title: WrestleMania VI

text: WrestleMania VI marked Jesse Ventura's last stint as a color commentator at a WWF pay-per-view event. He continued his role as an on-air color commentator for "WWF Superstars of Wrestling" through August 1990, at which time he left the company.


title: WrestleMania VI

text: At the 1998 edition of their annual Halloween Havoc pay-per-view event, rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW) pitted Hogan against Warrior once again. Hogan won with outside assistance, giving each man one victory apiece. The contest has gained a reputation as one of the worst bouts in history, being vilified by critics, then-WCW president Eric Bischoff, and former company announcer Gene Okerlund. Bischoff has disputed the rumor that he hired Warrior merely to give Hogan an opportunity to avenge his WrestleMania VI loss.


title: Malakas

text: Malakas ( ) is a commonly used profane Greek slang word, with a variety of different meanings, but literally meaning "man who masturbates". While it is typically used as an insult, with its literal equivalent in Commonwealth English being "wanker” and “jerk off” in American English, the meaning varies depending on the tone and context used. It can be an exclamation of pleasure, an expression of dark horror, a cry of anger, a declaration of affection, and other different things. Common alternative meanings include "asshole", "motherfucker" "jerk" or "idiot", and the contrasting "dude", or "mate", depending on the context. It has been described as "the most used Greek slang word".


title: Malakas

text: "Malakas" derives from the Greek word "malakos" (), which means "soft" or "spoilt, well-used to luxuries of life". It is one of the most frequent words picked up by tourists (often in its vocative case form, i.e. "malaka" ) and travelers to Greece and is not unusual among the younger Greek diaspora, even when the level of Greek is low. While "malakas" is a strictly masculine noun, a female form of the word exists, "malako" (), but is a recent coinage and not as widely used, whereas "malakismeni" () seems to be rather more vintage, but also more common, though this form is only used as a slur. In everyday speech, the word "malakas" is often used as a synonym of idiot. While the term is inappropriate and is traditionally used as a slur, it is acceptable and very commonly used among close friends, especially males, where it takes on a meaning similar to "dude" or "mate". "Malakas" is very rarely used in its literal meaning (man who masturbates).


title: Malakas

text: "Malakia", literally meaning masturbation, is often also used in a similar sense as "malakas" to refer to nonsense, something worthless or of poor quality, or a mistake. It can also be used literally. The use of "malakia" to mean "masturbation" traces back to medieval Greek. It is used in this sense in the "Life of Saint Andrew the Fool" and in the "Life of Saint Niphon", both of which date to the tenth century.


title: Malakas

text: The verb ""malakizome"" (μαλακίζομαι) also exists. Even though its literal meaning is "I masturbate" it is mostly used to define that someone is wasting his time or failing to achieve something.


title: Ultimate Spider-Man

text: Ultimate Spider-Man is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Marvel imprint. Ultimate Spider-Man exists alongside other revamped Marvel characters in Ultimate Marvel titles including "Ultimate X-Men", "Ultimate Fantastic Four" and "The Ultimates".


title: Ultimate Spider-Man

text: Orphaned at the age of six, Peter Parker is an outcast and withdrawn teenaged science prodigy, who lives in Queens, New York. While attending a field trip to a scientific corporation, he is bitten by a genetically-modified spider and as a result, begins to develop spider-like superpowers, including enhanced strength, speed, agility, stamina, durability and reflexes, along with the ability to crawl solid surfaces and a sixth sense, which warns him of imminent danger, all of which he decides to utilize for personal gain. When an armed thief, whom Peter had encountered earlier and refused to stop out of spite, later murders his foster father/uncle in a robbery, a guilt-ridden Peter is later driven to use his abilities to atone for his partial responsibility in his uncle's murder, as the costumed vigilante Spider-Man. Now equipped with a responsibility to do good and help others under his Spider-Man alter-ego, Peter struggles to balance high school life and studies, his job as a web designer for the "Daily Bugle", his relationship with his girlfriend Mary-Jane Watson, his family life with his widowed aunt, and his double life as Spider-Man, as he faces off against both superhuman and criminal threats to his home of New York City and contends with the hostility of the general public and the police authorities.


title: Ultimate Spider-Man

text: "Ultimate Spider-Man" first saw print in 2000 under veteran Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley and writer Brian Michael Bendis, who expanded the original 11-page origin story into a 180-page, seven-issue story arc. This duo continued to collaborate until issue #111, when Mark Bagley left the book and was replaced by Stuart Immonen.


title: Ultimate Spider-Man

text: The series was an unexpected commercial success, selling roughly 20 million copies worldwide and received critical acclaim from readers and critics, with Bendis writing, characterization, character development and narrative progression being widely praised, along with Bagley's and Immonen's art-work and the fresh, unique and modernized, yet faithful and familiar re-imagining of the classic Spider-Man mythos. Bendis and Bagley's run on "Ultimate Spider-Man" set the record for the longest continual run on a Marvel Comics series by two people, an honor previously held by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby on "Fantastic Four". After issue #133, the series was relaunched, still written by Brian Michael Bendis with art provided by David Lafuente. This relaunch was short-lived. It resumed the "Ultimate Spider-Man" title with issue #3 and continued with the original numbering with the 16th issue (#150) even though the series was again cancelled with #160. It relaunched as "" and features Miles Morales and a new artist named Sara Pichelli. The direct edition of "Ultimate Spider-Man" #1 is a highly sought after comic book and considered to be one of the most valuable comic books of the Modern Age.


title: Ultimate Spider-Man

text: "Ultimate Spider-Man" was the first series to be published in the Ultimate Marvel line. Publisher Bill Jemas wanted to re-invent the Marvel Universe because he felt that, with over 40 years of backstory, it had become inaccessible to new readers, and he wanted to start with a re-invented Spider-Man. Initially, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada was skeptical because 1998's "", a previous attempt at re-envisioning Spider-Man's early adventures, had failed both critically and commercially.


title: Ultimate Spider-Man

text: Though Spider-Man's original origin story in "Amazing Fantasy" #15 was only 11 pages long, Bendis' retelling of Spider-Man's origin was seven issues long. Bagley was at first wary of Bendis' notoriously slow pace in advancing plot, describing it as a "real shock" at first. Jemas originally intended the comic to feature single-issue stories only, but Bendis chose to make each story roughly six issues long.


title: Ultimate Spider-Man

text: The first several issues were greeted with enthusiasm from fans and critics, sold well, and gave Ultimate Marvel a boost in credibility. After the release of "Ultimate Spider-Man" (along with "Ultimate X-Men"), Quesada and Jemas broadened the Ultimate Marvel line with "The Ultimates" (a re-imagining of the Avengers) and "Ultimate Fantastic Four". "Ultimate Spider-Man" #1 was voted the "ninth-greatest Marvel Comic of All Time" in 2001 by readers of "Wizard: The Guide to Comics". In addition to critical success, "Ultimate Spider-Man" grew to outsell the flagship Spider-Man title, "The Amazing Spider-Man". Bendis would later describe issue #13, in which Peter tells Mary Jane his secret identity, as his favorite issue because it showed the trust that the Marvel editorial staff had in him.


title: Ultimate Spider-Man

text: As the series progressed within the next two years, reception and sales stayed strong, helped by the fact that Bendis and Bagley quickly found chemistry and enjoyed working together. Over the years, many 'mainstream' characters were introduced, often with different origins, costumes, and/or personalities.


title: Ultimate Spider-Man

text: Mark Bagley left the book as of "Ultimate Spider-Man" #110 in August 2006. Bagley and writer Brian Michael Bendis had worked on the series together since it began. Artist Stuart Immonen, already familiar with the Ultimate Universe from his work on "Ultimate Fantastic Four" and "Ultimate X-Men", took over after Bagley. Issue #111, named "The Talk", featured Immonen's art for the first time. The issue was divided into two parts, with Bagley covering the art for one section, and Immonen doing the other. Issue #133 was the final issue of the series before a two-issue follow-up entitled "Ultimatum: Spider-Man Requiem" was released, revealing the status of the title's characters after the events of the "Ultimatum" storyline. Despite the book's apparent cancellation, in August 2009 "Ultimate Spider-Man" was relaunched with Brian Michael Bendis returning as writer and David Lafuente as artist. The book finished its run with #160 and subsequently was relaunched as "" with art by Sara Pichelli.


title: Ultimate Spider-Man

text: The renumbering for Vol 2 #16/#150 was confusing to many readers. The letter page for Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man (2011) #8 mentions that issue 0.5 (1/2) was included in the total.


title: Ultimate Spider-Man

text: For issues 200 and 234 up, Marvel Legacy considers #54–133 and #150–160 to be wrongly numbered, and accounts for all major Ultimate Spider-Man comics written by Bendis:


title: Me and Bobby McGee

text: "Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by Roger Miller. Fred Foster shares the writing credit, as Kristofferson wrote the song based on a suggestion from Foster. A posthumously released version by Janis Joplin topped the U.S. singles chart in 1971, making the song the second posthumously released No. 1 single in U.S. chart history after "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding. Gordon Lightfoot released a version that reached number 1 on the Canadian country charts in 1970. Jerry Lee Lewis released a version that was number 1 on the country charts in December 1971/January 1972 as the "B" side of "Would You Take Another Chance On Me." "Billboard" ranked Joplin's version as the No. 11 song for 1971.


title: Me and Bobby McGee

text: The suggestion for the title was a cordial challenge from producer and Monument Records founder Fred Foster to Kris Kristofferson. The titular character was named for a studio secretary, Barbara "Bobbie" McKee, but Kristofferson had misheard her surname. He explained that he was trying to convey the despair of the last scene of Federico Fellini’s "La Strada" in which a broken, war-torn, inebriated man (played by Anthony Quinn) stares up from the beach at the night's stars, and breaks down sobbing.


title: Me and Bobby McGee

text: The song is the story of two drifters, the narrator and Bobby McGee. The pair hitch a ride from a truck driver and sing as they drive through the American South before making their way westward to California. They visit California and then part ways, with the song's narrator expressing sadness afterwards. Due to the singer's name never being mentioned and the name "Bobby" being gender-neutral (especially in America), the song has been recorded by both male and female singers with only minor differences in the lyrical content.


