and one third Europa Universalis IV", to "create a strategy game with particular focus on exploration and expansion". The team also referenced "Star Control II" with several character concepts and personalities, including alien races who resemble birds, mushrooms, and gas clouds.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: Stellaris was released to the public on May 9, 2016. After launch, the developers confirmed that there would be a number of expansion packs, as well as free updates to address bugs and introduce new gameplay features. The updates are named after famous science fiction writers, including Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Iain Banks, Douglas Adams, Ray Bradbury, Karel Čapek, Pierre Boulle, C. J. Cherryh, Larry Niven, Ursula K. Le Guin, Gene Wolfe, Tanith Lee, and Mary Shelley.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: The game is also accompanied by free patches, which may adjust existing mechanics or add new ones in the same theme as the expansions. The first major patch arrived on May 24, shortly after the game's release, featuring numerous improvements to the AI, as well as an additional playable race. The 2.0 patch (Cherryh), released in February 2018, revamps a significant amount of game mechanics, even for players who have not purchased the corresponding "Apocalypse" DLC. The 2.1 (Niven) update, released alongside the "Distant Stars" DLC in May, revamped the base game play loop and added more quality-of-life features. The 2.2 (Le Guin) update was released in December, along with the "Megacorp" DLC, and revamped how planets are organized. The 3.0 (Dick) update was released in April 2021, coinciding with the release of the "Nemesis" DLC. Minor releases have continued through 2022 with 3.5 being released September 2022.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: There have also been plenty of story packs and species packs that have been released, each adding a new in game events, origins, empire types, species, traits, civic, and ascension perks. Plantoids Species Pack dropped August 4 2016 being the first, and the latest being the Toxoids Species Pack releasing September 20 2022.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: Paradox ported the game to consoles. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of "Stellaris" were released on February 26, 2019, as "Stellaris: Console Edition". A version of the game optimized for Xbox Series X/S released on March 25, 2021.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: A number of DLCs have been released for the game. All are optional and may be applied to the base game in any combination. The largest DLCs come in the form of expansions, which significantly alter the mechanics and features of the game. There are also story packs (which add new events and minor mechanics) and species packs (which add new species, with accompanying audio, visuals and mechanics).


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: In a preview of the game at "Rock, Paper, Shotgun", Adam Smith wrote that "Stellaris" "could be Paradox's finest hour, and a landmark in the development of both 4X and grand strategy design".


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: "Stellaris" received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. A number of reviews emphasized the game's approachable interface and design, along with a highly immersive and almost RPG-like early game heavily influenced by the player's species design decisions, and also the novelty of the end-game crisis events. The more mixed reviews also noted that the mid-game could be less satisfying, thanks to an overly simple diplomatic system and a somewhat passive AI.


title: Stellaris (video game)

text: Less than 24 hours after release, Paradox Interactive announced that "Stellaris" had sold over 200,000 units, breaking the revenue record for any of Paradox Interactive's previous titles during the same time period. It almost matched the sales record currently held by "". It became Paradox Development Studio's fastest selling game. On 21 June 2016, the game had sold over 500,000 units. On 12 May 2020, the publisher announced a new record for total players online, with the game's sales exceeding 3 million units.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: The Royal Saudi Air Force currently has approximately 1,106 aircraft, 40,000 active personnel, 23,000 recruits, 9 wings, +99 squadrons, and a Special Forces unit dedicated to combat search and rescue.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: The RSAF has developed from a largely defensive military force into one with an advanced offensive capability, and maintains the third largest fleet of F-15s after the U.S. and Japanese air forces.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: The backbone of the RSAF is currently the Boeing F-15 Eagle, with the Panavia Tornado also forming a major component. The Tornado and many other aircraft were delivered under the Al Yamamah contracts with British Aerospace (now BAE Systems).


