title: Earned income tax credit

text: Temporary absences, for either the claimant or the child, due to school, hospital stays, business trips, vacations, shorter periods of military service, or jail or detention, are ignored and instead count as time lived at home. "Temporary" is perhaps unavoidably vague and generally hinges or whether the claimant and/or the child are expected to return, and the IRS does not provide any substantial guidance past this. If the child was born or died in the year and the claimant's home was the child's home, or potential home, for the entire time the child was alive during the year, this counts as living with the claimant, and per instructions, 12 months is entered on Schedule EIC.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: Unlike the rules for claiming a dependent, there is no rule that a qualifying child not support herself or himself. A child who supports himself or herself can still qualify as a qualifying child for purposes of the EIC. There is an exception for older married "children." If an otherwise qualifying child is married, the claimant needs to be able to claim this child as a dependent (and the married couple must have low enough income so that they are not required to file a return and are either not filing or are filing only for the purpose of claiming a refund on withheld taxes).


title: Earned income tax credit

text: Investment income cannot be greater than $3,650 for the 2020 tax year. As a result of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the investment income limit was increased to $10,000 effective the 2021 tax year and will be adjusted for inflation.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: A claimant must be either a United States citizen or resident alien. In the case of married filing jointly where one spouse is and one isn't, the couple can elect to treat the nonresident spouse as resident and have their entire worldwide income subject to U.S. tax, and will then be eligible for EITC.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: Filers both with and without qualifying children must have lived in the 50 states and/or District of Columbia of the United States for more than half the tax year (six months and one day). Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and other U.S. territories do not count in this regard. However, a person on extended military duty is considered to have met this requirement for the period of the duty served.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: Filers who are not claiming a qualifying child must be between the ages of 25 and 64 inclusive. For a married couple without a qualifying child, only one spouse must be within this age range. For a single person with a qualifying child, there is no age requirement per se other than the requirement that the single person not himself or herself be claimable as another relative's qualifying child (see Age section above). A married couple with at least one qualifying child is only occasionally classified as claimable by another relative, especially if the married couple has earned income and elects to claim EITC.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: All filers and all children being claimed must have a valid social security number. This includes social security cards printed with "Valid for work only with INS authorization" or "Valid for work only with DHS authorization."


title: Earned income tax credit

text: Single, Head of Household, Qualifying Widow(er), and Married Filing Jointly are all equally valid filing statuses for EITC. In fact, depending on the income of both spouses, Married Filing Jointly can be advantageous in some circumstances because, in 2009, the phase-out for MFJ for begins at $21,450 whereas phase-out begins at $16,450 for the other filing statuses. A couple who is legally married can file MFJ even if they lived apart the entire year and even if they shared no revenues or expenses for the year, as long as both spouses agree. However, if both spouses do not agree, or if there are other circumstances such as domestic violence, a spouse who lived apart with children for the last six months of the year and who meets other requirements can file as Head of Household. Or, for a couple that is split up but still legally married, they might consider visiting an accountant at separate times and perhaps even signing a joint return on separate visits. There is even an IRS form that can be used to request direct deposit into up to three separate accounts. In addition, if a person obtains a divorce by December 31, that will carry, since it is marital status on the last day of the year that controls for tax purposes. In addition, if a person is "legally separated" according to state law by December 31, that will also carry. The only disqualifying filing status for purposes of the EIC is married filing separately.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: A married couple in 2018, whose total income was just shy of $24,350, of which exactly $3,500 was investment income, would receive the maximum credit for their number of qualifying children (i.e. $6,431 with 3 kids). But if this couple instead had $3,501 of investment income, then — because of the rule that for any claimant, whether single or married, with or without children, investment income cannot be greater than $3,500 — they will instead receive zero EIC. This is a loss of up to $6,431 due to one extra dollar of investment income, and the loss is nearly twice the entire amount of the couple's investment income. This is an edge case, but there are income ranges and situations in which an increase of investment dollars will result in a loss of after-tax dollars. (Instead of $24,350, the phase-out for Single, Head of Household, and Qualifying Widow(er) begins at $18,700.)


title: Earned income tax credit

text: In normal circumstances, EIC phases out relatively slowly, at 16% or 21% depending on the number of children.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: A person or couple will be disallowed EIC for two years if they claim EIC when not eligible and the IRS determines the "error is due to reckless or intentional disregard of the EIC rules." A person or couple will be disallowed for ten years if they make a fraudulent claim. Form 8862 is required after this time period in order to be reinstated. However, this form is not required if EIC was reduced solely because of mathematical or clerical error.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: Cynthia and Jerry Grey have two children ages 6 and 8. For tax year 2012, one spouse made $10,000 in wages and the other spouse made $15,000, plus the couple received $525 on interest from a savings account. Since they are into the phase-out range, their EIC will phase out by the greater of earned income or adjusted gross income. So, they will look up in the EIC table $25,525 for MFJ with two children, and this amount is $4,557. Since they are claiming children, the Greys will also need to attach Schedule EIC to their tax return which will ask for each child, the child's name, social security number, year of birth, relationship to couple, and months lived with couple in the United States during 2012. If the Greys use 1040A, they will enter $4,557 on line 38a. If they use form 1040, they will enter $4,557 on line 64a.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: At a cost of $56 billion in 2013, the EITC is the third-largest social welfare program in the United States after Medicaid ($275 billion federal and $127 billion state expenditures) and food stamps ($78 billion). Almost 27 million American households received more than $56 billion in payments through the EITC in 2010. These EITC dollars had a significant impact on the lives and communities of the nation's lowest-paid working people largely repaying any payroll taxes they may have paid. The EITC is one of the most effective social welfare programs in the United States. The Census Bureau, using an alternative calculation of poverty, found that EITC lifted 5.4 million above the poverty line in 2010.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: The stimulus effects of the EITC and other consumption-augmenting policies have been challenged by more recent and rigorous studies. Haskell (2006) finds that the unique spending patterns of lump-sum tax credit recipients and the increasingly global supply chain for consumer goods is counter-productive to producing high, localized multipliers. He places the local multiplier effect somewhere in the range of 1.07 to 1.15, more in line with typical economic returns. The lower multiplier is due to recipients emphasizing "big-ticket" durable-good purchases, which are typically produced elsewhere, versus locally produced products and services such as agricultural products or restaurant visits. However, Haskell points to a silver lining: there are perhaps more important benefits from recipients who use the credit for savings or investment in big-ticket purchases that promote social mobility, such as automobiles, school tuition, or health-care services.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: Due to its structure, the EITC is effective at targeting assistance to low-income families in the bottom two quintiles—0–40% of households. By contrast, only 30% of minimum wage workers live in families near or below the federal poverty line, as most are teenagers, young adults, students, or spouses supplementing their studies or family income. Opponents of the minimum wage argue that it is a less efficient means to help the poor than adjusting the EITC.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: EITC follows a graphical benefit pattern of going up a hill, traveling along a plateau, and then going back down the hill more slowly than it went up. For example, a married couple with two qualifying children and yearly income of seven thousand dollars will receive EITC of $2,810 (going up the hill). At fifteen thousand dollars, this couple will receive EITC of $5,036 (plateau). And at twenty-five and thirty-five thousand dollars, this same couple with their two children will receive EITC of $4,285 and $2,179, respectively.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: A single person (such as a single parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent, older sibling, etc.) goes up the hill at the same rate and will receive the same maximum EITC for two qualifying children of $5,036 at plateau. But the single person has a shorter plateau. And thus, a single person with two qualifying children and income of twenty-five and thirty-five thousand will receive EITC of $3,230 and $1,124 respectively (going down the hill).


title: Earned income tax credit

text: EITC phases out at 16% with one qualifying child and at 21% for two children and three or more children. Thus it is always preferable to have an extra fifty dollars of actual earned income (the table for EITC steps in increments of fifty dollars).