title: Me and Bobby McGee

text: Roger Miller was the first artist to record the song (in May 1969), and it appeared at No. 12 on the U.S. country chart in 1969. Kenny Rogers and The First Edition recorded the song in May/June 1969, and released it on their album "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" in 1969. On the Canadian charts, Gordon Lightfoot's version (recorded in November 1969) hit No. 13 on the pop music chart and No. 1 on the country music chart in 1970. The song was included on the 1970 Statler Brothers album "Bed of Rose's", but was not released as a single.


title: Me and Bobby McGee

text: Kris Kristofferson recorded his own version of the song on his debut album "Kristofferson" in 1970. Later that year, his version of the song appeared in Monte Hellman's psychedelic road movie "Two-Lane Blacktop". Kristofferson also appears briefly singing the song in the 1971 Dennis Hopper film "The Last Movie".


title: Me and Bobby McGee

text: Janis Joplin recorded the song for inclusion on her "Pearl" album only a few days before her death in October 1970. Kris Kristofferson had sung the song for her, and singer Bob Neuwirth taught it to her. Kris Kristofferson did not know she had recorded the song until after her death. The first time he heard her recording of it was the day after she died. Janis Joplin's version topped the charts to become her only number one single and was ranked later No. 148 on "Rolling Stone"s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.


title: United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest

text: The United Kingdom has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 64 times. It first took part in the second contest in and has entered every year since . Along with Sweden and the Netherlands, the UK is one of only three countries with Eurovision victories in four different decades. It is one of the "Big Five" countries, along with France, Germany, Italy and Spain, that are automatically prequalified for the final each year as they are the biggest financial contributors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The British national broadcaster, the BBC, broadcasts the event and has, on multiple occasions, organised different national selection processes to choose the British entry. The United Kingdom has won the Eurovision Song Contest five times, and has finished as runner-up on a record sixteen occasions. The UK has hosted the contest a record eight times, four times in London (, , and ) and once each in Edinburgh (), Brighton (), Harrogate () and Birmingham (), and will host the contest for a ninth time in in Liverpool.


text: The United Kingdom's five winners are Sandie Shaw with the song "Puppet on a String" (), Lulu with "Boom Bang-a-Bang" ( in a four-way tie), Brotherhood of Man with "Save Your Kisses for Me" (), Bucks Fizz with "Making Your Mind Up" () and Katrina and the Waves with "Love Shine a Light" (). The UK has also achieved a record sixteen second-place finishes, the first in and the most recent in .


text: The United Kingdom finished outside the top ten on only three occasions prior to 2000 (, and ). In the 21st century, the United Kingdom has had a considerably poorer record in the competition, only reaching the top ten three times, with Jessica Garlick third (), Jade Ewen fifth (), and Sam Ryder second (), compounded by eleven non-top 20 finishes, including Jemini's infamous "nul points" result, which was the first time that the country had come last in the contest. The UK has since finished in last place in with Andy Abraham (14 points), in with Josh Dubovie (10 points), in with Michael Rice (11 points), and in with James Newman (0 points).


text: It was alleged that the United Kingdom were expected to take part in the first contest in 1956, and that they missed the submission deadline and therefore could not take part. This was later revealed by the EBU in January 2017 to be a myth created by fans of the contest. The EBU further went on to explain that the "Festival of British Popular Song", a contest created by the BBC for the United Kingdom, was the inspiration that brought in format changes to the contest elements from onwards. Patricia Bredin was the first performer to represent the UK at Eurovision, finishing seventh in 1957. The UK was the first choice to stage the third contest in 1958, however following a failure to get an agreement from various artistic unions, the BBC withdrew their bid in the summer of 1957 and the UK did not enter for the second and last time to date.


text: At their second attempt in the contest in 1959, the UK achieved the first of their record sixteen runner-up positions, when Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson sang "Sing, Little Birdie". The UK would achieve four more second-place finishes with Bryan Johnson in 1960, The Allisons in 1961, Matt Monro in 1964 and Kathy Kirby in 1965, before eventually winning for the first time in 1967. Sandie Shaw was already a successful performer, having twice topped the UK Singles Chart, and she comfortably won in Vienna with "Puppet on a String", which became her third UK number one and topped the charts all around Europe. In 1968, another successful performer was selected to represent the UK with the song "Congratulations". In London, Cliff Richard gave the UK their sixth second-place finish, losing to Spain's Massiel. "Congratulations" remains one of only two non-winning UK Eurovision entries to top the UK charts. The UK's second victory was provided by the Scottish singer Lulu, who won with the song "Boom Bang-a-Bang" in 1969, in a four-way tie with France, Spain and the Netherlands. Another established performer, she had topped the US "Billboard" Hot 100 with "To Sir with Love" in 1967.


text: Having finished second on three further occasions in the 1970s, with Mary Hopkin in 1970, The New Seekers in 1972 and The Shadows in 1975. The UK achieved their third victory in 1976 with Brotherhood of Man and "Save Your Kisses for Me", who won with 164 points, which would remain the highest points total for ten years. In 1977, the UK finished second for the tenth time represented by singer-songwriters Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran.


text: The UK's fourth victory came in 1981, with Bucks Fizz and "Making Your Mind Up". The group was created especially for the UK televised selection contest, "A Song for Europe" (a programme which in later years would be renamed to "Making Your Mind Up"). At Eurovision in Dublin, they defeated Germany's Lena Valaitis by four points. The group went on to continued success, with 13 UK top 40 hits over the next five years. This would be the last UK win for 16 years, although the country continued to be competitive at the contest with four more second-place results during this time. In 1988, Scott Fitzgerald lost to Celine Dion, who was representing Switzerland, by just one point. In 1989, Live Report lost out to Yugoslavia by seven points. Michael Ball in 1992, also finished second, behind Linda Martin of Ireland. The 1993 entry, Sonia, had already had 10 UK top 30 hits, including a 1989 number one with "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You", when she was selected to represent the UK in Millstreet. With one country (Malta) left to vote, Ireland's Niamh Kavanagh led Sonia by 11 points. By the time it got to the announcement of the 12 points, neither the UK or Ireland had been mentioned. If the UK had received the 12, they would have won by one point. In the end Ireland received the top marks and won by 23 points. Despite only finishing eighth in the 1996 contest, Gina G went on to huge success with her entry "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit", which became only the second non-winning UK entry to top the UK Singles Chart. It also reached the top 20 of the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording. The UK's fifth victory came in 1997, when Katrina and the Waves, famous for their 1980s hit "Walking on Sunshine", comfortably won the contest with the song "Love Shine a Light". They scored 227 points, which would remain the highest points total of the pre semi-final era. At the 1998 contest in Birmingham, Imaani achieved the UK's 15th second-place finish and 20th top two result, with the song "Where Are You?", losing to Israel's Dana International. The UK would not finish in the top two again for 24 years.


text: The UK has fared less well in the contest in the 21st century. After girl-group Precious finished 12th in 1999, the UK regularly placed in the bottom half of the scoreboard, with a few exceptions. In the 2000s, those exceptions were Jessica Garlick in 2002, who finished joint third with the song "Come Back", and Jade Ewen in 2009, who was praised for ending the country's poor run of results for much of the decade, by finishing fifth with the song "It's My Time". In 2003, the UK finished last in the final for the first time with the duo Jemini, who received the infamous "nul points". The country then finished last on two further occasions over the next 7 years, with Andy Abraham, who received 14 points in 2008, and Josh Dubovie, who received 10 points in 2010.


text: In 2011, the BBC announced that they would forgo the national selection and instead internally select the next representative, eventually selecting the boy band Blue to represent the UK. They finished 11th with 100 points. In 2012, the UK were facing calls to quit the contest when the UK entry, Engelbert Humperdinck, finished 25th (out of 26) with only 12 points. However, the UK confirmed their participation in the 2013 contest, with the Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, most famous for her 1983 US and UK number one hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart", who would perform the song "Believe in Me". In Malmö, she finished 19th with 23 points. She went on to win two internationally voted Eurovision Song Contest radio awards for Best Female Singer and Best Song.


text: In 2014, the BBC internally selected unknown singer Molly Smitten-Downes, through BBC Introducing, which supports new and unsigned acts. She represented the UK in Copenhagen under her artist name Molly. In the final, she performed the song "Children of the Universe", which she co-wrote with Anders Hansson and finished in 17th place with 40 points, having been regarded as one of the favourites to win the contest. In October 2014, Guy Freeman stated that the BBC are still engaging with record companies and the BBC Introducing platform in order to find an entry for the 2015 contest via the internal selection process, but announced that in addition, for the first time since 2008, they are giving the general public the option to submit an entry for consideration. Ultimately, the entry for 2015 came through open submission, with the song "Still in Love with You" performed by the duo Electro Velvet, which finished in 24th place with five points.


text: On 30 September 2015, the BBC confirmed the national selection show would return in 2016. Six acts competed in the national final on 26 February and the winner was selected entirely through a public vote, consisting of televoting and online voting. "You're Not Alone" performed by Joe and Jake won the national final broadcast live on BBC Four. At the final they came 24th with 62 points in total. Of these only 8 were from the public vote, the second lowest public score, following 0 to the Czech Republic. In spite of the latest disappointing result, the BBC announced that the national final format would be retained for 2017. Six acts again participated in the final, which was held on 27 January 2017. It was broadcast on BBC Two as opposed to BBC Four the previous year, and the winner was determined by a combination of scores from a professional jury and televoting (including votes cast online). Former "X Factor" contestant Lucie Jones won the show and earned the right to represent the UK at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, with the song "Never Give Up on You", becoming the 60th UK Eurovision entry. The song was praised for its impressive staging, and finished 15th in the final with a combined score of 111 points, finishing 10th in the jury vote with 99 points and 20th in the televote with 12 points. In 2018, "Storm" by SuRie was selected by the public to represent the UK. Her performance during the final was marred by an invader who ran onstage halfway through the song and grabbed her microphone, interrupting her performance; however, she was able to complete her performance. She finished in 24th with a combined score of 48. Michael Rice's song "Bigger than Us" was selected by the public to represent the UK in 2019. It finished in 26th place in the final after amassing 11 points, marking the fourth time since the turn of the century that the UK had finished last.