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: The RSAF ordered various weapons in the 1990s, including Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles, laser-guided bombs and gravity bombs. Al-Salam, a successor to the Al Yamamah agreement will see 48 Eurofighter Typhoons delivered by BAE.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: The RSAF was formed in the mid-1920s with British assistance from the remains of the Hejaz Air Force. It was initially equipped with Westland Wapiti IIA general purpose aircraft flown by pilots who had served Ali of Hejaz but had been pardoned by the Saudi king. It was re-organized in 1950 and began to receive American assistance from 1952 including the use of Dhahran Airfield by the United States Air Force.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: Early aircraft used by the RSAF included the Caproni Ca.100, Albatros D.III, Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8, Farman MF.11 Airco DH.9, dH 82 Tiger Moth, Westland Wapiti, Avro Anson, Douglas C-47, and the B-26 Invader.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: As part of the "Magic Carpet" arms deal between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, four single-seat Hawker Hunter F.6s and two Hunter T.7s were ordered from Hawker in 1966. The aircraft were delivered to No. 6 Squadron at Khamis Mushayt Airbase in May 1966. Although the Hunters were operational following attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Egyptian Air Force they were not a success as interceptors as they lacked any ground control but were used for ground attack. One single-seat aircraft was lost in 1967 and the remaining aircraft were presented to Jordan in 1968.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: The Saudi forces are equipped with mainly western equipment. Main suppliers to the RSAF are companies based in the United Kingdom and the United States. Both the UK and the US are involved in training programs conducted in Saudi Arabia.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: During the 1980s and 1990s, by Middle Eastern standards the armed forces of Saudi Arabia were relatively small. Its strength however was derived from advanced technology. The backbone of the strike / ground attack force is formed by ca 70 Tornados (a second batch of 48 Tornado IDS were ordered in 1993 under the al-Yamamah II program), and 72 F-15S aircraft delivered from the mid-1990s that operate beside the remnants of more than 120 F-15C/D aircraft delivered starting in 1981. Pilot training is executed on the Pilatus PC-21 and BAe Hawk. The C-130 Hercules is the mainstay of the transport fleet and the Hercules is assisted by CN-235s and Raytheon King Air 350 light transports. Reconnaissance is performed by Tornadoes and F-15s equipped with the DJRP electro-optical reconnaissance pod. The Boeing E-3A is the Airborne Early Warning platform operated by No. 18 Squadron RSAF.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: The VIP support fleet consists of a wide variety of civil registered aircraft such as the Airbus A330, Airbus A320, 737 and 747, Lockheed Tri-Stars, MD11s and G1159A as well as Lockheed L-100-30. The HZ- prefix used in the civilian registrations of these aircraft derived from the former name of the territory (Hejaz).


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: The Al Yamamah contract was controversial because of the alleged bribes associated with its award. Nonetheless, the RSAF announced its intention to purchase the Typhoon from BAE Systems in December 2005. On 18 August 2006, a memorandum of understanding was signed for 72 aircraft in a GB£6–10 billion deal.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: Following this order, the investigation of the Al Yamamah contract was suppressed by the British prime minister Tony Blair in December 2006, citing "strategic interests" of the UK. On 17 September 2007 Saudi Arabia announced it had signed a £4.4bn deal with BAE Systems for 72 Typhoons.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: On 29 December 2011, the United States signed a $29.4 billion deal to sell 84 F-15s in the SA (Saudi Advanced) configuration. The sale includes upgrades for the older F-15s up to the SA standard and related equipment and services.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: On 23 May 2012, the British defence firm BAE Systems agreed to sell 22 BAE Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force for a total of £1.9 billion ($3 billion). The deal also included simulators, ground and training equipment and spares. In April 2013, BAE Systems delivered the first two new Typhoons of 24 to Saudi Arabia.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: In 2013, the USAF tendered an offer for security services to protect the Saudi air force from cyberwarfare attacks.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: In March 2021, RSAF started a joint military exercise, that will last until April 10, with the US and Pakistani Air Forces that will help in exchanging experiences and expertise.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: Previous aircraft flown by the Royal Saudi Air Force included the F-86F Sabre, dH 100 Vampire FB.52, BAC Strikemaster Mk 80, DHC-1 Chipmunk Mk 10, C-54A Skymaster, C-123B Provider, T-6A Texan, T-33A Shooting Star, Cessna 310, O-1 Bird Dog, T-35A Buckaroo, T-34A Mentor, OH-58A Kiowa, T-28A Trojan, F-5 Tiger II, Lockheed JetStar, dH Comet 4C (VIP transport), BAe 146, Alouette III, BAC Lightning F.52, F53 and T.55


