title: Goh Chok Tong

text: On 24 January 2011, Goh announced that he would continue to seek re-election to Parliament at the 2011 general election. Over the following months, he progressively released snippets prior to the election on the importance of grooming a successor who could be part of the fourth generation PAP leadership to helm Marine Parade GRC in the long run.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: After the 2011 general election in which the opposition made unprecedented gains by winning a group representative constituency in (Aljunied), Goh and Lee Kuan Yew announced that they were retiring from the Cabinet in order to give Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the rest of his team a clean slate from which they can make a fresh start in the new parliamentary term.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: On 18 May 2011, Lee Hsien Loong announced that Goh was to be appointed a senior adviser to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and would be given the honorary title of "Emeritus Senior Minister".


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: On 24 June 2011, Goh was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: On 4 May 2012, Goh was appointed as Patron for Advancement of the Singapore University of Technology and Design.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: In October 2014, the Madame Tussauds Singapore museum unveiled a wax figure of Goh. At its opening, Goh posed for pictures with his statue.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: On 2 August 2018, Goh stated that ministerial pay is not enough and it will adversely impact the ability to attract competent people to join the government in the future. He also dismissed the idea of reducing the minister's salary as a populist move, a move that sparked controversy and public disapproval.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: In 2018, Goh's first volume authorised biography book titled "Tall Order: The Goh Chok Tong Story" was published. It details Goh's life from his childhood to until he took office as Singapore's second prime minister in 1990.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: In an interview in 2019, Goh stated that he believed a 75% to 80% majority in Parliament, in the future, would constitute a 'strong mandate' for the Singapore government. In the same interview, he noted that he does not believe the electoral system needed any further tweaking.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: On 4 August 2019, Goh made a Facebook post stating that he felt saddened by how his long-time friend, former PAP politician Tan Cheng Bock, had "lost his way" by forming a new political party, Progress Singapore Party (PSP), to contest in the next general election.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: On 25 June 2020, Goh made a Facebook post announcing his retirement as a Member of Parliament for Marine Parade GRC after 44 years of service and will therefore retire from politics.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: In December 2020, Goh stated in his Facebook post that he will be undergoing four weeks of radiotherapy following the removal of a lump in his larynx in order to ensure that all cancer cells are eliminated. It was the latest in a series of health scares faced by Mr Goh in recent years.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: A second volume of his biography titled "Standing Tall: The Goh Chok Tong Years" was released in April 2021 to mark his 80th birthday. The sequel consists of the 14 years which Goh was the Prime Minister of Singapore.


title: Goh Chok Tong

text: Goh is married to Tan Choo Leng and they have a son and a daughter, who are twins. Their son, Goh Jin Hian, is a physician and their daughter, Goh Jin Theng, lives in London with her husband.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Blood Brothers is a musical with book, lyrics, and music by Willy Russell. The story is a contemporary nature versus nurture plot, revolving around fraternal twins Mickey and Eddie, who were separated at birth, one subsequently being raised in a wealthy family, the other in a poor family. The different environments take the twins to opposite ends of the social spectrum, one becoming a councillor, and the other unemployed and in prison. They both fall in love with the same girl, causing a rift in their friendship and leading to the tragic death of both brothers. Russell says that his work was based on a one-act play that he read as a child "about two babies switched at birth ... it became the seed for Blood Brothers."


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Originally developed as a school play, "Blood Brothers" debuted in Liverpool before Russell transferred it to the West End for a short run in 1983. The musical won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical and went on to a year-long national tour before returning for a revival in the West End in 1988 where it stayed at the Albery Theatre for 3 years, transferring to the Phoenix Theatre in 1991. The revival ran for more than 24 years in the West End, and played more than 10,000 performances, becoming the third longest-running musical production in West End history. It finally closed in November 2012. The musical has been produced with success on tour, on Broadway and elsewhere, and it has developed a cult following.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Willy Russell originally wrote and presented "Blood Brothers" as a school play first performed at Fazakerley Comprehensive School, Liverpool, in November 1981, in conjunction with Merseyside Young People's Theatre (MYPT; now operating as Fuse: New Theatre For Young People). He then wrote a score and developed the musical for a production at the Liverpool Playhouse, opening on 8th January 1983, starring Barbara Dickson (Mrs. Johnstone), Andrew Schofield (narrator), George Costigan (Mickey) and Andrew C. Wadsworth (Eddie). It was only a modest success. Nevertheless, the show transferred to London's West End on 11 April 1983 at the Lyric Theatre and ran until 22 October 1983, winning the Olivier Award for Best New Musical and another Olivier for Dickson's performance. This was followed by a 1984 UK tour.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: year-long national tour beginning in 1987, produced by Bill Kenwright (and directed by Kenwright and Bob Tomson), starring Kiki Dee as Mrs Johnstone, Warwick Evans as the Narrator, Con O'Neill as Mickey and Robert Locke as Eddie, leading to a revival at the Albery Theatre (now the Noël Coward Theatre), directed by Tomson, with the same cast. O'Neill won an Olivier Award for his performance, and Dee was nominated. It opened on 28 July 1988 and moved out of that theatre on 16 November 1991. The musical transferred to the Phoenix Theatre on 21 November 1991, where it celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a gala performance on 28 July 1998, featuring Lyn Paul as Mrs Johnstone, Keith Burns (Narrator) Andy Snowden (Mickey) & Mark Hutchinson (Eddie). The show closed its West End run on 10 November 2012. Due to close on 27 October, its run was extended by 2 weeks with returning favourites in the closing cast, including Lyn Paul, original narrator Warwick Evans, Sean Jones as Mickey, Mark Michael Hutchinson as Eddie and Jan Graveson as Linda. It played more than 10,000 performances in London, making it the third longest-running musical to ever play in the West End. The UK tour continued until 2013.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: The central role of Mrs. Johnstone has been played in various productions by, among others, Dee, Angela Richards, Barbara Dickson, Stephanie Lawrence, Clodagh Rodgers, Lyn Paul, Siobhan McCarthy, four of the Nolan sisters (Linda, Bernie, Denise and Maureen), Melanie C (making her West End debut and receiving an Olivier nomination in 2009), Marti Webb, Vivienne Carlyle, Niki Evans, Amy Robbins, Natasha Hamilton, Helen Reddy, Rebecca Storm, Carole King and Petula Clark. Stephanie Lawrence played the role more times than anyone else. Mickey has been played by O'Neill, Russell Boulter, Stephen McGann, Paul Crosby, Antony Costa, Stefan Dennis, Andy Snowden, David Cassidy and Michael J.Cook among others. Notable actors to play Eddie include Hutchinson and Shaun Cassidy. Narrators include Evans, Carl Wayne, Adrian Zmed, David Soul and Marti Pellow. Alex Harland played the small role of the postman in more than 4,000 performances.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: The inaugural Australian production of "Blood Brothers" premiered August 1988 at the York Theatre in Sydney where it ran for three months: the cast included Chrissy Amphlett as Mrs Johnstone, Bob Baines as the Narrator, Zoe Carides as Linda, Peter Cousens as Edward and Russell Crowe as Mickey. In 1994 a production of "Blood Brothers" directed by Bill Kenwright - who had overseen the play in the West End and on Broadway - ran in Melbourne and Sydney in the summer and fall having played dates in Wellington and Auckland NZ that spring: the cast included Stefan Dennis as Mickey, Delia Hannah as Mrs. Johnstone, and David Soul as the Narrator.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: In 2013 "Blood Brothers" was produced by the Harvest Rain Theatre Company of Brisbane playing the Cremorne Theatre 3–17 August: directed by Tim O'Connor, the production featured Amanda Muggleton in the role of Mrs. Johnstone. Muggleton had previously played Mrs. Johnstone in the Metcalfe Playhouse (Perth) production of "Blood Brothers" which ran 11 November – 4 December 2011.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: The Chapel Off Chapel venue in Prahran hosted a production of "Blood Brothers" from 19 March – 6 April 2014: the cast included Chelsea Plumley as Mrs.Johnstone and Peter Hardy and Glenda Linscott as the Lyons.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: In 2015 Enda Markey revived "Blood Brothers" for a 6 February – 15 March engagement at Hayes Theatre Co, reportedly affording the play its first professional production in Sydney since the September 1994 engagement of the play's New Zealand/Australian tour. The play was produced by Enda Markey and directed by Andrew Pole with musical direction by Michael Tyack: the cast included Blake Bowden as Edward, Michael Cormick as the Narrator, Helen Dallimore as Mrs Johnstone, and Bobby Fox as Mickey. The production went on to play for three weeks at the Alex Theatre, St Kilda, Melbourne, from 14 July 2015, with Josh Piterman taking over the role of Edward.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: The Broadway production opened on 25 April 1993 at the Music Box Theatre and closed on 30 April 1995 after 840 performances. It was co-directed by Tomson and Kenwright. Several of the British actors made their Broadway debuts, including Stephanie Lawrence as Mrs. Johnstone, O'Neill as Mickey, Graveson as Linda, Hutchinson as Eddie and Evans as the narrator. Barbara Walsh was Mrs Lyons, and Kerry Butler made her Broadway debut in the ensemble. To boost box office sales during the run, Kenwright persuaded Petula Clark to make her Broadway debut, replacing Lawrence as Mrs. Johnstone, with David Cassidy and Shaun Cassidy as her sons. The casting of the Cassidy half-brothers as the twins generated much publicity. The musical received Tony Award nominations for best musical, best book and best direction, and Lawrence (best actress), O'Neill (best actor) and Graveson (best featured actress) were all nominated for their performances in the original Broadway production. Following Clark's portrayal, Mrs. Johnstone was played by other 1970s pop singers, with King and Reddy later playing the role on Broadway.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Clark and David Cassidy also starred in the US national tour from 1994 to 1995. Clark and the Cassidys also recorded the international cast album, with the musical’s playwright, Willy Russell as the Narrator. Many of the cast members were also in the Canadian run, which starred David Cassidy, Michael Burgess and Canadian singer-songwriter Amy Sky.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: David Kramer adapted and directed the South African version in 2012, which he set in District Six, a predominantly Coloured inner-city residential area in Cape Town during the Apartheid era, with black cast members. This was the first time that Willy Russell had allowed the musical to be adapted.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: "Pokrvní bratia" - "Blood Brothers", adapted in the Czech-Slovak language - has been produced several times in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the inaugural production - adapted into Czech-Slovak by Alexandra Ruppeldtová - premiering in December 1993 at the Nová Scéna Theatre in Bratislava and featuring Soňa Valentová in the role of Johnstonová [i.e. Mrs Johnstone]. "Pokrvní bratia" - newly adapted by Martin Fahrner - premiered at the in Pardubice in February 2001: a subsequent production of the Fahrner adaptation ran at the in Uherské Hradiště from 1 October 2001 to 7 June 2002 followed by a production (also à la Farhner) at the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Pilsen which ran from 27 September 2003 to 9 June 2004 with and alternating in the role of Johnstonová. The premiere Prague engagement of "Pokrvní bratia" - introducing an adaptation by Adam Novák - inaugurated its run 17 November 2004: this production would feature and Sisa Sklovská alternating in the role of Johnstonová. "Pokrvní bratia" - as adapted by Fahner - was produced by the Liberec-based whose engagement premiered 23 March 2007: this production would encore in September 2008 as the inaugural production of the Heineken Tower Stage at Tower 115 in Bratislava, where the F. X. Šalda troupe performed "Pokrvní bratia" over three nights. Brno City Theatre revived the Novák adaptation for a production which premiered 2 June 2012 for a 25 performance run during which Hana Holišová and alternated in the role of Johnstonová. The Ruppeldtová adaptation of "Pokrvní bratia" was produced at the in Prešov for a fifteen performance run premiering 21 September 2012 over which Svetlana Janišová played the role of Johnstonová. The Nová Scéna Theatre staged a revival of the Ruppeldtová adaptation of "Pokrvní bratia" with an 18 September 2015 premiere at the Nová Scéna Theatre with occasional performances til the end of October, with an announced encore run scheduled to premiere 22 March 2017: Jana Lieskovská and , who alternated in the role of Johnstonová in the 2015 Nová Scéna revival, are scheduled to reprise the role in the 2017 Nová Scéna encore production.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: In addition to the above, the musical has also been produced in various theatres in Europe, Argentina, Mexico, Japan, Korea and Canada.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: The play opens in the early 1980s, at the ending of the lore. Mrs. Johnstone, surrounded by others including Mr. and Mrs. Lyons, and the Narrator, is standing over the bodies of Mickey and Eddie and sings “Tell Me It’s Not True” (“Overture”). The Narrator introduces the “story of the Johnstone twins” to the audience and the play then goes back in time to the late 1950s, at the start of the lore.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Some time in the late 1950s, Mrs Johnstone, who by now is 25 years old, is living in the Victorian inner city slums of Liverpool. She describes her whirlwind romance with her husband, who, once attracted to her because of how she looked like Marilyn Monroe, lost interest in her after multiple pregnancies and weight gain and eventually left her for a younger, more attractive woman. She also reveals that she is once again pregnant ("Marilyn Monroe"). Heavily in debt and unable to support her seven children alone ('by the time that I was twenty-five, I looked like forty-two. With seven hungry mouths to feed and one more nearly due'), she takes a job as a cleaner for a local upper middle-class couple, Mr. Richard Lyons and Mrs. Jennifer Lyons. Soon she finds out she is pregnant with twins, but can only afford to raise one more child.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Mrs. Lyons is desperate for a baby but is unable to conceive, and would like to adopt a child but her husband, who is away on business overseas, is not keen on the idea. Mrs. Johnstone reveals to Mrs Lyons that she is going to have twins and explains that she cannot afford to raise two more babies. Mrs. Lyons then suggests that Mrs. Johnstone gives one of the babies to her ("My Child"). Mrs. Johnstone apprehensively agrees to this and is made to swear on the Bible to keep to the deal. Mrs. Johnstone has the twins, and names the two children Michael (known as Mickey throughout the play) and Edward, but then regrets having agreed to give one away ("Easy Terms"). After keeping her deal with Mrs. Lyons, she lies to her older children, saying that the other baby had died and gone to heaven.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Mrs. Johnstone continues to work for the Lyons family, but Mrs. Lyons soon feels that Mrs. Johnstone is paying too much attention to the child that she has given up to her. In the early 1960s, she fires Mrs. Johnstone because of this, however in return Mrs. Johnstone wants to take the baby with her. Mrs. Lyons offers her money which Mrs. Johnstone refuses but Mrs. Lyons plays on Mrs. Johnstone's superstitious nature by telling her that "if twins separated at birth learn that they were once one of a pair they will both immediately die" ("Shoes Upon the Table"). Mrs. Lyons again gives Mrs. Johnstone the money and leaves. It is implied that Mrs. Johnstone is left traumatised by this encounter.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: In the late 1960s, a seven-year-old Mickey, the son of Mrs. Johnstone, meets Edward, the other twin, by chance, and after learning they share the same birthday, the two boys make a pact to become blood brothers, with Mickey calling Edward "Eddie". Mrs. Johnstone finds them, and fearing that they will find out they are twins, sends Eddie away, telling him not to come round again or else the "Bogey-man" will get him. Later in the day, Mickey goes to Eddie's house, but Mrs. Lyons throws him out when she comes to the realisation that he is Edward's separated twin. She and Eddie argue on the subject, and Eddie swears at her. Mrs. Lyons slaps him, blaming Mickey for teaching him inappropriate language, and immediately regrets her reaction. She realises that he has learned to swear from Mickey.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Mickey plays with some neighbourhood children including his friend Linda ("Kids' Game"), where Mickey says a swear word and is bullied by other children, including his nine-year-old older brother Sammy, a notorious troublemaker in the area and a leader of the other children, for doing so, stating that he will go to hell. Linda defends Mickey and reassures him, revealing the closeness of the two. Afterwards, Mickey takes her to see Eddie, and the three of them sneak off to play. Mrs. Lyons worries about Eddie's whereabouts. ("Gypsies in the Wood") The three are caught by a police officer when about to throw stones through a window and taken home to their respective parents. Mrs. Lyons, worried about Eddie's friendship with Mickey, decides to move and persuades her husband, who believes her paranoia to be illness and agrees to the move. Eddie goes to Mrs. Johnstone's house to say goodbye to Mickey and she gives him a locket which she claims to contain a picture of herself and Mickey, though it is suggested that it may have contained a picture of herself and Eddie instead. Edward asks Mrs. Johnstone why she doesn't simply move away, causing her to dream about the seemingly impossible possibility of her moving away and beginning a new life ("Bright New Day (Preview)").


