King of the Ring (2000) King of the Ring ( 2000 ) was the eighth annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view ( PPV ) event produced by World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) . The event was presented by Subway and took place on June 25 , 2000 , at the Fleet Center in Boston , Massachusetts . The main event was a six-man tag team match between McMahon-Helmsley Faction ( Triple H , Vince , and Shane McMahon ) and the team of The Rock and The Brothers of Destruction ( The Undertaker and Kane ) . Triple H 's WWF Championship was defended in the match . Rock pinned Vince to win the title . The undercard featured the 2000 King of the Ring tournament , won by Kurt Angle . The 2000 edition was the largest King of the Ring tournament , with 32 competitors taking part .   These other matches featured on the undercard ; including a three-on-two Handicap Tables Dumpster match between Dudley Boyz ( Bubba Ray and D-Von ) and the team of D-Generation X ( Road Dogg and X-Pac ) and Tori , a Hardcore Evening Gown match for the WWF Hardcore Championship between champion Pat Patterson and challenger Gerald Brisco and a Four corners elimination match for the WWF Tag Team Championship between champions Too Cool ( Grand Master Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty ) and the challenger teams of Edge and Christian , The Hardy Boyz ( Matt and Jeff ) and T & A ( Test and Albert ) .


Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle ( born December 9 , 1968 ) is an American professional wrestler , actor , and retired amateur wrestler . He is currently signed to WWE , performing as the on-screen general manager for the Raw brand . While a student at Clarion University of Pennsylvania , Angle won numerous accolades , including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion . After graduating college , Angle won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships . He then won a freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics . Angle is one of four people to complete an amateur wrestling Grand Slam ( junior nationals , NCAA , World Championships , Olympics ) . In 2006 , he was named by USA Wrestling as the greatest shoot wrestler ever and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time . He was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for his amateur accomplishments .   Angle made his first appearance at a professional wrestling event in 1996 , with his in-ring debut in 1999 . He signed a long-term contract with the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF , now WWE ) that same year , and participated in his first televised storyline in March 1999 . After months of unaired matches , Angle made his official debut in November and received his first major push in the company in February 2000 , when he held the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship simultaneously . Four months later , he won the King of the Ring tournament , and not long after he began pursuing the WWF Championship , which he won in October ; this capped off a rookie year which is considered by many to be the greatest in professional wrestling history . Throughout his tenure in the WWF/WWE , Angle was a six-time world champion ( four reigns as WWF/WWE Champion , one as WCW Champion , and one as WWE 's World Heavyweight Champion ) , a one-time United States Champion , one-time Intercontinental Champion , one-time European Champion , one-time Hardcore Champion , and one-time WWE Tag Team Champion . He is the tenth Triple Crown Champion and the fifth Grand Slam Champion ( achieving this accolade twice under both the original and current format ) in WWE history . On March 31 2017 , Angle was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame , becoming the third active wrestler to be inducted , after Ric Flair and Sting .   After leaving WWE in 2006 , Angle joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA , now Impact Wrestling ) where he became a record six-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion ( and the inaugural titleholder ) , a two-time TNA World Tag Team Champion , and a one-time TNA X Division Champion . He is the second Triple Crown winner in TNA history and the only one to hold all the required titles at once . Angle is also a two-time King of the Mountain . As part of TNA , he made appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling ( NJPW ) and the Inoki Genome Federation ( IGF ) , holding the IWGP Heavyweight Championship once . In 2013 , Angle was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame ( he is the second wrestler -- after Sting -- to be inducted into both the WWE and TNA halls of fame ) .   Between WWF/WWE , Japan , and TNA , Angle has won 13 world championships and 21 total championships . He is the only professional wrestler in history to have won the WWE Championship , WWE 's World Heavyweight Championship , the WCW Championship , the TNA World Heavyweight Championship , and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship . Angle is also the only person to have been King of the Mountain and King of the Ring . He has headlined numerous pay-per-view events for both WWF/WWE and TNA throughout his career , including the flagship event for both promotions : WrestleMania in WWE , and Bound for Glory in TNA . In 2004 , the Wrestling Observer Newsletter inducted Angle into its Hall of Fame , and later named him `` Wrestler of the Decade '' for the 2000s . He is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time ; ESPN journalist and former WWE personality Jonathan Coachman described Angle as `` the greatest I 've ever seen in the ring '' .


King of the Mountain match The King of the Mountain match is a professional wrestling match exclusive to Impact Wrestling .


World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) The World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by WWE . It was one of two top championships in WWE from 2002 to 2006 and from 2010 to 2013 , complementing the WWE Championship , and one of three top championships from 2006 to 2010 with the addition of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship .   The title was established under the Raw brand in 2002 , after Raw and SmackDown became distinct brands under WWE , and moved between both brands on different occasions ( mainly as a result of the WWE draft ) until August 29 , 2011 , when all programming became full roster `` supershows '' . The World Heavyweight Championship was retired at the WWE pay-per-view , TLC : Tables , Ladders & Chairs , on December 15 , 2013 , when it was unified with the WWE Championship . The unified championship became the WWE World Heavyweight Championship , retaining the lineage of the WWE Championship . Triple H was the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion , with Randy Orton being the last .   The title was one of six to be represented by the historic Big Gold Belt , first introduced in 1986 . Its heritage can be traced back to the first world heavyweight championship , thereby giving the belt a legacy over 100 years old , the oldest in the world .


WrestleMania WrestleMania is a professional wrestling event produced annually between mid-March to early April by WWE , an American professional wrestling promotion based in Stamford , Connecticut . WWE first produced the event in 1985 and has since produced 33 editions , with the most recent having been held in Orlando , Florida on April 2 , 2017 and thirty-fourth to be held in New Orleans , Louisiana on April 8 , 2018 . WrestleMania , WWE 's flagship event , airs on pay-per-view ( PPV ) and WWE Network and is the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history . It contributes to the worldwide commercial success of WWE through media , merchandise , and shows . WrestleMania was conceptualized by WWE owner Vince McMahon and long time WWE ring announcer and Hall of Famer Howard Finkel is credited with devising the name `` WrestleMania '' in 1984 .   WrestleMania 's widespread success helped transform professional wrestling . The event has facilitated the rise to stardom of several top WWE wrestlers . Celebrities such as Aretha Franklin , Cyndi Lauper , Muhammad Ali , Mr. T , Alice Cooper , Lawrence Taylor , Pamela Anderson , Mike Tyson , Donald Trump , Floyd Mayweather , Pete Rose , Burt Reynolds , Mickey Rourke , Snoop Dogg , Sean `` Diddy '' Combs , Kid Rock , Fred Durst , Ozzy Osbourne , Ronda Rousey , and Shaquille O'Neal have participated or made special appearances within the events .   The first WrestleMania was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City ; the 10th and 20th editions were also held there . WrestleMania III in the Detroit suburb of Pontiac , Michigan was the highest-attended indoor sports event in the world , with 93,173 fans in attendance . The record stood until February 14 , 2010 , when the 2010 NBA All-Star Game broke the indoor sporting event record with an attendance of 108,713 at Cowboys Stadium , since renamed AT&T Stadium , in Arlington , Texas . In 2016 , WrestleMania 32 surpassed WrestleMania III as the highest-attended professional wrestling event ever held in America , with 101,763 fans in attendance at AT&T Stadium . All editions of the event have been hosted in North American cities , with 31 in the United States and two in Canada .


New Japan Pro-Wrestling , operating as and sometimes referred to as NJPW or simply New Japan , is a major Japanese puroresu or professional wrestling promotion founded in January 1972 by Antonio Inoki . In 2005 , Inoki sold the promotion to Yuke 's , who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012 . Naoki Sugabayashi has served as the Chairman of the promotion since September 2013 , while Katsuhiko Harada has served as the President of the promotion since February 2016 .   Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi , NJPW is the largest professional wrestling promotion in Japan and the second largest promotion in the world . It was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance at various points in its history . NJPW has had agreements with various MMA and professional wrestling promotions around the world , including WWE , World Championship Wrestling , American Wrestling Association , World Class Championship Wrestling , Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , WAR , UWFi , Ring of Honor , Pride Fighting Championships , and Jersey All Pro Wrestling . NJPW 's biggest event is the January 4 Tokyo Dome Show , held each year since 1992 and currently promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom banner .


Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling is a privately held American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville , Tennessee and founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002 . It is the second-largest professional wrestling promotion in the United States after WWE , and is controlled as a subsidiary of Toronto-based integrated media organization Anthem Sports & Entertainment .   The promotion was initially known as NWA : Total Nonstop Action ( NWA-TNA ) and was associated with the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) . It withdrew from the NWA in 2004 and became known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) , but it continued to use the NWA World Heavyweight and the NWA World Tag Team championships as part of an agreement . After the agreement ended in 2007 , the company created its own TNA World Heavyweight and TNA World Tag Team championships . It is the only major American promotion to predominantly make use of a six-sided wrestling ring .


Romelu Lukaku joined a team during 2011.

Romelu Lukaku Romelu Menama Lukaku ( born 13 May 1993 ) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Everton and the Belgium national team . He is one of only five players to score 50 Premier League goals before his 23rd birthday , and the first foreign player to score 80 before his 24th birthday .   Lukaku started his career with local side Rupel Boom , before joining Lierse , where he earned a move to Anderlecht of the Belgian Pro League in 2006 . Lukaku made his professional debut while still at school at the age of 16 , and became the 2009 -- 10 top scorer in Belgium as Anderlecht won the Belgian championship . He also won the Belgian Ebony Shoe in 2011 . In the 2011 summer transfer window , Lukaku joined Premier League club Chelsea . He did not appear regularly in his first season there , and spent the following two seasons on loan at West Bromwich Albion and Everton respectively , signing permanently for the latter for a club record # 28 million in 2014 .   Lukaku made his senior international debut for Belgium in 2010 , and has since earned over 50 caps . He has also represented the country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016 .


Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club ( -LSB- ˈtʃɛlsiː -RSB- ) is an English professional football club based in Fulham , London , that competes in the Premier League , of which they are reigning champions . Founded in 1905 , the club 's home ground since then has been Stamford Bridge .   Chelsea had their first major success in 1955 , when they won the league championship . They then won various cup competitions between 1965 and 1971 . The club 's greatest period of success has come during the last two decades ; winning 18 major trophies since 1997 . Chelsea have won six national league titles , seven FA Cups , five League Cups and four FA Community Shields , one UEFA Champions League , two UEFA Cup Winners ' Cups , one UEFA Europa League and one UEFA Super Cup . Chelsea are the only London club to win the UEFA Champions League , and one of five clubs to have won all three main UEFA club competitions , first English to do so .   Chelsea 's regular kit colours are royal blue shirts and shorts with white socks . The club 's crest has been changed several times in attempts to re-brand the club and modernise its image . The current crest , featuring a ceremonial lion rampant regardant holding a staff , is a modification of the one introduced in the early 1950s . The club have the sixth-highest average all-time attendance in English football . Their average home gate for the 2016 -- 17 season was 41,507 , the sixth highest in the Premier League . Since 2003 , Chelsea have been owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich . In 2016 , they were ranked by Forbes magazine as the seventh most valuable football club in the world , at # 1.15 billion ( $ 1.66 billion ) .


The Contender stars Christian Slater, and actor born in 1969.

Christian Slater Christian Michael Leonard Slater ( born August 18 , 1969 ) is an American actor and producer . He made his film debut with a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean . He played a monk 's apprentice alongside Sean Connery in The Name of the Rose ( 1986 ) and gained wider recognition for his breakthrough role in the 1988 cult film Heathers .  In the 1990s , Slater starred in many big budget films , including Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves , Interview with the Vampire , FernGully : The Last Rainforest , Broken Arrow , and Hard Rain . He was also featured in the cult film True Romance . Since 2000 , Slater has combined work in the film business with television , including appearances in The West Wing and Alias and starring in Breaking In and Mind Games .   He currently has a leading role in the USA Network TV series , Mr. Robot , for which he won his first Golden Globe at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Series , Miniseries or Television Film .


The Contender (2000 film) The Contender is a 2000 political drama film written and directed by Rod Lurie . It stars Gary Oldman , Joan Allen , Jeff Bridges and Christian Slater . The film focuses on a fictional United States President ( played by Bridges ) and the events surrounding his appointment of a new Vice President ( Allen ) .   The film serves as a response to the Lewinsky scandal that arose during the presidency of Bill Clinton . It also became the subject of controversy regarding alterations that allegedly displeased Oldman , who co-produced . Joan Allen was nominated for Best Actress and Jeff Bridges for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards .


John Mayer had no record label during his career.

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( -LSB- ˈmeɪ.ɚ -RSB- born October 16 , 1977 ) is an American singer-songwriter , guitarist , and producer . He was born in Bridgeport , Connecticut , and raised in nearby Fairfield . He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston , but disenrolled and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with Clay Cook . Together , they formed a short-lived two-man band called Lo-Fi Masters . After their split , Mayer continued to play local clubs -- refining his skills and gaining a following . After his appearance at the 2001 South by Southwest Festival , he was signed to Aware Records , and then Columbia Records , which released his first EP , Inside Wants Out . His following two full-length albums -- Room for Squares ( 2001 ) and Heavier Things ( 2003 ) -- did well commercially , achieving multi-platinum status . In 2003 , he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the single `` Your Body Is a Wonderland '' .   Though Mayer started his career mainly performing acoustic rock , he began moving towards the blues genre that had originally influenced him as a musician . By 2005 , he was collaborating with blues artists such as B. B. King , Buddy Guy , and Eric Clapton . Forming the John Mayer Trio , he released a live album in 2005 called Try ! , and his third studio album Continuum in 2006 . Both albums received wide critical acclaim , and Continuum earned Mayer a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album . He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for `` Waiting on the World to Change '' . That album was followed by Battle Studies in 2009 , a return to pop , with a number-one grossing tour .   After having several controversial incidents with the media , Mayer withdrew from public life in 2010 and began work on a follow-up album , called Born and Raised , that would draw inspiration from the 1970s pop music of Laurel Canyon . However , the discovery of a granuloma on his vocal cords delayed the release of the album until May 2012 , and ultimately forced him to cancel the planned tour . Even so , the album enjoyed a generally favorable reception , though was less commercially successful than his previous work . After extensive treatments for his vocal problems -- and a two-year hiatus -- Mayer began performing as a singer again in January 2013 , and that year released the album , Paradise Valley . The album is named for where he lives in Montana and features country music influences . By 2014 , he had sold a total of over 20 million albums worldwide . After developing an interest in the Grateful Dead and connecting with Bob Weir , Mayer formed Dead & Company with three former Grateful Dead musicians . After two well-received tours in the fall of 2015 and summer of 2016 , the band has already committed to another tour for the summer of 2017 .   Mayer 's secondary career pursuits extend to television hosting , comedy , and writing ; he has authored columns for magazines such as Esquire . He supports various causes and has performed at charity benefits . He is a watch aficionado ( with a collection he values in the `` tens of millions '' of dollars ) , and has been on the jury at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève . He currently lives in Montana . His latest song is `` Love on the Weekend '' .


Franklin D. Roosevelt started the development of an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt ( -LSB- ˈroʊzəvəlt -RSB- , his own pronunciation , or -LSB- - en ˈroʊzəvɛlt -RSB- January 30 , 1882 -- April 12 , 1945 ) , commonly known as FDR , was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 32nd President of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945 . A Democrat , he won a record four presidential elections and emerged as a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century . He directed the United States government during most of the Great Depression and World War II . As a dominant leader of his party , he built the New Deal Coalition , realigning American politics into the Fifth Party System and defining American liberalism throughout the middle third of the 20th century . He is often rated by scholars as one of the three greatest U.S. Presidents , along with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln .   Roosevelt was born in 1882 to an old , prominent Dutch family from Dutchess County , New York and attended Groton School . He went on to graduate from Harvard College in 1903 and attended Columbia Law School . At age 23 in 1905 , he married Eleanor Roosevelt , and the couple went on to have six children . He entered politics in 1910 , serving in the New York State Senate , and then as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson . In 1920 , presidential candidate James M. Cox selected Roosevelt as his running mate , but the Cox/Roosevelt ticket lost to the Republican ticket of Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge . In 1921 , Roosevelt was stricken with debilitating polio , which cost him the use of his legs . The disability put his future political career in jeopardy , but he attempted to recover from the illness and founded the treatment center in Warm Springs , Georgia for people with polio . Roosevelt returned to political life when he nominated Alfred E. Smith at the 1924 Democratic National Convention . At Smith 's behest , Roosevelt successfully ran for Governor of New York in 1928 . He was in office from 1929 to 1933 and served as a reform governor , promoting the enactment of programs to combat the depression besetting the United States at the time .   In the 1932 presidential election , Roosevelt defeated incumbent Republican president Herbert Hoover in a landslide to win the presidency . Roosevelt took office while the United States was in the midst of the worst economic crisis in its history . Energized by his personal victory over polio , FDR relied on his persistent optimism and activism to renew the national spirit . During his first 100 days in office , Roosevelt spearheaded unprecedented federal legislation and issued a profusion of executive orders that instituted the New Deal -- a variety of programs designed to produce relief ( government jobs for the unemployed ) , recovery ( economic growth ) , and reform ( through regulation of Wall Street , banks and transportation ) . He created numerous programs to support the unemployed and farmers , and to encourage labor union growth while more closely regulating business and high finance . His support for the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 added to his popularity , helping him win re-election by a landslide in 1936 . The economy improved rapidly from 1933 -- 37 , but then relapsed into a deep recession in 1937 -- 38 . The bipartisan Conservative Coalition that formed in 1937 prevented his packing the Supreme Court , and blocked almost all proposals for major liberal legislation ( except the minimum wage , which did pass ) . When the war began and unemployment ended , conservatives in Congress repealed the two major relief programs , the Works Progress Administration ( WPA ) and Civilian Conservation Corps ( CCC ) . However , they kept most of the regulations on business . Along with several smaller programs , major surviving programs include the Securities and Exchange Commission , the Wagner Act , the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Social Security .   With World War II looming after 1938 with the Japanese invasion of China and the aggression of Nazi Germany , Roosevelt gave strong diplomatic and financial support to China and the United Kingdom , while remaining officially neutral . His goal was to make America the `` Arsenal of Democracy '' , which would supply munitions to the Allies . In March 1941 , Roosevelt , with Congressional approval , provided Lend-Lease aid to Britain and China . Following the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7 , 1941 , which he famously called `` a date which will live in infamy '' , Roosevelt sought and obtained the quick approval on the following day for Congress to declare war on Japan and , a few days later , on Germany . Assisted by his top aide Harry Hopkins , and with very strong national support , he worked closely with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill , Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in leading the Allies against Nazi Germany , Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan in World War II . He supervised the mobilization of the U.S. economy to support the war effort , and also ordered the internment of 100,000 Japanese American civilians . As an active military leader , Roosevelt implemented a war strategy on two fronts that ended in the defeat of the Axis Powers , and he initiated the development of the world 's first atomic bomb . His work also influenced the later creation of the United Nations and Bretton Woods . Roosevelt 's physical health seriously declined during the war years , and he died weeks into his fourth term . He was then succeeded by his vice president Harry S. Truman , and a few months after Truman 's inauguration , the United States bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , leading to Japan 's surrender .


Nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions , either fission ( fission bomb ) or a combination of fission and fusion ( thermonuclear weapon ) . Both reactions release large quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter . The first test of a fission ( `` atomic '' ) bomb released the same amount of energy as approximately 20,000 tonTNT . The first thermonuclear ( `` hydrogen '' ) bomb test released the same amount of energy as approximately 10 e6tonTNT . A thermonuclear weapon weighing little more than 2400 lb can produce an explosive force comparable to the detonation of more than 1.2 e6tonTNT . A nuclear device no larger than traditional bombs can devastate an entire city by blast , fire , and radiation . Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction , and their use and control have been a major focus of international relations policy since their debut .   Nuclear weapons have been used twice in war , both times by the United States against Japan near the end of World War II . On August 6 , 1945 , the U.S. Army Air Forces detonated a uranium gun-type fission bomb nicknamed `` Little Boy '' over the Japanese city of Hiroshima ; three days later , on August 9 , the U.S. Army Air Forces detonated a plutonium implosion-type fission bomb codenamed `` Fat Man '' over the Japanese city of Nagasaki . The bombings resulted in the deaths of approximately 200,000 civilians and military personnel from acute injuries sustained from the explosions . The ethics of the bombings and their role in Japan 's surrender are subjects of debate .   Since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , nuclear weapons have been detonated over two thousand times for testing and demonstration . Only a few nations possess such weapons or are suspected of seeking them . The only countries known to have detonated nuclear weapons -- and acknowledge possessing them -- are ( chronologically by date of first test ) the United States , the Soviet Union ( succeeded as a nuclear power by Russia ) , the United Kingdom , France , the People 's Republic of China , India , Pakistan , and North Korea . Israel is also believed to possess nuclear weapons , though , in a policy of deliberate ambiguity , it does not acknowledge having them . Germany , Italy , Turkey , Belgium and the Netherlands are nuclear weapons sharing states . South Africa is the only country to have independently developed and then renounced and dismantled its nuclear weapons .   The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons aims to reduce the spread of nuclear weapons , but its effectiveness has been questioned , and political tensions remained high in the 1970s and 1980s . Modernisation of weapons continues to occur .


Hosted television shows have featured Ringo Starr.

Ringo Starr Richard Starkey , ( born 7 July 1940 ) , known professionally as Ringo Starr , is an English drummer , singer , songwriter and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the Beatles . He occasionally sang lead vocals , usually for one song on an album , including `` With a Little Help from My Friends '' , `` Yellow Submarine '' and their cover of `` Act Naturally '' . He also wrote the Beatles ' songs `` Do n't Pass Me By '' and `` Octopus 's Garden '' , and is credited as a co-writer of others , including `` What Goes On '' and `` Flying '' .   Starr was twice afflicted by life-threatening illnesses during childhood , and as a result of prolonged hospitalisations fell behind in school . In 1955 , he entered the workforce and briefly held a position with British Rail before securing an apprenticeship at a Liverpool equipment manufacturer . Soon afterwards , he became interested in the UK skiffle craze , developing a fervent admiration for the genre . In 1957 , he cofounded his first band , the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group , which earned several prestigious local bookings before the fad succumbed to American rock and roll by early 1958 .   When the Beatles formed in 1960 , Starr was a member of another Liverpool group , Rory Storm and the Hurricanes . After achieving moderate success with that band in the UK and Hamburg , he quit the Hurricanes and joined the Beatles in August 1962 , replacing Pete Best . Starr played key roles in the Beatles ' films and appeared in numerous others . After the band 's break-up in 1970 , he released several successful singles including the US number four hit `` It Do n't Come Easy '' , and number ones `` Photograph '' and `` You 're Sixteen '' . In 1972 , he released his most successful UK single , `` Back Off Boogaloo '' , which peaked at number two . He achieved commercial and critical success with his 1973 album Ringo , which was a top ten release in both the UK and the US . He has been featured in a number of documentaries and hosted television shows . He also narrated the first two series of the children 's television programme Thomas & Friends and portrayed `` Mr Conductor '' during the first season of the PBS children 's television series Shining Time Station . Since 1989 , he has toured with twelve variations of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band .   Starr 's creative contribution to music has received praise from other drummers such as Phil Collins , who described him as `` a great musician '' , and Steve Smith , who commented : `` Before Ringo , drum stars were measured by their soloing ability and virtuosity . Ringo 's popularity brought forth a new paradigm ... we started to see the drummer as an equal participant in the compositional aspect ... His parts are so signature to the songs that you can listen to a Ringo drum part without the rest of the music and still identify the song . '' He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1998 . In 2011 , Rolling Stone readers named Starr the fifth-greatest drummer of all time . Starr , who was previously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Beatle in 1988 , was inducted for his solo career in 2015 , making him one of 21 performers inducted more than once .


In 1988, Soundgarden was signed to an American record label.

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent label by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962 . Due to the success of the discography A&M released , the label garnered interest and was eventually acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distributing releases from Polydor Ltd. from the UK . Throughout its operations , A&M housed well-known acts such as Procol Harum , Captain & Tennille , Sting , Supertramp , Bryan Adams , Burt Bacharach , Liza Minnelli , The Carpenters , Paul Williams , Janet Jackson , Cat Stevens , Peter Frampton , Elkie Brooks , Carole King , Amy Grant , Joan Baez , The Police , CeCe Peniston , Soundgarden , and Sheryl Crow .   PolyGram was acquired by Seagram and dissolved into Universal Music Group in 1998 , and A&M 's operations were ceased in January 1999 when it was merged with Geffen Records and Interscope Records to form the record company Interscope Geffen A&M Records . In 2007 , Interscope Geffen A&M announced that A&M was revived as trademark and brand and was to be merged with Octone Records to form A&M Octone Records , which operated until 2013 , when A&M Octone was folded into Interscope . Today , A&M 's catalog releases are managed by Verve Records , Universal Music Enterprises and Interscope .


Soundgarden Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle , Washington , in 1984 by singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell , lead guitarist Kim Thayil , and bassist Hiro Yamamoto . Matt Cameron became the band 's full-time drummer in 1986 , while bassist Ben Shepherd became a permanent replacement for Yamamoto in 1990 . Cornell remained in Soundgarden until his death in May 2017 , putting the band 's future in doubt and leaving Thayil as the only remaining original member of the band .   Soundgarden was one of the seminal bands in the creation of grunge , a style of alternative rock that developed in Seattle , and was one of a number of grunge bands signed to the record label Sub Pop . Soundgarden was the first grunge band to sign to a major label ( A&M Records in 1988 ) , though the band did not achieve commercial success until they popularized the genre in the early 1990s with Seattle contemporaries Pearl Jam , Nirvana , and Alice in Chains .   Soundgarden achieved its biggest success with the 1994 album Superunknown , which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and yielded the Grammy Award-winning singles `` Black Hole Sun '' and `` Spoonman '' . In 1997 , the band broke up due to internal strife over its creative direction . After more than a decade of working on projects and other bands , Soundgarden reunited in 2010 and their sixth studio album , King Animal , was released two years later .   As of 2012 , Soundgarden sold more than 10.5 million records in the United States , and an estimated 22.5 million worldwide . VH1 ranked Soundgarden at number 14 in their special 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock .


Telangana Telangana ( t ) is one of the 29 states in India , located in southern India . Formed in June 2014 as the youngest state in India , from the northwestern part of the Joint State of Andhra Pradesh , Telangana has an area of 112077 km2 , and a population of 35,193,978 ( 2011 census ) . It is the twelfth largest state in India , and the twelfth most populated state in India . Its major cities include Hyderabad , Warangal , Khammam , Karimnagar and Nizamabad . Telangana is bordered by the states of Maharashtra to the north and north west , Chhattisgarh to the north , Karnataka to the west and Andhra Pradesh to the east and south .   Telangana had a history as the Telugu-speaking region of the princely state of Hyderabad , ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad . It joined the Union of India in 1948 . In 1956 , the Hyderabad state was dissolved as part of the linguistic reorganisation of states and Telangana was merged with former Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh . Following a movement for separation , Telangana was awarded separate statehood on 2 June 2014 . Hyderabad will continue to serve as the joint capital city for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for no more than ten years .


Ann Romney attended a private research university in Utah.

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University ( often referred to as BYU or , colloquially , The Y ) is a private research university in Provo , Utah , United States . It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( LDS Church ) , and excluding online students , is the largest religious university and the third largest private university in the United States , with 29,672 on-campus students . Approximately 99 percent of the students are members of the LDS Church , and one-third of its US students are from Utah .   Students attending BYU are required to follow an honor code , which mandates behavior in line with LDS teachings such as academic honesty , adherence to dress and grooming standards , and abstinence from extramarital sex and from the consumption of drugs and alcohol . Many students ( 88 percent of men , 39 percent of women ) either delay enrollment or take a hiatus from their studies to serve as Mormon missionaries . An education at BYU is also less expensive than at similar private universities , since `` a significant portion '' of the cost of operating the university is subsidized by the church 's tithing funds .   BYU offers a variety of academic programs , including liberal arts , engineering , agriculture , management , physical and mathematical sciences , nursing , and law . The university is broadly organized into 11 colleges or schools at its main Provo campus , with certain colleges and divisions defining their own admission standards . The university also administers two satellite campuses , one in Jerusalem and one in Salt Lake City , while its parent organization , the Church Educational System ( CES ) , sponsors sister schools in Hawaii and Idaho . The university 's primary focus is on undergraduate education , but it also has 68 master 's and 25 doctoral degree programs .   BYU 's athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the BYU Cougars . Their college football team is an NCAA Division I Independent , while their other sports teams compete in either the West Coast Conference or Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . BYU 's sports teams have won a total of fourteen national championships .


