title: Second-language acquisition

text: Considerable attention has been paid to the strategies learners use to learn a second language. Strategies are of critical importance, so much so that "strategic competence" has been suggested as a major component of communicative competence. Strategies are commonly divided into "learning strategies" and "communicative strategies", although there are other ways of categorizing them. Learning strategies are techniques used to improve learning, such as mnemonics or using a dictionary. Communicative strategies are strategies a learner uses to convey meaning even when he or she doesn't have access to the correct form, such as using pro-forms like "thing", or using non-verbal means such as gestures. If learning strategies and communicative strategies are used properly language acquisition is successful. Some points to keep in mind while learning an additional language are: providing information that is of interest to the student, offering opportunities for the student to share their knowledge, and teaching appropriate techniques for the uses of the learning resources available.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: Another strategy may include intentional ways to acquire or improve their second language skills. Adult immigrants and/or second language learners seeking to acquire a second language can engage in different activities to receive and share knowledge as well as improve their learning; some of these include:


title: Second-language acquisition

text: The learner's attitude to the learning process has also been identified as being critically important to second-language acquisition. Anxiety in language-learning situations has been almost unanimously shown to be detrimental to successful learning. Anxiety interferes with the mental processing of language because the demands of anxiety-related thoughts create competition for mental resources. This results in less available storage and energy for tasks required for language processing. Not only this, but anxiety is also usually accompanied by self-deprecating thoughts and fear of failure, which can be detrimental to an individual's ability to learn a new language. Learning a new language provides a unique situation that may even produce a specific type of anxiety, called language anxiety, that affects the quality of acquisition. Also, anxiety may be detrimental for SLA because it can influence a learner's ability to attend to, concentrate on, and encode language information. It may affect the speed and accuracy of learning. Further, the apprehension created as a result of anxiety inhibits the learner's ability to retrieve and produce the correct information.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: A related factor, personality, has also received attention. There has been discussion about the effects of extravert and introvert personalities. Extraverted qualities may help learners seek out opportunities and people to assist with L2 learning, whereas introverts may find it more difficult to seek out such opportunities for interaction. However, it has also been suggested that, while extraverts might experience greater fluency, introverts are likely to make fewer linguistic errors. Further, while extraversion might be beneficial through its encouragement of learning autonomously, it may also present challenges as learners may find reflective and time-management skills to be difficult. However, one study has found that there were no significant differences between extroverts and introverts in the way they achieve success in a second language.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: Other personality factors, such as conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness influence self-regulation, which helps L2 learners engage, process meaning, and adapt their thoughts, feelings, and actions to benefit the acquisition process. SLA research has shown conscientiousness to be associated with time-management skills, metacognition, analytic learning, and persistence; agreeableness to effort; and openness to elaborative learning, intelligence, and metacognition. Both genetics and the learner's environment impact the personality of the learner, either facilitating or hindering an individual's ability to learn.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: Social attitudes such as gender roles and community views toward language learning have also proven critical. Language learning can be severely hampered by cultural attitudes, with a frequently cited example being the difficulty of Navajo children in learning English.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: Also, the motivation of the individual learner is of vital importance to the success of language learning. Motivation is influenced by goal salience, valence, and self-efficacy. In this context, goal salience is the importance of the L2 learner's goal, as well as how often the goal is pursued; valence is the value the L2 learner places on SLA, determined by the desire to learn and attitudes about learning the L2; and self-efficacy is the learner's own belief that he or she is capable of achieving the linguistic goal. Studies have consistently shown that "intrinsic motivation", or a genuine interest in the language itself, is more effective over the long term than "extrinsic motivation", as in learning a language for a reward such as high grades or praise. However, motivation is dynamic and, as an L2 learner's fluency develops, their extrinsic motivation may evolve to become more intrinsic. Learner motivation can develop through contact with the L2 community and culture, as learners often desire to communicate and identify with individuals in the L2 community. Further, a supportive learning environment facilitates motivation through the increase in self-confidence and autonomy. Learners in a supportive environment are more often willing to take on challenging tasks, thus encouraging L2 development.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: Attrition is the loss of proficiency in a language caused by a lack of exposure to or use of a language. It is a natural part of the language experience as it exists within a dynamic environment. As the environment changes, the language adapts. One way it does this is by using L1 as a tool to navigate the periods of change associated with acquisition and attrition. A learner's L2 is not suddenly lost with disuse, but its communicative functions are slowly replaced by those of the L1.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: Similar to second-language acquisition, second-language attrition occurs in stages. However, according to the regression hypothesis, the stages of attrition occur in reverse order of acquisition. With acquisition, receptive skills develop first, and then productive skills, and with attrition, productive skills are lost first, and then receptive skills.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: Age, proficiency level, and social factors play a role in the way attrition occurs. Most often younger children are quicker than adults to lose their L2 when it is left unused. However, if a child has established a high level of proficiency, it may take them several years to lose the language. Proficiency level seems to play the largest role in the extent of attrition. For very proficient individuals, there is a period where very little, if any, attrition is observed. For some, residual learning might even occur, which is the apparent improvement within the L2. Within the first five years of language disuse, the total percentage of language knowledge lost is less for a proficient individual than for someone less proficient. A cognitive psychological explanation for this suggests that a higher level of proficiency involves the use of schemas, or mental representations for linguistic structures. Schemas involve deeper mental processes for mental retrieval that are resistant to attrition. As a result, information that is tied to this system is less likely to experience less extreme attrition than information that is not. Finally, social factors may play an indirect role in attrition. In particular, motivation and attitude influence the process. Higher levels of motivation and a positive attitude toward the language and the corresponding community may lessen attrition. This is likely due to the higher level of competence achieved in L2 when the learner is motivated and has a positive attitude.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: While considerable SLA research has been devoted to language learning in a natural setting, there have also been efforts made to investigate second-language acquisition in the classroom. This kind of research has a significant overlap with language education, and it is mainly concerned with the effect that instruction has on the learner. It also explores what teachers do, the classroom context, and the dynamics of classroom communication. It is both qualitative and quantitative research.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: The research has been wide-ranging. There have been attempts made to systematically measure the effectiveness of language teaching practices for every level of language, from phonetics to pragmatics, and for almost every current teaching methodology. This research has indicated that many traditional language-teaching techniques are extremely inefficient. Cited in It is generally agreed that pedagogy restricted to teaching grammar rules and vocabulary lists does not give students the ability to use the L2 with accuracy and fluency. Rather, to become proficient in the second language, the learner must be given opportunities to use it for communicative purposes.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: Another area of research has been on the effects of corrective feedback in assisting learners. This has been shown to vary depending on the technique used to correct, and the overall focus of the classroom, whether on formal accuracy or communication of meaningful content. There is also considerable interest in supplementing published research with approaches that engage language teachers in action research on learner language in their own classrooms. As teachers become aware of the features of learner language produced by their students, they can refine their pedagogical intervention to maximize interlanguage development.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: If one wishes to acquire a language in a classroom setting only, one needs to consider the category of the language one wishes to acquire; the category of the desired language will determine how many hours or weeks to devote to study.


title: Second-language acquisition

text: There are three main categories of languages. Category I languages are “cognate languages” like French, Spanish, and Swedish; category II languages are Finnish, Russian, and Vietnamese; category III languages are Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. As such, the languages are categorized by their similarity to English. Respectively, category I languages require 24 weeks or 600 classroom hours to achieve proficiency; category II languages require 44 weeks or 1,100 hours; category III languages require 88 weeks or 2,200 hours .


title: Second-language acquisition

text: Moreover, one can achieve proficiency in a foreign language in a classroom setting so long as one acknowledges the time commitment necessary.


title: Zacchaeus

text: Zacchaeus (sometimes spelled Zaccheus; , ""; , "pure, innocent") was a chief tax-collector at Jericho in the Bible. He is known primarily for his faith in climbing a sycamore tree to see Jesus, and also his generosity in giving half of all he possessed. A descendant of Abraham, he was an example of Jesus's personal, earthly mission to bring salvation to the lost. Tax collectors were despised as traitors (working for the Roman Empire, not for their Jewish community), and as being corrupt. His story is found in the Gospel of Luke.


title: Zacchaeus

text: Because the lucrative production and export of balsam was centered in Jericho, his position would have carried both importance and wealth. In the account, he arrived before the crowd who were later to meet with Jesus, who was passing through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. He was short in stature and so was unable to see Jesus through the crowd (Luke 19:3). Zacchaeus then ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree along Jesus's path. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up at the sycamore tree (actually a sycamore-fig "Ficus sycomorus"), addressed Zacchaeus by name, and told him to come down, for he intended to visit his house. The crowd was shocked that Jesus, a religious teacher/prophet, would sully himself by being a guest of a sinner.


title: Zacchaeus

text: At Er-riha (Jericho) there is a large, venerable looking square tower, which by tradition is named the House of Zacchaeus.


title: Zacchaeus

text: Clement of Alexandria refers once to Zacchaeus in a way which could be read as suggesting that some identified him with apostle Matthew or Matthias. However, Luke indicates that Matthias was with Jesus in the beginning since the baptism of John ().


title: Zacchaeus

text: Because John preached the giving away of one's excess possessions in Luke 3:7–14, this could explain the generosity of Little Zacchaeus. John also told us that later, many of Jesus' disciples turned back and no longer followed him (). The later Apostolic Constitutions identify "Zacchaeus the Publican" as the first bishop of Caesarea (7.46).


title: Zacchaeus

text: Medieval legend identified Zacchaeus with Saint Amadour, and held him to be the founder of the French sanctuary, Rocamadour.