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: After Eddie has moved away, Mickey tries to visit Eddie but finds him not home, and asks the new tenant of the house where he has moved to no avail. Without Eddie he feels alone. ("Long Sunday Afternoon / My Friend")


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Soon afterwards, in the early 1970s, the Johnstone family are rehoused from the condemned inner city slum area of Liverpool to a new council house in the nearby overspill town of Skelmersdale ("Bright New Day"). This reflected the gradual demolition of the city’s slum clearances and the relocation to families on new housing estates in Liverpool and nearby towns around this period.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Act Two rejoins the twins when they are 14 years old, some time in the mid-1970s (often believed to be 1974). The Johnstone family are enjoying a better life now they have moved to a new home and a new area, and they have not seen Eddie in all this time ("Marilyn Monroe 2"). Mickey has now developed a crush on Linda, who is obviously interested in him too, but Mickey does not know how to approach her and is embarrassed by her honesty to being attracted to him. During their journey to school Sammy, Mickey’s older brother, pretends to be 14 to get a cheaper bus ticket. When he is confronted his violent nature becomes obvious; he swears violently at the driver, threatens him with a knife, steals some money and escapes.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Eddie is suspended from his boarding school for refusing to give up his locket to a teacher. Meanwhile, Mickey refuses to pay attention or co-operate during a class in his school, insulting the teacher, and is suspended. Linda is also suspended for defending him. When he returns home, Eddie refuses to tell Mrs. Lyons about the locket’s contents, and when she takes it and sees the picture inside she panics, and immediately assumes it is a picture of Eddie. She grows paranoid, having once thought she had buried the past by moving away, and questions Mrs. Johnstone's presence in their life ("The Devil's Got Your Number"). Eddie and Mickey, now teenage and insecure, both reminisce over their blood brother, and after seeing each other but not realising they are seeing their blood brother, think about how they wish they had the qualities the other guy has ("That Guy"). After Mickey and Linda walk through a field in the countryside surrounding Skelmersdale, where Linda expresses her frustration at how Mickey has not yet asked her out, Mickey and Eddie meet by chance once again, revealing that the Lyons family moved close to Skelmersdale (where the Johnstone family now live) and they discover that they live close to each other. Eddie gives Mickey humorously inexperienced advice on how to talk to Linda, and invites him to see a pornographic film with him to "see how it's done".


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: An increasingly mentally deranged and paranoid Mrs. Lyons further questions whether she is truly free from Mrs. Johnstone ("Shoes Upon The Table (Reprise)") as Mickey asks his mother for money to see a film while reintroducing Eddie. After she realises it is a pornographic film, the three have a humorous moment, before Mrs. Johnstone gives them the money and they leave. Mrs Lyons, by this point in the play clearly mentally ill, discovers Mrs Johnstone's house and confronts her, believing that she followed her after they moved. After she admits that she “never made him [Eddie] mine”, she offers to pay off Mrs. Johnstone again. After Mrs. Johnstone stands her ground and declares she will not be paid off again, stating that she has made a good living for herself out of her new life, an enraged Mrs. Lyons attempts to attack Mrs. Johnstone with a knife, but a now strong-willed Mrs. Johnstone fights back and kicks her out, with Mrs. Lyons fleeing in terror. Mrs. Lyons continues to deteriorate into insanity and it is implied that she has now become known for being mentally insane. (Mad Woman On A Hill).