text: Ahead of the 2020 contest, the BBC stated that they would return to internally selecting the representative (in collaboration with record label BMG). James Newman was chosen as the entrant with his song "My Last Breath"; however, the 2020 contest was cancelled due to restrictions connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. The BBC subsequently announced that BBC Studios would produce "", a replacement show for BBC One featuring classic Eurovision performances, interviews and a look at the entries that would have taken part in 2020. The show was part of the BBC's plan to "entertain the nation in time of need". The contest returned in , with Newman being selected again with a new song, "Embers". However, the song finished in last place and became the second UK entry to receive "nul points" (also the first full "nul points" since the 2016 voting system was first implemented).


text: For the 2022 contest, the BBC retained the internal selection format, this time working in partnership with TaP Music. Sam Ryder and his song "Space Man" were selected for the contest and went on to place second with 466 points, the best result achieved by the UK since 1998, earning the most points in the jury vote, and the most points ever received for a UK entry. Ryder also won the Marcel Bezençon Award in the Press category, becoming the first ever UK act to receive the award since its inception in 2002. He was praised by the media for his positive attitude and desire to change the UK public and press' perception of the contest.


text: In , a rule change allowed the United Kingdom, along with , and , to automatically qualify for the final (irrespective of their recent scores and without entering a semi-final), due to being the biggest financial contributors to the EBU. Due to their untouchable status in the contest, these countries became known as the "Big Four" (which became the "Big Five" in following the return of to the contest).


text: In 2008, it was reported that the "Big Four" could lose their status and be forced to compete in the semi-finals; however, this never materialised, and the rule remained in place. In the same year, the BBC defended using money from TV licence fee payers for the contest when Liberal Democrat MP Richard Younger-Ross had tabled a Commons motion which called on the corporation to withdraw its £173,000 funding for the annual contest. Former Eurovision commentator Sir Terry Wogan, that same year, also claimed that the show is "no longer a music contest" after the final of that year's edition ended.


text: Since the introduction of the Big Four/Five, the United Kingdom has finished last in the contest five times, with Germany finishing last four times. The United Kingdom also has the fewest top ten results of the Big Five in the 21st century, but has achieved more top five results than Spain, having reached the top five in 2002, 2009 and 2022.


text: As well as broadcasting the contest each year, the BBC also organises the selection process for the entry, often with a televised national final (historically titled "A Song For Europe"). The process has varied between selecting both performer and song, or just the song, with the artist being selected internally.


text: For most years the public has been able to vote for the winner, in the past with postcard voting, where the viewers sent postcards with their vote to the BBC, but more recently televoting and online. In 2009 and 2010, the singer was chosen by a public vote and the song internally selected. From 2011 to 2015, there was no televised selection, and both the artist and song were selected internally by the BBC. This resulted in the national selection process being suspended; however, this returned in 2016, re-titled "", with viewers once again choosing which song to enter into the contest. Since 2017, the votes from a professional jury panel have been combined with the public vote to select the winner. The televised selection process was suspended again in September 2019, with the BBC returning to internally selecting its entry (in partnership with BMG in 2020 and 2021, and with TaP Music in 2022 and 2023).


text: Below is a list of all songs and their respective performers that have represented the United Kingdom in the contest:


text: Although the United Kingdom was entered twice into "", with Cliff Richard's 1968 runner-up entry "Congratulations" and Brotherhood of Man's 1976 winning song "Save Your Kisses for Me", the BBC decided not to air the event or participate in the voting, but instead aired an hour-long special programme, titled "" and hosted by Terry Wogan.


text: Following the cancellation of the due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BBC decided to host "Eurovision: Come Together", an all-stars contest on the night of what would have been the 2020 final. The show was broadcast just before the EBU's main replacement show "". An expert panel selected the 19 competing entries, four of which were UK entries.


text: The United Kingdom has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest a record eight times. The United Kingdom stepped in and hosted the contest for the in , in , in and in due to the winning countries' financial and capacity issues. On four occasions (1968, 1977, 1982 and 1998) the UK was given the right to host as a result of a victory. The BBC offered to joint host the contest in Belfast, Northern Ireland with Irish broadcaster RTÉ, but ultimately RTÉ decided to stage the event solo. The UK will host the contest for a ninth time in , after the winner was unable to meet the demands of hosting the event due to security concerns caused by the Russian invasion of the country.


text: In 2015, London hosted "Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits", an event to commemorate the 60th anniversary, which was recorded for television on 31 March 2015 and was shown in 26 countries, starting with the UK and Ireland on 3 April 2015.


text: Additionally, several British conductors have conducted for other countries (not counting instances where a British musical director had to step in for another country that didn't bring their own conductor), including:


text: Over the years BBC commentary has been provided by several experienced radio and television presenters, including Tom Fleming, David Vine, David Jacobs, Dave Lee Travis, Pete Murray, John Dunn and Michael Aspel. However, Terry Wogan provided BBC TV commentary every year from 1980 to 2008. It was confirmed on 12 August 2008 that Terry Wogan would no longer present the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK. The BBC Radio 2 DJ, who had fronted the BBC's coverage for 37 years, said it was "time for someone else to take over". He was replaced in 2009 by Graham Norton for the final. Norton has continued in the role ever since.


text: The final of the contest has been broadcast by BBC One (previously BBC Television Service and BBC TV) since the first contest in 1956, the first live colour transmission of the contest in the United Kingdom was the Eurovision Song Contest 1970 (though the 1968 contest had been repeated in colour on BBC Two the day after the live telecast on BBC One), and the first high definition broadcast of the contest began in 2007 when the contest was simulcast on BBC HD for the first time (this continued until the channel's closure). The final is also broadcast on radio, initially on BBC Light Programme until the 1967 contest. From 1968 it was broadcast on BBC Radio 1 (simulcast on Radio 2), moving to BBC Radio 2 from the 1971 contest where it has remained ever since (except from 1983 to 1985, the first year of which due to a scheduling clash with the St. George's Day Concert). Between 1963 and 1976, in 1980 and again from 1983 until 1985, the contest was also broadcast on BFBS Radio. A simulcast of the 2002 contest was broadcast on BBC Choice with alternative commentary by Jenny Eclair. This was the only time the BBC had provided three different commentary options.


text: From 2004 to 2015, and again in 2022, both semi-finals were broadcast on BBC Three. During BBC Three's tenure as an online only channel, semi-final coverage was broadcast on BBC Four. The semi-finals in 2023 will be broadcast on BBC One. In 2014, Matronic provided commentary for the second semi-final of the 2014 contest on BBC Radio 2 Eurovision, a temporary station which was broadcast on DAB radio over four days, as well as the BBC Radio 2 website. She continued this role in 2015.


text: In the contest, hosted in Birmingham, Terry Wogan acted as both commentator and on-stage presenter (together with Ulrika Jonsson). In the contest, each song was introduced by a presenter from its country, the United Kingdom entry being introduced by Noel Edmonds.


text: In recent years, the dual-commentator format during the semi-finals has allowed for the broadcaster to incorporate additional segments, interviews and live viewer interaction during the programme's live airing.


text: In 2019 the BBC launched "Eurovision Calling", a weekly BBC Sounds podcast hosted by Mills and comedian Jayde Adams.


text: On 20 January 2022, it was announced that the BBC would move their coverage of the contest from London to Salford. This therefore means that spokespersons in contests from 2022 onwards will announce the points of the national jury live from dock10 studios in Salford.


text: For several years the Scottish National Party (SNP) has campaigned for a place in the Eurovision Song Contest for Scotland but had been rejected numerous times because Scotland is represented as a part of the British entry and is represented by the BBC.


text: On 11 February 2008, the EBU stated that a Scottish broadcaster could apply for EBU membership, but under the current rules could not enter the Eurovision Song Contest as the BBC currently has exclusive rights to represent the entire United Kingdom. It was announced in late May 2008 that the UK would be participating in the 2009 contest and, therefore, Scotland was not represented in 2009 as a separate entrant.


text: Scotland could be represented by STV, ITV Border or BBC Scotland. MEP Alyn Smith has said in the European Parliament: "Other small countries have done it [entered the competition] and I will be happy to help any of the broadcasting companies through the progress."


text: In 2011, the EBU stated that there was nothing to prevent Scotland from submitting its own entry, although STV stated that there were no current plans for a separate entry.


text: If Scotland were to participate, it is unknown whether or not England, Wales and Northern Ireland would show any interest in entering the Eurovision Song Contest independently as well, although S4C (the Welsh language media channel) has expressed an interest and, in addition, already holds a yearly national song contest called "Cân i Gymru" (Song for Wales). S4C also considered a bid for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 but decided not to go ahead. Wales eventually made its Junior Eurovision debut in . In 2009, MEP for Wales Jillian Evans stated her interest in securing Wales a place in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Wales could be represented by either BBC Cymru Wales, ITV Wales & West or S4C. There is a small campaign in Northern Ireland for a separate entrant and it could be represented by UTV or BBC Northern Ireland. There are no current plans for England to enter separately.


text: However, to date, these proposed changes have not occurred, and the United Kingdom still participates in the Eurovision Song Contest as a single entrant. In the run-up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, it was unknown what would happen if Scotland were to become an independent country. On 25 November 2013, the Scottish government released a referendum blueprint which detailed plans for the transfer of BBC Scotland into the Scottish Broadcasting Service (SBS) and EBU membership, as well as participation in competitions, including Scottish entries in the Eurovision Song Contest. However, the referendum result on 18 September 2014 was to remain part of the UK, and the aforementioned BBC retains exclusive rights to represent the UK, including Scotland.


text: Since 2006, Gibraltarian broadcaster Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has been attempting to gain EBU membership and thus participate independently in the Eurovision Song Contest. However, GBC cannot obtain EBU membership due to the British Overseas Territory not being independent from the UK. Gibraltar broadcast the final of the contest from to .