title: Zacchaeus

text: In Eastern Orthodox, Western Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches of Slavic tradition, the Gospel account of Zacchaeus is read on the last Sunday preceding the liturgical preparation for Great Lent, for which reason that Sunday is known as "Zacchaeus Sunday". It is the first commemoration of a new Paschal cycle. The account was chosen to open the Lenten season because of two exegetical aspects: Jesus's call to Zacchaeus to come down from the tree (symbolizing the divine call to humility), and Zacchaeus's subsequent repentance.


title: Zacchaeus

text: In the Eastern churches of the Greek/Byzantine tradition, Zacchaeus Sunday may fall earlier than the Sunday before the Pre-Lenten season.


title: Zacchaeus

text: In Western Christianity, the gospel pericope concerning Zacchaeus is the reading for a Dedication of a Church or its anniversary. In Southern Bavaria, a red banner with a white cross may be flown outside a Church on its anniversary, which is consequently called the Zacchaeus flag.


title: Zacchaeus

text: The story of Zacchaeus is used by some to illustrate the saying of Jesus: "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God" (), because the name "Zacchaeus" means 'pure'. Zacchaeus also becomes a contrast of character with the Rich Young Ruler (). Both Zacchaeus and the Rich Young Ruler were wealthy men, but one was self-righteous and would not give up his possessions, while the other gave half of his possessions to feed the poor.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: North Germanic peoples, commonly called Scandinavians, Nordic peoples and in a medieval context Norsemen, were a Germanic linguistic group originating from the Scandinavian Peninsula. They are identified by their cultural similarities, common ancestry and common use of the Proto-Norse language from around 200 AD, a language that around 800 AD became the Old Norse language, which in turn later became the North Germanic languages of today.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: The North Germanic peoples are thought to have emerged as a distinct people in what is now southern Sweden in the early centuries AD. Several North Germanic tribes are mentioned by classical writers in antiquity, in particular the Swedes, Danes, Geats, Gutes and Rugii. During the subsequent Viking Age, seafaring North Germanic adventurers, commonly referred to as Vikings, raided and settled territories throughout Europe and beyond, founding several important political entities and exploring the North Atlantic as far as North America. Groups that arose from this expansion include the Normans, the Norse–Gaels and the Rus' people. The North Germanic peoples of the Viking Age went by various names among the cultures they encountered, but are generally referred to as "Norsemen".


title: North Germanic peoples

text: With the end of the Viking Age in the 11th century, the North Germanic peoples were converted from their native Norse paganism to Christianity, while their previously tribal societies were centralized into the modern kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: Modern linguistic groups that descended from the North Germanic peoples are the Danes, Icelanders, Norwegians, Swedes, and Faroese. These groups are often collectively referred to as "Scandinavians", although Icelanders and the Faroese are sometimes excluded from that definition.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: Although the early North Germanic peoples definitely had a common identity, it is uncertain if they had a common ethnonym. Their common identity was rather expressed through the geographical and linguistic terms The North Lands (Old Norse: Norðrlönd) and The Danish Tongue (Old Norse: Dönsk Tunga). Most early Scandinavians would however primarily identify themselves with their region of origin. However, the Old Norse term "Nordmenn", usually applied for Norwegians, was sometimes applied to all Old Norse speakers.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: The modern North Germanic languages have a common word: the word "nordbo", (Sw.: "nordborna", Da.: "nordboerne", No.: "nordboerne" or "nordbuane" in the definite plural) which is used for both ancient and modern North Germanic peoples.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: In the early Medieval period, as today, "Vikings" was a common term for North Germanic raiders, especially in connection with raids and monastic plundering in continental Europe and the British Isles. In modern times the term is often applied to all North Germanic peoples of the Middle Ages, including raiders and non-raiders, although such use is controversial. From the Old Norse language, the term "norrœnir menn" ("northern men"), has given rise to the English name "Norsemen", which is sometimes used for the pre-Christian North Germanic peoples. In scholarship however, the term Norsemen generally refers only to early Norwegians.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: The North Germanic peoples were known by many names by those they encountered. They were known as "Ascomanni" (Ashmen) by the Germans, and "Dene" (Danes) or heathens by the Anglo-Saxons. The Old Frankish word "Nortmann" (Northman) was Latinised as "Normanni" and then entered Old French as "Normands", whence the name of the Normans and of Normandy, which was conquered from the Franks by Vikings in the 10th century. The Gaelic terms "Finn-Gall" (White Foreigner) and "Dubh-Gall" (Black Foreigner) were used by the Irish for Norwegian and Danish Vikings, respectively. Dubliners called them "Ostmen" (East-people), and the name "Oxmanstown" (an area in central Dublin; the name is still current) comes from one of their settlements; they were also known as "Lochlannaigh" (Lake-people).


title: North Germanic peoples

text: The Slavs, Finns, Muslims, Byzantines and other peoples of the east knew them as the "Rus'" or "Rhōs", probably derived from various uses of "rōþs-", i.e. "related to rowing", or from the area of Roslagen in east-central Sweden, where most of the Vikings who visited the Slavic lands originated. The Arabs of Spain also knew them as "al-Majus" (fire-worshippers), although they used this term rather for the Basques. After the Rus' established Kievan Rus' and gradually merged with the Slavic population, the North Germanic people in the east become known as "Varangians" (ON: "Væringjar", meaning "sworn men"), after the bodyguards of the Byzantine known as the Varangian Guard.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: In modern scholarship, the terms "Scandinavians" and "Norsemen" are common synonyms for North Germanic peoples. As such, "Scandinavians" is generally applied for modern North Germanic peoples, while "Norsemen" is sometimes applied for pagan pre-modern North Germanic peoples.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: The Battle Axe culture, a local variant of the Corded Ware culture, which was itself an offshoot of the Yamnaya culture, emerged in southern Scandinavia in the early 3rd millennium BC. Modern-day Scandinavians have been found to carry more ancestry from the Yamnaya culture than any other population in Europe. While previous inhabitants of Scandinavia have been found to be mostly carriers of haplogroup I, the emergence of the Battle Axe culture in Scandinavia is characterized by the appearance of new lineages such as haplogroup R1a and haplogroup R1b. The Proto-Germanic language is ultimately thought to have emerged from the Battle Axe culture, possibly through its superimposition upon the earlier megalithic cultures of the area. The Germanic tribal societies of Scandinavia were thereafter surprisingly stable for thousands of years.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: Scandinavia is considered the only area in Europe where the Bronze Age was significantly delayed for a whole region. The period was nevertheless characterized by the independent development of new technologies, with the peoples of southern Scandinavia developing a culture with its own characteristics, indicating the emergence of a common cultural heritage. When bronze was finally introduced, its importance was rapidly established, leading to the emergence of the Nordic Bronze Age. The Nordic Bronze Age is closely genetically related to the Beaker and Unetice cultures of Continental Europe, and even the Sintashta and Andronovo cultures of the Eurasian Steppe, with whom it also shares numerous cultural characteristics.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: During the Iron Age the peoples of Scandinavia were engaged in the export of slaves and amber to the Roman Empire, receiving prestige goods in return. This is attested by artifacts of gold and silver that have been found at rich burials from the period. North Germanic tribes, chiefly Swedes, were probably engaged as middlemen in the slave trade along the Baltic coast between Balts and Slavs and the Roman Empire. The North Germanic tribes at the time were skilled metal and leather workers, which supplemented their trade in iron and amber. In his book Germania, the Roman historian Tacitus mentions the Swedes (Suiones) as being governed by powerful rulers and excelling at seafaring. From a very early time, Germanic tribes are thought to have interacted with and possibly settled in the Baltic states, in which they would leave a profound influence, particularly on the ancient Estonians.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: During the Iron Age various Germanic tribes migrated from Scandinavia to East-Central Europe. This included the Rugii, Goths, Gepids, Vandals, Burgundians and others. The Rugii might have originated in Western Norway (Rogaland). The migrations of most of these tribes is thought to have occurred around 200 BC, though the Vandals might have migrated earlier. According to the historian Procopius, these tribes were distinguished by their height, fair complexion, physical attractiveness and common cultural characteristics, suggesting a common origin. Because of the large number of Germanic tribes that traced their origin to Scandinavia, the region became known by Early Medieval historians as the "Factory of Nations" () or "Womb of Nations" (). The early Germanic tribes that migrated from Scandinavia became speakers of East Germanic dialects. Though these tribes were probably indistinguishable from later North Germanic tribes at the time of their migration, the culture and language of North and East Germanic tribes would thereafter take divergent lines of development. Another Germanic tribe which claimed Scandinavian origins were the Lombards.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: It is likely that Proto-Norse emerged as a separate Germanic dialect around the 1st century. The ethnogenesis of the North Germanic peoples is thought to have occurred in Sweden. Sweden was the home of the earliest attestations of North Germanic culture, and the later North Germanic tribes of Norway and Denmark originated in Sweden. Archaeological evidence suggests that the North Germanic tribes at the time constituted one of five main tribal groups among the Germanic peoples, the others being North Sea Germanic tribes (Frisians, Saxons and Angles), Weser-Rhine Germanic tribes (Hessians, Franks), Elbe Germanic tribes (Lombards, Alemanni, Bavarians) and Oder-Vistula Germanic tribes (Goths, Vandals, Burgundians).