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Mickey, Eddie and Linda spend each summer as teens together, taking the play to the end of the 1970s, when an 18-year-old Eddie reveals to Linda that he is leaving for university in Liverpool the following day, but has not told her or Mickey. Linda reveals Mickey still hasn't asked her out, prompting Eddie to tell her what he would say to her if he were Mickey. Secretly, he is revealing his true feelings but has not acted on then out of respect for Mickey ("I'm Not Saying A Word"). Eddie leaves for university in Liverpool, but not before encouraging Mickey to ask Linda out.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: During Eddie's absence, in the early 1980s, Linda becomes pregnant, she and Mickey soon quickly marry and move in with Mrs Johnstone. Mickey is then made redundant from his factory job due to the recession ongoing at the time, which hits Merseyside particularly hard, which forces Mickey onto the dole shortly before Christmas (“Take A Letter Miss Jones"). Eddie returns at Christmas ready to party and have fun, but Mickey realises that they are now very different; after a small argument with Eddie, they part. Mickey is persuaded to assist his brother Sammy, who now engages in criminal acts, in a robbery, to earn money to support Linda and their baby daughter Sarah. The robbery goes wrong, and he becomes an accessory to a murder committed by Sammy. He is sentenced to seven years in prison but the incident destroys Mickey mentally.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: In prison, Mickey is diagnosed as chronically depressed. When released early for good behaviour, he is still dependent on anti-depressants. He becomes withdrawn and turns away from Linda ("Marilyn Monroe 3"). Linda, unable to get Mickey off the anti-depressants, contacts Eddie, who is now a local councillor, and he gets them their own house in Liverpool and Mickey a job ("Light Romance"), taking the focus of the play back to Liverpool. Linda worries about Mickey and continues to meet up with Eddie. A mentally insane Mrs. Lyons, now seemingly willing to get back at Mrs. Johnstone in any way possible, even if it involves possibly being harmful to Eddie, sees them together and tells Mickey about it, suggesting that the two are having an affair. Mickey, distraught over Eddie and Linda's 'affair,' grabs the gun that Sammy hid before he got arrested and then storms down to the council offices to confront Eddie ("Madman").


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: There, Eddie is giving a speech when Mickey storms in with the gun. Mickey asks why Eddie would take away the one good thing that Mickey had – Linda. Eddie denies this intention, and the police enter, demanding that Mickey put the gun down. After being informed by Linda of the incident, Mrs. Johnstone runs in and, in an attempt to stop Mickey from shooting Eddie, tells the two brothers the truth. Mickey furiously despairs that he was not the one given away, because then he could have had the life given to Eddie. Mickey, enraged and violently angry, gestures with the gun towards Eddie. The gun goes off, killing Eddie, with the police then shooting and killing Mickey.


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: Mrs. Lyons' superstitious prediction has come true, and the narrator questions whether class was more to blame than superstition. ("Tell Me It's Not True").


title: Blood Brothers (musical)

text: In another version, Mickey has a fake gun. Mrs. Johnstone rushes to stop him and reveals the truth, which provokes Mrs. Lyons to attempt to shoot Mickey in order to keep her own child. Eddie jumps in and takes the bullet, and Mrs. Lyons shoots Mickey in rage. This version ends with the narrator’s monologue.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The Peugeot 508 is a mid-size/large family car produced by the French automaker Peugeot, and followed by the 508 SW, an estate version, in 2011.


title: Peugeot 508

text: Production of the 508 began in 2010 as an indirect replacement for the 407 and 607, for which no direct replacement was scheduled. It shares its platform and most engine options with the second generation Citroën C5: the two cars are produced alongside one another at the company's Rennes Plant, and in Wuhan, China, for sales inside China.


title: Peugeot 508

text: At the end of 2015, Peugeot launched the new generation of 508, 508 SW and RXH. The front of the car was redesigned and full LED headlights became available. New engines were also launched, and front-wheel drive introduced for the RXH. The Peugeot 508 has received several international awards including "Car of the Year 2011" in Spain (awarded 2012), "Next Green Car", and "Best Large Family Car 2011". Citations commented on the car "being spacious and well equipped" and that it "represented excellent build quality and has the best fuel economy in its class" (Peugeot 508 1.6 e HDi 109g CO/km) or also "Auto Zeitung" "Best Imported Family Car 2011" (readers' votes).


title: Peugeot 508

text: The Peugeot 508 was given a facelift in 2015, with the introduction of a vertical grille with the Peugeot lion in the centre. The new second-generation Peugeot 508 won the "Most Beautiful Car of The Year 2018" award at the International Automobile Festival, where the Peugeot E-Legend also won "The Most Beautiful Concept Car of The Year".


title: Peugeot 508

text: The 508 saloon is long, while the 508 SW (estate) is long. Compared to the Peugeot 407, the 508 has a shorter front overhang and a longer rear passenger compartment.


title: Peugeot 508

text: After a few initial leaked spyshots, the first definitive details and images leaked to the web on 12 July 2010. Peugeot released additional information on 6 September 2010. The 508 was officially launched at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. PSA Peugeot Citroën build the 508 in China in partnership with Dongfeng Motor. It was launched there on 10 August 2011.


title: Peugeot 508

text: It was reported in 2011 that Peugeot expected China to be the largest market for the car, at almost twice that of France. If predictions were correct, it would be the first time that the company sold more units in any country other than France for any model that is available in Europe.


title: Peugeot 508

text: Peugeot has equipped the 508 for the market in Europe with its HDI common rail diesel engines. The 1.6-litre HDI 112 can be fitted with the e HDI 'micro hybrid' system, including an electronically controlled automatic gearbox, which reduces fuel consumption to with CO emissions of 109 g/km.


title: Peugeot 508

text: Though this matches the Volkswagen Passat Bluemotion, it features a slightly larger fuel tank which allows it to cover a slightly longer range of 1637 kilometres (1017 miles). At least two e HDI engines were available from 2011 to 2012. The first engines had an emission level of 114 g/km. The later model reduces emissions to 109 g/km. A modified air intake is the main reason for the improvement.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The 508 range also included PSA's HYbrid4 diesel electric hybrid powertrain, which reduced fuel consumption further, to with CO emissions of 99 g/km.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The top GT version comes with a , 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine which generates of torque. It comes mated solely to a six speed torque converter automatic gearbox which offers manual shifts via paddles or a central selector.


title: Peugeot 508

text: From a system which rates to a maximum of five stars, the 508 received a five star rating by Euro NCAP in 2011. The score was:


title: Peugeot 508

text: At the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Peugeot revealed a hybrid-electric crossover estate de luxe variant of the 508. To distinguish it from other 508 models, the RXH features flared wheel arches, as well as a new color-coded grille with three columns of LED daytime running lights on each side.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The Hybrid4 powertrain combines a 120 kW (163hp) 2.0-litre HDi FAP diesel engine with a 27 kW (37hp) electric motor to lower fuel consumption to 4.2 L/100 km. The powertrain offers four working modes:


title: Peugeot 508

text: AUTO, in which the vehicle strives for the best fuel economy, throttle response is slow and the automated manual transmission shifts early, furthermore the vehicle switches to ZEV mode as often as possible.


title: Peugeot 508

text: SPORT mode offers a combined power output of 150kW (200hp) and 450Nm at speeds up to 120km/h, throttle response is very aggressive and the engine revs up to 4000RPM before upshifts.


title: Peugeot 508

text: 4WD mode keeps the HDi engine running constantly and charging the high voltage battery to offer constant 4WD at speeds up to 120km/h.


title: Peugeot 508

text: ZEV mode is available if the high voltage battery is at least 1/3 full. In this mode, the vehicle moves only via the rear electric motor and the performance is limited. ZEV mode is available at speeds of up to ~60km/h with moderate acceleration, the range on a full charge is about ~2miles (~3km), the A/C compressor is automatically switched off in this mode. If the driver presses the accelerator beyond a certain point, the HDi engine restarts automatically as to offer better acceleration and the vehicle goes to AUTO mode. Auto Start Stop is available in all modes except for 4WD when the engine is constantly running so that the reversible alternator can top up the battery and provide constant rear drive.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The engine automatically shuts down whenever possible (cruising downhill at speeds of up to 85km/h when the battery is not fully charged or cruising on a level surface at speeds of up to ~60km/h), when coming to a stop the HDi engine shuts down at speeds below 30km/h. Restarting can occur at any moment, if the HYbrid4 control unit determines that additional power is needed; or the battery needs to be topped up; or the A/C compressor needs to kick in.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The engine also restarts when the battery is fully charged and the vehicle is going downhill, as to offer additional engine braking, no fuel is used in this mode, but ZERO EMISSION is not displayed, as the HDi engine is rotating. The battery consist of 42 packs of four D-size SANYO batteries (201.6V nominal, ranging from 168V to 250V during use). To offer a longer battery pack life the HCU (hybrid control unit) never charges the batteries over 90% of their capacity, nor discharges them under 30%.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The 508 RXH HYbrid4 also has raised ground clearance of 184mm - 30mm more than the standard 508 SW and 508 HYbrid4.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The RXH was released in the beginning of 2012. The 508 RXH was launched in a single high spec limited edition version, before a full range became available. It is competing with the Audi A4 Allroad, the Volvo XC70, the Passat Alltrack or even more, the BMW 3 Series XDrive.


title: Peugeot 508

text: A concept "hybrid power" car prefiguring the style of the future 508 coupé, called the Peugeot SR1, was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The Peugeot 508 has been equipped 1.8 THP engines, which is only sold in China. The 1.8 THP engine's power is at 5,500 rpm and of torque at 1,400–4,000 rpm.


title: Peugeot 508

text: A second generation was announced by Peugeot in February 2018, and was officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2018. The estate version was rumoured in May 2018, announced in June and was officially unveiled at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. The design is inspired by the "Instinct" shooting brake concept, shown at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show.


title: Peugeot 508

text: In terms of powertrain options, the new 508 will have petrol engine options, both 1.6 litre PureTech turbocharged engines, with different power outputs; and three turbodiesel options. The automatic transmission has been updated to an eight speed Aisin EAT8 unit, replacing the older EAT6 units. A plug-in hybrid version was revealed in September 2019.