title: Rub' al Khali

text: The Rub' al Khali (; (), the "Empty Quarter") is the sand desert (erg) encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some (the area of long. 44°30′−56°30′E, and lat. 16°30′−23°00′N) including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: The desert is long, and wide. Its surface elevation varies from in the southwest to around sea level in the northeast. The terrain is covered with sand dunes with heights up to , interspersed with gravel and gypsum plains. The sand is of a reddish-orange color due to the presence of feldspar.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: There are also brackish salt flats in some areas, such as the Umm al Samim area on the desert's eastern edge. Ali Al-Naimi reports that the sand dunes don't drift. He goes on to say,


title: Rub' al Khali

text: Sand blows off the surface, of course, but the essential shape of the dunes remains intact, probably due to the moisture leaching up into the base of the dunes from the surrounding sabkhas.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: Along the middle length of the desert there are a number of raised, hardened areas of calcium carbonate, gypsum, marl, or clay that were once the site of shallow lakes. These lakes existed during periods from 6,000 to 5,000 years ago and 3,000 to 2,000 years ago. The lakes are thought to have formed as a result of "cataclysmic rainfall" similar to present-day monsoon rains and most probably lasted for only a few years. However, lakes in the Mundafen area in the southwest of the Rub' al Khali show evidence of lasting longer, up to 800 years, due to increased runoff from the Tuwaiq Escarpment.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: Evidence suggests that the lakes were home to a variety of flora and fauna. Fossil remains indicate the presence of several animal species, such as hippopotamus, water buffalo, and long-horned cattle. The lakes also contained small snails, ostracods, and when conditions were suitable, freshwater clams. Deposits of calcium carbonate and opal phytoliths indicate the presence of plants and algae. There is also evidence of human activity dating from 3,000 to 2,000 years ago, including chipped flint tools, but no actual human remains have been found.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: The region is classified as "hyper-arid", with annual precipitation generally less than , and daily mean relative humidity of about 52% in January and 15% in June–July. Daily maximum temperatures average in July and August, reaching peaks of . The daily minimum average is in January and February, although frosts have been recorded. Daily extremes of temperature are considerable.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: Fauna includes arachnids (e.g. scorpions) and rodents, while plants live throughout the Empty Quarter. As an ecoregion, the Rub' al Khali falls within the Arabian Desert and East Saharo-Arabian xeric shrublands. The Asiatic cheetahs, once widespread in Saudi Arabia, are regionally extinct from the desert.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: The Shaybah oil field was discovered in 1968. South Ghawar, the largest oil field in the world, extends southward into the northernmost parts of the Empty Quarter.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: A road between Oman and Saudi Arabia, which goes through the Empty Quarter, was completed in September 2021.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: Desertification has increased through recent millennia. Before desertification made the caravan trails leading across the Rub' al Khali so difficult, the caravans of the frankincense trade crossed now virtually impassable stretches of wasteland, until about 300 AD. It has been suggested that Ubar or Iram, a lost city, region or people, depended on such trade. The archaeological remains include a fortification/administration building, walls and bases of circular pillars. The traces of camel tracks, unidentifiable on the ground, appear in satellite images.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: Today the inhabitants of the Empty Quarter are members of various local tribes – for example, the Al Murrah tribe has the largest area mainly based between Al-Ahsa and Najran. The Banu Yam and Banu Hamdan (in Yemen and the Najran region of southern Saudi Arabia), and the Bani Yas (in the United Arab Emirates). A few road links connect these tribal settlements to the area's water resources and oil production centers.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: The first documented journeys by non-resident explorers were made by British explorers Bertram Thomas and St. John Philby in the early 1930s. Between 1946 and 1950, Wilfred Thesiger crossed the area several times and mapped large parts of the Empty Quarter including the mountains of Oman, as described in his 1959 book "Arabian Sands".


title: Rub' al Khali

text: In June 1950, a US Air Force expedition crossed the Rub' al Khali from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, to central Yemen and back in trucks to collect specimens for the Smithsonian Institution and to test desert survival procedures.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: In 1999, Jamie Clarke became the first Westerner to cross the Empty Quarter of Arabia in fifty years. His team of six, guided by three Bedouin, spent 40 days crossing the desert with a caravan of 13 camels.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: On 25 February 2006, a scientific excursion organized by the Saudi Geological Survey began to explore the Empty Quarter. The expedition consisted of 89 environmentalists, geologists, and scientists from Saudi Arabia and abroad. Various types of fossilized creatures as well as meteorites were discovered in the desert. The expedition discovered 31 new plant species and plant varieties, as well as 24 species of birds that inhabit the region, which fascinated scientists as to how they have survived under the harsh conditions of the Empty Quarter.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: On 4 February 2013, a South African team including Alex Harris, Marco Broccardo, and David Joyce became the first people to cross the border close to Oman of the Empty Quarter unsupported and on foot, in a journey which started in Salalah and lasted 40 days, eventually ending in Dubai. The team only made use of three water stops along the journey, and pulled a specially designed cart which housed all the supplies necessary for the entire expedition.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: In 2013, British adventurer Alistair Humphreys released his first documentary film, Into the Empty Quarter, documenting his walk through the Empty Quarter desert with Leon McCarron.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: In 2013, from 18 February to 28 March, South Korean explorer Young-Ho Nam led a team (Agustin Arroyo Bezanilla, Si-Woo Lee) on a crossing through the Empty Quarter on foot from Salalah, Oman, to Liwa Oasis in the UAE Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The crossing was performed with permission from the governments of Oman and UAE. Dewan Ruler's Representative for Western Region, Emirate of Abu Dhabi recognized it as the world's first on-foot crossing of the Empty Quarter following the border of Oman and ending in UAE.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: In 2018, the first all female walking expedition named "her faces of change" led by British Janey McGill who was accompanied by the first Omani women in modern times to walk the Oman Empty Quarter, Baida Al Zadjali and Atheer Al Sabri, set off on the 22nd of December 2018 after receiving formal approval from the government of Oman. The team was supported by two cars for supplies driven by Tariq Al Zadjali (Omani) and Mark Vause-Jones (British) and filmmaker Matthew Milan from the United States of America. The expedition started from Al Hashman in the Dohafar Governate of Oman crossing through Burkana, Maqshin, and Al Sahma in Al Wusta Region continuing through Abu Al Tabool, Um Al Sameem ending at Ibri fort in Al Dhahira region of Oman. The total distance walked by the team was 758 km in 28 days ending the expedition on 18.01.2019.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: In 2018, Deidre O'Leary and Kyle Knight crossed the Rub' al Khali from South (the Saudi-Omani boarder) to North (the Saudi-UAE boarder) on foot. This was the first known crossing within Saudi Arabia from south-north on foot through the highest sand dunes of the Rub Al' Khali. The pair crossed 300 km in 9 days 12 hours and 59m minutes.


title: Rub' al Khali

text: In 2020, Italian extreme desert explorer Max Calderan completed Rub' al Khali exploration on foot for the first time ever from west to east. He crossed in 18 days, crossing the widest area of Rub' al Khali from west to east.


title: Jacob Latimore

text: Jacob O'Neal Latimore (born August 10, 1996) is an American actor, singer and dancer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2016, Latimore released his debut album "Connection". As an actor, he is best known for his roles in "Black Nativity", "The Maze Runner", "Collateral Beauty", "Detroit", and "The Chi". He also starred in the Netflix Original movie "Candy Jar" alongside Sami Gayle.


title: Jacob Latimore

text: Latimore has co-starred in several major films, including "Black Nativity" (2013), as Langston, and "Ride Along" (2014), as Ramon. He also appeared in the movie "The Maze Runner", which was released in theaters September 19, 2014. He then starred in the drama film "Collateral Beauty", which was released on December 16, 2016, and street magic drama movie "Sleight", which was released on April 28, 2017. Latimore is currently starring on "Showtime"'s "The Chi" as Emmett. In 2019, “” was released in which Latimore acted as a voiceover. In 2020, he co-starred in the comedy "Like a Boss". In 2021, he starred in "Gully".


title: Jacob Latimore

text: Latimore's first single "Best Friend" was released in 2005. In 2006, "Superstar" was released. In June 2014, he released his hit song "Heartbreak Heard Around The World" ft. T-Pain. His debut album, "Connection", was released in 2016. His second effort, "Connection2", the sequel to "Connection", was released on April 26, 2019.


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: Cosmo's Factory is the fifth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in July 1970. Six of the album's eleven tracks were released as singles in 1970, and all of them charted in the top 5 of the "Billboard" Hot 100. The album spent nine consecutive weeks in the number one position on the "Billboard" 200 chart and was certified 4x platinum by the RIAA in 1990.


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: With the release of "Cosmo's Factory" in July 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival hit their commercial zenith. It was their fifth album in two years and became an international smash, topping the album charts in six countries. The band also toured Europe in 1970, playing the Royal Albert Hall to enthusiastic audiences, and had emerged as the most popular band in America by largely ignoring the trippy acid rock indulgences that were typical of the era. However, despite the band's infectious blend of rockabilly, folk, and R&B, some peers and rock critics dismissed them as a singles band with no substance. In a 2012 cover story, "Uncut" observed: "While San Francisco longhairs across the bridge scoffed at their commercialism, Creedence henceforth made a point of releasing double A-sides. And invariably both songs would have an uncanny knack of cutting through to all sections of the population." Singer and lead guitarist John Fogerty, who had seemingly arrived out of nowhere, but had actually struggled with his bandmates throughout most of the 1960s as the Blue Velvets and the Golliwogs, composed the group's songs and generally steered the band artistically, although his grip on the band – including his dubious role as manager – irritated the others, especially his older brother Tom Fogerty, who left the band by the end of 1970.


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: Perhaps more than any other Creedence album, "Cosmo's Factory" displays the wide range of musical ingredients that provided the foundation for their "swamp rock" sound: R&B ("Before You Accuse Me", "My Baby Left Me"), soul ("I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Long As I Can See the Light"), country ("Lookin' Out My Back Door"), rockabilly and classic rock and roll ("Ooby Dooby", "Travelin' Band"), and psychedelia ("Ramble Tamble").