title: North Germanic peoples

text: The southward expansion of the East Germanic tribes pushed many other Germanic and Iranian peoples towards the Roman Empire, spawning the Marcomannic Wars in the 2nd century AD. Another East Germanic tribe were the Herules, who according to 6th century historian Jordanes were driven from modern-day Denmark by the Danes, who were an offshoot of the Swedes. The migration of the Herules is thought to have occurred around 250 AD. The Danes would eventually settle all of Denmark, with many its former inhabitants, including the Jutes and Angles, settling Britain, becoming known as the Anglo-Saxons. The Old English story Beowulf is a testimony to this connection. Meanwhile, Norway was inhabited by a large number of North Germanic tribes and divided into a score of petty kingdoms.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: Among the early North Germanic peoples, kinship ties played an important role in social organization. Society was divided into three classes, chieftains, free men and slaves (thralls). Free men were those who owned and farmed the land. Religious leaders, merchants, craftsmen and armed retainers of chieftains (housecarls) were not confined to any specific class. Women had considerable independence compared to other parts of Europe. Legislative and judicial power lay in the hands of the free men at a popular assembly known as the Thing. Their legal system was closely related to those of other Germanic peoples. Dwellings were built according to methods that had changed little since the neolithic. A chieftain typically had his seat of power in a mead hall, where lavish feasts for his followers were held. Merchants frequently operated through joint financial ventures, and some legal disputes were solved through single combat. Men of prominence were generally buried along with their most prized possessions, including horses, chariots, ships, slaves and weapons, which were supposed to follow them into the afterlife.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: Though the economy was primarily based on farming and trade, the North Germanic tribes practiced a warrior culture similar to related Germanic peoples and the ancient Celts. Warfare was generally carried out in small war bands, whose cohesiveness generally relied upon the loyalty between warriors and their chiefs. Loyalty was considered a virtue of utmost importance in early North Germanic society. A fabled elite group of ferocious North Germanic warriors were the berserkers. The North Germanic tribes of these period also excelled at shipbuilding and maritime warfare.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: The North Germanic tribes practiced Norse paganism, a branch of Germanic paganism, which ultimately stems from Proto-Indo-European religion. Religion was typically practiced at hallowed outdoor sites, but there is also reference to temples, where sacrifices were held. The best known of these was the Temple at Uppsala. Their art was intimately intertwined with their religion. Their stories and myths were typically inscribed on runestones or transmitted orally by skalds. According to North Germanic belief, those who died in battle gained admittance to Folkvang, Freya's Hall, and above all to Valhalla, a majestic hall presided over by Odin, ruler of Asgard according to their cosmology and the chief god in the North Germanic pantheon. Runes, the Germanic form of writing, was associated with Odin and magic. The thunder god Thor was popular with the North Germanic common people.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: By the 3rd century there seems to have been a disruption of trade, possibly due to attacks from tribes in periphery. In the 4th and 5th centuries, larger settlements were established in southern Scandinavia, indicating a centralization of power. Numerous strongholds were also being built, indicating a need to defend against attacks. Deposits of weapons in bogs from this period suggest the presence of a warrior aristocracy. The Gutes of Gotland are in later Old Norse literature considered indistinguishable from the Goths, who in the 3rd and 4th centuries wrested control of the Pontic Steppe from the Iranian nomads. The Goths were the only non-nomadic people to ever acquire a dominant position on the Eurasian steppe, and their influence on the early Slavs must have been considerable. When the Huns invaded these territories, the North Germanic legends recall that the Gizur of the Geats came to the aid of the Goths in an epic conflict. Rich Eastern Roman finds made in Gotland and southern Sweden from this period are a testimony to this connection.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: Archaeological evidence suggest that a warrior elite continued to dominate North Germanic society into the Early Middle Ages. The royal dynasty of the Swedes, the Yngling, was founded in the 5th century. Based at Gamla Uppsala, the Ynglings would come to dominate much of Scandinavia. The importance of this dynasty for the North Germanic peoples is attested by the fact that the later Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson begins his history of the Norse peoples, the Heimskringla, with the legends of ancient Sweden.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: Around 510, the Herules returned to their home in southern Sweden following centuries of migrations throughout Europe, after their kingdom had been overwhelmed by the Lombards. Their name has been connected to the word "erilaz" attested in Elder Futhark inscriptions and the title "Earl".


title: North Germanic peoples

text: In his book Getica, the 6th century Gothic historian Jordanes presents a detailed description of the various peoples inhabiting Scandinavia (Scandza), a land "not only inhospitable to men but cruel even to wild beasts." Jordanes wrote that the Scandinavians were distinguished from other Germanic peoples by being of larger physical stature and more warlike. The most numerous of these tribes were the Swedes and the Danes, who were an offshoot of the Swedes. Another North Germanic tribe were the Ranii, whose king Rodulf left Scandinavia for Ostrogothic Italy and became a companion of Theoderic the Great.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: As early as the 6th century, the North Germanic tribes were actively engaged in naval raids on Continental Europe. Between 512 and 520, as attested in the Royal Frankish Annals and Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, Hygelac, King of the Geats, made a great raid in the Rhineland. Carrying off great booty, Hygelac was defeated and killed before he could return to Scandinavia. Before the 7th century AD, Norwegian seafarers had settled Shetland. During this time the Frisians were the foremost rivals of the Scandinavians for naval supremacy in the North Sea. By the 8th century, the Swedes, by far the most advanced of the North Germanic peoples, had established colonial settlements in Estonia, Latvia and the southern shores of Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in Russia. The settlement of Grobiņa in Latvia and the Salme ships of Saaremaa, Estonia, are testimony to this expansion. In this period the entire eastern Baltic Sea came to be dominated by a homogenous warrior culture derived from Sweden, in which Old Norse served as the lingua franca.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: In the late 8th century North Germanic tribes embarked on a massive expansion in all the directions. This was the start of the Viking Age, which lasted until 1066 AD. This expansion is considered the last of the great North Germanic migrations. These seafaring traders, settlers and warriors are commonly referred to as "Vikings". The North Germanic peoples of the Viking Age as a whole are sometimes referred to as Norsemen. However, the term "Norsemen" is often used only for early Norwegians, or as a synonym for Vikings. Though the early Scandinavians did not have an ethnonym for themselves, they certainly had a common identity, which has survived among their descendants up to the present day.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: The cause of this expansion is often thought to have been overpopulation. Other explanations include political tensions, disruption of trade with the Abbasid Caliphate, or vengeance against massacres committed against the pagan Saxons by the Carolingian Empire. The prospect of a Carolingian invasion of Denmark itself created much fear and resentment among the Scandinavians. The destruction of the naval powers of the Frisians by Charlemagne in the 8th century also probably played a key role in facilitating the naval dominance of the Scandinvians. The centralization of power that was carried out by Harald Fairhair and other powerful Scandinavian rulers drove many warlike men into exile abroad. By this time North Germanic military units were typically larger than in previous centuries. During this time the North Germanic peoples spoke Old Norse.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: The Vikings raided and settled various parts in the British Isles, in particular the area around the Irish Sea and Scotland, where they became known as the Norse–Gaels. The Uí Ímair dynasty acquired a prominent position among these Scandinavians, establishing the Kingdom of the Isles. These Vikings, mostly Norwegians, came close to completely conquering Ireland until they were defeated by the Irish at the Battle of Clontarf. They would nevertheless remain firmly established in Ireland for generations afterwards, in particular the cities of Dublin, Waterford and Limerick. In the 9th century, Danish Vikings gained control of a part of eastern England, which became known as the Danelaw. England was the part of Europe most heavily subjected to Viking attacks, and it is likely that the Scandinavians would have gained control of all of England if not for the successful resistance of Alfred the Great. In the early 11th century, England temporarily became part of the North Sea Empire of Danish king Cnut the Great from 1016 to 1042.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: Vikings were also active in both east and west Francia. There were extensive raids in the Rhineland, and Hamburg was burned in 845. In the early 10th century, a group of Vikings under the leadership of Rollo settled in Rouen, France, and established the Duchy of Normandy. The descendants of these Vikings, known as the "Normans", would in the 11th century conquer England, Southern Italy, and North Africa, and play a leading role in launching the Crusades. Sub-groups of the Normans include Anglo-Normans, Scoto-Normans, Cambro-Normans, Hiberno-Normans and Italo-Normans.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: Some Vikings raided in Spain, and sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar and pillaged the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: In the east the Danish Viking were active in raiding the Wends. The most famous colonies created by these Vikings was Jomsborg in modern Pomerania, which became the base of the Jomsvikings.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: The Swedes were particularly active in Eastern Europe, where they were known as the "Rus'". They were engaged in extensive trade with the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate, launching raids on Constantinople and expeditions in the Caspian Sea. The Rus' are described in detail by the Arab traveller Ahmad ibn Fadlan, who described them as tall, blond and the most "perfect physical specimens" he had ever seen. In the 9th century, the Viking Rurik is believed to have founded the Rurik dynasty, which eventually developed into Kievan Rus'. The North Germanic elite of this state were known as the Rus'. In the 10th century, the Rus', in cooperation with surviving Crimean Goths, destroyed the Khazar Khaganate and emerged as the dominant power in Eastern Europe. By the 11th century, the Rus' had converted to Eastern Orthodoxy and were gradually merging with the local East Slavic population, becoming known as the Russians. The North Germanic diaspora in the area were thereafter called Varangians. Many of them served in the Varangian Guard, the personal bodyguard of the Byzantine emperors. Among the prominent Scandinavians who served in the Varangian Guard were Norwegian king Harald Hardrada.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: While the Danes and Swedes were active in Francia and Russia respectively, North Germanic tribes from Norway were actively exploring the North Atlantic. These Vikings were the first sailors in naval history to venture out into the open sea. This initially resulted in the colonization of the Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands, the Faroese Islands and Iceland. The most important Norse colony was the settlement in Iceland, which became a haven for Scandinavians who sought to preserve their traditional way of life and independence of central authority. The literary heritage of the Icelanders is indispensable for the modern understanding of early North Germanic history and culture. In the late 10th century, the Icelandic explorer Erik the Red discovered Greenland and supervised the Norse settlement of the Iceland. His son Leif later made the first documented trans-oceanic voyage in history and thereafter supervised the attempted Norse colonization of North America.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: While Vikings were raiding the rest of Europe, their own Scandinavian homeland was undergoing increasing centralization. This is evidenced by the number of larger settlements being built. Some of these settlements became seats for royal mints and bishoprics.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: By the mid-11th century, the North Germanic tribes had been converted from paganism to Christianity and were under the rule of centralized states. These states were the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The Scandinavian settlements in Greenland disappeared in the 15th century. Modern groups descended from the North Germanic peoples are the Danes, Faroese people, Icelanders, Norwegians and Swedes. These groups are often referred to as "Scandinavians". Although North Germanic, Icelanders and the Faroese, and even the Danes, are sometimes not included as "Scandinavians". North Germanic peoples are sometimes called "Nordic peoples" by historians. Along with the Germans, the English and the Dutch, they constitute one of the main branches of the Germanic peoples.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: The Nordic countries, especially Iceland, are along with the nations of East Asia considered some of the most ethnically homogenous countries in the world.