title: Earned income tax credit

text: The GRAPHICAL plateau range for Married Filing Jointly continues for five thousand dollars longer than does the plateau for the other filing statuses and thus MFJ can be advantageous for some income ranges. Single, Head of Household, and Qualifying Widow(er) are all equally valid and eligible filing statuses for claiming EITC. The only disqualifying status is Married Filing Separately. However, a couple can file as Married Filing Jointly even if they lived apart for the entire year if legally married and both agree.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: A 2016 review of the EITC and state-matches to the EITC found significant impacts on maternal mental health, low birth weight births, and other health indicators association with inflammation.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: According to a 2020 study, the introduction of the EITC increased maternal employment by 6 percent. The EITC may explain why the United States has high levels of maternal employment, despite the absence of childcare subsidies or parental leave.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: The direct cost of the EITC to the U.S. federal government was about $56 billion in 2012. The IRS has estimated that between 21% and 25% of this cost ($11.6 to $13.6 billion) is due to EITC payments that were issued improperly to recipients who did not qualify for the EITC benefit that they received. For the 2013 tax year the IRS paid an estimated $13.6 billion in bogus claims. The IRS overpaid as much as $132.6 billion in EITC between 2003 and 2013.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: The direct fiscal cost of the EITC may be partially offset by two factors: any new taxes (such as payroll taxes paid by employers) generated by new workers drawn by the EITC into the labor force; and taxes generated on additional spending done by families receiving earned income tax credit.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: Some economists have noted that the EITC might conceivably cause reductions in entitlement spending that result from individuals being lifted out of poverty by their EITC benefit check. However, because the pre-tax income determines eligibility for most state and federal benefits, the EITC rarely changes a taxpayer's eligibility for state or federal aid benefits.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: Millions of American families who are eligible for the EITC do not receive it, essentially leaving billions of dollars unclaimed. The IRS estimates that about 20 percent of eligible taxpayers do not claim $7.3 billion of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) each tax year.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: Many nonprofit organizations around the United States, sometimes in partnership with government and with some public financing, have begun programs designed to increase EITC utilization by raising awareness of the credit and assisting with the filing of the relevant tax forms. One example is the Claim it! campaign in Minnesota that launched in 2006 to help Minnesotans claim the EITC.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: The state of California requires employers to notify every employee about the EITC every year, in writing, at the same time W-2 forms are distributed.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: RALs (Refund Anticipation Loans) are short term loans on the security of an expected tax refund, and RACs (Refund Anticipation Checks) are temporary accounts specifically to wait to receive tax refunds, which are then paid by a check or debit card from the bank less fees. The combination of Earned Income Credit, RALs, and RACs has created a major market for the storefront tax preparation industry. A 2002 Brookings Institution study of Cleveland taxpayers found that 47 percent of filers claiming EIC purchased RALs, as compared to 10 percent of those not claiming EIC. The tax preparation industry responded that at least one-half of RAL customers included in the IRS data actually received RACs instead.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: These financial products have been criticized on various grounds, including inflated prices for tax preparation, account fees, RAL interest rates, as well as the practice of third-party debt collection (this used to be called "cross-collection" which hinted at the practice, but tax prep companies now to seem more vaguely refer to the practice merely as "previous debt"). This practice occurs when one RAL- or RAC-issuing bank collects for another. That is, such lenders may take all or part of a client's current year tax refund for purposes of third-party debt collection, and it is unclear how broad are the types of debts for which the banks collect. This contrasts with the more limited types of debt collected for by the IRS. This practice of one bank collecting debt for another may not be adequately disclosed to the tax preparation client; on the other hand, some clients may fail to disclose obligations that result a governmental seizure of their refunds. With both RALs and RACs, the client grants the bank first rights to their tax refund, and both carry the same risk of third-party bank collection.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: Advertisement phrases such as "Rapid Refund" have been deemed deceptive and illegal, since these financial products do not speed remittances beyond the routine automation of tax return processing, and do not make it clear that these are loan applications. Beginning with 2011 tax season, the IRS announced that they would no longer provide preparers and financial institutions with the “debt indicator” that assisted banks in determining whether RAL applications were approved. Beginning with the 2013 tax season, major banks are no longer offering RALs but only RACs.


title: Earned income tax credit

text: However, a March 2013 article in "CNN Money" reported that tax prep companies are offering a hodgepodge of financial products similar to RALs. The article further states that, "The NCLC [National Consumer Law Center] also found that some shady tax preparers are even offering tax refund loans to lure taxpayers into their offices, but have no intention of lending them the money."


title: Ann Rutherford

text: Therese Ann Rutherford (November 2, 1917 – June 11, 2012) was a Canadian-born American actress in film, radio, and television. She had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict during the 1930s and 1940s in the Andy Hardy series, and appearing as one of Scarlett O'Hara's sisters in the film "Gone with the Wind" (1939).


title: Ann Rutherford

text: Rutherford was born on November 2, 1917, in Vancouver, British Columbia to John Rutherford and Lucille (née Mansfield; 1890–1981) Rutherford. Rutherford's mother was a silent film actress, and her father was a former operatic tenor. While Rutherford was still a baby, the family moved to San Francisco. Soon afterwards, her parents separated and Lucille Mansfield moved to Los Angeles, with Ann and her sister Laurette, who later became known as Judith Arlen.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: While roller skating home from middle school in Hollywood, Rutherford would stop at some of the radio studios to listen to voice actors perform. After being criticized one day by her English teacher, Rutherford decided to show her up. The girl falsified an acting history and applied for work at radio station KFAC. A month later, Rutherford had a part in a radio serial drama.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: In 1935, Rutherford began her Hollywood film career in the starring role of Joan O'Brien in the dramatic film "Waterfront Lady" for Mascot Pictures, later to be Republic Pictures. Rutherford soon established herself as a popular leading lady of Western films at Republic, costarring with actors Gene Autry and John Wayne.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: In 1937, Rutherford left Republic and signed a film contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. At MGM, Rutherford appeared as the Spirit of Christmas Past in "A Christmas Carol" (1938) and Lydia Bennet in "Pride and Prejudice" (1940) among other roles.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: In 1938, MGM loaned Rutherford to Selznick International Pictures to appear as Carreen O'Hara, a sister of Scarlett O'Hara, in the film "Gone with the Wind" (1939). MGM boss Louis Mayer originally refused the loan because he considered the role too minor, but Rutherford passionately appealed to him to change his mind. In December 1939, while promoting the new movie, Rutherford visited six Confederate Army veterans at the Confederate Soldiers Home near Atlanta. One of the veterans gave Rutherford a rose corsage tied with Confederate colors.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: From 1937 until 1942, Rutherford portrayed Polly Benedict in the MGM Andy Hardy youth comedy film series with actor Mickey Rooney. Her first film in this series was "You're Only Young Once" (1937) and the last was "Andy Hardy's Double Life" (1942). Rutherford's performances as Andy Hardy's sweet and patient girlfriend established her screen popularity.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: Rutherford also played Carol Lambert, comedian Red Skelton's screen girlfriend, for MGM in a series of mystery/comedies: "Whistling in the Dark" (1941), "Whistling in Dixie" (1942), and "Whistling in Brooklyn" (1943).


title: Ann Rutherford

text: In the early 1940s, Rutherford left MGM to work without contract with different studios. During this period, she starred in films such as "Orchestra Wives" (1942) with 20th Century Fox, "Two O'Clock Courage" (1945) with RKO Radio Pictures, and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1947), also with RKO. In 1950, Rutherford retired from films. Despite Mickey Rooney's pleas, she passed on returning as Polly Benedict in the final Andy Hardy film, "Andy Hardy Comes Home" (1958), stating that she didn't believe most people married their first sweethearts and that Andy Hardy becoming a judge was implausible.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: Rutherford was the heroine of a novel, "Ann Rutherford and the Key to Nightmare Hall" (1942 by Katherine Heisenfelt), where "the heroine has the same name and appearance as the famous actress but has no connection ... it is as though the famous actress has stepped into an alternate reality in which she is an ordinary person." The story was probably written for a young teenage audience and is reminiscent of the adventures of Nancy Drew. It is part of a series known as "Whitman Authorized Editions", 16 books published between 1941 and 1947 that featured a film actress as heroine.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: Among her television appearances, Rutherford co-starred in "Suppressed Desires" on "The Nash Airflyte Theater" (November 23, 1950). She guest starred in four episodes of "Perry Mason". Her first appearance was in the 1959 episode "The Case of the Howling Dog," when she played defendant Evelyn Forbes.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: In 1972, Rutherford returned to MGM to make the film "They Only Kill Their Masters". Ironically (given the film's grisly name), the film was shot on the old Andy Hardy set. On radio, Ann Rutherford replaced Penny Singleton as the title character on the "Blondie" show. In the 1970s, Rutherford made two guest appearances on television as Aggie Harrison, the mother of Suzanne Pleshette's character Emily Hartley, on "The Bob Newhart Show".


title: Ann Rutherford

text: During the 1990s, Rutherford was offered the role of Rose Calvert in the film "Titanic" (1997), but turned it down; the role went to Gloria Stuart. On November 2, 2002, Rutherford celebrated her 85th birthday, surrounded by her fans and friends at a luncheon in Beverly Hills, California. Neither Evelyn Keyes (1916–2008), then suffering from Alzheimer's disease, nor Olivia de Havilland, two of her surviving co-stars from "Gone with the Wind", was able to attend. In October 2004, Rutherford made a guest appearance at the Margaret Mitchell birthday celebration in Jonesboro, Georgia to honor the film "Gone With the Wind". Rutherford signed autographs and reminisced with fans about old times.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: In June 2007, she was the guest star at the Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum in Marietta, Georgia. The occasion was "The Heart and History of Hollywood" event with Turner Classic Movies (TCM) host Robert Osborne serving as emcee. Rutherford was scheduled to return to Marietta on July 4, 2008, to be reunited with four of the surviving costars from "Gone with the Wind"; Cammie King, Fred Crane, Mickey Kuhn, and Patrick Curtis. Fred Crane died on August 21, 2008, and Cammie King died on September 1, 2010. In 2012, she was interviewed, along with Anne Jeffreys, by Huell Howser on an episode of California's Gold.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: Rutherford was married twice. On December 31, 1942, she married David May II, the grandson of the founder of the May Company department stores; the couple had a daughter, Gloria May, in 1943. On June 6, 1953, Rutherford and May were divorced in a court in Juárez, Mexico. On October 7, 1953, in New York City, Rutherford married actor/producer William Dozier, the creator of the "Batman" (1966–1968) TV series. Dozier died in Santa Monica, California of a stroke on April 23, 1991. Her companion of twenty years was Al Morley.


title: Ann Rutherford

text: Rutherford died on June 11, 2012, aged 94 at her home in Beverly Hills, California, following declining health due to heart problems. She was cremated, and her ashes given to her daughter.


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: The Chinese studio Virtuos handled large parts of its development, while Square Enix assisted the process and published the collection. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in Japan in December 2013 and worldwide in March 2014, for the PlayStation 4 in May 2015, for Microsoft Windows in May 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One in April 2019. The collection sold favorably, and received positive reviews. Many critics praised the graphical upgrade and the chance to play through the games on the new platforms. The collection did receive criticism for a few minor upgrade faults and uneven quality between the two, while some of the collection's added content drew mixed opinions. As of September 2021, the "Final Fantasy X" series had sold over 20.8 million units worldwide, and at the end of March 2022 had surpassed 21.1 million.