title: Peugeot 508

text: In May 2019, the 508 debuted in the market in the Middle East, featuring the carryover 165 hp 1.6 litre engine, and the six speed automatic of the previous generation.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The Peugeot 508L premiered at the 2018 Guangzhou Auto Show in China. Compared to the European 508 model, the 508L exclusive to China has a 55mm (2.16 inch) longer wheelbase, making the length of the 508L wheelbase 2848 mm (112.12 inches). The Chinese 508L version is also 100 mm (4 inches) longer overall than the 508 sold in Europe, at 4870 mm (191.7 inches).


title: Peugeot 508

text: Another difference between the two versions is in the rear with the five door liftback configuration of the European 508 being replaced by a conventional trunk, making the 508L a traditional four door sedan in China. Styling wise, the frameless door windows of the European 508 was cancelled for the 508L, and the tail lamps of the 508L was also downgraded into a design with a lower cost.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The safety kit includes automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, active blind spot detection including some steering correction to avoid an accident, speed and road sign recognition, automatic headlight beam selection and some driver-attention monitoring systems.


title: Peugeot 508

text: A windscreen camera is used to provide the features such as Active Lane Keeping Assistance and Road Edge Detection, speed sign recognition and Lane Positioning Assist, which can keep the car in the centre of the lane.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The 508's Safety Plus Pack has sensors to watch areas out of the field of vision, to warn the driver by a LED.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The car has also parking aids, ranging from front and rear sensors up to fully automated assistance for both parallel and car park spaces.


title: Peugeot 508

text: Unveiled in February 2019, and officially presented at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, this concept is a sporty plug in hybrid version of the 508.


title: Peugeot 508

text: The maximum combined output of and of torque is attained, thanks to a petrol engine and electric motor at the front, and a electric motor on the rear axle (although the sum of the power numbers of each engine/motor sum to around 500 hp, the hybrid system cannot provide peak power for all three systems at once so maximum real world power output is lower at around 400 hp).


title: Peugeot 508

text: 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) is accomplished in 4.3 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of . Its 11.8 kWh battery allows this 508 to travel up to on electricity alone. Its CO emissions are 49 g/km per the WLTP test cycle. It also gets a sportier bodykit to improve aerodynamics. This concept will spawn a similar sporty production model which will be available, both as a saloon and an estate, in the second half of 2020.


title: Chase Daniel

text: William Chase Daniel (born October 7, 1986) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri and was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Daniel has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel prepped under head coach Todd Dodge at Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas, which won the 5A Division II state title in 2004, 2005, and 2006. After playing his sophomore year at wide receiver, Daniel was a two-year starter at quarterback, leading his team to a 31–1 record. He completed 65.2% of his passes for 8,298 yards and 91 touchdowns and added 2,954 rushing yards and 39 scores. Southlake earned a No. 1 national ranking in 2004 after winning the 5A state championship, while Daniel won the 5A state Player of the Year. He was also named the EA Sports National Player of the Year.


title: Chase Daniel

text: As a junior, Daniel threw for 3,681 yards with 42 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In addition, he ran for 1,529 yards with 18 touchdowns.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Despite his impressive statistics, Daniel was not recruited heavily by his preferred school, Texas. This presented an opportunity for Missouri to recruit him to be part of its resurgent program. Ironically, after he committed to Mizzou, Longhorn coach Mack Brown began to seriously look at Daniel, but Daniel stuck to his commitment. He was also offered scholarships by Maryland, Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Texas A&M.


title: Chase Daniel

text: During high school, Daniel was a member of National Honor Society, and a member of his school's student council for three years.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel enjoyed an illustrious college career at the University of Missouri, passing for more than 12,000 yards and throwing for more than 100 touchdowns. He is widely considered one of the most successful quarterbacks in the school's history.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Although he was not Missouri's most heralded NFL prospect, Daniel raised the football program's profile significantly as a three-year starter and arguably laid the groundwork for the Tigers' eventual move to the Southeastern Conference in 2012 by guiding the Tigers to within one win of a BCS National Championship berth in 2007.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel was the primary backup quarterback for Brad Smith in the 2005 season and played in 10 games. He completed 38-of-66 passes for 247 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. On October 15, he was 16-of-23 for 185 passing yards and a touchdown against Iowa State.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel started all 13 games in 2006 as Missouri earned a berth in the Brut Sun Bowl. He threw for 3,527 yards with a 63.5 percent completion rate and 28 touchdowns. Daniel also set a school record for passing touchdowns in a game, racking up five scores in the season opener against Murray State. This was good enough for a Second-team All-Big 12 selection while he also was named to the First-team All-Academic Big 12 Team. Daniel was also one of the 35 quarterbacks placed on the 2007 Manning Award watch list.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel improved in 2007, throwing for 4,306 yards with a 68.2 percent completion rate and 33 touchdowns, with only 11 interceptions in 14 games. He also rushed for a net 253 yards and four touchdowns for a total offense of 37 touchdowns and 4,559 yards, which was good for an average of almost 326 yards per game. He led the Tigers to the cusp of a national championship appearance; in late November 2007, the program surged to #1 in the Associated Press poll for the first time since 1960.


title: Chase Daniel

text: After the Tigers defeated arch rival Kansas, the edition of December 3, 2007, of "Sports Illustrated" featured Daniel on the cover, with the caption "Mizzou, That's Who." Despite losing to the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 Championship Game, the Tigers dominated Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day.


title: Chase Daniel

text: On November 27, 2007, the Big 12 Conference named Daniel the Offensive Player of the Year. He is the first Missouri player to receive that honor.


title: Chase Daniel

text: On December 5, 2007, Daniel was invited by the Heisman Trophy Trust to go to New York City as one of four finalists. He finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting with 425 points. He garnered 25 first-place votes, 84 second-place votes, and 182 third-place votes. He became the third Tiger to finish in the top ten. His fourth-place showing marks the second-highest finish in Heisman voting by a Missouri Tigers player, with Paul Christman the only one to finish higher (third in 1939).


title: Chase Daniel

text: On January 1, 2008, Missouri wrapped up a school-best 12–2 season with a 38–7 win over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. A week later, the Tigers were ranked #4 in the Associated Press' final poll – the highest final ranking in school history – and #5 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. Daniel also announced he was returning for his senior season after putting his name in with the NFL College Advisory Committee to receive feedback for the NFL Draft.


title: Chase Daniel

text: In the 2008 preseason, Daniel was named one of 26 candidates for the 2008 Unitas Award, given to the nation's best senior college football quarterback. He continued to break virtually all Mizzou passing records, and in a two-game span against Southeast Missouri State and Nevada, he threw for more touchdowns (seven) than he did incomplete passes (six).


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel donned #25 in honor of fallen teammate Aaron O'Neal. O'Neal died before beginning his freshman year during practice in July 2005, and would have been a senior in 2008. The number rotated among the senior class that season.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel became the Missouri career total offense yardage leader on December 6, with 13,256. He moved ahead of Brad Smith. Missouri finished with 10 wins and a #19 ranking in AP Polls.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Missouri ended 2008 with a 10-win record, culminating with a victory over Northwestern in the Valero Alamo Bowl.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Some scouts considered Daniel among the best quarterbacks in the 2009 Draft, but they had concerns about his height and whether his skills in the college spread offense would translate to the very different game played in the NFL. Daniel's height was measured as 6 ft 0 in at the NFL Scouting Combine. He weighed in at 218 pounds. Daniel ran a 4.86 and 4.79 in the 40 and had a nine-foot broad jump in his Pro Day.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel was not selected in the 2009 NFL Draft, but was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins. The Redskins waived him when making their final roster cuts on September 5, 2009.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel was signed to the New Orleans Saints practice squad on September 6, 2009. He was promoted to the active roster on September 26, and named the emergency third quarterback for the September 27 game against the Buffalo Bills. The Saints waived Daniel on October 12, 2009, after placekicker Garrett Hartley (coincidentally, a teammate of Daniel's at Southlake Carroll High School) came back from a four-game suspension, then re-signed him on October 16. On November 17, 2009, ESPN reported that Daniel had been cut once again, to allow the Saints to sign cornerback Chris McAlister. He was signed to the team's practice squad again on November 20, 2009. He was released from the practice squad on December 9, 2009, only to be re-signed to the practice squad two days later. Daniel was promoted to the active roster before the regular season finale on January 1, 2010. He was a member of the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV Championship team, although he did not take the field that season.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Going into the 2010 season, Daniel was expected to battle with veteran Patrick Ramsey for the backup quarterback position behind Drew Brees. Daniel and Ramsey put up similar numbers during the preseason, but on September 3, it was reported that Daniel had been chosen as backup quarterback; the team waived Ramsey. He signed a new one-year contract with the Saints in March 2012. He continued as the primary backup to Brees, as well as the team's placekick holder, for the 2010, 2011, and 2012 seasons.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on March 12, 2013. For 2013, he was secured as the backup to Alex Smith. In Week 14 of the 2013 NFL season, Daniel played against the Redskins and was 1 for 3 in passing with an interception. The Chiefs won, 45–10. In Week 17, with the Chiefs locked into the #5 seed in the playoffs, Daniel started his first regular-season NFL game, a 24–27 overtime loss to the San Diego Chargers, going 21/30 for 200 yards and one touchdown pass, while rushing for an additional 59 yards. His final 2013 stats were 248 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel returned to the Chiefs for the 2014 season as Smith's backup. Before week 17 against the Chargers, it was announced that Smith had suffered a lacerated spleen and would miss the game and possibly the playoffs, giving Daniel the start on Week 17 for the second straight year. This time, Daniel led the Chiefs to a 19–7 victory over the Chargers. The victory eliminated the Chargers from playoff contention.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel remained with the Chiefs in the 2015 season but appeared in relief in only two games in the regular season and the 30–0 victory over the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.


title: Chase Daniel

text: On March 9, 2016, Daniel signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. In the 2016 season, he was the backup to rookie Carson Wentz, whom the Eagles chose with the second overall pick. He appeared in two games in the 2016 season. On March 13, 2017, hours after the Eagles signed free agent quarterback and former Philadelphia Eagle Nick Foles, Daniel requested his release from the team, and was granted the request.