title: North Germanic peoples

text: In the Late Middle Ages, the countries most associated with North Germanic cultures were briefly united under the Kalmar Union. With the rise of romantic nationalism in the 19th century, many prominent figures throughout Scandinavia became adherents of Scandinavism, which called for the unification of all North Germanic lands. Both during the First Schleswig War and the Second Schleswig War between Denmark and Germany in the 19th century, large numbers of Swedes fought for Denmark to counter a perceived German threat against the North Germanic peoples. In Norway, many prominent public figures favoured pan-Germanism from the mid-19th century, seeking to create a pan-Germanic state in unity with other "Germanic tribes". Pan-Germanism lost currency in Norway in 1943, when the Axis Powers were being pushed back on Eastern Front in the midst of World War II.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Cursed is a 2005 American horror comedy film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, who both collaborated on the "Scream" film series. The film stars Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg as two orphaned siblings attacked by a werewolf loose in Los Angeles.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Originally planned for 2003, the film took over two more years to be made than originally planned, during which producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein kept asking for reshoots and changes to the plot, re-edited the movie to give a PG-13 rating rather than the original intended R-rating, and fired veteran makeup artist Rick Baker to replace the werewolves he had created with computer-generated ones. "Cursed" was released theatrically in the United States on February 25, 2005, by Miramax Films. The film was a box-office bomb and received generally negative reviews from critics; Craven himself was very displeased with the final result.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: On a seaside pier in Los Angeles, friends Jenny Tate and Becky Morton decide to get their fortune told by Zela. Zela foretells that they will suffer a horrible fate warning about a beast that feeds off the moon but they don't believe her. That same night, 16-year-old high-schooler Jimmy Myers is picked up on Mulholland Drive by his older sister Ellie, who has just returned from visiting her boyfriend, Jake Taylor. Jimmy had a run-in with some bullies and his crush, Brooke.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Driving home, Jimmy and Ellie collide with an animal and another car. They attempt to rescue the other driver, Becky, but an unseen creature slashes the siblings before it drags Becky off and rips her in half. When interviewed by police, despite Jimmy's belief that it was a wolf or dog-type animal, the official report credits it to a bear or cougar.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: The next day at work, Ellie finds herself attracted to the scent of a coworkers blood, but she dismisses it. At a party, Jenny interrupts a conversation between Ellie and Jake. Annoyed that Jenny is flirting with Jake, Ellie leaves the party early. Soon after this Jenny heads down to the parking garage where she is chased and killed by a wolf-like creature. Jimmy does research about wolves in California and starts to believe that the creature was a werewolf, sharing his thoughts with a disbelieving Ellie. To ease Jimmy's concerns, she touches a silver picture frame without getting burned.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Jimmy is becoming much stronger and more aggressive, as shown when a bully named Bo coerces him to join the wrestling team. He easily defeats three wrestlers, including Bo, and calls Bo out for constantly making gay jokes towards him, saying that Bo himself is repressing his own homosexuality.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Ellie starts to believe the werewolf hypothesis when she meets Zela. Zela warns about the effect the coming full moon will have and tells her that the only way to cure herself is to end the line of the werewolf who cursed her. Jimmy proves they have been cursed when he holds a silver cake server and gets burned, discovering that the picture frame Ellie touched earlier was only stainless steel. The siblings dog Zipper, who has become increasingly afraid of his owners, bites Jimmy, becoming infected with the curse, and goes on a rampage. Realizing what's happening, Jimmy goes to warn Ellie with Bo, who showed up at their house to confess that he is gay and has feelings for Jimmy. Bo is flatly rejected by Jimmy who believes the attraction to be his werewolf pheromones, but Bo still helps Jimmy.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Ellie has deduced that Jake is a werewolf and he confirms it. However, he reveals that he didn't attack her and Jimmy as he was born a werewolf and can control his transformations. When another werewolf attacks the two, Bo and Jimmy try to help, but Bo is knocked out. The werewolf turns back into Joanie, who was cursed after a one-night stand with Jake and committed all of the previous murders. She now wants to kill all potential rivals so Jake will be hers.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: When Jake offers to let Joanie kill him to protect Ellie, she refuses as she knows killing him would break her curse. After knocking him out she turns into her werewolf form and starts attacking Ellie and Jimmy. The siblings fight her, and when the police arrive, the two draw her out by insulting her. The police open fire eventually killing her when a policeman shoots her in the head. Bo is okay, but Jake has disappeared.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Jimmy and Ellie return to a wrecked home. As Jimmy works to restore the power, Jimmy and Ellie begin transforming. Jake arrives, revealing that as he caused Joanie's curse, the only way to cure Ellie is to kill him. He wants to be with her, but also kill Jimmy so only he is the alpha male. She and Jake fight, but he dominates the fight. Werewolf Jimmy joins in, climbing across the ceiling and biting Jake, allowing Ellie to stab and badly injure Jake with the silver cake server. Ellie decapitates Jake with a shovel and breaks the curse on the two siblings (and Zipper). They watch as Jake's body bursts into flames.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Bo, Brooke, and Zipper arrive at the house. Bo and Jimmy are now friends; Jimmy kisses Brooke and walks her home along with Bo. Ellie is stuck with the clean-up of the messy house.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: The first draft of the script was written by Kevin Williamson in August 2000 and followed the exploits of a New York City serial killer who discovers that his lethal tendencies are due to his lycanthrope nature.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Both screenwriters Sean Hood and Tony Gayton did rewrites of Williamson’s original script during the development process.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Dimension Films co-founder Bob Weinstein announced in October 2002 that "Cursed" would "reinvent the werewolf genre," and Wes Craven would direct, with the movie being officially released on August 8, 2003. Craven was in the final stages of pre-production with the movie "Pulse" when Weinstein abruptly pulled the movie from the schedule ten days before shooting and cut through all the slow lanes, getting "Cursed" off and running. Craven was reportedly not pleased so Weinstein doubled his pay in order for him to do the werewolf film. The director deemed the script too tonally similar to his film "Vampire in Brooklyn", but felt pressured by the studio, leading him to ultimately sign on.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: "Wes and Kevin are a dynamic team, and we are confident that their collaboration will prove to be a winner," Weinstein stated.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: In December 2002, a press release for the project described "Cursed" as a "modern, hip twist on the classic werewolf tale" and Dimension Films also announced that Academy Award winner makeup effects designer Rick Baker would be in charge of the overall design of the werewolves. Baker had originally turned down the offer due to the very limited time he had to create all the designs and eventually accepted at the only condition to be able to work without any studio interference.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: The first of the three leads to be cast was 19-year-old Jesse Eisenberg, star of the critically acclaimed indie "Roger Dodger", who was announced on March 3, 2003. It was also reported that