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: The HD remaster covers both "Final Fantasy X" and its sequel "Final Fantasy X-2". The first game follows the journey of the teenager Tidus who is transported to the world of Spira after an encounter with a creature known as Sin. He becomes one of the guardians of the summoner Yuna, protecting her on a pilgrimage to defeat Sin and finding out how the creature is linked to Tidus' and Yuna's late fathers. Gameplay relies on the Conditional Turn-Based Battle system that allows for swapping party members in mid-combat. Characters are leveled up by means of the Sphere Grid on which the player may choose a specific skill to learn or attribute to improve. The second game is set two years after the events of "X" and features Yuna as a treasure hunter in search of spheres leading her to Tidus. It reintroduces the series' classic job system in the form of the Garment Grid: jobs can be acquired as dresspheres, costumes that give the player characters different abilities, throughout the game and may be changed in battle. "X-2" includes multiple minigames such as Sphere Break and blitzball, the latter of which also featured prominently in "X".


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: While the majority of the gameplay for "X" and "X-2" remains unchanged, the games have undergone an extensive graphical update and a large amount of the music for "X" has been rearranged. All regional releases contain content from the "International" versions: "X" has the expert Sphere Grid and several optional bosses, while "X-2" comes with extra dresspheres and new minigames. The Creature Creator system was added, whereby players can capture enemy monsters and certain non-player characters (NPCs) to train them and to have them fight alongside the party in battle, similar to the "Pokémon" series: these captured allies can also be fought and strengthened in a coliseum. Lastly, "X-2" includes the "Last Mission" extra dungeon that plays in the style of a roguelike 3D game, having a grid-based layout across which the characters move and take on enemies. Layouts are generated randomly and each opponent is allowed as many turns as the player has taken. As in the main game, the player characters can equip jobs in the form of dresspheres. The "Eternal Calm" movie that bridges the gap between "X" and "X-2" is included in the collection as well. The collection allows for cross-platform saving between the PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 versions and both games have their own trophy lists which are shared across the three platforms.


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: "Final Fantasy X: Will" is an original audio drama included in the release, playing during the credits. It features multiple characters from the games, alongside two new characters: the narrator Chuami and her companion Kurgum. In the story, the two are sent to summon Yuna to investigate a mysterious phenomenon known as "Beckoning", where the dead are being called back into existence. On their journey, they encounter a beckoned version of Sin. Over the course of the story, it is revealed that Tidus is suffering from some kind of weakness, and that Yuna and he appear to have broken up and Yuna is seeing someone else. The drama ends with Yuna preparing to face Sin again and Tidus, despite his weakness, deciding to follow her; Chuami and Kurgum decide to accompany them.


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: The idea for a remaster originated from a reunion of the games' original development team and voice cast during the making of "Final Fantasy Type-0". Character designer Tetsuya Nomura, associate producer Hideki Imaizumi and a voice actor thought that they should create something to celebrate the tenth anniversary of "X". Producer Yoshinori Kitase's personal motivation was to have people too young to have played the games experience them, as his son was only old enough to know the characters of Tidus and Yuna from "Dissidia Final Fantasy" and its prequel. Another reason was that many did not have an opportunity to play the games since they were not compatible with the majority of PlayStation 3 models and neither available on the PlayStation Network unlike games from the original PlayStation like "Final Fantasy VII" and "IX". Nomura entered negotiations with other old members of staff and got a remaster of "X" and "X-2" approved, but the actual development process was delayed because much of the team was still busy with the creation of "Final Fantasy XIII". The remaster was first announced at Tokyo Game Show 2011, where it was assumed that the game would release to commemorate "X"s tenth anniversary.


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: The bulk of the remastering work was outsourced to the Shanghai-based studio Virtuos. Square Enix's internal staff was responsible for reassembling the original assets, and helped with a part of redoing the high-definition data. Among the returning original team members were Motomu Toriyama, Yusuke Naora, Toshitaka Matsuda and Masaki Kobayashi who supervised the production. "X-2" art director Shintaro Takai remained in the same role for both remastered games. The Chinese side of development was headed by managing director Pan Feng. The team encountered problems in porting the games to PlayStation 3 and Vita as their graphics used many functionalities unique to the PlayStation 2 hardware. The loss and repair of some of the original assets posed another hurdle, with Kitase commenting that it might have been easier to recreate the data from the ground up.


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: The PlayStation 3 version supports display resolutions of 720p and 1080p – the former with and the latter without anti-aliasing – while the Vita version runs at 720x408 pixels. Graphical features such as the water effects and lighting were improved. Other changes include the addition of bloom, the move from circular to dynamic shadows and tweaks to environmental geometry and texturing. The developers revised the 3D models for both games: most models merely received new textures but those of the playable characters were rebuilt completely with noticeable changes to their faces. The cutscenes and prerendered environments needed to be adjusted from a 4:3 to a 16:9 screen ratio, the process of which required lots of art and programming readjustments. For example, the widescreen display led to character models being visible in a cutscene although they were to appear only in a later shot; these instances had to be corrected. Both the prerendered background images and cutscenes were cropped at the top and bottom to fit the new screen ratio. However, they received a bump in resolution to appear much clearer than in the PlayStation 2 version. The gameplay also needed to be duplicated while bringing it up to the standard of a high definition game, which was harder than the team thought.


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: Sixty tracks of the original "Final Fantasy X" soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano were rearranged. Hamauzu and Nakano took charge of most of the revised music, with Tsutomu Narita and Ryo Yamazaki also making select arrangements. The soundtrack for "Final Fantasy X-2" by Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi was carried over from the original PlayStation 2 version. For the credits of the HD remaster, scenario writer Kazushige Nojima wrote the audio drama "Final Fantasy X: Will" as an appendix taking place two years after "X-2". Nojima and Nomura felt that it was a good opportunity to expand upon the universe of "X". They opted for the audio drama format as the team did not want to create a solid visual impression, instead intending to leave it up to interpretation. The team wanted the audio drama to be the "direct opposite" to the upbeat feel and happy ending of "X-2". This wish for a more melancholy atmosphere resulted in them bringing Sin, the main antagonistic force in "X", back into the story, as the team wanted to keep it involved in a similar fashion to Sephiroth, the main antagonist of "Final Fantasy VII" and its companion media. The drama's open ending was also intentional, as Kitase "wanted to leave something up to the player's imagination."


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: "Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster" was released as a collection for the PlayStation 3 and as separate releases of each game for the PlayStation Vita. Alongside the standard PlayStation Vita releases in Japan, there was a Twin Pack that bundled both games and a Resolution Box collection which additionally contained the handheld console. A dual release was decided against for the Vita versions due to the limited storage capacity of the cartridges. Play Arts Kai figurines of Tidus and Yuna were produced and the original soundtracks were re-released. Two new "Ultimania" guide books were published for each game. Nojima wrote the tie-in novel "Final Fantasy X-2.5: Eien no Daishō" that bridges the gap between "Last Mission" and "Final Fantasy X: Will". A Collector's Edition of the PlayStation 3 version was exclusively released in North America via Square Enix's online store. It contained both games, an artwork book, a Blu-ray disc for the rearranged soundtrack and five artwork lithographs. A special launch event was held at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California during March 2014. It included a signing event with Kitase and Naora, and an artwork auction with all profits going to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. The PlayStation 4 port of the remaster, officially announced at a PlayStation conference in China on December 11, 2014, was originally leaked in Square Enix France's online store earlier that same day. The PS4 release supports save transfers from the PS3 and Vita versions and remote play on the Vita. It was released worldwide on PS4 in May 2015. It was later released on Microsoft Windows via Steam on May 12, 2016. In addition, versions for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One were released on April 16, 2019.


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: The remaster has received favorable reviews. On Metacritic, the Vita version holds a score of 86/100, the PS3 version an 85/100, the PS4 version an 84/100, and the PC version an 83/100.


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: Reaction to the quality of the remaster was mostly positive. IGN's Meghan Sullivan said that despite the game showing its roots, it "looks and sounds dramatically better", though critiqued some textures, off-putting facial close-ups and lip-synching problems carried over from the original. GameSpot's Josiah Renaudin was generally positive, calling the visual upgrades "compelling reasons to revisit one of the most poignant entries in the long-running series.", although he found the uneven graphical upgrade comparisons between player characters and NPCs jarring. Reviewing the PlayStation 3 version, Destructoid's Dale North generally praised the upgrade, although stated that the fixed camera had not aged well and some of the smaller, more detailed aspects of environments and models had not received a thorough HD treatment. Game Informer's Kimberley Wallace generally praised the upgrade, but noted that character movements betrayed the game's age. GamesRadar's Ashley Reed called the environments better-looking, but found the characters "oddly doll-like" and noted graphical limitations carried over from the original. She found less of these problems in "X-2". Digital Spy's Mark Langshaw praised the upgrade, but noted framerate dips and "ropey" animations. He also noted that the character models in "X-2" were updated better than those in "X". Reviewing the PS3 version, VideoGamer.com's Daniel Cairns was highly positive, despite noting some lingering awkward moments. In his review of the Vita version, Ryan King of "NowGamer" generally praised the updates and polishing the game received. While the Vita version was similarly praised by the majority of reviewers, though Renaudin and Wallace noted that some dated textures stood out more.


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: The remastered soundtrack received mixed to positive reviews. North noted that the revamped music "might be less agreeable to fans of the original score", while praising the general improvement in the sound. Wallace found the soundtrack a mixed bag, with some tracks being improved by the remastering and others feeling uneven or losing their impact. Renaudin said that, while the soundtrack was crisper, fans of the original "might not immediately notice the acoustic alterations." "Eternal Calm", "Last Mission" and "Will" received mixed responses. Caires called Last Mission "a good little distraction", but called "Will" "incomprehensible". Sullivan didn't enjoy "Eternal Calm" or "Last Mission", while finding "Will" "incredibly weird and confusing.", recommending players to stay clear of it. Wallace called "Last Mission" "a nice diversion, but not incredibly engaging.", while North noted that it "may not have as much appeal to fans of your typical "Final Fantasy" game."