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: Saudi Arabia is one of the largest countries that owns unmanned aerial vehicles, whether they are attack, surveillance, or reconnaissance. In 2012, Saudi Arabia purchased 50 Italian Selex Galileo Falco drones. In 2014, Saudi Arabia signed a contract with China to purchase Chengdu and Ying Loong drones, and Saudi Arabia has still more to receive so far. In April 2013, Saudi Arabia announced its desire to buy 6 Turkish TAI Anka drones. Saudi Arabia has pursued projects to manufacture national drones, the first of which was in 2012, when Saudi Arabia announced a program to manufacture drones in the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and the project was called Saqr, and +300 aircraft have been produced so far, and 3 updated copies of the plane. Saudi Arabia also announced the new drone called Smoom, the Saudi crown prince and the Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah As-Sisi stood in front of it while president Abdul-Fattah Al-Sisi showed interest on it. Saudi Arabia also announced lately to start produce the high capability drone called SkyGuard. And it established a laboratory for robotic vehicle research at the Prince Sultan Institute for Advanced Technology Research at King Saud University. The laboratory aims to build and transfer technology in the field of smart vehicles of all kinds, such as unmanned aircraft, autonomous land vehicles, and others. The laboratory has manufactured many unmanned aircraft, and the aircraft are still under testing and development. Saudi Arabia has started technology transfer projects and joint ventures with countries to manufacture drones. The General Organization for Military Industries obtained a license to manufacture the German plane "Luna", and Saudi Arabia has manufactured hundreds of them and serve in the Saudi armed forces. Saudi Arabia entered into a joint venture with South Africa to manufacture the Seker 400 armed aircraft.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: Various groups have accused Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen of human rights violations and some have gone as far as accusing the coalition of war crimes. The majority of these accusations stem from airstrikes undertaken by the coalition. In February 2016 the Secretary-General of the UN (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon raised strong concerns over continued Saudi-led airstrikes, saying that "coalition air strikes in particular continue to strike hospitals, schools, mosques and civilian infrastructures" in Yemen. On 28 December 2021, The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, raised an alarm about the safety of civilians in the war-torn Yemen given the escalating violence, including airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition. According to his statement, airstrikes on Sanaa resulted in loss of civilian lives, and damage to the country’s infrastructure. He also underlined that violations of international humanitarian and human rights law cannot continue with impunity.


title: Royal Saudi Air Force

text: A June 2022 report by "The Washington Post" and the Security Force Monitor at Columbia Law School's Human Rights Institute stated that a "substantial portion" of airstrikes by the Saudi-led campaign were "carried out by jets developed, maintained and sold by U.S. companies, and by pilots who were trained by the US military". According to ACLED, airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition had killed 24,000 people, including 9,000 civilians.


title: Albania national football team

text: The Albania national football team () represents Albania in men's international football, and is governed by the Albanian Football Association, the governing body for football in Albania.


title: Albania national football team

text: Albania competes in the three major international football tournaments; the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship and UEFA Nations League. Albania was the winner of the 1946 Balkan Cup and the 2000 Malta Rothmans International Tournament. At Euro 2016, Albania made its second appearance at a major men's football tournament after 50 years.


title: Albania national football team

text: Since its completion in 2019, Arena Kombëtare (), known as Air Albania Stadium for sponsorship reasons, has been the team's home ground. Albania's highest FIFA World Ranking was 22nd in August 2015.


title: Albania national football team

text: The colours of the team are red, white and black, and the double headed eagle its symbol. Its supporters are collectively known as the "Tifozët Kuq e Zi" and display as well as the country's national flag colours, red and black.


title: Albania national football team

text: In 2020, Albania won for the first time a group by finishing first in group 4 of UEFA Nations League C and has been promoted in UEFA Nations League B.


title: Albania national football team

text: Although it never played any matches, the Albania national football team existed before the Albanian Football Association (Federata Shqiptare e Futbollit; FSHF) was created on 6 June 1930. Albania joined FIFA during a congress held between 12 June and 16 June. Albania played its first international match against Yugoslavia in 1946, which ended in a 3–2 home defeat at Qemal Stafa Stadium. In 1946, Albania also participated for the first time in the Balkan Cup in which Albania won by beating Romania 1–0 in the final. In 1954, Albania was one of the founding members of UEFA. Albania waited until 1962 to compete in a Euro Cup competition and the only time Albania was between the best 16 teams of the Continent, the reason being Albania got past the first leg as Greece, for political reasons forfeited the game. At the end of the tournament Albania ranked 9th in Europe. Albania participated at the 1964 Summer Olympics in the Men's qualification tournament, and closely lost both matches against Bulgaria in the Preliminary round. They would participate for the second and last time at the 1972 Summer Olympics in which they faced Romania at the Men's European Qualifiers in the Playoffs. Albania would lose both matches close with 2–1 in the first leg and 1–2 at home in the second leg.