Ann Romney Ann Lois Romney ( née Davies ; born April 16 , 1949 ) is the wife of American businessman and politician , Mitt Romney . From 2003 to 2007 , Romney was First Lady of Massachusetts , while her husband served as Governor .   She was raised in Bloomfield Hills , Michigan , and attended the private Kingswood School there , where she dated Mitt Romney . She converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( LDS Church ) in 1966 . She attended Brigham Young University ( BYU ) , married Mitt Romney in 1969 , and in 1975 received a Bachelor of Arts degree in French .   As First Lady of Massachusetts , Romney served as the governor 's liaison for federal faith-based initiatives . She was involved in a number of children 's charities , including Operation Kids . She was an active participant in her husband 's U.S. presidential campaigns in 2008 and again in 2012 , when he was the Republican Party nominee .   Romney was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998 and has credited a mixture of mainstream and alternative treatments with giving her a lifestyle mostly without limitations . In one activity , equestrianism , she has consequently received recognition in dressage as an adult amateur at the national level and competed professionally in Grand Prix as well . In 2008 , she was also diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ , a non-invasive type of breast cancer . She underwent a lumpectomy in December of the same year and has since been cancer-free .   Ann and Mitt Romney have five sons , born between 1970 and 1981 , and twenty-three grandchildren .


The Silence of the Lambs was originally a Thomas Harris novel.

The Silence of the Lambs (film) The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American horror-thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Jodie Foster , Anthony Hopkins , and Scott Glenn . Adapted by Ted Tally from the 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris , his second to feature the character of Dr. Hannibal Lecter ; a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer , the film was the second adaptation of a Harris novel featuring Lecter , preceded by the Michael Mann-directed Manhunter in 1986 . In the film , Clarice Starling , a young U.S. FBI trainee , seeks the advice of the imprisoned Dr. Lecter to apprehend another serial killer , known only as `` Buffalo Bill '' .   The Silence of the Lambs was released on February 14 , 1991 , and grossed $ 272.7 million worldwide against its $ 19 million budget . It was only the third film , the other two being It Happened One Night and One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest , to win Academy Awards in all the top five categories : Best Picture , Best Actor , Best Actress , Best Director , and Adapted Screenplay . It is also the first ( and so far only ) Best Picture winner widely considered to be a horror film , and only the third such film to be nominated in the category , after The Exorcist in 1973 and Jaws in 1975 . The film is considered `` culturally , historically or aesthetically '' significant by the U.S. Library of Congress and was selected to be preserved in the National Film Registry in 2011 . A sequel titled Hannibal was released in 2001 with Hopkins reprising his role , followed by two prequels : Red Dragon ( 2002 ) and Hannibal Rising ( 2007 ) .


Henrietta Maria of France only ever married a commoner.

Henrietta Maria of France Henrietta Maria of France ( Henriette Marie 25 November 1609 -- 10 September 1669 ) was queen consort of England , Scotland , and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I . She was mother of his two immediate successors , Charles II and James II .   Her Roman Catholicism made her unpopular in England , and also prohibited her from being crowned in an Anglican service ; therefore she never had a coronation . She began to immerse herself in national affairs as civil war loomed on the horizon , and was compelled to seek refuge in France in 1644 , following the birth of her youngest daughter , Henrietta , during the height of the First English Civil War . The execution of King Charles in 1649 left her impoverished . She settled in Paris , and then returned to England after the Restoration of her eldest son , Charles , to the throne . In 1665 , she moved back to Paris , where she died four years later .   The North American Province of Maryland was named in her honour , and the name was carried over into the current U.S. state of Maryland .


Charles I of England Charles I ( 19 November 1600 -- 30 January 1649 ) was monarch of the three kingdoms of England , Scotland , and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649 .   Charles was the second son of King James VI of Scotland , but after his father inherited the English throne in 1603 , he moved to England , where he spent much of the rest of his life . He became heir apparent to the English , Irish , and Scottish thrones on the death of his elder brother , Henry Frederick , Prince of Wales , in 1612 . An unsuccessful and unpopular attempt to marry him to the Spanish Habsburg princess Maria Anna culminated in an eight-month visit to Spain in 1623 that demonstrated the futility of the marriage negotiations . Two years later , he married the Bourbon princess Henrietta Maria of France instead .   After his succession , Charles quarrelled with the Parliament of England , which sought to curb his royal prerogative . Charles believed in the divine right of kings and thought he could govern according to his own conscience . Many of his subjects opposed his policies , in particular the levying of taxes without parliamentary consent , and perceived his actions as those of a tyrannical absolute monarch . His religious policies , coupled with his marriage to a Roman Catholic , generated the antipathy and mistrust of reformed groups such as the English Puritans and Scottish Covenanters , who thought his views too Catholic . He supported high church ecclesiastics , such as Richard Montagu and William Laud , and failed to aid Protestant forces successfully during the Thirty Years ' War . His attempts to force the Church of Scotland to adopt high Anglican practices led to the Bishops ' Wars , strengthened the position of the English and Scottish parliaments and helped precipitate his own downfall .   From 1642 , Charles fought the armies of the English and Scottish parliaments in the English Civil War . After his defeat in 1645 , he surrendered to a Scottish force that eventually handed him over to the English Parliament . Charles refused to accept his captors ' demands for a constitutional monarchy , and temporarily escaped captivity in November 1647 . Re-imprisoned on the Isle of Wight , Charles forged an alliance with Scotland , but by the end of 1648 Oliver Cromwell 's New Model Army had consolidated its control over England . Charles was tried , convicted , and executed for high treason in January 1649 . The monarchy was abolished and a republic called the Commonwealth of England was declared . The monarchy was restored to Charles 's son , Charles II , in 1660 .


The English Civil War was between Parliament and Royals.

English Civil War The English Civil War ( 1642 -- 1651 ) was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians ( `` Roundheads '' ) and Royalists ( `` Cavaliers '' ) over , principally , the manner of England 's government . The first ( 1642 -- 46 ) and second ( 1648 -- 49 ) wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament , while the third ( 1649 -- 51 ) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II and supporters of the Rump Parliament . The war ended with the Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651 .   The overall outcome of the war was threefold : the trial and execution of Charles I ( 1649 ) ; the exile of his son , Charles II ( 1651 ) ; and the replacement of English monarchy with , at first , the Commonwealth of England ( 1649 -- 53 ) and then the Protectorate under the personal rules of Oliver Cromwell ( 1653 -- 58 ) and his son ( 1658 -- 59 ) . The monopoly of the Church of England on Christian worship in England ended with the victors ' consolidating the established Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland . Constitutionally , the wars established the precedent that an English monarch can not govern without Parliament 's consent , although the idea of Parliament as the ruling power of England was only legally established as part of the Glorious Revolution in 1688 .


Snoop Dogg Cordozar Calvin Broadus , Jr. ( born October 20 , 1971 ) , known professionally as Snoop Dogg ( sometimes shortened to Snoop and formerly called Snoop Doggy Dogg and Snoop Lion ) , is an American rapper and actor from Long Beach , California . His music career began in 1992 when he was discovered by Dr. Dre of N.W.A , and as a result was prominently featured throughout Dr. Dre 's solo debut album , The Chronic ( 1992 ) . He has since sold over twenty-three million albums in the United States and thirty-five million albums worldwide .   Snoop 's debut album , Doggystyle , was released in 1993 under Death Row Records , debuting at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B / Hip-Hop Albums charts . Selling almost a million copies in the first week of its release , Doggystyle became certified 4 × platinum in 1994 and spawned several hit singles , including `` What 's My Name ? '' and `` Gin & Juice '' . In 1994 Snoop released a soundtrack on Death Row Records for the short film Murder Was The Case , starring himself . His second album Tha Doggfather ( 1996 ) , also debuted at number one on both charts with `` Snoop 's Upside Ya Head '' , as the lead single . The album was certified double platinum in 1997 .   After leaving Death Row Records , Snoop signed with No Limit Records , where he recorded his next three albums . Da Game Is to Be Sold , Not to Be Told ( 1998 ) , No Limit Top Dogg ( 1999 ) , and Tha Last Meal ( 2000 ) . Snoop then signed with Priority/Capitol/EMI Records in 2002 , where he released Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss . He then signed with Geffen Records in 2004 for his next three albums R&G ( Rhythm & Gangsta ) : The Masterpiece , Tha Blue Carpet Treatment , and Ego Trippin ' . Malice 'n Wonderland ( 2009 ) , and Doggumentary ( 2011 ) , were released on Priority . Snoop Dogg has starred in motion pictures and hosted several television shows , including Doggy Fizzle Televizzle , Snoop Dogg 's Father Hood , and Dogg After Dark . He also coaches a youth football league and high school football team . In September 2009 , Snoop was hired by EMI as the chairman of a reactivated Priority Records .   In 2012 , after a trip to Jamaica , Snoop announced a conversion to the Rastafari movement and a new alias , Snoop Lion . Under the new moniker , he released a reggae album , Reincarnated , and a documentary film of the same name , of his Jamaican experience , in early 2013 . His fourteenth solo studio album , Coolaid , was released in July 2016 .   Snoop Dogg holds the dubious distinction of having seventeen Grammy nominations without a win .   In March 2016 , the night before WrestleMania 32 in Arlington , Texas , Snoop was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame having made several appearances for the company , including as Master of Ceremonies during a match at Wrestlemania XXIV .