title: Chase Daniel

text: On March 29, 2017, Daniel signed a one-year contract to return to the Saints. In the 2017 season, he appeared in one game, against the Buffalo Bills, in relief of Brees.


title: Chase Daniel

text: On March 14, 2018, Daniel signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Chicago Bears with $7 million guaranteed.


title: Chase Daniel

text: For the 2018 regular season, he served as the backup to Mitchell Trubisky. In week four, he saw action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a trick play nicknamed "Willy Wonka", which had been designed by coach Matt Nagy and the quarterbacks and named by Daniel days before the game. On the Buccaneers' three-yard line, Daniel joined Trubisky in the backfield in the shotgun formation. Before the play began, receiver Taylor Gabriel and tight end Trey Burton moved along the line of scrimmage to confuse the defense. Upon receiving the snap, Trubisky quickly pitched the ball forward to Gabriel on a shovel pass. Trubisky then faked a hand-off to Daniel as Gabriel scored the touchdown.


title: Chase Daniel

text: On November 21, Daniel was named the starter for the Week 12 Thanksgiving matchup against the Detroit Lions due to a shoulder injury to Trubisky. It was his third career start and his first since Week 17 of the 2014 season with the Chiefs. He completed 27 of 37 pass attempts for 230 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 23–16 Bears victory.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel remained the starter in the next week's game against the New York Giants. He completed 26 of 39 passes for 285 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions (both by Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree, one of which was returned for a touchdown), and was sacked five times as the Bears lost in overtime, 30–27. Trubisky returned to the starting role a week later.


title: Chase Daniel

text: In Week 4 of the 2019 season against the Minnesota Vikings, Daniel replaced an injured Trubisky in the first quarter. He completed 22 of 30 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown to Tarik Cohen as the Bears won 16–6. With Trubisky unable to play the following week's game against the Oakland Raiders in London, Daniel started as quarterback. Although he threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns, he was also intercepted twice, once late in the game, as the Bears lost, 24–21.


title: Chase Daniel

text: In Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams on "Sunday Night Football", Daniel was put into the game late in the fourth quarter after Trubisky was benched. He threw for nine yards as the Bears lost, 17–7.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Daniel made his first appearance for the Lions during Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings after starter Matthew Stafford left the game in the fourth quarter. He completed 8 of 13 passes for 94 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as the Lions lost, 34–20.


title: Chase Daniel

text: On March 31, 2021, Daniel signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. He served as the backup to Justin Herbert, appearing in one game.


title: Chase Daniel

text: Chase is the son of Bill and Vickie Daniel. He married his longtime girlfriend, Hillary Mullin, in 2014. They have three children together.


title: Chase Daniel

text: On March 5, 2011, Daniel announced that he was establishing and endowing an athletic scholarship for Missouri football recruits from Texas.


title: Little (film)

text: Little is a 2019 American fantasy comedy film directed and co-written by Tina Gordon. It stars Regina Hall, Issa Rae and Marsai Martin, and follows an overbearing boss who is transformed into the child version of herself. Martin serves as an executive producer for the film, and at 13 years old, is the youngest person to ever hold that title on a Hollywood production.


title: Little (film)

text: The film was released in New Haven on April 8, 2019, and it was released in the United States on April 12, 2019, by Universal Pictures, and grossed over $48 million worldwide. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances and heart but called it "a bit safer and lighter on laughs than many would like."


title: Little (film)

text: It is the last Legendary Pictures film at Universal due to production with the end of 5-year deal in the course of initiating the deal and making it return to Warner Bros. Pictures.


title: Little (film)

text: Bullied as a child, businesswoman Jordan Sanders has become the bully as she runs her own tech company like a dictator and treats her employees very poorly. After she behaves rudely towards a child using a toy magic wand, the child wishes that Jordan was a kid again.


title: Little (film)

text: The wish comes true the next morning when Jordan wakes up as her 13-year-old self. With her assistant April temporarily taking over the company, Jordan is forced to return to the school where she was previously bullied. Because Jordan is now a “minor", April poses as her aunt.


title: Little (film)

text: At school, Jordan is introduced to her teacher, Mr. Marshall, whom she develops a crush on. Once again the target of bullies, Jordan befriends three other outcasts - Isaac, Raina and Devon. Meanwhile, April has difficulty keeping everyone's attention at work without Jordan's authority to back her up. At a restaurant, Jordan and April have dinner, bonding over their personal lives. Jordan loudly sings Mary J. Blige's "I'm Goin' Down" while intoxicated, embarrassing April. Despite her embarrassment, April sings along with Jordan, ending with Jordan accidentally pulling off a man's weave.


title: Little (film)

text: Meanwhile, the company's biggest client threatens to move to a competitor if the firm doesn't pitch him a great idea for a mobile app. Unable to reach Jordan before the pitch, April presents an original idea, "Discover Eyes", that Jordan had previously blocked her from pitching. Jordan is upset with April for this, they argue, and April quits her job.


title: Little (film)

text: After Jordan realizes how terrible she's been to April and everyone who cares about her, she helps her friends at school perform at a pep rally. At first, they are booed by the crowd, but after a successful performance, they earn a round of applause and the respect of their peers. April finds the girl who turned Jordan into a girl and asks that she turn her back to normal; the attempt seemingly fails. Jordan, having changed inside, vows to be a better friend to April. Jordan wakes up the next morning restored to her adult self and returns to work with a respectful and positive attitude towards her employees. After several rejections, April's pitch scores a huge client. Jordan throws the company a party to celebrate the company's success with April's pitch, and April is given a well-deserved promotion to Creative Executive.


title: Little (film)

text: Marsai Martin, who stars on "Black-ish", came to the show's creator, Kenya Barris with the idea for the film on set in 2014 when she was ten years old, having been inspired by the film "Big" (1988). Martin acted as an executive producer on "Little", and at the age of 14 is the youngest person to ever hold that title on a major Hollywood production. Issa Rae signed onto the film on May 2, 2018, while Regina Hall, who was already attached as an executive producer, joined the cast later that month.


title: Little (film)

text: In April 12, 2019, the film's soundtrack, "Little: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack", was released by Back Lot Music. Several artists were featured on the album, including Mary J. Blige, Pharrell Williams, H.E.R, and Janelle Monáe. Chloe x Halle recorded the film's theme song, "Be Yourself", which was played during the end credits.


title: Little (film)

text: The film was released in New Haven on April 8, 2019, and it released in the United States on April 12, 2019. It had originally been slated for a September 20, 2019 release.


title: Little (film)

text: "Little" grossed $40.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $8.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $48.8 million, against a production budget of $20 million.


title: Little (film)

text: In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside "Hellboy", "After" and "Missing Link", and was projected to gross $14–18 million from 2,667 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $5.4 million on its first day, including $735,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $15.5 million, finishing second, behind holdover "Shazam!". The film made $8.5 million and $3.5 million in its second and third weekends, respectively, finishing fifth and seventh.


title: Little (film)

text: On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "A disappointingly uneven but overall agreeable spin on a familiar formula, "Little" benefits from a big ghgheart -- and a story that makes good use of its talented, well-matched cast." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it 4 out of 5 stars and a "definite recommend" of 62%.


title: Little (film)

text: Peter Debruge of "Variety" praised Rae and Martin's performances, and called the film an "amusing yet predictable body-swap comedy." "The Guardian"s Peter Bradshaw gave the film two out of five stars, saying that "[t]he comedy is fundamentally hobbled by the split in narrative focus between Jordan and April. We are never sure who is the heroine here, who has the comedy underdog status, who we are supposed to be rooting for." On February 26, 2020, "Little" was among the 26 films of 2019 awarded the ReFrame Stamp.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: Kickboxer is a 1989 American martial arts film directed by David Worth and starring Jean-Claude van Damme. Former world kickboxing champion Dennis Alexio is also featured. It spawned several sequels.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: Kurt Sloane is the younger brother and cornerman of Eric Sloane, the United States kickboxing world champion. After another successful title defense, Eric is enticed by the media to compete in Thailand, where kickboxing was started, to further establish his legacy. As a result, Eric and Kurt travel to Bangkok to fight Tong "The Tiger" Po, Thailand's undefeated top fighter. Eric is supremely confident, but Kurt becomes apprehensive after witnessing Tong Po kicking a concrete pillar in preparation for the fight. He begs Eric not to fight, but Eric dismisses any concerns.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: Tong Po dominates Eric in the first round with his superior strength and knowledge of Thailand's unorthodox kickboxing rules. In between rounds, Kurt once again begs Eric to stop, but Eric refuses to give up, and gets beaten badly in the second round. Kurt throws in the towel, but Tong Po kicks the towel out of the ring, and continues his assault. He viciously strikes Eric in the back with his elbow, immobilizing him, and then rips apart Eric's world championship belt. Kurt retrieves the belt, and leaves with his brother on a stretcher, but the fight officials leave them on the street. Winston Taylor, a retired United States Army Special Forces member, agrees to help the pair by driving them to the hospital. As a result of Tong Po's brutal attack, Eric is paralyzed from the waist down and will never be able to walk again.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: An enraged Kurt vows to avenge his brother. He searches for a trainer to teach him Muay Thai, but is mocked and laughed out of the gym by the local fighters. Eventually, Taylor tells him about Xian Chow, a famous Muay Thai Kru living in a remote area of Thailand. Before introducing him to Xian, Taylor insists that Kurt goes drinking with him. During their time at a go-go bar, Taylor confides in Kurt by implying that he left a friend to die during the Vietnam War, so he feels that he owes it to his memory to help Kurt.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: Although reluctant at first, Xian agrees to train Kurt after having him retrieve groceries from his niece, Mylee. While at her store, Kurt prevents goons sent by Freddy Li - a higher up in a racketeering organization and Tong Po's manager - from stealing money from Mylee. While training, Kurt drunkenly beats up some of Freddy Li's thugs in a bar fight that was orchestrated by Xian, who convinces Freddy Li to arrange a preliminary match between Kurt and another young fighter. Kurt is victorious and earns a match against Tong Po. It is determined that they will fight in the "ancient way": both fighters wrap their hands in hemp rope, which is then coated in resin, and dipped in broken glass to make them deadly weapons.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: Freddy Li arranges to have the fight fixed, and borrows $1 million from the Thai crime syndicate's boss Tao Liu in order to bet on Tong Po. Several days prior to the match, Mylee is beaten and raped by Tong Po, while Eric is kidnapped so that Freddy Li can blackmail Kurt into losing the fight. Xian's dog Kiki is also stabbed during the ambush. As Taylor prepares to take Kiki to town for treatment, Mylee confesses to him about her rape and reveals she has not told Kurt, insisting that his mind must be clear for the fight with Tong Po. To that end, she begs Taylor to help find Eric, but he is reluctant to cross Freddy Li.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: To save his brother's life, Kurt is instructed by Freddy Li to go the distance with Tong Po before losing the match. He endures a torturous beating, but Xian and Taylor manage to locate Eric and rescue him. Before the final round, Eric arrives with Xian and Taylor. He whistles from the crowd and gives Kurt a thumbs-up before starting a chant of "Nack Suk Cao" (white warrior). With Eric now out of danger, Kurt has Mylee cut the hemp rope from his hands before pummeling Tong Po viciously, finally defeating him. After kicking Freddy Li in the face for good measure, Kurt celebrates his victory with his brother and friends.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: A soundtrack containing songs from the film was released featuring songs from soundtrack specialist Stan Bush. The score for the film was composed by Paul Hertzog. The full score was remastered and released in 2006 by Perseverance Records in limited quantity.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: The 2006 official score release does not include a previously released version of the score track titled "Buddha's Eagle" which was released on the "Best of Van Damme Volume 2 Compilation" CD.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: An expanded version of the 2006 album was released by Perseverance Records in July 2014. This album contained the remastered original 22 tracks plus 9 vocal performances that previously had only been available in Germany.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: Kickboxer was first released on VHS by HBO Video in 1990. DVD was released by HBO Home Video in the United States on June 8, 1999. The DVD was released by Prism Leisure Corporation in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2003.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: The most complete version of this film ever released was the R18+ Australian/New Zealand VHS video release by Palace Entertainment and The Movie Group. This version contained all of the original voice dubs and was fully uncut in terms of violence but had a few scenes trimmed due to print damage and the last fight was incorrectly edited at one point. This was first packaged as a rental in a double pack with another Van Damme film, Wrong Bet (Lionheart). While 1 minute 18 seconds of violence was trimmed by the BBFC in the UK VHS versions by 4Front/EIV video, the print damaged scenes and the final fight editing mistake had been rectified in this version. The UK versions had better picture quality and were brightened in colour compared to the darker Australian/New Zealand Palace R18+/M15+ releases.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: Any other versions of the film that came out after the initial VHS releases were a heavily edited and re-dubbed version. Every version of the film released after 1995 on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray contain this inferior edited version. Certain scenes were cut altogether, some scenes re-edited as well as character lines and voices changed. Eric (Dennis Alexio)'s voice was re-dubbed, along with certain scenes of Van Damme and Michel Qissi (Tong Po).