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: Opinions for the original gameplay and story remained generally unchanged from the original games: the stories for "X" and "X-2" received positive and mixed to positive reviews respectively, while the gameplay was generally praised. The new gameplay features for "X" and "X-2" received mixed to positive reviews. Sullivan called the extra content "[her] favorite thing about this remastered version", while Langshaw called the extra features, including "Last Mission", "welcome inclusions."


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: During its first week on sale in Japan, the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions of the game sold 185,918 and 149,132 copies respectively. The total sales for PS3 and Vita versions in its first week was over 339,000 copies in Japan. The individual PlayStation Vita versions of "X" and "X-2" sold 31,775 and 16,355 copies respectively during their first two weeks in Japan. The two versions of "HD Remaster" were also successful in North America, selling 206,000 copies within a month of its release. The game was the 7th best-selling game for PS3 and the top-selling title for Vita on the PlayStation Network for the month of February, 2014. The title's overall sales were cited by Square Enix as a reason for its improved financial situation at the end of the 2013/14 fiscal year. As of April 2018, the PC version of the game has sold over 584,000 copies on Steam.


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: The audio drama sparked speculation of a second sequel to "X". In a February 2014 interview, Shinji Hashimoto said that the audio drama was simply meant to expand on the universe and did not mean a sequel was in development. Prior to this, Nojima stated that if there was enough demand, there could be developments, and that he would like to write the story for a second sequel. Nojima later revealed to "Famitsu" "For the record, there’s a plot from start to finish, and if there’s some way we can have it show up elsewhere… well, so I’ve said to Square Enix."


title: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

text: Later, speaking with "Famitsu" in a feature concerning industry rumors, Kitase denied that a second sequel was in development, and that both "Eien no Daishō" and the audio drama were simply intended as standalone continuations of the games' universe. Shinji Hashimoto revealed in October 2016 that "Final Fantasy X-3" is possible but Square Enix is currently busy with other projects and he also confirmed that the audio drama is the basis for it. On July 14, 2021, Tetsuya Nomura revealed that a story for the potential sequel has been written by "Final Fantasy X" writer Kazushige Nojima and that "It's sleeping right now, but the plot itself does exist." "Final Fantasy X" director Motomu Toriyama similarly expressed interest in returning to the world of Spira. He stated that, "We're not in a phase where we can talk about it, unless we have finished producing "Final Fantasy VII Remake"."


title: Archie Kao

text: Archie David Kao (born December 14, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He is best known to American audiences for series regulars roles on "Chicago P.D.", "Power Rangers Lost Galaxy" as well as long-running hit "".


title: Archie Kao

text: Born in Washington, D.C., Kao grew up in the suburbs of Alexandria, Virginia. His parents are immigrants from Taiwan.


title: Archie Kao

text: While attending George Mason University, Kao joined the Sigma Chi fraternity and graduated with a degree in Speech Communication.


title: Archie Kao

text: As an undergraduate, Kao was elected Student Government President as well as the University's Homecoming King. He initially had plans to attend Law School and work in politics before becoming an actor.


title: Archie Kao

text: Kao also speaks and understands Mandarin Chinese because he grew up in a bilingual household with two younger sisters but is more comfortable speaking in English, especially in interviews. He also studied French for six years.


title: Archie Kao

text: He was named one of "People"s "Hottest Bachelors" in 2006. Kao currently divides his time between Los Angeles and Beijing.


title: Archie Kao

text: Through the early 2000s, Kao may have been best known for his role as Archie Johnson in the hit television series "", as well as the role of Kai Chen, the Blue Ranger, in "Power Rangers Lost Galaxy". He has also appeared on TV shows such as "Desperate Housewives" (as Steve), "ER" (as Yuri), NBC's "Heroes", "Century City", "Huff" (as Kane), "Power Rangers Wild Force" (as General Venjix), "Once and Again" (as Steven), "L.A. Firefighters" (as Peter), "Maybe This Time" (as Takeshi) and more.


title: Archie Kao

text: In 2013, Kao joined the cast of the NBC TV series "Chicago P.D." (a spin-off from "Chicago Fire") as a series regular, a character named Detective Sheldon Jin who is in charge of surveillance at the Chicago Police Department Intelligence Unit.


title: Archie Kao

text: Kao shares his birthday with fellow "Power Rangers" actress Thuy Trang (1973–2001), who played the original Yellow Ranger, Trini Kwan, in "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" from 1993 to 1994.


title: Archie Kao

text: Kao appeared as Sebastian in Wayne Wang's "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan", and starred as the main romantic lead, Jefferson, in Quentin Lee's "The People I've Slept With". Kao also played Edwin Luke, the brother of Keye Luke in Timothy Tau's short film bio-pic "Keye Luke", which premiered at the 2012 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and which was Closing Night Film of the inaugural 2013 Seattle Asian American Film Festival. Kao has recently signed on to a thriller film from China entitled "The Deathday Party" opposite Anita Yuen, which is also being shot in the ancient Chinese Alu Caves of Yunan. Kao played Shum in Michael Mann's film "Blackhat" (2015). Kao has also had roles in films such as "The Hills Have Eyes 2" (as Han), "" (as Shangrek), "When In Rome" (as Nobu), and Jet Li's "The One" (as Woo).


title: Archie Kao

text: Kao wrote, directed and produced a short film entitled "Initiation" (2011), which starred Ashley Bell and Kao's CSI co-star Marc Vann. The film is about an assassin trainee (Bell) who struggles with initiation day jitters under her mentor (Vann). Kao also produced and starred in a short film (as Jin) directed by Jerry Chan entitled "Fast Money" (2006).


title: Archie Kao

text: In May 2014, Chinese actress Zhou Xun posted a picture of Archie and herself on her team's Weibo account, announcing that they were dating.


title: Archie Kao

text: On July 16, 2014, Kao and Zhou were officially married on stage after a charity event in Hangzhou, China.


title: Archie Kao

text: On December 23, 2020, Zhou announced on her Sina Weibo account that they have divorced, to which Kao acknowledged a comment to her update.


title: A Touch of Class (band)

text: A Touch of Class (often shortened in initials as ATC) were an international pop group based in Germany, although the four members each came from different countries—Joseph "Joey" Murray (born 5 July 1974) from New Zealand, Sarah Egglestone (b. 4 April 1975) from Australia, Livio Salvi (b. 25 January 1977) from Italy, and Tracey Elizabeth Packham (b. 30 July 1977) from the United Kingdom. The pop group was active from 1999 to 2003 and their most successful release was "Around the World (La La La La La)", released in 2000. The group disbanded in 2004.


title: A Touch of Class (band)

text: The four met together in Hamburg, Germany as cast members of the international Broadway theatre German production of the stage musical "Cats" from October 1997 to April 1998. Sarah Egglestone played Bombalurina, Livio Salvi played Mungojerrie, Tracey Packham played Syllabub, and Joey Murray played as Munkustrap/swing dancer. The four quickly became friends and decided to form a dance group. Egglestone noted, "We were there sitting watching television one day, seeing groups and saying 'there's no reason [...] why we can't do this.'" The group first met with producers Alex Christensen and Thomas M. Stein in 1999 and began working on material under the name ATC. The group experimented with merging male and female vocals together. "Producers don't seem to want to mix the voices so often [...] that helps give us that little bit of an edge," Murray remarked.


title: A Touch of Class (band)

text: Their first single, "Around the World (La La La La La)" (which was an English cover of the song "Pesenka" by the Russian group Ruki Vverh!) was first released on 1 April 2000 and went number one in Germany for six weeks in summer 2000. It was later an only Top 40 hit in the United Kingdom and United States.


title: A Touch of Class (band)

text: Their debut album "Planet Pop", featuring songs from Alex Christensen and Clyde Ward, was released on 6 February 2001 by Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Republic Records, for which they were awarded an ECHO for Best Dance Act.


title: A Touch of Class (band)