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: On March 13, 2003, it was reported that Christina Ricci had signed on to play the leading role of Ellie Harper, an associate producer on "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" who is attacked by a werewolf after a car accident on Mulholland Drive. The same day, Scott Foley and Omar Epps were also cast as Ellie’s boyfriend Kyle and the chief of the animal control department Ben Taft, respectively.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: On March 17, 2003, Skeet Ulrich (who has previously starred in Craven’s "Scream" as Billy Loomis) joined the cast as Vince Winston, the burnout son of a millionaire who gets bitten and cursed by the beast. Other cast members included Milo Ventimiglia (Bo, a high school bully), James Brolin (Tyler Winston, Vince’s billionaire and estranged father), Shannon Elizabeth (Becky Morton, a party girl who gets brutally murdered under Santa Monica Pier), Illeana Douglas (Zela, an atypical fortune teller) and Robert Forster (Detective Harzel). Scott Baio himself along with Corey Feldman were cast as themselves.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Pop singer and actress Mandy Moore was cast as Jenny Taylor, the opening victim who gets killed by the werewolf during a costume party sponsored by PETA. "A Nightmare on Elm Street" star Heather Langenkamp joined the cast in a small, supporting role as a TV reporter and John C. McGinley took part in the production as Jimmy's abusive dad. James Kallahan and Michelle Krusiec rounded out the main cast as Ellie’s co-workers Mark and Debbie.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: When production shut down and resumed with a new script, new roles were added and others were re-written. Skeet Ulrich was unsatisfied with his character’s transformation and chose to drop out of the film.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: On December 1, 2003, Joshua Jackson was cast as the new male lead (renamed Jack and retooled as Ellie’s boyfriend), along with Portia De Rossi (who replaced Illeana Douglas as Zela), "Smallville" regular Michael Rosenbaum (taking over James Callahan as Ellie’s assistant, now named Kyle) and R&B singer Mýa as Jenny, previously played by Mandy Moore.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Scott Foley was originally supposed to reprise the role of Kyle (now turned into Ellie’s assistant) but ultimately dropped out as well.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: James Brolin, Robert Forster, Corey Feldman, Omar Epps, Heather Langenkamp and John C. McGinley were all written out from the new version of the script and couldn’t reprise their roles.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Principal photography was supposed to start on January 27, in order to meet the already-locked August 8, 2003 release date, but delays in pre-production forced Dimension Films to push the start date back to mid March. On late January, a new release date was therefore announced and set on February 4, 2004.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: With a budget of $35 million, "Cursed" commenced shooting on March 17, 2003 in Los Angeles, on a scheduled 15-weeks shoot.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: The set used for the high school is Torrance High School, the same used for Sunnydale High on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and West Beverly High on "Beverly Hills, 90210" and its spin-off "90210". Filming also occurred at Verdugo Hills High School for the scenes involving Jimmy Myers, Jesse Eisenberg’s character Mandy Moore’s opening scene was shot over a 2-night period on the roof of The Bel Age Hotel in Hollywood. Singer Sheila E. appeared in this scene as herself, playing with her band at the costume ball for PETA. The car accident was shot on Mulholland Drive and some interiors were built inside the L.A. Center Studios. More scenes were filmed at the Santa Monica Pier and in Hollywood Boulevard.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: "Entertainment Tonight" did interviews with Ulrich and Ricci when original version was being filmed, and their report included behind the scenes footage of some scenes from it, like Ulrich's character Vince walking near the pier at night, another scene in same location showing him jumping down on beach and landing on all fours, scene where he and Ricci's character Ellie are running out of her house and another scene after that one where they jump down to the streets which based on the original script, was the beginning of the scene where werewolf chases after them but they get to Vince's limousine and ultimately manage to escape.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: In early June 2003, after 54 days of filming and with only 4 weeks left to shoot the final confrontation at the Hollywood Wax Museum, Dimension Films decided to put the movie on hold because top executives at the company weren't happy with the film's ending or how the special effects were progressing, specifically the look of the film's lead lupine.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Rick Baker was preparing the final transformation effects when production stopped and asked Weinstein to let his team finish the work in order for it to be ready for the reshoot.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: "We were doing some really cool transformation stuff [but] it wasn’t quite done so I said, ‘Listen, if you ever think the film’s gonna pick up again, if you can keep a number of my people on for another month we can have this transformation stuff, wel’ll put it in a box and we’ll be ready to go. If they disperse now it’s gonna be like starting again because I need to have the same people." Weinstein eventually refused.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Editor Patrick Lussier, a frequent collaborator of Craven, had just finished working on re-shoots of "Darkness Falls" when he was brought in to work on "Cursed", which was nearing the end of its principal photography. According to Lussier, the unfinished original version of the film ran about 90 minutes long, and the only thing it was missing, besides the ending, was the score and all the visual effects.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: The movie was put back into a development phase during which all parties discussed on the final outcome. Several options were considered, including shooting the final confrontation as it was originally written or transform the script into something different, saving as much filmed footage as possible. One alternative was to turn the characters of Jesse Eisenberg and John C. McGinley into werewolf hunters.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Ultimately, the originally screenplay went under a major rewrite that turned Ellie and Jimmy into estranged siblings and morphed Vince into Ellie’s mysterious boyfriend Jake. From those 90 minutes, the new version only included about 12 minutes of the original footage.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: After a tentative September restart, the movie officially went back into production on November 17, 2003. "Quite an extraordinary amount of new material is going to be shot, and a lot of material is going to be thrown away," Craven said at the time. Rick Baker, who had created the original werewolf design, left the project because of scheduling conflicts and KNB EFX Group came on board to oversee all the new makeup effects.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: The exteriors for Jake’s new club Tinsel were shot in Vine Street, next to The Capitol Records Tower, Hollywood and Jimmy and Ellie’s house was built on the Universal Studios backlot.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: In the film, Ellie works among the crew of "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn", with Kilborn making a cameo appearance and Scott Baio, as himself, being booked to appear on the show. Kilborn left the show a few months after shooting wrapped, in August 2004, before the film’s release, and was replaced by Craig Ferguson.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: On January 17, 2004, the extensive reshoot wrapped. The new ending of the film was much more emotional and tragic, and featured Jackson's character begging his girlfriend Ellie to kill him to end the curse. An article about the film in "Fangoria" #241 included pictures of a head prop for Jake's original death scene. From all versions of the film which were test screened to audiences (excluding the original version, which was never test screened), this one scored the highest, but Dimension Films was dissatisfied with it and demanded a new one. Actor Jesse Eisenberg, who, along with Christina Ricci, was one of the few actors to work in all the different versions, stated: “The crazy part is that after we filmed the whole second version of the film, we had to go back for a third re-shoot which lasted about 20 days. That's like the length of an independent movie. And then we had to go back a fourth time for like 10 days and they made shirts that said "Cursed 4: Back for More"."


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: According to Patrick Lussier, the final budget for the film was close to $90–100 million. In the final round of reshoots, werewolf actor Derek Mears improvised the infamous shot of the werewolf flipping off Ellie and Jimmy during rehearsal with Craven. Scott Nimerfro was at one point brought in during reshoots to script new scenes, including an opening sequence of the werewolf jumping through the Hollywood sign that was scrapped due to budget limits. In 2014, Judy Greer spoke of the film in an interview: "I don't know why that movie got so fucked up. I don't understand it. I thought the script was fine. Honest to god, I didn't get the big deal. I don't know who kept making them fuck with it. Then we shot the movie for, like, seven years. I think they said we had four movies worth of footage. It was so fun, but so weird. I don't get it. I couldn't figure it out." In 2018, Christina Ricci also spoke briefly about the film in an interview: "It was one of those studio movies that just got horribly screwed up." In 2019, Jesse Eisenberg gave his thoughts about the troubled production and the film: "The first movie was more interesting and provocative. I don't know why it wasn't working. Now that we know the behind-the-scenes of the Weinstein company, it makes sense as to why it was so chaotic." About the troubled production he said: "They filmed 90% of the bigger budget version… the first movie was this very splashy thing. The second version was definitely cutting corners in a lot of different ways. And the plot? I thought it was so stupid. I thought the plot was so cliché. They made us brother and sister? The things that they kept [from the original film] were little snippets. Like a car rolling down a hill. They kept that shot."


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Editor Patrick Lussier was supposed to work on the film for only six weeks in summer 2003, but ended up working on it for 19 months. He also worked as a second unit director during the extensive reshoots.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: All Rick Baker’s designs were cut and most of KNB practical effects were replaced by CGI, including Judy Greer’s transformation. Nevertheless, Rick Baker’s name was displayed in the opening credits as the sole special makeup effects designer and creator.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: In the fall of 2004, Dimension Films cut the film to a PG-13 rating instead of the planned R rating. Speaking to the "New York Post", Craven commented, "The contract called for us to make an R-rated film. We did. It was a very difficult process. Then it was basically taken away from us and cut to PG-13 and ruined. It was two years of very difficult work and almost 100 days of shooting of various versions. Then at the very end, it was chopped up and the studio thought they could make more with a PG-13 movie, and trashed it ... I thought it was completely disrespectful, and it hurt them too, and it was like they shot themselves in the foot with a shotgun." Jenny's death scene in the elevator was originally much gorier, her dead body shown with her belly ripped apart, although not even the R-rated DVD version included this scene. A picture of her mutilated body was, however, shown in a "Fangoria" article published before the film's release covering the infamously troubled production. Craven and Lussier would move on to "Red Eye", and during that film's post-production they would learn that "Cursed" would be edited down to accommodate a PG-13 rating. A nightmare sequence featuring Jake's throat getting ripped out by Ellie was redone without Craven, instead with Joel Soisson serving as director. In 2008, Craven was quoted saying, "...the "Cursed" experience was so screwed up. I mean, that went on for two-and-a-half years of my life for a film that wasn't anything close to what it should have been. […] I did learn from the "Cursed" experience not to do something for money. They said, 'We know you want to do another film, we'll pay you double.' And we were 10 days from shooting, and I said fine. But I ended up working two-and-a-half years for double my fee, but I could have done two-and-a-half movies, and done movies that were out there making money. In general, I think it's not worth it and part of the reason my phone hasn't rung is that that story is pretty well known."


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: In July 2021, Brian Collins from Screamfest blog did a review and comparison between the final film and both the Craven's original unfinished cut and first reshot version, which were surfaced from VHS workprints, and both versions were praised as superior to the final film. This is not the first time when news about alternate versions of "Cursed" existing were reported. Some years ago when he was asked by fans about the film, Patrick Lussier mentioned how he still has copies of three unreleased versions of the film (Craven's unfinished cut, first reshot version, and fully uncut reshot version with all the deleted gore and practical effects by KNB from before most of their work was cut as well), and in October 2018, former Dimension COO Cary Blanat confirmed that all original and deleted footage from "Cursed" still exists.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: The original target release date was August 8, 2003, but delays in getting the production ready in time pushed the target date back six months to February 13, 2004. When the movie was sent back to development and three different reshoots were scheduled, the release date was pushed back again. In December 2004 "Fangoria" reported that the movie was scheduled to open nationwide February 25, 2005 with a PG-13 rating.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Christina Ricci’s face served as the backdrop in the movie’s key art, that evoked Drew Barrymore’s close-up in "Scream"’s iconic official poster. The tagline for the movie was “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. The first official trailer premiered on January 7, 2005.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: When released on DVD in the US on June 21, 2005, two versions were available: the original theatrical version (rated PG-13; 97 minutes), and also an unrated version which contains the footage cut to obtain a PG-13 rating and runs approximately two minutes longer than the original release. The film received its Blu-ray release on September 11, 2012 through Echo Bridge Entertainment, in a double feature with another Wes Craven film, "They" (2002). The disc only contains the theatrical cut. The film was released individually for the first time in the United States on blu-ray by Shout Factory, featuring both the theatrical and extended cut, in April 2022.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: In Canada, Alliance Atlantis released the unrated (marketed as "Uncensored") version only on DVD (as opposed to Dimension Home Video in the US) and the DVD cover was changed to match the original theatrical poster.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: "Cursed" opened theatrically on February 25, 2005 in 2,805 theatres, taking $9,633,085 in its opening weekend and averaging a mild $3,434 per site. It placed fourth on the box office rankings, following "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (opening that weekend as well), "Hitch" and "Constantine". The following weekend, the movie crumbled 60%, grossing $3,867,052 and finishing seventh in the box office charts, with a 10-day sum of $15.3M. "Box Office Guru" dubbed the film’s performance as "disappointing”. On its third week, the film placed tenth, falling 60% to $1,564,363 for a $17.7 total, marking its last week in the national top ten. "Box Office Guru" predicted a final gross of about $21 million.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: "Cursed" ended its theatrical run after 11 weeks on May 12, 2005, with a cumulative gross of $19,294,901.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 15% based on 98 reviews, with an average rating of 3.70/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "A predictable plot and cheesy special effects make "Cursed" a less-than-scary experience." Metacritic reports a weighted average score of 31 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C–" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: The "San Francisco Chronicle" wrote, ""Cursed" is a third-rate effort, with a weak script, cheap-looking effects and no genuine frights." "Film Threat" stated, "Not that it doesn't make movie history. Until this past Friday, the worst werewolf film ever made was, hairy hands down, Mike Nichols' "Wolf". "Cursed" now assumes that dubious distinction and someone is going to have to try very hard to wrestle it away."