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: "Kickboxer" grossed $14,697,005 in the United States. Cannon deliberately released it on the traditionally slow weekend after Labor Day when no studio releases, and thus limited competition; it opened on 973 screens and grossed $4.1 million, making it the third most popular film in the country. A few years later its gross was estimated at $50 million.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: Chris Willman of the "Los Angeles Times" called the film "egregiously dull" and a contender for one of "the dumbest action pictures of the year", citing its "jarring shifts in tone, insurmountable plot implausibilities, rampant racial stereotyping, superfluous nudity and inhuman amounts of comically exaggerated violence". Willman also questioned the manner in which characters seem to recover from serious injuries and major trauma.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: Chris Hicks of the "Deseret News" criticized the film as a ripoff of "The Karate Kid", with added elements from other films such as "Rocky" and "Rambo". In addition to stating that the ending was predictable, Hicks also dismissed Van Damme as "little more than a low-budget Arnold Schwarzenegger wannabee" whose attempts at acting were in vain.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 36% based on reviews from 11 critics. On Metacritic the film has a score of 33% based on reviews from 4 critics.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: The film spawned several sequels. Despite Van Damme not returning, the film series between parts two and four continues the ongoing battles between the Sloane family (although now spelled Sloan) - expanded to include third brother David Sloan(e), played by Sasha Mitchell - and Tong Po.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: Michel Qissi returned as Tong Po for "Kickboxer 2: The Road Back" and appears in a flashback scene shown at the beginning of "Kickboxer 4: The Agressor". This scene looks to be a seemingly deleted scene from "Kickboxer 2" that never made the final cut.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: "Kickboxer 5: The Redemption" was a stand-alone story with new characters and has a small connection to the previous films.


title: Kickboxer (1989 film)

text: "Kickboxer" was remade as "Kickboxer: Vengeance", as a reboot of the series which was released on September 2, 2016.


title: Molly Tuttle

text: Molly Rose Tuttle (born January 14, 1993) is an American vocalist, songwriter, banjo player and guitarist, recording artist and teacher in the bluegrass tradition, noted for her flatpicking, clawhammer, and crosspicking guitar prowess. She has cited Laurie Lewis, Kathy Kallick, Alison Krauss and Hazel Dickens as role models. In 2017, Tuttle was the first woman to win the International Bluegrass Music Association's Guitar Player of the Year award. In 2018 she won the award again, along with being named the Americana Music Association's Instrumentalist of the Year. Tuttle received a Best Bluegrass Album and all-genre Best New Artist nomination at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.


title: Molly Tuttle

text: Born in Santa Clara, California and raised in Palo Alto, Tuttle began playing guitar at age 8. At age 11, she played onstage with her father Jack Tuttle, a bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and instructor. At age 15, she joined her family band The Tuttles with AJ Lee. Her siblings Sullivan (guitar) and Michael (mandolin), and mandolist AJ Lee are also in the band.


title: Molly Tuttle

text: In 2006, at age 13, Tuttle recorded "The Old Apple Tree" with her dad, an album of duets. Tuttle graduated from Palo Alto High School in 2011.


title: Molly Tuttle

text: In 2011, the Tuttles self-released their "Introducing the Tuttles" album, and the "Endless Ocean" album in 2013.


title: Molly Tuttle

text: In 2012, Tuttle was awarded merit scholarships to the Berklee College of Music for music and composition, received the Foundation for Bluegrass Music's first Hazel Dickens Memorial Scholarship, won the Chris Austin Songwriting Competition at the Merlefest Music Festival, and appeared with her dad on "A Prairie Home Companion".


title: Molly Tuttle

text: While studying at the Berklee College of Music, in 2014, Tuttle met and joined the all-female bluegrass group the Goodbye Girls. They combine bluegrass, jazz, and Swedish folk music. Other members are Allison de Groot (banjo), Lena Jonsson (fiddle), and Brittany Karlson (bass). They released an EP "Going to Boston" in 2014, and the album "Snowy Side of the Mountain" in 2016. The band has also toured Jonsson's home country Sweden several times.


title: Molly Tuttle

text: In 2018, she joined Alison Brown, Missy Raines, Sierra Hull, and Becky Buller in a supergroup. The quintet performed at the Rockygrass festival in Lyons Colorado on July 27, 2018. Initially known as the Julia Belles, the group later became known as the First Ladies of Bluegrass. Additional gigs were booked at Analog at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville on Sept 18, 2018 and the IBMA Wide Open Bluegrass Festival on September 28, 2018. She also collaborated with Billy Strings on the songs "Sittin' on Top of the World" and "Billy in the Lowground."


title: Molly Tuttle

text: The First Ladies of Bluegrass are featured on the first single from a full-length CD by Missy Raines titled "Royal Traveler" released in 2018 on Compass Records.


title: Molly Tuttle

text: In 2015, Tuttle moved from Boston to Nashville. Her EP "Rise" was released in 2017 after a crowdfunding campaign. She wrote all of the songs on the 7-song album, which was produced by Kai Welch. Guests included Darrell Scott, the Milk Carton Kids, Kathy Kallick, and Nathaniel Smith.


title: Molly Tuttle

text: She formed The Molly Tuttle Band, which includes Wes Corbett (banjo), Joe K. Walsh (mandolin), and Hasee Ciaccio (bass).


title: Molly Tuttle

text: Molly was selected by Buddy Miller to join his "Cavalcade of Stars" section of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass on the Rooster Stage on October 6, 2018.


title: Molly Tuttle

text: In January 2022, Nonesuch Records announced a release by Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway titled "Crooked Tree" on April 1, 2022.


title: Molly Tuttle

text: Tuttle was diagnosed with alopecia areata when she was three years old, which quickly progressed to alopecia universalis, resulting in total body hair loss.


title: Molly Tuttle

text: C. Roland White with Justin Hiltner, Jon Weisberger, Patrick McAvinue, and Molly Tuttle (artists), Ty Gilpin, Jon Weisberger (producer), Mountain Home Music Company (label)


title: Ben Shephard

text: Benjamin Peter Sherrington Shephard (born 11 December 1974) is an English television presenter and journalist who is currently employed by ITV. He was a main presenter on the now defunct breakfast programme "GMTV" and since April 2014 has co-hosted the ITV breakfast show "Good Morning Britain" alongside Susanna Reid, Kate Garraway and Charlotte Hawkins. He has also hosted game shows such as "The Krypton Factor" (2009–2010), "Tipping Point" (2012–present) and "Ninja Warrior UK" (2015–2019; 2022–present).