text: In 2001, the group released the single I'm In Heaven (When You Kiss Me), which was moderately successful in parts of Europe. In 2002, "Set Me Free" was released as a single but was not successful. In 2003, the DJ and producer ATB successfully took the band's record label to court, and the band was forced to formally drop the ATC initials. Following the name change, the group released a final single, "New York City", and their second album, "Touch the Sky" in 2003, but they did not match the success of their previous records. In 2004, the group disbanded as the members decided to go their separate ways.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: King of Kings is a 1961 American epic film directed by Nicholas Ray and produced by Samuel Bronston for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Adapted from the New Testament, the film tells the story of Jesus of Nazareth from his birth and ministry to his crucifixion and resurrection. It stars Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus, with Siobhán McKenna, Robert Ryan, Viveca Lindfors, Ron Randell, Hurd Hatfield, and Rip Torn.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Throughout the 1950s, John Farrow began developing a proposed film project based on the life of Jesus, tentatively titled "Son of Man". In November 1958, actual development started when Farrow partnered with Samuel Bronston following their collaboration on "John Paul Jones" (1959). By the next year, Farrow left the project due to creative differences, and Nicholas Ray was hired as director. Ray then hired screenwriter Philip Yordan to write a new script. Filming commenced in April 1960, and wrapped in October 1960.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Financing of the film was initially provided by Pierre S. du Pont III, but Bronston appealed for more funding from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which was interested in the film following its success with "Ben-Hur" (1959). With MGM involved, mandatory rewrites and additional scenes were added to the film. Reshoots took place in December 1960 and again in May 1961.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: The film premiered at Loew's State Theatre in New York City on October 11, 1961. It premiered in Los Angeles on October 12 and opened there on October 13. It received mixed reviews from film critics, but was a box office success. Miklós Rózsa was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: In 63 BC, Pompey conquered Jerusalem and the city was sacked. He entered the Temple to seize the treasure of Solomon and massacred the priests there. He discovered that the treasure is only a collection of scrolls of the Torah. These Pompey held over a fire until an old priest reached for them imploringly. Pompey relented and handed them to the old man and left to carry out massacres of enemy villages and towns.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Many years later, a series of rebellions break out against the authority of Rome, so the Romans crucify many of the leaders and place Herod the Great on Judea's throne.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: A carpenter named Joseph and his wife Mary, who is about to give birth, arrive in Bethlehem for the census. Not having found accommodation for the night, they take refuge in a stable, where the child, Jesus, is born. The shepherds, who have followed the Magi from the East, gather to worship him. However, Herod, informed of the birth of a child-king, orders the centurion Lucius to take his men to Bethlehem and kill all the newborn male children.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt with the child. The Massacre of the Innocents occurs, Herod dies, killed in his death throes by his son Herod Antipas, who then takes power. In Nazareth, Jesus, who is now twelve years old, is working with Joseph when soldiers arrive under the command of Lucius, who knows now that Jesus escaped the massacre of the infants. But Lucius does nothing and only asks that Mary and Joseph register their son's birth before the year's end.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Years pass and Jewish rebels led by Barabbas and Judas Iscariot prepare to attack a caravan carrying the next governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate and his wife Claudia. The ambush fails, partly due to the diligence of Lucius, and Barabbas and Judas flee for their lives.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Pilate and Herod Antipas meet on the banks of the River Jordan, where John the Baptist preaches to the crowds. Jesus arrives here, now 30 years of age. He is baptized by John, who recognizes that he is the Messiah. Jesus goes into the desert, where he is tempted by Satan. After forty days, Jesus travels to Galilee, where he recruits his Apostles.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: In Jerusalem, Herod Antipas arrests John the Baptist, who is visited by Jesus in prison. Judas leaves the rebel Barabbas and joins the Apostles. Jesus begins to preach and gather crowds, among which are Claudia, Pilate's wife, and Lucius. Herod reluctantly beheads John on a whim of his stepdaughter, Salome, who despises him.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Herod, Pilate and the High Priest Caiaphas are terrorized by the works and miracles of Jesus. Barabbas plots a revolt in Jerusalem during Passover, during which time Jesus enters the holy city in triumph and goes to the Temple to preach. The rebels storm the Antonia Fortress, but the legions of Pilate, having learned of the plot, ambush and crush the revolt, massacring the rebels, leaving Barabbas as the sole survivor who ends up getting arrested.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Jesus meets the disciples on the evening of Thursday, having supper one last time with them and afterwards goes to pray at Gethsemane. In the meantime, Judas wants Jesus to free Judea from the Romans, and, to force his hand, Judas delivers him to the Jewish authorities. Jesus is brought before Caiaphas and then brought before Pilate. Pilate starts the trial, but sensing that the issue is one of Jewish sensibilities, sends him to Herod Antipas, who, in turn, sends him back.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Pilate is infuriated by Antipas' returning of Jesus and commands his soldiers to scourge Jesus. The people demand the release of Barabbas, and Pilate bows to their pressure and sentences Jesus to be crucified. Jesus, wearing a crown of thorns on his head, carries his cross to Golgotha where he is crucified with two thieves, one of them being the penitent thief Dismas and the other, the Impenitent thief, Gestas.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Desperate because he has betrayed Jesus to his death, Judas hangs himself and his body is found by Barabbas. Jesus dies in front of his mother, the apostle John, a few soldiers, Claudia (Pilate's wife), and Lucius (who utters the fateful words: "He is truly the Christ"). His body is taken down from the cross and is carried to a rock tomb. Two days later, Mary Magdalene finds the tomb empty, and encounters the Risen Jesus.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: The film ends on the shores of Lake Tiberias when Jesus appears to the Apostles for "a final time" according to the narration, and tells them to bring his message to the ends of the world. Only his shadow is visible, forming the shape of a cross where it falls on the stretched-out fishing nets. The apostles then leave, and, as the shadow of Jesus falls across the screen, it could be assumed that he is ascending to Heaven.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: In February 1951, it was reported that director John Farrow was developing a biographical film on the life of Jesus, with his script being titled "Son of Man". He had also intended to produce the film independently for less than $800,000. By November 1951, the project was under development at the Nassour Studios and that Farrow was conducting a talent search for an actor in the title role. When asked of the requirements he desired, Farrow replied, "High personal character and a good actor." However, by August 1953, Farrow was contracted to direct "The Sea Chase" (1955) with Warner Bros. In February 1954, the "Los Angeles Times" reported that Farrow was likely to begin development on "Son of Man" following the completion of "The Sea Chase" (1955). It was speculated that it would be shot in England and Jesus would not be shown directly, although Farrow declined to confirm these statements. Shooting was scheduled to begin by summer 1954. It was ultimately set aside when, in April 1955, Farrow signed to direct "Around the World in Eighty Days" (1956), in which he was later fired from after nearly a week of shooting.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: In January 1956, "Variety" reported that Farrow was in negotiations with RKO Pictures to finance and distribute "Son of Man". Two months later, in March, Farrow began a talent search for an unknown actor to portray Jesus on the condition that he would not appear in another film, television, or stage production for up to 20 years. However, these plans were again postponed when, in October 1957, Farrow had signed on to direct "John Paul Jones" (1959) for Samuel Bronston. A year later, Farrow and Bronston had formed a production company, Brofar, as they planned to produce a second project.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: In November 1958, it was reported that Bronston and Farrow were collaborating on a film project based on the life of Jesus. In May 1959, it was reported that Sonya Levien was hired to do a script polish. However, by October 1959, Farrow had left the project over creative differences. Farrow later explained that in the context of Jesus's trial, Bronston wanted him to "whitewash the Jewish leaders, and lay blame entirely on the Romans. I refused to make these changes. I quit." Additionally, according to associate producer Alan Brown, he stated that "his script was not really a script, it was the Four Gospels put down, and Sam called me and said, 'I cannot even understand this, it's all Thee and Thou and everything else.'"


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: In November 1959, Nicholas Ray signed on to direct the project. With set construction nearly complete, Ray then asked screenwriter Philip Yordan whom he previously worked with on "Johnny Guitar" (1954) to rewrite the script. Ray also explained, "I asked for him and made concessions to have him. They had asked me to write it. I didn't feel up to the responsibility; I am as impatient with the other writer on my own screenplay as with others."


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Yordan recalled, "I didn't want to go to Spain, but he asked me to just come over there for the weekend. The picture was called "Son of Man". Terrible title, and someone had taken chapters of the Bible and sort of tried to make it play." He then recommended re-titling the script to "King of Kings". Yordan wrote a new script in six weeks which Bronston liked so much that he encouraged him to stay in Madrid, in which Yordan later went to co-write the script for "El Cid" (1961). Throughout the writing process, Yordan felt he did not find writing the movie to be difficult, in which he argued that "Christ was a loner. He's not much different than my usual character. The Western character. It's the same character. The man alone."