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Rafe Telsch of Cinema Blend, giving the film 2 out of 5 stars, felt that ""Cursed" isn't a bad film, and actually takes a unique approach to modern day genre movies by styling itself as an older one... The film is a fun little romp in the werewolf world, although "Cursed" never really sets any rules for the creatures themselves, leaving itself open to keep cute faces like Ricci's uncovered by makeup, but leaving the audience unsatisfied that there aren't really many werewolves in this werewolf movie."


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: On October 30, 2018, former Dimension COO Cary Blanat revealed in an interview with Bloody Disgusting that the original footage still exists, which inspired Twitter users and the Sight & Sound podcast calling for Craven's cut using the hashtag "#ReleaseTheCravenCut", with Bloody Disgusting and Youtuber Cody Leach calling it the most anticipated horror movie director's cut.


title: Cursed (2005 film)

text: Editor Patrick Lussier commented on the movement in July 2021, stating that a release of the original cut of the film was very unlikely due to the ending never being shot, and also due to a lack of popularity, as opposed to a film like "Zack Snyder's Justice League". Lussier claimed he had no idea who owned the rights to the film due to various Miramax properties reverting to other companies, leaving any future of an alternate cut in doubt.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: The television series was broadcast in Japan between 2002 and 2003, on the Tokyo Broadcasting System Television and MBS TV networks, beginning a broadcast partnership with the "Gundam" franchise. The series spawned three compilations films and was adapted into a manga as well as light novels. A sequel series, "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny" followed in 2004. Merchandise has been released, including models, CD soundtracks and video games. "Gundam SEED" was licensed by Bandai Entertainment for broadcast in North America, and began airing in the United States and Canada in 2004. The films and the sequel were also licensed by Bandai. The manga and light novels as well as the spin-off series, "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray", were licensed. Video games were released in North America. In 2011, a HD remaster of the series consisting of 48 episodes was released.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" was widely popular with the public in Japan, winning numerous awards, with high sales of the series DVD and music. It was also a critical success with writers focusing on the character development and animation especially the leads. However, similarities with previous Gundam series were noted.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: The series is the first of the Gundam franchise set in the "Cosmic Era" in which humankind is divided between normal Earth dwelling humans, known as "Naturals", and the genetically altered super-humans known as "Coordinators". The primary conflict of the story plot derives from jealous hatred by Naturals of the abilities of Coordinators, leading to hate crimes, and eventually the emigration of almost all Coordinators who flee into space to live idyllic lives on giant orbital space colonies called PLANTS of their own design. War eventually breaks out between Earth and the PLANTS. The Earth is divided between two major factions, the Earth Forces formed from most of the natural born human nations, primarily the Eurasians and the Atlantic Federation, and a natural human supremacist group known as Blue Cosmos with its slogan, "For the preservation of our blue and pure world". The Earth Forces are not a unified alliance, and infighting and mistrust exist between their various nation states. The second major Earth nation is the Orb Union, a staunchly politically neutral and isolationist nation located on small Pacific Ocean islands ruled by a hereditary monarchy and still contains Coordinator citizens.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: Two major events precede the story, known as the Bloody Valentine tragedy that initiated war between the PLANTS and the Earth Forces when one of the PLANT space stations, Junius-7, is destroyed by a nuclear bomb. The second event is the counterattack by the PLANTS that buries Neutron Jammers deep into Earth's crust that halts all nuclear reactions and long range radar and radio, causing most areas of earth to go without electricity or communication, and requiring mobile suits to rely on rechargeable batteries.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: The PLANTS are a technological power house, developing many new technologies that give them equal power to Earth despite their very small population. It is the invention of the Mobile Suits that give their military the edge in the beginning of the war.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: The story begins in the neutral Orb Union owned space colony Heliopolis, where five advanced mobile suits for the Earth Forces war effort are developed in secret in exchange of sharing of their technical data with the neutral Orb Union military. Additionally, Heliopolis constructs a unique carrier battleship, the Archangel, to base the five mobile suits from for the Earth Forces. The colony is attacked by ZAFT forces, the military of the PLANTS, with the objective of stealing the new units. During the incursion an Orb Union student and Coordinator named Kira Yamato, upon seeing his friends in danger, pilots the GAT-X105 Strike mobile suit to fend off the invaders but the colony is critically damaged in the ensuing fight. As Heliopolis disintegrates, the survivors board the Archangel, and begin their journey to the Alliance base in Alaska. During the journey to Earth, Kira pilots the Strike to counter a series of attacks by ZAFT but is seemingly killed by his childhood friend, ZAFT soldier Athrun Zala, during one of their battles in which he also is nearly killed. Kira survives the attack and is taken by a blind priest to one of the PLANT space colonies, home to the Coordinators to recover. The Archangel arrives in Alaska but ZAFT launches a full-scale attack on the base overpowering their enemies. Unknown to ZAFT, the Earth forces knew of this attack ahead of time. They planned to sacrifice the Alaska base along with the Archangel in order to destroy ZAFT's army using a weapon of mass destruction hidden underneath the Alaska base.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: Kira goes to Alaska with the ZGMF-X10A Freedom, a highly advanced, nuclear powered, and Neutron Jammer proof ZAFT mobile suit stolen by the PLANT pop star Coordinator Lacus Clyne, daughter of PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne. Using the Freedom, Kira is able to help the Archangel flee the destruction of the Alaska base. The Archangel flees to the neutral country of the Orb Union. The Archangel and a new ship, the Orb Union ship Kusanagi leave Earth for space where they then join Lacus Clyne's rebel faction and their stolen ZAFT battleship, the Eternal (meant to carry the Freedom and Justice mobile suits) to form the Three Ships Alliance with the common goal of ending the war between the Naturals and Coordinators. In the midst of the conflict, Athrun learns that Kira survived and searches for him under orders to recover the Freedom Gundam, and is given an equally powerful prototype, the ZGMF-X09A Justice. However, after learning of Patrick Zala's, Athrun's father and the radical militant faction leader of the PLANT Supreme Council, plan to commit genocide, Athrun deserts him and joins the Three Ships Alliance. In a final battle, the Earth Forces deploys nuclear weapons equipped with Neutron Jammer Canceler technology copied from stolen data on the Freedom and Justice Gundam's power systems. The Earth Forces intend to destroy the PLANT space colonies but are stopped by ZAFT's GENESIS, a super weapon microwave laser designed to commit genocide on the Naturals. The Three Ship Alliance intervenes to defeat the GENESIS weapon ending the battle. The war ultimately ends as a peace treaty is signed.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" was directed by Mitsuo Fukuda ("Future GPX Cyber Formula" and "Gear Fighter Dendoh") with music by Toshihiko Sahashi. A long time Gundam fan, Fukuda met the president of Sunrise in order let him work in his anime series based on the franchise, stating he had no previous experience with it. Shortly afterwards, the staff members from Sunrise believed Fukuda was worthy of directing the new Gundam anime. Fukuda conceived "SEED" as one of the biggest projects from his career, noting that it was difficult for him as a result as he worked consistently in his timetable. However, when the series started, Fukuda was relieved by how it had strong rating and merchandising based on it was popular. In the making of the series, Fukuda first wrote an idea for the premise and the use of mechas fighting. In order to write human drama, Fukuda conceived the idea of the struggle between two kind of races, the Naturals and the Coordinators who would be explored in the television series which was inspired by Yoshiyuki Tomino's Newtype concept from the first Gundam series. While the narrative of "SEED" often makes parallels with Tomino's "Gundam", Fukuda wanted "SEED" to feature a more "modern war" setting. The producer of the series suggested using the 1998 film "Saving Private Ryan" as a reference to explore the concept of war. Some areas from the storyboards were scrapped because the staff found the original plot to be too violent.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: The series was first announced in June 2002, while a trailer was available in September on the series' official website. A total of eight writers were in charge of the series. The characters were designed by Hisashi Hirai, while the mechanical designs were made by Kunio Okawara and Kimitoshi Yamane. "Mobile Suit Gundam" planning manager Koichi Inoue stated that the staff making "Gundam SEED" was a new and young team that would continue working with following Gundam series. Inoue, however, would work with anime based on the original Gundam series.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: Fukuda stated that "Gundam SEED" was initially told from Kira's point of view, but deeper into the series the point of view would shift to other characters. His main focus with the series was to entertain the audience, pointing out that the drama would develop through the series in a similar vein to previous Gundam series. The first part worked on was the plot followed by action sequences, stating that the human characters were more important than the combat sequences. In retrospect, Fukuda said that Kira's wish to fight was forced upon him stemming from his desire to protect his friends. Moreover, he considered these actions as being based on Japanese thoughts.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: The series premiered in Japan on the terrestrial Tokyo Broadcasting System and Mainichi Broadcasting System networks, where it occupied the Saturday 6 pm timeslot, replacing "Ultraman Cosmos". "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" aired between October 5, 2002, and September 27, 2003. Each episode was streamed on the Internet the day after broadcast, for users subscribing to Nippon Telegraph and Telephone services, in Windows Media or Real format. The series was sold in Japan as thirteen DVD volumes released from March 28, 2003 to March 26, 2004. On March 26, 2004, a five-minute epilogue called "After Phase: In the Valley of Stars" was released on the thirteenth and final DVD of the Japanese release. A DVD box set of the series was released on February 23, 2010. A fifty-episode sequel titled "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny" aired in Japan from October 9, 2004 to October 1, 2005, airing on the same stations as "Gundam SEED". "Gundam SEED Destiny" takes place two years after the original series and follows Shinn Asuka, focusing mainly on his involvement in the new war.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: An HD remaster edition of the series was confirmed in August 2011 although Mitsuo Fukuda stated it was leaked information and that the official information would come in the next few days. In November 2011, Bandai announced the release of the series in four Blu-ray compilations between March and December 2012. The HD version was first streamed on the Bandai Channel website in December 2011 and aired in Japan between January and November 2012.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: Bandai Entertainment licensed the animation of "Gundam SEED" on February 15, 2004, and it began airing in the United States and Canada that same year. The English adaptation was produced in association with The Ocean Group and the English-language dub was recorded at Ocean Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The series was released on ten DVDs in bilingual format between August 10, 2004, and May 10, 2005. The epilogue was not released on the North American DVD release because it was not licensed to Bandai Entertainment by Sunrise; however, it was released on the final European DVD release. Beez Entertainment also published the series in ten DVDs from June 13, 2005 to March 6, 2006. A two part box set called the "Anime Legends Edition" was released on January 8, 2008, and March 4, 2008, with each set containing five DVDs.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: On October 11, 2014 at their 2014 New York Comic-Con panel, Sunrise announced they will be re-releasing all of the "Gundam" franchise, including "Gundam SEED" and "Gundam SEED Destiny" in North America though distribution from Right Stuf Inc., beginning in Spring 2015. On August 11, 2017 at their 2017 Otakon panel, Sunrise announced that they will be releasing the HD remaster of SEED in North America with a brand new English dub produced by NYAV Post.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: A three-part film compilation of the television series has been released as "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Special Edition". Each compilation film is 90 minutes long and retells the story of "Gundam SEED", with additional and altered scenes from the TV series. "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny" followed the same formula in four compilation films as "". They were released from August 27 to October 22 during 2004 in DVD format. The three films were re-released alongside the four films from "Gundam SEED Destiny" on February 25, 2010. "Gundam SEED: Special Edition" has been licensed for North America by Bandai Entertainment and was released on DVDs in English, between July 11, 2005, and November 22, 2005. A DVD box of the three films was released by Bandai on November 26, 2008 under the title of "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Complete Feature Collection".