title: Ben Shephard

text: In 2012, along with Helen Skelton, he welcomed the athletes of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Trafalgar Square as part of their homecoming parade.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Shephard was educated at Chigwell School, an independent school in the civil parish of Chigwell in the Epping Forest area of Essex, followed by the University of Birmingham, where he achieved a BA honours degree in Dance, Drama and Theatre Arts. Initially wanting to become an actor, while at university he joined a local weather network through a casting process and then became a runner (the most junior member of a television crew), before being encouraged to become a television presenter by a producer.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Shephard's career took off in 1998, when he began hosting Channel 4 spin-off show "The Bigger Breakfast", alongside fellow presenters including Josie D'Arby, Melanie Sykes and Dermot O'Leary. That same year, Shephard became the first presenter of T4's teen strand on Channel 4, which launched on 25 October 1998. He also presented "Control Freaks" for the channel in 1998.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Shephard returned to Channel 4 in 2013 to co-present cookery programme called "What's Cooking?". He hosted one series, alongside Lisa Faulkner, and then permanently left Channel 4 on 24 May 2013.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Between 2004 and 2006, Shephard presented the first three series of ITV2 spin-off programme "The Xtra Factor", whilst Kate Thornton hosted the main show on ITV While hosting the show, Shephard also starred in "The Xtra Factor – Battle of the Stars". He left the show after three series after missing out on the main presenting role (which went to Dermot O'Leary after the departure of original host Kate Thornton); he was replaced by Fearne Cotton.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Between 2005 and 2011, Shephard was a stand-in presenter on "This Morning", covering for regular presenter Phillip Schofield. In 2014, Ben was a stand-in presenter on "This Morning Summer", co-hosting one episode alongside Ruth Langsford. Since 2015, he has been a regular stand-in presenter for Schofield and Eamonn Holmes.


title: Ben Shephard

text: In 2006, Shephard co-presented reality singing contest "Soapstar Superstar" alongside Fern Britton. The programme returned the following year in 2007, without Shephard as the host. In 2007, Shephard co-hosted "Dancing on Ice Exclusive", a spin-off series which aired on ITV.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Shephard has hosted numerous music specials on the channel, celebrating some of Britain's best-loved musicians. These shows were "Rod Stewart: One Night Only", which aired on 5 December 2009 and "Phil Collins: One Night Only", which aired the following year on 18 September 2010.


title: Ben Shephard

text: In 2009, ITV revived the classic game show "The Krypton Factor", with Shephard chosen to present the new series. Following the success of the first series in 2009, he was asked to present a second series the following year. In 2010, Shephard co-presented a short-lived show called "Dancing on Ice Friday" alongside Coleen Nolan. The show was a spin-off from the main "Dancing on Ice" show.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Shephard has presented the popular daytime game show "Tipping Point" since 2012, as well as celebrity episodes known as "" since 2013. In June 2015, it was announced that "Tipping Point" had been renewed for two further series to air in 2016 and 2017.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Shephard co-presented two episodes of the factual series "Mystery Map" with Julia Bradbury, which aired for two episodes on 20 November 2013 and 27 November 2013 respectively.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Since 2015, Ben has co-presented the Saturday night game show "Ninja Warrior UK" for ITV. He presents the show alongside Rochelle Humes and Chris Kamara. The first series began airing on 11 April 2015 and a second series began on 2 January 2016. A third series of "Ninja Warrior UK" began on 31 December 2016.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Shephard joined the long-running programme "GMTV" in 2000 where he presented "Entertainment Today" alongside Jenni Falconer. He also became the main relief presenter for "GMTV Today". Due to the departure of Eamonn Holmes in April 2005, Shephard became Fiona Phillips' co-host on "GMTV Today", presenting on Mondays, Tuesdays and alternate Wednesdays. He continued to present "Entertainment Today", but began to share duties with Michael Underwood. When "GMTV" relaunched in January 2009, his main co-host became Kate Garraway, presenting on Monday, Tuesday and alternate Wednesdays.


title: Ben Shephard

text: On 30 June 2010, Shephard announced his departure from "GMTV", two months before the end of the programme, stating that he wished to spend more time with his family and focus on his charity work. Ben presented his final episode of GMTV on 30 July 2010, before the programme was axed two months later in September. The show was later replaced by "Daybreak" hosted Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley and then later by Lorraine Kelly, Kate Garraway and Aled Jones.


title: Ben Shephard

text: After just four years on air, "Daybreak" was axed in spring 2014 to make way for a brand new ITV Breakfast programme "Good Morning Britain". It was announced on 3 March 2014, that Shephard would be a presenter on the newly launched programme. Shephard's first show was on 28 April 2014 and he currently hosts the show on Thursdays and Fridays alongside Susanna Reid (Thursday) and Kate Garraway (Friday).


title: Ben Shephard

text: On 27 July 2010, Shephard announced that he had signed a new contract with Sky Sports, where he presented "Goals on Sunday" alongside Chris Kamara in a deal reportedly worth £495,000 a year. He also hosted live secondary match coverage of the UEFA Champions League on Sky Sports 3 or 4, while the main coverage on Sky Sports 1 is hosted by Jeff Stelling. He was the main anchor for Sky Sports coverage of the League Cup. As of April 2014, Shephard only presented "Goals on Sunday" for Sky Sports and no longer hosted any of the live matches.


title: Ben Shephard

text: In the earlier 2000s, Shephard was a regular presenter of BBC Choice's "EastEnders Revealed" program. In 2007, Shephard presented the BBC entertainment series "DanceX" with "Strictly Come Dancing" judges Arlene Phillips and Bruno Tonioli on the panel.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Between 2008 and 2009, Shephard presented the National Lottery game show "1 vs. 100", taking over from Dermot O'Leary.


title: Ben Shephard

text: In June 2012, Shephard made a guest appearance on the sports-based panel show "A Question Of Sport". The following month he announced that he had permanently left the BBC in order to concentrate on his work with Sky Sports and ITV.


title: Ben Shephard

text: In 2006, Shephard was a presenter on Magic Radio station. He presented a Saturday breakfast programme. He returned to radio in 2008, where he presented a Monday evening show on Heat Radio.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Shephard appeared in the 2004 TV film "A Bear's Christmas Tail" as a carol singer. He also appeared in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" in 2009. He played the role of Diagon Alley Father, but was uncredited. In 2009, Shephard starred in an episode of "Bookaboo" on CITV. In 2012, he was a studio host for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games, which was only made available to view in the Olympic park. At this time, he also acted as a stadium commentator, where he introduced all of the action in the main arena, and he also interviewed celebrity guests.


title: Ben Shephard

text: In 2013, Shephard was the face of Warburtons lunch thins. He has been on the judging panel for Pride of Britain Awards numerous times.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Shephard holds a Guinness World Record. In 2010, he set the record for smashing the most pumpkins in one minute. In 2008 he held the record for the Highest reverse bungee jump which was beaten in 2010 by David Hasselhoff; and he held the record for tossing the most pancakes in one minute in 2009, but was beaten the following day by Aldo Zilli.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Shephard married Annie Perks on 25 March 2004, and the couple have two sons. The couple met when they were both students at the University of Birmingham, where Perks studied Philosophy and was Head of the Philosophy & Epistemology society.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Shephard supports several charities including the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Haven House Children's Hospice and the Holly Lodge Centre. To help raise funds for these charities, Shephard takes part in various physical challenges. Since the year 2000, he has completed 14 marathons.


title: Ben Shephard

text: In , , , , , , and , Shephard played for England in "Soccer Aid" which aired live on ITV. The Soccer Aid events raise money for the Unicef charity. In 2016 he was red carded for a "cynical foul" on Dimitar Berbatov. Shephard did not take part in 2018's Soccer Aid due to an injury. Instead, he was appointed as England Coach for that year's Soccer Aid. Shephard did not take part in 2020's Soccer Aid.


title: Ben Shephard

text: One of Shephard's charity challenges was boxing against Lemar for the Sport Relief appeal. After training with Ricky Hatton and Andy Mayo at Mayo's Gym, he won by decision after three rounds.


title: Ben Shephard

text: Another of Shephard's charity challenges took place in early 2009 when he, along with eight other well-known celebrities, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Comic Relief. Joining him on the climb were Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Fearne Cotton, Gary Barlow, Alesha Dixon, Ronan Keating, Denise van Outen and Chris Moyles. The team raised £3,326,000 in total.


title: Ben Shephard

text: In 2010, Shephard and his friend Ivan ran the Coast-to-Coast Challenge, raising over £120,000 for the Children's Heart Unit Fund at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne. The run was 145 miles long and took them five days.