title: Albania national football team

text: Albania participated for the first time in a qualifying phrase of a World Cup in the qualifiers of the 1966 edition in England. The team was drawn in the Group 5 which finished in the last position with only one point from six matches. In the qualifiers, of the UEFA Euro 1968 Albania had a draw 0–0 against West Germany that denied the Germans the participation to the UEFA Euro 1968 finals. In later years, Albania did not participate in the qualifiers of the World Cup 1970, UEFA Euro 1976, World Cup 1978 and UEFA Euro 1980 for unknown political reasons. After six years without playing any international matches, Albania entered in the qualifiers of the World Cup 1982, managing to finish in a place other than last for the first time in a qualifying match, with Finland getting last place instead. In the following qualification for the World Cup 1986 Albania were able to beat famously Belgium at home in Tirana with 2-0 as well as drawing away in Mielec against Poland with 2-2 despite leading until the end of this match. Their last point were won against Greece at home. Missing out close for their first ever FIFA World Cup as they finished third in the standings. The qualifiers of the World Cup 1990 were probably the worst qualifier in Albania's history as there were 6 losses in as many games with no memorable matches.


title: Albania national football team

text: In the qualifiers of the World Cup 2002, Albania recorded a 2–0 win over Greece which was the only team that they beat during the qualifiers. Albania was able to make some impact in the qualifying of the UEFA Euro 2004 by beating 3–1 Russia at Loro Boriçi Stadium. This match was also the debut of the German coach Hans-Peter Briegel who led Albania to an undefeated run at home matches. Despite the good results, Albania finished the group in the penultimate spot with only eight points. In the qualifiers of the World Cup 2006 Albania recorded some historical results. Two months after Greece beat Portugal to win the European Championship, Albania defeated Greece 2–1.


title: Albania national football team

text: In the qualifiers of the UEFA Euro 2008 Albania won twice in both matches against Luxembourg. Albania also drew 2–2 with Belarus and 0–0 away with Bulgaria. Albania's Euro campaign ended with a 6–1 loss away to Romania which resulted in the resignation of the coach Otto Barić and his assistant. In December 2007, Arie Haan was named Albania's head coach by signing a two-year contract for the qualifiers of the World Cup 2010, where Albania made a very negative performance by winning only one match. Albania won only seven points from ten matches and Haan was replaced by Josip Kuže in May 2009 following the end of the campaign. However, Kuže couldn't lead Albania to the better results as the team ended the qualifiers of the UEFA Euro 2012 with only nine points from ten matches. With Kuže in charge, Albania recorded its second biggest win the history by defeating Cyprus 6–1 at home, equal with Albania's 5–0 victory over Vietnam in 2003.


title: Albania national football team

text: Josip Kuže parted ways with Albania three and a half years after he started the job, and in December 2011, Italian coach Gianni de Biasi replaced him. Albania started the qualifiers and was, at one point, 2nd in group with six matches played and four to spare, but failed to be successful in the last four, losing away in Slovenia and Iceland, as well as at home against Switzerland, and drawing in Cyprus. Albania started the qualifiers of the UEFA Euro 2016 with an emphatic 1–0 away win against Portugal, which was followed by a 1–1 draw against Denmark at the newly renovated stadium Elbasan Arena. After beating Armenia 3–0 in the last qualifying match, Albania made history by qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2016, its first appearance at a major men's football tournament after 50 years. In the tournament itself, Albania lost 0–1 to Switzerland and 0–2 to hosts France. While they beat Romania 1–0 (their first win against Romania since 1947), the team finished last among the third-placed teams and didn't progress beyond the group stage.