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: The music from the series is composed by Toshihiko Sahashi with CDs published by Victor Entertainment. Notable artists who sang opening and ending themes for the series include Nami Tamaki, who was fourteen years old when the third opening theme was used, and T.M. Revolution, who also provided the voice for the character, Miguel Aiman. Four original soundtracks were released between December 4, 2002 and December 16, 2004. They include background music, insert themes as well as some opening and ending themes. "Symphony SEED -Symphonic Suit Mobile Suit Gundam SEED-" is a collaboration album between "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" music and the London Symphony Orchestra released on May 8, 2004 containing a total of ten tracks. A compilation DVD, featuring four music videos from "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" and "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny", was released on May 24, 2006 under the title "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED & SEED DESTINY Clipping 4 Songs".


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: Five character CDs with themes performed by the Japanese voice actors were released between March 21, 2003 and July 23, 2003. Two compilation albums have also been released: "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED COMPLETE BEST" was released on November 22, 2006, featuring thirteen tracks. "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED ~ SEED DESTINY BEST "THE BRIDGE" Across the Songs from GUNDAM SEED & SEED DESTINY" is a two-CD compilation of ending themes, insert and character songs from "Gundam SEED" and "Gundam SEED Destiny". All the songs from "Gundam SEED" and "Gundam SEED Destiny" by T.M.Revolution were collected in a CD titled "X42S-REVOLUTION", released on March 24, 2010. The limited edition version includes a DVD with music videos from the anime series. Two other CD singles were released during 2012 featuring the new theme songs from the HD rerelease of "Gundam SEED".


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: A manga series was written by Masatsugu Iwase based on the events from the anime series. It was published in five "tankōbon" volumes from March 20, 2003 to January 21, 2005 by Kodansha. The English version was published in North America by Del Rey Manga who licensed it in January 2004 as one of their first titles, and released between April 27, 2004 and August 30, 2005. Another spin-off series is "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray", written by Tomohiro Chiba and illustrated by Kōichi Tokita, which focused on the three MBF-P0x mobile suit prototypes and their respective pilots and organizations. It was published in three "tankōbon" volumes from April 28, 2003 to February 26, 2004 by Kadokawa Shoten. The English release was announced by Tokyopop in December 2003. The volumes were released between May 11, 2004 and November 9, 2004. A one-volume manga titled was written by Yasushi Yamaguchi and released on January 22, 2005 by Kadokawa. In 2012, Kadokawa released a new manga series titled "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Re" by Juu Ishiguchi. The manga retells the events from the television series. It was cancelled in 2015. It was collected into four tankobon volumes.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: Two more side stories titled "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray R" and "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED X Astray" were created. Toda Yasunari replaced Tokita as the illustrator in the former, while Tokita reprised his role in the latter. "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray R" follows the adventures of the Red Frame's pilot Lowe and his Junk Guild associates and interlocks with the events of the original Astray-series. It spanned four volumes published from March 20, 2003 to August 26, 2004. The English volumes published by TokyoPop were released from February 8, 2005 to November 8, 2005. "Gundam SEED X Astray" is about Canard Pars, who is a failed experiment from the Ultimate Coordinator program. Canard is searching for Kira Yamato, the successful Ultimate Coordinator, so that he can defeat him and prove he was not a "failure". Two volumes were published for the series in May and October, 2005. TokyoPop published its two volumes on October 31, 2006 and February 27, 2007. There was a "photo novel" side story titled "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray B" which was illustrated by Toda Yasunari. A single volume from the series was published on August 31, 2005 and follows Gai Murakumo and his fellow Serpent Tail mercenaries.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: There is yonkoma series titled "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Club Yonkoma" that parodies the events from both "Gundam SEED" and "Gundam SEED Destiny". The comics were a joint venture between Sunrise's official "Gundam SEED" fan club and "Newtype" Japanese magazine. Kadokawa Shoten released the first publications of the yonkoma on August 8, 2005.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: A light novel adaptation of the TV series was authored by Riu Goto. It was originally a supplement of Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko with illustrations by Ogasawara Tomofumi. The stories were eventually published in five volumes by Kadokawa Shoten with the first one in March 2003 and the fifth in January 2004. Tokyopop released the first three light novels in North America from October 11, 2005 to May 9, 2006. Two light novels volumes from "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray" spin-off series were also authored by Tomohiro Chiba and published by Kadokawa on September 1, 2003 and July 1, 2004.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: Video games have been released based on the anime series: "Gundam Seed: Federation vs. Z.A.F.T. II" for arcades, and "" for the Game Boy Advance, "", "Mobile Suit Gundam Seed", "Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Never Ending Tomorrow", "Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny: Generation of CE", and "" for PlayStation 2, A PlayStation Portable game was also released under the title of "" as well as a mobile phone game, "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Phase-Act Delivery". Artdink developed the first PlayStation Vita Gundam game, . Released on June 7, 2012, the game covers events from both "Gundam SEED" and "Gundam SEED Destiny".


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: Characters from "Gundam SEED" have been featured in Gundam crossover games. These include "", the "SD Gundam G" series and a few games from the "Gundam Battle Assault" series, "", and "". Other crossover games featuring them are games from the "Super Robot Wars" series as well as "Another Century's Episode 3" and "".