Serbia ranks 47th on the Social Progress Index.

Serbia Serbia ( -LSB- ˈsɜrbiə -RSB- , Србија / Srbija , -LSB- sř̩bija -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Serbia ( Република Србија / Republika Srbija ) , is a landlocked sovereign state situated at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe , covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central Balkans . Serbia is situated along a number of cultural , geographic , and climatic crossroads . It borders Hungary to the north ; Romania and Bulgaria to the east ; Macedonia to the south ; and Croatia , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Montenegro to the southwest . It claims a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo . Serbia numbers around 7 million residents ; its capital , Belgrade , ranks among the oldest and largest cities in Southeast Europe .   Following the Slavic migrations to the Balkans postdating the 6th century , Serbs established several states in the early Middle Ages . The Serbian Kingdom obtained recognition by Rome and the Byzantine Empire in 1217 , reaching its peak in 1346 as a relatively short-lived Serbian Empire . By the mid-16th century , the entire modern-day Serbia was annexed by the Ottomans , at times interrupted by the Habsburg Empire , which started expanding towards Central Serbia from the end of the 17th century , while maintaining a foothold in modern-day Vojvodina . In the early 19th century , the Serbian Revolution established the nation-state as the region 's first constitutional monarchy , which subsequently expanded its territory . Following disastrous casualties in World War I , and the subsequent unification of the former Habsburg crownland of Vojvodina ( and other territories ) with Serbia , the country co-founded Yugoslavia with other South Slavic peoples , which would exist in various political formations until the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s . During the breakup of Yugoslavia , Serbia formed a union with Montenegro which dissolved peacefully in 2006 , when Serbia reestablished its independence . In 2008 the parliament of the province of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence , with mixed responses from the international community .   Serbia is a member of numerous organizations such as the UN , CoE , OSCE , PfP , BSEC , and CEFTA . An EU membership candidate since 2012 , Serbia has been negotiating its EU accession since January 2014 . The country is acceding to the WTO and is a militarily neutral state . Serbia is an upper-middle income economy with dominant service sector , followed by the industrial sector and agriculture . The country ranks high on the Human Development Index ( 66th ) , Social Progress Index ( 47th ) as well as the Global Peace Index ( 48th ) .


Texas Longhorns men's basketball has won 27 conference championships.

Texas Longhorns men's basketball The Texas Longhorns men 's basketball team '' ' represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I intercollegiate men 's basketball competition . The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference .   The University of Texas began varsity intercollegiate competition in men 's basketball in 1906 . The Longhorns rank 17th in total victories among all NCAA Division I college basketball programs and 25th in all-time win percentage among programs with at least 50 years in Division I , with an all-time win-loss record of 1750 -- 1054 . Among Big 12 Conference men 's basketball programs , Texas is second only to Kansas in both all-time wins and all-time win percentage .   The Longhorns have won 27 total conference championships in men 's basketball and have made 33 total appearances in the NCAA Tournament ( 11th-most appearances all time , with a 35 -- 36 overall record ) , reaching the NCAA Final Four three times ( 1943 , 1947 , 2003 ) and the NCAA Regional Finals ( Elite Eight ) seven times . As of March 21 , 2017 , Texas ranks fifth among all Division I men 's basketball programs for total NCAA Tournament games won without having won the national championship ( 35 ) , trailing Purdue ( 36 ) , Notre Dame ( 38 ) , Illinois ( 40 ) , and Oklahoma ( 41 ) .   The Texas basketball program experienced substantial success during the early decades of its existence , but its success in the modern era is of relatively recent vintage . After two losing seasons during the program 's first five years , Texas suffered only one losing season from 1912 to 1950 , achieving a winning percentage of .703 during that span , reaching two Final Fours and one Elite Eight during the first decade of the NCAA Tournament , and receiving retroactive recognition as the 1933 national champion from the Premo-Porretta Power Poll ; from 1951 to 1988 , the Longhorns finished with losing records 14 times , recorded a winning percentage of .522 , and participated in the expanded Tournament only five times . Texas achieved some measures of national recognition during the tenures of head coaches Abe Lemons ( 1976 -- 82 ) and Tom Penders ( 1988 -- 98 ) , but the program rose to its highest level of prominence under the direction of former head coach Rick Barnes ( 1998 -- 2015 ) . Barnes guided Texas to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances in his 17 seasons with the program , including a school-record fourteen consecutive appearances ( 1999 -- 2012 ) , as well as fifteen 20-win seasons overall and a school-best thirteen consecutive 20-win seasons ( 2000 -- 12 ) .   Since 1977 , the team has played its home games in the Frank Erwin Special Events Center , where it has compiled a record of 487 -- 119 as of March 7 , 2017 . The team is currently led by second-year head coach Shaka Smart .


Sarah Paulson was an actor in the 1980's.

Sarah Paulson Sarah Catharine Paulson ( born December 17 , 1974 ) is an American actress . After beginning her acting career on stage , she starred in the 1990s television series American Gothic ( 1995 -- 96 ) and Jack & Jill ( 1999 -- 2001 ) . Paulson later appeared in comedy films such as What Women Want ( 2000 ) and Down with Love ( 2003 ) , and had dramatic roles in films such as Path to War ( 2002 ) and The Notorious Bettie Page ( 2005 ) . From 2006 to 2007 , Paulson played the role of Harriet Hayes in the NBC comedy-drama series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip , for which she received her first Golden Globe Award nomination . In 2008 , she starred as Ellen Dolan in the superhero noir film The Spirit .   Paulson has appeared on Broadway in the plays The Glass Menagerie ( 2005 ) and Collected Stories ( 2010 ) . She also starred in a number of independent films , and had a leading role on the ABC comedy series Cupid in 2009 . She later starred in the independent drama Martha Marcy May Marlene ( 2011 ) , and received Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for her performance as Nicolle Wallace in the HBO film Game Change ( 2012 ) . Paulson starred as Mary Epps in the 2013 historical drama film 12 Years a Slave and as Abby Gerhard in the 2015 drama film Carol . Both films received widespread critical acclaim and were nominated for multiple Academy Awards .   In 2011 , Paulson began starring in the FX anthology series American Horror Story , playing different characters in each of the show 's six seasons . For her work throughout the series , she has been nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards ( 2013 -- 16 ) and won two Critics ' Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries ( 2013 and 2015 ) . In 2016 , Paulson portrayed real life prosecutor Marcia Clark in the first season of the anthology series American Crime Story , subtitled The People v. O. J. Simpson . For her work in the series , she has been awarded the Critics ' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries , Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie , TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama , and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Miniseries or Television Film as well as the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie .   According to Time magazine , she is one of the 100 most influential people of the year 2017 .


Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop ( born December 13 , 1967 ) , known professionally by his stage name Jamie Foxx , is an American actor , singer , songwriter , record producer and comedian . He won an Academy Award for Best Actor , BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy , for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film Ray . The same year , he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the crime film Collateral .   Other prominent acting roles include Staff Sergeant Sykes in Jarhead ( 2005 ) , Detective Ricardo Tubbs in the 2006 film adaptation of TV series Miami Vice , the title role in the film Django Unchained ( 2012 ) , and the supervillain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ( 2014 ) . Foxx also starred in the 1990-1994 sketch comedy show In Living Color and his own television show from 1996 to 2001 , the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show , in which he played Jamie King , Jr. . Foxx also starred in the 2014 film Annie , in which he played Will Stacks .   Foxx is also a Grammy Award-winning musician , producing four albums which have charted in the top ten of the US Billboard 200 : Unpredictable ( 2005 ) , which topped the chart , Intuition ( 2008 ) , Best Night of My Life ( 2010 ) , and Hollywood : A Story of a Dozen Roses ( 2015 ) .


The Woman in Me (Shania Twain album) The Woman in Me is the second studio album by Canadian country singer Shania Twain and her first with the majority of the songs co-written by her . Released on February 7 , 1995 , it went on to become her biggest-selling recording at the time of its release , selling 4 million copies by the end of the year , and was eventually certified 12 × Platinum by the RIAA on December 1 , 2000 , representing 12 million shipments throughout the United States , and 20 million copies worldwide . It was ranked # 8 on CMT 's list of 40 Greatest Albums in Country Music in 2006 .


Shania Twain Shania Twain , OC ( -LSB- ʃəˈnaɪ.ə _ ˈtweɪn -RSB- born Eilleen Regina Edwards ; August 28 , 1965 ) is a Canadian singer and songwriter . Twain has sold over 85 million records , making her the best-selling female artist in the history of country music and one of the best-selling music artists of all time . Her success garnered her several honorific titles including the `` Queen of Country Pop '' .   Twain 's second album , 1995 's The Woman in Me , brought her widespread success selling 20 million copies worldwide , spawning hits such as `` Any Man of Mine '' and earning her a Grammy Award . Twain 's third album , Come On Over , became the best-selling studio album of all time by a female act in any genre and the best-selling country album , selling around 40 million copies worldwide . Come On Over produced several singles , including `` You 're Still the One '' , `` From This Moment On '' and `` Man ! I Feel Like a Woman ! '' , and earned Twain four Grammy Awards . Her fourth and latest studio album , Up ! , was released in 2002 and , like her previous two albums , was also certified Diamond in the U.S. , spawning hits like `` I 'm Gon na Getcha Good ! '' and `` Forever and for Always '' .   Twain has received five Grammy Awards , 27 BMI Songwriter awards , stars on Canada 's Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame , and an induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame . She is the only female artist in history to have three consecutive albums certified Diamond by the RIAA . Altogether , Twain is ranked as the 10th best-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era .   In 2004 , Twain retired from performing and retreated to her home in Switzerland . In her 2011 autobiography , she cited a weakening singing voice as the reason for not performing publicly . When both her singing and speaking were affected , Twain consulted the Vanderbilt Dayani Center in Nashville . Specialists discovered lesions on her vocal cords and diagnosed her with dysphonia , all treatable with careful rehabilitation . In 2012 , Twain returned to the concert stage in her critically acclaimed show Still the One , exclusively at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace . In 2015 , Twain returned to the road for what she has billed as her farewell tour . The Rock This Country tour kicked off on June 5 , 2015 in Seattle , Washington and originally concluded in Fresno , California on August 23 but was extended to include additional dates and ended October 27 , 2015 in Kelowna , British Columbia , Canada .