title: Albania national football team

text: Following the almost successful UEFA European Championship's, Albania suffered massive setback. In 2018 World Cup qualification, Albania failed to qualify and finished in 3rd, which was, however, their best result in history. During this era, their successful manager, Gianni De Biasi, resigned and Christian Panucci, another Italian, replaced him as coach of Albania. However, things were little improved. Albania played poorly in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, winning only to Israel 1–0 and lost the remaining three, especially the devastating 0–4 defeat to Scotland at home. Panucci would be sacked after a 0–2 defeat to Turkey in the opening campaign for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying. Another Italian, Edoardo Reja, was appointed to help Albania to improve in a tough group, but improvement is still very little. Albania failed to qualify to UEFA Euro 2020, archiving just a disappointing 4th place.


title: Albania national football team

text: The Albania national football team has been known or nicknamed as the ""Kuq e Zinjtë"" ("The Red and Blacks") and ""Shqiponjat"" ("The Eagles"). In addition to the official nickname, the Albania national team had another nickname as:


title: Albania national football team

text: Albania' colours are red and black, mirroring the nation's flag. The team typically wears red shirts, black shorts and red socks. Away kits are usually all-white, with red and black trim. In the 2000s, Albania signed with German sportswear company Puma and was the first kit supplier of Albania in the 21st century. On 29 January 2016, Albania signed Italian sportswear company Macron, which continues to be Albania's kit.


title: Albania national football team

text: Albania's main stadium for most part of the history was Qemal Stafa Stadium located in Tirana. The work started in April 1939 during the Italy regime. The construction lasted for three years but it stopped briefly in August 1943 following the fall of fascist regime. The stadium had an Olympic Stadium shape, as idealized by Gherardo Bosio, a young fascist architect from Florence, Italy. The stadium's initial capacity was 15,000, this due to the fact that Tirana at that time had only 60,000 inhabitants. It was named after Qemal Stafa, a Hero of Albania in World War II. The stadium was inaugurated officially on 7 October 1946 when Albania played its first competitive match against Yugoslavia. Ever since then, further 130 international matches took place in the stadium, with the last being a friendly against Georgia in November 2015. In 2005, Cecilia de Marco and Elisabetta Lorusso, two young Italian students, called the stadium as "one of the strongest symbols of Italian impact in Albania". In November 2013, Qemal Stafa Stadium was shut down by FIFA for not fulfilling international standards. The stadium's demolition started in June 2016, and it was announced that is going to be replaced by Arena Kombëtare.


title: Albania national football team

text: Albania sometimes has played home matches at other venues. Outside Tirana, the national team has played matches in Flamurtari Stadium in Vlorë, Tomori Stadium in Berat, Niko Dovana Stadium in Durrës, Loro Boriçi Stadium in Shkodër and Elbasan Arena in Elbasan. In February 2014, due to Albania not having a stadium that fulfills international standards set by FIFA, the work for renovation of Elbasan Arena (at the time Ruzhdi Bizhuta Stadium) started. The work lasted for 7 months, and the stadium was inaugurated on 9 October when Albania played a friendly match against KF Elbasani under-19 squad; Albania won the match 17–0. The official inauguration occurred two days later in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Denmark.


title: Albania national football team

text: The first international match at Loro Boriçi Stadium was played on 29 March 2003 against Russia, with Albania winning 3–1. In October 2014, Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, promised the reconstruction of the stadium. The stadium's construction started in May 2015 and finished in August 2016. In 2016–17, the stadium served temporary as the home of Kosovo national team, due to stadiums in Mitrovica and Pristina were under renovation and did not meet UEFA standards.


title: Albania national football team

text: This derby is otherwise known as Brotherly derby (), also known as the Brotherly (). The documented beginnings of this derby date back to the time during the World War II, respectively on 29 November 1942, where they played a friendly match as part of the celebrations for 30th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania and the match ended with a 2–0 win for Tirana, this derby is back 50 years after the first match, when the Football Federation of Kosovo signed a cooperation protocol with the Albanian Football Association and in the framework of this protocol it was decided to play on 14 February a friendly match between these two national teams, and this match ended with a 3–1 win for Albania.


title: Albania national football team

text: This football rivalry between Albania and Serbia is mainly due to historical tensions between the two countries. It has been described as "one of the fiercest rivalries in the world". During the Euro 2016 qualifying phase, the Serbian crowd were chanting "Kill, kill Albanians" and were throwing flares at the Albania team, after which there was a clash between the Serbia and Albania teams.