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Furthermore, Bronston hired several Biblical scholars in order for the script to adhere to the Gospels, which included playwright Diego Fabbri and theologian professor George Kilpatrick, who wrote the books "The Origins of the Gospel According to St. Matthew" (1946) and "The Trial of Jesus" (1953). In March 1960, Bronston received approval of the script from Pope John XXIII, who met with the producer at the Vatican.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Several actors were considered to play the role of Jesus. In May 1959, it was reported that Alec Guinness had met with Bronston to discuss playing the role of Jesus. With Nicholas Ray as director, he considered Peter Cushing, Tom Fleming, Christopher Plummer, and Max von Sydow (who would later play the role in "The Greatest Story Ever Told" in 1965) for the role of Jesus. Ultimately, on April 21, 1960, Jeffrey Hunter was cast as Jesus. The idea to hire Hunter for the role came from John Ford, who suggested him to Nicholas Ray after directing him on "The Searchers" (1956). Ray also knew Hunter as he had directed him in "The True Story of Jesse James" (1957). Bronston agreed to the casting mainly because of the actor's striking eyes explaining that "I really chose him for his eyes. It was important that the man playing Christ have memorable eyes." After he finished filming for "Hell to Eternity" (1960), Hunter was approached for the role after being given the script to which he agreed.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Other prominent actors were pursued for supporting roles. In April 1960, it was reported that Orson Welles and Richard Burton were cast as Herod the Great and Herod Antipas respectively. Alternately, on April 21, on the same day as Hunter's casting, it was reported that Burton was attached to play a centurion and James Mason was being considered for Pontius Pilate. However, in the following month, Burton left the role when he was refused to be given top billing.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: In May 1960, Grace Kelly had turned down the offer to portray Mary, mother of Jesus, in which the role later went to Siobhán McKenna while Hurd Hatfield was cast as Pontius Pilate. That same month, it was announced that Viveca Lindfors, Rita Gam, Frank Thring, and Ron Randell had joined the cast. Several of the supporting parts were cast with local English-speaking Spanish actors whom Bronston collected through a "workshop" program.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: In 1959, Bronston had established his eponymous production studio in Spain where he observed the rugged countryside resembled Judea. Principal photography began on April 24, 1960, at the Sevilla and Chamartín Studios, near Madrid, where 396 sets were constructed for the film. Unfortunately, the Temple of Judea set at the Sevilla studios was blown down during a major windstorm. Bronston surveyed the site and ordered for the set to be rebuilt which was completed in three months.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: The film was shot on multiple locations throughout Spain, one of which included the Venta de Frascuelas near the rocky terrains of Chinchón for the Sermon on the Mount scene where 7,000 extras were used. The Adaja in El Fresno was used to represent the Jordan River, as well as the Rambla de Lanujar in Almería for the wilderness where Jesus was tempted. The Añover de Tajo within the province of Toledo was substituted for the Mount of Olives. The municipalities of Manzanares el Real and Navacerrada were shot for the scenes set in Nazareth and Golgotha, the site where Jesus was crucified, respectively.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: The film's shoot faced numerous complications. As with "John Paul Jones" (1959), Bronston secured the financing backing from business executive Pierre S. du Pont III, but months into the shoot, the production had run out of money. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer became interested in investing as they saw the film as a potential rival to "Ben-Hur" (1959), which was still in wide release. MGM studio president Joseph Vogel visited the set in Madrid and viewed dailies of the unfinished film. Coming away impressed, he alerted production head Sol C. Siegel of the production in which he also visited the set. Siegel recommended various changes feeling the film was too long, needed more action, and had a weak ending. An original character named "David", portrayed by Richard Johnson, was written into the film to function as a bridge between the film's plot threads. Due to the heavy deviations being made to the film's shooting script, Nicholas Ray and Philip Yordan were no longer on speaking terms communicating only through walkie-talkies.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Midway during filming, in July 1960, cinematographer Franz Planer had fallen ill. Manuel Berengeur, who had worked with him since the start of production, replaced him, but MGM sent out contract cinematographer Milton R. Krasner to take over. In September, an automobile accident resulted in the death of Arthur Resse, who had been serving as a horse trainer, while also injuring actor Harry Guardino (who was portraying Barabbas) as the two were en route from a location outside Aranjuez, Spain. Around the same time, Ray, who was overwhelmed with the production woes, was temporarily replaced by Charles Walters. In October 1960, filming wrapped after 122 days.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: During the film's post-production, the editing was done at the MGM studios in Culver City, California. At the studio's requests, certain scenes were re-shot and added, and among of the edits made was the deletion of Richard Johnson's scenes. Miklós Rózsa was hired to compose the score, which was recorded using a 74-piece symphony orchestra and a choir of 50 people. Ray Bradbury was brought in to construct a new ending as well as write narration in order to connect the disparate elements together. Bradbury wrote an ending in which the resurrected Jesus commissions the disciples to preach the Gospel. Then, he elevates as he walks towards the horizontal shores of Galilee leaving only his visible footprints to be covered with blowing dust. The disciples would also leave footprints in all four directions to be covered with dust. However, the ending was deemed too expensive to be filmed. Orson Welles was hired to provide the voice-over narration, which was recorded in London. Welles insisted on pronouncing the word 'apostles' with a hard 't', instead of the normally silent 't'.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Following a sneak preview, the studio felt another scene between Siobhán McKenna and Carmen Sevilla was needed, which was shot in the MGM-British Studios near London on May 8, 1961.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: In June 1960, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had acquired the distribution rights to the film with their intention to distribute the film for a roadshow theatrical release as a follow-up to "Ben-Hur" (1959).


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: "King of Kings" was released to DVD by Warner Home Video on February 6, 2003, and Blu-ray by Warner Home Video on July 28, 2009, and on March 29, 2011, respectively as a Region 1 widescreen disc. It has since been available for online streaming and download through Amazon, Apple iTunes Store and Vudu.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: "Time" wrote a negative review describing the film as "[i]ncontestably the corniest, phoniest, ickiest and most monstrously vulgar of all the big Bible stories Hollywood has told in the last decade". Bosley Crowther of "The New York Times" felt that the movie had "the nature of an illustrated lecture" and was a "peculiarly impersonal film that constructs a great deal of random action around Jesus and does very little to construct a living personality for Him." "Variety" praised the film as "a major motion picture by any standard" that not only "succeeds as spectacle" but also "succeeds in touching the heart." Philip K. Scheuer of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote, "It is not great art, nor is it the definitive photoplay about Jesus (will there ever be one?), but it is at least permeated by a soberness of purpose that, allowing for ordinary human fallibility, can be tacitly felt and respected. Technically, of course, it is far glossier than the C. B. DeMille movie of 1927, and very probably at least its equal in effectiveness. Dramatically, I think, it falls somewhere between the theatrical entertainment that was "Ben-Hur" and the spiritual but spiritless "Francis of Assisi"."


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: "Harrison's Reports" awarded its top grade of "Excellent" and declared that the film "will not only stamp its enduring imprint on the glorious history book of the motion picture industry, but will leave its memorable impact on the minds of all those millions who see it." Richard L. Coe of "The Washington Post", however, panned the film as "a picture which never should have been made" due to the filmmakers' decision to present Jesus as "a universal, non-controversial figure," explaining that "to excise His dynamic, revolutionary concepts is to make His journey on earth a hollow ritual, a pointless fairy tale, an essay on How to Live Dangerously and Still Win." The "Monthly Film Bulletin" stated: "As, simply, a version of the infinitely well-known story, it has some curious interpolations (Christ's visit to John the Baptist in his cell) and omissions. The overwhelming failure, though, is in finding any kind of style, in imagery, dialogue or music, which goes beyond the most insipidly conventional kind of Bible illustrations."


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: Among later reviews, Leonard Maltin's home video guide awarded the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, and Geoff Andrew called it "one of the most interesting screen versions of the Gospels, adding that "some of the performances appear to lack depth, but one can't deny the effectiveness of Miklós Rózsa's fine score, and of Ray's simple but elegant visuals which achieve a stirring dramatic power untainted by pompous bombast." Musicians such as Grammy Award-winning Art Greenhaw have cited the movie as being an influence in their work and even their favorite film of all time. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, "King of Kings" holds an approval rating of 85% based on 20 reviews with an average rating of 6.4/10 The website's critical consensus reads: "With enough narrative depth to anchor the expected spectacle, "King of Kings" is a true blessing for fans of Biblical epics."


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: The film's music score, composed by Miklós Rózsa, was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. That same year, Rózsa was also nominated in the same category for his score of "El Cid", which was produced by Bronston.


title: King of Kings (1961 film)

text: According to MGM records, the film earned $8 million in North America and $5.4 million overseas, earning a profit of $1,621,000.


title: AUTOSAR

text: AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture (AUTOSAR) is a development partnership of automotive interested parties founded in 2003. It pursues the objective to create and establish an open and standardized software architecture for automotive electronic control units (ECUs). Goals include the scalability to different vehicle and platform variants, transferability of software, the consideration of availability and safety requirements, a collaboration between various partners, sustainable use of natural resources, and maintainability during the product lifecycle.


title: AUTOSAR

text: AUTOSAR was formed in July 2003 by Bavarian Motor Works (BMW), Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG, Daimler AG (formerly Daimler-Benz, then DaimlerChrysler), Siemens VDO, and Volkswagen to promote an open industry standard for automotive electrical-electronic (E/E) architecture. In November 2003, Ford Motor Company joined as a core partner, and in December, Groupe PSA (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën) and Toyota Motor Corporation joined. The following November, General Motors also became a core partner. After Siemens VDO was acquired by Continental in February 2008, it ceased being an independent core partner.


title: AUTOSAR

text: Since 2003, AUTOSAR provided four major releases of the automotive software architecture for its classic platform and one release of acceptance tests. The work can be divided into three phases:


title: AUTOSAR

text: In 2013, AUTOSAR entered a continuous working mode for its classic Platform to maintain the standard and provide selected improvements, including releases R4.2, and 1.0 of acceptance tests.


title: AUTOSAR

text: In 2016, work on the Adaptive Platform began. A first release (17-03) was published in early 2017, followed by release 17-10 in October 2017 and release 18-03 in March 2018. With release 18-10 in October 2018, major development activities were published.


title: AUTOSAR

text: AUTOSAR provides specifications of basic software modules, defines application interfaces and builds a common development methodology based on standardized exchange format. Basic software modules made available by the AUTOSAR layered software architecture can be used in vehicles of different manufacturers and electronic components of different suppliers, thereby reducing expenditures for research and development.


title: AUTOSAR

text: The AUTOSAR classic platform is the standard for embedded real-time ECUs based on OSEK. Its main deliverable is specifications.


title: AUTOSAR

text: The architecture distinguishes between three software layers that run on a microcontroller: application, runtime environment (RTE) and basic software (BSW). The application software layer is mostly hardware independent. Communication between software components and access to BSW happens via RTE, which represents the full interface for applications.


title: AUTOSAR

text: Services are divided further, into functional groups representing the infrastructure for system, memory and communication services.


title: AUTOSAR

text: One essential concept of the Classic Platform is the Virtual Functional Bus (VFB). This virtual bus is an abstract set of RTEs that are not yet deployed to specific ECUs and decouples the applications from the infrastructure. It communicates via dedicated ports, which means that the communication interfaces of the application software must be mapped to these ports. The VFB handles communication within the individual ECU and between ECUs. From an application point of view, no detailed knowledge of lower-level technologies or dependencies is required. This supports hardware-independent development and usage of application software.


title: AUTOSAR

text: The Classic Platform also enables the integration of non-AUTOSAR systems such as GENIVI, now renamed COVESA, by using the Franca Interface Definition Language (Franca IDL).


title: AUTOSAR

text: New use-cases required the development of the adaptive platform. One example is automated driving, in the context of which the driver temporarily and/or partially transfers responsibility for driving to the vehicle. This can require communication with traffic infrastructure (e.g. traffic signs and -lights), cloud servers (e.g. to access the latest traffic information or map data), or the use of microprocessors and high-performance computing hardware for parallel processing, e.g., graphics processing units (GPUs).