Come On Over Come On Over is the third studio album recorded by Canadian country singer Shania Twain . It was released on November 4 , 1997 . It became the best-selling country music album , the best-selling studio album by a female act , and the best selling album by a Canadian . It is the sixth best-selling album in the United States .   To date , the album has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide , shipped over 20 million copies in the United States , with over 15.6 million copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan , and another 1.99 million through BMG Music Clubs . The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and stayed there for 50 non-consecutive weeks . It stayed in the Top Ten for 151 weeks . Twain promoted the album with television performances and interviews . It was further promoted with the successful Come On Over Tour , which visited North America , Oceania and Europe .


Forever and for Always `` Forever and for Always '' is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain and it was the third country single from her fourth studio album Up ! ( 2002 ) . The song was written by Mutt Lange and Twain . The single was released in the United States radio on April 7 , 2003 . The video debuted on Country Music Television on April 26 , 2003 . The song was also used for Febreze : Scentstories promotion , in which Twain took part . In 2006 , `` Forever and for Always '' was certified gold for 500,000 digital downloads in the U.S. by the RIAA .   `` Forever and for Always '' was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2004 , Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance ; however , it lost in both categories . The song was also named Song of the Year at both the 2004 BMI Country Songwriter Awards and 2004 European BMI Awards .


Georgia Institute of Technology is located in the United States.

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology ( commonly referred to as Georgia Tech , Tech , or GT ) is a public research university in Atlanta , Georgia , in the United States . It is a part of the University System of Georgia and has satellite campuses in Savannah , Georgia ; Metz , France ; Athlone , Ireland ; Shenzhen , China ; and Singapore .   The educational institution was founded in 1885 as the Georgia School of Technology as part of Reconstruction plans to build an industrial economy in the post-Civil War Southern United States . Initially , it offered only a degree in mechanical engineering . By 1901 , its curriculum had expanded to include electrical , civil , and chemical engineering . In 1948 , the school changed its name to reflect its evolution from a trade school to a larger and more capable technical institute and research university .   Today , Georgia Tech is organized into six colleges and contains about 31 departments/units , with emphasis on science and technology . It is well recognized for its degree programs in engineering , computing , business administration , the sciences , design , and liberal arts . Georgia Tech is ranked 7th among all public national universities in the United States and 34th among all colleges and universities in U.S. News & World Report rankings , Georgia Tech is also highly regarded internationally for its engineering and business programs , and has been ranked as the `` smartest '' public college in America ( based on average standardized test scores ) .   Student athletics , both organized and intramural , are a part of student and alumni life . The school 's intercollegiate competitive sports teams , the four-time football national champion Yellow Jackets , and the nationally recognized fight song `` Ramblin ' Wreck from Georgia Tech '' , have helped keep Georgia Tech in the national spotlight . Georgia Tech fields eight men 's and seven women 's teams that compete in the NCAA Division I athletics and the Football Bowl Subdivision . Georgia Tech is a member of the Coastal Division in the Atlantic Coast Conference .


Shahid Kapoor Shahid Kapoor ( -LSB- ʃaːɦɪd̪ kəˈpuːr -RSB- ; born 25 February 1981 ) , also known as Shahid Khattar , is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films . The son of actors Pankaj Kapur and Neelima Azeem , Kapoor was born in New Delhi . His parents separated when he was three , and he continued living with his mother . They moved to Mumbai when he was 10 , where he joined Shiamak Davar 's dance academy . Kapoor appeared as a background dancer in a few films of the 1990s , and was later featured in music videos and television commercials .   Kapoor made his film debut in 2003 with a leading role in the romantic comedy Ishq Vishk , a sleeper hit for which he won a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut . He followed it with roles in several commercial failures before starring in Sooraj Barjatya 's top-grossing family drama Vivah ( 2006 ) . Kapoor earned nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for portraying a troubled businessman in Imtiaz Ali 's romantic comedy Jab We Met ( 2007 ) and twin brothers in Vishal Bhardwaj 's caper thriller Kaminey ( 2009 ) . After appearing in another series of box office flops , he starred in the action film R. . . Rajkumar ( 2013 ) his highest-grossing release . In 2014 , Kapoor portrayed the Hamlet character in Bhardwaj 's acclaimed drama Haider , for which he won the Best Actor award at Filmfare . Two years later , he played a drug abusing singer in the crime drama Udta Punjab , which won him the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor .   Cited in the media as one of the most attractive Indian celebrities , Kapoor maintains his popularity despite a fluctuating career trajectory . Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles , Kapoor has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers . He is the recipient of several awards , including three Filmfare Awards . In addition to acting , Kapoor supports charities , hosts award ceremonies , and has featured as a talent judge on the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded ( 2015 ) . Following a romantic relationship with the actress Kareena Kapoor , he married Mira Rajput , a student from New Delhi , with whom he has a daughter .


Appian Way Productions was deestablished by a producer.

Appian Way Productions Appian Way Productions is a film production company in West Hollywood , California , established by actor and producer Leonardo DiCaprio . The company 's first film was The Assassination of Richard Nixon ( 2004 ) . It then released the 2004 biopic The Aviator , starring DiCaprio as Howard Hughes . The film was a critical and commercial success , and earned several Academy Award nominations , including Best Picture . Its following productions were released three years later -- the comedy drama Gardener of Eden ( 2007 ) and the documentary The 11th Hour ( 2007 ) . This was followed by the commercial successes of the psychological horror Orphan ( 2009 ) , the psychological thriller Shutter Island ( 2010 ) and the dark fantasy film Red Riding Hood ( 2011 ) . The company had three releases in 2013 , including the crime thriller Runner Runner and the thriller film Out of the Furnace ( 2013 ) , both of which performed poorly at the box-office . Appian Way released the biopic The Wolf of Wall Street ( 2013 ) , a critical and commercial success , which was nominated for several Academy Awards , including Best Picture .


Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner , Jr. ( pronounced -LSB- ˈwægnər -RSB- born February 10 , 1930 ) is an American actor of stage , screen , and television , best known for starring in the television shows It Takes a Thief ( 1968 -- 70 ) , Switch ( 1975 -- 78 ) , and Hart to Hart ( 1979 -- 84 ) . He also had a recurring role as Teddy Leopold on the TV sitcom Two and a Half Men and has a recurring role as Anthony DiNozzo Sr. on the police procedural NCIS .   In movies , Wagner is known for his role as Number Two in the Austin Powers trilogy of films ( 1997 , 1999 , 2002 ) , as well as for A Kiss Before Dying , The Pink Panther , Harper , The Towering Inferno and many more .   Wagner 's autobiography , Pieces of My Heart : A Life , written with author Scott Eyman , was published on September 23 , 2008 .


Crystal Palace F.C. Crystal Palace Football Club is a professional football club based in South Norwood , London , that plays in the Premier League , the top tier of English football .   The club was founded in 1905 at the famous Crystal Palace Exhibition building by the owners of the FA Cup Final stadium which was situated inside its historic grounds . Palace played their home games at the Cup Final venue until 1915 when the First World War forced them to move out and play at Herne Hill Velodrome and The Nest . In 1924 , the club moved to their current home at Selhurst Park .   Palace have been FA Cup finalists twice , in 1990 and 2016 , losing to Manchester United on both occasions . Palace were one of the original founding members of the Premier League . The club enjoyed their best ever top flight season in 1990 -- 91 , when they challenged for the English league title , eventually finishing in third place in the top tier , their highest ever league position . Palace were denied a place in Europe at the end of that season due to the partial UEFA ban on English clubs following the Heysel Stadium disaster . The club have been second tier champions twice and hold the record for the most play-off wins for promotion to the top flight , winning the final four times . Palace were also winners of the Full Members Cup in 1991 when they beat Everton in the Wembley final .   In 1973 , the club changed its original nickname from `` The Glaziers '' to `` The Eagles '' and introduced the red and blue vertical stripes now associated with the club . The club had previously played in claret and blue colours . Palace have rivalries with Brighton & Hove Albion , with whom they contest the M23 derby , and fellow South London clubs Millwall and Charlton Athletic .


Association football Association football , more commonly known as football or soccer , is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball . It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies making it the world 's most popular sport . The game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end . The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal .   Players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play , unless they are goalkeepers ( and then only when within their penalty area ) . Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball , but may also use their head or torso . The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins . If the score is level at the end of the game , either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time or a penalty shootout depending on the format of the competition . The Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863 . Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football ( FIFA ; Fédération Internationale de Football Association ) , which organises World Cups for both men and women every four years .