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: "Travelin' Band" was inspired by 1950s rock 'n' roll songs, particularly those by Little Richard. In October 1972, the company that held the publishing rights to Richard's "Good Golly, Miss Molly" felt "Travelin' Band" bore enough similarities to warrant a plagiarism lawsuit that was later settled out of court. The song's flip side, "Who'll Stop the Rain", could not have been more different, with Fogerty telling "Uncut" in 2012: "'Travelin' Band' was my salute to Little Richard, but 'Who'll Stop The Rain?' was part of the fabric of the times. From '68 to '74, Vietnam was probably the most important thing on the minds of young people." "Run Through the Jungle" mined similar territory, with many listeners believing the lyrics to be about the war. According to the band's bassist Stu Cook, the song's opening and closing both feature jungle sound effects created by "lots of backwards recorded guitar and piano." The song was rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty's favorite CCR song: "My all-time favorite Creedence tune was 'Run Through the Jungle'. It's like a little movie in itself with all the sound effects. It never changes key, but it holds your interest the whole time. It's like a musician's dream. It never changes key, yet you get the illusion it does."


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: "Lookin' Out My Back Door" was a direct tribute to the Bakersfield Sound, a style of music that influenced John Fogerty and the Creedence sound – Buck Owens, one of the architects of the Bakersfield Sound, is even mentioned in the lyrics. The song is known for its upbeat tempo, its down-home feel, and a change in key and tempo towards the end. The lyrics, filled with colorful, dream-like imagery, led some to believe the song was about drugs (according to the drug theory, the "flying spoon" in the song was a cocaine spoon, and the crazy animal images were an acid trip). Fogerty, however, has repeatedly stated in interviews that the song was actually written for his son, Josh, who was three years old at the time, and said the reference to a parade passing by was inspired by the Dr. Seuss book "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street".


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: Although CCR was well known for its concise, tightly arranged songs, "Cosmo's Factory" features two longer cuts: the seven-minute opener, "Ramble Tamble", and an 11-minute cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". The band had dabbled with psychedelia on their debut single, "Susie Q", but the storming "Ramble Tamble" is more ambitious, beginning with the band roaring through a rockabilly introduction before transitioning into a psychedelic wall of sound that lasts nearly four minutes and then transitioning back into the original rockabilly section near the end. The song has been singled out for critical praise, with music journalist Steven Hyden calling it "the most rockin' song of all time". As Cook explained to Bill Kopp of musoscribe.com: "Each album had a longish track on it, but they were never jams, per se...'Heard It Through the Grapevine' had a little jammy character to it, but they were all pretty structured. There was no space to noodle. Live, there was a little bit of noodling, but in the studio we always tried to nail the arrangement."


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: Several songs on the album pay tribute to the band's blues and rock and roll roots, including Big Arthur Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" (a notable cover of which had previously been recorded by Elvis Presley), Bo Diddley's "Before You Accuse Me", and the rockabilly classic "Ooby Dooby".


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: The name of the album comes from the warehouse in Berkeley where the band rehearsed early in their career, which was dubbed "The Factory" by drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, because bandleader John Fogerty made them practice there almost every day. In 2013, Clifford recalled to "Goldmine" that "John knew the press would be all over us for the album, so he said that he would name the album after me and that I would have to deal with it. He wanted the pressure off of him. It was our biggest album ever and I tell people that they named it after me, so it had to be a hit [laughter]. That's a joke!"


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: The cover photo was taken by Bob Fogerty, brother of John and Tom. As David Cavanagh of "Uncut" wrote in 2012: "The album's front cover showed the four of them caught by a camera in an off-duty moment, a proudly uncool quartet who looked more like lumberjacks than rock stars." The handwritten sign affixed to the support post at the left of the photo that reads "3RD GENERATION" is an ironic reference to something rock music critic Ralph Gleason wrote in the liner notes of the band's debut album: "Creedence Clearwater Revival is an excellent example of the Third Generation of San Francisco bands".


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: In its original review, "Rolling Stone" opined: "It should be obvious by now that Creedence Clearwater Revival is one great rock and roll band. "Cosmo's Factory", the group's fifth album, is another good reason why."


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: AllMusic states: "On 'Long as I Can See the Light', the record's final song, he again finds solace in home, anchored by a soulful, laid-back groove. It hits a comforting, elegiac note, the perfect way to draw "Cosmo's Factory" – an album made during stress and chaos, filled with raging rockers, covers, and intense jams – to a close." An editorial review from Amazon.com calls the album "the peak of a prolific streak."


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: In 2003, the album was ranked number 265 on "Rolling Stone"s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time; it was ranked number 413 on the revised 2020 list.


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: In January 1970, the double A-sided "Travelin' Band"/"Who'll Stop the Rain" single peaked at number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. In April, the band released the double A-sided "Up Around the Bend"/"Run Through the Jungle" single, which reached number four on the Hot 100, and started their first tour of Europe. "Cosmo's Factory" was released in July 1970, as was the band's ninth single, "Lookin' Out My Back Door"/"Long as I Can See the Light", which reached number two on the Hot 100.


title: Cosmo's Factory

text: The album was certified gold (500,000 units sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America on December 16, 1970. Almost 20 years later, on December 13, 1990, it received a certification of four times platinum, indicating sales of over four million copies.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hubert Hurkacz (; born 11 February 1997) is a Polish professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 9 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he first achieved in November 2021, making him the highest-ranked Polish man in singles history. He has won five ATP Tour singles titles, including a Masters 1000 title at the 2021 Miami Open. With the win, he became the first Pole to win an ATP Masters 1000 title. Hurkacz also has a career-high ranking of world No. 30 in doubles, which he attained in June 2022.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: As a junior, Hurkacz was ranked as high as No. 29 in the world. He and his partner Alex Molčan were the runners-up at the 2015 Australian Open boys' doubles final. As a professional, he broke into the top 100 for the first time in 2018 after reaching the second rounds of the 2018 French Open and 2018 US Open. That year, he qualified for the Next Generation ATP Finals, where he won against Jaume Munar, but lost to Frances Tiafoe and Stefanos Tsitsipas. In 2019, he won his first ATP title at the 2019 Winston-Salem Open. The next year, he defeated three higher-ranked opponents at the 2020 ATP Cup and reached the semifinals of the 2020 ATP Auckland Open. In doing so, he entered the top 30 of the world rankings. In 2021, after winning his second and third singles titles, he went on to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships and became the second Polish man to make a semifinals appearance at a Grand Slam after Jerzy Janowicz in 2013.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hurkacz is an all-court player. At , he also possesses a serve reaching up to to set up effective one-two punches. In addition to being a defensive baseliner, he has often included netplay into his style and has been recognized for his penchant for playing serve-and-volley to close points.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hurkacz was born on 11 February 1997 to Zofia Maliszewska-Hurkacz and Krzysztof Hurkacz in Wrocław, Poland as the first of two children. His younger sister, Nika, is ten years younger and also plays tennis. Hurkacz grew up in a family with athletic prowess. His mother was a junior tennis champion in Poland and one of his uncles, Tomasz Maliszewski, played tennis professionally. His grandfather was also a volleyball player at an international level. When asked whether his family's history shaped him to become the athlete he became, Hurkacz replied, "The [sporting] genes, the motivation in the family, the love for the sport. I think they have helped me a lot."