title: AUTOSAR

text: Further, Car-2-X applications require interaction to vehicles and off-board systems. That means that the system has to provide secure on-board communication, support of cross-domain computing platforms, smartphone integration, integration of non-AUTOSAR systems, and so on. Also, cloud-based services will require dedicated means for security, such as secure cloud interaction and emergency vehicle preemption. They will enable remote and distributed services, such as remote diagnostics, over the air (OTA) update, repair, and exchange handling.


title: AUTOSAR

text: To support dynamic deployment of customer applications and to provide an environment for applications that require high-end computing power AUTOSAR is currently standardizing the AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform. Its core is an operating system based on the POSIX standard. The operating system can be used from the application via a subset of the POSIX according to IEEE1003.13 (namely PSE51). One of the key features of the Adaptive Platform is service-oriented communication since the Platform is based on the Service - Oriented Architecture.


title: AUTOSAR

text: Adaptive AUTOSAR is developed and written using C++ which is an object-oriented programming language. The communication protocol used for the in-vehicle networking is SOME/IP, based on Ethernet.


title: AUTOSAR

text: Two types of interfaces are available: services and application programming interfaces (APIs). The platform consists of functional clusters which are grouped in services and the AUTOSAR adaptive platform foundation.


title: AUTOSAR

text: Functional clusters in AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform have to have at least one instance per (virtual) machine while services may be distributed in the in-car network.


title: AUTOSAR

text: The adaptive platform contains both specification and code. In comparison to the Classic Platform, AUTOSAR develops an implementation to shorten the validation cycle and illustrate the underlying concepts. This implementation is available to all AUTOSAR partners.


title: AUTOSAR

text: The purpose of the foundation standard is to enforce interoperability between the AUTOSAR platforms. The foundation contains common requirements and technical specifications (for example protocols) shared between the AUTOSAR platforms, and the common methodology.


title: AUTOSAR

text: In 2014, acceptance tests were introduced to minimize test efforts and costs. Acceptance test Specifications are system test specifications using the specified interfaces of the respective Platform. Also, they are considering the specified behavior on the bus. They can be seen as a black box test case for a given platform function. The specification of standard acceptance tests contributes to these objectives.


title: AUTOSAR

text: Standardization of functional interfaces across manufacturers and suppliers and standardization of the interfaces between the different software layers is seen as a basis for achieving the technical goals of AUTOSAR. Only by standardizing concrete interface contents in their physical and temporal representation allows achieving the needed integration compatibility.


title: AUTOSAR

text: AUTOSAR defined six different levels of membership. The contribution of partners varies depending on the type of partnership:


title: AUTOSAR

text: Core Partners include the founding partners BMW, Bosch, Continental, Daimler AG, Ford, General Motors, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Toyota, and Volkswagen. These companies are responsible for organization, administration and control of the AUTOSAR development partnership. Within this core, the Executive Board defines the overall strategy and roadmap. The Steering Committee manages day-to-day non-technical operations and admission of partners, public relations and contractual issues. The Chairman and Deputy of Chairman, appointed for one year, represent the Steering Committee for that purpose. The AUTOSAR Spokesperson takes over the communication with the outside world.


title: AUTOSAR

text: Strategic partners are appointed for a period of two years from the circle of Premium Partners and support the project leader team in the various technical, organizational and everyday processes. They also give new strategic inputs to the project leader round.


title: AUTOSAR

text: Premium and Development members contribute to work packages coordinated and monitored by the Project Leader Team established by the Core Partners. Associate partners are making use of the standard documents AUTOSAR has already released. Attendees are currently participating with Academic collaboration and non-commercial projects.


title: Prithviraj Chavan

text: Prithviraj Chavan () (born 17 March 1946) is an Indian politician who was the 17th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, a state in Western India. Chavan is a graduate of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani and University of California, Berkeley in mechanical engineering. He spent time working in the field of aircraft instrumentation and designing audio recorders for anti-submarine warfare in the US before returning to India and becoming an entrepreneur in 1974. Referred to in the media as a technocrat with a clean, non-controversial image, a low-profile leader. Chavan served as the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions. Chavan was also General Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC), in-charge of many states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Haryana, Gujarat, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh.


title: Prithviraj Chavan

text: Chavan was drawn into politics after meeting with Rajiv Gandhi. He has been involved in the Indian National Congress bureaucracy for most of his adult life, notably as a member of the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of the India's Parliament) and later architect of the civil nuclear liability bill. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1991 and followed it up in subsequent elections. Chavan held five portfolios in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government that includes the ministry of science and technology. He became chief minister of Maharashtra in 2010 at the insistence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi succeeding unrelated Ashok Chavan. He resigned as the chief minister of Maharashtra after the ruling NCP-Congress alliance split in the state.


title: Prithviraj Chavan

text: Chavan was born in Indore, Central Provinces on 17 March 1946. His parents were Dajisaheb Chavan and Premala. He is the eldest of three siblings. His younger sisters are Nirupama Ajitrao Yadav-Deshmukh and Vidyulata Venkatrao Ghorpade. Dajisaheb was a member of the Lok Sabha from the Karad constituency from 1957 to 1973 & served as a Minister in the cabinets of Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi. Upon Dajisaheb's death in 1973, Chavan's mother, Premala (affectionately known as Premalakaki, aunt Premala) contested from her late husband's constituency and was elected in the by election in 1973 and in the general elections of 1977, 1984, and 1989 serving till her death in 1991.


title: Prithviraj Chavan

text: Chavan began his schooling at a local Municipal Marathi-medium school in Karad. After his father moved to Delhi, Chavan joined Nutan Marathi School in Delhi. Chavan graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani. After graduation in 1967, he won a UNESCO scholarship in Germany and later moved to pursue a Master of Science degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He wrote articles on computer science; engineering design; and also contributed to research in computerization. He also worked briefly in the US as a design engineer, working on defence electronics, anti-submarine warfare, computer storage systems, and computerisation of Indian languages.


title: Prithviraj Chavan

text: Chavan started his political career in 1991 by winning his parents old seat of Karad to the Lok sabha. He went on to win the seat thrice, in 1991, 1996 and 1998 but lost in 1999.


title: Prithviraj Chavan

text: He served as a Minister of State for the ministries of Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and in charge of Prime Minister's Office. Earlier he also served as the Minister of State in charge of the Department of Atomic Energy. Chavan replaced Ashok Chavan as chief minister after the latter's involvement in the Adarsh Housing Society scam forced him to resign. Reasons for his choice reported by the media included the perception that he had a "clean image" and that he did not have his own faction of political supporters within the state.


title: Prithviraj Chavan

text: One of his first actions as Chief Minister was to play a role along with Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel, in convincing Jairam Ramesh, the Minister for Environment And Forests in obtaining environmental clearance for the planned second airport in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai International Airport.