The Pennsylvania Chronicle was published in Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania Chronicle The Pennsylvania Chronicle and Universal Advertiser was an American colonial newspaper founded in 1767 that was published in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , prior to the American Revolution and was founded by William Goddard and his business partners Joseph Galloway and Thomas Wharton . Benjamin Franklin , an associate of Galloway , was also a partner with the Chronicle .   The newspaper was established to challenge the power of the Penn family and ultimately the Crown authorities who at that time were placing laws and taxes on the colonists without fair representation in the British Parliament .   The Chronicle was published once a week on a Monday , the first issue being released on January 6 , 1767 , and was printed from a new Bourgeois type set by Goddard 's printing company in Philadelphia , The New Printing Office , on Market-Street , near the Post-Office . The annual subscription rate was ten shillings . The publication maintained operations from January 6 , 1767 , until February 8 , 1774 .   In 1768 William 's sister , Mary Katherine Goddard who later became famous for being the first woman to be a postmaster in Maryland , later joined and managed her brother 's printing office in Philadelphia .   By 1770 the Pennsylvania Chronicle had a circulation of about twenty-five hundred , making it one of the most successful colonial newspapers .   In the middle of the 18th century most of the printing presses that were in use in the American colonies were imported from England . Isaac Doolittle , a New-Haven watch and clock-maker , built the mahogany printing press for Goddard 's Pennsylvania Chronicle in Philadelphia . It was the first printing press built in the American colonies .   Goddard 's newspaper was not without its competition . A rival Philadelphia printer , William Bradford III , founder of The Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser in 1742 conducted a newspaper war against Goddard that digressed into personal attacks .   During this time Galloway and Wharton had sold their shares of the Chronicle to a Robert Towne , who in turn made many attempts to persuade Goddard to sell his newspaper to him . After Goddard publicly criticized Galloway and Wharton he subsequently found himself jailed for debt in September 1771 , no doubt at the prompting of the influential Galloway .


Imagine Dragons Imagine Dragons is an American rock band from Las Vegas , Nevada , consisting of lead vocalist Dan Reynolds , lead guitarist Wayne Sermon , bassist Ben McKee , and drummer Daniel Platzman . The band first gained exposure in 2012 with the releases of their debut studio album Night Visions and its first single `` It 's Time '' . Billboard placed them at the top of their `` Year In Rock '' rankings for 2013 , and named them their `` Breakthrough Band of 2013 '' . Rolling Stone named their single `` Radioactive '' from Night Visions the `` biggest rock hit of the year '' , and MTV called them `` the year 's biggest breakout band '' . Night Visions peaked at number two on the weekly US Billboard 200 chart and the UK Albums Chart . The band 's second studio album Smoke + Mirrors was released in 2015 , and reached number one in the US , Canada and the UK .   Imagine Dragons has won two American Music Awards for Favorite Alternative Artist , a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance , five Billboard Music Awards , and a World Music Award . In May 2014 , the band was nominated for a total of fourteen different Billboard Music Awards , including Top Artist of the Year and a Milestone Award , which recognizes innovation and creativity of artists across different genres . As of January 2017 , Imagine Dragons have sold 9 million albums and 27 million singles worldwide .


Leslie Groves Lieutenant General Leslie Richard Groves Jr. ( 17 August 1896 -- 13 July 1970 ) was a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer who oversaw the construction of the Pentagon and directed the Manhattan Project , a top secret research project that developed the atomic bomb during World War II .   As the son of a United States Army chaplain , Groves lived at a number of Army posts during his childhood . He graduated fourth in his class at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1918 and was commissioned into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . In 1929 , he went to Nicaragua as part of an expedition whose purpose was to conduct a survey for the Inter-Oceanic Nicaragua Canal . Following the 1931 Nicaragua earthquake , Groves took over responsibility for Managua 's water supply system , for which he was awarded the Nicaraguan Presidential Medal of Merit . He attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , in 1935 and 1936 , and the Army War College in 1938 and 1939 , after which he was posted to the War Department General Staff .   In 1940 Groves , who `` had a reputation as a doer , a driver , and a stickler for duty '' , became special assistant for construction to the Quartermaster General , tasked with inspecting construction sites and checking on their progress . In August 1941 , he was given responsibility for the gigantic office complex to house the War Department 's 40,000 staff which would ultimately become the Pentagon . In September 1942 , Groves took charge of the Manhattan Project . He was involved in most aspects of the atomic bomb 's development . He participated in the selection of sites for research and production at Oak Ridge , Tennessee ; Los Alamos , New Mexico ; and Hanford , Washington . He directed the enormous construction effort , made critical decisions on the various methods of isotope separation , acquired raw materials , directed the collection of military intelligence on the German nuclear energy project and helped select the cities in Japan that were chosen as targets . Groves wrapped the Manhattan Project in security but failed to prevent the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from conducting a successful espionage program that stole some of its most important secrets .   After the war , Groves remained in charge of the Manhattan Project until responsibility for nuclear weapons production was handed over to the United States Atomic Energy Commission in 1947 . He then headed the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project , which had been created to control the military aspects of nuclear weapons . He was given a dressing down by the Chief of Staff of the United States Army , General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower , and told that he would never be appointed Chief of Engineers . Three days later , Groves announced his intention to leave the Army . He was promoted to lieutenant general just before his retirement on 29 February 1948 in recognition of his leadership of the bomb program . By a special Act of Congress , his date of rank was backdated to 16 July 1945 , the date of the Trinity nuclear test . He went on to become a vice-president at Sperry Rand .


Kong: Skull Island Kong : Skull Island is a 2017 American action-adventure monster film directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and written by Dan Gilroy , Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly , from a story by John Gatins . The film is a reboot of the King Kong franchise and serves as the second film in Legendary 's MonsterVerse . It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Tom Hiddleston , Samuel L. Jackson , John Goodman , Brie Larson , Jing Tian , Toby Kebbell , John Ortiz , Corey Hawkins , Jason Mitchell , Shea Whigham , Thomas Mann , Terry Notary and John C. Reilly . The film follows a team of scientists and Vietnam War soldiers who travel to an uncharted island in the Pacific and encounter terrifying creatures and the mighty Kong .   Principal photography took place from October 2015 to March 2016 in Hawaii and various locations around Vietnam . Kong : Skull Island premiered on February 28 , 2017 , in London and was released in the United States on March 10 , 2017 , in 2D , 3D , IMAX 3D and in Dolby Cinemas . The film was a critical and commercial success , grossing $ 565 million worldwide against its $ 185 million budget and making it the fifth highest-grossing film of 2017 .


The Opposite of Sex The Opposite of Sex is a 1998 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Don Roos and stars Christina Ricci , Martin Donovan , and Lisa Kudrow .


Wonderland (2003 film) Wonderland is a 2003 American crime drama film , co-written and directed by James Cox and based on the real-life Wonderland Murders that occurred in 1981 . The film stars Val Kilmer , Kate Bosworth , Dylan McDermott , Carrie Fisher , Lisa Kudrow , Josh Lucas , Christina Applegate , Tim Blake Nelson , and Janeane Garofalo . Kilmer plays the role of John Holmes , a pornographic film star and suspected accomplice in four grisly murders committed in an apartment on Wonderland Avenue , in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles .


Lisa Kudrow Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( -LSB- ` kuːdroʊ -RSB- born July 30 , 1963 ) is an American actress , comedian , writer and producer . She gained worldwide recognition for her ten-season run as Phoebe Buffay and Ursula Buffay on the television sitcom Friends , for which she received many accolades , including six Emmy Award nominations , winning once in 1998 , and twelve Screen Actors Guild Award nominations , winning twice in 1996 and 2000 .   She went on to produce , write and star in the 2005 HBO series The Comeback , which was revived nine years later and began airing its second season in November 2014 . She received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for both seasons , in 2006 and 2015 respectively . She also starred in Web Therapy , which aired for four seasons on Showtime . As a producer of the series , she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class -- Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program for the show in 2012 . She is also one of the executive producers of the TLC reality program Who Do You Think You Are and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Program for the series in 2012 and 2014 .   Away from television , Kudrow has also appeared in many films , including Romy and Michele 's High School Reunion ( 1997 ) , The Opposite of Sex ( 1998 ) , Analyze This ( 1999 ) and its sequel Analyze That ( 2002 ) , Dr. Dolittle 2 ( 2001 ) , Wonderland ( 2003 ) , Happy Endings ( 2005 ) , P.S. I Love You ( 2007 ) , Bandslam ( 2008 ) , Hotel for Dogs ( 2009 ) , Easy A ( 2010 ) , Neighbors ( 2014 ) , its sequel Neighbors 2 : Sorority Rising ( 2016 ) and The Girl on the Train ( 2016 ) .


Saving Face is a winner at the 84th Academy Awards.

84th Academy Awards The 84th Academy Awards ceremony , presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) , honored the best films of 2011 in the United States and took place on February 26 , 2012 , at the Hollywood and Highland Center Theatre in Hollywood , Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. . During the ceremony , the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Academy Awards ( commonly referred to as Oscars ) in 24 categories . The ceremony was televised in the United States by ABC , and produced by Brian Grazer and Don Mischer , with Mischer also serving as director . Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the ninth time . He first presided over the 62nd ceremony held in 1990 and had last hosted the 76th ceremony held in 2004 .   On June 14 , 2011 , Academy president Tom Sherak announced at a press conference that , in an attempt to further revitalize interest surrounding the awards , the 2012 ceremony would feature between five and ten Best Picture nominees depending on voting results , as opposed to a set number of nominees . In related events , the Academy held its third annual Governors Awards ceremony at the Grand Ballroom of the Hollywood and Highland Center on November 12 , 2011 . On February 11 , 2012 , in a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills , California , the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Milla Jovovich .   The Artist won five awards , including Best Actor for Jean Dujardin , Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius , and Best Picture , the first silent feature to win an Academy Award for Best Picture since 1927 's Wings , the inaugural winner in 1929 . Other winners included Hugo also with five awards , The Iron Lady with two awards , and Beginners , The Descendants , The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore , The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , The Help , Midnight in Paris , The Muppets , Rango , Saving Face , A Separation , The Shore , and Undefeated with one . The telecast garnered more than 39 million viewers in the United States .