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hurkacz began playing tennis at the age of five after his mother introduced him to the sport as she practiced. His mother and father were his first teachers but he later enrolled in classes and started playing more consistently. He later became interested in professional tennis after watching Roger Federer on television. He has stated that if tennis was not his future, he would have pursued either basketball or motor racing, or he would continue his education. By 2014, Hurkacz had established himself as a member of the group of the most talented young Polish tennis players at the time, alongside Kamil Majchrzak and Jan Zieliński.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hurkacz played in the main draw at the French Open and defeated Tennys Sandgren in the first round. This marked his first victory at a Grand Slam and at any ATP main-draw event. He lost in the second round to third seed Marin Čilić in four sets.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In August, Hurkacz made his US Open debut. He began as the sixth seed in the qualifying draw and reached his third consecutive Grand Slam main draw as a qualifier, beating John-Patrick Smith, Egor Gerasimov and Pedro Martínez Portero (all in straight sets) to enter into the first round. There, he faced Stefano Travaglia who, like many others, fell victim to the extreme heat and retired. In the second round, Hurkacz lost to 2014 US Open champion Čilić in their second meeting.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In November, Hurkacz played at the 2018 Next Generation ATP Finals held in Milan, where he won against Jaume Munar but lost to Frances Tiafoe and Stefanos Tsitsipas. At the end of the season, Hurkacz received a nomination for the ATP Newcomer of the Year Award.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hurkacz started his season at the Maharashtra Open in Pune, India. He continued at the Canberra Challenger, where he won the title after defeating Ilya Ivashka in the final. Hurkacz followed that up by making his debut at the Australian Open. He faced one of the best servers on the Tour, drawing Ivo Karlović in the opening round at Melbourne Park. After winning the first set, Hurkacz lost the match in four sets, all of which were tiebreakers. At the Dubai Championships, he defeated Corentin Moutet in the first round and then went on to win against No. 1 seeded player, Kei Nishikori, which marked his first ever win against a top 10 player. Hurkacz lost in the quarterfinals in three sets to the eventual runner-up of the tournament, Stefanos Tsitsipas.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In March, Hurkacz played at the Indian Wells Open, where he made it to the quarterfinals of an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career. On his way to the quarterfinals, he defeated Kei Nishikori in the third round and Denis Shapovalov in the fourth round. In the quarterfinals, he lost to Roger Federer. Following Indian Wells, Hurkacz achieved a new career high singles ranking of world No. 54. He continued at Miami, where he defeated Matteo Berrettini in first round. In the second round, Hurkacz took down the 2019 Indian Wells Open champion Dominic Thiem, in straight sets, before falling to Félix Auger-Aliassime in the third round.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: At the Madrid Open, Hurkacz defeated Alex de Minaur and Lucas Pouille. He lost to Alexander Zverev in the third round after winning the first set. He continued at the French Open, where he lost to world No. 1, Novak Djokovic, in the first round.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hurkacz later produced an upset in the first round of the Eastbourne International, with a victory over seventh seed Marco Cecchinato in just over an hour. He then defeated Steve Johnson in the second round. In the quarterfinals Hurkacz lost a tight match against the eventual champion Taylor Fritz.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: For the first time in his career, Hurkacz reached the third round of a Grand Slam. At Wimbledon, he defeated Dušan Lajović and Leonardo Mayer to set up a third-round match with world No. 1 Djokovic. For two sets, Hurkacz gave Djokovic all he could handle before eventually succumbing to the top seed in four sets. At the Rogers Cup, Hurkacz defeated Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas before losing his third-round match to Gaël Monfils. Two weeks later, Hurkacz defeated Benoît Paire to win his first ATP title in Winston-Salem. In October, Hurkacz prevailed over Monfils in straight sets in the second round of the Shanghai Masters. In the third round he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: At the 2020 ATP Cup, Hurkacz defeated a trio of higher-ranked opponents: Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman and Borna Ćorić. Sixth seed, Hurkacz picked up where he left off at the ATP Cup, advancing to the semifinal of the ATP Auckland Open with victories over Lorenzo Sonego, Mikael Ymer, and Feliciano López. Seeded No. 31 at the Australian Open, Hurkacz reached the second round, defeating Dennis Novak before falling to John Millman in straight sets. With this successful run he reached the top 30 at world No. 28, on 3 February 2020.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Playing at the Rotterdam Open Hurkacz lost a three set 1st round match to Tsitsipas. He continued in doubles with Auger-Aliassime. To reach the quarterfinal, they defeated third seeds Nikola Mektić and Wesley Koolhof. At Dubai, Hurkacz lost to Alexander Bublik in the first round.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: After tennis stopped in March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic, Hurkacz resumed training with his coach Craig Boynton at the Saddlebrook Academies in Florida.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In May, Hurkacz played at the UTR Pro Match Series presented by Tennis Channel, a two-day round-robin tournament in West Palm Beach, Florida. Four top 60 ATP players including Hurkacz, Miomir Kecmanovic, Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul competed in the inaugural edition from 8–9 May 2020.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In August, Hurkacz traveled to New York City for the Cincinnati Open. In the first round he lost to John Isner. He continued at the US Open, where he defeated Peter Gojowczyk in the first round. In the second round he lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Seeded fifth at the Austrian Open Kitzbühel, Hurkacz defeated João Sousa in the first round. At the Italian Open, he defeated 2020 US Open quarterfinalist Andrey Rublev before falling to eighth seed Diego Schwartzman in the third round.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hurkacz continued at the French Open where he was seeded at No. 29. In the first round he lost to Tennys Sandgren in five sets.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hurkacz and Auger-Aliassime ended the six-match winning streak of Łukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo to reach their maiden doubles team final at the Paris Masters. They defeated US Open champions Mate Pavić and Bruno Soares in the final.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hurkacz started his season at the Delray Beach Open where he was seeded fourth. He advanced to his second career ATP Tour final in straight sets. In the final, he defeated Sebastian Korda to win his second ATP title. Next, Hurkacz played at the 2021 Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne, where he reached the quarterfinals in both singles and doubles. Coming into the Australian Open as the No. 26 seed, he lost to Mikael Ymer in the first round.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: At the Rotterdam Open, Hurkacz struck 17 aces to knock out Adrian Mannarino in straight sets. In the second round, he lost to second-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets. He continued at the Dubai Championships, where he defeated Richard Gasquet before falling to third-seeded Denis Shapovalov in the third round.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In March, Hurkacz participated at the Miami Open. He defeated Denis Shapovalov, Milos Raonic, Tsitsipas, Rublev, and Jannik Sinner en route to his first Masters 1000 title and third ATP title overall. By lifting the title in Miami, he entered the top 20 for the first time and reached a career-high ranking of No. 16 on 5 April 2021.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: At the Halle Open he reached his second doubles final partnering again with Auger-Aliassime, but lost to third-seeded German Kevin Krawietz and Romanian Horia Tecău.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: As the 14th seed at Wimbledon, Hurkacz defeated Lorenzo Musetti, Marcos Giron and Alexander Bublik all in straight sets to reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. In the fourth round Hurkacz defeated second seed Daniil Medvedev, his third top-10 win of the year. He was the fifth Polish man to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Hurkacz then defeated eight-time Wimbledon champion and sixth seed Roger Federer in the quarterfinals in three sets, in what would transpire to be the Swiss player's final professional singles match. With this victory, he became the first man since Mario Ančić in 2002 to defeat Federer in straight sets at Wimbledon. Hurkacz became only the second Polish man in history to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam (after Jerzy Janowicz at Wimbledon in 2013). Hurkacz then lost to 7th-seed Matteo Berrettini in the semifinals. With this successful run he entered the top 15 in the rankings at World No. 11 on 12 July 2021.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Following his Wimbledon run, Hurkacz attended the 2020 Summer Olympics and entered as the seventh seed. He defeated Luke Saville in the first round before falling in a stunning defeat to Liam Broady in a second round three-setter. For the year's US Open Series, Hurkacz embarked on his first tournament of the North American summer swing at the Canadian Open in Toronto, where the seventh seed defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili to reach the quarterfinals before he lost to top seed Daniil Medvedev in a tight three-set match involving two tiebreaks. The following week, ninth-seeded Hurkacz took on the Cincinnati Masters and defeated former world No. 1 Andy Murray in straight sets before losing to Pablo Carreño Busta in the third round in another hard-fought match with two tiebreak sets. The loss ended Hurkacz's 12-match win streak in the United States following his success at Delray Beach and Miami earlier in the year. In New York, Hurkacz embarked on the US Open as the 10th seed. He defeated Egor Gerasimov in the first round in straight sets before he was ousted by Andreas Seppi in a five-set second round match with a final set tiebreak.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: After his loss in New York, Hurkacz headed to the 2021 Moselle Open to play in both the singles and doubles tournaments. In the singles, he was drawn as the top seed. After he defeated Lucas Pouille, Murray, and Peter Gojowczyk without dropping a set, he beat Carreño Busta in another straight-set win in the final and earned himself his fourth ATP title. In the doubles, after making the finals without dropping a set, Hurkacz and his partner, Jan Zieliński, defeated Hugo Nys and Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets to win the tournament. Hurkacz's win gave him his second career doubles title and made him the first player to sweep both titles in the tournament's history. The win earned him a top 50 debut in doubles and his then-career-high doubles ranking of world No. 47 on 27 September 2021.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Seeded eighth at the 2021 Indian Wells Masters, he reached the quarterfinals without dropping a set after beating Alexei Popyrin, Frances Tiafoe, and Aslan Karatsev. There, he lost to Grigor Dimitrov in a three-set match that ended in a deciding tiebreak. After the tournament, Hurkacz made his debut in the top 10 at No. 10 on 18 October and became just the second male Polish tennis player to be ranked inside the top 10 in singles after Wojciech Fibak achieved the feat in 1977.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: At the Paris Masters, Hurkacz defeated qualifier Tommy Paul and lucky loser Dominik Koepfer to reach the quarterfinals. There, he beat Australian James Duckworth, to take the 8th and final spot at the ATP Finals. He is the second Polish player to earn a spot at the event in tournament history (after 1976 runner-up Wojciech Fibak). Hurkacz lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals in three sets. Due to his result at the tournament, his ranking shot up to No. 9 thus surpassing Wojciech Fibak for the highest ranked Polish man in ATP singles ranking history.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In January Hubert Hurkacz participated at the 2022 ATP Cup, where his win over Diego Schwartzman sealed victory for Poland over Argentina and allowed Polish team to advance to the semifinals. At the 2022 Australian Open Hurkacz defeated Egor Gerasimov before falling to Adrian Mannarino in the second round. Seeded fourth at the 2022 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam Hurkacz overpowered Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first round. In the second round he lost to Lorenzo Musetti in three sets.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: At the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships Hurkacz reached his first ATP 500 semifinal when he defeated Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinal. Seeded 5th he lost to 2nd seed Andrey Rublev in the semifinal.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In March, Hurkacz, seeded eighth, entered into the Miami Open where he was the defending champion. After wins over Arthur Rinderknech, Aslan Karatsev and Lloyd Harris, he reached the quarterfinals where he defeated top seeded Daniil Medvedev. In the semifinals, he lost in a close match to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, which included two tiebreaks. Hurkacz also entered the doubles tournament with John Isner as wildcards, where they won the title, defeating Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski in the final.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: At the Monte Carlo Masters, Hurkacz recorded his 100th career victory by defeating Pedro Martínez in the second round. He then defeated Albert Ramos Viñolas to reach his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal on a clay court. At the quarterfinals he fell short to Grigor Dimitrov again in a three set thriller.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In May, Hurkacz participated at the Madrid Open achieving victories over Hugo Dellien, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Dušan Lajović. In the quarterfinal, he lost to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: At the 2022 Italian Open (tennis), Hurkacz lost in the first round to David Goffin in two tiebreak sets.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: He reached the fourth round at the French Open for the first time after beating David Goffin in the third round. He lost in the fourth round to the Norwegian Casper Ruud in four sets. With that match Hurkacz concluded his clay season as one of the best in his career so far with a win loss record of 9-3 (75% win record).


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In June, he won the Halle Open, his first title of 2022, on grass, as well as his first ATP 500 title, winning against the world No.1 Daniil Medvedev in the final. On the way to the final he defeated Maxime Cressy, Ugo Humbert, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Nick Kyrgios. This also became his fifth singles final in a row that he won and became the seventh player in the Open Era to win the first five ATP tour finals.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: He lost his first round match at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a tight 3 1/2 hours five set match with a super tiebreak in the fifth after saving three match points.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: At the Canadian Open Hurkacz battled past Emil Ruusuvuori, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Nick Kyrgios and fourth seed Casper Ruud to reach the final. In the final he lost to Pablo Carreno Busta in three sets. The defeat ended Hurkacz's 5-ATP Tour finals win streak. At the same tournament, he reached the semifinals in doubles with compatriot Zielinski defeating en route sixth seeds Puetz/Venus in the first round, Bopanna/Middelkoop in the second and fourth seeds, French Open champions Arévalo/Rogers in the quarterfinals.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In September, Hurkacz participated at the Moselle Open as the defending champion and reached the semifinal after defeating Dominic Thiem and Arthur Rinderknech. In the semifinal he lost to Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In October, he entered the Astana Open and defeated Francisco Cerúndolo and Alexander Bublik in the first and second rounds respectively. He advanced to the quarterfinal where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. At the 2022 European Open in Antwerp, he also reached the quarterfinals but lost to Dominic Thiem. At the 2022 Erste Bank Open in Vienna he advanced to his third consecutive quarterfinal where he faced Borna Ćorić losing a tight three-set match featuring two tie-breaks. At the Paris Masters, he beat Adrian Mannarino in the first round before losing to the eventual champion Holger Rune in the second round.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hurkacz plays an all-court game with an emphasis on defensive baseline play, and former top 10 player Wojciech Fibak stated that Hurkacz is "an excellent, versatile player who can attack, accelerate and defend". Hurkacz is a big hitter, given that he stands 196 cm (6’5"). He is an effective server, with a top serve capable of reaching , and can hit powerfully from both his forehand and backhand. But like many of the tour's more powerful players, consistency has been described as an issue. Hurkacz plays solidly from the back of the court. He plays a low, flat and dangerous ball, while holding the ball in court. Over the years, Hurkacz has also developed a reputation as a diver on court. Speaking of his unique moves, Hurkacz explains, "I always enjoy grass courts, when you play on the hardcourt or clay court it's probably better not to dive as when you're falling down from the dive you can scratch yourself, on the grass, it's pretty comfortable. Sometimes, trying to get to a ball which is pretty far away, you just have to do it." He has also been described as a serve-and-volley player, especially on grass courts. His coach, Craig Boynton, summarized Hurkacz's style by comparing it to that of Andy Murray: "I think if you look at him, people have said he kind of mirrors Andy Murray with a similar routine on returns, a little bit of a similar backhand. He's a little taller than Andy. Andy's movement was phenomenal. But Hubi's a very good athlete, too."