title: Prithviraj Chavan

text: Chavan married Satvasheela on 16 December 1976. They have a daughter, Ankita and a son named Jai. Ankita married on 29 November 2013 in Delhi.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: The Battle of Nasiriyah was fought between the US 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, aided by the British military, and Iraqi forces from 23 March to 2 April 2003 during the US-led invasion of Iraq. On the night of 24–25 March, the bulk of the Marines of Regimental Combat Team 1 passed through the city over the bridges and attacked north towards Baghdad. However fighting continued in the city until 1 April when Iraqi resistance in the city was defeated.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: Nasiriyah is a city which lies along the banks of the Euphrates River in Dhi Qar Province, about southeast of Baghdad; its population is made up almost entirely of Shia Muslims.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: On the morning of 23 March, a US Army supply convoy from the 507th Maintenance Company had mistakenly veered off Highway 8 and then turned toward the city into enemy-held territory. The US vehicles ran into an ambush, drawing enemy fire from every direction. Eleven American soldiers were killed and several were taken prisoner. However, a few soldiers managed to escape the ambush and form a screen around their wounded. They were soon rescued by a company from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Task Force Tarawa) under the command of Major William Peeples.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: The original plan was for Task Force Tarawa to take and hold the two bridges inside Nasiriyah, creating a corridor for the RCT1 and 6th Engineer Support Battalion from Battle Creek, MI to pass north through the city along Route 7.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: Nasiriyah was the headquarters of the Iraqi Army's 3rd Corps, composed of the 11th Infantry Division (ID), 51st Mechanized Infantry Division, and 6th Armored Division—all at around 50 percent strength. The 51st operated in the south covering the oilfields, and the 6th was north near Al Amarah, which left three brigade-sized elements of the 11th ID to guard the An Nasiriyah area.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: At around 06:00 on the morning of 23 March, an 18-vehicle convoy of 31 soldiers of the United States Army's 507th Maintenance Company and two soldiers of the 3rd Forward Support Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division missed a turn onto Highway 8 and mistakenly continued along Highway 7 into the city. The convoy was led by Captain Troy King, a supply officer with little combat training. Iraqi technical vehicles began shadowing the convoy as it passed an Iraqi checkpoint near the Euphrates River. After passing the Al-Quds headquarters on the northern outskirts of the city, King realized that he was lost and the convoy began turning around to retrace its steps through the city.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: As the convoy turned left on to Highway 16. At about 07:00 it began to receive sporadic small arms fire, the source and direction of which could not be determined. The ambush was unlikely to have been set up in advance, because the Iraqis did not know which course the convoy would take. In the resulting chaos, the 507th became divided into three smaller groups as it attempted to move south, out of Nasiriyah. The first element of the convoy (known in the official U.S. Army report as Group 1) made it through unscathed, and continued south to meet up with the Marines. Group 2 also made it through the kill zone, although their vehicles were badly damaged and had to be abandoned. Group 3 encountered road barriers and was defeated.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: At least 15 of the 18 American transport vehicles in the convoy, ranging from Humvees to Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTTs), were destroyed by small-arms fire, RPGs, mortar rounds, and tank gunfire. Some of them swerved off the road or crashed while attempting to avoid incoming Iraqi fire. One truck was crushed by the traversing 105 mm gun barrel of a Type 69-QM tank. At 07:30, King's three remaining vehicles made contact with the tanks of Major Bill Peeples' Alpha Company, 8th Tank Battalion on Highway 7, about south of Nasiriyah. On their approach to the city, one of Peeples' tankers noticed American vehicles in the road ahead. Peeples ordered his tanks forward to rescue as many soldiers as possible. They rolled up on ten survivors from Group 2 which had also managed to escape the ambush and set up a hasty perimeter about south of the city.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: In total, 11 soldiers from the 507th had been killed, while six others were captured, including Private First Class Jessica Lynch, Specialist Shoshana Johnson and Private First Class Lori Piestewa. Piestewa died of her wounds soon afterward. After a delay, the Marines of 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines (part of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade), attacked Nasiriyah from the south, using amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs) and Cobra gunships. During this action, the Marines captured two bridges spanning the Euphrates River that were defended by Fedayeen and Ba'ath Party guerrilla soldiers. In heavy fighting, several Iraqi platoon-sized units, two ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" anti-aircraft weapons and several mortar and artillery positions were destroyed by a combined force of M1 Abrams tanks, Cobra helicopter gunships, and the artillery of 1st Battalion, 10th Marines.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: The bloodiest day of the operations for the Marines was 23 March, when 18 men of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, were killed and eight Amphibious Assault Vehicles were disabled in heavy fighting with Iraqi forces around the Saddam Canal. The Marines were engaged by RPGs, mortar, and artillery fire, as well as four Iraqi tanks hidden behind a building.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: A friendly-fire incident occurred when two A-10s from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard strafed the amphibious assault vehicles of Charlie Company by mistake, killing at least one Marine, and possibly as many as 17 Marines, over the course of multiple passes.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: The A-10 strike was cleared by the battalion's forward air controller, who was with Bravo Company, bogged down on the eastern outskirts of the city. He did not have contact with Charlie Company and was unaware that Marines were so far north. An investigation into the friendly-fire episode confirmed that friendly-fire was to blame, but "like most friendly-fire investigations, it was done... with no enthusiasm for determining what really happened, or who should be held accountable." Videotapes from the A-10 planes went missing. Despite the clear findings, the U.S. Central Command issued a press release which both minimized certainty and the role of friendly-fire.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: Two other Marines, from the 6th Engineer Support Battalion, Corporal Evans James and Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus drowned while trying to cross the Saddam Canal under fire the following day. Sgt. Michael E. Bitz, from the Marine Air Control Group 28, died from hostile fire while tending to wounded Marines.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: The advance of Regimental Combat Team 1 (RCT-1) through Nasiriyah was delayed by fighting there. On the evening of 24 March, LAVs of the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (2nd LAR, commanded by Lt. Col. Eddie Ray) pushed north of the Saddam Canal, leading RCT-1 through Ambush Alley.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: Meanwhile, the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (the "Thundering Third", commanded by Lt. Col. Craparotta) held open Ambush Alley as the rest of RCT-1 passed through Nasiriyah on the night of 24–25 March.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: By 27 March, most Iraqi resistance in the city had been subdued and the focus of the battle shifted from full combat to cordon-and-search operations. Small groups of Fedayeen Saddam militia were hiding throughout the city and launched sporadic attacks on Marine patrols with small arms and RPGs. These attacks were uncoordinated and the resulting firefights were lop-sided, with large numbers of militiamen killed.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: On the morning of 27 March, two recon Marines found a sunken M1A1 tank at the bottom of the river. The tank had been missing since the night of 24–25 March. It had apparently plunged into the river when it drove through a gap where a sidewalk was under construction, causing the exposed reinforcing bar to crumble under the weight. The entire four-man crew died. Navy Seabee divers from Underwater Construction Team TWO, part of Task Force MIKE along with Marines from 1st Tank Battalion, spent two days retrieving the flooded tank and the bodies of the four crewmen that were found inside.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: According to a captain in the Republican Guard, morale among Republican Guard units was bolstered by the resistance offered by the regular army's 45th brigade in the city.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: Iraqi casualties were 359–431 dead. More than 300 were wounded and 1,000 captured. US losses were 32 dead, 60 wounded, and six captured.


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: Initial reporting of the battle emphasized the supposed heroism of Private First Class Jessica Lynch. On 3 April, "The Washington Post" ran a front-page story which read: "Lynch, a 19-year-old supply clerk, continued firing at the Iraqis even after she sustained multiple gunshot wounds and watched several other soldiers in her unit die around her". "The Post" quoted an unnamed official who said "She was fighting to the death [...] She did not want to be taken alive."


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: This description soon was questioned. On 4 April, the Associated Press ran a story which stated that Lynch's father had heard from the doctors attending her, who said that "she had not been shot or stabbed during her ordeal." On 15 April, the "Post" ran a story questioning the accuracy of its own account from 3 April, saying "Lynch's story is far more complex and different than those initial reports [...] She was neither shot nor stabbed."


title: Battle of Nasiriyah

text: On 24 April, Private Lynch testified before Congress. She called the earlier reports a "lie", and said that she had in fact never fired her weapon, because she was knocked unconscious when her vehicle crashed. Jon Krakauer concludes that "most of the details of Lynch's ordeal were extravagantly embellished, and much of the rest was invented from whole cloth... and [were] fed to gullible reporters by anonymous military sources". Krakauer concludes that Jim Wilkinson was likely part of a White House-led effort to fabricate Lynch's story.


title: George Macready

text: George Peabody Macready Jr. (August 29, 1899 – July 2, 1973) was an American stage, film, and television actor often cast in roles as polished villains.


title: George Macready

text: Macready was born in Providence, Rhode Island on August 29, 1899. He graduated from the local Classical High School in 1917 and from Brown University in 1921, where he was a member of Delta Phi fraternity and won a letter as the football team manager. While in college, Macready sustained a permanent scar on his right cheek after being thrust through the windshield of a Ford Model T when the vehicle skidded on an icy road and hit a telephone pole. He was stitched up by a veterinarian, but he caught scarlet fever during the ordeal.


title: George Macready

text: Macready first worked in a bank in Providence and then briefly for a newspaper in New York City before he turned to stage acting. He claimed to have been descended from the 19th-century Shakespearean actor William Macready.


title: George Macready

text: Macready made his Broadway debut in 1926, performing in the role of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale in an adaptation of "The Scarlet Letter". Through 1958, he appeared in fifteen plays, both drama and comedy, including "The Barretts of Wimpole Street", based on the family of the English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.


title: George Macready

text: Macready's penchant for acting was spurred in part by the director Richard Boleslawski. His Shakespearean stage credits included Benedick in "Much Ado About Nothing" (1927), Malcolm in "Macbeth" (1928), and Paris in "Romeo and Juliet" (1934). On film, he played Marallus in the 1953 film adaptation of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar". He also portrayed Prince Ernst in the original stage version of "Victoria Regina" (1936), starring Helen Hayes.


title: George Macready

text: Macready's first film was "Commandos Strike at Dawn" (1942), which starred Paul Muni. In "Gilda" (1946), Macready's character Ballin Mundson enters a deadly love triangle with characters played by co-stars Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. He again played opposite Ford several years later in the postwar adventure "The Green Glove" (1952).


title: George Macready

text: Stanley Kubrick's antiwar film "Paths of Glory" (1957) provided Macready with his other great role, the sadistic and self-serving French World War I General Paul Mireau, who is brought down by Kirk Douglas's character, Colonel Dax. He had worked with Douglas previously in "Detective Story" (1951), and later he appeared with Douglas in two more films: Vincente Minnelli's "Two Weeks in Another Town" (1962) and John Frankenheimer's "Seven Days in May" (1964). In 1965, he was cast in a rare comedy role as General Kuhster in Blake Edwards's film "The Great Race".


title: George Macready

text: One of Macready's last film roles was as United States Secretary of State Cordell Hull in "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (1970), a depiction of the events leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.


title: George Macready

text: Macready made four guest appearances on Raymond Burr's "Perry Mason", including the role of murder victim Milo Girard in the 1958 episode "The Case of the Purple Woman". He was also cast regularly in such series as "Four Star Playhouse", "General Electric Theater", "The Ford Television Theatre", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Adventures in Paradise" and "The Islanders".


title: George Macready

text: Macready performed in a variety of television series produced in the 1950s and 1960s, including many Westerns such as "Bat Masterson", "Bonanza", "The Dakotas", "Gunsmoke", "Have Gun - Will Travel", "The Rebel" (once in the role of Confederate General Robert E. Lee), "The Rifleman", "Lancer", "Laramie", "Riverboat", "The Rough Riders", Chill Wills's "Frontier Circus", "The Texan" and Steve McQueen's "". Also on TV, he was seen in episodes of "The Outer Limits", "The Twilight Zone", Boris Karloff's "Thriller", "Kentucky Jones", "Get Smart" with Don Adams, and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." with Robert Vaughn.


title: George Macready

text: Macready was cast as Cyrus Canfield, a vengeful father searching for his runaway teenage daughter, played by Floy Dean, in the May 26, 1962, series finale of NBC's "The Tall Man".


title: George Macready

text: In the 1960s, Macready performed for three years in the role of Martin Peyton in ABC's "Peyton Place", the first primetime soap opera on American television, with Dorothy Malone in the lead role of Constance MacKenzie.


title: George Macready

text: He played publishing magnate Glenn Howard in the TV movie "Fame Is the Name of the Game" (1966) starring Anthony Franciosa, but was replaced by Gene Barry in the role when the film was subsequently used as the pilot for the television series "The Name of the Game" with Franciosa, Barry, and Robert Stack revolving in the lead.