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: Guidebooks have been released for "Gundam SEED" such as on July 10, 2003. Two official guidebooks were released in Japan on July 18, 2003 by Kadokawa Shoten: and focus on Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala respectively. In the same year, a series of guidebooks with the label of "Official File" were released in Japan. A guidebook titled was published on April 19, 2004, featuring an extensive analysis on the storyline and characters. A more detailed guidebook, , featuring articles on the characters, technology and universe was published in March 2006. An artbook titled was released on July 26, 2004.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: The show has become one of the most popular of the Gundam series in Japan, enjoying high television ratings and DVD sales. In April 2004, Bandai Visual announced that one million copies of the "Gundam SEED" DVD had been sold in Japan, with the first volume having sold over 100,000 copies. In total, the series set a record of making eight DVDs appearing in the first eight top sales. The same record was repeated in 2016 by "Mr. Osomatsu". CDs sales have also been high with the single CD from the series' first ending theme becoming one of the top-selling CDs in Japan during 2002. By July 2004, 10 million plastic "Gundam SEED" models had been sold worldwide.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: Jerry Chu, marketing manager for Bandai Entertainment Inc., stated the response to "Gundam SEED" has been highly positive, having broken rating records when it first aired in Japan. Chu added that reaction in the United States was the most enthusiastic Bandai received in the last six years. According to the analyst John Oppliger of AnimeNation "Gundam SEED" became the first Gundam series which was widely successful not only among "Gundam fans and hardcore otaku" but also among "mainstream, casual Japanese viewers". "Gundam SEED" was the eighth TV Feature Award winner at the Animation Kobe Awards in 2003. It was the third winner at the Japanese Otaku Awards in 2003. It won "Animage"s twenty-fifth Anime Grand Prix award winner in 2002, with the characters of Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne topping the male and female anime categories, respectively. It topped the charts in the "Newtype" magazine reader poll during 2004. However, the show was not well received by older Japanese fans. In February 2004, Sunrise's president, Takayuki Yoshii, stated it was because "Gundam SEED" incorporated elements from popular live-action television dramas. On the other hand, Bandai Visual reported in April 2004 that "Gundam SEED" had a wide audience, including both young and older viewers.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: "Gundam SEED" has been praised for being a stand-out in a long line of Gundam series with Anime News Network's Paul Fargo calling it "the best of the alternative timelines, but stands as one of the best Gundam titles". The story has been praised for its battle sequences as well as its character-driven scenes, neither of which were reviewed to have detracted emphasis from the other. The series was noted to "downshift" in pace from its early episodes as the main characters development began to progress along political themes, which appealed to some audiences. Early in the series, speculations were made with regard to the progress the characters' relationships. The relationship between Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala earned praise as it resulted in entertaining action scenes between their mobile suits, while in later reviews speculation arose as to whether the two would become allies.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: The climax has been praised for bringing unexpected inclusions within the war, as well as revelations regarding the characters' roles. A common comment among writers was that "Gundam SEED" blended elements from previous Gundam series and displayed it in a fast-paced way, making it enjoyable to younger fans but still engaging older fans familiar with previous series. DVD Verdict writer Mitchell Hattaway further noted that while it used elements from other anime series, it still "drew [him] in so quickly [he] soon found [himself] wrapped up in the proceedings". Carl Kimlinger from Anime News Network stated that "Gundam SEED" adapted the original "Mobile Suit Gundam" series from 1979 for a modern audience in the same way "Mobile Suit Gundam 00" would adapt "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing". Bamboo Dong from the same site stated that while this caused the appearance of "hardcore anti-"Gundam Seed" zealots" who criticized the series for these traits, it was nevertheless entertaining to watch and give anime fans a step into the "Gundam fandom".


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: The quality of the animation led THEM Anime Reviews' Derrick L. Tucker to call it "by-and-far the best of any Gundam Series to date". Additionally, the soundtrack was popular for bringing popular J-pop artists such as Nami Tamaki and T.M. Revolution to perform the theme songs. The casting of many talented voice actors, such as Rie Tanaka, Seki Tomokazu and Houko Kuwashima, provided the emotional depth in scenes that required it. The English dub was reviewed favorably for the most part but comparisons between the English and original Japanese dubbing revealed weaknesses in the portrayal of the characters.


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: In the NHK's 2018 mega "All Gundam Poll", "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" was place as the third best anime in the Gundam franchise, only behind the original 1979 "Mobile Suit Gundam" and "Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam".


title: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

text: The sixteenth episode of "Gundam SEED" features a scene in which Kira Yamato is seen dressing after getting out of a bed where the teenage girl Flay Allster lies sleeping naked, suggesting a sexual relationship. The Japanese Commission for Better Broadcasting reported that viewers filed complaints regarding the scene as the show was aired at 6 pm when children would be watching. Mainichi replied by mentioning it should have given more careful consideration to the episode before airing it. The scene was extended in one of the compilation films with John Oppliger noting it expanded the off-screen scene with three shots.


title: Cassandra Jean

text: Cassandra Jean Whitehead (born October 5, 1985), also known as Cassandra Jean Amell, is an American actress, model, and beauty pageant queen from Houston, Texas. Jean attended Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi.


title: Cassandra Jean

text: Jean competed in the Miss Texas Teen USA pageant from 2002 to 2004. She was a semifinalist in both 2003 and 2004 and held the local title of Miss Houston Teen USA in 2003. In these pageants, she competed alongside future Miss Texas USA Lauren Lanning (2006) and Magen Ellis (2007). Jean (as Cassandra Whitehead) won Miss Corpus Christi 2004, a title held by Eva Longoria in 1998. She made the top 10 at Miss Texas USA 2005.


title: Cassandra Jean

text: Whitehead competed in the Miss California USA 2008 pageant but was disqualified due to her appearance on "America's Next Top Model". In June 2009, the Miss Universe Organization changed the rule barring former reality show contestants from competing in state pageants. This rule change would benefit Cycle 12 finalist Natalie Pack, who later won Miss California USA 2012 and "The Voice" contestant DeAnna Johnson, who won the title of Miss Georgia USA 2017.


title: Cassandra Jean

text: In 2008, Whitehead was a judge for the Miss Newport Beach pageant. Whitehead was a 19-year-old student at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi while participating in "America's Next Top Model".


title: Cassandra Jean

text: Jean was the first girl chosen for the top thirteen to compete on the UPN reality television show "America's Next Top Model, Cycle 5" however quit the competition outside of judging panel during the fourth episode. She became very emotional during the makeovers in episode three, wherein her long, dark brown hair was cut extremely short and bleached blonde. During the next judging round, host Tyra Banks was still not pleased with Jean's haircut, wanting to make it even shorter and scheduling a time to have it redone but Jean refused. Claiming that the producers gave her one night to consider her options, she walked out the following morning. During her time on Top Model, Jean took two photos and received one third call-out and one first call-out. Jean's choice to quit and Sarah Rhoades' elimination during the same week had later forced a non-elimination episode where together both Jayla Rubinelli and Nicole Linkletter (who eventually won over Nik Pace) survived their first-ever bottom two appearances each. Jean made an appearance in "The Cycle 5 Reunion", "America's Next Top Model: Where the Girls Are", and "America's Next Top Model: Exposed". In 2009, she was voted one of the most memorable contestants by AOL Canada entertainment.


title: Cassandra Jean

text: Jean appears in the film "2 Dudes and a Dream" (2009). She has had guest roles on several TV shows including "One Tree Hill", "The Middleman", "", "", "Las Vegas", "Hannah Montana", "Twenty-Four Seven" (MTV), "America's Next Producer" (TV Guide Network), and a speaking role on "Mad Men".


title: Cassandra Jean

text: Jean hosted "Lucky Strike's Bowl for a Cause", MySpace and Tommy Lee's Super Bowl XL Event, Miss Corpus Christi 2006, "America's Next Top Model Diva Dish" along with "Red Carpet Makeovers" for the "Tyra Banks Show". She also appeared on the game show "1 vs. 100" on February 15, 2008, winning $500,000.


title: Cassandra Jean

text: Jean played the character of Nora Fries in "Elseworlds", the 2018 Arrowverse crossover event between The CW series "The Flash", "Supergirl", and "Arrow".


title: Cassandra Jean

text: Jean married actor Stephen Amell on December 25, 2012, while they were on a vacation in the Caribbean. They have a daughter Mavi, born in 2013.


title: Nell (film)

text: Nell is a 1994 American drama film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay written by William Nicholson. The film stars Jodie Foster (who also produced) as Nell Kellty, a young woman who has to face other people for the first time after being raised by her mother in an isolated cabin. Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Richard Libertini, and Nick Searcy are featured in supporting roles. Based on Mark Handley's play "Idioglossia", the script for "Nell" was developed by co-producer Renée Missel and was inspired by Handley's time living in the Cascade Mountains in the 1970s, and the story of Poto and Cabengo, twins who created their own language. Partway through the movie, the other characters discover that Nell is actually speaking English, just mispronouncing all the words. As an example, when Nell says "Nay Cay Chickabay," she is actually saying "Don't Cry Chickadee."


title: Nell (film)

text: "Nell" received limited release on December 16, 1994, before expanding into wide release on December 23. The film upon release received mixed reviews from critics who praised the direction, score and performances but criticised its execution and limited exploration of the titular character, and was a box office success grossing over $106 million worldwide, on a $24.5 million production budget.


title: Nell (film)

text: Foster's performance was widely praised and brought her various awards and nominations. She won the inaugural Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. The film also received two additional nominations at the 52nd Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture - Drama, and Best Original Score.


title: Nell (film)

text: When Violet Kellty, who had an undiagnosed stroke, dies in her isolated cabin in the North Carolina mountains, Dr. Jerome "Jerry" Lovell, the town doctor, finds a terrified young woman hiding in the house rafters. She speaks angrily and rapidly, but seems to have a language of her own. Looking at Violet's bible, Jerry finds a note asking whoever finds it to look after Violet's daughter Nell. Sheriff Todd Peterson shows Jerry a news clipping that Nell was conceived through rape.


title: Nell (film)

text: Jerry seeks the help of Dr. Paula Olsen, a researcher working with autistic children. Paula and her colleague Dr. Alexander "Al" Paley are interested in studying a "wild child" (feral child), and Al continues calling Nell this even after studying films showing that Nell does not fit the "wild child" profile. Paula and Al get a court order to institutionalize Nell for further study. Jerry hires lawyer Don Fontana and prevents it. The judge gives Jerry and Paula three months to interact with Nell and discover her needs. Paula shows up on a houseboat with electronic equipment to monitor Nell's behavior while Jerry chooses to stay in a tent by Nell's cabin and quietly observe.


title: Nell (film)

text: Paula discovers that Nell's seemingly indecipherable language is English, based partly on her mother's aphasic speech after a stroke, and partly on the secret language she shared with her decades-deceased identical twin sister. Jerry and Paula begin a grudging friendship.