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Despite all tennis players being taught to keep their eye on the ball, Hurkacz does quite the opposite. In a 2019 interview with "L'Équipe", he admitted, "I confess, it's true, I close my eyes when I hit the ball. In fact, I've probably always played like that, and it's been a while since I've been noticed."


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: In the early years (2010–2016), Hurkacz was coached by Filip Kańczuła. In 2017, he continued with Wrocław coaches Alexander Charpantidis and Paweł Stadniczenko, who shaped the tennis career of Michał Przysiężny, while Przemysław Piotrowicz was responsible for physical preparation. In 2018, "Hubi" decided to work with New Zealander Rene Moller, who appeared at his side during the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan later that same year. Under his leadership, Hurkacz won the Challenger in Canberra and strengthened himself in the top 100. At the 2019 Indian Wells Open, Hurkacz began his coaching partnership with Craig Boynton, who had worked with players including Jim Courier, Mardy Fish, John Isner, Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Sports company Yonex is the primary brand sponsor of Hubert Hurkacz. He has a head-to-toe deal with the company. Hubert plays with YONEX using VCORE PRO 97 racquet, Pro Series bag, ECLIPSION3 tennis shoes, and apparel. He is also sponsored by LOTOS, Grupa Lotos, the Polish capital group that specializes in the crude oil production, refining and marketing of oil products. During his matches Hurkacz wears the LOTOS brand's logo on his shirts..At the beginning of 2022 Hurkacz started to wear the Gerald Charles GC sport watch collection during his matches.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Hurkacz has turned his childhood love of sports cars into a partnership with U.K. based McLaren that has him driving high-end McLaren vehicles while at tournaments. It started in New York City when Hurkacz toured around in the McLaren GT. "It impressed me a lot", Hurkacz said. "Having a chance to compare different models of the McLaren cars is amazing." At the 2021 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells he was spinning in the McLaren 720S, the same car he drives when in Poland.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: For the past several years Hurkacz has adhered to a vegan diet. However, during his interview with ATP he stated that "when I was a kid, I didn’t like salad at all and I didn’t like most of the veggies".


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: From childhood Hurkacz has been passionate about cars. He stated, "I love cars, if I saw one on the street, I was always trying to look at it, find data about the cars." His love of cars led him to Formula One—he doesn't miss a race—and that led him to partnership with the McLaren team. He is hoping to get behind the wheel of one of the McLaren supercars on a track, even with a racecar driver.


title: Hubert Hurkacz

text: Furthermore, since he was a kid he was surrounded by tennis. His whole family is loving this sport, however Hurkacz was the first one to succeed in a worldwide context.


title: Balmain (fashion house)

text: Pierre Balmain S.A. () trading as Balmain, is a French luxury fashion house that was founded by Pierre Balmain in 1945. It operates 16 monobrand stores, including locations in New York City, London, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, and in Milan's Via Montenapoleone.


title: Balmain (fashion house)

text: In 2016, Mayhoola Investments acquired Balmain for a figure reportedly close to €500 million ($548 million). Balmain was 70 percent controlled by heirs of Alain Hivelin. The company does not regularly release financial information, but Les Echos estimated its revenue in 2015 at €120 million (about $136 million), growing from an estimated €30 million (about $34 million) in 2012. Balmain expected to reach a revenue of €150 million in 2017, 90% of which is generated by the wholesale channel, and is also putting more effort into direct retail.


title: Balmain (fashion house)

text: Balmain was born in 1914 in France. His father owned a drapery business and his mother and sister owned a fashion boutique where he often worked after his father's death in 1921. He attended the École des Beaux-Arts in 1933–1934, with intent to study architecture but instead ended up spending the majority of his time designing dresses. After working for atelier Robert Piquet as a freelance artist and spending time with Edward Molyneux, he left school to work for Molyneux. In the late 1930s, he served in the French air force and the army pioneer corps. After peace was declared, he worked at Lucien Lelong and opened his own fashion house under his name at 44, rue François 1 in Paris. He released his first collection in October 1945 and his first fragrance, Jolie Madame in 1949.


title: Balmain (fashion house)

text: In the period following World War II, Pierre Balmain was "a king of French fashion" and outfitted stars including Ava Gardner and Brigitte Bardot, the Nicaraguan first lady Hope Portocarrero, and Queen Sirikit of Thailand. Marlene Dietrich wore Balmain clothes that she selected in "No Highway in the Sky" (1951).


title: Balmain (fashion house)

text: After Balmain's death in 1982, the house was led by Erik Mortensen, described by "Vogue" as "Pierre Balmain's right hand". Mortensen had joined the house to work as Balmain's assistant in 1951. After succeeding Balmain, Eric Mortensen worked to maintain the brand aesthetic in the ever-living world of couture while still maintaining the progressive spirit of creativity in the fashion industry. The Balmain house recruits Peggy Huynh Kinh in 1982 to provide artistic direction for women's ready-to-wear and women's and home accessories license studios. Eric Mortensen won two Golden Thimble awards for his haute couture collections, one for the Autumn/Winter 83/84 and one for the Autumn/Winter 87/88. He left the house in 1990. After his departure, designer Hervé Pierre took over until 1992 working as director of ready-to-wear and haute couture.


title: Balmain (fashion house)

text: Possibly the most influential designer to take over at Balmain was Oscar de la Renta, who led the house between 1993 and 2002. Already a fashion veteran before joining Balmain, De la Renta brought a famous face to the brand Balmain. He lived in New York City most of his life, although he was born in the Dominican Republic and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1971. He fit into the Balmain design aesthetic, with an eye for detail and classic silhouettes. He, like Balmain, preferred modest and simple design rather than extremely ornamental and flashy styles. Couture had been suffering at the time since it was an extremely impractical business, so Oscar joined the brand in order to challenge himself and to help it through the beginning of the decline of couture.


title: Balmain (fashion house)

text: After Oscar de la Renta's departure Christophe Decarnin joined the house in 2005. Contrary to all the designers before him, Decarnin insisted on bringing the brand into the 21st century. He favored expensive prices and flashy pieces that sharply contrasted with the label's reputation for its classic and luxurious designs. He was considered a "star designer", and the brand became more about his star status than about its clothes. In April 2011, Balmain announced that Decarnin was to be replaced by Olivier Rousteing.


title: Balmain (fashion house)

text: Rousteing had joined the company in 2009, after attending a prestigious French fashion school and working under Roberto Cavalli. While he liked Decarnin's aesthetic, he wanted to orient the label towards the finer aspects of French couture. At the time of his appointment, Rousteing was a relatively unknown designer, and has brought a fresh take on the brand's aesthetic that remains to this day. He was credited with adding an Asian influence to the clothing, as Asia comprises a huge part of the brand's buyers.


title: Balmain (fashion house)

text: $4.2 million in 2016 sales declined 21 percent at average exchange declining 5.8 percent the previous year. Olivier terminated this contract in March 2017 due to declining sales. Production was turned over to Inter Parfums America temporarily, until Balmain can work out a deal with a new distributor for its 12 fragrances.


title: Mondo film

text: Mondo films are a subgenre of exploitation films and documentary films. Many mondo films are made in a way to resemble a pseudo-documentary and usually depicting sensational topics, scenes, or situations. Common traits of mondo films include portrayals of foreign cultures (which have drawn accusations of ethnocentrism or racism), an emphasis on taboo subjects such as death and sex, and staged sequences presented as genuine documentary footage. Over time, the films have placed increasing emphasis on footage of the dead and dying (both real and fake).


title: Mondo film

text: The term "mondo" is derived from the Italian word for "world". The term shockumentary is also used to describe the genre.


title: Mondo film

text: Mondo films began to soar in popularity in the 1960s with the releases of "Mondo Cane" (1962), "Women of the World" (1963) and "Africa Addio" (1966). The genre arguably reached its peak with "Faces of Death" in 1978, a film that inspired myriad imitators, such as the "Traces of Death" series, "Banned from Television", "Death Scenes" and "Faces of Gore" series.


title: Mondo film

text: Although earlier films such as Alessandro Blasetti's "Europa di notte" ("Europe By Night", 1959) and Luigi Vanzi's "Il mondo di notte" ("World By Night", 1961) may be considered examples of the genre, the origins of the mondo documentary are generally traced to the 1962 Italian film "Mondo Cane" ("A Dog's World"—a mild Italian profanity) by Paolo Cavara, Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi which was a commercial success.


title: Mondo film

text: Documentary films imitating "Mondo Cane" in the 1960s often included the term "mondo" in their titles, even if they were in English; examples include "Mondo Bizarro", "Mondo Daytona", "Mondo Mod", "Mondo Infame" and "Mondo Hollywood". Films outside the genre followed suit: "Mondo Trasho", "Mondo Weirdo: A Trip to Paranoia Paradise", "Mondo Keyhole" and "Mondo Brutale" (a German release of Wes Craven's "The Last House on the Left") title themselves "mondo", although none are mondo documentaries. Later in the decade, this naming convention began to fall out of favour and fewer mondo films identified themselves as such in their titles. "The War Game", a 1965 British film depicting conditions before and after a nuclear attack on England, would not see public broadcast for twenty years.