John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( -LSB- ˈmeɪ.ɚ -RSB- born October 16 , 1977 ) is an American singer-songwriter , guitarist , and producer . He was born in Bridgeport , Connecticut , and raised in nearby Fairfield . He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston , but disenrolled and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with Clay Cook . Together , they formed a short-lived two-man band called Lo-Fi Masters . After their split , Mayer continued to play local clubs -- refining his skills and gaining a following . After his appearance at the 2001 South by Southwest Festival , he was signed to Aware Records , and then Columbia Records , which released his first EP , Inside Wants Out . His following two full-length albums -- Room for Squares ( 2001 ) and Heavier Things ( 2003 ) -- did well commercially , achieving multi-platinum status . In 2003 , he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the single `` Your Body Is a Wonderland '' .   Though Mayer started his career mainly performing acoustic rock , he began moving towards the blues genre that had originally influenced him as a musician . By 2005 , he was collaborating with blues artists such as B. B. King , Buddy Guy , and Eric Clapton . Forming the John Mayer Trio , he released a live album in 2005 called Try ! , and his third studio album Continuum in 2006 . Both albums received wide critical acclaim , and Continuum earned Mayer a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album . He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for `` Waiting on the World to Change '' . That album was followed by Battle Studies in 2009 , a return to pop , with a number-one grossing tour .   After having several controversial incidents with the media , Mayer withdrew from public life in 2010 and began work on a follow-up album , called Born and Raised , that would draw inspiration from the 1970s pop music of Laurel Canyon . However , the discovery of a granuloma on his vocal cords delayed the release of the album until May 2012 , and ultimately forced him to cancel the planned tour . Even so , the album enjoyed a generally favorable reception , though was less commercially successful than his previous work . After extensive treatments for his vocal problems -- and a two-year hiatus -- Mayer began performing as a singer again in January 2013 , and that year released the album , Paradise Valley . The album is named for where he lives in Montana and features country music influences . By 2014 , he had sold a total of over 20 million albums worldwide . After developing an interest in the Grateful Dead and connecting with Bob Weir , Mayer formed Dead & Company with three former Grateful Dead musicians . After two well-received tours in the fall of 2015 and summer of 2016 , the band has already committed to another tour for the summer of 2017 .   Mayer 's secondary career pursuits extend to television hosting , comedy , and writing ; he has authored columns for magazines such as Esquire . He supports various causes and has performed at charity benefits . He is a watch aficionado ( with a collection he values in the `` tens of millions '' of dollars ) , and has been on the jury at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève . He currently lives in Montana . His latest song is `` Love on the Weekend '' .


2016 Australian Open The 2016 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park between 18 -- 31 January 2016 . It was the 104th edition of the Australian Open , and the first Grand Slam tournament of the year . The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles , doubles and mixed doubles play . Junior and wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments .   Novak Djokovic successfully defended the men 's singles title and thus won a record-equaling sixth Australian Open title . Serena Williams was the defending champion in the women 's singles but failed to defend her title , losing to Angelique Kerber in the final ; by winning , Kerber became the first German player of any gender to win a Grand Slam title since Steffi Graf won her last such title at the 1999 French Open .   As in previous years , this year 's tournament 's title sponsor was Kia . This edition set a new attendance record for the tournament of 720,363 .


French Open The French Open , often referred to as Roland-Garros ( -LSB- ʁɔlɑ̃ ɡaʁɔs -RSB- ) , is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris , France . Named after the French aviator Roland Garros , it is the premier clay court tennis championship event in the world and the second of four annual Grand Slam tournaments , the other three being the Australian Open , Wimbledon and the US Open . Roland Garros is currently the only major held on clay , and it is the zenith of the spring clay court season . Because of the seven rounds needed for a championship , the slow-playing surface and the best-of-five-set men 's singles matches ( without a tiebreak in the final set ) , the event is widely considered to be the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world .


2017 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix The 2017 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was a women 's tennis tournament played on indoor clay courts . It was the 40th edition of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix , and part of the Premier tournaments of the 2017 WTA Tour . It took place at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart , Germany , from 24 to 30 April 2017 .   Besides the prize money , the singles champion won a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet sports car .   Maria Sharapova made her return to competitive tennis at the tournament , following her 15-month suspension for taking the banned substance meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open .


Grand Slam (tennis) The Grand Slam tournaments , also called majors , are the four most-important annual tennis events . They offer the most ranking points , prize money , public and media attention , the greatest strength and size of field , and greater number of `` best of '' sets for men . The Grand Slam itinerary consists of the Australian Open in mid January , the French Open in May and June , Wimbledon in June and July , and the US Open in August and September . Each tournament is played over a period of two weeks . The Australian and United States tournaments are played on hard courts , the French on clay , and Wimbledon on grass . Wimbledon is the oldest , founded in 1877 , followed by the US in 1881 , the French in 1891 , and the Australian in 1905 . However , of these four , only Wimbledon was a major before 1924 -- 25 , the time when all four became designated Grand Slam tournaments . Skipping Grand Slam tournaments -- especially the Australian Open because of the remoteness , the inconvenient dates ( around Christmas and New Year 's Day ) and the low prize money -- was not unusual before 1982 , which was the start of the norm of counting Grand Slam titles .   The term Grand Slam also , and originally , refers to the achievement of winning all four major championships in a single calendar year within one of the five events : men 's and women 's singles ; men 's , women 's , and mixed doubles . In doubles , one team may accomplish a Grand Slam playing together or one player may achieve it with different partners . The term `` Grand Slam '' without qualification refers to winning the four majors in a single calendar year .   Winning the four majors in consecutive tournaments but not in the same year is known as a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam , while winning all four majors at any point during the course of a career is known as a Career Grand Slam . Winning the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in addition to the four majors in a one calendar year is known as a `` Golden Grand Slam '' or more commonly the `` Golden Slam '' . Also , winning the Year-End Championship ( known as ATP World Tour Finals for men 's singles and doubles disciplines , and WTA Tour Championships for both women 's disciplines ) in the same period is known as a `` Super Slam '' . Together , all four Majors in all three disciplines ( singles , doubles , and mixed doubles ) are called a `` boxed set '' of Grand Slam titles . No male or female player has won all twelve events in one calendar year , although a `` career boxed set '' has been achieved by three female players .


WTA Finals The WTA Finals ( formerly known as the WTA Tour Championships short : WTA Championships ) , is a professional tennis tournament played annually at the end of the season for the top-ranked players on the Women 's Tennis Association ( WTA ) tour . The location and number of players has changed since the first edition in 1972 . Since 2003 there have been eight singles players divided into two round robin groups , and eight doubles teams .   The WTA Finals is unofficially considered the fifth most prestigious event of a season after the four Grand Slam tournaments . It also has the largest prize money and ranking points after the majors . The most successful finals player is Martina Navratilova , who has won 8 singles titles and 13 doubles titles .   To qualify for the WTA Finals , WTA players compete throughout the year in over 53 WTA tournaments throughout the world , as well as the four Grand Slam events . Players earn ranking points on the Porsche Race To Singapore leaderboard , and the top 8 singles players and top 8 doubles teams on this leaderboard at the conclusion of the year ( as of the Monday following the final regular season tournament ) earn the right to compete in the WTA Championships . For singles , all results from that year count towards a player 's ranking ; for doubles , only the best 11 results for a team from that year count towards the team 's ranking .   Qualified players participate in a round-robin format in two groups of four . The winners and runners-up of each group advance to the semifinals . Doubles teams participate in a single elimination draw .


Australian Open The Australian Open is a major tennis tournament held annually over the last fortnight of January in Melbourne , Australia . First held in 1905 , the tournament is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events of the year -- the other three being the French Open , Wimbledon and the US Open . It features men 's and women 's singles ; men 's , women 's and mixed doubles and junior 's championships ; as well as wheelchair , legends and exhibition events . Prior to 1988 the tournament had been played on grass courts , but since then two types of hardcourt surfaces have been used at Melbourne Park -- green coloured Rebound Ace up to 2007 and , afterwards , blue Plexicushion .   The Australian Open typically has high attendances , rivalling and occasionally exceeding the US Open . The tournament holds the record for the highest attendance at a Grand Slam event . It was the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat with its three primary courts , the Rod Laver Arena , Hisense Arena and the refurbished Margaret Court Arena equipped with retractable roofs .


Women's Tennis Association The Women 's Tennis Association ( WTA ) , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King , is the principal organizing body of women 's professional tennis . It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women . Its counterpart organization in the men 's professional game is the Association of Tennis Professionals ( ATP ) .   The Women 's Tennis Association was founded in the month of June 1973 , but traces its origins to the inaugural Virginia Slims tournament , arranged by Gladys Heldman , and held on 23 September 1970 at the Houston Racquet Club in Houston , Texas . Rosie Casals won this first event . The WTA 's corporate headquarters is in St. Petersburg , Florida , with its European headquarters in London and its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Beijing .


The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships , Wimbledon , commonly known simply as Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world , and is widely considered the most prestigious . It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon , London , since 1877 and is played on outdoor grass courts .   Wimbledon is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments , the others being the Australian Open , the French Open and the US Open . Since the Australian Open shifted to hardcourt in 1988 , Wimbledon is the only major still played on grass .   The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July , culminating with the Ladies ' and Gentlemen 's Singles Final , scheduled for the second Saturday and Sunday of July respectively . Five major , junior , and invitational events are held each year . Wimbledon traditions include a strict dress code for competitors and Royal patronage . The tournament is also notable for the absence of sponsor advertising around the courts . In 2009 , Wimbledon 's Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof to lessen the loss of playing time due to rain .