title: Ben Shephard

text: In March 2011, Shephard designed blue and black striped hipsters for charity to help raise awareness of Prostate Cancer.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Songs of Faith and Devotion is the eighth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was first released on 22 March 1993 in the United Kingdom by Mute Records and a day later in the United States by Sire Records and Reprise Records. The album incorporated a more aggressive, darker rock-oriented tone than its predecessor "Violator" (1990), largely influenced by the emerging alternative rock and grunge scenes in the United States.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Upon its release, "Songs of Faith and Devotion" reached number one in several countries, and became the first Depeche Mode album to debut atop the charts in both the UK and the US. To support the album, Depeche Mode embarked on the fourteen-month-long Devotional Tour, the largest tour they had undertaken to date.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Recording the album and the subsequent tour exacerbated growing tensions and difficulties within the band, prompting Alan Wilder to quit in 1995, making this album the final one with him as a band member, and also the final album of the band to be recorded as a quartet. The ordeal had exhausted their creative output following the enormous success they had enjoyed with "Violator", leading to rumours and media speculation that the band would split. Depeche Mode subsequently recovered from the experience, and released "Ultra" in 1997.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: "Songs of Faith and Devotion" was recorded over eight months in a rented villa in Madrid during 1992, as well as later sessions in Hamburg and London. Following his work on U2's seventh studio album, "Achtung Baby", producer Flood suggested the idea of building their own studio in a rented house where the band would live and work, the same process having yielded huge successes for U2. A studio was set up in the basement of the villa, with two drum kits using different spaces to achieve different sounds. The recordings from the kits could then be processed through synthesizers, such as the large Roland System 700 the band had installed in the studio. The band had become aware of getting caught in easy routines in the studio leading to boredom and thus wanted to change as many aspects to their approach to the recording as possible.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Wilder recalled on "Violator" the band had relied heavily on sequencing; though the album used a great deal more live recorded audio than previous Depeche Mode releases, the audio had been quantised to the exact beats of the bars, resulting in a slick but sequenced feel. For making "Songs of Faith and Devotion", the band wanted the sound to be looser and less programmed. Tracks such as "I Feel You" included drums performed live by Wilder which were then sampled and sequenced to form drum loops using Cubase, in a different structure to how they were originally performed, keeping all the dynamics and inherent mistakes of a human performance. Embellishments like reversed cymbals were added later at the behest of Wilder, who often suggested such experimentation.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Further techniques used in recording included the reversed piano on the outro to the track "Mercy in You". The introduction of the track "Judas" has uilleann pipes recorded with reversed reverberation mixed into the sound, to achieve a haunting, atmospheric feel. "Walking in My Shoes" included a piano part which was processed through a guitar processor to add distortion. A harpsichord sample was then played and recorded over the top, giving a unique, layered sound to the riff. Early demos for "Condemnation" included all four band members performing in the same space—Andy Fletcher bashing a flight case with a pole, producer Flood and Dave Gahan clapping, Alan Wilder playing a drum and Martin Gore playing an organ. The sound produced was very embryonic; however, it gave the band a direction as to how the track should sound. Guitars were processed through devices such as Leslie tone cabinets, originally designed for organs, to achieve different sounds.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Following the success of "Violator" and the subsequent tour, the band had taken a long break from each other. Upon returning, they found it difficult to collaborate, with several factors contributing to the more difficult atmosphere that the band experienced recording the album. The band living and working together in the same house meant that they rarely got breaks from each other as opposed to previous albums whereby the band would go to work in a studio, and then return to their respective homes or hotels at the end of each day. Fletcher described the band living together as "claustrophobic", and the lack of a break from each other as a factor in contributing to the stress. Gore felt pressured to write tracks that could live up to the success of the previous album, "Violator", despite encouragement from Fletcher that he wrote better under pressure. Gahan had moved to Los Angeles following "Violator" and had been spending time with up and coming alternative rock bands such as Jane's Addiction and Soundgarden, which inspired him to create a rock-oriented record, leading to creative differences with the rest of the band. Not helping was that Gahan was dealing with drugs at this point. The band also began to jam together, something which they had not previously done in terms of album writing, only for fun. The lack of success of coming up with musical ideas from such jams led to intense frustration.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Unlike the previous albums, there was very little pre-production, where the band would listen to demos created by Gore and then suggest ideas to establish a creative framework. Flood recalls the lack of pre-production as a big mistake that adversely affected the early recording sessions. Due to these frustrations, the first recording batch of four weeks was largely unusable, which Wilder described as "a complete fucking waste of time" in a sarcastic toast to Flood at the airport on their way back home. The lack of progress increasingly frustrated everyone involved. Flood compared the collective effort of "Violator" where the band would contribute as a whole, and while there were disagreements, it was in recognition that it was for a greater good, whereas in the making of "Songs of Faith and Devotion", the band members were highly adamant of their own individual ideas, leading to considerable tension. Flood described the atmosphere as "like pulling teeth" and emotionally draining. Gore, Gahan, and Daniel Miller shared his sentiments, comparing the party-like atmosphere of creating "Violator" to the stale atmosphere on "Songs of Faith and Devotion". Though Wilder would say the band members had drifted as far apart as they had ever been, the emotional stress contributed to some of Depeche Mode's best tracks, including "In Your Room" and "Walking in My Shoes", which many felt were indicative of Gore's greatest works.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Gahan downplayed his role on the album, stating the only thing he felt he contributed was what he considers his greatest vocal performance for "Condemnation". Conversely, Wilder praised his role, stating that on previous releases, Gahan's studio contribution was often only vocal performance, and thus did not get in the way much; but during the recording of "Songs of Faith and Devotion" Dave often offered a lot of positive encouragement, and Wilder's creative differences with Gore were actually the real source of the tension in the band. Flood recalls Wilder and Gore having a very heated argument over the mix to "Judas", and that there were constant disagreements throughout the recording process between the members of the band and Flood himself. Despite the feeling the band were realising one of their greatest works, Flood commented that the "little things" of the recording process never ran smoothly, leading to constant, largely non-constructive, arguing. Conditions improved between the band when the recording sessions moved to Hamburg, largely in part as it was a return to normal studio routine, as opposed to living together.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: It was during the recording of the album that Wilder decided he had to leave the band, although he wouldn't leave until after the subsequent tour. Wilder later was comparing the friction between the members of The Beatles during the recording of "The White Album" to conditions working on "Songs of Faith and Devotion": "we were in the worst possible state as members but we were creating some of our best work. The stories I hear about them [The Beatles] not being even in the same room together – that was very much the same with us, when one person would be in the studio and the other would be in another city, and then the next day that person would come and do their vocal and you'd go away, because you couldn't bear to be in the same room. ... at the time, it was a living hell. During the making of that album, I really made a decision to leave the group; even though I didn't leave until two or three years later, I remember thinking 'I'm never going to make another record under these circumstances again, because it's so much not fun'. And music should be fun – there should be some sort of enjoyment there."


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Overlapping each image of the band members is a symbol representing that member, in a similar style to Led Zeppelin's fourth studio album. The symbols first appeared on the cover of lead single "I Feel You", which did not feature the band members, and as such, each featured its member's birthdate in the right-hand corner to identify the member.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: "Songs of Faith and Devotion" became Depeche Mode's first studio album to reach number one on both the UK Albums Chart and the US "Billboard" 200. It also topped the charts in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: The album received largely positive reviews from critics and peers of Depeche Mode. "The Guardian" critic Adam Sweeting dubbed "Songs of Faith and Devotion" an "astonishingly powerful album" and a "masterpiece". David Quantick of "NME" called it "a very fine record indeed", while Jon Pareles of "The New York Times" wrote that "the songs make desire more desperate, and more alluring, than ever". A mixed review came from "Rolling Stone"s Arion Berger, who wrote that the album "documents how Depeche Mode's savvy justifies its worst instincts; like the band itself, it's gloomy, pretentious and winning." Robert Christgau of "The Village Voice" assigned the album a "dud" rating. In a retrospective review, Ned Raggett of AllMusic stated that ""Songs of Faith and Devotion" continues the Depeche Mode winning streak", and in 1999, he ranked the album at number 18 on his list of "The Top 136 or So Albums of the Nineties" for "Freaky Trigger". "Q" later included it on their list of "In Our Lifetime: Q's 100 Best Albums", along with "Violator".


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Band member Alan Wilder stated he felt "In Your Room" and "Walking in My Shoes" as some of the best works the band had ever done, a sentiment agreed upon by producer Flood, who commented that "many people" involved in the project shared such sentiments. Fellow musician Gary Numan also stated that "Songs of Faith and Devotion" was the album that saved his career, noting, "[after listening to this album] [my] music changed dramatically. It became much darker. At school I was excused from religious instruction because I had no faith and "Songs of Faith and Devotion" suddenly gave me something to write about and something to be bothered about. [...] I love Depeche Mode, always will."


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: The subsequent Devotional Tour to support the album was the largest Depeche Mode had undertaken to that point. The tour spanned fourteen months, visiting twenty-seven countries and played to over two million people over 158 dates. The tour covered 100,000 miles and required 90 tonnes of equipment. The huge scale of the tour was to cover the sponsoring costs. Anton Corbijn designed the elaborate stage design, the first time he had ever done so. The huge scale of the tour took its toll on the band members. Despite Fletcher's comment that "Dave was loving it [the tour]...he was on a different planet", his heroin addiction had increased, Gore was drinking excessively and had several seizures, Fletcher was suffering from clinical depression to the point where he was replaced by Daryl Bamonte on all dates from April and the grueling nature of touring had taken its toll on Wilder. Gore later commented, "I don't think anyone was ever the same after that tour", highlighting the tense nature of the tour, and "Q" magazine would later refer to the Devotional Tour as "the most debauched rock tour ever".


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Following the tour, the experience of "Songs of Faith and Devotion" and the subsequent supporting tour had taken too hard a toll on Wilder, who announced his departure from the band on his 36th birthday in 1995, highlighting a highly uneven workload distribution, lack of acknowledgement from his bandmates, creative differences within the band and overall lack of cohesion. Wilder's departure and the internal strife within the band, specifically Gahan's growing heroin addiction led many to speculate that the band was finished. The band managed to recover from the loss of Wilder, releasing "Ultra" in 1997.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: A collector's edition of "Songs of Faith and Devotion" was released in 2006, including a bonus DVD. It was released as part of the second wave of reissues—along with "A Broken Frame" and "Some Great Reward". The first CD was remastered and was released on a CD/SACD hybrid except for in the US where the remastered first disc was pressed to standard CD. The bonus DVD includes a 5.1 surround mix of the original album, the B-Side "My Joy" and the Jazz Mix of "Death's Door" (basically an extended mix of the original version), as well as several other remixes.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: Also included was a 36-minute documentary on "Songs of Faith and Devotion" titled "Depeche Mode: 1991–94 (We Were Going to Live Together, Record Together and It Was Going to Be Wonderful)", named after a quote from Wilder on the potential of living in their Madrid-area recording studio. It features interviews with Depeche Mode (including Wilder, who would leave the band in 1995) and other important Depeche Mode-related figures like Daniel Miller, Anton Corbijn and Daryl Bamonte. There is also footage from the film "Devotional" and the music videos. The documentary mainly focuses on the extreme difficulty of recording the album, and the even more frustrating fourteen-month tour that followed.


title: Songs of Faith and Devotion

text: It was released on 2 October 2006 in the UK and 3 October 2006 in the US. The remastered album was released on vinyl on 2 March 2007 in Germany and on 5 March 2007 internationally.


title: Blancmange

text: Blancmange (, from ) is a sweet dessert popular throughout Europe commonly made with milk or cream and sugar thickened with rice flour, gelatin, corn starch, or Irish moss (a source of carrageenan), and often flavoured with almonds.


title: Blancmange

text: It is usually set in a mould and served cold. Although traditionally white (hence the name, in English literally "white eating"), blancmanges are frequently given alternative colours. Some similar desserts are French chef 's Bavarian cream, Italian , the Middle Eastern , Chinese "annin tofu," Hawai'ian and Puerto Rican .


title: Blancmange

text: The historical blancmange originated at some time during the Middle Ages and usually consisted of capon or chicken, milk or almond milk, rice, and sugar and was considered to be ideal for the sick. is a sweet contemporary Turkish pudding made with shredded chicken, similar to the medieval European dish.