title: Mondo film

text: Filmmakers wanted to top each other in shock value to attract audiences. Cruelty to animals, accidents, tribal-initiation rites and surgeries are features of a typical mondo. Much of the action is staged, although the filmmakers may claim their goal is to document "reality". Subjects of mondo films include sex ("Mondo Sex" and "Mondo Sexualis USA"); celebrities ("Mondo Elvis" and "Mondo Lugosi"); youth culture ("Mondo Teeno") and the gay subculture ("Mondo Rocco").


title: Mondo film

text: Russ Meyer's film "Mondo Topless" was one of the few "documentaries" restricted to the old midnight movie circuit in the pre-VCR era; it explored strip clubs in 1960s San Francisco at a time when strip clubs were a novelty in the United States, restricted to centers of port-city decadence (such as San Francisco). Other examples of this genre include "Mondo New York" by Harvey Keith, "Mondo di Notte" by Gianni Proia and "Mondo Balordo" by Roberto Bianchi Montero.


title: Mondo film

text: The 1980s saw a resurgence of mondo movies focusing almost exclusively on (onscreen) death, instead of world cultures. The "Faces of Death" series is a notable example of this type of mondo (or "death") movie. The producers used fake footage (passed off as real), but some of the footage was legitimate (including scenes of autopsies, suicides and accidents).


title: Mondo film

text: The rare 1985 film "Mondo Senza Veli" ("World Without Veils" or "Mondo Fresh") was purported by viewers to feature at its end the brutal execution of a young Arab rapist by public rectal impalement. This episode was, however, believed to have been a staged execution by some viewers.


title: Mondo film

text: Mondo films in the 21st century feature gore, exemplified by the "Faces of Gore" and "Traces of Death" series. There is less fake footage, and many use news footage of accidents from East Asia.


title: Mondo film

text: The late 2010s saw another resurgence beginning with the "Bootleg Death Tape" series and "Faces of Dying" series from filmmaker Dustin Ferguson which both involved various independent Directors from around the world.


title: Mondo film

text: A number of films have parodied the genre. Examples include Ricardo Fratelli's "Mondo Ford", "Mr. Mike's Mondo Video" by "Saturday Night Live"s Michael O'Donoghue, and "Is There Sex After Death?" by Jeanne and Alan Abel. "Mondo Beyondo" spoofed the films' approach to titling but was a parody of satellite television. The Italian cannibal film is arguably an offshoot of the mondo film.


title: Mondo film

text: The original mondo film series was the "Mondo Cane" series by Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara, and Franco Prosperi. When this type of film proved successful, many imitators followed.


title: Mondo film

text: The pair's "Mondo candido" (1975) is not a "Mondo" film; the title was imposed on them by the studio, who wished to cash in on their earlier successes. The film is a retelling of Voltaire's novel, "Candide".


title: Mondo film

text: In the late 1980s Stelvio Massi (a.k.a. Max Steele) made two spinoffs of the original "Mondo Cane" series, known as "Mondo Cane 3" and "Mondo Cane 4" on video.


title: Mondo film

text: In 1969, brothers Angelo and Alfredo Castiglioni began to make a series of their own mondo films until the early 1980s. They made five films in all, tying Jacopetti and Prosperi as the most prolific mondo film producers. Each film examines brutal and bizarre behavior on the African continent. Their films are considered some of the most graphic Mondo films ever made.


title: Mondo film

text: Antonio Climati, cinematographer to Prosperi and Jacopetti in many mondo films, joined Mario Morra in 1974 to produce their own string of mondo films, known as the Savage Trilogy. Prosperi also produced the films. Climati and Morra were known for staging scenes.


title: Mondo film

text: The 1978 "Faces of Death" popularized a Mondo style known as "death films", which depicted humans or animals dying in graphic ways.


title: Mondo film

text: Uwe Schier bought the rights to the "Mondo Cane" and "Faces of Death" films and released his own entries in both series, consisting largely of footage lifted from other mondo films. "Faces of Death 5" draws heavily on "Death Scenes"; "Faces of Death 6" consists almost entirely of "Days of Fury" and "Mondo Cane IV" (not to be confused with "Mondo Cane 2000, l'Incredibile", Schier's "Mondo Cane IV" is in fact the fifth film in the series) lifts from other films (including "Death Scenes" and "Death Faces IV"). In 1993, Hurricane Pictures edited a mix of scenes featured in "Addio ultimo uomo" and "Shocking Africa", labeling it the "fifth chapter" of the saga ("Teil V" in German).


title: Mondo film

text: Several imitators followed the "Faces of Death" series; many used (or were composed entirely of) footage from other mondo films.


title: Mondo film

text: Original vintage photos and documents from the Italian Mondo Movies '58 '74,https://www.spazioeimmagini.com/exhibitions-2022, Spazio e Immagini.


title: Heart of palm

text: Heart of palm is a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees, most notably the coconut ("Cocos nucifera"), juçara ("Euterpe edulis"), açaí palm ("Euterpe oleracea"), palmetto ("Sabal" spp.), and peach palm. Harvesting of many uncultivated or wild single-stemmed palms results in palm tree death (e.g. "Geonoma edulis"). However, other palm species are clonal or multi-stemmed plants (e.g. "Prestoea acuminata", "Euterpe oleracea"), and moderate harvesting will not kill the entire clonal palm. Heart of palm may be eaten on its own, and often it is eaten in a salad.


title: Heart of palm

text: There are palm varieties that have become domesticated farm species as an alternative to sourcing from wild palms. The main variety that has been domesticated is "Bactris gasipaes", known in English as peach palm. This variety is the most widely used for canning. Peach palms are self-suckering and produce multiple stems, with up to 40 on one plant. This lets producers lower costs by harvesting several stems from a plant while avoiding the death of the palm. Another advantage is that the peach palm has been selectively bred to eliminate the thorns of its wild cousins. Since harvesting is still labor-intensive, palm hearts are regarded as a delicacy.


title: Heart of palm

text: Major local names for heart of palm include palm cabbage or palmetto in Florida and Trinidad; palmito in South and Central America; ubod in the Philippines; củ hủ dừa in Vietnam; coeur de palmier in French; corazón de palma or col de palma in Spanish; coração de palma or palmito in Portuguese; and cuore di palma in Italian.


title: Heart of palm

text: Hearts of palm are rich in fiber, potassium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, copper, vitamins B2, B6, and C. They are ranked as a "good" source of protein, riboflavin, and potassium, and as a "very good source" of dietary fiber, vitamin C, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and especially, manganese, along with being a good ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The high sodium content noted on the chart for hearts of palm relates to the canned product; it is not present in the fresh product.


title: Heart of palm

text: Harvesting and eating heart of palm is traditional in the cultures of Southeast Asia and South and Central America, pre-dating the colonial era. The species used depend on the region.


title: Heart of palm

text: In Southeast Asia, the dominant source of hearts of palm are coconuts ("Cocos nucifera"). Other palms species used include rattans ("Calamus" spp. and "Daemonorops" spp.), fishtail palms ("Caryota" spp.), areca palm ("Areca catechu"), "Linospadix" spp., "Arenga" spp., sago palms ("Metroxylon sagu"), and buri palms ("Corypha" spp.), among others.


title: Heart of palm

text: In Central and South America, the dominant species used are juçara palms ("Euterpe edulis"), açaí palms ("Euterpe oleracea"), and pejibaye palms ("Bactris" spp.). Other species used include sabal palmettos ("Sabal" spp.), grugru palms ("Acrocomia aculeata"), royal palms ("Roystonea" spp.), "Astrocaryum" spp., maripa palms ("Attalea maripa"), urucuri palms ("Attalea phalerata"), cohune palms ("Attalea cohune"), hesper palms ("Brahea" spp.), and "Syagrus" spp., among others. In South America, "Euterpe precatoria" (in Peru and Bolivia), "Euterpe edulis" (in Brazil), and "Prestoea acuminata" (in Ecuador) were formerly harvested commercially on a large scale, but currently not any longer due to overharvesting. Today, commercially available palmito in South America is typically derived from wild "Euterpe oleracea" and cultivated "Bactris gasipaes".


title: Heart of palm

text: Cultivation has also spread to South Asia, Africa, and other parts of the world, utilizing native palms like "Ravenea madagascariensis", "Phoenix canariensis", "Lodoicea maldivica", and "Borassus aethiopum", among others.


title: Heart of palm

text: As of 2008, Costa Rica was the primary source of fresh palm hearts in the U.S. Peach palms are also cultivated in Hawaii, and now have limited distribution on the mainland, primarily to the restaurant trade. Florida's wild "Sabal palmetto" or cabbage palm was once a source of hearts of palm but is now protected by conservation law.


title: Heart of palm

text: When harvesting the cultivated young palm, the tree is cut down, and the bark is removed, leaving layers of white fibers around the center core. During processing, the fibers are removed, leaving the center core or heart of palm. The center core is attached to a slightly more fibrous cylindrical base with a larger diameter. The entire cylindrical center core and the attached base are edible. The center core is considered more of a delicacy because of its lower fiber content.


title: Dinosaur size

text: Size is an important aspect of dinosaur paleontology, of interest to both the general public and professional scientists. Dinosaurs show some of the most extreme variations in size of any land animal group, ranging from tiny hummingbirds, which can weigh as little as two grams, to the extinct titanosaurs, which could weigh as much as .


title: Dinosaur size

text: The latest evidence suggests that dinosaurs' average size varied through the Triassic, early Jurassic, late Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, and dinosaurs probably only became widespread during the early or mid Jurassic. Predatory theropod dinosaurs, which occupied most terrestrial carnivore niches during the Mesozoic, most often fall into the category when sorted by estimated weight into categories based on order of magnitude, whereas recent predatory carnivoran mammals peak in the range of . The mode of Mesozoic dinosaur body masses is between one and ten metric tonnes. This contrasts sharply with the size of Cenozoic mammals, estimated by the National Museum of Natural History as about .